The Glass Wall (Return of the Ancients Book 1) (31 page)

His comment was startling enough that my tears dried instantly. I
did
feel something unusual for them, something that made me warm and fuzzy inside. I wasn’t sure it was love. I actually hoped that it
wasn’t
. Loving foster parents would be a mistake. I never stayed in one house for very long, and I certainly couldn’t let myself be so needy.

Then I realized with shame that I hadn’t thought of Maya once. I knew I loved Maya. I was hard-wired to love her, but I never worried that she’d be concerned about me. She never was. Why was it different with Al and Betty?

Slowly sitting up, I frowned. “I can’t love them. They aren’t my parents,” I said. “I already have a mother.”

“There are many shades of love.” Rafael lay back on the couch, and picking up one of the gray cushions began to toss it in the air. “You can love them all. One love doesn’t take away from another.”

Wiping my tears with the back of my hand, I choked. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. I’ll probably get stuck here.” I swallowed and then added what I was really thinking. “Or most likely die.”

Tossing the cushion on the floor, Rafael stared at the ceiling, still lying on his back. After a moment, he informed me, “You aren’t going to be stuck here, and you certainly won’t die.”

I blew a long breath. “And just exactly how do you plan on preventing it?” I rolled my eyes a little. “I know you aren’t going to answer that.”

Slowly, he sat up and taking the glass shard from his pocket, he dropped it into my palm. “With this,” he replied. His expression was serious, hardened with resolve.

I held up the piece of glass, puzzled, and then I heard his words.

“I’m going to break the Glass Wall.”

Chapter Twenty-One - Raven

Thinking of that massive wall of shimmering glass, I sprang to my feet and gasped. “Even
I
know that breaking the Glass Wall is a bad idea!”

“It’s the only way.” Rafael drew his lips in a thin line. “The wall is hiding a sinister secret.”

“But you said it protects Earth!” My throat went tight. “You can’t let those Tulpas loose on us!”

“They already are, Sydney.” Rafael rose fluidly to his feet in one swift movement. “The Glass Wall is a lie. If it had been protecting humanity, you would never have even
seen
the Tulpa.”

“But you and Jareth
both
said there was nothing wrong with the wall!” My heart was racing and panic was threatening once again.

“We only discovered that the wall is performing as it always has.” Rafael’s expression was grim as he added, “But that doesn’t mean that it’s protecting humanity. I believe now that it never did.”

His ominous words hung in the air.

Frowning, I whispered, “What if you break the wall and you are … wrong?”

He didn’t answer me. Instead, he strode over to the window again to stare out, unseeing. The feathers in his blond hair combined with the black patterns on his face made him look downright wicked. Finally, he grudgingly admitted, “If I’m wrong, then I’ll have unleashed an unimaginable calamity upon humanity. I will have allowed the Brotherhood access to humans and disaster will befall Earth.”

It was then that I fully understood what it meant to be Blue-Threaded. It was an abnormally cruel fate, to be faced with such exaggerated consequences of success or catastrophe. I wondered if it was truly balanced, and if so, what kind of stupendous success could offset a disaster such as the one playing itself out now.

Rafael’s long finger slid under my chin to tilt my face toward his. I had been so distracted that I hadn’t noticed him standing in front of me once more.

“But if I’m right, Sydney, then humanity already stands on the brink of an unthinkable disaster and we have erred greatly by protecting a wall that we thought protected humanity, but instead allowed the Brotherhood to meddle in Earth affairs for over a thousand years unhindered,” he said gravely, his fingers still cupping my cheek. “The only way that Tulpa could have entered your world was through the Glass Wall, and it proves that the Brotherhood is seeking to entrap humanity in their evil designs once again—something we thought we had fixed with the wall!”

“Then, is my part in this whole mess showing you this Tulpa and the fact that the wall is a charade?” I asked, my voice shaking a little. “Is that why I’m Blue-Threaded?” I hoped he would say yes, because I didn’t want to think that I might soon be embroiled in something even worse.

Rafael seemed surprised at the nature of my thoughts. “We will never know that until the thread disappears, for good or ill.”

“I take that to mean my fate is still Blue?” He didn’t have to answer. I could see it in his eyes. Scowling, I muttered, “Breaking the Glass Wall sounds like an insane solution. How are you even going to do it?” The wall was massive.

His long lashes swept down, hiding his eyes in a gesture that I knew meant that I wasn’t going to get an answer. I wasn’t surprised when he switched the subject.

“How did you get the Tulpa from Marquis’ car?” he asked in a neutral tone.

I wasn’t expecting that. Cringing a little, I was honest and confessed, “The day you saved Tigger … I was looking for a towel and … took it.” Not wanting to see his disappointment, I turned my back on him, vowing that if I ever made it back to Earth that I was never going to steal another thing for as long as I lived.

Suddenly, I felt his warm breath in my ear and heard him whisper, “It’s most fortunate for all that you did. This ugly secret has remained hidden for far too long.”

At that moment, in spite of everything, I became very aware of him, and the only thing I could think about was how close he was standing.

Grabbing my wrist, he pulled me back to the window, and still holding my hand, absent-mindedly trailed our fingers along the glass. “Ajax mentioned the day before Thanksgiving that he saw the Brotherhood tracking you in the woods. It makes sense now. If you had their Tulpa, they would have known it. They would have wanted that particular one back, I am sure.”

“Trailing me?” I repeated, startled. Recalling Ajax’s strange behavior in the greenbelt that evening, I added, “I never saw anything.”

“You wouldn’t have,” he replied, focusing on the hills floating before us. “While the Brotherhood can see you if they choose, you can’t see them.”

My brows rose in surprise. I didn’t like the idea of aliens watching me without my knowledge, but then a horrible thought crossed my mind. “If you break the wall … does it mean that everyone on Earth will start
seeing
them?” I asked, aghast.

“No,” he assured me, still looking out the window. “The Brotherhood can’t physically access the Third World, or Earth as you call it. They can only travel to the Second World where humans create the Tulpas. From there, they can also watch Earth from behind a veil.”

“Maybe I was better off not knowing,” I muttered. I was holding onto his hand so tightly that I figured I was probably cutting off the circulation in his fingers, but he didn’t seem to mind. Then, because I wanted it to be true more than anything else, I added, “There must be some kind of misunderstanding. I don’t see how humans can create things like Tulpas. We would know if we did. You must be wrong.”

Rafael’s lips curved into a smile and his eyes lit with humor. “You will one day see your power, little human. Humans are envied by many races and for more than one reason.” He lifted our entwined fingers to touch my cheek lightly with his thumb.

The gesture was friendly, but for some mysterious reason, I felt my cheeks turn fiery red. Embarrassed, I jerked my hand free and babbled, “What about these Brotherhood guys? Who are they? I mean, I’ve never heard of them before I met you.”

I was grateful that he didn’t appear to notice my embarrassment. Instead, he seemed to be weighing how much to reveal.

At last, he replied, “Since ancient times, your world has known them as the Lizard People. They have long sought to walk your world, but upon failing to find compatible human host bodies, they—”

“What?” I interrupted, upset now and forgetting entirely about being embarrassed. “We have aliens trying to possess our
bodies
?”

Wincing slightly, he fell silent.

“No! You can’t just leave it hanging like that!” I grabbed his arm and shook it a little. At his obvious confusion, I quickly amended, “You can’t just tell me part of the truth! Why do they want to possess us?”

“Sydney, I’ve said far too much.” His voice held a tone of regret. “When there is nothing to be done about such things, perhaps it’s best not to know.”

“But I know now!” I shook his arm harder, biting my lip to keep it from trembling.

“And I’ve been foolish in revealing this much!” Expelling a deep breath, he captured my hand once again and murmured, “I’m breaking far too many rules of late.”

“Please,” I pleaded, clutching his hand tightly. “I have the right to know!” I wasn’t sure why. I just felt that I did.

Apparently, he thought so too, because with a heavy sigh, he answered, “The Brotherhood views humanity as a herd of cattle, a food source …”

I hadn’t expected
that
. “They want to
eat
us?” The pitch of my voice was dangerously close to hysteria.

“No!” Rafael inserted quickly. “They devour the Tulpas you generate. They feed off of your emotions, preferring the dark ones of fear, hatred, and anger. They wish to walk among you in order to trap your world in a perpetual state of fear and hatred. They can only influence now. They can’t control you.”

That was actually creepier. I just stared at him. Things were turning more bizarre by the moment. I gave an uncomfortably strained laugh and decided, “This must be a dream … no … a nightmare, or maybe I’m sick or something and I can’t wake up!”

“I’m sorry, Sydney,” Rafael apologized in a low, gentle voice. “This must be very hard.”

The idea that I was stuck in a dream was an attractive one that grew on me even as I found myself tipping dangerously close to a full-blown case of hysterics.

“
Actually, this isn’t hard at all!” I began to giggle. “I have nothing to worry about. This
must
be a dream. It doesn’t make sense, otherwise. Especially, with this whole thing about you being a fairy! I mean …
fairies
!” I collapsed into such an uncontrollable fit of giggles that I couldn’t talk.

“The Fae,” he corrected in a slightly miffed tone. “Please do not use the term of ‘fairy’!”

I kept on snorting with panic-stricken laughter, and he didn’t even try to stop me. Finally, I wiped the tears out of my eyes, and I looked down at his hand encompassing mine and wiggled my fingers. “This only proves it, you know. Because I’m crushing on you, I’m dreaming that you’re holding my hand. It isn’t something that would really happen! Thanksgiving was probably a dream, too. Actually, maybe this whole thing is!” At that point, I began to doubt myself. If it had been a dream, then it was an extraordinarily long and coherent one.

When I looked back into Rafael’s eyes, they had taken on an interested gleam. “Crushing?” he repeated curiously.

Immediately, color rushed to my cheeks, and I jerked my fingers free from his once again.

I was saved from an awkward explanation by a soft shimmering bell chiming through the room.

Rafael tensed.

“What is it?” I asked.

His mood shifted, but he looked down at me with an impudent grin. “You can explain ‘crushing’ to me at a later time. At the moment, I can’t risk an interruption, Sydney. I’ll untie you the instant this is over.”

“Untie me? I’m not tied …” My protest quickly shifted into a yelp as he caught my wrist and spun me around. A shimmery scarf slipped over my mouth even as another twisted around my wrists. I was so shocked that I didn’t even fight back.

Twirling me around again, Rafael planted his handsome face inches in front of mine and asked, “Is that comfortable?”

I drew my brows in the worst scowl that I could summon. “How could I be comfortable?” I shouted, but the scarf muffled my words.

“I swear upon my honor that it won’t be for long, Sydney.” His grin widened into a broad smile, but then he added, “I hope.”

The chime sounded again.

Easily hefting me over his shoulder, he walked toward the wall, explaining, “I regret the use of this archaic form of restraint. I’m fairly powerless without my trion.”

I kicked him, just enough to express my irritation. My reward was another scarf binding my feet. I was trying to figure out how he had managed such a feat while still carrying me, when a door zipped open, and he stepped into what looked like his closet.

I was so amazed that I forgot to struggle.

It was huge, about the same size as Betty’s entire house, with row upon row of clothing and shelves of hats, belts, and boots, all arranged neatly along the walls and organized according to color. It looked like an expensive designer clothing store.

Rafael carried me past more feathers, scarves, and shimmering material than I had ever seen in my entire life. At the far end, he stopped in front of a lighted floor-to-ceiling mirror a good twenty feet wide. In front of it were several tall black stools and a black leather S-shaped couch.