I waited. And waited. My blood was pounding in my ears. The kingdom couldn't lose him, and even though we had been lifelong rivals, I couldn't imagine losing him either.
Suddenly, Glen's eyes flickered open, orbs of green lighting up the shadowy room. I nearly passed out with relief, but grew worried when I saw that Glen's gaze was filled with delirious terror and confusion as it swept across Lorely's apartment, searching for me.
"Marissa!" He yelled, his voice filled with fear as he jumped up from the sofa. Immediately, his legs gave out from beneath him and he crumpled to the floor, weak and exhausted. I caught Glen just before he could hit Lorely's carpet. My muscles strained with the effort of holding him up, and he sagged against me, his breaths faint against my neck. I laced my arms around him, reassuring him softly.
"I'm right here," I said. "We're safe."
I could feel him trembling, his entire body shivering against me, and I held him for a moment. I waited for his breathing to slow, and his shaking to subside.
"I'm sorry Diandre and I couldn't wake you up sooner." I told him. "The Master had you under a pretty strong hold."
"Figures," Glen scowled, starting to return to normal. "Every time I try and take down that psychopath I end up passing out. What happened, anyway?"
His voice was hoarse, but color was slowly returning to his face as I rested him back on the sofa. "All I remember was freeing all the children, and then as we running towards the portal, The Master used that spell on me." He shuddered jokingly with a smile, his wings flitting. "I had a nightmare that I lost my good looks. It was devastating."
"You're lying." I snickered, pulling up a stool next to the sofa. I perched on the edge of it. "You lost something else. It was something you cared about, I could tell. I know how The Master's fear power work."
I suppressed a shiver as I recalled the corpses laying in the snow.
Glen looked mock-thoughtful.
"Hm," He pondered. "No, I'm pretty sure that it was my good looks." He decided after consideration.
"I see you're just as egotistical as ever." I snorted, rolling my eyes.
Glen took in the candles, talismans and potions surrounding him.
"Where are we, anyway?" He asked.
"Believe it or not, we're in Lorely the witch's apartment." I answered. "Once the three of us passed through the portal, it seemed to have malfunctioned and sent us here."
Glen's mouth fell open. "You've got to be joking. Lorely? As in the legendary witch Lorely?"
"You heard me," I told him. "But she's lost her famed beauty after nearly a century."
Glen looked disappointed at this news.
"That's too bad." He remarked. "I heard that Lorely would lure men into the forest when she sang, and-"
"We get it." I cut him off. "I really would rather not hear the details."
Glen smirked up at me, wiggling his eyebrows. Suddenly, his expression turned concerned.
"You're hurt." He said, his eyes resting on my leg.
I looked down to find the flesh completely raw, the wound from The Master's iron blade eating into my skin. Sooner or later it would reach the bone.
"What, this?" I winced, trying to ignore the searing pain. "I've had worse."
Glen looked skeptical. "You should have Lorely take a look at that."
I gave him a dismissive shrug, and his face suddenly brightened. "Speaking of Lorely, you think that she knows exactly where the Objects of Power are?"
I nodded confidently. "My guess would be that she does." I bit my lip. "Although I don't know if you should come with me."
"What are you talking about?" Glen exclaimed, hurt flashing across his face. "Like it or not, Marissa, we're partners, and there's no chance that I'm turning back now." His jaw was set determinedly as he spoke. "You know that the fae armies won't recover the objects in time, they don't even know where they are. We're the fae's last hope."
I sighed. I wasn't sure how to tell him this. Just seeing him laying there, trembling in fear as the spell took over his mind had nearly driven me over the edge. I couldn't afford to lose him again, not after what had just happened.
"Glen, you did your job. You rescued the children from The Master. Shouldn't you return to Summer Court?"
"So you can go after the objects and take down The Master and his sprite army all by yourself?" Glen fumed. "Of course not!"
"I'll be fine," I reassured him. "Diandre can tell me what they're planning and I can stop them."
"Leaving you with the wingless wonder," Glen said sarcastically. "That makes me feel so much better."
I put my head in my hands in exasperation.
"I'm not going back to the Faerie Realm until we finish what we started." Glen pressed on. "Everyone thinks that a prince's job is to sit safely on a throne and kiss the heads of small children while preaching motivational speeches. It's not. I'm actually protecting my kingdom for once, and you want to shut me back up in my castle?"
My irritation erupted out of me.
"When will you get it, Glen?" I exploded. The force of my own words shocked me. Glen flinched as he lay on the sofa, staring up into my blazing eyes. "You could have died if we hadn't found Lorely and if she hadn't saved you! Do you have any idea what would happen if you were gone? I would never forgive myself. Waiting for you to wake up, wondering if you would ever open your eyes again was enough to tear me apart on the inside. Your kingdom can't afford to lose you." I swallowed hard. "I can't afford to lose you, either."
Those last words came out broken, and I wanted to hurriedly shove them back in my mouth. It was too late, I had already spoken them. Wetness was gathering in my eyes and I brushed it away fiercely.
Glen was silent for a moment, and slowly I watched his face soften.
"Marissa, you're not going to lose me." He said, his gaze locked with mine. "And I'm not going to lose you, either. You're strong, but you can't face all of this darkness alone. So I'm not going anywhere." His words were so sincere it left me in an awe filled silence. "We're going to do this the way we've done it since the beginning." He smiled softly. "Together."
I took a shuddering breath.
I knew that there was no point in arguing any longer. I wanted to keep Glen safe, but I wasn't going to keep him away from what he wanted. Looking back at it now, it seemed as if his entire life was planned out by a queen or palace officials over the years. I could see it in his face that this was the first time that Glen had chosen to do something himself, with nothing but his will telling him what to do. A selfish part of me, way down deep in a chasm inside me, was secretly happy that Glen wasn't going to go. I couldn't place the feeling, but it throbbed against my rib cage ceaselessly.
"I can't stop you," I sighed. "But I swear you're going to be the death of me."
"You should have known," Glen grinned. "You can't get rid of me that easily. You need to step up your game if you want me gone, partner." His eyebrows knitted together. "So what's the plan? Are we going after the Summer Scepter and the Winter Wand?"
I chewed on my lip. "That's our next move, but I'm not sure how we're going to get to The Faerie Realm or New York with the portals down."
"Oh, you won't need a portal to find the Summer Scepter."
I whirled around to see Lorely standing in the doorway, Diandre at her side. He had on a black T-shirt now, and his hair was slightly damp that made me assume that he had taken a shower.
"What do you mean?" I asked the witch, tilting my head in puzzlement. "It's all the way in New York City."
"My dear knight," Lorely cackled. "You're in New York City."
There was a stretched moment of silence in which I processed this. I turned to Diandre, my eyes questioning.
He nodded in confirmation, crossing the room to a nearby window. It was covered by thick, dusty black curtains that blocked out all light.
"She's right." He told me, and whipped them aside.
Gentle sunlight flooded the room, and I shielded the bright rays with my hand. The sky was a gorgeous pink dawn, with smeared orange clouds trailing on the horizon. Once my eyes adjusted, I slowly blinked at the city landscape beyond me. Through the slightly smudged window, I gazed at towering sky scrapers that invaded the sky, wedged between thousands of mis-matched buildings that crowded the bustling streets despite the early hour. Cabs inched slowly in snail-like lines, while mobs and masses of people hurried up and down the sidewalks. There were billboards advertising every product imaginable that dotted the sides of towers, looking down upon the undeniable energy that bursted at the seams. I had never seen so many people in my entire life, and I was instantly overwhelmed at how small and insignificant I really was.
I was just another dot on the map, a dot that meant nothing surrounded by an infinite ocean of people. Sirens wailed in the distance, and I could hear furious honking and blaring as road rages took place a few blocks away. My ears were filled with the deafening noise of shouting, of laughter, my nose taking in the smells of car exhaust and smoke.
"I can't believe it," Glen remarked. "We actually made it here."
Diandre was watching the scene with a sort of fondness.
"You don't know what the world is really like until you've seen New York." He smiled. "It's like the entire planet wrapped into one city."
My legs felt weak, so I sat back down on the wooden stool. I didn't have the brain capacity to imagine the whole world in one city, but if there was such a thing, this would most definitely be it.
"Don't you just love my view?" Lorely said, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "It's probably why my rent for this dump is so expensive."
Glen chuckled lightly.
"You must be Lorely," He said. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I'd like to thank you for your help."
Even injured and exhausted, Glen still managed to act like royalty.
The witch bowed her head. "The pleasure is all mine, your highness." She responded. "But my potion wouldn't have worked if it wasn't for these two." She gave Diandre and I a knowing look.
Glen turned his head, taking in the city outside the window.
"The Summer Scepter is out there, isn't it?" He murmured. "I can feel it."
I could as well. It was a faint pulling at my magic energy, but I was aware of its presence. It astounded me how powerful The Summer Scepter must be to be able to sense my magic from so far away.
"Yes," Lorely answered, her wrinkled head bobbing. "Although the only way that you'll be able to retrieve it is tomorrow night at high tide."
Diandre frowned. "High tide? You don't mean..."
"That's exactly what I mean." Lorely replied. "The Summer Scepter is in the harbor."
"That sure narrows it down." Glen snorted. "Now we just need to search through miles of water."
I reeled back to the window, staring out at the vast harbor stretching past the city. Small boats were dotting the waves. My gaze traveled slowly across the water, my eyes narrowing in concentration. Then, once my eyes rested on it, I knew.
"You can't be serious." I whispered.
Lorely followed my eyes with hers and nodded.
Diandre was shocked. "The Summer Scepter is in the harbor...beneath the Statue of Liberty." He spoke the words carefully, as if he didn't quite believe what he was saying.
"Beneath Liberty Island to be exact." Lorely corrected him.
I blinked at the magestic statue in the middle of the gray water, made of faded copper that was now a soft turquoise. The woman's face stared emptily in the distance as she held a book and once hand and a torch in the other. At her base, I could spot small specks of people milling around as ferry boats chugged by the docks. On the sofa, Glen let out a low whistle.
"This just got much more interesting." He remarked in awe.
"Although I must warn you," Lorely added. "The Summer Scepter is protected by guardians."
"Guardians?" I echoed. "What kind of guardians?"
Lorely's eyes glittered mischievously.
"They are a force to be reckoned with, young knight." She answered. "Despite their appearances, they are extremely dangerous."
Faint chills jittered up my neck.
"I think we can handle them." I told the witch confidently, masking my unease. "We've come this far."
Lorely looked uncertain.
"I see that sprite boy is still here." Glen acknowledged Diandre with distrust once he got over the view outside.
Diandre gave him an equal look in return. "I see that its a miracle that you're still here."
I rolled my eyes as they began bickering. I tuned them out for a while, gazing at Liberty Island in the distance until Diandre and Glen's voices rose in volume.
"Just admit it, you're just envious of me." Glen said smugly, his wings shimmering in the sunlight boastfully.
"Not really," Diandre shot back, noticeably wingless. "I'd rather not faint all the time."
Glen's face started to slowly turn scarlet and I knew things were going to get ugly.
"As fun as this is watching you two fight like an old married couple," I cut in before they could start attacking each other. "I think we should all get some rest."
"Rest?" Glen yawned. "Who needs rest?"
"You do," I told him. "If you want to get your magic energy back."
Glen made a face. " I still have that potion taste in my mouth."
"Just be grateful I didn't have to kiss you awake, sleeping beauty." I retorted, giving him a light smack on the arm.
Glen leaned back on the sofa, grinning.
"I wouldn't have minded if you tried that." He winked, taking a strand of my silver hair between his fingers and tucking it behind my ear. Then, in an instant, he was fast asleep. His hand lightly fell to his side, and behind his closed eyes he was breathing peacefully.
I drew away from him, trying to hold back a smile. Lorely was surveying me amusedly, and Diandre looked as if he wanted to leap out the window. The witch looked down and noticed my wounded leg.
"Ah," she croaked. "I know the touch of iron when I see it. This should cure it."
Reaching into her shawl, Lorely pulled out a creamy paste and gently lathered it onto my skin. It smelled of peppermint and herbs, and I hissed between my teeth as it stung my entire injury. Tears gathered in my eyes, but the pain only lasted a moment. In just seconds, I watched as my bleeding leg began to heel, the torn flesh coming back together. The scarred tissue became pink and new, restoring my wound completely.
My jaw dropped.
"Thank you." I managed.
The witch took the paste and set it down on a nearby table next to a jar of dragonfly wings.
"You should rest as well." Lorely told me.
I shouldered my bag that contained some clothes that I had brought from my chambers back at Winter Academy.
"You're probably right." I agreed, standing up from the stool I had been sitting on.
My newly healed leg felt like jelly, and I wobbled dangerously. It felt weak, as if it couldn't support my body. I sat back down on the stool again, looking down at where my wound had been with confusion and frustration.
"Don't worry," Lorely assured me. "It's normal for your leg to feel slightly less strong. The effects of my paste are still taking effect." She crossed the room and busied herself at the shelves of potions. She began rooting through many assorted vials, organizing them.
I tried standing again, but with the same result. My knee gave out and I had to grasp the stool to steady myself. I gritted my teeth angrily.
The things I would do to take a shower right now.
Diandre approached me.
"I'll help you." He offered, looking concernedly at me as I tried to walk again but ended up almost falling face first.
"I'm perfectly capable of walking by myself, thanks." I lied stubbornly.
I tried taking another step, ignoring the numbness of my leg.
Diandre surrendered a small smile. "I doubt that."
I attempted to glare at him, but the next thing I knew his arm was supporting me. I stiffened in surprise as Diandre guided me across the hall. My weak leg was forcing me to lean against him, and I tried my hardest to bite down my pride as he led me out of the room. It wasn't really working.
"Really, you don't have to-" I said to him, but Diandre just chuckled.
"Is it really that hard for you to just accept people's help?" He asked, and I became vaguely aware that I was gripping his shoulder to stay balanced.
Yes, my mind answered, but instead I just shrugged. "I'm just used to working alone."
"Some things never change." He sighed with an amused smile.
I focused on moving one foot in front of the other until we had reached a hallway even darker than the rest of Lorely's apartment. From above I could hear other residents in the building talking and shouting on the other floors. On the wall next to me I noticed a beautiful portrait of a young woman with dark skin and glimmering eyes who was so beautiful it took my breath away. Her raven hair hung down in curtains, framing her elegant face and full lips.
That must have been Lorely. I realized, recognizing the ink design over the woman's right eye.
Diandre and I slowly moved on until we reached a darkened room.
"Lorely is letting us stay here for today." He informed me. "You can sleep here in her spare bedroom."
"What about you?" I asked him.
"Well, Im definitely not sharing that sofa with the prince." He remarked. "I'm not very tired, anyway."
"Mhm." I murmured, exhaustion clouding my eyes. I felt as if I were half asleep.
Diandre opened the door for me and I found myself in a simple bedroom with dull gray walls and an ancient bed. There was a small window displaying a view of a dirty alley crowded with dumpsters. A cockroach scuttled between the floorboards. I didn't find myself caring.
I turned around just as Diandre was closing the door behind him.
"Diandre," I called. The door widened slightly. His face seemed to hover in the shadows and gloomy darkness.
"Yes?"
"Thank you." I told him. "For everything."
He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but then closed it, caging the words inside him.
"You should get some sleep." He said instead, and the door clicked softly shut.
In a daze, I took a shower, feeling rejuvenated as the streams of water pummeled against my shoulder blades and rinsed my wings. Once I was clean, I unzipped my bag and rooted around for some clothes. Sifting through a variety of weapons and armor, I found a soft shirt that had been my mother's. I discarded my Colorado shirt and pulled it over my head, the cotton light against my skin. I gladly threw my short shorts across the room and instead put on leather pants from my training. They settled familiarly on my body, and I yanked off my boots and lovingly set them at the foot of the bed.
With that, I collapsed onto the protesting mattress, ignoring the squeaking of the springs beneath me as sleep claimed me in a thick fog.
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