Forgotten (Guardian Legacy Book 3)

by Ednah Walters

  “No, you can’t,” Bran cut in, sounding a little worried. “My soul is perfectly safe with Lil. You said my brother and his friends wanted justice? What good came out of sending the Archangels, other than death and mayhem?”

  “Lil is gone to the island with her father, my dear,” Xenia said. “This is the good that came out of it. Being with her father is going to be good for her. It is part of her journey.”

  “I find this tiresome, son of Llyr,” Coronis said. “If you are not here to trade your soul, what is it you want?”

  Xenia’s blue eyes glowed. “Remember, there will be consequences. So think very carefully what you ask.”

  Bran swallowed and nodded. “I want the ability to come and go undetected around Mount Hermon Island so I can keep an eye on Lil.” The sisters looked at each other. “The only people who would see me would be those I choose.”

  Some sort of exchange went on between the sister goddesses before Xenia said, “Okay, dear. You have your wish.”

  “But she will not remember you or her past life,” Coronis said bluntly.

  “All of it?” Xenia said. “That’s a little extreme.”

  “I’m responding to the request I received, little sister.”

  Xenia frowned. “Request? From whom? And when were you going to tell me this?”

  Coronis chuckled darkly. “That’s not my job, sister. It’s not my fault your minions are asleep on the job. But I can adjust the little one’s memories. That will make things difficult and painful for our boy here.”

  Xenia smiled mysteriously.

  “Who asked to have her memories erased?” Bran demanded.

  “I don’t answer to you,” Coronis snapped.

  “Lilith is following her destiny, son of Llyr,” Xenia said. “You need to follow yours as her protector, guide, friend, and love.”

  “You’ll know when your paths can cross and when they cannot,” Coronis said.

  Bran sighed. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  Coronis cackled. “It means that if your paths cross at the wrong time, your destiny will change and she will be lost to you forever.”

  “But I believe in you, Bran. You will triumph. Do we have a deal?” Xenia asked as Coronis watched with glee.

  Bran nodded. “Yes.”

  Bran’s confidence was daunting. I saw it again and again as the memories of the night he and I met under a willow tree unfolded. He might not have known me before my sixteenth birthday, but I’d told him about my childhood. I knew about my grandfather and what the Guardians represented. How they viewed my father and the Hermonites. What my destiny as the Chosen One meant. I might not know what had happened between the moment I’d left the presence of the Tribunal and the morning I regained consciousness, but I knew about the Great Battle and the sentence the Tribunal had handed down.

  I was crying hard by the time our minds separated. I don’t know how I ended up in Bran’s arms, but I clung to him, never wanting to leave the room.

  Behind the door was a responsibility so great my stomach hurt thinking about it. How could I unite people who’d been fighting for thousands of years? I’d warmed up to the idea of being a leader to my people because I’d assumed that responsibility was decades away. Instead, I had two months to make tough decisions.

  “You can do it,” Bran whispered above my head.

  I didn’t want to.

  “You already started,” he added. “You know both sides, know their strengths and weaknesses, their beliefs and prejudices. Only you can bring them together. I will be by your side. Always. I believe in you.”

  Just like the Goddess Xenia had believed in him. As he talked, I calmed down. I pushed away my uncertainties and focused on what had to be done. I stepped from his arms and smiled weakly. “Now I understand why you said we are dealing with douches.”

  Bran smiled. “I said powerful demons and deities who are—”

  I touched his lip. “You took a chance making a deal with them.”

  “You are worth it.” He grinned. “Besides, I knew our love would pull us through. You reached out to me when you needed me, and I stayed away when you didn’t, and here we are.”

  I touched his face. He was amazing. “I think Solange might be the one who asked Coronis to remove my memories. She has a stash of CCs from Gavyn. They talked about controlling me, keeping me docile, and killing the old High Council to make way for a new one. I think she or someone she’s working with has been draining my psi energy, too. Sometimes, I wake up with low energy and weakened powers.”

  Bran scowled. “I noticed that when you practiced with Kenta.”

  “At first, I thought it was because my energy was unstable and they did it for my own good, like the Specials in the dungeons, but now I know that’s not it.”

  “There are Specials in the dungeons?”

  I nodded. “Solange also brought me a crystal from Father during lunch today, but it was blank. I think she and her dark lord friends are planning something, and it involves Father.”

  “He’s okay now.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I went to check on him. That’s why I wasn’t around much today. Once you told me you were worried, I took off. I saw him at a meeting in L.A. He’s fine.”

  Tears rushed to my eyes. I couldn’t believe I’d doubted him.

  “In fact, if you want to send him a message, Sir Norath and I have become buddies since your fight.” He wiped the tears from my cheeks. “Don’t cry.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  He searched my face. “For what?”

  “Not trusting you. I wasn’t sure whether I should…” I touched his face again.

  “Can you show me the crystals from my brother?”

  I nodded. “Sure.”

  A ping came from Ruby. We’re almost done and will be on our way back shortly, she said.

  Keep them busy until I ping you. “Ruby and the others are almost done, and I still want to talk. Can we meet later at the library? I’ll bring the crystals.”

  “Ten minutes?”

  “Hmm, thirty minutes. I’m going to the dungeons to talk to Dante.”

  Bran’s eyebrows shot up. “Dante?”

  “He’s being kept down there, Bran. I went down there and saw a CC recording, and he looked familiar. Then I saw him. He’s so skinny and sad, Bran. How could Father keep him locked up after everything he’s done in the past to protect me?”

  “It doesn’t make sense,” Bran said, a preoccupied expression on his face.

  Dante had taken an oath to protect me and hadn’t cared who he went up against to protect me—Hermonites, Guardians, or Archangels. He’d risked his life several times, and even lost the man he loved because of me.

  “Lady Nemea told me an elaborate lie about how Dante betrayed my father when they lived in Seattle. Why would Lady Nemea lie?”

  “I don’t know. To gain your trust? Maybe mislead you?”

  I felt a little sick. Lady Nemea was now added to the list of those I couldn’t trust. What else had she lied about? “I can’t trust anyone. Not even Katia. And poor Lottius…” I winced, remembering. “We weren’t nice to her before. I hope she never finds out.”

  “I don’t trust her.”

  “I do. The whammy I put on her still holds.” Another person I owed more than an apology. “I want to talk to Dante and find out what happened.”

  Bran shook his head. “No, you can’t go down there.”

  “I wasn’t asking.”

  He stepped away. “No way. I sneak in and out of places undetected. You come with an entourage, guards, kids and their parents screaming ‘princess, princess’ and alerting everyone nearby to your presence. Then there’s all this.” He bowed. “And this.” He pressed his hand on his chest. “So, let me do what I do best, sneak in and out. I promise to tell you everything he says. Okay?”

  He was right, even though I found his imitation of our people insulting. “Okay.”

  He leaned forward and ki
ssed me. “Sorry. I couldn’t help it. I love your smile and had to capture it.”

  My lips tingled. “Be careful down there. They have light cages.”

  “Light cages don’t affect me anymore.” He stole another kiss, taking his time.

  I reached up and gripped his face as the kiss deepened. Then he was gone.

  -22-

  I thanked Seraph’s parents and promised to visit again. Ruby and Callum were laughing over something with the guards, whose names I learned were Eknar and Kasdaya.

  “Thanks for helping out tonight,” I said as calmly as I could. I was sure they could tell I’d been crying. “We’ll bring more tomorrow.”

  “Can we start on the west wing?” Ruby said. “We barely made it to the central hallway.”

  “Sounds great. Say hi to your sister, Callum,” I added before we teleported.

  Upstairs, two new guards jumped to their feet when we arrived. I didn’t even look at them. Instead of going to my room, I went straight to Solange’s and checked the secret hiding place for the box of CCs.

  The lightness of the box was the first warning. The lack of rattling sounds was the second. I opened the box and cursed.

  They were gone. Someone had taken the crystals.

  The four guards were talking but turned when I reached the door. “Did my sister come back while I was gone?”

  “No, princess,” one of them answered.

  “Did anyone come up here?”

  “A maid, uh, Yuki, brought us drinks and snacks, but she didn’t go into your bedrooms.”

  Yuki was Lady Nemea’s personal maid. She must have deliberately distracted them while her mistress took the crystals. Why would Lady Nemea take them, unless she was in on whatever Solange was doing to me?

  I went over the exchanges between Solange and Lady Nemea. The number of times they’d yelled, insulted, and treated each other as mortal enemies. Had it all been an act to fool me?

  Instead of waiting in my room, I grabbed a cloak and my homework, then told Eknar and Kasdaya I’d changed my mind and was going to the library. Downstairs, the lights were off in the globe room, so I knew it was empty.

  The guards stayed outside while I disappeared inside with magazines. The room was for group studies and I’d noticed students from the Academy use it. The one next to it had shelves of CCs. I couldn’t focus on the magazines. I kept going over everything Lady Nemea had ever told me. Some things she’d said were about Father, and he’d confirmed them. The others were about Guardians.

  It was almost eight when a knock rattled the door. Bran wouldn’t knock. I waved and the door flew open to reveal Lady Nemea. I hated that my breath caught and fear coursed through me. She was the one who should be afraid. She was the liar. The one in cahoots with Solange.

  “May I interrupt?”

  She’d celebrated the night I’d convinced the High Council that minions deserved respect. All lies.

  “Lilith?”

  I forced myself to smile. “Come in.”

  She walked in, smiling, and rested her butt on the table, innocence written all over her face. What a fraud. “How did it go in Sublevel six?”

  I leaned back against my seat. “Great. I’ll ask Bilal to do more baking tomorrow.”

  She nodded. “That’s nice.”

  Nice? Really? “Aren’t you going to tell me they get enough food and I’m making the cooks do unnecessary work?”

  She chuckled. “What good would it accomplish? Once you make up your mind, there’s no changing it. It is both endearing and maddening about you, dear. So, I heard you were asking about my maid?”

  Which one of the guards tattled? “I was going to thank her. She took drinks and snacks to my guards.”

  Lady Nemea sighed. “She’s in love. Silly girl. She’s a minion and he’s an elite guard. It will never work.”

  Like I’d believe anything she said again. “Minion? Really?”

  Lady Nemea sighed. “Did I say minion? It’s going to take most of us a while before we stop using that word. So, what are you doing?”

  It hurt to look at her. To listen to her act like she cared about me. Part of me wanted to ask why she’d lied. Another part just wanted her gone. “Light reading. Where can I get more blank CCs? I was looking for some and went to Solange’s room to borrow hers, but she didn’t have any blank ones,” I added, watching her reaction.

  She smiled, but she couldn’t hide her emotions. She was shocked I’d mentioned the crystals. “I’ll make sure I get you some.”

  “Just leave them in my room.”

  She pushed away from the table. “Don’t stay down here too late. They have the tourney tomorrow morning and you are one of the judges.”

  I checked my watch. Bran was going to be here any minute. “I’ll be up in ten minutes.”

  “I’ll leave your cocoa on the dresser.” She closed the door behind her.

  I eavesdropped on her conversation with the guards. They were to let her know the second I teleported upstairs. What was she planning now? To erase my memories? Drain my psi energy like those sleeping beauties downstairs?

  Eight o’clock came and went. Bran was a no-show.

  Eight-ten. I did a psi sweep. I couldn’t detect his energy, but I refused to panic. He probably had his shield up.

  I waited. Paced. Quarter past. Another sweep. Nothing. What was taking him so long? I did several scans and each time came up blank.

  That was it. I was going to the dungeons. I gathered up the magazines, put them in their box, then my school bag. The guards wouldn’t know I was gone.

  A rapid rattle on the door, followed by “Princess,” had me looking up.

  What now? They were reading my mind, too? The rattle became a pounding, the knob turning. I waved, the door unlocked, and four guards stumbled into the room.

  “I’m fine,” I snapped. There was no way I was going to the dungeons with the four of them. Six, I amended when Ruby and Callum appeared behind them.

  “We are here to escort you to your quarters,” Callum said, taking charge.

  I shook my head. “I don’t think I need the six of you to do that, Callum.”

  “You don’t understand, Princess,” he said. “A very dangerous prisoner is on the loose.”

  Dante. Had Bran helped him escape? “What prisoner?”

  “The lord who betrayed your father,” Ruby said. “He vowed to seek vengeance for the death of his lover, but we captured him before he could hurt anyone.”

  Was that the real story, or another fabricated one?

  “We are taking you to your quarters in case he comes after you,” Callum said.

  “Why would he come after me?”

  “He blamed your father for the death of his lover,” Sir Malax snapped, appearing behind the guards. “You have your orders to take the princess upstairs. Do it now.”

  I paced, so angry I could scream. I was under lockdown with six guards posted outside my door, and the entire island security watching my every move, when the escaped prisoner was my former bodyguard. A friend. Maybe that was why Sir Malax had panicked and put me under lockdown. I bet I couldn’t go to the bathroom without them knowing. Was Malax working with Solange and Lady Nemea?

  I pinged Lottius. After seeing Bran’s memories, I knew how we’d tortured her. Then there was Katia’s sister, Angelia. Angelia was a Special. The last time I saw her, they were headed for the Guardian enclave with their adopted Neutral mothers. I had so many amends I had to make, I didn’t know who to begin with.

  Where are you? I asked.

  Dorms. We’ve been told no teleporting anywhere. You?

  My room. Maximum security.

  They said there will be no school until he’s caught. Could take days.

  What? How hard is it to catch one man? I was sure Bran had helped him.

  They think he had some help. They’re checking everyone. We’ll sneak out to see you tomorrow.

  My first instinct was to tell her not to bring Katia, but then I mentall
y backtracked. Gavyn liked Katia. A lot. Maybe he’d come running if he knew I had her stashed somewhere he couldn’t reach. Like the dungeons. I wanted to torture him until I learned the details of their evil plans.

  Okay, Lottie. See you guys tomorrow.

  Lady Nemea pinged and walked into my bedroom. “Brought you your cocoa.”

  “What’s going on out there?”

  She placed the mug of cocoa in my hand. “Witch hunt. The prisoner is long gone. Sir Malax thinks someone helped him. He’s interrogating the guards to see who visited him over the last several days.”

  Oh, no. Ruby and Callum were going to get in trouble. “Where is he?” “In the dungeons.”

  I pushed the cup into her hand and marched to my closet for my cloak.

  “Where are you going?” she asked, following me.

  “To turn myself in. If he’s interrogating people who’ve been to the dungeon, he can start with me.” I turned around and almost bumped into her. The cocoa spilled onto her dress.

  “When did you go to the dungeons?”

  “A few days ago.” I walked past her, but she was hot on my tail. I pushed open the door and waved to the guards. “We’re going to the dungeons.”

  “Did you talk to him?” Lady Nemea asked.

  “Talk to who?” Then I felt her panic surging. I turned and studied her. What was she afraid of? “Who are you talking about?”

  “The prisoner.”

  “No, but I saw him and the other prisoners.”

  She shook her head. “You shouldn’t have gone down there. Your father will not be happy.”

  “My father would rather I stop Sir Malax from torturing our people over nothing.” I glanced at the guards. “Follow me.” I focused on the image of the tunnel and teleported. I saw the blotchy, red energies before I reappeared outside the gated indoor yard. The pain and screams hit me like a tsunami, the tingle on my back kicking into gear. Funny how it hadn’t tingled last time I was down here.

  “Stop!” I yelled.

  The three guards with Sir Malax looked over their shoulder at us. Annoyance crossed Sir Malax’s face before he schooled it into the condescending expression I’d come to hate. Hovering in the air between them was a man with nasty bruises on his face and burn marks on his arms. Two more lay on the floor looking like zombies, skin ashen and burns on their torsos. None of them were the prison guard who’d showed me around. Sir Malax was a sadistic bastard.