“An impending and urgent issue?” Jolie asked as she stepped toward Rachel, smiling at the other woman with warm eyes. The queen glanced at Betta briefly, but she returned her gaze to Rachel, albeit furtively. She reached out and took Rachel’s hands in her own as she glanced down the length of her body.
“And when is your baby due?” the queen asked placidly. Dropping both of Rachel’s hands, she clasped her own with an expression of eager excitement.
Rachel began to stumble over her words and opened and closed her mouth in quick succession as she strove to maintain her cool. “I’m sorry,” she said finally as she dropped her gaze to the floor. “I should have informed you that I was with child as soon as I arrived here. It wasn’t fair to let you assume you were only taking me in.”
“Don’t be silly,” Jolie answered as she waved away Rachel’s concern with her hand. “Babies are the cause for celebrations; end of story.” She smiled broadly again. “When is she or he due?”
Sensing Rachel’s discomfort, I decided to intervene. “That is the very subject we need to discuss, my queen,” I answered. I began clearing my throat while wondering how best to continue. “We are not exactly … certain when the bouncing bundle of joy will make its … debut appearance.” I was quiet for a few moments as I struggled for the proper words. “You see, the baby is growing … at quite a rapid rate indeed.”
“Growing at a rapid rate?” Jolie repeated, looking utterly perplexed. “What does that mean?” She raised one eyebrow and glanced at each of us in turn as she awaited our response.
Beads of sweat appeared above Rachel’s eyebrows and I could hear the pounding of her heartbeat as it sped up considerably. The queen smiled at Rachel and reached out, resting her hand lightly on Rachel’s swollen belly. The embryo inside moved hard and fast, somersaulting, as best as it could in such tight quarters, and I observed what appeared to be a tiny foot kicking out beneath Rachel’s taut skin. The visual was nothing less than horrific.
“He’s powerful too,” Jolie announced as her eyebrows furrowed. “I can feel his energy.” She paused and shifted the location of her palm to an area higher on Rachel’s abdomen. Then she splayed her fingers as she studied Rachel’s face. “But I also sense something strange or … different. There is something unusual about the child.” Jolie removed her hand.
“He is growing far too quickly,” Rachel responded.
“Why?” the queen asked.
“Do you recall when I told you about Luce’s plans to create Elemental-Daywalker hybrids?” I asked as Jolie turned to face me.
“Yes.”
“This is what I meant,” I finished as I nodded at Rachel. “Rachel is carrying one of Luce’s hybrids.”
“I assure you, my queen, that my child, no matter what his genetic makeup, will be a devoted and respectful member of your kingdom,” Rachel announced quickly. She acted as if she were afraid Jolie would order the child’s instantaneous death at birth.
“Of course he will be,” the queen responded with a shrug. “If he is raised with love and respect, then those are all he will ever know. I do not care what Luce’s intentions might be.”
Tears shone in Rachel’s eyes. “Thank you, my queen,” she whispered.
Jolie glanced at me and back at the other two women. Then she focused on Rachel’s stomach and held her gaze there for quite some time. Perhaps she was recalling her own pregnancy, which was not so long ago.
Taking a deep breath and nodding, the queen said, “Based on your present size, I would venture to bet you will surely go into labor within the week.” She turned to Betta. “I expect you are looking after her?”
“Yes,” Betta responded with a slight curtsey.
“Very good,” the queen replied with a quick nod. “When that time comes, you must call for the prophetess, or Mathilda. Of course, I expect you to call for me as well.” Then she faced Rachel again. “Until then, just try to get plenty of rest.”
“I will,” Rachel beamed with joy. “And thank you, my queen.”
“Of course,” Jolie smiled warmly before she looked at her sister’s prostrate body and her smile fell. “Now if you both wouldn’t mind leaving us, I need to speak with Sinjin.”
Betta and Rachel nodded before they backed out of the room and exited into the hallway. Jolie closed the door and turned toward me.
“The child is half Elemental and half Daywalker.” Exhaustion and weariness had combined to create dark circles underneath her beautiful eyes.
“Yes, my queen,” I confirmed, realizing only then how concerned she was by her statement. I must confess that the same issue also stood out in my mind. “But is it not as you say?” I asked with a hopeful smile. “Will it not be a case of nurture versus nature?”
“I hope so,” the queen responded with a quick nod. That was followed by a sigh when her attention shifted back to her sister. “Do you think she will come back to us, Sinjin?” she asked in a faraway voice. Sitting on the side of the bed, she took Bryn’s hand in hers and began stroking the back of it with a light touch.
Our previous conversation continued to burn me up until I was no longer able to keep my thoughts to myself. “The prophetess managed to allow each of us entry into your sister’s mind. Why is she unable to do it again?”
“Because it isn’t safe for anyone involved now,” Jolie rebutted.
“But it was safe enough to send us in the first place?”
“It was never truly safe enough,” she answered as she glanced back down at her comatose sister. “Case in point.”
I cleared my throat. “I understand your reservations, but I cannot erase the possibility that if your sister is lost within the parameters of her own mind, perhaps I could revisit it to show her the way out again.”
“Or, like Mercedes said, you could get permanently lost in the process and never return.” She shook her head. “As much as my sister means to me, I can’t and I won’t risk losing anyone else.” She faced me with a deep breath. “Least of all you, Sinjin.”
“Least of all me?” I asked, taken aback.
“You are too important to our kingdom, Sinjin,” she answered. “And in addition to that, you are much too important to me.” She grew silent for a moment before she faced me again. “Of course, I have considered that scenario along with a million other possibilities in my head, over and over again. And as soon as I admit that I could lose you as well as Bryn, well … it literally turns my stomach. I can’t do that, Sinjin.”
I was moved by her honesty, although I did not regard the reason for her hesitation as being legitimate. Were it entirely up to me, I would have to insist that Mercedes send me back. I could vanquish all of my guilt for letting Bryn down. This time, I would not return without her.
But, unfortunately, the ultimate decision did not reside with me.
“And now, I can’t help but wonder if all of that was just a huge waste of our time?” the queen remarked as she faced her sister with anguish and melancholy.
“What was a huge waste of our time, my queen?”
She shrugged. “All of this! Bryn sacrificing herself so that I could see everything I did. All of it seems so insignificant now.”
“Why does that make it a waste of time?”
“What if it doesn’t matter?” she asked as she looked up at me. “What if the vision that Bryn had unfolds the same way as always? What if none of our plans and thoughtful preparations matter in the end? What if this is what’s supposed to happen after all?”
I shook my head vehemently. “It is not what fate holds in store for us. Luce will not prevail, my queen. We are fully prepared for his assault. We know what is coming. Not a single part of your sister’s vision will come true.” I hesitated before I asked her the more pressing question. “Were you able to discern how much time we have before the attack occurs? Were you able to learn anything about it?”
“Yes,” she answered with a quick nod. “The heather was blooming in Bryn’s vision, which means the attack will c
ome in spring or summer. We should plan for spring, I think, just to be safe.”
“Then we shall be poised and ready.” I was quiet for a few moments as I watched the queen position the Lady Bryn’s hand back at her side. “You should also be aware that I have dispatched Klaasje, Trent, and Varick on a mission to Montana for reconnaissance.”
The worry etched on her face relaxed into an expression of relief. “Thank you, Sinjin.” She nodded as she smiled up at me. “I’m eternally grateful for your quick thinking and rapid response.”
“And your army is currently being assembled. We have increased our warriors by twofold and they are presently receiving their duties and assignments as we stand here in this room.”
“You’re always a step of ahead of me, Sinjin. Thank you for that too.” She smiled at me. A pinch of hope barely lightened the shadows under her eyes.
***
Bryn
It had been a week. One long week in which I’d been all alone.
I counted the passing of each day by the sun when it rose every dawn and found me still exploring the forest of my undisciplined mind. Unfortunately, I wasn’t certain if a week had actually passed in the real world. Maybe it was longer than that, or maybe it was shorter.
My week was spent searching, taking footstep after painful footstep with nothing to see but an endless pattern of tree trunks to further confuse me. But I remained unbroken and continued to search for the special flame that was required to extricate me out of my head again.
Having already touched the flame a week earlier, I’d immediately awakened to find myself on a bed with Sinjin’s face hovering over me. Then, just as quickly, I was sucked back into the vacuum of my addled mind again, and now, here I was. Having replayed that situation so many times, I kept searching and trying to find a clue that might explain why it happened the way it did.
Touching the flame was supposed to free me, but it hadn’t. Or maybe it did for just a split second before something else that was much stronger sucked me back in again, something irresistible. Was it the handiwork of Luce? I wasn’t sure yet, but I considered the possibility.
On this particular night, I was searching for the flame yet again. Walking tirelessly for miles, I scanned the perimeter, peering everywhere for the single flame of salvation. And, just like every other night, there was no flame to be found. There was nothing but a forest of trees.
Was this my final destiny—to constantly search for something I could never find? I figured I probably looked like a vegetable to most of the outside world, but inside, a very different reality existed. I was alive and my brain was very much working. But as time went on, I began to wonder if that were a good thing.
I couldn’t fathom the idea of living the rest of my life like this—comatose on the outside, and all alone and lost on the inside. Given a choice, I would rather have ended things than to continue existing in this no-man’s land. But it seems that isn’t an option open to me. In order for me to die and be freed from this prison, someone on the outside world had to do it. I couldn’t be expected to do it myself, not while I was locked up inside my mind.
Feeling completely overwhelmed, I stopped walking and collapsed on the ground. I was suddenly extremely exhausted and overcome with such grief as I’d never known before. I was totally bereft and suffering from complete loss. Tears flowed from my eyes and I shook uncontrollably, hopeless and overwhelmed by my wretched situation.
It was over. I would never find my way back or get out of my head again. I would remain imprisoned inside my own mind forever. Luce managed to prevail again.
I shook my head at the hideous thought and pounded my fists into the unforgiving ground. The forest echoed with my sobs, but that was the only sound I could hear. There were no birds singing and no woodland creatures frolicking in the undergrowth. There was only me trapped in a dark forest. Just as I had been for the last week.
Bryn.
Hearing the sound of my name, I immediately stopped sniveling and sat up straighter. I was half wondering if I just imagined the deep voice and glanced up into the dark sky but saw nothing. The cruel forest was still, silent, and, as usual, mocking me.
Standing up, I started forward again, even though I had no reason to move. Maybe this was the first sign that I was losing my sanity—imagining voices that weren’t actually there. Maybe my body was going easy on me, trying to spare me anymore suffering and making my prison easier to live inside. Maybe insanity would be my final savior.
Bryn.
That voice. Again.
I stopped walking and held completely still. I even sucked in a breath without releasing it. Was I just imagining the voice? Was it all in my mind? Or could it possibly be real?
If there were any chance at all that it wasn’t a figment of my delirious brain, it was the chance I desperately needed. And I intended to take it.
“I’m here!” I screamed out at the top of my lungs. I held my hands to my mouth and yelled as loud as I could. “I can hear you!” Quiet. “Where are you? Say something more so I can find you!”
But there was nothing more. No voice called back to me. Nothing but the silence and severity of the endless rows of trees. A silence that seemed to be caving in around me. The darkness was rapidly settling over the forest like a large, heavy blanket, and pretty soon I wouldn’t be able to see anything. In mere minutes, I’d have to hunker down again for the night since it was impossible to navigate through the forest without any daylight.
Sometimes, there was moonlight, but the tops of the trees obscured the moon’s rays and left me again in a pitch-black environment.
“I’m here!” I yelled out again, twirling around as I searched the forest, straining as best I could to see anything in the darkness before it completely encapsulated me. “Please say something!”
Nothing. Just me and the trees. Again.
Day eight.
Exhaling loudly, I fell to the ground, my futile wandering over for the day. Now I’d have to face another long night where sleep refused to come easily.
Curling up into the fetal position, I rested my head on my clasped hands as I pulled my knees into my chest. At least I wasn’t cold. There was that. Thank goodness for small favors.
I closed my eyes and tried to hold in my tears, but they flowed like fresh blood down my face, wetting the dirt beneath me. I’d come so close … so close to establishing some contact with another person, anyone, and I was so ready to end this monotonous ritual of nothingness that had become my whole existence.
“Bryn?”
The deep voice came from directly behind me. With a shock, I sat bolt upright. I wheeled around and pushed up on my hands and knees while craning my face upwards, only to find … Dureau Chevalier looking down at me?
I just stared at him for the space of a few seconds, and he smiled at me. I didn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I feared he’d suddenly pop and fizzle right back into the ether from where he’d emerged.
He was the first to shift, and he dropped down onto his knees before gripping my arms tightly and pulling me into him. He wrapped his arms around me and I could hear the beating of his heart, while his warm face grazed my cheek.
“Are you real?” I asked as I pulled away from him. Now more than ever, I had to know if he were just another sign that I was losing my grip on my sanity.
“I am very real,” he replied as he helped me onto my feet. I was still shaking. “And I’ve been searching for you for several long days.”
“But how,” I started as I shook my head, myriad questions burning in my mind. “How did you find me?”
“I heard you crying,” he answered with a shrug. “And I followed the sound until I discovered you here.”
“How did you manage to get inside my mind?” I inquired as I searched his handsome face. For some unknown reason, I was able to see him. Even though we were standing in the darkness, I could actually see him. It wasn’t like daylight, but I could see him well enough to know he really was Dureau.
Dark, mysterious, and yet so familiar. Standing in front of me, he stirred something from the depths of my mind, and I slowly remembered. I recalled seeing him in my dreams many years ago, and feeling his power and strength. Seeing him then as a young girl brought back a flood of emotions and hot tears began stinging my eyes. I blinked them away furiously. I could not afford to give in to the emotions that were doing their best to wreck me. Now I had to find out how in the hell we would get out of here.
When Dureau stretched his hand out to me, I took it, clasping it hard, and wrapping my fingers around his large palm. I wanted him to know I didn’t dare let him go. If I’d never had a knight in shining armor before, I did now.
“How?” I asked as soon as he wrapped his arm around me and we started forward. I didn’t know where we were going, but I followed his lead all the same. “How did you find me?” I asked again breathlessly.
“You and I have a solid connection, Bryn,” he answered matter-of-factly. “We always shared it.”
“How is that possible?” I asked, shaking my head. Of course, I understood what he meant—and we definitely had a connection that began years ago. Unfortunately, I never understood what that connection was or how we managed to sustain it.
“Because fae blood runs through you as much as it does through me,” he explained. “And although I do not understand why we stay connected such as we are, I still know it is true.”
“Is that how you managed to visit me in my dreams when I was a girl?”
“Yes, I believe so,” he answered before taking a deep breath and smiling down at me. “I cannot pretend to have all of the answers, but I am happy to tell you anything I do know.”
“Did you know who I was when you came to me in my sleep?” I asked. “Did you know my identity then?”
“No,” he said, and he shook his head. “The dream captured both of us. We were simply elements of the dreamscape.”
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