by Dawn Brower
His lips tilted upward in response. “That good?”
As soon as she gained the ability to stand, she was going to slice him with one of her blades. If the jelly that used to be her muscles were any indication, she had a long way to go. How was she going to escape this hell if she could not even manage to sit up?
“Can you lose the smile,” she retorted. “It’s offensive. What has you so damn happy anyway?”
“It was touch and go for a while,” he said gravely. “We thought we lost you.”
She had started to believe she was going to die too. If not for her ingrained fighting instinct, she would have been a goner for sure. The weird hallucinations had to mean something. When she was feeling better, she would tell Cale about them.
“Where is everyone?” She asked, changing the subject. Discussing her almost death wasn’t a topic she wanted to address yet.
“Daire and Kalypso are hunting for breakfast. They are like two children constantly griping at each other. I’d be amused if the tiger wasn’t capable of killing him with one swipe of her claw,” he said, then paused. “No, I take that back. I don’t really care if Daire meets an untimely death. He knows what he’s arguing with and deserves whatever consequences come his way. I have no idea where Lulu flew off to. It’s been rather peaceful without them around.”
Elodie didn’t want anyone to die. When they returned, she’d have a private conversation with both of them. She didn’t know either of them well enough to say if they’d go too far or not. After she talked to them, she’d have a better grasp on the situation. Daire seemed reasonable enough—Kalypso was an unknown quantity.
“How much time has passed since they left?” She did not really want food, but she’d feel better if they returned. “I don’t think we should stay here too long.”
“Are you sure you’re up to walking?” He lifted a brow. “You don’t exactly look fit at the moment.”
Truer words had never been spoken… She would do what she had to. Survival was her highest priority, and if she had to limp her way home, she’d find a way to manage it. Her body would adjust because it had no choice. Nothing was broken and unusable—it was one invisible bruise bleeding into the next one.
“At this point, a herd of deer could come running over me and I wouldn’t feel any worse,” Elodie said with a groan. “Why do I feel like I’m barely hanging on?”
“The magic is still working through your blood,” Lulu said as she hovered above her. “Lucky, you are. Expected you to wake much later.”
Her silver tipped wings glistened in the sunlight. Elodie’s eyes were beginning to adjust to the brightness, and the piercing pain was receding. The more she moved, the less her muscles ached too. Perhaps she would be able to walk unaided later. It was really too bad she had been felled by the river. They should already be well on their way.
“What did the river do to me?”
None of it had made sense. It was difficult for her to make heads or tails out of the experience. Something inside of her was different, but she could not put her finger on it.
“It made you in its own image,” Lulu said. “How that translates will be up to you.”
That did not help her at all. Lulu was too damn cryptic, and it was getting on every last one of her nerves. “Have mercy on me,” Elodie begged. “And explain it in simple terms.”
Cale chuckled. “I think the statement is simple for that particular bird.”
Elodie glared at him. “Don’t pick on Lulu.”
She needed “that bird,” and for now she would remain Lulu’s protector. If she proved to be a traitor of some kind—well, that would be a different story. No one else would be able to explain what was going on inside of her body. For that alone, she’d deal with Lulu’s capricious nature. Elodie took several deep breaths and attempted to sit up. It took a number of tries, but she finally managed it. Everything started to spin around her, and her stomach clenched in response. She probably would not be able to eat anything for a while. Her body would probably reject it anyway. Elodie lowered her head into her hands and counted to ten. Each breath gave her more control until she was able to lift her head once more. The spinning stopped and she saw everything around her with crystal clarity she hadn’t had before. Was that the magic running through her blood?
“You have my thanks,” Lulu said and sat on Elodie’s head. “But I can protect myself from the Knight of Doubt.”
Elodie lifted a brow and met Cale’s gaze. “Why is she calling you that?”
Lulu flew above them, flying in circles in the blue sky. Elodie smiled and watched her happily glide around. The bird went high and disappeared into the clouds. After a few seconds, Elodie returned her attention to Cale. Lulu would be back when she was done playing.
He shrugged. “I may have, for a brief moment, thought you were going to die. She won’t let me live it down.”
“That’s fair,” Elodie said. “It wasn’t easy fighting my way back. I could’ve easily died.”
The muscled in his jaw twitched. “Don’t do anything of the sort. I won’t forgive you if you do.”
As if she had control over when she died… The gods were the ones controlling everything. Choices were a luxury she didn’t have in abundance. The wrong one could end her life. If her luck held out, she’d find a way home. Until then, she would fight every step of the way to keep living. Cale had said some things when he believed she could not hear. She should ask him about them, but she was not so sure she was ready for the answers. Her feelings for him had not gone away, and she questioned his perceived betrayal. Strange forces were at work, and someone was determined to destroy them.
“Well,” she said. “It’s a good thing I don’t need your approval or forgiveness.” Elodie rolled to her knees and then stood. Her muscles screamed from the exertion, but she refused to give into the pain. She turned to meet his gaze. “My life is my own. It’s not yours to dictate to one way or the other.”
“Why do you have to be so stubborn?” He stomped around brooding for several moments and then came back to face her. His dark eyes were filled with emotion she couldn’t identify. She tilted her head and studied him in silence. He felt something for her, but she wasn’t sure if it was affection, concern, or anger. All of those emotions seemed to flash over his features. Cale scrubbed his hands over his face and then said, “Promise me one thing.”
“I don’t know if I can give you any assurances,” she said.
“You can give me this,” he insisted. “I realize that we have to find a way back. In another life, we might have had a chance for something…” He took a deep breath, met her gaze, and said with unwavering certainty, “I wish more than anything I could be the guy for you, to be by your side and fight every adversary that comes your way. It could have been us against the world, but you were made for something greater than I can offer you. As much as I want to, I can’t stay, and the gods know I certainly cannot make you do a damn thing you do not want to. But I’m begging you to at least try to be careful.”
It was a pretty speech, and for a moment, it had made her remember what had drawn her to Cale in the first place. It was his denial that he couldn’t be the male for her that ended any happy feelings she had brewing inside of her. “There are no guarantees in life. If I have learned one thing over the last day or so, it’s that anything that can go wrong does. I would like to make those promises to you, but I would be doing us both a disfavor if I did. This is the beginning, and there will be more gruesome battles along the way. I don’t need you to protect me from them, but I wouldn’t turn you away if you wanted to fight alongside of me.” She looked him in the eye and hammered home her point, “Either way, I’m moving forward with or without you.”
She turned her back to him and prepared to leave the riverbank. Daire and Kalypso would catch up to them, and Lulu flew directly above. She had to put as much distance between her and the river as she could. Cale would come around because he had no choice.
* * *
Dark green foliage grew on either side of the path they were heading down. The plants—if they could be called that—towered over their heads. If they had actual trunks she’d consider them trees. They had long reed-thin stalks that shouldn’t be able to stand tall without bending. Nothing in Malediction surprised her anymore. As long as they weren’t trying to eat them, she’d let them be. Still, it paid to be wary of any possible danger, so she made sure to keep alert as they ambled down the path. The echoes of someone or something pounding the ground as it moved in their direction didn’t go unnoticed. Elodie was hyperaware and waited for its approach. When it became apparent who it was behind them she breathed a sigh of relief but didn’t bother to voice her unwarranted concern.
“You could have waited for us,” Daire said as he ran to catch up to her. He had cleaned up while she slept as well. His clothing was still in a disarray from their skirmishes, but relatively intact considering. He’d tied his golden locks back out of his face. It made his too gorgeous face stand out even more in the sunlight.
Elodie refrained from rolling her eyes. He was more upbeat than Cale, but she was having a difficult time not being irritated all the same. Her body hummed with unspent energy. Once she had started moving around, the pain dissipated, leaving her filled with exuberance. Fast, smooth strides helped her burn up the unending supply of stamina. Even if she had wanted to, she did not think she could have held back and waited for Kalypso and Daire to return.
“You caught up,” Elodie said. “Quit whining.”
A nasty streak had curled up inside her and spread its wings. For once in her life, she did not feel like pulling her punches and reveled in the impact they landed.
“Point she has,” Lulu said skipping across first Elodie’s head, then Daire’s, before landing on Cale’s. “You reached our encampment as they were walking away. No harm done.”
“No breakfast either,” Daire grumbled. “My stomach is on the verge of revolting. Isn’t there any food in this horrid place? We looked everywhere and found nothing.”
“Scarce to find,” Lulu answered. “But it’s there if you’re willing to search for it. Bad luck nothing there before we left.”
Lulu and Kalypso did not appear to be in a hurry to help them look for any. It was a good thing she wasn’t hungry or that might irritate her. She might have energy in spades, but her appetite had yet to return. It was almost as if whatever the river had done to her erased her need to eat. That kind of assumption could lead to her destruction. Until she found out otherwise, she would go on with the belief her body needed food to survive. Nothing could last long without a fuel source to survive. Even if her circumstances had changed, they hadn’t for Cale and Daire. She had no clue what Kalypso or Lulu needed to survive. Malediction was a strange place, and anything was possible.
“Lulu, why don’t you be a dear and help us locate something to eat,” Elodie coaxed. “A brilliant bird like you would be able to find something before any of us.”
Cale shot her a wry look. The smile growing on his face gave her an indication he was aware of her strategy. If that was not enough, his next words said it all, “I certainly don’t have your skills.” The doe-eyed expression he flashed Lulu was almost sickening to behold. Elodie didn’t think he had it in him to play coy. “I’d appreciate it if you could help my poor stomach out.” As if on cue, it grumbled loudly.
The urge to clap at his exaggerated performance filled her. It wouldn’t help their cause for Lulu to realize Cale was playing her like a well-tuned fiddle. Her white chest puffed up at Cale’s attention, and her silver tipped wings flapped excitedly as she mooned over him. Whatever spell Cale had weaved over the bird was working beautifully. Of course, it helped that Lulu seemed attached to him from the start.
“Oh, yes,” Lulu exclaimed. “I’m a good gatherer. I can find you something in no time at all.”
“Thank you,” Cale said humbly. “I do appreciate your efforts.”
Lulu drifted away to search for food. Elodie shook her head in disbelief. She’d seen it all in a short time. This was a new side of her knight. He had never been playful with her. When they trained, it had been all business—well, except for the last time. The kiss had changed things enormously. Had that been when he’d decided to leave her? Would things have been different if she hadn’t been bold enough to press her lips to his?
“Now that you flirted your way to a meal,” Elodie said. “Perhaps we should discuss strategy.”
“That wasn’t what I was doing.” Cale frowned. “I was being nice and persuasive. We do need to eat, and for some reason Lulu likes me.”
Daire fell back and joined them, leaving Kalypso leading them down the path. Lulu had disappeared. “Did I hear you correct?” he asked amusement filling his voice. “You sweet talked that termagant into finding us vittles to eat?”
“Hopefully whatever she brings back is actually edible,” Cale said ignoring the tone in Daire’s voice. “What she thinks of as food might be horrible to us.”
He had a point. They had no idea what Malediction offered as a food source. Perhaps it was time to ask Kalypso for insight. She would have a better idea of what Lulu might bring back for them. Elodie started to ask her, but stopped short when she noticed what the tiger was doing.
Behind the tiger was a large bluff filled with the color of the sun. In front of her was a very old man. He had snow-white hair that fell down his shoulders in waves. His face was a series of wrinkles that had no beginning or end. In his left hand, he held a long, hooked stick with several notches. It was hard to tell if he were short or tall from his current position. He sat on a large rock with his legs crisscrossed. His eyes were closed and his face tilted toward the sky. Kalypso moved forward and laid her head in his lap. He reached up with his right hand and patted her head.
“I’ll be damned,” Daire said. “That man tamed the beast.”
Elodie had to meet him and find out what his secret was. Their dealings with Kalypso were tenuous at best. Somehow, Lulu kept her in line. If something happened to the bird, she didn’t think they’d be able to rein her in.
“Hello,” Elodie said as she approached.
The man opened his eyes and turned to face her. She sucked in a breath. Emptiness greeted her, and she did not have a clue how to react. Instead of irises, he had a blank canvas yet to be painted on—all white without an ounce of color. If he had eyes before, Elodie didn’t know if she wanted to find out what happened to him.
“Hello, child,” he replied.
Cale and Daire drew up beside her. Their silence echoed hers. None of them seemed to have a clue how to proceed. Kalypso decided for them, lifting her head to meet their gaze. “This is the Athair,” she said. “What are you waiting for? Pay your respects or pay the price.”
Athair? It sounded eerily like he might be considered a god… “My apologies,” Elodie said as she cleared her throat. “We didn’t mean to be rude.”
“Don’t worry yourself,” Athair said. “You couldn’t have known. Be at ease.”
If he was this world’s god, he might be able to answer some of their questions. Like what was going on inside of her and how to feed themselves, more importantly how they could find their way home.
Elodie curtsied even though she wasn’t sure if he could see her. “How do you do?”
“Have a seat, children,” he said earnestly. “I have a feeling we’ve much to discuss.”
Elodie certainly had many questions. Cale and Daire probably would too. Kalypso laid down at the man’s feet and closed her eyes. It was the most at peace she’d seen the tiger at since they first encountered her. What was it about this Athair that calmed Kalypso’s inner beast?
Daire stared down at the tiger in awe. He hadn’t liked Kalypso much since she’d held him hostage and only agreed to work with her to ensure their survival. It had to have been hard for him to willingly hunt with her. His skills with a bow made him the best choice to accompany her, so he bore it with grudgin
g acceptance. At least that is what Cale had told her. She hadn’t witnessed the discussion to know for sure.
“Do you think it’s wise?” Cale whispered to her.
“I’m blind,” the man said. “Not deaf.”
So much for keeping things to themselves. “We meant no insult,” Elodie said. “We’re not familiar with the customs of this realm.”
“Have no fear,” the old man said. “I mean you no harm. Rest, and I’ll tell you the tale of how this land came to be. You have a while to wait until Lulu returns with your meal. There is much you must understand if you wish to survive.”
Was that his gift and why he was called the Athair? Was he omnipotent, or psychic in a similar fashion to Paige? Elodie sat down in front of him and waited expectantly. Daire and Cale appeared reluctant to join her, but after a few moments, they sat. Cale on her left, and Daire on her right, as if they wanted to flank her for protection—silly men. Didn’t they realize she was more than capable of taking care of herself?
Clue-by-Four
Lulu came back some time later carrying a large leaf filled with berries. They were not like anything that Elodie had ever seen before, and she wasn’t entirely sure they were edible. Cale and Daire flashed them a wary look, neither one reaching for any. At the rate they were all going, they would all starve to death before they made it home.