Beckoning Light (15 page)

The first stop on my tour was the market. It was open-air, which surprised me, considering how cold it was outside, but the few people we saw wore heavy cloaks and didn’t seem bothered by the weather. I noticed that many of the stalls were empty, and Henry explained that with the poor harvests of the last few years, food was not as plentiful as it used to be. Henry stopped in front of a vendor, handed over a few coins, and picked up a fruit roughly the same size and shape of a coconut, but bright green. Henry hit the fruit against the table, and it split open. He handed me a piece of the fleshy fruit from the inside. I hesitated before trying it; the edible portion was also green. After watching Henry devour several large pieces, I tentatively put a small piece in my mouth. 

“Wow, this is incredible!” The fruit was sweet and tart at the same time, and like nothing I had ever tried. My breakfast hadn’t been out of the ordinary, so it surprised me to be eating something so different.

“I’m glad you like it. It’s called a jade fruit, in case you want more.” Henry looked pleased and handed me another piece. “They were really rare for a while but, with you back, I’m sure there will be plenty.” I looked away; it was so strange to be held responsible for the harvests.

While we ate, Henry led me past a few craftsmen. One in particular caught my attention because among the products he was selling was an exact copy of the dollhouse I had as a little girl. I remembered that it had once belonged to my mom, but of course I never imagined it had been made by someone in another world.

Our next stop was in front of seven industrial-sized buildings. “What are these?” The buildings appeared newer than the other structures and appeared somewhat out of place.

“It’s the Barracks. It’s where all of the soldiers that make up the Bravado live. The Guardians live there, too, but we will be moving into a new building after the ceremony. The Gerard will move into the castle.”

“The Bravado?” I chose to ignore the part about the Gerard, still not really understanding what it meant. 

“Sorry, I forgot that you are so unfamiliar with Energo. The Bravado is the name of our elite military unit that Blake created.”

“Oh, but why are there so many?” I couldn’t imagine needing enough soldiers to fill up those huge barracks.

“Bellgard is the capital, so it is the central military base. Energo has always been strong, and under Blake we were able to defeat all of the nations around us. But without an Essence, it has been difficult to defend even our borders, so we needed large numbers of soldiers. We did not understand why Blake was building up the weaponry so much, but now we know it was because he could tell a new Essence was coming of age.” He smiled shyly.

“But why must all the nations be at war?” I asked, knowing that I sounded naïve. I had taken enough history to understand that war was an inevitable part of life.

“Everyone wants what we have—control over the Source. That is why we need to make sure you stay protected; others will want to capture you to gain control.” I could tell that he was proud to be tasked with my protection.

I shuddered involuntarily at the thought of being captured by anyone. He must have noticed. “Don’t worry, Charlotte; we would never let that happen. We have been chosen as your Guard for a reason,” he said, flexing his arm to show off his muscles while laughing. As different as this was from my home, boys still seemed the same.

As Henry showed me around, I realized that I was having fun. He was really easy to talk to. During our walk, we talked about our families. Henry was the youngest of five boys, and he was excited to brag to them about how he was the only one to be a Guardian. Clearly, Blake had not exaggerated the significance of the position. It just seemed so strange that all of these men were tasked with protecting
me
. I was already sick of being babied by my family; I didn’t like the feel of this.

We moved into a more residential area of Bellgard.  We moved past smaller homes, more like cottages, and I watched children running around playing games, while a few animals roamed the streets. I assumed this was the less affluent area of town, and Henry hurried us through it. We walked further out from the city center, and I saw several larger homes, each spaced a good distance apart from the others. When we came to one of the largest of the stone structures, Henry proudly pointed it out as his family’s home. I had been unaware that he was from Bellgard.

I asked him what it had been like growing up there. I was becoming more and more curious about Bellgard and my family. 

“I do not have anything to compare it to, but it was a nice enough childhood,” Henry said after considering my question for a minute. “I had my lessons and played with my brothers mostly. I never imagined I would end up a Guardian.” Henry grinned when he mentioned being a Guardian. I hardly knew him, but I was glad that he was on my Guard. I had a feeling we would eventually become friends.

I decided to go ahead and ask him what I really wanted to know. “Obviously you never met my mom, but did you know anything about my family?”

“Of course I did. The Winthrops are our royal family, and even years later, people still talked about the disappearance of the Essence. When your mom left, everything changed, and people gave up hope. I cannot begin to tell you how important it is to Energo that you have been found.”

I thought about asking more questions, but I wasn’t sure if Henry was the right one to ask. I suddenly missed Monty; he was the one who could give me the answers I needed.

Henry led me back to the castle, where he said goodbye and took off in the other direction. A member of the Bravado who didn’t introduce himself showed me back to my room. Finding myself alone with nothing to do, I remembered that I had my iPod with me. I lay down on the bed, put on my headphones, and tried to zone out. I decided to listen to the new playlist Liam had made for me, and I tried to concentrate on the lyrics so I could relax. It worked.

Before I knew it, Tara was helping me into a dress that seemed even fancier than the one I had worn the night before. It was dark blue with long sleeves and a fitted bodice; it fit perfectly. I couldn’t have gotten a better fit if I had it tailored; my mom must have been exactly the same measurements when she was my age. “I think you should wear it down,” Tara said, as she straightened my hair with her fingers.

“Really? I never wear it down.” I was still embarrassed by the attention. I was never going to get used to someone waiting on me; it felt so alien. 

“Why not?”

“Just because.” I didn’t want to explain how I looked too much like my mom with it down. Then I remembered how much Calvin liked it down and told her I thought it was a great idea. Besides, I was already wearing her clothes. I was sure no one would mind if I looked just like her.

“You look wonderful. Do you feel ready?” Tara asked.
As ready as I’ll ever be
, I thought.

Chapter Seventeen

Kevin

              The sun had just started to set when we neared the Cason caves. Squinting to get a better view, I was skeptical as we headed toward the side of the mountain. “You’re sure your guy lives here?” I struggled to see where we were headed, but all I saw was the massive rock face of a mountain.

“This was where Percy lived the last time I was here, before we fled. If there is still a resistance, it would be here,” Monty assured me.

“Resistance?” Liam asked.

“When Emma and I fled, some of the people rallied against Blake, blaming him for running Emma out. They made up the resistance,” Monty said, as he slowed down. I was trying to think of something to say in response when I felt someone grab my arm. I flipped around, ready to attack, but lowered my fist when I came face to face with a sword. Evidently, someone lived in this cave.

“What are you doing here, and what do you want?” a man in his late twenties asked.

Monty held his ground. “We are here to see Percy.”

“And who are you?” the man asked.

“Monty, Guardian of Emma.” Monty displayed the hilt of his sword, and the man nodded.

“And who are these others?”

“Emma’s son Kevin, and Liam, a friend of the family.”

“What do you hope to accomplish by seeing Percy?”

I didn’t wait for Monty to answer. “They’ve taken my sister, and Monty says Percy is our only chance of getting her back.”

“Please, just let us go to Percy. We do not have much time,” Monty pleaded.

The man looked at us seriously. “I trust that you are who you say you are, but if you’re lying, then consider yourself dead.”

“As a show of faith, I hand over our only weapon.” The man nodded, and I almost choked. I couldn’t believe that Monty was giving up the sword.

The man put away his own sword, and appeared weighed down by Monty’s as he led us through thick overgrown ferns that obscured the entrance to the cave. It was like we were in some sort of fern grotto. I turned to look back and, out of the corner of my eye, saw the gray cat take off down the steep mountainside. The further we walked, the denser the ferns became until it grew dark. Suddenly, we stopped. I was last in the line, and up ahead I heard a scraping sound, as if someone was moving something heavy. I assumed it was rocks. When Liam started to move ahead of me, I followed, trying not to let the fact that we were walking into some hidden cave bother me too much. Whatever I expected it to be from the outside, I was wrong. I could not believe what I was seeing as we walked into the mouth of the cave. It was immense, like nothing I had ever seen, with several entryways on either side. Finally, we stopped in front of a large wooden door.

The man knocked on the door, then opened it slightly, telling someone who I assumed was Percy that he had visitors. I heard a voice from inside tell the man to let us in, and Monty pushed ahead with Liam and me at his heels. Once again, my expectations were wrong. In front of me sat an old, decrepit man who was barely able to stand, even with the help of a cane.

“Monty,” Percy said. “It has been far too long.”

He looked at me next. “You have some of her in you for sure.” I assumed he meant my mother, but I didn’t dare ask.

He then looked at Liam. “And who might you be?”

“Liam, sir.”

“And what does that tell me?” Percy said in an unreadable voice.

Monty interrupted before Liam could respond, “He is a family friend who has come to help. But Percy, please, we have little time.”

“This would not have anything to do with a certain girl with blue eyes, now would it?” Percy asked.

“Yes, have you seen her?” Monty asked eagerly.

“So I was right to assume that she must be Emma’s, then?” Percy had an edge of excitement to his voice.

“Yes, Emma’s daughter, Charlotte. I am pretty sure that Blake has her.”

“He has her, all right,” Percy said seriously. I got chills when he said that. I had already accepted the fact that Charlotte was likely a prisoner, but it was different to hear someone say it aloud. 

“What have you heard?” Monty asked.

“My sources at Bellgard only told me that Blake had called a meeting with the remaining Guardians and a crop of strong young men. This was after his son brought back a young girl with blue eyes who has not left Bellgard since her arrival. I could only assume that Blake had found the next Essence.” Percy stroked his beard.

“So they think Charlotte is the Essence?”

“It is more than just a suspicion, Monty. I have heard word that the girl has shown clear signs of being the Essence, and no other female in your family has shown any.”

“But how?” Monty had a stricken look of fear on his face. “It is much too soon, and Charlotte has never shown any signs. I would have noticed.”

“It seems the call of the Essence is stronger than we would have thought,” Percy replied. “Perhaps the signs only started when she entered Energo.”

“How could I have been so blind?” Monty sounded completely defeated. “The glow I saw, it was more than just a teenage crush. James must be her Gerard!”

“Wait a second,” I broke in. “Are you trying to tell me that James and my sister are supposed to be some kind of ruling couple now?”

“Maybe not,” Percy said slowly. “The glow may be unrelated. There is a possibility that James is not her Gerard. There has never been an Essence raised outside of Energo, so we do not know if the signs will be the same.”

“So, all that tells me is that there is just some other guy who is going to try to get with my sister,” I said angrily.

Monty ignored me to ask Percy another question. “You say they have young men. Have they already found all the Guardians?”

“All but two, and I assume that one is standing right here with us.” Percy looked directly at me. It took me a few seconds to realize what he was implying.

“Yes, I would also think so,” Monty admitted. “Kevin is Charlotte’s only brother, so if she really is the Essence, he should be a Guardian, unless the call of the Guardian is not strong enough to transcend the borders of Energo. But you said there is another Guardian missing,” Monty added, while I was still processing the implications of what he was saying.

“Yes. Your other nephew, I would think, but I have heard nothing of him since Theodore was imprisoned,” Percy said calmly.

“Theodore is in prison?” The way Monty said it made it clear that he felt distaste at saying the name. I was confused as to who Theodore was, and how Monty had another nephew I didn’t know about. Did that mean he was my cousin?

“Yes. He turned on Blake when he realized Emma’s power was gone. Of course, Blake had also turned his anger on Theodore when he realized that his daughter was not the Essence. I wondered if Emma had children. It seemed the only explanation for why the Essence had not been found.” Percy looked from me to Liam and then back to Monty. “I am sure that you came to me because you want help in retrieving your niece?”

“Yes,” Monty answered immediately.

“And all three of you then are prepared to enter into battle, even you, Liam?” Percy watched Liam intently.