Kin (Annabelle's Story Part Two) (17 page)

I didn’t see a single sprite on the street. It was me, myself, and I as each stroke brought me toward the church.

The feeling inside of me confirmed my instincts that I moved in the right direction. That humming vibration I’d felt when I neared the sunken chest and the flower rung strong. There was also a feeling of hesitation mixed in. I wasn’t quite sure what I’d find when I reached the town square.

A movement to my right shot me into action. Without thinking, I raised my palms, ready to unleash a current.

A small hand, the top of a small head, and two small eyes were whisked away from the window. The shutter quickly closed.

Inhaling deeply, I lowered my hands. I smiled at what I assumed was going on behind their closed doors—a protective mother scolding her curious child. It was something that seemed so normal, so right in an otherwise abnormal situation.

It took longer than expected to move through the desolate town. Even though time was of the essence, I took it. I didn’t know if my presence threatened the fae. Perhaps the now opened trapdoor was a welcomed change. Or maybe the fae saw the intrusion to their sleepy town as a disturbance.

Who knew what these sprites thought of me. Was I just a young girl? Or did they suspect I was something more?

Either way, I was prepared for a vigilante to come charging from his or her home and face me head on.

Though my head whipped toward every unfamiliar sound, I hesitated at the base of the church steps, free from an attack. I found it odd that there were unnecessary stairs. The town did take on a very “human” feel though. As water spirits whom at one time lived just as easily above ground, I appreciated their desire to have a familiarity across both worlds. It felt wrong that no outsiders had accessed this world for thousands and thousands of years.

With a deep breath, I kicked forward. My hands trembled at the touch of the large double doors. Part of it was fear, and the other stemmed from the waves of vibration that pulsed through my body.

For my next move, I decided to go with a dramatic, unexpected entrance to brave whatever or whoever waited inside.

I threw the doors open, both at the same time.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

What lay ahead of me was the opposite of what I conjured in my head: rows of people nestled in pews, a gathering at the front, a heated confrontation already underway…

Instead: an empty room.

Stained glass windows lined the twenty or so rows of seating. The single aisle down the center met a raised platform stretching from one side to the other. A pulpit sat front and center chest-high off the ground. Finally, a lone door was tucked off to the side.

That was what currently held my interest.

A sliver of light poured out from the cracked doorframe, illuminating the first row of pews.

As I swam down the aisle toward the front, the silence unnerved me. Typically, the wooden floor of a church announced the arrival of each and every guest. Shoes or heels clicking against the floorboards were sounds I was quite familiar with from Sunday mornings. The latecomer to the service or a reader walking from his seat to the front echoed throughout the sanctuary, alerting everyone to his presence.

I was in a twilight zone, stopping to peer behind me very few feet.

The closer I moved to the door, the more my nerves sought to prove me a coward. This time I wouldn’t enlist a dramatic entrance. I knew there were others beyond that door. I felt it.

With my hand on the door, I pushed it open then dove to the side. There, I clung to the wall. While my breathing returned to normal, I chastised myself.

Coward.

Peering around the doorjamb, coral illuminated a hallway, an empty hallway. The emptiness was becoming a trend.

Just when I thought I had got myself worked up over nothing and the vibrations I felt were a mixture of fatigue, anxiety…

And let’s face it: insanity…

I heard their voices.

From this distance, it was hard to decipher what these fae were saying. The hallway was long, with two doors on either side. All were closed. The end of the hallway appeared to turn into what, I didn’t know. But it was where the voices echoed. Also where my body pulled me.

Hesitantly, I took a stroke forward. My shadow followed me down the narrow hallway, leaving an uneasy pit in my stomach.

As I loomed closer to the final turn the whispers transformed into audible words.

“We need to make a decision,” a man’s voice said.

Another male voice spoke up, this one gruffer. “I’ve stated my opinion on this.”

“Yes, but we are not barbarians,” a third voice chimed in. This time, a female.

“Do you not grasp the significance of this, Katherine?”

“You know my stance on that. We’ve been discussing this for years. We were all in agreement.”

“I’ve changed my mind.”

It was hard to match whose voice went with each statement. I determined the second male and the female were going back and forth.

Then, the first male cut in.

“Robert, enough. You will use Lady Katherine’s given title to refer to her. Provide her with the respect she so deserves.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

There was a pause, then again the Lord spoke.

“It surprises me that your thoughts have swayed in this time of turmoil, Robert. You’re my trusted advisor. Still, I am not so naive to think we all came to this decision without thinking this day would come.”

Lady Katherine quickly cut in, “What are you saying, my love? This is our opportunity to go beyond the garden.”

“I’m saying that further discussions are needed. Ones that will not be held in the presence of our… guests.”

Guests? Could Tristyn be there?

Every ounce of me wanted to see, and not just listen, but I knew it was smarter to assess the situation first.

This time, Robert’s voice was more upbeat, seemingly because he had won a small battle against Lady Katherine. I sensed some animosity between the two. “What should we do with them? Take them to the dungeons?”

Lady Katherine addressed her husband. “James, no. That is unheard of, my Lord.”

“
Lady
Katherine,” Robert said, putting emphasis on her title. “You expect to let them roam free? This fascination of the outside world has affected your better judgment.”

“I expect to let them speak. They were seized without uttering a single word.” There was a pause. “James?”

“I’ve heard enough. They will be questioned, then we will decide their fates. Guards, take them to the throne room.”

Shit.
I knew I had to act. And now.

Without thinking, I threw myself around the corner.

“STOP!”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

The next events happened fast. It was one of those moments where a million things transpired at once.

Actually, six things:

The first, ten heads whipped in my direction.

The second, I instantly recognized Wyn’s twin, Tristyn.

The third, two guards tightened their grips around Tristyn and another mystery man’s torsos.

The fourth, three more guards pulled their swords, diving in front of the other three fae.

The fifth, I raised my hands in a position ready to fire.

The sixth, I saw one fae holding a shell.

The very conch shell I searched for.

Then, we all stood at a standstill.

My plan didn’t involve what to do after throwing myself into the room.

We simply stared at each other, unsure of our next moves to make other than eyeing each other and determining whether the other was friend or foe.

I used their appearances to help establish who was who. Everyone in the room dressed like apostles from biblical times, except for Tristyn and the mystery man. They both had an ensemble created from plant-life. It made it easy to determine that Tristyn and the one other fae were the outsiders.

The female, Lady Katherine spoke first. Awe infused her voice. Her words came out as a statement, not even a hint of a question. “You are not fae.”

Her declaration caught me off guard. My response felt inadequate, but it was the truth. “No.”

The man’s head cocked to the side, once I heard his steady voice, I knew it was James, the Lord. “What are you child?”

Umm.
“I guess you could say I’m human but also a water spirit.”

Silence met me.

Lady Katherine wore a red cape-like gown that clung to her body, revealing a sheer white dress beneath. Atop her head sat a simple gold crown. Her blue eyes bore into mine, trying to make sense of the situation. “So it’s true?”

For the first time, Robert spoke. He looked just as cold as his voice. “What is true? This is no time to speak in tongue.”

In response, she turned her back on Robert, speaking directly to her husband. “The ‘Second Alpha.’ She’s the ‘Second Alpha,’ James.”

He eyed me curiously, then down at his hands. “You have come for this shell?”

I spared another glance at Tristyn, nearly identical looking to his sister with his shoulder-length hair. I had come for him, too.

As I answered, I swam an inch or two forward, my arms still raised. “I’m—”

The room-claiming presence of the guard mirrored my movement. “Do not move.”

I froze in place.

“Speak,” James demanded.

“Yes, I’m the ‘Second Alpha.’”

The mystery man’s voice rang out, “Do not believe her!”

Along with the other nine heads, my own snapped toward his darker face.

Well wasn’t that ironic? I finally admitted it—that I’m the “Second Alpha”—and now this fae was denying me my fate.

I quickly rebutted, “No, you must not believe him. He’s a Tracker.”

Robert’s face looked irate. “What is the meaning of this? What is a Tracker?”

I obviously hadn’t thought before I spoke. It hadn’t dawned on me that the door to Elfin Lake was locked before the battle between the Guardians and Trackers. Before these phrases became popular names in sprite culture.

The first thing I thought of spurted from my mouth. “They’re evil.”

James peered at the Tracker. “Is that so? Are you evil?”

“Of course not, my Lord. I saw that someone had opened the trapdoor and I came to seek out my ancestors, my kin.”

Tristyn cut in, “That’s not true! He followed me here. He came for the shell!”

The Tracker jumped at the chance to defend himself once more. “My Lord, of course you won’t believe the words of a young fae.” He kept his words soft, soothing. “I descend from the House of Benjamin.”

James remained quiet, thoughts running behind his eyes. Against my will, I felt the tides turning. The allure of my sudden presence vanished. My eyes latched onto Lady Katherine’s, hopeful that her own allure of the outside world would cause her to speak on my behalf.

She didn’t have the chance.

“Seize the girl!”

No way in hell. It wasn’t the time to think. I had to act. It was time to follow the rule of thumb: act first, ask for forgiveness later.

In an instant, the pulse deepened inside of me—a growing rage, the building of frustration, a gathering of fury, and the accumulation of desperation.

I started from the left. There wasn’t time to send individual currents. Instead, I released a sweeping wave.

It hit Robert first.

Next, a guard and Katherine.

Then, James and two other guards.

Finally, the Tracker, the two remaining guards, and Tristyn.

The force blasted them into furniture and against the stone wall. Their bodies twisted and turned at the impact of my current, limbs flailing out to the sides.

The conch shell released from James’ grasp.

I didn’t hear their screams, their breaths forcefully leaving their lungs, or the muffled sound of steel hitting the ground from the release of their protective swords.

I didn’t know if the water would’ve cushioned the impact of the shell meeting the stone floor, but I wasn’t about to find out.

My mind focused on the shell before a collision could occur. I had to make sure that my blood, sweat and tears, Adrian’s sacrifices, Clemente’s heartache, Natasha’s hopes and dreams, and Shamus’ life weren’t lost in vain.

It all happened in slow motion, a montage of my thoughts. Then, my upward facing hands met the smooth surface of the shell.

I lay on my stomach, reveling in my success.

That was when the situation around me zapped back into focus. A fresh wave of guilt hit me at the sight of the ten lifeless bodies now strewn about the disheveled room.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

The eeriness of the quiet church didn’t go unnoticed the second time either. Except now, I charged down the aisle like a bride fleeing her nuptials.

As I swam looking back wasn’t an option; a mixture of
I need to get out of here
and
what did I just do
rattled back and forth in my brain.

I couldn’t believe that I’d used my water affinity in such a manner, especially toward Lady Katherine and Tristyn.

Tristyn was innocent—just an eager boy enticed by grandeur to right a wrong that was set in motion centuries before his birth. Then there was Lady Katherine. Her desperation to go beyond Elkin Lake weighed heavy in that room. She looked at me hopeful, like I could provide a glimpse into the unknown. I crushed her aspirations with one flick of my wrists.

I tried to convince myself that I didn’t hurt those fae solely to save myself. I’d done it for the purpose of fulfilling the prophecy.  I needed to believe that I did it for the greater good. Honestly, I didn’t know.

Each kick of my feet strived to leave those thoughts behind. I couldn’t change what I’d done. I just needed to keep moving. I wrapped the shell securely in the crook of my arm, like a running back clenching a football against his body as he raced toward the end zone.

My free hand held on as tight as I could.

I refused to leave Tristyn behind.

His unconscious body acted as dead weight as I yanked him through the water.