Chapter Twenty- Six
Destiny
I guess this is the part of the story where I tell you as we sped into traffic, our enemies on our tails, my knight in shining armor ensures our getaway by jumping out of the car while it is still in motion; Cecilia gripping the wheel as she screams “Nooooo!” And with a single tear, he takes one glance in my direction before running straight towards his fate.
That doesn’t happen.
Dreadlocks doesn’t seem to care for me too much. As a matter of fact, he downright despises me. And to be honest, the feeling is just about mutual. He seems to forget that I didn’t ask for this. My life was fine up until recently. I had a stable career. My parents are as normal as any other older couple. My child is healthy, happy and whole…and now I have come to discover that I am actually the only heir to a mythical land that is dying because it needs my magic. And its current ruler wants me dead. I don’t see how any of this is grounds for this man to hate me the way that he does, when in all actuality I am the one who is suffering. He needs my help more than I need his.
Period.
His sister on the other hand seems to care about me and Summer’s overall well-being. We hit another corner, barely missing a few pedestrians and a dog as we continued to speed well above the legal limits.
“I think we lost them,” Cecilia says, whipping her head from her seat. Her gaze stopped and rested on Summer, who stared back at her.
“We have to keep going, at least until we reach a remote location. Agatha and Thaddeus have enough power to open the Veil on their own now,” Demetrius grumbled. “We can’t take any chances of being discovered or followed. Once we are there, we will have to prepare for battle.”
“Don’t I get a say so in this?” I demand, leaning forward.
Dreadlocks glares at me through the rearview mirror. “No. Your job is to stay alive. We will do the rest.”
“Let’s get things perfectly clear,” I say seething, my fists balled up and igniting with blue-white energy. “You people need me-”
“-You people?” Dreadlocks scoffs. His outrage intensifies as does his growing fury. Cecilia sits quietly in the front, her expression unreadable.
“Yes. You people,” I repeat slowly. “You act as if I asked for all of this- as if I personally requested your assistance. You came looking for me! As a matter of fact, you’ve been hunting me and my daughter and the only reason why we are in the backseat with you-”
“Is for your protection!” Dreadlocks growled.
“I was safe with Erick,”
“Foolish of you to think that,” Dreadlocks spat. “He was going to auction you off to the Queen in exchange for his wife’s freedom.”
“And you act like I have every reason to trust you when you have been less than pleasant to me considering the conditions under which I am here. At least Erick was honest with me…”
“Erick, much like his Cursed kind is never one to be trusted,” he continued.
“The prejudice that you display towards another ‘Mercurian’ is God awful,” I say. Which is true. Dreadlocks and his mighty band of bandits carry themselves with the arrogance of an aristocrat. The haughtiness is something I cannot take. His level of entitlement sickens me. I possess the power of the cosmos in my veins and yet, none of it matters to me. “You hate the Cursed and those with dark magic. And probably without good reason. Maybe his power is a threat to your own. Or maybe, you simply fear something you do not understand.”
“You know nothing of Mercuria nor its subjects-”
“Yet I am supposed to be its chosen ruler and Erick is a subject of mine-”
“You were never chosen!”
“Enough!” Cecilia shouted, slamming her fist on the dashboard. “Both of you! Demetrius, pull over! Now!”
I don’t say anything to Dreadlocks. He has already made himself clear in more ways than one. Instead of commenting further on his own prejudice, I stare out the window. Summer, who had quietly observed the verbal jousting betwixt the two of us, glanced at me nervously. I pull her close and kiss the top of her head.
Demetrius said nothing and continued driving for another ten minutes until he pulled into the vacant parking lot of an abandoned bowling alley. He remained quiet as Cecilia hopped out of the car and he quickly followed behind. Summer and I watch curiously as Cecilia leads him several yards away from us in attempt to shield us from what she is going to say to her arrogant brother. Strangely enough I can hear them as if they were sitting directly in front of us.
Weird.
****
Demetrius
“Are you insane?!” Cecilia hisses. “What is wrong with you? That is Mercury’s daughter and granddaughter! You could at least be more respectful!”
“We don’t have time for pleasantries sister!” Demetrius yells back. “Mercuria is dying! We have gone to hell and back to find this woman, and-”
“You speak to her as if she is the dirt at the bottom of your big boot!” Cecilia scolded.
“Ack!” Demetrius cursed. “She doesn’t deserve the title as Queen. But that’s not up for me to decide. What is important is that magic in her veins-”
“Why is she not worthy? She is full blooded Mercurian Demetrius! You feel her power. Why do you judge her so? Because she was raised by humans?”
Demetrius’ jaw tightened at her last question and he looked away.
“Answer me Demetrius…”
“She has no knowledge of our ways,” Demetrius began slowly. “She sympathizes with the likes of Erick-”
“Has it ever occurred to you that Erick may have had the advantage because he’s known her longer?”
“What do you mean?” Demetrius demanded.
Pleased that she had her brother’s full attention, Cecilia continued. “Think about it, he’s lived in the human world longer than we could imagine. He could have assumed the identity of normal human with ease due to him being without his magic. It is clear to me that he found her, gained her trust and when the time came, it was easy for her to trust him.”
“I don’t understand what that has to do with anything,” Demetrius grumbled.
Cecilia shrugged. “Just as I don’t understand why it bothers you so that she defends Erick. If Erick wanted to harm her, he would have.”
“He is not so stupid as to harm Mercury’s adult heir,” Demetrius continued. “He still hopes to set his wife free.”
“That may be true, but even with the heir, he still has everything to gain. He allowed her to go with us brother. That says something. You and I both know how strong Erick is at full power and he appears to be at full power.”
“How can you stand there in front of my face and defend-”
“Look, I didn’t bring you out here to argue about Erick!” Cecilia snapped. “Act like you were trained in the treatment of royalty. She is the Queen. Treat her like so. She needs allies right now. She needs to know that we are her allies. Enough enemies will come for her.”
“As you wish Cecilia,” Demetrius sighed as he turned to walk away from Cecilia. “I will treat her as the royal queen that she is.”
“She’s done nothing to you, you know…”
“And she has done nothing for me either…”
They returned to the car, with Demetrius avoiding Destiny’s scowl. He could live with her dislike. It was easier that way.
“We have to keep going at least until we are far enough away from human eyes,” Demetrius announced as he put the car in reverse and maneuvered back onto the street, headed in the direction of the freeway.
“Where are we headed?” Cecilia asked, checking the navigation settings on her watch.
“Death Valley.”
Chapter Twenty- Seve n
Erick
The flight to New York was a drag, but I arrived in one piece. Time is running out. I can feel it. Soon the protective walls around Mercuria will crumble and then its people will have nowhere to run. Darkness will spill over into the earth realm and Mercurians will be without magi
c to protect themselves. Navigating through the crowded terminals of John F. Kennedy airport is a whole new beast of itself. Even with my powers fully restored, it was a struggle to push through groups of families and their screaming children; idle humans with nothing but time on their hands lost in the ever-changing world of social media; selfies…so many selfies. Why humans feel the need to document their every fucking move is beyond me. But as I politely push through a small crowd of young women, I am reminded why living amongst the humans has been less than tolerable.
“Oh my God! Angie! Look at him!”
“Is he a model?”
“I don’t know Amber,” I hear one of them whisper to the group. “But what’s most important is if he is single.”
I cringe and summon the strength to not “curse” them with a slow, painful death. Instead, I keep walking.
“Excuse me sir,” came the soft but confident voice of the redhead. It figures. It’s always the redheads that are the boldest.
I sigh and quickly turn around to face the persistent human woman. “Yes?”
Her eyes widen as does her smile. She flirtatiously tosses her hair over her shoulder and motions for her friends to come closer.
“I’m Rachael,” she says, offering me her hand.
I examine it closely, and with each second that her hand dangles in the air, that balloon of confidence she carries within herself slowly deflates. Good. Women like her are a dime a dozen, and I’ve had my share.
“Is there anything I can help you all with?” I ask, still refusing to accept the redhead’s hand. I watch with smug satisfaction as she lowers her hand. Confusion and disappointment flood her expression.
“We just wanted to know,” says the shy brunette, who takes a supportive position next to the redhead and continues, “if you’re a model or an actor?”
“I am neither…”
“Oh but you’re incredibly handsome!” She chirps. “You should be.”
“Thank you. But I really must be going. It is truly unfortunate, as I had believed that the lot of you actually had something important to say. Good day ladies.” I spin around and leave the group of future desperate housewives right where I left them.
“He must be gay,” I hear the redhead venomously add.
I smile to myself as I move towards the escalator and murmur a few choice words that will indeed follow her home. There are perks to being a Cursed, and Ms. Rachael is about to experience firsthand what “ugliness” will do for her.
“Oh my God! Rachael! Your face!”
The chaos that ensues surrounding the sudden outbreak of puss filled pimples that covers that smooth peachy toned face of hers will be a reminder of how words can be her own undoing. In order to cure the “ugly” on the outside, she will have to fix the “ugly” on the inside. And all I can silently wish her is good luck with that.
****
Once I’m out of the airport and onto the street, my magic begins to ebb and flow like the waves of the sea in my blood. The energy that surrounds me is chaos. Humans are a neurotic bunch, they are either chasing time or trying to escape it. Everything that they consume is geared towards one or the other, and because of this, I’ve missed Mercuria tremendously. With Mercury’s heir being awakened to her full power, at least there is hope. Maybe once she is installed as Queen, I can return and maybe…
An image of Kara trapped in her cell interrupted my train of thought. Her gorgeous blonde hair matted and dirty, clinging to her skin like the rags Karrine forced her to wear. I remember the softness of her creamy porcelain skin, warming beneath my touch. Now, I imagine her skin pale, void of her magic, her soul as empty as Karrine’s heart.
I haven’t forgotten Kara…I have not forgotten the promise made to you. Destiny will help me set you free. She will help us all.
I know where I am supposed to go.
I head west towards the subway, but if I can find a spot where The Veil is weakened, then I may be able to get through to Mercuria without having to take the long way. I’m a Cursed, a being with dark magic that is capable of inflicting more than just pain. I can create a slow death just as easily as a quick one. My ‘will’ is strong enough to surround an enemy with darkness. I can taint his blood with disease. I can summon dark spirits. I can manipulate some of the shadowy realms of the underworld. What I ‘will’ is what manifests and what I ‘will’ may be inflicted for generations. That’s why most Mercurians fear me. That’s why Mercury himself hated Mercurians like me.
See, the thing is magic is neither white or dark. It just is. It is both tapped and untapped energy with unlimited potential. Mercury did not see the benefits of both sides of magic. The gods that came before him, abused their power and at one point in time nearly destroyed both human and god alike, all because of their quests for power. Their egos and unclean spirits mixed with their lusts for humans is what led to the birth of the first Mercurians. It took me some time to understand Mercury’s perspective and to fully accept his logic. Dark power is dangerous. But what Mercury failed to admit to himself and even now as I think of his daughter is that of which flowed through his veins and now Destiny’s is ten times more destructive than the strongest Necro or Cursed. Necroes may be able to summon and speak to the dead while a Cursed can bring darkness to another’s life, but Destiny is capable of destroying worlds as well as creating them. With one flick of her wrist, she could end us all- and she doesn’t even know it.
Karrine doesn’t even know it.
Karrine may have had the upper-hand when she drained Mercury of his power and now as I come to think of it, Mercury only became vulnerable once his power was taken from him. He became like that of a human: weak. Karrine will condemn us all to death if she strips Destiny of her power. Killing Destiny will kill us all – unless, Karrine has figured out a way to harness Destiny’s power since she did not do it with Mercury.
A bright yellow taxi appears and slows down to a stop just a few meters away. I raise my hand to hail him over. As I slide into the tiny yellow Prius, I cannot help but think of how little time I have left and what needs to be done in order to truly save Mercuria and Destiny.
“I need to get to the African Burial Ground National Museum on Wall Street,” I tell the driver quickly.
“In this traffic?” The driver asks with disbelief. “Are you insane?”
“Listen, I will pay you whatever the rate is,” I say flatly. “Please just do it.”
The driver sighs and leans back in his seat. His New Jersey accent is thick and equally as irritating as he rattles off about the socioeconomic plight of this country and how the Democrats failed us over the last two elections. None of which I care about. I just need to make it into Mercuria, even though I am certain Destiny and Summer may already be there.
Chapter Twenty-Eigh t
Karrine
Karrine stared coldly at the lifeless body of who was once considered the most beautiful and prized female of Mercuria: Kara of the House of the Sixth Moon. Erick’s wife. The foolish male never returned, having spent twenty years out in the human world, it was clear he had abandoned his duties and his promises to Kara – his own wife. And now, as the kingdom began to crumble bit by bit, there was no point in keeping Kara around as a bargaining tool. Erick was more than likely spending his days as a horn dog, bedding down every available human woman at his disposal, unconcerned with the likes of Mercuria. He managed to survive without his magic, and so moved on. Therefore, Kara’s purpose had expired. It was time to move forward with the next phase in her plans.
The humans had failed at capturing the heir even after identifying her successfully through her DNA. Her own henchmen had proven themselves incapable of such duty. The last of her loyalists advised her that she remain patient- that the heir would come one way or another. There were still those who believed her to be the savior of Mercuria- Mercury’s Lost Heir.
“The one whose blood holds the power of the kingdom…” Karrine whispered to herself. She closed the iron door to the cell
that held Kara prisoner for all these years.
Her guards knew what to do with the body.
With the kingdom on the brink of collapse, and Karrine’s power as a Drainer diminishing by the day, the options that were on the table were limited. She knew the few Royal Houses that remained were still loyal to Mercury and were probably out in search of the heir just as her henchmen were.
Mercury, Mercury… Karrine thought to herself as she moved quickly to the other end of the mini-palace she had built a decade ago. You didn’t think I would find out, did you? Karrine tightly gripped the bloodstone that she wore around her neck and smiled. This is what was hiding all this time!
“Queen Karrine,” a WarMen said from behind her.
Karrine turned around quickly to face the large entity, feeling grateful for their loyalty. WarMen were bred specifically to guard the throne, no matter who sat upon it. They were the last line of ancient entities that once warred with the gods and the true descendants of Titans. Once upon a time they served Mercury, and now they served Karrine.
“Yes, Cretus?”
“The heir was spotted with a group of unidentified Mercurians. We believe them to be Loyalists,” Cretus announced.
“Where is Erick?” Karrine demanded.
“He was lost in the airport,” Cretus shrugged.
Karrine sighed. “Good. We will deal with him later. Thank you for the update.”
She turned around to continue her trek towards her quarters when Cretus stated, “Mercuria is dying. What are the evacuation plans?”
Karrine stopped walking. “There are no evacuation plans. We will be fine. Trust me.”
“You choose power over your people, Queen Karrine,” Cretus stated plainly. “Not good for a ruler.”
“You just worry about completing my orders,” Karrine hissed.
“As you wish,” Cretus bowed before turning to walk away.
“You will do well to remember that,” Karrine called out behind him.
****
Demetrius
The drive to Death Valley seemed to take forever and upon Cecilia’s instruction he was never so grateful to pull over in the middle of the vacant dirt lot and put the car in park. Destiny and Summer were soundly sleeping in the backseat, while the sun slowly began to sink into the horizon. Cecilia was the first to hop out of the vehicle.
The Lost Queen- Mercury's Heir Page 13
