Authors: Jamie Magee
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“
I love you,”
he thought.
“
I don’t understand...what are you asking me to do?”
“
After we move that wall, I’ll be surprised if he’s able to stand. I’m asking you to give him what strength you can, then I’ll carry you home and we’ll restore ourselves.”
“
This feels wrong,”
I thought, looking away from him.
Landen turned my head gently and let his hand fall to rest on my chest. His eyes settled deep in mine.
“
We’re cheating the devil; it’s the last thing that demon would expect me to ask you to do,”
Landen thought.
I raised my hand to rest on his. I knew he honestly believed that we’d stumbled onto a hidden power, that with my heart I could empower the ones that would bring an end to the demon that had lived inside of Donalt for so long.
“
You are the power. I fear if you don’t restore him, even if he made it back – he’d be too weak to act as they’d expect him to. I understand that this is your body, your energy, your choice; I’m only encouraging you to save lives.”
I looked down and took a deep breath. Landen gently raised my head so I’d have to look into his perfect blue eyes.
“
If I have the strength, I’ll help him,
“ I thought.
A small smile came to his face, just barely showing his dimples. He pulled me to him and kissed me passionately, and I held him as tight as I could and let him feel my love and passion for him. He released me slowly, then took my hand and began to lead me back to the study. As I felt the emotions of the room, I remembered the doubt Dane and Clarissa had for me.
“
No one will understand why I’m doing this. It’ll only give them reason to doubt the way I feel about you,”
I thought.
“
They won’t know; when we stop time, that’s when you’ll help. This is a secret that’ll stay between us and Drake.”
“
You trust him?”
I asked.
“
I’ll pull him aside, and if he gives me any reason to doubt him, I’ll tell you. He honestly wants to redeem this dimension.”
As we stepped into the study, I wrapped my arm around his waist and leaned into him. In the distance, I felt my father and Ashten. I looked up at Landen, and he was questioning why they were there as well. We stepped inside the study. Alamos and August were at the window with Drake, discussing the wall. The others had left the room. Our fathers came through the opposite doorway; I could feel they were anxious about being there. Ashten surveyed the room, then looked at Landen.
“Preston told us to come. He said you needed our help,” Ashten explained.
Drake turned at the sound of a new voice, then moved his head from side to side. “I just wish sometimes he’d tell me what he knows in the first place, save time and energy,” he said.
I smiled, slightly understanding his frustration. Alamos put his hand on Drake’s shoulder. “The children can only navigate through the choices you make. You had to decide to do this before they could send help,” Alamos explained.
My father walked in my direction. As he approached, I saw him survey my body. “Did something happen?” he asked me.
I didn’t want to lie to my father, but I didn’t want to tell him that Drake had drained me either.
“It’s just been an emotional evening,” Landen answered, protecting me from having to lie.
My father nodded. Landen looked at Drake and nodded his head, telling him to come with him; unwavering, Drake followed Landen out of the room. August then called our fathers to the table to explain our plan.
Alamos extended his arm, telling me to come to his side. When I reached him, he smiled at me, then looked to the wall. My eyes followed his. “I want you to study every part of this wall that you can see,” he said.
My eyes moved across the wall. It was just as tall as I was. The stones were close to four feet in width, and it was shaped into a half circle. It looked enormous.
“Now I want you to see it as a gray cloud, weightless, diminutive,” he said. I focused again on the wall and let my mind make the stones look like pillows, then I turned them into innocent rain clouds.
“Do you see it that way now?” Alamos asked me. I nodded. “Hold that image. Even when you step away from this window, in your mind see it in that manner.”
“How am I going to lift it? I can’t do the things Landen and Drake can; I don’t have control like they do.”
Alamos chuckled quietly. “I’d say that you’re stronger than the two of them combined,” he said, smiling proudly at me.
As I stared at the wall, I blushed slightly.
“You must see your energy as a force. When the moment comes, you’ll take your energy and push it forward with your mind. Do not release it. When it reaches the wall, you’ll then raise your energy and push back again.”
“With my mind,” I said, sighing.
“The mind is powerful; it can create or destroy anything we wish it to,” Alamos said.
“How far can we move it?”
“If you were walking on the ground, you could take it as far as you wish. For your safety, you’ll be on the roof of the palace. You should be able to move it until it leaves your sight.”
“I’m afraid it’ll crumble, hurt the ones beneath it,” I said, looking at the workers around the wall.
“Your energy will hold it together when it’s in the air. When you set it down, some stones may fall. I wouldn’t raise it more than six feet in the air. The workers will scatter as it begins to move, but I don’t think you’ll bring them any harm.”
I looked to my side at him. “Are you having a change of heart? I thought, in your opinion, that I brought destruction,” I said quietly.
Alamos looked down, took in a breath, then looked up at me. “I yearn for the day that my soul will rise above this life, the day that I can look back over the chapters of my time and understand why we’re all put through so much turmoil.”
“We’re not meant to live in turmoil; I believe we decide if we’re happy,” I said, looking at him.
“Maybe so, but I’ve seen more tragedy than good,” Alamos said bleakly.
“Think of the good that’ll come, not the tragedy that’s occurred - and you’ll find a peace that’s escaped you,” I said to him.
He smiled at me. “I just wish you could feel how much I love you...how much Drake loves you,” he said, looking back at the wall.
“I don’t doubt the way the both of you feel about me. You know my insight is rare. The rest of the world has the pleasure of discovering the emotions in others by their actions, their words; I sense an emotion and make a judgment. It’s not my place to judge. Sometimes I feel the insight is more of a curse.”
Alamos looked down at me, his aged eyes studying my every feature. “Aliyanna couldn’t feel others as clearly as you can, but she understood others’ emotions more deeply than any other soul I’ve met. It’s a blessing, not a curse. You have the ability to understand what drives the emotion, which would make you a sound ruler.”
“I’m not going to rule anyone,” I said in a tranquil tone.
“That is growing more and more clear with each passing moment,” Alamos said.
“I need you to stop pushing me in Drake’s direction; you cause him more stress than peace when you do so.”
“I only want him to be happy. He deserves to have at least one life of complete contentment,” Alamos said.
My eyes questioned his words as he looked away.
“He
will
have that life,” I answered.
As I felt Landen enter the room, I turned.
“Well?”
I thought.
“
I had to convince him; he’s afraid it will hurt you.”
I looked at Drake; he was staring at me with a solemn face. I smiled at him and moved my head from side to side. I wanted him to know that I wanted him safe and that I’d be fine. He let a smile come across his face.
Alamos called Landen to his side, and Landen eagerly came, wanting any council he could get on moving the wall. When Alamos began the same lesson I’d just heard, I walked to the table. My father extended his arm for me to come to his side. The others were seated around the table.
“This is a brilliant plan. I’m proud of you,” my father said.
“It was Drake’s idea,” I said, looking around the table and judging the others’ emotions. Overall, they were pleased that we’d found a peace with Drake - but they feared it, too; they thought Landen trusted him too much.
Marc and Brady came in the room. Marc had changed into Drake’s clothes, and he had his hair tossed back in the same manner that Drake wore his. The sleeves on his shirt were rolled up, revealing the dragon I’d drawn on him.
Drake looked him over carefully and smiled. “You nearly fooled me. This is going to work,” he said. “Come, there’s a room here that looks like my chambers. I’ll show you where I sit and how I act in there in case anyone’s watching.”
Marc nodded and followed Drake out of the room. Brady was smiling at our fathers. “I was just thinking that I should go and get you so you can help us get them home - and now here you are. Let me guess: Libby and Preston?” Brady said, amused by his words.
They smiled back at him. August waved Brady to the table, and Landen came to my side. Alamos appeared at my other side.
August cleared his throat. “Alright. On the roof, there’s a weather main, and a passage is beneath it. All of us will go to the roof with them. Once the wall is moved, they’ll stop time. When it resumes, Drake will already be in the string. Ashten, you need to step into the string. Follow Drake’s path; there’s a chance he’ll be too weak to have made it all the way back. You must make sure he gets to the chamber and that Marc is out safely. Alamos and Beth are going to try and stall the members of the court long enough for Drake to gain some kind of strength.”
I looked up at Landen; he was trying not to smile, not to seem overconfident. We both knew that if Drake used me as a source, he wouldn’t need any time to gain his strength. By the time Ashten made it to the string, he’d more than likely be standing in front of the court - mocking rage at Delen.
“Landen and Willow are going to be weak as well,” August continued. “They’ll need to go home immediately. Brady, Chrispin, and Jason will need to guide them, carry them - whatever they need. Nyla, Olivia, and I will stay here and walk the streets; the people in Delen are going to be terrified. Once you’ve gotten Landen, Willow, and Drake where they need to be, all of you need to return here and make your presence known in the streets; the more of us they see, the calmer they’ll be. It’s going to be a long night,” he finished.
Everyone nodded, taking responsibility for their roles.
“I want someone to take me and Beth back now,” Alamos said. “We’ve already been gone longer than I thought we’d be; someone is sure to be looking for us.”
Brady extended his arm, telling Alamos to come. “I’ll take you,” he said, looking at Landen.
“Come, we’ll find Beth and leave immediately. Wait for him to return before you move the wall,” Alamos said.
“You should just take Marc now,” August said.
Alamos nodded, then looked at Landen. “While you wait on their return, call on your memories. I’ll tell Drake to do the same; you need all the power you can obtain.”
Landen took my hand and led me to one of the couches. I collapsed in his arms, then through my touch I let the emotion of love that could only belong to him flow. I watched as his energy brightened, then he let his fingers run through my hair and gently pressed his lips against the side of my temple.
Chapter Nineteen
I wondered for a moment if I could gain strength from the memory of being one with Landen, like he did. I closed my eyes and leaned into him, and he pulled me closer to him. My mind drifted, and my soul brought forth the emotion of absolute bliss. Time seemed to stand still, and the world - in that moment - was perfect.
“
It’s time,”
Landen thought.
I opened my eyes. I could feel Brady approaching, and I turned to see the others surrounding the table. Perodine and August were showing my father and Ashten the scroll and their notes; I felt their intent of wanting to unravel the influence of Mars before it came. I sighed, not wanting to know what that planet would bring.
I searched the room for Drake, not finding him.
