We left the teahouse without another word. I walked out front with Arina at my side. She matched my pace and stood so closely it was as if she feared I would disappear again on her. Queen Olesya walked behind at a leisurely pace with Rayon and her guards encircling around her, their weapons drawn and their gazes constantly moving to the side, behind and above.
I smiled at Arina. It was so good to have her familiar face with me. She wrapped her arm around my shoulder and hugged me tightly as we walked.
“I was so worried,” Arina said. “I’m so glad you’re safe. You have to tell me everything that happened! Who were those people you were with? That guy in black looked so scary. And why does everyone keep saying you killed one of those creatures? Can you trust them because I don’t think I can trust Queen Olesya and Rayon.”
Worry slammed through my chest as I realized that Arina’s reaction and happy demeanor back at the teahouse had all been an act.
She continued before I could respond to her barrage of questions. “And now that no one else can hear,” she said in a low voice, “I need to tell you something.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked, trying to keep my facial features neutral. I lifted my head, squinted against the sun, and gazed at the buildings before pointing to a narrow street that would take us right.
Arina glanced over her shoulder and then quickly looked to the front. “Queen Olesya and Rayon are lovers.” She pulled a face and looked like she was gagging, and then in a rushed breathy whisper, she told me, “They have moved Shane to somewhere else.”
I came to an abrupt stop that Arina had to take a step back to stand beside me again.
“What!? Where is he?” My throat was instantly dry.
She tugged on my hand and I fell into step beside her again, even though she had no idea where we were going.
“I don’t know. They said it was so they could monitor him more closely,” she said quickly.
“Is Nate still there?”
“Yes.” She gripped my hand and squeezed it. “I don’t know what we’re going to do now. Even if you hand over the dagger…”
Arina didn’t finish the sentence. It was as if she was too afraid to put those thoughts into words, but they were quickly rushing through my head as well. My heart started to pound and it wasn’t out of fear this time.
I didn’t need to ask. I already knew. Queen Olesya and Rayon had tricked me again. We weren’t going home today. We weren’t going to save Shane and Nate.
I spun on my heel. “Why did you lie?” I asked, straight into Rayon’s face. I lifted my chin. “What happened to you? You left me to enter that temple all by myself and then, when I was inside, you were nowhere to be found even when the Phaleans attacked me.”
Rayon’s expression did not change, but his next words were punctuated with the crunch of the soldiers coming to a stop on the dirt-swept road. “It was a test. I wanted to see if you could be trusted.”
My mouth dropped open at the audacity of his words. “What did you expect me to do against those Phaleans? You knew they would attack me the first moment they got.”
“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “I now know you need to be watched carefully. You can easily be swayed to follow others.”
I was consumed with so much shock and rage at his accusation that my mouth dropped open and I was unable to form any words. To my relief, I spied Arina glare at him from where she stood. At least I knew I had her on my side. Her time with them had not wavered her thoughts of me.
“Are we close?” Queen Olesya asked, stepping through her guards. She glanced at her surroundings and looked as if she was trying to suppress a shudder, her features filled with scorn and disgust. The streets were empty, and I wasn’t sure if it was because the sun was reaching its highest point or whether it was down to the fact that Queen Olesya with her extravagant clothes and guards had scared everyone off.
I nodded to the building ahead. It had the winding staircase on its side that I had used to climb up the side to reach the roof. The very same roof where I had received the gash and poison from the Phaleans on my shoulder. My hand went up to reach for it again and my thoughts went to Yalek. Moody, short-tempered Yalek who had treated my wound with care. I doubted that Rayon or Queen Olesya would ever care for me in the same way.
“I would appreciate it if you would hurry. This world is not good for my skin.” She flicked her hair over her shoulders.
“You’re not good for my sanity,” I muttered under my breath.
Arina snorted and smiled in my direction.
At the base of the building, I paused to recall in which direction I had come. I turned and entered the small alleyway, taking the sharp corners one after another, Arina close at my heels. When I looked over my shoulder, Rayon was right behind her followed by Queen Olesya. It seemed the Queen was not going to take any chances.
The wooden gate appeared before me and just like the other night, I pushed it open. There before us was the fountain with the large circular pool of water beneath it. The trees and bushes filled the courtyard with green that had been hidden by the night the last time I had been there. For the first time, I doubted myself. What if someone else had found the dagger? What happened if it wasn’t there?
The courtyard was empty again.
“It’s in the fountain,” I said, pointing.
Queen Olesya edged towards its rim and peered into the water.
“I can’t see anything,” she said, sharply.
Taking off my vest and handing it to Arina, I pointed again before I bent down to undo my boots. I wasn’t going to get them wet this time. “It’s in the middle,” I said. “I will get it.”
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I judged the fountain and determined where I had hidden in the shadows. Carefully, I swung my leg over the side and into the water. I gasped as it encircled my clothes and thighs, my body temperature far hotter than the fountain’s. Not hesitating, I swung my other leg over, and despite the immediate sharp discomfort, it quickly became a welcome reprieve from the heat.
I waded in the thigh deep water towards the circular statue in the middle and then I ducked down and put my hand under the small platform. Sliding my hand along the inner ridge, my fingers clasped around the hilt of the dagger and I breathed a sigh of relief. It was still there. With one swift motion, I pulled it free and stood up in the water again, my clothes now completely drenched.
I had forgotten how beautiful the dagger was. How the ruby glinted and shone. How the stones along the hilt sparkled and how the dagger, its blade long and double-edged, looked as if it could tear flesh apart with only the slightest of movements.
Queen Olesya gasped in merriment, and Rayon stepped towards her and clasped her hand.
“She really is one of them,” Queen Olesya stated, running her gaze up and down my body. Rayon nodded, and they both held a greedy, eager and excited expression on their faces. I walked towards them and held the dagger out, but to my surprise, they both took a step backwards.
“Rayon told you,” Queen Olesya said, her voice cold. “Only you can hold it.”
I looked at the dagger in surprise. Rayon and Maxim had mentioned that, but I had forgotten. Did that mean I had more power and control than I had originally thought? It was time to find out.
“The antidote,” I said, holding out my other hand. “And then I will carry the dagger back to your compound.”
Queen Olesya’s lips pursed. She reached into her pocket and retrieved the phial. “Walk with me, together. I’ll take you directly to Rayon’s compound.”
“Where is Shane, my brother?”
Queen Olesya’s eyes fluttered to Arina with annoyance and from the corner of my eye, Arina put her hands on her hips. I tried to contain the smile that pulled at my lips. Yes, we had some power here.
“We moved him to where he would be safe,” Rayon said quickly. “His vitals had dropped.”
I took a step forward, letting the dagger go limp in my hand and swing back to my side. “What? What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s fine now,” Rayon said. “But we had to take him where we had more advanced technology to keep him well.”
“And where is that?”
“Back to our world.”
I staggered as his words struck home. Shane was not on Alandra anymore? He was now on another completely different planet? Arina rushed to my side and gripped my arm.
“Walk with us now,” Queen Olesya said, her voice ice cold. “You can give the antidote to your friend, Nate, and you will see that we can keep our word.”
I swayed on the spot, indecision filling my thoughts. I was a fool. They had me. They were in complete control. They knew that I was bound to my brother. I would do anything they asked to keep him safe. I looked beyond where Queen Olesya and Rayon stood. Maxim and Yalek had told me the truth. They had warned me of this.
Turning my head, I looked at Arina. Her eyes were wide and tears brimmed but did not fall. It was comfort enough to know that she was thinking the same. I had been right. There was no chance that we were going home today. Queen Olesya had lied to us. But there was some hope. We could possibly have Nate back with us in a very short time.
“F, fine,” I said. “Let’s go back and get Nate. And then you’re going to take us to Shane. You said the dagger for the antidote.”
Queen Olesya’s lip tugged upwards and all I wanted to do was to slap that smug expression off her face.
“Of course.” She turned and motioned with a slight flick of her hand for her guards to start walking.
I climbed out of the fountain and hurriedly put on my boots. Rayon, however, had stopped to wait for me. Arina passed my vest and I quickly pulled it on over my head. She squeezed my hand and then we both turned to follow after the queen.
“Put the dagger back in the sleeve,” Rayon instructed.
Without a word, I obeyed and grabbed Arina’s hand and strode towards the entrance of the courtyard.
----------------------------------------
Lost in my thoughts did not make the trip back to Rayon’s compound go any quicker. It took so long my clothes were only damp by the time we arrived. I was thirsty and my skin felt dry and dusty. Miserable, I followed Rayon into the courtyard and trudged up the steps.
The darkness and cool air of the building were a welcoming reprieve. Arina and I followed Queen Olesya quietly, our hands held tightly. There was a sense of impending doom as if we were walking to some deadly inevitable end. Climbing the staircase that we had used on our very first day in Alandra, we went to the second floor and walked down the hallway. Queen Olesya typed in a code on the keypad beside the door and it swung open. I rushed forward. Would Nate still be there? Or had they moved and hidden him as well?
The cold room closed in around me, but across on the other side, Nate still stood frozen with the horror of that afternoon covered on his face. It was brazenly empty without Shane. I clutched my stomach as nausea swirled. I had to find him and give the antidote no matter what.
Along the side of the room, I spied a mantel with extravagantly wooden carved hooks. The wood had been polished so that it shone.
“Put the dagger on there,” Queen Olesya instructed.
I hesitated. I was now handing over my bargaining chip, but then I cast a glance at Nate and the terror on his features. There was no question as to what I should do. I walked to the mantel, unclipping the dagger as I went and pulled it free. Taking a big breath, I gently placed it on the wooden grooves designed to hold it safely in place. There was a soft hum and the curved pieces of the hooks extended and wrapped around the hilt and blade, locking the dagger into place on the mantel. It hadn’t been made of wood after all.
The Ruby Dagger was no longer in my possession. I swallowed down the lump in my throat and hoped that I hadn’t made a huge mistake.
“Good,” Queen Olesya said.
I turned sharply and pointed to the phial in her hands. “Your turn.”
She nodded and walked towards Nate. My heart thumped in my chest and my mouth was dry.
Queen Olesya gently unclasped the lid and lifted the small bottle to Nate’s frozen blue lips. There she gently poured the mixture onto his lips. Instantly, his lips turned pink, and a couple of seconds later, they moved as he slowly smacked them together. As if by magic, the usual colour of his skin spread up across his cheeks and nose, destroying the blue tinge. Within another second, he blinked. I could see his pupils, but the blue hint of colour sheened over the white of his eyes.
Arina and I rushed forward, as the sweep of natural colour flooded down his neck and over his shoulders. Confused, Nate turned his head back and forth, blinking his eyes repeatedly. And then his hands were free and I reached to clasp one in my own, tears springing to my eyes.
The antidote flooded down the rest of his body, down his chest and upper thighs, to his knees where he instantly collapsed onto the ground.
“Nate,” I choked. “Can you hear me?”
Arina also squatted and reached out to place the back of her hand on his forehead.
“Nate?” I asked, again.
“Yes,” he rasped. Blinking once more, his eyes finally focused on me. I frowned. The blue colour had not faded.
He looked around the room then, frowning at the people who were strangers to him. “Wh- what happened?”
I laughed. “You will not believe us, but it is all true.”
I wiped away at the tears streaming down my face, the stress of the past couple of days suddenly released. But then, anger surged through me. I wanted my brother and I wanted him now. I let go of Nate’s hand and pivoted on my knees to face Queen Olesya. “Take me to my brother now with the antidote.”
“Well, that’s where we have a problem,” she said. “I only have enough antidote at the moment for one person.”
I closed my eyes and clenched my fists and I hated, absolutely hated, how I could feel tears streaming down my face. I did not want to appear weak.
“I have shown you that I can be reasonable,” she continued. “I have done something for you, and now, you need to do something else for me before I can get more antidote.”
Maxim and Yalek’s warning rang in my ears again. I opened my eyes and glanced down at Nate. We had Nate though. We had made progress.
I wiped my nose with the back of my hand and lifted my head. “What do you want me to do?”
Queen Olesya smiled, a wide ugly smile that revealed her perfectly straight teeth.