CHAPTER 11
By the time Friday rolled around, Anita was glad at the prospect of a break from Marcus. He had monopolised her time since he’d learned she’d be going to Kingdom with Alexander. He had come to meet her every morning to walk her to the Observatory, had spent time in the Observatory asking questions about what exactly it was she did, had walked her home every day, and had insisted she spend every evening with him, meaning she’d had to cancel her lessons with Alexander. Anita loved spending time with Marcus, but it was starting to feel claustrophobic, so was looking forward to the weekend away. Friday afternoon eventually arrived and she got in an energy car with Bas, Alexander and Cleo (with Marcus there to wave them off, of course), full of excitement as they headed to Kingdom. The car had some seats facing forwards and some facing backwards, so they chatted easily all the way to Kingdom.
After several hours, the tension of his proximity to Anita now almost unbearable, Alexander cut across the conversation, having glimpsed the first outline of Kingdom. He always felt awed when he laid eyes on the city’s distant silhouette, as despite the distance, it still conveyed a magnificent power that made the blood race around his veins. Kingdom sat just above the sea, a cluster of soaring spires and elegant outlines, with a wall around the city that seemed to hug it to the coast. In its centre were three imposing spires that rose above to dominate the rest. They belonged to the Temples, their sheer, dominant size masked from this far out. Whereas Empire had a stately, romantic feel, Kingdom had none of this charm; it was majestic yet harsh, radiating a feeling that untold opportunity lay within its walls, but that opportunity came with a risk, that you would never be totally safe there, regardless who you were.
‘There it is,’ he said, looking across at Anita and gesturing out of the window towards the capitol. He watched Anita’s face as she saw it for the first time, feeling her energy soar as her face lit up. This was Anita’s kind of place, where a challenge waited at every corner, and those who fought the hardest won the day.
They raced towards, then through, the gates, flying across the city, along ancient streets and past the colossal Temples in the middle. Anita strained to spot the relic, but, frustrated at their speed, couldn’t quite catch a glimpse. ‘Don’t worry,’ laughed Alexander, ‘we can go and see it tomorrow.’ They carried on through Kingdom, past a wide array of spectacular looking shops, restaurants and houses, until they passed out through the gate the other side.
Anita looked at Alexander, confused. ‘We’re not staying in Kingdom?’
‘Afraid not. My family tend to rank privacy over convenience, so our residence is just outside. We’ll be spending most of our time in the city though.’
Anita was disappointed to be leaving the city before she’d had a chance to explore, however she was excited to see Alexander’s house. A couple of miles outside Kingdom, the car pulled through some understated gates onto a large, sweeping drive, which swung in a wide arch to dramatically reveal a spectacular house, large but not vast, covered in magnificent purple flowers and with wonderful lawns that rolled out to the top of a cliff, the sea crashing into the rocks below. Anita’s energy soared when she saw the house and Alexander’s responded when he felt her reaction; he’d been worried that she wouldn’t like it.
She turned to face him when she felt his energy rise and beamed at him, Cleo and Bas making appreciative noises. ‘It’s beautiful,’ she breathed, before spotting the breath-taking view out of the other window. She froze and all the colour drained from her face. ‘Alexander…’ she started, feeling sick, then stopped, lost for words.
His face froze, his energy seemed to too, but before he could respond, Cleo broke the spell. ‘In the name of the Gods, Alexander. That is bloody glorious,’ she said, looking in the same direction as Anita, out over the sea. However, although the sea itself provided a theatrical backdrop, what had caught her attention was the view back across the bay; a view that contained the other side of Kingdom. It was breath-taking; Kingdom looked like it belonged in a snow dome, a perfect city contained within a neat, protective wall.
However, Anita’s surprise was quite different to Cleo’s. Apart from the city, which didn’t feature, this was identical to the cliff in her mind. To her surprise, she felt afraid. She had never been here before, so how was this place in her head, and why without Kingdom? Alexander smiled sheepishly and sent a nudge to the edge of her energy field, but it had no impact, and Anita’s mind started to race. Was it someone from Alexander’s family who’d put the cylinder in her head? Was that how the cliff had got there? Did Alexander know something? Had he brought her to Kingdom under false pretences?
Alexander felt Anita’s energy turn wary, and wished they were alone so he could reassure her. He’d wanted to warn her before the trip, but he hadn’t been able to get anywhere near her since drinks at The Island; Marcus had practically been her shadow for the last few days.
They pulled up to the front door, Cleo talking at a hundred miles an hour about how wonderful the house was, and how lucky Alexander was to have such a spectacular view, but nobody was really listening. They climbed out of the car to be greeted by the housekeeper, Mrs Hudson, who ushered them inside. They entered to find themselves in an enormous, glass-topped atrium that basked the internal courtyard in light, Alexander quickly whisking them away from the feathery space to show them to their rooms. They climbed one side of a double staircase, turned left at the top, and followed the corridor to the end, where Alexander opened a door to reveal Cleo’s gargantuan quarters.
‘You’ll be in here, Cleo. Your bags should already be waiting for you. We’ll see you downstairs for supper at eight. That should give you enough time to freshen up?’
Cleo barely heard what he said. She was preoccupied with the extravagant four poster bed and view over the bay. ‘Uh-ha. Yep, sure thing. See you downstairs,’ she replied, not even looking at the others.
Alexander dropped Bas off in the room next to Cleo, before leading Anita over to the other side of the house and opening an understated door into a smaller, but truly beautiful room. Anita, who had thought nothing but suspicious thoughts since she’d seen the view, softened, as she took in the proportions. It was big, but not ostentatious, full of gorgeous draped fabric, and had a weightless, carefree feel to it. The ceiling to floor windows let in so much light that the room seemed to almost radiate it, and provided an uninterrupted view out over the perfectly manicured lawns that seemed to skip to the edge of the cliff and then jump off into the sea below. But the jewel in the crown was the sight of Kingdom, which seemed to almost levitate above the sea. There must be so much power in the city, thought Anita, that it wouldn’t be surprising if it was suppressing its energy, causing it to lift a little off the ground.
Alexander had been watching Anita as she took in the room and the view, searching for the right words to apologise. ‘Anita,’ he started, almost hesitantly, ‘I’m really sorry.’ She turned slowly to face him, quizzing him with her eyes, but didn’t say a word. ‘When we arranged to come to Kingdom, I knew I had to tell you. I was going to tell you in our next lesson, but Marcus hasn’t let you out of his sight long enough for me to get anywhere near you.’
Anita could see Alexander was telling the truth and could feel it in his energy, which he was making no attempt to hide, but she wasn’t ready to let him off the hook quite yet. ‘Why didn’t you tell me when we first meditated to the cliff?’ she asked, her tone neutral.
‘I didn’t really know how to.’ He paused, looking, if Anita was not mistaken, a bit embarrassed. The impervious Alexander, embarrassed, wonders never cease, she thought. ‘I thought you’d be suspicious of me if I told you, and I have no explanation for how the cliff got into your head; I have no idea why it’s there. And I thought it best to keep anything personal out of our lessons. You know how Marcus feels about us spending time together; can you imagine how he’d react if he found out one of the places in your head was here?’
> ‘How would he find out?’
‘You might have told him.’ He said it matter of factly, and it felt like he’d shot an arrow through her arm. Not a fatal blow, but painful none the less. He didn’t trust her.
‘I need time to get ready for dinner,’ said Anita, clearly indicating it was time for Alexander to leave. Alexander looked for a moment like he might refuse, before whirling around and gliding back through the door, his energy suppressed so Anita couldn’t read it. He opened the door next to Anita’s and entered his room, resisting the urge to slam it closed behind him. He unconsciously made his way to his bed, his feet leading the way, his mind racing through replays of what had just happened as he sat down and then lay back on the fluffy duvet, running his hands through his hair and then holding them there, each one pulling on a section of his disheveled mane. You total idiot, he scolded himself. That couldn’t have gone any worse if you’d tried.