by Sela Croft
Yet it seemed as if he was losing it.
“I’m fine,” Noah said. His voice was weak, so soft that it nearly became lost in the wind that rushed past us.
Callie shivered, and I reached out to hold her hand. Even in the mist, having her near gave me a great sense of satisfaction.
The droplets around us quivered again, and the ground beneath rose up. The mist faltered and grew weaker.
“You’re not fine,” Callie said. “Noah, what happened to you?”
At first, he didn’t answer. The silence was heavy in the air. Then he said, “The Redcaps attacked me.”
“It was more than that, though,” Raulia said, stating what we were all thinking. “So, what was it?”
“Poison, I think,” Noah said, his words drifting off as he gathered what little strength he could to pull us higher into the air.
“Poison?” Callie asked, her voice shaky with fear.
“They scratched me with something. There were just too many of them. I tried to fight them off, but eventually…”
“You made it back,” Callie said. “That’s what matters. You’re with us and we can help you. What do we need to do? How do we help you?”
“I don’t know,” Noah said. “But we shouldn’t be worrying about me, right now.”
“But…” Callie said.
“We aren’t safe, yet,” Noah said. “We need to keep moving, and focus on our next step.”
His response was firm, his words filled with conviction. There was something brave in the way he spoke, the way that he put his own well-being aside, for the good of all of us. Callie must have sensed that, as well. I felt her stiffen at his words. She was impressed by him. I didn’t know if I should consider him selfless or a threat.
I’d had similar thoughts about Noah, on multiple occasions. He was close to Callie, in a way I couldn’t be. He’d lived among her peers, experienced her world. He knew who she’d been when she’d lived there, and of her struggles, secrets and fears.
I only knew the struggles she’d faced in my world, the fears that arose because of a situation she wasn’t meant to be involved in. All I knew of her former life was what she’d told me.
There was much more I wanted to learn about her, but didn’t know when I’d have the opportunity. It was uncertain what would happen, once we returned to Crystal City. I’d been forced to abandon her, repeatedly. I’d had to rush off to save my kingdom. I had no idea how long she would stay with me in Shadowland.
“If the poison was fatal, it would have had its effect, right?” Raulia said. “How long has it been?”
“It doesn’t matter. There’s no way of telling what the ultimate result will be,” Noah said. “But there’s something you must know, Callie. Just in case I—”
“Don’t say it.” Callie had tears in her eyes. “Don’t you dare say what you’re about to.”
“Just listen to me, okay? I haven’t been completely truthful with you.”
“About what?”
“Your sister.”
“Is Rosamon all right? Have you seen her?” Callie pulled her hand from mine and waited for his response.
“She’s fine, Callie. I can tell you that much. She’s alive and hasn’t been harmed.”
“How do you know?”
“I’ve spoken with her.”
“When? How?”
“There isn’t time to explain.”
“There would have been, if you had told me this sooner,” Callie said. “Why are you just telling me this, now?”
“Rosamon asked me to keep her presence in this realm a secret. She didn’t want you going after her. She was worried about what would happen. And judging by the way we found you, I’d say she was right.”
Even though his voice was gentle, there was an unmistakable passion in his tone whenever he spoke of Callie’s sister. Knowing that he felt the way he did about Rosamon had helped to abate my jealousy. I’d seen the way they looked at each other. I had seen that his feelings for her, and his feelings for Callie, were very different.
That didn’t change the fact that he shared a connection with Callie that I resented. As irrational as it was, I couldn’t help but harbor those feelings toward him.
“Of course, I’d go after her,” Callie said. “And I’ll do it again and again, until I have her back.”
Trying to convince Callie that searching for her sister was too dangerous was useless. Yet the thought of her letting her go anywhere near the evil princess made my skin crawl.
“And I’m telling you all this now, because that is exactly what you need to do,” Noah said. “You need to find your sister. She’s trying to be selfless and wants to keep you safe. She doesn’t realize the magnitude of the danger she’s in. She must be rescued from Amalia’s hold, without delay.”
“What does Amalia want from us?” Callie said. “I haven’t been able to figure that out.”
“There’s something about you,” I said. “Both you and Rosamon. We have all wondered what it was, since you arrived in our land. The only explanation is that you and your sister possess some sort of power. And the Fae wish to use that power to conquer us.”
Callie raised her hands. “But, I don’t—”
“Surely, you can’t continue to deny it,” I said. “There’s something different about you, Callie.”
“There always has been,” Noah said.
Anger flooded through me. Noah’s statement was a brag that he knew Callie better than I did. He’d been her friend, before I’d met her.
“We will save Rosamon,” I said, drawing Callie’s attention to me. “I promise that we will find a way to get her back.”
“You’re not going to try to stop me?”
“I told you I was in this with you, and I am. I will do all I can to reunite you with your sister.”
“Even going so far as to abandon his entire kingdom,” Raulia said.
“Crystal City?” Callie stared at me. “What’s going on there?”
“He wouldn’t know,” Raulia said.
“The city is fine,” I said. “I’m sure my brothers are handling the situation. I’m not going to worry about that, right now. We must get to safety. Then we’ll devise a plan to sneak into the castle and rescue Rosamon…without letting the princess get her hands on Callie again.”
Chapter 15
Logan
Raulia’s eyes burned into me. Even through the mist, her anger was palpable. I could hear her in my mind, scolding me for abandoning my people to help the human girl. Thankfully, though, she held her tongue. I didn’t want her upsetting Callie. If she knew the reality of the situation—that the Fae were on the brink of overthrowing Crystal City and I’d chosen to go after her, instead of staying to lead the fight—she would be upset.
I had risked a lot to go after her. One could even make the argument that I’d risked everything. Raulia certainly would. But it was what I’d needed to do. I wouldn’t have been able to focus on the fight. Having my body there—when my heart and mind were in another place—wouldn’t have done anyone any good.
It remained to be seen, whether I’d be able to focus when we got back to the city. Callie would insist on leaving again, and I’d promised to help her. That’s what I intended to do. But I was concerned for my realm.
There was no ready solution for helping both, simultaneously.
Callie had my heart, but could I really choose her over my kingdom?
I’d have to decide soon. The closer we got to home, the closer I got to facing those I’d left behind. They would want answers, but I had none to give. I couldn’t say anything more than I already had.
Thinking about the unknown future that stretched out ahead, made my heart leap to my throat. I reached out to take hold of Callie’s hand, needing to feel her presence.
“Are you okay?” she asked me. “Did you get hurt in the fight?”
“I’m fine,” I replied. “You?”
“Just worried about Rosamon.”
�
�I understand.”
The ground was suddenly beneath us. Noah grunted as he tried to regain control, but the stress had become too much for him.
“Put us down,” I said.
“No, I can…” he said, but his words trailed off, with another pain-induced grunt.
“Noah, please,” Callie begged him. “Just put us down. You’ve done enough. You’ve gotten us to safety.”
He agreed, reluctantly, then relaxed, evaporating the mist that hovered around us. The ground hit my feet with force, not at all like the smooth landings Noah was capable of, when healthy.
In a heap, we rolled onto the ground. I jumped to my feet, then rushed to Callie to help her up.
“Don’t worry about me,” Raulia said, then pushed herself to her feet and brushing the twigs from her pants. “I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not,” Callie said, walking over to her. “You’re hurt, too.”
There was a long gash zigzagging its way down the right side of Raulia’s face, and her breathing was strained. Her usually bright eyes were dull, and her expression was twisted with pain. She looked at Callie, as if surprised at her concern, then shifted her gaze to me.
“I’m fine,” Raulia said again. “I’m not nearly as bad as he is, at least.” She pointed at Noah on his back on the ground.
“Noah!” Callie exclaimed then went to him.
“She’s excitable, isn’t she?” Raulia said, as we watched Callie slump down next to her friend.
“Callie cares,” I said. “She cares about all of us.”
Raulia scoffed and walked over to Callie and Noah. I followed behind, relieved to see that Noah’s eyes were open. “Promise me you’ll find her,” he said, holding tightly to Callie’s hand.
Callie put her hand on his shoulder. “We’re going to find her, Noah.”
“Callie, I…”
“We’re going to help you up, and find a place where you can recuperate. There’s no more to say.” Callie leaned back and tugged on his arm.
Raulia leaned forward to help her lift Noah to his feet, and his face flashed with pain before he buckled forward.
“Where do we go?” Raulia said. “We’re still miles from home.”
I looked in the distance. She was right. We were surrounded by trees, but not as tall as the ones found in the heart of Fae lands, meaning that we were in the borderlands. But the lights of our city were distant. Even healthy, it would take our group at least a day to reach the safety of Shadowland. With two of our strongest members injured, the journey would take much longer.
Even if we could have made it in a day, the chances of Noah lasting that long were thin.
“There,” Callie said, pointing to something in the distance. “What’s that?”
I followed her line of sight. Although dimmed by the leaves of the trees, lights were visible. They were warm and inviting. Around the lights, I made out the dark silhouette of a building. It had two towers, and a cloud of smoke rose from a chimney stack.
“It has to be a manor,” I said. “There are humans that live in this part of the woods. With any luck, they will give us shelter.”
“Humans?” Raulia said with a low growl. “What are the chances they’d let vampires into their homes?”
Callie looked up at me, questioningly.
I wasn’t sure the humans would trust me, even though I was the ruler. I didn’t know if the conditions were bad, in this part of the realm.
I glanced back at the building. “It’s a fortified manor,” I said. “And the chances are, it’s that way because they don’t trust anyone. Living out here is dangerous.”
I picked up on Callie’s next question. She wondered why the inhabitants didn’t go the city, then. Living conditions were better there.
“We have to get him to a place where he can rest,” Raulia said, shifting under Noah’s weight.
“I’m fine,” Noah said and attempted to stand on his own. His legs wobbled, then he staggered backwards. Raulia reached out and caught him before he tumbled to the ground.
Raulia threw his arm over her shoulder and led him toward the manor. “Right, you’ve never been better.”
“We will find your sister,” I said to Callie, then we followed our friends to the manor. “I promise.”
“But, your people…”
“My people will be fine.” I wrapped my arm around Callie’s shoulders and pulled her close to me.
She relaxed into my embrace, although her eyes remained fixed on Noah. Although, he was able to move with Raulia’s assistance, our hope that he was getting better waned. If Noah didn’t get help, and soon, he wouldn’t make it through the night.
“I shouldn’t have asked you to help me,” Callie said. “It was selfish.”
“I would have done it, either way,” I said. “I would do anything for you, Callie. Haven’t you realized that yet?”
She looked at me and smiled. “I have realized that. Logan, you could have died coming to save me. I can’t express how grateful I am to you. You’ve risked everything for me. I won’t forget that, ever.”
Warmth filled my chest, a feeling I didn’t recall having before. The way Callie made me feel was indescribable. I was vulnerable, yet confident, for as long as she was by my side.
She made me want to be better—for her. But if being better for her, meant being worse in the eyes of my people, it created a dilemma. It seemed that I couldn’t love Callie, and lead my kingdom, at the same time.
Callie deserved someone who would be true to his word, and who would be with her. But Shadowland needed a ruler dedicated to the cause of protecting vampires and the inhabitants of the land. I was at a loss about how to do that, when my main concern was keeping Callie safe.
I didn’t realize that we were so close to the fortified manor, until we were standing on the doorstep. I took hold of Noah, and Raulia knocked on the door. The lights and the smoke from the chimney meant that someone was home.
“Go away,” a woman’s voice called out from the other side of the wooden door. “We aren’t accepting visitors.”
“We need your help,” I said, struggling to keep Noah upright. “Let us in.”
I wanted to order her to open the door, invoke my status as prince, and make her acquiesce to my will. But I hesitated. We were still too far from home to be certain of loyalties.
“No,” the woman said sharply. “I won’t let you in.”
“Please,” I said, between gritted teeth. Humbleness was unfamiliar to me.
“No,” she said again. “Leave, before we’re forced to take action.”
Chapter 16
Callie
I’d seen that look in Logan’s eyes before. He was growing impatient. He shifted his weight to get a better hold on Noah. Then he lifted his fist and banged it on the door. “Let us in. We need help.”
“There is no help to be found here,” the woman said, sounding angry.
Noah let out a groan, then buckled forward. I raced to his side, and slipped my arm through his. With Logan’s help, we were able to steady him again, but his eyes were beginning to drift shut.
“Please,” I said, “please help him.”
The woman paused, perhaps surprised by my softly spoken request. Logan braced, prepared to launch into verbal assault on the woman on the other side of the door. But I glanced over to silence him.
“If you don’t help him, he’ll die,” I said. My voice cracked, and tears burned my eyes. Saying the words out loud made it real. “I can’t lose him.”
Memories of adventures through the woods in Oregon, and running around the abandoned church came to mind. I recalled the countless times he’d come to my rescue, when the other students at our school bullied me. I wouldn’t have survived high school if it hadn’t been for him. And now, it was my turn to do the saving “He’s my oldest friend, and he’s never done anything to hurt anyone. Please…help him.”
The door in front of us pulled open, and a woman’s face peered around the edge. Her l
ight brown hair hung down around her face in a tangled mess, and she stared at us through suspicious eyes.
“If he didn’t hurt anyone, how did he end up like this?” she said, eyeing Noah.
Again, I sensed Logan’s impatience. The woman’s eyes darted up to him, and apprehension filled her features.
“He was saving me,” I said, pulling her attention to me.
The woman contemplated the situation, while Logan grew increasingly annoyed. To my surprise, though, he wasn’t the one who stepped forward and demanded action.
“We’re just being nice, you know,” Raulia said. “We could rip this door off its hinges, if we wanted to. That would be fun, wouldn’t it?” she said, glancing at Logan.
Logan nodded. “It would. And I’m growing bored of all this standing around. A little action would calm my nerves.”
The woman’s eyes went wide, and she stepped back, prepared to slam the door shut.
“Wait,” I said. “They won’t hurt you. None of us will.”
Raulia grunted, and I glared at her.
“You’re not helping,” I said, and turned my attention back to the woman. “He’s my friend, and he was saving my life. Now, he might die because of it. I couldn’t live with myself if…”
The tears ran down my cheeks and my legs trembled. Noah’s weight against me increased, as he slumped further into a state of unconsciousness.
The woman let out a soft sigh and pulled the door open. “Just one night,” she said, then we stepped into the warmth of her home.
“Thank you,” I called over my shoulder, then Logan and I lead Noah to the center of the room, where he collapsed.
It wasn’t unexpected that the woman wasn’t the only inhabitant inside the fortress. There were four other people standing around us—a man, a boy who couldn’t be much older than me, and two girls who looked to be in their early teens.
What surprised me was that the individuals around us weren’t human—at least, not completely. The man, who I guessed to be in his early forties, had short horns sprouting from his temples. And one of the twin girls had eyes that glowed bright red.