“Sis,” she squealed, “you’re squeezing me to death.”
“Victor’s alive!” I shouted. “I’m sure of it. I can feel it.”
“You said Ethano was flipping through another book. We need to find that book. If we do, we’ll figure out what he wants with you.”
“It was a black book with a giant gold snake on it,” I said.
“That sounds like the Book of Maldara. Let’s look for it.”
Suddenly, dark spots flooded my vision, and a wave of dizziness ensued. Liz’s concerned voice echoed in the room as I stumbled, grabbing the table and sucking in a deep breath. Lightning-like flashes blinked in my vision.
“I’m going to get the doctor!” Liz screamed.
I gripped her wrist. “Please don’t. Just give me a minute.”
Liz held my hand and rubbed my back, giving me words of encouragement. I couldn’t have asked for a better sister. After a few minutes, the flashes of light started to fade, but the headache didn’t ease up.
“You need to see the doctor, Sarah,” my sister said in the most concerned voice I’d ever heard her use.
“No, I’m feeling better,” I whispered. “Besides, there’s nothing they can do. All the Immortal doctors have already told me I just have to let the power break through on its own, like a tooth emerging through the gums.”
“Sarah, this isn’t right. Something’s seriously wrong, and I’m not going to stand by and watch you die before my eyes.”
“I’m Immortal. Maybe you can find a dictionary and look that up,” I joked.
“We can still die, if there’s unstable energy or we get poisoned by the Guardians’ deadly saliva or we get our heads chopped off!”
“Well, none of that has happened yet.”
She let out a long breath. “I’m going to talk to some people and see what I can do. I’m worried, and you shouldn’t take this lightly. This has happened before, and…”
Her voice trailed off, but I knew what she was getting at. The recorded cases documented stated that the person had a 50/50 chance of dying within a year. The power eventually came in completely, but death ensued.
“I know,” I said, “but I don’t wanna talk about this. We need to find that book.”
She nodded, and we spent the next several hours hunting for the book we needed.
* * *
Liz slid a book back into the shelf. “It’s not here,” she said, frustrated.
“Let’s concentrate on finding Victor,” I said. “He’ll know what Ethano wants me for, since everyone else can only guess and speculate.”
She shrugged. “I guess, but where do we start? It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
“I know. They could have him stashed away anywhere,” I said, “and you know Ethano would have hidden him away in a place where he thinks we’ll never find him.”
“I’ve got a better idea,” she said, her voice echoing in the huge library.
“What?” I asked.
“An old lady named Helena lives just outside the city, in a cottage on the south side of the cliffs. It’s said that she can see the future. I personally know people who claim they received great knowledge from her.”
I clenched my hands, wondering if there was any truth to it. “Are you suggesting we see a fortune-teller?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” She blew out a breath. “I want to ask her about Charles too.”
I bit my lip, pondering. “It’s risky to leave the castle at night. Maybe some of the soldiers could bring her in.”
“You do that, and she won’t tell you anything. Apparently, she’s quite stubborn and likes to keep to herself. She never leaves home.”
“All right. In that case, maybe we better take her some gifts…uh, some food, silk blankets, gold—especially if we’re paying her such a late-night visit.”
“You don’t wanna wait till morning?” Liz asked. “It’d be far safer.”
I shook my head. “No. I won’t be able to sleep.”
She smiled. “Me neither. Charles is all I can think about, and I can’t wait another second to find out where he is. Let’s go.”
“I’ll gather some troops,” I said. “I can’t have Ethano breaking my connection entirely.”
Liz grabbed my arm. “No, don’t bring any soldiers. They’ll only spook her. I know it’s risky, but if we want answers, we have to go alone.”
I nodded. “Okay. I know a few ways we can get there while staying off the radar.”
“In that case, let’s go!”
Chapter 9
The moon shone brightly as we traveled on a dusty path up the cliffs where Liz said the woman lived. We’d packed bags with precious things that I hoped she’d delight in; I hoped she’d help us in return. Traveling at night was indeed risky business, but we had to find our men. My heart beat faster in anticipation of possibly seeing Victor again. I only hoped it wasn’t a trap set by Ethano to get me out of the castle.
“I don’t know if this is a chance you should be taking,” I said, pulling the reins to the left as the path twisted in the darkness, casting eerie shadows along the trees.
“Why not?” Liz asked.
“If something happens to you, I’d never be able to live with myself.”
She laughed. “Nothing’s gonna happen to me. I’ve survived this long, haven’t I?”
“Right. You’re a survivor.”
“This is my mission just as much as it is yours,” she said. “I need answers too. I need to find my prince just as much as you need to find your king.” She let out a breath. “Charles rescued me when I was about to be executed for supposed witchcraft back when I first entered through the portal, and now I’m going to rescue him.”
I smiled. “But you already rescued him once before, when William and Victor were at war and Charles left the castle to fight a battle and you found out it—”
“That it was all a trap,” she cut in. “Charles knew he wasn’t supposed to leave the castle, but he wanted to storm Victor’s. Of course, the info that had been fed to him was bogus, though none of us knew that at the time.”
“He gave up his hidden identity,” I said.
“Yeah, when he fought a soldier who recognized him. The soldier got away, and Charles was sure he’d run his mouth to Victor.”
“He did. Victor was asking me why my brother was alive. I didn’t understand what he was talking about then, but I get it now. He wanted me to tell him why Charles was alive, because he was assumed dead when the Immortals killed his mate. Of course, back then, I was clueless to everything.”
“Sarah, when I found out it was a trap, I had to warn Charles. William told me not to, but Victor’s men would have killed him. Isn’t it funny the lengths we’ll go to to save a loved one?”
“Yeah,” I said, “like going to a crazy old fortune-teller in the middle of the night.”
Liz laughed. “Luckily, I got to Charles and his men just in the nick of time. They hadn’t made it to the spot where Victor and most of his men waited. As we tried to escape, we ran into a few scouts. There was a battle, and I was thrown off a horse. Charles and I were split up, and I was captured, but I didn’t care, as long as Charles was safe. The soldiers were furious that he’d escaped, but I’d never been happier.”
“And you eventually got away,” I said.
“Yes, by shamelessly flirting with one of his men and taking his sword. A fight ensued, and I won the upper hand. I ran back home and found Charles and the rest of the family there. We were all so relieved, but then the weirdest thing happened. Victor told William that he’d captured me, and we all laughed.”
“He had me,” I said, “but he thought I was you.”
“Sorry about that, sis.”
“Don’t be. It was destiny that brought me to Victor, and the important thing now is finding him.”
“We will,” Liz assured me. “We just have to keep up the faith.”
As we reached the top of a mountainous hill, I
met the gaze of an elderly woman with deep wrinkles. Her green eyes sparkled, and her black hair was pulled into a loose bun. She was sitting in a clearing by a roaring fire, as if she’d been expecting us.
“Is that her?” I asked Liz in a whisper.
She squinted. “Yep. That’s Helena.”
I smiled, longing to hear news about Victor’s fate. I dismounted from my horse and tied him to a nearby tree.
“Hello,” the woman said.
“Hello,” I said, walking toward her. “It’s so nice to meet you. We have brought you some gifts.”
The old lady stood and clutched her brown cloak as the wind whipped around us. I handed her the two bags, and her eyes lit up as she went through the furs, silk, blankets, and clothes. Her mouth gaped at all the gold coins I had stuffed in the bag. “I am Helena,” she introduced.
“It is nice to meet you. We are here to—”
She held up her hand to stop me. “I know what you’ve come for,” she said.
“Then you know I am looking for answers.” I stepped closer. “I heard you can predict the future.”
Flashes of light started to flood my vision. I rubbed my temples and tried to blink it away, angry that the attack was bothering me then, of all times. They seemed to be getting more frequent, though I didn’t tell Liz because I didn’t want to frighten her. In any case, talking to Helena was of the utmost importance, and I didn’t have time to be sick.
Unfortunately, the old woman noticed my disorientation and touched my back in concern. “Are you okay?”
“I just need a minute,” I whispered. “I’m sorry. This isn’t the impression I wanted to give.”
“She’s sick,” Liz said.
“I’ve seen all the healers,” I said. “They tell me it’s just something I have to work through.”
“The gift is too much for your body to handle,” Helena said. “There is a very powerful power waiting to emerge.” She then touched my forehead with her cold hand. “Your power is unstable, but I can see the gift that is being bestowed upon you.”
I’d been dying to know what it was, so I asked eagerly, “What is it, Helena?”
“The gift of sight.”
My mouth gaped. “You mean I’ll be able to see the future, like you?”
She nodded. “Yes, but the power will have to grow and develop. You’ll begin seeing tiny glimpses of the future, and in time, you’ll see more.”
“It’s great to finally know what power is coming,” I said. “It’s…amazing.”
The woman gazed into my eyes. “The gift you were given is even greater than Victor’s.”
“It’s all a little overwhelming,” I said.
“You said it’s too much for her body to handle,” Liz said in concern. “Will she…die?”
“I do not know. I am blessed by the gift of sight, but I don’t always have the answers.”
“So the power has a mind of its own?” I asked. “It gives me answers and shows me what it wants, when it feels like it?”
She nodded as I pondered. “You’re confused,” Helena said.
I toyed with the ring on my finger, turning it over and over; my fingers had thinned out a bit since I’d been unable to eat in my grief. “It’s been over a year, and I’m still struggling to understand this entire Immortal thing. I think this new gift is slowly killing me.”
“The gift is quite powerful, and it is hard on your body,” Helena said.
I looked at Liz in shock. The lady knew quite a bit, and she’d never met me.
“Your heart is pure and true,” she said. “Because of that, I will help you, Queen Fesque.”
“You know me?” I asked, shocked.
“I know of your kindness and your quest to feed the hungry and help the poor.” She held out her hand. “It is a pleasure to meet such a legendary woman.”
I laughed. “I’m no legend.”
“I would beg to differ, my dear. There is a legend about a woman who would come through the portal and help the poor and stop a major war that has been raging for years. Her love, so passionate and pure, would even tame a tyrant and turn him into the person he was supposed to be. It is in all the prophecies, and you are, indeed, a woman of legend.”
I was dumbfounded by her words. “Um, that all just kind of happened by accident.”
“There are no accidents. There is only fate and destiny—a destiny that was written hundreds of years before you got here. Victor had always wondered if that prophecy was about him. He knew it couldn’t have been William, because he had Della. When Victor discovered your identity, he knew it was you. He knew he had to change and win your heart and become the better man.”
“I-I didn’t realize that,” I stuttered, floored by her words. Could destiny have placed us together? Was it fate for us to meet? We’d shared a love so beautiful and tender. Again I wondered why, if fate had brought us together, why it had also insisted on ripping us apart. Why did fate only give me one year with my beloved?
“Helena,” Liz said, “it is amazing that you were here, waiting for us. We were nervous about making this trip, but we couldn’t have planned it more perfectly.”
The old woman grinned. “I do have the gift of sight, my dear. I was expecting company.”
“We’re so happy you decided to meet us,” Liz said. “Thank you.”
“Yes, thank you for coming,” I said. “I need answers badly.”
“And so do I. I desperately need to find my husband, Charles,” Liz said.
“So you are both on a quest for answers.”
“Yes,” Liz said.
“Then you shall have them,” Helena said.
“Thank you,” I said, gripping her hand. “Do you think Victor is alive?”
She motioned for me to follow her inside the cave entrance. The air hung heavy with the smell of damp earth. Walking in, I glanced around the stunning room, awestruck by the millions of crystals shimmering like diamonds along the walls. Crystal-white stalactites dripped down like giant icicles, and a few sparse stalagmites sprung up from the ground looming over me.
Helena pointed to the limestone wall. “To find the answers you seek, you must simply gaze at the writing on the wall.”
I spun slowly around but didn’t see what she was talking about. I looked at Liz. “Do you see anything?”
She shrugged. “Nope.”
I began to think that the woman was crazy, because I didn’t see a thing. I bit my lip, pondering what to do. It seemed the lead wasn’t going to take us anywhere; it was a dead end and a waste of our risk, gold, and time. Every second was precious if Victor was still alive, and I was furious that we were getting nowhere.
“Sarah,” she said in a scolding tone, “you shouldn’t have such little faith in me—or such little patience.”
I blushed, embarrassed that the woman could read me like a book.
She pulled some gold powder out of a small satchel she carried and blew it toward the wall. The magical crystals exploded in a burst of gold light, illuminating the gold as the gold glitter swirled all around us.
“Now look at the wall,” her voice echoed. “As you move from room to room, you will see a story, scenes from your future.”
As my gaze swung to the wall, rivulets of colors swirled and a picture began to emerge.
Liz gasped.
The entire wall had been turned into a portrait of me, smiling and happy, looking down at my swollen belly. I sucked in a breath and let it out slowly as I turned to face Liz, a tear streaming down my cheek. If the picture was true, it meant I would be pregnant, but for all I knew, it could be ten years in the future. “When will I have a child?” I asked.
The woman touched my back softly. “You are with child as we speak,” she whispered.
It took a minute for the words to sink in. Am I really…pregnant? It did perfectly explain all the mood swings and the emotions running through me like wildfire, as well as why I felt lightheaded and dizzy at times. I had blamed it on my power coming in,
but it was something else entirely. I swelled with a happiness I couldn’t even explain. My hands caressed my stomach. I was carrying Victor’s child—our child. I smiled, knowing that our baby had been created in complete and perfect love, on the day when we’d made love in the forest, when Victor created that beautiful thunderstorm. I fell to my knees as emotion overwhelmed me. Even if Victor was dead, he’d left me with a way to carry on his bloodline, with something to remember him by. There was no greater gift, for I’d longed for the day when I could give Victor a son or daughter. I knew I’d cherish and marvel at that little miracle every single day, for the rest of my eternal life. “So that’s why I’ve been so emotional lately!” I said.
“Don’t forget moody,” Liz added.
Tears streamed down my cheeks. “I’m pregnant!”
Liz squealed and hugged me tightly. “Congratulations, sis. I can’t believe I’m going to be an aunt.”
“I can’t believe it either,” I breathed out.
“Let’s celebrate,” Liz said. “Where’s the tequila?” When I gave her a cross look, she patted me on the shoulder. “For me, not you.”
I couldn’t stop grinning as thoughts rushed through my mind. “This is the best surprise and biggest blessing in the entire world,” I said.
Liz gripped my hands, her eyes twinkling. “I guess surprises in our lives can jump out at us when we least expect it.”
I was awed by the fact that I had a tiny human being growing inside of me. I wondered what my child would look like, if he or she would have brown eyes like mine or blue ones like Victor. I pictured talking, rocking, and singing to my baby, and I couldn’t wait to find Victor and start planning for our new addition. The cold castle would be warmed by the pitter-patter of little feet.
I hoped against all odds that Victor was alive somewhere. Part of me wanted to believe it wholeheartedly, but another part desperately clung to reality so I wouldn’t be crushed again. I wasn’t sure my heart could handle the news if I found out for sure that Victor was dead. Trying not to drown in grief again, I tried to picture Victor’s face when he heard the news about our baby. I knew he’d be just as excited as I was.
Eternal Fire - Book 3 of The Ruby Ring Saga Page 10
