Despairing Tides (Fate's Intent Book 12) (32 page)

Chapter 61

Jaylyn

My son was finally married and happy. I didn’t get much sleep once I saw the light the next morning. The sun shone through the balcony doors and I batted open my eyes but felt something strange. It was nothing. I didn’t feel a single beat of life around me. At first I just figured maybe everyone went downstairs and I was the only one still asleep until I rolled to my back and saw that Troy was next to me.

I panicked and quickly got up and leaned over him, giving him a little shake. “Troy?” Nothing happened and I was getting even more worried. “Troy!” I gave him a heavier shake and he woke up.

“What? What happened?”

I sighed and put my hand over my heart from this horrible thought. “I thought you were dead.”

“What?” Troy was tired but started to sit up.

“Something’s wrong. I can’t feel any signs of life.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. It’s something you get used to but I can’t feel it anymore.”

“Oh no. This is not good.”

He was looking towards the windows and I figured it out. “You can’t use yours either?”

“We better tell the others.”

I nodded and we both got up and got dressed. We went down stairs and found everyone in the dining hall except our sons and new daughters.

“We have a serious problem.” I said.

“What is it?” Zayden asked.

“Adele, hand me that glass.” Troy said while being several feet away from her.

“Yeah, sure.” Adele lifted up her hand but nothing happened. There was a pause as everyone looked at each other and she tried again but the glass still didn’t raise off the table. “Oh no.”

“It’s true.” I said. “We’re normal.”

“What? Normal?” Darius wondered. “You mean we lost our—”

“Yeah.” Troy cut in. “It had to of been the comet. It’s the only thing powerful enough that could have absorbed our powers.”

“What do we do?” Ruby asked.

Cadence came rushing in with Seth, Dirk and Lana behind her. “Adele, we can’t—”

“I know.”

“How did this happen?” Cadence asked.

“We think it was the comet.” I answered.

“So, what do we do?” Seth wondered. “I’ve never been normal before.”

“I can’t be normal.” Dirk cut in. “There’s no way I can survive like this. I’m weak and squishy.”

Everyone looked at each other and I started to feel a little lightheaded while standing here. I put my hand on my head and leaned forward on the table.

“Jaylyn? Are you all right?” Adele asked.

“Yeah. I’m fine.” Just then I turned my head to the door from a distant scream. “Naomi.”

I finally found my energy again and was first to leave. The others were clearly following and Troy was right at my side.

We quickly got up stairs and ran straight to Bryce’s room. We went right in and Naomi immediately fell into Troy’s arms with tears coming from her eyes. “Do something!”

“What’s the matter?” Troy asked as he pulled Naomi away from him.

“It’s Bryce. I can’t wake him up.”

We went over to our son’s side and I kneeled down next to him while everyone else came rushing in the room.

“What’s the matter?” Adele asked.

“What’s wrong with him?” Seth asked.

I was a bit panicked while I had my hand on his head. “He’s sick.”

“That’s all?” Lana wondered.

“It’s more complicated than that. He’s never been sick before. Because of his healing abilities, he was born without an immune system. If we can’t get his power back, he’ll die.”

Naomi turned into Cadence’s arms and started to cry more. There was a long moment of silence and I started to feel lightheaded again.

“Jaylyn?” Troy stepped towards me and took my hand. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Yeah, I’m—” I felt my eyes close and everyone was gone from me.

Chapter 62

Troy

My heart stopped when my wife fell into my arms and I panicked, dropping to my knees with her. I set her gently on the floor and touched her precious face while my hand shook. “This can’t be happening.”

“Madam Carla.” Adele said, kneeled down beside me.

“You think she can help?” Dirk asked.

“If she’s even still alive.” Trever said.

I picked up Jaylyn and walked around the bed with her, putting her on it next to Bryce.

“Isn’t there a way to contact her?” Seth asked. “You’ve mentioned that before, mother.”

“Yes but I don’t remember what she said. We’ve never really needed her like this before.”

I was sitting next to Jaylyn on the bed while I answered, looking down at her. “No matter where you are, no matter how many years have passed, I will always answer. You all carry a part of me with you now as our bonds stay intact forever.”

“Unless of course they were taken by a power seizing comet.” Darius added. “I think she left that part out.”

“So, we can’t contact her?” Dirk asked.

“That part of her is lost from us.” Adele answered. “She wouldn’t be able to answer. We’ll have to go there.”

“Go there?” Zayden wondered. “But what if she’s gone?”

“We have to try. Those of you who wish to come with me, get your stuff together. We leave as soon as possible.”

She left the room and Seth, Dirk, Jinx and Rory immediately followed. Ruby paused there for a moment as she looked at the bed and turned to Darius, putting her hand on his chest and following the others.

Naomi backed away from Cadence and looked at Bryce as she started walking towards him. “I’m staying. I can’t leave him now.”

The others understood what she meant as the rest of them slowly started to leave the room.

“There’s still hope.” Zayden said as he was last at the door. “For both of them.”

Naomi nor I said a word as he left and closed the door behind him. We were kind of alone in this but we couldn’t leave them. They needed us here.

Chapter 63

Zayden

I walked in the stables when others were gearing up to leave on the quest to Madam Carla’s and saw Adele in her stall with her horse. I couldn’t help but smile a little bit when I saw her wearing her mission outfit that I first met her in. “It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you wear that.”

“It’s been awhile since I wore it. It’ll be just like old times.”

“I hope you’re wrong. I remember all the trouble you used to get into.”

“It won’t be like that. This is important.”

“I know you’ll do it.” I touched her face for some well needed encouragement. “Just be safe.”

Adele smiled and kissed me. “I will be.” She turned her back on me and got up on her horse.

“Ride hard and don’t turn back until you’ve solved this problem.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t. This is it everyone. We leave now.”

Everyone else got up on their horses and started out of their stalls after her. Darius walked next to Ruby on her horse and they looked at each other as soon as they got outside.

“Look after them for us.” Ruby whispered.

“I will but be quick.”

Ruby nodded as they all started to ride out of the palace gates and made their way south for their long journey.

“What now?” Darius asked me.

“We hope it works.” It was the sad truth but that’s all we could do.

That very night, everyone was sitting down in the dining hall having dinner except for Naomi. There was a long period of silence and no one knew what to say, especially to Troy. 

“Someone should probably go get Naomi.” I said. “She needs to eat.”

Everyone just sat there, looking around at each other and wondered who should be the one to do it.

“She won’t come down.” Troy said as he stood up and picked up her plate of food. “So, that’d be pointless.”

Everyone looked at each other again as he walked out of the dining hall with it.

“Do any of you know how serious this is?” Trever asked.

“We try not to think about it.” Cadence replied.

“Well, we really should. It’s reality. Let’s say they travel none stop the whole way, it will take them eleven days to do that. The average person can only survive seven days before they starve to death and if we were to manage to get some nourishment into them, even being just water, they will only survive fifteen days. It’s not long enough.”

“You’re optimistic.” Darius sneered.

Trever’s narrowing eyes met his. “I’m just giving the facts. Magic was stripped from this world and none of you seem to know what that means.”

“What does it mean?” Cadence asked nervously.

“It means that we’re powerless to this outcome, it means that the dead cannot cross over into our world and that means not even my father can prevent their deaths.”

Eyes shifted around the table to this cold truth.

“Then their lives are in Fate’s hands now.” I said.

Chapter 64

Troy

I took Naomi’s plate of food up to her room where she would surely be by Bryce’s side. I walked in and saw her sitting on the floor by the bed with her head down. “Naomi?”

She didn’t respond and it worried me. I put down the plate of food on the table and kneeled down to her but noticed she was just asleep. She couldn’t stay here. I started to pick her up in my arms to move her to a more comfortable position and she didn’t even wake up.

I lightly smiled to myself when she naturally had her head leaned up against my chest and I took her out of the room. I carried her down to mine and went right inside, bringing her over to the bed. I set her down on it but she stayed asleep the whole time. I was glad for it. She needed this rest even if she thought she didn’t want it. She needed it.

I stood over her for a second and covered her up with a blanket before I turned away and laid down on the couch inside the room. It was horrible to sleep on but I didn’t want to startle her if she woke.

I didn’t fall right asleep anyway. I stayed awake and tried telling myself that everything was going to be okay and Jaylyn and Bryce would come back to us but I didn’t even know if that were true. I shed tears for thinking about all the worse outcomes. I don’t even know how long I was laying there before sleep found me. My dreams weren’t even being kind and I woke in a cold sweat, only to realize I was still in my room.

My nightmares wouldn’t let me rest.

Chapter 65

Darius

I was standing in Zayden’s room the next morning when oddly, Cadence and Lana entered.

“Can I help you with something?” I asked.

“Daddy?” They paused there like Cadence was waiting for me to react.

“Yes?”

She was a bit nervous and looked at Lana. Lana only nodded to encourage her to go on.

“We can’t find Naomi.”

I turned towards them a bit more serious. “What do you mean, you can’t find her?”

“We’ve looked everywhere.” Lana explained. “She’s not with Bryce.”

I was curious and walked towards the door to look out it. I looked to both sides as Cadence and Lana stuck their heads out too and we heard a door open down the hall. We pulled most of ourselves back in and only stepped out enough to see around the corner.

It was Naomi. She was quietly sneaking out of Troy’s room and tried her hardest to close the door silently behind her. My eyes got wide and I pulled the girls all the way back inside.

“Did we really just see that?” Lana asked. “Or am I dreaming?”

“You weren’t dreaming.” I replied. “I saw it.”

“But you don’t really think—” Cadence paused as we looked at each other and then quickly looked back out the door.

Naomi was quietly walking away in the other direction, ready to round the corner.

“Is there something interesting out in the hall?”

We pulled back inside and Zayden was ready, walking out to us.

“We’re not sure.” Lana answered.

“Not sure? Well, what is it?” He leaned out the door but saw nothing. “Or what was it, I should say?”

“It was Naomi. She was just—” Cadence paused again and looked at me like it had worried her.

“She was just what?” Zayden asked.

“She just came out of Troy’s room.” I said.

Zayden smiled and he looked back out the door for a second. “Really and you think they—” He looked at all of our faces, the girls mostly and figured it out. “You do, don’t you?”

“Well, it’s only a thought.” Lana said. “I mean, she did seem pretty sneaky when she came out.”

Zayden laughed. “But that’s crazy. They wouldn’t really—”

“Is it really that crazy?” Cadence asked as she looked over at Zayden.

This had to have been about the crush she once had on him but I tried to stay away from talking about that. She was well passed that now―or at least I hoped so. I didn’t want to have to kill Zayden.

“Okay, maybe not that crazy but we shouldn’t jump to conclusions until we know for sure. Do what you can to find out but don’t make it obvious and don’t breathe a word of this to either of them.”

We nodded and all left Zayden’s room. We walked down the hall passed Troy’s door when he opened it. We just stood still when he saw us and didn’t know what to say. He didn’t either. He just went on his way like he were just going to Naomi’s room to be with Jaylyn and Bryce. It was weird. Troy wouldn’t have really—would he? He was Troy. None of us ever saw him as that kind of person until recently with these little hints towards it. Now it only made us want to find out for sure.