I walked up the stairs to the tower and realized I didn’t have a key to get into the room. I hoped Kye would be back soon, as I was pretty sure standing outside the room wouldn’t keep us out of Logan’s radar.
I made it to the top to find the door open, and Ty and Kye both inside.
“Dee is coming back right away,” Ty told Kye. “He should be here in about five minutes.”
“Good. And Seth?” Kye asked as I stepped into the room.
“Seth is trying to get rid of Melissa. I was pretty sure that you didn’t want her here for all of this,” Ty replied.
“Certainly not,” Kye answered as he noticed me. “She’d bring Logan here immediately.”
“What’s going on?” I asked. She’d bring him to us? It seemed like we had a few minutes, and I really wanted to know what Kye was planning, even if I wanted to ask more about Melissa.
“We are heading back to the past,” Ty replied before Kye could.
I looked between them. “We?” I asked. I had been trying very hard to keep Ty in the future. The past wasn’t a place for him. I wanted him to have a life in my time where he could actually live. Did he miss that whole conversation the last time we met?
“For now,” Kye added, seeing my dilemma. “Ty can come back here once you’re safe, and Logan isn’t a threat.”
I raised my eyebrows. “How long will that be?” I didn’t like the idea of Ty returning the past as a slave.
“I don’t know,” Kye replied. “If we do this right, Logan might not be a threat once we leave here, but knowing him, he’ll find a way. It might take some time. But whatever it is, Ty can always come back here to stay.”
“How? Logan didn’t teach me yet. We don’t even know what it takes.” I hadn’t gotten that far with Logan.
“You hold the power to do that now. You hold the power for all three of them with the lines on your arm.”
I looked down at the three lines. The deep red carnelian line was the first one I received. The newer aventurine matched it exactly, and if you didn’t look close you wouldn’t even see it. The apple green chrysoprase drew its own line to compliment the carnelian. All three stones were in me now. All three stones would allow me to travel if it wasn’t for the stupid bracelet I still wore.
“And you know how to do it?” I asked. If he had known all along, he could have told me earlier.
“In theory, yes. And I’m sure if we succeed in keeping Logan from ruining the future, the goddess will teach you anything you want to know,” Kye added.
“Like she’s taught me so far?” I didn’t want to bet Ty’s future on the goddess. She had a way of wanting me to learn for myself.
“Fine. If she won’t teach you, I’ll have her teach me and then I’ll teach you,” Kye replied.
“Teach you?” I was missing something, I was sure. Didn’t his father teach him about time travel and everything? Wasn’t that how a gatekeeper learned?
“Another conversation for another time,” Kye said. I heard someone running up the stairs and turned, my heart jumping in my chest at the sound. Did Logan find us already? I held my breath as a head of dark hair appeared first. I exhaled. It wasn’t Logan. Dee climbed the stairs quickly and hurried into the room.
“That was faster than five minutes,” Ty stated.
“I told you five because I didn’t want you leaving without me,” Dee replied, breathing heavily to catch his breath. He raised a hand and waved to me as he bent over. It seemed like wherever he was, he’d just run the whole way to us.
“So you already dropped Hepa off?” Ty turned back to Kye, getting back to business.
“What?” I asked. Where was my mother? My heartbeat increased as I started to freak out a bit. She was my mother after all, and I was terrified to think she was back in the past all alone.
Kye turned to face both Ty and me at the same time.
“I took the stones Logan gave me and went to get your mother. I took her back to the past into a safe zone. She’s waiting there for Seth, Dee, and Ty. They will take her to Seth’s father, and then onto Egypt,” Kye explained.
“But she’s a runaway,” I replied. “Won’t the general send her back to Nahrin?” That was my biggest worry about returning her to the past. Then there was the idea that my father might reject us being there also. Kye was sure that my father wanted to see us, and I had to hope it was true.
“Not if I explain that you are the child of her and General Meryamun, and that I plan to marry you,” Seth answered, entering the room.
My heart leapt in my chest. How did I not know he had come into the room? My heart was already beating faster as I thought of my mother. I guess I didn’t realize that it was the same feeling I felt when Seth was nearby. I couldn’t move as I looked at him. He was perfection. His dark reddish hair was windswept, as he had obviously run to the tower like Dee, but at least he wasn’t out of breath. My heart couldn’t beat faster as I took all of him in. I hadn’t been this close to him in weeks in a situation where Logan either wasn’t around or about to show up. It had been too long. I missed him so much.
Seth didn’t wait for me to respond. He bounded across the room in two strides, swooping me up into his arms. He pulled me close as he pressed his lips to mine. I felt the zing of our touch and the warmth of his hands as they held me close. I could have stayed that way forever. Somewhere beside us I heard someone cough, but I couldn’t bring myself to stop kissing Seth. It had been way too long. I didn’t need to let my brain ruin this perfect moment. My heart deserved at least one win every now and then.
Kye coughed a second time, and Ty chuckled.
“You could give them just a moment,” Dee said. Even he was on our side at this point.
“I wish we had a moment, but we need to get this done. I was pretty good at covering my tracks, but Logan will find out eventually that we didn’t go to the future like he asked me to,” Kye replied. “Now, about your mother.” Kye knew exactly how to bring me back to my brain and away from my heart. “Seth, Dee, and Ty will be with your mother at all times. She will be safe, and they know not to go outside the borders of the country. Logan won’t be able to get to them. I promise you, Mari. They will all be safe.”
“That’s nice, but you have one stone that isn’t used up. How do you plan to take everyone back there?” I asked. I was beginning to think Kye didn’t think his plan through. It would take a while for the stones to recover from the travel. I knew that personally.
“By using their stones,” Kye replied like it was apparent.
I tapped the bracelet on my wrist. Had he forgotten already? It was the reason I was still in the mess I created. I couldn’t send anyone anywhere.
“Lucky for me, it’s only you that can’t use those stones. I still can,” Kye said.
My eyes bugged a little at him. I couldn’t help it. If he had been able to use the stones all along, why hadn’t he told me? Why hadn’t we just run away?
It was like Kye could read my mind. “You only had two stones to use. We might have been able to hide, but eventually Logan would find us. If we went back to your father, then Logan would be able to hurt your friends and mother. We couldn’t act until we had enough stones to get away from all of it with everyone. We can do that now. And we have to go right now.”
Seth held tighter to me as he realized our time together was going to be cut short again. He pulled me closer than we already were. I could feel the heat radiate off of him, and he leaned down, nuzzling into the crook of my neck. I would have been embarrassed about my wild hair and rushed appearance if there had been time, but there wasn’t. Seth was leaving me again. Our reunion was shorter than even the last time.
“We need to go now.” Kye told the three guys.
“But what about the rest of the details?” I asked. His plan had to be more than just take them back.
“I can fill them in once I get them there. And I’ll come right back to fill you in on what we need to do.”
Kye was doing his b
est to push us all along. He seemed hasty to get everyone where he thought things would work out the best. I looked at him and saw his desperation. He was trying to beat Logan at his own game. I had met Kye less than a month ago, but I already trusted him. Part of me worried about that. Why did I trust him that much? Was he really trustworthy? I looked at him again and he stared into my eyes. He was completely open with me. I knew already that I could trust him. I was already in the clock tower where Logan wouldn’t find me. I had no reason to trust him, and my brain wanted answers, but my heart knew it was safe. Kye was doing everything he could to keep me safe from Logan. He wasn’t like his brother who was trying to trick me. He truly understood me, and wanted me to be happy.
“Fine. What do I need to do?” I asked, holding out my hand.
“Nothing,” Kye replied, opening his hand showing me the last remaining charged stone. “Everyone touch this.” I looked at him. I wasn’t going back that way, was I? Kye really hadn’t explained what I was going to do. “You too, Mari. It won’t take you with us, but it will use the power of the chalcedony.”
The guys all piled their hands on top of the stone, like they were getting ready to break the huddle in one of their football games. Kye pulled my hand to the bottom of the pile. I looked at each of the guys. Dee was anxious, but looking happy to go back. Ty was smiling also, but I was sure it was for my benefit and not his. Seth mouthed the words I love you as I turned to Kye.
“I’ll be right back,” he spoke as all four of them faded.
Let’s go team, I thought to myself in the empty room.
It was probably only moments that Kye was gone, but it felt like hours. Each second dragged on as I waited. I didn’t dare go near the windows where someone could see me. Twice I rechecked the door to make sure it was locked. It really didn’t matter with time travelers, but I still wanted to be sure no one was going to come in while I waited. I had no explanation for being in the tower, and I sure didn’t want to be dragged out of it.
Kye appeared back in front of me, startling me.
“Did it work? Did they find my mom?” I asked.
“Yes. She didn’t end up waiting more than a few minutes for me to return with the guys,” Kye replied. “I saw them head back to the camp and meet up with Seti’s father before the stones recharged.”
Kye held one fully charged stone in his hand. The second stone had lost its shimmer completely. I looked down at my own stones. My lines were all gone. I knew when they disappeared that it had worked, but I didn’t think where it would leave us. What were we to do now? We could only have one traveler, not two, unless Kye was going to use his gatekeeper travel powers.
“Are you going to use your travel powers?” I asked. That was the only logical way I could see us both leaving.
“No. I can’t,” Kye replied. “If I travel now, I will go back to being my original age. Trust me. Early teen me is not going to be a help to you in any time period. The man I am now is who you need to keep you safe.”
“Then what do we do?”
“We call on the goddess,” Kye said and stepped outside the room momentarily.
He stepped back in, and I felt the breeze that accompanied him, but didn’t see a thing. I looked around the open room. Was she with us? I hated when she was invisible. It was unnerving. Her magical laughter echoed through the room.
“I don’t mean to tease this time. My power is weakening, child,” the goddess told me. “I no longer have the strength to appear before you.”
My heart skipped a beat. She was fading. I saw it only hours before as we talked to her, but the reality was setting in. She truly was fading now, and it was happening quickly. She would be gone before I had a chance to learn anything, or to even save us from the future she feared. It was bleak to think about. She was fading into nothingness. Would anyone even know when she was truly gone? Would anyone mourn her? The only person she ever loved had been dead for thousands of years.
“Do not be sad for me, child. I knew, when I placed myself into the stones, that my time would be limited. I accepted that to make sure he lived on. I’ve lived long enough to know that it was worth it. Saving him, and saving his family was worth everything. To see each generation grow up and to see him reborn again and again was worth it. I’d give up my life over and over if given the chance to save him. That’s what true love is.” Her voice floated around the room and seemed to come from every direction at once.
“We need one last favor,” Kye said, staring at a specific spot. It was as if he could see where she was. “We need help going back. I only have one stone left, and I don’t think we have enough time to wait for them to recharge.” Kye held out the two stones.
“Yes, you need help,” she answered.
The two stones floated out of his hand and turned into dust as we watched. The dust moved across my body and settled across my shoulder. Forming an intricate pattern, the very faint used up white and black stones covered my upper shoulder and went down to the elbow of my left arm, meeting up with the very faint original lines.
“Now you can leave,” Kye replied, nodding at what the goddess had done.
I stared back at Kye. “First off, this is stopping me.” I held up my wrist with the stupid bracelet. “Second. I’m not leaving without you.”
Kye huffed at my response. “You will leave without me. We don’t have any extra stones left, and you need to get out of here now. If Logan finds you, this is all for nothing.”
“I’m not leaving you here,” I said a second time. He wasn’t getting the hint. There was no way I was leaving him alone to face Logan’s wrath.
“He won’t hurt me, if that’s what you think,” Kye replied.
“I can always go back there, wait for the stones to return, and then come back and get you.” Yes, that was what I would do.
“No. No,” Kye quickly told me. “You’ll be in danger if you leave your father. You have to stay there. You have to wait for Seth to come to you. Then everything will be fine.”
“I’m not leaving you.” I crossed my arms over my chest, willing him to try to get out of it. He was going to see just how stubborn I could be for a friend.
“I will send you both,” the goddess said. “There is enough power left in me for that much.”
“No, it will kill you,” Kye said out loud what I was thinking.
“I’m glad you both care, but it’s my choice. I want to save you. Your role in all of this is not over yet, Kye. She will still have more to do, and you need to make sure she survives it all.” The goddess was still floating around. “But you need to remove the bracelet. I cannot send her while she is wearing it.”
Kye bowed his head to the place where the goddess must have been. Kye turned to me.
“Mari, if you really want to do this, we need to do it quick. I don’t know how long Logan will be gone, especially if I take that off,” Kye told me.
I nodded. I did want to do it, but something was still holding me back. I had made a deal with Logan, and I was fulfilling my part. I had given him a chance. There was nothing more I could do. Yes, I still liked Logan. I think I always would. He was my first boyfriend. I could never change that, but that wasn’t enough. I loved Seth. I needed to be with him. It was the right decision to leave like this, but I felt bad. I understood what Logan was doing, and couldn’t say it was all bad.
I hated that everything was getting muddled together. The goddess was correct. No one was completely good or bad. It was all a mixture, and that just made things harder. No matter what they both thought, Logan wasn’t a bad person. I knew that was the truth deep down, but I couldn’t just go along with him and his plans. I needed to do this. We needed to meet up with Seth.
“We have to,” I answered. “So how do we undo this?”
“With my blood,” Kye replied. “Only the blood from one of the family can do it. My blood will open it just as much as Logan’s would.”
Kye searched my face. He could sense my hesitation. What we were abou
t to do would crush Logan, and Kye was family. He was betraying him.
“I have no regrets,” Kye told me. “Logan should have never taken it this far. He should have accepted his fate when it was dealt to him. You were never meant to be his. He will never understand that.”
I nodded. I agreed with him, but it was hard. Logan was still Logan.
“If you don’t want to go, we can make a new plan. I can take us to the future, and we can wait for him. Everyone is safe in the past. I promise you. Either way, they’re safe. We don’t need to go.”
“No, we do,” I replied. “Logan isn’t my future. Seth is.”
“There’ll be no going back,” Kye added as he held the bracelet in his hand. “Once I break this, Logan will know. He will know everything, and that you left with Seth.”
“I can’t keep lying to him. I don’t love him like I love Seth. I never could,” I answered.
“I know that,” Kye replied quietly. I nodded.
“I need to be with Seth,” I continued. “And this is what needs to be done.”
Kye nodded.
“Without a stone, Logan won’t be able to easily find your mother, or the guys, even if he enters the country on foot. Your father will keep him from time traveling, so everyone is safe. Unfortunately, he will know where we are,” Kye added. “You’re prepared to deal with that?”
I shrugged. Logan would come looking for me. I just hoped that by my mother going with Seth, Dee, and Ty, she wouldn’t be made a target.
“As long as you promise my father can protect her, I can do this. I can face Logan when it’s time.” I sure hoped so. I would be breaking his heart by leaving, but I just couldn’t get him to understand. It was different with Seth. It would always be different with Seth, and I couldn’t let it go.