The Egg (Return of the Ancients Book 4)

by Carmen Caine

  She nodded in the direction of the Queens stepping through the door into the coffee shop dining area. They obviously heard her. Their backs went rigid, but they kept walking and the door swooshed shut behind them.

  Jareth’s deep laugh rang through the kitchen. Even though he was growing stronger by the minute, he still looked like he was suffering from a horrible hangover. Stalking toward Samantha, he lifted her up by the waist and whirled her into a circle before setting her down lightly on her feet.

  “You’ve no idea what you’ve done tonight, dragon,” he chuckled. Placing his hand dramatically on his heart, he lowered his lashes to add, “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

  “Right,” Samantha replied, entirely unfazed. Turning to me, she charged, “Take this handful of a young man right up front and give him some of that black coffee too, Sydney. And keep him on a tight leash so he can’t rile the place up, will you?”

  Shaking her head, she moved to her desk in the corner, but the telltale crinkle of amusement hovering at the corner of her eyes betrayed her amusement at Jareth’s antics. She had a soft spot for him. I guess I could understand that. For all of his obnoxiousness, he somehow grew on you.

  Jareth turned and his dark eyes smiled down at me. “Why, thank you, Sydney,” he drawled in the most mocking of tones. “Nice to know I’m cherished.”

  Reaching up, I grabbed ahold of his ear and pulled him forward. “Yeah, you do grow on people, Jareth,” I confirmed. “Kind of like a wart.”

  He snorted but let me drag him through the door to the front.

  It was getting late and looking through the large front windows I could see that it was already dark. But that didn’t really mean much. Seattle was north enough for the sun to set by 4:30pm in the wintertime.

  The baristas were chatting by the espresso machines as Ellison suddenly emerged from behind me, precariously balancing a stack of pastry boxes and tubes of paper cups. We almost collided.

  “Oops, sorry,” Ellison muttered under his breath as he moved quickly away.

  He seemed uncharacteristically subdued, but I didn’t have time to find out why. I scanned the coffee shop, looking for the Queens. The evening customers had settled into their comfy brown velvet chairs, many focusing on their laptops as they sipped steaming lattes and nibbled on Samantha’s pastries. The atmosphere was pleasantly peaceful.

  My eyes fell upon the thin, disapproving blue-sparkled lips of the Fae Queens seated at a small table in the corner. Rafael had just stepped up to join them, flipping a chair in reverse to sit down and cross his muscled arms over the back.

  “Ready?” Jareth asked in my ear.

  He didn’t wait for my response. He just pushed past me and approached the Queens table, snagging a chair along the way with a booted foot and kicking it into place next to Rafael before taking his seat.

  All of their eyes zeroed expectantly upon me.

  Slowly, I forced my feet forward. My mouth suddenly went dry. “Coffee?” I croaked as I arrived.

  “Sit!” the Queens barked in reply.

  I didn’t possess Samantha’s courage. I sat down at once.

  “Explain,” they ordered.

  “Never underestimate the power of a human,” Jareth responded at once, leaning forward to prop his chin in his hand.

  They lifted their brows at him. Apparently, Jareth had a way of irritating the Queens, too, although this time, I was on his side.

  “Are you as powerful as Samantha, Sydney?” they asked me then, subjecting me to appraising glances that plainly indicated they didn’t think so.

  I swallowed.

  Could I be like Samantha? Maybe … someday. I knew I wasn’t that extraordinary now. “No,” I answered honestly. “I’m just your average type of teen.”

  “Which may very well be enough,” Rafael inserted quietly.

  We all looked at him.

  Rafael sent me an encouraging smile as he pushed a hand through his blond hair, leaving some of it standing on end. It only made him look like he’d stepped out of a high-fashion magazine. I don’t think he could look bad, even if he tried to.

  I shook my head, realizing my thoughts had wandered. I guess I was getting tired. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to focus on his words.

  “Yes, our fates lead to the Tree of Life,” he was telling the Queens, giving words to their deepest fear. “But Sydney is a human and her Blue Thread promises a choice for the benefit of all, not the total destruction that you fear. Have faith in her.”

  The Queens didn’t buy it. They scowled. “How can one behold the Tree of Life and not destroy it? You ask us to believe in your words and promises alone?”

  “Is that not what faith is?” he asked mildly.

  Their scowls deepened as they pressed their blue-sparkling lips into thin lines. For a few moments, they hesitated, as if weighing their words. They leaned forward to speak in low soft voices. “Months ago, we heard whisperings in Melody’s mind, echoes that distressed us greatly. We heard the screams of the Fate Trackers she had murdered to protect her creation, a creation we suspected would bring Avalon to the brink of disaster. And we learned that you, Rafael, held the key to turn the tides of fate. We had faith that you were strong enough to do what must be done. You had already proven your loyalty by working with us to reveal the Inner Circle and their designs, and you supported us on the throne. We knew Earth was a test for you, and we prayed you would be strong enough for this trial, to pass this test.”

  Here, they both paused to look at me.

  I sank down in my chair, feeling terribly guilty. It was obvious they thought he’d failed that particular test.

  There was a stilted silence. One in which Rafael calmly met their gaze and Jareth yawned a couple of times.

  “And now,” they finally resumed their speech. “Now, after you have failed your test, after you have failed your Blue Thread … now you ask us to turn a blind eye, to allow the three of you to walk a path that ends with the destruction of the Tree of Life? How can that be the right path when so many wrongs have been done? How can you ask us to simply trust that you’ll make the right decision when you’ve already failed at least twice before?”

  I had to admit. The way they put it made our argument sound pretty crazy.

  “Yes, that’s exactly what we are asking,” Jareth retorted then, pulling a coin out of thin air to flip it over his fingers. “And we’ll succeed, because the very human you’re already blaming for destroying the world is the only one now who has a real chance to prevent it. And she needs us to do it.”

  I didn’t really want to hear that. If my Blue Thread was anything like theirs, I didn’t see how I was going to succeed.

  “Let us see into your mind, Sydney,” the Queens suddenly whispered.

  It took me a second to realize that their mouths hadn’t moved.

  I nervously licked my dry lips. “You’re already here,” I replied aloud.

  They both tilted their heads at exactly the same time and on the same angle. It made me shiver. I found them a little creepy, but then I felt a little embarrassed for thinking it when they could read my mind.

  “Would you choose the path for the benefit of all, even if it were to cost you dearly?” Their voices slithered through my mind.

  Apparently, they didn’t care if I thought them creepy or not. “I’d like to think so,” I said, not really sure if I’d answered them in my mind or with my mouth.

  It didn’t matter. They kept staring at me for quite some time. Long enough that I knew the pressure was building up to a downright nasty question.

  I was right.

  “Could you kill both Jareth and Rafael?” Their voices chorused in my thoughts. “If the only way to save the Tree of Life is to kill them, could you do it?”

  I recoiled in revulsion and jumped up from the table. “Don’t be ridiculous!” I shouted, my throat closing in. “That isn’t it! That isn’t my choice!”

  Rafael rose to his feet, his hand protectively c
losing over mine in an instant as he turned to address the Queens. “Let’s stop this farce now, shall we? You know that you really can’t harm us. If you did, you would only cement the fate you saw in the mirrors. The only chance we all have now is to truly let us go and hold onto every shred of faith that you’ve ever had.”

  I didn’t want to hear anymore. I was suddenly exhausted and overwhelmed and I wanted to be gone. I guess we all did, because Jareth got to his feet too.

  “Until later then,” he bowed at the Queens.

  They didn’t try to stop us. They just watched us walk out the front door. I half expected to be surrounded by Fae Protectors the moment we exited Samantha’s domain, but it didn’t happen.

  It was raining slush outside and it was chilly. I huddled into my sweatshirt as we rounded the side of the building and headed towards the back. But we’d taken no more than three steps before Rafael caught me by the waist and shifted us back to the Fae Command Center.

  The Fae hovering before the glowing crystals seemed a little surprised at our sudden arrival, but they didn’t ask any questions.

  Leaving Rafael and Jareth behind, I stumbled up the stairs, looking for a place to close my eyes, just for a second. I found it in the first room. A wide, leather couch. Sinking down in its over-stuffed cushions, I leaned back and closed my eyes.

  * * *

  I woke with the afternoon sun shining in my eyes. It took me a minute to recall the latest series of events. I glanced at my watch. I’d slept through the entire night and into the next day. I guess that meant the Queens had decided to trust us, after all. Or at least I hoped that’s what it meant. I could hear the Fae’s soft voices downstairs, sprinkled with the occasional laugh.

  I relaxed.

  If they were laughing, I supposed nothing drastically horrible had gone wrong while I’d been asleep.

  Someone had thoughtfully placed my backpack by the door. After selecting a fresh pair of jeans, t-shirt, and hoodie, I searched out the nearest bathroom for a quick shower. I didn’t bother looking in the mirror. I knew the face looking back at me would be thinner and a little more peaked than usual.

  My stomach chose that moment to growl in a loud protest. I hadn’t eaten much lately. I’d just been running from crises to crises. Pulling my wet hair back into a ponytail, I headed downstairs in search of food, and swinging myself around on the bottom step, I ran straight into Raven.

  I pulled up short.

  As usual, she was immaculately dressed, wearing a blue silk dress with platform shoes and a tasteful diamond necklace. Her cold eyes dropped over my jeans and sweatshirt in a slow, censorious gaze.

  “Good afternoon … evening,” I greeted her, not intending on staying there and participating in whatever game she was thinking about playing.

  The look she sent me was a chilling one, and she got right to the point. “I’ll never like you,” she said in a shrill tone. “But I’m not one to aid evil.”

  I wasn’t sure how to reply to that, so I just nodded.

  She walked away then, and I just stood there, leaning against the stairwell, watching her go. I couldn’t really fault her for falling for Rafael. After all, I had myself. And she’d helped save Jareth in the end, even though she’d dragged her feet at the beginning. Maybe she wasn’t too bad, but I kind of agreed with her. I didn’t think we’d ever be friends, either. We were just too different.

  “And what thoughts have captured you so deeply?” Rafael’s breath tickled the back of my neck.

  I jerked around to see that he’d come up to lean against the stairs beside me.

  He was strikingly attractive in weathered torn jeans and a pink t-shirt that stretched tight across his shoulders. He’d taken the time to ring his gray eyes with a healthy dose of eyeliner, and although he was gorgeous no matter what he did, I have to admit I preferred him just as he was now, eyeliner and all.

  But that thought only drove home our differences.

  He’d always be Fae, accustomed to a different set of rules and expectations. And that meant that someone like Raven truly was a far better match than I. In more ways than one. She’d most likely always understand him. She shared his culture. She certainly shared his classical good looks.

  They were both very different than me. Honestly, I didn’t think I was anywhere near their league.

  His eyes creased in the corners, taking on an amused cast as he looked down at me. “And where have your thoughts gone now?” he softly prompted again.

  I didn’t want to admit it, of course. I didn’t want to sound jealous. Even though I knew that I actually was. But I also wasn’t one to play games. So I confessed, “She’s really more your type than I am.”

  “And I disagree,” he said at once, understanding immediately who I meant by “she”. A smile danced on his lips that matched his eyes as he leaned down closer to add, “My type keeps pet mice. She’s beautiful without a shred of vanity in her soul. She doesn’t hide who she is behind false masks. She wears jeans and sweatshirts because that’s what she likes. She’s courageous and kind. And,” he added, pausing to draw out the suspense. “And she’s stolen my heart, utterly and completely.”

  I think I could have listened to him talk like that forever.

  Reaching over, he brushed the back of his hand over my cheekbone. “Turn those curious green eyes away from me, little pixie,” he murmured in a voice that carried a promise that made my heart skip a beat.

  “Or?” I asked, silently begging him to continue.

  Rafael studied me a moment and then answered with a playful wink, “Or I just may have to kiss you.”

  Of course, I didn’t look away. I don’t think there was anything on the planet that could have made me look away. I kept my eyes glued on his until he leaned forward and gently brushed his lips across mine in a soft kiss that I never wanted to end.

  Lifting myself onto my tiptoes, I slid my arms around his neck and whole-heartedly kissed him back. Finally, the kiss ended, and he held me close for a time before slowly pulling back to slide a long finger under my chin.

  “My fate will always be entwined with yours, Sydney,” he said, absently threading a finger through my hair. “No other can compare to you.”

  I wanted to tell him that, too. But I really wasn’t used to expressing myself in that way. Honestly, my mom hadn’t ever hugged me much and my dad, well, I never met the guy. I wasn’t really used to displays of affection.

  Rafael must have read my emotions on my face because he chuckled and bent his head to kiss me lightly on the cheek. “In Avalon we have a saying that ‘every love is a delicate flower’,” he said.

  “Flower?” I repeated.

  He put his fingers on top of mine and gave them a squeeze. “It means each love should be left to blossom on its own, little green-eyed pixie.” Dark lashes veiled his eyes as his breath softened to add, “Forcing the petals to open too soon will only harm it.”

  I heard the smile in his voice and it made me warm inside. I smiled back. He always made me feel comfortable. He felt so right.

  He slid his arm around my waist and stepped forward, but I didn’t move. “You’re pretty incomparable yourself,” I said, surprised the words were a bit easier to say than I’d thought.

  Humor and something else that made my heart sing flashed across his face.

  I think I just might have kissed him myself this time if a loud angry shout hadn’t sounded from the direction of the kitchen.

  It made me look over my shoulder. A small part of me cringed because I realized for the first time that from where we stood, the Fae in the Command Center could have easily seen us kissing. It was a little embarrassing, but I guess just a little. But as the shouting continued, I brushed all other thoughts aside and ran after Rafael as he strode towards the sounds of conflict.

  Pushing the door open, we stepped inside.

  Instead of the atrium it was before, the kitchen had returned into its normal state, complete with refrigerator, stove, and barstools lined up
at the counter. A bowl of fruit sat a few feet away from an inviting platter of fresh toast. And right next to it perched Jareth’s white pigeon, Galahad, sitting on top of a roll of paper towels.

  The sound, of course, came from Jareth. Holding his guitar by the neck, he was shaking it fiercely as he paced in front of the sliding glass door leading to the backyard porch. He looked a lot better. Except for a slight gauntness about him, he appeared almost normal as he stomped back and forth, wearing shredded black-leather pants, a netted shirt, and a red trench coat with a turned-up collar.

  Catching sight of us, he escaped to the back porch, and cradling his guitar, he began to play. His music was soulful and angry. There was no denying he was a talented musician.

  Rafael stood by the door with folded arms, watching him with furrowed brows as I sat on one of the stools.

  “Hi,” I greeted Galahad as he perched over the platter of toast.

  He didn’t even blink.

  I didn’t know if that was a normal Galahad response or some kind of veiled insult. So I just shrugged and reached for a piece of toast.

  As quick as a flash, he stretched his scrawny neck to peck my hand.

  “Ouch!” I glared. I don't know why I was surprised that the ornery bundle of feathers would turn out to be a devil in disguise, but I was. “You must be related to Ajax,” I groused. “I thought it was for public consumption. I didn’t know that was your private stash.”

  Rubbing my hand, I scowled at him and helped myself to a banana from the fruit bowl a good three feet away instead.

  He didn’t twitch. He just hopped back on top of the paper towels and stared at me with his unblinking black eyes.

  Glowering, I peeled my banana and then swiveled on the stool to watch Jareth and Rafael. After a few minutes, my mind began to wander. The Queens had asked me if I could kill them to save the Tree of Life. Part of me refused to think it was a possibility, even as the other part of me wondered if that would be my Blue Thread. If it was, then the Earth truly was doomed. I’d fail. I loved them both too much. They were too important to me, just like Al, Betty, Grace, Ellison, Jerry, and the rest. Even the pointed-eared snooty Ajax had wriggled into my heart. I couldn’t see how harming any of them could ever be the right decision.