The Water Queens (Keeper of the Water) (26 page)

“Her plans might’ve backfired,” I say before explaining my ability to connect with Cassie and the way I’ve seen nothing but blackness the last few times I’ve tried.

“Before
this
,” Amelia says, pointing to the TV still showing coverage from the sighting of Harriet, “the only news showed was video of Cassie and her husband being shot. The gardens in Generalife are very crowded but one lucky cameraman had a clear view of Cassie when the arrow smashed into her; it was certainly a risky shot. You could see the special water in the fountain behind her turn dimmer just before she was hit. Still, the arrow didn’t pierce her heart so the water should’ve healed her by now. Why is she prolonging the injury? To garner more sympathy? I’d think she’d want to recover as quick as possible to prove how powerful she is, to speed up the chances for her coronation.”

“Unless the water isn’t as powerful as before,” I say.

I’m about to tell her my theories about Janey’s abilities when there’s a loud scraping near the door behind us. I whip off my cloak and backpack, retrieving my bow. In one fluid motion, I have an arrow pulled back, ready to fire at the first sign of the queens. The door slowly opens inward and a cloaked person steps into the room. Harriet pulls back her hood. Flickering light dances across her face, showing fiercely burning eyes as she glares at me.

“I
thought
that was you in the crowd,” she says.

I can’t help but think her statement sounds more like an accusation.

“Thank you for stopping those guards
and
the little girls from spotting me,” I say.

She huffs. “Did you see Catherine walking among them? I
hate
that I had to run from
her
. But now that I been spotted – now that our sketches been shown to the world – Amelia and me ain’t gonna be able to get close to Alhambra. Gonna be just as hard to move ‘round the city now that they know we here.”

“I knew I should’ve stayed back from the walls but there was something about that group of girls,” I say, growing sadder. “I thought my daughter might be with them.”

I can tell that Harriet
wants
to stay mad but the mention of my daughter cools the fire in her eyes.

“Those girls are the first ones from Cassie’s school; they been lookin’ up to her the past couple years,” Harriet says. “They been at Alhambra a couple days now but looked much different today. They musta been given some of the special water but not much. I seen the way they move; they special alright but not as fast as a normal Amazon.”

“I might know the reason for that and the reason why Cassie hasn’t shown herself since the shooting,” I say. “I was just telling Amelia that Cassie’s isn’t faking her injury; she might be near death, at least for the time being. The water has changed. That’s why she hasn’t healed, that’s why those little girls haven’t gained full powers like other Amazons.”

Harriet and Amelia look the same way I feel about this news: conflicted. I’m sure they’d rejoice in the demise of Cassie if it weren’t for the distinct possibility that the water of life would be destroyed in the process.

“You’re here to help Cassie?” Harriet asks.

The idea of protecting the Keeper at all costs is still ingrained in us, though maybe more so in the other two.

“I’m here to find my daughter, though
she
might’ve come here to save Cassie,” I say.

They look confused so I explain everything I’ve recently learned about Janey, about her enhanced Amazonian abilities despite never drinking the special water, about the way she touched the former water source and caused the spring to glow, possibly taking away powers from Cassie’s water. Amelia looks at me with wonder and awe; it’s nice to take away her look of defeat, if only momentarily. But Harriet’s stern expression remains. She doesn’t have to say a word for me to see she’s skeptical.

“How can that be? How can a little girl be so powerful?” Amelia asks.

I have my theories but I’m not going to win back Harriet’s trust by speaking ad nauseum about my husband, the man with the sordid past in regards to Amazons and our water.

“Cleopatra used to say that Mother Earth works in mysterious ways,” I say simply.

Harriet isn’t buying that. “How does such a young girl know about her role in saving the Keeper? And why would she choose
now
of all times to want to come here?”

“I’m afraid she’s taken the advice of someone who doesn’t want Cassie to die,” I say.

“And who’s that? Your
husband
?” Harriet asks, a not-so-subtle dig.

“
No
,” I snap back, though I don’t mention how John
did
seem in favor of helping Cassie. “John and I separated while on Janey’s trail so we could double our chances of finding her. Actually, the person who talked to my daughter found us in Greece where we were hiding and warned us that Cassie knew we were still alive. If she wanted to harm us, she could’ve. Instead, she ended up convincing Janey that only
she
could help save the Amazon way of life.”

My two recruits look at each other, confused. I don’t know why I’m suddenly hesitant to say who it was.

“You gonna tell us or not?” Harriet asks.

I nod slowly. “Mary Bowser.”

Amelia looks horrified; Harriet’s eyes narrow and her jaw clenches. She looks like she might attack
me
she’s so angry.

“I know what you’re thinking but she’s not a traitor,” I say. I’ve been wondering this very possibility for several days but this is the first time I might actually believe it. “At least I don’t think she is.”

Harriet shakes her head. “I know you’re my Mentor and I always be grateful for that. But you a bigger fool than I thought if you think Mary Bowser ain’t a traitor.”

“Jane Austen thought Cassie and the queens might come back one day for the water,” I say. “She set up a plan with Mary to
pretend
to join them.”

Amelia’s brow furrows in thought but Harriet shakes her head vehemently, not even considering the possibility.

“Ain’t
no
way,” she says, though I can tell there’s a trace of hurt in her voice. “If that’s true, why wouldn’t Jane choose
me
to join the queens ‘stead of Mary? I’m bigger and stronger than Mary. Jane didn’t think I’d stay loyal to her?”

Amelia snickers at that thought and Harriet turns on her, looming large. The former pilot quickly shuts up and turns away. Now it’s my turn to shake my head.

“She thought you were
too
loyal,” I say. “Nobody would’ve believed you could drop your hatred of Catherine and the queens and join them. As my first recruit, it was dangerous enough for Mary to take on the assignment.”

“Uh uh,” Harriet says. “I’ll never believe that.”

“When you fled our camp in the jungle, you hid up a tree. Mary knew you were up there but led the others away,” I say. “You owe her your life, or at least a chance of trusting her again.”

“I don’t owe her nothin’,” Harriet snaps. Her eyes go so wide with rage that it’s the first time I’ve ever felt afraid of my recruit. “Even if that was true back then, it ain’t the case now. She changed somewhere ‘long the line; somethin’ happened for her to swear allegiance to them queens.”

Worry gnaws at the pit of my stomach. Though I’m finally willing to give Mary the benefit of the doubt, it’s hard not to consider the lands she was promised once the Queen Clan gains total power. Still, I shake off that thought, at least for now.

“She wouldn’t do that to me,” I argue. “I saved her from the fire, I saved her life and made her an Amazon. She wouldn’t betray her mentor; a part of me always believed that…”

“Like Cassie would never betray
her
mentor?” Amelia asks, finally seeming to side with Harriet. I can’t blame her for that; not only has Harriet been with her the last five years, Amelia was also with me and witnessed firsthand how Cassie turned on
her
mentor. “Power corrupts even the noblest of people sometimes. Cassie knows you’re a trusting person so maybe she used your past with Mary against you.”

It’s a thought I’ve worried about from the moment Mary appeared beside our spring in Andros. She was obviously reluctant to tell me the entire account of her life with the queens – and we didn’t part on the greatest of terms – but there still seems to be more positives than negatives in what I saw from her. I just hope my heart isn’t fooling my brain.

“Mary isn’t as bad as you think,” I say. “She lied to Cassie about where she was going to look for me; she risked her life to throw off the queens’ scent. After watching what happened to Babe during the attack, she couldn’t take pretending to be a part of them any longer.”

Harriet shakes her head wildly; Amelia looks and me and frowns sadly.

“I don’t know exactly what she told you happened but Mary obviously left one important part out of her story,” Amelia says, her voice growing surprisingly angry. “Yes, she acted as a lookout during most of the battle and she called off the others before they could kill us. But
Mary
is the one who killed Babe.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Amelia’s words feel like a punch in the gut. I want nothing more than this to be a terrible joke but the death of her recruit is no laughing matter. Leaving my cloak and backpack on the ground – there’s no
way
I’m leaving behind my bow – I rush for the door. For days I’ve tried convincing myself that I can still trust Mary. Now I know Harriet is right – I
am
a fool for believing her. But that’s a problem I plan to rectify
right now
.

I throw open the door before my recruits can reach me. With a single kick, I push the huge crate – which Amelia struggled to move on her own – halfway across the warehouse floor. Harriet and Amelia each grab one of my arms. I feel them trying to hold me back but I’m stronger than both combined and drag them through the doorway like they offer little resistance.

“Please, Mentor, you have to stop,” Amelia pleads.

“We need to lay low,” Harriet adds. “‘Specially now that they know we so close. Don’t blow it for all of us.”

I yank one arm forward and shake Amelia free; somehow, Harriet is able to hold on to the other but still can’t slow me down.

“I don’t care about that,” I say. “Besides, those girls, the public, even the Queen Clan, they’re all focused on finding the two of you, not me.”

I remember the way one of the singing girls spotted me just before their attention was turned to Harriet. Hopefully it was all in my head but I can’t shake the feeling that she recognized me, that she would’ve come after
me
had Harriet not revealed herself. Now I know to play it safer, not that I’m in the mood to do
anything
the slow or careful way anymore.

“I wouldn’t be so sure you stayed anonymous, Mentor,” Amelia says.

She stands in the doorway of the smaller room, pointing back inside. My heart sinks again as Harriet finally lets go of my arm. Now’s my chance to rush out of the warehouse but I
do
still trust my remaining recruits enough to see what Amelia is pointing at. I’m filled with an increasing sense of foreboding with each step I take back to the room. At the bottom of the TV screen is a headline that reads: THIRD ASSASSIN NOW SUSPECTED IN ROYAL KILLINGS.

The screen switches to a small press conference outside the walls of Alhambra, not far from where we just fled. I’m sickened at the sight of Catherine the Great being interviewed; I can hear Harriet’s teeth grinding beside me. The screen identifies her as: “Catherine Tragethe: Head of Countess Isabella’s Personal Security Force.”

“During our investigations of the women responsible for the attempt on Countess Isabella’s life, we’ve learned of a third assassin who’s recently been spotted outside the walls of Alhambra,” Catherine starts. “This is the sketch of that third woman, who should be considered armed and extremely dangerous.”

I already know what I’m about to see but it’s still no less surprising to see a detailed sketch of my face, which remains on the screen for several seconds before joining the pictures of Harriet and Amelia.

“I don’t care if people are looking for me or not,” I say, heading back toward the warehouse. “Mary is a liar and a killer and if she
does
have my daughter, I’ll stop at nothing to prevent her from bringing my Janey to see Cassie. I’ll fight the entire Queen Clan on my own if I must.”

My recruits don’t try to physically restrain me this time but still follow me across the warehouse floor. Harriet looks like she wants to join me, consequences be damned. But Amelia – usually the consummate follower – proves that a lot has changed the last few years. She steps in front of me before I reach the door to the city.

“Mentor, you will
die
if you attempt what you say,” she argues. “And how will that be good for saving the water
or
your daughter’s life?”

My brain knows that what she’s saying is true but my heart isn’t in the mood to listen. My love and worry for Janey will allow me to overcome any obstacle in my way;
that
I have no doubt about. I nearly reach the warehouse door when a noise outside makes me stop – makes us
all
stop.

“I think they’re down this way,” a tiny, hollow voice calls out.

“I don’t see anything,” says a second voice, which sounds almost identical to the first.

“It’s them,” I whisper to my recruits. “The little girls.”

“And they’re
not
alone,” Harriet adds, gripping her club even tighter.

“That alley dead-ends,” an older, more mature voice says. I recognize one of the queens but can’t put a face to the voice. “There’s nothing down there.”

“My Queen, this is the direction where I saw the assassin headed,” the first tiny voice says, obviously one of the little girls.

The three of us ready our weapons. I wonder if Harriet and Amelia’s hearts pound as hard as mine. The only reason I stay quiet instead of launching a surprise attack is to avoid compromising my recruits’ hidden headquarters. And while I’d have no problem fighting – and destroying – any queens that may be out there, I don’t think I could bring myself to harm any of the brainwashed young girls, regardless of what
they
might be willing to do to
me
. They remind me too much of Janey.

A loud
slap
suddenly echoes down the alley, following by a gasp.

“Don’t you
ever
question my orders again,” the queen screams. “That goes for
all
of you who don’t want to feel the back of my hand.”

Not another voice is heard but somehow I’m more enraged than before. We remain ready to fight but don’t hear any footsteps running toward or away from us. My recruits and I stand still for nearly ten minutes, just waiting for what we’ll do next. I’m anxious to get moving but the quiet time gives me the chance to cool down, to realize that if Janey
is
with Mary that they’ve been together for days and there’s no point rushing in now. I’m the first to budge and my recruits follow quickly back into the windowless office.

News coverage shows more footage outside Alhambra, where yet another breaking story appears, this one involving a fight that broke out between an unidentified man in the crowd and several of Alhambra’s guards near the main entrance. Video is shown of four burly, yet woozy guards trying – and failing – to get to their feet.

“The unexpected appearance of one of the suspects in the royal murders – as well as news emerging of a
third
possible killer – has incited more violence and chaos after several days of peaceful prayer-filled gatherings from people across the globe,” says the newscaster, an attractive Spanish woman. “This band of killers has already terrorized the Spanish monarchy but is now causing the Spanish people tremendous grief, too. I, for one, am sickened by these three evil women and pray they are brought to justice quickly, hopefully in the harshest possible – ”

The newscaster suddenly stops speaking and puts a hand to her earpiece. In an instant, her angry, somber expression is wiped away, replaced with a wide smile.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve just received wonderful news that…” she begins, nearly choking on her words. She’s so thrilled that she wipes tears from the corners of her eyes before continuing. “I’m receiving word that Countess Isabella has woken from her coma. Not only is she lucid and responsive, she’s feeling so strong – so ready to deal with her would-be killers head on – that she plans to address the world tomorrow night.”

My heart sinks. If Cassie is awake, that can only mean one thing as far as Janey is concerned. I feel hopeless, helpless, angry, worried; my emotions are being pulled in ten different directions at once. I want to scream, I want to cry, I want to fire an arrow through the picture of Cassie on the TV screen. Instead, I settle for the photograph of her taped to the wall. I breathe in deep gasps and feel no better at the sight of my arrow through her forehead in the photo. My recruits remain silent several feet away from me. Harriet – who I’ve never seen afraid before – even looks at me a bit warily.

“Janey is inside the palace,” I growl with such utter certainty that it makes my stomach turn. “Or more likely Generalife; wherever Cassie is staying.”

“They will be watching the outside grounds even closer now that they know
you’re
here, too,” Amelia says.

If one of the lesser queens would slap around one of the orphaned girls, there’s no telling what
Cassie
would do to
my
little girl, especially considering the threat Janey poses to her power. It sickens me to think what my daughter may be going through but I know my recruits are right: rushing into danger and getting myself killed won’t help Janey.

“The crowds holdin’ vigil won’t be stayin’ outside Alhambra now Cassie woke up; they ain’t stayin’ there passed tomorrow night,” Harriet says. “But we got another chance to blend in with them tonight. Whether I been spotted out there or not, people
will
return to the fields for whatever Cassie’s gotta say tomorrow. This could be history they witnessin’; may also be our last chance though I still don’t know how we gonna get inside.”

“I
have
to learn more about what’s happening within the palace,” I say. “And there’s only one way to do that.”

I lean my bow against the wall and sit on one of the mattresses. With Janey likely in mortal danger, it doesn’t take much for me to get into the proper emotional state to connect with Cassie. I hear Harriet ask what I’m doing but Amelia takes care of that explanation, not that I hear the whole thing…

For the first time since the shooting, I don’t see only blackness. Cassie looks down a hallway just as the door at the end closes. The first sound I hear coming from that room is ear-splitting crying; something is wrong with Janey and I pray she’s just frightened. Still, it’s been years since I’ve heard her wail like that. I try not to become too upset and tip Cassie off about my connection but it’s tough to keep my composure when she turns to the person walking beside her.

Mary Bowser.

“I don’t understand how a little brat like that can be so powerful,” Cassie tells my
former
recruit.

“I know what you mean,” Mary says. “But the moment I brought her here and submerged her in the fountain, our water turned bright blue again.”

“
Our
water?” Cassie asks, looking at her sideways.

Mary bows her head slightly. “Apologies, My Keeper, of course I meant to say your water.”

“Yes,
my
water is correct,” Cassie says.

She approaches a window guarded by one of the large men. She shakes her hand at him to shoo him away.

“Are you certain, Countess?” the guard asks. “We’ve been told to guard the windows closely, especially since a third potential assassin might be – ”

Cassie grabs the guard by the shirt, spins and hurls him across the hallway, where he crashes into the wall and slumps to the floor. He does not grunt, does not groan, does not move; I can’t tell if he’s breathing because Cassie pays him so little mind that she doesn’t give him a second look. Instead, she looks down into the beautiful gardens of the Generalife, where bright blue water once again flows from the fountain. As she stares at the water, she instinctively touches the wound near her shoulder.

“It’s a good thing you sent me after Sacajawea when you did,” Mary says. “If not, I never would’ve discovered that little girl and her strange powers. Sacajawea swore she did nothing to make the girl so powerful but I’m not so sure I believed that.”

“I still think we should kill her,” a third voice says.

“Ahh, looks who
finally
comes to see me now that Mary has returned with the ability to heal me,” Cassie says.

Cassie turns to see Catherine the Great approaching from down the hallway. The former Russian empress steps over the guard’s unmoving body as she approaches. Her words enrage me and I wish I had control of Cassie’s hands so I can grab her closest ally and throw her out the window. Cassie suddenly chuckles; I have a feeling she senses our connection but she makes no mention of it so I don’t try to sever it.

“Believe me, I would love to end the threat that little brat poses to my power,” Cassie says, a comment that seems as much directed at me as to the other two. “But I’m unsure if eliminating her would ultimately harm or diminish the water’s power since she seems to have some sort of control over it. Instead, I shall use the child to my benefit, make sure she grows up as
my
child. I will raise her to be more power-driven than any of my queens, maybe even more power-driven than
me
.”

That idea is like a stab to my heart. I can
feel
Cassie’s glee about further crushing my spirit.

“Isn’t it a bit beyond the girl’s formative years to start molding her? Didn’t Mary say she was five, six years old already?” Catherine asks. “There’s no way you can make her forget her real mother.”

“You’ve been spending too much time in front of the television cameras,” Cassie snaps at her.