The Wizard's Queen

Chapter 3

The soft sound of his sister's footsteps awoke Luke from his little nap as Anna entered the hospital room housing the once vibrant Sorceress, now lifeless and dull as she lay hooked up to all the machines that were keeping her alive.

Anna held another bouquet of flowers in her hands, these even larger than the last round of flowers sent. Yet another suck up gift to get on daddy dearest's good graces. These people didn't even personally know her, but kept sending items. To bad his father despised Riley so they were kind of failing in the sucking up department.

Riley was beginning to run out of room to place the assortment of flowers, balloons, and stuffed animals she has received. Anna was able to squeeze the vase into an opening on the windowsill adding to the kaleidoscope of colors in the otherwise plain hospital room. If her flower collection kept growing like it was, Riles could give Kenny's garden a run for his money.

He wondered how the garden was faring with the Cleveland home vacant. Mrs. Cleveland was currently held captive by the American Council while Chelsea and Mr. Cleveland were on the run with the rest of his friends fighting in the Resistance. At least Kenny was safe, despite laying next door facing the same fate as Riley.

It's going to be ok.

Anna's soft and melodic voice entered his mind as she walked over, lovingly patting her not so little brother's shoulder. Sighing, he leant his head against her disagreeing. It wasn't going to be ok. Not as long as Riley was like this.

"Its just hard, you know seeing her like this," he muttered.

She nodded her head as she rubbed small circles in her brother's back. It had been a little under a month since she had awoken and she still couldn't speak words just yet. They needed her voice for her to confess, but she hadn't formed a single word since her revival. However, Anna didn't even seem to be mentally all the way present anymore often acting more cat than human. His father had allowed her to stay with Luke, seeing how damaged she was.

"I wish she would wake up today, of all days," he sighed.

You can't get everything you want for your birthday.

He chuckled, nodding his head in agreement. Anna was right, he couldn't get everything he wanted for his birthday, today. At least they were both alive, even if one couldn't talk and still acted like a cat while the other one lay unconscious in a hospital bed on life support.

His hands reached towards his pocket, pulling out her time travel necklace she had created, feeling it was time to return it. Riley had been told to destroy the thing , but Luke had found it in her old room when the Council had raided the Cleveland's mansion. He had pocketed the item, placing protection charms all over it to keep her from dying in an attack. Luke gently pushed Riley's hair out of the way clasping the necklace around her neck, playfully ruffling her hair as he leant back in his chair.

Good thing she isn't awake, or you'd be through a wall by now.

"Shut up, Anna," Luke chuckled.

Honestly, he wouldn't mind being thrown through a wall again if that meant Riley was awake. He hated seeing her so broken and lifeless as she lay strapped up to all the machines. She really had pushed herself to far that day, practically killing herself to save everyone else. If it hadn't been for Marcus being able to lend part of his life force to Riley, she would be dead right now.

Luke hated that the rest of his friends believed Riley and Kenny to be dead. He had made a deal with his father to keep the two alive. Betraying his friends was difficult, but he was willing to make whatever sacrifice was needed to limit the amount of deaths they had to suffer from.