The Egg (Return of the Ancients Book 4) (13 page)

I had to admit. The way they put it made our argument sound pretty crazy.

“Yes, that’s exactly what we are asking,” Jareth retorted then, pulling a coin out of thin air to flip it over his fingers. “And we’ll succeed, because the very human you’re already blaming for destroying the world is the only one now who has a real chance to prevent it. And she needs us to do it.”

I didn’t really want to hear that. If my Blue Thread was anything like theirs, I didn’t see how I was going to succeed.

“Let us see into your mind, Sydney,” the Queens suddenly whispered.

It took me a second to realize that their mouths hadn’t moved.

I nervously licked my dry lips. “You’re already here,” I replied aloud.

They both tilted their heads at exactly the same time and on the same angle. It made me shiver. I found them a little creepy, but then I felt a little embarrassed for thinking it when they could read my mind.

“Would you choose the path for the benefit of all, even if it were to cost you dearly?” Their voices slithered through my mind.

Apparently, they didn’t care if I thought them creepy or not. “I’d like to think so,” I said, not really sure if I’d answered them in my mind or with my mouth.

It didn’t matter. They kept staring at me for quite some time. Long enough that I knew the pressure was building up to a downright nasty question.

I was right.

“Could you kill both Jareth and Rafael?” Their voices chorused in my thoughts. “If the only way to save the Tree of Life is to kill them, could you do it?”

I recoiled in revulsion and jumped up from the table. “Don’t be ridiculous!” I shouted, my throat closing in. “That isn’t it! That isn’t my choice!”

Rafael rose to his feet, his hand protectively closing over mine in an instant as he turned to address the Queens. “Let’s stop this farce now, shall we? You know that you really can’t harm us. If you did, you would only cement the fate you saw in the mirrors. The only chance we all have now is to truly let us go and hold onto every shred of faith that you’ve ever had.”

I didn’t want to hear anymore. I was suddenly exhausted and overwhelmed and I wanted to be gone. I guess we all did, because Jareth got to his feet too.

“Until later then,” he bowed at the Queens.

They didn’t try to stop us. They just watched us walk out the front door. I half expected to be surrounded by Fae Protectors the moment we exited Samantha’s domain, but it didn’t happen.

It was raining slush outside and it was chilly. I huddled into my sweatshirt as we rounded the side of the building and headed towards the back. But we’d taken no more than three steps before Rafael caught me by the waist and shifted us back to the Fae Command Center.

The Fae hovering before the glowing crystals seemed a little surprised at our sudden arrival, but they didn’t ask any questions.

Leaving Rafael and Jareth behind, I stumbled up the stairs, looking for a place to close my eyes, just for a second. I found it in the first room. A wide, leather couch. Sinking down in its over-stuffed cushions, I leaned back and closed my eyes.

* * *

I woke with the afternoon sun shining in my eyes. It took me a minute to recall the latest series of events. I glanced at my watch. I’d slept through the entire night and into the next day. I guess that meant the Queens had decided to trust us, after all. Or at least I hoped that’s what it meant. I could hear the Fae’s soft voices downstairs, sprinkled with the occasional laugh.

I relaxed.

If they were laughing, I supposed nothing drastically horrible had gone wrong while I’d been asleep.

Someone had thoughtfully placed my backpack by the door. After selecting a fresh pair of jeans, t-shirt, and hoodie, I searched out the nearest bathroom for a quick shower. I didn’t bother looking in the mirror. I knew the face looking back at me would be thinner and a little more peaked than usual.

My stomach chose that moment to growl in a loud protest. I hadn’t eaten much lately. I’d just been running from crises to crises. Pulling my wet hair back into a ponytail, I headed downstairs in search of food, and swinging myself around on the bottom step, I ran straight into Raven.

I pulled up short.

As usual, she was immaculately dressed, wearing a blue silk dress with platform shoes and a tasteful diamond necklace. Her cold eyes dropped over my jeans and sweatshirt in a slow, censorious gaze.

“Good afternoon … evening,” I greeted her, not intending on staying there and participating in whatever game she was thinking about playing.

The look she sent me was a chilling one, and she got right to the point. “I’ll never like you,” she said in a shrill tone. “But I’m not one to aid evil.”

I wasn’t sure how to reply to that, so I just nodded.

She walked away then, and I just stood there, leaning against the stairwell, watching her go. I couldn’t really fault her for falling for Rafael. After all, I had myself. And she’d helped save Jareth in the end, even though she’d dragged her feet at the beginning. Maybe she wasn’t too bad, but I kind of agreed with her. I didn’t think we’d ever be friends, either. We were just too different.

“And what thoughts have captured you so deeply?” Rafael’s breath tickled the back of my neck.

I jerked around to see that he’d come up to lean against the stairs beside me.

He was strikingly attractive in weathered torn jeans and a pink t-shirt that stretched tight across his shoulders. He’d taken the time to ring his gray eyes with a healthy dose of eyeliner, and although he was gorgeous no matter what he did, I have to admit I preferred him just as he was now, eyeliner and all.

But that thought only drove home our differences.

He’d always be Fae, accustomed to a different set of rules and expectations. And that meant that someone like Raven truly was a far better match than I. In more ways than one. She’d most likely always understand him. She shared his culture. She certainly shared his classical good looks.

They were both very different than me. Honestly, I didn’t think I was anywhere
near
their league.

His eyes creased in the corners, taking on an amused cast as he looked down at me. “And where have your thoughts gone now?” he softly prompted again.

I didn’t want to admit it, of course. I didn’t want to sound jealous. Even though I knew that I actually was. But I also wasn’t one to play games. So I confessed, “She’s really more your type than I am.”

“And I disagree,” he said at once, understanding immediately who I meant by “she”. A smile danced on his lips that matched his eyes as he leaned down closer to add, “My type keeps pet mice. She’s beautiful without a shred of vanity in her soul. She doesn’t hide who she is behind false masks. She wears jeans and sweatshirts because that’s what she likes. She’s courageous and kind. And,” he added, pausing to draw out the suspense. “And she’s stolen my heart, utterly and completely.”

I think I could have listened to him talk like that forever.

Reaching over, he brushed the back of his hand over my cheekbone. “Turn those curious green eyes away from me, little pixie,” he murmured in a voice that carried a promise that made my heart skip a beat.

“Or?” I asked, silently begging him to continue.

Rafael studied me a moment and then answered with a playful wink, “Or I just may have to kiss you.”

Of course, I didn’t look away. I don’t think there was anything on the planet that
could
have made me look away. I kept my eyes glued on his until he leaned forward and gently brushed his lips across mine in a soft kiss that I never wanted to end.

Lifting myself onto my tiptoes, I slid my arms around his neck and whole-heartedly kissed him back. Finally, the kiss ended, and he held me close for a time before slowly pulling back to slide a long finger under my chin.

“My fate will always be entwined with yours, Sydney,” he said, absently threading a finger through my hair. “No other can compare to you.”

I wanted to tell him that, too. But I really wasn’t used to expressing myself in that way. Honestly, my mom hadn’t ever hugged me much and my dad, well, I never met the guy. I wasn’t really used to displays of affection.

Rafael must have read my emotions on my face because he chuckled and bent his head to kiss me lightly on the cheek. “In Avalon we have a saying that ‘every love is a delicate flower’,” he said.

“Flower?” I repeated.

He put his fingers on top of mine and gave them a squeeze. “It means each love should be left to blossom on its own, little green-eyed pixie.” Dark lashes veiled his eyes as his breath softened to add, “Forcing the petals to open too soon will only harm it.”

I heard the smile in his voice and it made me warm inside. I smiled back. He always made me feel comfortable. He felt so right.

He slid his arm around my waist and stepped forward, but I didn’t move. “You’re pretty incomparable yourself,” I said, surprised the words were a bit easier to say than I’d thought.

Humor and something else that made my heart sing flashed across his face.

I think I just might have kissed him myself this time if a loud angry shout hadn’t sounded from the direction of the kitchen.

It made me look over my shoulder. A small part of me cringed because I realized for the first time that from where we stood, the Fae in the Command Center could have easily seen us kissing. It was a little embarrassing, but I guess just a little. But as the shouting continued, I brushed all other thoughts aside and ran after Rafael as he strode towards the sounds of conflict.

Pushing the door open, we stepped inside.

Instead of the atrium it was before, the kitchen had returned into its normal state, complete with refrigerator, stove, and barstools lined up at the counter. A bowl of fruit sat a few feet away from an inviting platter of fresh toast. And right next to it perched Jareth’s white pigeon, Galahad, sitting on top of a roll of paper towels.

The sound, of course, came from Jareth. Holding his guitar by the neck, he was shaking it fiercely as he paced in front of the sliding glass door leading to the backyard porch. He looked a lot better. Except for a slight gauntness about him, he appeared almost normal as he stomped back and forth, wearing shredded black-leather pants, a netted shirt, and a red trench coat with a turned-up collar.

Catching sight of us, he escaped to the back porch, and cradling his guitar, he began to play. His music was soulful and angry. There was no denying he was a talented musician.

Rafael stood by the door with folded arms, watching him with furrowed brows as I sat on one of the stools.

“Hi,” I greeted Galahad as he perched over the platter of toast.

He didn’t even blink.

I didn’t know if that was a normal Galahad response or some kind of veiled insult. So I just shrugged and reached for a piece of toast.

As quick as a flash, he stretched his scrawny neck to peck my hand.

“Ouch!” I glared. I don't know why I was surprised that the ornery bundle of feathers would turn out to be a devil in disguise, but I was. “You must be related to Ajax,” I groused. “I thought it was for public consumption. I didn’t know that was your private stash.”

Rubbing my hand, I scowled at him and helped myself to a banana from the fruit bowl a good three feet away instead.

He didn’t twitch. He just hopped back on top of the paper towels and stared at me with his unblinking black eyes.

Glowering, I peeled my banana and then swiveled on the stool to watch Jareth and Rafael. After a few minutes, my mind began to wander. The Queens had asked me if I could kill them to save the Tree of Life. Part of me refused to think it was a possibility, even as the other part of me wondered if that would be my Blue Thread. If it was, then the Earth truly was doomed. I’d fail. I loved them both too much. They were too important to me, just like Al, Betty, Grace, Ellison, Jerry, and the rest. Even the pointed-eared snooty Ajax had wriggled into my heart. I couldn’t see how harming any of them could
ever
be the right decision.

Yet apparently, Rafael’s decision to stick up for me had been the wrong one. And as I watched Jareth through the sliding glass door, I wondered if he’d really faced his Blue Thread and what the outcome had been.

Of course, he sensed my thoughts.

Abruptly, his music ended and he whirled on his heel, facing me with a deep scowl scarring his face. Tossing his guitar down, he strode through the door, pushing past Rafael as if he didn’t exist to slouch against the counter and lay his head down in his arms. “You should both leave,” he warned in a growl. “I’m really not in a good mood.”

“How are you feeling physically?” I asked anyway. Up close, I could see the dark circles under his eyes. “Maybe you should get some sleep.”

He winced as Rafael joined us, swinging a long leg over the stool next to me to sit down.

“Don’t be noisy, Sydney.” Jareth scowled at me. “It’ll give me a headache.”

My intuition told me if he didn’t really want to talk he wouldn’t be there. So, I replied a bit testily myself, “It’s called ‘conversation’, Jareth. People talk about what’s bothering them and help each other out.”

Jareth closed his eyes and began rubbing his temples.

Rafael arched a cool brow of concern. “Are you well, Jareth?” he asked quietly.

“No,” Jareth responded darkly without opening his eyes. “How could I be well? I’ve just discovered I’m a weapon.”

“You don’t have to be what others say you should be, Jareth. You can be what your heart wants you to be,” Rafael answered before I could respond. “You’re no weapon.”

Jareth slouched and opened his eyes a slit. “I made the wrong choice,” he confessed almost inaudibly.

I felt a wave of despair. Then Jareth
had
failed. I guess I’d been secretly hoping he hadn’t.

“Yes, Sydney,” he confirmed, sweeping his dark hair out of his eyes. “I chose the wrong path. And now it’s too late. My Blue Thread … is gone. I failed the test.”

“What was it?” I asked. I had to know just how terribly hard the choice had been to make. It might give me some clue about my own.

He drew a long, shaky breath. “Brotherhood,” he said in a faraway voice. “True Brotherhood, beyond anything you could imagine. True belonging. I … was faced with joining them, the Brotherhood of the Snake.”