Mal waved his hands towards the other. “Let me introduce you to everyone.”
He guided me through the crowd, stopping in front of an extended log placed on its side directly in front of the roaring fire.
“Sit. Kick your feet up.” Mal settled himself down on the edge of the bench with a smirk. “Everyone.” He cleared his voice. “This is the Keeper of Dragons, Prince Colton of Ochana!” He exclaimed with a slight laugh. “Keeper, this is everyone.” The elf broke down in a fit of giggles. “Sorry, sorry. It's just… you're not scary. Like at all.”
“Well, thanks,” I responded uncertainly.
The elves around me bellowed with laughter. A hand shot out towards my face, making me flinch and almost fall off the log, which only amplified the laughter. I looked up into the amber eyes of a female elf, with long brown hair woven into a tight braid thrown over her shoulder.
“My name is Brynn.” She said with a smirk. I lifted my hand to shake hers. “I’m lucky enough to be that jokester’s sister,” she said, gesturing towards Mal with a roll of her eyes.
Loud clapping brought our attention to the back of the group. I stood as the elves parted to show Gaber. He walked forward with his signature smirk firmly in place.
“I thought we lost you there for a minute,” he laughed. “Your dragons are in a tizzy after Clara went back to gather you and found you gone.” Gaber placed his hands on his knees as he bent down laughing. He held up a finger and spoke through laughter. “How long. Should we. Make them. Wait?” He stood as his body continued to shake. “Maybe until morning?”
“I'm pretty sure Jericho will burn this place down looking for me.” I explained. Clearly Gaber hasn't seen Jericho truly angry.
Gaber waved his hand at my words.” His fire won't work here. Let him huff and puff all he wants.” He turned towards the fire. “I see you decided to party without me. How rude, considering you're my guest,” he jested.
“Actually, I was-”
“And I see you’ve met everyone and no one seems hurt.” He eyed the elves next to him with a clap of his hands.
“I wouldn't hurt them!” I proclaimed.
“Oh I know that.” Gaber turned back around towards me. “But they,” he gestured around him, “would hurt you.” The elves continued to laugh amongst themselves. They didn't seem like they would harm me.
“Don’t let their small physique and happy attitude fool you. Elves are great warriors,” Gaber said with a grin and his eyes shining bright. “They protect the light.”
“Which you don't have,” Mal added from beside me with a shrug.
“So why didn't you?”
“They sensed your light. It's there, just hidden behind all the darkness you stole from the farro’s,” Gaber explained.
“Oh.” Was the only response I could muster.
“So, where's the music?” Gaber asked. “I thought this was a party?”
Mal slapped his hand on my leg. “Come on, Keeper, let me show you around.”
Mal walked me around the fire. On the other side was a large clearing. The night sky was visible for the first time since I stepped foot under the trees of Paraiso. A trio of elves strung along on harps and banjos from a stage in the middle of the field. The moon hung low, bathing the dancing elves in a white glimmer. They swung each other around as they laughed, enjoying each other’s company. The sight brought a smile to my face, the first one in a long while.
Beside me, Mal rocked back and forth to the rhythm of the music, humming. I tapped my foot along with the beat. In just a few short minutes, these elves had accepted me as one of their own. Something my peers back home hadn’t, and I feared would never.
Paraiso felt more like home than Ochana.
Chapter Twelve
Eva danced with Clara amongst the elves. She smiled bright as the elves circled around her. Word spread like wildfire through Paraiso that the Keeper of Dragons weren't all that scary after all, and just about every elf in residence raced to join the festivities. They accepted Eva without an ounce of hesitation, since the light inside of her was so bright and pure. The elves flocked, each begging to dance with her next. Since Mal stayed by my side, some were comfortable enough to stay and chat, making small talk I felt comfortable with him as though we had been friends for years instead of minutes.
Mal had explained to me that this was how every night in Paraiso was, a massive bonfire, a hodgepodge of food, loud music, and lots of dancing. They celebrated life each and every night as a family. The dragons kept to their own founding dragons. Rarely did I see them mix in social situations. Family wasn’t the word I would use when describing dragons. They were loyal to each other but kept their interactions to a minimum outside their roles. The dragon I felt closest to was Jericho. Based on the first impression of that particular Woland and last, that thought shocked me.
The sights and sounds around me made me smile, something I did more here at Paraiso then I ever did in Ochana. The pressures and expectations as Prince and Keeper of Dragons didn't exist. Sure, I was expected to train and learn to control my tilium, but it seemed more natural. In Ochana, I trained to fit in, but I never would. I wasn't a Woland, a Sien, a Galian or a Leslo. The elves around me accepted that fact. I didn't have to fit in one place. I could just be me.
An elbow to my ribs brought me back to the present. Mal tilted his head towards the makeshift dance floor.
“You plan on dancing or just hanging here tonight?” he asked, his foot still tapping to the beat of the music.
“I’m not much of a dancer,” I laughed. “Actually, I’ve never danced,” I admitted soberly and averted my eyes to the ground.
Mal bumped my shoulder with his and cocked his eyebrow at me, contemplating what I had just told him. I was worried, suddenly, that my confession would end our new friendship
“Well, no time like the present to learn.” He grabbed my arm, pulling me off the log and towards the field.
Eva and Clara were not far from us as they twirled each other around. The beat of the music was much stronger out here as it thrummed through me. I bounced my head to the music, not sure how else to move. Mal was hooting and hollering as he jumped around, and I wished I could be as comfortable as him out here. Truth was this experience is one I had avoided on purpose throughout my life. I always came up with an excuse not to go to homecoming dances or prom. Eva always begged me, but I never went.
Mal crashed into me and dragged me to Eva and Clara.” I allowed him to lead me through the mass of elves as they enjoyed themselves. None paid any attention to us. Eva saw the two of us first, a huge smile spreading from one side of her face to the other.
“How did you get him out here?” she asked Mal, clapping her hands happily. “I have never once seen Cole dance.”
Mal laughed as he placed my hand into Eva’s. “I didn't give the Keeper a choice. He’s all yours now. Get him to loosen up, would you?” Mal danced his way into a group of elves next to us.
I turned to Eva. “I have no idea how to dance.”
“It’s easy. Come on! Spin me around. It’ll be fun.” She sang.
I threw my arm up in the air as Eva twirled beneath it, laughing. She grabbed my other arm and pulled us around the field, stopping every once in a while to make me twirl her, then continued to dance and swing to the music. I found myself swaying to the beat without a care to anyone around me. I never thought dancing would be this much fun as we twirled around in laughter.
Gaber shook his arms and kicked his legs in the air, moving closer to us. Eva giggled at the site as she twirled under my arm once again. Gaber smacked my shoulder and gestured around him.
“This is the real Paraiso,” he sang. “And now the two of you are a part of it.” Gaber turned and looked me in the eyes. “You will always have a home here. The tilium within you gives you that option.” He gestured to Eva. “And she goes where you go,” he lifted his shoulders and grabbed us both, squeezing us into a big bear hug. “Welcome!” he shouted, flinging hi
s arms up in the air and dancing off.
“Wow,” Eva whispered.
“I know. I wish the dragons had welcomed us like this,” I muttered.
“What are you talking about? They threw you a royal coronation,” she laughed.
“Yes, an official ceremony. But this.” I paused, gesturing around us. “This feels like a home. A family.”
I hadn't spoken to my adopted parents since we arrived in Paraiso, and I missed them with a sudden pang. I called them a few times a week while we were in Ochana, but I had not been in touch since arriving in Paraiso. As I looked over to Eva, I knew she was thinking about her own grandparents. We would have to talk to Gaber in the morning about calling them, for they were our real home. Our real family.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Eva said just as Clara came bounding up to us.
“Are you two hungry?” she asked, pointing to a table on the side full of food. “If so, grab food now. Once the music ends, there will be a mad rush to what's left.”
Eva and I swayed over to the table. As we approached, Mal and Brynn stood stiffly, staring at the sky. I elbowed Eva and jutted my chin towards them, then followed their sight to the sky. Nothing seemed amiss, and the stars twinkled above us in the clear night sky.
“Something’s off,” Eva whispered next to me. “Look.” She gestured to the other elves.
Most stood staring upwards with puzzled expressions on their faces.
“Mal, what is it?” I asked from across the table.
“Don’t know. I sense something though. Something dark, but nothing’s there.”
I looked back to the sky, opening my own senses. I inhaled through my nose and exhaled through my mouth in an attempt to center myself. I needed to throw my senses out as far as I could. Nothing. I closed my eyes and inhaled again.
“Get down!” Jericho flew over the table and tackled me to the ground.
Cairo was beside me, shielding Eva. Jericho crouched above me, two swords in his hands as he too gazed at the sky.
“Get off!” I pushed at Jericho to no avail.
“Cole,” Jericho paused as he breathed deeply. “Someone’s here.” His eyes were blazing and smoke billowed from his ears.
“I don't sense anything,” I stated.
“They’re blocking you,” Gaber interjected. He too crouched low, holding the same two knives he held the first day I met him.
“Who?” Jericho growled.
“The farro,” Gaber answered.
“How?” Eva asked. “Cole still has their tilium.”
“They have help.” Gaber stood and walked towards a furious Bran.
“I don't understand. Where are they? Do you see them?” I asked as I searched the sky once again.
“No. I sense them.” He looked down at me, eyes aglow. “Realm five is out there, but I cannot contact them through the elven wards. We must trust in their strength.”
“Evander and Annabelle are in Crowne Hall. I recommend we get the Keeper of Dragons there,” Gaber stated as he walked towards us, Bran hot on his heels. “It’s the safest place in Paraiso.”
Jericho grabbed me by my shirt, pulling me to my feet. “Let’s go. Move quickly.” He prodded me from behind as Cairo grabbed Eva’s hand to pull her with him.
An unfriendly cackle echoed throughout the field. It was a laugh that haunted my dreams. I sucked in a breath as my body went stiff, and Jericho slammed into me from behind.
“What are you doing?” Jericho growled. “Move!”
I pressed my hands against my ears. “Don’t you hear that?” I asked, my legs trembling. “Hear what?” Jericho looked around. “I hear nothing.”
“Tana,” I stuttered. “I hear Tana.” My knees buckled as her laugh continued to echo through my head.
Jericho grabbed ahold of me as he exchanged a look with Gaber. Cairo pulled Eva towards Crowne Hall. Eva protested, digging her feet into the soft ground.
“Stop!” She struggled against Cairo’s hold. “We can't leave Cole.”
“Eva, I need to get you to safety,” Cairo pleaded with her. “I cannot protect you out in the open.”
I belong next to Cole,” she whispered to Cairo. “You know this.”
Cairo nodded, releasing her hand. She ran towards me, stopping mere inches from my face. The gold in her eyes swirled a mesmerizing spiral around her pupil.
“Cole, look at me. Fight her. She is only in your head.”
“The Golden Dragon is right. She is playing with you.” Gaber uttered as he stood next to us in the field.
“Just breathe, Cole. Breathe with me.” Eva’s voice soothed me, just like Sila’s had done in the past.
I copied her breathing as my surroundings gradually came back to me. Bran and other warrior elves escorted the elves out of the field to safety. I turned to where Mal and Brynn had been standing and saw they were gone. I breathed a sigh of relief for them being escorted to safety already.
“Cole,” Eva called. “Are you back with me?”
“Yes.” I swayed a bit as I pulled away from Eva and Jericho to stand on my own.
“Let’s go.” Jericho pulled us out of the clearing.
As we jogged towards the hall to join the others, the echoes of Tana’s shrill laughter still rang in my head, and I knew that this was far from over.
Chapter Thirteen
Jericho slammed the solid iron doors shut. The concrete blocks shook from the vibration. I stood in the middle of Crowne Hall with Eva, Cairo, Jericho, Annabelle, Evander, Clara and Gaber.
“Release my mahier. Now!” Jericho shouted at Gaber. “I am of no use in my human state. I need to protect the Keeper of Dragons.”
“Agreed. We don’t know what's out there,” Cairo added.
I plopped down on one of the bulky chairs that surrounded the table and hung my pounding head. At least Tana’s cackle had stopped. Eva rubbed my shoulders as I massaged my temples. What had just happened?
Gaber sighed. “Cole, are you okay?”
“Mmhmm.” Was all I could manage as I peeked up at him.
“Fine.” Gaber crossed the room towards Jericho and Cairo. “Don’t make me regret this, dragon.” Gaber pointed a long finger in Jericho’s face.
“We’re on the same team,” Cairo reminded.
“So you all keep saying,” Gaber muttered.
“Well?” Jericho shook his arms. “No mahier, still.”
“What did you think? I could just snap my fingers and poof, your mahier is back.” Gaber shook his head. “It’s a bit more complicated than that.” He turned towards Evander. “Are the trolls in place?”
“Yes, we have the base of Paraiso secure. A perimeter has been set. No one has seen anything,” Evander informed the group.
“Bran is in the trees. Once all the elves are secure, he will set a perimeter outside the ward.”
“We have dragons in the sky,” Jericho added, “but we have no way to contact them.”
Gaber nodded. “Once you have your mahier, will you be able to contact them?”
“Not sure. Your ward is much stronger than I anticipated,” Jericho said, a hint of admiration in his tone.
“If not, you can join Bran when he ventures outside the ward.” Gaber waved his hand towards a small waterfall in the corner of the hall. “Come, kneel down next to me,” he said to Jericho and Cairo. “Let’s see what we can do about your mahier.”
Gaber placed his hands above the water at the base of the waterfall, and began to chant a now familiar tune, “Eon ti sun, leiro ti seef.” The water below his hands began to glow and swirl a bright turquoise. White light rippled out of the water in thin lines towards the open-aired ceiling. Gaber leaned back on his heels and tilted his head to the sky as he continued to chant, “Eon ti sun, leiro ti seef.” A bright flash erupted from his hands, and a wave of energy bounced around the room. Two large bolts slammed into Jericho and Cairo, causing them both to tumble hard to the ground.
For just a moment, everything ceased. The air around us fro
ze. My breath stopped. Then everything crashed back into movement. I grabbed my throat, sucking in air and glancing around the room as everyone else did the same. Eva now sat on the ground below my chair as Cairo crawled towards her to make sure she was okay. He crashed on the ground beside her as his body began to shake.
“What’s happening?” Eva’s voice trembled as she leaned over Cairo.
Jericho lay on the ground in a similar state. Pushing off the table, I staggered to him and collapsed, leaning over his prone body. Clara joined me but could only look on, as helpless as the rest of us.
Breathlessly, Gaber answered. “It will be over soon.” He climbed to his feet and wobbled over to the table to sit beside Annabelle and Evander. “Inviting mahier inside our wards is a complicated process.”
“But Cole and I hold mahier. Nothing like this happened to us?” Eva questioned.
“We were prepared for the two of you to enter. Plus we never blocked either of your mahier. We blocked theirs.” Gaber pointed to Jericho and Cairo as they continued to tremble on the floor.
“The fairies are on their way as well,” Annabelle brought us back to the present situation at hand. “We should contact King Rylan.”
Gaber sighed. “Yes, I suppose we should.” He looked down at Cairo, who now lay still on the floor, his trembling finally subsiding. “Once the dragons are back with us, we will have them contact Ochana.”
Jericho grumbled under me. I looked down in time to see his red eyes dart open and smoke billow from beneath him as he attempted to push himself from the ground to a seated position. Come to think of it, his smoky dragoness had shown itself earlier too, before his mahier had returned. How was that possible?
“Stop,” Jericho growled. “Your thoughts are screaming at me.”
Jericho pushed his hands against the ground and stood. I noticed Cairo as he too stood with Eva’s help.
“Can you call the others?” Gaber asked as he rubbed at his temples.
“Yes. They are in the air. They see nothing even though their senses are going haywire. We definitely have company,” Jericho informed. “I will call and inform the King.”
The Elven Alliance Page 7