by Nina Walker
My mother’s ring.
I still love you, you know, she said, her voice breaking. Thank you for this.
I love you, too.
Maybe she didn’t forgive me entirely but to hear those three words again was like being brought back to life. Brought back, only to have it taken away.
I let her go before I lost my nerve and stepped back. We were in the drive of the house, the night black and silent around us. Her form materialized, and when I saw the agonizing stretch of her face, I nearly ran back to her.
“Goodbye, Jessa,” I said, my throat catching on the pain.
She sighed deeply and lifted a hand, then turned and hurried up to the porch, ringing the doorbell and knocking at the same time.
I waited as a house light turned on and a minute later, an old woman swung open the door. They exchanged a few words, and then Jessa was gone.
I walked home alone.
I didn’t know if I believed in God, but I prayed to him that night. I looked up at the cold sky and I begged for Him to keep her safe and to bring her back to me one day.
After a while of this, I was back at the palace gate. It wasn’t an issue. A van came through right as I approached; I had no problem getting back onto the palace grounds in my invisible state.
I strode up the front steps, my body feeling heavier as the weight of everything pressed down. A few party guests stumbled out, a couple clinging to each other. I moved to the side, watching in disgust as they ran to a nearby car, stopping every few strides to kiss. I hated them. They were happy, unencumbered, and able to do such trivial things when I had none of that.
Storming into the halls of the palace, I checked on our room first. The door was still locked. We’d come out together, locking it behind us and telling the guard we were getting a midnight snack. Before he could bring himself to follow, we’d darted into darkened alcove to turn ourselves invisible.
Now, I stared at the door handle like it was the source of my pain. I wasn’t ready to go back in there and lay in a bed that would smell like my wife. The wife I’d only had for not even a night. Who I never really had at all.
I wandered, ending up in the GC wing. It, too, reminded me of Jessa. But didn’t everything? The area was silent and mostly dark except for a few lights always on at night to light the halls. Everyone down here was probably fast asleep by now, not that I cared either way.
Something trailing along the concrete floor caught my eye. I squatted down, one hand still on my white rose, and reached the other to touch it. Blood.
Like an idiot, I followed the trail. The little red drips led me around a few corners and into one of the empty classrooms.
I didn’t see him at first, not until my eyes adjusted to the darkness. He wasn’t moving. He just sat like a statue in a chair.
Who was that? I moved in closer.
His hand snapped out and grabbed me.
Startled, I dropped the rose to the ground. It was the same one we’d taken from Jessa’s bouquet earlier. The rest of the bouquet was probably still there, left in the bathroom.
My body materialized, and panic swept over me.
“You!” Mark growled up at me. “How did you do that?”
I snatched my arm away, annoyed but also a little unnerved. Quick as a flash, the man sucker-punched me square in the face. I fell to the ground with a thud.
“What was that for?” I gasped.
He jumped up and kicked me. His heavy boot connected with a rib. It snapped, pain shooting through me and I groaned, curling in on myself.
“You bastard! You broke my little girl’s heart. Do you know that? Are you even sorry?” he yelled, landing a blow right in the kidney. I reached toward the nearest plant, desperate for relief, but it was too far.
“And earlier, your father had the gall to hit me when I challenged him. He’s put my family through hell and he hit me! Me! A loyal servant to him for years and this is how he repays me? He humiliated us in front of the whole kingdom!”
I raised my hands in front of my face. “Please stop!”
“So I’ll hit you!” His voice was wild. “And you’re an alchemist? God, just like your whore of a wife! What a match made in heaven. I hope you two will be very happy together.”
He chuckled, and I crawled to my knees, the physical pain vibrating through my entire body.
“Oh wait, no I don’t,” he spat.
Anger clawed at me. He was right to be angry; I would be too in his position. But he had no right to touch me!
Then his hulking boot connected with my face. A searing heat enveloped me followed by a confusing heaviness. My vision blurred. Something wet fell into my eyes, and I pushed it away. Blood. I gagged on the salty copper liquid. Once again, I staggered up, forcing myself to stand.
“I’ll kill you,” he growled. “I’ll kill your whole family.”
He struck again, kicking me in the same spot, but this time with double the force. I heard it before I felt it. A crack.
“Finally.”
I blinked rapidly and fell. My head slapped the cement floor with a wet snap.
A gasp echoed. Was it his or mine? The question faded as my vision turned to black.
19
Sasha - Two Weeks Later
“How much longer are you going to hold on to that?” Tristan asked, startling me.
I quickly shoved the small slip of paper back in my pant pocket and turned on him. His eyes squinted at me, shiny black hair hanging in his face. A flicker of challenge passed through his eyes and his lip quirked.
“Shut it,” I growled. We’d already had this conversation. I’d turn over the email address when I knew for sure that these people could be trusted, that they really weren’t going to toss all alchemists in prison once this was all over.
We were walking back from the dining tent toward the barracks to settle in for the evening. The setting sun shone bright against the base, lighting the tents, buildings, and tanks up in a golden tint. Long shadows fell across the scene as a familiar figure jogged toward us.
“You need to come straight away,” Mastin called out, motioning with his arm. “It’s about your father.”
Worry catapulted me forward, Tristan at my side, as we took off, following Mastin toward a nearby building. Men with enormous guns guarded the entrance. They saluted as Mastin approached and stepped aside.
“He’s in here,” he said, swinging open the door.
“What do you mean he’s in here?” Last I had heard, Christopher was still back at the palace. A jolt of excitement shot through my chest.
Tristan put a hand on my back and ushered me forward.
Sure enough, inside the building, sitting on a chair with soldiers buzzing all around him, was my father. His head was drooped, and he looked beat down and bone tired. But when our eyes connected, the same joy I remembered from back when I was a kid spread across his face. It was as if the years of sorrow melted off of him.
“Frankie!” He jumped up and tackled me in a hug. I didn’t bother to correct him. Sasha had been an alias for a few years now, but Francesca was me. Eventually, I’d probably have to adopt my old name again.
“Are you okay? What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I just got here a few hours ago,” he said. “I came through the border on foot.” He what? I stepped back and studied him. From the sheen of sweat and the layer of grim and dirt on his clothes, his story seemed plausible.
“How did you not end up getting yourself killed?” I gasped, shaking my head. My hair was braided down my head and the long end of it whipped my shoulders like a rope.
The room had turned on us now, everyone growing quiet. Tristan and Mastin stood the closest, but there were about ten others who were also waiting for an explanation. A few had a hand resting on their holsters, and I glared darkly at them.
“It’s a long story for another time. Listen, I have to tell you something. It’s time sensitive.” Dad’s voice turned frantic.
It clicked into plac
e. Jessa had been missing from the palace, everyone knew about the nationwide manhunt Richard was conducting. I was terrified to think of what he’d do to her if he found her.
“You know where Jessa is?” The question came out as incredulous, but hopeful.
He nodded, his eyes round circles of concern. “As I was leaving, she connected with me through her telepathy.”
“Her what?” Mastin stepped forward, eyebrows drawn in disbelief.
I nodded. “It’s rare magic, but it can be done. She must have learned it recently.”
Dad agreed. “She established a link between us before she left, but we have to be in close proximity for it to work. Not the same room close, but a few miles or so. I’d already started on my journey through the border when she connected.”
“Is she okay?”
“She’s okay, but she’s in trouble. She told me where she’s staying right now. She’s at a farmhouse, not too far from here. We have to get her out of there, out of New Colony. From the way she sounded, I think Richard’s officers are closing in.”
“Let’s go get her,” Tristan said.
My eyes shot to Mastin, expecting some kind of argument. He stared at us hard for a couple of seconds before nodding. “Okay, Tristan and I will go.”
I held back a laugh. Did he not know me by now?
“No! If I don’t go, she won’t trust you. She doesn’t know either of you.”
He motioned to Dad. “Can you tell her we’re coming?”
“I’m too far, and besides, she has to start the connection. I can’t do it.” He rubbed his palm against the side of his head, ruffling his wispy hair.
“So it’s settled,” I shot back at Mastin. “I’m going. We’re leaving the second that sun sets.”
Mastin grumbled but didn’t argue again. He and a couple other soldiers began to make preparations while dad rattled off the address of the farmhouse.
My mind drifted to Jessa, wondering if she was okay. Sources said that everyone in New Colony was looking for her. There were patrols, random searches, and even helicopters with blaring spotlights roaming the kingdom at night. Richard had even gone so far as to issue a kingdom-wide curfew.
All because Prince Lucas was in a coma. Maybe even dead.
We didn’t know for sure what had happened to him. General Scott told us that the prince was rumored to be on the edge of death, in a sleep so deep, not even the alchemists could wake him. But Scott also speculated that was a lie, a temporary cover up for the murder of the only heir to New Colony. Two weeks ago Richard had made a statement that someone had tried to kill the prince, yet another assassination attempt. This time it had come the night of royal wedding, one of the most publicized events in New Colony’s history, and yet, there were no pictures, no witnesses, no proof whatsoever.
Speculation ensued like wildfire.
Richard had also said the princess was missing. When he’d issued a massive reward for her capture, people questioned. Had she been kidnapped? Or had she been the one to hurt Lucas? With her disappearance that same night, nobody knew what to believe. I didn’t know what to believe!
“Are you okay?” Tristan pulled me to the corner of the room, his hand cupping my elbow. I watched my dad carefully, apprehension building within, as he answered question after question. The soldiers around him didn’t seem too keen on the situation. Would they trust him here? Would they help him?
I sucked in a breath and met Tristan’s gaze. “Yeah. I’m fine. Is it time to go yet?”
I was suspicious of how they might treat Jessa once we brought her back, but we had to get her out while we had the chance. On base, she was a subject of extreme speculation. I’d felt questioning eyes on me everywhere I went these last two weeks, heard boisterous talk fall to snickering whispers when I walked past. I’d lived in close quarters with plenty of women before, but they had nothing on these gossips.
They called her the blood bride.
That was the one that got to me the most.
I had to admit the nickname was catchy, but it still made me cringe.
I leaned against the metal sheeted wall, leaning against Tristan, and watched as Dad took it all in. I wondered what he thought. Was this place better or worse than he’d imagined? Soon, I’d figure out how to get him back to California where Mom and Lacey were staying. That’s where he belonged, somewhere safe.
The door swung wide and General Nathan Stott strode in, his hand outstretched toward Christopher. Nathan was dressed in his usual black and gold uniform, a rainbow of decoration adorning his chest. But even without it, he’d carry himself with the air of importance. The room stood at attention.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Christopher Loxely,” he said, his voice booming. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’ll get right to the chase. We have to take you in for more questioning before we do anything else; with you coming out of New Colony, you’re considered a liability.”
“What?” I gaped at Nathan, rushing forward. “Are you kidding me? He’s helping us!”
Nearly all the men in the room reached for their weapons. Nathan held up a hand and glanced quickly at Mastin, as if it was Mastin’s job to calm the screaming female. “Not now, Sasha,” he pressed. “We did the same due-diligence with you, didn’t we?”
That may very well be true, but I still didn’t like it.
“He can be trusted,” I said between gritted teeth. “He’s my father. He’s been through enough suffering to get here and now he just wants to help us.”
“We just have to make sure he’s the real deal. How do we know he wasn’t planted here?”
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!”
I turned to Mastin, waiting for him to back me up, but he stood back, never meeting my eye. So he agreed with dear old dad, did he?
“It’s okay,” Christopher interjected, meeting me with a sad but knowing smile. “I get it. And I don’t have anything to hide.”
I shook my head, but he shrugged and willingly accompanied Nathan through a door that led further into the dank building. In a matter of moments they were swallowed up by a cacophony of more soldiers. The door slammed, leaving the three of us left to wait in silence.
“This is garbage.” I whirled on Mastin. I strode right up to him and shoved him in the chest. Hard. “You’re going to let your dad do that to him? He’s been through hell and back getting here and this is how you greet him?”
He was busy looking over my shoulder, ignoring me. I shoved him harder and he finally met my eyes.
“Actually, it was my idea,” he said.
Disbelief overpowered me and I stepped back.
“Why?”
“He may be your father, but he’s also the father to a royal. A princess. You saw the wedding footage, right? Saw the way those two looked at each other? They were clearly in love. And we don’t know what happened after that. This could be a trap.”
“It’s not!” I felt Tristan coming up behind me. He put his hand on my shoulder but I shrugged him off.
“Be logical. You’re getting your emotions involved,” Mastin continued.
I wanted to slap him for that comment.
“It makes sense.” He frowned and looked into my eyes, pleading with me. “Do you really know them, though? I thought you barely made contact with your family again this summer.”
He was right, and I hated it. Twisting things around to look a certain way didn’t mean they were true. My family was innocent. They were on our side.
“What does this mean for the mission tonight? Are we still going to get Jessa out or what?”
He sucked in a breath. “I’ll go, for you. But I’m not risking any of my men on this. It’s just going to be the three of us, and a pilot, as planned.”
“I can fly the chopper,” I snapped. “Even better.”
“You’re not authorized.”
I let out a sharp laugh and turned around to find Tristan’s expression. Concern was written all over his face, causing a stab of guilt to go
through me. I ignored it and raised an eyebrow in his direction. He sighed and ran his hand through his raven hair, shaking his head ever so slightly.
“Are you still in, or what?” I finally asked.
“Where you go, I go.” He shrugged.
“Wow! Don’t let me twist your arm,” I snapped.
I stood rooted in place. A wash of anger rolled over me. Anger that they didn’t fully trust my judgment on this. But also anger at the small seed of doubt that had been planted by Mastin’s logic. He had a brilliant mind for war and strategy, inherited from his father. And what if he was right? What if it was a trap?
Over the last few weeks, I’d witnessed awful interrogation tactics as General Scott had dealt with Brooke, who so far, didn’t know much. But his men had certainly exhausted all their efforts in figuring that out. Were they about to put my father through the same? Would trying to be the hero only to put Jessa through more pain? But no, anything was better than Jessa getting caught by King Richard. I didn’t know what happened that night between her and Lucas, that was true, but whatever it was, it couldn’t be good.
“So let’s get out of here.” I whipped back around and shoved Mastin with my shoulder as I made for the door. No matter the consequences, it was time to get my sister out of New Colony.
We flew in the middle of the night, the black sky our best asset. And by the way Mastin acted, our only asset. As the helicopter landed silently in the open field, I stood and tensed one hand around the stone necklace, the other rested on my loaded weapon. The three of us peered out the window at the white farmhouse where Jessa was supposed to be hiding. It loomed up ahead, silent and still in the night. I glanced around the farm, looking for hidden dangers. The whole area gave me the creeps. I shuddered. This place was so desolate, so marked with shadow, and dark as midnight.
Mastin nodded, and we jumped out of the belly of the chopper, the three of us running low toward the house—Mastin on one side and Tristan on the other. What was it with me always being thrown in between these two men? Well, at least they were hot.
