The Sweet Series Box Set: Books 1-4

by Bailey Ardisone

  My mother dropped her eyes to the ground out of respect, and I cringed, knowing Rydan would not understand her reason for it. I feared he would take it as an insult. “I would never wish for our prince to bother himself with such duties. Please, leave it to me, My Lord,” she said, followed by a slight curtsy.

  “You don’t have to call me that, okay?” Rydan countered. “We’re not even at the castle, and especially since I’m technically exiled or something. Right? So we’re equal. And I’d really love to help, so, where should I start?”

  He took hold of a cloth filled with berries and examined them as he waited for my mother’s orders. She said, “I suppose you may begin by mashing those. I am to add them here shortly.” She pointed to what she worked on that sat over a fire.

  “No problem. Sounds easy enough,” he replied with a smile. After he glanced around the area, he asked, “Um, what should I use to do it with?”

  “Here you are,” Mother answered as she handed him a utensil. “This ought to do it nicely.”

  “Thanks,” he replied before getting straight to work. He began softly humming that familiar melody he had played on the piano for me. My cheeks flushed instantly as I recalled our most intimate moments, and I wished that my mother had not just braided my hair, for it would have been most convenient for me to hide my face behind its length.

  “That is a very lovely tune,” my mother commented as he continued humming and mashing the berries. She had resumed her task of cooking once it had been ready to move on to the next step.

  “Oh, yeah, thanks. It’s a habit,” Rydan admitted, and his eyes glanced to mine for the briefest of seconds. I felt my skin grow hotter from the painfully short connection between us and wanted to run into a hole and never return.

  “Naminé, dear, whatever is the matter? You are redder than any tomato I have seen in my lifetime,” my father inquired. He had walked up to us in the worst sort of moment, and I felt my shoulders sag with a great heaviness. Could I not get a minute of peace?

  “Nothing, Father. I am fine, thank you.” I turned away and kept my eyes to the ground below, then pretended to adjust the ties atop my footwear.

  “Okay, one sack of mashed berries. Done.” Rydan proudly held up his completed work before handing it over to my mother.

  “Wonderful,” she exclaimed as she took it from him.

  “Anything else?” he questioned, then faced my father when my mother shook her head. “Can I help you with anything? There’s not much else to do around here, and my brother and Nari have run off again. Don’t think we’ll be hunting Ohtar any time soon.”

  “Oh, now, I do believe I would appreciate some help tending to the horses. We must fetch a bit more water for them, and if we can, find more food that they can eat.” My father gestured for Rydan to follow, and my gaze was fixated on his retreating back. “And then afterward, I would suspect we could use more firewood on hand.”

  Their voices trailed away as Rydan explained, “So you’re a horse guy, huh? I am too. I grew up with them, actually. My family owns several. I loved spending as much time with them as I could and enjoyed taking care of them.”

  The last thing I heard my father say was, “You don’t say? Well, now…”

  It was more than strange for me to witness Rydan interacting with my parents and brother in such a casual way. Never had I contemplated this scenario before. I had refused to let my mind linger for even a second on any future-life fantasies I could possibly have had with Rydan, for I was determined to keep my heart protected from breaking beyond repair.

  “Naminé, darling, fetch me that, will you?” My mother’s request snapped me out of my daydreaming, and I immediately got to work.

  “This doesn’t make sense,” Rydan paced the forest we continued to wait in. “They should’ve been back by now. What the hell are they doing out there? Making babies? I’d kill her.”

  He roughly shoved a hand through his already disheveled hair, and I grew more anxious, for I knew he only did that when frustrated. I did not know what to say or how to bring comfort to him when it came to something such as this.

  Nariella and Remycah were nowhere to be found. They had not returned to us since the passing of an entire day, and needless to say, we had grown concerned for them. “Rydan, surely Remycah would protect Nariella. I am certain they are safe,” I said.

  “I don’t know. Something feels off. I can just tell that Nari isn’t fine. I’ve been feeling this weird vibe since yesterday and it’s not going away. How stupid are they to just run off like this?” He threw his arm up into the air. “I mean, what were they thinking? The last thing we need on our plates is for them to get in some kind of trouble. Ohtar should be our priority right now, not them.”

  “I believe they are currently enduring a grave hardship, Rydan. Perhaps we should show them a bit more patience. I know Nariella is quite troubled by what she is required to do concerning their relationship. And I do not doubt for Remycah it is any different. If they are indeed together, we should allow them time to work out their quandary.” I had started to take steps in his direction with the intent to provide comfort, but I thought better of it. I should not tease him like that. We were to be distant and remain that way. And I should be the one to stand by my own request. If he were to somehow conjure the approval of his mother…No, no. I must not think of it. If I allowed my hopes to rise and it did not come about, I would be worse off in the end. “They are two of the most powerful creatures in Aselaira, Rydan. I would not worry for them,” I stated in the end.

  “I guess. Maybe you’re right, I don’t know. They’re probably fighting, and she’s probably really upset, and I’m just feeling her overwhelming emotions because of all that. Right? That has to be it.” He began pacing again, and I had the distinct feeling that despite his line of reasoning, it did not lessen his worries one bit. “Okay, but…what if…what if they found Ohtar? Or Ohtar found them? Or Dae’Sûl did? God! Why did they leave like this? If they’re not dead already, I’m going to kill them.”

  I sprinted over to him then, sensing his grave discomfort, for I could not control my feet from moving on their own. He ceased pacing once he realized I had started over to him. His eyes punctured mine in such a manner that I completely surpassed the line I had intended to draw between our two spaces upon reaching him. Instead of stopping just before him, I ended up encircling my arms around his shoulders in an embrace. I pitched my voice low as I said, “You must remain calm, dear Rydan. Let yourself feel Nariella. You have the faculty to tell if she is indeed in dire danger, or if it is only matters of her mind. Do not let your heart be troubled by confusion and doubt, for it would only serve to cloud your judgment. I have faith in you. I am certain that only you contain the ability to decide whether or not we should search for them.”

  He let in a slow inhale of breath before exhaling it completely. He remained enveloped in my arms, as if to draw strength and calmness from my own spirit that blanketed him. “I know I have to get used to this whole Guardian thing. It can be so overwhelming at times. But if I try to remain calm, I don’t think she is in any physical danger right now. She seems…bothered by something but still okay. The most important thing is that she isn’t being harmed. And I think I’d know for sure if she was.”

  “Yes, of course you would. As would Ender.” I roved my gaze around the forest in search of Remycah’s Guardian, for certainly he would be acutely aware of Remycah’s well-being. He was far more experienced and powerful of a Guardian than Rydan was currently. “Hmm, where is Ender, I wonder?”

  “Oh, yeah, why didn’t I think of that? He’d know where Mycah is.” Rydan spun in a circle and joined in my search for the one who could solve this puzzle. “Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen him in a while. Have you?”

  “No, I do not believe I have.” I made way to my mother and father, for perhaps they had seen him recently. “That is quite indeed strange. Not only Remycah and Nariella are missing, but now Ender? I do not understand.
It seems highly unlikely that the three of them would vanish without warning us ahead of time before doing so unless it had not been by their own free will.”

  “Okay, now I’m worried again.” Rydan huffed and quickly followed behind as I hastened my steps.

  “I must admit that now, so am I.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  ~Nari~

  “Zaylie, what in God’s name are you doing here?” My voice had to be scratchier than sandpaper. I was in shock—no, not shock. It was something way past shocked. I couldn’t even name the feeling. I was devastated.

  “Listen, I don’t have much time. I’ll try to explain as best I can, but you have to believe me. I had no idea my father and cousin were part of the Black Eagles until the moment they brought us here.” Her eyes were bigger than the sun. She looked a bit crazed.

  “Are you kidding me? Your father and Lachlan are goons for the Black Eagles?! How can this be?” I didn’t even stop to listen to her answer. I started pulling her away. “Zaylie, you have to come away with me. We have to get you out of here. I’m telling you, all these humans are dead, and you will be too if you don’t leave now. You seriously think the creatures of this realm are going to allow this much longer? It’s amazing that there hasn’t been a genocide already!”

  “I can’t just leave, they’ll come after us. Or at least my dad will, and then they’ll know Lachlan helped you escape, and I’m pretty sure if my dad left the compound someone or something would kill him in the process. I can’t have that on my hands.” Her words rushed together in a deranged sort of way, and I wrapped my arms around her to bring some sort of comfort. She shook like a leaf, and I noticed…so was I. We were like two vibrating beanstalks.

  “This is pure craziness, you know that? I can’t believe you’re here. How did this happen?” I pulled back to look in her golden brown eyes.

  “Well, where do I start? I only just found out the truth myself two weeks ago!” She threw her hands up into the air.

  “Just start at the beginning. The very beginning. What’s the first thing you found out?” I took a deep breath to calm down.

  “Right, right. I guess the whole reason we moved to Kennebunkport in the first place was because of that tree you fell through. I had no idea at the time—you have to believe me. Anywho, a couple weeks ago my dad sat our family down and explained that everything he had been working for was about to come true,” she paused.

  “What has he been working for?” I didn’t like the sound of this.

  “Look, Nari, I haven’t had a chance to tell you, but my dad’s SCD has caused some serious compilations. Both his heart and kidneys have suffered severe damage from the disease. He’s been dealing with this since birth. He’ll go quite some time without having an episode, but it never fails to recur again. My dad said if we come here, he’ll be cured. No more Sickle Cell Disease for good. And Lachlan has it too, so that’s how he got roped into their little cult.” She cowered deeper into a shadow, pulling me with her as she went. Her eyes bounced around rapidly from tree to tree, as if something scary could jump out at her at any moment. The frightening thing was, she’d be right.

  “Zales, I don’t think that’s true…”

  “It has to be! Please, you have to help. That’s the whole reason we’ve come…Apparently it’s also the entire reason my dad joined the Black Eagles when he was fresh out of high school. Nari, this group has been searching for this place for centuries. They know, like, everything about it and all the different creatures. They’ve even dissected remnant pieces of…” she tapped on her head, “of…ugh, I can’t remember what Lachlan said now. Anyway, they’ve gone all scientific and intimate on this place. All its dirty little secrets are out. Did you know that?”

  “I don’t know, maybe…I’m not really surprised.” I hugged her, hating the part about her father. “I’m so sorry about your dad, Zaylie. I just don’t know if there’s anything that can be done about it.”

  “Well, that’s the thing. It might be sort of my fault…but I didn’t know they were going to cage you like a monkey and drain you of your blood to do so! That’s why I begged Lachlan to help me bust you out.” Her Australian accent was as beautiful as I remembered it, though in this moment, her voice was shaky and desperate along with it. She wouldn’t stop moving her eyes, always on lookout for an intruder. I began to think she was smarter about this place than I had been.

  “So they’re using my blood for a cure? I don’t get it. How is it your fault?” My lungs were heaving and my ears were ringing. My voice was soft in a whisper, but I wanted to scream for her to spit out all the details. “Zaylie, we don’t have much time. Just tell me. I need to know everything.” I pushed us further back into the trees, afraid we were about to get caught. I had that strange feeling like someone was coming at any second.

  “No, it’s much more than just a cure, but…yeah. After that day we first met, I told my parents about you…including your eyes. I was just rambling and excited about meeting someone cool on my first day in a new school. I didn’t know it would give away who you really were. I thought you wore contacts!” She paused, then eyed me carefully. “By the way, what the devil happened to your eyes? They’re creepy as hell!”

  “It’s a long story, one which we don’t have time for.” I motioned with my hand that she continue her story.

  “Oh, right. Anyway, please believe me. But, that time I told my parents about you may or may not be the reason they started watching your house way back when, and also, I’m so sorry, Nari, I’m so sorry. It’s how they knew to use you for their experiment.”

  She squeezed my hands with a death grip I had never felt from her before. Static filled my head, and I braced myself against the heaviness. The Black Eagles had kidnapped me after Mycah had healed me because…they had already been watching me…because of Zaylie? I shook my head. I honestly wasn’t mad at her, or even blamed her for any of this. I knew she would never knowingly bring me harm. Plus it was in the past and nothing I could do about it now.

  “Zales, just calm down. I believe you.” I squeezed her hands back. “Now go on. How did they know the old tree had been in Kennebunkport?”

  “I’m not sure. That’s pretty much all the information that I have. You know, I really should be getting back.” We leaned in closer, whispering extra soft and overly cautious.

  “We can’t stop now—” A twig snapping behind me followed by the immediate face of another person right beside us had both Zaylie and me grabbing each other’s arms as we leapt into the air, stifling one another’s screams with our hands. Our two bodies were smushed together as we held onto each other for dear life. Our eyes bugged out of our heads and our lungs drummed heavily on the other’s chest.

  Holy freaking crap.

  “Lachlan,” Zaylie screeched at the intruder. “Jesus Christ! Don’t do that!”

  “Seriously?” he questioned, his eyebrows arched. “You’re squeezing the shiz out of an elf with magical powers right now, and I’m the one you’re worried about?”

  We made no moves to untangle our limbs from one another as we stared blankly at Lachlan’s failed attempt at a joke. Or was he being serious? I couldn’t tell. What I did know was that this guy owed me some answers. Hot Australian accent or not, he was going to give them to me.

  “What are you even doing here? You’re supposed to be making sure I don't get caught,” she whisper-shouted at him.

  “It’s fine, I moved the unconscious tranquilizer bloke into Nari’s cage. The watchers are expecting her to be out like a light from the drugs. They’ll mistake him for her, buying us a bit of time. And I already convinced the guards to let me take over watching her this shift. We’re good, alright? No worries.” He shook his head, sighing.

  “Listen, buster.” I let go of Zaylie, finally, and jabbed my finger into this new guy’s shoulder. “What’s your involvement in all of this? What all do you know? How did the Black Eagles know where the tree was to come here?”

  His ey
es dropped to my finger before dragging slowly back up to mine. “You listen, princess. I don’t need to tell you anything. That information is classified. Confidential. On a need-to-know basis only. Unless you’re secretly a member of the Black Eagles, I can’t help you. Alright, little dandelion puff?” He flicked my forehead. Whoa, wait…what?

  “Oh, no. You did not just flick my freaking forehead!” I shoved him backward with both of my hands as hard as I could. And why did people keep calling me princess? Was I wearing a gosh darn tiara? “And by the way, it’s Queen Nariella to you, kangaroo bop, got it?” His eyes widened at that and he cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah, so, off with his head!” I shouted, waving an arm in the air as if I had guards standing by hanging on my every demand.

  “Oi! Watch it, someone might hear you,” he shushed me. “And I’m sorry, when exactly did you become the Red Queen? I must have missed that crowning when I was back there saving your royal ass. Besides, this is all Zaylie’s fault.” He apparently didn’t take me seriously at all. Where was that personal guard when you needed them?

  “Lach!” she objected, slamming her foot onto the ground. She turned to me, remorseful, “Again, so sorry, Nari.”

  With Lachlan still pinned to a giant boulder, I said to her, “Just tell me what he’s talking about.”

  She nodded her head enthusiastically as she spoke, “Okay, right, I will. I’m sorry. It was when I told Lachlan and my parents about you falling through the tree. That’s when they learned where that first one was. And…the whole reason the Black Eagles used me as bait against you. Oh, but get this. It’s really all his fault, not mine, because Lachlan only came to our house in order to get close to you and find out where the tree was hidden. My own cousin! A spy for the Black Eagles! I didn’t see it then, but now that I think back, he was always pressuring me to introduce the two of you.”