by Talia Jager
“Where’s Olwydd?” I asked.
“He’ll find us.”
It was dark now, but up ahead there was a flickering light. Soon I could make out a small cabin with what must be a lantern in the window. Above the door were some words I couldn’t read. “What does it say?” I asked.
“Travelers’ Paradise.” He opened the door.
My jaw dropped as I passed over the threshold. The room I walked into was easily ten times the size of the cabin. There was an eating area, a sleeping area—anything you could imagine, it was here.
Drake approached a desk where a lady sat. She had short red hair and her ears were pointed like ours, but longer. She didn’t have any wings, but she wore a jewel in the middle of her forehead.
She looked from Drake to me and her orange eyes widened as she murmured something. “What can I get for you?”
“A healer.”
“Anything you need is my honor. Please follow me to the triage area and a healer will be right with you.” She led us to a quiet out of the way area and pulled a curtain.
Once she was gone, I swore I heard the word Aurorian fifty times. I looked at Drake. “What is she?”
“An elf.”
The curtain was whisked open and Lena stood there. “Rylie! Drake! What happened?” She was by my side first.
“Drake’s injuries are worse than mine. Please heal him first.” Lena looked up at me and then over at Drake, who shook his head. I could tell she was about to say something stupid so I spoke again. “Lena, heal Drake first.”
She nodded and moved over to Drake. She placed her hands on his leg and closed her eyes. After a moment she let go and moved to his shoulder. I watched her finish up with Drake and he murmured a thanks and closed his eyes.
Lena sat on the bed with me next and placed her hands on my head, healing the large bump that had appeared, then on my neck to heal the cut from the dagger, and then moved down to my ankle. Once she was finished, she placed her hand on mine and asked, “What happened?”
I filled her in on what was going on.
“A sister?” Lena looked surprised.
“You didn’t know either?”
“No. If Varwik knew, he never said a thing.”
“I don’t know what to do, Lena. I have no idea how to get Kallan out of there.”
“You need the guard.”
“From what I could tell some of Kallan’s men and some of the light fey were captured or maybe went there voluntarily to be on her army. I have no idea what’s left of ours.”
“Then you need to go find out. You’ll need to make a plan, figure out what to do, but you can’t let her take over both lands.”
“I’m not ready for this.”
Lena’s eyes held mine. “You’re the Aurorian. You’re the leader. Step up. Do what you were born to do.”
“But I don’t know what I was born to do!”
“Sure you do. You just have to accept it.”
Sometimes I just wanted to smack my head against the wall. I wish someone would sit down with me and go over everything in detail before I lost my mind. Why did it have to be so cryptic all the time?
“Why don’t you rest for a while?” Lena suggested.
“I don’t need rest. I need to hurry.”
“I know. Rest for a little while. If you don’t, you’ll be of no use to Kallan.”
My eyelids were heavy and my blinks became longer until I didn’t open my eyes anymore. Kallan?
There was no answer.
You there? You okay? Please answer me…
I’m here, he finally said, sounding sleepy.
We’re coming back to get you. Hang in there, my love.
I’ve got this.
I couldn’t stay conscious anymore. I drifted off. The last Aurorian stood in front of me. We were at the waterfalls. “Oh, thank goodness! I need your help. Please tell me how to rescue Kallan?”
“Call a meeting.”
“A meeting? Like with the council?”
“Yes.”
“What do I say?”
“Speak from your heart.”
“Will they listen?”
She smiled. “You have the power and the authority, but you have to be worthy of it. Make yourself shine.” She turned and walked away.
“Wait! I need more.”
She twirled, but didn’t come back. “Aurorians are hand picked by our ancestors. You didn’t become one by accident. They knew who you’d be. They picked you. You are capable of leading the fey, but you must believe in yourself.” She took another step and disappeared into thin air.
My eyes popped open immediately. My first thoughts were of Kallan. Kallan? Are you there? I fell asleep. Kallan? Please answer me. I need you. I love you. Don’t leave me.
When there was no response I came to the conclusion that Satine must have gotten him. Otherwise he’d either be here or at least be answering me. And that worried me. What happened that he wasn’t responding?
I sat up and scanned the room for Drake. He was talking to Lena not too far away. “Drake, we must go.”
“Of course.” He closed the space between us and extended his hand to help me up.
“Lena, thank you. I appreciate your help.” I hugged her.
“You figured out what to do?”
“I’m still not sure, but I’m learning.”
Drake led me outside. “Have you talked to Kallan?”
“No. He’s not answering.”
“Don’t worry. He’s probably just sleeping.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged, not sure what to think. “How do I get word to the council members to meet me at the meetinghouse?” I asked.
Drake’s face lit up. He put his fingers to his lips and whistled three times, one longer than the others. Half a minute later, a bird flew back and forth over us. Drake repeated the whistle and the bird flew down and landed on a large rock.
It wasn’t a bird—well, not completely. The top half of her was human. She had a head and body, even had arms. Long dark hair framed her oval face. Her wings were dark brown with light brown spots. From the hips down she was a bird. She was covered in different shades of brown feathers and had claws for feet.
“What kind of bird is this?” I asked Drake.
“She’s an alan bird. They can be a bit mischievous like piskies, but they are friendly to faeries.”
“You called?” She looked at Drake.
“We need a favor.”
Looking at me, she responded, “Anything for an Aurorian.”
Drake nodded at me.
“I am calling a council meeting. Can you get them a message to meet us?” I asked.
“Of course.”
“Thank you.” I smiled. With one big flap of her wings, she was in the air. “I’ll never get used to this place.”
Chapter Fifteen
We arrived at the meetinghouse before anyone else. I played with my necklace while pacing back and forth apprehensively, trying to focus on what to say to the council, but my mind kept drifting to Kallan and what was happening wherever he was. Had he escaped? Was he hurt? Why hadn’t I heard from him?
Kallan?
Silence.
I could hear the voices of the council members as they arrived. “Summoned by an alan…” one muttered with an annoyed tone.
I stood tall with Drake by my side and faked a smile as each of the elders walked in and took their seats. Once everyone was seated, Drake and I sat down. I was trembling inside and glanced at the exit, wondering if I should make a run for it.
No. Kallan was counting on me.
“I’ve called you all here because we have discovered where the missing fey have gone and I need your help.”
To my right, Brigid and Sheridan leaned forward, suddenly interested. “Tell us.”
“Seems as though Varwik had another child—a daughter—before Kallan. She believes she should be the rightful heir and does not want us to unite. She wants control over both lands.”
Murmurs circled the room.
“The fey that have gone missing agree with her. She has a small army of faeries willing to fight for her.”
“This is absurd,” Sheridan blurted.
“She captured Kallan. Drake and I escaped, but we must go back and save him and stop her from taking over.”
The light faeries—except for Móraí—started clamoring.
“We can’t storm in there.”
“Save him? How do you know he’s not with them?”
“Might be better off without either of Varwik’s offspring.”
Fury filled me. “What? Are you all mad?”
Sheridan faced me. “Think about it, Oleander. Kallan is not one of us. He has darkness running through his veins. He might think he’s changed, but he hasn’t. He’ll always be Varwik’s son. Sooner or later, he’ll let the darkness take over.”
“No. He has changed. I’ve seen it. He was never like his father. He just did what he was told to. He’s the leader now and look at all the good he has done. How can you not see that?”
“Drake?” Brigid called him out.
“I didn’t know him before, but he’s completely in love with Ry—Oleander—and I believe he’s good inside.”
Sheridan scoffed. “You have no experience with any of this, Oleander. How do we know you’re doing the right thing? Maybe you’re just doing what your heart wants.”
“Is there another way? You tell me to get in touch with my faery side and I have. Listening to my heart is a part of that.” I glanced around the table. “I’m the Aurorian. You are supposed to respect me, but I’ve gotten nothing but snide remarks and distrust from you. If none of you will help me, I’ll rescue him myself.”
With Kallan and Kyro gone, the dark faery side only had Drake, Zanna, and Sebille. Drake was actually a light faery and for a split second I wondered who he would side with. “Can I count on any of you?” I asked the dark side.
Zanna and Sebille nodded. “Of course.”
Drake smiled. “Mo Bhanríon, I’ll follow you.”
Surprise crossed the faces of the rest of the council when Drake spoke.
Zanna said, “I’m sure we can get together some guards.”
“Thank you.” I stood up and walked out of the room. As soon as I got outside, I pressed up against the meetinghouse and closed my eyes. That was scary and exhilarating at the same time.
Kallan? I tried to reach him again. There was no answer, but it felt like he was there. We’re coming, Kallan. I could only hope he could hear me. What if she had hurt him? What if he was dying? The tears started coming then and I ran to the woods so nobody would see me cry.
I plopped myself down on the ground and leaned against a tree, letting the tears freely fall down my cheeks. After a few minutes, the sobbing subsided and I took deep breaths. That’s when I felt the earth shudder again. I gasped as the strange ripple flew through me. It felt stronger this time. I placed my hands flat on the ground. “Tell me,” I whispered.
The ground didn’t talk back—not that I expected it to—but I could feel it hurting. Something was definitely wrong.
Still standing in front of the meetinghouse were Drake, Zanna, Sebille, and Olwydd, who had just arrived. I nodded and thanked each of them. Then I asked the burning question, “How are we supposed to fight without an army?”
“Zanna and Sebille are masters at archery. Olwydd is also trained as a guard.”
“We’re here too,” a voice said behind me.
I turned and saw two light faery walking toward us. I only knew one of them. “Warren, thank you for coming.”
“I believe in you, Oleander.”
I smiled.
“This is Bayard.”
“Hi, Bayard. Nice to meet you.” They were all staring at me and I realized they were waiting for me to tell them what to do. “Um…I…we need to…” I blew out a deep breath and started over. “Olwydd, can you get us back to Satine’s castle?”
“Yes.”
“Once we’re there, we need to take out any outside guards.”
“Zanna and I can do that with our bows,” Sebille said.
“Then we need to get in and get Kallan out.”
“What about Satine? Or Kyro?”
Sebille shook her head. “I can’t believe Kyro turned on us like this. He was always so kind.”
Kyro? Kind? If I didn’t know better, I would have thought she was talking about someone else. “We focus on getting Kallan out. If Kyro or Satine get caught in the crossfire, so be it. If not, we’ll go after them later.”
Olwydd suggested to us we follow and we did. Our small army quietly discussed strategies until Olwydd stopped suddenly in front of a vacant area. He had a look of confusion on his face.
“Where’s the castle, Drake?” I looked around. It had been here. I knew we were in the right spot. Everything was the same…except there was no castle.
“I don’t know.” He scratched his head.
“Could it have moved?” I asked.
“It’s possible,” Olwydd said.
“Great,” I said sarcastically. “How do we find it?”
“Give me a minute.” Olwydd walked off.
I glanced at Drake. “What do you think he’s doing?”
Drake shrugged. “No clue.”
After a few minutes, he motioned for us to follow him.
“Did you find them?” I asked.
“Shhh!”
My eyes widened. He shushed me! This guy had no respect for me. I could have torn him a new one right then and there if he wasn’t the only tracker I knew. I bit my lip and trailed after him.
We walked in silence for twenty more minutes and climbed up a small hill. Before we reached the top, Olwydd gestured for us to squat down. “There.”
I peered over the hill. There were two guards standing at the mouth of a cave. “They’re in the cave?”
“Yes.”
“Is Kallan there?”
“Yes.”
Kallan? I called out to him, hoping he’d hear me now that we were right outside. No answer.
Zanna and Sebille quickly took out the two guards with their bows and arrows, allowing us to go right up to the front. Drake took the lead and we slipped inside the entrance. Unlike Crag cave, this one was lit with faery lanterns. Slowly we crept in farther. The passage split in two directions. Zanna and Sebille stayed at the split. Olwydd and Warren went right and Drake, Bayard, and I went to the left. Down the corridor about ten yards was a glass door with no handle. Odd place for a door to be. Drake peered in. I tried to look around him, but he put his hand out to stop me.
“What do you see?” I whispered impatiently.
“There’s a cage—” His body tensed and he turned toward me. His face was white and he ushered us back outside. My heart was racing trying to figure out what was so bad he wouldn’t let me see. The sun blinded my eyes and I squinted.
“Drake?”
He took my hand and pulled me over a hill. We stayed close enough to the top to see the mouth of the cave. His eyes darted back and forth.
I was getting quite annoyed. “I am the leader of this realm. Tell me what’s going on!”
Drake met my eyes. “It is my job—my most important job—to keep you safe. No matter what I cannot let anything happen to you. You have to understand this. My life depends on it.”
“Okay…”
“Kallan is in that room—”
My hea
rt leapt. “Is he okay? Is he hurt?”
Drake grimaced. “He looks fine. Rylie, he wasn’t in the cage, he was guarding the cage.”
I shook my head, not understanding. “He’s guarding someone?”
“Yes.”
“So he’s not being held captive?”
“You said you couldn’t talk to him with the ring anymore, right?” Drake questioned.
“Right. It’s like I can feel him there, but something’s just off…”
“I think his mind has been taken over.”
I sat back and let that sink in. His mind had been taken over? Could that happen? Someone could just take over someone else’s mind? Did that mean he was still in there somewhere? Or was he completely lost to me now? My eyes filled with tears at the thought of never feeling his lips on mine again. Never lying next to him. No! I couldn’t—wouldn’t—accept that. Kallan was strong and he loved me. He wouldn’t be pushed aside for good.
I wiped away the tears and said, “We have to save him.”
“And we will,” Drake said.
“Warren and I will go in front. Zanna and Sebille, you two flank us. Bayard and Olwydd take up the rear.”
“Where do I go?”
“You don’t. You stay here. Call upon the forest to protect you,” Drake insisted.
“I’m coming,” I demanded.
“No, Rylie!” Drake grabbed me.
“Why not?” I growled at him.
“I can’t let you.”
“Because you’re supposed to protect me?”
“Yes!”
“You don’t have to. I can take care of myself.”
“It’s not that simple.”
Of course not. “Why not?”
“I’m Kallan’s second in command. When he tells me to do something, I do it. He told me to protect you, to put your life above mine—”
“That’s ridiculous—”
“You’re the Aurorian! You must be saved. You are to do great things, lead the fey.”