IVY
Ingrid and her wolves retreated, but the fight isn't over yet. The attack only marks the beginning of the end. The alpha of the Aquila wolves revealed that although Roman succeeded in helping us escape at Starfield, he failed to take down the remaining vampires and werewolves. He was brought back to Queen's Garden while Ingrid tracked us down by herself. She must have reported back to Queen's Garden about our location, and nine other wolves to complete the team that was supposed to take us down.
They lost not because they were outnumbered, but because the wolves aside from Ingrid were not as skilled as my pack. In addition, they were not acting like a true pack. There was barely any collaborative work and connections in their actions. It was more of individual wolves in the same place rather than one team. The fight lasted until the sun came up. Ingrid saw that she wasn't going to win, and so she left with a promise that the next time we see each other will be the end of everything.
I couldn't afford to be worried for it because my mind had been on Miko and the others who escaped during the attack. Throughout the entire time, I fought with them on my mind, hoping that they all made it out of here safely. I knew that a couple of wolves went after them, but I couldn't be the one to chase them because I couldn't let Ingrid out of my sight. I can only hope that they were able to get them off their tails.
As soon as Aquila was gone, the pack and I left the safe base to go after everyone else. I'm running a little ahead of the others, but my worries aren't slowing me down for even a second. Although I could detect various distinct sense, the one that was the easiest for me to follow is Miko's. Even without it, I know I'd be able to find her because of the unexplainable tugging in my chest that always brings me to my mate.
A part of me is anxious to see her again, knowing that I will be confronted about what happened between us before Luna's call. I wasn't thinking when I had basically confessed to Miko. It was as if the words were coming out by themselves. I knew it was that force, that pull that brings soulmates together, that took over my body and I couldn't resist it. But no matter how nervous I am about that, I need to see her.
I ran for miles, passing hundreds of trees alongside the road that the van must have been through. I slowed down to catch my breath but couldn't stop myself from moving forward entirely. Every minute comes with frightening scenarios of what could have happened to Miko and the others that we rescued from Aquila.
The endless 'What if's' finally stopped when I reached a forest with the strong aroma of jasmine and pine. I shifted out of my wolf form when I found familiar faces walking around one big campfire and tents surrounding it. Dominic and his husband, Ian, talking to Mrs. Vinson as the three of them keep their eyes on Mrs. Vinson's five year old grandson and the Porters' ten year old son drawing pictures on the forest ground with small wooden sticks from tree branches.
The young witch, Eli, and Clara, one of the youngest werewolves in the group, are the first ones that noticed my arrival, as the two of them were talking and sitting by a log facing my direction. They both stood up and screamed out my name, causing the others around to snap their heads towards us.
"Ivy!" I returned the hug that Clara gave me while Eli flashed me a wide smile.
"Where did all the tents come from?" I know we didn't have this many tents. Maybe there were two in the van, but definitely not over ten.
"Miko bought them. And blankets and snacks too." Clara replied. "There wasn't a motel nearby, so we stopped here. Miko didn't want us to sleep on the ground and get cold and hungry, so she drove to the closest markets and got them for everyone."
"Where is Miko now?" I asked, feeling my stomach filling with anticipation at the same time my heart swells at the thought of her going out of her way to make sure all these people are safe and comfortable.
Eli looked up at me. "She said she couldn't sit still so she went for a walk about an hour ago."
At this time, the rest of the pack arrived, all shifted to their human forms. They were greeted by everyone, their friends coming up to them to drop questions about what happened. As Jones passed by, he gave me a playful glare.
"That had to be a new record." He was referring to how fast I was running. "I keep telling you, join the Olympics. They never said you had to be a secular to join."
I shook my head and lightly hit his arm before I circled around the camp to make sure everyone is here. After doing so, I was glad to see that no one had been injured except for a vampire who got a scar after tripping on a tree root and a sprained ankle of a werewolf who had fought one of the Aquila wolves that found them as they were running. There are two people missing though. Both vampires, eighteen and nineteen years old. They met at the base and ended up getting quite close.
I asked Ian and Dominic if they knew what happened with the two. Ian reported that they decided to separate with the group during the run, declaring that they could take care of themselves from then on. He tried to convince them to stay at least until we reunited with them, but the two teens stuck with their plan and proceeded to separate from the others.
I didn't dwell much on it. If they didn't want to be here, I won't force them or find them. They willingly came to the safe base with us, and they were allowed to leave at any time. I'm sure that by now, Aquila is done hunting down sacred beings to be put in Queen's Den. It's safe for everyone to return to their homes now. Later today, I'd announce that everyone is free to go home.
For now, I follow the pull on my chest.
Though, I could only take two steps forward before the pulling stopped and I was hit with relief and delight. The blue haired woman, wearing a navy blue hoodie and the black leather jacket that I put on her last night. Her brown eyes widened behind her glasses, while her pink lips parted apart, face full of surprise while a plastic bag dropped down to the ground, released from hand. Warmth traveled all over my body, my heart feeling as if it's about to soar at the view in front of me.
Unable to stop myself even if I wanted to, I scurried towards Miko, desperate to hold her. Her own feet moved towards me just as fast, her arms opening just before bodies met right beside the campfire. She made herself taller, standing on the tip of her toes as she rested her head on my shoulder and placed her hands on my back. My arms tightened around her waist, pulling her as close as I could.
"I'm so glad you're okay." I whispered, closing my eyes and appreciating the moment.
"I'm glad you're okay too." She pulled away, giving me a small smile.
A few seconds after I returned it, I remembered that there are other people around us. All of their eyes were watching us, including my pack, who all have grins on their faces, with my beta having the widest one.
"I have so much to tell you." Miko picked up the plastic bag that she dropped, and I was able to get a glimpse of various fruits and plants. I raised a brow, while her cheeks reddened. "I couldn't stand just waiting for you. I needed to move and do something, so I walked around and saw a few things that we could eat and give us energy or useful for healing and stuff."
I followed her as she led the two of us to a tent. "Oh, and I hope you don't mind sharing tents. I only got them at a small store meant full of camping equipment and they didn't have enough for each of us."
I felt my own face heat up as I looked away from her. "No, I don't mind sharing a tent with you."
"Oh, I'm actually already sharing my tent with Clara and Eli. Mrs. Vinson has room for one more though."
I furrowed my brows and huffed. "Not like I'll be sleeping anyway."
She just laughed loudly and pulled me inside the tent. "Maybe she won't mind switching arrangements for the alpha. She may cuss at you though."
***
It's the day before Queen's Den opens. We have moved closer to Queen's Garden and remained camping at forests along our travels. Miko got a call from Samuel sometime after their escape, informing her that Florencia plans to open the pocket world in two days, which is tomorrow. And so today, we dropped off everyone to a big and safe city where they can communicate with their loved ones and finally return home. They will not be hunted down by Aquila anymore because it's time to open up the pocket world and bring all that they have in the castle. Aside from my pack, six others decided to stay with us to fight Aquila. This includes Dominic Porter, Eli, Clara, a thirty four year old werewolf named Evelyn, and a forty year old vampire named Rudy. And of course, the Chemist. In total, there will be twenty four of us that are in camp right now and will be going to Queen's Garden tomorrow.
It's late at night and I can't bring myself to sleep. I haven't been able to get a good sleep for a while now, but tonight, anxiety is the strongest. It's like when there's a big test the next day, and getting sleep is the hardest because all your mind can think about is that test. What will happen during it, and mostly after it.
While everyone else is asleep, I sat by the campfire with my terrifying thoughts.
I wasn't surprised to see Miko not too long after I got out of our shared tent. Even though there's enough tents for each of us, the two of us wordlessly agreed to stay together. We still haven't discussed the mate thing, as we spent our time after reuniting just to talk about what happened during their escape, and what we will do when we arrive at Queen's Garden.
She sat beside me on the log that I'm sitting on, but her eyes were on the campfire in front of us. I already asked her if she still wants to go with us, but I asked her again. There's still time to leave. But of course, she stuck by her decision, saying that she may not be a sacred being, but she will do whatever she can.
"You led everyone to safety." I pointed out. "They listened to you and trusted you. People are now safe and on their way home, thanks to you leading them. Sacred or not, you have done so much already."
"I didn't do it alone. I was really just the driver. Eli was the hero." She told me about what the young witch had done to get rid of the wolves following them.
It amazes me that someone so young can be so powerful. Eli and Clara are the youngest people with us right now. I told them that it'll be dangerous and they could lose their lives. No one will be able to watch over them during the fight with Aquila. That didn't stop them from coming along. Young people such as the two of them give me hope for a bright future. They are using their powers, their voices, to make sure that their future is safe and in a much better condition than how it is now.
"You said it yourself. You are not a sacred being, and yet you still stayed with them and made sure they made it out safely, even when you could have just left on your own knowing they're capable of taking care of themselves. Then you went ahead and found ways to bring them comfort, gave them shelter, and then healed those who were injured."
"It's the least I could do."
"It's exactly who every alpha would want at their side."
It's exactly who I would want at my side.
I admired the blushing chemist smiling at the campfire, the reflection of it making it difficult for me to see her eyes. I wished the two of us aren't on our way to a war. I wished she and I are just out, camping and enjoying nature and each other's presence, worrying about little things like what to eat for dinner, where to go for our next date, and whose turn it is to do the chores.
"Tell me about the soulmates thing."
I snapped out of my trance as her words reached me. "What?"
"I know you said everyone has one and werewolves could tell who are soulmates and who theirs are because of their scents. Tell me more about it. How do two people become soulmates? Like, who gets to choose? Does it always work? Tell. Me. Everything." I've always liked the spark on her eyes every time she expresses interest and curiosity on something. I like it so much that my heart jumps with joy every time I see it. And no matter how nervous I feel at the moment, I gave her what she wanted just to see more of that spark.
"As far as we know, no one gets to choose. It's just chosen for us. Whether by magic, by mother nature, no one knows. All we know is that it's real and it's a strong, powerful thing." Every word comes from personal experience. "There's a feeling, some kind of force that pulls two people together. It can be hard to ignore, especially if you're away from whoever it wants to find." I looked at her, recalling how strong the pull was when Miko was away from me. "Before you meet, it's there but you can ignore it. When you do meet and are around each other, it gets stronger, but it's more... relaxed, so you almost don't notice it. When you found them and you're away from them, that's when it's the hardest to ignore. It's forcing you to find them and it won't stop until it does."
I didn't realized I was fiddling with my own hands until Miko took them and held them against hers.
"Only werewolves acknowledge the soulmate bond because we're the only ones who can sense it. Others may feel the pull, but they won't know that it's the soulmate bond. Werewolves find soulmates easier because of our enhanced and extra senses that others don't have. It became more common with wolves, so it became a werewolf thing. But it's really for everyone. Every one has a soul mate, someone special, just for them. It doesn't matter if you're sacred or secular, it doesn't matter who you are, who you were, how you look and what you like. It doesn't have a default. It doesn't have a fixed rule of who gets to be soulmates and who doesn't."
Miko lifted her gaze away from the fire to give me a smile and a nod.
I intertwined her fingers together as I continued. "Soulmates aren't limited to lovers, either. There are people who prefer not to have romantic partners, but still have soulmates. Like a best friend, entirely platonic. It doesn't make the soulmate bond more or less special. It's real and it's still powerful. It's the special connection between two people that matters. Not meeting your soulmate won't kill you of course. It doesn't have negative effects. But if you're lucky to meet your soulmate, it does nothing but good things. It really is a privilege. A gift."
"You said I'm your soulmate." I nodded, feeling my chest tightening. "When did you find out?"
"That night at the woods. You were with Astoria and Orion." She nods. "Ever since then, it became hard not to be around you. I traveled all over the country to search for Zander so he could help me fight Aquila. When I don't find him in a place, I just leave. In the beginning, I wasn't finding him. His scent was there, but I couldn't exactly see him. I almost left Jupiter, but you made it impossible for me to go anywhere else."
"Why me though?" She sighs. "I'm sorry that out of everyone, you get stuck with someone like me. I'm nothing special. I'm not as strong as you. You deserve someone who can take care of you. Someone just as beautiful and strong and can take care of your pack with you and – "
I put a hand on the sides of her face, not liking her words. "You are special, especially to me. You're all that and more, especially to me." I moved closer, our knees touching. "I was terrified to tell you everything. To even get close to you. I didn't want you to get involved in all this mess. I didn't want to endanger you just by being around me." I let out every thing I've been wanting to say, wanting her to know her worth. "It was that soulmate bond that brought me to you, but it wasn't what made me care about you the way I've never cared about anyone. It's all you and all the special things about you."
Her eyes grew watery then.
"And I promise, as long as you want me at your side, I will make sure you know how special you are." Our foreheads touched. My eyes closed, not wanting to spend another second looking at her lips that I so badly want to meet.
I felt Miko's hand gently rest on the back of neck. "As long as I want you by my side?" She leans closer, brushing the bridges of our noses together. "Will it be selfish if I say I want to keep a goddess forever?"
My heart leaped just as I felt her lips touched mine.
And suddenly, in this moment, all my worries disappeared and nothing else mattered but us.
***
ASTORIA
Everything ends tomorrow. No one knows exactly what time of the day it will start. It is unclear even to Samuel and Scooby. We have to be prepared at any time, which is why today, we made sure everything is all set.
At midnight, I watched the secret passage while Zander and ten kids sneaked out to set up the traps all over the enchanted forest. It was funny to see them all carrying a bunch of every day things typically not used in battles. I imagine it will be like the traps in Home Alone. Zander and the kids are Kevin, while Aquila are the bad guys. As I looked at the group, they reminded me of Peter Pan and the lost kids. Then, I realized how Zander is a lot like Peter Pan. Optimistic, adventurous, daring, clever, and mischievous. He is a child at heart, which is something I've always admired about him.
After breakfast, Zander and I have taken over the kitchen to bake a muffin for his brother. After a lot of convincing and bribing, the young Farvale finally agreed to visit Samuel and have a nice chat. He wanted me to come with him, though I told him that I won't be doing much talking. The meeting is about the two brothers and hopefully, they both feel better afterwards. We planned to go before dinner.
Around the afternoon, we had a brief meeting at the dungeon, which seemed to be colder than usual. There was only nine of us: myself, Zander, Orion, Roman, Xena, Daniel, Angel, Emory, and Owen. I like to call us the Fellowship of the Aquila's Defeat. We were done practicing at this point. We just wanted to gather one last time to make sure everything is good and all plans are fixed.
We have the list of people that want to be in Queen's Den, including Xena, Daniel and Angel. The most important thing to do is get Florencia into Queen's Garden while she is weak. The three of them will be taking care of Florencia to make sure she doesn't cause troubles in that world. Florencia, along with other Aquila members that end up there will be locked up somewhere while everyone else get to do as they please. They don't have a solid plan of what to do at Queen's Den, but Daniel said they'd figure it out when they're there.
As we were discussing our plans and looking at a sketch of Queen's Garden and where guards usually linger, Emory and Owen stiffened. Before anyone could ask what was wrong, the paper was snatched from my hands. We all turned to find Luther, the asshole vampire that picked on the three of us when we first got here, standing right in front of the same werewolf that Zander and I have hit with a pie at the end of our first rooftop date.
"What is this?" The guard studied the sketch and rolled the paper into a ball as he glared at me.
"I told you." Luther clicked his tongue, and I have never wanted to kick someone in the gut until now. "They're trying to break out of the castle and Queen's Garden."
No one knew what to say. Even I had to admit, we couldn't look more suspicious right now with a poor blueprint of Queen's Garden, and there's an acid gun not too far from us. There's also the dummy that was recreated after Samuel burned it, and it had Florencia's name written on a paper taped at the stomach of the dummy, which was Zander's masterpiece.
"I've been watching them sneak around to the dungeon. They're planning an escape and leave everyone else behind." I could tell by the look on everyone's face that they are just as pissed of as I am.
Of course, he snitches on us. He was feeling left out. He thought we would have left everyone else to die, including him. With the way he acts and treats others, he is one of the few people that is blacklisted from our meetings. We knew he wouldn't be trustworthy and he hasn't even apologized to anyone for his shitty actions and comments. We've been so careful around the guards that we hadn't considered one of the prisoners would be the one to catch us.
I'm just glad that no one was using their abilities. Right now, they only think we're planning an escape. They have no idea that a lot of these prisoners have their abilities back. It's best to keep it that way until tomorrow.
"Florencia needs to know about this." The guard stated, eyeing the entire group. "All of you will be coming with me."
Panic hit me then. Everything that we've worked hard for will come to waste if Florencia gets rid of everyone who's part of the club. And so, I blurted out the first words that came to my head. "You can't take all of us." I tried to laugh carelessly but I'm nervous as hell. "How do you even know how many of us are really involved in this? It could be half of the castle. It could be all of us. It could be just us. It could be us and a dozen more. And you know she's not going to kill that many people. If she wanted to, she would have done it already."
The guard growled as one of his hands locked on my wrist. "I assume you're responsible for this scheme?"
I most definitely do not have a plan and I'm making everything up as I go, but I hope all turns out well.
"The one you least expect, of course." I huffed, feigning annoyance. "Yes, I - "
"It's the two of us." Zander interrupted, standing beside me and glaring at the wolf. "We're the ones responsible for the scheming." I narrowed my eyes at him before I met gazes with Orion. I could tell that he wanted to say something too, following Zander's actions, but I shook my ahead as subtly as I could, hoping he'd understand. I don't know what's about to happen, but I don't want Orion involved.
"Alright then." He turns to Luther. "You say here and wait for the other guards, who will make sure they do not do anything or go anywhere that they aren't supposed to. These two are going to be seeing Florencia."
***
Two guards escorted me and Zander out of the castle, shoving us as we exit through the gate. They held onto us the entire time we walked to Florencia's house. We waited outside in the cold, dark, and gloomy forest until the witch came out, emotionless as always. As usual, she's wearing her silver, snake crown around her head, a long, dark green cardigan over a gray top and black, floor length skirt.
The guard who found us, the same wolf that has a tight grip on me, explained all that he had found in the dungeon. Florencia listened without interruptions, hands behind her back, and not even blinking. Once the wolf was finished, Florencia's eyes turned to us.
"I'm not surprised."
Her lilac eyes flickered back and forth me and Zander before she turned her body to the left and began to pace in front of us.
"Of course, someone like you would poison the mind of someone above you." She remained calm, but her tone seems full of disgust. "Someone with so much power and capability, dragging them down to darkness for your own selfish reasons."
Zander turned to me, guilt flashing on his eyes. I reached for his hand, but the guard behind me only separated us farther. The wolf holding Zander only held onto him tightly, though his face displays that he's nervous to even move a muscle in front of Florencia.
With the way Florencia is talking about me poisoning Zander's mind, I almost want to laugh despite the situation. It's the same things that Zetta told me regarding Roman. The two women must bond over how 'poisonous' and disgusting I am, infecting sacred beings. I wouldn't be surprised if Ingrid feels the same. It's the hatred for secular beings that ties Aquila together.
As my mind tries to find a way to avoid execution, Zander's startled gasp alerted me.
His body was released by the guard and flew towards Florencia like a magnet, only stopping a few inches from her. I tried to break free from the wolf's release on me, scared of what the female witch will do, but I was forced to stay at my spot and the grip on my wrists tightened. His feet hovers inches from the ground, face to face with the unblinking leader of Aquila.
Her hands glowed purple, barely moving as she sent Zander across the field, his body crashing against a tree. His head roughly hits its trunk before his body rolled to the ground, blood appearing from impact. I could only scream for Florencia to stop, feeling my chest tightening at every second as I watched helplessly.
Zander barely had the chance to sit up right before he was forced to stand by magic. Once again, he levitates a few inches from the ground just as a vine appeared around his neck, and another that held nightshade covered his mouth. It forced the toxic plant in his mouth and down his throat, allowing poison to enter his system.
I could only cry as Zander begins to cough and hiss at the pain running all over his body. I kept trying to break free but the guard won't let me go.
Florencia suddenly summons a sharp wooden stick from a tree, and sent it flying within great speed straight towards Zander, who is too busy coughing with his eyes closed to see what was coming. As quickly as I could, I leaned forward and reached for the sharp stake just as it passed me.
I let out a breath as I caught it with one hand. I gripped on it and stabbed the werewolf that was holding me. As soon as he let go, I ran in front of Zander and cut the vines using the weapon. I held him carefully as he landed on the ground, then I turned to Florencia, eyes blurred and full of tears. "Please stop!"
Florencia advanced towards us, hands glowing and clenching. I wrapped an arm around Zander's waist and pulled him back with me as Florencia became closer, the two of us cowering against the tree. I closed my eyes and buried my face on Zander's shoulder, waiting for the excruciating pain that she's about to bring.
But it never came.
It felt like minutes, but nothing came.
Looking up, I found Florencia still standing in front of us, though her hands lost their glow. She was frozen and her face displayed an emotion I couldn't quite read. But it's an emotion, nevertheless. It was only there for half a second before she snapped out and gave me a look of pity.
"There's nothing you can do to stop what's meant to happen. It's too late. It's a shame you won't be able to see it."
She then ordered the guards to take us and follow her. Once again, Zander and I were separated and dragged by the two werewolves who followed Florencia's every move.
It hurt seeing Zander quietly in pain from the nightshade he consumed, his face turning pale by the second. I couldn't do anything and it was agonizing and frustrating.
"Leave them here."
I then realized that Florencia had opened a door from the ground.
Her laboratory.
From the quick glance I stole of the guards, I noticed that they were confused at the sight of the secret underground room. Still, they hadn't said a word as they dropped me and Zander in. The witch fell to the ground, while I caught a part of the stairs and steadied myself. I looked up just in time to see Florencia leaving and closing the door.
Not a second later, I heard a loud crashing noise from above. I tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.
"Shit."
I tried again with as much strength as I could gather, but it still wouldn't lift up.
"Let me try." A weak voice said from the ground. He climbed up the stairs and stood beside me, though the purple lights around his hands were dimmed. The nightshade is weakening him. Still, he tried to open the door using magic, but nothing happened. He let out a groan and tried again with more force, but it still didn't work. For his third try, the energy of his magic backfired and the lights from the room suddenly exploded, the darkness swallowing us entirely.
I put a hand on Zander's shoulder. "Zander, it's okay." I moved my hand down to his waist and helped him go down the stairs. It helps that we know how the place looks so we are able to move without lights. I brought him to the couch and felt his forehead. He has a slight fever, but if it's anything like his last encounter with nightshade that was mixed with mercury, which was much worse, he should be okay after getting a good rest. "It's best to avoid using your magic and save your energy." I brushed his hair away from his forehead before planting a kiss on it.
Just as I took a step away from the couch, the witch let out a whine. "Where are you going?"
"I'll find the candles that Florencia has for decorations. I know where they are. We can use them for lights."
"I'll just use my magic to - "
"No. Rest."
I left him to groan as I started to search around the laboratory. The first half, the one that we're on, is the safer one that is pretty much a living room and office. After feeling the cabinets and various objects, I finally found one of the candles. Florencia doesn't need a bunsen burner, a lighter, or a match, because she's a witch, so I know I won't find those. I do know that there's a clock on the wall near the couch, and there's plenty of aluminum foil in the lab side of the room.
"Let's hope I don't accidentally knock over a bottle of Nitric Acid and burn my fingers."
"What are you doing, Astoria?"
"Ssshh. Rest."
He groaned again but asked no more questions.
I went to the other side of the room and tried to remember where I last saw aluminum foils. They were in the same boxes as the graphenes. "Aha! Found it!" I ripped out a piece of aluminum foil from the sheet and then carefully returned to the safer side of the room. I bumped my hips on the back of the couch and my right knee hit the edge of the table in front of it, but I got a hold of the round clock on the wall. I took out its batteries and cheered quietly. I rolled the aluminum foil and made its two ends touch the ends of the a battery. Soon enough, the material caught on fire. "Yes!"
I ran to the candle I left on the table and lit it up using the fire from the battery and foil.
"Let there be light."
As soon as the flame of the candle appeared, I saw the look of amazement from the witch, laying on the couch.
I couldn't help but grin and wink at him. "See? I can do magic too."
Obviously, it's not magic. It's science. A classic, fun science experiment that I learned from a Youtube video that I watched while procrastinating my studying for a science class midterm.
I searched the room for more candles and found two more. I lit up both of them and placed them in areas that will let us see the most parts of the underground lab. I left the first candle on the table in front of the couch. I put the second one on the desk near the boards, and another on the right side, next to the computer. I tried to turn the computer on, but it seems that electricity is out. Whether that's Zander's doing or not, I'm not sure. I'm just glad we have candles.
Out of all the places in Queen's Garden, she locks us down here? I guess it's the best place to keep prisoners. No one really knows about it so we won't get others to help us escape, it's away from other people, and there's only one way in and out. Now that I'm able to see, I observed the other half of the room and noticed that the transporter and tesseract are gone. The important things are gone, and the chemicals she had have been emptied out. There's only a few things left, and it's nothing useful and important.
I guess Florencia finished packing up for Queen's Den.
I studied the cork board in front of me and saw that not much has changed, unlike the other boards that had a bunch of boxed numbers that are different from my list visit. I personally don't know the correct answers or even the right equations, but I trust that Florencia got the right ones to open up the pocket world. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so sure to open it tomorrow.
I did notice something at the bottom, right corner of the cork board that I never really noticed before.
It's just numbers and symbols, so I always brushed it off. But looking at it now, I feel like there's more to it.
There are seven two digit numbers: 68 65 59 55 52 45 48.
The number 52 has the symbol of an upside down triangle. 45 has the same symbol and something that looks like a lightning bolt symbol next to it.
"Upside down triangle means gradient which is the tangent line of something." I mumbled, trying to figure out a pattern. "The slope. But what's 45? Is it the slope of something? The angle? Maybe it's the angle of elevation from the ground for the transporter?" I could feel violet eyes on me as my mind tries to solve the puzzle. "What else could the triangle mean? Delta? Or maybe it's literally just a triangle? But what's the 45? What are these numbers? Lightening bolt probably just means lightning but what would – "
I paused for a moment to look at the other numbers written on the other boards.
The amount of energy required to open up some sort of worm hole, then the amount of energy the Tesseract and the transporter emit. I don't know about the numbers, but I at least know that they are supposed to at least be close to each other, if not the same. Looking at them closely, I noticed that the Tesseract is one zero short on joules. Even if it's only one zero, it's still a lot.
That means the tesseract itself cannot open up a worm hole. It can't open Queen's Den.
I looked at the symbols and numbers on the cork board again.
Suddenly, it makes sense why Florencia chose tomorrow specifically. The upside down triangle doesn't just apply for calculus.
"Great Scott."
I sat down on the couch, next to Zander who had his back resting against the right arm rest of it. His legs are crossed as he stared at me, head slightly tilted. He then asked, "Who's Scott and why is he so great?"
I shifted towards him. "What does upside down triangle mean to you?"
"Well, I personally don't have strong feelings for upside down triangles so they mean nothing to me. You mean so much more to me than any triangles." I gave him a playful glare. "Fine. If you wanna be a nerd, it's a symbol for water. Witches, especially back in the day, used a lot of symbols. In our books, as we were learning alchemy, they'd use symbols. Upside down triangle represents water."
I nodded as he confirmed my guess.
Florencia has been tracking the weather.
"Alchemy? You never cease to amaze me." I crossed my legs and faced him. "The transporter and the Tesseract doesn't generate enough energy to cause a worm hole, a portal, whatever you wanna call it, and open up Queen's Den. Florencia chose tomorrow because there's going to be a thunderstorm. She plans to use the energy emitted by lightning to boost up the Tesseract, which will give her exactly what she wants. But here's the thing. It'll have too much energy." I gulped. "My guess is that the longer the portal to Queen's Den is open, it could expand and swallow the entire Queen's Garden and maybe even beyond it."
Zander let out a quiet gasp. "This is heavy, Astoria."
I nodded in agreement, resting my head against the back of the couch.
No wonder it's so cold outside. There's a storm coming. Literally and figuratively.
I hope that Orion and the others make it out safely. If Zander and I can't, I at least hope that they do.
I don't know what will happen to the two of us. Maybe we'll both get sucked in to the portal and end up in Queen's Den. Maybe we won't even make it there and someone will end us here instead.
"What's wrong?" I asked, noticing the sad look on the witch's face.
He blinked and stared at his hands locked together. "I'm supposed to protect you." He sighed. "I couldn't do it last time, with Zetta, and now, the two of us are here. I kept training and working to get better but I can't even protect the person I love the most."
My lips parted apart at his words, feeling my heart swelling and breaking at the same time.
I held his hands tightly. "You've been protecting me all this time. You have protected me so many times and I couldn't be more glad and thankful for you." I ran my thumbs at the back of his hands softly. "You don't need to keep pushing yourself and be the strongest, most powerful witch, even though you already are to me. I'm so grateful for you, as you are, and I wouldn't have you any other way."
His gaze found mine before shifting sides and resting his head on my shoulder.
The two of us stared at the candle on the table in front of us and listened to the loud whistles of the wind outside.
"If we die, we have to find each other in the after life." Zander said, fiddling with our hands together. "What do you think afterlife is like, if there's one? I always think it's like an airport. I've never been to an airport before, I just see how it looks in movies, but I imagine there'll be a lot of people. If it is like an airport, I'll wear something really flashy so you can find me easily."
I chuckled at the thought. "Do you think we'll get first class seats?"
"Of course! If we don't, I'll just steal from snobby rich people." He scoffs. "We better get good food and entertainment too."
"Where would we land?"
"Hmmm. I don't know. It doesn't matter." He sigh. "As long as we're together, I'd be fine even if we end up in hell. Not that I'm saying you're going to hell. You probably won't. There's a good chance I end up there. Lucifer and I are good friends, don't you know?"
"Well, he can't have you." I closed my eyes and appreciated the warmth his arm is giving off. "I'll fight him to win you."
He laughed and moved closer, though he said nothing else.
For a few minutes, we remained in silence, most likely thinking about what happens to us in the afterlife.
Well, I know I am.
"Is it true that if you own a cat and you die, the cat eats you?" Zander looks at me with a grimace, causing me to giggle. "I know you're technically not my cat, but you're my precious idiot lover who can turn into a cat, so it still counts, but if I die and you don't – "
"You suck at making conversations."
I stuck my tongue out. "If I die and you don't, would you eat me?"
Zander shot me a grin. "If you want me to eat you, just say so and I'll happily comply. You don't have to go such measures like dying." I smacked his arm, feeling my face growing flustered. "But if you're serious about it, no. I don't care how amazing you are. It's disgusting and my tummy deserves better. I have better things to put in my stomach and better things to do in my free time than eat a corpse."
Hermione would definitely eat Orion's corpse.
***
As the night goes on, we had meaningful conversations about the things we regret, and meaningless conversations about the things we wished we could do if we were given the chance to live more days after tomorrow.
"Fishing." Zander shared.
I replied, "I'd like to go on a submarine and go into a deep part of the ocean."
"I would want to watch a Broadway show or something." Theater geek Zander appears again.
"I'd want to visit as much planetariums as I could."
"I'd like to play Mario Kart."
I snorted. "I'd like to win at Mario Kart."
"I want to go to Disneyland." If we get out of here alive, I will definitely make that happen. Witch Peter Pan deserves to go to Disneyland.
"New Zealand for me." I smiled. "I'd like to see The Shire."
"I want to learn how to crack an egg with one hand."
I gave him a puzzled look. "Why?"
"So I can be cooler than most people who can only crack eggs with two hands."
"Oh...kay." I shook my head. "I'd want to get a tattoo. I don't know what to get yet, but I definitely want something."
"You should get a tattoo of my face and I'll get a tattoo of yours."
"No."
"Rude. If it's not my face, your tattoo is not going to look cool." He clicked this tongue. "I'd want to go on a really long drive. With you. I don't care where we go or how long it gets. It doesn't matter if we're going somewhere or nowhere. I just want to be with you." Within seconds, he'd gone from making me want to smack him to making me want to cry and pepper him with kisses.
"Me too." I admitted. "We'd just listen to music, talk about anything and everything, get shitty snacks from gasoline stations, eat at local restaurants from small towns, and just enjoy the places we pass and each other's presence."
Zander stared at me and gave a soft smile. "I really don't want to get my hopes up, but that sounds really, really nice."
I shifted the two of us so that we're facing each other, his back resting on the end of the couch. "No," I ran a hand on his jawline. "Do get your hopes up." I then moved my fingers through his hair. "These things are something worth sticking around for. They may be simple things, but they will motivate us to fight and live another day."
He only nodded and rested his hand over mine, which is on his knee. I leaned forward and left a kiss on his lips, unable to resist the urge to be closer to him even though there's hardly any space between us. "No, give me more." The witch whispered, hands pushing me back to him for another kiss. I laughed at his eagerness as our lips touched. I detached myself from him seconds later, only to be pulled back in. "More." I felt a hand on the back of my neck, our lips tangling deeper. A gasp escaped from me as I felt Zander's hands moving me on his lap, my knees on the sides of his hips. I closed my eyes and moved my hands from his shoulders to his chest. Neither of us pulled away from each other until we started to ran out of breath. And even then, I heard the low, raspy voice requests, "More."
I couldn't help but laugh quietly. "Do you want me to steal all the air out of your lungs?"
Zander's hands traveled to my waist and looked at me with darkened eyes. "If you're gonna be the death of me," He exhales, pulling me closer than ever. "that's how I wanna go." He crashes his lips against mine with so much passion, and I was obligated to return it all to him.
His tongue moves against mine, our locked lips muffling the gasps caused by his sensual touches, with one hand roaming on my thigh and the other on my lower back. His breathing became hitched as I felt him gently push me down against him. He then looks at me again, eyes full of desire, as heat travels all over my body.
I slid my hands under his shirt while his teeth gnaws on the sensitive spot on my neck, making me bury my face against his neck and my nails grazing his back. As my hands pushes his shirt over his head and the two of us grew apart, I saw Zander smiling, half lidded violet eyes on my neck. Frowning, I put a hand on it, feeling the sensitive spot stinging. I then knew exactly what he's done. From it, I grew even more flustered and shoved him slightly, his back hitting the back of the dark green, velvet couch as he laughs.
"That may last for days." He snickered, hands sliding under my thighs. "It's a beautiful artwork that should be seen by everyone."
"Shut up."
"Make me."
And I did, encouraged by the heat he's caused. Once again, I lightly shoved him against the back of the couch and roughly covered his mouth with mine while my hands crawls to his thighs. He groaned under my touch, his own hands finding mine and guiding them to where he wants them to be.
He whispers my name, flustered face resting on my shoulder. My lips peppered soft kisses around his neck, feeling a hand under my shirt lingering on my chest, while the other pushes our hips together. Our bodies ground against each other, intertwined lips muffing the whine of the witch as I kept his back against the couch while my lower body weighted down on his.
As the minutes and hours go by, our bare bodies danced against each other, leaving not an inch of space anywhere between us. Our quiet moans and erotic breaths became the only sounds to accompany the noises of the movements of our heated bodies and the rainfall that started singing outside. At what could possibly be our last night together, we let our hearts take over our actions.