by Linda Kage
When Indigo tried to tell her about his idiotic, unsound plan to send both me and her to Earth with an amulet, and him empty-handed, however, she shook her head immediately.
“No,” she said. “That’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard. You two will go with the amulets,” she instructed, taking off the one she’d been carrying from around her neck. Then she thrust it at Indigo. “I’ll go with you this trip, of course, but now that I know I have grandchildren here, I can’t leave permanently. I need to find them, and you know, protect them. Or some shit like that.”
Blood glistened in the corners of her eyes, letting us know she was lying, but she controlled it this time, clearing her throat and stiffening her spine. “Besides, Taiki’s lovemaking is much more aggressive after I’ve been gone for a while. I can’t let our relationship go stale by hanging about indefinitely.”
“But…” I shook my head. “You have grandchildren on Earth too.”
Questa had a little boy, and Quailen was the father to five—none of their names beginning with an R.
“And I plan to keep visiting them,” Melaina reported with a nod. “But they have Taiki there to be their grandmother. The three here have no one.”
“Are you sure?” Indigo said softly as he slowly took the amulet from her. “Because—”
“Boy, if you question me one more time, I’m going to stab you again. For old time’s sake.”
Indigo wisely shut his mouth. When he turned to me, he looked uncertain though, as if I was being forced to decide between him and my aunt. I smiled and cupped his face. “I like this plan,” I told him. “I like it best.”
Grabbing my hand, he kissed the center of my palm. “Forgive me for my selfish honesty, but I like it best too.”
We smiled at each other.
From overhead, the caw of a descending raven echoed around us.
“What in the world,” Olivander murmured in awe. “That’s not one of our birds. If it even is a bird.”
Indy, Melaina, and I looked up. Spreading its wings, the purple and pink-striped bird flew straight toward Indigo and landed on his shoulder. Another raven—this one pure black as every other raven out there was—settled not far away on the roof of the cottage Melaina had been kept in and croaked his own greeting.
Indigo blinked at the colorful beast on his shoulder before his lips twitched.
“Holly?” he guessed.
Instantly, the bird turned into a lime green and blue panda and slid off his shoulder so it could wrap its arms and legs around him and hug him.
“What the—?” Olivander lurched back, gaping at the animal. “What is happening?”
Chuckling, Indigo hugged Holly back and petted her flashy coat. “Vander, this is my, uh, special friend. You can call her Holly.”
Holly glanced at the prince and waved a paw.
“Um. Hi?” Olivander hesitantly waved back.
“What’re you doing here?” Indy asked. “I would’ve thought you and your friend would be living happily ever after, doing whatever it is you guys do by now.”
The raven on the roof cawed, letting us know he was living happily ever after with Holly. The panda ducked her head shyly, as if embarrassed about her contentment, but then she held up something in her paw that no one had realized she’d been carrying.
It was a third amulet.
Indigo’s mouth dropped open. “You…” His stunned gaze landed on Holly. “You’ve been looking for another stone? For me?”
Holly nodded her bear-ish head.
“Thank you, friend.” He inclined his head with respect.
Holly rubbed her paw over his hair as if petting him goodbye, and then she turned back into a pink and purple raven, taking to the air before she flew off, with her unicorn companion following behind her.
“Okay.” Olivander lifted his hands. “I’m not even going to ask. Things just keep getting weirder and weirder the longer I’m around you, Indy.”
Indigo lifted the third amulet and showed it to Melaina. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to Earth permanently?”
She looked tempted a moment. Then she took the third amulet and sighed. “I want to,” she admitted. “You have no idea how much. But…” She shook her head. “The children. They need—”
“I promise to find your grandchildren,” Olivander spoke up. “I’ll work with Lowden officials and make sure they’re helped and treated fairly.”
“You…” She exhaled roughly. “You would take on that mission for me?”
“I would.” The prince seemed completely intimidated by her, but he nodded and held out a hand. “I promise on my life to help them any way I can, madam.”
“Ooh, a life promise, huh?” Her eyebrows lifted in interest and she stepped closer and batted her lashes coyly. “That sounds so passionate. Hey, Quilla,” she asked over her shoulder as she continued to smile up at the other man. “How soon did you say we had to leave? I feel the need to thank this beautiful boy properly. I’ve never had myself a prince before. And a prince from High Cliff at that? Mmm, yes. The taboo factor alone would make the sex spicy hot.”
“Pardon me?” Olivander sputtered in horror, lurching away from her. “I assure you, I don’t need anything for such a serv—My lady! Please.” He dodged her seeking hands. “I am a mated man.”
“Sweetling,” Melaina told him with a reassuring coo. “That’s not a problem at all. Your other half can join in too. I’m not so closed-minded as to leave your loved ones out of all the fun.”
His mouth fell open as he gaped at her, not knowing how to reply.
Finally, Indigo sighed. “That’s going to be a no, Melaina, sorry. But I need to leave some instructions with Olivander before we go.”
Sniffing out her disgust, she muttered, “Fine. You know how to ruin everything. You know that? Everything!” Then she flounced away, heading toward the cottage. “I’m going to go pack my things. Don’t leave without me.”
As she disappeared inside, the prince spun to us, gushing, “Thank you.”
“I owed you one.” Glancing at me, Indigo took my hand and squeezed. “I owed you a big one,” he told the prince as he kept looking at me.
Leaning up on my toes, I pressed my mouth to his and kissed him. Nothing, I decided, nothing could be as perfect as this moment. I’d survived hell and made it through, all the way through to my true love waiting at the other end. No matter what happened next, how rough our adjustments to the new us would be, or how settling into Earth might go, I knew I could handle it. And not just because I had Indigo at my side to journey through it all with, but because he’d equipped me with the tools I needed to make it on my own if I needed to.
“You look ready to do this,” he murmured on a grin as he pressed his brow to mine.
Smiling, I answered, “I’m more than ready.”
Epilogue
Olivander
Head still spinning from everything Indigo and his mate, Quilla, had told me in the last twenty-four hours, I blinked at the odd item he’s just placed into my hands.
“So this is a book?” I asked, turning it this way and that. “How remarkable.” I opened the cover and flipped through the parchment—er—pages. “So much more efficient than a scroll. And there are thousands of these? In this Earth place?”
“Millions,” Quilla promised me.
“Huh. Fascinating.” I shook my head, trying to fathom it, then I glanced at Indy. “And how did you learn about all this?”
“You can thank your mate for that, actually,” he said.
“Is that so?” My eyebrows lifted at the mention of Unity, and everything inside me warmed with affection. “I’m afraid to ask what she did.”
It’d been years since I’d seen her, and she’d only been twelve at the time, but she’d been such a mischievous little imp. I could only imagine what she’d done to pull Indigo into a world where he’d learned about Earth, Replacements, and transference amulets.
“My grandpa had always told me stories about Ea
rth because that’s where his mother was born, but I don’t think I fully believed his tales until I took that trip with Unity, escorting her to school. I spotted some sailors down at the docks in the village of Jean, before dropping her off at the academy, and they were loading the most unusual-looking contraptions onto a ship. I asked about them, learning they were called motorcycles. A Far Shore man named Bison had purchased them and was getting them shipped to him.
“That’s when I pieced the story the sailors told me into a whole, fitting it together with Grandpa’s old tales, and I realized it was all true. I had to go fight in the Great Lowden War soon thereafter, but once that was over, I visited Bison in Far Shore and realized more people had moved between the two worlds than just my great-grandmother. Quilla’s taught me even more since then, which I wrote in the book for you. Everything I know, you will too as soon as you read it.”
I looked down, ready to learn more about everything, and eagerness swelled inside. “Thank you for trusting me with this, Indy. It means a lot.”
He clasped my shoulder. “It also contains everything I know about the Graykeys, so hopefully you’ll be able to find Melaina’s grandchildren more easily, too.”
Meeting his gaze, a bit of regret nipped at my stomach. “So this is the last I’ll ever see of you?”
Drawing out a long breath, he answered, “Looks like it.” He glanced toward Quilla. “I’ve always wanted to visit Earth. Ever since I first heard about it, when I didn’t even fully believe it was real. This is going to be a dream come true for me.” Taking his mate’s hand, he smiled at her. “It’s the best thing for both of us.”
“I’ll miss you,” I announced. “No one understood my craving to research and learn as much as you did.”
He smiled. “That’s why I trust no one but you with my book.”
“It’s an honor, I assure you.”
“You might not be saying that soon. Are you sure you’re willing to help the three people who are sent back in our place? They’re not going to understand anything about this world or culture. You’ll have to acclimate them to more than you bargained for, I’m sure.”
I was curiously looking forward to meeting the earthlings. “We’ll make do somehow,” I said.
He inclined his head, then held out three folded notes. “Could you send these letters for me? One’s for Queen Nicolette, one is for Bison, and the last is for my cousin, Vienne. I’m just saying goodbye and letting them know where I’ve gone. Both Nicolette and Bison are aware of Earth too—Bison is actually from there—so I’m sure either would be willing to assist if you have need of them.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.”
“Okay, darlings! I’m ready,” Melaina announced, exiting the cottage in the oddest tunic I’d ever seen, blue, tight-fitting trousers that hugged her considerable curves, the strangest tinted spectacles perched on her nose, and her lengthy red curls bouncing behind her.
The flaming hair made me think of Unity, and my gut tightened, missing her. She had the same bright red locks, but I had no idea if she’d bobbed them short or had them longer now.
I suppose I’d have to put off sending for her for even longer now, I realized on a painful intake of air. With my new mission of finding lost Graykey children and assimilating incoming earthlings, it wouldn’t be safe for her to be around me. My father would not approve of either endeavor I was undertaking, and he’d have no qualms about using her to hurt me if he found out what I was doing. She’d be safer exactly where she was for the time being, which was far away from me.
“And you…” Quilla’s aunt stole my attention as she paused in front of me and trailed a finger up the center of my chest. “I need to thank you properly for taking care of my grandbabies.” Her hand fisted in the cloth of my tunic, and suddenly she was yanking me forward and plastering a kiss to my mouth before I could stop her.
By the time I got over my surprise enough to push her away, she was already letting me go, licking her tongue over her bottom lip, as if to savor the taste, and humming. “Not bad,” she told me with a wink. “Not bad, prince.” Then she turned to Quilla and Indigo. “Ready?”
Blowing out a nervous breath, Indigo nodded and took Quilla’s hand. “We’re ready.”
Melaina grabbed hold of Quilla’s other hand, and together the three of them faced the outer wall of the cottage. When the two women began to chant something in a language I couldn’t understand, I took a step back, then lurched another step further away when a crackling blue light appeared in the center of the side of the building.
From there, it grew, forming a large circle with black darkness in the center of it until it was big enough for a human to step inside.
I glanced around to make sure no one else was about—not even any of my guards who might report everything they’d seen to the king—and then I turned back to watch the phenomenon before me. Indigo glanced over his shoulder and waved goodbye.
I waved in return and watched him, along with the other two, approach the portal and then enter.
Together, they walked into the blackness, just as a woman appeared beside me out of freaking nowhere.
“What the hell?” I cried, jumping away from her.
Tiny and black-haired and wearing nothing but gold, turquoise, rubies, and scarves, she gasped when she spotted the other three already inside the interdimensional tunnel.
“No!” she cried and lifted her hands, aiming her curled fingers at the closing portal.
Gritting her teeth, she strained until two objects came flying out of the darkness at her.
Catching them to her chest, she breathed out a steadying breath and grinned at me. “Oh, thank God. I got them. Just in time too.”
When I realized she was holding two of the three amulets that had just gone to Earth, I shook my head. “Um, I think they really needed to take those with them.”
She blinked in surprise. Then straightened. “Well, I really needed them to stay here,” she countered, dropping the amulets down to her sides. Then she hitched her chin toward me. “You’re the scholarly prince, aren’t you?”
“I am,” I said. “And who are you?”
“I’ve gone by many names,” she answered, eyeing me up and down with a speculative glance. Then she nodded to herself as if she approved of what she saw and flashed me a friendly smile. “But you may call me Nalini.”
My mouth tightened. I’d definitely be searching Indigo’s book after this for any mention of a Nalini. “Why did you steal their amulets?”
“I wouldn’t say I stole them,” she started, frowning over the term. “I merely took back what was already mine. And besides, it turns out they were the couple I was seeking after all. So I couldn’t let them go to Earth permanently. A brief visit…” She shrugged. “I’ll allow. But I need them to return eventually.”
I released a breath. I couldn’t say I was all that upset to learn this. It was nice to know Indigo would be back. But…
“It won’t be safe for them to return here.”
Her lips lifted briefly in sad amusement. “It won’t be safe here for anyone if they don’t.”
Irritated because I had no idea what she meant with all her allusive comments, I stepped toward her. “I’m going to need those amulets back now.”
She merely slipped away with a grin and lifted them just out of my reach. “Ah, ah. I’m afraid I can’t do that, young man. I created these amulets. They belong to me.”
“Young man?” I repeated, snorting as I slowed to a stop and scowled at her. I had to be at least a decade older than her.
“Poor Olivander,” she murmured sympathetically as she looped the amulet necklaces over her head and around her neck. “You’ve felt like an old man since the moment your true love was born so much younger than you, haven’t you? But never fret, dear boy. You’re still far more youthful than you imagine.”
I frowned and set my hands on my hips. “How do you know so much about me?”
Tossing back her long, bl
ack hair, she laughed. “Because I’ve been watching you. Obviously. Being the only caretaker of the only library in all of the Outer Realms, you interest me. I’ve kept tabs on you for a while now, and I must say, I’m growing quite impatient for you to notice what is sometimes right before your eyes.” She pressed a dramatic hand to her chest. “For such a learned man, you can be quite obtuse, you know.”
Obtuse? Well, that wasn’t a very nice observation.
“What am I supposed to notice?” I glanced around, trying to take in everything, even though nothing seemed out of the ordinary to me.
She tsked and shook her head before slowly backing away from me, becoming transparent and fading away as she went.
“Here’s what I’ll do for you, Olivander,” she cooed softly. “I’ll bequeath to you one act of service from me, anything you desire, as long as it hurts no one, and in return, I need you to help me break the Graykey curse.”
Break the Graykey curse?
So that was even possible? Excitement raced through my veins. But Nalini was almost completely invisible now.
“Wait.” I stepped toward her and reached out. “Of course, I’ll help. In any way I can. But how?”
“Why, by using your natural abilities, my child. But that is all I can say. Besides, the Replacement for Melaina is coming through. And you’ll need to deal with that now.”
Then she disappeared completely.
Before I could make sense of what had just happened, the portal reopened, much more violently this time. It heaved and sputtered as if it were vomiting up something unpleasant, and a form came flying out of the darkness at me, screaming as they were hurled into our world.
I dived out the way, just as a woman landed on the ground in an unceremonious heap and groaned. Dark waving locks were heaped up into a sloppy bun with plenty of tendrils hanging loose.
“What…?” she started as she pushed up and looked around in a daze. “What just happened?”
Here we went, I realized. Time to play emissary for another world.
