And yet, even with more or less understanding the whys of it all: the stacks of lies. The secrets held from her, and Colin. So many things done behind their backs all in the belief of aiding them, and leading them in their fated, direction. But in many ways, it had hurt them, too.
Sebastien, in her mind, topped the list. It was hard to be mad at him, considering everything he had done to help her, and protect her. And yet it hurt, more than anything else she’d suffered through. To realize just how close he’d been to her these last couple of years, and yet might as well have been another world away.
It weighed on her. She supposed there was no way to stop it, to hold back the sour taste it left in her mouth. Wasn’t it okay to feel overwhelmed, and angry? She was the one stuck in the middle of it all.
And worse, it gave her reason to doubt what anyone said to her. Even still.
Who could she trust? Who was telling her the truth? And not just the truth, but everything! And not holding anything back.
As of this moment, few people came to mind. Ivan, she could trust Ivan. Sebastien, yeah, him too, even though she was still struggling with all he’d hidden from her, before. If she went with her gut, he was still her best friend, and looking out for her. That would have to be enough because the other stuff wasn’t going to go away just because she told it to. Her heart wasn’t ready to listen, quite yet.
And Colin, she’d always trusted him. But even his future was up in the air.
Sadly, that’s about where her list ended.
She wanted desperately to add her mother and grandmother to that list, but she wasn’t there yet. They were still hiding things from her. She’d almost bet her life on it.
Mostly, Megan has no clue how to move forward. She felt a bit stuck. She needed to see her mother, and grandmother, but the thought of actually leaving this safe little haven in the treehouse, was an instant nightmare waiting to happen.
At this point, everyone outside her room had to have heard the story. The battle with the Grosvenor and how Colin had destroyed them. All but one that is, which happened to be her father, Jurekai Fazendiin. And he was more dangerous than all the others combined. Especially considering he also had control of the Immortality Stone. Something she was certain everyone outside this room blamed her for, seeing as she and Nona had borrowed it, and then proceeded to lose possession of it, to her father.
Some plan that had all turned out to be. Playing right into her father’s wishes.
Letting them clear out his competition.
Meghan was surprised someone hadn’t knocked down her door and demanded she explain all that had happened, and what exactly her plan was, being she was one of the three born to true immortality who were prophesied to bring some sort of balance into the world of magic.
Too bad her grandmother had recently informed her the prophecy wasn’t even real, only made up to try to control the future. Something only, she, Colin, and Colby, were aware of as far as she was aware.
But so far, the expected intrusion had graciously not happened. Meghan had spent two days inside this room. Only sneaking out when needed, and when no one was home to pester her with questions she didn’t feel like answering, or had no answers to.
And to add to that, the intense vision she’d had about Juliska. And Colin being her son. And Uncle Eddy really being his father and her one time, fiancé. And proving once again just how vile and conniving a man, her own father truly was. He had no problem ruining a once good life, if it served his own purpose.
It got quiet again.
Arnon and Kanda had left.
It was mid-afternoon now, they’d talked all through lunch and well after.
There was a scratch at the door. Meghan smiled. It was Nona, and the Catawitch would not knock to come inside if the coast wasn’t clear. Only this time, however, when she opened the door, Nona was not alone.
Meghan’s gaze lifted upward from her seat on the floor to see Ivan staring down at her with a lifted brow.
“So you are still alive.”
She scowled. Made a face at Nona that joked, traitor. Then motioned for Ivan to come in. She’d have seen no one else right now but her older brother, because wonderful, magnificent, Ivan, would not pester.
“I’ll keep watch,” advised Nona. “Let you know if anyone’s coming.” She hopped out to the front of the treehouse to do just that. Ivan came inside her room and closed the door. The space was so small that when he plunked down on the floor on the opposite wall, there was barely any floor space left.
“I assume you’ve been sent to drag me out of here and explain everything that happened?”
Ivan shook his head. “No. You don’t need to worry about that. I refused to let them. I told them I could share everything they needed to know, and made it explicitly clear they were not to bother you. I already explained everything that was important to them.”
Meghan’s eyes lit up. “Seriously?”
“Completely so.”
She’d been dreading it; leaving this room to explain. Reliving it all in front of everyone. Having them all staring her down like she should have the answers because of who she was. Such a massive wave of relief washed over her before she even stopped herself, she was hugging her older half-brother like there was no tomorrow.
“I guess I made the right choice then.” There was no hint of his usual smugness to it though.
“Don’t you always?” she threw back at him with a sniffle, noting his complete lack of flinching, or wincing, at the act of a hug. Ivan wasn’t one for closeness. Or physical contact. Heck, neither was she. But it seemed appropriate.
She scooted back to her space reaching new levels of grateful with each passing second it was sinking in that she would not have to relive it all, with people she didn’t want to do that with.
“I just figured you’d been through enough already. You’ll already be reliving it in your own head every damn day, and they know what they need to. And I have a feeling you’re no more sure about where we go from here, than I am. But after two days of being in hiding, I was getting a little worried.”
“That’s kind of sweet you know.”
“You are my little sister. Kind of my job.” He grinned. An actual, volunteered, sort of insanely giddy, grin.
Meghan eyed him, many questions present and silently demanding what the heck had happened to him in the last two days. This was Ivan, but more like Ivan 2.0 or Ivan enhanced, or something.
Instead, she didn’t pester. He wouldn’t. “I um, haven’t exactly been idle while in hiding,” she informed him. “Although the first night I pretty much just bawled my eyes out for hours.” She shook her head, annoyed at herself for admitting that.
Ivan’s smile faded just a little. “We’re more alike than you realize.”
“I don’t think so.”
“You’re no better at showing your emotions in public than I am.” She opened her mouth to argue but he held up a hand to stop her. “You might never shut the heck up, and keep your thoughts to yourself,” he teased lightheartedly, “but when it comes to the heavy stuff, the real stuff,” he waved his hands around her hiding spot. “I don’t think you even shared the heavy stuff with your brother. With Colin,” he specified. “You were always trying to protect him.”
“Still am.” And Ivan was right about her. She’d never liked to show serious, real emotion in front of anyone.
“I know. But just, um, don’t hide stuff from me. I know I’m not the guy you probably think to come to when it’s just too much, but, sister or not, I um… I care about what happens to you.”
Meghan let out a surprised push of air. “Okay. What the heck happened to you? You are Ivan Crane, right? Not an imposter?”
He let out a clipped laugh. “I’m not sure I can explain it.” His smile was so genuine it almost brought a tear to Meghan’s eye.
“You are happy.” She didn’t know what to make of it. “I can see it all over you now that I’m looking close enough. Like, ridiculously h
appy.”
He cleared his throat and lowered his gaze.
“You were the one talking about being more open with each other a second ago, so talk mister.” But it hit Meghan what it was before he said anything. She’d seen that giddy look on her brother’s face when he ogled Catrina. It was how she felt when she thought about Sebastien. Ivan had let himself fall in love. “It’s Maria, isn’t it?”
He shrugged, the giddiness emanating off him saying enough. “She grounds me. Keeps me together. Stitched me back together.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you. I wanted to.”
“Don’t apologize. You had nothing left to give anyone. Neither did I. I was in a strange headspace. Trying to figure out the point of my life. Since I was old enough to remember my life goal has been taking down Juliska Blackwell, and getting justice for my father. And mother. And now, it still is, just, differently so. I was feeling a little lost. Kind of completely lost.”
“But Maria fixed all that.” Meghan’s tone teased.
“Yeah, um, let’s not talk more about that. Love life, off limits. I think that’s still a line I can’t cross.”
“Ugh. Don’t worry, I don’t want to know. But it looks good on you. I like in love you.”
“I kind of like it too.”
Meghan laughed.
“It’s strange,” he explained. “How I could get through living each day with this idea in the back of my mind that at some point, it would end. I’d very likely lose my life trying to finish what I had started. And then to have my world turned upside down, by finding out I wasn’t the only one who knew after all. That there’s so much I didn’t know. And then my mother being alive, and all she suffered. I think… something just changed. Like I woke up for the first time or something. And I don’t want to go back to sleep. Does that make any sense?”
“Perfect.” And for reasons only the universe might know, seeing Ivan awake gave her this odd sense of hope.
“So now what?” he asked her.
Meghan sighed, repositioning herself so she was sitting a little straighter. “I’ve got only one thing on my agenda at the moment.”
“I hope it requires you leaving this room. Although to be bluntly honest, I can see why you’d want to stay holed up in here for a good long while.”
“That bad out there, is it?”
“That, and just,” he stopped, shaking his head. “What you have ahead of you, Meghan, I um, you’re a really incredible young woman. Do you know that? I’ve never said it, so I’m saying it now.”
“You sure I’m not just dreaming? Stranded somewhere in la la land? Stuck in some wacky vision or something?”
Ivan chuckled. “I mean it. I have never given you the credit you deserve.”
She shifted uncomfortably at the compliment. Coming from Ivan, it was like being crowned queen of the world.
He chuckled again.
“What?”
“Another thing we have in common. Not being able to accept a true compliment, most especially when it is deserved. So, what is this agenda of yours?”
Meghan sucked in and let it out in a deliberate attempt to calm her nerves.
“Okay, well,” she let go of all humor getting serious. “I found out some things I haven’t shared with anyone yet. I needed some time to process.”
“Okay, like what?”
“For starters, the prophecy about the three immortal children, it’s um, it’s not actually real.”
His wordless, crushed inward stare, said it all. Utter shock.
“Aloyna claims she made it all up to control my father’s future, to put it very simply.” Meghan explained all she’d discovered about her grandmother and the prophecy. How Aloyna had hoped her son would attempt to control it, by creating the very three immortal children she wanted, created.
When done, Ivan sat there staring into nothing, deep in thought.
After some time, he shook his head. “Something doesn’t add up.”
“I know. So much left to chance. I mean, who’s to say we wouldn’t all get raised by evil. Or were just plain born, evil. Or unwilling, or, yeah, just, something doesn’t add up. But Aloyna was yanked away by Colby before I could fully question her. I am certain there’s more to the story.”
“Where do you think he took her?”
“My mother.” She corrected herself. “Our mother.”
Ivan huffed. “It’s weird, but I forget that kid is my half-brother too.”
“Instant inherited dysfunctional family,” she joked. “Just what you always wanted.”
“Very funny. And also very, very sad, and true.”
“So what’s going on outside my bedroom walls?” she changed the subject. “I’ve been listening in on Arnon and Kanda, and Nona’s filled me in a little to the general chaos, but she hasn’t strayed too far from me.”
“I met with Nashua and Kanda, Arnon, Billie and some of her crew, Curtis Bevins, who is filling in for the dearly departed Amelia Cobb, amongst others, and explained all that happened with the Grosvenor and your brother. Unfortunately, I couldn’t hide the fact that he killed them. And then about Fazendiin taking the Immortality Stone. And it started a massively heated debate about what to do next. The plan was to stop Juliska and attempt to save the Svoda being held there. But no one is sure how to accomplish that without massive losses on both sides. And also, how to penetrate the magical shield she has protecting the island. And we don’t know what sort of defense or retaliation she might have lying in wait.”
“Right. Hmm.”
“What are you thinking?”
“My candle penetrated the shield. Remember? Right after we thought Jae had killed himself, and we fled the island. It brought us to our mother.”
“Maybe she can explain how that worked. Might be a way to get through. Couple people at a time, though, that would be tough. Unless there’s a way to amplify the spell or something. But I’ll keep this option to ourselves until we find out more, in case it’s not an option. Maybe it let us out, but it can’t get us back in.”
“So what else is going on?” Meghan asked.
“There was discussion about the prophecy.”
“I had a feeling. Like what?”
Ivan stalled, and Meghan eyed him to just spit it out.
“Not all bad, just a little harsh. Like wondering exactly how much you should be allowed to do, being you’re just kids.” Meghan huffed. “Which you are not,” agreed Ivan hastily. “But that whole thing with the Stone really got everyone in an uproar. Some of the banished, and some of the Tunkapog, see it as your guy’s fault that the Stone was lost to Fazendiin. I tried to explain it was his plan all along, that he used us to further his cause. A few seemed to get it.” He shrugged.
“Any talk of Colin?” she asked him nervously.
Ivan nodded in a manner which indicated he was just as nervous to tell her.
“Are they hunting him?”
“I can’t say for sure. They are extra confused about him. Being that he’s supposedly the third of the immortal party and all, but also this potentially dangerous thing. Nashua biggest concern was his youth, his lack of training and there being no other known Projectors. They fear he is an impressionable, hormonal teenager prone to dark tendencies.”
“Colin?” she wanted to dismiss that argument, but even Ivan was aware she wasn’t able to. They’d both witnessed some of that darkness themselves.
“I didn’t tell them,” Ivan informed her. “Not about the part of the whole Grosvenor destruction and how crazed he got. But when your uncle’s sister encountered him this morning, her explanation of the experience left a bad taste hanging around. I don’t know your brother as well as you do. But you trust him, so I will, too.”
“I do trust him. I suppose the reality is, we all have to be open to the depressing possibility that could change at some point.”
“You have been doing some serious soul searching in here,” Ivan let out raggedly.
“To levels I ne
ver thought humanly possible. Don’t they understand though, their treatment and automatic distrust of him, without real cause, is going to turn him into the very thing they’re afraid of?”
Ivan shook his head. “That’s the exact argument I made. Billie agreed. Kanda and Arnon, of course, and a few others. Nashua, I can’t ever figure out what that guy is thinking. People will always fear what they don’t understand. Fear, first. Understand, later.”
“More like, understand, too late.”
Sadly, so very true.
“In the end,” Ivan continued, “it’s all ongoing debates, and no one really agreeing on what to do next. And they have to agree to move forward. Each group alone is sure to fail. Everything is at a standstill.”
“Billie and her crew must not be taking that well. The Svoda on the island might not have much time left.”
“It was actually all Maura and the others could do to stop Billie from trying to storm in and attack on her own. Everything is kind of at an unwanted standstill. And,” he smirked, “even though I was forceful in my choice that you should not be disturbed, if anyone sees you…”
“Yeah, I get it. They’re going to want answers. Ones I don’t have. And the ones I do will not make them feel any safer, or happier, about much of anything. Do you think it’s possible to sneak out of the encampment without anyone noticing?”
“If we’re careful, sure. Where to? Mom?”
“Yeah. But only if you want to come with me. If you wanted to stay here, you know, with Maria. Your girlfriend,” she teased. “I’d understand.”
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
“I thought…”
“I fully plan on marrying her.”
“Oh.”
“And settling down once this war is over.”
“Ah.”
“And I want a family. And kids.”
Meghan choked a little. “Are you sure I’ve only been in here two days?”
“I know, I’m crazy to think like that. But she makes me think like that. She makes me want those things, and I’ve never wanted those things.” He saw the concern in his sister’s gaze. She didn’t want him tagging along on some potentially dangerous mission when he was looking forward to his future, for basically the first time, ever. “I’m coming with you, Meghan. I decided that no matter what, I want to have a life. If I’m granted that chance, I’m going to take it. But you are stuck with me until this war is over.”
Sacrifice (The Wayward King, The Projector's Mother, and A Prophecy Reborn) (A Fated Fantasy Quest Adventure Book 9) Page 3
