Part Three

Checkmate

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." - Psalm 23:4

~Crista

I open my eyes knowing that for the first time, none of it was a dream.

"Zaria!"

"Shhh," a voice says ever so soothingly. I look to my right and Lucy is there stroking my forehead and lightly pushing me back down to my bed. "What happened?" she asks. "Tyrian only told me so much. I think even he is a bit confused."

"Isn't he supposed to know everything?" I joke, somehow energized enough to joke.

"Everyone always thinks that. It's getting annoying, really," Tyrian says opening the door and closing it behind him. Only now can I really see his full size and glowy skin, how different he looks from everyone I've ever seen before. But there is a hint of familiarity I cannot snuff from my mind.

He crouches down next to my bed and I sit up. Seeing him this close, I never noticed the vibrance of his hair and how it almost sparkles in the sunshine.

"Would you mind telling us what happened? Why were you down in the dungeons in the first place?" he asks lowering his voice.

I hate the way I know I'm going to sound but I say it anyway. "That's none of your business. Zaria and I had some things to sort out. None of that applies to you." I already had a hard enough time explaining to Zaria why I needed to go down there. I shouldn't have to explain myself to anyone else.

"Where is Zaria?" I ask, curious. Is she that upset with me that she wouldn't come to see if I'm okay?

"She's still down there. She carried you up, called for help, and scurried back down like a madman. That's why I'm trying to get some insight from you, but it seems as though stubbornness runs through the whole palace."

I look to Lucy for support, but she for whatever strange reason seems to be holding back a smirk. She meets my eyes and it quickly fades. Looks like I'm not going to be getting any help from her.

I sigh. "We were down there to see John. We believe he could be the man with the answers."

Lucy looks to Tyrian. "I thought that was you," she whispers and he chuckles dryly.

"As did I." He looks back over to me and his pale eyes send shivers down my spine. "Why do you think that?"

There's no need for me to exploit John's hidden messages to me to a Fae I don't entirely trust, so instead I settle on, "What can I say? He's her son and we have him in our custody. Why wouldn't he be the man with the answers?"

Lucy shrugs her shoulders but continues to keep her lips shut.

"Okay... so what happened? Why did you collapse?" Tyrian asks growing more impatient.

I shake my head and no lie comes to mind. I run on instinct and tell him the truth. "I don't know," I say. "I've had dreams of it before, and it happened almost exactly the same. The only difference was Zaria was there with me."

"But the whole 'unconscious' thing still happened in your dreams or was that new?"

I shake my head again. "Nope. Like I said, everything was the same, except for Zaria."

Lucy finally opens her mouth, her voice very delicate and quiet. "I'm glad she was down there with you. I don't even want to think what would have happened if she wasn't." She wraps her arms around herself, hugging her chest. "Whenever she comes back up, I'm going to need to thank her," she says, but her words don't sound all that truthful.

"Zaria," I say. "She is okay, right?"

Lucy and Tyrian both look at each other as if they're having a silent conversation and for all I know they might be.

"We don't know," Lucy says looking back at me. "And I don't know what we would find if we went down there." She pauses, and I can't believe the words that are coming out of her mouth. "John is unpredictable but I have full confidence that Zaria is able to handle herself."

"We don't know that," I argue back.

"No," Tyrian says and his calm voice severs our back and forth. "We don't know that, but we have to trust her. She knows what she's doing."

No, she doesn't, I think, and it's not supposed to be an insult. I can't even imagine what it would be like to look your mother's killer in the eye. Just like Axil, I trust in Zaria, but I don't trust her right now.

Tyrian looks back to Lucy and this time there is a hint of urgency in his stare.

"What?" I ask now even more worried.

"There's something else," Tyrian says and his pale blue eyes seem to pierce into my soul. The look is familiar like he's reading me... just like I used to—

"No," I say shaking my head, almost laughing. "There's no way."

"Crista," he pleads with me. "You have to listen because there is a way and you know it. Your dreams... that requires double-sided connection."

"It's impossible," I counter. "There's no way on earth that I could still have magic. I gave it up. Every last bit."

I don't even want to allow myself to think about the possibility it could be true. I don't want to allow myself to hope I got saved by some miracle. Because if it's not true...

"There's no way," I tell him definitively, knowing very truthfully in my mind that there is every possibility.

-Zaria-

"Why would you ever do that?" I whisper to John. Against my better judgment, I let some of his words sink into my heart. What if he isn't the monster I thought him to be?

"I was desperate," he says honestly, shrugging his shoulders. "We were both so very miserable and I wanted to do anything I could to get us out of that hell-hole... and look where it got us."

All the events from a few months ago come flooding back into my brain. Every interaction, every argument, every silent tear, every frustrating moment spent with him.

"What..." The words catch in my throat and I don't even know quite what to say. What is the right way to ask someone what it was like when they were possessed? He looks up at me and smirks. As much as I'd like to believe John doesn't know me, he knows more than I give him credit for and he reads the despairing confusion written on my face, plain as day.

"All it took was one yes," he begins to explain. "The moment I agreed, I could feel her control." He squints his eyes and stares off, focused on one brick behind me. "I still had power over myself, but it was quite literally like having a devil and angel on my shoulders at war with each other."

He looks up at me and his eyebrows slant. "I'm sorry, Zaria. I know you love him. But at first, I must admit I didn't mind destroying Axil. That's who Eden wanted so badly... along with you."

"What do you mean?" I ask, my stomach dropping.

He shakes his head. "I don't know what it was, but Eden has a certain infatuation when it comes to you. An obsession at the very least."

"Well, aren't I flattered," I grunt.

"And because of her hatred towards Lumbridge plus her fascination with you... you and Axil together are quite the couple for her to deal with."

I sit down on the ground with him and lean in. For a sick moment, it almost feels like old times on top of city buildings... just talking with each other.

"I tried to understand where she was coming from, but some of her thoughts just... it made me lose my mind, and that's when I started to fight her." He swallows hard. "She would threaten me, and that's when I realized I just went from one master to the next. Damian to Eden. I was never going to be free. She already sunk her claws in too deep for me to ever be able to escape her grasp."

"What did she say to you?" I ask and I'm caught off guard by the sincerity in my voice. I'm not the only one who seems to be surprised. John's eyes widen for a moment before they droop once more. "It doesn't matter," he mumbles. "My point being, my new mission was to do anything I could to get both of us free, even if that meant taking Axil away from you."

His words are bitter. I'm conscious enough to realize that, but there is still something in me that stirs, and maybe it's because I know if I was in his situation... I would have done the same for him.

"At the ball. I saw how truly happy you were. I caught your smiles from across the room and... I've never seen your whole face light up before. That's when I changed my mind. I realized I couldn't hurt you like that, so I tried to call off the deal Eden and I had." He folds his hands together, callused and dirty. "That night she took almost full control of me. I could see, think, and move... but everything was altered. It was as if I was in a daze."

"I remember everything in a blur. I know about what happened, but I can't recall everything." He laughs and it sounds so broken. "I don't know whether to be thankful for that or not. I know it's a curse and I'm selfish to believe otherwise, but..."

"I know," I say, remembering all the times my mother would hide me in my room so I wouldn't have to see what was happening downstairs. I should have been right there with her, standing beside her... but she protected me from the horrors of our lives.

"How, um... how did you get away?" I furrow my eyebrows. "She is gone from you, right?"

He slowly nods and points at the wall. "Your magic. I don't even know what it is or how you did it, but it's been hiding me from her."

"That's why you asked me to seal it," I say to which he nods again.

"I felt her die away within me. It took a while. I think I was still in a bit of a daze when you first unlocked me. I don't remember much."

"That's why she's so weak," I say with a bit of enthusiasm, finally linking two pieces together. "She left a good chunk of power within you when the barrier was placed and she lost it. She couldn't get it back because you were already hidden away from her. That's why she's trying to create her own magic."

"What?" he asks. "Do you know that for sure?"

Now I have a choice. How involved do I want John? Uh... not at all, my brain screams at me like I'm an idiot.

"Yes," I say against my better judgment and I swear my mind and body are two separate entities.

"How?"

Well that, I don't know if I want to tell. Bringing up the future seeing Fae may not be the best topic right now with the small idea that a tiny part of Eden may still be inside John. That is, I correct myself, if he is really telling the truth.

"Doesn't matter. We know," I say.

"Zaria," he says and my heart skips a beat. "Don't make the same mistake I did. Don't fall into her trap. Persuasion can be powerful."

"I know," I say looking him up and down. I know. "I already have."

His eyes go wide. I've never seen them so white. "No. You couldn't have."

"It's done," I tell him. "I meet her tonight. And even if I don't..." I cut off my speech and tighten my hands to fists. "It seems as though this is the end."

He goes frozen and a crazy part of me reaches out and touches his arm. "Thank you. I hope you're not lying to me. And even if you are, I might want to believe your story... even if it's just a fantasy."

"It's not," he says without hesitation. "I can prove it to you."

I raise my head. "How?"

"She came for me," he whispers under his breath and it looks like he might cry.

"Eden?"

"No. Maria."

My heart stops. "What?"

"At least," he says. "I think it's her." He crosses his arms and diverts his eyes from mine. "Some of the scratches and wounds started to get infected and I was starving. I'd close my eyes from exhaustion wanting for it to all be over and then I would wake up. There was somehow always food and my gashes started to heal. Thin layers of scaring until..." he lifts his sleeve and reveals his shoulder. There's a whitish puncture mark that he wears. He looks at it and smiles, "It all healed."

He shakes his head. "It doesn't make sense for the guards to be able to give me anything because they would need you, and the infection was too bad to be able to heal that quickly on its own."

"So," I say. "You came to the conclusion it was my mother."

He leans in closer. "I know it sounds crazy but I would wake up and there would be a... flowery scent like... what was it..?"

"Jasmine."

He snaps his fingers.

"Have you... seen her recently?" I ask hopefully.

He presses his lips together and his eyes drop from mine. "No."

"Yeah," I say, not knowing what other response to give.

"You do know," I start and I swallow my pride, "that I'm going to have to keep you in here?"

He nods and though I thought he would be angry, instead he looks... peaceful. "Even if everything you say is true. If I let you out and Eden finds you... I—I can't do that again. She could latch onto you again. Please understand. If you have a shred of intelligence you will stay in here willingly until this is all over."

His eyes soften and furrow at the same time. "You can't expect me to stay on the sidelines and just watch her destroy you." He grabs my arm. "You don't know how powerful she can be," he says between his teeth.

"No see, that's where you're wrong," I tell him. Putting my hand over his I look him in the eye. "I want to believe, I really do. And because of what she did to you, I do know just how powerful she can be."

He shakes his head. "It's not the same. She can sound so sweet, so promising. I know you! You'd do anything just to make sure the people you care about are safe. How do I know you won't make a stupid decision?"

I grab his hand and start to stand. His fingers feel way too cold and fragile but the familiarity of them makes me want to cry. "I've made stupid decisions all my life. You can't stop me now."

-Crista-

"Mom," I whisper as my mother barges through the door.

"Oh, honey!" she yelps running over and throwing her arms around me. She holds me so tight I feel like I can't breathe, and instead of feeling annoyed, I actually smile. "Mom," I whisper again into the crook of her neck.

She sits down on the bed with me and Tyrian and Lucy catch her eye. I can feel the hostility towards Tyrian making her dislike known.

"We'll leave you two for a moment," he says and gets up opening the door for Lucy. She walks through and looks back with a gentle smile. Something clicks as she stands side by side with Tyrian. Their features are so similar. Tall, slender, pale, light hair and eyes.

I shake my head and the door closes with a soft click, a cue to my mother to start rambling.

"Where on earth have you been?! I've been so worried about you! Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you could have gotten yourself in!?"

She rants and rants until her cheeks turn bright red. It brings out the rosiness of her eyes. Tear-sained and sleepless.

"I'm sorry," I tell her and I mean it. "I'm sorry for worrying you, but I can't apologize for trying to help. I won't."

She presses her lips together and looks out the window. "You're just like your father." I frown and she sees it right away. "What's wrong?" she asks leaning closer looking as though she were about to pounce.

I still can't believe what my father did. I don't even know how it was possible for him to mark us. For that, he would need some sort of magic... but I don't think it was Zaria or she would have been able to physically feel something different within her. And I come back to the whys. Why not just tell us? Why even if it was the right thing to do, did he not warn us or give us a hint as to what was to come with Zaria?

"The slave marks," I begin. "It was all just a ruse he created." I look her in the eye and she doesn't seem at all phased. "Here we were thinking that we were going to slowly get poisoned and die, but none of it was ever true. He put us through that. And worst of all... Zaria's is real."

And to my surprise, she nods her head looking calm as ever. "I know."

"You know?" I say and my tone is more bitter than she would like. Her face winces and she looks out the window again.

"Yes, I know. Because I'm the one who gave them to you."

My stomach drops as well as my mouth. I can't help it.

"Don't give me that face," she starts.

"You did this!" I grip the hair close to my scalp. "Why would you do that to us?!"

"I knew you would end up making a dumb decision," she says unbothered. "Even you knew it was a bad idea to be so far away from home once I marked Axil."

"That explains nothing!"

"Shhh," she whispers putting her finger to her lips. "Crista, keep your voice down." She leans back and folds her hands like she always does when she goes to tell a story. "I didn't do anything for your harm. Your father came up with a brilliant plan and I assisted him. That's my job."

"But why did you do it?" I grit through my teeth. My eyes sting and I'm so tired. When will there ever be a moment of rest?

"I did it to protect you," she says as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Would you rather a real slave mark like Zaria? Would you rather get sick and die? I didn't tell you because you needed to believe it was real. It was the only way for Zaria to find what she was looking for."

"You don't know that," I bite back. "How could you know it was the only way?"

"Because Lucy told me so."

And if it is possible, my stomach drops even more. The words get stuck in my throat before I can finally say them. "Lucy hates you. We all know that."

"Now, now. Hate is a strong word to use. Lucy has a dislike for me, however, it does not reach the limit of her sacrifice. She saw what must be done and made sure it happened."

No, I think. It can't be. It's not just dislike. Lucy will avoid my mother like she is the plague, and whenever she does have to be in the same room with her... the tension is unbearable.

"Why does she hate you so much?" I ask her. Truly it is something that I could never understand. And even when I would ask Lucy, she would just shrug her shoulders and change the subject. It's so unlike her.

My mother's face falls and her calm façade is now gone. She looks down at her folded hands and she tightens her grip. I almost feel regret for asking, but for all of the things I have been left in the dark about, I want my answers.

"I'm the reason she had to go into hiding," she whispers under her breath.

I shake my head. "That's just not true. I'm the reason for that. They were supposed to get me. Not her," I say and I feel the weight of my words as I say them out loud.

"No," she says. After she was found and Maria saved her, I was the one who begged my sister for her to go into hiding. They would not have stopped. They were indeed supposed to find you, but Lucy... she's..."

She breaks off and bites her lip. "I shouldn't be saying this."

My eyes squint as I try to piece it all together. "Say what?" I ask leaning forward.

"Honey, it's not my business to tell." She shakes her head tightly. "They found out who she was and they would stop at nothing if they believed she survived their attack."

"Mom," I plead. "Please... please tell me what is happening." I start to cry and my voice sounds pathetic as I talk. "Please don't do this to me again and keep me in the dark." She winces again and squeezes her hands even tighter. "I won't tell anyone anything. Please, just tell me."

Her eyebrows furrow, and she takes a deep breath. "Not a word," she says. "Do you understand me?" I nod. "You know that man... Tyrian?"

"Yes," I say. "They seem to get along quite well..."

"Yes," she says after me. "It does seem they get along quite well."

"You know," I say, interrupting her. "They look pretty similar. Feature wise."

She nods her head slowly. "It's very interesting, isn't it?"

I spell it out for her, almost confident in where this is going. "It's crazy they have the same power too. Seeing the future. One could say they are one and the same."

"One could say that," she says and it's at this point I realize I'm just going to have to say it for her.

"She's one of them, isn't she?" I ask. "Lucy is part Fae."

My mother stares at me and her eyes twinkle. "What did I say? You're just like your father. Brilliant."

I shouldn't be as shocked as I am. It all started to piece together just seeing them side by side. One would have to be blind not to see how close they looked.

"So... so what does that mean?" I ask not really knowing where to start.

"It means Lucy is a direct threat to Eden, and she would have done anything to get possession of her."

"Why not now?" I ask. The cat's out of the bag. Lucy is indeed alive and the lost Princess of Lumbridge. Why not come after her now? If anything shouldn't she get more powerful with age?"

"Eden has other things on her mind," she says and her tone is final.

My insides twist a little. Lucy has been a Fae this whole time and she never told me. Can you blame her, the other side of me says. The Kingdom Realm isn't all too keen on the Fae.

"It doesn't change her," I say out loud, more to myself than to my mother. "She's still just Lucy. But..." I say questing one thing. "I thought Lucy was happy to not be recognized as the princess. She loved her simple life. Why have such tension with you?"

She sighs, her shoulders rising and falling. "She was young then. She didn't know what was happening, but she knew something changed. I was there to help her with her rising magic, but she shut me down. Like you said, she just wanted a simple life. She didn't want to stick out. And then... while I was gone, she met Adam, and I later found out that Adam's father died because of the Fae, so she hates herself even more, in turn hating me because I wanted to show her exactly who she could have been and it frightens her more than anything. She needs someone to be mad at. I don't mind it."

I see the lie on my mother's face as she forces herself to say the last bit. "But you do mind it. And she does too."

She clears her throat and shivers. "It doesn't matter right now. What matters is that you're back home and safe." She cups my face in her hand and squeezes my cheek.

I bite back all of the thoughts and worries wanting to spew out of my mouth. Not right now.

But soon.