Page 76 of Shadow & Stars
What now?
With grace and extremely perfect posture, she slid out of the car in casual dress—jeans, a T-shirt, her brown graying hair scraped back into a ponytail. A different woman to the one we’d become accustomed to, still projecting a fierce strength but without the sorrow over losing her son and husband dragging her into madness. Certainly not the queen with a hateful rhetoric to ignite so many terrible fires across the world.
This was the Margarite I remembered seeing on the television when I first came here, always with King Lawrence by her side. He wasn’t with her tonight, but very much alive at Buckingham Palace along with their son and daughter.
The queen approached, flanked by her bodyguards. They inspected the area, constantly speaking into comms devices on their wrists.
“Oh my goodness!” June cried from the house. “Her Majesty!”
The woman bodyguard opened the garden gate for her. Margarite stepped through, everyone offering respectful greetings.
I did the same in spite of my frustrations.
Why was she here?
“Hello, everyone,” she spoke in smooth tones.
“Your Majesty,” June said, a bundle of nerves. “Welcome to my home. Can I get you anything? This is so unexpected. What a pleasure. I…” She drew in a sharp breath.
“Easy, Grandma,” Roman soothed. “Easy.”
“Thank you for the kind offer,” Margarite responded, “but there is no need. I’m here because I keep seeing myself dead.”
No one answered, the only sound was June breathing heavily.
“Yet not as dead as I should be. And your faces, aside from yours, madam,” she directed that at June, “are all part of these strange visions.” She looked at each of us in turn, stopping on Roman. “You are much younger here. You drew me here. I saw you, connected to you. I think. I’m not sure.”
Teenage Roman’s mouth hung open as he stared at her.
“I do not have the ability to receive visions,” the queen continued. “Something terrible is going on here.” She touched her throat. “I’m afraid for my family. Please. I know this is sudden, but I need you to tell me what’s happening. Why are you all in my life? Why am I seeing a dead me follow an older you?” She gestured at Roman.
June put a protective arm around him. “I’m not sure how much we can tell you, Your Majesty.”
“Tell her,” I said, continuing my attempts to connect to the other time.
The others shared key bits of information with the queen.
Margarite’s cheeks bloomed crimson at the end of the tale.
“Brandy?” June offered.
The queen straightened her spine against her shock. “I heard something from that other time. Something about a jar opening at the right time.”
“The piece of time?” Roman said. “What?—”
“I have an idea!” Darcy interjected. “If Roman is central to everything, maybe all parts of him have to be in the same spot at the same time to open the jar.”
Interesting idea. “Do you really think that will work?”
“I have no idea, but it’s worth a try.”
Thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance. I didn’t smell rain, and the night sky showed no signs of encroaching storm clouds.
Just like in the desert…
I listened intently for the next rumble. Was the sky about to fall again?
“Can you connect with present Roman?” Darcy asked, his eyes on the sky.
