Chapter Thirty-Two

“What I am worried about is Lucan's showmanship,” Delia continued, as if she needed to convince me that destroying any hope of happiness Kiran had was a good thing. “I am worried for your brother. Lucan loves these big moments where he can display his power and authority. If he has been waiting for the right moment to hurt your brother anymore, it would be during his son's wedding, as either a gift or a promise.”

“You had me at royal wedding.” I smiled. I wondered at my mother's deep knowledge of Lucan. I knew they spent time together when they were young and that is how Lucan fell in love with her, but I always just assumed she only had eyes for my father. Something was revealed though, when she spoke about Lucan, it wasn't with contempt or hatred, it was with deep sadness, the earth-shattering kind that broke a heart in two.

“It will be tricky getting all of our side into the citadel without alarming the Titan Guard far in advance. We are thankful for our numbers, but there is no way to smuggle that many Immortal's into a heightened security situation without setting off some bells and whistles,” Justice explained and his accent was so similar to Talbott's that I found it slightly off-putting.

“Well, do we need all two-hundred?” I asked, and everyone's eyes turned to me. “I mean, what is our goal here? Personally, I would prefer to focus only on extracting Avalon, and then regroup and decide how to take down the monarchy later. Avalon is my first concern.”

“Ours, too,” Justice agreed, sitting up straighter and talking to me differently, like I was an equal and not a child.

“All right, so, my thought is, save the other two-hundred, train them to fight and then use them in a greater battle in the future. A battle where maybe our target is Lucan or at least aimed more towards the royal family,” I suggested, suddenly nervous with everyone staring so intently at me.

“So, use a smaller base and like a get in, get out kind of scenario,” Jericho jumped on board, nodding his head enthusiastically.

“Unless you think we need all of those people to get Avalon?” I asked, second-guessing my ability to decide anything.

“No, I think you're right,” Justice pressed his fingertips together and rested his chin on top of them. “Security will, of course, be heightened, but they will also be distracted with the entire royal family present. It could be the perfect opportunity for a small opts kind of scenario. We could even slip in before the wedding starts, grab Avalon, and escape. Simple as that.” He returned my smile, the proud kind of grin that only father's could offer their children and I beamed with admiration for him.

“Will it be possible though? I mean to move around the castle undetected?” I asked, trying to improve at thinking entire plans through. There was no way I was ever going to get sucked into another Morocco situation by being unprepared and naive.

“If worse comes to worst, then I can step in,” Delia announced confidently. “I haven't seen Lucan in a hundred and sixty three years, it's time I met the man face to face,” her eyes saddened and Justice reached out his hand instinctively to comfort his wife. I was almost unbearably curious about their history with Lucan, but I kept my questions to myself, saving them for a different day, a day when Avalon would be here to listen to the answers too.

“Besides, the whole kingdom both adores Delia and absolutely despises her at the same time,” Justice gazed at his wife as if he wanted to take whatever burden this meant on himself and carry it for her. “At the very least, she will be a distraction.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“They love her because Lucan loves her and because she escaped and found life outside of the kingdom. They hate her for the exact same reasons,” Justice answered seriously.

“Do they feel the same way about you?” I asked him and his face lit up in a smile.

“Oh, no, they pretty much all hate me,” he laughed and Delia turned to him, laughing too.

“The wedding, do we have a date?” I asked, working out a time line in my mind.

“Our sources tell us everything is being prepared for the first of May,” Jericho spoke up again and both Delia and Justice nodded their agreement.

“Kendrick unions are always held on the first of May; it's sacred tradition,” Delia practically whispered her response.

“All right, then that only leaves one small detail,” I grinned, happy to have a plan in motion that was only three weeks away from being carried out, “How do we get inside?”

“Eden, is it true that last fall, you escaped through the underground river?” Justice asked, his eyes proud again and his expectation confident.

“Yes, Amory took me,” I swallowed, finding it almost impossible not to weep at the memory.

“Without magic?” Justice pressed, his eyes growing ever more excited.

“Yes, the entire way,” I couldn't help perk up with pride.

“That is incredible!” he exclaimed, and then turned to his wife, “Lia, isn't that incredible?”

“Yes, it is.” She gazed intently at me, her eyes brimming with tears again.

“Then, that is how we will go back,” Justice declared. I could tell Lucan had an amazing bodyguard in him at one time. “Delia, Eden and I will sneak in to the citadel that way without magic. If we can operate without magic through the castle, we can theoretically stay undetected until Avalon is out and safe. Jericho, how many are there of you?”

“Almost two dozen,” Jericho replied, he was buzzing with excited energy, ready for battle and ready to rescue his best friend.

“Fantastic! Lucan will be expecting something, some kind of display or protest from you. Jericho and his people can draw out the Guard from the Citadel, leaving the castle nearly empty. When we have Avalon, Eden can call Jericho, who can retreat into the forest and disappear. I do not believe the Guard will follow you far into the mountains, because they will assume it is a trick to get inside the Citadel!” Justice half-shouted, leaning back in his chair and bringing his fist to his chin. “This just might work!”

“It has to work, I have to get Avalon back,” I whispered seriously, as excited as everyone else was, but not able to drop sight of the real goal: my brother.

“Yes, we know you do,” Delia agreed seriously and I felt her words to my very bones. She stood up abruptly and Justice followed.

The mood in the room changed quickly; it was obvious that they needed to move on. The feeling that the conversation was at an end was almost bizarre; the whole climate of our communion changed as if time itself warned my parents that this visit was over.

Delia pulled me into another embrace, holding me to her and rocking back and forth gently. “It gets easier,” she whispered into my ear.

“Being without Avalon?” I asked, clarifying. I hoped she was wrong, I desperately hoped she didn't mean my brother. I didn't want it to get easier; I didn't want not to push every second of every day to get him back.

“No,” she shook her head in my tangles of hair, “to be without Kiran.”

I stood speechless, letting her arms comfort me against the harsh reality of her words. I wondered again at her relationship with Lucan and if my life was a mere echo of hers. She kissed me on the cheek, not wanting to let go, but when Justice tapped her on the shoulder, she immediately consented.

Justice was next, hugging me with fatherly satisfaction and reminded me that I was the leader of the rebellion whether I wanted to be or not. “Train hard, be ready for May first,” he instructed slowly. “Do you know where the cave opens to the split river?” When I nodded, he continued, “Meet us there at five o'clock on the first and we will take the river together,” he pulled away, grinning at me. I felt premature victory with every fiber in my being. I had my parents now and we would conquer this together.

“Eden, we love you, darling, and I will look forward to meeting you soon every moment until that day,” Delia promised passionately; and even my magic believed her.

“I love you too,” I insisted, looking at them both. They were not parents that gave up their children in order to have a better life; they were parents that sacrificed their family in order for their children to live. Delia was not running from a scorned love; she was running to a life in which she could openly love her family.. Somehow, along the way, I joined their flight. I held my own past to chase me, and my own promise of freedom relentlessly to pursue.

“I love you, Eden, see you soon,” Justice echoed and then they were gone. They slipped out the backyard into the spring twilight and across the yard. I watched them disappear into the wooded area that backed up to Amory's house and wondered where they would go. What would life be like as a couple on the road?

But, when I looked at Jericho, I knew. If we didn't defeat the monarchy and find victory, it would be our future together for as long as we lived.

Then I realized that I was already referring to him and me as “us” and “our.”

----

“Well, that was wild,” Jericho turned to me in the kitchen, after my parents disappeared in the freshly budding trees.

“Yeah,” I agreed, turning to him and desperately wanting his touch.

“Are you Ok?” he asked, taking a tentative step forward.

“Yes, I think I am,” I decided, watching him with hungry eyes and wondering if he could feel how badly I wanted him to put his arms around me.

“What about Morocco? Did things go smoothly with the exchange?” He smiled nervously, uncomfortable with my intense gaze.

“Honestly,” I sighed, “as smoothly as could be expected.”

“What is with you?” he asked, an anxious laugh escaping him.

“What do you mean?” I played naive, feeling like I had an idea of what he was talking about, but I wanted to make him squirm a little.

“You came back.... I don't know.... different somehow.” He was moving towards me, but I was confident he wasn't even conscious of the gravitational pull between us. My magic didn't immediately search him out like it did with Kiran, but my body did. I was used to letting Jericho hold me, so when I needed to be held, I couldn't help but selfishly long for him.

“I don't know what you mean,” I laughed, taking a step forward and then closing the distance between us. I pushed him against the kitchen counter and laid my head against his chest, listening to his heart beat wildly inside the fragile protectiveness of his body. I wrapped my arms around his waist and decided for the next three weeks I would never let him leave my presence and then after that, I might never be without him again.

I wanted what my parents had. I wanted an all-consuming love that encapsulated complete self-sacrifice and offered only an equal amount of love in return. I wanted to be held without an agenda and without a desperate man's motives. I wanted to be respected and have my opinions heard. I knew that Jericho was a man that would offer me all those things and more.

I lifted my head, tipping my chin to him. “I missed you,” I sighed, the tears glossing over my eyes.

“I missed you too,” he whispered, searching for something in my expression that couldn't be defined with words.

“Please, don't ever make me leave you again, unless it is absolutely necessary!” I begged, enthusiastically.

“I think I can agree to that,” he answered playfully.

He stared into my eyes for a few, silent moments more before dipping me back, holding me securely in his arms and kissing me. Our magics met each other in tantamount excitement, mine surprising me by its willingness to find Jericho's.

He lifted me closer to him, pressing firmly into the small of my back and I remembered why I found him sexy the moment I met him. His mouth caressed mine in a sweet, gentle way that promised to behave, but also threatened to push some boundaries.

It was the first time that he kissed me and I got lost in the heady, suffocating sensation of his magic trying to encompass mine. A sigh escaped my lips without conscious awareness, giving him permission to kiss me longer.

I could have stayed wrapped in his arms, thinking only of him for the next three weeks, but someone opening the basement door interrupted our moment and reminded me of the wedding I crash in only three short weeks. A part of me couldn't wait to prevent this wedding from happening, and the other part wanted desperately for Kiran to commit to someone else. Either way, the plan was set in motion and Avalon only had to hold on until that day.