KingSweet

Titled Target

Not that it helped, I still blamed myself, and the “what if’s” continued to distract me at the worst moments.  I had tried to rein it in at the beginning of summer, but even now, on my last night before my return to Effugere, I was slipping at the thought of them.  A slip like that in Effugere could get me killed.

Sighing, I climbed down from the roof, slipping in through my window and closing the shutters behind me.  I hid the blades in a pair of boots in my closet, and resigned myself to sleep. 

My dreams were haunted by Mají’s last moments, by the look on his face when I plunged the dagger into his back, the warm stickiness of his blood on my hands, the moment he died and his body burst into crimson dust.  He smiled at me in my dreams, his black eyes full of confidence, his smile warm, his arms trusting.  Yet when I ran to him, he pulled away, and I was standing over him with his knife… his eyes wide and pleading in a way that I had never seen them in life. 

When my alarm woke me in the morning, my face was wet with tears, my throat sore as if I’d managed to sob in my sleep. I wiped them away as I glanced in the mirror, thankful that my face was not red or blotchy and would not betray me. 

A knock sounded at the door, and before I could answer it, my older brother Max entered. 

“I’m here for your bags Darling,” he said smoothly.  “We will be leaving soon… and while we are at Effugere, I suggest you find a counselor.  I’ve never heard someone sound so distressed while they sleep. You may want to have that checked.”

I opened my mouth to tell him all that HE needed checked. Loyalty to family would have been a good place to start.  Instead I heard my voice answer him cheerfully “Of course Dearest, your suggestion is sensible.  I should have thought of it sooner.”

He smiled at me politely, but smug triumph shone in his eyes.  My mother wouldn’t have seen it, no adult would, but I could see through the mask of Effugere training.  I could stare at my brother, willing anger to burn through my eyes and show him my true emotion.  Unfortunately, he did not meet my eyes again, busying himself with collecting my things and bringing them down to pack in the car so we could be off.

For a moment, I almost considered helping him.  Despite the death threats I was returning to, I was excited.  I would have suffered a hundred more pirates’ blades seeking my blood if it meant returning to Effugere an hour sooner so I could end the charade.  For one of the first times all summer, I was happy for the magic that kept my posture straight and my expression a mask of polite indifference.  Without the magic to stick me to my training I would have been bouncing up and down in the back seat of the car like a child going to Disney World for the first time.

The car ride dragged by; each of the hours lasting a lifetime.  I waited, staring anxiously out the window while mindlessly answering the questions my mother directed at me in an attempt to pull me into the conversation.  I ignored her efforts, watching for my first glimpse of the etiquette camp.  In the end it was the line of cars that gave it away, the only sign of traffic on the rustic mountain roads that we had seen for miles.  We crept past a rustic wooden sign, polished until it gleamed in the soft light that filtered through the trees.  “Effugere” it read in elaborately carved calligraphy. 

Lord Pipit was waiting for us as we pulled into a spot in the parking lot.  He grinned broadly at me, holding out his hand to unnecessarily assist me in leaving the car.  I accepted his offer gracefully, rising easily to my feet and smiling softly, meeting his pale green eyes for the briefest of moments to convey gratitude.  He had not changed in the slightest, and was dressed in his characteristic white suit, complete with his walking stick with the exceptionally shiny knob. 

“It’s lovely to see you again Darling,” he said enthusiastically.  “I take this return to mean you have found a home here?”

“Everyone finds a home in Effugere,” I said softly.

“Very good!” he exclaimed, nodding vigorously as he eyed another car that had pulled in moments ago.  “If you will excuse my rudeness Darling…”

“You have many other students to greet,” I agreed.  “It is not rudeness my lord, it is duty.”

He nodded, beaming and turning to greet the newcomers.  As soon as his attention was elsewhere I hugged my mother, curtsying slightly to say my goodbyes and encouraging her to leave. 

“Promise to call?” she asked.  “Or write, e-mail… something Darling.”

“We’ll let you know when Christmas dinner is,” I promised.  “I’ll talk to Lord Pipit; maybe you can come and visit.”

She nodded, embracing Max and I a second time before climbing into the car and driving off, leaving my brother and I with our things.  Max was the perfect gentlemen, remembering to take my things to one of the pale pink girls’ cabins before returning to get his own things.  I glanced around at the other camp members as we walked to my cabin, watching for the glazed expression that marked a person who had already returned to their respective world.

From what Mají told me last year, there were four worlds within Effugere.  Max and I lived in the West, a world of thieves and pirates.  The three other worlds were the Northern Heroes, the Eastern Artisans, and the Southern Civilization.  I had never seen the other worlds. The griffon placed walls dividing them long ago, to keep the West from wiping itself out. 

But the West was stronger now, and I was in charge of it, desperate to return.  I shoved my things beneath a bed in my cabin and nearly ran out the door, speed walking toward the forest while simultaneously trying not to draw attention to myself.  I started running when I was among the trees, my head swiveling back and forth as I looked for the shack that marked the beginning of the tunnels, the entrances to the worlds. 

The hatch within the abandoned shack was already open, and I jumped down it without a second thought, set on my goal.  Down the tunnel I jogged, my arms held out to feel where the walls twisted and turned as my eyes adjusted to the dim light emitted by the veins of glowing stone in the walls.  I could feel the magic beginning to lift as I went deeper into the earth, my steps were noisy, my back curving with my run as proper posture went out the window.  At the three pronged fork I took a right, the torches a reminder of which tunnel led to the entrance to the West.  Deeper I went, finally stopping in the entrance to the cavern. 

It was unremarkable, walls and floor made of smooth stone, a few torches set into brackets for lighting.  A sturdy table stood near one wall, with a blank sheet of heavy paper and pen upon it.  Yet it took my breath away, and with my heart pounding in my chest and a wide grin across my face, I knew I was close to home.

I approached the desk slowly, picking up the pen and touching it to the paper.

Who are you?  It asked, the words writing themselves across the page.

I smiled at the question, able to answer truthfully for the first time since the summer solstice.

My name is Gittoran Flame Scarlet, Queen of Thieves, King of Pirates.

My left shoulder seared in pain as my tattoo reappeared.  I dropped to the stone floor and closed my eyes, embracing the darkness that wrapped around my mind.  I passed out.