Heirs of Avalon

by Alica Mckenna Johnson

  “Sapphire, you’re panting,” Miu said, looking me over as we stepped outside.

  I tried to take a deep breath of the fresh air, groaning as my ribs protested the movement.

  Her small hands touched me. I gasped as she pressed on my side. Why was she being so mean? What had I done to her?

  “Your ribs are cracked. I should have healed them before we walked up all those stairs,” she said.

  “I didn’t want you to become drained,” I said.

  “And I don’t want you to injure yourself worse than you already have. Or be in pain.”

  “But …”

  Miu glared at me. “Yes, I would have been tired, but one of the others could have helped me walk. I would have done that for you, for any of you. That’s what families do for each other.” She shook her head, her ponytail swinging behind her. “I’m sorry I couldn’t heal Ramsey, I wanted to. I tried, but without magic of their own my powers can’t help some beings.”

  “I know you tried, I felt you.” My gift for languages only worked on those with magic in them too.

  She nodded. “I did, I really did. I mean I know it’s my job to heal, that’s the reason I’m here.”

  I looked at Miu, where was all of this self-doubt coming from? I felt way too tired and in too much pain to deal with this right now. “I’m hoping you will heal me on the ride home, but only if you’re feeling up to it.”

  Miu smiled. “Of course, I’d be happy to help.”

  “Sapphire,” Mr. Monroe said holding out a bag. “This is for you.”

  “What is it?” I asked as I opened the bag. “Chocolate bars?”

  Mr. Monroe grinned. “Haven’t you read Harry Potter? Chocolate fixes everything. Drive safe and thank you.”

  I watched him disappear into Glastonbury Tor. Wind whipped around me. Shivering, I limped to the van.

  “Miu is going to heal you right?” Gavin asked as he helped me into the van.

  “Yes, and Mr. Monroe gave me chocolates to pass around.” I groaned and sat carefully on the seat. I handed Gavin two of the organic dark chocolate bars.

  “Thanks, hopefully this will keep me awake long enough to get coffee.”

  I passed around the rest of the chocolate. Shin smiled. The thick green ointment on his wounds made the van smell like bitter herbs.

  “Looks like Miu got to you," I said.

  Shin unwrapped the chocolate bar. “I’m the only one her gift doesn’t work on so she wanted to do what she could. That’s a pretty awesome first aid kit she’s put together.”

  We have a first aid kit? “Miu’s very thorough so I’m not surprised. Are you okay?”

  Shin nodded, leaned back against the seat as he laid his arm around Kayin’s shoulder and pulled him into his side. “I am now. I had no idea what you guys did was so dangerous.”

  “It’s not normally,” I said my voice trailing off.

  Shin arched an eyebrow.

  “It’s not,” Kayin said. “Sometimes it’s dangerous, but most of the time we’re able to open a portal without any trouble.”

  “Tell me more about what you do,” Shin said.

  I passed Taliesin and Sasha bars of chocolate while Kayin told Shin stories about our adventures. Kayin told a great story. Even I sounded heroic. I handed Miu a bar once she finished healing Anali.

  “Eat first,” I said pulling out the last bar, an envelope was taped to it. Damn it, wasn’t the weirdness done for the night? “There’s a letter.”

  “What?” Sasha asked.

  I waved the letter. “This letter was taped to the last chocolate bar.”

  “Is it addressed to anyone?” Anali asked.

  “Not on the outside,” I said.

  “Well, open it,” Gavin said. “And read it out loud.”

  Dear Sapphire,

  It was so good to see you again. You have been doing an outstanding job. I’ve always known you would be an amazing Jewel. I bet Shamash and Aya are so proud of you. And while you have been doing a good job, I thought I would give you some help. Listed below are the portals closest to magical beings that Cartazonon keeps tabs on. This should make your job easier. I’ll be checking in on you. Good luck and stay safe.

  Love,

  Quintin Monroe

  “The rest are GPS coordinates,” I said.

  “Who is this guy?” Taliesin asked.

  “I have no idea,” I said. “He is very strong, his power stopped Cartazonon and the others. In fact, Cartazonon said he was a god.”

  “Do you think he’s one of Shamash’s brothers?” Gavin asked.

  “No idea,” I muttered around a piece of chocolate. The smooth creamy rich chocolate melted, the sugar and innate goodness that is chocolate seemed to go directly to my bloodstream.

  “Done,” said Miu as she placed her hands on my side.

  I winced, but stayed still. Warm Akashic energy flowed from Miu’s hands into my body. I gasped as my ribs heated and healed. As the pain faded, my eyes grew heavy. I closed my eyes, just for a moment while Miu was healing me, I told myself. Then I would finish eating my chocolate and feel all better. I shouldn’t sleep not after being touched by Cartazonon. I was sure to dream of him. I fought to keep my eyes open, but a burst of healing energy relaxed my aching muscles and sleep won.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “I can feel you,” Cartazonon said. “I didn’t expect you to fall asleep so soon. Or I would have freshened the place up.”

  Three bodies were shoved into a corner and Cartazonon leaned over a fourth. I turned away and looked around the plane. Private of course. Leather seats, thick carpet, and wooden tables made the room look more like a living room than an airplane. There was even a TV.

  A thick sucking sound filled the room. I slapped my hand over my mouth.

  “How do you like my knife?” he asked. “I can’t get quite as much power from them as I like but it’s more than enough and very efficient.”

  I shivered, glad I couldn’t feel the emotions haunting the plane.

  “I can feel you, but I can’t see you, not yet at least,” he said. I moved as he walked past me to sit in a black leather chair. “And I wonder if I can hear you. Would you speak now so I can find out?”

  I stayed silent.

  Cartazonon chuckled. “I bet you’re not saying anything just to defy me. Do so while you can. I have so many questions. Why was there a god helping you? How long can you keep the portal open? Who is the unicorn? Does he know who his father is?”

  Frowning, I turned to look at him. Why does he care about Taliesin’s father?

  Cartazonon sipped single-malt scotch from a square glass, relaxing against the chair. His long white fingers were stained with blood, the knuckles swollen and the wrinkled skin tight against the tendons. I guess four people wasn’t enough to heal him fully. His legs crossed, the top leg swung slightly, showing brightly striped socks. Even without my empathy I knew he faked the pose. The tightness around his mouth and eyes gave away his pain and fatigue, and highlighted his new wrinkles.

  “You see, only one unicorn, that I know of, has walked on Earth for the past thousand years, give or take a century or two. Please tell the young man I have answers about his father if he wants them.”

  The plane began to move.

  “You know I don’t have to kill any of these beings,” Cartazonon said. “You have the power to stop all of this. If you open the portal to Akasha, I could…” He twirled his hand around as if gathering up his thoughts, “plug into that world. For lack of a better word. I could, I’m sure, get all of the power I need through the portal and never harm another creature again.”

  I shook my head, I didn’t believe him.

  “Think,” he continued. “No more fighting with my men. No friends hurt, ever again. You can stop it all. I’m sure we’ll talk again, think on my offer.”

  The plane started to rise. I held onto a chair to keep from tipping over.

  Cartazonon chuckled. “I’ll have to look into this conn
ection we have.”

  Something cold hit my foot. A hand, lifeless and tinged blue-gray. I wish I could have looked away, but instinct betrayed me and I looked at the face. Oh god no Ramsey’s brother, Murdock. In the corner the other bodies moved, revealing the rest of the Water Nymphs.

  Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up. WAKE UP!

  Screaming, I arched against the seat belt. Murdock’s lifeless eyes filled my vision. The door opened. I gasped at the icy air, my tears freezing as they fell. Someone undid my seatbelt, and I collapsed onto the side of the road throwing up. Cartazonon’s offers echoed in my head. Taliesin’s father. I can end all the killing. I thought about dealing with Cartazonon and threw up again. Then a vision of Ramsey, his shirt bloody, a knife sticking out of his back brought on another round of vomiting.

  “It’ll be okay,” Anali said, her hand moving in smooth circles on my back. “Try and let go of your thoughts and focus on your breath. We’ll sort everything out later.”

  I nodded and took the bottle of water Gavin handed me, and rinsed my mouth.

  “Do you want to talk about the dream?” Gavin asked.

  I shook my head. “No, not right now.”

  “Okay, that’s fine. Let me know when you’re ready.”

  I rinsed my mouth out one more time and stood. “I’m good.” I needed a shower. I would force my stomach to calm in order to get a shower. I climbed into the van. Shin sat against the window, and Kayin was next to him with his arms open. I buckled in and curled into my Big Brothers arms. My eyes burned, but I wouldn’t allow myself to cry, not yet. Shin’s arms curled around me and Kayin. Shin’s fingers gripped mine. Surrounded by strong arms, I felt the cold fear inside me began to fade, but it didn’t go away.

  * * *

  Warm in my flannel penguin pajamas, I combed my wet hair. Simmons had set me up in my dad’s old room. It felt strange, like the ghosts of my family might come through the wall to haunt me while I slept. Sighing, I stood up and headed to the parlor. Gavin and Anali insisted I meet with them before going to bed. I probably wouldn’t be able to sleep if I didn’t talk about the dream anyway, so I might as well deal with it.

  The door was open. I slid inside. The room was empty. On the table was a tea service and platters of sandwiches and cakes. Parker had taken one look at us and rushed to the kitchen to make us something to eat. At the time I couldn’t imagine eating anything, but now I was grateful.

  I finished my second sandwich when Gavin and Anali came into the room. Their cheeks were pink and their hair damp. Wow, they had showered fast. Or maybe they showered together. Eewww gross!

  “How are you feeling?” Anali asked, looking over the sandwiches and taking the cucumber ones.

  “My muscles are a little sore, but Miu healed all the injuries.”

  Anali stared at me and raised an eyebrow.

  I wiped my shaking hands on my pajama pants. “Cartazonon knew I was there, he could sense me. He can’t see me, and I didn’t say anything so I don’t know if he can hear me.”

  Gavin leaned forward sitting on the edge of the couch. “What did he do? Did he touch you again?”

  “No, he talked to me.”

  “What did he say?” Gavin asked, taking the sandwich Anali handed him.

  “He said that I can stop all of this.” I choked as the tears I had been holding back started to fall. “He said that if I open the portal to Akasha for him he can get all the energy he needs from there and he won’t have to kill anyone else. We won’t have to fight anymore.”

  “Sapphire,” Gavin said holding my hand. “This isn’t your fault, and giving in to this man isn’t the answer.”

  “But he killed them all, and if I could stop it . . .”

  “Killed who sweetheart?” Anali asked.

  “Ramsey’s …” I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as if to hide from my own words. “His band, the Water Nymphs, their bodies were on his plane. He’d drained them to repair the damage he suffered during the fight.”

  “Oh, honey,” Anali came over and hugged me.

  “But if I open the portal for him,” I started.

  “No, then you’re trapped with him and that’s not okay,” Gavin said. “He is choosing to kill, he is choosing to fight. You are choosing to open the portals, we are choosing to help.”

  I nodded, but still knowing I could protect everyone if I agreed to help left a cold spot in my heart.

  “Did he say anything else?” Anali asked as she moved back to the couch.

  I drank some tea, the warm liquid soothing my throat. “Yes, he said he would be willing to tell Taliesin about his father.”

  “Did he say who his father is?” Anali asked.

  “No, just that there has only been one unicorn on Earth for the past thousand years, and he knows about him,” I said.

  “Well,” Gavin began, “while I hope Taliesin chooses to ignore Cartazonon’s offer, he needs to be told.”

  “I agree,” said Anali. “It’s not fair to keep this from him. Do you want us to tell him?’

  “No, I’ll tell Taliesin, but could you tell the others about the deal he offered me? I mean what if they want me to take it? Even for a moment, before they think it through, I don’t want to know. I don’t want to constantly wonder if they were wishing I was choosing to work with Cartazonon and not continuing to risk their lives.”

  “If that’s what you want,” said Gavin. “But I doubt any of them will want you to go to him.”

  I picked a cheese and pickle sandwich. Why wouldn’t they? I thought about joining Cartazonon to save everyone.

  “When are you going to tell Taliesin?” Anali asked.

  “I’ll text him and see if he’s still awake. I won’t sleep if I’m stressing out about telling him.”

  “Good plan,” Gavin said.

  I pulled out my phone.

  —Are you still awake?

  —Yes, why? Taliesin texted back within a minute.

  —Can we talk? In person? I asked. I looked at my purple flannel penguin pajamas, good enough.

  —Sure, where?

  “Gavin, where can Taliesin and I go to talk?”

  Anali yawned. “I’m going to bed. Why don’t you two talk here? There’s plenty of food still, and that way should you need us, you can call.”

  “Yes, should you need us, we'll be available,” Gavin said.

  “Okay thanks.” I texted Taliesin. “He’s on his way.”

  Gavin stood and offered Anali his hand. “Good night, Sapphire.”

  They both hugged me and kissed me on the forehead before heading to their bedroom.

  I started tidying Gavin and Anali’s dishes and set clean ones out for Taliesin. Nervous energy can get a lot of cleaning done.

  “What’s up?” Taliesin said, his hair was wet and he looked almost translucent.

  “Tea?” I held the pot.

  Taliesin nodded and arched an eyebrow. “Sure.”

  “There are sandwiches, if you’re hungry.”

  “Okay, now you’re scaring me. What’s with all the social niceties?”

  Rude. I could be nice. “I dreamed of Cartazonon.”

  Taliesin grabbed a cucumber sandwich. “Yes, the vomiting gave that away.”

  Rolling my eyes, I continued. “Anyway um … well you see … he saw you … but I’m not even sure if I should say anything …”

  “Sapphire, say it.”

  I closed my eyes. “He says he knows who your father is.”

  His tea cup clinked as he set on the table. “What?”

  I took a deep breath. “Cartazonon says that there has only been one unicorn on Earth for at least a thousand years. He said that he is willing to tell you about your father.”

  “That’s interesting,” Taliesin picked a watercress sandwich. “Anything else?”

  “No. Should I not have told you? Everyone was upset about my keeping secrets earlier, and I didn’t want you to think I was keeping things from you, and I know how important family can be
to people, but I certainly don’t think it’s smart to deal with him, but Gavin and Anali agreed that you needed to know—”

  Taliesin’s hand covered my mouth. “First, stop tapping your fingers, it’s driving me nuts. Second, breathe. Third, thank you for telling me. All I know about my dad is my mom met him in Chicago while at a wedding. They met in the hotel bar, had an amazing night,” Taliesin made his voice high pitched and fluttered his lashes mimicking his mom. “My mom told me she dreamed about meeting him, and having me.”

  “Did she tell you anything about him?” I asked.

  Taliesin shook his head. “Not a lot. He was dressed nice, wore expensive cologne, seemed intelligent, and was kind to her.”

  “Are you curious about him?” I took a bite of sandwich.

  Shrugging, Taliesin leaned back in the chair. “A little, I guess. My mom has a little bit of magic in her, a touch of something, I’m not sure what. Anyway, she has the occasional dream and for some reason she was able to carry his child. A unicorn child. Maybe unicorn dads aren’t that attentive, so I’m genetically not programmed to be interested in him. Maybe I’m still in shock from the evening. I’ve never believed I’d meet my father, so who knows how I’ll feel in a few days?”

  “When I was young I dreamed about my parents coming and rescuing me. Then I dreamed of a new people becoming my parents—or, well, parent—I had two different foster moms. After the second one gave me back, I stopped dreaming of having a family.” I laughed. “I didn’t even dream of getting married and having kids someday. I dreamed of having a cat, but not people in my life.”

  “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine anyone giving you back,” Taliesin said.

  “I wasn’t a very cute kid. I went through a long ‘awkward phase.’” I wiggled my fingers to make air quotes. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter now. So next time I see Cartazonon, should I tell him you’re not interested?”

  “Yes, please. I don’t want to have anything to do with him.” Taliesin froze then looked up at the ceiling. “Wait, do you think he knows who my mom is? I mean, she always told me they only exchanged first names, which is why I never expected to meet him. How could he even find her? But what about Cartazonon?”