by Liara Woo
His hope had died. The curse was killing him.
* * *
Joran found him much later in the afternoon. He hadn't seen Halthren all day; he was worried for him. Anxiously he searched the rooms in his castle, finally coming to the library. What he saw there made his heart stop for several moments.
Halthren was lying motionless on the ground, his limbs splayed in unnatural directions, his head jerked to one side. Blood soaked his chest, from the Dark wounds over his heart and in his side. The crimson liquid also trickled from his lips, staining the ground beneath him. He lay as still as death.
"No," Joran whispered, rushing to his side and searching for a pulse. It was faint and unsteady, but at least it was there. "Help!" Joran shouted, looking around. "Someone get in here! I need help!"
Nelaara rushed into the room. Joran would never forget the sound of her startled gasp, the cry of a mother finding her son in a deathlike state. She sprinted to Halthren's side and felt for a pulse. Then her hand slid from his neck and for several moments she was silent, her head bowed and her eyes closed.
"What's wrong with him?" Joran asked urgently.
There were tears in Nelaara's vivid blue eyes when she met his gaze. "You will remember that I told you how his curse could be broken. One from Earth would have to give him her heart, and he would have to give her his in return. He loved Katie… but enough time has passed; she has become an adult in her world, and… someone must have proposed marriage to her, and she agreed."
Joran felt as though his throat had closed. It was getting difficult to breathe. "She's going to be… married?"
Nelaara nodded. "And there will be no more hope for Halthren to ever be free. The magic binding him knows this, and so… it is killing him."
Joran suddenly felt trapped. The walls of his library closed in on him, looming over his head. "He's dying?"
"Yes. And… we cannot do anything to prevent it."
"Are you certain?" Joran demanded. "There has to be something… is there?"
Nelaara wouldn't look into his eyes. "I'm sorry."
Unexpected tears burned his eyes and he blinked furiously. "How long…?" he managed.
Nelaara shook her head, brushing a sweat-drenched strand of hair from Halthren's brow. "Knowing the cruelty of Nashgor, it'll probably be drawn out over the course of several days."
A sickening feeling filled Joran's heart, sending bile rising to his throat. "Should we… end it now? Just… to spare him further pain?"
"I don't think you'll find anyone in Kylaras with the heart to do that," Nelaara whispered, a crystalline tear streaming down her porcelain cheek.
In Kylaras, Joran thought. "I'll send for Loriina, then. She'll… she might be able to do it."
* * *
Loriina arrived two days later, having abandoned the task of distributing her wealth the instant she received word that Halthren was dying. Out of breath, she rushed to the small room Joran had placed him in, drawing in a sharp breath when he saw him lying almost entirely motionless on the bed. He was wan from blood loss; the two wounds over his chest had never once stopped bleeding since the moment Katie had accepted Mark's proposal.
Joran rubbed his forehead wearily. This was impossible; why had the stars allowed this to happen? I can't do this. I'll hate myself forever if I do this. But if it spares him from pain…
He inhaled deeply. His breath rattled in his throat as he stood and guided Loriina to a small chair.
"What happened this time?" she asked casually. "And why haven't you fixed it yet? Do you need me to get healing water from Arian?"
Joran shook his head. "There is no cure for him-not this time." He took a deep breath. "Except for death." In, out. Keep going. "No one in Kylaras has the heart to do it-to kill one of our own, even to spare him from pain…"
The color drained from Loriina's face. "You called me here just to kill 7him?" She surged to her feet. "I won't do it. Frankly, I'm surprised that you've all given up on him so fast."
"There's no cure-"
"Katie is the cure," the dragon declared firmly. "She can save him. I'm going to get her."
"Wait," Joran tried desperately. "You don't understand! Nelaara says that the reason Halthren's like this is because Katie's engaged. She's going to marry another man. So there's no chance of her ever loving Halthren and breaking the curse, and that's why he's dying."
Loriina growled angrily. "I don't care what you say, Joran. I'm flying straight to the unicorns and bringing Katie back if it's the last thing I do, and I'm fixing this."
She stormed from the room with clenched fists. Aethen bit his lip, his insides in a tangle. What do I do? If Katie's going to marry someone else, then she must love him, right? So why bring her here?
He answered his own question: She must have loved Halthren when we parted. For the sake of that love, she should be here when he… when he dies.
His mind made up, he hurried from the room, chasing after Loriina. "Wait! I'm coming with you!"
* * *
Katie felt sick as she lay on her bed the night after the proposal, lying on her back with an empty sketchbook lying open beside her. She raised her left hand to her face, studying the shiny diamond engagement ring on her finger. Guilt swam in her stomach, making her feel nauseous. I can't do this to him; he's a good man, she thought. He needs to find someone who will actually love him.
She stared at her ceiling, clasping her hands behind her head. "But I know he loves me," she whispered to herself. "If I can't love him back, does it mean that I'll never love anyone back?"
She rolled over onto her stomach, burying her face in her pillow. She couldn't go back to Kylaras. She never could. The Ocean of Storms no longer existed; therefore she couldn't create a portal leading there. It was impossible for her to return.
So why was it so difficult for her to just let her memories go? To move on with her life and find happiness elsewhere?
There was a knock on the front door downstairs. I hope it isn't Mark, she thought sadly. I don't feel like going on a date tonight.
She heard the floorboards creak as her parents went to answer the door. Muted voices; then silence.
"Katie, please come down here."
Katie stifled a groan, getting up from her bed and gently massaging her temples. Then she left her room, closing the door behind her, and hurried downstairs.
Joran, Acinoron, and Loriina stood in her living room. Joran only seemed a year older, despite the years that had passed. He was dressed in a shimmering gray tunic; a thick, fur-lined green cloak hung from his shoulders, which had broadened; black leggings and boots adorned his legs. There was a silver circlet on his head; a crown of some sorts shaped in elegant designs reminiscent of bird wings.
Loriina had all too obviously gotten older, and the fact that she wore the same leathery clothes as last time only accentuated her age. She was a teenager now; her face was stronger and less childlike. Her emerald eyes held a challenge in their depths.
Acinoron, too, had gotten older. A small white beard adorned his chin, and his chest was broader and more muscular, pulling the snow-colored material of his long-sleeved shirt tight across his sternum. A shimmering silver robe hung from his shoulders, rippling like eddies in a stream as he walked forward to stand beside Joran.
Katie stared at them, feeling dizzy, wondering if she was hallucinating. She laughed once; this couldn't be real. I must be going crazy or something. The hard wooden floor came rushing up to meet her.
* * *
"Katie, who are these people and how do you know them?" her mother exclaimed, eyes narrowed in a mixture of confusion and anger.
"They're my friends, Mom… I met them while I was away at that camp a few years ago." Not exactly a lie, right?
"Friends claiming to be an elf and a dragon?" her father asked in disbelief.
Katie swallowed, looking at Joran, Loriina, and Acinoron still standing by the door and looking uncomfortable. "Well… you see, I've had these… abilities. Ever s
ince I can remember. Things like talking to animals and stuff. Then, when I went to that camp…"
Slowly the story came out, with Joran and Loriina interjecting here and there, adding helpful details where necessary. Acinoron transformed into a horse; Loriina became a dragon outside, and Joran withdrew Light from his soul, verifying her story. When she finished, she stared at her hands clasped in her lap and waited for her parents to speak.
For an achingly long stretch of silence, they said nothing. They only looked at her, her mother skeptical, her father woebegone. Joran kept glancing at her anxiously, shifting his weight from one foot to another, and Acinoron stood still, calm as ever. Loriina was glaring at the world in general, tapping her foot impatiently and crossing her arms over her chest.
At last Joran spoke. "Halthren is dying," he murmured quietly.
Katie felt as if a cold blade had slid into her chest, piercing her heart and freezing it; as if a bucket of ice cold water had been dumped over her head. Horror filled her soul. It was several moments before she could breathe again. "Wh-what?" she asked, her voice hoarse.
Loriina nodded grimly. "I've seen him, Katie. He won't live much longer. That's why we came; we wanted to bring you to see him before he's… gone. If you still want to, of course."
The words hit her like a physical blow to the chest. "Why wouldn't I want to?" she asked in a whisper.
"With all due respect, Katie," Acinoron began, scratching his beard awkwardly. "Joran tells me you're engaged. If you have given your heart to another, we wouldn't want to… distract you by bringing you to Halthren. Not that you'd be disloyal, but… we didn't want to complicate things."
Katie spun to face Joran. "How did you know?" she demanded.
Joran hesitated, his brow furrowing. "I.. didn't want to tell you this, because I don't want to pressure you into anything you didn't want." He took a deep breath, steadying himself. "You were the cure for Halthren's curse. The fact that he's dying means that there is no hope, ever, for the curse to be lifted, so we deduced that you'd agreed to be married, thus separating yourself from him forever."
Katie sighed deeply, looking down at the engagement ring on her finger. "You think I must have… stopped loving him," she murmured. "But… the thing is… I don't think I ever did. The reason I accepted Mark's proposal was that I thought I'd never see Halthren again, so there was no point in clinging to his memory, and I might as well try to be happy with someone else. Honestly, I didn't even know if he was alive."
"Katie, did you… do you really love this man they're talking about? This… Halthren?" Mr. Smalls asked abruptly.
Katie sucked in a breath. "Yes, Dad. I do."
"Then why did you come home when he was in trouble?"
"Because I didn't want to leave you," she answered, tears stinging her eyes as she looked at her parents. "I didn't think it was the right thing to do. You're my parents."
"We want you to be happy," Mrs. Smalls told her, reaching across her lap and laying a gentle hand on Katie's knee. "If that means you leave us to be with… Halthren… then we will support that decision. All children leave at some point, you know."
"But I don't even know if he'd want to see me!" Katie exclaimed. "I… I just left him, without even saying goodbye… he must hate me by now!"
"He doesn't hate you," Joran assured her. "He… writes letters to you, actually. He doesn't know that I know, but I saw them once when he forgot to hide them."
Tears pricked her eyes. And now he's dying, because I agreed to marry someone else. Someone I don't even love. She looked desperately at her parents. "I don't want to never see you again," she whispered. "But… I want to be with Halthren. If there's a chance that I can save him, that I can be with him… I love him."
Mrs. Smalls smiled-a gentle, motherly smile that made Katie feel, suddenly, as if everything would be alright. "We just want you to be happy."
"Perhaps we could make a compromise," Katie suggested earnestly. "You and Dad could stay in Kylaras for…as long as you want…and then Acinoron can send you back at the exact moment you left. If you wanted to go back. And…the twins could come, too…"
Mr. Smalls grinned teasingly, yet with a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Autumn and Aspen don't like being outdoors, Ash. They definitely belong here. But you…if you love Halthren, then it's… probably best… if you were to be with him forever."
"If it's alright with you, you could come to Kylaras, at least until Katie has a home," Joran invited.
Mrs. Smalls smiled. "That's a good idea. And anyway, what with all of you magical creatures popping up all over Flagstaff, if she ever misses us too much, you can send her back and then take her to Kylaras again without too much trouble."
Katie grinned. She felt a weight lift within her heart; why hadn't she thought of that sooner? Even in Allagandria she could visit her parents whenever she wanted to through the power of the unicorns. "That would work out." The relief in her heart was so great that she could feel tears stinging her eyes. I won't have to say goodbye ever again, she thought delightedly. "Alright, Acinoron. I just need to do one thing first, and then we can go."
* * *
Her elation had all but died as she walked up to the dormitories where Mark was staying. I wish I'd never accepted his proposal, she thought guiltily. Then none of this would have to happen. Of course, at the time, I hadn't known that Joran would be coming…
Taking a deep breath, she raised her fist and knocked three times on Mark's door. After only a moment he answered it, dressed in a loose-fitting t-shirt and sweatpants.
"Hey, Ash," he greeted her with a smile. "How are you?"
She shrugged. "I'm good, actually. But… there's something I have to tell you."
He scanned her face for a moment, and she noticed as his smile faded. "What's wrong?"
"Do you remember… on the day we met, I mentioned a friend I was missing, and that I'd never get to see him again."
"Him?"
"Well, it turns out that I can see him again. And… I love him. I always have; I've just tried not to because I couldn't see the point. I don't want you to marry someone you don't love, Mark. You're a great guy, and you deserve much better than that."
Mark was slack-jawed, looking at her with teary eyes. He blinked furiously, turning slightly away from her. "Yeah, that's… that's fine, I guess… I mean, I'm happy for you!" He forced a smile, despite the tears Katie could see swimming in his eyes. She felt awful for doing this, but she knew it was the right thing to do.
"I'm so sorry, Mark… you've been a great friend, really," she promised him. "It's for the best." She held out the engagement ring and dropped it into his palm. "Find someone that adores you the way you adore them, alright?" she urged, smiling gently. "You deserve better than me."
"Right," he murmured huskily. "Be happy, alright, Katie?"
She nodded, biting her lip. "You, too."
"G-goodnight, then."
The door closed. Katie felt like a heel for letting him believe she loved him. Closing her eyes, shaking away the thoughts of his brokenhearted face, she turned around and began walking back to her home.
The Return to Kylaras
The Return to Kylaras
When Katie, her parents, and Joran, Acinoron, and Loriina arrived in Allagandria, the sun was shining on a large clearing covered in glittering snow, and an icy breeze was blowing, sending chills down their backs. Standing majestically before them was a large white castle enclosed by a circular wall broken by graceful arches, through which Katie glimpsed open-roofed pavilions and baskets in which hanging gardens could grow when spring came. The castle itself was shaped like three conical seashells with the narrow tips facing upwards. Multitudes of glass-paned windows reflected the sun behind elegant balconies frosted in ice.
Katie gazed at it in admiration. "All of this was built in four years?" she whispered.
Joran smiled solemnly at her. "Well…perhaps four years passed on Earth, but five years have gone by here. We've been working hard
to mend the damage Nashgor wrought."
Katie looked at her friend, taking in his confident, assured pace and the way his crown sat comfortably on his brow. "You've become a great king," she smiled.
Mr. Smalls was shaking his head in amazement. "This place truly is beautiful. The snow seems different here. I don't know how to explain... there's something here…"