The Water Queens (Keeper of the Water) (28 page)

The most interesting – and disturbing – story comes from aerial coverage of Generalife filmed by a helicopter flying overhead. While shooting footage of the massive projection screens being set up outside the palaces, cameras filmed intensely blue light from within Generalife’s gardens. The fountain had been bright during the press conference ending with the shootings of Count Cristiano and Cassie, but the glow is now so brilliant that the cover of garden trees can’t contain the light. The newscasters assume lights must’ve been installed around the fountain for Cassie’s announcement. If only they knew the truth, though
I’m
sure Janey’s proximity has something to do with the water’s brightness becoming more intense than I’ve ever seen…

“I must go out now to find a ride,” Amelia says once the sun rises. “I’ll check to make sure nobody is entering our alley.”

“I’ll come with you,” I say, no longer able to bear the waiting.

“No,” John says right away.

I’m about to remind him that this is an Amazon operation – therefore it’s
my
decision to make – when Amelia looks at me and shakes her head.

“I’m sorry, Mentor,” she says, sensing my disappointment. “But it wouldn’t be smart for us to go together. I
have
to leave here for my part of the plans. Harriet was already spotted so people are on the lookout for her; your picture was the last one shown to the public so you’re freshest on everyone’s mind. At least when the queens sketched my face, they did it based upon memory with my short hair.”

Amelia unties her longer hair and lets it cascade across her face. She
does
look a lot different than usual. We escort her as far as the warehouse entrance and watch her rush down the alley. Seeing the sunshine and taking a breath of fresh air makes me feel claustrophobic once we slide the door closed. The next few hours pass even slower than before. As if worrying about Janey isn’t bad enough, I keep one eye on the TV at all times, my heart skipping a beat each time the BREAKING NEWS banner appears at the bottom of the screen. John’s plan is complicated enough
without
the threat of Amelia being captured before nightfall. When she returns a few hours later, the tiny bit of relief leaves me hopeful that things
might
end up working out.

“Found me a cropduster on a farm a few miles outside the city,” she says. “Its owner doesn’t even lock the barn it’s kept in.”

I’m glad Amelia’s back safely but I still keep my distance from the two Amazons. Amelia always talks when she’s nervous but when she tries asking me about the last six years of my life, I give one-word answers. My recruit can quickly tell I’m not in the mood for swapping stories. A part of me feels bad for giving her the cold shoulder but my nerves are racing and I’m afraid I’ll lose my mind if I start talking too much. John must sense this because he approaches me and puts an arm around my waist. At first I want to shrug him off until Amelia walks away; she and Harriet avoid him like the plague when not talking strategy.

While he holds me, I suddenly feel overwhelmed by shame. For the last six years, all of my quiet, reflective time was spent thinking of being back with the Amazons, of helping my recruits get the water back and defeating Cassie. I look around the dark warehouse office and shake my head – this is
not
what I had in mind. Now I want nothing more than to return to my quiet family life, which may never happen if Cassie gets her way.

“I think I’m going to rest,” I tell John.

He looks surprised. “Now? Are you sure?”

There’s not a sleepy cell in my body and John must feel the same. Still, I nod.

“Okay, that’s probably not such a bad idea,” he says.

“Wake me if anything new happens,” I tell him.

I’m relieved when he doesn’t follow me to the mattress in the corner. I’m not sure I could pull this off if he decided to lay with me. I curl up on the bed and turn my back to the others. But when I close my eyes, it’s not sleep that I try to connect with…

After each time I’ve connected with Cassie, I swear it’ll be my last. I don’t think there’s anything else I can learn by seeing what she does yet I can’t stop myself from trying to learn anything more about Janey.

Apparently, Cassie
can
stop me.

By this point, I
feel
her mind open but when I try to grasp hold, I only hear a split second of crying before I’m pushed away. I guess I’m not the only one recognizing how this whole connection thing works. But I keep my eyes closed and try connecting again, over and over as Cassie and I become locked in a peculiar tug-of-war mind battle. The fight exhausts me and I feel like I’m on the verge of passing out when blackness in front of my eyes suddenly fades to a view of stone walls…

I’m inside Generalife again, once again standing in front of the door that closes at the end of the hallway. I’m crushed at missing the chance to see Janey again – especially when I still hear her ear-splitting cry – but at least I know she hasn’t been moved. Cassie turns to one of the queens outside the door.

“Go see if you can shut that brat up already… or should I say my
soon-to-be
daughter,” Cassie chuckles.

These words enrage me to my very core. Cassie slowly shakes her head and
tisk
-
tisks
before whispering to me.

“You’d better learn how to control that temper or it will be your downfall. It’s a good thing your daughter is lucky enough to have
me
as her mother now.”              

I feel myself shaking with rage at the mere thought of losing Janey as my daughter. But as much as I hate to admit it, Cassie is right about thing; I need to control my anger before I lose my grasp on Cassie’s mind.

“Were you speaking to me?” a nearby voice asks.

Cassie turns to look at another
queen
catching up to her. Seeing the face of Mary Bowser does nothing to ease my fury. She stands in the open doorway of an extravagant room adjacent to where Janey is being held; I suppose this must be another perk of becoming a traitor and kidnapping a young girl.

“No,” Cassie snaps at her without another word.

I’m actually glad when Mary is summarily dismissed. I don’t know if Cassie senses my anger but she quickly dips into the next room, closing the door behind her. She approaches an ornate, gold-plated mirror and stares directly into her eyes; this is her way of telling me that she knows I’m here, that what she’s doing is for my benefit. I expect her to spew more words of hatred but I’m surprised when she pulls her shirt off without the slightest bit of bashfulness.

She runs her finger over the tiniest scar that marks the area of her chest just above her heart. I’m not sure why she’d make a point of showing me this; knowing that she almost died is the first thing that makes me happy since I’ve connected. But she slowly shakes her head and smiles, cruelty plain to see across her lips. Without a word, she takes out a vial of water shining so brightly blue that she has to hold it away from her line of sight. She pops off the stopper and holds the vial above the wound.

A single drop is all that’s needed. It splashes down on the scar, instantly wiping away any imperfection. For good measure, she drinks the rest of the water in a quick gulp. Her body shivers and when she exhales, her next breath fogs the mirror with frost. I feel that she’s stronger than ever and suddenly realize that I don’t have a hold of
her
mind as much as she has a hold of
mine
.

“What that girl can produce is
incredible
,” she says to the mirror. “And the timing of her arrival could
not
have been better. Thank you for being an awful mother and providing me a weapon more dangerous and useful than any of my pathetic queens could possibly be. With your daughter…” She stops and chuckles. “Or should I say
my
daughter by my side,
nothing
will stop me taking over the world now.”

Cassie rips me out of her mind. A blast of pain erupts in my head but all I see is darkness, all I hear is the distant sound of Janey’s awful crying swirling all around me. I feel like I’m falling, that there’s nothing for me to grab hold of, nothing to stop from feeling trapped and desperate and frustrated. Eventually it’s like my mind is spinning out of control. The crying sound fades, as do the memories of Janey and Cassie and the water and the Amazons. Every important memory is at the top of a deep well that I’m falling deep into… down… down… until darkness envelops me…

I lose myself to nothingness.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

My eyes struggle to open. More specifically, I struggle to
tell
my eyes to open. Commands from my brain don’t quite reach my body as quickly as I’d like. It’s a strange feeling considering my reaction time is normally lightning fast. I look up to darkness, which slowly fades into three very concerned faces. John’s mouth moves but it takes a long moment for the sound of his voice to reach my ears; it sounds like he’s speaking to me from the end of a long tunnel.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, his words finally reaching me.

I shake my head and sit up, though my head feels so woozy that I’m worried I could faint.

“Nothing,” I lie. “Just wanted to take a quick nap.”

John knows me too well to believe that but I at least expect my recruits to take my word for it. But Harriet and Amelia watch me with just as much concern. It doesn’t help that when I try to stand, I stumble and nearly fall before John grabs my arm to steady me.

“What’s wrong, Mentor?” Amelia asks. I shrug, about to deny any problem, but the pilot continues to tell me why things
are
wrong with me. “You’ve been asleep for
hours
, nearly the entire day. You were moaning in your sleep and woke up for a brief moment before passing out.”

I sigh; no point denying the truth now.

“I connected with Cassie again,” I say. “She’s getting much more powerful… she knew I was there the entire time.”

“You can’t keep doing that if she’s getting stronger,” John says.

“But she has Janey, I
had
to make sure she was okay,” I say. “Cassie might be stronger
physically
but that strength is keeping her mind just as arrogant; she
knows
I’ve seen where they’re keeping Janey but they haven’t moved her.”

A bluish glow in the corner of the room suddenly gets my attention. I walk by my recruits, feeling more strength return to my legs with each step. On the television, a split screen shows the massive crowd outside the palaces as well as the first glimpse of Generalife’s interior garden courtyard. The garden area is empty for the moment but a long red carpet leads to the fountain, where its bluish light glows brightly.

“Isabella
will
be crowned queen tonight,” Harriet says. “They ain’t botherin’ to keep that secret no more. Ain’t gonna be but a few hours till the ceremony is shown to the world.”

I look to John and he nods somberly. Normally I might feel the urge to gloat about how his plans made with Cassie centuries ago were finally about to come to fruition. But he looks utterly miserable at the moment and I feel bad for ever doubting whether he wanted Cassie to fail.

“You still feel okay to go through with
our
plans?” Amelia asks.

“
Yes
,” I say resolutely. “Nothing will hold me back.”

Amelia looks to Harriet for confirmation. My stern recruit stares at me, not appearing fully convinced. But she doesn’t hesitate to nod.

“Then I must leave now,” Amelia says.

My pulse races in anticipation, though John, Harriet and I still have a little more time to wait before we leave, too. John stays behind in the office but Harriet and I accompany Amelia across the empty warehouse, during which time she talks her way through her part of the plans – she
always
talks to herself when she’s nervous. Once we crack the door open to the alley, we hear just as many people streaming down the streets as hours earlier. It’s staggering – and a bit sickening – to think how many people have come here for Cassie’s benefit. Amelia throws her arms around Harriet, who looks uncomfortable but hugs her back.

“Be safe,” Harriet tells her. “Hopefully this finally gonna be the end.”

Amelia turns to me and nods. “Good luck, Mentor. I hope you retrieve your daughter safely.”

“We
will
put a stop to Cassie once and for all,” I say.

She forces a smile. “Thank you for giving me an amazing life with the Amazons.”

Something feels final about this interaction; Amelia obviously doesn’t like my chances to survive the trip into the queens’ lair. It seems like I should say something more profound though I can’t do anything but nod. Amelia turns and takes off again; I can’t help thinking this will be the last time I see her. Harriet appears just as concerned but neither of us bothers with empty promises that everything will be okay. We wait in silence for another half-hour before deciding to leave a little earlier than planned. Harriet decides to take an even longer route to her rendezvous point so that we can split up earlier and not risk being spotted together. When we separate, there are no words of finality, no goodbyes, no words of inspiration or wishes of good luck. The only thing that passes between us is a quick glance and slight nod of respect. She slings a bow over her shoulder and pulls her hood up before merging into the crowd.

“You ready?” John asks.

I nod.

Neither of us tries to hide our identity, though I still wear my large cloak over the bow. John takes my hand and squeezes tight as we enter the crowd of people. We’re just another happy couple, here to witness history. John and I say nothing as we join the crush of people; our worry for Janey makes any other topic of conversation a moot point. It’s much slower moving along the streets; it doesn’t help when I feel a slight tugging at the back of my mind.

“Oh no,” I whisper.

“What’s wrong?” John asks.

“Nothing,” I snap. “Just guide me.”

I squeeze my eyes shut as I feel Cassie invade my mind. My heart pounds in my chest as she holds on tightly. I don’t want to look around anywhere to let her figure out where I am. I try to push her away but the effort leaves me exhausted, out of breath, weak in the legs. The last thing I want is to draw too much attention to myself; that would be just as damning as showing Cassie where to find me.

“What’s happening to you, Nia?” I hear John’s voice says in the distance.

I shake my head but dare not say a word. Instead I focus on taking deep breaths, relaxing, trying to pinpoint every emotion I feel to push them out of my mind. I take a final deep breath before slowly exhaling every worry about Janey, every concern about our plans, every ounce of hatred I feel toward Cassie and her queens. When I can become no calmer, I again try to pry Cassie out of my head but she remains firmly entrenched. Rather than panic, I decide to use Cassie’s emotions against her.

Despite the pushing all around from the large crowd, I stop in the middle of the street and pull John closer to me. I look up toward him and open my eyes, staring into the face of the man that Isabella of Castille obsessed about for hundreds of years.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

“I love you,” I tell him.

John looks confused but I don’t give him the chance to question me further. I pull him toward me and press my lips against his, feeling more passion than I have in years, not letting go even when I hear a few whistles and groans from the crowd around us. This isn’t exactly keeping a low profile but I sense Cassie’s jealousy and anger, sense that her emotions are running out of control and causing her grasp on my mind to slip. I let her linger on the thought of this kiss for a few seconds longer before finally pushing her out of my head for good. The next time we connect, hopefully it will be my fist against her face.

When I pull away from John, he looks to be in shock.

“What was
that
all about?” he asks with a dumb little smile on his face.

It’s amusing that I still get such a reaction out of him but I can’t enjoy this moment as much as he does. It might feel good initially to get the better of Cassie – to piss her off so much – but
she’s
still the one with all the power. If she wants to make someone pay for that kiss, it will surely be my daughter.

“Let’s get Janey back,” I tell him.

The mention of her name causes him to frown but he has some extra pep in his step that wasn’t there before. The crowds come to a near standstill as we reach the edge of the harsh terrain outside Alhambra. Somehow, the amount of people here must’ve increased ten-fold since yesterday, something I couldn’t imagine possible if I didn’t see it with my own two eyes. Though it’s slow going and difficult to force our way forward, at least the number of people will make it almost impossible for the queens – or the creepy little girls – to look for us.

People seem to cover every square inch of land outside Alhambra and Generalife, some of them climbing the multitude of trees around the rocky terrain, many coming dangerously close to the large ravine separating the two palaces. A half-dozen massive screens are set up around the perimeter and the atmosphere among the crowd is festive, yet cautious; it’s not dissimilar to footage I’ve seen of Times Square on New Years Eve.

Security must be beefed up everywhere but it’s much harder to tell for sure. I can no longer spot the strange band of young girls or any of the queens, though my guess is they aren’t wandering far from Generalife and Cassie. I look toward the sea of people around the smaller of the two palaces and wonder if Harriet has reached her place yet. John and I might have the most dangerous part of this mission but Harriet is certainly going to the diciest area outside.

But there’s no time to try picking her out among a crowd of thousands. Instead, John leads us in the other direction, heading toward the back of Alhambra. No screens are visible from this section, where the terrain is so difficult that few people would be foolish enough to try traversing it. Luckily, the only guards in this back section are men and they don’t seem as attentive as the ones out front. With this area flooded in mostly darkness, it’s easier for John and I to blend into the night – and easier to search for an area to
break
in.

“There,” John says, pointing to a high section of wall where no guards can be seen. I nod in agreement but we no sooner move in its direction when I feel the slight tug on my mind again.

“Hold on,” I tell him before shutting my eyes again.

“What is it?” John asks. “What keeps happening?”

But I ignore the question, needing my full concentration to keep Cassie shut out. I still sense her anger – not that
that
is anything new – so I’m able to push her away from my mind, though the effort leaves me further drained. Once she’s gone, I open my eyes and nod for John to keep going; the thought of Janey is all I need to keep me moving forward.

“What’s happening to you?” he asks.

“It’s Cassie,” I tell him. “I feel her trying to connect with me. But don’t worry, I can keep her out if I concentrate.”

“Maybe you should wait out here,” he says.

But I shake my head and walk away from him. I accelerate quickly over the rocky terrain and leap, soaring high to the palace wall above. I don’t quite make it as high as I want but I still grab the top of the wall and pull myself over. It’s not pretty but I move quickly to throw myself over the side, where I fall and land quietly inside the palace grounds. John has no such weakness and lands next to me a split second later.

We’re in a small, dark courtyard and no sooner take a few steps when we run into the first guard, a man much smaller than those stationed around Alhambra’s perimeter. John takes my hand and runs quickly around him to avoid being seen – he’s too late. The guard spots our blur of movement and turns to raise his gun. But he never gets the chance to pull the trigger. I pull the bow off my shoulder but John reaches him and lays him out with a single punch.

“There goes not being seen,” he says, dragging the body to the darkest corner of the courtyard. “I’m sure he won’t be missed for long. We’ve got to hurry.”

“You’re the expert here,” I say. “Lead the way.”

He nods and takes my hand. We rush through the palace grounds, weaving in and out of huge archways and open doors, sticking to the shadows to avoid detection from the guards. Though many of the cavernous rooms are dark at this time of night – not to mention that I’m focused on getting to Janey
and
checking for guards – it’s impossible to ignore my surroundings. Each room in Alhambra is more impressive than the last, the architecture hundreds of years old but so ornate that such beauty has rarely been replicated since.

I keep my bow at the ready as we proceed deeper into the palace. Each room is quieter and darker than the last, the temperatures becoming slightly cooler. I almost lose my focus when I spot movement in the corner of the next room. A guard raises his gun and takes aim in our direction; I react instinctively, firing an arrow into his chest before he can pull the trigger or alert other guards. The man drops, dead before his body hits the floor. I feel bad for killing him – he
is
just doing his job for Cassie – but nothing will stop me from rescuing Janey. Several more guards meet the same fate as we cross the palace but there’s no time to hide the bodies.

John stops me when we approach a larger, well-lit room where a larger group of guards is assembled.

“Can we go another way?” I whisper.

John shakes his head. “We need to get through this room to reach Alhambra’s lower level. The hidden passage isn’t far now.”