by Talia Jager
“I know. I wish there was a crash course on the faery realm I could take.”
Both Kallan and Drake laughed. Drake more snorted than laughed. I’d have to tease him about that, but now wasn’t the time. I filed it away for later. Kallan pressed his lips to mine for a brief second, causing my wings to flutter. They always gave away my deep desire to be with him.
Kallan grabbed my elbow like there was no way he was letting me get lost again and led me out of the forest. When he still didn’t let go, I nudged him and said, “Why don’t you hold my hand instead? Makes it seem less like I’m a prisoner and more like your girlfriend.”
“You’re more than my girlfriend,” Kallan said as he dropped my arm and took my hand.
“What am I?” I asked.
“You know what you are.”
“I still like to hear it.”
“You’re the love of my life,” he said. “My soul mate or as we say, mian mo chroí.”
“What does that mean?”
“My heart’s desire.”
I smiled. “I like that.”
Drake sighed. “You know, you may like to hear it, Rylie, but me…not so much.”
“Missing Sierra?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“You’ll see her soon.”
“Not soon enough. Any ideas yet?”
“No.” I felt bad. I hadn’t been able to figure out how to keep them together. I was hoping it would just dawn on me.
“We’re counting on you.”
I could feel the enormity of his words. “I know.”
“We need to cross the stream,” Drake said.
“Does this land belong to anyone?” I asked.
“No. It’s neutral.”
We came upon the meandering stream and sat next to it. Kallan handed me something to eat and I gobbled it down. When I was finished, I lay back and closed my eyes. The sun felt good on my face and I thought about Kallan’s phrase, mian mo chroí.
From underneath me, I felt a rumble and my eyes popped open. “What was that?”
“What was what?” Kallan asked.
“You didn’t feel something shake?”
“No.” Kallan glanced at Drake, who shook his head.
That feeling that I had felt at the waterfalls washed over me again. A sadness, a hurt—something was off. I didn’t know what it meant or where it was coming from and that bothered me.
As soon as we crossed over the stream, four goblins appeared with sharpened sticks pointed at us. “Why are you here?” one of the ugly creatures asked.
I looked from the one to the others. Three of them were brown and the last one was green. They were all thin and scrawny with pointed ears.
Drake answered, “We’re just passing through.”
“You’re not welcome here.”
“You don’t own this land,” Kallan said firmly.
The goblins hissed, showing their pointy teeth, and looked at each of us. “You shouldn’t be here. Go back the way you came.”
Kallan put his hand on his dagger. “Back off, goblin, before I slit your throat.”
The goblin’s eyes narrowed. “Soon, you’ll be the ones begging for mercy.”
“What do you mean?” Drake asked.
The four goblins cackled—an awful sound that made my head hurt and my wings flutter.
In a flash, Kallan’s dagger was in his hand and he lunged at the green goblin. The goblin made no attempt to fight. Instead, they ran away into the dark woods to our left.
“What the hell was that all about? Goblins aren’t common in this part of the lands,” Drake bellowed.
“Sounds like they know something we don’t,” Kallan replied.
“I don’t like it.” Drake scanned the area.
“Can we go?” I asked. “This place gives me the creeps.”
Kallan took my hand and we headed across the field.
Chapter Eleven
I gripped Kallan’s arm when I saw something move in the distance a couple of hours later. Kallan laughed and said, “Don’t worry. These hills belong to the dwarves.”
I let out a sigh of relief. Dwarves were friendly.
“Oleander! Wonderful to see you.” A two-foot-tall dwarf waddled over to us.
“Hi, Dain.”
“You remembered!”
“You are the only dwarf I’ve ever met.”
His eyes twinkled and he chuckled. “Well, come meet some more.”
We followed Dain over a hill and into a meadow full of small stone houses. A hundred pairs of wide eyes were on us as we approached. Looking down at the dwarves, I felt like a giant. It was different than how I felt with piskies, even though they were smaller than dwarves. And every one of them had beards. Females and males alike.
“Everyone! This is Oleander, our Aurorian!”
And then everyone bowed.
Um…what? “Why are they bowing?” I asked in a whisper.
Kallan responded, “The whole Aurorian thing.”
The blood rushed to my cheeks. “Well, this is embarrassing.”
“Embrace it,” Kallan said.
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Just say…uh…thank you?” He sounded unsure.
“Thank you, friends,” I said hesitantly.
The dwarves stood up and set their gaze on me. Dain motioned for us to take a seat on the ground. “What can I do for you?”
Remembering that he had mentioned being a miner and finding crystals, I told him, “We need to find a blue lace agate stone. Can you help us?”
He nodded thoughtfully. “They’re pretty rare in this area, but I think I know where to find one.”
“Which cave?” Kallan asked.
Looking over at Kallan, he said, “Crag.”
Kallan let out a groan.
“What?”
“It’s just never easy,” he said, shaking his head.
“I’ll go with you.” Dain looked up at the sky, his mouth twisting, and he said, “Although the walk isn’t too far, it will be dark soon. Why don’t you join us for dinner and we’ll go first thing in the morning?”
Kallan looked between Drake and me. “Fine by me.”
“Sure,” I said.
“I’m starving!” Drake exclaimed.
“Wonderful! This way.”
“What’s wrong?” Kallan asked me as we followed Dain.
“The women have beards. It’s weird.”
“It’s only weird to you because you didn’t grow up thinking it was normal.”
“You have a point.”
Dain stopped in front of one of the stone houses. “I’ll be right back.” He disappeared inside. A moment later, he reemerged with a female dwarf. “This is my wife, Munnia.”
Munnia curtsied. “We’re honored you’re here.”
“We don’t wish to impose,” I told her.
“You’re not. I always make big meals to share. I do apologize we have no large tables.”
“The ground is just fine,” I said with a smile.
Munnia served us stew in very small bowls that we refilled about ten times each. A bunch of the children came and sat with us to eat, telling stories of the caves. Soon we were sitting around a campfire talking and singing. Once the kids learned I loved to sing, they kept requesting songs. I didn’t know most of their songs, so they taught me some, and I taught them some human kids’ songs.
We settled near the fire for the night. Kallan cuddled up next to me. I could tell when he fell asleep by listening to his breathing. Feeling safe in his arms, I closed my eyes and dozed off.
Something under me shook. My eyes popped open and I sat up. I looked around, but nobody else was
awake. I felt it again. Almost like a wave was going through me. What could it be? I lay back down and waited to see if it would happen again. My eyes were droopy and I drifted back to sleep.
After eating an enormous amount of fruit for breakfast, the four of us started our trek.
“I know you said the walk to the cave wasn’t long, but will there be dangers along the way?” I asked.
“No,” Dain answered.
“So the cave we’re going to… What are we in for?”
“We’ve never been in this cave, but story is there’s a maze. You have to know the way.”
“And do you?”
“No, but it shouldn’t be a problem for you.”
“Because I’m an Aurorian.” I guessed the obvious answer.
“Exactly.”
The mouth of the cave stood before us. “Here goes nothing,” I said, and we all headed toward it. I walked in first, immediately feeling the cool air rush at me with the loss of the sun above. “Suppose nobody has a spare jacket?”
When there were no answers, I turned around. Kallan, Drake, and Dain were still outside of the cave. I walked back out. “What’s the hold-up?”
“We can’t get in,” Kallan said, looking perplexed.
“What? Why not?”
“I don’t know. It’s like there’s a wall.” He walked forward and put his arms out hitting an invisible wall. I saw nothing. No reason for him not to be able to go forward. Curiously, I extended my arm and was able to go past Kallan’s.
“Maybe we have to go through together?” I took his hand and walked through, but stopped abruptly when I couldn’t go any further. The cave wouldn’t let Kallan in and wouldn’t let me bring him in either.
Back on the outside, I wondered, “What’s going on?”
Dain shook his head. “It seems only you can enter this cave.”
“Did you know this?”
“I had my suspicions.”
“Why didn’t you tell us any of this earlier?”
“Would it have made a difference? Would you have gone home? You want the stone, yes?”
“Yes.”
“Then you have to go, Oleander.”
“Absolutely not!” Kallan shouted. “We have no idea what’s in there and Rylie is just…not prepared.”
“I need to go.”
“We’ll find another stone somewhere else,” he argued.
“Where?”
“I…I don’t know.”
“Anywhere in the realm will be just as hard,” Dain said. “Any stone in the human realm wouldn’t compare.” Dain handed me a tool with a wooden handle with a hard head attached. One end was pointed, the other blunt. “It’s a pickax. Sorry it’s not bigger.”
“Thanks.” I stuck it in my satchel and then rested my hand on Kallan’s face. “I can do this.”
He licked his lips and met my eyes. “I know you can. I just don’t want you to. It doesn’t feel right…me not being with you.”
“I’ll be fine. Just wait here for me. I’ll be back.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
He placed his hand on my back and pressed me to him. His lips were on mine quickly and furiously. My wings fluttered and my heart thudded. He pulled away and our foreheads pressed together.
“I love you,” I told him.
“I love you more.”
I squeezed his hand, not wanting to let go. I had to be brave. I had to face the unknown. The Aurorian had come to me and told me to go get the stone, so that’s what I had to do.
I took the satchel and walked into the cave.
Chapter Twelve
Seeing Kallan agonizing over having to let me go alone would just make me upset, so I didn’t look back once I passed the entrance into the twilight zone—the part of the cave where daylight gradually diminished to complete blackness. We had studied caves in earth science last year in school.
The cool, damp air made goose bumps appear over my body as I continued down the passage. It seemed to be going downwards not just in. I kept one hand on the moist wall. I could barely make out a turn a few feet in front of me. I rounded the corner and was met with complete utter darkness—the dark zone. I blinked and found no difference when my eyes were closed to when they were open.
There was a shriek in the distance that made shivers run up my spine. Bat? Did bats bother someone if they entered their home? Would they attack? I took a few deep breaths to settle down.
I rummaged through the satchel. My hands rested on a long stick of faery light. I pulled it out of the bag and shook it. Nothing happened. I tried to bend it, but it wasn’t very flexible.
I banged it on the wall. “Light up!”
It was still dark. Was it broken? Should I go back? I wouldn’t be able to see without it, and it was dark—so, so dark. Then I remembered what Azura said about knowing what to do and this being a test.
I held the light firmly in my hand and willed it to light up. It flickered until it was a steady light glow. Brighter, I told it in my mind as I focused on the stick. Soon the immediate area was lit up and I was able to see a few steps in front of me. It wasn’t much, but at least I’d see a big shaft before I fell down it.
I continued my journey. The ground was uneven and sloped downwards. I stumbled a few times. Doing this barefoot wasn’t easy. The rocks were sharp against my feet. I followed the passages, one hand on the wall, and one hand gripping the faery light. After what seemed like forever of walking through passages, I came to a chamber filled with rock formations coming out of the ground and down from the ceiling—stalagmites and stalactites—something else I learned in earth science. That class was coming in handy this adventure.
I weaved through the rock formations to the other side of the chamber. Huge, thick stalagmites blocked the exit. They grew so close together, I couldn’t squeeze through and there was no way over them because of the stalactites that grew down.
I tried to shine the faery light around the room to see if there was another exit, but there wasn’t. I closed my eyes and tried to feel what I was supposed to do, but I felt nothing different. How was I supposed to figure out what to do if I couldn’t feel anything? That’s what I was supposed to be doing…right? What else could I use? My talent was pointless because no other faeries were nearby. I thought about what I knew about Aurorians and the elements. There must be something here I could be able to do.
I placed my hand on a stalagmite and an idea popped in my mind. Kallan had made a tree branch grow; could I make this earth formation shrink? I put my other hand on the opposite side and willed it to change size. I felt it rumble slightly and then it lowered enough so I could step over it. I did the same thing to the formation next to it and it shrunk as well.
“Well, look at that,” I said to myself and took a big step over the stalagmites. Holding the faery light in front of me again, I started down the passageway. The faery light wasn’t bright enough to make my fears disappear. It felt like there was something watching me. I spun around only to stumble and fall. Sharp rocks pierced my skin as I hit the ground. I placed my hands firmly on the moist ground and pushed myself up before wiping them off on my jeans.
I picked up the faery light, which had rolled a few inches away and forged on, pushing my fears down. The ground beneath me felt wetter and narrower. A cave pool was on my left. I walked slowly past it. I didn’t want to fall and get all wet and I couldn’t quite remember if there were any creatures in cave pools I might not want to meet. Of course, this was a different realm; things existed here I knew nothing about.
Finally I came to another chamber. There was a huge boulder on the other side. I crossed the room and examined the rock. It was blocking the way out. I sighed. “Great. Can’t make a rock shrink.” I leaned on it and nothing happened. Fire,
water, earth, air. I stood back and extended my arms from my body. Using the element of air, I put pressure on the boulder. It rocked back and forth a few times before rolling to the side of the exit.
I stood in front of the hole I had just uncovered. It was smaller than the rock; in fact, it wasn’t tall enough for me to walk through. I would have to crawl. Thankful I had worn jeans, I got down on my hands and knees. I only had to crawl for a few minutes before stepping out into a cavity. At the other side was an opening. I approached it carefully, not knowing what was in store for me next. It was the maze Dain had told me about. There were three ways I could go. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths. Feeling confident, I opened my eyes and took the path to the left. I followed it, twisting the different ways, choosing when it split, until it spit me out into a small cavity. I could hear water in the distance. Was it a river? Waterfall? I headed toward it. The ground narrowed again and I found myself next to a shaft. I picked up a stone and dropped it down. I didn’t hear it hit the bottom. Swallowing hard, I pushed up against the wall and inched my way by the shaft.
The waterfall was on the opposite side of a cavern with ceilings so high I couldn’t see them with my little faery light. There wasn’t a way out of this room besides the way I came. Tired, I sat down for a minute and leaned against the damp wall talking to myself. “Okay, how do I get out of here?” I took a drink of water from the canteen and shoved a cracker in my mouth.
I examined my feet and found them cut and scraped up. Nothing that wouldn’t heal, but it was painful to walk on. I got up and walked over to the waterfall. It splashed down into a pool and then meandered off to the left. Holding the faery light close to the surface, my eyes scanned the water for any weird creatures, but found none. Carefully I dipped my feet in the water rinsing off the dirt and blood, even if only for a few minutes.
Water.
Whatever I had to do must have something to do with water. I put my hands out in front of me and tried to stop the waterfall, but nothing happened. I stuck my hands down in the pool of water and tried to feel around for something, but came up empty-handed. Maybe it was behind the waterfall? I could tell the bottom was shallow right near the waterfall. I rolled up my jeans and stepped in. I stuck both hands into the waterfall and pulled them opposite of each other like I was opening curtains. The waterfall parted and there was a narrow walkway on the other side.