by Dawn Brower
“Wake up.” His voice was barely audible, but he put all of his will into those two words. Nothing—not even the smallest of connections to hold on to.
“It won’t work.” She didn’t help either. The dragon hunter queen, and the current bane of his existence.
Elodie had made a deal with Donia. That agreement was the reason both Cale and Daire continued to allow her to stay with them. Daire didn’t bother to open his eyes and address her. Ignoring her was the better side of valor because to speak to her would lead to a disagreement. His current task held far more importance than listening to whatever tirade she had in store for him.
“It won’t work,” she repeated.
Bloody hell. Why wouldn’t she leave him be. As much as he hated it, he’d have to abandon his endeavor to save Elodie—at least long enough to dispense with Donia and her persistent irritation. “Go away,” he demanded.
“I could,” she began. “But that would be a mistake.
He refused to look at her and give in to her demands. “Can’t you bother Cale?” The knight was probably up in his cave brooding. He blamed himself for Elodie’s predicament, and he should. His stupid dragon form had nearly destroyed them all, and Elodie paid the highest price. “He might enjoy the torment.”
“Don’t you think he’s done enough to prostrate himself?” she asked softly. “He’s laid himself out and practically begged for someone to strike him down, make him bleed. He’ll take on any pain or pay whichever price is deemed necessary. What is it about your princess that you are both willing to die for?”
That wasn’t an easy thing to answer. How did one describe their reasons for loving one person? Daire could say she brought him joy, because she did, but on the flip side she also frustrated him beyond reason. There was more to her than a beautiful face. He could become poetic and elucidate on her gold streaked hair or sapphire eyes, but then he’d only describe her outer façade. There was far more to the princess than what she presented to the world. Inside, she was brave, quick-witted, strong, but even that didn’t make up her whole existence. Elodie was also compulsive, short-tempered, and exasperating as hell. He’d always noticed the whole picture of her, and loved her for her faults, as well as, finer attributes. Putting that into words remained beyond him though.
He opened his eyes and met Donia’s stark gaze. Her blue-gray eyes darkened to match the color of Cale’s broadsword. The storm that brewed inside of them matched the one swirling deep in his soul. She slid a stray lock of her blonde hair behind her ear, but glared at him defiantly as she did it. Maybe she felt something akin to his own pain, or maybe it wasn’t as complex as that. Donia didn’t know Elodie, and if she held any agony inside of her, then it wasn’t for the princess. Donia had her own demons to fight. He kept his gaze steady and told her, “She’s everything you’re not.”
“I’ll agree with you.” She held up her hand to halt him from speaking. “But not for the reasons you might think. Elodie and I are quite different. She sees good in people where I hold onto my cynicism like a well-worn coat.”
Daire studied her for several seconds. He still didn’t understand her or what her motives were, but he found no fault in her assessment. Elodie, for all her bluster and bravery did, for the most part, see the good side of those she met. She’d given him a hard time from the moment they’d crossed paths again, but there hadn’t been any true malice in her interaction with him. She could have done harm to him if she desired to, yet she had allowed him to follow her to the white witch’s cottage. Sometimes he wondered why, and other times he dismissed it as Elodie being Elodie. In his mind, the simplest answer usually turned out to be the correct one. Why question who he believed his princess to be? She’d never given him reason to doubt her. “I suppose you’re right,” he agreed.
“There is no supposition to it.” Donia shrugged. “We are opposite sides of the same coin. Neither one of us evil, but not fully good either. We’ve made mistakes, and I can’t speak for her, but I do carry my share of regrets. Elodie didn’t live the life I did, and it has hardened me more than a girl my age should be.”
“She has had her own rough patches.”
“Not saying she hasn’t.” Donia frowned. “You’re not understanding what I’m trying to say.”
“Then why don’t you try a little harder at communicating it to me.” Daire was growing tired of her presence. He had to go back to figuring out how to heal Elodie. “Then you can leave me alone to my task.”
She sighed. “That’s my point exactly. You are trying to be her white knight and rush in to save her. Sometimes a girl has to save herself. Hasn’t Elodie proven to you by now she’s strong enough to take on anything and come out the other side of it?”
“What does that have to do with the differences between the two of you?”
She’d been talking in circles since she sat down to torture him. Daire wished he did understand her so he could dismiss her already. But her riddles were proving to confuse him more.
“Our differences are what make us who we are, and it also gives me insight to her in ways neither you nor Cale can see. While Elodie and I don’t always see everything in the same light, there is one way we are exactly alike. We don’t want someone to save us.” She paused a moment. He didn’t know why—maybe to let those words sink in before she continued. “What forged us into the strong females we’ve grown into is what drives us to save ourselves. Elodie took a risk, and she’s paying for it. That was her decision and hers alone. You and Cale need to stop blaming yourselves for it and instead find a way for Elodie to escape on her own.”
He listened to her tirade, and at the end, clarity reigned. “You sound as if you know where she is.” Daire came to his feet and she followed suit. “Tell me what I need to do to save her.”
“Have you listened to anything I’ve said?” Her tone screamed with exasperation.
“Aye,” he replied. “I’ve heard every word. Especially, the last part.”
“You can’t save her,” she said softy. “She must do it herself. Why can’t you see that?”
Daire did. He understood every nuance of what she said, and what she left unsaid. “If she should fail…”
“Do you have so little faith in her?”
He would not allow her to distract him. Once he had all the information he would then be able to act upon it. “Have you spoken to Cale of this?” He ignored her question and considered what his next move should be. Perhaps it was time for the knight to step up and assist him in rescuing the princess.
“He is too far gone to reason with. I had hoped you would be the better choice. Now I’m questioning my rationalization skills.” Donia rolled her eyes. “If we’re to help her, we need to start working now. I don’t have time to explain it all twice.”
“Then it’s lucky you won’t have to.” Donia may be more familiar with Malediction then they were, but she didn’t understand Daire’s new magical abilities. When he merged with Elodie, he’d been altered, and his connection to Cale had been forged when he healed the knight’s fracture; however, the bastard ignored him whenever he attempted to connect telepathically. Cale might be willing to listen if it helped Elodie. Daire had to try. The knight had taken to extreme stubbornness of late. He reached out to Cale’s mind and forced him to listen. Come down from your cave, knight. It’s time to save the princess. It didn’t take long for purple wings to fill the blue sky above as Cale took his dragon form to join them quicker than the hike down the mountainside would entail.
“Great,” Donia muttered. “Do you want to catch the attention of whatever hunters remain in the area?”
“I thought you dispatched most of them in our last battle.”
“That was one faction. More will come in time.”
Cale’s wings hovered above them. A swoosh of wind nearly knocked both him and Donia over. Daire reached out and held her steady. It was either that or watch her fall, and the evil side of him contemplated it for half a second. When Cale touched the gro
und, a loud boom echoed through the valley. He had to admit that Donia had a valid point. If there were more hunters to contend with, then keeping Cale’s dragon form in check might be for the best. None of them knew where Lulu or Kalypso had disappeared to. They had a strange connection and he had a bad feeling they weren’t gone for good. Kalypso had remained docile, but that damn bird had almost been their undoing.
Cale took his human form and came to stand beside them. He had on leather trews and a billowy white tunic. His dark hair remained loose and flowed down his back. His blue eyes were as cold as ice as he met Daire’s gaze. “You’ve found a way to save Elodie?”
They had moved her to the cave after they realized she wouldn’t wake. It was also the reason why Cale never left his dragon residence. He stayed there to protect her while she was unable to do it for herself. Luckily, Daire didn’t need to be close to her to reach out to her. Their connection had bonded them so completely that it could reach any distance, and also why he knew she wasn’t lost for good.
“Donia was about to explain.” Daire half expected her to renege on the information.
They both turned to stare at her. She folded her arms across her chest and glared back. “Speak,” Cale demanded. “We don’t have time for your histrionics.”
She huffed, then opened her mouth and closed it several times. “You two are insufferable.”
“I’m on a very thin edge, queenie. Don’t think I’ve forgotten your attempts to kill me. I’d be glad to return the favor, but I promise, I won’t fail.” Cale could be quite intimidating when he needed to be. Daire rather respected his attitude. He felt the same himself about Donia, and she hadn’t nearly felled him.
“Easy dragon knight.” Daire pressed his hand to Cale’s chest. “Let her explain how to save Elodie first. Then, if you don’t like it, she can be slayed.”
Cale rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll refrain from anything bloody for now.”
“So kind of you.” Sarcasm dripped from each word as Donia shot a glance of disgust at both of them. “As I was telling the prince of ignorance.” She paused and stared at Daire. “Elodie has to save herself. But you can give her a boost or point her in the right direction.”
“What do we need to do?” Cale asked.
Donia had pegged Cale correctly. He would pay any price to save Elodie. Did she not believe Daire would do the same? They both loved the princess and fought willingly by her side. Why did Donia think Cale would lay his life down before Daire would?
“You won’t do anything.” She turned to Daire. “You’re the one with the connection to her. Daire ties the three of you together into one big knot, and he alone can unravel it.”
Did she want him to sever his connection to Elodie? It would be like ripping his heart out of his chest and laying the bloody mess at her feet. Donia would take the opportunity to crush it out of existence—yes, he believed she was that cruel. Still… “What do I need to do?”
“Hope.”
That one word was something Daire carried around with him every day. It killed him and kept him high on joy at the same time. It made him want things he might never have, and still he persisted. A nasty word that was supposed to spark delight into the world and beyond…
“That’s it?” He lifted a brow.
“There is nothing simple about hope,” she explained. “Hope is the guiding force that keeps us from giving up on life. It’s what gets us through the day and the darkest of nights. For some of us, it is that hope that gives us the one bright spot in a sea of nothing. That one day, if we’re lucky enough, we might once again see the person we love again.” Her voice wavered as she spoke that last bit and made him think he’d been too hard on Donia.
She’d lost someone she loved, and he’d never wish that on anyone. She swallowed hard and then started to speak again, “Elodie needs that more than anything. She’s in the darkness, and once it has a hold on a person, it doesn’t want to let go. So reach into that void and help her find something to fight for. Make her remember what is important to her. If you can’t do that then there is no saving her.”
Daire took a deep breath and nodded. “I’m going up to the cave. I can reach her anywhere, but I think I’ll have a better chance if I’m closer.”
“I’ll guard,” Cale told him. “No one will interrupt you.”
“Good.” Donia clapped her hand on Daire’s shoulder. “Lead the way prince. I’m going to be by your side to make sure you don’t muck this up. We all need Elodie to escape this realm.”
Daire shook his head and started the long trek up to Cale’s cave. Elodie was Sleeping Beauty in need of the kiss of hope to awaken. He might not be her white knight, but he’d always do his part to protect her. They all had their cross to bear. His was to love her and never know what it was like to have her feel the same for him. He could live with that if she lived. He prayed that they succeeded because he couldn’t imagine a world where Elodie didn’t exist in it. They had an uphill battle in front of them, and he refused to be on the losing end of it. A loss of that magnitude would devastate them all…
3
Escape the Shadows
Time seemed to stand still, or maybe that was wishful thinking on her part. Elodie seriously doubted that time froze in place because she’d found herself trapped in never-ending darkness. She tried to remember, but it remained on the edges of her mind, not wanting to reveal itself to her. Why did it have to be so hard?
Frustration speared through her, and she wanted to scream. She didn’t think her task would be easy, but she had hoped it wouldn’t prove futile. Giving up started to sound like paradise; however, she realized that wouldn’t aid her at all. An attitude like that one would serve those working against her. She’d been in the darkness for far too long, and she feared what she might discover once she found her way out of it. The Shadowlands were supposed to be better. Of course, Lulu could be lying to her. The little she did recall had told her that much. The bird had pretended to be her friend.
Wait—friend… That word was important somehow.
Something finally started to ignite inside her mind. That fledgling ember spread until a sea of them floated around her. If she could connect them, then that memory might fully form and give her the strength to move from the darkness on to the Shadowlands. Elodie concentrated and pushed the pieces together like a puzzle she had to assemble back into its original form. It took every ounce of her strength to bring it into focus. After several moments, the memory floated through her mind as if it had always been there, and it had been. She’d lost it for a little while.
The person in it was important to her. Someone she loved dearly and had vowed never to forget—her mother. She’d thought she’d find that elusive friend and the one her heart ached for. In a strange way, it made sense that she’d remember her mother now. Elodie had always wanted to be like her. She’d even studied with her mother’s short swords.
After that memory clicked into place, all of them came flooding back like a tidal wave of pictures. They overwhelmed her until the chaos became too much for her. She fought to control it, but nothing she did worked. All she could do was let them come and pray she survived the onslaught. Through it all, she kept the first memory she’d rediscovered close to her heart. That memory would be the strength she needed to survive. Her mother might be lost to her, but that love would always be inside of Elodie. Nothing could take that away from her, not even a cursed world determined to destroy her.
It seemed to take forever for the process to complete. At the end, at least she believed it was over, Elodie could barely breathe. Her mind was numb from the return of everything that made her who she was, and ultimately would grow into. She might not fully understand what it all meant, but they were there if she needed them. Through it all, she’d kept her eyes closed because even the stark darkness had been too much for her to bear. Now that the pandemonium had stopped, she slowly opened them.
After she perused her surroundings she took a deep breath. G
one was the black, and in its place a sea of gray met her gaze. It wasn’t one shade, but several that formed puffy clouds and swirls of smoke. Elodie found it difficult to move in the Shadowlands. Silence permeated the darkness, but in this world, it fairly crackled with energy. Lighting flashed through the mist. Its energy interwoven through every part of the world, making it dangerous in a different way than the darkness. Nothing would ever be easy. At least she could count on that to remain true no matter where she ended up.
“Well,” she said testing out the use of her voice once more. “I’m here. What do I do next?”
Of course, no one answered her. She didn’t fully expect that though. In her escape, she could depend on one person—herself. If she wanted to make it out of the Shadowlands whole, she had to keep her wits about her. It wasn’t quite nothingness as the darkness had been. Instead, it seemed quite a bit more ominous. Maybe she should start walking and hope it lead to somewhere. She rolled to her knees and pushed herself to her feet. Her legs were wobbly, so she held her arms out to steady herself. After she felt safe enough to move, she took a cautionary step forward. Her foot hit the squishy surface and she nearly fell down again, but managed to remain upright. This world would not be her undoing. So the ground wasn’t that solid—no big deal. Honestly, it didn’t surprise her. It looked as if she was walking on clouds, and if she went in the wrong direction she might fall through them.