We followed the woman outside, where two shirtless guards in blue skirts showed us through a courtyard with potted flowers. They led us into a large banquet room with arched doorways and murals of fruit trees covering the walls. Six women with dark features and long hair sat around the table lit with oil bowls in the middle. One more woman with silver hair, who looked to be very old, sat at the end of the table.
They’re Seers. I knew because the entire room buzzed with energy.
King, who stood at the middle of the long stone table, gestured for us to sit across from him.
I remained calm and clearheaded. I couldn’t fuck this up. I had to make sure I took control of the situation and made our fates different. That was not what happened last time when I’d managed to repeat history and change nothing—King getting cursed, Justin dying, the 10 Club being created.
“You.” King pointed to me. “Your clothing and manner of speech tell me you are not from anywhere we are familiar with. So tell us who sent you.”
All righty. I looked around the table, hugging my sleeping baby. “My name is Mia and this is not the first time I’ve been here.”
It took almost an hour to tell the watered-down story of how I met King—a ghost of an ancient cursed king looking for salvation—of how tormented and evil he was, and how I’d come to this period in time to escape his cruelty but also looking for him—the real him, wanting to undo whatever horrible things had been done to him. I told them how King had a journal that told the story of Hagne, Mack, and himself. Of how Hagne wanted King dead because she loved Mack. She then used her powers to seduce him and convince him to challenge King for power. Then I came here and thought I would change our futures.
“It didn’t work,” I said. “I changed nothing.”
King chuckled. “You truly think any of us believe your wild tale?”
I looked down at my bare feet. “I do not.”
“Mia,” Teddi asked in English, which they could not understand, “what is he saying? It doesn’t sound good—”
“Leave us.” The silver-haired woman at the farthest end of the table nodded to the guards, who came forward to take us back to the room.
“I need a place to lie down,” I said.
“You can go lie with the slaves. That is generosity enough for someone like you,” King growled.
I shot him a look. They did not treat their slaves exceptionally horrible, but they didn’t treat them like regular people either.
“I’m not subjecting our child to those conditions.” Conditions I would love to change if ever in a position to do so.
“Take them to your guest chamber,” said the old woman.
That was the room next to his, overlooking his favorite beach. To the side of that was an orchard and flower garden. It was the exact spot where our house stood today.
“This dirty, vile little gipsy woman with her mutt will not stay there. I am the king and no one tells me—”
“I am your wife.” I scowled.
He leaned into the table with fists planted. “You are a crazy witch who will be executed if she speaks out of turn again.”
Teddi pulled me back. “Mia, get a hold of yourself.”
She didn’t understand anything we were saying, but she knew how emotionally tapped I felt. We’d both been through hell.
“Yes, you’re right,” I said to her. “I’m just tired.”
“I know. So am I. We need to rest.”
I looked at King. “We don’t want to make any trouble. We’ll stay wherever you like.”
“There’s a nice fishing boat with holes on the other side of the island.” King flashed a cruel little smile.
Wow. He was really being a dick. And he definitely didn’t seem to want anything to do with me.
I bowed my head begrudgingly. “Wherever the king sees fit to put us.”
“What did he say?” Teddi asked.
“We really need to get you one of these.” I lifted my sleeve and showed her my tattoo. It was the one Hagne had given me during my last visit. I hated her. I hated that she’d made a mark on my body, but I couldn’t deny the power was amazing.
“What is that?” asked one of the women who sat closest to our side of the table.
The silver-haired woman at the end popped up from the table with a spryness that didn’t seem to fit her age. “How did you get that?”
“Hagne gave it to me the last time I was here,” I replied.
“But I have not yet taught her this spell.”
I shrugged. “But obviously you will. She made it with a quill, some spit, and something she chewed up from a little pouch.”
The woman’s eyes went wide. “You may go now. We have much to discuss.”
I felt King’s hateful gaze on me as Teddi and I followed the two shirtless men out of the inner compound to a shabbier-looking cluster of buildings—no decorative paint on the walls, no potted fruit trees.
Slaves’ quarters.
Teddi and I were put in a doorless room with one stone platform covered with hay for a bed and a clay jar on the floor.
Nice. It’s our toilet.
“Well, I guess it’s better than a sinking boat,” I said.
“Or a house filled with 10 Club members,” Teddi added.
Yes, at least there was that.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Teddi and I were not awake long, nor did we come close to getting enough sleep. Approximately three hours after being thrown in this room, just after sunset, another young woman came and brought us warm water and rags for bathing, beige linen tunics, and some long rectangular strips of cloth for Arch. I cleaned up Arch and folded the cloth into a diaper. I tucked the ends into his front since we were in the days before the invention of the safety pin. Or baby bottles, formula, and disposable diapers. How did mothers survive? At least for now, we were all clean and dry.
Immediately following, two other young women in long gray tunics showed up to do our hair. That was when I knew something was going down.
Ceremony was everything to these people—full moons, crop plantings, harvests, and honoring the gods on their special days. However, for their time, the Minoans were very advanced. They had beautiful pottery and metalworks, which they traded with foreigners as far away as China. They even had bathtubs and indoor plumbing. For the non-slaves, of course. God, what I wouldn’t give for a bath right now.
Teddi’s face turned red as the two young women tugged painfully at her brown hair, attempting to make elaborate twists and pin them on top with little metal clips adorned with tiny seashells. We both had shoulder-length bobs, so we looked like mops with lots of loose bits falling all around.
“It’s okay,” I told the girl. “Just leave it.”
She didn’t seem to like that idea because she’d been given an order by someone to make us look presentable. “You can’t make a cake without flour,” I told her. “No one will blame you.”
The two ladies finished us by putting a dab of fragrant oil under our arms and then told us to follow. This time two guards, wearing blue and red skirts and feathered headbands, escorted us along. These were the king’s special ceremonial guards.
They led us to the largest temple on the compound. I knew this was where King met with his council—the higher ranking families and Seers on the island.
We entered and the same women from earlier stood to one side of the towering room along with a horde of new faces. All women. All Seers. To the other side of the smoky, torchlit room, men dressed in neatly pleated skirts stood. King sat on his throne at the farthest end, wearing a bitter scowl on his handsome face. The moment he saw me, it turned into a pure loathing growl.
My heart sank. Why did he hate me so much? It wasn’t like this before.
“This doesn’t look good,” Teddi whispered.
“I know. Just stay calm.”
A young servant girl asked to take Arch, who still slept, but I refused. Like hell I’d be letting a stranger touch my baby.
The
eldest Seer, the one who’d been speaking earlier, stepped forward and began addressing King.
“Due to the concerning nature of the matter brought to us by our guests, the Seers gathered earlier. We admit this is a situation we have never come across, but we have consulted with our ancestors and reached an agreement as to the best course of action.”
King nodded with his bulky biceps crossed over his smooth, muscular chest. I tried not to look or think about how beautiful he looked, sitting there half-naked, displaying his ripped torso, a deep red cloth wrapped around his waist.
The Seer continued, “We believe that the gods are acting through these two strangers, who tell the truth. We believe that the one with the golden hair carries a child that is yours and that the infant is yours as well. The dark-haired one carries another Seer—a girl who is also very powerful and therefore not likely offspring to Callias. As we all know, the king has been blessed by the gods with extraordinary strength.”
Uh-oh. What are they talking about? My mind sort of twirled around, scooping up facts. Teddi had conceived her after King brought Mack back to life. And if Mack lived inside King’s body, then…well…biologically, they were right. Her baby wasn’t Mack’s. It was King’s. If they were identical twins, would it really matter? Other than they think King is stronger. I suppose I couldn’t argue. In any case, that made Teddi’s baby a bigger target if we were to return home.
“What are they saying, Mia?” Teddi asked.
I glanced at Teddi. She did not need to hear that she wasn’t really carrying Mack’s baby. Besides, she was smart. She’d probably figure it out for herself one day.
“Umm…they believe us. Sort of. But they haven’t gotten to their point yet,” I said with a steady voice, wanting her to stay calm.
The elder woman raised her chin. “It is our opinion that time is of the essence, and we are not too late to appease the gods and change our fates. The king and his brother are to wed these two women.”
“What?” King spat. “You are mad. I will not wed, and I will certainly not wed this outsider.”
The silver-haired woman narrowed her dark eyes. I could tell from her body language and age that she didn’t take lip from any man but did her best to remain respectful to her king.
She cleared her throat. “The gods clearly intended for you to be united with this woman one way or another. Otherwise, they would not have given her this gift of moving through time. And even after she lost her gift, they made it so her child would have it. Fate has spoken, my king, and you should listen.”
King growled, and from the slight flare in his nostrils and the red on his sculpted cheekbones, I knew he was about to let loose.
She continued, “There are several other matters we must discuss, my king. Our ancestors made it clear that our fates, as the golden-haired one has told, are destined to repeat unless we create a new path forward. The challenge is that we are limited by this moment. Fate will not allow contradictions. We cannot create a future that makes this moment impossible.”
“Can you say that in non-Seer speak?” I said.
She turned to me with a respectful nod. “The key events that brought you here to us in this moment must remain intact.”
My tired head twirled in a merry-go-round-type fashion. “So that means we can’t change anything?”
“No. It means we must attempt to make this moment come about another way.”
We all waited for her to elaborate.
“You must still meet our king in the time you are born. You must still have a reason to come here. You must close the loop.”
“What is she saying?” Teddi asked.
I looked at her, not even knowing where to begin. “She’s saying we have a lot to figure out.”
“As for the matter of Hagne,” the woman went on, “we believe she should be sentenced to death. She has repeatedly violated our laws and we fear we cannot save her black heart from ruining us all.”
“No,” King barked out. “We will not allow this. We do not execute women and certainly not the woman who was betrothed to me from birth.”
I hated to say it, but… “Killing her only makes conflict between the Seers and the regular people. Maybe you can send her away or something. Better yet, trade her with one of those nice fishermen from the mainland.”
“No. She must die,” the woman said. “Our ancestors say that she is the reason our people vanish and that this 10 Club Mia speaks of will never exist if we survive.”
She could be right. Having more Seers in the world might have prevented all that, but who knew?
The woman approached King, and he took a small step back.
He fears her?
Couldn’t blame him, really. Seers were a little scary. Especially these ones. The energy around them had the entire room buzzing and the hair on my arms standing straight up.
“But, my King, as is our tradition, Hagne’s parents will not mourn for long. They will be compensated for their loss and given another daughter.” She turned and looked at me and Teddi.
Uh-oh. One of us had to volunteer?
“Can I ask,” I said, “at what point can we go back? We have family and friends and—”
“For the moment,” she replied, “you cannot go anywhere. Not unless you wish for all of the events to remain intact as they were.”
So we had to stay here? King would not be happy and it definitely pained me to be around him. All I saw was a man I loved. He saw me as vermin.
He caught me staring and snarled.
Yep, it’s official. Our relationship had gone through the full spectrum. Hate. Love. Grief. Mistrust. Pain. Joy. We’d had it all. And add…indifference. This ought to be interesting.
But if this was the sacrifice required, the one I said I always knew I’d make for the people I loved, then I had to do it. 10 Club couldn’t be defeated, so it had to be killed before it was ever born. Still, it pained me to think of never seeing my parents or friends again.
“So once we stay here and figure all this out, 10 Club will die.” I wanted her confirmation, and she nodded. It was all I needed.
I wondered what else would change if I managed a miracle and stopped 10 Club from forming. Did that mean Justin, my brother, would live, too? Because no 10 Club meant Justin’s path would never cross with any of them. I wanted to believe yes.
King rose to address the room. “This is all wonderful planning, but I am king, and I do not agree to this…” he waved his hand through the air, “this insanity. There will be no executions, no foreigners taking up residence here on our island and absolutely,” he shot me a look, “no marriages.”
“But, sir,” the silver-haired woman argued, “you do not understand. We have spoken to our ancestors, the Seers who have passed, and—”
“How am I to know what they have told you or if they are real? I know two things—my home and my people. The gods decide the rest and they have not spoken to me. Get these two off my island.” He turned to us, his gaze sizzling with anger. “And do not return. Not if you value your lives.”
I glanced at Teddi, feeling too tired to give her any words of hope. “It’s a no-go. He’s kicking us out.”
“What! Well…fuck him!” She rushed at King, screaming, “Fuck you! Do you have any fucking idea what I’ve been through? Do you!”
“Teddi, don’t!” I charged after her. “You’re not helping the situation.”
“Silence!” King raised his hand to slap her, and I stepped in.
“Don’t you dare,” I growled. “Or so help me, I will remove your arm.”
“You dare speak to me like that?”
“You think,” I stepped closer, hugging Arch and tilting him away from King, “that I’m afraid of you? You?” I laughed. “Buddy, you don’t have a clue what I’ve been through—thanks to you, I might add. I’ve died and come back to life. I’ve watched the man I love—you!—live through hell and go mad. I’ve had my heart broken by you a million different ways, including you cheating on
me with some crazy whore just so you could save Mack—I mean, Callias—for the fifteenth time. I watched my brother murdered. I watched myself turn into a murderer. I have been broken down and put back together so many fucking times that there’s no part of my body or soul that’s an original part!” I poked his chest. “So go ahead, King. Raise your hand to me. Call me a liar. Tell me you hate me or think I’m crazy. But I will never,” I spat, “never fucking cower from you or anyone. Not again. Not ever.” I took a breath, realizing I was doing no good. I was out of control. “You know what?” I stepped back. “Go ahead. Marry Hagne. Watch everything you love die. End up cursed for three thousand years. Be my fucking guest.” I looked at Teddi. “Let’s go home.”
“We can’t, Mia. They’ll be there waiting for us.” She placed her hand on her stomach.
I looked down at my feet. We are not helpless. We don’t have to accept this.
I turned to the old woman. “How long will it take to train her?” I glanced at Teddi.
She blinked. “Years. It takes years, sometimes decades to show a Seer such as this the full range of her powers.”
“We just need her ready to fight Hagne and the other assholes who are going to try to kill us when we go back.”
“I can teach her what she needs to know in two weeks.”
I nodded. “Good. And what will it take to get my powers back?”
She looked shocked. “I do not know. We will need to consult with the ancestors who struck the bargain with you.”
“Okay. Let them know I gave up my powers to be with King.” I looked him up and down. “But I don’t need him anymore. I just need to fight 10 Club.”
King glared at me with purified, concentrated hate.
“Don’t give me that look, Draco Minos. You are not my king. You do not get to look at me like that.”
I walked from the room with Teddi on my tail.
“Mia, what just happened?”
“We’re on our own. That’s what happened.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
King did not follow through with his threat to kick us off the island like some Survivor, Time Warp Edition rejects. However, he did not come and see us or lift a finger to help. Arch began a diet of boiled barley and goat milk. I also gave him the little breast milk I carried and boiled water with mashed grapes that I filtered with linen. I did everything I could to keep him fed, clean, and safe. Meanwhile, Teddi and I, both pregnant and feeling sicker than hell, ate bread, lentils, boiled water and grape juice, too. Our bodies were not used to whatever microbes they had in this time and we both needed to train, not sit on a toilet. Or squat over a pit. Whichever.
TEN CLUB (KING SERIES Book 5) Page 12
