The Egg (Return of the Ancients Book 4) (8 page)

The masked Inner Circle members began to murmur uneasily at that. Zelphie appeared torn as she turned her white and silver mask in her hands.

Even Raven frowned. I hoped it meant that she was experiencing some form of doubt. But then she held her hands out to Rafael to press, “Just come back with us. At least until we can settle this—”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Rafael interrupted in clipped tones. “I will stay and die on Earth if it comes to that.”

Raven’s lips parted in an incredulous expression.

“Then I have truly lost you, Rafael,” Melody dropped her voice.

Her shoulders slumped as if she were overwhelmed with the sadness of it all. She was a terrible actress. Did she really think she could do what she pleased, toss around a few lies, and have everyone just magically forgive her?

But Rafael pretty much ignored her. Keeping his eyes locked with Raven’s, he raised a hand. Jareth’s rune appeared between his long fingers. It was still glowing.

Raven turned her head to one side.

“You know where Jareth is,” Rafael said sternly. “Help me free him. All of us together can find and disarm Melody’s weapon. Even if you cannot care for Earth and the Second Dimension, Raven, do you really believe Avalon will be safe?”

I guess Melody figured all was lost with Rafael at that point. With a vehement curse, she waved her hand and disappeared. The rest of the Inner Circle members quickly followed, leaving only Zelphie and Raven behind.

Raven whirled upon me indignantly. “This is your fault,” she spat. “We’re losing control, just as before! Humans contaminated us then, just as now. You’re nothing more than walking
viruses
—”

I took an involuntary step back at her onslaught of words.

She advanced as if to follow, but Rafael caught her by the arm and swung her around.

“Enough, Raven!” he ordered, his voice carrying a threat. “Help me free Jareth and let’s put an end to Melody’s madness. Surely, you can see she is on the wrong path! You are better than this. You are not worthy of allowing petty jealousies to cloud your judgment.”

Looking at the viciousness in her eyes, I actually disagreed with him this time. But I didn’t feel compelled to point it out. Instead, I just zipped my mouth shut and vowed to keep my lips sealed so I wouldn’t make the volatile situation even worse.

“Don’t fight me, Raven,” Rafael continued grimly. “It’s time for you to leave Melody’s path and follow mine.”

It was obvious by the way her lips flattened into a stubborn line and her nostrils flared that her answer would be “No”. And it was.

“I can’t, Rafael,” she stated, tossing her head. She didn’t give him a chance to press further. She shifted away, leaving the smallest poof of mist followed by a whiff of perfume.

We stood there in silence, the three of us: Rafael, Zelphie, and I.

“Mother.” Rafael’s bow was distant and formal. “You know I believe the Queens rightfully rule Avalon. The time of our bloodline has passed. How can you be here? Dressed like this?” He waved his hand, drawing attention to her white robes and mask bearing the intricate Celtic circle, the symbol of the Inner Circle.

His mother gave an almost self-conscious laugh. It was an odd sound coming from someone who looked so sophisticated. “I know our relationship has always been … duty-based, Rafael,” she confessed. “But even so, how could I allow you to destroy yourself? Melody said … I could save you.”

The tension in the room was palpable. It lasted for what felt like an eternity until Rafael replied, “I do not need saving.”

Reaching out, Zelphie lightly placed a well-manicured hand on his arm. “Come home with me,” she murmured softly. “Let us leave this place.” Her eyes dropped to my face as she added, “And bring this one with you, if you must. We will find acceptance for her.”

I was pretty sure Zelphie didn’t like me very much either, but at least she didn’t outright detest me like Raven.

“No,” Rafael disagreed, shaking his head. “I will find Jareth and I will stop Melody’s weapon.”

There was another extended silence.

Finally, Zelphie whispered, “Then let me see how I may help you, my son.”

Surprising us both, she shimmered away in a cloud of mist that sparkled a little like it was sprinkled with pixie dust. I wondered at the difference but didn’t mention it. Too much was happening again. I wondered when it would ever end.

Rafael expelled a long breath, and then looked down at me tiredly.

I didn’t really want to hear the answer, but I felt compelled to ask anyway, “Is Melody really trying to destroy the Earth?”

I was right. I didn’t really want to hear what he said next.

“Yes,” he answered simply. “Her fate lines are clear now. The clearest they have ever been. She has built some kind of weapon that threatens the very existence of Earth as well as the Second Dimension.”

I felt the color drain out of my face.

“But there is more than one path in her destiny, Sydney,” he was quick to reassure, cupping my hands between his. “We must find Jareth. Somehow, he plays into this. And we must find him soon.”

“How?” I asked. “Where is he?”

“I need Raven’s assistance,” he replied, heaving a sigh.

It was depressing to hear. I didn’t think Raven was inclined to help, especially if I was in the picture. Everything seemed to be escalating. Had my Blue Thread escalated as well?

“Let me see you home,” Rafael was saying in a half whisper. “Even though I hesitate to have you gone from my sight again.
The Protectors are clearly compromised. Perhaps it would be safer to hide you away and let Brock remain as your decoy.”

Grateful for the distraction from my thoughts, I asked, “And what about Al? He’ll get suspicious soon, if he isn’t already.” That, and the fact that I didn’t like keeping Al in the dark, prompted the suggestion. I didn’t like lying to him.

Rafael gave a rueful smile. “I don’t relish the thought of telling him that I lost you for two days,” he acknowledged with a soft laugh. “I know he isn’t your father, but somehow I think he will be as unhappy with that news as if he were.”

That made me smile. A little. Al
was
like a father to me, the closest I’d ever had.

“I’ll tell him then.” Rafael sighed, reading my face, and then added with a light, teasing note, “I am relieved you are safe, Sydney, but I am not certain I will be once I speak with Al.”

My smile widened a little, but the distraction ended then and my thoughts of the evening returned. Meeting his clear gray eyes, I asked, “How did I really get back, Rafael? If I was really in the Second Dimension … how did I get back?”

His expression grew serious as he considered me thoughtfully. “There are reasons the Fae fear the human ability to dream,” he finally answered, absently running his thumb over the top of my hand. “Dreams are powerful. Humans create nebulous concepts and turn them into realities on Earth.”

I frowned a little. “The Fae create things, too, don’t they? Look at all that mirror technology.”

Rafael shook his head. “Our society has largely cloned such things from others. And the only unique creations we gave birth to were shaped by those with human blood in their ancestry. It has caused fear in our society. And fear causes many to fall back to what they know rather than rise to tame the unknown.”

Dreams. I guess dreams were powerful. They gave us a purpose, something to strive for. Recalling the dream he’d shared with me, I said, “But
you
dream. And you’re a Pureblood, right?”

“I have no explanation for it,” he said as a small smile played about his lips. “It must be because I fell in love with you.”

My heart skipped a beat. I wondered if I would ever get used to hearing words like that. I hoped I didn’t, because I
liked
the way my heart responded. It would be sad if he said such things and I felt nothing in response.

“The mirror could only have brought you by harnessing your power of human thought, the power of your dreams,” he said in a soft reflective voice. “Power is light and mirrors magnify light. It was enough to bring you back from … wherever it was that you were.”

The power of human thought. It was a lot to think about, and I was fast approaching the end of my ability to deal with any new information that day. I had a hard time wrapping my head around it. In the end, I could only conclude that my wish from the heart to see Rafael had actually created a door to help me reach him.

The hair stood on the back of my neck.

If that was true, then Humans really
were
powerful. And if we really stuck to our dreams, what could we actually achieve?

Gradually, I became aware of Rafael’s hand cupping my cheek as his soft humorous voice asked, “Where have you gone, Sydney?”

“Human thought,” I mused aloud, smiling a little into his hand.

His eyes questioned me, inviting me to share my thoughts, but I couldn’t. My thoughts were still forming. After all, I never thought of myself as powerful. My mom was too busy letting life toss her around as it pleased, responding to things as more of a victim than anything else. In fact, I’d never really met too many people who actually
tried
to control their own destinies. Maybe Betty. Probably Al. Certainly, Samantha.

Samantha. Now
she
was an interesting case. Even the Mesmers seemed afraid of her. And somehow, their unbeatable power had been rendered useless the moment she’d walked into her coffee shop. Maybe she just
was
responsible for it all. But how? Could humans really be
that
powerful?

I became aware of Rafael still watching me, and I blushed a little.

He just laughed. Leaning forward, he kissed my forehead and giving me that wry smile again, asked, “Shall we stay here and talk or shall I face my destiny with Al now?”

I knew he had to go. I knew that he had to find Jareth and stop Melody. And while I didn’t know what to do yet, I did know I wanted to see Al. I wanted nothing more than to hear his booming voice.

“Let’s talk to Al,” I said.

He squeezed my hand and pulled me to the door and we walked across the street, hand-in-hand. I tried not to think of anything, only noting the crunch of our boots on the gravel. It was early afternoon. There was a biting chill on the wind that made me think it was going to snow soon.

Al’s garage door was open.

We’d just stepped around a stack of boxes piled up almost to the ceiling, when I saw something out of the corner of my eye.

“Marquis!” Rafael grated, his gray eyes narrowing dangerously.

Marquis slithered forward to greet his. He didn’t appear to be too interested in his son. His attention was fixed upon me.

He didn’t waste any time asking, “How did you escape, human?”

I just stared at him, surprised, even as I wondered if he honestly just thought that I would blurt out that I’d somehow used the mirror to escape. But then I winced. He didn’t need me to talk. He could simply read my thoughts forming in the Second Dimension. It was an unfair advantage.

“Impossible!” Marquis’ mouth fixed in an arrogant sneer. “Humans are like blades of grass, swaying with the wind whichever way it blows. Human thoughts aren’t powerful enough to span dimensions.” He swaggered a couple of steps my way before making a sudden lunge.

But he wasn’t quick enough.

Rafael’s lips parted to speak a single word. I couldn’t understand what he said, it was unintelligible. I could only grasp his arm tightly as a wave of light rolled across the garage, scattering the boxes and knocking Marquis off his feet to fling him against the opposite wall. I hung onto Rafael as the wave of light receded and Marquis promptly slid to the floor.

Marquis’ attention shifted to Rafael this time. “How?” he asked, his eyes bulging a little.

“You forget,” Rafael informed him coolly. “I don’t need a trion.”

Slowly, Marquis stood, distracted by Rafael and clearly impressed. “It is such a waste if you refuse to join us,” he said. “Soon, we will roam the Earth. Nothing can stop us now. A descendant of Cor would be the most valuable ally. Join us. Time is running short. Join us before it is too late.”

“Never,” Rafael replied grimly.

“Never is such a final word.” Marquis grinned, regaining his composure as he stood straighter. “You would do much to save Sydney’s life, I would think—”

Before he even finished the sentence, Rafael was by his side, grabbing him by the collar and crumpling his shirt in a vice-like grip. “It’s dangerous to threaten me,” he warned as his lip curled in outright disdain.

Marquis appeared to believe him, at least for the moment. Dropping his hands, he stepped sideways to lean against the wall, crossing his legs at the ankle.

“It’s an honor to become one with the Brotherhood, my son,” he said with an emphatic wave of the hand. “By far beyond the greatest relationship you have ever experienced!”

In a detached way, I dimly noted the distinctive golden-eyed snake ring circling his finger. It was the same ring that I had seen in the Hall of Mirrors as the white-cloaked Melody had plunged a needle into its owner’s neck, to make him the father of Jareth. I could still hardly believe that Rafael and Jareth were half-brothers. They were polar opposites.

“There are legends that Cor could even dream and that his descendants—” Marquis was saying before he stopped in midsentence, his eyes smoldering in disbelief as his mouth dropped open in surprise. “Jareth? Jareth is my son?”

My eyes widened in horror. My thoughts had, once again, betrayed me.

“I should have watched your thoughtforms much sooner, Sydney.” Marquis chuckled in delight. “You are an overflowing fountain of information.”

The vein on Rafael’s neck began to pulse.

“Then Jareth’s blood holds the key.” Marquis’ mouth twisted darkly as he smoothed his brown wispy mustache. For a second, his pupils transformed into razor-thin reptilian slits. “And now, there is nothing that can stop us. We have the last piece. We have the secret of Jareth’s body, the body of kings, a body that can carry us out of the Second—”

“I will not let you near Jareth,” Rafael interrupted sharply. “His body will never be yours.”