Rule (Roam Series, Book Five) (11 page)

“Just before the wedding, an illegitimate son of the king presented himself to Troy. Leo, Troy’s half brother, was welcomed into the kingdom. Troy longed for family, and had his younger brother’s legitimacy declared publicly. His advisors strongly cautioned him; succession was never an issue until Leo’s legitimacy was acknowledged, and Troy created the threat for himself.”

“Leo… Logan?” I interrupted.

“Yes.” He focused on me. “Mina was known for her
immense intelligence, short temper, and unsurpassed skills with the sword. She resisted Troy’s affection from the very beginning. Whispers began about her indiscretion, and soon Leo’s name accompanied Mina’s as the gossip progressed.”

“Leo was plotting for the throne, and he’d planned to convince Mina to help him betray the king. They were found in each other’s arms by Troy, and were both brought before the court for punishment.”

“
Death
,” I breathed, reaching for Will’s hand. He took my fingers in his, lifting them to his lips in a comforting kiss.

“Leo accused your mother of witchcraft. Troy, betrayed but very young and in love with your mother, allowed Leo to be free and ordered Mina to be whipped. Her punishment was sixteen lashes… one for every year of her life.”

“That’s so horrible,” I ran my thumb over Will’s palm, my anger rising.

“Troy meant to keep her infidelity out of the public eye. He ordered her punishment to be carried out by his first knight… my son.”

“My dad?”

“West could not bring himself to strike her, though his life depended on his obedience. He took Mina to me, asking me to cast a spell that would give her injury… without pain. I gave her the sixteen lashes on her back, though she felt not one of them.”

“Wow,” I mouthed, utterly enthralled by his story.

“She fell in love with him, and he with her. Their love was palpable; no amount of time, or separation, or self-control could stop what had been set in motion. They conceived a child in the very beginning, and found happiness in their clandestine union.”

“In the end, it was Leo who betrayed them.” I could tell that my grandfather was becoming emotional. “Still vying for the throne, he turned them in to Troy as a way to win his brother’s favor once more.”

“When Mina told him that the child in her womb was not his, Troy became enraged. He sentenced them all to death. Mina was to be first, so that Leo and West would watch her die. Leo next, and West last.”

“I created a spell to give Mina and West immortality; the spell required an alter sacrifice. Two opposing counterparts were given immortality as well… a penance for casting eternal life. My spell was too late for Mina and Leo- only their souls were cast immortal.”

“Trying to save my son from an immortal existence of heartache, I opened a portal into another world. Contrary to history, I did not ‘split’ this world or create your universe; I merely opened the door that would allow your father to escape.”

“My dad must have been so heartbroken. He loves my mom like crazy.” I thought of my father’s face, his controlled patience with me.
I could have been better behaved. He’s given me everything I’ve ever wanted.

God, I miss them.

“There, there, lass,” Grandfather tilted his head sympathetically. “They are together now.”

“So my dad escaped, and my mom was born again… reincarnated… into my world?”

“Yes.” He took another long drink, his shaking hands struggling with the glass. Will moved quickly to his feet, gathering the glass from Grandfather and placing it on the table. I watched him grasp the old man’s shoulder gently before returning to my side.

“Shall we take a respite, before we continue?” Will lifted his eyes to him, but Grandfather shook his head.

“I have waited for hundreds of years.” He sat back, his eyes returning to me. “Troy remembered what had happened. Leo and Mina, as new children, did not. Troy discovered my magic, and ordered my execution.”

“But… you’re immortal,” I argued.

His thin lips curved into a distant smile as he gazed at me. “I have you to thank for that, my dear.”

“Me?” I turned to Will, confused.

“I shalln’t speak of that subject more, for fear of setting into motion… an unfathomable chain of events. Rather,” he leaned close to me, reaching for me hand. I let him gather my hand in his. “Be sure that you follow your heart, Granddaughter. Always.”

“Okay,” I agreed softly, and I felt Will’s hand brush the back of my neck in an affectionate caress.

“I was imprisoned and tortured.” He rested his eyes on the floor. “My magic became… unpredictable. During the inquisition, I cast several spells… which you now know as the prophecy. Seven lives, seven chances for my son to find his love and conceive their lost child. That child would bring an end to Troy’s world, burning the kingdom in two years time.”

“Why seven?” I asked, the unspoken words from my grandfather echoing in my ears.

“I shall teach you, Granddaughter, that your magic is ruled by emotion. Casting a spell when impassioned… will create severe consequences.” He gripped his cane. “I was racked seven times. Each time, in my agony, I cast a spell.”

“Jesus Christ,” I buried my face in my hands, struggling with nausea.

“Eva,” Will scolded softly.

“It was my intention, Eva, that your birth would make Troy burn in hell.”

“And now Troy is gone, and they’re all burning,” I pointed to the glass in Will’s office. The sun was darkened through the insulation over the window.

“Again, as I have told you… magic comes with consequence. If Troy destroyed you… or your mother, before you are born, in all seven lives…
your
world would then burn.”

“My world…,” I blinked, staring at him. “Earth? Would burn?”

“Yes. Your climate scientists have evidence of this. For centuries, with every life that your father failed to keep you alive, the atmosphere of Earth slowly disintegrated.”

“Are you talking about global warming?” I managed, glancing at Will. He listened intently.

My grandfather nodded once. “Evidence of the prophecy.”

I felt my nostrils flare in my rising anger. “And my father had no
memory of the prophecy- no way of knowing any of this.”

“I escaped. I left this world to find my son, casting one last spell before I left. A location spell, if you will… a way for my son to find his true love, wherever she may be. When he finally met her, she would remember him through her subconscious. Dreams.”

“The coordinates,” I realized, thinking back to one of my earliest memories as a child. I was four years old, and Logan had left for Afghanistan. In the car, leaving Camp Lejuene, my mother had screamed into my father’s shoulder, gripping her arm painfully. I’d watched in horror from the back seat, with Violet, as the coordinates on her arm changed.

Later, I found out that my dad’s would change every time my mother made a significant move, but he’d learned to control the pain and hide it from me.

“The spell carried over to the Alters… Troy and Leo would also be able to find her.”

“No…,” I looked at him. “But Logan doesn’t have those numbers…?”

“He did. Just as your mother must touch your father to receive the coordinates, Leo must touch Troy. And in this eighth life, they never had the chance to meet. Your mother and father ended Troy’s existence on the Titanic… in 1912.”

“I know about that… the fountains, a way to travel to the past.”

“To their past
lives
,” Grandfather corrected. “Once I found your father, as an orphaned infant, I began raising him to study science. In your world, magic is very different… elements and time are unbalanced on Earth. I studied alchemy, astronomy… and finally was able to open doors to the past through an elemental spell. Man-made objects, allowing my son a chance in the seventh life… if he failed in six.”

“What is an ‘elemental spell’?”

“I will teach you.” He leaned back against the chair. “When I allowed myself to travel through the portal between worlds, using my magic, I failed to realize the alter consequence.”

“Troy could travel, too.” I stood, unable to keep from pacing across the rug in Will’s office. “Troy could travel through the inclined planes, but my dad, or Logan, or my mom can’t.”

“But you can,” Will acknowledged, turning to my grandfather. “Is there an ‘alter consequence’ for her ability to travel?”

Grandfather climbed unsteadily to his feet, and Will rushed to help him. “Yes.” He cleared his throat, sliding his feet towards me. “T
he first born child of Roam… and the first born child of Troy.”

“Will can’t go through without me though,” I argued.

“Meredith was born first.” Will turned to me, and stared at him in horror.

“
She can travel to my world?!
”

“There is no way for her to know that,” he disputed. “All doors have been sealed with magic except the one to Johnstown. Guards protect that door, day and night.”

I turned to Will, glaring. “You suspected this all along! You knew Christopher could be in danger- that’s why you wanted my parents to stay with him, and Logan to protect him!”

“Eva…,”

“I have to go back… I have to protect my family!”

“They are safe.” Grandfather reached for me, and with every ounce or respect and self-control that I possessed, I allowed him to take my hand. “I will teach you to grow your magic, Eva. You are a witch; you have more power than I have ever possessed.”

“Hey,” I cringed at the term, and he shook his head gently.

“A witch should not bear evil connotation. There are good witches, and there are bad witches.”

“I’m feeling more like Dorothy right now.” They both looked at me in confusion, and I ignored them with a wave of my hand. “Never mind. Yes, teach me, please. But first, I need to go home and check on Christopher.”

“I can give you his location. You must choose if you’ll accept them.”

“What?”

“Your arm,” he reached for my left arm, and I recoiled, shaking my head.

“What, the fire-tattoo? No way. How about a magic mirror? Or… I don’t know… Skype?”

“Child, we are in another world. Physical elements are your only ties to your birth world… mind, body, soul.”

“And I’ll know where Christopher is, at all times?”

“If the coordinates disappear, he is no longer of your world.”

“Do it.”

“Wait,” Will reached for me, blocking Grandfather from my arm. “Absolutely not. If there is an ‘alter consequence,’ Meredith may be able to locate Christopher.”

My grandfather became morose, raising his eyes to me expectantly. “Indeed. That, my dear, was a test. And you failed. Better listening skills; that shall be lesson one.”

I stared at him, my jaw dropping. “That’s not fair! You offered me a way to watch out for my brother-…,”

“Emotions muddle magic. You must learn to control your emotions before we begin the lessons.”

“In Eva’s defense,” Will tried to reach for me, but I was too enraged to let him touch me
. “She is a seventeen-year-old girl. Biology is working… against her right now.”

“I’ll be eighteen in, like, five minutes,” I mumbled, irritated at his constant reference to my age.

Asher ignored me. “Magic requires vast responsibility. When you are ready, I shall teach you.”

My grandfather is kind of an asshole.
I straightened my back, my chin quivering beneath the force of my self-control. I backed toward the door. “Okay, then. Thanks for the chat, Grandfather.”

Turning on my heel, I marched to the door.

“Follow your heart,” he called once more.

“But don’t be emotional,” I responded sarcastically, lifting my eyes to Will as he placed his hand on my lower back.

“Let’s allow your grandfather to rest. I’d like to walk with you in the castle.” His warm smile extinguished my anger, and I nodded, letting him take my hand in his.

Sighing, I turned ba
ck to the old man. “Thank you, Grandfather, for telling me all of this. And I look forward to your lessons.”

“My love to you, lass.”

Once we were in the hall and the door closed behind us, I wrenched away from Will and broke into a run. “We need to go. Now. We’ll check on Christopher, let my parents know I’m okay, and-…,”

“No one has passed through the door, Eva. My guards won’t allow it, as I said. Eric reports to me on the hour.”

“Do you trust Eric?” I demanded, stopping at the stone stairwell.
Is this the right one?
“How do you know that he is…
wait
… I’m lost,” I turned around, staring at a mirroring set of stone steps across the hall.

“He is loyal,” Will responded, stepping in front of me. “Christopher is safe. We shall travel on Saturday, as I told you.”

His soothing tone stilled my restless nerves. He caught me suddenly, sliding his hands up my sides to my underarms.

Breathing laughter, I gripped his forearms as he lifted me to match his height. My feet dangled above the floor.