Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  “How did you know how to get here?” I ask Alberico.

  “I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeves. Which you would have known had you actually waited for our planned attack. Duck!” he yells, and I do just in time to narrowly miss a rather large boulder that was aimed for my head.

  “Ah, brother, I was wondering when we would meet again,” Dugan sneers.

  “Little brother, why don’t you just give up while you still can,”Alberico replies regally.

  Dugan just snarls in response and Alberico winces in pain briefly before he regains control of himself. Suddenly there is a wall of fire roaring towards Dugan, and he responds with an attack of his own. I instinctively move to help my father but he doesn’t seem to be affected by Dugan’s second mind attack. Unfortunately, the other Light Elves aren’t quite powerful enough to block Dugan from their heads and about half end up on the grounding writhing in pain.

  “Mia, watch out!” Grey shouts, and I turn just as one of the Dark Elves’ spies tries to hit me with a whip. I’m not fast enough to fully react, so he nicks my shoulder, but Grey steps in to take care of him by causing another avalanche which collapses on top of him. “Go Mia, help Jacoby!”

  While Grey is busy doing his thing, I try to figure out how to release Jacoby from his chains. The powerful blasts of cold wind whooshing around me cause my hands to shake and the ash and soot filling the air due to the Fire wielders make it hard to see, but I finally manage to free him. He is in pretty bad shape. I drag his bloody, unconscious body off to the side, away from all the commotion. Without even trying, the healing magic starts to swell up inside me and I feel the tingling sensation in my fingertips. I try to focus on nothing but healing Jacoby. He appears lifeless and I’m worried I might be too late.

  “C’mon Jacoby,” I plead. “Please, don’t leave me now.”

  As if the chaos around me isn’t distracting enough, the ground starts to quake underneath my feet, and I know that there is no way I am going to be able to concentrate on healing him properly. I know we have to get out of here if I am going to save Jacoby. Half of the Light Elves are still incapacitated from Dugan’s mind attacks, and are lying helplessly on the ground contorting wildly in pain. I just can’t leave them all down here alone. These are my people now. I can’t just stand here and watch Dugan continue to torture them.

  My heart is breaking as I look around me and realize that the outcome of this battle is bleak at best. We did not have enough time to train. We hadn’t even begun to teach the other Light Elves to block out Dugan’s mental attacks and as a result we are losing. My friends and loved ones are suffering. It was foolish and reckless of me to barge in here without a plan, before the Light Elves were more prepared. They followed me here to help me save Jacoby. I know that they have had their doubts about me, but the fact of the matter is, they are here, trying to help me, and now they need me to help them.

  I take a deep breath and gently kiss Jacoby’s cheek.

  “I’ll be right back,” I whisper softly to him as tears sting my eyes.

  I know what I need to do to help end this battle.

  I am the Half-blood daughter of King Alberico of Á lfheimr, blessed by SÓ l, the goddess of the Sun. I summon all of my energy and focus on pulling from the light within me. I did it once before when I was being tortured by Dugan. I hadn’t realized what I was doing at the time, but now I have control over my powers. Now I know what I am capable of. It might not be much, but hopefully it’s enough.

  At once, my hands are glowing as bright as the sun. The heat of the fierce light pulsates out from me in waves. Dugan’s eyes widen in fear, and the thrill of satisfaction I get from his terror makes me smile and gives me strength. The light forcefully shoots out of my fingertips and I project it outwards until the light completely encases me. The Dark Elves, petrified from fear, have stopped fighting and everyone is focused on me.

  “I warned you,” I tell him as I continue to focus on the light streaming from my fingertips. I concentrate the beams into a single, blazing ball that I suspend between my hands. I can sense Dugan’s fear as I look him straight in the eye and use all of my energy to aim the ball of light directly where his heart should be. Suddenly, Brian appears out of nowhere and dives in front of Dugan taking the hit. The light explodes all around him with a deafening crack, then he is gone and the smell of burnt flesh fills the air.

  I incinerated him.

  “No!” shrieks Dugan as he tries to wrap his mind around what he just saw. What I just did. “You will regret this, Mia Carrington!”

  Then he vanishes. The remaining Dark Elves fall over each other trying to scramble away and their human slaves follow suit. Soon only the Light Elves are left.

  Grey isn’t too far from where I stand, and he is looking at me with what I think may be pride, and perhaps a little awe. But I’m not proud of myself. I feel sick to my stomach. How could I do that? I killed him without thinking twice about it. What kind of person does that make me?

  “Let’s get back before they have a chance to regroup,” Alberico says quickly.

  “We need to free their human prisoners. We can’t just leave them down here,” I plead, as I continue to project enough light to keep the Dark Elves away. “They will need to be healed and their memories should be altered.”

  “We’ll take care of it, Mia. You just get Jacoby back to the castle,” he says sternly. He looks frustrated, and I’m suddenly afraid that I have made him mad or disappointed him in some way.

  “But—” I am desperate to get Jacoby to safety to heal him but I am afraid to leave without everyone else. What if the Dark Elves come back?

  “Go. We will be right behind you,” he promises.

  I nod, then grab Jacoby’s hand and transport us back to Á lfheimr where I know we are safe. We appear in my room a second later and I’m pleased to realize that transporting doesn’t even faze me anymore. I guess practice makes perfect.

  Hannah is no longer lying in my bed, so I assume that Isobel kept her word before joining the battle in the Underworld. It doesn’t matter anyway since I can’t lift Jacoby into the bed by myself, so I just lay him gently on the floor. Nobody else transports back into my room, so we are alone for the time being.

  I check his pulse and find it very weak. His breathing is shallow, but at least he is breathing on his own. I take a deep breath and try to heal him again. This time the magic is stronger, and I can feel it pulsing into his limp body. I close my eyes as I focus all of my energy into healing his wounds.

  “Lark?” he weakly croaks.

  “Oh, thank Sl!” I cry, choking back tears of relief.

  “You saved me,” he says, lifting his hand up to brush the wetness from my cheeks.

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Are you okay?” He rises slowly, pulling me up with him and looking me over. “You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

  “No, I’m fine actually, I feel great.” I’m so happy that he is going to be okay.

  “Why would you risk your life for me?” He seems oddly curious.

  “You know why.”

  “You’re amazing. Do you know that?”

  “Eh, it was nothing. Just a normal Saturday for me, you know. Kick some Dark Elf butt. Heal a hot boy. All in a day’s work,” I joke.

  His usual playful expression is replaced by a more serious one and he places his hands gently on my cheeks, holding my face at arm’s length. The look in his eyes grows more intense and it makes my knees weak.

  “I’m serious. I know it’s a rare moment but I am trying here. So listen, okay?”

  “Okay,” I nod nervously.

  “You saved me. Not just tonight. Before I met you, my life was one long night. I was trapped in the darkness. Dugan never forced me to stay, you know that. But it didn’t matter. I had no will to escape. I was so used to the darkness that had become my life, that my eyes had grown accustomed to the shadows. From the moment I first saw you,” he pauses, “God, your aura was so bright, I felt myself d
rawn to you. Like gravity. You are the Lark that promises the coming of day. You are the brightness of the sun, happiness, and everything good. I was, and I still am, completely and ardently enchanted.”

  He leans in slowly and pauses, waiting to see how I will react. Without hesitation, I meet him the rest of the way and my breath catches as his lips barely brush my own. The warmth in my core branches out and explodes, spreading throughout my entire body. My heart pounds fiercely in my chest as the kiss deepens. His full lips mold perfectly against mine. One hand tightens around my waist, pulling me closer, while the other one makes its way up my back, tangling into my hair.

  I think I could spend the rest of my life kissing Jacoby and it would never be enough.

  He pulls back and rests his forehead against my own.

  “You don’t know how long I have been waiting to do that.”

  “It couldn’t have been that long,” I giggle. “We’ve known each other for what? A couple of months?”

  My heart is beating erratically.

  “Perhaps. But it feels like much longer than that,” he says as he kisses me again.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Once I was satisfied that Jacoby was going to be fine, I returned to go heal the humans that were being held captive and tortured by Dugan. There were less than a dozen victims (thank Sl), but by the time I finished it was nearly dawn and I was exhausted. I contemplated going to Hannah’s house since my Mom thought I was spending the night there, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave Jacoby after coming so close to losing him so we crashed in my room. I’ll deal with trying to figure out an explanation for spending the night with a boy later. Nothing happened between us except a lot of sleeping and maybe a kiss or two. Or three or four. Who am I kidding? There was a lot of kissing. And even though it was all very innocent, it was still a little shocking to wake up with him lying beside me.

  “Good morning,” he greets me. “Or I guess I should say, afternoon.”

  “How are you feeling today?” I ask.

  “I’ve been better.”

  “What’s wrong?” I suddenly worry that maybe I didn’t completely heal him.

  “Don’t worry, I’m perfect. Just tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night. You didn’t warn me that you snore,” he teases.

  “I do not snore,” I say, smacking him lightly. “I gotta get ready for breakfast with my dad.”

  Alberico has invited me into his sitting room for a private breakfast this morning before I head back home. Normally, I adore breakfast in Á lfheimr, even more than my chocolate-dipped chocolate chip granola bars, but I’m worried that I have disappointed my father, so I’m dreading the inevitable confrontation.

  “I suppose it would be too presumptuous to ask if I could join you in that magnificent shower? Or perhaps that massive hot tub of yours, huh?”

  “That would be a correct assumption.”

  “Eh, it was worth a shot,” he remarks flippantly.

  “Not happening.”

  “Is that so?” His face brightens with his signature smirk and he pulls me closer to him.

  “Are you trying to persuade me?”

  “That depends, are you persuadable?” He nuzzles his nose against my cheek.

  “Perhaps, but not today,” I smile. “Now get out so I can get ready.”

  I kick him out with a quick kiss. “I’ll see you after breakfast.”

  “Promise?” He steals another kiss.

  “Of course,” I smile at him before standing on my tippy toes and kissing his cheek.

  He leaves and I make my way to the bathroom for a quick shower. The water pulsating on my back is relaxing, like my own personal water massage, so I decide to prolong it a little while. By the time I get out, my fingers are pruney from the water, but I feel noticeably calmer. I dress casually in jeans and a black cardigan. While I do apply a little bit of makeup, I don’t even bother attempting to do anything fancy with my hair, opting to just leave it long and straight down my back. Before I know it, there is nothing left to do but to face my father.

  As I turn the corner to take the stairs leading up to where he is waiting for me, I spy Grey entering Jacoby’s room. Intrigued, I decide to take a little detour, postponing my meeting with Alberico for a little longer. I stop outside the door, holding my breath, in hopes that no one hears me.

  “I just wanted to tell you that I am sorry for doubting you,” I hear Grey proclaim. “You obviously care deeply for her, and I let my own feelings cloud my judgment. For that I apologize.”

  “I do care about her. More than even she knows. So thanks, I guess, for acknowledging that.” Jacoby pauses thoughtfully for a moment. “Can I ask you something?”

  “I suppose.”

  “You said you let your own feelings cloud your judgment?”

  “Yes.”

  “What exactly are your feelings towards her?”

  Well, this could get very interesting. I am tempted to continue to eavesdrop.

  Do I want to know? Would it change anything? I decide to walk away before he has a chance to answer. I don’t need to hear it. I know he cares about me. But I also know that it’s not enough. There are too many complications when it comes to Grey. And my life is already way too complicated without adding anything else to the mix.

  Besides, nothing he could say at this point would change my feelings for Jacoby. Of that much I am sure.

  I make my way towards Alberico’s sitting room, very proud of my newfound self-control. Normally, my nosy nature would have demanded that I stay and eavesdrop until I had all the answers I wanted. But I realize now that sometimes you don’t have to know everything. Sometimes, it’s better to just learn as you go.

  I knock twice before slowly opening the door and peeking my head inside Alberico’s sitting room.

  “Dad?” I hesitate.

  “Ah, good morning, Mia. I was afraid you would, how do you say it? Skip out on me?”

  Ha. How very close to the truth that was. I definitely considered it. I’ve been more than a little worried about the inevitable conversation with Alberico since my impromptu decision to follow Jacoby into the Underworld last night. After all, I placed many lives at risk by prompting our attack on the Dark Elves a week earlier than planned.

  “Of course not. I could never pass up an elfin breakfast,” I cheerfully reply.

  “Good, because there are a few things I would like to discuss with you.”

  Oh boy.

  “First, how are you recovering after using so much magic this weekend?”

  “Physically I feel fine. But mentally,” I pause as I remember what I am guilty of. “I killed someone. Someone I knew. I don’t know how to feel about that. I mean, I know I wasn’t trying to kill him, Brian just got in the way, but I was trying to kill Dugan. Brian did awful things to me and part of me feels guilty, but the other part of me, well, I don’t know. I feel like I’m no less evil than Dugan if I say that I think he deserved it but … .I don’t know if I really feel that way, if I really wanted him dead. At the same time … I’m not making any sense. I guess it’s just hard to explain.”

  “What’ve you been through, well, no 17-year-old should ever have to experience what you’ve been through. But Mia, you aren’t evil. You did what you had to do then and you will do what you have to do next time.”

  “This is only the beginning, isn’t it?”

  “I think we have some time before we have to worry about the DÖkkÁ lfar again, but yes, this is only the beginning. But you have been blessed by Sl and that has to mean something good for our side.”

  A warm burst of pride emanates through me as I remember my blessing from the Sun goddess. For some reason, she chose me. I’m the only one who is able to control the power of the sun. I’ll take that over Earth, Fire, Water, or Wind magic any day. And maybe healing isn’t as cool as some of the elemental magic, but I was able to save Jacoby and that was pretty freaking amazing in my book.

  “That reminds me. How did you get to th
e Underworld that night? Grey said I was the only one who could get there since I was the only one who had actually been there before.”

  “Let’s just say your amulet has a little something extra.” He points to the pendant around my neck, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “Sort of like elfish GPS”

  “You’ve gotta be kidding me. I’m being tracked?”

  “Only in case of emergencies, I promise,” he smiles. “Next, I would like to discuss what you are going to tell Hannah.”

  Oh crap.

  “Well, I was thinking that I could just play up the whole crazy dream scenario and that would be enough to take care of it,” I tell him uncertainly.

  “I agree, that would probably be best,” Alberico nods in agreement as he takes a bite of a scone.

  “Dad, what happens now? The prophecy didn’t come true, so what does that mean? Does that mean it’s not really over?”

  After a thoughtful pause Alberico recites the prophecy,

  “A Half-blood child of a Sovereign One

  Hidden in the Shadows until the time is right

  Can heal the Cursed of their Underground prison

  Then once more they will walk among the Light.

  The One with Spirit though, holds the Key

  To See what others cannot See

  They will bring Light to the Dark

  Only to perish but for the Grace of the Lark.”

  He pauses and lets the words of the prophecy that has terrified me for weeks now sink in. They take on a completely different meaning to me now.

  “Was it about us both?” I ask Alberico.

  “It is very possible. Though, it appears that at least part of the prophecy has been fulfilled. Jacoby’s spur of the moment trip to the Underworld resulted in bringing the Light Elves to the Dark Elves. Without you, Jacoby would have perished, so that came true as well. Perhaps, the prophecy only warns of the possibility of the Dark Elves being healed from their curse. Maybe you do have the ability to heal them, but you chose not to.”