The Queen, The Mirror, and The Creation (Fated Chronicles Book 5)

by Humphrey Quinn

  Nowhere to go.

  Nowhere to be.

  No thoughts… he let the waterfall carry them away.

  CHAPTER 3

  Elisha wound around her Master’s feet. She’d caught up with Colby and snuck through at the last moment as they’d jumped through the doorway at the bottom of the stone fortress on the Svoda island—when he, Jae, and Katana Jade, escaped the clutches of Jurekai Fazendiin… Colby's father.

  And now, Colby and Jae found themselves back in a familiar world, one they’d never thought they’d have reason to return to, again: Grimble. The afterlife ghost town for the recently, and not so recently, deceased, who were unable to move on because they still had unfinished business in the world of the living.

  Katana let out a huff and planted her hands on her hips. "Just great. I left one drab and dreary island of gloom only to land in another. Is it day or night? How do you even tell in this so obviously fun-forsaken place?" Nightfall should be arriving, but as always, the ghost town was overcast in constant shades of gray no matter the time of day, or night—the landscape painted in various shades of bleak.

  But it was the land of the dead, not the land of the living. Which made sense, however depressing a sight, as ghosts didn't live off the same human needs. And in some ways, perhaps not for Katana, but for Colby and Jae, the colors fit the mood.

  Ghosts floated about, uncaring of the human presence—as long as they stayed out of their way at least.

  "You guys have been here before, so where to?" Katana babbled testily.

  Colby's hand scrubbed through his untidy hair. He deferred to Jae, the look he gave the young man indicating he had no idea, and no energy to get an idea. He was bathed in a sense of, I'd be fine to plunk down anywhere. Even right here. His stance came across vulnerable, almost like the air itself, hitting his skin, was too much to feel. This didn't sit well with Jae; he'd been in that position too many times before.

  Elisha grimaced at how deflated and worn out her Master not only appeared, but sounded—his mind its own version of the doom and gloom around them. It might have fit their mood, but it was not doing anything to help improve it. Although, the downward spiral in Colby's mind would not have changed even if they'd landed atop a rainbow, Elisha purred in muted dismay.

  Colby's silent need for someone else to decide was all the push Jae needed. The guy had just saved him from killing his sister. And his family. And had gotten all the Svoda held prisoner, to safety. Regardless of his past, or what he might do in the future, today, he deserved Jae's untold gratitude and respect—he'd gladly take the reins.

  Jae motioned for them to follow. Katana fell in behind him. He glanced back to catch Elisha encouraging Colby to follow. He did, although his movements were heavy, like it took great effort merely to walk. Jae purposely took it slow for the guy. For reasons only his subconscious might be able to sort out, he had this tremendous urge to hug the guy—which boggled his mind because hugs, not exactly his thing. He supposed it was the yet unexpressed gratitude he had for the guy. At least, that's what Jae decided to chalk it up to, since he was currently a mixture of an almost giddy relief—seeing as he was, momentarily, free of Juliska Blackwell, and hadn't been forced to kill anyone—and yet at the same time, filled with uncertainty and fear of the unknown. What came next? For any of them?

  The last time he'd ended up on his own like this, things had not gone so well. This was different though. He was with—they weren't friends. He didn't know what the heck to call them. Fellow escapees, perhaps? Refugees, of sorts. Victims of—ugh, this was leading nowhere. They were a trio of misfits and a Catawitch. None of them able to fall in line with the roles they'd been handed.

  Jae aimed them through the ghost town and beyond the outskirts until— "Wagons," bellowed Katana as they came into view. There was a semicircle of them.

  "This is where my people stayed when we visited here," explained Jae. Before I destroyed my life, he left off. "I wasn’t sure, but I hoped they were still here."

  He opened a door of the one in the center, cautiously peeking into the depths before climbing inside. The others followed. As expected, no magic at work here any longer. The wagons that had once served as entry points into a replica of their island, no longer took them anywhere. Simply a regular old decked out caravan.

  "It’ll do," decided Colby.

  "We can each have our own wagon if we want to," Jae pointed out. The trio stared at each other for a minute, unsure if that was a good, or bad, idea.

  "We can decide later," offered Katana. "Or, I’ll decide later, if you boys can't bring yourselves to stop brooding so much it drives me crazy, first."

  Colby scowled. Jae pried open his lips to argue, but she made a hand motion to shut it, and not argue. The young men surrendered fast; they were not in the mood to argue anyway. Instead, they each plunked down. Katana at a small round table. Jae on a bench that lined the wall. Colby, on the bed at the backside of the wagon, his arms gripping the edge as he slid back barely enough that he wouldn't fall off.

  Always ready to spring for it, thought Jae. Even though exhaustion and confusion pooled out of the young man, he still trusted no one. And there was no blame in that, from Jae's perspective.

  He let the Book of Doorway's slide down onto the bench, next to him with a long sigh. Grimble wasn't exactly what he'd pictured when they'd jumped through the doorway, but in a way, it was nice to land in a familiar place.

  Elisha curved around Colby’s legs before taking up a guard post near the front door, on his behalf. All the time, fretting over the ledge, her Master's very soul, appeared to be balancing on. He was a revolving door of feeling everything, and nothing, all at the same time. She'd never seen him like this. Not ever. And she didn't like it.

  And worse, she had nowhere to throw her blame other than his father. Which she'd never done before as she'd understood Colby's potential for greatness, just as his father had groomed him for. She'd always supported Colby, no matter what. It was her job to do this. And her honor to do this. She would not forsake him now. Or ever. But the future had never been this uncertain. Her Master—lost in a sea of doubt and turmoil with no clear path ahead. Regardless, she'd stick with him, anywhere he went. Whatever he decided.

  A gentle warmth caressed her mind. Colby was unable to express his gratitude in words, but she felt the presence of it in her mind. And this put her more at ease. Him too, if only a little. He let go of the edge of the bed and slid until his back hit the wagon wall. He let his head fall back, a bit of him wishing he had the ability to somehow, become the wall. Disappear into the wood. Hide. The covers were growing more inviting by the minute. But how pathetic would that look? To throw a tantrum like a four-year-old and hide under the covers. It's what he wanted to do. Scream. Shout. Pound on the wall, on the floor. But those things would require energy and movement—two things he was severely not in the mood for.

  Katana was free to call it brooding if she wanted to. He didn't care. He wanted to wallow, so therefore, he would wallow. But in silence, not like a child having a breakdown.

  Things got quiet. The unsettling sort of disquiet that got their nerves all worked up, and yet was needed for them to process what they'd done. They'd fled. Not that they'd had any other choice at the time.

  Colby was a mess and needed time to think, although from the fidgeting, scowls, and sighs, that wasn't getting him anywhere fast. Jae had to leave, or Juliska would have forced him to track down his family, or others, and kill them.

  And Katana, the young men were not exactly sure where she stood on things other than she didn't come across as being like her father, or other Stripers. She wasn't so cutthroat as they often were.

  Different from the rest or not, neither of the young men was naïve enough to accept her at face value, simply because of her claims, or because she'd made the bold move to tag along. It took a lot more than that to earn their trust. They'd learned that lesson the hard way, more than once—don't trust anyone. Only yourself. But they'd l
et her prove herself and earn their trust. Katana had not needed to flee with them. She could have chosen to stay behind and not been any worse for wear—maybe. Maybe not. They couldn't begin to claim they knew much of her life at all. Which just brought about the whole not trusting thing again.

  There was a fleeting glance between the young men; their thoughts obviously similar on this subject. But for now, they were stuck with each other.

  After a good solid hour staring at walls, ceilings, the floor, into the air, at nothing in particular, the quiet became too uncomfortable.

  Jae started by clearing his throat. "We, um, didn't exactly make any plans for this, other than escaping. Which we did. So, um, now what?" He shook his head and added in a hushed whisper, "I don't even want to think about what's happening back home."

  Colby had saved a lot of people, but that only meant his father's retribution would that much crueler.

  Katana shuffled further back from the table. "My father's livid." She didn't extrapolate. There wasn't much more to say. "I've never outright defied him before." The young men noted a measure of pleasure in this fact, which unsettled them some. Bringing them right back into the not trusting her lane. She was a stubborn teenage girl plainly thrilled to piss off her dad. She saw this look hanging in their gazes. "And what does this make you two? Because your reasons are soooo much more noble." She rolled her eyes.

  "They were noble," scoffed Jae. "We were trying not to hurt anyone else."

  Colby flinched when Jae said, we, like he was included in that statement. Did he really mean that? Was it true? He guessed on some level, it was.

  "And you think I want to hurt people?" Katana huffed. "Look, I could have stayed. But there wasn't anything there for me other than a pissed off father. I don't know how to get you to trust me. Maybe I don't even care if you do, or don't. I had to get away, okay. I'm not my father. I've got stripes on my skin, but they don't… fit." She shrugged. This was the best description she had to offer. She stretched up out of her chair, eyes landing on Jae.

  "You had to leave because of that monster inside of you that Juliska Blackwell controls. A monster you volunteered to become. And you," she shot at Colby, who returned her assault with a dark glare. "You're just a daddy's boy. A spoiled, given the world, daddy's boy. Talk about a guy out to defy his father…"

  Colby refused her attempts to get a rise out of him. He wasn't in the mood. And she was wrong about him, about his relationship with his father. So very, very wrong.

  What he was, was losing his mind. His world as he'd known it, blown up and no longer in existence. His father had raised him to be smart. Raised him with a desire to learn and discover. To test himself. To prove himself. His world had felt immense and endless. The reality showing itself, however—his world had been small, and only what his father wanted him to see. Until these last few years, and his father could not so easily shelter him from the rest of the world.

  So while Katana acted like a spoiled child who simply needed to test her boundaries and defy her father, and Jae fell into a vast pit of despair wondering who Juliska or Fazendiin would take their wrath out upon, Colby was… on trial for treason.

  His father had probably instantly disowned him for such treachery as this. He’d not be welcomed home with forgiveness and open arms. If he decided to return, there would be punishment, no doubt. A possibility that made his squirm uncomfortably—as he didn't want to think about that outcome.

  Without realizing it, his brow was pumping out the sweat and he had to swipe it off. His hands wringing together, anxiously. Not just at the idea of being punished, but in the truth he was beginning to understand—other parents didn't punish their children like his father punished him.

  But other children were not raised to be Kings.

  Others, were not immortal.

  Others didn't have enemies, who wanted them dead.

  His father had to do those things… to prepare him. He had to…

  And it didn't matter in the end because Colby's actions were his own, and he'd deal with the repercussions. He'd freed the Svoda and they were safe—as possible anyway, for today. It wouldn't last long. He’d only bid them some extra time.

  Still, there was this satisfaction behind the act. Punishment coming or not.

  As he thought about it, though, satisfaction wasn't the best word. It wasn't smug, or defiant. It was simply the right thing to do. Freeing those people, it was the only right choice. Making it so Jae didn’t have to kill his family. His sister… it was the only right choice.

  And none of it had to do with his father, or what he'd been taught, and it was this truth that had wound its way to the surface. A truth he'd tried to push down deep because he'd already given his father his loyalty. And yet when he'd done it, somewhere in the recesses of his mind he'd doubted his choice. Wasn't sure why he'd made it. Other than… this was his father.

  His father had promised him the world. Like, literally. However, when Colby had seen the conditions on the island, something snapped. Some light that never existed before ignited into being. And when Jae had stood on that rooftop and begged him to make it go away… there was suddenly no denying this request. No way to stop himself. Jae's pleading like a dagger that split him open. And for reasons he had absolutely no explanation for, he'd not have done it without that push. He'd have faltered. Given into his father's wishes.

  In the end, he'd done it for himself, but not because he'd been brave enough to. Jae had gotten through to him, propelled him into that zone of bravery to defy his father. Not even his sister had done that before. Not that he'd ever really given Meghan a chance to.

  But this… thing, this emotion, this reason, he'd let Jae lead him to that place… this was something he had no comparison for. No name for. And any satisfaction Colby allowed himself got mangled into a mass of vexation that led him right back to nothing making any sense. Possibly, ever again.

  CHAPTER 4

  Colby shifted on the bed, a sharp edge pinching into his side. He ruffled around and removed the bone dagger from a pocket, the sight of it hitching his breath inward.

  Jae winced at the far too fresh memory of stabbing him, and without asking, or thinking to ask, bounded upward, crawled onto the bed, and leaned into Colby to examine the stab wound. Jae peeled his collar back over his shoulder and let out an awed push of breath.

  "It's fine," Colby told him. "Immortal, remember?"

  Not a Projector, any longer, but still the son of an immortal. Jae couldn't resist running his hand across the healing wound, which had already sealed itself shut.

  "I was going to use magic, but—" he lifted an eyebrow, impressed. "I guess Elisha could've helped you too. Sorry for, um, you know, stabbing you." He let go, plunking down next to Colby rather than move back to the bench. He wasn't sure what drew him to do it, but he swore Colby let out a long sigh that made Jae shudder at the unspoken meaning of it—Colby was glad he'd stayed.

  They had that in common—not wanting to ask for help. Never wanting to need help. Or comfort. Or support. Depending on or trusting others never ended well, for either of them.

  "Way more comfy up here." Jae blew it off like it was no big. But there was this tug, to stick close to the guy. And he seemed to want that too, so Jae had no problem obliging. "How are you feeling anyway? Getting stabbed would suck enough, but I can't imagine having all that magic sucked out of you could've been too pleasant."

  Colby shook his head. "Weird. Just… weird. Out of my own head a bit. Like I got into a fight with the wrong end of a dagger." He rolled a wary eye at Jae that held no blame.

  He pushed out a clipped laugh in reply, breaking the shared gaze when the depth of Colby's silent thank you, for having the guts to do it, startled him.

  Katana frowned. Pouted a little. She might as well not even be in the room.

  She laughed lightly, getting the attention back on herself. "Yeah. I'm guessing having all that magic jacked into your system, and then yanked back out again, might cause anyone
to feel like they'd met with the bad end of a knife."

  "Something like that," Colby slid out.

  It was so much more than that though.

  Not only the unnatural magic he'd been given by his father, or the act of using the dagger to remove it. The physical pain was nothing to speak of really. It was all the crap in his head that was spinning a web that wrapped around his sanity, screwing it all up in a mix of emotions that made no sense.

  He ran his fingers along the sharp bone of the dagger's blade and gave a shudder.

  "You probably need to get some rest after all that," suggested Jae. Elisha meowed out a raucous agreement. It was odd to agree with Jae, but he was only concerned about her Master's state of mind.

  Colby blew him off, just as rest or sleep would blow him off for tonight. His mind was in no condition to cooperate.

  "I was so close," he murmured. His eyes pinched inward at the memory of fighting the magic. It wanted free, it wanted him free. To use him as a vessel to do whatever it might. If Jae had chickened out and not stabbed him and taken the magic out of him… well, he'd saved a lot of people, Colby figured. Because he'd been on the verge of letting the explosion happen. An actual explosion—to be followed by what kind of catastrophe, he only guessed would have been monstrous.

  "That’s one heck of a dagger," whistled Katana.

  "What are you going to do with it?" dared Jae, gently.

  Colby set it down on the bed between him and Jae and stared at it. "I don’t know. I—I—it should probably be destroyed." He shrugged. "I’m not sure."

  "But the power is safe inside that thing, right?" Katana bleated.

  "Yeah. It can’t do any harm inside the dagger. It needs a living host to do any real damage."

  Jae gave a short punch of a laugh. Not because he was amused, but at the audacity Colby's father had in having no problem infecting his own son with such unstable magic. And part of him, pathetically so, was unable to stop the jealousy—if only his own curse was so easy to remove.