“And you will get them, but first we need to call your brother. Your journey is far from over,” He looked out into the dark expanse with a distant expression on his face. I was not entirely sure if he meant my current journey or if he was speaking metaphorically. “Now that you have your magic back, I need you to connect with Avalon; he needs to come pick you up,” he gave me a look that told me I needed to follow his orders immediately.
Avalon. I concentrated on my twin brother, filling my body with strong energy. Avalon.
What? I knew immediately that he was irritated by my interruption. I felt defensive until I realized he didn’t even know we were in the same country.
We need your help. Now that our minds were connected, I felt every emotion, every thought he had, and I knew he felt the same with me. It was a very invasive experience.
Who’s we? His thoughts were tight and constrained, much like the position his body was in.
Amory and I. We need you.
What? Amory? Where are you? The surprise in his thoughts was evident. He stopped moving completely to focus on our conversation.
Somewhere in the Romanian mountains. I’m not sure exactly, but we need you to come pick us up. I kept my mental tone light and I laughed a little when I realized that I was driving Avalon crazy. He was completely focused on his extraction mission, which he happened to be currently in the middle of. A pang of guilt hit me though and I was suddenly worried about Lilly and the team.
Can’t it wait? I’m kind of in the middle of something. Although I could feel his irritation, I could also sense his concern for us. He would have easily given up the mission to come to our aid.
“He’s in the middle of the mission. Can we wait until he’s finished?” I explained to Amory out loud.
“No, we need to get you out of the country immediately. Tell him to bring Jericho and two cars. Ryder’s team can finish the mission,” Amory was stern and commanding.
Amory says to let Ryder take over the mission and come now. He says to bring Jericho and two cars. And he says I have to get out of the country immediately. I was embarrassed to admit the last part.
What are you even doing here? Fine. Where are you? I felt his body turn in the opposite direction then he was originally headed and signal to Jericho. Whatever he was in the middle of he had dropped it instantaneously to follow Amory’s orders.
“Where are we?” I asked Amory in order to relay it to Avalon.
“He can follow your magic,” Amory said without giving any more details.
Follow my magic. I relayed to Avalon and felt him internally irritated, but he didn’t ask any more questions.
“I want answers,” I demanded of Amory again when I could sense Avalon on his way.
“I will answer any question you ask,” Amory continued to stare off into the distance. I folded my arms stubbornly and opened my mouth. He’s damn right he would answer any question I had.
Chapter Forty-Three
“Ok, first of all, I’m glad we survived and all, but why on earth was that necessary?” I vented.
“You’re survival is absolutely essential,” Amory was quick to respond. “I’m afraid this war can’t be won without you and your brother,” Amory said firmly, although without actually answering my question.
“Yeah, I know; at least I’ve heard that before. But the question I am asking is why was my survival in question to begin with?” I turned to face Amory full on. I needed answers.
“Well that answer is a little more complicated. The short answer is because you look exactly like your mother; I’m sure you’ve also heard that before,” Amory paused for only a moment; just long enough for me to give him an encouraging look. “The long answer is because your mother happened to be engaged to Lucan before she ran off and eloped with your father, Lucan’s personal bodyguard. He would like nothing more than to find your mother and make her pay for a lifetime of sins.”
My mouth dropped open in surprise. That wasn’t exactly the answer I had been expecting. A million questions began to swirl around in my mind, but Amory, sensing my confusion, continued with his chronicle.
“Let’s see, I suppose I should start from the beginning. Lucan became King at a very young age because his father, Cedric, died suddenly from the King’s Curse. At that time Kings usually waited until they were 100 or so to choose a wife; Cedric had done exactly that, fathered a son and planned on living a long life. When he died, Lucan was only a teenager. His advisors tried to guide him, but he has always been stubborn. His personal body guard was a teenager as well, and although the Royal guard advised him to choose an older, more experienced Titan, he refused. You see, a King’s personal body guard is chosen at birth; they are always the same age so that they grow together and learn to trust each other. They are naturally the best of friends. The same was true of Lucan and Justice, your father. Lucan at that time, not having finished school but not wanting to be alone, had a special group of students chosen from all over the world to study with him at the Royal Palace. Your mother was one of those students and I’m afraid Lucan fell head over heels for her the moment he laid eyes on her; I suspect Justice did as well. Your mother was a very special girl; beautiful of course, talented beyond any other Immortal and smart, very smart. So naturally, Lucan pursued her. I’m afraid she saw his faults from the beginning and although she tried to persuade him to find someone else, he was persistent. When all of his attentions came to no avail he finally commanded her to be his wife. You are so much like her in every way that I’m sure you can imagine how she would react to a direct order such as marriage. But like I said, Lucan is stubborn, and blind to all reason, and so he gave her no choice.”
“But why didn’t Lucan try to find someone who actually liked him back?” I asked, confused why anyone would fall in love with someone who didn’t feel the same way.
“There are several reasons I believe; you see Lucan was scared. His father had died suddenly, leaving him the sole heir to the throne. Having no children of his own, and a fear of also dying young he was pressed to find a wife and begin a family. Since the Curse, no King has ever been able to produce more than one male heir. I believe that he is simply afraid of death; even still to this day. He is afraid of his precious bloodline dying. I believe he hoped your mother would cure all of that. You see, she is a very powerful Witch; probably the most powerful of her generation. And I believe that Lucan thought with their combined bloodline they would be able to save the line of kings.”
“What does her blood have to do with anything?” I asked, trying to stay focused. I suddenly yawned and realize how exhausted I was.
“She is the daughter of the last remaining Oracle. If you remember, the Oracles were the most powerful Immortals before the King’s Curse. Yes, that makes you the granddaughter of course.”
“But I thought all of the Oracles were dead?” I was really confused now.
“One remains, but I believe his soul died a long time ago,” Amory mumbled the last part, and I saw true sadness in his eyes. But then he continued quickly, “So, with that kind of magic mixed, Lucan was hoping for a super-child. He was hoping to bring back the old magic; the magic that disappeared when Derrick cursed us. Unfortunately though, for your mother, it was more than business that drew Lucan to her; he actually fell deeply in love with her. All of his attempts to win her over failed; and sometime during all of this Delia and Justice fell in love instead,” he shook his head as if frustrated with the memory of it.
“Delia,” I repeated softly, saying my mother’s name out loud for the first time. “So, he killed them?” I asked, terrified of the answer.