by L J Andrews
“Do you think it will work?” I gasped, staring at the simple items. Things like a gold chain my mother wore sometimes, a knife Mitch liked to use. Sapphire and the other royals wouldn’t notice anything missing, their items were so small and insignificant, though Thane might notice the warrior seal he sometimes kept on his wrist was missing, but he wouldn’t care if I was the one who had it. Ced guessed what I was up to, and reluctantly offered his royal crest he wore around his neck after I’d threatened to cut off his limbs if he told anyone or if he didn’t hand it over. Eisha’s favorite emerald gleamed in the sunlight. Raffi would be the one to notice his missing switchblade he kept tethered to his ankle. Everything was there, down to the necklace which kept the jade stone safe. Gumma handed me the old quilt that had once been mine as a child and smiled at me.
“You intend to pass it on?” She asked. I nodded, resting the soft blanket next to the necklace. “Then it will be enough.”
We didn’t know for sure, but all I could do was hope. This was the enchantment I’d practiced more than anything. My palms hardly touched the ground before I felt the surge of power bleed into the veins of the roots. I was reminded of the first night I’d really harnessed my power. All I wanted was to keep Jade safe when Bron had shown his face the first time. I’d wanted to protect Aunt Liz. There had been a physical barrier that filtered around those I’d cared about. I felt it again, though slightly different and much more powerful now that night energy was embraced and in the mix.
Gumma clasped her hands in front of her heart, her wispy white hair flittering in the light. She beamed at me, her thin lips pulling into taut lines. “It’s time to show her.”
I nodded, desperately hoping she would understand.
“Well, what do you think?” I asked, embarrassed by how shaky my voice was.
My mother stared at the space, her lips parted slightly and her eyes glassy with tears. “How long…how long have you been working on this?” she breathed.
I glanced at the ground for a long pause before answering. “Since we found out about the baby. Gumma’s been helping me learn about enchantments.”
“Teagan, this is…” I held my breath as I watched my mother drag her fingers along the tops of the stones. “This is unlike anything I’ve seen.”
“Do you think it will work?”
Gaia had listened quietly to every word of my plan—even the reason I had made the second chamber—without flinching. I sensed at first she didn’t think it would be enough, until now. Kneeling in the center of the clearing, she splayed her fingers as I’d done and read the earth for a moment. Wiping away a few tears, she grinned. “Son, this could work.” She clasped my face between her hands and met my eye. “You are more powerful than I ever dreamed. He will not touch you, Teagan.”
“I told you, I can’t shake the… feeling.”
“Please,” she breathed out, her tears welling in her golden eyes again. “It won’t come to that. You are wise to have a plan, but I refuse to allow it to come of use.”
“You understand why I need to have it, though.”
Gaia nodded. “I understand, but only focus on this part,” she said, pointing to the circle of gleaming stones. “When do you plan to tell Jade? She won’t accept all of it.”
“I’m only going to mention this part,” I admitted.
“Teagan…” Gaia warned.
“Mom, you know what she’ll do if she even thinks I might…well, I just think if it comes down to that, it might be easier to convince her in the moment. Please keep this between us, don’t even tell Dad.”
“I do not keep secrets from him, son,” Gaia whispered.
“Will you just hold off a little longer. At least until the birth, please. Let’s just pretend for a little longer that I’m not about to bring a kid into a world that is more dangerous than when I was born. That we just have a family, and that Jade and this child will be safe and happy.”
Gaia’s hand rubbed along my shoulder, and she wrapped her arms around my waist. “I will, for now.” We stood in silence for a long, telling moment before she spoke again. “I’m proud of you, Teagan. You have become a great man, and you will be an excellent father. Know that, and never forget it.”
Kissing her temple, I stepped out of her hold and gathered the elemental stones still on the ground. “Thanks, Mom,” I whispered.
“Come, we should get back. Onyx is not having a good day. I fear we may never break through his haze,” Gaia admitted.
Nodding, I ran my fingers along the dragon emblems in the lead stones once more. Each one fueled with the powerful elements. I hadn’t seen the sanctuary markings since Mini’s was destroyed in Wyvern Willows. Now the endless rows of stones and power fused into the earth was my own creation. This sanctuary would either end the war, or provide a way to keep those I loved most safe if I failed to protect them.
With a final glance at the dark emblem from the new night energy, I sent a silent prayer that the latter would never come to pass. But through a shuddering breath, I wondered if that was exactly what was going to happen.
Chapter 20
The Queen
Bracing against the wall, I turned away as Onyx tossed a heavy stool across the room. I hated seeing my friend tethered to the stones like an animal, but there had only been one moment of clarity when he saw Peran and Shiv. One moment in weeks, and it had lasted for a total of ten minutes, at most. Then, once again, the royal raged like a rabid dog. Donovan had thought to use the stone to clear his broken mind, but it had sent Onyx into a delirious fury. He’d shouted his need for all the stones, desperate to return them to the royals.
We weren’t the royals in his eyes; in fact, I was certain we were equivalent to King Nag and the lindworms. Sapphire stood close to me, shielding me from the tantrum with his burly arms. His eyes narrowed, and he glared toward Onyx.
“Jade, you should leave,” he muttered, glancing at my full belly.
“I’m well out of the way,” I snapped. “Onyx means just as much to me as you, and this is one thing I feel like I can help with as queen. Everyone hardly allows me to leave this cave. I thought as queen I could demand to get my way all the time.”
Sapphire chuckled. “If you wanted to be awful and spoiled, be my guest. Try to demand I allow you to stand in harm’s way. I’d love to see what happens.”
Rolling my eyes, I smiled and faced Onyx again. He was seething and tugging on the chain around his ankle.
“So, like, how long are we going to put up with all this?” Mitch grumbled next to Ced. The prince had only been able to place his hands on Onyx twice. The night energy seemed to help, until it started to burn Onyx’s skin. I was sickened by whatever Bron had done to completely corrupt his body and mind.
“What would you rather do?” Ced questioned.
Mitch shrugged. “Punch him, honestly. He’s sort of being a prick.”
“Language, Mitch,” Gaia’s voice broke through the rage.
I swallowed a raspy breath and grinned when Teagan and his mother stepped into the cavern. Quickly moving to his side, I pressed a kiss to his lips that Teagan held longer than I’d anticipated. I didn’t complain.
“Sorry,” Mitch sneered, draping his arm around Gaia’s shoulders. “But he is.”
“So, he’s freaking out again?” Teagan whispered.
Onyx snarled, keeping his eyes locked on me and Teagan. “Dragon mage,” he hissed. “I still have to take something from you to repay the life you’ve stolen from me.”
“Onyx, we’re friends. I haven’t stolen anything from you, I didn’t do this, and I’ll keep saying it until you believe it,” Teagan sighed. We were all a little exasperated.
“Release me, then,” Onyx chuckled darkly. His once peaceful eyes were wild and dangerous. “I will show you how friendly I can be.”
“Brother, you know us,” Shiv whispered, his pain clear in his voice. “You remembered us once. I know it’s in there. You must fight against what the dark High Priest has done.
”
Onyx stared at Shiv, drifting between both his brothers. There was an agony behind his eyes that broke my heart. I believed what Shiv said. Onyx was still inside the shell of the man he’d become, though I was beginning to lose hope we’d ever wade through the confusion and draw him out.
“He never sleeps,” I whispered to Teagan. “How can his body last under such exhaustion?”
“You tell me,” he smirked, brushing away a strand of hair from my eyes. “You don’t sleep either.”
I scoffed, pointing to my middle that now blocked my line of sight to my toes. “Would you like to try sleeping with a boulder tethered to your stomach, Mr. Ward?”
Teagan grinned and chuckled, but I could still sense his apprehension. Life would change even more than it had before, sooner than I knew. Even my heart raced at the thought. “Did you repair the walls?” I asked when Onyx curled on his hands and knees, gasping curses to the ground.
“They are as strong as I can make them,” Teagan muttered. “I feel the dark mages and lindworms searching for Onyx. More humans seem to be paying the price while they look for us.”
Teagan’s jaw clenched bitterly. I rubbed my hand over his arm and leaned against his shoulder when Onyx rose to his feet again. The royal glared at Donovan, then Peran and Shiv. “You say you care for me. That we are brothers,” he gasped, each breath appearing more painful than the one before. “Then release me. Please, this is how they kept me—like a wild animal locked in a cage. Don’t treat me the same.”
His eyes were desperate, his brow furrowed so deeply the gashes along his face tugged higher. Peran shuddered, his expression filled with confusion.
“Don’t do a thing,” Donovan demanded.
Ruby and Athika stepped into the room. It was the first time in a week Ruby had come to see Onyx. I’d found her crying after the last rampage had ended with Onyx splitting open the wound in his stomach and Donovan earning a black eye. I didn’t have to be an empath to know her heart was breaking. Donovan nodded a greeting at the two women. Ruby covered her mouth and slipped behind Amber as Onyx’s voice broke and he fell to his knees.
“Brothers, please,” Onyx sobbed. “Release me. I want to be with my family again.”
Shiv shoved past Peran, rushing toward Onyx’s side. “Shiv, stop,” Donovan cried out, but it was too late.
The instant Shiv knelt down, holding out the knife to cut the bands around Onyx’s wrists, his older brother ripped the blade from his grip and held the cutting edge against Shiv’s throat. Onyx’s muscles strained against his ties as he forced his arms to hold Shiv against his body, but he never backed down. “Release me or your precious prince dies.”
“Onyx,” Donovan said calmly. “Put down the blade. Shiv is your youngest brother, you’ll never forgive yourself if you harm him. It’s not him you want to hurt.”
Teagan was clutching one of the jade swords and slowly inching toward Onyx. I could feel his energy building. A biting pain wrapped around my stomach as my muscles tightened. I couldn’t see how to get out of this situation without blood spilled.
“You’re right,” Onyx hissed. “It’s not this one I want to harm. It’s you.”
Onyx slashed the knife, nicking Donovan’s arm as he reached for Shiv. The mage cried out in pain, but grabbed the youngest brother and tore him from Onyx’s hold. I forgot how to breathe when Onyx, knife still in hand, reeled around, his wild eyes finding Teagan. “What matters most to you, Dragon Mage?” he hissed. “I hope you destroy yourself when it is taken from you.”
My friend, my fellow royal, shifted his gaze, not to Teagan but to me. Time seemed to slow as I watched his hand reel back. Sapphire shouted out, Mitch lunged forward toward Onyx, and I found myself frozen in place as I watched the knife soar across the space between us.
“No!” Teagan shouted, his body covering mine. He pressed me tight against his chest, one hand out to his side. I braced for his back to be struck with the deadly point of the knife, but instead I watched his fisted hand unfurl, and behind us was a pile of metal dust from the dissolved blade. Onyx bellowed a furious cry when Teagan faced him again. “I don’t care if we are friends,” Teagan snarled. “I don’t care if you’re a royal. You try and harm Jade again, I’ll kill you myself.”
“Enough!” Ruby shrieked, her tanned skin lined in salty tears. Athika was grappling for Ruby’s arms, but came up wanting. “Enough of this, I cannot stand it one more day.”
Onyx cocked his head to the side, his ranting silenced as Ruby stomped closer to his broken body.
“Ruby, stand back,” Donovan shouted. Athika had unsheathed her dagger and was running behind the royal she was bound to defend.
“I will not! I refuse to watch him suffer for another day, and if I die, then I would rather die than see him lost in such agony,” she sobbed, clutching her chest as though her heart were about to burst. She faced Onyx, her tears flowing without shame. “I love you, Onyx. I’ve never told you before, but I do. With all my heart, and I always have.”
Onyx offered a bewildered glance, but had no time to respond before Ruby closed the space between them. Furiously, she clasped his face between her palms and kissed him with passion I’d never seen from the meek royal. Onyx was tethered at his wrists and ankles. The ties clanged together as his body stiffened while Ruby kept her mouth pressed against his.
I clutched my stomach, watching with the same surprise as everyone else in the room. Ruby’s hands stroked the sides of Onyx’s face, drifting around his neck, her fingers threading through his dark hair. My throat tightened, and I covered my mouth to keep my gasp silent when I saw Onyx’s body relax—truly soften. His eyes closed, and after a few moments Onyx kissed her back. His arms jolted as he tried to wrap around her waist but was stopped by the ties, now that Donovan had tightened his shackles.
Onyx pulled back, his dark eyes searching Ruby’s face. No one spoke, but I thought I might crumble to the ground when the lost royal actually smiled. “Ruby,” he breathed. She sobbed and laughed, her thumb brushing away a steaming tear that fell from his eye. Now Onyx leaned in, his lips pressing firmly against hers. I saw his brow furrow after a few moments and he pulled back. “You need to get away from me. I don’t…I don’t want to hurt you.”
Ruby clutched his face, forcing him to look at her. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I feel the pull to turn away from you,” he muttered softly. It seemed the two royals had long forgotten they had an audience.
“Can you feel it fading?” Ced muttered to Teagan.
Teagan didn’t blink, didn’t once look away, as he nodded. “Whatever Ruby’s doing, it’s working.”
Ced chuckled. “I told you it would take a powerful force—nothing is more powerful than a bond of love, right?”
“Oh, how romantic of you,” Mitch mumbled, rolling his eyes.
Ced shrugged. “It’s true. I don’t make the rules of what energy is powerful or not.”
Ruby stroked Onyx’s cheek as he gasped through several painful breaths. “Get away,” he begged. “Please.”
“No,” she insisted softly, her arms wrapping around his waist. “No, leaving you isn’t working. I’m not letting go until it’s gone, Onyx.”
He closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against hers, though his face was contorted in pain. Onyx snarled loudly. “Why is my mind…why does it fight against you? I feel myself wanting you, feeling peace with you, but the pull to turn away is so strong.”
“You are stronger,” Ruby whispered.
“Yes, you are, Onyx,” Peran added firmly.
“You can’t trust your own mind right now, but you can trust me. Trust what you feel right now,” Ruby whispered, brushing her fingers over his lips. “Does my touch hurt? Do you feel pain?”
Onyx shook his head, a sad smile spreading on his lips. “Any pain I feel is because I want to touch you so badly, and that my heart is combusting as we speak.”
Ruby offered a watery smile and kissed him quickly. “Then
hold on to that. In the moments you’re not certain what is truth and what is a lie, hold on to me. I promise my touch will never hurt you.”
“Look around, Onyx,” Shiv said. “Who do you see?”
Ruby’s arms tightened around his waist when he scanned the room. His eyes drifted over Ruby’s shoulder. “Athika, Ruby’s mage,” Onyx whispered. “Amber, Rochelle.” Onyx sucked in a painful breath and winced. Ruby’s hand brushed gently over his cheek again until he opened his eyes. “Donovan,” he whispered. “My…my mage and…friend.”
Donovan finally smiled.
The stern mage seemed ready to break down in tears when he nodded. Onyx faced Teagan and me, his face falling. “Jade…I didn’t mean…Teagan, I wouldn’t harm her.”
Teagan nodded, but still stayed a step in front of me while Gaia had inched behind me, remaining silent. I sensed the High Priestess was filling the room with her calming power that was unique to her, because even I felt as though I could sit back and rest despite nearly having a knife lodged in my heart from a royal.
“You have been through something terrible,” Teagan declared softly. “You never faltered, Onyx. You are stronger than the High Priest, and stronger than his poison because of the bravery and goodness in your heart.”
“We won’t abandon you,” Sapphire said, taking a step closer.
Onyx growled and looked to the ground, though he leaned a little closer toward Ruby as though she offered relief to his pain. “How can I be certain this will ever pass? What if I snap and… really harm one of you?”
“We will take it day by day, Onyx,” Peran said. “Just day by day.”
Onyx was sleeping for the first time in weeks. Donovan had been able to touch him to place him in a restful sleep. His wrist restraints had been removed, but he’d insisted his ankles remain shackled. Ruby had stayed with him, and I was left with the image of Onyx’s head resting in her lap when I’d needed to find my own bed before I succumbed to my own exhaustion and slept on the ground in the center of the pit.
