“Hey, I get it. You don't think Nari and Ender can make it in time. And since this might be our last day of breathing, let’s make the most of it. Just in case. I want to take you somewhere.” His voice was low and sultry. His eyes shot to my family’s, and I, too, looked to them with one more glance of love moments before dark sacks were placed over everyone’s heads.
“Where?” I whispered back, my curiosity piqued. The fabric over my face let in a little light, and for some reason, it brought me comfort.
“It’s a surprise. Come on.” I imagined by the tone of his voice that he had smirked at me and jerked his head to the side, an invitation to connect our minds once more. I did not hesitate to do as he asked, for my thoughts had been filled with the heat of our last kiss. I failed to think of anything else but his dominating lips claiming mine as his.
My eyes were closed, and the moment I reached out to him we were linked. His fingers slid easily into mine, and he showed me all the different places that meant something to him—the roof of the barn we had sat on before. A quaint cottage in the mountains his family would at times visit during special occasions. A park he grew up playing in. All of his good memories as a child. I smiled as I took in these precious moments that only I had the privilege of seeing.
“If you could do one last thing, make one wish to do anything you wanted in the world, what would it be?” he murmured sensually into my ear, and goosebumps flared all over my skin.
I answered immediately without needing any moment to ponder, for I already knew what I wished for. I replied in the same tone, “I would wish a hundred times over to hear you play the piano.”
As he smiled with his eyes to the ground and dipped his head, we suddenly stood in an exquisite concert hall with ceilings as high as a castle and dark wood covering every surface. The smell of dust and wood wafted into my nose—a memory of Rydan’s. He loved the smell here.
A beautiful grand concert piano stood gracefully in the middle of a large stage. Rydan pulled me over to it, and we sat down onto the bench. He placed his long fingers on the keys and ignited the atmosphere with the familiar enchanting melody that had been his masterpiece—the song our kiss had inspired him to complete. My heart swelled with delight, for I never felt so attracted to another person than I did in this moment.
I laid my head on his shoulder and fed off the evocative tune. It directly called to my soul, and I felt as if I blossomed inside from the sheer force. The muscles flexed in his forearms and biceps as he played, and I could not seem to control myself from reaching out and sliding my fingertips along his lustrous skin.
His performance slowed gradually, and before I knew it, his hands were claiming the sides of my face and his feverish mouth was wrapped up with mine. Our lips and tongues moved together in a mind-blowing ecstasy, and I felt myself grabbing the fabric at his neck for more.
He drew away only briefly, his breathing rapid, and in a ravaged, deep voice he suddenly muttered, “Naminé…I love you.”
I sucked in a breath of my own, as my heart hammered and my stomach flipped. My eyes connected with his instantly, and I felt I could have been lost within them, but I would have been glad for it. There was no containing myself then, and I knew I had to have my lips on his once more or I might explode. I glided my fingers over his jawbone and kissed him so deep, the concert hall faded away and we were left soaring through stars and galaxies.
A sudden explosion accompanied by loud commotion knocked me awake and out of the dream. Through the tiny crosshatch of the cloth over my eyes, I could faintly make out Remycah’s battered body hanging next to ours, and the Hunter’s Moon high in the sky sliding into its wretched place. Ohtar shouted, “I must do it now! Move, you incompetent fools! I must kill them now!”
“Naminé!” Rydan’s pleading voice had me reconnecting with him instantly, and through our minds he stood before me with an expression that would bring me to my knees—A look of longing, desire, and pain. His eyes stared intensely into mine as we waited, his hands caressing my cheeks. Then suddenly, the world tilted when the wooden platform was ripped from under my feet, and with a jolting snap, that same world went black.
Chapter Eleven
~Nari~
A red sun rose in the horizon. Pools of water from frequent tepid storms still clung to the ground and appeared to be lit on fire by the growing dawn. I placed my hand over my chest and hoped with everything I had in me that I was strong enough to save the ones I loved. I mounted my valiant Fëa and stroked her neck as we took position.
On my signal, the army my father and I had assembled commenced the journey with as much speed as the horses could manage to the castle where Mycah, Rydan, Naminé, and Cathar were held. True to my father’s word, the entire day was spent riding there, all the while my stomach stayed in painful knots. We were running out of time. I was terrified we would be too late.
After an agonizing twelve hours, I could see our destination in the distance, but even then, the darkness crept into the sky too fast. My eyes found the giant, glowing circle of the Hunter’s Moon hanging low, ready to rise higher and higher as each minute passed, and we still had yet to breach the castle walls. It was an eerie, burnt red color, as if demanding blood. I shuddered.
We stopped momentarily, and I couldn’t help the gasp that escaped my trembling lips. An ocean’s worth of muddy, deformed, repugnant creatures of Ohtar’s crafted army blanketed the grounds between us and redemption. Despite Námoman’s warning, nothing could have prepared me for this sight. I shook my head and tried not to let it overwhelm me, but it took every ounce of courage I had.
Only mere seconds passed, but it felt like hours. It was the quiet before the plunge. The pause before the next heartbeat. Though I felt a strong sense of home, the sharp snow-capped mountains looming around Castle Edhel-N’dor sent fear straight to my core.
The fortress looked old and deteriorated. But it was still every bit as beautiful as one would imagine an elven castle to be. The mountain it was carved out of appeared to be hanging onto it with all its might—like any small thing could knock it down into the depths of the Erulissë Sea that crashed below.
Lissë reared up, neighing into the wind that carried her sound deep into the open field we waited before. I held onto her neck and tried to shove my fear into oblivion.
This was it. The moment my father and I had worked so hard for. Except I wasn’t a seasoned heroine with great speeches to bellow before her army on the brink of war.
I was just me. Nari. A girl who had been forced to be shy for fear making any sound or show of defiance would mean punishment by a pretend foster parent. I had hidden myself away. I had been careful—cautious. I didn’t grow up fighting wars or rectifying injustices. I wasn’t trained to perform rescue missions. And yet, as I sat atop my Fëa and overlooked the dying home of my ancestors, I realized I wasn’t truly that shy person. It wasn’t who I really was inside. And I no longer had to be her. Luïnil had taught me one thing—how to be courageous.
Ohtar’s monstrous army that resembled a black, raging sea stomped with fervor. Their roars and pounding to antagonize us—to rattle our cages—was enough to take the heart out of me, but I refused to let it. One by one, the leader of each allied kingdom trotted to my side on their mighty steeds. One after the other they said firmly, “Our soldiers are with you, Nariella, Queen of Lassaira. For unity.”
All those present ceremoniously offered themselves to me—to this cause—as they raised their swords and shouted, “For unity!”
It truly hit me then—I really was a queen. They looked to me to lead this battle. It wasn't my father or my grandfather—it was me. My gaze wandered over those waiting before me until it landed on Ender. I was tempted to quietly beg him to take over and be the one in command, but there was something inside of me that kept me silent. That wanted to obliterate any weakness I had lingering within. Surprisingly, I wanted to be the one to rally the troops into action.
And so four thousand soldiers, armed a
nd ready for battle, formed line after line in preparation for orders. For my orders.
Using every epic war movie I had seen for inspiration, I directed Lissë west, and we galloped with our heads held high until we reached the end of the battle formations. We turned around and then went east. I looked each creature in the eye as I passed and never felt more proud to be an elda.
With as much muster as I could manage, I did my best to sound like a great leader—someone who could ignite courage and bravery in their troops. “Brave sons and daughters of Luïnil—listen to me. Though we may be of different races and species, we have joined under a common goal. I ask you now, was there a time you weren’t fighting a war? When your children knew of only peace? Can any of you remember? Well, that ends today. We will not let this hate swallow us up until all the good left in this world is gone. This is the day you put an end to Ohtar’s malice and say, “No more!” Together, we fight for freedom. We fight for justice. And we will win back your right to live!”
Lissë and I paused in the middle of the army. We faced the citadel and the impatient monsters that waited to trample us, and at the top of my lungs I screamed, “For unity!”
The entire grand army behind me matched my vigor and yelled those two words with a mighty roar that trembled the ground. We charged the castle of Aselaira in a terrifying, thunderous wave that had to have rocked the foundation to its core. My body was wound tighter than a yoyo—just ready to drop.
As we drew closer, the overwhelming sickness and darkness of the land hit me in the gut. I could feel the pure sorrow, grief, and death that drenched the very soil and lifeblood of Aselaira. It truly was dying. It ached and moaned for relief, and my heart broke in half at just how much it needed its true king to return. And I was the reason it didn’t have him already. I fought back tears, not wanting to dwell on it.
Although I ached along with Aselaira, I also felt a power inside of me. An unfamiliar strength that could not be contained. It twisted and unfurled beneath my skin, as if stretching through my veins. As we approached the leagues of vermin dead set on our slaughter, warning horns sounded from the watchtowers.
Suddenly, my power was released, and snake-like dragon formations clad in twisting, sliding, and unfurling grass, soil, and tar exploded out of the ground. The giant earthen-monsters raced along with me at the same speed toward the hordes of Uglies standing in our way. Though sick, the land was providing me aid, fueling my strength ten-fold.
We were moments from colliding straight into the mass ready for battle. Lissë transferred warmth, comfort, and courage, and I shut my eyes to let it sink in. The Lassaira army in the back released an array of arrows into the air, taking care of the first line. Without pause, we trampled through a wave until we were surrounded and unable to move. Most of my soldiers were knocked off forcefully from their horses and beasts or had dismounted to continue fighting with their swords, but I remained sitting on Lissë.
My chest squeezed in on itself each time I unforgivably looked to the rising Hunter’s Moon in the sky, letting it distract me but unable to help it. I had to get inside the castle walls—nothing else mattered but this one thing.
“Ender!” I shouted with all my strength as I pulled my gaze away from the impending celestial body with force. “We’re not going to make it!”
He didn’t respond, but instead fought with a frenzy I had never seen before. He wielded his sword with such strength that bodies were violently flung backward and slammed into oncoming rows of these cursed creatures.
Lissë and I followed the trail emblazoned by the giant sludge creations I had somehow formed as they drew closer to the castle. They left a path of nauseating filth from deceased Uglies in their wake.
We galloped up the side of the mountain, to the entrance, and then the ever-twisting mud creatures blasted into the stone, smashing a hole for us to keep riding through before dispersing back into oblivion. Stronger, highly skilled Isil soldiers met us—Ones that wouldn’t be nearly as easy to take out as the Uglies had been.
My mind was split in two between defending myself against their attacks and my desire to find Mycah and Rydan. But how? The chaos that had ensued upon our breaking down the door ignited a fury of bodies and yelling. My heart pounded in my chest.
The cacophony of ongoing battle made it difficult to concentrate. Cries of pain, shouts of anger, and growls of attacks surrounded me, setting me on edge. My eyes darted from side to side, taking it all in but not actually registering. It was just too much.
Fëa of every kind from both sides of our armies collided into a gruesome onslaught. A spotted leopard stalked a roaring lion. An eagle and a griffin circled overhead, sizing each other up. I looked to my right and found a large wolfhound growling ferociously at a panther. It made me wonder about Lómë, and I prayed she wasn’t hurt.
But one thing I didn’t understand: Weren’t they supposed to be imprisoned and set to die…at this very moment? What were they doing fighting for Ohtar? Unfortunately, there was no time for answers.
Dark, heavy clouds rolled in along with booming thunder, and soon a warm shower of rain began to fall. Slowly at first, then in buckets full. The water from my hair dripped into my eyes, making it difficult to see. My stomach twisted and my chest heaved. I was a mess. And lost. I didn’t know where I was supposed to go. And where were the Uglies? I totally expected to find massive amounts of them crawling all over this place like cockroaches and not just kept outside. But they were nowhere to be seen inside the castle walls, which gave me a horrible feeling. You’d think it’d make me feel better, but nope. I didn’t like surprises and knew there’d be one at some point.
We stopped momentarily, our path blocked by the swarm of people. A soldier grabbed my ankle, and I swept my blade down to cut off his contact.
“This way!” Ender shouted from afar. We immediately turned in his direction and took off like lightning. We wove in and out of screaming citizens or battling soldiers in order to follow him without getting lost.
Once close enough, he led us on a winding, coiling path up the mountain, through the castle’s cobblestone roads. Abruptly, a booming voice met my ears as it echoed through the narrow streets. Seemingly in mid-sentence it bellowed, “…it now! Move, you incompetent fools! I must kill them now!”
I couldn’t see where it had come from, but I knew immediately it was Ohtar. Once we broke from the clashing crowd, we found lined-up bodies with cloth bags over their heads hung from a long wooden post and being strangled. I recognized without a doubt Mycah and Rydan were among them as I watched with stricken eyes their legs flailing and seizing as they struggled to stay alive. We were too late. The breath was stolen from my lungs as every muscle,every cell, and atom in my body screamed in an agonizing protest.
My gaze could not be torn away from Mycah’s dying body despite the throng of soldiers ready to serve my head on a platter along with his. Ohtar himself strutted up with a knife in hand, staring intently at the moon overhead.
Without even truly seeing what I was doing, my sole focus was reaching them that very second to cut them free but I just couldn’t seem to get there! I was suffocating and trapped in quicksand that I didn’t believe I would ever get out of—it felt like the entire world held me back—keeping me from getting to my most treasured beings.
Then Ohtar slammed the knife into Mycah’s chest. “Mycah!” I tried to scream, but my throat was so overcome with grief and pain that no sound came out.
It was strange. Though I wasn’t the one dying, it felt like I was. You know how they say during your final moments your life flashes before your eyes? I guess it also happens when you’re forced to watch the two people you love most in the world dying right in front of you.
Only seconds could be passing, but within those otherwise short lapses of time, it felt both hours and as if no time had passed at all. Images flashed in my mind like a flickering candle ready to blow out. Memories of my most precious moments—the first time I met Rydan under our Weeping Wi
llow tree when he was humming his beautiful melody. When he gave me a hug for the first time—a simple gesture I had never experienced from anyone except Elizabeth. It had been years since anyone hugged me. Rydan laughing—Rydan playing music—Rydan ruffling my hair—Rydan surprising me with random presents—Rydan making my otherwise dreadful life happier. Brighter. Tolerable.
Mycah.
My beautiful, mysterious, ethereal…dangerous…Mycah.
The first time his ocean-filled irises collided with mine and my breath evaporated from my lungs. The moment I first felt the danger exuding from him. The way he always watched me closely as if at any moment I would disappear. Or break.
Mycah—from head to toe I was filled with nothing but Mycah. Thoughts, feelings…his scent. His intent gaze when he softly touched my skin as he healed every scrape and bruise from my tattered body.
His voice.
Every moment he was there for me—every moment he saved me. From Ray. From the first time Nikolai kidnapped me. And the second time. The way he healed me after my run-in with Ray’s bookie. Mycah holding me when I cried about Elizabeth’s death.
When he opened his eyes after I healed him from getting shot by an arrow.
The moment he told me I was a wood elf. The torment when he told me we were nothing but enemies. When we danced in the Nianott village.
When he risked it all and blew his cover to save my life as I fell from the cliff.
The first time he told me he loved me in Elvish.
Mycah.
Mycah.
Mycah.
Mycah.
“Remycah!” Ender’s blaring voice ripped through my flashing mind like a serrated bullet. He exploded—literally—like a shockwave. Mobs of bodies were catapulted away in the form of a perfect circle from Ender who stood raging in the center. Faster than a flash of light, he suddenly shredded through the remaining crowd and violently slammed into Ohtar, who went soaring backward, and then into the wooden post that Mycah, Rydan, and Naminé were hung from with the full strength of his body, forcing it sideways until it was completely knocked over.
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