She raised her head again and watched the doctor flailing up above. “If she doesn’t break her neck first from struggling, I’m sure a fall at this height would.” The Sorceress raised her arm higher.
“No! Don’t kill her!” I shouted.
“The crown. Now!” bellowed the Sorceress.
I couldn’t believe it. All that we sacrificed to get this crown, lost.
Hailey stood slowly and faced looked at me. “I’m sorry. I wish I could help you right now.”
I looked around me and saw Taylor standing there with Blaise. Both were looking at me with apologetic eyes.
“Please don’t feel bad. You didn’t fail me.” I said, reading the looks on their faces.
“We really wish we could have helped more,” Taylor said.
I don’t know if it was the tone of her voice, or the fact that I now knew I could trust all of them but an idea came to me. One last play. “Please listen to me carefully, I’m going to let go of the crown. When I do, I only ask that you do what you’ve been training for, what you love doing, and what you do best.” I gazed at their faces and knew they understood what I meant.
I picked up the crown and threw it high up in the air. Everyone’s eyes followed the crown in shock and horror as the most powerful crown in all the realms sailed past our heads towards the crack of the dome. The sharp edges of the obsidian stone sparkled against the moonlit sky. The Sorceress let out a blood-curdling laugh and with flair, pulled her hand away from the doctor, releasing her hold. The doctor’s eyes started to bulge when she realized she was falling straight to the ground. All at once, everybody moved as if we rehearsed it all. Blaise zigzagged around Hailey and Kieran and got to the spot in time to break the doctor’s fall. The two toppled to the ground with Blaise wincing from his injury and the doctor still recovering from the shock and the sudden influx of air.
At the same time, the Sorceress raised her left hand to take the crown but Hailey was already in action. With a running start she jumped to grab the crown as if it was a baseball. As her fingers were about to reach the crown, a single fireball passed in between. “What the—” Hailey said as she recoiled from the heat and landed on the ground empty-handed. The crown tumbled to the ground.
We turned around fully expecting an attack from the Sorceress. But from the ground, Kieran still had his hand pointing where the fireball was shot.
“Kieran! Why?” I asked, my voice cracking for the hurt of the betrayal.
There was no answer from Kieran, who decided it best to cower behind the Sorceress.
“Watch out! The crown is falling into the crater!” Taylor yelled, pointing at the crown that was still rolling away towards the deep chasm of the cave floor.
I ran for it but another blast from Kieran prevented me from moving forward. Anticipating further attacks, Taylor did what came natural to a gymnast. She needed to cover a lot of ground to get to the crown without getting hit by a fireball. She took a running start, dodged a fireball as she leaped into the air, dodged another as she performed her round off and yet another as she landed on her feet about a yard away from the rolling crown. She reached out and her hand grasped the edge of the crown as it was falling of the cliff. She pulled it back from the dark crevice. She was trying to get balanced it and at the same time secure the crown on her hand. Another fireball blast from Kieran sent it flying again. But this time, the Sorceress had plenty of time to prepare. The crown floated straight into her hands to the dismay of everyone.
Her shriek shook the cave, a mirthless, demented laughter followed by, “Well played but you lost! Don’t even think this is over. You have forty-eight hours to tell me how to make the crown work or you might as well get used to prison. The authorities already think you killed your parents. It would be so easy to kill them and make it look like you did it. Forty-eight hours, Abigail!”
“Grab her, quickly!” one of the Brotherhood members ordered and they rushed towards the Sorceress.
But she was faster. The Sorceress became like an ethereal blur.and rematerialized next to Kieran. The Brotherhood ran after her but she grabbed Kieran by his clothes, closed her hands in front of her as if squeezing something in the air, and vanished.
“Follow her!” was the last thing we heard as one by one the Brotherhood dematerialized.
CHAPTER 22
Dark Storm Rising
I took but a moment to catch my breath before I started to look for the Brotherhood. I wanted to ask them some questions. But they never came back. Taylor, Hailey, and I took the doctor and Blaise to the hospital.
Taylor stayed with Blaise and Hailey and I stayed with the doctor in her room. We wanted to make sure she didn’t get kidnapped by the Sorceress again.
“You must learn how to open the Sanctuary. The incantation is written in my journal in my office. It’s a green leather-bound journal on top of the bookcase by the window. You can use the Sanctuary however you like,” Doctor McGrath said.
I nodded to show understanding but what I was really feeling was embarassment. Shame rushed through my body like a cold shower. I couldn’t believe all those times I suspected her of doing something bad, yet here she was still trying to help me. I wondered if I didn’t distrust her so much, if only I believed in what she was saying about the box, maybe none of these would have happened. I stepped closer to her bed and took her hand in mine. “Thank you, Dr. McGrath,” I said quietly. “I’m really, really sorry this happened to you. I wish I could have saved you from all this.”
“I know you tried, Abigail, but you must dig deep into your past. You must find a way to remember. Your parents wouldn’t have left you with that box without telling you how to use it. And the Sorceress will not rest until you found a way to make the crown work,” she said, weakly.
“I will think back. I promise. In the meantime, you need to rest and to heal. We will be back as soon as we have something.” I released the doctor’s hand.
“Rest well, Doctor McGrath,” Hailey said from the other side of her bed.
I motioned for Hailey to follow me out of the room. As we were closing the door, we heard loud sobbing from the room next door. Then we saw a couple emerge from the room. We assumed they were Blaise’s parents. His dad was comforting his mom who was very distraught. We waited a few minutes until they entered the elevator before we went next door. From outside of Blaise’s room we heard Taylor’s strained crying.
“Taylor, are you okay?” I asked.
“No, no I’m not okay. Those were Blaise’s parents. The hospital doctor just informed them that he suffered third-degree burns on his shoulder and back. They don’t know what caused the burn just that it is not responding to treatment. They asked me and I had to lie. I told them I thought it was just a prank with a barbecue that went wrong. I can’t even help him now and he put his life on the line for me, for us! And for what? Just so he can prove to us that he is innocent of what you were accusing him of!” She paused to gulp more air.
“Taylor, I am so sorry,” I said. “We went without really thinking it through. We should never have—”
“That’s right; we should never have gone there. His body is in shock so they had to put him in a coma. I don’t know why or how we got involved in this but I know it’s my fault. He didn’t know where to go. I took him there because I just wanted to show you he is really a good guy. Now you know. We risked everything and that Kieran betrayed us. We should never have gone there.” She stomped her right foot in frustration. She started to cry uncontrollably.
My heart felt like glass shattering with each of Taylor’s sobs. Hailey got some water from the water fountain and gave it to Taylor. She drank the water and her sobbing subsided somewhat.
“Taylor, we didn’t know you and Blaise were going there. We were not even going to go inside. We were going to call you after we’d cased the place. How did you even know where to find us?” Hailey asked.
“I was in the dream,” Taylor confessed. “I was the one following you in the dream. I saw the Broken Heart Mansion. But I didn’t want any of you guys to know because I just don’t want to be involved. I just want this to be over so I can go back to my normal life. But you were accusing Blaise of being one of the hooded men. I couldn’t let that go. So I took him there and now I don’t even know when or if he is ever going to wake up!”
“Taylor, I am so sorry. I never meant for anyone to get hurt. I never meant for Blaise to get hurt.”
Taylor stopped sobbing. She raised her head and looked directly at me. There was something about the coldness in her eyes and the stiffness of her demeanor that felt like she punched me in the gut. When she spoke, it took everything I had not to fall apart. “That’s always the case though, isn’t it? You never meant any of it. But it doesn’t excuse the fact that people get hurt around you. Your parents, Dr. McGrath, Blaise, and even that weasel Kieran. I mean, I get it, if I was Kieran and I died because you wouldn’t listen and open a stupid box, I might actually think of switching sides too. I know you don’t mean it, but people around you just get hurt and I don’t want to hurt anymore. I don’t want you to hurt people I love anymore. I just want my old life back. I just want Blaise back.” She got up from the chair, walked mechanically to the window, and stared out into the night.
“I know it hurts, Taylor, and we are sorry. We can’t do this without you. If you were in the dream, then you must be one of the Knights of the Crown...” Hailey said.
Taylor whirled around and faced Hailey and me, eyes blazing with mixed rage and pain.
“Please go and don’t tell me any more about any magic crap. Don’t get me involved in any of your quests. Have the police handle this. Let them do their jobs. Can’t you see what you’ve done! You have been so willing to sacrifice so much, to what end? We’ve lost the crown, we not only failed to rescue your parents but now they are going to get killed in two days, Dr. McGrath is next door beat up to a pulp, and your precious Kieran turned out to be a traitor! I know it won’t be fair to ask you to stop looking for your parents but please stop playing with people’s lives! Stop playing with our lives!” She turned away as her voice cracked and fresh tears streamed down her face.
Hailey took me by the arm and led me out of Blaise’s room. “Let’s go. She needs her space.”
She led me back to the hallway and into the elevator. Hailey pressed the “L” button for the lobby.
As soon as the door closed, I lost all control. My nerves were raw from the fight.My chest felt as thin and fragile as a cheap Christmas ornnamet. Seeing my friends like that shattered my heart into a million pieces. I couldn’t stop the sobbing. “This is all my fault. Taylor is right. People around me get hurt,” I said, pounding on the elevator wall. I couldn’t stand it anymore. My knees buckled under me from the weight of my responsibility. I didn’t stop or tried to fight anymore. I slumped on the floor, just letting it all out.
Hailey pressed the Stop button to halt the elevator. She put her arms around me and said, “It’s not your fault, Abi. Don’t worry, it will get better.” It was the first time since we met that she called me by my first name. But even that held no consolation to the pain I was going through. I released every hurt through every drop of tear, every sob and every wail.
After a few minutes, she pressed the button and the elevator resumed its descent. It reached the bottom and the door opened to the faces of Detective Dewitt and Detective Mercado.
CHAPTER 23
The Black Rose Bookstore
And Antiquary
I stepped out of the elevator, then looked at Hailey and said, “You were saying?”
Hailey shrugged and mouthed “Sorry”.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the tragically intriguing and oh-so-mysterious Miss Montserrat.” Detective Dewitt’s voice boomed in the hospital lobby. “Why am I not surprised? I hear there’s a missing boy from Thurgood, another in a coma, and Dr. McGrath was beaten up beyond recognition. Isn’t she your psychologist? Yes! I believe she is! What happened? Did she finally get you to confess your crime and you had to silence her? Or you had your mob connections torture her and bomb her office.”
There was a time when I would have pummeled this guy, I thought. But this is not the right time of place. Remember what Uncle Jake told me: He who angers you, conquers you.
I stood there staring at him, livid in anger but not going for his bait. “Not talking to you without my lawyer,” I said cooly.
“What no! She didn’t beat up the doctor? We rescued them...” Hailey protested.
“Oh look, you even got a friend now. Is she speaking for you now that your lawyer uncle is not around?” Dewitt continued.
He looked at Hailey and said, “Be careful how you choose your friends, with this one you could end up as an accessory.”
“You don’t know anything! And what about my rights to remain silent and to an attorney do you not get?” I said.
“Yaw wight, s’pose yaw tell us all ‘bout it, at the station,” Detective Mercado said through a seed he was trying to crack with his teeth.
“Suppose we don’t and I call my uncle first and tell him how you are harassing and detaining the two of us,” I said.
“Fine. Go! But I am warning you; don’t leave town, don’t get into any more trouble or so help me I will arrest you next time I see you.” They both stepped aside. Detective Dewitt bowed his head in mock formality and pointed to the hospital exit doors, which opened automatically as if on cue.
“Just a few more days! Tick tock, tick tock!” he called out. We ignored him and walked out of the hospital before the detectives could form another sophomoric thought.
“We need to find clues. We need to get to the Sanctuary and quick,” Hailey said.
“You got that right!” I agreed.
We went straight to Dr. McGrath’s office. The place was very dark but I noticed that the barricade used to board up the office had been pried open and the yellow police ribbon that said “Crime Scene. Do Not Enter” on it had been torn off and left on the ground. I heard noises coming from the office. I pulled Hailey away and made her hide with me behind the ficus tree. “Shhhhh, someone’s in there.”
She nodded without saying anything. We didn’t have long to wait. Soon, a man with a silver hair came out of the office. He pushed the broken door and stepped on the mound of yellow police tape on the floor. He bent down, cursing as he pulled the tape that was stuck on his shoes. We pressed our backs harder against the wall behind the plant. Satisfied he was not dragging any more police tapes with him, the man left.
I was able to breathe easier as soon as he walked out of the building.
“Trifama,” I said, before Hailey could even ask the question.
“Oh, so... there really is a mob connection.”
“Well, she does but I don’t know if my parents do. As my uncle said, let’s not speculate on things we do not know. Let’s go.” I entered the darkened office with Hailey right behind me.
Hailey said, “I will search here. You go inside the office. Let me know if you find the journal.”
I turned on my phone’s flashlight feature and looked around. The place was still in a state of chaos; papers strewn all over the place, broken furniture, and shattered glass on the floor. I proceeded inside, trying not to make any noise. I was pleasantly surprised to find the bookcase right away. I reached on top of it and felt a soft leathery book.
“Good job! Where did you find it?” Hailey asked.
“Exactly where she said it would be.”
Hailey took the phone from me so I could flip the pages. They were mostly blank.
“For a witch this book of spells is rather sparse, considering it only has three incantations: How to open the Sanctuary, entering the dream of another, and a protection spell. There’s not even anything on throwing
fireballs,” Hailey observed.
“Maybe we will find other books of spells there. Wait, what time is it?” I said.
“It’s 9:15 p.m,” Hailey answered.
“Hold on, let me text my uncle. He will be worried.”
Abigail: Uncle Jake. With Hailey studying.
Jake: Okay but tomorrow is a school day, don’t stay out past midnight.
Abigail: I won’t. Thanks, Uncle Jake. Good night.
“We can’t go to the school library to get into Sanctuary tonight, the gate is closed,” Hailey said.
“I need to get in there. I only have three days left before they charge me. But that doesn’t even matter if I can’t figure out how to make the crown work because she’s going to kill them in two days. I need to figure out how to get to the Sanctuary.”
“Wait, what about the Black Rose? Maybe we can use that fireplace there to go back into the Sanctuary.”
“We will need to use it without permission,” I said.
“Do we have any choice?” Hailey said.
I couldn’t think of one. So I shook my head. “It’s not like we know where Elwood lives.” I let out a long sigh. This was our only entry. I pulled out my cell phone and searched for the Black Rose Antiquary and Bookstore. “We have to hurry, they close at ten.”
I called a cab and told the driver he would get a good tip if he got us to the bookstore before closing time.
When we got to The Black Rose, it was too late. It was dark and the parking area was bare.
“I’m sorry, kids. It sure looks like ya missed it,” the cab driver said.
“It’s ok. You can leave us here,” I said.
“Ya sure ya want me to leave ya here? Seems like the place is closed now. Maybe ya wanna come back in the mornin’?” he said.
“Oh, it’s ok. We can knock. We’re friends with the owner,” Hailey lied.
The Obsidian Crown of the Lost Dominion Page 17
