Nica's Legacy (Hearts of ICARUS Book 1)

by Laura Jo Phillips

  “The bridge,” Quenton said just before the shock wave reached them, knocking all three of them to their knees. They leapt back to their feet and raced to the door, the ship shaking and jerking around them. Another explosion rocked the ship as they crossed the ante room, but this time they kept their feet. Quenton opened the door into the corridor, froze for a moment, then slammed it shut before turning to face his brothers. He shook his head, but Karl and Sam had heard and seen enough to know what was coming.

  “Nica,” Quenton said as he locked eyes with his brothers, “if you see this in one of your visions, never forget that we love you very much, and we’re so sorry that we have to leave you.” Another explosion rocked the ship, knocking them to the floor again. “If there’s a way to close your eyes, Nica, do it now!” Quenton shouted. Then everything turned white, yellow, red, and finally, black. Quenton, Sam and Karl all screamed at the same time, the pain too sudden and too intense for them to help it. The screams lasted only a second, then cut off, silenced forever.

  Nica opened her mouth to scream in horror….

  The Dracon-Bats, the second highest ranked male-set of Clan Dracon next to the Princes, transformed from three enormous dracons into their humanoid forms just as their feet touched the thick padding on the floor of the Roar Room of their ship. For a long moment they stood facing each other…

  “No!” Nica shouted, her voice a whisper.

  The Dracon-Bats, the second highest ranked male-set of Clan Dracon next to the Princes, transformed from three enormous dracons into…

  “Stop!”

  The Dracon-Bats, the second highest ranked male-set of Clan Dracon next to…

  “No more,” she said tiredly. “Enough. Please. I need to get past this.”

  The Dracon-Bats, the second highest ranked male-set of Clan Dracon next to the Princes, stood before her, smiling, their eyes glistening brightly. Nica stared back, hardly able to believe what she was seeing. They looked so real, so warm and alive.

  “Is this real?” she asked, looking at what appeared to be a heavy gray fog that swirled and shifted around them.

  “Yes, and no,” Quenton said. “Your physical body is not here, with us, in this place. Your mind and soul are here, as ours are here.”

  “I don’t understand what’s happening,” Nica said.

  “When a male-set dies knowing who their Arima was meant to be, their souls are allowed to wait, here in this place,” Karl said.

  “Wait for what?”

  “For the soul of their rightful Arima to join them,” Quenton replied. “So that they can be together for eternity.”

  “Am I dead now?” Nica asked, unable to stop an image of Ian from blossoming in her mind.

  “No, little one, you are not dead,” Karl said. “We chose life for you.”

  “It would have been easier had your guilt not trapped you in your vision,” Quenton said dryly.

  “Guilt?”

  “Yes, your guilt that you lived, and we did not,” Sam said. “Guilt that you were unable to warn us in time. Guilt that you were just beginning to feel the barest hint of the bond between us, and that you didn’t feel as though your heart had been torn from your chest as you thought you should.”

  “You were far too young for that, Nica,” Karl said. “It would have been abnormal if you had felt that way, but you refused to allow yourself that excuse. You feel no guilt now, do you?”

  “No, I don’t,” Nica said. “But I don’t understand why I don’t feel guilty.”

  “You have the Xanti to thank for that,” Sam said, his crooked grin so familiar that it made her chest hurt to see it.

  “Xanti?” she asked numbly, unable to believe she’d heard him right.

  “Their chaos touched us, you, and Queen Eibhleann in ways that allowed her to make a few changes,” Quenton explained.

  “What changes?”

  “We could not stop or change the vision loop that you were caught in,” Karl said. “It would have ended in your death if not for Queen Eibhleann. She had the power and the means to make a change, and she used that power for us, for you, and for the sake of her people and her world.”

  “What did she change?” Nica asked, her heart suddenly pounding.

  “You, Nica,” Sam said. “She changed you. You always were the princess of the butterflies, little one, do you remember?”

  “Yes, I remember,” Nica said.

  “You had to undergo a metamorphosis of sorts, but the changes that had to take place for you to meet your new destiny were not small, and took time to complete,” Quenton explained. “So, she created the ring you’ve been wearing, which wrapped you in a cocoon of power that protected you during the process. Now you are stronger, faster, and smarter than before, and your psychic talents have been expanded far beyond what they already were. These are the traits Queen Eibhleann needed you to have, and that the Thousand Worlds needs you to have.”

  “And what was it you needed?”

  “We needed to free your soul,” Quenton said. “And we did.”

  Nica nodded. “That’s why I feel so strongly for Ian, isn’t it? You three are no longer my soul-mates.”

  “It was the only truly meaningful gift we had to give you, Nica,” Sam said. “Consider it the crowning jewel of your legacy.”

  Nica smiled through her tears. “But what about you? Will you never have a soul mate now?”

  “The universe provides all things,” Karl said. “We are content to know that you’ll be loved, and love in return. Besides, I think, somehow, that it was always meant to be this way, Princess of the Butterflies. You were always meant to change, Nica, to soar into the future that now awaits you.”

  “Why do I have to be so strong and fast now?” Nica asked. “What is this new future?”

  “One that will fulfill your need to aid others,” Quenton said. “More than that, we cannot say. You must live your life to see what it holds for you.”

  “It is time for you to return to yourself, Nica,” Sam said. “No more hiding, little one. No more blocks. Open your mind and heart to all the possibilities of the universe, as you once did, and live your life as it is meant to be.”

  “Thank you,” Nica said, tears streaming unchecked down her cheeks. “I will never forget you, and you will always have a special place in my heart.”

  “You honor us, Nica,” Quenton said, placing his fist over his heart and bowing to her one final time. “It is time for us to move on now, and time for you to do the same.”

  “Goodbye,” she said hoarsely, barely able to get the word out without choking.

  “Goodbye, little one,” Quenton said.

  “Be happy, Nica,” Karl said, and Sam smiled and waved, the tears on his cheeks telling her that words wouldn’t come to him, but that was okay. She understood. She watched as they turned and began walking away, fading with each step until they were completely gone.

  Nica drew a deep breath and closed her eyes.

  She sat up slowly, unsurprised to find that her headache was completely gone. She was a little surprised at some of the information that seemed to be streaming into her head though.

  “Bright Lady!” Min gasped as she and Nim flew toward her. “You are so…so bright!”

  Nica looked down at herself and frowned. She didn’t look any different than she always had. She spotted the ring lying on the covers beside her and picked it up. She knew that the ring wouldn’t block her any more if she put it on, but she also knew that the time was not yet right for that. She didn’t know what that meant, but there was other knowledge in her head that was far more important at the moment.

  “Can you not see it yourself?” Nim asked her as she tossed the blankets back and climbed off the bed.

  “See what?”

  “You glow,” Min said. “Very brightly.”

  “No, I don’t see it,” Nica said as she crossed the room to the little writing desk. She pulled a drawer open, found a sheet of paper and a pencil and sat down in the chair to
write. “Look, I need you two to do me a favor, all right?” she asked as she wrote.

  “Of course,” Min said, just as Nim asked, “What favor?”

  “I need you to find Ian Fadden and give him this note,” Nica said. She finished writing, put the pencil down, and tore off the unused portion of the paper. Then she folded the section she’d written on several times to make it small. She held the note out to Min and waited.

  “Where shall we find him, Bright Lady?” Min asked. Nica told them where Ian was going, then looked from Min to Nim and back again.

  “What if we cannot find him there?” Nim, always practical, asked.

  “Then come back here and wait for him,” she replied. “Will you do this, or will you not?”

  “We will,” Min said before Nim could speak. She flew forward, took the note from Nica’s hands and gave it a little toss. It vanished into thin air, but Nica didn’t comment on it. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, Bright Lady,” Min said.

  “Where are you going?” Nim asked.

  “Why do you ask?” Nica asked as she stood up from the desk.

  “Because we are supposed to watch over you.”

  “I don’t need to be watched over any more,” she said, careful to soften her tone. “I ask, instead, that you watch over Ian for me. That note tells him where I’m going. I’m sure he will immediately follow me so if you stay with him, you’ll find me.”

  “Of course we will do as you ask, Bright Lady,” Min said, shooting a warning look at Nim. Nim ignored her and raised his chin.

  “It is our honor to aid you in this way, Bright Lady,” he said, then flew toward the window. Min rolled her eyes and followed him. Nica watched them skift through the glass, then went into the dressing room. Relieved to see that Nance had put her tote bag on the dressing table, she passed by it and grabbed her favorite pair of jeans off the shelf where she’d left them. She changed into them, then put on her sneakers, wishing she’d thought to bring boots with her. The sneakers would provide scant protection, but at least she could run in them. She slipped the ring into a pocket of her jeans, then reached for her tote bag.

  She pulled the lumpy roll of black, silky fabric out first and laid it on the dressing table. Then she unrolled it, sending a silent thank you to her adopted aunts for all they’d taught her about defending herself. She actually preferred to use a sword, like Aunt Summer and Aunt Glory, but there was no way to hide a sword in a tote bag or suitcase, so she stuck to smaller, more portable weapons while traveling.

  She finished unrolling the cloth, revealing a belt of throwing knives and four steel sai. Between the throwing skills she’d learned from Aunt Aisling, and the tiketa she’d learned from Aunt Saige, she was confident that the lack of a sword wouldn’t count heavily against her. She set the knives and sai aside, then picked up the black cloth and shook it out, revealing that it was more than a cloth. It was a protective vest made from a light weight, stretchy material called kevlex. She took her cotton top off, pulled the vest on and adjusted it, then put her blouse back on over it. Next, she buckled the knife belt around her waist and shoved the sai into the loops meant for them.

  She reached into her bag again, this time removing the velvet case that held the star diamonds. She opened the lid and stared at them for a long moment, then ran her finger over the gold engraving inside the lid of the box.

  For Our Beloved Nica,

  When you doubt yourself, look upon these star diamonds, and see what perseverance against astronomical odds can create.

  Forever in our hearts,

  Quenton, Samson, and Karlson

  “I’ll never forget,” she whispered, then closed the box and placed it in the safe. She grabbed a light silk jacket long enough to hide her knife belt and her wallet and left the room at a run. She was glad that Joseph wasn’t at his usual post since she didn’t want to take the time to explain herself. Every minute she wasted was another minute that Bree was in the hands of a madman. Because Quill Thomas was completely mad. She knew that now. She also knew that he didn’t intend to kill Bree. He had in mind something far worse than that.

  Nica stepped out of Fadden House and ran down the steps to the sidewalk and turned right. She remembered Ian saying that it took about an hour for a carriage to reach the car park at the edge of the city. But carriages had to take streets that meandered back and forth, and were often choked with other carriages, carts, wagons, and pedestrians. Nica knew that if she cut straight across, through alleys and yards, over fences and walls, she could reach the car park in fifteen to twenty minutes, so that was what she did.

  She was mildly surprised to discover that she was able to leap and climb over fences with much less effort than it should have taken, and that she was able to run much faster than she’d ever run before without getting in the least bit winded. There were a few times when she felt almost as though she could float. Or fly. She put it down to the new stronger, faster, smarter body the Dracon-Bats told her she now had, and focused on getting out of the city. Less than ten minutes after leaving Fadden House she entered a ground car rental office and rented the fastest ground car they had, and the most experienced driver. A couple of minutes later she was being driven at high speed out of the city toward the Fadden’s’ country estate.

  Now came the hard part. Sitting in the car for the five or six hours it would take to reach Fadden Fields. Because that was where Bree was.

  Nica leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. She’d never been to the Faddens’ country estate, or even seen pictures of it, but she had an image of it in her mind that she knew was accurate. She just didn’t know where, exactly, Bree was. The manor house was enormous, much larger than Fadden House in Cidade, and the lands nearly as extensive as Dracons’ Ranch, where she’d grown up. Unlike the ranch, which raised cattle and horses, the estate grew crops, which required far more people. There were many tenants who lived and worked on the estate, their small houses scattered throughout the property. Nica’s mind flew high overhead in search of some hint as to Bree’s location. She tried to be patient, checking each little house and out building she saw, but her mind kept tugging her back toward the manor house which made no sense to her. Surely Quill wasn’t fool enough to use the house to hold Bree in. There had to be at least a few loyal servants who’d come to her aid.

  Hours slipped by unnoticed as Nica continued to search the property inch by inch in her mind. She didn’t understand why the only building she couldn’t see inside of was the manor house, but eventually she accepted the obvious. Bree was being held in her own home, which confirmed her worst suspicions. Quill didn’t care about the money at all. He was after much more than that.

  The ground car slowed and Nica opened her eyes. The driver stopped the car and started to get out to open the gate, but Nica stopped him. “You can turn around here,” she said, her eyes on the manor house of her vision in the distance. “I’ll walk the rest of the way.”

  “As you wish,” the driver replied, releasing the door handle. She’d already paid for the driver’s round trip so she opened her door and climbed out. She waited for the ground car to turn around and drive away, then studied her surroundings.

  The house was set on a low rise about half a mile from the gate, giving it a view of all the land around it. She was disappointed to see that there were no trees, bushes, hedges or outbuildings near the front of the house. Anyone approaching could be seen by anyone looking out a window. Staying outside the fence in hopes that it would help disguise her presence, she walked along until she could see the side of the house. There were far fewer windows there, and she could see the side of what looked like an outbuilding at the back of the house. It was the best she was going to get.

  She climbed over the fence and ran straight toward the side of the house, once again moving far faster than was normal for her. She kept glancing at the windows looking down at her, but couldn’t see beyond the reflection of the sunlight on the glass. When she
finally reached the side of the house she stopped, leaning against the wall while she took a moment to calm herself. Then she closed her eyes and emptied her mind, waiting to see if any further clues would come to her. All she got was an urge to enter through a door at the back, so she turned and went that way, ducking down below the few windows close enough to the ground for her to be seen through.

  She rounded the back corner of the house and her eyes fell on what at first appeared to be a very large pile of clothing. Frowning as she tried to understand what she was seeing, she walked toward it. She stopped, her eyes widening with horror as the truth of what she was looking at hit her. It wasn’t just clothing. It was people. Dead people. Lots of dead people.

  From what she could tell, they all wore the same dark red livery that the staff at Fadden House wore, making it more difficult to separate clothing from blood. She swallowed hard and took another step closer. She counted eight bodies, eyes staring sightlessly at the sky, and knew there were probably more beneath that she couldn’t see.