Autumn Awakens

by M. J. Padgett

  “Nothing, just letting me know where she’d be if we needed her,” Jordan replied, then, “But I think we’re good here.” He chuckled. “We are in the presence of Tristan Einarsson, the one all the books say was the bravest night in all the land. The one Petra’s books call Tristan Dressaur. The son of Einar Viktorsson, grandson of Viktor Hagarsson, great-grandson of Hagar the Mightiest, Keeper of the Dragons.”

  I smooshed Jordan’s face. “You’re not funny. Besides, I never actually received my title.”

  “Oh, but you will. I asked Jack to do it for you. You deserve it, Park. Thanks for always looking after us, even though we died a gazillion times and kept coming back to life.” Jordan laughed.

  I sat up in bed. “Wait, you remember other lives?”

  Jordan shook his head. “No, only the first and this one, but it’s all in the books.”

  “The books?” Ophelia asked, looking at her brother and Petra.

  “Yes,” Petra said. “I could hardly believe it myself, but when Jordan showed me, it was hard to deny. See?” Petra handed a children’s book to Ophelia titled The History of Dragons: An Epic Tale of Hagar the Mightiest and His Descendants.

  Ophelia opened the book and flipped through the pages.

  “It’s all there. It’s your family history, Parker, and it follows through to you, including your ability to reincarnate to protect the fabled Prince and Princess of Weisserwald,” Petra said.

  “What the—who wrote this?” I asked, taking the book from Ophelia. I peered at the author name. Rebecca McMurphey. “Holy crap,” I said, and handed it back to her.

  “Yeah,” Jordan said. “Looks like Rebecca was an author and we didn’t know it. I wish she was still here. Maybe she could explain how your family line was supposed to guard the Protectors, especially since it seems like we have three here in the flesh,” he said, alluding to Ethan, Isla, and Kirsten.

  “It would be nice to know everything, including how she and the others got us all back together at just the right time. I miss her so much. She’d know what to do.” Ophelia’s eyes hazed, her tears welling in them.

  “Ophelia,” I said, taking her hand, “I... I need to tell you something.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Unfortunately, whatever you need to tell me will have to wait. The ball started half an hour ago. We need to be in position before Rose arrives. If she arrives,” Ophelia said. “Wait, do you even know what your position is?”

  My mouth opened, but nothing squeaked out. I was prepared to release the biggest secret I’d ever kept from her, the only secret. I was not prepared for all-out war after an evening of mind-splitting memory recall.

  “Uh... No?”

  Ophelia shook her head. “There must be a better way to ensure everyone gets the important memos around here.”

  “Group text, easy peasy,” Jordan said, then three small children burst through the door. “What the... What are you three doing here? You’re supposed to be in Goldene Stadt!”

  Annabell, who I had only met briefly, stood before us with wide, fearful eyes, mouth agape, and words lost as mine had been only moments before. Little Wil, who I was certain would get into loads of trouble with his parents for not being in the neighboring kingdom, shook his friend until she snapped out of her daze. The other boy, Dominic, clutched Annabell’s hand tightly.

  “M-mister Parker?” Annabell squeaked. “There’s a big problem outside!”

  “Okay, how did you three get here?” Ophelia asked, ignoring the big problem.

  “We snuck out,” Little Wil said, then, “Please help us. Our mommies and daddies are frozen.”

  “What?” I asked. My heart bottomed out. I hoped his idea of frozen meant being quiet or some other dramatized thing that didn’t actually mean frozen. The four of us jumped to action.

  I went to Annabell and knelt beside her. “Can you tell me what you saw?” I was worried about her. With three dragons in the castle who had all been sent to kill her, I feared she’d snuck out of Goldene Stadt and right into a trap.

  “They’re not frozen. They’re sleeping. She put everyone to sleep except you and—”

  “Park!” Chris rushed through the open door, interrupting Annabell.

  “And them,” she said, pointing over her shoulder at my brothers, Chris and Ross, who appeared as if they’d seen ghosts.

  “I think they all fell asleep!” Ross said, eyes wide with fear, just like the children.

  Ophelia slipped around our brothers and locked the door. I had difficulty believing a locked, wooden door would keep Rose out of the room, but it might buy us a little time. Chris took a moment to evaluate. “What’s going on in here?” he asked. “Why are there kids here? They are supposed to be in Goldene Stadt!”

  “We know,” Dominic said with a giggle. “We snuck out for fun!”

  Annabell peered at him through narrowed eyes. Perhaps he had snuck out for fun, but the little girl clearly had other things on her mind. I wondered just what Annabell was. Maybe a special kind of witch or another shifting entity altogether. It didn’t seem anyone knew since they all kept referring to her as “special” and nothing more.

  Ross raised an eyebrow, then said, “Caroline was with these three. I’m not sure where she is now if they’re here.”

  “Caroline, Seline’s mother?” Jordan asked.

  “The triplets’ mother, yeah. She was with them and a few guards from Goldene Stadt,” Ross said. “I saw them paired up when they entered the tunnel system.”

  “The guards were not nice, and I had work to do, so we snuck away with Miss Caroline,” Annabell said. “She has a job too, but it will be okay. You can trust her.”

  “We can trust her? Why?” I asked, the idea of not trusting Caroline had not entered my mind, but it had obviously been a concern for the girl.

  “Because I trust her. She’s going to help us get Rose. I told her what to do.” Annabell’s cryptic speech was a little unnerving, but it seemed she had a plan. I was thrown by the thought of trusting a small child with the fate of my family, friends, and the entire Black Forest, but if she’d succeeded before there was no reason to believe she couldn’t do it again. However, there was no way I was letting her anywhere near the dragons or Rose, not if Rose wanted Annabell dead. I didn’t believe Ethan or his sisters wanted to hurt Annabell, but I also wasn’t sure they could override Rose’s control over them, whatever it was.

  I gave my attention to my brothers. “Did you two manage to gather any information?”

  Ross shook his head. “No, not really. Some of the Royal Guard are tired of fighting, but they remain loyal to Marcus. The only one who gave me any concern was Briard, but he redeemed himself by squashing an uprising against the crown, so I think he’s okay.”

  “An uprising?” I asked.

  “There were a few lower ranking guards who wanted to have a meeting with King Marcellus. Basically a big whiney baby complaining session they called an uprising. Briard heard their concerns and took them to the king himself. It was settled to everyone’s satisfaction within hours,” Ross said.

  “Why did you suspect Briard, to begin with?” I asked.

  “I dunno. He just gave me a vibe. But to be fair, a lot of people here give me weird vibes. It’s just a weird vibe kind of place,” Ross admitted. “Aside from that, everyone seems supportive of the royals, even if they are afraid. Definitely no one like Thaddeus.”

  “I didn’t hear anything either. No more than Ross. I did a roll check, and every guard except Thaddeus is frozen in that field. I think if any of them were on the other side, they would have escaped whatever happened to them, right?” Chris asked.

  “Probably, but let’s make sure to keep an eye on them if they wake. We don’t need the entire Guard turned against us,” I said.

  “Wait, what are you guys talking about?” Ophelia asked while Jordan and Petra looked on in confusion. “Have you been doing undercover work here or something?”

  It wasn’t the right time to rel
ay that Rebecca was alive and well. That moment had passed, so I prayed they would just trust me without question like they had in the past. “Would it be too much to ask you to trust us until this is over and we’ll tell you everything later?” I asked.

  Ophelia looked at her brother, then Petra. Jordan shrugged, but Petra had questions.

  “Are you sure no one else is a threat?” she asked.

  “Maybe the dragons, but they could be asleep, too,” I said.

  “It’s awfully quiet in the basement, so I think they are. The guards on loan from wherever are knocked out so let’s hope the dragons are, too, since they are after you know who,” Chris said.

  “Me,” Annabell said. “I know, that’s Miss Caroline’s job. She’s helping Ethan because he is safe and will protect me. The others are still not safe because Rose is in their heads.”

  “Wait, are you saying Caroline went to let Ethan out of his cage... I mean, his... Never mind. We need to get these kids to safety,” Ophelia said.

  “I am safe!” Annabell seemed annoyed that we didn’t trust her. “Ethan will be our helper, I promise! Please don’t break my plan!” She stomped her small foot, her eyes focused on Ophelia.

  The adults shared a nervous stare, then relented. “Okay, sweetheart, we trust you,” Ophelia said, “but we need to get Dominic and Little Wil somewhere safe. Chris, Ross?”

  “Say no more. Anything that wants in this room will suffer the consequences first,” Chris said, but Ross looked mighty nervous.

  “Wait,” Petra said. “I’m not sure I’m strong enough for this. I’m nowhere near as strong as the witches that helped defeat these crazy princesses in the past. Fairy magic is not meant for killing. What if I can’t do it? What if—”

  “It will be just fine,” Annabell said, taking Petra by the hand. “You are super strong with me.”

  Petra’s eyes went wide, and she gazed down at her hand, clasped in Annabell’s. Petra’s signature glow grew brighter. “Holy moly, I feel it. It’s like she’s amplifying my magic or something. It feels very strange, but I’ll take it. Let’s just hope killing Rose reverses her spells. Otherwise, we’ll need some more of Annabell’s boost.”

  I sucked in a deep breath. “So, does this mean we’re ready?”

  Jordan stood beside Petra and Ophelia. “I think so. Just the four of us, then?”

  “Five,” Annabell said. “I have to go, too.”

  “But—” I began, hoping Annabell could stay behind and somehow project her magical mojo to Petra, but that was obviously wishful thinking.

  “I’ll be okay. I will be safe,” the small girl insisted.

  Ophelia shrugged. “We don’t have other options, Park. Let’s do this.”

  No one really wanted to be the first to open the door and enter the unknown, but it had to be done. I crossed the room and opened it slowly, peering out to make sure the hall was clear. I heard the others gathering behind me, so I pulled it open all the way and slowly crept out. The castle had been quiet before, but nothing like that. It was eerily silent, the kind of quiet just before something went horribly wrong in movies. We made it to the end of the hall without incident. I leaned over the balcony railing, taking in the scene below.

  “Wow,” I said. “It’s like they just fell asleep and collapsed where they were.” No one appeared injured from my vantage point, but it was difficult to say for sure.

  A breeze blew past me, and the next thing I knew, Ophelia went flying over the balcony. She shifted mid-fall and landed on her feet, stumbled a little, then caught her footing and raised her head. There was pure, unadulterated anger in her eyes. The ultra-blue eyes of the woman I loved narrowed, her lips curled into a deep growl, and she bolted back up the winding staircase toward the balcony.

  The breeze blew again, but this time, we were prepared. We didn’t see Rose, but we felt her. Jordan shifted, as did I, and Petra began chanting. I had no clue what she said, but it seemed to be a sort of unveiling spell. Rose’s faint image began to appear as she sped by.

  She pushed Petra hard, but the fairy bounced back with ease. She gripped Annabell’s hand tightly, then smacked Rose upside her head with a little magical punch that revealed the woman entirely.

  “You brats!” Rose screamed. “I’ve given you ample opportunity to leave this land, but you refuse. I’m afraid that means you must die!”

  Rose set her sights on Jordan, but Ophelia had other ideas. My fiancé jumped over her brother and tackled Rose. Ophelia was immediately tossed aside like a stuffed animal, so I gave it a try. Rose was a lot stronger than I gave her credit. I swooped down on her, but she knocked me right out of the sky. I caught myself seconds before landing on sleeping royals.

  We must get her out in the open. We risk injuring or killing the others if we fight in here!

  They didn’t respond to me, but Jordan and Ophelia began moving toward the stairs. Petra and Annabell did the same, inch by inch baiting Rose who seemed to believe they were afraid.

  “Your retreat amuses me,” Rose said. “But rest assured, no amount of begging will persuade me to have mercy on you. I will enjoy killing you all.”

  “Your hellhounds and monsters are no match for us, Rose!” Petra screamed, then shoved her light at the wicked woman. Rose was pinned against the wall, squirming and shouting. Jordan went at her from the right while Ophelia took left. The two snapped at her, reminding me of the wolves that had attacked me when I was younger.

  I ran toward Rose, prepared to burn her to a crisp, but she wiggled herself free of Petra’s magic. She moved her hands toward me, and I flew backward, slamming hard into the wall behind me. It cracked along the bottom, splintering its way upward until it opened wide. Luckily, no one was near the wall. If it fell, no one would be harmed.

  I steadied myself and went again, this time breathing fire first. Jordan and Ophelia distracted Rose for a moment, but she easily tossed them aside as she had done with me. I was nearly on top of her, then something hit me in the side. I screamed in pain and fell to the ground.

  Thaddeus came into view, wielding a crossbow. I turned my head around and pulled the arrow from my shoulder with my teeth. I managed to get back on my feet, but my shoulder ached and bled. He aimed the bow at me again, then Ophelia jumped on him. She managed to grip him around his neck, pinning him helplessly to the ground.

  “Please!” he choked. “She made me! It was her magic that forced me to be bad. Please! Help me!”

  I remembered that Hayden had been controlled by the magic and thought perhaps Thaddeus had also been infected. Ophelia paused and looked to me. I nodded, and she released her grip. Thaddeus stood. “Thank you for being so gullible!” He aimed his bow again, but just before he pulled the trigger, Petra moved her focus from tripping up Rose to obliterating Thaddeus.

  Her light flashed in my eyes, blinding me momentarily, then I heard a pop sound. The rain spilled over us—not rain. I gagged as the pink mist that had once been Thaddeus Mueller fell around us. Ophelia retched and lowered her furry head, now streaked with blood. My own body was covered as well. What a horrific thing for a small child such as Annabell to see, I imagined, then shuddered at the thought that perhaps she had done it.

  Rose was momentarily shocked. I wanted to believe she had seen what happened to Thaddeus and decided she didn’t want to explode, but it was only a minor blip on her radar. She collected herself and began shooting wind gusts toward us. From my peripheral, I caught a glimpse of red, something out of place in the dark, dingy battleground. When I turned to look at it fully, it was gone.

  It was foolish to divert my attention. Rose took advantage of my momentary confusion and hurtled me across the open courtyard, over the wall, and into the field between the castle and the forest. I heard Ophelia cry out, then heard Jordan attack. Soon he flew over the wall and landed near me. I oriented myself and took flight, up and over the wall, but Rose was on her way toward the field. Ophelia was pinned against a tree behind us. I never even saw her fly above when Rose t
hrew her, but she was in pain. Ophelia squirmed and whined, but Rose wouldn’t let up.

  Rose held her hand in a stranglehold position, squeezing the life from Ophelia from nearly forty feet away. I lunged at Rose, and she threw me again. I hit the tree beside Ophelia and fell to the ground. We were no match for Rose. There was no way we’d win the fight. But I had forgotten about our little weapon. Petra and Annabell ran through the iron gate at the entrance to the castle and focused their energy on Rose.

  After a moment, smoke began to billow from around Rose. Her hold on Ophelia wavered, and Ophelia slid to the ground. Ophelia sputtered and coughed, weak on her feet. Soon Rose engulfed in flames. It seemed the tables had turned but only for a moment. Something came out of nowhere and knocked Petra to her knees. It whizzed by again, but this time, I managed to catch it with my front paws. I bit down on it, holding it tightly. It was horrible, tasted of death, and smelled like a rotting corpse. A troll.

  The troll screamed, but I continued to grip the tall creature, then sank my teeth into its jugular. It fell dead at my feet. More trolls appeared, then hellhounds and other strange creatures. They flooded from the forest in droves as if Heidi’s protection spell were nothing but a minor nuisance. Petra did what she could to hold them back, but her link to Annabell had been temporarily disrupted by the fall. It was enough time for Rose to recover and call upon her minions.

  We were surrounded by beasts, snarling, and drooling, snapping from every direction. Rose was distracted, calling them forward, so I gathered what strength I had and darted toward her. I leaped on her back and took her down. She managed to turn in my grip before my teeth could get a firm hold. She shoved me off with a gust of wind, then Ophelia went in. If we kept at it, I thought it would wear her down enough to take her out once and for all.

  Petra was able to keep the beasts at bay with Annabell clutching her arm. The child was terrified of the monsters, but she kept up her part of the plan all the same.

  “Get off me you half-breed mutts!” Rose screamed, then threw Jordan into the iron gate. He cried out and limped toward Petra, his energy drained.