Clara and Ezra

by Lindsey Richardson

  Ezra coughed, and my heart sunk. My eyes turned to Gemma immediately, and I let out a sigh at the realization single cough would not kill her.

  Someone knocked on a door nearby. Every muscle in my body wanted to look back in hopes of seeing someone who could rescue us, but I dared not move.

  “Alright, now listen very closely. If you want Gemma to live you will follow my instructions. We are leaving the palace. You will not follow us. You’ll allow everyone in this room to leave… alive. If anyone tries anything, Gemma dies. Next will be Claire, then Clara, and so on and so forth. Don’t test me,” the man said sternly.

  I looked to Ezra’s window. It was open and a rope dangled from the edge of it. It looked as though these intruders had climbed their way into the palace, and now they would repeat the process to escape. While their escape plan seemed well thought out, the Watchers mourned the outside permitter did not know about this scheme. My hope rested in them, thought they might have been compromised as well.

  The people in the room left in small groups. No one amongst the councilors said anything. What choice did we have?

  All the while the man holding Gemma stared at me. He and the other woman remained with Gemma. I suspected they would be the last ones to leave the room. I anxiously awaited for them to release Gemma so we could ensure her safety.

  It narrowed down to the final two. The man still held his dagger against Gemma’s neck while his female companion went out the window. Once she went down with ease the man followed behind. As he approached the window he dragged Gemma along with him.

  I feared he might betray us and take Gemma with them, making it impossible for us to secure her safety. As soon as his free hand touched the rope he released her and grabbed onto the rope, leaping out of the window and down the side of the palace.

  “Gem!” Alec yelled, rushing to her.

  Everyone gathered around her, asking if she had been harmed, checking for possible injuries. I embraced her momentarily, but the crowd was overwhelming, and I quickly backed off.

  I glanced around the room for any sign of Lukas. Again I wanted to believe I had been mistaken and that he was indeed somewhere here amongst us. I took a head count. Everyone was in the room except for Lukas. He was missing.

  “Has anyone seen Lukas?” I asked.

  The commotion around Gemma stopped, and everyone fell silent again.

  “He was behind you…” Declan said, glancing around the room in a panic.

  Alec ran out into the hallway, calling for Lukas as if this might be some twisted joke. The kind of joke not even Lukas would dare to play.

  For every step we took forward it seemed we fell several steps behind. We had managed to save Gemma in time, but it had cost us Lukas. Was Stefan the mastermind behind this plan as well? Had he taken over in Elias’s place only to prove to be the more violent and merciless one?

  Not him too. Not Lukas… I thought, remembering how closely Lukas and I had been working together. He had aided in rescuing Claire, joined me when I sought out my mother, and had shared in my darkest of secrets.

  First they attacked Ezra, and now they had Lukas. Whoever was behind this had kept a close eye on me. They knew what Lukas meant to me, and now his relationship with me would harm him.

  Was Lukas already dead? Would we find his body somewhere in the palace?

  Claire clapped her hands together.

  “Someone find Daphne,” she said, and mass chaos followed.

  Half of the councilors present abandoned the room and rushed out into the hallway.

  I hesitated, looking back at Ezra. Someone had to stay with him, and I did not know if Watchers guarding the room would be enough to protect him.

  My eyes fell upon Bellona. She was amongst the other half of councilors who did not know about Daphne. She was unaware that during the madness she had gained another bastard child. I winced at how she might react to finding her husband had laid with yet another woman during their marriage.

  “Stay with him,” I said, looking to Bellona and Dorian.

  They nodded, though seemingly confused as to where they belonged. They stayed behind while I caught up to Alec and grabbed his arm, dragging him further out into the hallway with me.

  “Clara, who are we looking for?” Alec asked, looking both ways with wide eyes.

  “The most important person in the palace right now,” I said.

  Though he continued to offer a puzzled stare, I kept my eyes on Claire and Declan. They knew Daphne had been locked away in one of the guest bedrooms.

  I stood with Alec, holding onto his arm now for support, in fear as I watched our friends come up empty handed. The hallway was clear of any Watchers who had previously been posted. I wondered where they had gone between the time Daphne introduced herself to the time the intruders broke in.

  Gemma exited one of the bedrooms with a Watcher following directly behind her. Everyone stopped, holding their breath, waiting for him to say something.

  “She… she’s gone,” the Watcher said, panting.

  More footsteps approached. Everly rushed to us, and I turned to her in hopes of some news. Nina, Daphne, Lukas… all of these people suddenly unaccounted for.

  Sweat dripped down her face, and she shook her head.

  “The prisoner… She’s escaped…” she panted.

  The prisoner? I thought, shaking my head, thinking I had misheard her.

  “Tell me, what has happened?” Claire asked, approaching them.

  “The prisoner, ma’am. Nina Nasso has escaped…” she said.

  I stepped back until my back hit the wall. I waited for them to explain there had been had been a misunderstanding. Perhaps my mother had been captured and secured in her cell again. I held my breath, thinking that Ezra was in the other room bleeding because of something my mother had gotten involved in. All because my mother had fallen in love with yet another powerful and dangerous man.

  “And what of Daphne Barlow?” Claire asked as her cheeks turned a darker shade of red.

  “She escaped as well, ma’am. She freed herself from the cuffs. I dare say… it seemed she had a key,” the male Watcher replied.

  My eyes widened. Alec and I exchanged looks. No one had keys to the cuffs except for Watchers and councilors. How had Daphne obtained one? Had she planned to be cuffed upon revealing her true intentions? She had outwitted Keanu and now a Watcher.

  “We underestimated them…” I whispered, thinking now two dangerous women roamed the island freely.

  30

  Magic’s Touch

  It was nearly impossible to stand still. I wanted so badly to abandon the Watchers and rush to the dungeon, to see for myself if it was true. Had Nina managed to escape? We lost Nina and Daphne without warning, and along with them Lukas was nowhere to be found. It could not be a coincidence.

  We had lost control of the palace. Our home had been turned into a battlefield.

  “How did this happen?” Claire asked.

  “I heard screams, and several of us went into the dungeon to investigate. Someone had killed the guards. Every single one of them,” Everly explained, shuddering at her own account.

  “Remus?” Claire asked, turning her attention to the male Watcher.

  “I… I failed you, ma’am. I look away for a moment, and when I turned around the girl was free of her cuffs. She struck me over the head and ran like a fox…”

  “This is all my fault…” Claire whispered.

  I frowned. “How could this be your fault? We were held against our will. No one blames you for this.”

  Claire leaned in closer to me.

  “I ordered the Watchers in the hallway to direct their efforts elsewhere. I wanted to find the person who attacked Ezra so badly it cost us what little security we had left. Daphne, Nina, Lukas… Now they’re all gone!” Claire cried, shuddering at the realization.

  I opened my mouth to say something, but she cut me off and instead returned her attention to the Watchers.

  “Take m
e to the dungeon,” Claire said firmly.

  Declan stepped forward. “Love, are you sure—”

  Claire cut him off, keeping her attention on the Watchers.

  “Show me,” she said again, and they did not deny her.

  Everly led the way, and I quickly followed behind Claire. The others also fell in line behind us, presumably not knowing where they belonged at a time like this. We were too stunned to know where to go from here.

  Nina had disappeared before. lately it seemed like a new skill of hers. What were the chances we would find her again?

  We descended the staircase. I followed closely behind Claire, though I feared I would not be prepared for what awaited us in the dungeon. Ezra and Lukas did not accompany me this time to assure me of anything. Even amongst the other councilors, I knew nothing good would come out of our visit to the dungeon. Last time Ren had been killed. This time our own Watchers had been attacked and murdered.

  I thought about the Watchers who had lost their lives guarding Nina. They lost their lives trying to protect us, trying to do their job as was their duty.

  An attack this large could not have been done by Nina herself, especially when she had been behind bars. Someone else had helped her, and the surprise visitors in Ezra’s bedroom had been a reminder. Nina’s arrest had only fueled something bigger than what any of us had imagined.

  We reached the bottom of the staircase. Watchers were still stationed at the front doors and patrolling the hallways like normal. Without Lukas here to lead them they were like lost sheep.

  Claire stopped one, pulling him in closer to her.

  “Have every Watcher searching for Nina Nasso, Daphne Barlow, and Lukas Pavlous. Find them and bring them back to me,” Claire said firmly.

  The man nodded and rushed to the nearest Watcher, explaining the situation. I wanted to follow after him and help in his pursuit, but I knew there was a reason Claire had not given orders to the remainder of us. We needed to see what damage had been done in the wake of the ambush.

  As soon as we entered the dungeon I could smell it. Blood. It was a smell I had become all too familiar with ever since Father’s death.

  Remus grabbed a torch from the wall and continued leading us further down the stairs.

  We reached the bottom and stared at the bloodbath.

  Four bodies laid sprawled out across the floor. Blood splatter covered the floor. The bodies laid motionless and covered with different wounds. Unlike previous victims this had not been the work of a dagger, and it certainly could not have been the work of one man. It seemed a variety of weapons had been used in order to avoid magic use and therefore unwanted attention.

  The amount of blood was enough to convince me I could walk away now knowing no one had survived this encounter. Nina had been successful in her escape, and the dead corpses were proof.

  Claire continued forward on her own. She continued walking until she stood in front of Nina’s cell, where one of the corpses laid against it. She stood there, staining her own dress in the puddle of blood, and stared.

  Gemma grabbed my arm, squeezing it, and together we stepped forward. The rest of the group slowly advanced to stand where we could look into Nina’s cell.

  The cell door had been closed again, as if no one had left, but the cell itself was entirely empty. I looked across the hall, remembering another prisoner being held held here, but his body laid in his own cell covered in blood. Whoever had been here was careful enough to not leave behind evidence.

  Alec and Declan approached each of the corpses, checking for any sign of a pulse. If even one of them had managed to live from this attack they might be able to tell us who was responsible for this.

  “This one! He’s alive!” Alec shouted, standing over by the Watcher furthest away from us.

  Declan and Remus rushed over to the body and carefully lifted him. He was covered in blood, and there was no telling what type of injuries he had sustained.

  “We’ll take him to Zachariah. This man needs treatment immediately!” Declan said, looking directly at Claire.

  “Go,” she said, barely giving him more than a second’s glance.

  The men left, and it was down to me, Gemma, Claire, Keanu, and Everly. We remained standing in front of Nina’s cell as if somehow, by staring at it long enough, we would bring her back. As if our concentration would solve this mystery.

  “Nina is gone, but Lukas… He… He’s missing. I should be out there searching for him!” I yelled, realizing he had been nearly forgotten in the chaos of events.

  “You’re right, but take Keanu with you,” she replied.

  I did not question it. I wiggled my arm out of Gemma’s grip and locked eyes with Keanu. I dared not even question why Keanu had to come along. The more help, the merrier. I was more concerned about Lukas’s whereabouts than Nina’s. She had proven nothing but deceitful and cruel. Lukas was my friend, someone I had shared intimate truths with, and Keanu, like me, had the motive to find him.

  We left without asking for further permission or advice on where to start. Neither of us knew where to go from here, but I would search the entire damn island before I gave up on Lukas.

  They could not have gotten far with him. Perhaps whoever had helped Nina and Daphne escape also took Lukas with them. Perhaps we would find the three of them together. It was wishful thinking, but we had nothing else to go off of.

  “Clara, where are we going?” Keanu asked, as we rushed out of the dungeon.

  I stared at the front doors ahead of us. Everything had turned into pure chaos since Daphne’s arrival.

  I hummed a tone, hoping Keanu would forget his question or accept my silence. I knew no better than him as to where we would begin our search. I felt like I was replaying a mystery that had already been solved. Claire’s disappearance. But this time someone had taken Lukas, something horrible had happened to him when none of us had bothered to pay attention.

  “Actually…” I muttered, thinking to myself that if we needed a place to start I knew someone who I had yet to return a visit to.

  “I know someone who might be able to help,” I explained.

  The only person I had left to turn to was Kade’s sister, Ahna. She had been the last person Lukas and I spoke with. perhaps someone had seen us interact with her, and I prayed we would not be too late. If Ahna had already been captured or killed we would be on our own. She was the only living connection I had to Stefan, to Kade, to these men who killed without mercy.

  We rushed outside. I gathered up some of my dress’s fabric into my hands. It seemed impossible to run. Luckily Lukas’s horse had remained outside.

  I gestured to Keanu, and he nodded. He mounted the horse and helped me get on it.

  Within moments we rode away from the palace, and I guided him in the direction of Ahna’s house.

  Keanu did not question why we traveled away from the palace and toward the beach. As we passed by Watchers I shouted at them, advising them to follow us. It would not be wise to travel alone. Even if Ahna was alive, she could be the key to finding Stefan.

  It seemed Stefan had started a rebellion of sorts, an alliance of dangerous mages that proved to be larger than we predicted. Keanu and I could not afford to challenge them alone. Our first concern was Lukas’s safety. Once we found him we needed to arrest Stefan and any of his associates.

  Please be alive, Lukas. You have to survive this.

  31

  Loyal To You

  I sat in a large, dark room with only a single candle in the middle, illuminating several faces near me. A red haired man stood in front of me, holding a sword with a golden hilt. My hands were bound with rope, and my mouth was gagged with fabric. Though my hands had been tied behind me something cold rested against my wrists, presumably cuffs. I would not be able to use my magic.

  The candlelight barely illuminated the people who surrounded me. I tried to take in as many details as possible. If I somehow managed to survive this any details I collected would be critical to
the Council.

  Though it was difficult to determine my setting, I was definitely in a home of some sort, possibly a manor. The wood on the floor was well polished.

  The man in front of me wore fine fabric and a decorated jacket with a black and green design. his hand, which remained firmly on the hilt of his sword, was decorated with several silver rings. Black tattoos also covered his hands, though the designs were impossible to determine in the poor lighting.

  “Relax, you’re amongst friends,” the man said.

  I glanced around at the other people in the room. A variety of men and women gathered around, though they remained in the shadows. I wondered how many people in this room were my neighbors.

  “I’d like us to speak openly with one another. Now, I must be honest with you, my dear boy. We are miles away from anyone. If you scream no one will hear you. If you were to somehow escape,e we would catch you. Do you understand?” the man asked.

  I nodded slowly. The last thing I wanted to do was beg for my release. I was alive, and that meant that in some way I was valuable to these people. I had to ensure I did not outlive my usefulness. This man seemed familiar with me. If he was an ally of my father’s perhaps he believed I shared the same beliefs as my father.

  Unfortunately if what he said was true the likelihood of Clara ever finding me was slim. She had only found Claire by getting kidnapped herself, and I doubted this man was foolish enough to capture any of my friends. They had taken me and me alone for a very specific reason. As to what that reason could be I did not have the slightest idea.

  “My name is Stefan Maris. I was a friend of your father’s. We worked together… All of us did,” he said.

  I held my breath, stopping myself from dropping my jaw. Stefan was here with me. My mind rushed to Clara. I thought about all the time we had spent searching for this ma we thought was as good as gone, but here he was. He was alive and had at one point been close enough to the palace to capture me. It seemed he had picked up where my father had left off.