Keeping the Genie (Genie's Love, Book 3) (11 page)

I force myself to stay awake, even though my head keeps nodding off. I won’t fall asleep. I won’t leave Sebastian unattended.

I’ve tried everything. Trying to feed him water, trying more magic, slapping his cheeks, whispering in his ear. Nothing seems to work. I know he’s alive, due to his breathing, but what if he’s seconds away from death? How do I save him?

If only my dad or Renaya were here. They would know how to help him. I’ve only been in Ortarus for a few days. I know nothing of their world. I don’t know if a coma like this is common. Maybe it’s considered a deep sleep? As much as I wish it were so, I know it’s not. People wake up from deep sleeps. It may take a while, but they do. People don’t wake up easily from comas. I don’t have much experience with them, but this seems like a coma.

If I had my laptop, I could do some research. If I had a phone, I could call people. Not that Ortarians have phones or the internet. Sometimes I forget just how different this world is from Earth.

I must be holding him for about half an hour before he stirs. “Lily?” he whispers.

Hope and relief fill me. “Sebastian!”

“Lily.”

His eyes are still closed. Maybe he’s dreaming. I squeeze his hand. “I’m here, Sebastian. I’m right here. We’re safe. I got us out of the cave and—”

“Lily.”

He’s not opening his eyes and he’s not moving. Only his chest rises and falls, just like before. I lightly slap his cheek. “Sebastian?”

No sound leaves his mouth. A fresh batch of tears spills down my face. He’s not awake. Whatever that was…it didn’t cause him to wake up. He’s just as unconscious as he was before.

“Don’t do this to me!” I say, hugging him close. “You can’t leave me. You
can’t
. I can’t do this without you. I need you. Please wake up.”

I rub my cheek against his, murmuring words under my breath. Maybe he’ll eventually wake up. I need to be patient.

In the meantime, I lift myself to the ceiling and create a hole big enough to peek through. All I see is grass and mud. It’s quiet, and I wonder if the guards are still around. Knowing how determined they are to find us, I figure they’ll be back. I pull my head back in, close the gap, and lower myself to the ground, near Sebastian. He still hasn’t moved.

I need to find a way to contact the others. Why hadn’t Alaric and the others discussed an escape plan? I have no idea where they could be hiding. Other caves? The guards must have swept through them all. Is it possible my fellow rebels have been captured? Executed? Once he learns of the revolution, Sorenten will surely kill my dad in a heartbeat. Would that mean I’d have to rule, assuming the rebels won? Would I have to live in Ortarus for the rest of my life? Even though it might be a wonderful place again and magic is kind of badass, I can’t toss my human life aside.

Shaking my head, I rid these thoughts and replace them with good, positive ones—that the others aren’t in the palace and that my dad will rule.

I lie down near Sebastian and shut my eyes. I can’t locate the others telepathically, but maybe I can find where they’re hiding. I focus on my dad, on his eyes that are the same shade as mine. On his hair that is just as curly as mine. An image enters my head. It’s fuzzy, as though I’m swimming underwater. All I can see is white and the outline of a man who seems to resemble Alaric. Where is he? In a building and not a cave, since I don’t see or sense any dirt. There are some people with him. The others? Hope sparks all over me. They must have made it…wherever they are.

I’m going to find that place.

Using my magic to heave Sebastian to his feet, we float to the ceiling, where I slice it open. I look to my right and left to check for guards, and when I don’t find any, I push Sebastian through, then myself.

The image of where the others are is slightly clearer, which must mean I’m getting closer. I’m torn which way to go, and decide to head north. Making sure Sebastian is securely over my shoulder, I start my journey.

After walking for a bit, the image doesn’t get clearer. In fact, it seems to be getting worse. I must be going the wrong way. I turn around and continue on.

As I weave through the grass that reaches just below my stomach, I hear something rustling behind me. At first I think it’s the wind, but as I walk on, I notice the thing is too heavy to be wind. Also, it seems to be picking up its pace. I squint to try to make out what it is, but the grass is too tall. I raise my hand to cut some, but stop. What if it’s the palace guards? They’ll grow suspicious when they see the grass being cut. I need to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Of course that’s hard to do when trudging through grass, but I hope I can be fast enough. I ignore the ache in my feet as I rush to wherever I’m headed. The images are less blurry, but it’s still impossible to discern where the others are located.

A growl sounds from behind me. When I turn my head slightly, I catch sight of another hybrid animal, identical to the first one I saw. It’s standing there, baring its sharp teeth. What the hell are these things?

I use one hand to balance Sebastian over my shoulder and the other to shoot a bolt at it. Not a strong one, since I don’t want to kill it. It might just be a starving, innocent creature who’s looking for food. Once it falls back, I force my feet to carry me away from here. As I run, there is more rustling from behind me. I ignore that and focus on getting to safety. The image is clear now. I see a large, white house. It seems strange for Alaric to be hiding there. It could be a trap. I’ll have to be careful and check out the place before I take us there.

Something shoots at me from my left side, causing me to tumble in the grass. It pounces on me, but all I can think of is that I need to protect Sebastian. He’s lying a few feet away from me. One of the hybrids is crawling toward him with its mouth wide open, ready to taste some of my boyfriend’s flesh. Oh, hell no.

I spring to my feet and thrust my palm out, shooting a bolt at the animal, a bolt strong enough to kill. I don’t care if it’s wrong to kill these animals. They’re not helpless. They’re killers.

A few more come from out of nowhere and surround me. One seems fascinated with Sebastian. I take care of that one first, twisting my hand and causing it to crash into the nearby tree, cracking its neck.

Now it’s time to take care of the others. With my hands lifted, I whirl around, launching fire bolts at the animals. I’ll have to conserve my energy and use the lightning when it’s absolutely necessary. I would use the sword, but when I was thrown to the ground, it flew away from me. I’ll have to look for it later.

Just when I think I’ve killed them all, something leaps onto my back and I feel razor-like teeth sink into my shoulder. I let out a yelp before grabbing it by its back and hurling it off me. It crashes on its butt, rolls around, and jumps back on its feet.

Pain clouds my senses and everything around me gets foggy. I forget where I am and how I got here. My memories seem to be fading. All I know is that if I don’t heal myself, both Sebastian and I will die. I clear my thoughts and focus only on that. After the pain slowly dissipates and my head clears, I send a fireball at the last hybrid. It’s launched in the air like it’s shot by a canon, then drops down, burned like barbequed chicken.

I’m about to rush to Sebastian to check if he’s okay, when something strikes my left arm. Pain explodes all over me and I fall to my knees. Lifting my head takes a lot of energy, as though a boulder is attached to my neck instead of a head. Once I manage to do so, I see two guards standing before me. Both are female and seem a little older than the others I’ve encountered. They appear experienced enough to take down their strongest enemy. Which in this case is me.

I fight through the pain throbbing all over me and avoid their magic bolts. I’m too weak to fire lightning at them and need some time to recuperate. The guards are too thirsty for my blood and don’t pay attention to Sebastian, who’s practically hidden in the grass. I use magic to move some grass over him to give him better cover, then I jump behind a tree to regulate my breathing and try to heal myself. The guards step toward me, crushing twigs beneath their boots. From the corner of my eye, I see their hands are raised, ready to strike. In just a few more seconds, they’ll fry me. I wish I had more training and were stronger. I see now that I’m not at all ready to battle the king, but I can’t think about that. I jump from behind the tree and slam my foot into one of the guard’s stomach. She clutches it tightly, possibly healing herself. As she does that, I turn to her partner, whose eyes hold nothing but revenge. I wave my hands around to create a ball of fire, and throw it at her.

Both guards are now writhing on the ground. Killing them wouldn’t be my first choice—I’m still very uncomfortable with that—but I can’t let them stick around, can I? I create a chain made of steel and wrap it around them a few good times, making sure to tie their hands so they can’t use their magic. They’re not getting out of here that easily.

After a quick sweep of the area to make sure no more guards or hybrids are headed this way, I scoop up Sebastian, find the sword that’s hidden in the grass, then set forth on reaching the white building.

I’ve only come across two more guards on my way to the others—or where I hope the others are. They weren’t as strong as the female guards, but I won’t let my guard down. Especially as I get closer to this building. I’m not going any further until I know it’s completely safe.

I examine it from a distance. It seems like a typical house, though there’s something very different about it, something that makes it not like the houses we have on Earth. Maybe because it feels like it’s bathed in magic.

This is the first time I’m seeing an actual building. So far it’s only been caves and muddy houses. There are no other buildings nearby, but I can see one miles away. I must be in a residential area, though it’s hard to tell since the houses are so far from one another. Unlike in Brooklyn, where everything is practically toppled on one another.

The house is surrounded by the tall grass. It seems to be all over Ortarus. I carefully set Sebastian down in between the tallest blades and lower myself next to him. I’m not going anywhere near that house until I know it’s safe. I figure I could remain here for a bit and see if anyone exits or enters the building. It’s still dark out, but hopefully I’ll be able to see something.

Sebastian is still out cold. I don’t know why I hoped he’d regain consciousness. I run my hand down his cheek, feeling his silky skin. Even though he’s no longer a genie, his skin is still as soft. I bend down and place a kiss on his cheek. “Please come back to me, Sebastian,” I whisper. Shutting my eyes, I press my palm to his heart and put all my energy into healing him. I leave my hand there for about a minute. When I open my eyes, he’s still unconscious. I lift his shirt and touch his chest as I try again. Just like before, nothing happens.

I have no idea how or why this happened to him. As far as I know, he wasn’t bitten by one of those hybrids. Or was he? Maybe one attacked him as we fled? But why wouldn’t he tell me? No, something else is going on here.

My hands roam over each feature on his face as I picture him looking up at me with a warm smile. He would tell me how proud he is of me. I’d have my doubts about the whole killing the king thing and how I might die and never see him again. He’d take my hands and reassure me that no matter what happens, he’ll love me forever. I don’t know what’s going on and I don’t know if that house is safe, but I’m going to make it out alive. I’m doing this for Sebastian. I’ll get him out of this coma—somehow. I lay his head on my lap and stroke his cheek some more.

My eyes feel heavy, but I force myself to stay awake. I’m the only one who can protect us now.

I don’t know how long I sit here caressing Sebastian’s face, but it feels like hours. It’s getting light out, which means it must be morning. Memories dance around in my head—from the day I met my genie to right now. I can’t believe how much has changed. I feel like I’m a completely different person. A better person. A person fighting for the Ortarians’ rights.

Squinting toward the house, I don’t see anything. Nothing has happened in all the hours I’ve been sitting here. Maybe it was a mistake to come here. All I’m doing is wasting time. Time I don’t have. Each hour that passes means another Ortarian’s life is in jeopardy. I need to move, to strategize, to train, to kill the king. My stomach muscles twist at the thought. Am I ready for that?

Just as I’m about to get up, the side door to the house opens and someone dressed in yellow and brown walks out. I quickly duck my head and shift some grass to give us cover. The person is headed this way. I close my eyes and picture myself and Sebastian invisible, and when I peer at my hand, I notice that it worked. This magic thing seems to be getting more interesting the more I learn about it.

It looks like my hiding us didn’t work. The person is still headed this way. I’m about to grab Sebastian and flee, when I stop. The guard looks familiar. She’s tall and young.

Renaya.

My heart lurches. She’s okay. She’s fine.

Wait a minute. She could be a fake. With all this magic, who knows what the king and his guards can do? What if this is a trap?

When she reaches us, Renaya bends down. “Lily? Sebastian?” she whispers. “Are you here?”

I remain quiet. I’m not risking my safety or Sebastian’s. Renaya’s eyes rove around, as though she’s contemplating what to do. She’s probably wondering if we’re still around. Dread nestles in the pit of my stomach as I think about how she’ll react when she sees her brother. If she’s the real Renaya, that is. I’m still not sure. Hopefully, being invisible will protect us, though I don’t know how long it will last.

Renaya must suspect we’re invisible because she stretches her hand like she wants to touch me. I back us away.

“Sebastian.” She looks around some more. “If you can hear me, I want to tell you that you can trust me. We’re safe there.” She nods toward the house a few feet behind her. “Alaric, Hastus, and many others have gathered there as well. It’s shelter.”

I’m starting to lower my guard and believe her, but I stop myself. It can be a trap.

Renaya sighs, then begins to tell a story, a memory from Sebastian’s childhood. She was very young when she was taken to work at the palace, but it seems as though she remembers this like it happened yesterday.

“Father took us to the deep meadows,” she says. “Do you remember how he carried me on his shoulders to prevent my dress from getting dirty? Do you remember how you tripped and your face splashed into Klarz waste? You didn’t talk to me for days because I made a joke of you and said you smelled really bad?” She shakes her head sadly. “That’s the last time I had fun before we were taken to the palace. I often wonder if Father took us on that trip because he knew he was giving us up the next day.”

I don’t know what to say as I listen to her. I don’t know this memory, since Sebastian hardly spoke about his childhood. Maybe he doesn’t remember it.

Something about the look in her eyes causes me to want to make Sebastian and me visible. I figure if Renaya was a fake, I don’t think she would stick around. She’d go searching for us. The fact that she suspects we’re here means something. Maybe she senses her brother. Also, there’s the fact that she shared a memory with Sebastian. It’s not possible that someone read the real Renaya’s mind and conjured up her memories, since Ortarians can’t use their magic to read minds. But what if someone tortured the real Renaya to get the information from her?

Oh, this is too confusing.

Renaya’s eyes widen as I make Sebastian and myself visible. “Lily.” When she takes in the unconscious Sebastian, she gasps, her hands flying to her mouth.

“It’s okay,” I tell her. “He’s not dead. He’s breathing, but I have no idea what happened to him. One second we were—”

“Shh.” She places her finger on her lips as her head whips around. My heart skips a beat. Are there guards around? “We need to get to the house.”

“What exactly is that place?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t have time to explain. I saw you crouched in the bushes, which is why I came out here. We need to get to safety before the palace guards come.” She reaches for Sebastian.

“It’s okay. I got him.”

She gapes at me.

“I’ve been carrying him with my magic,” I say.

She seems amazed. “You’re quite an expert.”

“I just feel the magic flow through me.” I stand up and, using my magic, I lift Sebastian over my shoulder. I stroke the right side of his face, forcing myself to be brave for Renaya, when really I’m crumbling inside. I thought he’d wake up by now. I’m beyond worried.

Giving Renaya an encouraging smile, I nod for her to lead us to the house. Her eyes don’t leave her brother’s face. She bites her bottom lip. I rub her arm. “He’s going to be okay. I’ll help him. You’re not going to lose him, Renaya. I promise.”

She nods unsurely, then turns around. As we trudge through the tall grass, I can’t help but wonder if I’m making the right decision by trusting her. I hope I’m not leading Sebastian and myself into a trap.