The Reverie - Part 5

A soft breeze stirred over the lush gardens in the queen’s courtyard of the Summerswind Palace. Abby felt like one of the statues standing among the vibrant flowers surrounding her. Moments ago, she was in Haliden, wishing she could escape to the Realm of Magic. But now that she stood in the queen’s own garden, she felt no relief or peace. She felt lost.

He was gone.

They had flown on Kirro’s golden back to a small farm where they could hide safely while Galien returned for Caleb and Valora. But when Valora came back, she was riding the moon mare, and Galien had flown back alone.

The look of devastation on Danielle’s face when she discovered her husband was taken was etched in Abby’s memory.

This was all her fault.

If she hadn’t caused a scene with that boy in the hardware store, no one would have known about them. They would have lived peacefully without drawing attention. If she hadn’t opened the reverie book, she would never have known about Valora, Galien, and the creatures of the Magic Realm. She had drawn Kroor to them, and now Caleb was taken.

“Miss Abigail?” She turned around to see a staff member motioning to the palace. “This way.”

The man guiding her to where the others waited wore a uniform of deep blue with gold buttons. Though he was much kinder than the soldiers she had come across in Haliden, his face remained stoic and emotionless. He left them as soon as Abby entered the room, silently shutting the door behind him.

Danielle looked up and gave a small smile to Abby when she entered the sitting room with gold damask wallpaper and antique furniture. Ben leaned against Danielle while her arm draped around him comfortingly.

Abby collapsed on the sofa facing them and rubbed her watery eyes. “I’m so sorry, Danielle. This is all my fault.”

Danielle tilted her head. “Your fault? No—”

“If I hadn’t gotten in trouble at the hardware store, those people wouldn’t have been looking for us. And I should never have read that book…”

Danielle shook her head. “No, honey. None of this is your fault. Sooner or later, they would have discovered your abilities and come looking for you. That’s what they do.”

Tears streamed down Abby’s face. “You should have let them take me. Now Caleb is gone.”

“We would do anything to keep you both safe.”

“But why?” Abby cried. “Why would you do that when you don’t want us?”

Danielle stared at her in disbelief. “Of course, we want you! Why would you think we didn’t?”

“I heard you talking about it. You said I was a menace, and I needed to go.”

“Oh, Abby, no! I was talking about that kid from the hardware store. We wanted to report him, but we knew it would cause more exposure from the authorities.” She sighed. “Did you really think we didn’t want you?”

Abby sniffled. “Well, Caleb didn’t really act like he wanted us there, and then all this stuff happened…”

There was a pause before Danielle spoke quietly. “We didn’t always live in Westwick. We both grew up in Redmoor, though it wasn’t always the way it is now. There used to be harmony between Asherath and Haliden.” She smiled to herself. “I met Caleb when I worked at the library downtown. He was a law enforcer investigating local thefts when we crossed paths. Within two years, we were married with a child.”

Abby could only listen in stunned silence.

“Emily. She would’ve been close to your age.” Danielle gazed wistfully out the window. “She was so full of life and adventure. Things were changing so quickly with the orders to stay away from anything in the Realm of Magic. We tried to keep her safe, tried to convince her of how dangerous things had become. But she didn’t understand.”

Abby swallowed. “She was a reverie?”

Danielle laughed bitterly while tears spilled down her cheeks. “No. But she made a mistake.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Caleb read some of the stories from the book. She loved them. One day, she told her closest friend at school that she was a reverie.” Danielle shook her head. “By the time we realized what she had done, it was too late. Her friend betrayed her, and the guards took her away before we arrived.”

“But she wasn’t one. How come—”

“They wouldn’t listen.”

Abby shut her eyes and thought of the pain in Caleb’s face when he had first seen them arrive. “Emily?”

Danielle nodded faintly and wiped the tears from her face. “We left Redmoor after that and tried to pick up the pieces. Caleb hasn’t used his abilities for the four years since it happened. I felt like we could be doing something more—something to help others going through the same grief we’ve had.” She smiled at Abby. “The adoption connected us with the two of you. It’s the first time we’ve felt happiness in so long, like we’re a family again. We’ve been trying to find a safe way to get out of the city to keep you both hidden after seeing your abilities.”

Shock washed over Abby, bittersweet with the realization that she had misunderstood everything. They wanted her and Ben. They had fought to protect them, with Caleb sacrificing himself for them.

Abby rubbed her forehead in thought. “One thing I don’t understand: how come the story is coming about now? If Caleb wrote of Valora and Galien a long time ago, how come we’re only seeing them now?”

Danielle smiled and shrugged. “One of the great mysteries of magic. A reverie can see a vision and write it down, but they never know when it will come about.”

Before they could speak on it further, the door opened as a staff member notified them of the queen’s summons.

When the ornate gold doors were opened to the throne room, Abby gasped. She knew meeting the queen would be a wondrous event, but had never imagined just how regal the lady would be.

Her silver hair was swept up in a graceful bun, with a circlet of leaves crowning her head. Her stunning gown was as green as the forest, spilling down the steps of her throne.

Abby thought she looked like the most beautiful fairytale creature, something straight out of a book.

The queen smiled at them warmly. “Well done, Valora and Galien. You’ve brought them to us safely.”

Abby glanced over in surprise. She was so mesmerized by the queen that she hadn’t even noticed everyone standing beside her.

The queen clapped her hands together. “This is wonderful news!”

Abby frowned. “But they took Caleb! We have to save him!”

The queen’s eyes widened. “Is this true? They’ve taken one of them?”

Galien stepped forward and bowed. “Yes, Your Majesty. There were too many of them to outrun. The soldiers took him.”

The queen pursed her lips. “No doubt there will be a public trial if you could even call it that.” She motioned for the captain of the guard. “Berold, we need our contacts in Redmoor to provide information. I want to know if anyone has seen anything.”

“I’ve already received a message that a prisoner was seen being taken to the castle.”

The queen’s frown only deepened.

“I don’t understand,” Valora began. “How was it possible for Kroor to find us so quickly? We left him at Twilight Cove. How did he find them in the Human Realm?”

Queen Agrath sighed. “It was the pull of magic. Though he may not be able to sense it from another realm, if a reverie was suspected in a city, he would easily sense where once he had once set foot in it. And Torvius is especially desperate to track down any reveries right now with all the stirrings of rebellion in his own realm. The people are weary of his cruelty. So many lives lost…”

Abby looked between them for any clue of what might be happening to Caleb, but the way Danielle tensed beside her provided little encouragement. “Will there be a public trial for Caleb? Will he be taken to court?”

Berold shook his head. “I’m sorry to say, Torvius has no use for anything resembling fairness. Prisoners are brought before him in front of the people of the capital, where he alone decides their fate.” His voice softened. “No one has ever left with their life.”

Abby looked up at Danielle and saw tears running down her face. “No! He won’t die!”

Queen Agrath looked at her with sympathy. “I’m sorry, dear—”

“No. Don’t tell me you’re sorry.” Abby paused only to calm herself. “I mean no disrespect, Your Majesty. But my brother and I have already lost our birth parents, and Danielle has already lost a child.” She reached out to take Danielle’s hand. “We won’t be losing Caleb, too.”

Queen Agrath sighed. “I admire the fight in you, child. But I see no way for us to intercept the capital undetected. Guards will be everywhere, not to mention that beast the king has somehow managed to make do his bidding.” She shook her head. “I simply see no way.”

Abby’s mind raced. “The old waterways… the scribby said there were two.”

Valora looked at her in confusion. “Yes?”

“Where’s the other one?”

Galien slowly smiled and nodded. “I believe it’s in the capital.”

Berold’s lips thinned. “We would begin a war, Your Majesty.”

Queen Agrath’s sharp gaze found the captain of the guards. “For too long, I have sat by and watched as innocent lives have been snuffed out. We are already at war, Berold.” She looked at each of the people standing before her throne. “This is our chance to put a stop to it. We need a plan.”

The captain bowed his head. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

She pointed her finger at Abby. “I like your fire, child. Now, I need to know what you see.”

She motioned for a servant. “Bring a reverie’s book!”

Abby felt hope rising in her chest. They could do this, she just knew it.