“What are you waiting for?” Katherine whispered. “Go!” She shoved my back, pushing me into the dark abyss, which somehow came to light as I entered the space.
The room was small and plain. Along the far wall, a desk and chair sat with a modest bookshelf on the wall to my left.
A pounding sound behind caught my attention. I turned to see Katherine attempting to enter the room, but she could not. A previously invisible forcefield rippled each time she connected with it in her attempts to enter the small room.
“Ava? Ava? Are you okay?” she cried as she pounded against the shield.
How odd. Couldn’t she see that I was fine? I was only a couple feet in front of her and the room had come to light. I hurried back to her, hesitating only slightly at the shield, hoping it would let me re-enter once I left. I exited through it, feeling a small shiver as I crossed the threshold.
“Oh my goodness! I’m so glad you’re okay! I thought you were lost in there, and I couldn’t get through.”
I turned back to see that the room was as black as it had been before I stepped in. Nothing beyond was visible.
Though Katherine had slowed time, we had no way of knowing how long it would be before the guards woke up or before someone came looking for them. We didn’t have time to waste. I was frustrated I couldn’t communicate this more effectively to Katherine, but I motioned to myself, then the door, then gave her a thumbs up.
“You’re going back in?” she asked.
I nodded vigorously.
“Okay. Keep the door open though, just in case. And try not to take too long. Just grab the book and let’s get out of here.”
I gave her a thumbs up again, then ducked back into the room, which lit itself once more upon my entrance. I was relieved it had let me back through; my abilities must let me pass through the shield unobstructed.
Alright, time to focus. The diary was certainly somewhere in the small selection of books on the shelves. I scoured the titles but was disappointed to find they were all regular, published books—nothing handwritten at all amongst them.
With a sigh, I turned my attention to the desk; perhaps it was hidden in one of the drawers. I pulled the two drawers out on either side, but found nothing but pens, an empty notepad, and a small lion head charm. As my fingers connected with the charm, I was pulled into a memory it contained.
The setting hardly changed at all. I stood in the same small room behind a man who sat slumped in the desk chair in front of me. He exhaled in frustration, slamming the cover of the book in front of him closed. I edged closer to try and read over his shoulder and recognized the man as King Trinnen. The book was not one I’d seen among the others on the shelves.
Abruptly, King Trinnen slid the chair back and stood. If I had any more substance than a ghost in these memories, I would have caught it in the stomach. As it was, the chair went straight through me. He slid out the desk drawer, withdrawing the lion head charm, which he thrust into a divot on the side of the bookshelf. One of the shelves slid out, revealing a hidden compartment. King Trinnen shoved the book inside and pushed the drawer closed. The seams of the compartment hid easily in the wood grain. I could have stared at the shelves for hours and never noticed it.
With a huff, he walked the few steps to the room’s door and pushed a lever to its side. The door slid back, allowing him to exit.
The scene disappeared, and I returned to reality. Knowing exactly what to do, I slid the lion head charm into the same notch King Trinnen had just placed it in. The head grew warm under my touch as the hidden drawer popped open, revealing an old, thin, leather book beneath. I pulled it out. Like the lion’s head, it, too, felt warm to the touch, as if welcoming me.
Hurriedly, I flipped it open. I had a plan that the rest of the group didn’t know about. Hiking up my dress to a black strap around my thigh, I pulled out my cell phone from the human realm. It was useless here for calls or texting, but I had Damion charge it up for me so that I could use the camera. I planned to take pictures of the pages rather than stealing the book so that if Tenebris returned to this room in the near future, he wouldn’t be alarmed to the absence of the diary.
A quick scan of the diary’s contents revealed a section labeled Praesidium. I stopped there and began snapping pictures of each page until I reached what appeared to be the end of the section, going a few pages further to be certain.
After I had the pictures I needed, I turned back to a paragraph that caught my eye: Praesidium’s Limits. Quickly, I poured over the slanted scrawl.
Praesidium is well protected and cannot be removed from the wearer by any magical or physical means except by two individuals of the royal bloodline, united in their quest to override the will of the wearer. This safety measure has been implemented in case any wearer of Praesidium should abuse his powers or fail to act in the best interest of the kingdom. If such is the case, two members of the royal family can rightfully reclaim the power of Praesidium and bestow it upon a more worthy guardian.
Next to this paragraph of writing was a note, scribbled in very different handwriting.
Family is biggest threat—limit children to one in order to protect absolute power.
My heart dropped at the words I had read. In order to touch Praesidium, we needed two members of royal descent. Warren could not do it alone. No number of magical abilities would be enough to conquer it. The Miners’ mission was hopeless.
I sunk back, leaning against the desk chair, feeling completely defeated as I realized what this all meant. There was no hope for Trent, Will, Kayley, or any of the Cyrun people. They were doomed to a life without choice. And worst of all—from what I’d read—it sounded very much like Praesidium had not been created to be abused as it was. I wondered at what point in Cyrus’ history the royals became consumed with their love of power over the love of their people. Whose hand had written the scribbled note about family being the biggest threat?
Though I felt like doing anything but returning to a ridiculous party to celebrate King Tenebris, I knew there were several people who would be growing very anxious at my long absence. With resignation, I returned the diary to its hiding spot and put the lion charm back in the desk. I ran out, past the guards who still lay collapsed on the floor, and to the spot where Katherine said she’d be waiting.
“All done?” she asked, excitement coloring her tone. “Did you get it?”
“I got what we need,” I said, grateful that she’d returned time to its normal pace so I could communicate more easily. I hoped my disappointment wasn’t too obvious to her. I didn’t want to have this conversation right now. “We’d better use that powder to wake up the guards and get out of here.”
“Right,” Katherine said, reaching into her maid apron pocket. She withdrew a small flask with yellow powder inside. “The lady at the apothecary said to sprinkle this over the person and they’d wake within the minute.” She handed the small bottle to me.
“Got it. I’ll meet you back at the closet,” I said, my voice still flat with my disappointment. Katherine’s eyes flashed at my tone, but she took off without asking questions.
Hurriedly, I sprinted to the guards, standing over each one in turn and sprinkling them with the powder. Then I headed back to the closet, running into Katherine on my way. I ran with her at a normal pace for the remainder of the short distance. We entered the closet with Katherine panting heavily.
“How did it go? Was everything okay? Did you find the diary?” Trevor asked, his arms wrapping protectively around Katherine.
“We ran into a few minor hiccups. I couldn’t enter the room for some reason, but Ava could. She said she’s got what we need,” Katherine answered.
“Yeah, I’ve got it. We all better get moving before we’re caught. The guards will be awake any second now. I’m headed back to the party. Will, Trent, and I will be leaving as soon as we can. We’ll return Will to his home and then be back to headquarters to fill you all in. Please be safe as you make your way back through the pa
lace. The guards are going to be on high alert knowing that something weird has happened.”
“We’ll be fine,” Damion said in his no-nonsense, business tone. “Time to move.” He led the way out of the closet door with Trevor and Katherine at his heels.
Chapter 28
The Ball
I slipped through the closet’s solid back wall into the staff restroom and was back to the main floor in less than a minute.
I returned to the ballroom, where Trent stood next to a dessert table looking distressed, as if he’d lost his puppy and was searching for it in the crowd. The kid was not the best under pressure. The mere sight of him helped ease the ache of disappointment in my chest. Next to him, Will stood casually conversing with another gentleman in a black tuxedo, a plate of chopped fruit in his hand.
I ducked behind a crowd of passersby so I could sneak up behind Trent. “Looking for something?” I whispered in his ear as I stood on my tiptoes.
Immediately, he spun around, grabbing me by the waist. He picked me up and whirled me around in a circle before he enveloped me in a bone-crushing hug.
“Umm, Trent?” I gasped. “I’m fairly certain the corset has already cracked my ribs. I don’t think I can handle anymore.”
“Oh, sorry,” Trent said, loosening his grip so he could look at me. “Guess I got caught up in the moment.” He gave one of those adorable half smiles that melted my heart. “So how did it go? Did you find… you know… it?”
I noticed Will had ended his conversation with the man he’d been talking to and stood behind us, listening. “Yeah, I did, so the sooner we can get out of here, the better.” I didn’t want to reveal any more information about what I’d discovered with Will listening in.
“I’m afraid we can’t leave yet,” Will interjected. “Nobody leaves before Tenebris has given his speech. We’re probably at least a half hour away from that, so I’d suggest you make yourselves comfy and do your best to act natural.”
“That’s just fantastic,” I said dryly. Waiting around in the heart of the enemy was the last thing I wanted to do.
“Might as well do something to help pass the time,” Trent said, offering me his hand. “Would you dance with me?”
Despite myself, I smiled. “I suppose that’s my best option to keep from going insane. But you should be warned—I’ve never actually danced before. Closest I’ve ever come is with my dad in the kitchen and he isn’t the best teacher.”
Will chuckled. “Yes, I can picture that easily. Your dad was always the light-hearted, care-free one of the family. Got himself into quite a few close scrapes because of it. You kids have fun but be careful.” He looked at us significantly.
Trent waved him off. “We’ll be fine.”
He pulled me into the mass of swirling bodies, and I immediately felt intimidated by the grace with which everyone seemed to move. “You sure we should be out here?”
“Relax. We’re fine. Nobody is going to notice us. Just try to forget about everyone else for a minute.”
He put his hand on my waist, sending the familiar butterflies hammering in my stomach. He took my left hand and placed it on his shoulder, then grabbed my right hand tenderly. We began to gently sway to the music, and with every passing moment, I grew more relaxed. I was able to forget—for now, at least—that our hopes of defeating Praesidium lay in pieces. I pulled myself into Trent and rested my head on his shoulder, enjoying the way our bodies moved together.
“You really are the most incredible, beautiful girl I’ve ever met, Ava,” Trent’s low whisper tickled my ear.
I pulled back to look him in the face, seeing him for all he was to me—the man who’d rescued me from a dumpster, saved me from a gunshot wound, showed me the world I belonged to, and stood by me as I fought to free that world, without second guessing my crazy ideas. “And you are the bravest, gentlest, most handsome man I’ve ever met.”
And with that, I stretched up onto my toes, reaching for his lips. Trent leaned in, closing the distance, and we kissed for an immeasurable moment. Though dancers swirled around us, it was as if the world had stopped for us, turning what was mere seconds into our own eternity.
When we finally broke apart, Trent smiled. “Now that’s a feeling I could get used to. I was beginning to wonder what kind of moment you were waiting for exactly, but you were right—that was worth the wait.”
I smiled too and leaned into his chest. We began to sway again with the music, holding each other a little more tightly, a little more peacefully.
Several songs passed without much conversation before the music came to a halt.
“Ladies and gentleman,” a loud voice rang out over the crowd, “please stand for His Royal Majesty, King Tenebris.”
The room broke out in wild applause; it was clear we were amongst the upper classes. I rolled my eyes. Trent nudged me and looked meaningfully down at his hands as he clapped enthusiastically along with the crowd. I pulled my palms together in a few short, forced rounds of applause before I dropped my hands. I waited for Tenebris to come out to the large podium, which stood at the top of the long, winding set of stairs along the south wall. The banisters were woven with gratuitous bouquets of flowers. Two large, golden doors stood at the top of the stairs through which I imagined Tenebris would emerge.
Just as the doors began to open, I found myself suddenly thrown off balance by a man who was moving hurriedly through the crowd, presumably to get a better viewpoint for the king’s speech. He mumbled a hurried, “Pardon me,” as he stumbled into me, pushing a scrap of paper into my hands as he went. Trent caught me, keeping me from falling to the floor as several annoyed guffaws from the surrounding crowd chastised the retreating man’s figure. With curiosity, I glanced down at the piece of paper he’d slid into my palm.
Cheers erupted around me as Tenebris emerged through the grand doors. I used the distraction to quickly open the piece of crumpled paper and found the words:
Meet me at the angel statue in the north gardens.
--Mom
My heart stopped. Mom. Surely this note couldn’t be intended for me, could it? My mother had died years ago.
“What is it?” Trent’s low voice tickled my ear.
I held the note out for him to read.
“It’s for you?” he asked, confused.
“I don’t know. That man pushed it into my hands. Do you think it’s some sort of trap?”
“Could be,” Trent mused.
I deliberated for a moment. Dad had reaffirmed only a few days ago that my mother really had died, even though everything else he’d told me about Cyrus turned out to be false. Could it be that he’d lied to me twice? Or maybe he didn’t know the truth himself. He had been banished to the human realm, after all. Any information he had came through somebody else. Maybe they’d lied to him. I knew I couldn’t ignore even the slightest possibility of meeting my mother, even if it was a trap. Regardless, if someone was trying to lure me out to the gardens, wasn’t it best to find out who and why?
“I’m going to check it out. I’ll be quick, promise.” I whispered to Trent as I began to move past him.
To my surprise, he didn’t try to stop me. Instead, he said, “Okay. Be careful. If you’re not back in five minutes, I’m coming after you.”
I nodded my acknowledgement.
As King Tenebris’ loud voice echoed throughout the ballroom, I swiftly wove my way through the crowd, headed for the door.
Chapter 29
Memories
As soon as I exited the ballroom, I broke into a dead sprint, heading for the glass doors Will had described in his sketches of the palace floors. The doors should lead out to the gardens. I reached them in seconds, then proceeded out to the angel statue, which sat at the heart of the well-kept shrubs. It was visible above them, serving as a guide, though I was unfamiliar with the gardens previously.
My heartrate accelerated as I approached the statue, overwhelmed with the thought of meeting my mother, but also nervous that thi
s was a set up. I slowed to a walk as the statue came into view. The angel stood in the center of a large pool with a stone ledge around the pool’s base. Carefully, I peeked around the tall hedges that surrounded the pool’s perimeter. There was no one in view, but a folded piece of paper sat on the pool’s ledge with something small glittering on top of it.
Cautiously, I approached the paper and recognized the necklace which sat on it. It was the other half of the necklace I’d worn since birth. Dad said it had been a gift from my mom. The two roses twisted together in their stems, completing each other.
I picked up the piece of paper, glanced over my shoulder, then read:
The necklace should explain everything. I’ll be waiting for you when you’ve finished.
I stared at the necklace, wary of touching it. Did the person who wrote this note—my mother or otherwise—know that objects could reveal their owner’s secrets to me? Is that what the note meant?
I stood up with a huff, determined to leave the smoke and mirrors behind. I walked a few paces before my curiosity got the better of me. With a sigh, I returned to the pool’s ledge and sat down. Hesitantly, I extended my hand out to touch the necklace, pausing just before my flesh connected with it.
One way or the other, it was probably best to know whatever secrets the rose contained. Squeezing my eyes shut, I thrust out my hand the rest of the way, feeling the cold metal of the charm as I did.
Instantly, I was sucked into a memory which took shape before my eyes. As the scene settled around me, I found myself in a quaint bookshop with about fifteen tall bookshelves standing in rows. A girl with long, auburn hair stood hunched over one of the lower shelves toward the front of the shop, cramming more books into the already crowded space. I immediately recognized her as my young adult mother, the rose necklace dangling from her neck.
The tinkle of a bell sounded, though the girl didn’t turn to its noise, consumed as she was by her task. Carmichael entered the store’s front door, a goofy smile on his handsome face as he crept up behind Rosaline. He snuck up behind her, then thrust out his hands, grabbing her waist, as he simultaneously let out a short, abrupt yell.
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