From The Falls (The Falls Trilogy Book 2)

by Heather Renee

  I watched the black swirl of the Parias go round and round as I called on the water from the stream and kept adding to the cyclone. The Parias started moving further back, but not all of them were quick enough. There were at least twenty that had been sucked up into my water tornado so far and I wasn’t done yet.

  I waited until there was no more water in the immediate area. When the cyclone was as big as it was going to get, I started to move it around. The Parias weren’t expecting that and as the cyclone moved faster, it became darker due to the number of Parias sucked into it.

  I felt a tap on my shoulder and jumped back almost stabbing Lucas with my dagger. He’d scared the crap out of me by silently coming up behind me.

  He put his hands up defensively and smiled. “Easy, Killer. You were getting pretty excited out here. I wanted to check on you. Looks like we can go home now.”

  I glanced back up to the sky and agreed. I could finally see the midnight blue of the sky instead of the blackness of the Parias. The cyclone had turned a dark charcoal color and I smiled.

  Before we left, I wanted to make sure the Parias would be stuck for a long time. I concentrated on the cyclone once more and chilled the swirling water until it became frozen solid all the way through. We wouldn’t have to worry about them for a long time.

  Lucas called everyone else outside as I froze the tornado.

  “No wonder you wanted to do it on your own,” Jordan joked. “You might have sucked one of us in that monster on accident.”

  “You would have been safe,” I replied. “Water doesn’t care for sour things. You would have been spit right back out.”

  Jordan walked by me and bumped me with her butt, almost knocking me over. “No, it just can’t handle all of this awesomeness and I’m okay with that.” She winked and everyone else laughed. The mood was lightened until I saw Oliver walking up with Lorelle in his arms.

  Tears welled up in my eyes again and Lucas held on to me. The pixies were able to safely open the walk-through so the others walked past us to go on through. I stayed in Lucas’s arms just a bit longer. I was not ready to face anyone else, but I know we should get home to give Lorelle the proper sendoff she deserved.

  Once everyone was through, Lucas and I followed. Bam set her tiny hand on my shoulder and bowed her head. “You did a great service for the worlds today. We’re sorry for your loss.”

  I nodded my head. “You’re welcome. Can you make sure the baby is okay? I got knocked around a little.”

  She flew down, placed her hands on my stomach and closed her eyes for a moment. “All is well with your daughter. Her heart beats normally and she is not in duress.”

  I smiled and thanked her before Lucas and I went through. I looked around, noticing for the first time that we were in a room we hadn’t been to before. Once the walk-through was closed, Aston came into the room. He too, thanked us and offered his condolences.

  “I’m sure you must be ready to travel home, so the Queen does not expect you to say goodbye, but she does hope you’ll visit soon. She’s in a meeting right now or she would have been here herself.”

  “We will be back once everyone is settled in Arvata,” Lucas replied. “Please, give her our thanks for her assistance.”

  Aston nodded. “You’re welcome to port to the gateway from this room. There is no restriction here. We didn’t want you to have go through town.”

  “We appreciate that. We will be on our way then,” Lucas said.

  Once Aston left the room, we went straight to the gateway. Lucas and I went first and then Oliver and Tiana with Lorelle. Jordan and Kane came next with Jenna and then Lela and Ryan. We were all exhausted and our day wasn’t even close to over.

  “Jenna,” I said, “I am so sorry to welcome you to our world like this. We have some very important things to take care of, so I’m going to take you to Miah and some others like you who recently arrived here from Earth as well. They will go over your options and explain things to you. Is that okay?”

  I reached my arm out to gently touch her elbow. She flinched back, then nodded her head yes. I still hadn’t heard her speak to any of us, but considering what we had seen Cassius do to her, I couldn’t blame her.

  “Ryan and I will take her,” Lela offered. “We will meet you back in the Elder room shortly.”

  I thanked Lela and turned to Lucas, unsure of where to go from here. “We need to take Lorelle to the healing center. The workers in there will prepare her for the ceremony,” he said, catching on to my thoughts.

  I nodded and Lucas picked up Lorelle. Once she was in his arms, we ported to the healing center with promises to meet the others back at the Elder room when we were done. We walked into the front office and silence descended on the room. There were only a few people in there, but they immediately bowed their heads and gave a moment of silence to our dear friend.

  An older woman with graying hair and small round glasses came around the front desk. “Please, follow me to the back.”

  We followed her to an empty room with a long, tall table and were instructed to lay Lorelle there. We waited only moments for someone else to come in.

  A middle aged, or so he appeared to be, gentleman came in. He wore a white coat like a doctor and had his blonde hair slicked back. I remembered meeting him briefly once before, but I couldn’t think of his name. He set his hand on Lucas’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry for your loss. Really, it’s a loss for all of Arvata. Lorelle did so much for so many people here.”

  “Thank you, Jacob,” Lucas replied. “We want her to have the best celebration of life Arvata has ever seen. Please, let us know if we can supply anything or be of any assistance.”

  Jacob nodded. “She will be treated with the utmost respect. You have my word. We can be prepared to hold the ceremony the day after tomorrow. Will that be sufficient?”

  “Yes, that will be fine.” Lucas placed his hand on my lower back. “We need to be going. Don’t forget, we’re here if you need anything to help make this perfect.”

  “Will do,” he said. “It was good see the both of you again, but I’m sorry it was under these circumstances.”

  Lucas just nodded and we walked out of the office. Being in there had shaken me. I was glad Lucas had taken the lead on speaking with the doctor. I wouldn’t have been able to keep my composure. I was ready to be home and have a moment when I could officially breakdown, but first I needed to be an Elder and make sure everything and everyone else was okay.

  “We’re almost done, my love,” Lucas whispered. “I’ll be here to hold you up until you’re ready to fall apart.”

  I did my best to offer him a smile, but I was pretty sure it still appeared as a grimace. He kissed my forehead and we ported to the town hall.

  When we walked into the Elder room, a somber mood clung to the air around everyone. “How is Jenna?” I asked Lela.

  “She still hadn’t spoken when I left her with Miah. She needs time, but I think she’ll come around.”

  “Her silence makes me wonder if she truly doesn’t have any abilities. How would she have been able to hide them from Cassius?” Tiana asked. “Maybe she truly had no idea that the world was full of different beings than most people know about.”

  “We will find out eventually,” I said. “For now, the danger is over. There is no reason to push her. We need to address the rest of Arvata. Tell them what has happened and introduce the half-Guardians, but not today. Let’s plan on doing it tomorrow, and the day after, we will say our goodbyes to Lorelle.”

  I choked up again and couldn’t continue, so Lucas finished the rest for me. “Jordan, will you send notice out for a town meeting at ten tomorrow morning?” Jordan nodded. “Very well. Let’s go home. We can meet back here before addressing the town. Anyone have any questions?”

  Nobody spoke up, so we all silently got up and left. Each pair left holding on tightly to their other half. Losing one of our people was going to be hard to recover from.

  As soon as Lucas and I arriv
ed back home, I lost it. I landed on my knees and curled into myself as I let the tears flow. Pain overflowed from everywhere, and I let it take over. Lucas sat on the ground next to me and pulled me into his lap. I fit snuggly against his chest and we cried together for the loss of our friend.

  My grief warred with the guilt of knowing that it should have been Lucas and me that everyone was mourning. I was supposed to die, not Lorelle, and as my bonded Meraki, Lucas would have lost his life as well.

  Then I remembered our daughter. Thinking about how she could have died before we ever had a chance to meet her caused my tears to increase in force. I was so thankful for Lorelle’s sacrifice, but it didn’t make the loss hurt any less.

  “Let’s get upstairs and get some rest, my love.” Lucas cradled me to his chest as he stood up. “You need to keep up your strength for two now.”

  I placed my hand on my stomach and tried to see through the tears. They were slowing, but my eyes were swollen and red. I used my other hand to wipe my face so I could look up at Lucas. “For now, we’re going to lean on you,” I whispered. “Tomorrow I’ll be stronger, but for today, I don’t want to be.”

  “And you don’t have to be. I’ve got you.”

  Lucas carried me to our bedroom and laid me on the bed. I leaned forward and pulled the comforter back while Lucas came around the other side of the bed. We climbed in, and he wrapped his arms around me as my body shuddered. I closed my eyes and let Lucas’s love surround me, lulling me into sleep.

  Tomorrow I would face the world and deal with our problems, but for now, I let sleep take me over and take the pain away for just a little while.

  ***

  I didn’t wake until the next morning when Lucas brought breakfast to me in bed. I didn’t think I had ever slept that long without waking. There was still an ache in my chest, but I was going to be okay eventually. I had a little one to think of now, and I needed to be strong for her.

  Lucas smiled at me. “You need to eat. I don’t remember the last time I saw you eat.”

  There were eggs, bacon and cinnamon rolls on the tray, and all of a sudden, I was ravenous. I didn’t even feel embarrassed about shoving my face full of food. I was eating for two now. Lucas was going to have to get used to it.

  I mumbled thank you between mouthfuls of food and didn’t stop eating until every crumb had made its way into my mouth. Lucas took the tray and set it on the nightstand.

  “You going to be okay today?” he asked.

  “I’ll be fine. I needed yesterday for me, but I know the rest of Arvata needs us today.”

  “And that’s what makes you a great leader.” He leaned in to kiss me and I wrapped my arms around him, trapping him there.

  I glanced up at him. “We’re having a baby.” I smiled brightly.

  “We are, and we’re going to have to figure out what to do about that. Lorelle said we would bring change.”

  “She was right. I don’t want to raise our baby on Earth,” I said. “I’ve only been here a short time. I want our child to know where she belongs and experience all Arvata has to offer, the way I wish I could have.”

  “Then I’ll be right by your side fighting for the same things. We will figure it out sooner or later.”

  We got out of bed and started getting ready for the meeting we had to lead. My heart was heavy knowing we were about to bring sadness to many in Arvata, but they needed to know.

  Once we were dressed, we ported to the town hall again and waited for the others to arrive in the Elder room. Everyone looked a little better than yesterday. Some bonding time with our Merakis and rest did wonders.

  “We will make this short,” I explained. “I’m sure most of them will want to go home and mourn in their own ways. So, we’ll start by explaining the half-Guardians, then we will tell them of Cassius. Let’s end with the news of Lorelle.”

  “That is the probably the best way,” Jordan agreed. “If you told them about Lorelle first, they may not hear the rest.”

  Jordan wiped a stray tear from her face and it took everything I had not let my own fall. I told myself I’d be strong today and I was going to do so.

  It was time for us to head out and greet everyone who came to hear what we had to say. We all filed out of the room and headed to the meeting room. As we walked in the room, a hush fell over the room and everyone waited for us to get started.

  Lucas and I walked to the front with the others right behind us. We were a united front, but there was no sense in all of us speaking. It would take too long.

  “Thank you for coming today,” Lucas started. “A lot has happened over the last few days and we wanted to tell everyone at once. Lorelle came home and told us about instructions she’d received from the Fates. She was searching for half-Guardians that were created and living on Earth. Lorelle was able to find a few of these half-Guardians, but needed some help with the rest.”

  Murmurs rose amongst the crowd and we waited a moment for them to settle before I continued. “The Fates instructed a few of us to leave with Lorelle. We traveled around Earth until we found the remaining the half-Guardians. Most did not have any magical abilities, but we will monitor them and see if anything happens on their twentieth birthdays.”

  I paused to let that sink in a bit before continuing. “When we arrived to check on the last half-Guardian, Parias had beaten us there and took her to the Otherworld. We came back home and prepared to attempt to rescue her. Two days ago, we left with Lorelle to find the cause of all this, an ancient Dark Fae named Cassius who had been banished to the lowest level of the Otherworld.”

  The mumbling rose again and I let Lucas continue this time. I didn’t think I’d be able to continue to the next part while keeping my composure.

  “We had help along the way. The Light Fae Queen provided us with assistance. We had some problems along the way, but we were able to reach the lowest level unscathed. We found Cassius torturing the half-Guardian. Things escalated from there. Kali was almost killed, but Lorelle threw her out of the way and took the hit to save Kali’s life.” Lucas paused to gather his composure. The crowd was full of upset Guardians.

  “Lorelle was hit with very dark magic. Unfortunately, there was nothing we could do to save her. We’ve lost a cherished member of our home, and we will mourn her for many days. Tomorrow, we will have a celebration of life and give Lorelle a proper sendoff. We will have the celebration here. Any Guardian who wishes to join us is welcome to do so.”

  Many of the Guardians before us were already in tears or visibly upset, which wasn’t a surprise to me. Lorelle had impacted so many lives here, in all the best ways. It made me even more upset to know they would never truly know who she was.

  “We know this is a lot to process,” I said. “Please, close all businesses today and take this time to mourn our dear friend. Like Lucas said, we welcome you to join us tomorrow. Please come to us with any questions. We will be here for you all.”

  The crowd started to disperse and the eight of us returned to the Elder room. “Has anyone checked on Miah and Jenna?” I asked once we were settled.

  “No, we came straight here,” Jordan said. “Should we go over there or give them more time?”

  I thought about that. I had no idea what was best given the situation. Jenna didn’t know us, but she was also all by herself and we needed her to know we would be there for her if she would let us.

  “I think we should go see her,” I decided. “If she doesn’t want to talk to us, that’s fine for now. At least she’ll know we care enough to come by.”

  “Very good idea,” Lucas agreed. “Plus, we need to figure out what Miah knows from Lorelle.”

  I patted Lucas on the hand. “No boys allowed. We don’t want to overwhelm her.” He stuck his lip out. “Sorry, love. We’ll be quick, I promise.”

  “I understand, but are you sure you want to take Jordan?” he teased.

  “Hey now! I was there and saw what happened to her,” Jordan defended herself. “I will behave.�
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  I rolled my eyes. It was doubtful, but sometimes Jordan liked to surprise me and keep me on my toes.

  I got up and leaned down to kiss Lucas goodbye. “I’ll be back, and then we need to go to my parents’ house.”

  “Yes, we do.” Lucas smiled and rubbed my stomach before placing a quick kiss on it. He was going to be an amazing father.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  The four of us girls arrived at the house Miah was staying in and I knocked on the door. Miah answered, looking exhausted. Her eyes had circles under them and her hair was sticking up at odd angles. I immediately reached in and gave her a hug.

  “Thank you and I’m sorry,” I said as I pulled back. “You have no idea how much it means to us that you’ve helped with Jenna. How is she?”

  “She spoke a few short sentences last night before bed and then screamed all night long,” Miah sounded devastated. “I went in and stayed with her, but it didn’t help. That bastard did a number on her. Dylan tried to come over this morning and she ran to her room and slammed the door shut. Haven’t seen her since, but I’ve knocked on the door several times.”

  We followed Miah inside and went to the living room. I wanted to see Jenna and check on her, but we also needed to know what Miah knew about Lorelle.

  “How are you doing otherwise?” I patted her leg. “Lorelle told us you knew this was coming and some other pretty big stuff. You want to talk about it?”

  Miah started crying and I put my arm around her. “It’s okay, we don’t need to talk about it yet. Just know we’re here for you when you’re ready.” I wanted answers, but I wasn’t going to push her.

  “I was going to save you,” Miah stuttered out. “Lorelle wasn’t supposed to die. She came to me because the Fates told her what I saw and she made me promise not to tell. She told me I was going to do her job, that she’d leave me everything I needed in her home. I’ve healed animals for a living, but I know nothing about supernatural beings.”