Elmora: Realm Walker Series Book One

by Anna LaVerne

  “I knew you would love it! I shared it with you once before a long time ago. I wish you could remember, you made that same face. I made sure to pack you a bottle on the boat in case I was able to get you to come home.”

  Those words rushed through me. I stopped and sat the cup back down on the table. With the utmost calm I said, “ I am not going home. You are taking me to your home, not mine. My apartment may not be much, and I may have not been there long, but it is all I have, it is my home.” Another flash of sadness swept across his face and his mouth twisted into a slight frown.

  “I am not asking you stay forever, but can you please give it a chance. I will help you rediscover yourself. I want Vera to be the Vera she is meant to be.”

  “I am thirty years old, I am pretty sure I know who I am. I am a self reliant strong woman who survives on her own. I am entering my middle years confident in who I am as a person and what I want.” As the words formed on my lips I knew they were a lie. I am in no way confident, nor am I even remotely sure of who I am. To be honest I don't even feel thirty. I am not sure I look it either. I have no kids, no house, no awesome perfect job. Hell, I don't even have a pet.

  “Say what you want, Vera. You and I both know there is more to you, so much more.”

  With that Garrik stood and walked towards the front of the boat. It is long and narrow, looks like it is built for comfort and speed. The front of the boat curved up into a carved dragon head reminiscent of the boats seen in old Norse viking boats. I move to stand I want to look around.

  I climb out of the bed putting my feet on to the wood planked floor of the boat. That is when I realized my feet were bare and I was no longer in my running gear.

  “You changed my clothing while I slept?! You saw me naked!”

  Garrik doesn't even turn around to look. “I can change clothing with my eyes closed. I am an ELF, plus you were not completely naked. You still have your pink panties.”

  “Pink panties? Pink Panties? If your eyes were closed then how in the seven hells did you know I was wearing PINK panties?” Garrik shrugs as if it didn't matter. I stride towards him feeling the cool evening breeze through my new dress then I punched him in the arm as hard as I could. Once again he didn't even look in my direction infuriating me even more.

  “How dare you? First, you do some kiss magic to make me sleep. I wake up torturing myself thinking I had relapsed as an alcoholic. I forgive you that slight, but then you change my clothing while I was out. That was rude. It was a breach of my privacy.”

  “I have seen you naked before.”

  “OVER TEN YEARS AGO when I had my hot teenage bod. I am not ready for you to see my old spinster fat bod.”

  “You are not fat.” Garrik rolls his eyes like I had lost my mind.

  “I am definitely not hot either though.”

  “You are more beautiful, and even more sensual, you are just missing something. You know the boxed up part of your soul.” It came out like a sneer. Like I ruined myself by protecting myself, which he admits he asked me to do.

  “This is as much your fault as it is mine, Garrik!” I grabbed his arm and jerked him around so he was forced to look at me.

  “How much longer am I on this boat with you?” I demanded.

  “Less than an hour, but then we have another hour in a carriage before we arrive at Tindril.”

  “What is Tindril? An elf city?” curiosity got the best of me and my anger once again began to fade away. I really want to hold a grudge, but something about Garrik looking at me washes it away every time.

  “Tindril is my home. It isn't a full city. Elves are not the city type. They tend to live in tree top towns speckled throughout the countryside. Tindril has hundreds of elvish within its walls, but no it is not a city.” He didn't elaborate any more.

  Hundreds of other elves? That means I am going to have to interact with someone other than Garrik very soon. Oh shit, I suck at interacting with anyone in general. I always say the most ridiculous nonsensical things. I also trip and stutter and make a complete fool out of myself. Will they be able to tell I am human? Will they be rude to me being the only human here? I turn around wringing my hands and begin to pace the boat. It was as if Garrik read my thoughts again. I am pretty sure I wasn't broadcasting anything directly at the time, I knew I must have looked nervous.

  The evening light was lingering yet it was dark enough that little light lanterns lit up on cue to the setting sun. The lights draped along the sides of the boat and hung within the folds of fabric of the sitting area. Garrik approached me from behind wrapping his arms around me. He bent low and whispered

  “Breathe my little Vera, and go look.”

  Shivers shot through my body. I know it was from our proximity not the words. He lifted an arm and pointed to a mirror that was standing near the bed.

  “You have a mirror on your boat? Isn't that a little vain?”

  “Elves are vain, Vera. Everyone knows that even humans. We like to look our best, plus how else would I know if my human glamor looked human enough.”

  “Having teal eyes ruins the human look.”

  “My eyes look blue to humans and my ears look normal. You have always been able to see through my glamor even at fourteen. There was no fooling you.”

  He pulled away stepping in front of me, “Now please go and take a look. We are nearing our docking point.”

  I step forward in front of a full length mirror that was expertly carved. Beautiful wooden flowers surrounded the edges. The elves do nothing simple. I turned my focus to the the actual mirror. There I stood. I hadn't even taken the time to look at my dress but now I see it is perfect. The dress felt like it was made for me and me alone. Simple yet stunning. It was comprised of green silk in an empire waist style. The silk of the dress crisscrossed my chest weaving the fabric together. Every third piece of fabric was a bright gold and every fourth piece was a sage green. Underneath my bust the dress flowed outward and down much like the gowns of ancient Greece. Deep dark green, bright gold and light sage swirled around me. My hair was loose down my back and over my shoulders. The freckles across my nose were on full display. My round face was still round and my mouth still wide and my lips full. The colors of the dress had turned my hazel eyes into striking green with flecks of gold. I am a mutt genetically, but at this moment I appear as if I could have been plucked from the Scottish Highlands. I am pretty.

  “Not pretty, Vera, stunning. You are stunning.”

  I chuckle at his words. “No Mr. Elf-man if the women elves look half as good as you I know I couldn't even hold a candle to them.” I pause in thought but before he could argue I had to ask, “Will they know I am human?”

  “Yes. Elvish women are not so short, but at the same time many elves have never met a human. Most have no desire to poke around in the Human Realm. Plus, as I said, they have to use a gate to cross and not many are nearby most settlements. I will make you a promise. Tonight you will not have to talk to anyone.” He looked up as our boat began to slow on its own. “Here we are the docks to Tindril!”

  Looking past Garrik I saw wooden docks with majestic carved boats docked on them. The little white lights lighting every one of them up like Christmas. The docks were on both sides of the wide river, and just beyond the docks were deep woods. Every few trees appeared to have tree houses in them. Not like kid tree houses, but giant circular tree houses. The kind you could live in. Many were connected to each other by wooden swing bridges. Each bridge was also lined with perfect white magic lanterns. It was breathtaking beauty. I shivered in the cool night air. Garrik was watching my reaction as he draped a forest green cloak around my shoulders. It was not near as soft as my dress. The cloak was made for the more durable purpose of keeping one warm. That is most likely why it felt like it was sewn from heavy wool.

  Our boat began to turn on its own into a parking spot. How lucky Garrik was that his boat found a place right next to a road? An actual road. This one wasn't brick either. The road was made of rand
omly shaped paving stones. I hadn't even exited the boat yet. I stood there fascinated by the level of natural engineering it would have taken to move each unique stone into place.

  Standing upon the stones was an enclosed carriage that was a deep walnut color and pulled by a single tall dapple gray percheron horse. Beautiful, having grown up on a horse farm the first thing I wanted to do was go say hi to the stunning beast. A man was standing on the dock to help steer the boat into place. Garrik stepped out first and then reached for my hand. When my hand met Garrik's I was met with that little electric shock, but this time it felt familiar. It felt right, and I am pretty sure I may have seen a little white spark when our hands met. A smiled curved at my lips as I stepped up and over. I quickly looked down at my feet. I didn't want the attention of the man helping us.

  “Sir Tomilson, this is my Lady Vera. She has traveled far to be with us. I expect her to be given full respect.”

  Sir Tomilson gave a deep bow, “Yes Prince Garrik. My Lady Vera.” He nodded towards me. I was in shock. Garrik is a Prince? Prince Garrik? Prince Garrik of Tindril? Garrick held my arm as he ushered him inside our little walnut carriage. I didn't get to say hello to the pretty horse, but at this point it no longer matter. Prince Garrik of Tindril?, I thought out loud. Garrik climbed in.

  “No it is Garrik, Prince of Median. I live in the Palace named Tindril.”

  I stared at him in awe. Not only was a gorgeous Elf-man interested in me, he was also a Prince. Now it makes sense why the Elven Council entertained his request to bring a human woman to the Elmora. The curtains on the carriage were pulled shut. There was a single white light in the cabin of the carriage that kept everything illuminated. Garrik answered my next question before I had a chance to ask.

  “I sent a pigeon when we boarded the boat to have a carriage ready when we arrived. We use pigeons not owls” A little smirk spread across his face.

  “Was that a Harry Potter reference? How do you even know who Harry Potter is?”

  “Once when I was visiting I endearingly called you my little witch. You were quick to inform me that at seventeen you still hadn't received your owl from Hogwarts. That there was no way you were a witch. When I asked for more information on how Hogwarts determined which human was a witch you brushed me off saying it is the way of humans and that I obviously knew nothing if I didn't know about Hogwarts.” His laugh shook the entire carriage. It was a truly joyful laugh, the kind of laugh that spreads like a disease and before I knew it I was giggling like a schoolgirl as well.

  “Yes, that sounds like something I would say. I discovered the Harry Potter books around that age. If you really wanted to find me when I went missing you could have checked all the book lines in Missouri the day the book was released.”

  Garrik laughs out loud again, “Unrealistic odds. I wouldn't have been able to make it to every book store in Missouri in a day.”

  “Truth” I replied. We drift back off into silence as I am still nervous, tired, and starving. I guess what I had on the boat wasn't a full meal barely enough to hold me over. My stomach gave my thoughts away when it released a loud grumble. I wrapped my arm around my waist and pulled my cloak tighter as I flushed with embarrassment.

  “I will have better sustenance sent to your room upon arrival. I told the palace staff you were arriving and to have your suite prepared.”

  “Suite? I don't need anything that sounds so fancy. I am fine with a small room. I don't want to inconvenience anyone. I am not royalty after all. I also worked as a maid in a hotel for quite some time. I am pretty much the bottom of the bottom.”

  Garrik looked at me thoughtfully, “Someday soon you will begin to see your worth”

  “You mean my worth to the Elven Council?” a flash of the anger I felt earlier decided to reappear, and Garrik didn't even try to argue.

  I leaned back in the carriage. Being from modern day America many people can't say they have ridden in many carriages. I honestly can say that I have. There was some form of shock absorbers underneath the main carriage, that coupled with the intricate natural road made for a smooth ride. I leaned my head against the side and found myself drifting to sleep. It has been a long day, and the time I was out on the boat didn't feel like an adequate rest. I wish I knew the time, was my last thought. My phone was left on the kitchen counter in my small apartment. Not like it would work in an entirely different realm of Earth.

  Chapter Five

  I had a deep dreamless sleep. My body feels secure which isn't a feeling I have ever remembered having. I awoke being lifted from the carriage. I felt a light spark rush through my body which prompts me to open my eyes. I reach my hand up and caress Garrik's cheek just like he has done to mine several times over the last twelve hours or so. “Garrik.” escapes my lips with a soft moan. My eyes widen and my cheeks flush pink with embarrassment. Upon noticing that I am awake Garrik chuckles and sets my feet upon the ground. I push away from him trying to ignore the tender moment I had with an elven Prince. Honestly, I am a little scared of who all might have been around to see it. Garrik, grabs my hand waiting to see my response to his home. I lift my eyes to look around. We are in a small private sizes courtyard.

  “I decided we would try to sneak in through the back entrance. I am sure my parents know you are here, but I am hoping they will give you some peace until tomorrow.”

  The courtyard has floating lanterns streamed over it emitting a soft yellow light. It seemed to set a soft mood. The walls around the courtyard are comprised of individual unique stones like the ones used to pave the road. The walls were covered in vines with red rose like flowers speckled throughout. I could hear the sound of water, but I could not see any in the immediate vicinity. There was no fountain in the courtyard as I expected, and the only other person in attendance was Sir Tomilson.

  The steps up to the palace looked to be carved out of the earth like hardened dirt. I know it must be some elven trick, because if it was truly earth they would have slipped away with the rain. We went up the stairs to a giant wooden door set into stone walls. The palace looked as if it had been carved out of a mountain. There were no stones and mortar. It was solid warm rose colored stone. I could hear the night crickets and a few toads in the background. Noises of the night that I am very familiar with growing up in the countryside of Missouri. As Garrik had reminded me before, we are on the same planet of Earth as the Human Realm only in a different layer. That means much of the Elmora is the same, without the damage of rough human hands and our short lived greedy lives. Elves respected nature. There was a tall female elf standing in a doorway with molten red hair. Her eyes were almond shaped and her mouth was small set above a little pointy chin. She had a heart shaped face and looked nothing like my Garrik. She must not be related.

  “Well met, Taryn. This is my Lady Vera. Did you prepare her room as requested?”

  “Well met, my Prince.” I frowned at her use of my Prince. I want him to be mine, all mine.

  “Her room is ready and I took the liberty of setting out a meal for you both. Queen Lyra said that you would dine within your rooms tonight and to give you both peace.” Taryn said with a deep bow.

  I may have came across rude, but truth be told I was just scared to say the wrong thing. I shot Taryn a grateful smile over my shoulder as we stepped through the door. She responded with a mischievous grin and a wink. Does that mean she likes me and is my friend or is that some kind of elvish warning?

  I had no time to dwell as Prince Garrik lead me up a winding staircase down the hall from the door. It was no doubt a side entrance. I felt a palace such as Tindril would have been better fortified. It didn't make sense for a Prince to have quarters in a tower so close to a door. We must be heading up to my rooms. The stairs like the walls were cut from solid stone. No seams could be seen in them. There was a dark wooden rail that curved along side the stair case. Like the mirror on the boat it was carved with floral scenes along the side. The top of the rail was polished smooth to give you a comfortable
place to set your hand as you went up and down. We came to the first floor turned the corner and began climbing one more set of steps.

  Upon reaching the second floor Garrik lead me down a wide hallway. One side of the hallway had narrow slit windows. The kind you could barely see out of, but I knew they would let light in during the day making the hall bright. At the end of the hallway was an ornate door. Garrik ushered me through the door on the left into a giant room. It was the size of two of my apartments. In the middle against the wall to my left sat a large canopy bed with sheer white fabric hanging above it and down the sides. One side had the canopy pulled back to make it easier to climb in. There was a light on a small decorative night stand next to the bed. Sitting on the same wall as the door was a vanity with little miniature light lanterns around the mirror. In front of the vanity sat a little stool with a red pillow seat. Across from the bed along a curved wall was a fireplace that has a small fire going in it. There was a stained glass window on one wall. The glass was clear with exception of a single stained glass iris that sprouted through the middle. It was elegant and enchanting. My eyes must have betrayed what I was thinking. I didn't deserve a room like this. Not one iota.

  Garrik said, “Do you like it though?”

  “It is amazing. I have never seen anything like it.” My hand ran along the mantle of the richly carved fireplace also stone but a darker color than the walls and floor. Next to the fireplace I finally see a seam in the wall. It looked out of place. “What is this?” I asked.