The Water Queens (Keeper of the Water) (35 page)

“Please, Nia, I don’t want to die,” Cassie says. “I’m not Keeper anymore, my allies are dead, you control the water. I’m no longer a threat; I just want to live a normal life.”

For a moment, I don’t see her as Queen Isabella of Castille or the cruel Amazon driving a wedge through the most important tribe of women in the world. In her waning moments of desperation – where she no longer poses any threat – I see her as the girl who lived next door, the girl who sat at the end of the bench for field hockey, the girl who was desperate to fit in with the popular kids. Those were simpler days I’ll never have back, carefree days that
Cassie
helped rip away from me. I would’ve been more than willing to forget about my past and live life as a normal teenager had Cassie done the same; now, neither of us can return to that existence.

“You had your chance for that kind of life – we
both
did,” I say, rage beginning to build in me as Cassie tries to sound innocent. “But then you had to destroy
both
of our families. Leaving you to die
isn’t
revenge for me; it’s
justice
for Celeste and my mother, Amelia Earhart and Anne Bonny and Jane Austen and Mary Bowser and everyone else you’ve ever made suffer just because you existed.”

A large section of wall crumbles and nearly crashes into me, also missing Cassie and John by less than a few feet. Although
he’s
the one dying, I see how worried John is for my safety. Cassie has a different reaction to my close call with death; she laughs through her obvious pain, no longer pretending to act sweet or misunderstood. I guess she plans to die the same way she lived: as a raging b–

“Then you can add your
precious
husband to that list, too,” she spits at me. “And hopefully that little brat of yours, too.”

Another explosion rocks the Generalife, shooting more fiery debris across the courtyard. More walls crumble and I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to escape let alone survive. John grimaces from his wounds and I know that if I don’t act quickly, Cassie will be proven right. I thought I’d lost him several times but this is the first moment I actually have a semblance of control about helping him. I can’t ignore that.

I toss the bow off my back to lessen my burden; it doesn’t even phase me that my trusty weapon lands in a fire nearby and immediately goes up in flames, too. I grab hold of his arm and begin to drag him, paying no mind to his grimace and groans of pain. But he resists by trying to pull his arm from my grasp.

“Cassie’s right, let me take you to the fountain,” I plead. “Janey can save you, I’ve seen what she can do. I promise I won’t let Cassie get hold of any water.”

He’s already cheated death so many times that I can’t fathom him not doing so again. At this moment, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to keep him by my side, alive, until we die –
together
– of old age.

But John shakes his head. “If you save me, she’ll somehow make it, too. And we both know that can’t end well.”

“I can’t lose you,” I say.

He smiles sadly. “You won’t be. You’ll always have a part of me in Janey; that’s why you must take her and leave. Let me see her one last time.”

When tears stream from my eyes this time, the heat can’t keep up with them. I reach back and take Janey from her sling. She still seems totally unaffected by the raging fires. I lower her toward John and his sad smile is suddenly filled with joy.

“Make sure she doesn’t forget me,” he says.

I want to promise him that Janey will remember him, that she’ll always know how he gave his life to keep hers safe, but the words get lost in my throat. I can do nothing but nod. He sits up enough to kiss Janey’s forehead and though the effort obviously causes him great pain, the smile doesn’t leave his face. When I finally pull the baby away from her father, she finally begins to cry. I wonder if she somehow knows this will be the last time she sees him.

“Now go, quickly, before it’s too late,” he groans.

“Don’t leave,” Cassie says, her voice high-pitched and creepy. “Stay here and
die
with us.”

But I pay her little mind, even as she tries to crawl toward us. I can’t take my eyes off John, can’t force my feet to get moving.

“Go,
please
!” he yells desperately.

I cry harder and bend over to kiss him one last time. His lips are turning pale and cold despite the intense heat. But when we kiss, I feel warmth hotter than any fire could possibly produce. I never want to move but he finally pulls away, staring directly into my eyes.

“Go,” he says.

I nod, reluctantly, and hold Janey tight against my chest. I’m about to run when Cassie suddenly grabs hold of my ankle. Her grip is weak but she tries to bite at my leg like a rabid dog. I grab an arrow from my quiver – about to finally finish her off, even if I have to stab her – when John summons the strength to save me one last time. He rolls over and pushes her off me, grabbing hold of her tightly as he drags them both toward a nearby section of blazing fire. I hear her scream but don’t want to see how this ends for either of them. I finally turn and run, heading toward the section of wall from where I entered.

There’s a loud crash behind me and I can’t help glancing back one final time, watching a huge section of palace wall crumble atop the area where John and Cassie had rolled. I can’t risk that happening to Janey and me, too. I cover her with the blanket and rush through the collapsed section of hallway and wall that lead outside Generalife. Nearly a dozen dead guards and rescue workers are being attended to by a few men and women brave enough to get so close to the fire. When they see me, they back up in fear.

“It wasn’t me who did this to them,” I say, pointing to the dead men. “It was Cassie, the queen.”

They look at me with doubt and confusion, which quickly changes to anger. If I were in their shoes, I’d have trouble believing me, too.

“She’s taken the princess,” someone yells.

“What have you done to our queen?” another screams.

A crowd begins to form nearby, their fear subsiding once they see I’m weaponless. Word spreads that I’ve kidnapped the princess and police quickly head our way across the rough landscape. I have no desire to try explaining the truth; I’m too emotionally and mentally spent and would probably end up in a nuthouse if I uttered half of what really happened. Though I’m exhausted physically, I know I can’t come this far just to be captured. Without saying a word, I start to run again, heading in the opposite direction of Granada again. Even at half-speed – and on difficult terrain in the dark – it’s not long before the crowd, Generalife, the fire, my husband and my worst enemy are far behind me.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

By the time I stop to take a breath, the cacophony of sounds caused by police cars and ambulances and rescue helicopters are barely a whisper in the wind; I see just a wisp of smoke against the backdrop of the moon in the sky. I’m in the forest in the middle of nowhere, not a single idea of what to do or where to go next. But I don’t care. I sit on the ground and lean against a tree, crying, holding Janey tightly as I slowly rock back and forth, back and forth; I don’t know if this movement is meant to soothe her or me.

Though I’m in the middle of nowhere, I suddenly sense that I’m not alone. I feel myself being watched and jump to my feet, my tears stopping instantly. Instinctively, I reach back for my bow but remember that it’s probably burned to ashes in the fire by now. All I have left are a few battered arrows to defend myself with but figure it would be wiser to use my feet instead.

I see nothing but hear the rustling of a fast approach. I quickly wrap the blanket into a sling and secure Janey before taking off. I don’t know where I’m going but move on instinct alone. Still, today’s grueling events finally catch up with me and I run only as fast as an Olympic sprinter, far slower than I need.

I hear my pursuers behind me and as I begin to cross a small valley, I spot movement converging on me from all sides. I’m caught so there’s no point continuing to run. I take Janey out of her sling and hold her against my chest; anybody who tries to take her will have to pry her from my dead hands. But the baby giggles when I look down and her calmness seems to relax me as well, even when I see nearly a dozen of Cassie’s young soldiers, some of them holding crude weapons not unlike other Amazons.

Though they’re all approximately the same size and age – also wearing similar black outfits and having the exact short haircuts – their leader is easy to spot. She’s the one who’d been in the middle of the line outside Alhambra, the one who’d blown out her candle first, the one I could’ve sworn recognized me among the crowd. While many of the other girls seem scared or nervous, this girl steps forward, watching me the entire time. I wouldn’t be surprised if the band of girls attacked but I’m certain they won’t do so without
this
girl making the first move.

“I demand to know what happened to Queen Isabella,” she says.

I don’t have the strength to lie or sugarcoat the story.

“She’s dead,” I say simply.

A collective gasp rises from the girls. A few begin to cry while others grip their weapons even tighter, seemingly about to spring. But I don’t take my eyes off their leader. Her brow furrows and she frowns but she doesn’t look as upset as the others.

“And the others? Catherine?” she asks.

“All dead,” I say.

“How could you do that?” says one of the sobbing girls.

“You killed the greatest woman to ever live,” an angrier girl adds. “And you kidnapped her baby. Hand the princess over to us.”

I shake my head. “She’s
my
baby. If you’ve spent as much time with Isabella over the years as I think, you must know she was never pregnant, that she never had a baby of her own. She was a cruel, violent woman; she killed my husband and everybody else important in my life. You might not realize it now, but I did each and every one of you a favor by making sure she died.”

The cries continue around me but the girls’ leader continues to remain stone-faced.

“She gave us a chance at a better life when nobody else would,” the leader finally says. “She gave us a home and hope for the future. She made sure we were given special water that made us stronger and faster than we could’ve imagined.”

“But she didn’t do that for you – she did that for herself,” I tell them. “She was
using
you, the way she used everyone else in her life.”

The leader takes a step forward and the rest of the girls follow suit, slowly converging around me. An attack appears imminent but I slowly shake my head.

“I will not fight you,” I tell them. “She brainwashed all of you; she was going to do the same to my Janey. I cannot fight beautiful young women who were taken advantage of by that monster. I’ve seen her destroy too many others.”

The leader stops a few feet in front of me, her eyes never moving away from mine. For all I know, the girls behind me could plunge a spear into my back at any moment.

“Just promise me you won’t hurt my daughter, Janey,” I plead. “She’s already lost her… her father tonight.”

I’m fairly certain the girls are about to strike when I feel a familiar tingle of warning. The girls around me suddenly stop moving and their leader looks further confused.

“Did
you
feel that, too?” she asks me.

“I
did
,” I say, though I don’t exactly know what it means.

The girls back away and I join them in looking upon the surrounding woods. While they’d moved quickly chasing me down, I knew they were there all along, I could hear their approach, even though I’d been breathing heavily while running. But whoever’s out there now makes not a single sound, though we can all feel
her
presence.

“The woman in front of you ain’t the enemy,” a voice echoes from within the forest.

I recognize the voice immediately – I’ve heard it countless times in the past – but there’s clearly something different about it, something changed. While still as stern as ever, the voice sounds more powerful, the words seeming to cause a light breeze to swirl around us. Harriet slowly emerges from the darkness of the forest. Her skin glows and expression has softened from its usual glare. I swell with pride upon realizing what has caused this change.

“I can’t think of a worthier candidate for Keeper,” I say.

“Not many others to choose from, Mentor,” Harriet says. “When I saw Cassie chase you outta the garden and then saw the water turnin’ dimmer, I knew what was happenin’. Catherine also seen it too, but I was able to stop her ‘fore she reached the fountain.”

“
You
harmed Catherine?” the girl leader asks.

None of the girls makes a move toward Harriet. They even bow their heads slightly in her direction; though the water they were given wasn’t at full strength, it was obviously strong enough for them to recognize – and respect – the new Keeper. That doesn’t mean they’ve retreated a single step from me.

“I destroyed that monster of a woman,” Harriet says bluntly. There’s not as much enjoyment – or relief – in that statement as I would’ve expected. I guess it’s not surprising that becoming Keeper has changed her outlook on a lot of things in life.

The leader of the girls now stares at Harriet with confusion.

“I recognize you,” she tells the new Keeper. “You were the assassin I spotted in the crowd. We were supposed to kill you if we ever found you.”

Harriet steps forward, her gait much lighter and smoother than before yet still conveying just as much strength. She wears Janey’s beaded necklace, the tiny clear bead shining bright blue.

“This woman – my Mentor – tells the truth ‘bout your queen bein’ evil,” she tells the girls. “She was usin’ you girls as test subjects, brainwashin’ you to build an Army. It ain’t right and I think
you
know that.”

“That’s why Queen Isabella took us out of school and had us focus on weapon’s training,” the leader finally says.

A few of the girls glare at her; most appear to relax.

“But she promised we’d become Amazons,” the angrier girl snaps at her leader, Harriet
and
me. Only one or two of the girls nods in agreement but their leader is not one of them.

“You might think you strong now but the water you had ain’t the full strength of a real Amazon,” Harriet explains. “None of ya’ll gonna like hearin’ it but you ain’t qualified to be Amazons, no matter what Cassie or her queens been tellin’ ya. The honor of bein’ Amazons is only given to strong, deservin’ women who proved they can be an asset to protectin’ Earth.”

“The queen never told
us
that,” the other girl says.

“The queen never told us
anything
of importance,” the leader says.

“Cassie was obsessed with power, with gaining it and having it and wielding it,” I say. “She never cared about how many people she hurt along the way. It might not seem like it now, but I promise that all of you are lucky she’s been destroyed before she could kill you, too.”

Several of the girls don’t look convinced but the leader remains stone-faced and pensive.

“What will become of us?” she asks.

“I’m sure the Spanish gov’ment will look out for ya’ll,” Harriet says. “Nobody’s gotta clue ‘bout how evil the
queen
really was. Even in death she’ll be a hero and ya’ll girls is all that’s left of her. I reckon they gonna take care of ya’ll real good so nobody better say nothin’ ‘bout the Amazons and water and what Cassie was really gonna do.”

While I’m glad the government will make sure these orphaned girls aren’t just thrown out on the streets again, it sickens me to think that Cassie will be made a martyr, a victim, though she’s the one who left a trail of innocent victims in her wake of destruction. I try not to think about John or Amelia for fear of breaking down since my next journey is just beginning…
if
these girls will let us go.

“The Keeper is right,” the leader says, finally turning to address the rest of the girls. “We will not stand in their way of leaving.”

“Are you
serious
?” asks the lone dissenting voice among the group, most of who now look relaxed
and
relieved. “We were so close to never having to worry about being poor and hungry again. We’re
still
faster and stronger than any girl our age – for that matter, any man of any age. And if that baby really has such power over the water,
we
can pick up where Queen Isabella left off if
we
control the infant princess.
We
can control all of Spain and maybe beyond.”

A few of the girls can’t hide the longing in their eyes. After a life of being orphaned and impoverished, I can’t blame them for still being seduced by Cassie’s promise of power. But their leader shakes her head and I’m thankful that Cassie chose a girl – probably unknowingly on her behalf – strong enough not to be brainwashed.

“Isabella tried to take total power and she was destroyed for her efforts,” the girl says. “And if the water is as important as these women say – ”

“It is,” Harriet adds.

“Then it shouldn’t be used to start wars and cause suffering,” the girl leader continues. “It shouldn’t be used to create more orphaned children.”

“Tryin’ to use power that way never leads to nothin’ good,” Harriet says. “And that’s why the Amazons been keepin’ this special water hidden from the world – safe from the world – for thousandsa years.”

“How do we
earn
the right to become Amazons?” the leader asks.

“Tell me your name, child,” Harriet says.

“Liliana Ustino,” the girl says. “Lily.”

“Well Lily, you gotta strive to be excellent, strive to be a positive influence on the world,” Harriet says. “If you do that, I just may find you again one day.”

I smile at Harriet; it already sounds like she’s been a Keeper for years. Liliana turns to the other girls and nods. The lone girl who didn’t want to back down finally sighs and nods back. Without needing to say a word, Lily turns in the direction of Granada and begins to walk. The others follow and before they disappear into the forest, we hear Lily call back one more thing.

“You
will
see me again one day.”

Once they’re gone and I’m alone with my recruit – it’s going to take a long time for me to think of her as the Keeper – I see Harriet quietly gazing upon the dark forest. Her expression softens as she looks around in awe and admiration, seeing the world in a whole new light. It’s an experience I’ll never forget having myself, though I’ll never again see things the way Harriet does right now. But with Janey in my arms – looking up at me with those beautiful big eyes –
this
is an experience more amazing than anything I ever saw in my time as Keeper. I don’t interrupt the Keeper’s quiet moment until her eyes finally turn on me.

“Where will you go?” I ask.

“I don’t know, somewhere secluded I can keep the water safe,” she says. “Someplace I can rebuild the
true
Amazon way.”

“As Keeper, it won’t be safe for you to recruit for new Amazons. You’ll constantly have to change water sources,” I say worriedly.

“Just ‘cause I’m Keeper don’t mean I’ma forget how to survive; I’ll be fine,” she says (at least becoming Keeper hasn’t made her
totally
serene). “Just gotta find me a few strong women to help me get started.”

Someone instantly pops into my mind. Harriet must be able to tell I have a thought but she begins to shake her head.

“Not you, Mentor. You gotta take care of that baby of yours,” she says.