Beckoning Light (16 page)

Liam looked straight into Percy’s eyes, and spoke without hesitation. “Yes. I care about finding Charlotte as much as they do and, besides, I would never leave Kevin and Monty hanging.” I was impressed; as old as Percy was, he really was intimidating.

“Admirable, young man, but I hope you realize the danger you are about to face. This is no game,” Percy warned.

“I understand,” Liam said.

“And you, too, Kevin?” Percy asked, looking at me. “Even if retrieving Charlotte is possible, it will be incredibly dangerous. You need to make sure you understand what you are undertaking.”

“We’re talking about my sister. Trust me; I’m in,” I assured him.

“And you know that I realize the stakes, Percy, but this is my niece. She’s just a kid and knows nothing of her background,” Monty said emphatically.

“I understand and will do anything possible. If Charlotte is really the Essence, we all have a lot at stake.” Percy called the man, Tomas, into the room.

“I will have Tomas show you to a place to sleep.  Rest up. We will begin training tomorrow.” Percy glanced at me when he said that, almost as though the words were meant only for me.

Chapter Eighteen

Charlotte

I waited in front of a majestic cathedral with a man who had been introduced as the blacksmith. He was a small man without any distinguishing characteristics, but it was obvious he was well respected. I pondered how I had gotten to where I was standing at that moment. How had I ended up in this strange world, living in a castle and being asked to attend a ceremony I knew absolutely nothing about? I looked down at the dress I wore and once again marveled. Though somewhat uncomfortable, I did feel beautiful. 

There were crowds of people around me, and I was trying to figure out what they were there to watch. It almost seemed like they were all staring at me. The crowd was made up of people of all ages; I even saw several women holding young children wrapped in blankets to keep out the cold. It was snowing lightly, and I wished that I had my warm cloak. Suddenly, the blacksmith gestured for me to start walking, so I moved toward the door as it opened.

Upon entering the cathedral, I was immediately struck by the architecture. The cathedral was built into an actual mountain. The entire back wall was composed of waterfalls. Small waterfalls filled out the sides of the wall, while a long waterfall cascaded from the center rock wall and continued down the length of the room. A marble basin stood about halfway down, with a rock walkway through the water that led to it from the front of the room. The two sets of Guards I had seen the night before were positioned on each side of the larger waterfall with the older men on the left and the younger on the right. When I turned to look behind me, I saw silhouettes of the outside crowd pressed against the frosted windows.

The older Guardians held swords with intricate patterns detailing the entire length of the handle. Blake held two swords, one in each hand. I was trying to make out the patterns when suddenly the younger men fell to their knees, and the older men handed over the swords, stepping one foot into the water as they reached across. 

The blacksmith gestured for me to start walking on the rock path. At first I was tentative, but after a few steps, it felt completely natural. Slowly feeling stronger and surer of myself as I progressed, I carefully took each step until I reached the basin. As though someone was feeding me instructions, I bent down and dipped my hands in the water basin. I knew exactly what I had to do.

The water initially felt cool but rapidly warmed until it was almost hot. The waterfalls intensified; the loud noise of the pouring water echoed off the vaulted ceiling. It felt like the entire room was shaking. I looked up and saw that all eight of the swords were glowing bright green; I found that I couldn’t focus on the faces of the boys, only the swords.

  Slowly, the swords started to change color and become a lighter green. I tried to focus on the faces around me, but I still couldn’t. Everything blurred except for the swords.

I moved toward the swords, walking through the shallow water unaware of what was propelling me forward. Barely feeling the now cool water, I somehow knew it was the right thing to do. I stepped to the bank and stopped directly in front of one sword to place my palm gently on the blade. The blade suddenly turned bright blue before fading to a lighter shade of blue. I reached for the free hand of the guardian holding the blue sword. He took my hand and stood. As the boy rose, the blurriness subsided, allowing me to see. I was holding hands with Calvin.

Calvin beamed and seemed even taller than the last time I had seen him. I finally tore my gaze away from his and saw that the Guardian closest to him was looking at me with a cold, hard stare; it was James.

I felt strange; I had never felt so full of emotion, but I wasn’t afraid. Usually, a situation like this would have made me pass out, but none of the anxiety was there. I had never felt stronger. Calvin squeezed my hand, and I looked directly into his eyes as one word escaped his lips. “Charlotte.” I smiled and squeezed his hand in return.

I had almost forgotten about the men on the other side of the river, but I looked over as Blake addressed those assembled. “The Source has given us back our power. The dark days are over. A new Essence is among us. She has chosen the next Gerard, and so we look to him to lead us by her side.”

The older men began walking out of the building one by one, and then my Guardians, which I had begun to see as such, followed them. I stole a glance at James’s face one last time before he turned to leave. There was no humor left, just anger.

Finally, Calvin led me to the exit, and we walked into the throngs of waiting crowds. I looked back at the building and saw that the mountain it was built into had a faint glow, as though lit by a high-voltage light. 

Calvin continued to lead me forward, never letting go of my hand as we walked through the village and back to the castle. The castle was illuminated with bright lights. He led me by the Great Hall, and I peeked inside. Men and women filled the room; my Guardians looked exuberant. 

Calvin then led me past the hall and out onto a small balcony. It was still cold outside, but I felt warm as he pulled me into his arms.

“Charlotte, Charlotte, is this not just like a dream?” He kissed me lightly on the lips.

Although no one had explained much of anything, it all seemed to fall into place, as though I had known all along that I was destined to be here.

“Calvin, it’s you,” I said dreamily. 

“I knew last night when you walked in that I was to be the Gerard. I could hardly contain my excitement and joy. When I first met you, I dreamed that I would one day be able to amount to enough to make me a worthy partner for you. To go from that sliver of hope to finding out that now not only can I be with you, but I am meant to be with you, is unimaginable.” He kissed me eagerly. I was left breathless, just like all of the other times. If it was possible, Calvin looked even happier when he saw my reaction. Normally, I would have been a nervous wreck by now, but my thoughts were still so clear from the ceremony that I didn’t even look away.

“So this is what love feels like,” I said quietly.

Calvin’s face lit up even more. “Yes, only it is a stronger love than anyone else could ever experience. We will make a perfect match, Charlotte. I will make sure that you have a life full of any happiness you could dream of, and that you have everything you could ever want.”

I vaguely remembered Blake explaining that the Essence and the Gerard were essentially the leaders of Energo. “But how are we supposed to lead? I know so little about this world.”

“We will do what is right, and I know that Blake will remain and help us find our way. He understands that neither of us were brought up for our positions. We need guidance.”

“But you are from here,” I said, surprised that he considered himself just as unprepared.

“Charlotte, you saw where I was raised. I am from a farming family. But none of that matters. It will all be perfect.” He gently lifted my face.

I smiled, happy to be with Calvin again and to see that he was equally happy to be with me. He held me a few moments longer before pulling away slightly. “As much as I do not want to give up a minute of time alone with you, I believe we need to enter the hall now. We are expected.” Calvin, who had only momentarily released my hand, clasped it again and led me down the corridor and into the Great Hall. 

I was greeted by the other seven members of my Guard. Each bowed slightly, even James. Henry smiled when he saw me. “How amazing was that, Charlotte?”

“Pretty amazing.” I returned the smile. I thought about giving him a hug, but something stopped me; maybe it was the look that Calvin was giving Henry, presumably for talking to me so informally. Everyone else acted like I was royalty or something. One of the older Guardians hit Calvin on the shoulder in a friendly way, and Calvin grinned. Calvin introduced him as William, and I could tell that he was Calvin’s most trusted friend on the Guard. William shook my hand formally and told me that I had chosen the finest man to be my Gerard. I smiled at him before looking over at Calvin, who could hardly contain his happiness. I shook hands with my other Guardians, Gabriel, Drake, Philip, and Myron. When I spotted James, I tried to think of something to say. His face was still full of anger. Calvin pulled me forward when he saw me looking at James. James looked away, as though he couldn’t bear to look at me. Something inside of me hardened at his reaction. Wasn’t he the one who brought me here in the first place? Why did he think he had the right to be mad at me?

“Charlotte, pay him no worry. He knows his duty and will get over his disappointment,” Calvin whispered, as he led me further into the room.

“Disappointment?  He thought he would be Gerard?” I phrased it as a question, although I could feel the answer.

“Yes. Most of the men assumed it would be James, considering who his father is, and that he is the one who brought you to Bellgard. I admit that it was hard for me to watch him carry you off last night, but I knew that after tonight I would be the only one allowed to do that, so I made myself keep quiet.” He brushed some hair away from my face.

“I only came with him to be near you,” I said quietly.

“I know. I did not doubt it for a moment.” He led me over to a table lined with goblets filled with a dark red liquid that I presumed was wine.

Calvin handed me a goblet and raised his own. Then, with a deeper voice than I expected, he called for attention. “A new era begins tonight. We have found our Essence, and she has selected me as her Gerard. I will rise to my position with every ounce of strength I have. I promise you that Charlotte and I will unite and lead you into a period of prosperity and hope.”    

Everyone raised their goblets, and I did the same. “To Energo and to our Essence.”

After watching everyone else, I took a small sip, and then stopped.  Yes, it was definitely wine. “Calvin, I can’t drink this.”

Calvin looked confused. “Why not?”

“I’m only fifteen.”

“And that matters?”

I almost laughed; they probably didn’t have a drinking age here. “Where I’m from, you aren’t allowed to drink alcohol until twenty-one,” I admitted.

“Twenty-one!” Calvin echoed. “Is it not until then that you become of age?” he asked, looking slightly concerned. 

“Well, we can vote and join the army at eighteen.”

“I assure you that here you are every bit of age and can drink if you desire.” He smiled. I took another sip of the wine, unable to help feeling like a rebel. 

I noticed that everyone else in the room was watching us. Calvin seemed to be delighting in it, and for once, I didn’t really mind being the center of attention, but it still seemed surreal.

“Every man in this room wishes he were me tonight,” Calvin whispered when he noticed me looking around. 

“Because you’re the new leader?”

“More importantly, they know I have you,” he said, squeezing my hand.

“I’m lucky, too, you know,” I whispered, and he smiled brightly.

Blake suddenly appeared at my side, giving me a slight chill. I couldn’t really place it, but my senses seemed much stronger. When my Guardians greeted me, I knew I could trust them. It was almost like a voice in my head guided me, except it didn’t use words. It was just an intense feeling. I had the opposite sensation with Blake; something told me to be wary of him.

“Well done, both of you. I think this serves to remind us of how natural a calling the Essence and Gerard are.” Blake stood uncomfortably close to us, and I tried to suppress a shiver.

“Yes, we will fulfill our duty proudly,” Calvin said, still beaming. His pride and bliss seemed limitless, and it made me feel guilty for being out of sorts.

“I am sure you will. Your power and strength will only increase the more you are together. I look forward to watching you flourish. But Calvin, may I borrow Charlotte for a moment?” I noted that Blake didn’t ask for my permission.

Calvin looked hesitant, but walked away, keeping me in his line of sight.

“You did well, Charlotte. I had little doubt that you would, but I wondered if it would work the same way since you were raised outside our borders.”

“Blake, I have done what you asked of me. When can I go home?” The words were hard, and I hardly realized I was saying them. I hadn’t even been thinking of home before Blake joined us; I had been so lost in the feeling of contentment I felt with Calvin.

“Home? Charlotte, your home is here. Do you not want to be with Calvin?” Blake looked pointedly over at Calvin, who was eyeing us curiously.

“Yes, but I also miss my family. I’m sure they are starting to get worried,” I argued, standing my ground.

“I would be happy to send word to them for you, but for now you must stay here. Think of what poor Calvin would do if you left now, before you even got to know one another?” Blake was clearly trying to make me feel like the bad one, but I didn’t fall for it.