And now, I would pass the torch of salvation on to my brother. And he would actually know what to do with it.
I stood for a moment on the riverbank, deciding how to send my parents a clear message. I took off my backpack, throwing it on the soggy riverbank and scrawled a quick message on an old receipt from my wallet.
Find Jericho. He will have Avalon. I love you both.
I turned the rowboat around with magic, so that it faced downstream and stepped inside, using my electricity to stabilize it. I paused for a moment searching the wilderness for signs of my parents but found nothing. I was still early and they would wait for the exact moment we discussed.
I untied the small boat and let the current carry me inside the cave. The river moved quickly downstream, the frozen water from high in the mountains melting with the warmth of spring and sending the lower rivers rushing with life. I only had a moment to act.
Once inside, I turned towards the cave mouth and held the boat still with magic, in the middle of the rushing current. At the same time, I built the energy inside of me, setting my blood on fire in a hot boil of aggressive electricity.
I released the magic against the cave ceiling, careful to protect myself, and the boat that I needed to travel the remaining distance. Large boulders crashed into the riverbed, while the water fought to move through the heavy rocks and continue downstream. Not satisfied with the obstruction, I pulled from trees and nearby shrubbery building a wall that would be almost impenetrable without concerted effort. I pulled at the stone walls, crashing them to the earth and reinforcing the message that this passage was sealed. Not only did it keep my parents out, but I would soon be reminded that I could not exit this way either. I would be a true prisoner until the moment my fate was decided.
The water rushed forward from the force of the collapse, sending me forward with intensified vigor. The remainder of the current, propelled forward by the tidal wave of leftover river, rushed the little boat forward and to the cavernous docking space in minutes. I steadied the small vessel with my magic and reached for the rusted, iron ladder with the same energy I used to destroy the cave mouth.
What took hours to travel with Amory, only wasted minutes since going the opposite direction and with intensified current. I tied the boat to the ladder, but the river already started to drain now that the source was cut off.
I scrambled over the ledge and to the surface in complete darkness. Using magic to heighten my senses, most of all my vision, I found the second iron ladder that led to the bowels of the castle. I jumped, using magic for the extra effort and held tightly to the bottom rung of the shaky ladder.
I struggled to the top. There wasn't enough magic in the world to slow my racing heart and quell the fears that the ladder would snap in half at any moment. It rocked back and forth violently with my speedy effort to get to the top. The bolts that held it precariously in place against the rock ceiling creaked in protest at my urgency.
At the top, my hands pushed against the heavy ceiling, searching for the handles Amory used to close it months before. Moving it was impossible without magic and so I pushed upwards with super strength, fueled by my ever-increasing nervous energy.
I reached back down to the ladder, pulling it magically from its place and letting it crash loudly against the cave floor, the sound echoing noisily off the walls. Now anyone with magic could easily escape or enter with or without a ladder. But, for someone trying to sneak in or out undetected and without magic, the secret passageway would now be impossible.
I stood up and closed the floor with the camouflaged stone, sealing it with more magic and putting yet another obstacle in the way of someone trying to remain discreet. My breathing became uneven and the fear settled over me, as I remembered that these precautions were not just for my parents, but to keep me inside the walled Citadel.
In the darkened corridor, I felt along the walls, trying to repress the memories of Amory that came flooding back; our escape, his secret knowledge of the castle, and his fierce determination to get me as far from here as possible. Now, not even a year later, I willingly walked the same path with the purpose to never leave these walls again.
I let magic lead the way, guiding me through the darkness and underground maze of tunnels. I felt myself incline towards the surface. The air grew less musty and suffocating. I forced myself to breathe evenly, to remain strong and I used magic to stop my hands from trembling. I was almost there, they surely felt me coming and soon it would be over. These fears would only last a few minutes more.
Finally, I found the passage that opened to the inside of the castle. I leaned back against the cool stone for a moment, feeling violently ill and losing courage. I clasped my shaking hands that even magic was useless to stabilize and pressed them against my wildly beating heart.
I thought for a moment about the first time I came here and my determination to save Lilly and how I burst through the courtroom doors. To hell with the consequences. I needed that resolve now. I needed to get Avalon out of the Citadel before my parents made other plans and Jericho descended on the castle walls.
I decided to use the same tactics now; so when I emphatically pushed through the final door that led into the internal walls of the castle, I stumbled into a stone corridor already filled with Titan Guard.
I stared at them for a moment, reminding myself that I wasn't exactly restrained in my efforts to get inside and this was what I should have anticipated. But the glaring eyes and menacing faces of thirty thick, towering Titans confused me; panic took over immediately, whispering in my ear to run, igniting my blood with the thirst of battle.
I shut the door politely behind me and cleared my throat nervously, “Um, can I talk to Lucan?”
Every instinct inside me screamed to fight, to run away or to struggle, but I repressed the magic. I searched for submissiveness, wondering if I even possessed the skill.
One of the Guards inclined his head and I followed him. The rest of the Titans closed in around me and I found myself in the middle of a wall of armed men. When they walked, their decorative swords clinked at their belts and I found the sound to be both intimidating and an inviting call to conflict.
We walked into parts of the castle that my short visit before had not revealed to me. The castle evoked medieval, with colorful tapestries hanging from cold stone walls and ancient antiques decorating the passageways. The only windows were narrow slits just below the vaulted ceilings, but even they disappeared the farther we walked into the castle.
The lead Guard, opened a door and I was suddenly handled by two Titans half pushing, half dragging me into a throne room. The room was large, and exactly how I pictured King Arthur's court to look. Ample open space spanned the area between the door and three thrones almost identical to the thrones in the courtroom, only these royal seats dwarfed the room with their grander size and opulent embellishments.
They were all made out of gold, the one in the middle the largest. What I assumed to be Lucan's throne, was massive, with a tall, straight back and plush, red upholstery on the seat and back to allow for some comfort. The armrests were wide and adorned tastefully with every kind of precious stone. The top of the throne was ornately detailed with more stones and the symbol I remembered seeing on a note that Kiran had sent me once, a snake wrapped around eating its own tail, intricately interwoven with a crown and dainty lilies. I realized then that it was the Kendrick royal crest.
The same symbol repeated on the two surrounding thrones, one delicate and obviously made for a woman and the one to the right of the king's chair, sturdy but plain and simple. I imagined that was Kiran's place but wondered why it was bare and uncomplicated. Compared to the other two royal seats it looked painfully rugged and out of place.
I stood in the Guard's grasp, still and silent. They clutched my arms as if I were going to run away at any moment, and since they were only doing their job, I didn't have the heart to tell them I wasn't going anywhere.
A door behind the thrones opened and Lucan entered the room in all of his pomp and circumstance. A long crimson robe draped around his neck, flowed out from behind him as he walked and his thick golden crown sat crooked on his head as usual. An extensive entourage of Guards followed him and filled in along the walls, surrounding the throne room.
He walked around the throne and took his seat, tipping his goateed chin and eying me with practiced benevolence. The guards pushed me into a bowing position and this time they really did have to force me. I would sacrifice my life, but I was not about to bow to Lucan in a sign of respect that I didn't even pretend to possess. After a bit of a struggle, they seemed satisfied and let me stand up again.
“So you've come to bargain your brother's life? How valiant of you,” Lucan spoke and the arrogance of victory quilted his tone. My magic flared with disgust causing the Guards to tighten their grips. “It's too late,” he finished flatly, his gaze turned to pure hatred.
“Is he dead?” I questioned, positive that this was only part of the game.
“Not yet,” Lucan laughed, the sound of evil filling the room.
“Is Kiran married?” I demanded, wondering if that would change the outcome of this bargain.
“Not yet.” Lucan grew more somber, sitting forward in his chair.
“Then, it is not too late,” I insisted quietly, firmly confident that I was right.
“What if I have changed my mind,” he asked, his eyes narrowing and his smile turning cruel.
“Then kill my brother and gain nothing. I will take my magic and return to what I was doing,” I answered simply, severely wishing I could cross my arms; instead, I jutted my chin in defiance.
“You're here now, surrounded. How do you expect to escape?” Lucan inquired, half laughing. His eyes turned to stone with the challenge.
My anger got the best of me; I needed to get Avalon to safety, not waste time chatting with Lucan when we both knew what he wanted. I built the magic in my blood, turning it to a fast boil in moments, not even dignifying Lucan with a verbal response and drained the two Guards holding me equally as fast.
I hadn't drained someone so quickly since the night at the farm, and I was happy to know I still had it in me, at least for a little bit longer. The two Guards let go of my arms and crumpled instantly to the floor, unconscious and mortal.
“That's how,” I mumbled, crossing my arms and stepping forward, away from the two victims of my magic.
“How unfortunate,” Lucan looked at his Guards with the mildest appearance of disgust and then gestured to his entourage to have them removed. “It's not entirely up to me, my dear Eden. You have made more than one enemy in this castle. Get my son,” he demanded and a guard disappeared into the corridor.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
I stood in the throne room, nervously waiting for Kiran. Anxiety unexpectedly surfaced in an entirely different way than fear for my life or getting Avalon to safety in time.
If my fate truly rested in Kiran's hands, I did not know what to expect. I wanted to believe that he was pushing for this and that he would take the trade without question. I remembered the last time we met, how he kept his magic from me; the hard look in his eyes and made me wonder if he was as tired of this game as I was.
I felt completely alone in the room, unguarded and pleading my own case, and I couldn't help but regret the two Titans that were dragged from my feet. They at least put a physical barrier between the royalty and me. But no other guards attempted to grab hold of me or detain me physically and Lucan simply sat in his golden chair, staring me down with the perfect mixture of amusement and disgust.
