Vital (22 page)

Pelhan was at the gate, all by himself. In the distance, I could see Marc, Stella, and Brady coming toward us.

My father nodded at Pelhan, then looked at us. “What happened?”

“It felt like someone was in there with us,” I said, looking up at Landen.

He looked at me curiously, and I knew then he didn’t feel it the way I did.

“Welcome back, Grace - and Libby, we’re pleased to have you here again,” Pelhan said calmly.

Landen sighed. “Preston said to bring Libby and Allie. I’m not sure if the others are coming or not.”

“Everyone who feels they should be here is welcome,” Pelhan assured, smiling at all of us.

“Any advice?” Landen asked, tilting his head and smiling slightly at Pelhan.

“You seem to be doing well,” Pelhan praised, glancing at Landen’s ring.

“Wise choice?” Landen asked.

“Very,” Pelhan answered.

My mother and father looked nervously back and forth between Pelhan and Landen, unsure of what they were talking about.

Marc, Brady, and Stella reached us. “Are we ready?” Marc asked, reaching for Preston’s hand.

Before Preston took his hand, he hugged Libby. My mom hugged my dad, then me and Landen at the same time.

“Safe travels,” Pelhan said, taking Libby’s hand and nodding to the rest of us before turning to leave.

My father walked beside Stella and Marc in the lead; Brady lingered near us.

“I wish you would have called before you left,” Landen said to Brady.

“Sorry. I was just in a rush; I knew Marc would get to you, or you’d feel my intent.”

Landen nodded, knowing he would have done the same thing if he were Brady. As we came closer to Infante, I tensed, ready to defend myself against whatever I felt before.

“Are you OK?” Landen said, stopping and nodding for Brady to go on.

“I just felt something before...did you not feel it?” I asked.

He shook his head no. “Now do you see why I don’t want you to go into other dimensions? I don’t want to lead whatever this is to a place that can’t defend itself.”

I sighed and knew that one way or another those people that Austin spoke of would find us. I only feared not knowing if they needed us – or if we needed them. I pulled Landen to walk faster. Right before the passages of Esterious came into view, I felt someone watching me again; I could feel them behind me. I tried to ignore the feeling, thinking it was enjoying scaring me.

A few steps further, I felt a push against my back so strong that I stumbled forward. As anger came through every part of me, I turned around and forced the most powerful blow of energy I could at the nothing that was chasing me. As it collided, I saw the outline of the evil angel that I’d faced already. He smiled as he vanished.

“Willow!” Landen yelled.

He pulled me close to him and put a shield of his energy around us. I walked backwards as he pulled me forward. I swear I saw his energy move as a force collided with it, but Landen acted as if he couldn’t feel a thing.

Landen pulled me into the passage that led into the palace, then turned and looked at me.

“What was that about?! You could have really hurt someone if there was anyone behind us.”

“What are you talking about? Did you not see that demon?”

I didn’t see or feel anything at all
, he thought as his eyes rushed over my angry expression and dread dominated his emotions.

Well, I did - and I showed him that I’m over it.

Willow, this is why I wanted you to sleep; you’re just tired, and you’re starting to see things that aren’t real.

I’m not crazy. I felt him push, and I retaliated.

He let out a deep breath.
I know you believe that, but I promise you, there was nothing there. He would’ve attacked me, or at least shown himself.

Whatever. I know what I saw
,
I thought, walking away.

I wasn’t going to argue with him or try to prove my point. I knew that demon was clever enough to hide himself from Landen if he wanted to and that making me look insane would be easy enough. Landen didn’t try to stop me or stress that I needed rest. He stayed a few feet behind me, giving me my space.

In the study, Drake and Chrispin were sitting on the couches and Perodine was at the table with Alamos, looking over the scrolls, working in silence. The others were scattered throughout the palace.

I’m gonna go find Brady and August. I think I feel them near the looking glass, and I wanna make sure it’s OK
,
Landen thought as he kissed the side of my temple before passing by me. He nodded at Chrispin as he returned Drake’s placid stare, then held up one finger to Perodine as she glanced up at him. She nodded, then looked down again at her work.

Drake was carefully looking over me with a concerned gaze. I shook my head, warning him not to push me. I sat on the table in front of him and Chrispin.

“Nice coat,” Chrispin said, smiling slightly.

I smiled to tell him thank you before I slid my arms out. “Where’s Olivia?” I asked.

“She went to talk to Dane; she saw him in the courtyard. She can’t figure out what that song is and wanted to ask him if he remembered anything like it. She said it was his style.”

“Is it really heavy?” I asked, knowing that was the kind of music Dane liked.

“I’m sure it’s demonic,” Drake said shortly.

My eyes shot to him, and he smiled slightly, enhancing every one of his perfect features. Sometimes I thought he enjoyed making me mad.

“I doubt it,” I said under my breath, knowing that whatever song it was, it was important. In fact, I wanted to talk to Olivia. I was almost sure this Charlie girl could help find this song; hell, for all I knew, she created it, and Olivia’s mom was trying to make sure we found these people.

I looked back at Chrispin, trying to judge which memory he had of my fight with Olivia.

“When did you guys get here?” I asked him.

“A few hours ago. We stayed at Olivia’s aunt’s last night and listened to song after song.”

“Did you get any rest?” I asked.

He tilted his head and smiled slightly. “Did you?”

I looked down and avoided answering his question.

“That means no,” Drake said, leaning forward to reach for my hands. “Is that why you’re so on edge?” he asked as his fingertips traced my hand, sending his numbing sensation through me. I closed my eyes for a second, then blocked how good it felt and opened them to glare at him. His smile grew. “I think so...I think I like it,” he said, leaning back again.

“I heard you lost your temper,” Chrispin said. “I’ll be honest with you: we were trying to get you to do that in Chara, but I guess Dane deserved it more than Olivia did.”

“Who’s been informing you?” I asked, trying to keep the sharp edge out of my tone, though I was relieved he didn’t remember me fighting with Olivia.

Chrispin glanced to his side at Drake and grinned slightly.

“Well, at least you two are bonding,” I muttered, taking a deep breath before standing to go to Perodine. I heard them laugh quietly and felt Chrispin growing closer to his brother; I guess that was a good thing, even though it was at my expense.

Perodine looked up as I reached the table, as did Alamos. “You look nice,” she said.

“Thanks,” I said, trying to look as confident as my mother had managed to make me feel. “Did you know we took Allie and Libby to Pelhan?”

She nodded.

“What about Preston?” Alamos asked.

“He’s here; that way, I think” I said, nodding toward the doorway. I felt him with Marc and Stella; it almost felt like they were outside.

Alamos didn’t say anything, but I could see a fear and confusion in his expression. He nodded, then closed the book he was reading and went to find Preston.

“Did I say something?” I asked Perodine.

She smiled slightly. “He’s had a tough few days. He’s trying to figure out who’s against Drake and who isn’t, and he’s confused and frustrated about the number of times that time has been frozen. He’s had me check his math over and over - but honestly, he doesn’t completely trust me.”

“What does he think they’re gonna do?”

Perodine walked to the window and reached her arm back for me to come with her. She pointed to an area of the city where the workers hadn’t managed to build the wall around.

“In that direction, about a half-mile past the last building, you can see the harbor. It’s how we used to get and ship supplies. They planned to close that part in last, knowing they could defend themselves if the ‘demented’ tried to leave that way. There’s a small island maybe five miles from that point; it’s where all of the major ceremonies are held – and where I was joined with Donalt.”

“Really?” I asked, focusing my eyes. I’d just imagined some kind of a royal wedding here.

She nodded. “There with the court, here with the world. Alamos said that three large ships docked there last night and that he was sure that aboard was every traitor that exists.”

“In one spot? That makes it easy,” I said as a sly smile came across my face.

“Nothing is easy, child,” she said quietly as she looked over me. “That island has a lot of energy in it – dark energy; it’s nothing to toy with. Alamos said that they’ve been teaching followers to use their energy, to see energy, and that there’s no way for any of you to go there without being noticed.”

I looked over my shoulder at Drake and Chrispin, who were talking quietly on the couch, then looked back at her. “So what do we do – let them have their little ritual on the wrong day and laugh when it doesn’t work? Wouldn’t Drake have to be there?”

“He does. It’s custom for the ruler to be there at the moment of the winter solstice. This is Drake’s first time in that role, and Alamos thinks they’re going to try and prove that he isn’t worthy to rule, that if he can’t prove that he has your heart - or will have it - that he’ll die, and his rule will end before it ever officially begins.”

“So what do we do?” I asked as anger coursed through me.

“Nothing yet. We’re waiting on their move. Drake and Alamos are fighting because Drake told him that you weren’t going there - not even to pretend.”

“Seems like we’re back to where we started,” I said, standing on my tiptoes, trying to see the distant water.

“We’re further – and I don’t know why, but I feel more calm about this. Maybe it’s because I know it’s Earth and not Mars, that whatever happens will help me see that planet more clearly; I feel that’ll be one of the fiercest challenges you have.”

As I felt Dane coming up the stairs, the anger I had for him came flooding back to me. I glanced at Perodine. “I’ll be right back.”

She looked through the doorway that led to the stairs. “Observe caution; if you hurt him any worse, Landen might have to heal him - and I’m not sure that would be wise.”

“Why?” I asked, feeling her dread, wondering if she knew what I suspected about Drake and Landen sharing energy. “I’ll tell you later,” she said, nodding for me to go before Drake realized I was going to talk to Dane.

I walked to the hallway and gently nodded my head, encouraging Dane to step into the observatory. As he walked in front of me, I tried to feel a solid emotion from him, but he was becoming a void.

“I can’t feel you again,” I said quietly.

As soon as I said the words, I felt his emotion come to life again. He was frustrated, almost angry. He turned to look at me, and I stopped in threshold of the door and leaned to my side, crossing my arms.

“How are you doing that? Turning it off and on again?”

“Just protecting myself,” he said quietly.

“From?”

“Everyone...maybe even you,” he said as he breathed out.

“Where’s Olivia? Did you fight with her, or did you listen to her, help her?”

He focused his eyes on me as confusion took over his emotions. “I haven’t seen her.”

“Chrispin said she went to talk to you about a song she was trying to find.”

“A song?” he mocked, raising his eyebrows as if that were the most absurd thing he’d ever heard.

“Where were you? How come she didn’t find you? Were you tucked away in a corner somewhere, trying to get some info?”

A smirk came across his face. “Wouldn’t you like you to know...are you sad you didn’t catch me again?”

I had to take a deep breath and tell myself not to move; I knew the anger I was feeling could emerge with a simple gesture.

“You’re sick, Dane. Do you wanna know what I did last night?”

“Tried to figure out how neither Drake nor Landen can make you feel the way that girl makes me feel?” he teased, grinning slightly.

“Are you trying to make me mad?”

“No. It’s a reflex...sorry.”

“I heard Clarissa say that you and her were a mistake; that you weren’t her soul mate.”

I focused on his emotion, waiting for it to change to sadness, or even grief - but the emotion of frustration surfaced again.