"Ayu, when are we leaving the craft and heading toward the island?" A giant lump of anticipation and fear is sitting on my chest, making it difficult to talk.
"We will disembark soon. Once Master Ry finishes his perimeter check of our location, we will be good to go," Ayu responds, unfazed by our task. Why is he not ready? I don't think I'm ready.
I chew on my lower lip, reminding myself that this is not a dream. I'm so close to seeing Miri again. That also means I'm equally as close to seeing my mother, the mad queen.
"Why do you call Ry, 'Master Ry?'" I ask, trying to focus on something other than what's happening or going to happen.
"You don't know?" Ayu asks, staring at me wide-eyed.
"Don't know what? What are you talking about?"
"Master Ry comes from an important Triban family. Some would say his ancestors were instrumental in the way things ran there. As well as powerful. You already know he has powers—most Tribans do not. His bloodline is exquisite. But he's the last." Ayu's face tightens and a look of fury appears. "Your mother had them all murdered. He was the target, but he got away."
"What?" I groan in disbelief. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"I'm sorry," Ayu utters. "I thought you knew. I would have told you before, but I thought Kalus prepped you."
How could Kalus keep this a secret?
"Are you sure Kalus knew?" I ask wide-eyed. "I mean, how could he not tell me?"
"I'm not sure." Ayu's expression looks grim.
Before I can press him for more details, Ry opens the spacecraft's door. "It looks like the coast is clear. We should be able to get there with little to no problems. Alexa, keep the invisibility cloak on us, not the craft. I'm not too concerned with anyone seeing this in the darkness."
Ry keeps his focus on the perimeter of the craft and I take the opportunity to watch him. His distraction is obvious as he ruffles his hair. His eyes focus on the wooded area beyond our craft. I watch as creases form across his face and on the slope of his upturned nose. Clearly, an internal battle ensues.
"What is it, Ry? Are you nervous?" I ask knowing that I'm worried and hoping he is not. One of us has to be confident even if it is fake.
His preoccupied expression quickly morphs into something more familiar. "Me, nervous? It's you who should be terrified," he says in a mocking tone.
I bite my lip and keep my comments to myself. This isn't the time to bait him into a fight. "I wouldn't say I'm excited to go to the island. But I am excited to see my sister."
"Good, remember that." His last snide remark sends chills tumbling down my spine. "Let's go then."
I put the best brave face on that I can muster. "Okay."
The door swings open and a swirl of fresh, salty air whips through my hair.
Here goes nothing.
Without a word, the three of us take to the air. I keep my focus on the invisibility cloak allowing us to move freely through the air toward our target. I didn't have time to question my ability or time to ask for a quick lesson on flight. Clenching my jaw, I trail Ry. Thankfully, Ayu sticks close by my side. I don't dare look down; instead, I focus on the structure I can see above the cloud, the pinnacle of the castle.
During my short stay at the castle I remember spending time in the very same spot. I was different then. Under a spell that made me believe my mother wasn't a monster. How wrong was I?
"Stop!" Ry screeches from in front of me.
His voice paralyzes my movements. I halt immediately. Nervously, I start to tremble. If I'm not moving forward, how can I possibly remain suspended in the air?
"Don't panic," Ayu reminds me. "You're fine."
Inhaling deeply, I draw salty air into my lungs. With a sigh, I release the relaxing scents. "Why are we stopped?"
"There's a wall. I'm trying to penetrate it so we can move forward, but I can't," Ry fumes.
"Let me try," I propose, attempting to diffuse his anger. Quickly, I join him with my arms extended. The cool surface meets the tips of my fingers. A frigid twinge radiates through me. Definitely magic. Different magic, I think, it's not the usual warm feeling that fills me. It's a bit cooler.
I conjure warm thoughts and try my best to imagine the wall coming down. I place both palms of my hands on the frosty barrier. I discharge my energy, willing the wall to let us in. I beg the wall. Internally, I plead for it to let us through. I need to get to my sister.
Nothing.
Vibrations move through my palms pulling me towards the water. I can't explain why, but I think the wall is talking to me in some sort of code. Demanding I dive below the water and follow the obstruction in our path.
"Follow me," I call for both Ry and Ayu. I keep my hand on the invisible wall and trail it to the water's surface. "I think the wall ends somewhere down there." I point at the thrashing sea below me.
"Let's go swimming, then," Ry announces.
"I-I can't swim very well," I quickly add.
"Correction—before you were integrated into this galaxy, you didn't swim very well. You're a brilliant swimmer now," Ry says right before he shows off by swan diving into the dark-blue sea beneath us.
"Ayu, I'm so nervous," I whisper.
"I know, Princess. I promise we will all be okay. Don't think about it. You don't need to come up for air after a few minutes, you'll be acclimated. If you panic, look at me and remember what I'm telling you."
I nod. Before I can psyche myself out anymore I draw in my last deep breath and plunge into the dark abyss below me. Murkiness engulfs me. Panic consumes me setting my chest on fire. Vomit rises into my throat and I quickly grasp at the water above me trying to break out of the blackness. Blinking my eyes rapidly I look for Ry or Ayu. Instinctively my fingers light up creating the illumination I need to find Ayu. His black eyes are widely open staring back at me, willing me to relax.
You can do this.
I can hear you, Ayu.
I know. I'm using my ability on you. Remember you are fine. You are a very powerful being and there isn't much you can't do. Remember that.
I nod my head appreciatively. The reassurance gives me the boost I need to move forward. I let out the breath burning a hole in my throat and am surprised when my body takes over and functions normally underwater.
This is amazing, Ayu, I don't need to surface for air.
I knew you'd be fine.
I kick my legs and propel myself down while holding one hand on the barrier before us. My lit fingers allow me to catch a glimpse of Ry who's a few feet to the right of me. Glancing to the left I see Ayu and a calmness takes over. He's right. I can do this.
My fingers tingle while I focus on breaking through to the other side. A buzzing cuts through the water and a low noise begins to build in my ears. I know I'm close to something. Two more kicks and my hand slips through the wall. I motion for both Ry and Ayu and direct them to the space below my hand. They both swim through the hole and I follow.
Great job, Princess! I knew you'd find a way to get through this obstacle.
Without slowing down Ry continues on. I don't find it hard to keep up with him. It's quite the opposite. My legs kick in unison and it catapults me further each time. After a few moments of trying to catch up to Ry I notice the bottom come into view. Pink sands with orange coral a welcome sign that the shore is approaching.
My happy thoughts quickly flee when I notice a pair of green glowing eyes peering up at me from the pink sand. I freeze mid-kick. The slimy, black body writhes upward revealing its mass. I'm stuck dangling in place completely mesmerized by the fluid, wave-like motion of the long, awkward body.
Don't make any sudden movements, Ayu insists.
Wasn't planning on it. What is that? I strain my eyes in an effort not to blink. I can't lose sight of this monster.
I believe it's a venomous sea snake, I think we may have woken him, Ayu calmly replies. Use your ability to keep him away.
Great idea. Quickly I conjure images of a sleeping sea snake. I project these thoughts
with every bit of energy that I have. It doesn't take long before the sea snake reverses his lateral movement. Gradually he sinks back into the sand. I don't dare move until his green glowing spheres are hidden behind his dark eyelids.
Hurry, Princess we must go before we bother another sea creature that's hungry for a snack. Ayu paddles away from me.
I take one last look at the sea snake and decide that his delayed activity is a sure sign he'll be sleeping soon. I follow Ayu's lead and kick my feet hoping that doesn't revive the listless creature.
Where's Ry? I ask Ayu while I focus on powering forward to shore.
He went ahead to make sure the beach is clear of guards.
Well, I guess Ry could care less if I made it through my first swim. Feelings of irritation flood me. Isn't he supposed to be helping me through this?
The sand is an arm's length beneath me. Gently I run my fingers through the soft granules of pink dust. I watch as each bit twinkles in the little light that emits from the night sky above.
I bring my legs from behind me to below me to kneel. Bit by bit I raise my head from the water until my eyes are above the water line. Wide-eyed I move my head, slowly scanning the beach for Ry. It's not long before I spy him ahead of me on the beach. He sees me and motions his hand for me to come ashore.
Emerging from the water is freeing and even though I'm not sure what to expect at the castle I'm relieved to be leaving the sea creatures behind. I'm also hoping that when we return to the spacecraft we can take an alternate route.
"It's about time, Alexa. I've been waiting here forever!" Ry says before I can even tell him what happened.
"If you didn't leave me, you would have seen how a giant sea snake wanted to eat me for dinner," I angrily respond as my fingers flicker a few more times before going dark.
Ry grabs his stomach and begins to roll around on the sand. "Are you okay?" I ask completely panicked by his sudden outburst. Ayu comes up beside me and flashes a look of concern.
"Master Ry, are you not well?" Ayu questions.
Lying flat on his back he looks up at us with a toothy grin. "I'm fine." He lets out a loud cackle, "are you by any chance talking about the sea snake in the sand?"
"Why are you laughing at me?" I huff. "Yes, the large sea snake with giant green eyes."
"They don't eat meat." He continues to laugh. "You probably woke him up."
"Once again, if you were there maybe I wouldn't have taken so long to get to shore." I sit down next to him and briefly entertain the idea of throwing sand in his face. I watch as Ayu flaps his wings to dry himself off. I can tell by his look of disgust that he didn't know the sea snake was a vegetarian.
"Due to your delay, I was able to walk the perimeter. All is quiet here. They're definitely not expecting us." Ry appears confident at this revelation. "Please keep the invisible cloak over us while we enter the castle. Hopefully you'll be able to sense Miri while we are cloaked. If not we will have to come up with a plan during the rescue mission."
"Fine," I respond curtly.
"If you're done playing, Master, I think we should discuss the plan," Ayu suggests.
"The two of you are so wound up," Ry snickers.
"We were a bit nervous back there." I defend the both of us to Ry in hopes it will quell the situation.
Quickly his face morphs from playful to stern. "Let's talk about our targets."
One word, targets, produces goosebumps along my arms and the hairs at the base of my neck stand taut.
Chapter Thirteen
Moving from the beach to the castle, it's eerily quiet. I can't help but feel like we're falling into a trap. Why is this so easy? I watch Ry effortlessly swing the heavy door open.
I brace myself for something, someone.
Nothing.
Ry's voice startles me causing me to jump. "Push your mind through the castle. Can you sense any beings?"
Nodding, I quickly clear my mind and tightly squeeze my eyes together. I imagine traveling through the castle. I'm able to see where I push my mind to before but I'm still blocked out. I can't push through the barricade.
I whisper, "I can't get past the same spot as before. There seems to be a wall."
"Great, we need to get through." Ry moves his hands through his hair. "Do you think you can do what you did before when you got us through the barrier under water?"
"I can try." Doubt quickly fills my mind. "We need to get to the wall itself. I need to touch it. That's what I did before. I kind of talked to it and it led me to a hole. Or maybe it made a hole. I'm not exactly sure."
Ry squints as he attempts to hide his amusement. "Invisible walls talk to you now, what's next?" He doesn't wait for my answer. Instead he sarcastically adds, "The elusive princess has many abilities. This will, for sure, infuriate your mother."
I roll my eyes at his cynicism. "I don't care what she thinks."
"Master Ry, please let's advance as I don't want to wait here while you two spat back and forth. We need to get off this island before we're prisoners." Ayu sharpened his glance at me and then moved it to Ry.
"After you, Princess Alexa. Let's go talk to that wall." Ry extends his arm and with a fake smile waves me on. "We will travel all together. I will bring up the rear. You focus on breaking down the wall."
Ignoring his fake formal banter I turn to Ayu and say, "You know Master Ry is not helping here. Perhaps you should position yourself between us so I don't have to listen to him poke fun at me."
"Noted. Carry on, we have to find Miri." Ayu's reply instantly grounds me.
I'm going to find Miri.
I emit light from my fingers as we swiftly move through what seems like the basement of the castle. The dampness of our surroundings chill me inside and out. Briefly I think warm thoughts and am surprised when the cold subsides and warmth consumes me.
My mind wanders for a moment. Toasty memories engulf me. Elena and I sipping on hot chocolate in front of the fire after a long day of skiing. We used to sit in front of the fire and compare notes of our day on the slope. We would laugh and fight over who skied more challenging runs or who skied the most runs. My heart aches for all the time we won't have together. I stifle the tears and focus my attention.
"Are you okay?" Ayu whispers in my ear as he buzzes by and hovers in front of me.
"Yes, fine, let's continue." I wave him aside and push forward.
We reach the end of the hallway and I'm left with a choice. A hallway on the left that leads down a dark way or the stairs right in front of us. Moving forward my fingers begin to vibrate. I know for sure the stairs are the way to go. "This way," I urge.
Cautiously, I advance one step at a time. I hear Ry follow behind and Ayu buzz closely at my side. I try to project my senses under the looming door in front of me. All I get in return are low vibrations that tingle my ears. It must be the magic in the wall; it's calling to me.
My hand trembles slightly as I place it on the doorknob. The only barrier between us and the wall or anything else that lies beyond. Panic rises in in the back of my throat. I quickly swallow and push the uneasiness down into the pit of my stomach.
Quietly, I push the door open and brace myself for impact. Even though I have the invisibility cloak over the three of us I still worry that we'll be seen. Surprisingly enough the room that's in front of us is empty. It's dark, quiet, and familiar. I know exactly where we are in the castle from my brief stay.
I turn behind me and motion to Ry. Willingly, without mockery, he comes up next to me. "This is the main room of the castle," I whisper. "Through the doors on the right is the kitchen. The stairs by the front doors lead upstairs. The other doors on this floor lead to a library, another giant room where they entertain, and last but not least is a smaller room where the Queen and Makin often secretly meet."
Without hesitation, I step forward and place my hands on the invisible wall in front of us. My hands call to the magic and I internally insist that there's an opening that we can get through. I picture reuni
ting with Miri and returning back to Aurora safely.
The low vibrations quickly shift into a humming that's first felt by my hands and then by the growing in my ears that rattles my brain. I don't fight it. I let the magic consume me. I side step to the left and kneel down.
I extend my hand through the wall and the buzzing ceases. Another opening. I poke through the hole and look from side to side. Still no one. The nagging feeling that something isn't right churns in my stomach.
Ry and Ayu follow close behind. I motion toward the stairs alerting the two of my plans. "I'm going upstairs to see if Miri is in her room. Why don't we split up and you look around down here."
"Okay, if you need me, holler. But I know you can handle yourself." Ry smirks and before I can come back with a witty response he's gone. I drop the invisibility cloak because I can't keep it on all of us moving in different directions. Instead I decide to use my ability to call on Miri's magic. I'm not sure if it will work, but I try.
Focusing, I inhale sharply and hold it. There it is. I hear a low, familiar vibration. I exhale as I begin to scale two stairs at a time. Ayu buzzes along beside me. The feeling I sensed ahead of me grows into a buzz that swallows up my whole body. I rapidly blink in an effort to focus but it's not working. It paralyzes me and I must retreat. I shake my head to clear out the noise. I fight my ability; I need to think and I can't with all the noise.
I fold up and plop down on the cold, rock floor at the top of the stairway. "Princess, are you okay? Should I get Master Ry? What's happening?" Ayu's voice is riddled with concern but I can't console him. I need quiet.
A few moments elapse and my head begins to feel clearer. I blink my eyes and see Ayu's panicked look spread across his face. "I'm okay." My attempt at making him feel better fails.
Don't speak, Princess. I sense a being close by. Can you cover us with the invisibility cloak?
I can try, I reply.
I picture the two of us crumpled up on the floor masked by the cloak. After a long minute of wondering if it will work the cloak wraps around us. Just in time as an unfamiliar guard stalks down the hall right toward us.
Disorder (The Stellar Series Book 2) Page 10
