The Inner Circle, Book 3 of the Glass Wall ( A YA Urban Fantasy Romance ) (23 page)

This time, there were only a few shocked
gasps, those of the queens combined with a few of their supporters
in the crowd.

Only one of the Protectors moved to block our
path. Just one.

“Move,” Rafael ordered sharply, waving his
hand in a gesture of annoyance.

The Protector hesitated. But after only a
moment, he complied.

I glanced back at the queens. They looked as
if they might faint, but even so, they clearly weren’t ones to give
up easily.

“You and your mirror are bound by our laws,”
they threatened. “We will seek the Rafael of the mirror, and we
will discover what you have been hiding. You will stay here under
the eye of the Protectors.”

“No,” Rafael objected stoically.

“No?” the queens repeated in astonishment.
“There’s no recourse for you. We have bound your Light.”

Rafael paused. And turning his head to the
side, he gave a grim smile and replied in a contemptuous tone, “The
light of a pureblood cannot be bound.”

The queens drew back in shock. I kind of felt
sorry for them. It had been one shock after another this entire
time. In fact, so many shocks that they’d completely lost interest
in invading my mind.

And without warning, Rafael embraced me, and
even though he wasn’t supposed to be able to, he shifted.

The next moment, I found myself standing
beside the couch and in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror in
Rafael’s closet.

Letting me go, Rafael made his way to the
mirror and pressed his palm against the surface.

His shoulders seemed strangely tense.

And then the Rafael in the mirror appeared.
The mirror Rafael looked nothing like the Rafael standing a few
feet away from me. The mirror version was dressed in jeans and the
lemon-yellow shirt that I particularly thought attractive. And the
mirror version was looking directly at me. He looked pale. Sad.
Very sad.

A ripple of foreboding ran down my spine.
“What is it?” I asked.

But neither Rafael was really paying any
attention to me. Their gazes had locked onto each other.

And then slowly, the real Rafael, still
dressed in bloodstained clothes, stretched his arms wide and spoke
a single word in a language I could not understand.

Nothing happened at first.

And then I saw it.

A crack. A crack in the center of the
mirror.

In moments, it snaked across the mirror to
cover the entire length, and as it did so, both Rafaels fell to
their knees and screamed in pain, their faces twisting in
agony.

I’d never heard such pain in a cry. It was
the sound of pure torture, ripped from someone’s soul.

And then, in an explosion that shook the
floor and threatened to deafen me, the mirror shattered into a
multitude of tiny fragments.

I fell to the floor and covered my head.

As soon as the vibrations faded, I cautiously
lifted my head.

There was only one Rafael now, the real one.
He swayed unsteadily on his feet for a time, and then suddenly
pitching forward, he collapsed onto the floor.

I rushed to his side as Jareth’s words rang
through my ears.
Breaking my mirror would be like dying. It
would be like giving up my soul, what I really am, everything I’ve
ever had and all of my dreams.

I stared down at Rafael in complete horror. I
could see the utter devastation in his face. I couldn’t even ask
why he’d done it. I just held his hands.

And then slowly, he sat up, looking
completely exhausted. Loosening the collar of his bloodstained
shirt, he said in a ragged voice, “A moment, please. I can’t speak
… yet.”

“You don’t ever have to talk if you don’t
want to,” I answered in a rush. That was the least I could do.

He caught my fingers in his hand and cradled
them tiredly to his chest. We stayed there like that until the
color slowly returned to his face.

And then I heard an unexpected voice from
behind us. “Move, Sydney. Let me have a look at his shoulder.”

I whirled to see Jareth standing there,
looking pale himself and deeply shaken.

“Are the queens coming?” I gasped.

“No,” Jareth answered in a low voice. “No one
is. We all heard that mirror break. It rang through the entire
city.” He looked like he was going to be sick.

I shuddered. I didn’t understand the full
ramifications of what Rafael had done, but I understood enough to
know that it had been catastrophic.

Struggling to my feet, I got out of Jareth’s
way. I didn’t ask him where he’d been and why he hadn’t answered
when I’d called. It was too late now, anyway. Now, I just wanted
him to help and heal Rafael as fast as he could.

Rafael sat there, mute, as Jareth knelt
beside him. He was clearly affected by the loss of his mirror. He
didn’t even move as Jareth created his healing light.

After a few minutes, the ball of light
disappeared, and Rafael dropped his head into his hands.

Jareth stayed where he was, crouched by his
side and shaking his own head in profound disbelief. “I thought you
were the predictable one, Rafael. Why did you do it? What—”

And then his mouth dropped open, and his eyes
locked above Rafael’s head.

“Rafael, your Blue Thread!” His voice was
strangled, and he swallowed several times before he managed to form
the words. “It’s
gone
.”

I froze.
Actually, none of us moved.

Rafael turned even whiter, and after several
attempts, he finally whispered, “And … the outcome?”

Jareth didn’t answer.

It clearly wasn’t good news.

Rafael lifted his head and ordered sharply,
“Tell me. Spare nothing.”

Jareth expelled a long breath. “Your fate
line ends in … destruction.” And then he bowed his head and
whispered, “You … destroy the Tree of Life. And … soon.”

I stared at Jareth, unable to believe it.
Even I knew destroying the Tree of Life meant the three dimensions
would be obliterated: the Brotherhood, the Earth,
and
the
Fae.

I just couldn’t believe it. “You’re wrong,
Jareth. You’ve made a mistake.” He
had
to be wrong. The
Earth simply couldn’t be destroyed, especially anytime soon. The
destruction of the Earth was supposed to be a comfortable billion
or so years away.

Jareth didn’t say anything. He looked just as
tortured as I felt inside. And then we both turned back to
Rafael.

Rafael had bowed his head and buried his face
in his hands. It was a gesture of complete defeat.

None of us knew what to do.

And then finally, Rafael choked on a bitter
laugh. “I clearly made the wrong choice,” he said in a strangled
voice. Every line of his body was taut. “I have condemned us all.
It doesn’t matter what either of you do now. I’ve already sealed
the destruction of the Tree of Life.”

I started shaking. “What choice did you
actually make?” I rasped. My throat was dry. “What was it?” It was
important for me to know, but I’d already begun to suspect.

Neither of them answered.

I closed my eyes and spoke the horrible
truth. “Then it was me. He should have given me up to the
queens.”

“No,” Rafael disagreed in a harsh voice. “It
isn’t your fault, Sydney. It’s so much more than just you.”

I couldn’t believe him.

Rising to his feet, he toed some of the
broken shards of mirror with his boot for a minute before saying,
“The choice was, in fact, the decision to walk my own path. I had
several choices. And I … chose the wrong one.”

His voice was soft and intense, and filled
with so much emotion that I thought my heart would break.

Jareth crouched down and picked up a piece of
broken glass. “But still?” he asked roughly, holding the glass
reverently in his hands. “What kind of choice could end like
this?”

Rafael remained silent for such a long time
that I thought he wasn’t going to reply. But then he answered
grimly, “I was forced to a crossroads: to join Marquis, to walk
with Melody, or to continue my journey with the Queens.”

The first two were clearly out of the
question.

Jareth must have been thinking the same
thing, because he asked, “What could have possibly possessed you to
betray the Queens?”

It was obvious that Rafael didn’t want to
answer. But he finally did. “If I stayed with the Queens, I would
have your blood on my hands,” was his reply. “And Sydney’s, as
well. It’s only a matter of time before they discover the blood of
the Brotherhood runs in your veins, Jareth. And they believe they
see danger in Sydney.”

Jareth started looking sick again.

“The only way to protect you both was to walk
my own path.” Rafael finished grimly. “My intention was to use my
heritage for the greater good, and to protect you both until the
Queens’ minds opened to possibilities other than fear and
destruction. I’d never planned on … this.”

“If my Blue Thread choice is anything like
yours, may the fates save us all,” Jareth said under his breath and
with uncharacteristic gravity.

I didn’t want to hear anymore. And I suddenly
couldn’t hold still. Wanting to be alone, I ran past the rows of
Rafael’s clothing to lean my head against the soft gray wall at the
other end of his massive closet.

But no sooner had I touched the wall than a
small hole appeared in the center to form into a doorway.

I stood back in alarm, expecting someone to
step through, but no one came.

“That’s strange,” Jareth said from behind
me.

I whirled. I hadn’t realized that I’d been
followed. I didn’t say anything as he grabbed my arm. The Fae
classification bracelet still encircled my wrist. I’d grown so used
to it that I had forgotten it was there.

But now, it was glowing. And I could see a
sparkle of golden light circling the bracelet like an aura, a
rainbow of colors.

“It’s pretty,” I said numbly, unaware that
I’d even said anything at all.

“You
see
it?” Jareth asked,
stunned.

I just looked at him. I was freaking out
about Rafael’s dilemma, and the fact that my existence had forced
him to make the ultimate sacrifice. I didn’t really care to talk
about a silly Fae bracelet.

And I still felt like running even though I
didn’t know where to run
to.

Upset, I shoved Jareth aside and stepped
through the doorway into Rafael’s living room.

I glanced around at the gray walls and the
picture windows showcasing the floating islands drifting by. And
then my eyes fell on Ajax sitting in the middle of the circular
couch amidst a sea of red pillows.

“Ajax,” I cried out his name as I bounded
across the room to throw myself down beside him and hug him as hard
as I could.

The Doberman laid his long elegant muzzle on
my shoulder, and we just sat there, drawing comfort from each
other. Somehow, through all of the madness, Ajax had turned into a
cherished, trusted friend.

I don’t know how long I sat there. I just
know that sometime later, I heard the dim muted chimes announcing
someone’s arrival, and I turned to see Jareth and Rafael striding
through an open doorway.

They looked pale and grim, but still strong
and in command. Somehow, it ignited a thread of hope deep inside my
soul.

“I can only wonder why Melody didn’t inform
the Queens of my defiance before this,” Rafael was saying.

Jareth crossed his arms and scowled.
“Perhaps, it’s simple,” he said. “Maybe she wanted to see Sydney
suffer the Queens’ wrath for guiding you astray. But then again,
who can fathom her reasoning? I can’t, and I am her creation,
though for what purpose …” His voice trailed away.

I stood up, suddenly nervous. “What now?” I
asked, twisting my hands together.

They both looked at me.

And then Rafael shrugged. “Well, I can do
what I wish now,” he said. “I have nothing to lose.”

Jareth cocked a curious brow.

Lifting his trion, Rafael spoke a single
unintelligible word.

Almost immediately, three white-clad Fae
appeared. They must have been waiting for his call. I recognized
one of them as Brock, the young Protector who had masqueraded as me
for a time. Slapping their arms across their chests in a respectful
salute, they fell upon bended knee.

“My king,” they said in unison.

“Rise,” Rafael ordered. “And I am not your
king.”

They rose, appearing confused.

“I serve the Queens,” Rafael continued. “And
I will see them protected, as you would protect me.”

“My lord,” one of the Fae objected fiercely.
“We wish to follow you. The majority of Avalon desires that—”

“It is not my desire nor my fate to rule
Avalon” Rafael cut them short with a sharp look.

“But have you not started a war of
restoration?” Brock burst out.

Rafael’s face hardened into a mask of ice.
“Have I?” he asked coldly. “I’ve given no such order.”

“But now is the time to strike, my prince,”
the other Fae inserted forcefully. “You can’t live as you did
before. The Queens will never allow it.”

“The Queens fear me, as they should. They
know I have the Protectors behind me. So I am safe enough,” Rafael
replied calmly. “For now, my order is that you protect the Queens
and enforce peace in this land. Not one drop of blood is to be
spilled. And I will hold each of you accountable for that.”

They were clearly unhappy but agreed. “As you
wish, my lord.”

“Then go.” Rafael turned away.

They left.

And no sooner had they gone then Rafael said,
“The time has come to force Melody to act.”

“That‘s a dangerous game,” Jareth replied a
bit hesitantly.

But Rafael simply shrugged. “I no longer have
anything to fear,” he said. And then nodding in my direction, he
added, “Guard her well, Jareth. I’ll return soon.”