People clapped at her words, speaking up in agreement and looking up at Mary as if she were a Savior herself.
I wanted to say that I too wanted to join the Haven, but I didn’t. Something—I wasn’t sure what exactly—held me back.
“We’ll need to search the Vale for survivors and contact Prince Alexander to let him know it’s safe to return,” Jacen said, and then he turned to Karina and Noah. “You two came from the palace. Is there any word on Prince Scott and Princess Stephenie?”
“They didn’t make it.” From the horror in Karina’s eyes, I had a feeling that there was more to the story than she’d said. However, now wasn’t the time to probe for details.
“Very well.” Jacen nodded, and then returned his focus to Mary. “Can you send a witch envoy from the Haven to locate and retrieve Prince Alexander?”
“I’ll send as many witches as we can spare to come to the aid of the Vale,” Mary said. “We’ll help in any way we can.”
“Thank you,” Jacen said. “I’ll forever be in your debt for your help today.”
“All I ask is that you do everything you can to retain the peace between kingdoms—especially in the trying times to come,” Mary said. “But we have no time to waste before searching for survivors. Is this palace still intact?”
“It is,” Noah said.
“Good,” she said. “Bring all the survivors there, whether vampire, shifter, or human. Once we have an idea of how many made it through this war, we can figure out our next steps.”
Everyone in the square dispersed, until Jacen, Mary, Camelia, Rosella, and I were left alone. The only other bodies that remained were those of the corpses. I did everything to keep from looking at them, but it was impossible not to see them—the reminders of my failure.
“Where will the two of you choose to go?” Mary asked Jacen and me. “Will you stay in the Vale to help rebuild, or join me in the Haven?”
Jacen looked to me, and I pressed my lips together, unsure how to answer.
I wanted to say I would help rebuild the Vale. But my angel instinct swelled inside of me, giving me the feeling that the Vale wasn’t where I needed to be. However, the Haven wasn’t where I needed to be, either.
“Annika doesn’t belong in the Vale or the Haven.” Rosella stepped forward with a folded piece of paper in her hands. “She belongs in Avalon.”
Annika
Rosella handed the paper to me, and I unfolded it, astounded at the beautiful drawing inside. It was a luscious, mountainous island in a horseshoe shape around a sparkling blue lake.
I wasn’t sure if true paradise existed, but if it did, that island would be it.
“Where did you find this?” I asked. “Where is this place?”
“I’ve seen images in my mind of this island for my entire life,” she said. “Only recently has it become clear enough for me to put to paper.”
“You drew it?” I couldn’t help but sound doubtful—how could she draw given that she was blind?
“I did,” she said.
“How?”
“After sending you on your quest for the Grail, the image of the island became exceptionally clear in my mind,” she said. “My hand took over, and I was finally able to bring it to life. Because this place—Avalon—is where you belong.”
“Why?” I asked. “What waits for me at Avalon?”
“That’s for you to find out,” Rosella said. “I’m merely the messenger. But since you managed to get from the Tree of Life to the Vale, I’m sure you can figure out how to get from the Vale to Avalon.”
Of course—I needed to teleport. To teleport, I needed to picture the place where I was going. This beautiful drawing gave me the ability to do just that.
“We’ll go at once,” I said, looking to Jacen. “Are you ready?”
“Whenever you are.” He took my hands in his and gave them a small squeeze.
“Wait,” Rosella said. “There’s one more thing I need to tell you.”
“What?” I bounced on my toes, as anxious as ever to go to Avalon and discover what awaited me there.
“You should take Camelia as well.”
I glanced at the witch, disgust rolling through my body at the sight of her.
Camelia had sent Mike to his death. She’d hunted me down when I’d tried to escape the Vale. She’d locked me in a dungeon. She’d revealed my true identity to the vampires and had ordered me dead.
Now I was supposed to bring her with me to Avalon?
“Absolutely not,” I said.
“For once, I agree with Annika.” Camelia stuck her nose in the air, still as haughty as ever. “I’ll be returning to the Haven.”
“What if I were to tell you that Avalon is the only place where your child will be untraceable?” Rosella asked.
“Truly untraceable?” Camelia wrapped her arms around her stomach, her eyes fierce with a protectiveness I’d never seen in her before. “Even from the fae?”
“Even from the fae.” Rosella nodded.
“Then I’ll do anything to go to Avalon.” Camelia turned to face me, desperation in her eyes. “You have every reason to hate me. But bringing me with you won’t be for me. It’ll be for my unborn child.”
From there, she told me everything about the deal she’d made with Prince Devyn. She was desperate as she spoke. It was clear she would do anything to protect her child, even if that meant begging for my help.
“The fae can still get to my child at the Haven,” she finished. “But since the fae can’t trace us at Avalon, you have to bring us with you. Please.”
I didn’t like being told that I had to do anything. But at the same time, Camelia had a point. Rosella wouldn’t have made it up about Avalon being the only place untraceable by the fae. She also wouldn’t have recommended that I bring Camelia with me for no reason.
Which meant I needed to consider bringing the witch to Avalon.
“I understand that you don’t want to give up your child,” I started, and Camelia nodded, her eyes bright and hopeful. “But you made a deal with Prince Devyn, and he’s the child’s father. Shouldn’t he have a right to the child, too?”
“The fae are cold, manipulative creatures,” Camelia said, which struck me as ironic, since it sounded like she was describing herself. “We know nothing of the Otherworld. I can’t let my child be taken there. Please, let us come to Avalon. I’ll do anything for you if you let us come with you. I swear it.”
I turned to Rosella, still unconvinced by Camelia’s begging. “Do you have any idea what will happen to Camelia’s child if he or she goes to the Otherworld?” I asked.
“Not much,” Rosella said. “My abilities only allow me to see what will happen on Earth—not on the other realms.”
“I know a bit about the fae,” Mary spoke up, and all eyes went to her. “I don’t know much, but I know that they consider themselves to be a superior race—far superior than any other supernatural creature in the universe. They want to keep their race pure, which is why they keep to themselves in the Otherworld and only venture out if they receive something of value in return. I can’t say for sure, because no one from Earth has ever gone to the Otherworld and returned to tell the tale, but I don’t imagine they’ll be welcoming to a child who is half-fae and half-witch.”
Listening to Mary brought a hollow feeling to my stomach. If she was correct, that meant that once being brought to the Otherworld, Camelia’s child would be condemned simply for the circumstance of his or her birth.
Camelia deserved to suffer the consequences of everything she’d done, but her child shouldn’t have to pay for her mistakes, too.
“I don’t trust you,” I told Camelia. “After everything you’ve done to me, I’ll never be able to trust you. But I trust Rosella, and I don’t wish any harm upon your child, so I’ll bring you to Avalon.”
“Thank you.” Camelia smiled—it was the first real smile I’d ever seen from her.
Jacen looked at Camelia like he was ready to rip her up in
a second. “Try anything against us while there, and you will suffer the consequences,” he warned. “I’ll see to it myself.”
“I won’t try anything against either of you,” she said. “I swear it. All I care about is that my child and I can stay safe in Avalon.”
“I can bring you there, but I don’t know if you staying there will be my decision to make,” I said. “We have no idea what awaits us once we arrive.”
“We don’t,” Jacen agreed. “But I’m ready to find out.”
“Me too,” I agreed, turning once more to Mary and Rosella. “I’m more thankful than you’ll ever know for your support and guidance.” I pulled my sword out of its sheath and handed it to Mary. “As a token of my thanks, I’d like you to have this.”
“Are you sure?” Mary hesitated. “That sword was blessed by the angels themselves and given specifically to you.”
“It was given to me so I could kill Samael,” I said. “Now he’s dead, and this sword is the only weapon on Earth that can kill demons. We’ll figure out how to get more heavenly weapons soon—we’ll have to, if we want to defeat the demons. But for now, the sword belongs where it can be put to good use. That’s not at Avalon—that’s with you.”
“Thank you.” Mary bowed her head in respect and took the sword from me. “I’ll keep watch over it while you’re at Avalon, but the sword will always be yours. You can ask for it back at any time with no questions asked. And if you ever need me, you’ll always be welcome to visit the Haven.”
“Don’t worry—you haven’t seen the last of me yet,” I said. “But I do have one more question before I go.”
“Yes?” she asked.
“The two humans—Raven and Susan,” I started, referring to the humans Geneva had kidnapped and locked in a supernatural prison so she could use their DNA for the transformation potions we were using to disguise ourselves in the palace. “They were returned to their homes safely, right? The last I saw of them, they were passed out on your bed after being given a sleeping potion. I trust that you returned them, but I realized I haven’t checked yet, so I just wanted to be sure.”
“They were returned after you left for Norway, and are now safe at their homes in California,” Mary said. “Geneva’s memory potion worked perfectly. The humans won’t remember a thing.”
“It’s for the best,” I said. Susan had been traumatized by the ordeal, and Raven… well, who knew what the fiery redheaded human would have done if she hadn’t had her memories of the supernatural world erased and replaced? Judging by how she’d tried to attack me and Mary at Mary’s cabin—despite Mary and I clearly overpowering her—I had a feeling she was the type to jump headfirst into trouble without always stopping to think about the consequences.
She kind of reminded me of myself in that way.
“Yes, it certainly is for the best,” Rosella agreed with a smile—a knowing sort of smile, like she was aware something she wasn’t saying.
A part of me wanted to ask what the look was about. But if there was one thing I’d learned about the psychic, it was that she always spoke up when it was needed.
Whatever she knew would be revealed in time.
We said our goodbyes, although I made sure it was clear that they were “see you laters,” and not goodbyes.
Then I took Camelia’s hand—I was now holding onto both her and Jacen—pictured the image of Avalon that Rosella had drawn, and transported us there.
Annika
We arrived on a beach.
The second I felt the sand under my feet, I had a distinct feeling that I’d arrived home. The air was hot and humid, and I opened my eyes, expecting to see the tropical paradise from Rosella’s drawing.
Instead, I saw an island filled with dead trees and ruined buildings. Everything was brown and gray. The sky was overcast, the sun barely shining through the thick clouds. I didn’t even hear the chirping of birds or buzzing of insects.
It was like no one had been there for hundreds of years.
A long path nearby was the only thing somewhat intact, leading up to what appeared to have once been a castle on top of a mountain. But like everything else on the island, the castle was in shambles.
My heart ached for the island. What had happened to leave it such a mess?
Jacen also gazed around, looking as disheartened as I felt.
“Well.” Camelia scrunched her nose as she looked around the ruins. “This can’t be the right place.”
“If you don’t like it, you’re free to leave.” I kicked a nearby rock into the ocean, watching it disappear into the waves. Even the water was dark and murky—as if it had been polluted.
“Maybe you need time to rest,” Jacen said to me. “We’ve been through a lot today. Once we’ve rested, you can try again to teleport us to Avalon.”
“This is Avalon.” Despite it looking nothing like the drawing, I knew in my bones that this was the same place.
“Okay.” Jacen didn’t doubt me—I loved that he trusted me, just the same as I trusted him. “Maybe there’s a spell on the island? An illusion spell or something that isn’t letting us see it for what it is—like the spell on that cabin in Norway.”
“It would take an extraordinary amount of magic to perform a spell like that—I don’t even think Geneva could have done such a thing,” Camelia said. “Not that it matters, because there’s definitely no spell on this island.”
“How can you be sure?” I asked.
“Because there’s no magic on this island at all.”
“But Rosella said we’d be untraceable here,” I said. “I assumed that meant there was some kind of magical barrier around the island…”
“There’s nothing,” she said. “The island’s a total dead zone.”
I nodded, since I felt it too. The island was hollow and empty. I’d wanted to find paradise at Avalon, but it was uninhabitable. Of course we could explore and see if we found anything, but from where we were standing, finding any life looked hopeless.
Suddenly, I saw something in the corner of my eye.
I whipped my head around to see what it was, finding smoke rising from a crumbling chimney in the ruined castle.
“There.” I pointed to the smoke. “Someone’s in the castle.”
I tried to teleport us there, but it didn’t work. It likely had something to do with the island being a “magical dead zone.”
Instead, I hurried to the start of the path. Jacen and Camelia followed quickly on my heels.
“We’re just going toward the castle even though we have no idea what’s waiting inside?” Camelia’s eyes widened.
If I didn’t know better, I might have thought she was scared.
“It’s a good thing I still have my daggers.” Jacen handed one of them to me, holding onto the other for himself.
We both walked ahead of Camelia, and I internally questioned my decision to give my sword to Mary so easily. It had felt right at the time, but if a demon waited in that castle, we wouldn’t be able to kill it.
I shook away the fear and walked faster up the mountain.
The castle was massive—it was closer in size to an academy than a home. The stones were browned and crumbling, but of course they didn’t have any vines crawling on them, since there was no greenery to be found on the island.
The path led up to a clearing in front of the castle. Jacen and I led the way across, eventually reaching the giant arched doors. One of the doors was slightly ajar, as if the castle were waiting for our arrival. The wood was so eaten away that I feared it would collapse from a single touch.
I held my breath as I pushed on it, glad when it stayed intact as it creaked open.
Inside was a tall foyer filled with dusty old furniture. The furniture looked like it was once brightly colored, but it was impossible to truly tell under the layers of filth. The walls were cracked and crumbling, and a chandelier full of cobwebs had fallen to the floor.
I led the way down a hall to the right, since that was where the smoke h
ad been coming from.
Suddenly, Jacen stopped. He pointed forward, motioning to his ear.
People were talking in a room nearby. I couldn’t tell how many people there were, and I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but the voices sounded distinctly female.
I nodded at Jacen, and we followed the sound of the voices. Camelia stayed behind us, rubbing her arms as she walked. I couldn’t blame her—the castle was rather drafty.
We stopped in front of the wooden door where the voices were coming from.
I glanced at Jacen and Camelia, but they both looked to me. I got the message—I was the one Rosella sent here, so whatever we did next was my call.
I took a deep breath, preparing to open the door. But before I could, someone spoke to us from inside.
“What are you waiting for?” the voice said. “Come in and join us. We’ve only been waiting on this dreary, boring island for days.”
I pushed the door open and came face to face with the three mages from Norway.
Annika
Dahlia, Violet, and Iris sat around a huge round table in front of a burning fireplace. Unlike the rest of the furniture in the castle, the table gleamed like new, as if the mages had spent time cleaning it in preparation for our arrival.
In the center of the table was the Holy Grail.
“Welcome to Avalon.” Violet stood up and smiled, fluffing the skirt of her elaborate purple gown. “I’m glad to see that you survived your journey.”
“Thanks to you,” I said. “We wouldn’t have made it to the Tree of Life without your help.”
“We know.” Dahlia’s lips turned up in a flirty smile, her eyes focused on Jacen. “Helping you was our pleasure.”
The Vampire Wish: The Complete Series (Dark World) Page 70
