“Sarah!” she yelled, startled.
The knight set her on her feet, and she stared at Jackson.
“You! I musta hit my head harder than I thought. I see dead people!” she said, stepping back.
I jumped in. “Obviously, he’s one hundred percent alive, sis. So are we, albeit barely.”
“But I saw him die with my very own eyes!” she said.
“What we saw was an illusion. Jackson and his men never died.”
She clutched her heart. “Whoa. So nobody got eaten by monstrous croc beasts?”
“Not that I know of.” I looked at Jackson and smiled. “Not only did Jackson sweep in and save the day, but he also got the book.”
“What about the vampire?” she asked.
“Dead.”
“Good. This world will be a better place without him.”
“You have no idea how twisted he was. He claimed he was cursed, but he was a curse himself.”
“I feel so sorry for the people who were killed here. I can’t even begin to imagine what all those poor souls went through, and those village women, being kidnapped and taken to the dungeon, just waiting to die.”
“Well, it won’t happen to anyone else,” I said. “The vampire’s reign of terror is done.”
“We’ve saved countless lives today,” Jackson said. “Never again will that beast feed on them, and they can live in safety.”
Liz gave me a fist-bump. “See? We’ve already helped this world out. Just imagine what we can do if we stick around for a while. We make quite a team, sis. Together, we’ll rid the world of evil!”
I wrapped an arm around her. “Okay, okay. Calm down. We aren’t exactly superheroes.”
“Speak for yourself. I’d look great in a cape and spandex,” she joked.
“We are just like Mom.”
“Hmm. Well, I might have her heart, but please don’t tell me I dress like her!”
I chuckled.
Liz’s attention returned to Jackson. “Where are the rest of your men?”
“Where else? Helping your husband and Victor win the war.”
She took a wavering step, then caught her balance. “Okay. I guess I’m up to speed then.”
“Not quite,” I said.
“There’s more?”
I nodded. “Yep. Gwendolyn was in on all this. She took our powers with that glowstone, then sent us here to die.”
Liz’s eyes widened in horror. “No. She wouldn’t do that. She’s—”
“She’s a liar and far more loyal to Ethano than we realized.”
“That conniving bitch! She tricked us both.”
“I know, and I thought you were the Academy Award-winning actress.”
“You’re right. I guess she’s outdone me. Anyway, what’s up with the hickies from Hell, Sarah?” she asked, ripping the cloth from my neck.
“I was bitten,” I said.
“Dracula took a nibble?” she asked with a shudder. “Are you freaking kidding me? Does that mean you’ll turn into—”
I gripped her hands and cut her off mid-worry. “Listen, I’m fine and I’m not infected.”
“She’s right,” Jackson said. “I studied the ancient texts.” He winked. “I assure you she won’t be turning into a bat anytime soon.”
“Are you sure?” Liz asked. “I mean, staking my sister would be a little…awkward.”
I chuckled. “Stakes don’t work anyway.”
Liz rolled her eyes. “Gosh. Is anything in this world true?” She wrapped my neck back up and took a deep, sighing breath of relief. “Anyway, don’t ever give me a heart attack like that again.” She took another deep breath, then continued, “How did Gwendolyn ensnare us anyway?”
“The stuff about the glowstone was false, a setup. To break his curse, the vampire needed a queen to enter the castle on her own free will and—”
“And? I’m not liking the sound of this,” she said as her jaw dropped.
“Basically, he wanted to drain me of my blood, but Jackson had the battleaxe to do him in. That was what the vampire was originally looking for at the castle. He wanted to find it so no one could use it against him.”
“Nice friends Victor has,” she said. “The woman stabbed us in the back.”
“Well, in her defense, she was kinda backed into a corner. She chose love over friendship.”
Liz climbed onto her horse. “Ain’t that a bitch? She chose a psychopath over Victor.”
“It’s going to tear Victor up,” I said. “She means so much to him.”
“I’m so sorry, sis.”
“Let’s just leave this creepy castle and never look back.”
Her face lit up as she shot me a victorious look. “I never had a doubt we’d leave in one piece, with that book in hand.”
I chuckled. “Sure you did.”
“Well, maybe a teensy one,” she admitted, indicating just how teensy with her thumb and forefinger.
As we galloped away, I looked at Jackson. “I’m glad you got what you came for.”
He smiled. “The creature was so distracted with you that he didn’t even notice me ransacking the place. I’ll take the book back with me, and I swear it will never fall into the wrong hands again.”
“Maybe it’s best to destroy it,” Liz said.
“No, we can’t destroy all the good stuff just because we are afraid of it falling into enemy hands. You know I’m a good, honorable man, and I will put this away in a safe place.”
“I’m so glad you’re alive. Victor and I made a promise to you, that the book would find its way back to you, and now it is yours.”
“Thank you. This means a lot to me, and you are both people of your word—not a common trait among royalty or politicians, I’m afraid.”
Liz trotted next to me. “I’m sorry we were duped by Gwendolyn. I should’ve seen it, but I trusted her, and she played the game well. Man, we totally fell for her sly tricks. She’d win the million on Survivor for sure, ‘cause she’s got the outwitting part down pat.”
“We fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. And to think, you suggested that I let her keep Alexander, Mom, and Dad safe.”
“It was just an idea, Sarah, and I didn’t know what she was up to. I didn’t think she’d turn like that.”
“Had we done that, she would’ve used them for leverage, maybe even handed the baby over to Ethano.”
“I’m sorry. I suck at this stuff. Victor is so lucky I’m not overseeing his battle plans. I’d probably lead him into a big trap. At least they’re safe now though. Still, I just can’t believe Gwendolyn would betray Victor like that, and after everything he’s done for her. They were childhood friends and loved each other dearly.”
“Yes, but when it comes right down to it, she wants her lover to win, and she’ll do whatever it takes to help him.”
Liz shook her head. “He won’t even put a ruby ring on her finger, yet the woman will do anything for him.”
“Ethano doesn’t want his life connected to anyone else’s, like Victor’s and Charles’s are. He considers that a vulnerability. Not that we would have, but if Gwendolyn and Ethano were bonded, we could’ve killed Gwendolyn and destroyed him at the same time. He never got over his mother dying the second his father was killed, and that poisoned him against the bond of the ruby ring. Plus, he’s far too proud to put his vile life in the hands of anyone else.”
“Can you imagine how Victor must’ve felt when you left your wedding ceremony and bolted into enemy territory, where everyone wanted him dead? He had to be a nervous wreck.”
“Yeah, well, I was a baby immortal and had no idea how to defend myself. Heck, I didn’t even know I was an immortal or that I was connected to Victor the way I am. I could’ve been easily picked off by any of Victor’s enemies.”
“Exactly. That’s why they came after you the way they did.”
“I know that now.”
“Well, the ring is a bit of a risk for both parties, but the bond is amazing,” Liz said
. “It’s just…inexplicable, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
“Me neither, sis. Me neither,” I said, dreaming of my Victor as we trotted along.
Chapter 14
We reached a village and took shelter with a sweet family who gave us plenty to eat and drink. After I went to bed, I talked to Victor in my head.
“I have won many battles,” he proudly said, then filled me in on the details of his most recent victory. “My army and I took out their leaders. Without leadership, they fled and disintegrated.”
“Battles win war,” I said back to him in my head.
“Yes, and these are instrumental in molding the future. No one will dare to stand against us again. The leaders of Talimo, Reshebeen, and Linetil agreed they will provide 200,000 soldiers each. We will march south to destroy their army before it can ever organize. I sent part of my army to attack Talimo and Reshebeen, and I’m leading the rest to Linetil.”
“How big is your army now?”
“We number 70,000, but more are joining our side every day. We have unspeakable powers, and that gives us a major advantage.”
“I miss you immensely,” I said, “so much so that I can’t sleep at night. It’s so hard to be without you. I find it hard to breathe. I need your lips to take this pain away. I want to fight by your side, Victor, to fight for our future, for our people, for our kingdom. Please don’t send me away.”
“Then come. You know where I am.”
“Goodnight, then, my love. I will see you soon.”
“I cannot wait, my Queen.”
* * *
The next morning, Jackson called me and Liz outside. The sky was gloomy as dark clouds gathered above us, a clue to an impending storm. I noticed that his men were on horseback, all packed and ready to go.
“You’re leaving without me?” I asked.
“We are joining Victor. We will lend him our aid for a few more weeks, but then I must go elsewhere. My people are waiting for me, and they need me.”
“I understand,” I assured him. “You kept your end of the bargain, and I know you cannot stay for the duration of the war. You’re a very honorable man, just like White Chief said.”
“You asked him about me?”
“I was never sure what your intentions were, but now I know for sure.”
“You make a fine queen,” he said, kissing my cheek.
“Thank you.”
He then walked over to Liz and kissed her cheek. “And you make a fine princess.”
“Thank you, Jackson.”
“Can you and Sarah make it back to the sanctuary okay?” he asked.
“No, because we’re coming with you,” I said, smirking at him. “We haven’t trained for thousands of years, but we can fight, and we have invisibility powers and force-fields.”
“We would be honored for you to join us,” Jackson said.
I smiled. “Then let’s go!”
* * *
When night came, we tied up our horses and made camp. We were close to Victor’s army and hoped to catch up with them the next day. When Jackson left his satchel, I picked it up to keep it safe. We’d fought hard for that book, and I wasn’t willing to just leave it sitting around. Something glowed from inside the bag, piquing my curiosity. I opened the satchel and was shocked to see a ruby ring, wrapped in a brown cloth.
“Snoop much?” Jackson suddenly said from over my shoulder, arching an eyebrow at me and crossing his arms.
“You left the satchel out in the open. I just wanted to make sure it’s safe. I just saw this thing glowing and—”
“That’s no excuse. You have no right to dig through my things.”
“And you have no business stealing a ring from my world! What is this about?”
“How can any harm come from taking one ring?”
I put my hands on my hips. “You want to study it, don’t you?”
“No!”
“Then why do you want it? Are you going to pawn it or something? Worse, are you planning to come back and try to take us over? You know where our portal is.”
“That’s crazy talk! I would never—”
“No, what’s crazy is you trying to take off with one of our rings!”
“I’m no thief,” he said flatly.
“I beg to differ,” I said, pointing into the bag and wearing an angry look on my face.
“On our way to the vampire’s castle, we ran into a group of immortals. They were in trouble, and we helped them. One passed away, and one of the others handed me the ring as a token of their appreciation.”
“But it’s forbidden!”
“So was walking through that swamp back there, but Liz insisted. Some rules have to be broken, as you well know.”
“Why would they give you an ancient ring?”
“Because I told them I am marrying a mortal soon.”
“What!?”
“It just randomly came up.”
“You’re taking back the ring for Beth?”
“Yes.”
I was dumbfounded and speechless for a moment before I asked, “What about a blue ring? Now that you’re a leader, you can surely get your hands on one of them.”
“Blue rings do not grant immortality. They’re given to an immortal on his or her sixteenth birthday, to activate their powers. It’s our custom to wear them at all times, like a members-only jacket or something. Your rings are different. You and Liz were both normal, and now—”
“Now our lives have been turned upside down,” I said, seething. “You’ve no right to do that to Beth.”
“It is her choice. Whether you like it or not, she’s a grown woman.”
“This has to be okayed by King Taggert.”
“Taggert? Pssh. We both know he’s dead by now. The kingdom is in an uproar. There are no rules in place. Nobody will care if I take home a gift I was given. I thought you’d be happy. You’ll have a chance to see your best friend again. Otherwise, she’ll die in the next fifty years or so. I’m giving her a chance to live forever. Surely you want that for her too.”
“So you can be together for all eternity?”
“I love her, Sarah. I can’t lose her. I won’t.”
“So there it is. The real reason why you’re here. You fed us that ridiculous story about that stupid, dusty book. My gosh, Jackson. Is all that hullabaloo about the magic book even real? We almost died trying to get it!”
“Yes, the book is very real, and yes, I needed to get it back so it wouldn’t land in the wrong hands. The main reason I came here, though, besides to help Victor and you, was to get my hands on a ring.”
I just looked at him and offered him no response but a scowl.
“What if you had met Victor and fallen in love with him before you were immortal? You would be doomed to die, to leave him, and he would be devastated without you. Think of the grief he would suffer. That’s how I will feel when I lose Beth. I’ll do anything to have a long, happy life with her.”
“You walked through a portal just to steal a ring. It’s a bit pathetic, Jackson…but I guess I understand. It’s the kind of powerful love you only read about in fairytales.”
“Right, so you know how much I love her,” he said.
“Yes, I get why you did it.”
“If you had never become immortal, would you slip on the ring, even knowing all you do now, just to be with Victor forever?”
“Without a doubt.”
“Exactly, and I know Beth will too. She loves me that much, and we’re going to have a wonderful life together. I’ll take care of her and Christopher.”
I sighed. “Fine. Then I never saw it. I won’t say anything, but I want nothing to do with it. I wish I didn’t even know you have it.”
“Thank you for not narcing me out.”
“I love Beth, and it melts my heart to see how much you love her. She needs somebody like that in her life, so she can kick Frank to the curb. He just used her, and that pisses me off more than anything.”
; “They do share a child.”
“Well, Frank won’t make it past a human, mortal life. He’ll be out of the picture in the blink of an eye.”
“You’re right. A human life span isn’t long at all.”
“I used to date Frank, you know,” I said.
He smirked. “Yes, I know.”
“I was so lonely and miserable. I threw myself into work, and Frank just came along at a time when I was vulnerable. I knew he wasn’t the one, but he temporarily filled a void in my life. Ditching him was the best thing I ever did.”
“You needn’t worry about the past. You and Victor are happy together, and you will be that way for eternity, as long as you can defeat Ethano.”
“Yeah, I got my happily-ever-after.”
“And Beth will be mine.”
* * *
Later that evening, Liz and I ate the venison Jackson’s men made. It was a chilly night, and we warmed up by the campfire.
Liz looked at Jackson and smiled.
“What?” he asked.
“I heard the tail end of your conversation with Sarah.”
“Eavesdropping? Seriously, Liz, that should be beneath a princess.”
“I don’t do it on purpose. It’s these immortal ears. I can pick up anything from a mile away, like a bat. As a matter of fact, I think a mouse has a gas problem somewhere off to the east.”
“Mouse farts? Cute, Liz. Real cute.” He smiled.
“So…what’s going on with you and Beth anyway?” she probed. “Are you casually dating, or is it really serious?”
He laughed, and his cheeks blushed.
“Jackson definitely has the hots for my best friend,” I said.
“I’ve tried to live without love for a very long time, but when I met her, she rocked my world. I love her and Christopher. I can’t wait to get back to them.”
“Take it slow,” Liz said.
“Too late for that,” I muttered.
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.
He grinned. “I asked Beth to marry me before I left, and she said yes.”
“Ooh! Congratulations!” Liz squealed.
Eternal Conflict - Book 7 (The Ruby Ring Saga) Page 10
