Mia perked up at the mention of pets. She’d tried for years to talk their grandmother into allowing them to get a puppy, but to no avail. “Pets? How many do you have?”
“Two.”
“Two? Wow. What kind are they?” She adjusted her weight, sat up a little straighter.
“They’re hounds, but much bigger than the dogs you’ve seen. The male, Nika, has a thick, black coat and a full mane. He looks sort of like a giant black lion. The female’s name is Nahara. Her coat is cream colored and just as thick but without the mane. She’s a little bit smaller, though not by much.”
Ryleigh admired the easy affection with which he spoke of the animals.
He nudged his way a little deeper into her heart. His easy interaction with Mia, the way he watched out for her and kept her mind off her fears, only added to his incredible charm.
“Can I meet them?” Mia’s cheeks flushed with excitement…or possibly cold.
“Sure, as soon as we get to the castle.”
“Castle? You live in a real castle?”
“Yup.”
“Holy cow!”
The woods thickened, and the shadows grew even darker. Ryleigh strained to examine each and every one of them, searching for any sign of movement. What sort of creatures roamed free through the darkness of the forest? She shivered and moved a little closer to Jackson.
“I can’t wait to see it.” Mia’s eyes burned with excitement.
“Well, you won’t have to wait long, see that line in the distance?” He gestured toward the horizon where a faint silhouette had just become visible through the trees.
Mia squinted. “I see it.” Her excitement bubbled over as she bounced up and down.
The anticipation infected Ryleigh, and she picked up her pace. “How far is it?”
Jackson smiled at her.
Her heart skipped a beat. What was it about that cocky grin that sent her heart all aflutter?
“Not far now. It looks farther than it is. We’ll leave the forest in a few minutes and head downhill across a large clearing.”
“Then we’ll be in Cymmera?” Ryleigh searched for the edge of the forest.
“Then we’ll be in the city of Cymmera.”
“I’m confused. Is Cymmera a realm, a city, or a village?”
Jackson’s eyebrows drew together. “I guess the best way to look at it is that this entire realm is the Kingdom of Cymmera. Our Kingdom encompasses an enormous amount of space. The castle sits atop a large hill, a village surrounds it, and farms border the entire village. All of that is surrounded by a wall. Everything within the boundaries of the wall is considered the city of Cymmera. Then there are outlying areas as well, some of which require days of travel to reach. They are not part of the city but are still part of the Kingdom.”
“So you really do live in a castle?”
A spark of mischief lit his eyes. “I really do.”
The trees became more sparse, and dim light chased away some of the darker shadows. “So where do Daygan and his creatures live?”
“They inhabit another realm, the Kingdom of Argonas.”
Questions tumbled over one another in her mind, and Ryleigh tried to order her thoughts.
Mia’s outrush of breath halted Ryleigh’s struggle.
The castle stood upon a wide plateau at the top of a mountain. A layer of haze surrounded the structure’s base, giving it the appearance of being cradled in a cloud and set upon a pedestal. The mountain sloped gradually down to the valley floor and was dotted with structures built directly into the sides of the mountain. The village fanned out below it, filled with small, cozy looking houses, with smoke pouring from stone chimneys. The blanket of snow didn’t reach the lowest sections of the valley floor, and brown farmland encompassed the entire compound and stretched beyond the horizon, as did the high stone wall surrounding everything.
All rational thought fled as sheer amazement slammed through her.
“Let me down, I want to stand.”
Ryleigh handed Mia her slippers without turning away from the view. Her mouth hung open, and she tried to force it shut. She couldn’t. Nor could she tear her gaze from the incredible view.
“Do you like it?” Jackson relaxed against a tree, arms folded across his chest, grinning wildly.
Mia recovered first. “It’s amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it, not even in pictures.”
“It is pretty amazing.” His dark eyes blazed with mischief.
Ryleigh finally found her voice. “I thought you said everything was dead here, and bleak, and sad.”
“Ah, but it is, and I never said it wasn’t beautiful as well.”
“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.” Ryleigh tried to picture what it would have looked like with green fields surrounding it, patchwork crops sprinkled throughout the farms, and flowers in bloom…well…everywhere. “It’s absolutely stunning.”
She finally tore her gaze from the magnificence of Cymmera and turned to Jackson. “I don’t—”
The burn that had marked his chest now held four healed lines. Horror clutched her lungs, and her heart stuttered to a stop. “What the…”
“What’s wrong?” Jackson looked down at his chest and quickly back up at her. “Ryleigh?”
She backed away from him.
“Ryleigh, it’s all right. Please. Wait.”
Her eyes shot to his. “What?” She shook her head, fear overcoming all rational thought. She took a deep breath, tried again. “What is that?”
She lowered her gaze slowly, terror begging her not to look, fear insisting that she do. Across the center of the burn lay four parallel lines of fresh, unmarked flesh. Lines that followed the exact path her fingers had brushed across earlier.
“Please, Ryleigh, let me explain.” He held his hands out, palms toward her.
“Leave me alone, Jackson.” She backed away. “I don’t want to hear it.”
“Ryleigh.” His voice no longer held any note of sympathy. Instead, it was iron hard, leaving no room for argument. “Listen to me. Now. It’s fine. Remember when I first came to you in the hospital, and I held your leg?”
Actually, she did recall finding his touch a little unusual, though not unpleasant. And, now that he mentioned it, her feet and legs no longer hurt. She’d suffered so much pain earlier. When had they stopped hurting? She searched her memory. Had she been in pain while she’d showered? She couldn’t remember. She’d been so filled with images of Jackson, nothing else had registered. Heat crept up her cheeks, and she quickly abandoned that line of thought.
Adrenaline had surged through her system when the savages attacked the house, which could explain the lack of pain while they’d been running, but that had long since dissipated. So why didn’t her knee hurt? And what about her feet? The medication they’d given her at the hospital had worn off long ago, so why didn’t her feet hurt any longer when she’d barely been able to walk earlier? Had walking in the ice wearing nothing but slippers numbed them? Did she have frostbite? Why wasn’t she cold? The questions beat at her more frantically. She started to hyper-ventilate. Cold air rushing in and out of her lungs, questions hammering at her, and fear of the unknown, merged together, culminating in an insistent throb at her temples.
She slapped her hands over her ears in a desperate attempt to stop the interrogation from bombarding her. Of course, it didn’t help since her own mind shouted all of the questions.
“Ryleigh.” Jackson shackled her wrists with his hands, gently lowered her hands from her ears. “Look at me.”
She did as he asked. Tremors rocked her.
“It’s all right, Ryleigh. I’m not sure exactly what’s going on here yet, but once we get to the castle we’ll be able to get help. You are obviously meant to be here, we’ve already established that, and I think you’ve accepted it.” He raised an eyebrow, waited for her acknowledgement.
Her chin trembled, and she clenched her teeth to keep
it still. She nodded, afraid to speak.
“Our people—”
“You mean your people.” No way would she let him think she was somehow one of his people, no matter how bad her voice shook.
He huffed out a breath, blowing the shaggy hair up off his forehead. “Okay, yes, my people are healers. We are, for the most part, immortal. We can heal all but the most severe wounds. If I hadn’t been stripped of my powers when I was banished, I would have been able to heal you in the hospital. I did try. Unfortunately, I couldn’t help. But even without my help haven’t you realized your feet don’t hurt anymore? Check them.”
She shook her head. “No, I can’t.”
“Check them, Ryleigh.” He squeezed her hands tighter.
She’d forgotten he was still holding them.
He waited patiently, didn’t push.
She dropped his hands, reached for her pant leg, took a deep breath, held it. Lifted. Faint red marks covered her legs. The deep cuts and scrapes that had marred her skin earlier had almost disappeared.
“Are you all right?” Concern filled his eyes.
“Yeah.” It came out as a whisper, a soft wisp of sound.
“Come on. Let’s get going. The sooner we get to the castle, the sooner we can try and figure out what’s happening to you.”
She nodded. “Sure.”
He examined her eyes, searched for something. A tentative smile raised one corner of his mouth.
“I’m fine.” She broke eye contact and turned toward Mia. “Let’s go.”
* * * *
With dusk rapidly approaching, Mia shivering, and Ryleigh freaking out, Jackson needed help. He pulled a short, hollow, curved tusk from the satchel at his side, put the small end to his lips, and blew a signal, two quick blows and one long. Hopefully, it would bring help quickly.
Ryleigh trudged through the snow with her head down and a deep scowl lining her face. What was going on in her mind?
“What was that for?” Mia forced the question out between chattering teeth.
“I called to my brother. We won’t have to walk much farther before he meets us. Come on, you can hop back up on my back.”
He squatted beside a tree and grabbed her hand to steady her as she climbed up.
Ryleigh stopped to wait, staring toward the castle.
“Don’t worry.” Mia spoke softly. “Sometimes she just needs some time to herself. If you leave her be, she’ll come around in a little while.”
He squeezed her hand.
She settled on his back as they resumed their trek through the field. At least now they were headed downhill.
The huge iron gates in the front wall parted in the distance. Two large, muscular stallions emerged at a full gallop before the gates even finished opening.
Jackson stopped. “Here he comes.”
The animals kicked up a trail of dust in their wake.
Although no snow reached the valley floor, the temperature continued to plummet. Mia’s hands sat like ice cubes against his neck. He took one of her hands between his own and tried to rub some warmth back into it.
Ryleigh watched the horses move toward them with only the thundering of the hooves and the chattering of Mia’s teeth to break the silence.
Chayce slowed the horses as he drew near, swung down smoothly from the smaller horse, and approached Jackson. “My brother.” He pulled Jackson into a quick embrace and patted his back. “It’s good to see you, but I have so many questions. Where have you been? How were you able to return? Has father lifted the banishment?”
“Whoa.” Jackson held up his hands and laughed.
“Forgive me.” Chayce took a deep breath and nodded to the girls. “I haven’t even met your friends.” He made it sound as if visitors from the human realm arrived every day. Chayce inclined his head toward Ryleigh and turned on the charm. “How do you do, my lady?” He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss against the back of it.
Ryleigh blushed, and a small smile curved her mouth before she cast her eyes downward.
A hot flare of jealousy burst through Jackson’s gut. His hand curled into a fist of its own accord, and he fought to restrain his violent urges. He forced his fingers to straighten, even though he could do little to relieve the tension in his muscles, and suppressed the desire to punch his brother in the mouth.
Chayce turned to Mia, who still sat on Jackson’s shoulders. He pressed the back of her hand to his lips, as well then bowed with a flourish. “Would you care to ride with me, young princess?”
Mia giggled and slid from Jackson’s back onto the stallion.
“Here, let me help you.” After pulling blankets from a bundle secured to the back of his horse, Chayce removed her wet slippers and tucked one of the blankets around her feet as best he could while she straddled the large animal. He draped the other around her shoulders.
Mia snuggled into the thick blanket. “I’ve never felt anything so warm and soft.” She brushed the soft, cream colored fabric against her face, pulled it up over her head like a hood to cover her ears. “What is this made from?”
“It’s actually quite rare. It’s made from the fur of a tigrelle. It’s a large cat that looks sort of like a tiger except it has no stripes. It’s solid, cream colored coat is very long and shaggy, and makes the softest, warmest, most comfortable fabric around. It’s very sought after and hard to find.”
Mia dropped the blanket from her back.
Jackson laughed at the confusion on Chayce’s face. “Don’t worry, Mia. We don’t kill the animals to get the fur. They normally blow their coats during certain seasons anyway, we just shear them right before that.” Jackson tucked her back into the blanket then stepped back for Chayce to mount the horse behind her.
Uncertain of her mood, Jackson approached Ryleigh cautiously. “Can you climb up?” He clasped his hands together and boosted Ryleigh up onto the other horse’s back then pulled a blanket from his own pack and draped it over her shoulders.
“Thank you.” Her tentative smile made his heart soar.
He swung up behind her and turned the stallion toward the castle. They rode in silence, Ryleigh’s back pressed to his chest, his arms wrapped around her. Her hair tickled his nose, and he inhaled the sweet scent of strawberries. His gut tightened.
Chayce moved alongside Jackson. “Can you tell me what’s happening? Rumors have been running wild. I’d heard you were banished, and yet here you are, with two strangers in tow I might add.” Chayce grinned. “Not that I mind you bringing home beautiful women, of course.” He aimed an exaggerated wink at Ryleigh.
Jackson couldn’t see if she responded without leaning around her. He would never give Chayce that satisfaction.
“Come on, let’s get the girls home, they’re freezing.” Jackson took off at a full gallop effectively ending the conversation. He’d answer Chayce’s questions later. Maybe.
Right now he had to order his thoughts before he went before King Maynard. Even if the King accepted the situation with Ryleigh, there was also the matter of the dead soldier he’d left in the hospital parking lot. He’d forgotten about that, assuming at the time it had been Daygan’s minion, but after the confrontation with Kai he’d begun to suspect Kai had sent him as a distraction. Damn.
As they approached the huge stone wall Ryleigh straightened.
The iron gates swung slowly open, and he leaned to the side and peeked around her, hoping to see her expression as they entered the city limits.
She spared him a quick glance and smiled, her eyes filled with wonder. “It’s amazing.”
His heart soared higher. “I’ll show you around later. I want to get to the King first thing.” He had no way to know how the girls would be treated by the people of Cymmera unless King Maynard first welcomed them. Since this was such an unusual situation, and Cymmerans tended to be a somewhat suspicious bunch, it would be best not to take chances.
All was quiet as they passed through th
e barren farmland, the scattered farmhouses sitting miles apart leaving no one to witness their passing. But once they reached the village, things changed. They slowed the horses. Cottages dotted the landscape, first spread sporadically across the remainder of the valley floor then built into the side of the mountain as it rose up toward the castle.
Rumors buzzed in the air, curiosity arced like electricity through the trails, and he had no doubt eyes peered from behind curtains to follow their progress up the side of the mountain. Oh well, obviously news of his return had spread.
Ryleigh pressed a little closer to him.
Mia leaned back against Chayce, the blanket pulled tightly around her. Had she fallen asleep? He couldn’t tell.
They crested the plateau and started toward the drawbridge. A line of sweat ran down Jackson’s back. Until now, he’d been so preoccupied with Ryleigh, he hadn’t given enough thought to the welcome he could expect from his father.
The King had banished him, after all, yet here he was with two strangers, one of whom he was supposed to have killed. He scrubbed a hand over his face. Then, there was the issue of the dead soldier pressing like a weight against his chest. He wiped the sweat from his brow and started across the wooden bridge.
Ryleigh’s sharp intake of breath dragged him from his doubts.
The castle loomed above them, and he tried to envision it through her eyes, see it for the first time as she would. Pure white stone topped with dark green roofs, towers and spires soaring high into the sky, the traditional crenellations. Majestic, noble, gorgeous. A wide moat surrounded the entire complex.
“It’s amazing. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.” Ryleigh’s comment pulled him from his reverie.
“It is amazing.” Nostalgia washed over him, immersed him in a world long past.
In the days of his childhood, the castle had held a prominent position in the center of the moat, floating on an island amid a sea of color. Flowers, bushes, and trees were in constant bloom, softening the sharp lines and angles. A layer of mist resting on the water had added warmth and mystery, created the feel of a tropical oasis. Now, the incredible beauty of the structure was a stark contradiction to the barren, desolate land surrounding it.
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