Chapter Twenty-Eight

Equinox

A full moon lifted high over the horizon, casting a diamond glow about the frost starting to cover the autumn leaves. It was the signal for the Autumnal Equinox—the beginning of the time of darkness. But the Regime would not let the dark take its rightful place on the throne now. Light would always rule over the world.

Aiden was still awake in his lonely bedchamber. He paced the stone floors, nervously glancing toward his empty bed every so often. In just a few hours he would be prime ruler of not only the secret, magic Occults, but the human race as well. The pressure weighed like a brick of lead on each shoulder, and he spread his arms out wide on the face of his desk. He looked at his reflection in the mirror on the far wall. He aged more and more each day. He looked back at the messy bedclothes from his sleepless night.

***

Charlotte was also still awake, dressing in one of the intricate dresses made for her by Meredith and the other wives of the high Wizards. The one she chose was one of the simpler ones—black. Sarah, who’d remained disguised in the palace keeper’s uniform, hurried her from the doorway. “Come on! Valek will be awake now.”

Sarah grabbed Charlotte by the wrist as the crept quietly down the pitch hallway, listening carefully for guard footsteps. The two made their way, ducking out from the torchlights that hung on the walls by dim tapestries.

“Do you know where you’re going?” Charlotte whispered.

“Stop!” a gruff voice shouted after them.

The two lurched and froze, turning to see an approaching guard. Charlotte’s heart leapt into her throat.

“Oh!” The guard straightened up, startled. “Pardon me, miss. I had not realized it was you.”

Charlotte and Sarah looked at each other. “Uh…yes,” Charlotte stammered. “Um…carry on. As you were.”

The guard nodded at her once before walking in the opposite direction.

They began again through the palace, down the stairways, through different corridors. They rounded one corner when their gaze met with a tall, cloaked figure slightly hunched, a metal claw protruding from one sleeve. He had his back to them and was speaking with Aiden’s father.

Sarah gasped. “That’s….”

Charlotte hushed her quickly as she strained to hear what the two were saying.

“That despicable little rat is clouding the mind of my heir, Danek,” Vladislov grumbled tiredly. “I want her dead not far after the wedding.”

“Understood, my liege. But if Aiden finds out, you may have another war on your hands.”

Charlotte covered her mouth to suppress any sort of noise.

“Aiden shall not find out. The girl will die by ‘natural causes’,” the High Wizard said. “As we agreed, Danek. The empire may have a new face, but I will see that my original law of keeping our existence a secret will live on forever.”

Sarah yanked Charlotte by the shoulder down a different hallway. “No one is dying that I care about.” She huffed as she held out her enchanted needle to the floor. “To the dark!” she ordered as a large, gaping hole in the floor appeared, swallowing the two of them. They plummeted until Sarah waved her needle again, slowing them just before they hit a stony bottom. She pulled open a large, wooden door, and they ran down more steps, until they finally found themselves at the beginning of the dungeon.

The rank smell hit Charlotte’s nose and made her stomach turn. She wrapped her arms around herself as they slowly began walking. Memories of her past continued to come back to her in waves. Meredith’s potion had been very strong, and Charlotte fought to remember Valek’s face. All she could see in her mind, though, were his blue eyes.

Sarah turned to her, holding a finger to her lips again as they passed several cells filled with Vampires and other creatures of the dark. “Do not look anyone we don’t know in the face,” Sarah whispered.

Charlotte nodded as she saw several dark figures reach out toward her from the corner of her eyes.

“Blood,” they moaned at her. A few of them hissed. “Please.”

Charlotte shuddered but she did not look until she heard her name called out to her.

“Charlotte,” Mr. Třínožka weakly groaned from behind the mucky bars.

Charlotte ran over, stretching her hand to him. “Pane Třínožka! Are you all right?” He was too weak to answer. She saw that his goggles had been cracked, and Edwin was lifeless again, hanging limply from his vest pocket. “It’s okay, Mr. Třínožka. We are going to get you out of here.”

“Charlotte!” Sarah called to her from down the hall. She turned to see the Witch beckon for her. She left the cell of the Phaser and ran to see Sarah standing before the cell of the most beautiful man Charlotte had ever seen. A face she instantly remembered belonging to the hands in her dream. Her heart thudded against her chest as everything finally flooded back to her. “Valek!” she cried.

He lifted his head to her. “Lottie….” He groaned quietly. She could see the battle he had been through painted on his face and clothes. The sides of his face and shoulders were blackened by his grappling with the flames, and his once beautiful lips were scarred beyond recognition.

Charlotte fell to her knees, her arm extended all the way toward him between the bars. “Valek….” Tears rolled down her face again. “Come on! You have to fight this. He will have me marry him tomorrow,” she cried. “They will kill you. We can’t give up yet. You promised me.”

“I love you, Lottie.” The words barely came out.

“Valek, you have to get up,” she begged him. “I can’t do this without you!”

“Charlotte,” he murmured. “You cannot marry him.”

“I know!” she cried. “Please. You have to get up.”

Sarah reached behind her head, unclasped the necklace, and tossed it between the bars to Valek. It clamored on the stone just inches in front of him. “Wear that, Valek,” she instructed. “The sun will be up soon. They will kill you. You have to put that on.” She helped Charlotte to stand. “We have to get you back to your room, Charlotte. If anyone discovers we are down here, we will be in more trouble than we are now.”

The two of them hurried back through the long dungeon hallway. Charlotte could not control her sobs as Sarah tried to hush her.

“Y-you don’t understand.” Charlotte ferociously wiped at her face. “He will die and I-I won’t even get to say goodbye.”

Sarah frowned as well as more tears swelled in her own eyes. She quietly opened the door before looking one last time down the dark corridor in Valek’s direction. She willed his consciousness to return, begged him to rise from the ashes just one more time, and closed the door behind her.

Once they found themselves back in Charlotte’s bedroom, the girl was inconsolable. She buried her face deep within her pillow, lost, her arms wrapped around her middle in an effort to hold herself together. Sarah sat on the edge of the bed, running her hand along Charlotte’s spine.

“Charlotte, you have to calm down,” Sarah said. “Valek will find a way to come through. He always does.”

“How can he?” Charlotte turned her face to one side. “They’ll kill him. And I will be getting married to that ugly coward.” She continued in broken sobs.

“Oh, Charlotte.” She sighed. “Where is your God?”