Gaber nodded his head as Clara took the seat next to him. Eva helped Cairo to a nearby chair and plopped herself down on the one next to his. Jericho paced the room while I stood, frozen. Now what? Everyone looked around at each other, hoping someone would have an answer.
“The farro’s,” Jericho said, breaking the silence. “You’re right Cole. I felt some of my mahier earlier. For just a split second.” He shook his head. “They’re trying to break through the ward.”
“Impossible,” Clara muttered.
“Why do you think that?” Gaber asked.
He pointed to me and then tapped his head. “Cole remembered seeing my dragon. Back at the field. It slipped my mind,” he said, looking to the ground.
“How would that be possible? Cole has their tilium,” Clara said.
“They’re getting help.” Gaber stood. “We need to get everyone to safety. Now.”
“Who would help them?” I asked, already knowing the answer as dread permeated my body.
“There is only one creature strong enough to help them,” Gaber whispered as he looked towards Clara. A look of unease passed between them.
“The eldens,” Evander answered. “Last time they were here-”
“Let’s focus on the now,” Gaber demanded.
“The fairies are close,” Annabelle piped in. “They feel it too. Something's out there.”
“Two realms of the Woland guard were just dispatched. They’ll be here by morning,” Jericho added.
“I need to check in with Bran and make sure all the elves are accounted for.” Gaber walked towards the double doors.
“We should come with you,” Eva suggested.
“No. You need to stay here. The two of you need to be kept safe,” Cairo said.
“It’s our duty to be out there.” I pointed to the doors. “It’s why we were sent here in the first place.”
“No, you came here to train,” Cairo persisted.
“We came here to train in order to defeat the eldens.” I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head. “And to protect all true beings.”
My thoughts immediately went to my new friend, Mal and his sister. I was thankful I met them tonight. It would give me the courage to walk out those doors, and the drive to protect Paraiso in any way I could.
“I agree,” Eva said. “We’re going with Gaber.” She stared at Cairo as she spoke. “It's our duty.”
Cairo looked to the ground. It was clear he’d lost the fight. “Let’s go then.” He pushed past us and headed to the door.
Gaber opened the door and we all filed out into the night. Gaber and Clara lit the way as we passed over the glowing water. Gaber brought us to the same tree as our first night here, and then nodded to the wooded walkway as both he and Clara disappeared from sight only to reappear on the bridge.
“How?” Eva whispered next to me.
“It seems our elf friends have been keeping some secrets,” Jericho answered.
Eva released her wings and flew to join them. Beside me, Jericho and Cairo were, disappointingly, still in their human forms.
“Not enough space.” Jericho shrugged. “Not to mention the ward is still up. If we fly through it, we won't be able to get back in.”
“Right.” The trio on the bridge eyed those of us stuck on the ground.
Gaber shook his head at the three of us down below. With a snap of his fingers, we swiftly joined them on the bridge. I looked over at him with raised eyebrows, but he just laughed and began the journey to wherever Bran was stationed. That little trick would have come in handy the first night we were here.
The higher we climbed through the trees, the clearer the night sky became. The bright moon and stars that were out earlier had disappeared. Blackness covered us. Whatever was out there even spooked the moon and stars into hiding. A tingle of fear shot through me. We reached a large hut, much larger than the one Eva and I had stayed in, and entered to find Bran and a handful of other elves rushing around while he barked orders. The elves disappeared only to reappear at a different location in a blink as they prepared themselves for combat.
“What do we know?” Gaber interrupted Bran as he shouted at the elves.
“Not much.” He huffed in anger towards an elf that just stumbled in. “We’re preparing for the worst.”
“It’s the farro’s and the eldens,” Gaber mouthed.
“How do you know that?” Bran stiffened. “Why would the eldens come back here?”
“I just do.” Gaber tilted his head towards Eva and I. “We have something they want.”
Bran pierced us with his golden stare. “Then give them what they want,” he snarled. “No reason to put the rest in danger.”
“The elves made an oath,” Gaber growled.
“As did the trolls,” Evander added.
“And the fairies,” Annabelle said.
“We stand by the Keeper of Dragons. To the death,” the three said in unison. Great. More promises of death.
“So.” Gaber clapped his hands. “Fire up that tilium, Keeper. Looks like we're in for one heck of a battle.”
Chapter Fourteen
Jericho jumped off the side of the hut, shifting midair. His powerful dragon stormed through the air to brief realm five. The other realms would arrive shortly. Queen Annabelle directed orders at the fairies that had just landed. They were not the same fairies I remembered from the grove. These fairies were ready for battle; they were covered in camouflaged armor from their wrists and chests down to their ankles. Long swords crisscrossed their backs hidden beneath their wings, and platinum helmets enclosed the tops of their heads. On the back of the helmets, a numbered rank was visible.
The sight of the warrior fairies made me uneasy. The sound of their wings as they buzzed in nervous excitement shot a pain through my temples. Everyone truly was scared of the eldens, not to mention the farros. I wondered what our plan was, especially now that everyone was here. How exactly did Queen Tana think she would get her tilium back from me?
Eva bumped my shoulder with hers. “Don’t think like that. Tana isn't getting her tilium from you.”
“That's why they’re here,” I whispered.
“Maybe. Maybe not,” she muttered.
I looked over my shoulder at Eva. Her golden eyes were glued to Cairo, who was in deep discussion about battle strategies with Gaber and Evander. It was something about which I knew nothing of. Cairo peeked back at us, a worried look on his face. Cairo and Eva had become close since we arrived in Ochana only a few weeks ago. Something I had neglected to truly see until now. I hadn’t seen it earlier, but I saw it now, in the way his red gaze swirled with fear, and in the way he kept raking his hand through his golden brown hair.
Gaber’s body stiffened. “The dragons have arrived,” he announced. “Your Woland is on his way back now.” He pierced me with his amber gaze.
“How do you know that?” I asked.
They didn't have any phones or computers anywhere that I saw. The hut was set up similar to Crowne Hall; a large round wooden table sat in the middle with mismatched chairs haphazardly pushed in around it, stationed beneath a wide-open roof that reminded everyone of the disappearing stars as darkness enclosed us. A few plants dotted the walls, and that was it. Not a single person sat at the table. Clusters of beings took up space in front of the grand windows that surrounded us.
Gaber chuckled and tapped his head. “I know everything that goes on in Paraiso.”
“Do you plan on letting him back in?” Cairo asked.
Gaber rolled his eyes. “Unfortunately, yes.” He waved his hand at the window. “He’s already here.”
A large thump hit the rail outside the hut. Jericho stomped inside, shaking his arms at his side and cracking his neck side to side. His black hair covered his eyes, illuminating the scowl on his face.
“Thirty-five dragons have arrived, twenty of which are already patrolling the sky.” Jericho pushed his hair out of his face. “The elden and the farro are here. The sky stinks
of their stench.”
“You didn't see them?” Eva asked.
“No. But they knew I sensed them.” He turned to Gaber. “They’re playing with us.”
“As is the way of the fallen,” Annabelle commented.
“So, what’s the plan?” Eva asked.
“We wait,” Gaber said.
“Agree. They’re impatient. We won't have to wait long before they show their hand.” Jericho added.
“Bet you never thought you’d agree with an elf,” Gaber chuckled.
“Don’t push it, elf,” Jericho growled and sighed. “Are all of your elves accounted for?”
“Yes, Clara is with them now. We have them bunkered underground with the trolls,” Gaber explained.
“Good. We will need to concentrate on the threat at hand, not civilians,” Jericho began to pace the room.
“They prefer to be called true,” Evander’s rough voice piped in. “Yes, this is a war. Just remember who you’re fighting for.”
Jericho glanced over at Evander and shrugged his shoulders, then looked to the pitch-dark sky with a shake to his head.
“What do they want?” I asked.
“It's more than you.” Gaber rested on the sill of one of the windows. “They wanted us all to gather, and we did.”
“Now we wait.” Jericho looked back over to us. “We will know soon enough.”
***
Exhaustion took over, and I leaned against one of the walls to the hut. The sun peeked over the trees to signal the start of a new day. We were at a stalemate, each waiting for the other to show itself.
Eva picked her head up off my shoulder and yawned. “Maybe they left?” She muttered.
“They’re still here,” Cairo answered from across the room where he sat with his arms resting on his knees.
Jericho continued to pace, stopping at each window he passed. He searched the area and continued to the next. Gaber lay flat on the large round table, arms crossed behind his head. His amber eyes stared through the open ceiling as he too searched for something, anything. Queen Annabelle sat delicately in the seat at the head of the table. Her hands were folded in her lap and her eyes were closed. The only one to leave the hut was Evander, who had left a few hours ago to check on the elves and trolls.
My stomach grumbled in hunger, and Eva’s answered with a growl. We looked at each other and broke into a fit of laughter. Jericho paused his pacing and glared at us.
“Something funny?” he asked.
“Leave them alone,” Gaber said from his position on the table. “They’re hungry and tired.”
“And I'm not?” Jericho shot back.
Gaber sighed. “You’re what, a thousand years old? They’re kids.”
“I am not a thousand.” Jericho pinned Gaber with his fiery gaze. “They are the Keeper of Dragons. Regardless of their age, they have a responsibility-”
“Save it,” Gaber interrupted. “You threw those kids into a war without even looking. It was luck they didn't die taking on the farros.” Gaber threw his legs over the edge of the table, rubbing his face roughly with his hands. “And now the eldens are hot on their trail. You should have protected them longer. Trained them longer. You literally ripped them from their homes and dropped them in the middle of a war with beings they didn't know existed. It’s amazing they're still alive.”
“You have no idea the strength dragons possess. They don't need to be coddled,” Jericho spit.
“Coddled, no. But they’re children.” Gaber pushed off the table and stood.
“They're 18. Legal adults.”
Gaber shook his head. “They’re not human, something they didn't even know or realize until they were 18. You dragons never cease to amaze me.”
“Can you guys knock it off?” Eva muttered from beside me. “We are sitting right here. No need to talk about us as if we weren't.”
“My apologies, Golden Dragon,” Gaber said. “I will find you both some food.” Gaber walked past Jericho and headed towards the main door to the hut.
Just as his hand hit the door to push it open, a cold breeze filtered through the hut. The table Gaber had just been laying on froze solid, ice crystallizing across the top and cracking the surface. Water droplets sprung from the streams below, completely surrounding us in an aqua glow. The water continued to rise until it hit the shell of the ward, where it stuck. The droplets attached themselves together as they enclosed us in a cave of water.
No one moved. The only sounds were the noise of our quickened breaths. The water at the shell began to crystalize, and the particles began to freeze as the temperature continued to drop.
“The water of our ancestors,” Gaber muttered. “How? We need to stop this.” He whispered in disbelief as he walked closer to the center of the room.
“Stop!” Jericho shouted to Gaber, holding his hand up to halt the elf’s movements. “Don’t move. Something’s here.”
I searched the hut, but my senses were as frozen as the water, for I felt nothing but coldness. Again, no one moved or said a word. We waited. I sucked in a breath at the same time a sound above us broke the silence. All heads swung to the open-aired roof; we watched in horror as the frozen cave around us began to crack. Tiny pieces of ice fell from the sky and I shielded my eyes with my arm. A shudder pulsed through the hut as the ice exploded outward, shattering into fine flakes of snow falling from the sky, covering all that I could see.
I dusted off my head and arms with my hands. Everyone was doing the same except Gaber, who stood rooted to the ground, eyes closed, unmoving. He sucked in a harsh breath as tears rolled down his face.
“My family,” he uttered. “The water. It’s gone.” He finally opened his eyes.
“It will melt.” Eva comforted as she walked towards Gaber.
“Your ward is down,” Jericho informed Gaber. “Can you put it back up?”
Gaber shot a glare towards the dragon. “No. The strength of the ward came from within the water, the tilium of my ancestors.” Gaber roughly rubbed the tears from his face. “Maybe when it melts.”
“We need to get to safety. We’re exposed, and I don't sense any dragons in the air,” Jericho said as he searched the sky.
“Crowne Hall or the trolls’ tunnels. They are the safest,” Gaber replied, gesturing to the door.
Suddenly, a loud thud pierced the air as black smoke seeped through the crack in the table, winding into a tight coil and creating the silhouette of a man. The smoke began to dissipate into the air, in its place stood a man with long black hair and pointed ears. His orange gaze was identical to Gaber’s as he scanned the room, stopping on me with a smirk marked along his face. His eyes swung to Gaber, who had placed himself in front of Eva.
“Eldrick,” Gaber articulated. “You're not welcome here.”
A familiar cackle echoed around us. “Coley. You have something of mine,” Tana’s voice screeched.
Eldrick laughed. “Make me.” He threatened as he pierced Gaber with his amber gaze and raised his hands.
Smoke wafted from his fingers as darkness surrounded us. I waved my hands through the smoke, searching for my friends. I walked to where Eva had just stood, but came up empty. Silence enclosed me; blackness met my eyes.
I was alone.
Chapter Fifteen
I fell to my knees and squeezed my eyes shut. Silence. The black smoke burned my throat and made my eyes itch. I rubbed at them in an effort to make the pain go away. It didn’t help. I opened my mouth in an attempt to scream. No noise came out. All it did was effectively make me choke and cough.
As I sputtered through the smoke, I sent up a silent prayer for help to anyone who was listening. The oxygen around me began to lessen as I grabbed at my throat. I projected my screams out to anyone who could hear them, but there was only silence. I received no answer. My shoulder hit the ground, and I rolled to my back just as I sucked in the last bit of oxygen.
A sudden bright flash of light exploded through the room. I covered my eyes with my ha
nds. My body trembled as energy zipped through me. I cracked my eyes open just as the smoke vaporized into thin air. I gulped in the fresh air as quickly as I could, attempting to clear my lungs.
“Cole! Cole!” Jericho shouted between pants as he attempted to catch his breath.
He pulled himself off the floor and scrambled over to me. He skidded next to me and dropped to his knees. He pulled my shoulders off the ground and searched me for any injuries. Jericho’s eyes held a wild expression between worry and anger. He exhaled in relief when he found that I was indeed okay. The others around us assessed each other for injuries in a hurried mess.
“Where is she?” A panicked voice broke through the chaos. “Eva!” Cairo’s voice shook as he searched the hut.
I looked to where she was last standing to find the spot empty. Cairo jumped out a nearby window onto the deck and ran the perimeter. I sat frozen as the thump of his footfalls echoed around me. He entered the room with one last scan, and collapsed onto the ground.
“She’s gone,” Cairo whispered. “They took her,” He looked over to me from where he had fallen. “I failed her.”
“Everyone up,” Gaber demanded as he found his feet and examined the room. “Is anyone hurt?”
“We weren't the target,” Queen Annabelle said. “They came here for the Golden Dragon.” She kneeled next to Cairo and rubbed his back.
“We will get her back,” Gaber proclaimed, walking to the main entrance of the hut. “I must check in with Evander and Clara. I promise. We will get her back.” He sighed and took off through the door.
“We will get her back,” Queen Annabelle repeated to Cairo. “We will fight for her until our last breath.”
“I failed her.” Cairo shook his head. “I froze.”
“You didn’t freeze. Eldrick froze us. Literally. I couldn't get to Cole either.” Jericho pulled me to my feet.
“Why her?” Cairo asked.
“Because he knew we’d fight to get her back, effectively bringing the fight to him. Home team advantage and all,” Gaber stated as he walked back in with Evander.
The Elven Alliance Page 8