“And what happened to the Fairy Godmother?” asked Mother.
Lily’s eyebrows shot up. She’d never asked this question before.
“She went far away to rescue someone else who needed her help.”
Mother’s face fell at this answer, as a flash of anger crossed her eyes. “Who’s she helping?”
“I don’t know. Somebody who needs her, just like Ella did.” Lily hoped this answer was good enough. How did Mother expect her to know what happened to a made-up character in a story?
“But who?” pressed Mother, her voice rising in pitch. “Who is she helping?”
“Someone who needs her,” said Lily again. “Some poor girl trapped somewhere who’s made to do chores and treated like a servant, never allowed to leave her house.”
Mother winced and Lily shrank back, knowing she’d pushed things too far.
“The balcony,” said Mother pointing to a double set of doors. “You’re to sleep on the balcony tonight, Angel. I don’t want to see your face.”
“No, Mother, please,” begged Lily. The last time she’d been forced to sleep out there she’d almost frozen to death. Perhaps this time she would. And how could the golden-haired prince save her if she was already dead? “It was only a story. I don’t know what happens afterward!”
“Out! Out! Out!” Mother shrieked and for the first time, Lily wondered what punishment could she give her that was worse than how she currently lived? Now that she’d seen the face of her prince, she didn’t want to live by Mother’s rules. Or her punishments. She had a destiny that didn’t involve telling stories to a selfish woman who’d lost her mind.
“No.” Lily crossed her arms and stared down at Mother.
“What did you say?” Mother stood up and crossed her arms in return.
“I said no.” She stretched out the word to make sure her meaning was clear. “You sleep out there if you like.”
Lily left the room before another word could be spoken.
“Angel!” called Mother. “You’ll be sorry for this. Angel! Come back here.”
But just like Ella in the story, Lily went straight to her room and closed the door without looking back once.
If only there was somewhere further she could run. If only the Fairy Godmother could hear her cries.
GABRIELLE
THE BEFORE
Gabrielle sat at her table, peeling her orange with careful precision so as not to waste a single segment of this delicious fruit. Once, there’d been a time in her life when food like this was a luxury. But that was back when she’d been locked in a cell accused of being a witch.
She wasn’t a witch. Or maybe she was and just thought of herself using a different name. She supposed, she was old and gray with a crooked back and missing teeth and she did see the future. Did that make her a witch? Queen Rose’s mother, Aurelia, had called her an angel. That sounded so much better than a witch.
Many years ago, she’d had a vision of an army who could whisper for Forte Cadence and make their wishes come true. She’d told Aurelia about her vision, who’d told her husband. But instead of wishing for food for the people, King Virtus had made selfish wishes. He hadn’t counted on three things, though.
Rose. Jeremiah. And Micah.
Three incredible human beings who overthrew the King and restored health to the people. Now Rose was Queen, with Jeremiah her Prince. And his sister, Micah, lived in the Valley of the Blessed with her husband, Tallis, not far from Gabrielle’s small but comfortable home.
She slid a piece of orange into her mouth and smiled. Life would be perfect, just as it was meant to be, if it weren’t for one thing. Princess Lily had vanished, an event that not even Gabrielle had foreseen. She was so upset with herself she’d left the palace and moved to the Valley. What use was a seer who could no longer see?
It’d been years since Gabrielle’s eyes had turned blind, but the loss of her visions was more recent, having vanished upon the King’s death, almost as if the universe had decided she no longer needed them.
It was quiet in her head now and she almost wished to be back in the dungeon underneath the palace with her visions to keep her company. Almost.
She heard her front door open and a set of familiar footsteps approaching.
“Hello, Micah,” she said, a clear image of what she thought Micah looked like imprinted in her brain.
“How do you always know it’s me?” Micah sat down in the chair next to Gabrielle.
“Would you like some of my orange?” asked Gabrielle, having already heard Micah bite into a piece.
“Nothing gets past you.” Micah laughed.
“How’s that handsome husband of yours?” asked Gabrielle.
“How do you know he’s handsome?”
“Do you always answer a question with a question?” Gabrielle smiled. “He has a kind voice. That makes him handsome to me.”
“He’ll be over later with some more food for you from the palace.”
“I told you he was kind.” Gabrielle may have left the palace but she was still well looked after. She never wanted for anything, not that she needed very much.
“Yeah, and just for the record he’s handsome, too,” said Micah.
“Kind faces are always handsome faces.” Gabrielle reached for Micah’s hand. “So what brings you here to visit an old woman like me?”
Micah encased her hand in the warmth of her grasp. “I need to talk to you about something.”
Gabrielle waited for her to continue. “Yes, my child.”
“Your visions. I know you said you haven’t had one for years, but… what were they like when you did have them?”
Now, this was unexpected.
“I can only describe them as dreams I had while I was awake. I quite liked them, especially when they were good visions. It felt like I could see again. Why do you ask?”
“I had a dream last night,” said Micah. “It was while I was asleep, which doesn’t sound so unusual, but I’ve never had a dream this clear before. It was about Lily. She was underneath the water with her hair floating out like some kind of crown. She looked so sad and scared. Like she was reaching out for me to help her. Do you think it could mean something?”
“It’s hard to know,” said Gabrielle, truthfully. “Only you can answer that, my sweet girl. Do you think it means something?”
“I don’t know. I mean, Lily would be seventeen by now. Everyone said she looked like me.” Micah was tapping her feet on the floor, never able to sit still. “Maybe I’m dreaming of myself, but why would I dream of myself under the water? We live nowhere near the ocean. Do you think she’s still alive? Could she really be out there somewhere?”
“I wish I knew.” Gabrielle sighed, deciding she’d happily go back to the dungeon if it could somehow have prevented that poor child being snatched away. Her disappearance had tainted so many lives.
“Oh, Gabrielle, I miss Lily so much.” Micah grabbed at her hand more tightly now. “Do you think it could be her? I want it to be her. But, am I just seeing what I want to see?”
“I know you miss her.” Gabrielle moved a little closer. “Maybe it would help if you had a child of your own?”
“What’s the point if they only get taken away?” Micah sounded angry now. This wasn’t a subject Gabrielle should have raised. Not everyone had a say in whether or not they were blessed with a child.
“Forgive me,” said Gabrielle, but Micah didn’t seem to hear.
“I want to go and look for her, only Tallis says it isn’t a good idea. But I know how to look after myself. I did it for years when Jeremiah first went to the palace as a Whisperer. I can do it again. I’m older now and stronger.”
“You’re very strong,” said Gabrielle, fully aware of her own weakness. She wasn’t long for this world now. Soon it would be time to move onto another place, whatever that was. “But where would you look for her?”
“Feldspar.”
Gabrielle’s heart picked up a strong beat and she sat b
ack in her chair, letting go of Micah’s hand. “You can’t go there! It’s the one kingdom not in the alliance.”
“That’s why I’m certain she’s there. She can’t possibly be anywhere else. We’ve already looked. Feldspar is surrounded by water. It must be the place I saw in my dream.”
“But you may never come back. Micah.” If only she had her visions, she’d be able to advise her properly. It was so frustrating not knowing the outcome of such a big decision.
“Have you had a vision about this?” asked Micah.
“No, it’s just a fact. Nobody comes back from Feldspar. They never have.”
“And the Whisperers weren’t supposed to be able to break free either, remember? Jeremiah would still be walking silently through the palace with his head shaved bald if I didn’t come to break him out.”
Gabrielle nodded, unable to argue with this. Micah had indeed rescued her brother at the time he needed her most.
“I would’ve gone years ago, except Jeremiah begged me not to endanger myself again. But this dream… Maybe that’s what it’s telling me? Maybe I’m meant to go. It has to be better than sitting here wondering. Rose was such a wonderful Queen before this happened. The best ruler we’ve ever had. But ever since Lily’s disappearance, she’s been… distracted. It won’t take long before we’re all back to where we started and I can’t let that happen!”
“Hush, child.” Gabrielle didn’t wish to hear a word against Rose, even if it was true. Both Rose and Jeremiah had lost some of the fight in them the day their daughter had vanished. But Micah hadn’t. She was as feisty and determined as ever. Perhaps her going after Lily wasn’t such a bad idea. If only they could be certain of her safety.
“Is there anyone else you know of who has visions like yours?” asked Micah.
“Not in this kingdom,” said Gabrielle, answering as honestly as she could.
“Then where?” asked Micah, picking up on what Gabrielle had left out.
“The Alchemist in Wintergreen is known to have visions,” she said.
“Jeremiah met him at the royal wedding in Wintergreen,” said Micah, pushing back her chair. “He said he was a good man.”
“But I didn’t say you should—”
“Thank you!” Micah stooped to kiss Gabrielle on the cheek and rushed off the same way she always did. That woman didn’t seem to know how to walk.
She just hoped Micah would get her answers from the Alchemist. Answers that she herself had been unable to give.
She stood up from the table and went to her bed, overwhelmed with fatigue. That conversation had taken more out of her than it should’ve.
Her bones creaked as she lay down and pulled a blanket over herself.
It was only then that she was hit with a vision so strong it knocked the breath from her lungs. She saw a girl with long red hair sitting on the bottom of the ocean. This was Micah’s dream. But was she only imagining what Micah had described or was this a vision of her own? The girl held a purple stone in her hands and her dark eyes were imploring Gabrielle to help her.
“Princess Lily!” gasped Gabrielle, no doubt that this was a real vision of her own. Her imagination had never been as vivid as this.
Gabrielle drew in a deep breath, watching as the vision faded, surprised to see it replaced with a new vision of a lighthouse, standing alone in the middle of an angry ocean. The stone structure was shaking, with large cracks opening up down its sides.
“Watch out!” Gabrielle called to Princess Lily beneath the water, despite knowing she couldn’t hear her.
The lighthouse shook more violently now as parts of it broke away and tumbled into the ocean, sending water shooting into the air. If Lily was under there, she’d be killed for sure. Micah hadn’t mentioned this part of the vision, which must mean she hadn’t seen it.
Then the entire structure fell. Slowly at first, gathering speed as it collapsed in on itself, the greedy water below opening its jaws and swallowing the lighthouse like a hungry beast, leaving nothing but the angry sea in its place.
It was Micah who Gabrielle called for now, shouting her name over and over inside her empty house until her voice was hoarse. She needed to warn her. That lighthouse was destined to crash into the ocean, taking down anyone who was near it. Micah may have been given the vision of Lily needing her help, but she didn’t know that soon it would be too late.
“Micah!” she called again. “You must hurry!”
Gabrielle clutched at her chest, unable to fill her lungs with air.
Had her visions been restored to her right as her life was about to be taken? Please, let her stay alive long enough to warn Micah of the lighthouse’s impending doom. No time could be wasted. If Micah wanted to rescue her niece then she had to do it now.
Gabrielle closed her eyes, fighting the realization that her own time was up. She’d reached the end of her own journey and it was time now for her soul to fly into the sky to join her own loved ones. There was one soul in particular who’d been waiting a very long time and she couldn’t wait to be by his side once more.
Her heartbeat slowed.
Slowed some more.
Before the heavens could claim her, she decided to try to do one last thing. She brought Micah to her mind. Not her face, as she’d never set eyes on her, but her spirit. She concentrated on Micah, sending her strength and power. If she succeeded, she’d also send her the power Gabrielle had thought she’d lost. The power to see things that couldn’t be seen. Perhaps then, Micah would know how quickly she needed to act.
Gabrielle’s heart beat its very last beat, then stopped.
The woman who’d once been called an angel was a real angel now. Her soul was free, and at last her eyes could see.
LILY
THE BEFORE
Lily rubbed at the fluorite stones that lined the banister of the curved stairwell in the lighthouse, enjoying the way they sparkled at the attention. There were pink stones, green, purple, and blue arranged in an order so random that it looked planned. Fluorite stones were known to draw away negative energy and cleanse the mind, although as Lily polished them, her mind felt far from cleansed.
Over the years, Mother had taught Lily about the benefits of all the stones in the lighthouse and Lily often wondered if because she was the one to polish them, if she was also the one who derived the most benefit from them. It did seem that was the case. She felt stronger than she ever had. She’d stood up to Mother and refused to sleep on the balcony, and apart from Mother calling out after her and giving her the silent treatment for a few days, there’d been no significant fallout.
She’d spotted Father’s small boat riding over the waves not long ago, which meant he was due to arrive soon. This was why she’d decided to clean the stairwell. Sometimes, she waited outside for him, perching herself on one of the sharp rocks that surrounded the lighthouse, but not today. The wind was too cold and the rain too persistent. But so devoted was Father to his Queen that he’d braved the elements anyway. Or perhaps he didn’t want to create a storm inside the lighthouse with his absence.
It wasn’t only the Queen who was disappointed when Father failed to visit, it was Lily too, not because she especially liked his company, but because he was the only other person she had contact with apart from Mother. Sometimes he brought snippets of news from Feldspar or the other kingdoms themselves and she’d hang on his words and turn them over in her mind later.
The giant iron door at the bottom of the stairwell swung open and she saw a servant stand back and allow the King to enter.
“Angel!” Father smiled up at her. He was a tall man, with thinning black hair and a bushy beard that did its best to balance out what was missing from his head.
“Hello, Father.” Normally, she’d run down the stairs to him, but not today. It was about time he saw her life for what it was, so she continued to rub at the banisters, each stone winking at her one by one with her touch.
“I have more treasures for you.” Father climbed the stai
rs, holding up a cloth bag for her to see. “A beautiful new apophyllite amongst them.”
“Great!” She grinned at him. “I was running out of treasures to clean.”
“You’ll never run out of treasures,” said Father, missing the sarcasm in her voice.
“Wonderful.” Lily continued to rub at the fluorite stones, wondering if any of them had been dug out of the earth with her own hands. It was very possible given the number of years she’d spent as a Fossicker, mining for treasures, before she’d been brought here. Of course, back in those days, she hadn’t known the names of the crystals or what powers they possessed.
“What do you see when you look at these treasures?” asked Father, reaching the landing and noticing her concentration.
Her stomach pulled tight. How could she tell him that when she looked at the crystals, she saw the children who’d fossicked for them? Children with dirty faces and empty stomachs who’d been taken from their parents’ arms and forced into small tunnels underneath the earth.
“I see beauty,” she said, getting as close to the truth as she dared. The children had been beautiful.
“Like mother, like daughter.” Father shook his head and laughed.
Lily tried to hide her grimace. There was so much wrong with what he’d just said.
“Shall we go and find your mother?” he asked.
“She’ll be angry if I don’t finish my chores.” Lily wanted to be very clear that she wasn’t polishing these stones by choice and the frown that crossed the King’s brow told her that her message had hit home.
“Mother loves you, Angel.”
“I’m her greatest treasure.” She smiled at Father hoping it would be enough to placate him.
“Where is she today?” he asked.
“The kitchen,” she replied, wondering why he didn’t just look for her himself. There weren’t too many places she could be.
The Kingdoms of Evernow Box Set Page 92
