Lilliana
I hugged my body as I stood on the edge of the sidewalk curb. It seemed like it never stopped raining here, and the constant downpour was wearing on my nerves. I knew it had to do with some high or low pressure system, whatever, but I was tired of the gloom. Especially since it was my first day out of Ephrem’s apartment building. I was alone, but he’d set a time to meet up in an hour. He didn’t quite trust me to be on my own yet, but it was the price I had to pay to get some fresh air.
And hopefully track down Elise.
Blinking away the rain lining my lashes, I tried hard not to let the sting behind my eyes bring out the tears. Thinking of her brought too many memories, and the way things had ended had left me empty, torn and distrusting of everyone. I’d never be the same. All because of her.
I crossed the street, hoping the movement would shake her from my thoughts. I’d wandered around the city near Ephrem’s building, grabbing a few essentials at the corner market and checking out a bookstore where I’d picked up a paperback I’d been wanting to read. I hoped it would survive the rain okay since I had it tucked in its plastic bag inside my coat. The icy rain chilled me to the bone even with several layers and an umbrella to keep the water off me. Still, the wind blew the water sideways, and I was now a sopping mess. I hoped whatever diner Ephrem had picked to meet me at had some decent tea or coffee. Let's not forget food. I was already starving, and I still had fifteen minutes to kill before Ephrem showed up.
Standing outside the diner, I peered through the steamed-up windows for any sign of the man. Not locating him, I groaned and turned to stare at the rain-soaked streets. Cars rushed by without regard to the spray of water they sent flying into the air. People pushed past, stepping into puddles and sending up dirty water that spotted the bottom of my pants.
I cursed under my breath and tried to avoid the edge of the sidewalk. I could wander into yet another shop that sold endless amounts of tourist junk like the one I’d just left, but I had no desire to repeat the experience of the last three stores.
“Screw it,” I muttered, hurrying toward the diner’s entrance. At least if it was busy inside, I could get us a table and some hot liquid into me before I froze to death.
Within the diner, the place was bustling. All the counter seats were taken and the waitresses moved with quicksilver speed, dropping orders on the counter, taking orders without writing them down and weaving in and out of the crowds with practiced ease. Their red and white uniforms were reminiscent of the fifties diners, and I saw that they served malts and a jukebox blasted in the corner. How anyone got their orders right was a miracle.
“How many, miss?” The hostess smiled at me as she approached. She wore the same uniform as the waitresses but sported bright red lipstick and light blue eyeshadow. Smacking her gum, she waited for me to answer as she held her hand to her hip and shoved a lock of dark blonde hair behind her ear. Her nametag read “Ruthie.”
“Oh, um… two, please?”
My lack of experience in diners was so apparent, I kept my head down as she waved me on to follow her to a booth near the rear of the restaurant.
“I’d get you one closer to the front, but this is all we have. Unless you want to wait about fifteen minutes. This okay?”
I nodded while wiggling out of my soaked coat. The material sighed beneath me as I slid down into the red pleather booth.
“Your waitress is Mandy. She’ll be over in just a minute.”
“Thank you.”
She smacked her gum and smiled before walking away, sashaying her hips. She certainly had her role down.
I scanned the room one more time to make sure no one had taken any interest in me before taking a peek at the menu. I’d eaten a lot of the items listed, but never in a diner. I hoped the food was good here. My stomach growled in agreement.
“Hey.”
I jumped and stared up at Ephrem, who was just as wet as I was. He looked confused for a moment before sliding down into the seat across from me.
“Geez, you scared me. You might want to make more noise when you sneak up on someone.” I breathed in a calming breath, feeling my heart still pumping like mad. Ephrem hadn’t been there a minute ago. In fact, he hadn’t even been in the diner a second before I looked at my menu. How did he do that?
“I apologize. I tend to be silent. I’ll make sure I stomp all the way down the aisle next time.”
He shook his coat off and shoved it to the side. The shirt he wore was black with a light gray skull pressed into it. “Death is but the beginning” was written above it. I wondered where he’d gotten it. It definitely complimented his arms and chest, fitting snuggly over them.
I ripped my eyes from him to stare at the glossy menu once more.
“What’s good here?” I asked.
“Oh, you know… same old stuff. Burgers are always good. I love their meatloaf. I suggest getting a sandwich or burger. Those are always safe. With fries of course. Maybe a BLT?”
I stared at the menu for a minute more before the waitress arrived. After we ordered, we sat in silence, listening to the jukebox as it played “California Girls” by The Beach Boys. I quietly tapped my fingers on the glossy surface of the table, wondering what Ephrem was thinking. His hair was sticking up in spikes, wet and stiff. His face still had a light sheen of rain where he hadn’t wiped it away with a napkin.
He was definitely handsome. I could see more of his features in the light of the diner than in his apartment or the workout gym. He was older than me, but I didn’t know by how much. The few lines on his hardened eyes told me he’d seen a lot of action in his lifetime. I’d seen the scars lining the skin of his chest and back during training, and each one held a story I wanted to know. He’d finally told me what I’d begun to suspect, that he was a prince and not a lesser royal, but that had only raised more questions that wanted answering.
All these questions flew through my mind while the silence between us felt a tad uncomfortable. I hoped he wasn’t a man of few words. He seemed more at ease in his own home than out here in the open. It was probably because he was on guard every second out here, but I needed someone to talk to right now. I’d been dying inside myself, screaming for answers, and had to get it all out. It was the only way to feel lighter and more focused.
“So… did you find anything about Elise today?” I asked. I hoped he had. I hadn’t run into any clues around town or noticed any odd behavior from anyone. I also hoped I wouldn’t run into anyone who’d recognize me. I’d even pulled my hair away from my face, but without makeup, I looked younger and less refined. Not completely different, but I hoped it was enough to hide my identity. I’d bought hair dye at one of the stores just in case, and now my normally brown hair was a pleasant dark blonde.
“I found a few leads.”
I waited a few seconds for further explanation. He couldn’t really leave me hanging like that, could he? “What sort of leads?”
That was the moment the waitress plopped our drinks in front of us. I was having a hot tea and a glass of water while Ephrem had a large cup of coffee in front of him.
“The kind that require a lot more footwork.”
I flicked my eyes up, confused. “What?”
“You asked if I had any leads and what kind. I just said they were the kind that required more looking into.”
“Oh.” I frowned and stared down at my tea. “Can I help?”
“You need to go back to the apartment. No sense in looking for anything more today. Forecast says more rain, and it’s getting stronger the longer we’re here.”
“Does the rain ever stop here?”
Ephrem stared at me in disbelief. I wondered if I’d said something off.
“What? Do I have food on my face?” I asked.
“No. It always rains here. You do know this place is cursed, right?”
I stirred my tea, feeling foolish for forgetting common knowledge. “I forgot.”
“Well, you need to remember everythin
g you’ve been told about the neutral area between strongholds. The Outlands of Temple are cursed. Yes, it’s a large city and thrumming with people, but it’s also a supernatural focal point. A vortex of some sort that attracts people. Normal and supernatural alike.”
I gulped. “So it rains here all the time. Why would anyone want to stay here?”
Ephrem rubbed his face, scratching his chin.
“Look, I don’t know how much they’ve told you, but like I said, it attracts people. It attracts all sorts of unsavory people too. That’s why it’s dangerous to go traipsing around this place at night. Actually, it’s not safe at any time. No one leaves willingly, either. This place is like… I don’t know… like the strongest magnet in the world. It draws you in, latches onto you and never lets go. People are warned to never come here. Only those of superior supernatural powers are ever able to break the hold it has over them.
I stared at him in horror. “What? Are you saying I’m stuck here?”
He frowned, letting his eyes drop down to his coffee as he added sugar and cream to it. Stirring furiously, he took a moment before answering me.
“Technically, yes.”
“I can’t stay here forever. I need to get out of here and do something with myself. I’ve been shoved out of the only place I’ve ever known, and I can’t even go back. I’m not staying in this shithole a moment longer than I have to.” I was furious that I’d never known these things. This was the kind of stuff one should be told. Especially as a royal.
“And what do you mean by ‘technically’?”
Ephrem’s smile lit up his face, and I realized how much of a prankster he really was.
“What the hell, Ephrem? That’s not funny!”
“You should’ve seen your face!”
I crossed my arms and stared at him, giving him the stink eye.
“Look, I’m sorry,” Ephrem offered while reaching across the table toward me. I jerked away, on the verge of strangling him. “I didn’t mean the part about being stuck here forever. You can leave whenever you want.”
“It wasn’t funny.”
“I know. Look….” He settled back and ran his fingers through his thick black hair. “What I mean is that it can have that effect on you if you don’t find the talisman. Our supernatural blood helps us remain immune to this place. People can visit and be okay, but the humans who live here… they never leave. They’re too weak.”
“Sucks for them,” I mumbled.
“Yeah, it does.” He fell back into his silence again, and I wondered why we’d wasted our time today. If it was raining every day, why bother going anywhere?
“I have no idea how I’m going to find it.”
“Did your friend… err… did Elise every mention the Outlands to you?”
I shook my head. “No. She never broke character. She was that damn good. I can’t believe she managed to become my best friend and fool me so easily. I was so stupid.”
“You weren’t stupid. It could’ve happened to anyone.”
“Not me. I was the most paranoid of them all back home. I didn’t take anyone’s shit. She got to me. Me. Of all people, she got to me. I’m a fucking failure. Now you and I are going to die if we don’t get the talisman back. I’ll never be able to go home.”
Tears prickled in the back of eyes again, and I wanted to run from the booth, but that was the precise moment the waitress arrived to plop down our food. I tucked my chin into my chest and refused to look up until the woman left.
“I have my connections looking for Elise in the MarkTier stronghold.”
I perked up at this and gave him a hard look. “Do you think they’ll find her?”
He shrugged, wiping his face with his napkin. “I don’t know, but once we have a lead, we’ll go there ourselves and find her.”
My eyes widened. “You mean go into the MarkTier palace? Me?”
He nodded. “Yeah. That’s how we get the talisman back. You’ll have to face her. You’re ready, aren’t you? You’re the only one who could shake some sense into her. You know her.”
I swallowed, feeling the air growing tight all around me.
“I—I guess so. It’s just… I don’t know about walking into the palace like that. They’re adversaries of the ArcKnights. I would be public enemy number one there, and I….”
“No one will know who you are. You’ll be okay. I’ll make sure of it.”
I gave him a weak smile and nodded absentmindedly. Walking into the MarkTier palace was probably the first thing on my list of stuff I’d never do. It was going to wreak havoc on my nerves. What if I gave myself away? What if someone recognized me? What then? I would be as good as dead.
“How will you make sure of it?” I asked.
He reached into his pocket and set an object on the table.
“It’s a replacement talisman. Non-magical, of course, since it belonged to my great-grandfather, and the magic faded when he died. But since all the MarkTier royalty wear one, I have to be seen with it on. It won’t pass a close inspection, but few people outside my immediate family have seen my talisman up close. That’s for me to wear so you can keep mine on so you can stay strong.” He reached back into his pocket and set down something else. “And here’s something for you to wear. A ring.”
My eyes widened. Now he had to be pulling one over on me, because I couldn’t believe what I thought he was suggesting.
“A ring for what?” I asked, not wanting to hear his answer.
“You’ll be my wife. We’ll say we got married here in the Outlands and I’m bringing you back home for a visit. They’ll be obligated to accept you, no matter what. Now, there will be questions that you’ll have to answer, so we’ll have to make sure we get our stories straight. We leave in two days.”
I felt dizzy, like the blood was draining from my head.
“You’ve got to be kidding me….”
Chapter Twelve