by Lainy Lane
"Not the field, Calandra, the tree."
"What gives you that idea?" She chuckled under her breath, feeling this all had to be some sort of a joke. He couldn’t possibly be serious.
"Because you are somehow connected to this tree, I don't know why, but I think it's enough to at least give it a shot.” His smile conveyed his sincerity.
"I'm willing to try." She shrugged, but smiled slightly, refusing to allow herself to get too hopeful.
She placed her hand on the tree and felt nothing. Usually, she could feel the magic coursing through her from the tree. The wind had always brushed around her when she had touched the tree before. That connection was now broken because the tree was gone. Drake had once told her that plants were living beings, and therefore they had souls. She hadn't totally believed him until now because she could now feel the lack of what had once been inside of the tree. Something was missing from it now, something had been alive inside of it and was now dead. Her heart sank at the loss of it.
"You have to lend it some of your power," Jarreth whispered.
After a questioning look, Calandra focused deep on her own powers, they responded instantly. They coursed through her body with a tingling sensation as they awaited her instruction. She smiled at the sudden hope that filled her, and with one deep breath, she pushed the power from herself and into the tree.
The green moss that usually covered the tree instantly brightened and slowly transformed from black ash to its natural beauty once more. The trunk lightened from its burned appearance to a deep brown. The wind around her picked up, and her hair blew in the wind as she felt the tree sprout to life once again. Her heart lifted as the leaves reappeared on the branches.
The tree was different now though, the leaves were now accompanied by small flowers. Tiny petaled flowers in shades of crimson, orange, and yellow sprouted all over it. Calandra wouldn't have believed it to be possible, but the tree was actually even more beautiful now than it had been before.
Something stirred deep in Calandra's soul, it once again felt whole. There had been a hole cut into her being when the field was gone. She had thought it was the field that had brought her peace and belonging, but now she realized it was actually the tree. There was something about it that was a piece of her, and now that it was back to its state of beauty, she could feel complete once more. Her entire being felt once again complete and at peace.
The question of how she had managed to be so attached to this particular tree pressed on her mind and willed her mouth to open and voice the question, but she refused to. She decided she could deal with that later. She hoped that maybe Echo's diary would give her some insight on it and she wouldn’t have to deal with the conversation happening with Jarreth or Drake around.
"And now it's undone." Calandra smiled at Jarreth.
"Forgiven?" he asked.
"You may still have to do some begging to do," she smiled devilishly, "but for the most part, forgiven."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Leaving Home
"You cannot blame me for this, Echo." His voice was cold, not an ounce of sympathy in it though that was what she had expected.
"Really Father, really? You and your royalty blood b.s. is what started this whole situation!" Tears streamed down Echo's cheeks like a mini rainstorm as she spilled her heart out to her father. Her eyes were puffy and bright red as if she had been crying for quite some time now. Her breathing was shallow and rapid as she looked desperately at Oberon for answers.
Echo's hair was long, brown, and curly and her eyes were a beautiful opaque pink. She was tall and wispy, and her pale aqua sun dress accentuated everything that made her beautiful. Her skin was pale and completely flawless. She was one of the most attractive women Calandra had ever seen. She felt envious of her even though they shared the same blood. Calandra watched intently as the latest scene from Echo's diary played out in front of her.
Oberon paced back and forth along the length of the room. Every few paces he would turn back to Echo, open his mouth to say something, and close it back without muttering a word. His face was old and wrinkled, and his hair was a mixture of brown and gray. He stood tall and had a bit of a gut protruding over his pants. His eyes were an intense shade of burgundy. He appeared to be both wise and strong.
"What changed, Daddy?" Echo finally broke the silence. There was a slight whine in her voice as she spoke and her eyes begged for honesty. The sentiment in her question apparently hit a chord within him.
"What?" Oberon seemed to be shocked by the question.
"You were fine when we first got together and now, all of a sudden, you've lost your mind over it."
"I guess I just came to my senses," he said and shrugged his shoulders as if it was no big deal. "Do you realize who you are, Echo? What your future is meant for? How every decision you make affects this entire world? You can't just love whoever you want!" Something in his expression was hateful, but it seemed odd on his face when his eyes appeared to be so pained. He was apparently conflicted even as he spoke the words to her.
"I didn't decide to love him, my heart did," she whispered softly. The heartbreak was written clearly on her face as she looked around hopelessly.
"Look, I'm sorry, sweetie, I really am. But I just can't stand by and let this happen." His voice was sincere, much more so than his eyes were as they flashed to peach before returning to burgundy once more.
"Actually, you could, if you really wanted to," she rebutted.
"No!" Oberon raised his voice and pumped his fist in the air as he said it. He realized he had gone too far and his eyes immediately threw out an apology. "It just can't be, not here, not under my rule."
"Fine, then I'll just leave if that's what you want." Her voice was more confident than her face.
"Of course that's not what I want. There's no need for it anyway, the humans are gone, and the portal is closed off to them now." Oberon was clueless, he made the statement as if it was the obvious and only choice and as if it didn’t affect anyone negatively. He hadn’t yet admitted, even to himself, that the person most severely affected by his decision was the one that stood right in front of him.
"And you couldn’t care less where that leaves me, right?" Echo slammed her fist into the wall and surprisingly, despite her small size, a hole was left in her wake.
"It was me, Echo." Kailen walked into the room with a smug smile on his face. He seemed proud of himself as he stalked over to them.
"Kailen," Oberon's tone was a warning now, "this is none of your business."
"No, it is," Kailen replied, "she should know the truth." Kailen crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall right over the hole Echo had just created.
"And the truth is?" Her voice wavered, conveying that she was unsure of if she could handle the answer or not. Calandra recognized the gesture instantly as it was something she had found herself regularly doing lately.
"I made your dad see the error of his ways. I gave him the idea to ban the humans to prevent such a travesty from happening again. I made sure to show Jackson back to his proper place despite his unwillingness to do so." Kailen's smile widened, and his eyes glimmered in the shadows that lurked around him. He was proud of himself, and he obviously wanted everyone to know it, he wore it like a ladybug wears its spots.
"Well, you must be proud of yourself, Kailen." Her voice squeaked in the middle of her response.
"I've yet to disappoint myself come to think of it." His grin grew unnaturally larger.
"And you just allowed him to brainwash you?" Echo turned to Oberon, her face washed over with anger and disappointment mixing into a look of horror. “Did you even try to argue with him at all?” Her eyes pleaded for a response that would make his actions better.
Oberon hung his head in shame. "Not brainwash, Echo, I did what I felt was best for my people." He didn’t lift his gaze from the floor to look at his daughter again.
"I'm your people, Father!" Echo yelled, "I'm your daughter, your fles
h and blood, I should be the most important person you have to think about." Echo attempted to position herself in his view, but his gaze was glued to the floor.
"Echo," Kailen broke in with a sneer, "your father has a lot to worry about, he just needed someone to point him in the right direction."
Oberon had apparently had enough of the confrontation and he walked out. Echo seemed to be struggling with the desire to go after him, but he showed no sign of wanting to discuss the issue further. Ruler of the Fae world or not, Oberon didn’t seem to be much for disputes. Which likely explained how Kailen had so easily persuaded him right into his plan.
"And as usual, you jumped right in. Funny, if Father knew exactly what you were really all about I bet he wouldn't be so trusting of you." Her voice was harsh and she cut her eyes into him deeper than a ninja with daggers.
"You wouldn't dare!" Kailen's voice seemed confident, but his eyes gave away his fear.
Calandra's heart began to race at the prospect of finally having something to use against her father. She knew she needed a way to win once and for all, to skip over all the drama and pain that Kailen was sure to cause. Her ears perked up in anticipation of what Echo had on him.
"You crossed me, why shouldn't I cross you?" Echo asked with an innocent edge to her voice. Her eyes gleamed and she purposely winked at him in a beyond daring show of confidence.
"Echo, tell me what you know at once!" Oberon had apparently not walked very far away, and he came storming back into the room, seeming to have lost patience with the continued back and forth banter.
Calandra watched in anticipation. She was finally going to find out Kailen’s secret, she would have the upper hand over him. Her heart fluttered with expectancy. Echo opened her mouth to answer Oberon.
"And how do you know that I am not simply getting inside information to use to help her?" Calandra was dragged out of the scene playing from the diary by Drake's voice. "Did you ever even consider that possibility?"
"Bull!" Jarreth yelled his reply.
"Come off it already!" Calandra sighed and slammed the book closed. "Just when I was getting to the good part!" Calandra stormed downstairs to break up the argument before it grew too heated, which seemed unlikely. The house probably wouldn't survive an all-out brawl with as much animosity the two of them carried around constantly.
"Really, guys? Do we have to do this now?" she asked as she stepped in between them. She looked back and forth between the two with an arm outstretched to each of them. The scene was oddly reminiscent of the dragonfly mark on her shoulder, and she instantaneously decided to place her arms back at her side.
"He's lying," Jarreth exclaimed.
"Yeah, and what's new?" Calandra countered as she stared at Jarreth with a blank expression. He offered no rebuttal, anyone who knew Drake would know to keep their mouth shut on that one.
"I'd be offended if I actually gave a damn what you two thought!" Drake threw in an eye roll for effect.
"This is never going to get us anywhere," Calandra scoffed. "What are you doing here anyway?" she asked as she turned to face Drake.
"Ask him." Drake childishly pointed toward Jarreth.
Calandra rolled her eyes at him before she turned to face Jarreth.
"I needed to hear it from him that he was betraying you." Jarreth shrugged. He stared at Calandra as if she should have already figured this out. He flopped down onto the couch carelessly.
"Newsflash, Jarreth, I have no side." Drake groaned.
"You two are going to give me a stroke before I even technically reach adulthood." Calandra walked into the living room and plopped down on the couch, mimicking the dramatic act of Jarreth, even though she knew it was juvenile. Her temples were starting to hurt from the constant strain she seemed to be under since coming to Faerie. "So Drake, at least tell us who the girl is."
Drake scoffed, "You do know how inconvenient your little visions can be for some people, right?"
"I'm so sorry, did I make it difficult for you to screw me over? I'll do better next time, I swear." Calandra rolled her eyes. Sometimes his attitude actually came off as a sexy quality, a fact she didn’t care to admit even to herself. Particularly at the moment, when she had the desire to throw something at him.
"I wasn't screwing you over." Drake stared at her. "You're not the one that was deceived in this case, dear."
"You've been lying to Jarreth for how long now, Drake? You knew all along he didn't do it and never told him." Calandra's irritation grew stronger by the minute. "And technically I did still get deceived in this, I was the innocent bystander."
"It made him a better person, didn't it?" Drake shrugged the accusation off. "Besides, you're not exactly innocent, are you?"
"Who is the girl?" The arguing was only making her head pound harder, and she realized it wasn't going to get her anywhere, so Calandra returned to her original question instead.
"You couldn't see her?" he asked.
"It was dark, I didn't see a face." As if she would be putting up with the bantering if she already knew who the girl was.
“The voice didn’t seem the least bit familiar?”
Calandra scoffed, “Drake! The least you could do is give me this one, I don’t have the patience to deal with the games today.”
"The girl, my dear," Drake smiled wickedly, "is, for all practical purposes, your step-mother, Trinity."
Calandra's jaw dropped practically to her chest as her brain attempted to process the new information.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Mommy Dearest?
"Step mother?" Calandra's body was overtaken with shock, and her voice squeaked her question out as a result. Her blood pressure was rising from the stress, she was certain her experience in Faerie was going to cause her body to fail from stress overload.
Jarreth took a seat next to her and placed his arm around her. The currents coursed through her, though not as strong as they used to, and she allowed them to take over her emotions. She hoped the electric feeling would entirely drown out her stupid emotions, but they weren't strong enough, not anymore. Something was still off between them, maybe she had shut herself off from him after his betrayal. She wouldn’t admit to him that she was still closed off to him and she found herself hoping he couldn’t sense it. For once, Calandra wished Jarreth would take her emotions away from her, so she didn’t have to deal with it at all.
"But she's with Tristan?" Her head tried to piece everything together, but it was all too clouded with confusion. “She marked him as her territory the last time I saw them together, like a dog marking a tree.” She grimaced at the memory of their last encounter.
She felt sick to her stomach. She hadn’t liked the idea of Tristan being with Trinity at all, but the thought of her using him seemed ten times worse. Calandra kept her conscience, that was trying to remind her that she had used and hurt Tristan as well, at bay. She couldn’t think about that at the moment. Maybe another day.
"She's a muse Calandra, she's not with Tristan like that. Tristan is simply her subject." Drake took a seat on the other side of her and Jarreth's body tensed in response.
"That's not how she worded it to me." Suddenly Calandra realized just how much of a fraud Trinity really was. “And I don’t think that’s how Tristan saw it either.”
"Well of course not, Calandra, she wanted to make you jealous," Drake responded before Jarreth had a chance.
"Does she even know about me? I mean like who I am— to her?" Calandra had never been very close to her father in the first place, and their strained relationship had only grown worse here of late. She didn’t actually consider Kailen to be her father anymore and she had to wonder if he would even tell Trinity he had a child at all.
Drake shrugged. "Don't know, don't particularly care to be honest."
"Why did we invite him over again?" Calandra turned to Jarreth, directing the question at him.
She wanted him to feel guilty about the stress of the situation they were in. If he had at least wait
ed for this confrontation, she would’ve been able to figure out Kailen’s secret and been more prepared to take him on. As it stood, they were still ill prepared, yet the confrontation was growing more inevitable by the second.
Jarreth smiled apologetically while Drake smirked, quite proud of himself, as usual. Calandra watched the two of them, so different. Certainly a ying and yang comparison could be made. Ying yang was the term Tristan had used to describe the connection between her mark and the two Faeries that surrounded her now. At the time she had thought he was exaggerating, but at the moment she could see exactly why he had chosen the words. It occurred to Calandra that she couldn’t believe anything Drake said and she wondered if he was intentionally playing her to throw her off of something.
"Drake?" She decided to test out her new theory and see what his reaction would be. "What would Echo have had on Kailen?"
Drake looked utterly confused by the new direction the conversation had taken. "What do you mean?"
"Before the testosterone hissy fit you two decided to start down here," Calandra rolled her eyes before she continued, "I was going through Echo's diary again."
"Wait!" Jarreth interrupted the explanation and moved his head to block Drake from Calandra's view. "Where did this come from?"
Calandra had completely forgotten she had never shared her findings in the chest with Jarreth before the drama had occurred. She had hidden the diary from him the day she found it, afraid of what his reaction might be. The topic had never exactly come up again between the burning of the field, scaring her to death in the middle of the night, and now starting even more issues by inviting Drake over unexpectedly.
"I found Echo's diary in her chest upstairs. I never got a chance to tell you before you went crazy on me." She hadn’t necessarily meant to play the guilt card in this situation, but judging by the look on his face, that's exactly what she'd accomplished. She felt bad about it, but at the moment, there were more important things going on. She decided to turn the focus back to Drake and the explanation she had been searching for before Jarreth’s interruption. "Anyways," she continued as if nothing had happened, "Kailen admitted he was the one that had convinced Oberon to ban the humans and send Jackson home."