Beckoning Light (23 page)

“Calvin?” I asked, preparing to give another request.

“Yes?” He stood up, ready to leave.

“I assume that I’ll have to spend the next few days with a Guardian, considering everything, and when it can’t be you, can I pick who it is?” I hoped I had phrased it appropriately.

“You want to pick your Guardian?” Calvin looked stressed at the suggestion.

“Could it be Henry? He just seemed so nice, and it was like spending time with a little brother or something. Please.” 

“Henry? Absolutely, I will see to it. But really, you must sleep.” I sensed he was relieved that I hadn’t asked for James.

“I love you, Charlotte, and I always will.” Calvin kissed me lightly and left the room. Just as Calvin closed the door behind him, I heard a key turn in the door.
So I’m still a prisoner
, I thought as I drifted off to sleep.

***

The next morning, Tara entered my room as expected. She quietly helped me pick out a dress and get changed. “Tara, did you know we were cousins this whole time?” I startled her as she brushed my hair.

“I did not know at first, but I knew once you were revealed as the Essence,” Tara admitted quietly.

“Your father was happy to hear you are well.” I spilled it out far less eloquently than planned.

“My father?” Tara sounded surprised.

“Yes, Theodore. He was down in the dungeon.”

“And he is well?” Tara asked anxiously.

“Yes, he was just relieved to learn you were here.” Tara smiled, and it reminded me that, despite the stresses of the past days, I had gained a wonderful cousin.

Breakfast was as awkward as I had anticipated. Clearly, Calvin had spoken to Blake about staying away from me, because he barely acknowledged my presence in the room. I was afraid that Blake would somehow figure out what I was up to and foil my plans. After breakfast, Calvin and Blake took off to discuss strategy in a meeting I was clearly not invited to attend, but true to Calvin’s word, Henry appeared just as they were leaving.

“I heard you requested me specifically,” Henry said, grinning as we walked out of the dining room. “I guess I impressed you the other day. You should have seen the other Guardians’ faces when Calvin announced that I was assigned as your detail when he was unavailable.”

“Well, you made a good impression,” I agreed, as we walked outside and into the village.

I asked Henry if he could walk with me to the cathedral, and he was more than happy to oblige. The walk was short, and before I knew it we were inside. As I had hoped, the room was empty.

“Henry, you are my Guardian, and you are sworn to protect me, right?” I asked, as soon as I was sure we were alone.

Henry looked at me quizzically. “Of course, Charlotte.”

“If I asked you to do something for my protection, would you do it?” I tried to get a read on his expression.

“Absolutely,” Henry said without wavering.

I felt that I could trust his words, so I continued. “I assume you know that my family is on their way to Bellgard to get me.”

“Yes. Calvin told us that we are to ensure your safety above all else but also try to spare your family,” Henry explained.

“What if my protection required helping my family get inside the castle?” I knew that I could trust him, but I was afraid of his reaction.

“Are you suggesting I help you leave Bellgard?”

“I need you to trust me. It is for the good of everyone that I reunite with my family. I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t view it as imperative.”

As I waited for Henry to respond, I thought about my conversation with Ruth. When I had told Ruth that Henry was the only other Guardian I really knew, she seemed convinced he would help. She assured me that his family, the Ashwells, had always been loyal to the Essence and would take my counsel seriously. 

“I believe you, but I will only help on one condition,” Henry said seriously.

“Yes?”

“That I accompany you wherever it is that you are going. I have sworn to protect you, and if you are leaving Bellgard, so am I,” he said firmly.

I tried to picture him outside of Energo, but failed. “Absolutely, Henry, you will come with us.”

So far, my part of the plan was falling into place, but it had all relied on my convincing others to help. The next step required me to use my newfound abilities, and I was nervous that I would somehow fail. Still, I understood that I had to maintain an air of confidence with Henry because, if I seemed at all hesitant, he might back out. I gave Henry a bright smile as we walked back toward the castle.

Chapter Twenty Seven

Kevin

The snow came out of nowhere. Monty had warned us that it always snowed around Bellgard in early winter, but this was no little snow; it was a blizzard. Percy seemed to think that Charlotte had caused it, but I found it hard to imagine my little sister controlling the weather. By the time we reached the outer walls of the city, we could hardly see a foot ahead of us. It was freezing, and the wind burned as we tore ahead. I was grateful that I hadn’t shaved in days because my facial hair at least helped keep me warm. Percy had found cloaks for us, but they offered little relief against the raging storm. Through the wind, Percy explained that this storm virtually guaranteed us entrance over the wall to Bellgard under the theory that if we couldn’t see, neither could anyone else.

I scaled the stone wall by gripping the small areas of mortar between the stone. I was able to easily pull myself up despite the thick layer of ice accumulating on the stone. I reached the top of the wall and spun around just in time to punch out a guard. I had been prepared to run into one, but I hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly. I knocked him off the wall, and he silently fell to the snow below. I figured he would be out for hours. I anchored one end of a thick rope to a pillar before throwing it back down to where the rest of the group waited. One by one, they joined me. I tried to give Samantha my hand as she reached the top, but she ignored it, making room for Liam who was right behind her. Luckily, it appeared that no other guards had detected our entrance. Still, I was nervous because I knew that we might be discovered at any time.

We jumped onto the roof of a small building and continued as quietly as possible from roof to roof until we reached the castle. I kept expecting someone to ambush us, but fortunately, the howling wind and swirling snow hid our movements. I couldn’t believe that we were actually doing this. I would have thought it was a dream except for the look of fear and pain in Monty’s eyes; his concern for Charlotte was not something I could have dreamed. I hoped that Charlotte had been successful in getting the guards moved from their post at the side gate. Everything was riding on it. As we approached the open gate, it appeared that no one was guarding it. I felt euphoric because we were so close to getting Charlotte out of this place. We quietly moved through the entrance. I expected someone to drop down on us at any moment, but we saw no one. We were so close that the adrenalin rush was like nothing I had ever experienced; it made my jump the other day seem like nothing. Suddenly, everything was out of control. 

A tall boy with black hair stood in front of me holding what was clearly a Guardian’s sword inches from my chest. His sword was blue instead of green.

“Did you think I could be so easily deceived?” the boy said, and I looked over to see that several other men with Guardian swords were standing behind him. One of the Guardians held a boy who couldn’t have been more than fifteen with chains around his wrists.

The black-haired boy continued, “You thought that I would not figure out what they were up to? Charlotte picked the one Guardian I would be least concerned with because of his age, but I knew there was more to her request. And then to find out she had told him to have the Bravado removed, and he assented.” He looked over at the younger boy in chains.

I didn’t know about anyone else, but I was nervous. I was ready for this guy to get out of my face. I finally decided to speak. “Listen, whoever you are. I don’t want trouble; I just want my sister, and we’re out of here.”

The boy looked at me seriously. “My name is Calvin Boyd, and I am Charlotte’s Gerard, the new leader of Energo. I promised Charlotte that I would try to avoid hurting her family, and I will honor my promise if possible. I see the resemblance and believe that you are her brother, and I sense that you are a Guardian. I will allow you to remain and join our ranks. With time, I may trust you with Charlotte. The rest of you must leave, and if I see you again, know that I will not be as forgiving.” He paused for a minute, looking at me intently. “No one is taking Charlotte away from me.”

I wasn’t backing down because no one was going to tell me that I couldn’t be trusted with my own sister. “Take her from you? You took her from me first; she’s
my
sister.” I returned his stare.

“Let us see Charlotte,” Monty called. As he walked forward, two armed men looked ready to subdue him.

“No one is seeing Charlotte right now,” Calvin said severely. I was glad to see that Calvin had finally pulled his sword back a little. 

“Where is she?” Liam asked.

Calvin eyed Liam warily. “She is safe.”

“I have a right to see my niece; she has been left in my care by her father,” Monty demanded.

“And such great care you took, letting her wander around on her own. But all of that is in the past; Charlotte belongs here with me now.”

“Charlotte isn’t going anywhere near you!” I felt my anger rise as I listened to the guy talk about my sister like he owned her. “She’s only fifteen; you’re too old for her.”

“Actually, he is younger than you, Kevin. He’s only seventeen.” I turned around and found myself face to face with James.

I almost snapped. “You are seriously going to pay for bringing my sister here.”

“She came willingly.” James smiled. “I only accompanied her.” I raised my fist, but Monty pulled me back. 

I turned back to Calvin, unable to control my anger. “Charlotte is my sister; let me see her!” 

“I respect your status as her brother, but I am her Gerard, and I determine who she sees. As I already told you, it is your right to stay with the rest of the Guard, and in time, you can see Charlotte, but not until I decide it is safe.” Calvin positioned his sword in front of my chest again.

“So do you tell Charlotte what to do, too, because, yeah, how’s that going for you?” I asked. “Clearly she tricked you by talking to that kid over there,” I said, pointing at the boy in chains. “So she obviously wants out. You really think you can just keep her here?”

“She does not really want to leave; she wants to stay with me. She is just overwhelmed right now.” Calvin showed no signs of wavering. It was clear that he really believed that Charlotte wanted to stay.

“What you need to understand is that where Charlotte is from, she is just a kid.” Monty tried to reason with Calvin again. “She is only fifteen, years away from adulthood.”

“She is sixteen now,” Calvin said slowly.

Wow! I forgot that her birthday had passed. What a way to celebrate her sixteenth. I told myself that if we ever got out alive, I would have to do something really special for her.

“She is young, Calvin. She needs to be with her family,” Monty continued.

“She is an adult in Energo, and those are the rules that govern here,” Calvin said stoically.

“But what about what she wants?” Monty asked, not ready to back down.

“Charlotte wants to be with me, have no doubt about that. In time, she will learn to view Bellgard as home. Charlotte will be happier if her brother is near. I realize that, and I encourage him to stay and train, but it will be better for her if everyone else leaves now.”

“We are not leaving without Charlotte,” Monty said, as he walked toward Calvin. I stepped to the side to let him pass. “I lost my sister; I will not lose my niece.”

“It seems we have reached an impasse. I have done my best to keep my promise, but Charlotte’s safety and security comes first. I will give you one last chance to leave unscathed,” Calvin said.

The way Calvin said it made me feel sick; I knew I would give my life to save my sister, but what good would dying do if she remained a prisoner? As we stood staring at Calvin and the other Guardians, all I could do was hope that someone had another plan.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Charlotte

So far, everything was going as planned. I had thought about the biggest snowstorm I had ever seen, a blizzard from when we had been living in Alaska, closed my eyes, and pictured it as intently as I could. I ran to the windows after I opened my eyes, and I could already see the heavy snow and blustery winds picking up. Ruth had assured me that my family would have an easier time getting into Bellgard under the cover of a storm. I hoped that she was right. Otherwise, they were facing a blizzard for nothing. 

I knocked on my door and called to the Bravado guard. “I’m hungry. Could you please find Tara and have her get me some food?”

“Yes, immediately, Miss,” the guard said before hurrying away. 

Within seconds of the guard leaving, I heard a key turn in the lock, and Tara appeared. I thanked her quickly before running down the stairs toward the dungeon, taking a back corridor that Tara had told me about. I appreciated the help Tara had given me. I knew that she was risking a lot with even minimal involvement. Although I could have potentially broken out of my room myself, I knew it would buy me more time if Tara helped. 

As I neared the dungeon, I thought that I heard Kevin’s voice, but I tried to ignore it. I needed to focus. I expected to see men from the Bravado near the door, but I saw no one. I splintered the wood of the dungeon door and headed downstairs. I felt a flood of relief; it had worked. It was dark, but I remembered the way. I thought about running, but knew that if I slipped on a step, the plan could be ruined.

I walked halfway down the corridor and closed my eyes. I envisioned every piece of wood tearing apart. I heard the doors push open and opened my eyes to find myself in the middle of a crowd. Theodore found me in the chaos. I had never seen him before, but I knew who he was instantly. He looked a lot like Monty, but he was older, more worn. He led me over to another wooden door and told me to open it. That door was harder to open; it took twice as long, but it eventually fell apart. I stepped into the doorway and saw swords, bows, and shields inside.