Rafe stopped the horse, jumped down quickly, and turned to stare at me. His eyes had gone wide, and he was looking at me as if he had just seen a ghost.
“So,” I said, trying again. “Do you have any idea why Oblek kidnapped me?”
Rafe nodded solemnly. “I have a pretty good idea, yes.”
“And?” I prompted. At least here was someone who had some answers.
“And,” he said, staring at me as if I had suddenly grown two heads, “I think you and I need to have a little talk.”
I huffed. Rafe held his arms up to me to help me off the horse. I put my hands on his shoulders, and he lifted me easily. For a second that went by too fast, he held me close, and then he put me down. Being so close to him was muddling my brain, I couldn’t think straight.
He turned and tied the horse to a nearby tree and scanned our surroundings once before he came back to me.
“Come,” he said, holding out his hand.
I took it cautiously.
He led me through the forest, down a slightly worn path, deeper into the trees. I tried to keep up; my legs and back were aching from the vigorous ride. And I was quite sure that tomorrow I wouldn’t even be able to sit down on my terribly sore backside. My hands and feet were cut and bleeding, and I was a complete mess.
We came to a little clearing, where the morning sun danced and played on the surface of a pond. Wildflowers grew in patches near the water, and Rafe sat me down on a large moss-covered stone overlooking the shimmering pool. I dipped my cut and bleeding feet in the cool water and sighed as it immediately relieved the stinging pain. I washed my hands and bruised face, feeling a little better.
Rafe sat on a similar rock near me, took off his mask and ran his fingers through his dark, wavy hair. I didn’t want to stare, so I pretended to wash my feet and peeked at him from under my eyelashes.
He was magnificent. I knew he was handsome even with the mask on, but without it he looked younger than I imagined. He seemed not that much older than myself, maybe just three or four years. He smiled at me, and I shifted uncomfortably on the rock. Somehow he made me feel like he knew exactly what I was thinking.
“You said you know why this queen wants to see me?” I asked.
Rafe nodded. “If you really are who you say you are, then you are not safe here in Illiador. Morgana will stop at nothing to get to you.”
“Why?” I asked, horrified.
“Shhh,” he said, quickly putting his finger to his lips.
I immediately shut up and looked around. I could see nothing, but I could hear a faint rustling in the bushes and I turned towards it. Rafe already had his sword out and had moved slowly in front of me, protecting me.
Suddenly the foliage in front of us parted, and a disheveled Kalen appeared in the clearing. “There you are,” he said, completely oblivious to the fact that Rafe had nearly run him through with sharp steel.
“I don’t know why you made this the meeting place,” Kalen said to Rafe, “it’s nearly impossible to find.”
“That’s the point,” said Rafe, giving Kalen a half smile as he put away his sword.
Kalen came and sat down next to me. “Have you figured out a way for you to get back to wherever your home is, my lady?” said Kalen politely.
I shook my head. “No, not exactly,” I said, looking over at Rafe, who was now leaning against a tree with his arms crossed in front of him, watching me.
I looked away quickly, and I was sure my embarrassment showed.
“Kalen,” said Rafe, “can you keep a secret? We are going to need your help.”
Kalen nodded his head vigorously. “Of course I can,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.
Rafe rolled his eyes, but he quickly related my story to Kalen, whose eyes went wide at the mention of Elayna and Azaren. He listened quietly, which seemed like a first for him.
“So you see why it is not safe for her in Illiador,” said Rafe to Kalen. “We must get her over the border to Eldoren.”
Kalen nodded, still staring at me in disbelief.
I felt a chill go up my spine. “Why?” I asked. “Why won’t I be safe here?”
“Because if Morgana or Lucian find you, they will kill you,” said Rafe plainly.
I stood up abruptly. “Kill me!” I exclaimed. “Why would they want to kill me? I don’t even know them. And who is Lucian anyway?”
Kalen’s eyes went wide. “You don’t know who Lucian is?”
“Obviously not,” I said, becoming irritated at Kalen’s disbelief. I was the one who had just found out that some crazy queen I’d never met wanted to kill me. I should be the one asking the questions.
“Lucian is the Archmage of Illiador, and Queen Morgana’s right-hand man,” said Kalen, with a tinge of awe.
“The arch what?” I asked incredulously. Did he just say archmage?
“The archmage,” repeated Kalen.
Rafe laughed as he pushed himself away from the tree and came to sit beside me. “I think she heard you the first time, Kalen.”
Kalen was looking thoroughly confused.
“I am sorry, my lady,” said Rafe gently. “I think Kalen forgot that you have not lived in this world for long. I will try and explain as best I can. Morgana calls herself Queen of Illiador, although she is nothing but a deceitful usurper.”
“Why?” I asked. “Whose kingdom did she usurp?”
He paused and looked at me, his grey eyes intense and his lips turned up in a half smile. “Well, if I’m correct,” he said finally, “yours.”
I was shocked. Surely he couldn’t have meant what I think he just said?
“Your father was the king of Illiador, and you were heir to the throne,” said Rafe. “But before your second birthday, Morgana took her chance. She betrayed your father, Azaren, and, with the help of Lucian, killed your family and took the throne of Illiador.”
“How could she do that?” I asked stupidly. “Why would she?”
“She was your father’s half-sister,” said Rafe, a trace of disgust in his voice. “He trusted her.”
“His sister!”
“Half-sister,” Rafe specified.
I was appalled. I looked at him, wide-eyed. He couldn’t be serious; did he really mean that my own aunt would kill me in cold blood, just because I was her brother’s daughter? My mind flashed back to the recurring dream of the woman called Morgana, with the gleaming dagger in her hand. A wave of panic rushed over me. If what Rafe said was true, and this Morgana was the same one from my dream, then I was in serious trouble.
“Why?” I asked, feeling sudden fear. “I don’t want to be heir to anything. Why doesn’t she just leave me alone? I’m not a threat to her.”
“Just knowing you’re alive is a threat to Morgana. She will not rest until all of Azaren’s bloodline has been removed. You are the only obstacle to her complete right to the throne of Illiador,” said Rafe.
I hung my head. What was I going to do? Suddenly this world seemed extremely scary, and even more complicated than I had ever imagined.
My shoulders drooped. He had said that my parents were dead. For so many years I had hoped that my birth parents would come and find me, that they would regret giving me up, and when no one ever came to claim me, I was convinced that they had abandoned me. Now it looked like both my parents were gone forever and I was completely alone.
“Do you know how I escaped?” I asked.
Rafe shook his head. “I have no idea,” he said. “But I know this: whatever saved you that day was extremely powerful magic.”
“But how? Did my parents have magic?”
“Of course,” said Kalen, interrupting. “All the nobility are from magical stock. It has always been like that since the kings of old, since Auraken Firedrake walked the world and was high king over all the known lands.”
“Does this mean I can also do magic?” I had never felt or done anything that was unusual.
Rafe stared at me with a strange expression in his eyes. “Not everyo
ne is born with the gift of magic. Sometimes it skips a generation or a sibling, and even those who have the gift may never truly learn to master it. We will just have to wait and see if you have the potential.”
That was not the answer I was looking for, but it was a start.
We left the little clearing and Rafe led us deep into the forest on foot along a small, winding path. He had put on his mask again, and his black cloak rippled around him as he moved surely and effortlessly through the trees as if he knew this forest like the back of his hand.
“Where are we going?” I asked finally.
“Tonight you will stay with Kalen’s mother in their village. She is a gifted healer and will tend to your wounds,” said Rafe. “I have some important errands I have to take care of. Tomorrow I will come and fetch you and take you to Duke Silverthorne.”
“Who?” I asked.
“Duke Gabriel Silverthorne, your granduncle,” said Rafe. “If you really are who Oblek says you are, then the duke is the only one who will be able to tell us for sure.”
“Do you know him well?” I asked. Dried leaves crunched beneath my feet as I walked beside him along a small, muddy path through the trees.
“Very,” said Rafe. “I’ve known him since I was a child.”
“But then you must have known my family too,” I said, eager to know more.
Rafe nodded. “I have never had the pleasure of meeting your mother, Queen Elayna, as she died when I was very young. But I did know your father. He was an exceptional mage and king. One who genuinely cared for the common people, and they loved and revered him for it. He was also a fearless warrior, and his courage was the stuff of legends.”
“Tell me more about him, please.” I wanted to know all I could about my father.
Rafe smiled. “Once, when I was very young and living in Neris, your father was on an official visit to the city. I was standing in the crowd, but I was too close to the cliffs. I slipped, hitting my head on a rock and fell into the sea. Azaren saw me fall and jumped in after me. If it weren’t for him, I would now be resting in a watery grave. Finally I get the chance to repay my debt by helping his daughter.”
I nodded. My father sounded like a wonderful man, and I wished that I could have met him, even once.
I was not too happy, though, to hear that Rafe was just helping me out of some sense of duty to my father. I was grateful for his assistance, and his story explained why he wanted to help me. I had hoped that it was something more, that he was inexplicably drawn to me for reasons he couldn’t understand. But the truth was, I was just a debt he had to repay. I frowned at my own foolishness; I had to stop reading so many romance novels. I hung my head in embarrassment and continued following silently.
I was apprehensive about meeting the duke. What if this was all a mistake? What if I was the wrong girl, where would I go then? I had nothing left in the world I grew up in except disappointment and heartache. It was going to be harder here, I could tell, but at least I had family, real family. I wanted to meet my granduncle, I wanted to learn about my real parents, and for once in my life I wanted to know who I really was.
“You will be safe here in Pixie Bush,” said Kalen encouragingly, breaking my anxious reverie. “And my mother can find you some suitable clothes to wear.”
I looked down at myself. I was mortified. In all the confusion I hadn’t realized that I was still wearing floral pajamas and a pink woolen dressing gown, and I was walking around barefoot. I had forgotten that I had changed into my nightclothes before I had gone looking for the library in Redstone Manor. It was just last night, but so much had happened since then.
I looked over at Rafe. He was chuckling to himself.
Finally we stopped walking.
Rafe turned. “This is where I will take your leave, Aurora,” he said.
“Thank you,” I said to him. What more could I say?
“As I said before, it was a pleasure,” said Rafe, his full lips curved in a dashing smile. “Until tomorrow, my lady.” He bowed briefly, then disappeared into the trees.
I turned to look back at Kalen. “Now where?” I asked, eager to change and eat something. I was famished and exhausted, and I hadn’t slept the whole night. I hoped Kalen’s home was not too far from where we were, because I was too tired to walk any more.
Kalen grinned. “Now we go home, to Pixie Bush.”
6
The Fae
As we moved further into the sunlit wood and passed the magical boundaries, I could feel a palpable change in the atmosphere. The leaves rustled gently in the breeze, and sunlight shone through the huge trees. Soon we reached a little wooden gate.
“Are you sure the guards won’t follow us here?” I asked Kalen.
“Pixie Bush is protected by magical boundaries. If you don’t know exactly where you are going, you can get lost in the deeper parts of the forest and wander for days without ever finding the village. Those who are not welcome, or have not been invited in, can never enter,” he grinned. “Keeps Oblek’s Guards out at least.”
As we entered the boundaries of the little village in the forest, I saw a small wooden sign attached to a stick. It said: “Pixie Bush, Goldleaf Forest, Illiador.”
The rays of the midday sun shone on the forest floor, creating dappled specks of gold that danced about our feet as we walked. I was completely entranced. It was as if I had entered yet another world. This was not the bleak, crowded stone castle of Lord Oblek. This was a fairy village, a magical place in the forest.
It was more fantastic than I could ever have imagined it might be. Tiny wooden cottages with thatched roofs covered in vines, and half hidden by foliage, nestled at regular intervals in the very heart of the woods, and small flower-lined paths connected the cottages. It looked like a picture out of a storybook.
I looked up. I could barely see the tops of the massive trees; some of them seemed to be reaching all the way to the clouds. The forest somehow looked larger from the inside than it did from Oblek’s castle. Small specks of sunlight filtered in through the leaves and led the way as we walked through the little streets of the fae village.
Kalen seemed right at home.
“Where’s Finn?” I asked.
“Finn must have gone straight home. Rafe doesn’t trust him with his identity, so he didn’t tell him about the meeting place.”
“But Rafe trusts you?”
Kalen beamed, his smile lighting up his face. “Yes, he does,” he said, puffing out his chest a little more. “Mother would have been worried after we were captured. It was she who told Rafe where to find us. He is a friend to the fae and is welcome in Pixie Bush whenever he wants. Even though he is a mage, he is a good person, quite unlike Archmage Lucian and the other mages of Nerenor.”
“Then why didn’t he come with us? Where does he live?” I asked, trying not to sound too eager.
Somehow I wanted to know everything there was to know about Rafe. And Kalen was the perfect person for it, since he loved to talk and seemed inclined to inadvertently say more than he should. In this case, though, it was a good thing. I could drill Kalen for information about Rafe, because I couldn’t stop thinking about him.
“Rafe didn’t tell you who he is?” asked Kalen, looking surprised.
I shook my head. “No.”
“Then it is really not my place to say, my lady,” said Kalen, quite to my surprise. “You should ask Rafe yourself when you see him.”
“Is Rafe even his real name?” I asked. Somehow that seemed important.
Kalen hesitated momentarily. “It is the name he prefers to use, yes,” he said finally.
Why was Kalen being so mysterious? What secrets did Rafe have to hide?
We walked quickly along the main street of the little forest village. It was a busy day, and all the little paths were bustling. I was relieved and relaxed a little. I felt safe here. Pixie Bush was lovely and bright and full of nice people—well, fae. Most of them looked quite ordinary except for the slightly pointed
ears, but others were just too different to ignore.
Two small men with long beards and big ears stopped to say hello to Kalen. I tried to act like I did not find anything different about their appearance, but I soon realized that I couldn’t help staring at their huge elephant-like ears and massive, hairy feet.
“Who were those two?” I asked Kalen after the little men had walked away.
“Oh, I forgot you don’t know much about our people,” Kalen said quietly.
“I don’t know anything about your people,” I whispered. “Until last night I didn’t even believe that fairies exist.”
Kalen nodded his understanding.
“The ones we just met are brownies. They are very good housekeepers,” he said, pausing and looking around. “And those two, they are naiads—the fae of the rivers. They don’t live here.” He pointed at two tall ladies with green hair and milk-white skin, dressed in a thin and flimsy blue fabric. “Must be visiting for the market,” he added.
“What market?” I asked, intrigued.
“Oh, didn’t I tell you?” said Kalen, his big almond-shaped eyes lighting up. “Every year, the fae and other magical beings come together in Goldleaf Forest for the annual spring market. Normally, it is held in the daylight, but, because of the guards and the new rules that have banned fae gatherings, we are having the market tonight.” Kalen stopped to take a breath. He spoke so fast, like a runaway train. “Would you like to come with me tonight? I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. I can understand if you are tired after your terrible ordeal.”
I grinned. “I would love to go,” I said, meaning every word.
“Wonderful!” said Kalen. “First we will go home, and then tonight we can go together to the spring market.”
I was elated. A midnight market in the heart of the forest! I would get to see all the different magical beings that lived in Avalonia, and I would worry about Morgana tomorrow. Tonight I was safe. Kalen had said the village was protected; Morgana couldn’t get to me here.
The Last of the Firedrakes Page 5