Alex dipped his head in embarrassment. “It’s the spell, Your Royal Highness. I’m worried about the spell, and how much I have let my friends down,” he explained. “If I hadn’t made your husband angry, we’d have gotten the deal we wanted. I messed up, and now I’m trying to fix it. Only, I don’t know where to do the spell—your husband will be watching all the havens, and I’m scared. I’m scared of how dangerous it will be, and how great the risks are to my friends.” He didn’t know what had compelled him to be so honest with her, but it felt good to tell the truth.
Venus nodded, pushing a strand of his hair away from his forehead. “No need for formalities—call me Venus,” she instructed. Never had a single word sounded so thrilling to Alex’s ears than her name. “And fear not, you haven’t let your friends down. My husband is capricious at the best of times, always blowing hot and cold.” She gave a quiet laugh that sounded like tiny bells ringing. “We can never know if your actions would have changed anything, had you done something different. Alex, dear boy, we must never dwell on the past. The future is changeable; the past is not. As for your fear, you must use it, not run from it.”
“I suppose I hadn’t thought of it like that,” Alex murmured, his cheeks growing hot.
“Tell me, did you get the blood you needed?” she asked innocently.
Alex nodded. “I did. Julius gave it to me before he snapped.”
She smiled. “Let me guess, the blood you so rudely took from me didn’t work?” There was ice in her words.
“No, it didn’t,” Alex replied. “And I’m sorry for taking it without your permission. We were in a rush,” he added, almost groveling for her forgiveness.
She flashed him an even brighter smile, stroking his cheek. “No harm done. I know your heart was in the right place, even if you misread the lines. My own son made the same mistake—it is an easy one to make. The words of that spell are so tricky, aren’t they? So vague and confusing?”
“They really are,” Alex replied, nodding vigorously, as if he’d just been given a treat.
“But you know them well?” she pressed.
Alex shrugged. “Well enough.”
“Well enough to do the spell and succeed?” she asked, her voice making his head swim, as if he had a fever.
“I hope so,” Alex said. “Although, it’s Virgil who’s going to do the spell.”
She nodded. “I see… And you think that is fair?”
Alex frowned. “For him to do it, instead of me?”
“Yes, Alex.”
“I think it’s fairer for him, a man who has lived a long time and done a lot of bad things, to do it, rather than me, a boy who has barely lived, and not done anything really horrible,” Alex said solemnly, feeling ashamed. He knew it must be hard for her to hear that her son was going to have to do the spell. Unbidden, an image of his own mother flashed into his mind, making him think about how she’d feel, if the roles were reversed.
Venus removed her hand from between the bars and rested it delicately on her chin, her eyes thoughtful. “You believe he should sacrifice his own life for the things he’s done?”
“Only if he is willing, which he’s said he is,” Alex murmured, wishing she’d rest her hand on his face again.
“And you believe him?” Venus asked, making Alex pause. “Look at him, Alex. Look how frightened he is. I just want you to remember what he is giving up. I want you to remember how frightened he is, because it could be you in there, mentally preparing for something like this. He is willing, and he wants redemption, but I want you to understand that, despite what he has done, he is a person. He is someone’s son—he is my son. I want you to be grateful for the sacrifice he is making, because it is breaking my heart,” she whispered, so close now he could feel her hot breath on his ear.
Tears sprang to Alex’s eyes. “I’m sorry. If there were another way, I would choose it,” he breathed.
“I have no doubt you would, Alex,” she said, and it sounded like she meant it. “I sincerely hope your mother gets to see you again because of the gift my son is giving,” she added with a sad smile, her tone not bitter in the slightest, only hopeful.
“I hope so too,” Alex replied, lowering his head.
“I love him, you know?”
Alex looked up. “Who? Julius?”
A strange glint flashed in her striking eyes. “Virgil. He is my son, and I love him dearly. We have spoken a lot in your absence, and he truly is sorry… for everything,” she said, a single tear rolling down her high cheekbones. Even crying, she was the most elegant woman Alex had ever seen. “It would ease my pain to know you at least respected what he was doing, despite your differences.”
“I do,” Alex promised.
“And if he is scared, calm him,” Venus pleaded, more tears running down her cheeks. “Don’t let him die alone, please, whatever you do.”
“I won’t. I swear I won’t.”
Venus sighed heavily, letting the tears drip down her chin. For a long while, she said nothing, composing herself. Still, Alex couldn’t take his eyes off her, a magnetic pull keeping him entranced. Finally, she raised her chin, her face proud, and addressed the whole room.
“Then, since I can’t change his mind or yours, might I make a suggestion?” she asked, her regal tone returning.
Alex nodded. “Anything.”
“My husband will not be watching Kingstone Keep quite as closely as Stillwater and Falleaf,” she said. “There will be a handful of scouts, but there won’t be an army.”
“Kingstone?”
“Yes, Kingstone. If you’re going, go now—don’t linger a moment longer. Oh, and use that Thunderbird of yours, to avoid portals. That’s where they will be watching,” she insisted. “Remember that, as volatile as the king is, he wants what you want. If you succeed, he can be persuaded to keep his part of the bargain, regardless of how you left things. If you do not succeed, however, there will be nothing anyone can do to calm his wrath. Not even me.”
Alex stared, open-mouthed, at the queen. In one fell swoop, she had eased his troubled mind. Yes, there would still be challenges ahead, but if she meant what she said, then they had a window of opportunity and a continued flicker of hope. The only problem was gauging whether she did indeed mean what she said. In that moment, Alex believed every word.
“Thank you,” he whispered, standing up, although he was almost shaky on his feet.
“Leave your thanks for later,” she replied, smiling. “The hard part is yet to come.”
With those parting words, Alex hurried back to Ceres, who was still casting a suspicious eye over the whole scene.
“I hope you didn’t say anything you weren’t supposed to,” Ceres chided. “As beautiful as you might think she is, she is still our enemy’s wife, and she has these ways of making people say things they don’t want to. I’d have warned you if you hadn’t already been drawn in, like a little puppy dog—I wouldn’t risk getting drawn in myself.”
Alex flushed. “Hey, I was no puppy dog! I was fine—I kept my cool,” he lied. “Anyway, we’ve got to get going. You bring Virgil; I’m going to rally the others. We’re off to Kingstone!”
He didn’t wait for Ceres’s response as he rushed out the windmill door and into the cool air, his mind set on the tents and the friends he hoped he’d find there. Attempt number two would be underway before the day was over.
Suddenly, however, his mind felt foggy, a dull pain pulsing at the sides of his temples. Glancing back at the windmill, he realized with a start that Venus had done something to him. She must have used some kind of hypnosis spell. It had felt like Demeter’s empathic abilities, only more intense, borne out of her allure. Now, he understood why Ceres had told him not to walk up to the bars—he had revealed so much and gained little in return. Was that part of her power? To learn as much as she could about everyone around her, storing it away so she might use it against them one day?
Even so, she had seemed genuine enough in her advice about using t
he pit at Kingstone and avoiding the portals. That was likely the best course of action, despite the source of the suggestion.
Sighing, Alex wondered whose team the queen would be on, when all was said and done.
Chapter 16
Nearing the tents, Alex was pleased to see his friends sitting around the fire. They looked up as he approached, eager to know where he’d been all this time. With time being of the absolute essence, he gave them a quick rundown of events before diving into the task at hand.
“Venus told me I should take Storm, which means only one of you can come with me,” he said. It was something he’d been thinking about on the way over. With Virgil in tow, that left only one other space. Although he could see the sense in avoiding portals, since they were the spots most likely to be guarded by Julius’s soldiers, he couldn’t help feeling doubt in the back of his mind that Venus was somehow setting him up. With only three people, they could easily be captured and put into the king’s custody. He glanced around, hoping to see the shadowy figure of Elias perching somewhere close by. At least with the shadow-man around, they wouldn’t be quite so outnumbered. However, it appeared Elias still had not returned from his little research trip. Disappointed, Alex returned his attention to the group.
“You think you can trust her?” asked Aamir dubiously.
“I’m not sure, honestly. She seemed genuine enough,” Alex replied. “And she probably has more reason to hate Julius than any of us. I know she’s his wife, but you remember the way he was with her.”
Aamir’s expression darkened. “I hadn’t thought of it like that.”
“I think we have to trust her,” Alex insisted. “I mean, we had to pick a haven. She just narrowed down the options.”
Ellabell smirked. “I’m sure she did. I bet you’d believe anything she said.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Alex said defensively.
“Just that she’s a very beautiful woman, and if she can control Julius the way you’ve said she can, I don’t imagine you stood a chance against her charms,” she teased.
“Look, we need to decide who’s coming with me,” said Alex, wanting the subject changed as quickly as possible. “Ceres is bringing Virgil over as we speak, and I’d like us to be ready to go when she arrives.”
Ellabell chuckled knowingly, but said no more about Venus. However, before she could open her mouth to volunteer, Natalie spoke up instead.
“I would like to come with you.”
Alex frowned. “Aren’t you still injured?” he asked, glancing at her damaged leg.
She shook her head defiantly. “Agatha’s pill has worked wonders. I am fine to run, fight, conjure—you name it.”
He glanced at the others, hoping for backup. The last thing he wanted, as much as he hated to admit it, was someone who might slow them down. Natalie was strong, but if her leg was still hurt, she would be no use if they had to run from anything—soldiers, mist, Julius, any of the terrors that could chase them through the hallways of Kingstone Keep.
Aamir held up his hands. “I’m out, given my last mist encounter.”
“I’d rather keep an eye on the cripple,” Jari added, giving his friend a shove in the ribs.
“As much as I’d like to go… because of Virgil, I think we need to go with our strongest options. Helena or Natalie,” said Ellabell, nodding at the two other young women.
“Hey, I’m not going to stand in Natalie’s way if she wants to be the one to go,” Helena chimed in, flashing her friend an encouraging grin. “If she says she’s fit enough, she’s fit enough.”
Alex couldn’t argue with that. “You positive you’re better?” he asked Natalie.
Natalie put her hands on her hips. “Just a few aches and scrapes, but I feel just fine. Honestly.”
He was about to ask again, when Ceres arrived, dragging Virgil behind her. Glancing down, Alex saw cuffs encircling the Head’s wrists, the manacles entwined with gray ivy. There was a sweet sort of irony to the sight of them clamped on the skeletal man, but Alex thought better of making a remark as they approached.
“I thought I’d throw on the cuffs, just in case,” Ceres explained. “Although, we likely won’t be able to keep him in them during the spell, if there are things he needs to do with his hands,” she added, lowering her voice so Virgil wouldn’t hear. Alex nodded; he had been thinking the same thing. As much as Venus had insisted they could trust him, and Virgil himself had insisted he was ready and raring to go, as far as the spell was concerned, Alex couldn’t shake the ingrained doubt he had where the Head was concerned.
“Okay. Natalie, Virgil, with me,” said Alex, walking up the narrow passage between the tents, toward the shady glade at the back. Everyone followed, and as they neared the drooping willows, Storm poked her head out. She let out a delighted chirp, though it quickly turned to a trill of disgruntlement as she saw Virgil loping along behind the group. “It’s okay, Storm. It’s not going to be for long,” Alex promised, stroking the silky feathers on the side of the Thunderbird’s face.
Storm trilled again, showing her displeasure with a puff of the feathers atop her head.
Alex smiled. “I promise, it’s just there and back. Then you don’t have to see him again.”
She turned her face away from Alex’s hand, giving a sharp chirrup.
“Please? We just need to get to Kingstone Keep—can you do that?”
Her chirp turned into a coo as she relented.
“What would I do without you?” Alex grinned, stroking the sides of her face, before gesturing for Natalie and Virgil to hold their palms out flat. Storm touched her beak to the center of Natalie’s hand without issue, giving a cheerful chirp. Virgil’s, however, she barely deigned to touch, snatching her beak away the very second she made contact with his palm. Alex tried not to laugh at the sour expression on the Thunderbird’s face. Instead, he helped Natalie onto Storm’s back, followed by Virgil, who had to sit in the middle, given his restricted hands. It was going to be a tight squeeze, but it was manageable. Finally, Alex hopped up into the “driver’s seat,” clutching the bony protrusions of the Thunderbird’s shoulders. Taking it as a sign for them to go, Storm broke into a run, tearing across the field before soaring upward in one elegant swoop, her giant wings stretching out to catch the currents of air beneath her.
Below, the others waved them off, anxious expressions on their faces. Turning away, he tried to ignore their anxiety, knowing it would only serve to feed his own. He needed to remain optimistic if this was going to work.
“Kingstone Keep,” Alex whispered to Storm. “I know it’s a longer way than usual, and you’ll have to break through two barriers—do you think you can make it?”
She chirped loudly, puffing out her chest. Although she was a bird, Alex could hear a wavering note in her chirp that worried him. Was he asking too much of her? He had no real idea how inter-realm travel worked, but he remembered the strain it had caused her to break through to Starcross from Spellshadow. The trip to Kingstone might burn her out. As if trying to prove him wrong, Storm sped up, while Alex took a deep breath and clung on tight.
“Hang on!” Alex roared over the sound of the wind rushing past. There was an earth-shaking boom as Storm broke through the sound barrier, but still she did not slow. Her wings flapped harder and faster, building up speed. The others yelped behind him as the world stretched and distorted, and even Alex began to feel afraid as everything trembled around them. Like an airplane against a strong headwind, Storm battled the barriers between realms, forcing herself through, tearing the fabric of reality until it spiraled all around and everything looked like they’d fallen into the bottom of a kaleidoscope. Alex’s teeth juddered and his bones rattled, his knuckles white where he was gripping Storm. They were tossed this way and that, Thunderbird and passengers both, Natalie reaching forward to grab Alex’s arms tightly, sandwiching Virgil between herself and Alex so he wouldn’t fall off.
With another boom that sounded like thunder cracking
overhead, the world straightened, and they emerged into the familiar realm of Kingstone with a sharp jolt. Storm sagged as she struggled to carry them toward the keep, trying to glide to preserve energy wherever she could. Her neck dipped, and her wings slowed.
“You’re doing great,” said Alex, stroking her neck.
She cooed wearily, barely able to keep her head up.
A few times, they dropped out of the sky, plummeting a short distance, only for Storm to pull up at the last minute, delving into her reserves of strength to keep them in the air. Stoically, she flapped, carrying them toward their destination. Never had Alex been more pleased to see the prison as it came into sight. However, there was something amiss with the place. Squinting toward it, he noted the lack of rusty red fog floating about the structure, and the moat, with its strange lizard-like creatures, had dried up completely.
With an exhausted chirp, Storm landed on her favored turret, waiting until the trio dismounted before sinking into her nesting position, her chin on her chest, her wings tucked in. By the time they were at the top of the steps leading down into the prison, the Thunderbird was asleep. Alex smiled at her, hoping she’d be okay to fly again if they got into any trouble. What he’d just put her through had clearly been a grueling challenge, but they still had a return journey to make.
As Alex pushed the door at the bottom of the steps and crept out into the corridor beyond, he half expected to come face-to-face with a band of unruly inmates, the way he’d done the last time he’d been here. Instead, he was met with the foulest stench imaginable. It was a smell he’d only ever heard about, but never experienced with his own nostrils.
Pulling his t-shirt up over his nose, he walked into the prison itself, peering anxiously around corners in case anyone came hurtling toward him. No one did. The prison was like a ghost town, everything silent and deathly still. He even peeked into a few cells, just to see if there was anyone inside, but each one was empty. Stepping through into one of the larger common areas, he understood why.