Shades of Doon (27 page)
Eòran yelled my name and banged on the door, but my muscles refused to cooperate with my brain as I awaited the next strike. When it didn’t come, and the screaming outside the room became frantic, I forced myself to move. Peering over the arm of the chair, I discovered an enormous tree inside my office. The trunk, wider than my shoulders, had split my desk completely in half. Dull light filtered through a gnarl of jumbled, dirt-covered roots that protruded from the empty window casing. The oak had been completely uprooted.
Still crouching, I moved forward slowly, stepping over snapped limbs and clumps of leaves. My desk chair had been flattened into kindling. And in a flash of clarity I saw myself there beneath it, broken and bleeding, my lifeless eyes staring back at me. Two more seconds, and I would’ve been sitting in that chair.
The door vibrated as guards tried to knock it down. Barely able to stand on my trembling legs, I picked my way around the tangle of branches to the door and unlocked it.
Eòran came stumbling into the room, followed by a stream of royal guards. “My queen!” He paused mid-stride, taking in the uprooted tree. He hesitated for only a moment before turning to where I leaned against the wall for support, and steered
me out into the hall. As he issued orders that sounded like gibberish to my ears, he lifted me into his arms.
An hour later, I lay propped in my bed with covers tucked up to my chin, running my fingers through Blaz’s bristly fur, but I couldn’t stop shaking. Kenna handed me a mug of something stronger than tea. “Here, Mags said to drink all of this.”
I brought it to my lips and inhaled the warm, spicy fragrance before taking a sip. The liquid burned a pleasant path to my stomach. After everything we’d been through, I couldn’t say why
this
had put me in my bed. Maybe the vision I’d seen of myself, as if I were hovering above my body while the life leached out of it, had pushed me over the edge.
Kenna stoked the fire. “Is your head okay? That cut looked pretty nasty.”
“It’s fine.” I touched the bandage on my forehead. That I’d only received this wound and a few small scratches was a miracle in itself.
A door slammed in the outer room and I jumped, prompting Blaz to catapult off the bed with a sharp bark.
“Verranica!” Heavy footfalls preceded Jamie’s arrival. He ran into my room, his eyes wild until they landed on my face, and then he stopped, drinking me in. His chest heaved as if he’d sprinted up the hundred and twenty-some stairs to my tower.
“I’m fine.” I set my cup on the nightstand and pushed up, sitting straighter.
The muscles of his throat contracted, and he strode forward, gathering me in his arms. “Holy Saints in heaven, I saw the tree . . .” His voice broke off and he squeezed me tighter.
For a moment, I nestled into the crook of his neck and pressed my nose against his skin. His unique scent of crisp pine
and rain-washed air chased away the last of my chills, warming me like nothing else could.
“I’ll just give you two some alone time.” Over Jamie’s shoulder, I watched Kenna walk toward the door.
“Wait, Ken, don’t go yet.”
Jamie released me and sat, his weight dipping the mattress. I shifted to counterbalance and motioned Kenna back. When she hesitated, I patted the coverlet on my opposite side.
Sandwiched between the two people I loved most in the world, I felt safe enough to say, “Earlier, after our meeting, I’m one-hundred percent sure I did not bolt my office door.” From their blank looks, I realized I needed to clarify. “When the tree . . . fell, Eòran couldn’t get to me because the door was locked tight. And . . .” I hesitated. “My ring lit up, warning me just before it happened.”
Silence.
Jamie raked the hair off his forehead, the planes of his cheekbones taking on a deep reddish hue. Worried about his blood pressure, I grabbed the cup off my nightstand and thrust it at him. “Here, drink this.”
Kenna took my hand. “Do you think Addie did this? Smashed the tree through your window?”
Jamie set down the empty cup. “I’m sorry to do this, Verranica, but I’m doublin’ your guard and you canna leave your suite. You’ll need someone trustworthy watchin’ your back every moment. Even in the loo. I’ll ha’ Fiona and Kenna take shifts.”
Kenna nodded, her eyes like large silver dollars in her pale face.
Warm at last, I pushed the covers down to my waist. “Let’s not overreact. We don’t know for sure the tree wasn’t just a freak accident.”
“I dinna believe in coincidence.” Jamie’s jaw hardened and
he turned to my BFF. “Mackenna, you have the gift of sight. I’d like for ye to inspect Vee’s office, the door, and the tree inside and out. Look for any traces of magic.”
Kenna blinked and glanced between us. “Just because I could see the limbus doesn’t mean I can see magic — or curses, or whatever. I could be a one-hit wonder.”
Jamie shook his head. “Perhaps you have not seen, because ye weren’t lookin’. It’s likely Addie used some sort of spell to cloak her magic. She may be evil incarnate, but she is no’ daft. Ye’ll ha’ to look closely.”
“I’m not sure I’ll be able to see anything.” Kenna stood, her shoulders set with resolve. “But I’ll try.”
“I’m coming with you.” I threw the covers aside and started to scramble off the bed, but paused when the room began to spin.
“Vee, you need to rest.” My friend lifted her palm to me, her voice soft but firm. “Let me do this one thing for you. Let me help
you
for once.”
Remembering what I’d learned about trusting my pack, I watched her walk away, but said a quick prayer for her safety and asked the Protector to sharpen her vision. I hated the worry I felt every time one of my loved ones left a room, like it could be the last time I saw them alive.
Jamie held out the blankets, and I crawled back under. When he’d tucked me in, he situated himself on the bed beside me, stretching out his long legs as he put his arm around my shoulders. With Blaz’s warm body nestled in on my other side, I snuggled in. But instead of feeling cozy, I felt restless, my mind refusing to relax.
Winter blasted the windows of my tower, rattling the glass in their frames, a constant reminder of the evil that lurked just out of sight. I fingered the Ring of Aontacht, turning it and rubbing each symbol with the pad of my thumb. Its energy flowed
up my arm and filled my soul with reassurance. We were not powerless in this fight.
“I’ll agree to the extra guards and someone to watch my back, but I’m not hiding in this room.”
Jamie stiffened. “This is the safest place in the castle. The most defensible.”
“Think about it — Addie tried to murder me with an ancient curse locked in a pendant. And when that didn’t work, she pushed me out of Doon multiple times. Then when I came back, she hurtled a tree at me.” Jamie’s profile hardened as he stared out the window. “Her attempts are getting less artful and more desperate.”
He pulled his arm from around my shoulders and shifted to face me, his eyes dark with concern, his mouth pressed in a firm line. His first instinct was to protect me, his Calling and his queen, so I appealed to the strategic side of his brain.
“You told me yourself, an early retreat would be a victory for my enemy.”
“Aye, but tha’ was — ”
I shushed him with a finger on his lips. “What better way to draw her out than for me to flaunt myself throughout the kingdom? The more desperate she gets, the more vulnerable she becomes.”
A muscle ticked in Jamie’s jaw. “I dinna like it.”
I took his hand in mine. “I don’t like any of this, but the sooner we can bring this thing to a head, the sooner it can end.” And I could bring back the baseball-cap-wearing, churro-eating boy whose carefree grin could power a small city.
Meeting Jamie’s solemn gaze, I lifted my chin with determination. “Besides, Addie should’ve learned by now. I’m not that easy to kill.”
I
f I lived to be three hundred years old — and now that I was back in Doon, it was not outside the realm of possibility — I would still never understand the appeal of sports musicals. Whoever conceived that
Rocky
, an underdog story about a boxer, would be better with song and dance numbers had undisputedly taken one too many punches to the head. The boxical had debuted on Broadway the summer I’d lived in Chicago and, aside from a pretty song about rain, had failed to inspire . . . confirming my belief that show tunes and sports did not mix well.
Yet, as I stared down my straw-stuffed bag of animal hide while in the village’s first girls-only gym, I couldn’t help but hum “The Eye of the Tiger.” As I faced an entire hour dedicated to jabbing and kicking my way through Analisa’s class, I decided I’d much rather be performing
Rocky
than reenacting it.
Fortunately for me, the instructor was late. And while some of the Destined girls were using the time to get their
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
on, I was more interested in observing
than demonstrating my Kung Fu Panda skills, if I’d had any to begin with . . . which I didn’t.
Smack!
I staggered back several steps, flailing my arms like a scarecrow.
Vee steadied herself before frowning at me. “You’re supposed to be holding the bag for me.”
“Sorry,” I muttered, stepping back up and bracing my arms against the leather. “I was surveilling the crowd. That’s a word, right?”
“Not so loud,” she hissed, ignoring my question. She steadied her posture and took a slow, deep breath. Exhaling in a roar, she landed a single punch that made my teeth rattle.
“Geez. Remind me not to get on your bad side. Did someone pee in your Cheerios?” I leaned into the bag as she set her feet, lowered her chin, and jabbed again.
“Just picturing a certain — ” She stopped and glanced around before whispering, “
Wicked
person’s face.”
But which person? Of the two dozen or so Destined who had either crossed the bridge or trekked through the mountains at the last Centennial, I only knew a handful well. Did the witch have other minions doing her bidding while she walked around pretending to be one of us?
I’d lain awake the night before thinking about the Destined, and no matter how I scrutinized them, my mind always came back to Ana, the criminal who’d claimed to have been Called to Doon for service. Something about her set me on edge, but I’d been hesitant to voice my suspicions because of her friendship with my boyfriend. If I was going to accuse her of being the witch, I needed more than a gut feeling. I needed solid proof.
Speaking of the devil, Analisa burst through the storefront door. Clad from head to toe in black Lycra and spandex, her
modern attire indicated that she’d specifically packed workout clothes for her trip across the bridge. That in itself seemed highly suspect to me. And with her two-tone hair gathered in a sleek ponytail, she reminded me of a Japanese assassin.
“Sorry I’m late, girls. I took a long run in the castle gardens and lost track of time. We’ll get started in just a moment.” Other than a red nose, she didn’t look like she’d been out in the elements — no perspiration dotting her face, no panting for breath. Either she was one of those fitness freaks who never got winded or she’d been up to no good.
I watched her stretch her long, graceful limbs, looking for signs of decay underneath the facade. What if I’d been too quick to dismiss that burning in my gut as jealousy when it’d been something else entirely? I opened my mouth to voice my suspicions to Vee just as Ana called out, “Let’s get started, shall we?”
After ten more minutes of holding the bag while Vee did combination drills, I was wobbly. When it came time to switch, I motioned for Fiona to take over and stumbled to the door in search of air.
As I stepped outside, I could feel eyes staring at my back. With a sudden pivot, I caught the impression of Ana’s smirking face as she turned back to the class. How could I prove she was a card-carrying member of the Evil League of Evil before she pulled out her freeze ray and stopped the world?
“Do ye think Analisa’s the Witch of Doon?” Sofia’s voice at my shoulder startled me. I shifted my attention to see Jamie’s petite ex-girlfriend watching my reaction through shrewd ebony eyes. With the howling wind, I hadn’t heard her follow me out.
Quickly checking my reaction, I glanced at Eòran to make sure he hadn’t overheard. Fortunately, Mutton Chops seemed
riveted by the queen getting her ninja skills on. I tugged on Sofia’s arm to guide her away from the gym window and asked, “Why would you say that?”
“Because I’m observant.” The bitter wind tugged dark spirals out of her braid, so that the whip-like tendrils lashed at her cheeks. She’d thought to grab a couple of plaid wraps, which she’d draped around her small body to keep out the cold, and proved her attention-paying skills by handing me one. As the woolen warmth settled around me, I nodded for her to continue.
“The weather never changed like this when Lucius Jobe crossed inta Doon.”
“How can you be sure?” Vee’d scoured every book in the library that had anything to do with the Witch of Doon or her known minion, Lucius. If there’d been any record of weather, Vee’d have mentioned it. What did Sofia Rosetti have access to that the queen didn’t?
