“Monty, wake up. Wake up,” whispered Hailey.
She shook my shoulders. My head was as heavy as a sack of potatoes and my eyelids felt like they were glued together. I tried to open my eyes. “Wh-where are we?” I asked.
“They have taken us to the hospital as you suspected they would. But there are two police officers outside our door.”
I tried to get up and shake the grogginess away.
“Quick! We need to find the doctor and go,” Hailey said as she offered me a glass of water. “Unfortunately, the only way out is out the window and up one floor. We can use the rain gutter they have on the side of each room.”
“What? Are you sure? What floor are we on?” I asked, still feeling nauseous.
“Eleventh,” she said, pointing at the room number on the nurse’s chart attached to the wall. “We are flight risks so they made sure we can’t just walk out.”
I got up slightly wobbly and walked towards the window. I looked out and noticed the ledge was only a foot wide. I looked down. Yup, eleventh floor is pretty tall. But this is the only way. I inhaled and said, “Give me a minute.”
“We’re going to have to go soon before they start checking on us,” Hailey warned.
After taking a few more deep breaths, I said, “Okay, you go first and I will follow.”
She opened the window and got up on the ledge then proceeded to stand. I followed right next to her. We had to walk sideways until we could get to the rain gutter. Hailey took a hand hold from a crevice on the gutter wall about a foot above our heads. Then she started to swing herself like a pendulum and on the final swing, she hooked her right foot over the upper floor’s window ledge and pulled herself up the ledge above like a mountain climber would. She bent down to try to pull me up. Unfortunately, she was too far away and my hand couldn’t reach.
“Can you do like I did?” she asked me.
“I can try,” I whispered back.
I stuck my hands in the same crevice she used and started to pull myself up. “I can’t swing myself over.”
Hailey said, “Ok, I think you can reach my hand now.” She reached out her left hand, using her right hand to steady herself on the ledge.
I stuck my hand pretty good in a crevice to make sure I had a strong hold with my left and then I tried to reach out with my right. It was a few inches too far. I tried again. This time I moved closer to the right so I could reach her hand. Finally, she was able to reach my hand but was still too far away to have a proper grasp.
“Swing yourself closer. We’re almost there,” she whispered.
I nodded and then swung myself a little and she was able to reach me. As soon as her hand closed on my mine, the cement crevice I was holding on to broke off from the wall. I lost my hold.
“Hailey, don’t let go! Please don’t let go!” I looked up and saw Hailey was straining to keep me up. I could feel my feet dangling in the air.
I looked down. It was a long way down. Then something happened I didn’t expect. Maybe a gust wind, maybe a prayer answered but I felt my body lighten. Like it would float in the air if Hailey were to let go. But she didn’t. She was able to pull me up on the ledge beside her.
“How did you do that?” I asked after catching my breath.
“Adrenalin, I guess...Shhh, quiet,” she said softly as she again placed her finger over her lips. She turned around and looked into the doctor’s room. Finding no one there, she turned to me and motioned for me to crouch down, “Now, it’s Taylor’s turn.” The elevator doors opened and Taylor walked out. She gave the guard a small wave as she walked directly into Blaise’s room. She pulled her phone out and turned on a recording of herself crying. She increased the volume to make sure the guard would think she was in the room. Then, as soon as the guard looked away, she snuck into the doctor’s room.
She opened the window from the inside. “Get in. I brought you some clothes. Hurry! The guard won’t be gone for very long.”
“Thanks, Taylor,” said Hailey as she leaped into the room without making any noise, grabbing the bag of clothes from her.
I followed her in. “Thanks. I owe you one,” I said and we proceeded to get changed.
“Just fix Blaise and we’ll call it even. I have to go downstairs now. Remember, you need to go to the east entrance. There’s no guard there.” She took off quietly back to Blaise’s room to get her phone.
“Doctor McGrath, let’s go. It’s Abi. I need your help to save my parents. But we need to go now,” I told the doctor.
“Wh-what’s going on?” she said, slurring her words. I figured due to the pain medication they gave her.
“We will explain later, in the car. But you need to come with us now,” Hailey said. “Here, we brought you a coat so you don’t get spotted.”
“It’s clear. The guard is talking with another nurse,” Hailey said after looking out the door. “Doctor, can you walk? We need to get to the elevator without raising suspicions.”
“Yes, I can,” she answered in a shaky voice.
“Don’t worry, we will be on either side of you, just in case,” I said.
Hailey walked to the elevator and pressed the button. I waited, watching for the elevator floor indicator. When it reached the tenth floor, the doctor and I walked over. We took the doctor with us and went to the east side entrance door where Taylor was waiting with her car.
As soon as we got in the car, I said, “We need to send word to the Sorceress that I am going to surrender.”
“You are?” Doctor McGrath asked in amazement.
“Well I really don’t want to but I’ve run out of choices.”
“I can understand if you decided to do that —” the doctor replied.
“How could you say that? Abi shouldn’t surrender. We must find a way,” Hailey interrupted.
“Yes, of course, I’m just saying, I would do the same if it were my parents,” Doctor McGrath said.
“We all would but we shouldn’t give up on Abi,” Taylor said.
“Of course, you’re both correct. So what’s the plan?” the doctor asked.
“I was thinking about this—” I started to say.
“Why don’t we go to the Sanctuary first? We will be safe there,” Doctor McGrath interrupted.
I replied, “Why don’t we go to your office first. We can discuss the plan in detail.”
The doctor said, “That sounds good.” She settled back in her seat.
Taylor drove to the back side of the building away from any peering eyes and parked the car. As soon as we got in the door, we closed the window shades and stood around the broken office table.
“What do you have in mind?” Hailey asked.
“I’ve been thinking about this, and the only way we can have access to my parents is basically to get caught again,” I said.
“You’re not thinking of storming the mansion? They have a lot of traps and we barely know any magic,” Hailey said.
“I know, but I picked up a couple of things since then,” I said. “What about I pretend to surrender and while they’re busy with me, you guys can find my parents. Once you find them, you rescue them and I will figure out a way to escape. I will meet you at the front of the mansion.”
“Wait, what? That’s your plan? That’s a crazy plan. That’s a suicide plan!” said Taylor, alarmed.
“Unless you have a better one!” I said.
“What if you get caught for real?” Taylor argued.
“That’s the idea.”
“No, I mean really caught! What happened to all that talk about trying to find a way to not sacrifice you?” Hailey said.
“I learned a couple of spells while I was at the Sanctuary the other night. One is a locator spell. I can teach you how to do it and you can find my parents. Don’t worry about me. That’s why we brought the doctor here. She will help me escap
e while you and Hailey rescue my parents.”
“You know I don’t always side with Taylor, but, Abi, I’m with her on this one. It sounds like a suicide mission. What if she gets caught too? What if you can’t get away?”
I said, “I guess that’s a risk I just going to have to take. I’m sure both of you know I have to do this.”
Hailey shook her head and looked at Taylor. They all looked at the doctor. She shrugged and said, “Are you sure about this, Abi? It is a really dangerous plan.”
“Like I said, if anyone has a better plan, I’m happy to listen.”
No one said anything.
“When?” Hailey asked.
“Tonight. We can’t wait any longer. Pretty soon they will discover we are gone from the hospital. Then they will be out hunting us down. We will not have another window,” I said.
Silence again.
“Ok, we need to let them know I am going to surrender. We should go to the Sanctuary. I know they have a way of listening in on conversations there. All we have to do is say it.”
“Hailey, Taylor, here is the book. I put markers on the spells you need to learn. Please go somewhere safe where the cops will not find you. Meet us back here later.”
“Why can’t we all go together—” Taylor began.
“Taylor, please I can’t explain everything this very second. I’m tired and I still have to figure out how I can escape. Please, just go. I’ll be ok, the Doc is with me,” I assured her.
Doctor McGrath got up and put an arm around my shoulders. “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of her.”
I looked at Taylor and Hailey, nodded, and said, “We should go. We don’t have much time.”
We all left the room, feeling the weight of the decision and the danger we were facing.
CHAPTER 30
Alternate Identity
Doctor McGrath and I crossed the street to get close to the school gates. I saw students beginning to show up at the driveway. I looked at the time and realized it was almost four p.m. The gates would be closing soon. I was in such a hurry to do this that I didn’t realize the flaw in my plan until now. I pulled the doctor to the side of the road far away from the school guardhouse so we wouldn’t be seen. “I don’t think they will let us in. I mean, I was just arrested earlier today. They will recognize me. And you have no business with the school, not to mention I think you still look like you need a hospital.”
“Don’t worry, I got this. Just stand still for a minute,” she told me.
The doctor closed her eyes and made a whirling circular motion of her hands while murmuring something in a low guttural sound. The wind vibrated around me and then there was a sudden drop in temperature. I hugged myself and rubbed each arm for warmth. It was no use. I shivered at the chilly but soft and smooth gust of wind. I felt it surround us softly like a light feather would.
Doctor McGrath opened her eyes and said, “It’s glamour magic. To them, we will look like whatever it is we touch last. Just stay close. My body has not fully recovered and I can only sustain this magic if I am close to the target. We just have to wait for the gate to open to let the school out. It should be any moment now.”
“No problem. I will stay right next to you,” I said but in my mind a nagging thought started to form once she said the words “close to the target”. I told myself I was just getting paranoid. I nodded and stayed close to her.
Soon enough, the gates opened and the cars rolled in to the school driveway to pick up their respective VIP student. Those who didn’t want to go home yet asked their drivers to wait at the curb outside the school while proceeding to their chosen after-school activities.
“C’mon. You see those two girls? Yes, the two blonde girls coming this way, As soon as they get close, we need to bump into them. Make sure you touch the one on the right. I will take the left. The glamour will pick up their image and apply to us. Let’s go behind the car so they don’t see us coming,” Doctor McGrath said.
Again, I nodded. She touched the bumper of the car and she shimmered and seemed to vanish into the bumper. I stepped toward the brick wall to make sure I was closest to the girl on the right. As the girls were walking by, I saw her hand stretch from the bumper of the car and brush the girl’s leg. Immediately the doctor’s image changed to the girl’s body, hair, eyes, everything. In a split second, the doctor moved to the other side of the car for cover. I gaped and she motioned for me to be quick because my target was about to leave the area covered by the glamour magic. I took a couple of small skips to reach the girl almost out of the circle. As soon as my fingers touched the other girl, I, too, started to change. I darted behind another car.
They both looked back in surprise from the touch.
They were both looking straight at us. The doctor made a very small movement with her head which I took to mean, ‘Do not move’. I froze on the spot. I let my eyes stray to where the girls were, still rooted on the ground looking like they were looking through us. She looked right and stared at the brick walls, down the walkway and the cars, then said, “Did you tap my shoulder? Stop playing with me!”
“I didn’t!” responded the other girl. “I thought it was you!” She looked at her leg and decided the idea was absurd.
“Oh whatever, let’s go!” her companion said as she stormed away.
The doctor and I breathed in deeply once the two girls were far enough away from us to not hear it.
We got up and started to walk towards the school grounds. In my mind, I was sure we would be found out. I mean, how can you not see these two girls walking and behaving oddly? If that didn’t give it away, I was sure the thumping in my chest was loud enough to alert even the Portland police. But to my utter surprise, in a few minutes, we found ourselves at the Triangle getting ready to enter the library.
We walked straight down the hallway and into the library amidst “hi” and “hellos”.
When we got inside, the doctor closed the door behind her right away. I swiftly checked for any other students in the library. Fortunately, there were none.
The doctor said, “Open the portal while I stand guard at the door.”
I went to the proper fireplace and said, “Volvere sanctorium.” The fire turned green.
I stuck my head around the fireplace, waved at the doctor, and said, “Let’s go!”
She ran towards me as I went into the fire. I looked back to make sure she was right behind me.
The ride through the River of Time seemed more ominous that it had ever been. My heart raced every time a green blob caused the doctor to be out my sight. But the strong scent of Sampaguita told me she was close by. I felt my shoulders tightening from the stress. Time slowed down and the ride was far longer than what it was in the past, but I knew it was just my anxiety getting the best of me. I chastised myself for being weak and told myself to pull it together. This was no time to have a panic attack. Finally, I saw the glow of normal sunlight coming from the opening of the next portal. I couldn’t get out fast enough. I jumped out of the portal, hyperventilating. I collapsed on the couch and made sure I turned myself to face the fireplace.
The doctor emerged from the fire after a few moments.
I took that opportunity to get closer to the fireplace. I was hoping the warmth of the fire fight would fight the fear that was beginning to paralyze me.
“Are you ok, Abi? You look terribly pale. Don’t worry. We are safe here; at least for the moment,” she told me when she saw me staring at the fire.
“Thank you, Dr. McGrath, for keeping me safe,” I said.
“Of course I will keep you safe. I promised your uncle and you are my patient.” She sat next to me and took my hand into hers. “I’m glad you trusted me enough to let me come with you here. I wanted to talk to you about your plan—”
I needed to stop her before she could reveal our true plan. We were just here to le
t the Sorceress know I was willing to do the exchange, nothing more. I cut her off, “Let’s not do that. I’m not changing my mind. I’ve decided to give myself up.”
“But we must, Abi. This is a very dangerous plan.” Maybe sensing I was worried she would divulge too much, she became a little more vague. “The Sorceress doesn’t strike me as someone who will be forgiving.”
“But if I agree to the deal, my parents will be freed unharmed in exchange for my life; don’t you think she will agree?” I prodded. I needed to control this conversation.
“I can’t tell you what she will or will not do. I’m just saying that going over there for any reason will be extremely risky.”
“Yes, but I don’t have any choice. This is the only way I can think of to save them.” The knowledge that this was just a ploy to trick the Sorceress into releasing my parents didn’t give me any comfort because I couldn’t shake the feeling there was a probability I could die tonight. Correction, that there was a very real possibility that my parents, my friends, and I could all die tonight. My mind couldn’t comprehend the sacrifice I was willing to exact from friends to save my family. When did I decide that it was acceptable to risk their lives to save my parents? How could I have convinced myself it was ok to place them in peril for something I wanted to do? What if they died and I lived? At that thought, I couldn’t stop the rolling waves of emotions that hit me. My body shook from the fear of the consequences. Yet the tears that used to arrive so easily didn’t come this time.
Doctor McGrath pulled me towards her and stroked my back to quell the trembling. “There, there...don’t you worry. It will be okay...It will be over soon.”
I took what comfort I could garner from her touch and reminded myself that despite my grief, I was here on a mission. That even though I knew that by now the message had been received by those listening in on this conversation, I must continue with the pretense. I straightened up and said, “I’m sorry. I am so sorry for everything. Doctor, I need your help to send the message of my surrender to the Sorceress. I need to put a note in Kieran’s locker so he can get the word across. I don’t know how else I can communicate to them that they must not harm my parents. That I will take their place and that only I know the secret of the crown.”
The Obsidian Crown of the Lost Dominion Page 22
