“No, I know, I just—” My gaze was pulled magnetically to Mycah’s sleeping body, only steps away from me. I had to fight to keep my eyes on Ender, who turned my face and made me look at him.
“I hate to bring heartache to you, Nariella, but I must be truthful with you. I warned you what would happen. You cannot be naïve enough to believe that after being shunned by his people—by his mother—that Remycah would not be in agreement with me now. For surely he must be. He has seen for himself what it means not to listen to my warnings. He has experienced first-hand the loss of his kingdom for entertaining a relationship with you, and I know the king inside of him will most certainly now do what is necessary to ensure his kingdom’s approval. Nariella, my child, I am terribly sorry. Remycah…would not want you here. You must leave and go back to Lassaira.”
“I…I can’t just leave. What about Ohtar? I promised to help defeat him. That was the plan.” I tried to slow my heaving breaths as my eyes darted everywhere. No, please, not this. Not so soon.
Ender pulled my body farther away from Mycah’s. “The plan was to rescue Remycah and Rydan, and should we eliminate Ohtar in the process, then all the better. But that is not the case. You are no longer obligated to assist in his capture.”
“How can you even say that?” My chest caved in, hating the thought of being left behind—Of parting from Mycah and Rydan, leaving them to fight Ohtar without me. What if they got hurt, or worse…killed? I wouldn’t even know about it. “Don’t you need all the help you can get?”
His voice grew harsh, almost deranged. “Nariella, no. You must stay away from Remycah. It is too dangerous to be near him. He must take back his throne. He must gain approval from his kingdom. He will forever be exiled if you do not leave his side!”
“What’s going on?” Rydan interrupted with concern, and I immediately went to him for comfort.
“I need to leave,” I whispered, not able to manage anything stronger than that. Dumb, fat tears blurred my vision. I sniffed them back, refusing to let them fall.
“What? You can’t leave,” he retorted, stepping closer into me.
“Prince Rydan, it is not safe for Nariella to be near King Remycah. She must—”
“She must stay is what she must, Ender,” Rydan growled.
“Ry, it’s fine. I understand. And he’s probably right. Mycah wouldn’t want me around,” I choked on the words. “Not after what happened. Not after seeing the truth for himself that we can’t be together. I caused his kingdom to reject him, just like Ender warned us. He went through all those horrible things all because of me…I shouldn’t be here. I belong in Lassaira.”
“Nari, come on. We need you.” He dropped to meet my eye level as he lifted my trembling chin and then softly said, “I need you.”
Ender changed the subject as he drew closer. “Prince Rydan, there is a matter of concern. If you are feeling up to the challenge, I have an important task for you. A task only you can complete.”
“What is it?” Rydan sloshed his head to the side lazily, as if bored and irritated that Ender was distracting him from me.
He straightened up as Ender explained, “King Remycah’s Fëa is in need of revival. I believe it will greatly assist in his recovery and protection should it be returned to its former glory and they be reunited. If Ohtar is searching for him, his Fëa will be our greatest ally.”
I gasped. “Mycah’s Fëa can be saved? He’s not dead?”
Rydan asked at the same time, “Is that even possible? How do you undo stone?”
“This is Luïnil, not Earth. Here, anything is possible. You will certainly learn this yourself in due time.” Ender began adjusting his few things and wrapped the belt of his sword around his waist, tying the ends in a complicated elven knot.
Rydan slightly shook his head with furrowed brows. “Okay, where do I come into this?”
“As an Animal Guardian, you have the ability to perform the needed magic with this.” Ender pulled out a dark leather pouch. “It is a cure, a quite potent one at that.”
“But I’m not an Animal Healer—”
“You need not be. An Animal Guardian is power enough.”
“I think this is a great idea!” I added excitedly. I was determined to turn this gloomy day around. We had just gotten through a horrendous battle, after all, and we were still alive! I was unbelievably grateful for that, even if I was being forced to leave. “You should go right now!”
“Think you could be a little more excited? You’re really bumming everyone out with how unhappy you seem about this,” Rydan murmured sarcastically as he reached up and snatched the pouch out of Ender’s hand. “Fine, when do we leave?”
“Be careful. That was not easy to acquire.” Ender looked to Mycah and then down at his hands, deep in thought. “And we must leave immediately. However, I am hesitant to abandon my Óre’Dae. If Ohtar should find him during my absence—”
“No, you should stay with him. That’s your job, right? I’ll take Nari with me. It’s my job to be with her, so it makes sense that she stay with me.” Rydan smirked and lifted an eyebrow toward my father. “You know you can’t deny that logic, Ender.”
He crossed his arms in his very stubborn way, and oh, did I know the trait well. “She should be on her journey back to Lassaira.”
I gently placed my hand over his crossed forearm. “Let me help with this, Ender, and then I’ll go back. Okay? Let me do this. I…I need to help in any way that I can. I want to make up for what I’ve done to cause all of this to begin with. And Ohtar is after Rydan, too. He’s still weak, just like Mycah is. Shouldn’t I, the strongest one here, go to protect him?”
“Ohtar’s main focus will be Remycah on this night. And if you want to make up for it, then you should let him go.” His hazel eyes bore into mine, and my stomach flipped uncontrollably in a sickening way.
“I will. I will…let him go.” My voice faltered, so I cleared my throat. “I promise, I’m just going to help save his dragon and then I’ll be gone, ’kay? Even before he wakes up. He and I are done, Ender. I know how it has to be.”
“Your word is your bond, Nariella.”
I mangled my bottom lip between my teeth unconsciously as my heart throbbed intensely. I turned around, tempted to run back to the castle and let the night elves kill me after all. I knew that was silly, but the thought of letting Mycah go…of leaving him once and for all…death had to be better than that right now. Not after just finally being near him again.
And I was terrified out of my mind. Of course his feelings for me would be different. I knew it deep down it had to be true. I just didn’t want to live through him confirming it. Suddenly, I almost agreed with Ender—maybe it was best I left before he woke up. If I stayed, my insides couldn’t bear the anticipation of the moment when we’d all be standing around idle, perhaps celebrating that we were at least alive, safe, and together—and Mycah doesn't even look in my direction. Because why would he want to have anything to do with me anymore?
“Nari?” Rydan’s voice broke my internal thoughts and commanded my attention.
“Yes?” I muttered automatically.
“You okay?”
“Uh, yeah. I’m fine.”
“Then let’s get going.”
“Oh, right.” Apparently during my moment of panic, Ender agreed to me going with Rydan to revive Mycah’s Fëa. Thank goodness. I needed as much time with Rydan as I could get before being forcefully separated.
“Come,” Ender gestured. “I have much to show you. With Rydan weakened, it will be difficult to complete, but it can still be done. The Hunter’s Moon will not set for many hours, and it is best you complete this task before Ohtar arrives.”
I looked back longingly at Mycah as he continued to sleep peacefully and forced myself to take one step after the other in the opposite direction.
It was eerily quiet as we rode through the camouflage of vegetation and woods that were covered in slimy black goo. Regardless of the amount of time I spe
nt in this part of Luïnil, it still stung my heart to see the land suffering the way it was. That would never change. Never lessen. I could feel it as if the trees were an extension of my own soul.
Rydan and I stayed silent through the short journey, our ears trained for attackers. After Ender had taught Ry everything he needed to know about curing Dúlin, he then had said that it’d only be a couple miles or so away and that Rydan would have the ability to find him by instinct. I trusted Rydan knew where he was going as he led Lissë on our path.
We rode together on her back as Lómë, in her beautiful tiger form, followed on foot at our side through clusters of forests here and there, then over a few dribbling streams that appeared to be drying up. They were dark and murky.
I quietly said to Rydan, “Do you see this? Do you see the ruination occurring everywhere around us? It’s getting worse. And of course, it’s partly my fault. Only Mycah can prevent this land from complete desolation, but I had to totally disrupt that. How can I stand in the way of him restoring what once was good and beautiful? The terrifying part is…I know I will. Because I’m weak. Selfish. Stupid.”
My worries just poured out of me without filter as we rode, knowing Rydan was listening. From behind me, he pulled my hands away from my face. “You’re not weak, or selfish, or stupid. Okay? I get it. It sucks majorly that we can’t be with the ones we lo—the ones we want to be with because of prejudices or moronic traditions. I understand all too well, Nari. I…honestly don’t know what to tell you about this. I’m kinda at a loss myself on what to do.”
“What do you mean?” I laid my head back against his chest and let the vibrations of his voice soothe me. Had he been about to say love?
“Look, I know…you know…about…you know. Naminé…and me.” He struggled to voice the sentence out loud. If I didn’t know any better, I would have guessed he was blushing. I could feel the heat of his body spike up a notch at the mere mention of his feelings for Naminé. I tried my best not to giggle at his shyness on the matter. Though, it did instantly lighten my mood.
“Mhm…I think I might know a little bit about that,” I mused. “But I mean, it’s not like you two are obvious or anything.” I almost laughed at my own sarcasm.
He pinched my arm, and I squealed in pain. “Brat,” he muttered.
“Okay, okay. So, what? You two can’t be together either because of the whole prejudice thing? But, Ry, I bet anything you two can at least get around it. You're not trying to be king, so who cares who you’re with? They’ll get over it. Trust me. I haven’t once heard anyone bring it up, so I bet you’re safe.” I reached up behind and patted his head.
He jerked away as he explained, “It’s more than that, alright? It’s the whole medieval, royalty-not-allowed-to-date-a-servant fiasco, and it’s completely bogus. But she doesn’t see it that way.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.” I sighed in despair. “What is wrong with us? How did our first loves turn out to be so messed up and dramatic? It’s kinda ridiculous.”
“Yeah, but I’ve never felt this way before. I’m not just going to give that up. Even if it takes centuries, I’m going to change her mind.” He put his chin on the top of my head.
“I’ve never felt like this before either, but it’s different for me. I wish I could say the exact same thing and be determined to never give up, but I can’t. You don’t have an entire land depending on your ability to just let go and give up. I’ve felt the sickness here so deep in my veins, Rydan. I can feel its pain and sorrow as if it were my own. It’s dying, and so are our people. I can’t just ignore that so I can be selfishly happy.” I started shaking. Hearing the reality of my situation out loud was brutal.
“Then what are you going to do? If Mycah and I are anything alike, then just like I’m not going to give up on Naminé, he’s not going to give up on you, either.” Rydan kissed the top of my head.
“No, he has to. And probably already has after witnessing for himself what being with me has caused. He was exiled because of it, Ry. You really think he’s just going to ignore that? Either way, I’m not going to stick around long enough to see it happen. I…I have to leave Aselaira. I can’t ever see him again.” My stomach twisted into knots. “…Somehow.”
Rydan chuckled mockingly. “Yeah, right. That’s never going to happen, Nari. Never.”
“Ry! I need your support here. Do you have any idea how hard this is going to be for me? If I truly love Mycah, then I must let him go. I can’t let him throw his entire kingdom away for me. I just can’t. I’m putting my love for him first over anything else, and that means doing right by him. This is what’s right.” My eyes were stinging. Great. “So I’m totally going to need you on my side here, okay? Help me stay away from him. Please?”
“And how? How in the hell are you going to do that?” He squeezed me tighter, as if sensing I needed it. And I did.
“I don’t know. That’s why I need your help. But, I mean, to start, by going back to Lassaira like Ender said. I am queen there, after all.” Not that I truly felt like one yet, but I was at least optimistic about trying to be a good one. “I’ll leave as soon as we get back. The problem is staying away. I don’t know if I can do it. But I’m determined to.”
“You can’t go back to Lassaira yet. We need you. We need to defeat Ohtar…all of us together. That’ll be the only way. And, uh, yeah. By the way, who in their right mind would name you queen?” He laughed.
“You’re so mean, you know that?” I jabbed him with my elbow, laughing. “Wait, I know! You can fix this. Only the true king has the power to bring light into this darkness…so all Mycah has to do is abdicate the throne to you!”
Rydan objected, “Hey, wait just a minute. He is not handing the crown over to me. That’s not gonna happen.”
“Yeah, I know, Ry. But a girl can dream.” My gaze took in the entire crumbling area around me. We grew silent for the rest of the trip, lost in our own thoughts.
“We’re here,” Rydan said not long later. “Let’s get down and take a look.”
I slid off of Lissë first, then continued on foot. When a rock in the shape of Dúlin came into focus, I cringed. My heart ached for both him and Mycah.
The giant dragon was still beautiful even in this form. Its head lay solid on the ground, its body turned onto the side. I hoped with all my might that he at the very least wasn’t suffering. I slowly touched the rocky texture that resembled quartz, amazed by the flecks of mica glimmering in the waning moonlight that painted the sky overhead.
“Are you sure there’s a chance?” I whispered, afraid to give in to hope. He looked…dead. It was so hard to believe that we could reverse it. Which I realized was stupid of me. I’d revived two people now from certain death. How could this be any different?
“Ender said he isn’t dead. Only under a spell. And all spells can be broken if you know the magic words. It might take some time and a little trial and error, but I’m going to do everything I can to set him free. It may look bleak, but I have to give it a try.”
I squeezed Rydan’s shoulder. “I have faith in you, Ry.”
He immediately got to work while I kept watch over the area with our own Fëa. I could hear him chanting phrases in hushed, earnest tones. But it wasn’t long until something out there pricked my scalp like pins and needles.
“You feel that?” I whispered to Rydan. Already Lómë was growling and Lissë’s ears were twitching. Of course Rydan felt it, too. He stood up and maneuvered himself in front of me.
“Yeah. Back up.” He extended an arm in front of my stomach, as if to shield me from danger.
“Please, no. Please don’t let this be another attack. Not now, when we’re vulnerable. Can we ever catch a break?” I whisper-yelled to my best friend. We waited on the defense as whatever it was approached. I could feel it was big.
Very big.
And not at all friendly. Nope, these things were foe. My blood thrummed in warning, and if we were smart, we would run away. But apparently we were t
he opposite of smart. Because we didn’t go anywhere.
Despite it only being the two of us, Rydan called out, “Incoming!”
“Do you know what it is?” I squeaked.
“Yes.”
“Care to share?”
“I don’t know their name. But either way, you’re about to see for yourself in a moment,” he retorted.
Lovely.
Sure enough, full-grown trees were smashed to the ground like twigs, revealing the monsters in all their glory.
Drake Hunters.
Of course, it had to be Drake Hunters—Those horribly grotesque-looking things that had chased the dragons that had been after Cathar and me not too long ago. At the time, I had thought they were helping us escape by attacking them, but Cathar explained that nope—they were just hungry for some baby dragon flesh.
“They’re probably hunting Dúlin. They’re called Drake Hunters.” I took a battle stance, my blade already in position. “Rydan, do what you need to do. I can handle them on my own with Lómë and Lissë. They’ll never leave this spot, so it’s now or never.”
“Are you serious? I can’t—”
“Ry! Just do it! Hurry!” My heart pounded uncontrollably. I wasn’t exactly a fan of fighting ginormous beasts that could easily pound me into flour for their morning bread, but I had no other choice.
“Their weakness is the backs of their knees followed by a quick slice of their throat. Understand?” Rydan shot a glance my way to confirm I had heard him and wasn’t freaking out.
I gave a firm nod. Sure, that all sounded just great.
How he knew all that, I had no idea. It was actually the exact same maneuver I had tried to pull on Aglar, and surprisingly, I felt comforted by that fact.
“Don’t be afraid, Nari. Lómë’s got you.” He smirked. I kind of wanted to smack it off him right then. So patronizing. But I loved him for it, the little jerk. “Let’s go.”
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