“But where were you? I dunno.” Rydan shrugged, throwing his hands palm-up into the air. I tried not to laugh. Even though it was a serious conversation and he was finally pouring out his feelings, the way he acted was humorous. He slurred, “You just blew into my life like a hurricane, wreaking havoc on everywhere you touched. You knew all this stuff about me. And where I was from. If you’re such a brother, why did you let me alone?”
My ears perked up then, and Mycah ran a hand through his hair. “I did nothing of the sort.”
I made serious effort to drink the nasty, high-alcohol beer Mycah had dragged us here for, trying to follow through on my cocky attitude from earlier. I didn’t want to admit defeat. It tasted like pepperoni and Juicyfruit gum, but only after the taste of bark and dirt went away.
“You did. And then you stole Nari. You were like a stupid, English Romeo spouting off words of poetry with that damn accent of yours. You only have to open your mouth for girls to throw themselves at you.” Rydan shook his head, and I practically spit out the big gulp I had just taken. Where the heck did that come from? He wasn’t making any sense.
“What the bloody hell are you on about?” Mycah set down his mug and turned to face Rydan.
“You know exactly what I’m saying, don’t deny it, brother,” he emphasized the term “brother” like he mocked Mycah.
“Don’t you think I would have come for you had I known where you were?” Mycah took Rydan’s half-empty beer mug and placed water in front of him in exchange.
“No. You didn’t even try. I would’ve tried, you dick,” Rydan bit out angrily, his eyes drooping heavy.
“I tried, brother,” Mycah matched the way Rydan had said the term. “I looked everywhere for you. The idea of us being separated was for us not to know each other’s whereabouts. It was for your protection. Do you even comprehend how massive Earth is? Bloody hell, Rydan.”
“It isn’t fair. I was kept in the dark like a fool. You got to know every damn detail. You got to remember our mother and father. And me? It was all stolen away. I was left with nothing!” Rydan dropped his fist on the bar-top loudly, startling me.
“You think it was easy for me? Having the memory of our father being murdered replaying endlessly without reprieve? To be chased out of our home and on the run, feeling utterly homesick every bloody day, whilst knowing an entire kingdom lay endangered and resting on your shoulders? Missing our poor mother who just had her mate and sons stolen from her? Or the fact that after Ender took off, I was but a child left to care for myself throughout the rest of those years? You got to experience a normal life with bloody parents, and I was the one left with nothing nor anyone. I grew up completely alone, so you be thankful for what you had, dear brother.”
Rydan stayed silent.
Then Mycah continued, “You were spared the torment of having to end someone’s life for the very first time at the age of eight-years-old because there was no one else there to do it. Or having to vacate a little cubbyhole in the middle of the night because monstrous hunters discovered where you were hiding. You have no idea what you were shielded from as you lay peacefully in your warm bed surrounded by a house full of love and affection.” Mycah slammed back the rest of his beer before dropping the mug on the bar with a loud clunk. He signaled for the bartender to bring the tab.
Rydan still didn’t respond. His eyes stayed locked on Mycah’s profile, clearly in shock. I, too, sat frozen feeling like I got rammed in the gut by this traumatic information. My heart ached for Mycah and what he had to go through. I had no idea.
My beer glass stayed half-full. Mycah and Rydan had several of these nasty things, and I couldn’t even get through one. Naminé stuck with water, and I was beginning to regret not doing that, too. When Mycah noticed I hadn’t finished, I pushed it over to him. He picked it up and chugged it in one swift motion. He threw some money down after glancing at the total of what we owed and said “cheers” as the bartender took it.
We all got up at the same time, staying quiet. I wasn’t sure if that meant it was resolved between the two brothers, or just that Mycah put Rydan in his place and none of us wanted to bring it up again. It felt final, as if there’d be no more say on that matter and it was put behind us. But I half-wondered if Rydan would even remember any of it tomorrow as Mycah led the way outside with the three of us following from behind. Rydan stumbled a little, so I squeezed under his arm to help support him. Naminé held up the other side once she saw I could hardly support myself, let alone Rydan, too. I shivered from the cold, wishing we were already back in Mycah’s apartment and sitting in front of a cozy fire.
I yearned for Mycah and his touch as I stared at his back. Despite needing to keep our distance, I reached out and laced our fingers together, making him slow his stride. He did, and the four of us walked down the street together, not saying a single word. We were trapped in our own minds and thoughts as we continued on our way back to Mycah’s home.
Once we made it there, Rydan stumbled into the living room and crashed onto the sofa, immediately falling asleep. Lómë in her form as a tiger stalked over and took a spot down on the floor next to Rydan. Naminé said good night before retreating to the guest room she was staying in, and Ender must’ve already been in his. Mycah began building a fire without me even asking for it. I watched him work meticulously, putting everything together just so, until he finally lit it with only a simple wave of his hand. It roared to life, painting the darkened room in a brilliant orange glow.
The flickering light accentuated Mycah’s ravishing features, and from his profile, the fire appeared to make his eyes burn like lava colliding with the ocean.
He was beautiful.
His blacker than night hair was disordered from the wind, as usual, and his muscles flexed as he stoked the flames.
A single thought popped into my head.
Mycah and I were alone.
Well, sort of. But Lómë and Rydan were zonked out. It was clear that he would be for the rest of the night, and I’d be surprised if he didn’t wake up until sometime the next afternoon.
My stomach and chest buzzed with nervous energy, and yet, I was confident in my ability to have self-control. I could uphold my promise to restrain myself from him. Couldn’t I? I had to be good. My decision to let him go and be a great king for his people was final. I would stick to that. What I should be doing was following Naminé’s example and going straight to my room and sleep. Most definitely I should not stay here and—
“Nariella, this is ridiculous.” I jumped from his sudden interruption to the internal debate I had going on. “How long are you going to keep this up? Come,” he beckoned quietly, and I swept my gaze from the licking flames to where Mycah sat in a thick-cushioned chair.
What if Ender was wrong and their people would embrace Mycah as king either way? What if it wasn’t as big a deal as Ender made it out to be? Mycah had said he was only being dramatic. Especially since, being their king, they’d have to listen to what Mycah says, and if he says we’re together, what could they do to stop it?
I slipped off my boots and padded over to him readily, silencing Ender’s voice I had going off in my head that told me not to. I was supposed to keep my distance—yes, I knew it. And I wanted to follow through on what Ender had begged me to do—on what I had promised Mycah a week ago—but it was impossible to pass up moments like this.
Crawling into Mycah’s lap, he wrapped his arms around me, and I laid my head against his chest. My heart hammered uncontrollably as his fingers traced the skin at the small of my back. We sat in front of the fire, soaking up its warmth. The scent of burning wood was so wonderful, and the fact that the most magnificent creature in the world held me, I never wanted the moment to end. Embers burned in a fiery orange and red, reminding me of the time I had compared my feelings for Mycah to a kindled flame.
And I knew now with complete certainty, that he was a master at starting fires.
The problem was that I was terrified it’d be a wil
dfire that would eat the world into destruction, swallowing up everything in its path.
Mycah’s neck was the first thing that came into view when I opened my eyelids lazily. We had fallen asleep in the cushy chair without my realizing it.
Sunlight cast through the large bay window, filling the expanse of the room charmingly. Rydan stayed sleeping with one arm over his eyes; the other hung loosely off the side of the sofa. My eyes were pulled back to the small spot behind Mycah’s jawbone, right below his ear. The tattoo of the royal emblem of Aselaira marked his skin dangerously and beautifully.
It was so darn sexy.
And it just so happened to be my favorite spot to kiss him. I licked my lips before chewing lightly on the bottom one, resisting the urge to place them where I knew they truly belonged.
On that smooth stretch of skin.
Sorry, Ender. I just had to do it. I slowly drew my mouth closer and gently planted my soft lips on his just-as-equally soft skin. The corner of my mouth molded around the edge of his jawbone perfectly.
Oh, how I loved that. With my eyes closed tightly, I inhaled the sweet smell of his skin before drawing back. As I pulled away, I opened my eyes to see his face following my retreating one, his nose now millimeters from mine.
We gazed into the windows of each other’s souls—his eyes half-way open, mine wide from surprise that he was awake. The exquisiteness of his blue irises never got old. I could stare at their multi-faceted color—the ribbons of purple and specks of jade were still as striking as the first time I had allowed myself to take notice of them.
“Hi,” I kept my volume extremely low, barely a sound was made into the air, but my voice was a little high. I was nervous. We shouldn’t be doing this. How could I let myself give into temptation so easily?
He didn’t say anything back; he only dropped his piercing focus to my lips. My stomach did a few backflips and shimmies as he gradually gravitated his mouth closer. He delicately brushed his velvety lips over mine, and I swore my heart was going to burst through my chest from the intensity of my excitement.
“We shouldn’t,” I whispered slightly, my brain betraying my heart.
“Mm, it’s forbidden.” Withdrawing carefully, he rested his forehead on mine with his eyes shut as he exhaled sharply, snaking his fingers through the side of my hair. His palm cupped my face, and despite his words, he kissed me again lovingly. He pulled my bottom lip with his teeth before swiping his tongue against mine. He poured so much emotion into it, my toes curled.
I didn’t know why, but I wanted to cry. His kiss was so beautiful and adoring, I felt like the prettiest, most special girl in the world. He yearned for me, as if it pained him that he couldn’t have me just yet. And it was painful. I knew the ache well, and it suddenly felt like this kiss would be our last.
“Please stop,” Rydan groaned from his place on the couch, unmoving, and taking me by surprise. I buzzed from head to toe, both from being startled and from excitement.
“Uh, yeah, sorry.” I clambered off Mycah’s lap in a rush, clearing the emotions from my throat in a sort of airy laugh. “I’m just gonna go get ready to leave.”
Mycah held onto my fingers as long as possible before I got too out of reach for the length of our arms. He killed me every time he did that. It made it that much more unbearable once our skin broke contact from one another.
That kiss followed me into the shower, where I thought of it non-stop. My fingers were magnetized to my lips, the feeling of his mouth still lingering there. It’s forbidden. His words replayed a few times in my mind, but they didn’t feel true. I was afraid of the moment they did and prayed it never came, despite the promise that I had intended to hold to.
After showering, I slipped into my newly washed elven attire that Mycah had given to me while we had been at the castle. I felt all outdoorsy and adventurous while wearing them, and it seemed appropriate for the task that lay ahead.
Today we would be picking out a tree and using the Sindora to transform it into a passageway. In only a few hours, I would once again step foot into the magical realm of Luïnil. This time, I had every intention of keeping my head off the chopping block.
Let the adventure begin.
We had a five-hour train ride to Northern England where Mycah hid the Sindora. It had been important to first fly into London so that he could acquire a piece he had hidden and absolutely needed in order to activate the magical key. But the rest of it was tucked away somewhere else in a place no one would find, according to him.
“Remycah, please explain how the Black Eagles discovered the Sindora in the first place,” Ender asked Mycah. I took sips of my cappuccino as I listened. This train was relaxing. We had two seats on each side facing each other with a table in the middle. Ender claimed a seat on the other side of the aisle, but was still within arm’s reach of us.
“It was quite some time ago,” he mused. “Whilst I was at Oxford doing research, a mate of mine betrayed me by nicking my notes. I would have never guessed he was part of a secret organization such as he was. His emotions were completely innocent, never giving me a reason to suspect he was violating my trust. I thought he was just an ordinary chap.”
“You were doing research? On the Sindora?” I questioned, wanting more information.
“Mm, yes. I was perhaps sixteen at the time and just starting my studies of advanced chemistry and things of that sort. I spent years before searching for the Lassaira Ëlemmiire to no avail. Eventually I formed an idea of how to return home without it. There were just some things I still had yet to learn.” He kept his gaze on mine, rarely blinking.
“And you told your friend about it?” Rydan joined then.
“Not exactly. He must have noticed I had been working diligently for weeks and grew curious. I created the key, named it Sindora, and stashed my notebook, which he pinched whilst I slept.” Mycah clenched his jaw.
“Seriously?” My own jaw dropped open.
“I was a victim of circumstance, really. Wrong time, wrong place. He just happened to be part of a society who believed the myths passed down through generations. They believed in Luïnil. Through me, they found a way to reach the one place their ancestors always dreamed of.” He bit his lip slightly as his eyes slid to the window. “I was captured in my sleep later on that day. They held me prisoner, tortured me to give up the Sindora. It didn’t last long; I ended it quickly. They never caught me again, though they chased me bitterly to no end.”
A tremor surged through me. I observed Mycah from across the table, his onyx hood cast over his head to shield his elven ears while in the daylight. He looked infinitely more dangerous as he spoke those words, as if his appearance manifested their truth.
He truly was an enigma. There were so many sides to him—I’d seen him kind, harsh, compassionate. Most of all you could feel he was authoritative and standoffish but affectionate, and dangerous as hell.
Rydan, who sat to my left, stroked Lómë from head to tail as she lay curled in his lap, apparently lost in thought. She currently took the form of a white cat with silver stripes, matching Rydan’s eyes—a miniature version of her tiger-self. I found it ironic she had been traveling as a mouse most of the time, but who was I to judge? There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to her alternate forms, it was whatever fit her mood best I assumed.
I bent down to nuzzle my face into her fluffiness. She was so silky and soft; I rubbed my cheeks against her neck. She purred without moving or opening her eyes, letting me snuggle her. My Fëa came to mind, still out there alone. My heart rejoiced, feeling excited at the prospect of seeing her soon. It was weird thinking I had an animal—the other half to my soul—out there waiting for me to return to her.
There was a strong yearning to be reunited with my Fëa—I could feel it the way a desert burns for rain. It made the ache in me grow exponentially. My exhaustion was still crippling, and my eyes were beginning to sink in, leaving heavy, dark bags around them. I knew more than ever that if I didn’t get to
her soon, I might not last much longer.
And I had to be strong to assist my loved ones in this war. I took this task gravely serious and with extreme caution. I would not be a fool this time when it came to fighting against warring kingdoms. This time, I wouldn’t be naïve.
This time, I wouldn’t fail.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The train slowed, screeching to a noisy halt. We were so close to the start of our epic journey. It was invigorating and terrifying all wrapped together in a pretty little package, tied with a red bow of anxiousness.
I held on to the hem of Rydan’s jacket, and we followed Mycah off the train. The fresh autumn breeze of the English countryside tangled my hair around my neck. The heaping hills rolled green, with golden-yellow, orange, and crimson trees scattered along their slopes. They clustered in between the grassy mountains and kissed the clear lakes that mirrored their reflections. Mycah called this the Lake District of Northern England.
“We have a bit of walking to do before nightfall. Let’s get a move on,” Mycah said, showing us the way we had to go.
“Is this where the Aselaira Ëlemmiire was before you destroyed it?” I asked Ender, curious. “If we use the Sindora on a tree here, would it lead us close to Ohtar or the castle?”
“No, my dear. It was in Southern England, on the opposite end of the isle,” Ender explained. “I do not believe if we use it here we shall end up in dangerous territory. Although, there is no way of knowing precisely where we’ll come out for certain, I suppose.”
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