Shock of Fate: A Young Adult Fantasy Adventure (Anchoress Series Book 1)

by D. L. Armillei

  Bullfrog narrowed his eyes at her, gauging whether she were royal, insane, or just plain stupid. He slammed his hand on the desk and leaped from his chair. “Alert Balefire! Tell them we have recovered Manik’s text and captured the traitor, the co-conspirator to demons. The murderer of Prince Devon and Queen Brigid! Be mindful, men. She may be a little girl, but we are in the presence of evil!”

  Still reeling, Van was thrown into a jail cell with the rest of her team. Everyone’s tension seemed so palpable, Van felt crushed under the pressure. They had witnessed Paley get caught carrying a Twin Gemstone. Van felt certain that at least one of her teammates knew the Gemstones were used to transport terrigens here, but they probably didn’t know about Manik’s text—yet. Anyway, she didn’t care. Her bruised jaw ached. She felt bone-tired. The last thing she needed was drama from her teammates.

  Jorie ran her hand over her Mohawk, opened her mouth to speak, then clamped her jaw shut, still too fuming to form words.

  “Anything you care to share with us?” Trey asked in a level, deadly tone.

  “Uh, sorry.” Van shrugged, irritated they didn’t scream at her and get it over with. She had no energy to fight with them. “I didn’t think it would matter how Paley and I got here. You knew we came from Providence Island.”

  “We thought you came the same way everyone from the Earth World gets here—being attuned by a Grigori!” Jorie said furiously. “Not by using the Twin Gemstones!”

  “We thought you both were children of the Grigori who are stationed on the remote outpost. We didn’t know that Paley is a terrigen,” Trey spat out.

  “It’s true,” Paley said, abashed. “Sorry.”

  “Watch it, Trey! Your Balish is showing,” Van scolded. “And, Paley, you having nothing to be sorry for.”

  “I was born in the Living World,” Paley added. “If that makes a difference.”

  “It’s against Balish law to bring a terrigen here,” Trey said flatly.

  “You’re Michael Cross’s daughter!” Jorie said to Van, enraged. “Aelia’s daughter!”

  “You told them!” Van accused Brux. Despite her anger, her heart lurched at the sight of his bloodstained clothes.

  “They figured it out when they overheard the guards say you were caught with Manik’s text,” Brux said. “Don’t worry, they’re mad at me, too.”

  “For Light’s sake, Van!” Jorie shrieked. “You didn’t think it was relevant to tell us?” She paced the cell like a caged animal, her four remaining fingers twitching over Zachery’s empty holster. “Being caught with a terrigen and Manik’s text—do you know how much danger you’ve put us in?”

  “They’re calling in an Inquisition Squadron, M-Merloc’s crew,” Elmot said, looking disheveled and pale. “They don’t call him Merloc the Merciless for nothing.” He leaned over and retched.

  “Okay, everybody calm down,” Brux said. “Let’s look at what we have—the information we translated from Manik’s text.” He filled them in on everything he and Van knew, until they heard footsteps echoing around the corner.

  “Someone’s coming.” Paley jumped to her feet. “I don’t feel well. I hope they give us some food. You think they will?”

  “Doubtful,” Trey said.

  “You need the Gemstones more than you need food,” Brux whispered, concerned. “Before you and Van start feeling worse.”

  Bullfrog arrived, followed by several border guards. “All of you, out!” barked Bullfrog.

  Elmot and Trey propped up Brux so he could walk, and they filed out of the cell as instructed. The guards led them to a large room and waited in the hallway, as Van and the others entered.

  A horde of massive soldiers dressed in black stood shoulder to shoulder. Glaring, they blocked those standing behind them, who were involved in a muffled discussion.

  Even before Van heard Elmot gasp, she recognized the uniforms. Royal Balish Soldiers. Merloc’s Inquisition Squadron had arrived.

  Van quivered, more afraid of facing her father than of Merloc the Merciless. It made sense that Solana’s two minions—her cousin Merloc and Van’s father—would be running about the countryside together, seeking the Coin for their crown princess.

  The soldiers in front parted, and one of their own stepped forward.

  Van braced, preparing to come face-to-face with her father. She was taken aback when Solana emerged.

  “Leave me!” Solana’s silky, yet venomous voice commanded. “I wish to speak to them alone.”

  The soldiers hesitated.

  A glare from Solana sent them hurrying through the door.

  “I know you are Lodians.” Solana crinkled her nose. “I can smell Lodes a mile away. Call it a gift.”

  Paley squirmed under the princess’s scrutiny. Van remained alert.

  “And here we are, caught red-handed with Manik’s text.” Solana began to pace. “Connecting Lodians to the incident that killed my brother. Sounds like a conspiracy on the part of Uxa and the Grigori to me. An attempt to overthrow my father and conquer the Balish Kingdom, perhaps. What. Am. I. To. Do?”

  Jorie shifted, taking Solana’s accusation to heart.

  Solana goaded them. “Was my brother’s death an assassination, rather than mere Grigori incompetence?”

  “Don’t pretend with us!” Brux said, fuming. “We know you and Michael Cross employed demons to do your dirty work!”

  Flabbergasted, Van wondered, Is Brux trying to get beat up again?

  “I’m confused.” Solana snorted, making even that seem attractive. “Doesn’t Michael work for Uxa?”

  “Everyone in this room knows the Grigori are innocent!” Jorie said, outraged.

  “You know this, you know that,” Solana said snidely. “What I don’t know is how you got Manik’s text!”

  Van realized that Solana hadn’t expected to find the text. The Balish princess had given Michael orders to destroy it, and now she was suspicious of Michael. The charred text in Van’s backpack had put his life in danger, too. Which meant Van’s father wasn’t there, and Solana didn’t know Van was his daughter. Both oversights were fine with Van. She couldn’t bear the thought of her father catching her plotting against him, of meeting his gaze and seeing indifference reflected in his eyes. It would validate what Van had always felt deep inside, something she didn’t want to be true. Her father didn’t love her.

  “It will be best if you cooperate.” Solana stopped pacing, and her golden eyes turned to Van.

  Van felt an icy chill spread through her body.

  “Was it Uxa? Did she give it to you?”

  Van held the princess’s gaze, trying to look innocent.

  Paley succumbed to the pressure and shrieked, “Just tell her!”

  “I found the text in the woods,” Van said.

  In a flash, Solana’s gloved hand whacked Van across her already injured jaw.

  As Van doubled over, she felt her eyes flash phosphorescent violet. She stared at the floor, ignoring the raging pain in her jaw, and used her breath to calm her anger until she was sure her eyes had returned to their normal blue. Then she straightened to her full height and glared at Solana.

  “I won’t ask a third time,” Solana warned. “Did Uxa give the text to you?”

  Van feared that Solana would hurt her teammates if she didn’t answer. So she nodded, though it was a lie.

  Solana looked at each of them, then asked, “Are you sure Uxa told you the truth about the attack on my brother?” She continued her unctuous pacing. “Demons reached our world because she is incompetent. Michael sided with me because he knows the Grigori can’t perform their duties anymore. This was proved the night my brother was murdered. Now, Manik’s law is on the verge of being repealed, and Uxa is scrambling to fix the situation. She is using Michael as a scapegoat because he betrayed her by siding with me, and she is using you to get the Coin.” Solana stopped pacing and faced them. “I did ask Michael to steal Manik’s text and to destroy it. A task that he blundered, allowing Uxa to find the te
xt and give it to you. We never anticipated my brother chasing him and being killed by demons.”

  Of course, Solana was lying. But if it weren’t for Wiglaf, Van thought, then Uxa would have found the text before I did. Solana must believe that Uxa gave our team the text with a map because one of us is Goustav’s heir, not the Anchoress-in-Waiting, who can use her intuition to find the Coin. Which means Solana believes we are a danger to her throne and she will kill us all.

  “I wanted the text destroyed to protect my brother,” Solana continued. “The information it contained posed a threat to our kingdom. After the incident, Michael no longer wished to hide his allegiance with my family. That is why he never returned to Lodestar. Now I need the Coin to protect my people. It is the only way for me to prevent Solmor.”

  Van had reservations about Uxa, but Solana was an outright menace. Solana wanted power and glory, just like Goustav. Only this time, Manik’s law would be repealed and she would finish what her ancestor had started—taking over Salus Valde.

  “If you join forces with me, I will protect you,” Solana said. “You obviously have specialized skills, or Uxa never would have sent you out. Your team can work with my men to get the Coin.”

  “Over my dead body,” Jorie growled.

  “That,” Solana turned to Jorie, “can be arranged.” She gazed at each of them again. “I am sure you read the text and know the general location of the Coin but not exactly where it is hidden. You also know only the Anchoress heir can find it, which means I cannot.” Solana’s cool eyes landed on Paley.

  “Goustav’s heir can get it, too!” Paley blurted, trembling.

  At first, Van felt a flicker of betrayal, but then her heart went out to her friend. She knew Paley’s knee-jerk reaction was an attempt to avoid being tortured for information.

  “Manik’s text is wrong! Goustav has no heir!” Solana snarled, reminding Van of a rabid panther. Then Solana inhaled deeply, composing herself. “If my men hadn’t already informed me that the Anchoress-in-Waiting is on her way here, I might be inclined to think she is one of you. Nevertheless, if you won’t join me, then I can’t have you running about the countryside searching for the Coin, getting in the way of my men.”

  The team remained silent, but Van could feel Brux tense. He was wondering the same thing as Van. Had Michael captured Daisy? Van’s father had high-level connections in the Grigori, which meant he would know the identity of the Anchoress heir. Len had told them that Solana, along with her mother, believed the part in Manik’s text about the Anchoress bloodline surviving the Dark War. That had to be the reason Solana had approached Van’s father in the first place.

  Solana strode to the table with their confiscated items. “Gross.” She flicked away Van’s hairbrush, then picked up the box with Van’s mother’s earrings, and opened it. “Hmm. These are pretty.”

  Van watched helplessly as Solana easily slid the earrings into one of the skintight pockets of her uniform.

  Van didn’t think she could despise Solana more than she did already. She was wrong.

  Solana gently brushed her gloved fingertips back and forth over the cover of Manik’s text and placidly said, “Since you were caught with Manik’s text, it is reasonable to conclude that you are the thieves who lured my brother out of the castle. The fact that you are Lodians proves Uxa is the one conspiring with demons. Uxa wanted to make the repeal of Manik’s law a possibility, so she could sanction retrieval of the Coin. Then use its power to take over my kingdom.”

  “That’s a damn lie!” Jorie growled.

  “Grigori would never use the Coin against people!” Brux said harshly.

  “Sounds plausible, though,” Solana said, unperturbed. She stopped stroking the text and looked up. “As spies for the Grigori, you pose a threat to my kingdom. You will be imprisoned, interrogated, and then executed.”

  Those words jolted Van, as if the earth had just opened under her feet.

  “Commander Hackett!” Solana cried.

  Bullfrog came bursting through the door. “Yes, my princess?” He bowed.

  “Take these Lodes back to their cell.” As they headed toward the door, Solana said, “I will begin interrogations myself. Starting with this one.” She grabbed Paley by the arm.

  “Me?” Paley gasped.

  Van resisted the urge to wrap Solana’s long, glossy hair around her neck. But with the Balish soldiers lurking in the hallway, any rash action on her part would lead to all of their deaths.

  Brux nudged her forward from behind.

  The guards shoved Van and the others back into the cell and left them alone, to wait for their torturous interrogation by Solana and to fear for Paley and Daisy.

  “Nothing matters now,” Elmot said gloomily. “We’re all going to be executed—after being tortured first.”

  “Don’t attach to the dark part of your Self, Elmot,” Jorie warned. “We’ll find a way out of this.”

  Van’s rage at Solana had caused so much tension to build, she snapped and started blubbering. Her whole body shook; tears soaked her cheeks.

  “Van, get yourself together!” Jorie ordered. “We’re Lodians. Solana will do everything by the book. We’ll be transported to Balefire for the execution. Gives us plenty of opportunities to escape.”

  “W-Why would my father side with Solana?” Van asked, weeping. “Why would he bring demons here?”

  “We all know from Uxa’s briefing that Michael witnessed a Class III demon kill his partner while in the field,” Brux said kindly, as he carefully lowered himself to the floor. “He believed it signaled the Escalation and that we were on the verge of another Great War. He chose the side he thought would win.”

  Or maybe my father believes the same as the Balish royal family, thought Van. That there is no good or evil, only power. Her father’s soul had been eroded from conspiring with demons. Uxa had warned that if her father even touched the Coin, he would be consumed by Darkness with no redemption. Which was Solana’s fault for seducing him! Van’s anger returned; her tears subsided. She would rather die before letting Solana get her power-grubbing hands on the Coin.

  “Strategically, it makes sense for Michael to side with the Balish,” Trey said matter‑of‑factly. “They had a greater chance of retrieving the Coin because they had Manik’s text and probably Goustav’s heir.”

  “The side with the Coin will win when Darkness rises,” Elmot said. “Just like what happened during the Dark War.”

  “And history repeats itself,” Trey said.

  Van felt exhausted. Facing Solana had drained all of her energy, and she could barely keep herself composed.

  “Michael will stop at nothing to get the Coin,” Trey said. “If we get it, Manik’s law will remain intact, and he won’t be rewarded with Salus Valde for helping Solana kill her brother.” Trey eyed Van. “You’re looking clammy. Do you feel okay?”

  “She’s terrified,” Elmot said, tensely. “We all are!”

  “Maybe you should sit down,” Brux said, patting the floor next to him.

  “I do feel kinda . . . dizzy,” squeaked Van. The edges of her vision grayed, and before everything went black, she heard Brux’s stressed voice. “Solana won’t have to execute her. Without her Twin Gemstone, she’s going to die!”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Day 7: 8:32 p.m., Living World

  Van drifted down a shadowy, peaceful tunnel. In the distance, she heard Brux frantically calling her name. Yet she longed to give in to the engulfing darkness, which held the enticing promise of eternal rest.

  Yet she couldn’t give in. She had things to do.

  Wait. She wasn’t saying these things. It was Jacynthia.

  I can’t give in to the Darkness. I have things to do, Van said in her mind, repeating what Jacynthia told her.

  “Giving in to Darkness does not serve you,” Jacynthia said.

  What difference does it make? Solana is going to torture and kill me anyway . . .

  “You will persevere. Trust in th
e Light.”

  But even if I do escape, I don’t have what I need. We gave away our boundless bowl, and the border guards stole all our money. My Twin Gemstone, Manik’s text, both were confiscated by Solana.

  “Harmony and happiness are states of consciousness and do not depend on the possession of material things. You must trust that the Light will provide you with all you need to fulfill your spiritual destiny.”

  All this trouble with my father . . .Van struggled to wrap her head around it; she didn’t believe that her father, the same man who gave her Twinkle Toes on her fifth birthday, the one who took her quahogging when she was eleven, was capable of turning his back on the Light . . . on his family . . . on her.

  And, and my mother. H-Her earrings were stolen . . . Van sobbed. Tears dampened her cheeks. I don’t know who I am anymore.

  “Your frustration is taking you from me,” Jacynthia warned. She started to flicker and fade. “Retain your vision . . . stick to your purpose . . . maintain your faith and gratitude, and you will find your way.” In one final flicker, Jacynthia was gone.

  A pounding headache infringed on Van’s consciousness. Then her body regained feeling, and she felt her throbbing jaw. She lay stretched across something cold and hard, but her head rested comfy on a warm pillow. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself supine on the floor of the jail cell. She groaned to realize the warm pillow was Brux’s lap.

  “You okay?” Brux asked, peering intently at her.

  Van nodded slowly to keep her headache at bay. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and remembered how the guards had battered Brux’s legs. Afraid the weight of her head might hurt him, she sat up carefully.

  “At least, we know why you fainted,” Brux said gently. “The Gemstones are draining your energy to keep Paley here, and being too far from them, for too long a period of time, well, your energy gave out.” He glanced at Paley, who had returned to the cell. Both of them looked less worried than they should for people about to be executed, although a heavy gloom hung over the cell.

  “Paley came back in the nick of time,” Elmot said, still tense and high-strung. “Otherwise, we might have lost you.”