Quallen groaned. “It’s two days there then three back to my cave once you get the flower.”
Kate tried to hold in a sob but failed miserably Quallen’s arm pulled her to his side.
“I can do it.” Quallen was nodding, determined. “I’ll have to fly and… Kate, I can do this.” He turned and wiped her tears. “Call Wella. Tell her to get you to the cave as fast as she can and wait there for me.”
“Quallen…” Luthan was frowning. “You can’t…”
“I can and I will. I promised Kate I’d get her home. I’m doing this, Luthan.”
If the old sorcerer was going to say anything else, it stopped with a glare from the Faerie prince. Instead, Luthan bowed low. “As you wish it, my prince.”
Kate thought of Wella, calling the mare with her thoughts.
“Take my pack. You’ll have enough food to last you the three days back. If Wella has good stamina, you might get there in two. Don’t stop unless you have to. If you see anything or anybody, get out of the area as fast as you can. Do you understand?” Quallen’s urgency had her heart speeding in her chest. She nodded.
Quallen pressed his lips to her forehead. “Windspeed, Kate.”
Wella appeared and was filled in on what was about to happen. Kate accepted a leg up from Quallen and took a deep breath. Luthan handed the prince the leaf needed for the tea. Quallen thanked him.
“I’ll see you in a few days, Kate. I promise.” And with that, he flew into the air and headed to find the next ingredient.
“Kate.” Luthan handed her a fresh water skin. “When Quallen gets back, boil some water and add the three things to it. Let it steep for the count of thirty in a cup. You must drink the entire contents. The tea will put you to sleep. If all goes well, you’ll awake in your bed in your world.”
“Why did you think it was a bad idea for Quallen to go?”
Luthan smiled tiredly. “You’d best be off, Kate. Best of luck.”
“Is it dangerous? Is there a chance he’ll get hurt?”
“He’s Quallen, my dear. When are things not dangerous for him?”
She looked in the direction Quallen had disappeared. “We need to get back to the prince’s cave, my Wella.” Butterflies bumped along in her stomach.
The mare nodded. Hold on tightly, my Kate.
Kate tightened her legs around the Elpard’s sides and gave Luthan a final wave as Wella eased into a gallop.
Chapter Eight
Quallen’s mind was racing. He supposed it was a good thing since it kept him from thinking about how his wings were hurting. His back burned with exhaustion. He clenched his teeth and flew on.
The thought of going back home had his heart pounding, but he couldn’t see a way around it. It was the closest place he knew where to find the dragon’s breath flower Kate needed to get home.
He spotted the river that marked the border to the Faerie lands and flew down into the branches of a leafy tree. His water skin was at his lips in an instant.
Quallen glanced around. Where were the patrols? What was the best way to make his way to the castle? He looked up at the sun. He had a few hours until nightfall. His stomach growled and he pulled a bit of bread out of his pocket. Two and a half days he’d been flying with just a rest here and there to drink and eat. His eyes threatened to close and he pinched himself to wake up. He couldn’t sleep. Not yet. He wondered where Kate was. Had she made it to the cave?
“Haaaaaahoooooooo!”
Quallen tensed and pressed himself as close to the tree trunk as possible. The greeting was answered by another voice to his left. He watched as one of the guards flew past his hiding place and met another. The pair hovered where he could see them.
“It’s quiet tonight,” observed the older of the two. He ran a hand through his long greying hair.
“It is. You know, I never quite understood why we’re still out here. It’s not like Prince Quallen would be daft enough to come back. Seems a waste of man power doubling up on patrols every night.”
The other grunted.
“Do you think he did it?” inquired the blond. “I mean, I remember seeing the siblings playing together. The prince always seemed so protective of the princess.”
“Commander Thraip knows what he saw, Gailt, and we have our orders.”
“I know, I know.” Gailt waved his bow back and forth as though directing a song. “Shoot on sight, no questions asked. The prince must pay for what he did.”
Quallen paled. Shoot on sight? What ever happened to capturing the accused?
“I still don’t think he’ll be back. He’s not that senseless.” Gailt gave a wave to his fellow patrolman as the elder flew off to continue his work. The younger faerie gazed around slowly, his gaze falling on the tree the prince was hiding in. Quallen held his breath.
The guard scoffed and shook his head with a chuckle. “Out you come, Prince.”
Quallen walked out onto the branch. “How long did you know I was there?”
“You forget your wings reflect the sunlight, Quallen. I saw you when you dove for cover.”
The prince grumbled.
“What are you doing here, Quallen? Have you lost your mind?”
“Have you? Shoot on sight?”
“Those are your uncle’s orders, not mine.” Gailt landed on the branch next to Quallen. “He’s determined you won’t get the chance to reveal the truth about your sister’s death.”
Quallen clenched his teeth.
“I’m not the only one who knows the truth, Quallen. You’re not alone in this.”
“Right. Well, it’s good to know.”
“Have you made any progress finding the ring?”
The prince shook his head.
“Then why are you back?”
“I need the petal of a dragon’s breath flower. The closest one I knew of was the bush my mother keeps in the gardens.”
“How will that help find the ring?”
Quallen sighed. “It won’t. It’s to get Kate back home.” He held up a hand to stop Gailt’s next question. “To make a long story short, Kate is a dreamwalker. She awoke in my cave four days ago. She needs to get home and this petal is part of the spell do to that.”
“Don’t you think you have better things to do than helping someone else cast spells?” Gailt looked baffled.
“What could I do? I couldn’t just leave her to her own devices.”
Gailt grunted. “That ring is the only thing that can prove your innocence.”
“And all I know is that a dragon has it. I almost died trying to get it from the first dragon I went after and it was the wrong dragon. Look. I’ll get Kate home and then I’ll worry about the ring. You’d better get back on your patrols before you’re missed.”
Gailt bowed low. “My prince.” He straightened and the pair clasped forearms. “Be careful.”
Quallen nodded. “You as well.” He watched as his friend flew off to resume his duties then hopped to the forest floor. Best to stay out of the sky until night fell. Only Faeries of royal blood had the privilege of having iridescent wings. Of course, when you were a prince in hiding, this was more of a hindrance than a blessing.
He snuck across the ground, making sure to listen for any indication he might be found out. He didn’t have far to go. If he stayed hidden at the edge of the woods, he should be able to sneak into the garden at nightfall. That would give him a day to get back to the cave.
Quallen frowned. A day. He could do it. He had to.
Chapter Nine
Kate took a long drink from her water skin and poured the rest into a bowl shaped piece of bark. Wella drank thirstily.
“How much farther, my Wella?”
If we keep up the pace, we’ll be there by nightfall.
Kate put her arms up and stretched backwards with a groan. Her entire body was stiff and sore from the ride so far. Other than the odd break
to eat, drink, and have a few hours of sleep during the night, they’d been on the run non-stop.
She glanced up at the sky, her entire being hoping to see Quallen flying towards them.
“Do you think he’ll make it?”
Wella nuzzled her.
He’s changed, the prince.
Kate frowned.
Before his mother and sister were killed, he was a child. Not in age, mind you, but in temperament. A brat, really. We’d hear from travelers about things he’d done, usually something crude and irresponsible, knowing he’d be free of consequences because of who he was.
“Really?” Kate tried to think back through the books she’d read and remembered the series started with the death of the Queen and princess.
Wella nodded. He changed after he lost them. No matter how much of a brat he was, he was always there for his sister. The stories changed after that. The tales were of a very focused, dedicated, and honorable young prince. A prince who would come to the aid of a family being robbed on the road. A young faerie who would put others before himself. If Prince Quallen says he’ll meet us in a day’s time with the dragon’s breath petal then I believe that, barring things go horribly wrong for him, he’ll be there.
Kate bit her lip. “I hope he doesn’t get in trouble because of me.”
Try not to worry about it, my Kate.
She tried to take Wella’s advice, but couldn’t keep the small jab of fear that kept niggling at her. Not fear that she might not get home; fear that Quallen might get hurt, or worse, trying to help her.
Wella came to stand by her and she swung onto the mare’s back.
Ready?
Kate nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”
The Elpard eased into a canter and Kate tried to think about something good to keep her mind off of Quallen’s well-being.
Chapter Ten
Quallen watched from the shadows as a lone Faerie walked through the garden. The sight of the colorful plants and white stone paths caused his heart to clench. This had been his mother’s pride and joy. He found the dragon’s breath bush and waited until the area was silent before running to it, plucking a flower from the branches, and bolting back into the shadows. He breathed a sigh of relief though he knew he wasn’t close to being safe.
A branch splitting behind him caused him to straighten. He turned slowly.
“The orders are to shoot on sight, but the thought of killing a man while his back is turned seems cowardly.”
Quallen grunted. “I’m sure my uncle would disagree.” He put the flower in his pouch and looked at the guard in the eyes. “Well, then. Let’s get on with it.”
“What do you need that flower for?”
“To put on my sister’s grave.”
The guard frowned. “You killed your sister.”
“So I’ve been told.” The prince rolled his eyes. “Look. Could you get on with killing me? If you’re not going to, I’ve business to attend to.” Quallen grinned at the other’s confusion. “Right. Well, then, be sure to tell my uncle I popped in to say hello.” He took his hand out of his pouch and threw a small glass ball at the guard’s feet. The ball exploded into a flash of smoke which rendered the Faerie unconscious.
Quallen ran into the woods before the commotion attracted more unwanted attention. He glanced up at the sky and laughed before leaping into the air and soaring above the treeline. It seemed the moon was with him on this quest and had covered herself with a blanket of clouds. With no need to worry about the light reflection off of his wings, the prince beat his wings as hard as he could.
He let out a grunt of pain as something slammed into him. He felt hands wrap around his throat and knees driving into his body. He swung, his fist connecting with his assailant’s face.
The other Faerie grunted, but refused to loosen his hold. Quallen felt another being slam into them, the three of them falling to the ground. Quallen’s head made contact with a rock and he blinked, trying to get his vision to clear. The darkness closed in and he fell back.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Quallen groaned.
“Well, it’s about time.”
He opened his eyes slowly and sought out the owner of the voice. “Gailt?”
His friend nodded. “Who else do you think would be daft enough to come to your rescue?”
“What happened?” Quallen sat up.
“I told you to stay low, didn’t I?”
“There wasn’t any light.”
Gailt scoffed. “It doesn’t take much.”
Quallen looked up at the sky. “How long have I been out?”
“I’d say close to six or seven hours. I hid you in this cave so no one would stumble upon you.”
“Hours?” The prince jumped to his feet, forced to blink away the spots that appeared in his eyes.
“What’s the panic?”
“Kate! I have to get back to my cave and I only have until nightfall! Are we still on my uncle’s side of the border?”
Gailt shook his head. “Of course not. You’re my best friend, Quallen. I wouldn’t leave you where the bastard could get you.”
Quallen groaned and tried to rub his headache away. “I hate to leave like this, Gailt. But Kate needs me. I’ll never be able to thank you enough, my friend.” Quallen ran out of his hiding spot, turned, waved at his friend, and took to the air.
Chapter Eleven
Kate looked out of the mouth of the cave for the hundredth time in ten minutes.
Patience, my Kate. Though Wella’s words were reassuring, her constant pacing just outside the cave made them less so.
“It’s getting dark, my Wella. How long do I have?”
Wella shook her head, unsure.
Kate went back to the fire and made sure her pot of water was still boiling. Was he alright? Had something happened? Where had he gone that had made Luthan so against the idea? She watched as the sun slipped below the tree line. Her heart pounded. Maybe this was it. Maybe she’d spend the rest of her life in Kallaryn while her family watched over her comatose body. Tears welled in her eyes with the realization that she didn’t want to stay here. She wanted to go home. For as much as she’d complained and threatened to leave, she really didn’t want to.
Don’t cry, my Kate. The mare poked her head into the cave and nuzzled her human.
“Kate!” Quallen fell out of the sky and ended up in a heap at her feet.
“Quallen!” She knelt beside him. “Are you okay? What happened to you? You’re bleeding!” She took the hem of her sweater and pressed it against the cut on his head.
“I’m fine… really.” His chest heaved as he pulled in deep breaths. “Here.” He handed his pouch over to her. “Make your tea, quickly.”
Kate hesitated a fraction of a second before running to pour the water into a cup. She added the ingredients to the cup and counted to thirty. Quallen watched as she sipped the still very hot water until it was gone.
“Come. Lay down.” He gestured to Quansy’s bed.
“Wella.” Kate ran to the mare and hugged her tightly. “Thank you.”
It was my pleasure.
Kate let go of her new friend and stumbled. Quallen’s arms kept her from falling to the ground. He laid her in the bed and smiled.
“Thank you,” she mumbled sleepily.
“Anytime.” He sat beside her and took her hand. “Stay safe when you get back to your world. I’d hate to have saved you so many times just to lose you there.” He used his other hand to brush the hair out of her face.
Kate chuckled. “You stay safe.” She yawned. “And make sure people find out you’re innocent.” Unable to fight it any longer, she closed her eyes. She felt his hand tighten around hers and his lips press to her forehead then nothing.
Chapter Twelve
She heard a horse blow out of its nose and felt the grass under her. Her heart sank. It hadn’t worked. Something had gone wrong.
“Kate! There you are!”
Kate sat up at the sound of her brother’s voice. “Nate!”
“What are you doing out here? Mom and dad were about to phone the police!”
She glanced around and realized she was behind the barn. “I… I must have slept walked.”
“Mom! Dad! I found her!”
Kate stood and grunted with the force of her parents’ hugs.
“Are you alright? What happened?” Her mother held her face in her hands and inspected her for injuries.
“I’m fine mom. Really. I must have been sleep walking.” If she’d been sleep walking, was it possible she’d just been dreaming? Had she actually been to Kallaryn?
Her dad grunted. “You really do spend too much time with these horses, Kate.” He sighed. “Come along, then. Let’s get you back to the house.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “Try not to do that again, okay?”
She nodded.
“Where did you get that bracelet, Kate? I don’t remember you having one like that.” Her mom lifted her arm up so she could inspect the simple leather bracelet there.
Kate’s heart jumped. Quallen must have put it on her just after she’d fallen asleep. “I… got it from Jainy.”
“It’s beautiful.”
A thought occurred to Kate. “How long have I been missing?”
Her father shook his head. “When I checked on you at nine-thirty, you were asleep with your book on your chest.”
She frowned. “So just the night?”
Nate cocked an eyebrow in her direction. “How long did you think, Kitty?”
“I don’t know. Look, just leave me alone. This is kind of disorienting!”
Her mother laughed. “I won’t argue that point. Let’s hope this was a one and only time thing.”
Kate tried to smile and looked back to the full moon still visible in the dawn light. “I’ll be right in, okay?”
Her father shrugged and she watched as her family entered the house. She turned back to the moon that was fading in the morning sky and touched Quallen’s bracelet softly.
“Thank you, Quallen.”
“Kate! Do you want pancakes with your eggs?”
“Yes, mom!” She gave the moon one last look before running into the house.
Faerie Dreams: Book One Page 4