Beckoning Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #1)(37)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

“Maybe you’re not so far off,” I joked back. It felt good to laugh, even though we both knew that Monty’s mood had nothing to do with pizza.

I was still feeling pretty lousy when Samantha came over.

“You would not be half bad if you stopped trying to show off.” She sat down next to me.

“So, is that a backhanded compliment or—” I started.

“It is advice. Look, I know I was hard on you today, but I need to be. If we have any chance of getting into the castle at Bellgard, we have to be at our best.”

“It’s going to be tough, huh?” I tried to hide how completely humiliated I was.

“Yes. There is no way that they are letting us in easily, especially if your sister is the new Essence.” She pushed the food around on her plate.

“Listen, I’m sorry for implying that girls couldn’t fight. That was pretty stupid,” I said, wanting to clear things up.

“It was, but I will give you a pass this one time. Just do not make the mistake again.” She stood and walked away.

I was still feeling humiliated when I went to sleep, especially about how dumb and weak I must have looked to Samantha. She really was a lot more than met the eye. I had never met a girl like her before, and as much as I knew I should be thinking of other things, I couldn’t get her out of my head.

Chapter Twenty

Charlotte

I paced around my room trying to make sense of the situation. Blake had made it clear that I wasn’t leaving the castle, and now I was locked in my room with an armed guard outside. Things were getting intense. I knew that I had to find a way to leave, even if it meant leaving Calvin behind. That realization was a hard one to accept. I knew that it would hurt even more if we were separated now. The ceremony had made my connection to him so much stronger. I felt the pull to be with him even as I plotted to leave. Part of me ached to be in his arms, but another part warned me not to lose sight of my family and home. I also knew that Blake had plans of his own that I couldn’t afford to ignore.

I pulled open the chest and was relieved to find my jeans, t-shirt, and sweatshirt folded neatly inside. I pulled them on quickly and tried to think of another way out. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and almost fell backward. No wonder Calvin had commented on my eyes; they were now bright blue, several shades brighter than they usually were. I walked over to the windows and discovered that the farthest window was actually a door with a small balcony. I was relieved when I was able to push open the door, but disappointed that there appeared to be no way down. As I was about to close the door, I jumped, noticing a small gray cat slip into my room.

“How did you get up here?” I asked the small creature, momentarily distracted from my search for an exit.

“You did not really expect them to let you leave, did you?” A low, melodic voice asked. I spun, wondering who had entered my room.

The voice continued, “I assumed you were intelligent.”

I felt insulted, and then realized with significant surprise that the voice was coming from the cat. “How? What? But you’re a cat!” I started to wonder if I was losing my mind. I had been through a lot in the past few days; maybe I had finally snapped.

“If I show you my true form, you better not scream.”

“Okay.” I had no idea what I was agreeing to and hoped that I hadn’t lost my sanity completely.

The cat started to tremor, and then suddenly there was a beautiful woman standing in front of me with warm brown skin, black hair, and gray eyes. The woman was dressed in clothing I would describe as ‘warrior princess.’ I quickly learned that my impression was not so far off.

“I am Naomi, a princess from Zataman, and I have been sent into Energo to stop your people from waging more war,” the woman said eloquently. Having fallen backward after watching her transformation, I was just peeling myself off the floor when she introduced herself. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Energo was a different world, but watching a cat turn into a woman made it all too clear.

“Waging war?” I didn’t bother asking who my people were; I already knew.

“You really do not know what they are up to, do you?” Naomi sized me up.

“Up to?”

“They want to use you, Charlotte, use you like they used your mother to conquer other nations.” I felt a shiver go up my spine again when I thought about someone using my mother. What exactly would that entail?

I remembered that Blake had never explained why my mother had left. “My mother?”

“Yes, why do you think she ran into your world? She did not want to be part of such destruction and violence. She hated to leave her home, but she refused to be part of such activities.”

“Did Blake have anything to do with my mom’s death?” I wanted to confirm my suspicions, but was terrified of the implications.

“Quite likely,” Naomi said coolly.

“But… he wouldn’t kill her, right? He couldn’t have! How could her Gerard do that?” I gasped, suddenly beginning to question my unwavering trust in Calvin.

“Charlotte, you have much to learn, which is why what I tell you is so important.”

I shivered. Even though I had just met her, I knew in every grain of my being that she was speaking the truth. I wondered if the ceremony had anything to do with the new perception.

“Is Calvin involved in this?” I asked hesitantly, not really sure if I wanted to hear the answer.

“I do not know, but I know that he follows orders.”

“But isn’t he in charge now? Why would he follow orders?” I asked, trying to understand what would make him listen to Blake.

Naomi looked at me seriously as though trying to decide how to phrase her next statement. “Calvin is uncertain and willing to cede authority to Blake.”

Somehow, knowing that I couldn’t completely trust Calvin made it easier to move ahead. Without hesitation, I asked Naomi what I could do.

“You need to get into the dungeon,” Naomi said without any hint of humor.

“Excuse me? The dungeon? How does that help?”

Before she could answer, there was a knock at the door. We both moved behind the door as it opened slightly. “Miss, is everything okay?” the guard asked from outside.

“Yes, everything is fine,” I said as calmly as I could.

“I thought I heard you talking to someone,” the guard pressed.

“No, I was just talking to myself.”

“Oh. If you need any assistance, you need only knock,” he said, as he closed the door.