Ayla
The blaring alarm overhead finally silenced, and Doctor Harlowe ran for the Archive Room door. “It’s responding again.” He sighed in relief as the door slid open.
He grabbed his tablet and tapped some buttons. Chairman Hart’s face appeared on the screen. “We got stuck in the Archive room and all the communications were blocked. What’s going on up there, Meredith?” Doctor Harlowe asked as my parents, Grandpa, and I all crowded around him to listen.
She looked weary and on edge. “All clear,” she said, running a hand down her exhausted face. “It seems like a false alarm.”
“Is that even possible?” Grandpa asked, edging closer to the tablet.
She shrugged. “Yes, but it would mean our system either malfunctioned or was hacked.”
“Neither of which is good,” I muttered.
“Or probable,” Doctor Harlowe added, glancing at me. “We have layer upon layer of failsafes to prevent hacks and malfunctions.”
“Wait,” I said. “Then… what was all the banging? It sounded like someone was attacking the building.”
Chairman Hart sighed. “Yes, well… apparently several LeyGuards became trapped in rooms during the false alarm, and a few took it upon themselves to bust their way out.”
I blinked at her face on the screen, imagining what a room would look like if a LeyGuard as strong as Brone or Striker had to bust their way out of it. “Oh.”
Chairman Hart sighed again. “No matter. Head to the main level, please, all of you. Doctor Harlowe, once you’ve gotten them settled, please head to the meeting hall. I need to debrief all the Hub staff to see if we can figure out what caused this.” Her face on the screen winked out.
Doctor Harlowe turned to the rest of us. “I’ll show you to the cafeteria so you can eat while the rest of us meet. I’m sure you’re all hungry.”
“Thanks.” I, for one, was definitely ready for some food. I was on-edge and exhausted.
Mom placed her hand on my shoulder, and we all followed Doctor Harlowe out of the Archive Room.
When we reached the main floor, the Hub had returned to a normal level of chaos, with busy-looking people rushing in all directions.
Doctor Harlowe pointed the way to the cafeteria. “Make yourselves comfortable. There are fountain drinks and water available, and I’ll send one of the kitchen staff to set some food out for you before they head to the meeting.” He turned and vanished into the mayhem.
Suddenly, I realized people outside the Hub might not know this was a false alarm. Jordan might still be worrying about me.
Mom, Dad, and Grandpa turned toward the cafeteria, but I waved at them to go ahead.
“I’ll join you in a minute. I’m going to call Jordan and let him know we’re okay.”
They nodded and headed on without me.
I slipped into an out-of-sight, empty hallway, pulled out the stone, and spoke the word to activate the rune.
Jordan answered almost immediately after the rune lit up. “Ayla?” His voice was tight, worried. “What’s going on? Are you safe?”
I sighed, half in relief and half in exhaustion. “Yes. Turns out it was just a false alarm.”
There was a tiny pause. “A false alarm? That’s… are they sure?”
I nodded, remembering only afterward that he couldn’t see me. “Yes. Chairman Hart seemed certain, though they’re about to debrief everyone to figure out what caused the malfunction… or the hack. They aren’t sure yet which it was.”
“That’s a relief,” Jordan said, but his tone still sounded tense. “Listen, Ayla… When I thought you might be in danger, I wanted to come to you, I really did, but I—”
“It’s okay,” I interrupted him. “I understand—you have a kingdom, now. You’re expected to be there. I’m not upset.”
He breathed out a dry chuckle. “Yeah, well… I’m glad for that, but you might not be so happy when I tell you this next part.”
My chest tightened. “Why? What did you do?” I tried to imagine him having a freak-out, trashing the palace in a panic… even screaming at people or something because he was stressed, but… honestly, all of those were so unJordan I could barely picture them.
“I… may have sent Kaizyn to come check on you,” he said, sounding sheepish.
I paused. “Wait—you what? Kaizyn was there with you?”
Jordan laughed, a real one this time. “Oh! Yes. He and the others showed up to be there for my coronation, and… I guess we’re kind of friends now. Really, Ayla, he was amazing. I couldn’t have survived that ceremony without him.”
A strange mix of joy and regret swirled in my chest. Jordan and Kaizyn had become friends, like I hoped. But Kaizyn—and Reina, I was guessing—had been there for Jordan’s coronation, while I’d been stuck here under an attack that wasn’t even a real threat. It felt like something had been robbed from me.
“Ayla?” Jordan’s tone was laced with concern.
I drew a breath. “I’m sorry. I’m here. I’m really happy you and Kaizyn are becoming friends. I just really wish I could have been there for you, too.”
His answer was gentle. “You were the person I wanted there most. But I knew you couldn’t be, just like I couldn’t come to check on you. I don’t blame you, Ayla. And I hope—”
“I don’t blame you, either,” I said quickly. Then I drew a breath. “So Kaizyn’s coming here? How can he even get through with all the Gates locked down?”
“He’s planning to use the hidden Gate by your grandfather’s cabin.”
“Oh.” That made sense. But it was still embarrassing that an entire team of people were coming to check on me based on a panicked call I made over a false alarm. “Can’t you catch him and tell him I’m okay? He doesn’t have to come.”
“He’s already left, along with Callan, Reina, and Reina’s parents. I won’t have any way to reach him until they’re through the Veil. But he’ll be calling the Hub when he arrives—their plan was to get intel before going in, just in case it was dangerous. I almost didn’t even let him go, but I—I couldn’t leave here, and I had to know you were okay. I made him promise not to risk his life unless you were in immediate danger, and he swore not to. Reina and the others went with him as backup. They should be contacting the Hub any minute, I’d guess.”
I sucked a breath. “What about the feedback loop?” As much as I cared about Kaizyn, the thought of being stuck in that again filled me with dread.
“He says he has it under control now—enough to keep it from spiraling like before.”
“And you… believe him?” I felt guilty asking, but my trust in Kaizyn’s control hadn’t exactly been helped by our last encounter in the Vault.
“I do,” Jordan sounded confident. “I know it’s weird, given our circumstances, but I trust him, Ayla.” He chuckled again. “Besides, since it’s a false alarm, maybe you can ask Chairman Hart to intercept their call when it comes in and make sure they know you’re okay. He may not even have to actually come to the Hub. He can keep his distance, if it makes you feel better.”
I paused. Did it make me feel better? “Actually, I would kind of like to talk to him. We have some things to clear up, especially after what happened before.” I imagined that would be an awkward conversation, but it needed to happen. “And I’d love to see Reina and Callan, too. In fact…” I paused as a tremor of anticipation settled in my chest. “Maybe I could come back with all of them, if the Gates are being reopened by then.” My heart sped just at the thought of it.
“Really?” I could hear the smile in Jordan’s voice, which only made me more eager.
“Yes. I know we’re still technically on high alert and on lockdown, but… they can’t stay on lockdown much longer, right? When the Hub starts letting people in and out again, I’ll be on the first bus out of here.” I paused. “I mean—not literally on a bus, I don’t think any buses go Faeside, but—”
Jordan laughed. “I knew what you meant. I can’t even express how happy it would make me to have you here.” His voice softened. “I miss you, Ayla.”
I sighed, clutching the stone. “I miss you, too.”
A strange alarm sounded from the speakers above, and I tensed. “Oh no. Another—”
“No,” Jordan’s voice said from the stone. “That’s not an emergency alarm. It’s the Gate access alert. Someone must be pinging one of the Gates, requesting access to get in.”
“Oh. Maybe it’s already Kaizyn?” Curiosity got the better of me. “Hold on a sec, I’m gonna sneak out there and see.” I tucked the stone into my palm and slipped out of my quiet alcove, back into the main hall where I could see the courtyard.
Chairman Hart came rushing from another hall, her face tense. “Maddox!” she yelled. “Maddox Rogers!”
My heart lurched. Why was she calling for Grandpa?
She saw me and hurried in my direction. “Ayla, have you seen—”
Grandpa ran toward us from the direction of the cafeteria, his face tense and his gait stiff—he was still an old man, even with his powers returned. “What’s wrong?”
Chairman Hart spun toward him. “There’s a Fae at the outer Gate. He triggered the signal, somehow, even through the lockdown. He says he’s here to help, and that you’ll vouch for him.”
“Kaizyn?” I asked, and they both stared at me. “I—I heard he might be coming. Or maybe Callan?”
Grandpa didn’t bother to conceal his surprise at that, but Chairman Hart shook her head. “No, we would recognize either of them. This—” She took a breath. “I haven’t seen one in person in years, but he looks like an ArcFae.”
Grandpa and I shared a glance, then he turned back to Hart. “Show me.”
Grandpa and I hurried after Chairman Hart as she led us to the security room that showed the Gate surveillance monitor.
“Yes,” Grandpa breathed. “I know him. He’s the ArcFae that held my secrets, the one who helped Jordan in the Teionyrian prison. We called him Etcher, though his true name is Varias.”
I expected Chairman Hart to ask questions, but she only had one. “Can we trust him?”
Grandpa glanced at me. I knew we were both thinking about the ritual—and about the Dark King’s possible hold on Varias. He drew a long breath. “I believe so, though he might be… volatile.”
Chairman Hart studied him for a moment. “Very well. Let’s bring him in, see what he knows and how he means to help… but let’s keep him in a warded room, just in case.” She tapped something on her fancy watch, and one of the female Hub staff ran toward her from a nearby room.
“Yes, Chairman Hart?”
“Prepare a warded holding room and send me four armed LeyGuards,” Hart said. “We have a…guest.”
“Which wards?” the staff member asked.
“Every type of Fae magic.”
The woman’s eyes widened slightly, but she nodded and scurried off to carry out Hart’s orders.
As Grandpa and Chairman Hart hurried toward the main floor where the Gate access would open, I slipped to the side of a quiet hall. “Jordan?” I whispered to the stone in my palm. But of course, when I glanced down, the rune had gone dark. Our time had run out. I tucked the stone in my pocket, planning to call Jordan back as soon as I knew for sure what was going on.
By the time the Gate was opened and Varias stepped through, enough word had spread of the unusual visitor that he had quite the audience… including my parents, who had joined Grandpa and me beside the opening Gate.
A moment later, Varias was staring us down with an assessing glare. He wore boots and loose trousers, but his torso was bare, revealing dusky skin and a muscular chest and arms. He had dark hair and dark eyes and a face that was handsome in an intimidating and not-quite-human way, kind of like Goliath from that Gargoyles cartoon show I’d watched as a kid. Dark wings arced from his shoulders down nearly to the floor.
Chairman Hart and her four armed LeyGuards—none of whom I recognized—intercepted him the moment the portal opened, before he could even step through.
“I do not mean to offend,” Chairman Hart said, “but we have had some security concerns. We will be escorting you to a warded room the moment you enter, until we have had time to understand why you are here. Do you object?”
Varias rolled his shoulders and glanced over Hart at the guards and the rest of the waiting crowd, many of whom were also LeyGuards, fully capable of stepping in should he cause an issue. He shook his head. “I do not object. I will comply.”
Hart’s tense posture relaxed a bit. “Good. Then please, step inside, and we will escort you.”
Varias was so tall, he had to stoop a little to step through the Gateway—and that was saying something, because even Striker came through those without having to stoop. He kept his long, dark wings tucked tight to his back when he straightened, which seemed like an effort in politeness, on his part, or maybe an attempt to avoid frightening us.
The four LeyGuards surrounded him on all four sides, and with Hart in the lead and myself, Grandpa, and my parents in the rear, our strange procession made its way across the courtyard and down an unfamiliar hall.
“This is the one,” Chairman Hart said, opening a door toward the end of the hall.
From the doorway, the room looked a lot like the interrogation rooms they show on television, but with a plush sofa shoved against one wall and an end table with a Keurig in the corner.
Chairman Hart gestured for everyone to enter, and we all filed inside.
Hart dismissed the guards and settled herself down in the armchair, while the rest of us stood awkwardly beside the metal table and remaining, uncomfortable-looking chairs.
Varias’ eyes swept over the room, swiftly assessing the environment. “There is no magic in this room?” he asked.
Chairman Hart nodded. “No Fae magic. LeyGuard magic still functions in this room.”
I couldn’t tell if her words were an explanation or a warning. Probably both.
Varias nodded in thought, then his gaze flicked to Grandpa. “Maddox.” He tipped his head in respect. “Thank you for allowing me here.”
“I vouched for you, but I didn’t allow you,” Grandpa said with a nod to Chairman Hart. “That was her.”
Varias gave Hart the same respectful nod. “Thank you for allowing me to enter.”
He turned to me. “And Ayla, it’s good to see you looking so well.” His voice was warm, and accompanied by a smile that seemed sincere.
“The last he saw you, you were… well, dying,” Grandpa explained. “He tried to help.”
“Thank you,” I told him, sincerely. “For that and for what you did for Jordan and Madison.” My memories of the battle in the square were very splotchy, but I’d heard the recount of most of what happened that day and while Jordan and Madison were imprisoned.
Varias held my gaze for a moment, still holding a friendly smile. “You’re welcome.” His smile faded, his expression suddenly all business. “There is a reason I have come.”
“I would hope so,” Grandpa muttered, but Varias ignored him, focused on me. “I’ve actually come to speak with you, Ayla, and with the prince they call Kaizyn. Is he here?”
I paused, then shook my head. “Not yet.”
Varias’ gaze held mine. “So he is coming?”
I hesitated, but I couldn’t think of a reason to deny it. “Yes. He should be here soon.”
Varias sighed, and an expression crossed his face that almost looked like regret. “Yes—that is… that is good. I…will need you both.”
Chairman Hart shifted forward on the loveseat. “You will need them both for what?”
Varias glanced at me again, then answered her. “The LeyGuard girl called Quinn informed me in Arcvale of a vision—she saw me harming the prince and Ayla.”
Chairman Hart tensed and started to speak, but Grandpa gestured for her to wait. She glared at him, but held her tongue as Varias continued.
“I believe, after hearing the description of what she saw, that I was actually performing an unbinding ritual.” He looked at me. “You and the prince are bound by magic—are you not? An entwinement that equates to betrothal, according to his people’s customs?”
I glanced at Grandpa, but he nodded for me to answer.
“Yes.”
“And you wish to be unbound?”
That one, I answered without hesitation. “Yes.”
He smiled. “If you can provide me with some basic runing supplies, I can perform the ceremony this very day.”
Chairman Hart glanced at Grandpa, then back to Varias. “I believe we could provide what you need.”
Varias nodded. “Then we need only wait until the prince arrives.”
Grandpa reached over and squeezed my hand. “Don’t worry,” he whispered. “I’ll make sure it’s all safe.”
I squeezed his hand back and smiled.
Hart still looked wary, but as I fingered the communication stone in my pocket, a warm hope blossomed in my chest. With any luck, the next time I called Jordan, I would have some amazing news: that my bond to Kaizyn had finally been broken.
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