From The Falls (The Falls Trilogy Book 2)

by Heather Renee

  We found a restaurant that served what they called “Earth Food” and sat down to eat. Jordan and Tiana each found several bags of items and chatted animatedly about the things they saw.

  “Then there were these body parts. Some of them were in liquid,” Jordan started to say.

  I held my hand up to cut her off. “Seriously? We’re eating. I think that’s enough for now, before I lose my appetite.” I laughed.

  The others laughed, too. I needed my food and had no desire to have my appetite ruined by whatever was about to come out of her mouth. If Jordan thought it was cool enough to talk about, it surely would have been disgusting.

  We finished eating and were contemplating leaving when Bam and Sam appeared before us. Perfect timing.

  “The items are ready to go,” Bam sang.

  I was so in love with these pixies’ singsong voices. I wish we had them in Arvata.

  We followed the pixies into another walk-through. This time, we were taken to a different part of the Queen’s home. It seemed to be some kind of armory crossed with a lab. The wall and tables were clean and very white except for the shelves that held every weapon imaginable. On the table in the center of the room were small circular devices.

  Lorelle crossed the room first and picked one up immediately. The Fae standing at the table seemed only slightly irritated. “Is this used for the Parias?”

  “Yes,” the Fae replied curtly. “This is used to shred them so they can’t regenerate as fast.”

  “I’ve been working on something like this, but couldn’t make it do exactly what I wanted and it’s slower than I’d like.” Lorelle was like a kid on Christmas morning. I didn’t realize how much she enjoyed this stuff. “Is this fast?”

  “Very fast.” He smiled.

  “I take it you made these yourself?” Jordan asked when the Fae had seemed so proud.

  “I did, but they haven’t been tested much. Keep whatever you have as backup and take these with you. If they work well for you on this trip, then we will create more and offer them to others.”

  “Very well. Grab the devices and let’s be on our way then.” I turned toward the pixies. “Would you mind taking us to wherever you believe we will have the most luck with finding the Elves with the dagger?”

  “We would be delighted.” Bam flicked her wings and they made quick work of opening another walk-through.

  On the other side, everything was green. Trees and rolling hills for as far as the eye could see. I took a deep breath after we made it across the walk-through. Everything smelled so fresh and pure. It reminded me of being near Multnomah Falls. This place had zero darkness in it. It was close to how it felt being near the Fates.

  Bam and Sam said their goodbyes and sealed up the walk-through. I had hoped they would stay with us for a little bit, but understood they were needed elsewhere.

  “This place is all light and fluffy,” Lela said. “Why do I feel like frolicking through the fields?”

  “It’s the pureness of this place,” Lorelle replied. “The Elves don’t align themselves with anyone but themselves to ensure that evil stays out. They take great pride in their home and don’t often welcome outsiders for fear of this land being tainted.”

  “So, do we have a plan on getting to wherever they are?” I asked. “I don’t see any buildings or homes. How are we supposed to find someone and see if they will help us?”

  “We don’t find someone to help us. We walk around until the Elves are able to decide if our intentions of being here are pure and good. When we’ve proven that we mean them no harm, then someone will appear to us and show us their home.”

  “Really? We just have to walk around and think happy thoughts for who knows how long?” Jordan sighed. “This might take a while.”

  Jordan just didn’t want to walk around. The only time she enjoyed walking was when she was on a shopping spree. I loved her anyway. Craziness and all.

  I walked over to Jordan and put my arm around her waist in a half hug. “Just have patience and this will be over before we know it.”

  She leaned her head down on mine and gave me a squeeze. I went back to Lucas and we all started to walk. We broke off into groups eventually, always staying within sight of each other, but far enough away that we maintained some privacy.

  Strix took to the sky to stretch his wings while seeing if he could find anything, but the Elves homes were hidden even from him. I told him to do whatever he wanted and I’d call for him when the Elves were ready for us.

  We walked through forest areas and meadows, but there was never much color besides green. No flowers, no fruits hanging from the trees. Even the tree branches were covered in green moss. Completely odd to me.

  Lorelle had been walking on her own, but slowly made her way to me and Lucas. She seemed so tired. Her stride was slower and the dark circles under her eyes hadn’t lightened much.

  I let go of Lucas and grabbed Lorelle’s hand. “How are you doing?”

  “I’ll be fine, don’t you worry about me.” She smiled at me and tugged me closer to her. “I have a story to tell you while we’re waiting on the Elves.”

  My full attention was immediately grabbed and I could tell Lucas’s was as well. Lorelle didn’t often share stories. “No time like the present. What would you like to share?”

  “I want you to understand me better and know why I’m different,” Lorelle paused and took a deep breath. “I was not born in Arvata or Earth. I was born in the Otherworld. My father was a Guardian much like these half-Guardians’ fathers, but my mother was a very powerful mage.”

  Cheese and rice! That was some kind of bomb to drop on us. I didn’t say anything and just nodded for her to continue.

  “My mage side was suppressed when I was born and I was sent to Arvata with my father. This was centuries ago before there was order and consistency like we have now. People came and went as they saw fit and nobody realized I didn’t belong.”

  I squeezed her hand a little tighter. “What happened to your mother?”

  “She died while giving birth to me. There wasn’t a healer present during my birth due to her coven exiling her when they learned of her pregnancy. They said I wasn’t pure and needed to be disposed of. There were complications and she bled out after delivery.”

  “Oh, Lorelle. I am so sorry. What a secret you have kept for so long. What happened to your father?” I asked.

  “He passed a few centuries after I was born. He helped me to learn all I needed to as a Guardian and made me swear to never tell anyone of my heritage. Only the Fates were aware of who I was. The Fates slowly unlocked my mage powers as I got older. That is how I became the town healer for Arvata. Nobody else could do what I could, and the Fates didn’t see a reason to keep my powers suppressed when they knew my loyalties were with the people of Arvata.”

  I stopped our walk and pulled her into a tight embrace. I couldn’t imagine how she’d felt all these years or what she went through as a child.

  I let go after a few moments and pulled back. “Thank you for sharing that with us. It means a lot to me that you would trust us with this information. Why now, though?”

  “I can’t explain that yet, but it will all make sense soon. I don’t mean to keep secrets, but it’s the only way for things to work out the way they are meant to be. I promise it is all done with the best of intentions.”

  Lucas reached across me and held his hand on Lorelle’s shoulder. “I’ve known you my entire life, Lorelle. You are the most selfless person I know. If this is what is necessary, then we understand you need to do what is best. As Kali said already, thank you for trusting us with this much.”

  Lorelle wiped a tear from her cheek and nodded. Her shoulders sagged and I knew there was more that was causing her to struggle, but I didn’t want to add to her stress by pressing for more information.

  “We’re here for you whenever you need us,” I said. “Take all the time you want.”

  Lorelle let go of my hand and walked away
from us with her shoulders slightly hunched. I wished there was more we could do for her.

  “We’re doing exactly what she needs us to do, my love. Try not to worry about it too much. She’s a very wise woman and there is a method to her madness, I promise.”

  I glanced up and saw a splash of color, but just as quick it was gone.

  “Did you see that?” I asked.

  “See what?” Lucas was on alert now and searching all around us.

  “There was a splash of color in those trees. I think it was blue, but it’s gone now. I know it was something, though.”

  Lela and Ryan came over to us then, “We saw something orange and red over by those rocks.” Lela pointed just outside the trees where I had seen the blue.

  “Lorelle,” I called out to her and she came closer again. “Why did the three of us see flickers of color?”

  She smiled, “The Elves are ready for us.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  I watched in amazement as the Elves started to emerge from the forest. They were smaller than I expected and hairless. Took a minute to wrap my brain around that, but sure enough, when they got closer, not a strand of hair appeared on their head, face or arms. They stood between three-and-a-half and four feet tall on average. I counted at least thirty of them that came to greet us and each of them had very bright clothing on, which explained the flashes of color we saw.

  I called out to Strix so he could join us again now that the Elves were here. I didn’t want him left behind and I felt better knowing he was close. He swooped down from the sky and took his normal place on my shoulder.

  The Elf that was front and center wore a decorative necklace made of grass, twigs and stones. Sounded simple, but it definitely wasn’t. It seemed as though very skilled craftsmanship went into the twists and shape of the necklace. Seven stones were evenly placed around the necklace, tied to the twigs by thick blades of grass or some type of greenery.

  He had deep chocolate skin and soulful hazel eyes. Each of the elves were small and lean, but I could see well-defined muscles on their arms. They were stronger than they looked.

  “Thank you for trusting us with your presence, King Alistair.” Lorelle bowed ever so slightly.

  No wonder he wore the fancy necklace and was leading the pack. He was the king. That made a little more sense.

  “You are here for something you need, are you not?” he asked.

  His voice was deep and husky as if he hadn’t used it in quite some time.

  “We are,” Lorelle replied. “I am sure you have heard the rumblings about the darkness trying to escape?”

  “Yes, indeed we have. You should remember to always choose the light.”

  Lorelle nodded before continuing. I was glad she remembered about our nifty saying, because I had completely spaced it once again.

  “The Queen of the Light Fae said you have forged a dagger that will hold the stone we need to kill Cassius. We were hoping to get it from you and be on our way. We don’t want to impose on your home. Cassius is also in possession of a young girl. We must get to her before any harm comes to her.”

  The mere thought of Jenna had my heart constricting. I still couldn’t believe we weren’t able to save her in time. I didn’t know how I would live with myself if something worse happened to her because we weren’t able to protect her.

  Strix once again leaned his head against mine. “You are not responsible for others actions, Kaliah. Do not hold blame against yourself for something you had no control over. You’re doing everything you can and that is more than most would do in this situation.”

  I reached my hand up and gave him a light squeeze. “Thank you.” I turned my attention back to the conversation between the king and Lorelle.

  “You are not imposing. You will be doing the entire realm a favor by defeating Cassius,” the king said. “Time works differently on each level within the Otherworld, as you now. If you leave now for the lower levels, you will be arriving in the middle of the night. Please, stay a while. You may have some food and get some rest before you leave.”

  “If you’re sure, then we would gladly accept your offer. It is very generous of you,” Lorelle said.

  We followed the Elves into the forest. We had only walked about ten feet when a small village appeared. How in the world did we miss this? I thought. Small huts made from tree branches with large leafed roofs covered most of the area. There was a well in the middle with picnic tables scattered around the courtyard.

  A few Elves sat at the tables. As we walked by, they gazed at us until we passed the huts and were on a trail going further into the forest. Nobody spoke a word as we walked, and I looked behind us to see that only five other elves remained with us instead of the few dozen that greeted us outside the forest.

  I leaned in closer to Lucas and whispered, “Something feels off to me.”

  He tapped his head, “Mental link, my love,” he said in my head.

  Crap! My brain tended to forget about that when we had so much going on.

  “Sorry, I completely forgot. Something feels off. I don’t like it.”

  He casually looked around, “I’m not sensing anything, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t something going on. All we can do is stay alert. We can’t leave until we have that dagger.”

  I nodded my understanding even though my skin had begun to crawl. Someone or something was not right around here. I glanced back at Jordan and she smiled. I was able to account for everyone, but I’d be keeping a close eye on things until we left.

  We had been walking for about five minutes when we came to a much larger hut, both in height and width. We followed the King inside and the feeling of unease went away. What the hell?

  “This is my personal space and nobody should disturb you here,” the king said. “My house is a just a few more minutes past here. Please make yourself comfortable and I will be right back with the dagger.”

  The King walked out and I could see he left a few of his guards outside the hut. I reached out mentally to both Lucas and Strix separately to see who would answer first. “Do Elves have super hearing?”

  Strix answered, “It is above average, but not as good as some supernatural beings. You would be fine to turn on the water over there and speak softly.”

  I relayed that info to Lucas and went to the faucet. Once I turned on the water, I faced the group and waved them over to me.

  “When we were about halfway here, did anyone get a funny feeling about being here?” I whispered.

  “No, I didn’t,” Jordan replied with a devious smile. “Why are we whispering?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “Better safe than sorry? Something doesn’t feel right. I think we need to get the dagger and be on our way. Even if we have to travel during the night.”

  “You may rethink that later,” Oliver said. “King Alistair was right. We don’t want to be in the lower levels during the night. That’s when the craziness comes out.”

  I thought about that for a moment. There had to be somewhere we could go. I had a gut feeling we needed to leave sooner rather than later.

  “Can we go back to the Light Fae and stay there?” I asked.

  “No,” Lucas answered. “With the differences on the levels, it would put us too far behind.”

  I let out a heavy sigh. I wasn’t sure what else to do. Nobody could sense what I did about being here. They only knew the dangers we could face outside of here.

  Lorelle came over to me and rested her hand on my elbow. “Remember what the Fates said. You need to trust your gut. I am with you on this. If something is not right, then we need to leave right away.”

  My eyes widened in surprise. I didn’t expect that from Lorelle, but I was grateful for her support. I turned off the water and we went back to the center of the room to wait for the King to return. I kept my eye on the door, waiting for someone coming in that had no business being here, but it never happened.

  King Alistair was quite vocal on his journey back, so we knew
he was coming before he came through the door. He was also very excited about us being the ones to take care of Cassius. I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.

  He walked through the door holding a silver box with both hands. He greeted us with a large smile and strode right over to me.

  “Kaliah, I trust this blade will be in good hands with you?” I nodded. “Good, protect it at all costs. Find the succubus next and as quickly as possible. You’ll want to leave a few hours after it gets dark here to arrive in the morning light of the lower levels.”

  “Actually, we’ve talked it over and sincerely appreciate your hospitality, but we must be on our way,” I said. “We know the risks, but we do not have time to postpone.”

  “I understand completely,” he said sincerely. “Would you at least allow me to supply you anything else you might need for you trip?”

  I looked to Lorelle and let her take the lead. She would know more about what we might need than me. She gave him a small list of items.

  “Let me get this to someone who can fetch the items you request. Excuse me.”

  The King left and I was glad we hadn’t offended him. He seemed to understand our urgency. I didn’t want to cause problems with someone who was trying to help us, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was not right.

  “I agree,” Strix said. “You made the right decision. Everyone will back you up.”

  Before I could respond to Strix, one of the Elves who had helped lead us to the room entered the door quickly after the King left. He was slightly larger than the others and was not giving off the warm and fuzzy feelings I got from the King. I was just about to say something when the Elf grabbed Lela and pulled a knife up to her neck. Cheese and rice! I knew something like this was going to happen.

  “Give me the dagger and I will let her go,” the Elf seethed.

  He certainly woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.

  Ryan made a move to go to Lela, but Oliver grabbed his arm and stopped him. I quickly glanced at Lucas unsure of what to do. He mentally advised me to do as the Elf said for the moment.