No Such Luck

by Weist, Jaclyn

  Beth covered her mouth with her hand, and a tear spilled out. “Don’t talk like that.”

  “We know it’s a possibility already. I just want to be prepared. Besides, I don’t plan on letting O’Malley win.” I allowed the anger to swallow me up again as I headed for the front of the castle. I needed it to cover the fear and doubt that kept trying to sneak in. There was no time for that. I changed into my battle clothes and strapped my sword around my waist. Thoughts of past battles ran through my head, feeding the fire.

  When I met up with Adam outside, I stopped. “Looks good.”

  “Thanks. I would have liked a little more notice, but whatever.” He nudged me with his elbow. “You sure you know what you’re doing?”

  “Yep. Adam, he’s going to be very angry, and he’s going to attack hard. Is everyone is ready?”

  He nodded grimly. “They have an anger behind them that they didn’t before. Kinda like the fire I see behind your eyes.” He stepped away from me. “And flowing out of your hands. Might want to do something about that. Anyway, they’re ready. They’re not going to stop until he’s defeated. Not after what he did.”

  “Once I give the signal, be ready.”

  “And that signal is?”

  “You’ll know.” I turned to find Louie, Patrika, and Eoin behind me. I leaned down so no one else would hear me. “You’re sure it will work?”

  Louie nodded, a glint in his eye. “No one gets between a leprechaun and his gold. You of all people should know that.”

  “Yes, yes, I do.” I stood and took a deep breath. Jared and Beth stood by me, and while they looked nervous, I could see their determination. I nodded and stepped up next to Adam. “I wish for O’Malley’s pot of gold.”

  Adam gasped, but didn’t say anything. A large pot of gold appeared next to me. A few leprechauns glanced over at me nervously, but held firmly to their knives and swords.

  “What have you done?” a small, but furious voice called out. “How dare you?”

  Suddenly, O’Malley’s army was among us. Instead of giving us time to react, he’d dropped them right on top of us. And I was totally okay with that. I pulled on my luck as I drew my sword. Jared and I would fight until I could get close enough to O’Malley.

  The imps were nothing to me, and I went through one and then another. The nightmarish creatures that had been up on the hillside were worse up close. Inky black skin, eyes that were black and sunken in, and the sounds they made . . . it felt like I was in a zombie movie, with all the groans around me. As long as I could cut them down before they sucked my soul, it was fine.

  Fairies flew and pounced on the creatures with a ferocity I’d never seen from them before. I guess that’s what happened when their future was taken from them. I used my luck and magic to pull the creatures from their horses, killing some in the process. Kelpies tried to lure the elves onto their backs, and would run straight for the nearest creature holding a knife.

  I wanted to continue throughout the battle to take on as many people as possible, but I couldn’t leave the cauldron. O’Malley had to come to me so we could finish this. He stood on the edge of the battle looking on, so I took a coin from the cauldron and shoved it in my pocket. He jumped forward, but hesitated before backing up again. The coward.

  “Adam.” I waited for him to finish off a dark elf before running over to me. “Get everyone out of here. Slowly, so he doesn’t notice. I’m going to wipe out everyone between me and O’Malley.”

  “No. I’m not letting you do that. You’ll kill yourself.”

  I grumbled under my breath. “Fine. Just . . . stay behind me. But have Jared come over here. I need him close.”

  He nodded and called out some orders before running back a safe distance. Although, safe was relative, with what I was about to do.

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. If I could clear a castle main hall of dust and debris, I could do this. I hoped. I imagined everyone in a deep sleep and pushed my luck and anger into it. I opened my eyes and spread my arms out wide. I watched as everyone between me and O’Malley dropped to the ground.

  “You want your gold? Come and get it. Stop hiding behind your minions.” I grabbed a handful of coins from the pot and held them up.

  “Megan, what are you doing?” Jared asked from behind me.

  “Trust me. And do whatever he tells you to do.”

  O’Malley growled, disappeared from the clearing, and I was suddenly knocked to the ground by his weight. “You get away from my gold.”

  “You get away from my people.” I tried to push up, but he stomped down onto my back, knocking the wind out of me.

  “I don’t think so. Now, I’ll take my gold back, thank you very much.” He snapped his fingers, and the pot disappeared. “And don’t mess with me again.”

  “Okay, but how do you plan to get these back?” I held up the gold coins in my hand and gasped for air. I looked up at Jared to see the fear and anger in his expression.

  O’Malley stomped again, and I felt my ribs crack. I was sick to my stomach as the pain overwhelmed me, but I just forced out a laugh. “You think this is going to help you? These people see you for who you really are. You’ll never have control.”

  One more stomp that had me seeing spots, and then he looked up at Jared. “I’ll have control once I have that ring on your finger. And if you want your precious girlfriend to live . . .” He pulled me up by my hair and put a knife to my throat. “You’ll give it to me right now.”

  Jared’s eyes held a fury I’d never seen before, and I just prayed he’d do what I’d asked. It was the only way to stop O’Malley. He stepped forward, making Beth cry out. “I’ll give this to you, but then you’ll never touch these people again. You’ve already hurt them too much.”

  “I’m the one holding the queen hostage. You really think you can tell me what to do?” He pressed harder, and I felt the knife slice into my skin.

  “Okay. Okay. Don’t hurt her anymore. Hold out your hand.” Jared clenched his jaw as he took the ring off his finger.

  O’Malley hesitated. I could feel the grip on my hair slacken. “First, I have to take care of Megan. I can’t exactly let her go.”

  “She’s injured and harmless.” Jared’s voice broke.

  Ropes sprang up around me, squeezing me tight. I cried out from the pain in my ribs. If this didn’t work, I was going to have way too much fun making O’Malley pay for this. Once I could move again.

  “That should do it.” He took a step forward before stopping. “Or better yet.”

  He snapped his fingers, and a net appeared in his arms. “I believe you know what this is. I can’t have you conjuring magic until I’m ready.”

  The net fell over me, pushing me down into the rocks beneath me. Every ounce of luck and magic seemed to drain from me, leaving me exhausted and in even more pain than I was before. It was the net that Henry had made for us in Louie’s cave. The ropes that had been tied around me loosened and dropped to the ground because O’Malley’s magic could no longer keep them in place—thanks to the magic Henry had woven into it. I forced my head up to watch Jared with the ring so I could make sure he knew what he was supposed to do.

  It was completely silent in the field as O’Malley held out his hand. “Now give it to me, or your precious queen won’t live to see me rule.”

  Jared looked down at me, heartbroken, then bent to give O’Malley the ring. Instead of setting it on O’Malley’s palm, he shoved it onto the leprechaun’s finger. “If you really think you’re worthy of this . . .”

  Just as O’Malley raised his hand in triumph, a light flared out—blinding white light that enveloped us—and O’Malley burst into a million pieces of gold dust. I gasped for air as I tried to push myself up. The dust settled around me, and the crowd cheered. Jared picked up the ring and brushed it off before putting it back on his finger.

  “Aw, no such luck. I guess it’s mine.” Jared dropped onto his knees and yanked the net off me. He pulled me into his ar
ms, crushing me to him. “Don’t ever do that again. Ever.”

  I coughed and tried to reach up to my neck, but I had no strength. “Help.”

  Beth knelt beside Jared and tore a piece of her shirt to put on my neck. “That was the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen you do. And I can’t believe you got away with it.”

  Adam’s voice sounded muted in my ears as he called off the rest of the troops. He picked me up in his arms and carried me into the castle. I closed my eyes as I leaned against my brother’s chest, listening to the furious beat of his heart. He laid me down in my bed and stepped back, never saying a word. Fairies surrounded me, flitting back and forth to heal my wounds. I cried out as they put my ribs back into place, and Jared held my hand until I could calm down.

  Nessa shooed everyone out of my room, and as I drifted into a deep sleep, I smiled, knowing that I’d never have to see O’Malley again

  .

  MEGAN

  It had been three days since the battle with O’Malley, and I was bored out of my mind. No one would let me leave the bed, even though I insisted I was fine. Never mind that my rib hurt every time I coughed, and I still had nightmares of that moment.

  Beth and Jared would tell me about the councils that had happened, but nothing could be agreed on for what we should do next. Many of the fairies were beyond comfort. Those who had watched over the younger fairies were either destroyed along with them, or driven mad from grief. They needed me at the meetings, but my friends still refused to let me go.

  There was a slight possibility that new fairies existed outside of the fairy world, but since there was no way of getting in and out, we couldn’t find them. Thoughts of Colin and the rest of the Atlantians kept running through my head.

  I rang the bell Beth had given me and waited for someone to answer. After a couple of minutes, I gave up. So much for coming when they were called. “April?”

  The small fairy appeared, her eyes swollen from crying. “Yeah?”

  “Is Colin still around?” I coughed and winced.

  April nodded. “He’s been wanting to meet with you, but no one will let him in.”

  “Bring him, please.”

  She disappeared, and I climbed out of bed to get dressed into something better than slept-in pajamas. It was several minutes later when I finally heard a knock at the door. I ran a brush through my hair, and went over to the table.

  “Come in,” I called.

  Colin peeked around the door. “You wanted to see me?”

  “Yes, please come in and sit. April, can you get something for us to eat?” I hoped giving her a job to do would help her.

  She nodded and left the room without saying anything.

  Colin and Alleya came in and sat at the table. They both looked tired and sad, but they lacked the haunted looks the fairies had.

  “We’re sorry to hear about your friends. And about what happened on the battlefield. I do have to say that what you did was pretty amazing.”

  I smiled. “You have to out-trick a trickster, and it was the only thing I could think of. The last time I went up against him, I made a bowl of gold, and used a waterfall to make a rainbow. It was cool, but I didn’t think it would work twice. I guess I underestimated their love for gold.”

  “I guess so.” Colin laughed. “What did you need to see me for?”

  “You are the only group of people that has come into the fairy world since the barrier was closed by Oona. I need to know how you did it.” I pulled on my luck, hoping he would be willing to tell me his secret.

  He pulled out a map. “That’s what I figured. And it’s one of the reasons I wanted to meet with you as well. When I left Atlantis, I had to promise my leaders that I would never tell our secret, but after what has happened here, they finally agreed to let me offer our help in other ways.”

  I unrolled the map and laid it out on the table. It showed the human world, and also consisted of small lines that expanded out from a small island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. “So, what am I looking at?”

  Colin pointed at the island. “That is Atlantis. When it was created, there were seven main gates out of the city. Each led to different continents. This allowed the mermaids and Atlantians to interact with the above world. But then distrust settled in, and we closed them off unless you had the right papers. I came down through this one.” He pointed at a line by Hawaii. “Mine was accidental. Anyway, I went all the way over here and settled in a place called Indiatlantis.”

  I raised my eyebrow. “Indiatlantis? Seriously?”

  “That’s what I said when I heard about it. But that’s where Alleya was, so I wanted to go find her. While we were there, things got even worse, and we needed a way back to Atlantis. Alleya had figured out how to repair the tunnels—something that hadn’t really been done before—and I took that knowledge and learned to make new tunnels.” He pointed out a few other lines. “Now we use them to go wherever we want. When the fairy world was closed off, our leaders feared the worst, and sent me here to see what was going on. It’s true that a few of the soldiers came to find the ring, but that was just another rumor sent out so we could keep our ways secret. We needed to keep people distracted so they wouldn’t ask questions about the entrance.”

  “That doesn’t explain . . .” My brain went into overdrive. “So, because you came through the water, you were able to get in.” The same way the fish from here get there. I knew it.

  “Yes, exactly.” Alleya broke in. “Fairy magic doesn’t work well in water. Just like our magic doesn’t always work on land.” She pulled out a tablet similar to the one Colin had let me borrow. “But things have changed. My dad sent us these pictures today. The loss of those fairies has begun to affect the earth. We have to break down this wall, or both worlds are in trouble.”

  I flipped through the pictures on Alleya’s tablet, and I felt sick to my stomach. Those visions I’d seen in the portals were coming true. Buildings crumbled, plants were dead, and debris covered the streets. Other cities seemed to be completely deserted. “How is this happening? It doesn’t make sense.”

  April appeared next to me and sat on my shoulder. “I’ll answer that. Remember how I told you once upon a time that I was the one who kept your room clean? You didn’t believe me, but this proves it. We’re there to make sure buildings stay in good repair, and gardens and houses all stay clean and well-kept. Now the nightmares run free, and those things we once took care of are falling to waste.”

  Colin flipped through the pictures until he came to a map. “While you were resting, my people started back toward the tunnels. We can’t get the fairies out of here. They would fall unconscious as soon as they went underwater. But we can get you out of here, and home. Maybe then you can break the curse. Your magic will be weaker, but your luck will be stronger.”

  “Let’s go. But not home. I’m not ready for that yet. I need to go to Scotland.” I pointed at the map. “Where is the closest tunnel to Edinburgh?”

  “Why do you want to go there?” Alleya asked.

  “There’s a wand there. I need it if I’m going to make any of this happen. Plus, I’m guessing there are more fairies there than we have near my house.” The only one I knew about was Mrs. Lincoln and those who were visiting her, and that wasn’t enough. “I can get home from there.”

  Colin chewed on his thumb. “There. We take that one and head northeast, which is good because it will keep us away from Atlantis. You really don’t want to go there right now. O’Malley had too much fun stirring them up.”

  “Figures.” I stood. “Thank you. We’ll get ready. Where do you want to meet?”

  Alleya grinned. “We were bored while we waited for you to wake up, so we brought the tunnel to you. It’s in the pond just outside the castle grounds.”

  “Perfect.” I opened the door. “Thank you. We’ll see you out there as soon as possible.”

  Colin and Alleya turned to leave.

  “Wait. You told me this was one of the reasons you wanted
to talk. What was the other reason?”

  Colin rubbed his neck and glanced over at Alleya. “We figured out who threw the discus. It wasn’t actually meant for you.”

  My eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

  “There are many people in Atlantis who followed our last general and believed that he was right in keeping those who weren’t full blooded Atlantians out of the city. The fact that my best friend is a so-called hybrid has made them angry. One of those guards disguised themselves and threw the discus at me. When he missed, he fled the arena, but he’d left his guard uniform behind. He’s been punished to the fullest extent.”

  By the way he said that, I was pretty sure I didn’t want to know what that meant. “Thank you for letting me know. I’ll let my guards know as well, and then be out to the tunnel as soon as possible.”

  “Thank you.” Colin left and Alleya followed after looking back and smiling.

  It was hard to remember sometimes that he was only fourteen. And having to punish someone like that at his age? I shuddered. I turned to April and pushed the thoughts of the guard aside. I could dwell on it later, but for now we needed to get out of here before things got even more out of control.

  “Think the tunnels will work?” I asked April.

  “Yes. But like he said, we can’t go with you.” She frowned. “I don’t suppose you could just keep me in your bag until you get there?”

  “You won’t die that way?” I wanted her with me, but didn’t want to cause problems.

  “Not if I had enough space to breathe. I’ll sleep, but I’ll be fine otherwise. One or two of us might have tried to go down in the tubes already.” Her look of innocence made me laugh.

  “Nice. If you think you’ll be fine, we’ll try it.” I stood and grabbed my bag.

  April watched me for a moment. “Um, there’s something you’re forgetting. You’re part fairy now.”

  I stopped. “I’ll still have my luck, though, right? So that should help me.”

  “Maybe. But you might want to warn your friends that they could be carrying you. And me.”