I caught sight of five soldiers sitting on their horses. They were galloping along the edge of the other side of the river. They were calling out to each other. I had a feeling they were looking for Axel.
Why put this much effort into looking for one soldier who abandoned the King? I would have to remember to ask him.
We began crawling back to the tree line.
"Over there! Crawling through the grass!"
Crap! One of the knights had spotted us.
Axel grabbed my shirt and lifted me up.
"Come on!" he shouted, not caring now that our cover was blown.
We took off into the tree line and ran for Wisdom's cabin.
I continued to hear the hooves behind us, they were getting closer.
How did they cross the river? How was that possible?
I put my feet on the rope ladder and began a fast climb; Axel was right on my heels.
I was too panicked to try to use my magic to get to the cabin. Also, I don't want to identify myself as a magic worker if I don't have to.
When we made it up, I lifted the ladder back up out of the knight's way. I imagined the cabin not being here, I imagined the tree being covered with thick leaves and foliage. I could hear the sound of leaves rustling as the vegetation in treetops increased.
Axel ran inside to get Wisdom when the knights came into view on the ground below. I closed my eyes and held my breath, hoping for the best.
After counting to thirty, I opened my eyes to see the knights leaving the area; they were walking further into the forest, thinking we had gone that way. I felt the deck move a little and turned around to see Wisdom sitting cross-legged next to me.
"Great job, Princess," Wisdom complimented me.
"We are possibly related, you don't need to call me Princess, especially when you, in fact, should be the king," I told him.
It was so weird hearing the word Princess. I couldn't make it click in my brain sometimes. Every time I heard it, I wanted to cringe.
"As you wish, Lady Violet," he smiled.
"Thank you," I said.
Not that lady was much better...
"I just want you to know that even though I didn't know you existed, the moment I figured out who you were, I have come to think of you like family. I have never treated you any differently than I would my other great-grandchildren. Maybe one day after all of this is over, you can meet the rest of your extended family," he said.
"I'd like that," I told him.
For so long, it had just been Mom, Grandmother, and I. Now, I had a huge family to get to know. It was exciting and nerve-racking to think about.
We both stood up and walked back inside. I felt like a unknown weight had finally been lifted from my shoulders.
Chapter Nineteen
My winter break so far was pretty evenly divided. I spent most of the daylight in my own world; outside training for the battle I knew would eventually come. By night, I was in Morthshadow, continuing the training.
I hung out with Madison during the break. We went to the mall where I bought more workout clothes. It was three days after Christmas, so the mall was bustling.
"You look good, by the way," she told me as I tried on some of the stretchy clothing.
"What? Oh, thanks," I said.
I almost forgot that I had dropped a few pounds.
"How are you doing it? And why?"
I could tell that 'why' was the most crucial part of the question to her.
"I'm doing it because working out makes me feel better. When I left that party by myself, a group of guys chased me. I barely got away. After that, I decided I wanted to be able to defend myself," I said.
I wasn't lying. I wanted to me about to defend myself, but the guys from the party aren't the only ones making me fear for my safety.
Also, if I could use this opportunity to really teach her a lesson on how much her ditching me affected me, then I'll be damned, I'm going to do it.
"Oh well, then that's good," she told me.
Her voice was softer than it was before.
I guess it worked. I wasn't going to try to comfort her and tell her it was okay because, honestly it wasn't. I had forgiven, but I hadn't forgotten.
We continued our shopping trip without any further incident, or uncomfortable conversations.
During the car ride home, Madison brought up my working out 'obsession' again.
"Could you train me, maybe? Soccer season is over, and I know I've gained a few pounds from all of this holiday chocolate and food," she asked.
"Sure Mads, I'll help you," I told her.
She smiled for the first time the whole day.
It was then I had the old Madison back.
Madison dropped me off at my house, and I went upstairs to my room to rest. I was wearing myself thin, but I knew that it would all be worth it, or so I hoped.
No one knew what would happen to me if I died in either world. Most likely, I would be stuck finishing out my life in the other world. I tried not to think about it too much. Worrying would only continue to freak me out.
Mom started worrying about me. She kept coming up to my room or outside to check up on me. Maybe to everyone around me, I did appear to be obsessing over my body. In reality, I wasn't worried about that; I was obsessed with my training. I was obsessed with giving myself every possible advantage.
Yes, that might have had some noticeable effects, like losing some weight and gaining muscle. I might have been eating even more food than before, but I was the healthiest I had ever been.
I was proud of this transformation. She should be too.
School would start back in two weeks. I wasn't looking forward to it. It meant I had to dedicate more of my time to my studies and less time preparing for my mission. It also meant I'd have to learn how to handle all the extra attention I was getting.
I didn't want anyone to see me like they saw Lacey. I don't want to 'rule the school'; I just want to fit in.
◆◆◆
The next day Mads and I started working out together. She didn't talk about Tommy or Lacey and Kennan. We bonded over normal things, like our love of the holidays and our dislike of the cold.
The weather was now finally starting to feel like winter, and it wasn't unnoticed. I had a heavy sweatshirt on overtop of my workout clothes. Mads wore a heavy winter jacket.
I showed her my new workout routine, and she showed me her old ones. We switched up some pieces from each routine to give our bodies something new.
I felt closer to Mads than I had in a while. It made me wish I could tell her about the Morthlands. wish I could tell her that I had a chance to be a Queen. I couldn't, though. I just got my best friend back.
What if I told her and she thought I was crazy? I don't think she would believe me.
If she chose to tell anyone, then I would be right back where I was two weeks ago.
While I wasn't necessarily enjoying popularity, I hated being bullied more. It was a risk I couldn't take.
◆◆◆
Axel and I continued spending time together. We spent hours training every day. When I was done, Wisdom would get his turn practicing magic with me. At the end of the day, when that was all done, Axel and I would go on dates.
Sometimes we would just lay in bed and cuddle. It was cute and sweet and innocent. I didn't feel rushed or pressured. It made me feel special in a different way.
We would talk about all different types of things. We talked about our family lives, our interests, and what our hopes were for when this was all over.
Axel hoped that I would become the Queen, he would be my protector, and hopefully, one day be bound to me.
Although that statement was out there and had caught me a little off guard, I understood where he was coming from.
He was talking about our future, not our present or near future.
I liked the idea that he was considering making that kind of commitment to me, even if it would be a long time from now. It made me feel
even better that there was no pressure to say it back.
I went to bed tonight excited, Axel suggested that I take my necklace off and spend a whole night here in Morthshadow. I liked the idea of being able to sleep next to Axel and wake up when he does. According to him, sleeping next to me is the same as waking up next to a person in a coma.
When I'm asleep in one world, I can't be woken up in that world until I go to sleep in the other world. It is slightly confusing and inconvenient in an emergency situation.
Axel revealed to me the night before that he always felt scared to leave me alone while I slept because he felt I was so vulnerable.
"Are you excited?" Axel asked me.
He had a little smile on his face.
Actually sleeping in the same bed knowing the other one could be conscious next to you was a big step for us.
"I am," I gave him a smile in response to show him I mean what I said.
I kicked off my shoes and pulled back the covers. Axel and I had a hard day of training, and I was beyond exhausted. I was hoping for a good night's rest.
The training was getting increasingly difficult. Axel was pushing me even further than I thought possible. I was being forced to run further and faster. I was practicing with real swords that could easily harm Axel or myself.
I was practicing magic attacks against Wisdom, who was easily beating me. I was still too slow when it came to using my magic under pressure. I needed to get faster.
I laid flat on my stomach and spread out my arms and legs like a starfish and groaned.
I got knocked flat on my back during training, and now, hours later, I was starting to feel the pain. I felt like a failure. I had been so proud of my dramatic improvement before, but it still wasn't enough to be successful in our mission.
Before I knew it, Axel was on his knees, straddling me on the bed. He was careful not to touch anything inappropriate. He laid his hands on my back and started massaging the muscles right underneath my shoulder blades.
I let out a sigh and relaxed into his touch.
This man was a saint disguised as a knight... His touch had a way of relaxing me, amongst other things...
It was a pleasant surprise I wasn't expecting. He massaged my back for what felt like forever. He worked out all of the tension from my muscles, and they were feeling much better.
When my thoughts began to run wild with all of the other things he could do to me with his hands, I gave a little squirm to try and sit up. Axel took the cue and moved back on his spot in the bed.
I sat up and asked, "What can I do to relax you the way you just relaxed me?"
That sounded weird and awkward, but I'm glad I asked. I wanted to put in the same effort he was.
"I'm not sure. When I was a boy, my mother used to run her fingers through my hair to put me to sleep," he answered.
"Then that is what I will do," I said with a smile.
I wanted to do naughty things to him instead, but I don't think either of us is ready for that, despite what my body tells me. If my body could speak, it would tell my mind that it is a traitor.
Axel made himself comfortable in the bed, and I brought myself as close to him as I could. I started running my fingers through his hair. It was soft and felt good in my hands.
I never realized that something like this could be so comforting. I wish I had been able to feel this kind of comfort with someone sooner, but I was glad it was Axel.
I wasn't playing with his hair for very long before we both peacefully fell asleep.
◆◆◆
I woke up to feel Axel shaking me, "Violet, what's wrong?"
I shot up to a sitting position. I ran my hands through my hair and kept my hands on top of my head. I had to make it easier to breathe. That was the only way I knew how.
My lungs were burning, and my head was pounding. It felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to my head over and over. My vision was blurred. My eyes felt dry. It almost felt like I hadn't blinked in a while.
It wasn't real. Violet, listen to yourself; it wasn't real. It was just a dream. Deep breaths.
"Violet talk to me please, are you okay?" Axel was pleading with me.
One more deep breath.
"Bad dream, it seemed so real," I said between more ragged breaths.
"In your sleep, your eyes were open, they changed colors. They were glowing purple. That's not normal," he said.
He had so much urgency in his voice; it scared me even more. Was I dying again?
How were my eyes glowing purple? I don't understand. How is that even possible? No one had ever seen me do that before.
"Here, come on. We are going to tell Wisdom. He will know what it means," Axel said.
Axel grabbed my ankles and dragged me across the bed until I was close enough to the edge to put my feet down on the ground. I did my best to walk steadily to the living room.
I found the magic worker sitting at the table. He had a mug of something that smelt delicious in front of him. He was dressed in sleep clothes and looked like he just woke up. He stared at us as we walked into the room.
"Why are you awake?" I asked him.
"It's hard to remain asleep when someone is wailing like a baby dragon," he said.
His tone was monotone, so I couldn't tell if he was teasing me or if he was genuinely upset, I had woken him up.
My Great Grandfather can be so hard to read.
"I was screaming? Oh, goodness, I'm sorry. I also don't know what a baby dragon sounds like. So thanks for clearing that up," I said.
I was feeling a little sassy too.
"Yes, child, it was deafening and high pitched," he spoke.
"I'm sorry," I was still sarcastic.
"It is okay, why were you coming to find me? Is there something else wrong?" he asked.
Axel interrupted the conversation like he usually does.
"Her eyes were open while she was dreaming. They were glowing purple. She was speaking some other kind of language. It was something I had never heard before, but it sounded old. Like one of the lost languages, the King spoke of."
"One of the lost languages?" Wisdom asked.
A look of surprise took over his face.
"Yes," Axel confirmed.
"Could it be the first language of the Goddess?" Wisdom asked.
Axel just shrugged his shoulders.
"I need an explanation," I interrupted.
They do this often, where they have a conversation about me, like I am not here.
"When the Goddess first created us, she gave us the gift of language. Over many years, our languages have changed. The first language wasn't recorded and was forgotten. It could be a possibility that this was the language you were speaking since you are a reincarnation of her," Wisdom said.
That made sense, I guess. It still felt weird knowing that I was a reincarnation of someone. What was original about me, and what were the leftover genes from her? The idea was confusing and unsettling. Am I really me, or am I her?
"Her eyes were glowing purple?" Wisdom asked Axel.
He was still trying to wrap his head around the meaning of this, so it must be something big.
"Yes, I know something isn't right. What does it mean?" Axel said.
He couldn't help but let some of his earlier urgency slip into his voice. I tried not to let it scare me anymore; this was his training setting in that's all.
"Calm down, Axel. You are working yourself up. You will never be able to concentrate in battle if you are constantly fussing over her. Nothing is wrong with her. I believe she possesses an ability that none of us would have ever guessed," Wisdom said.
His face had a very faint trace of a smile. It was that very faint smile that gave me hope. I relaxed the muscles in my shoulders that had tensed again.
That didn't solve my growing impatience, though.
"Changing eye colors? How does that help us?" I asked, growing impatient.
"Do you remember the woman who spoke the prophecy? The woman wh
o predicted the three people who would save our Kingdom time after time? She was a seer. That is a gift you have somehow inherited," Wisdom answered.
"How is that even possible?" Axel asked before I got the chance to.
"I don't have the slightest clue," Wisdom responded.
"It isn't something that is passed down from parents and grandparents. It just randomly happens in one of the Kingdoms sometimes.
I believe the last seer that the Morthlands had was the one who predicted Victoria only a generation or so before she appeared to us. Before that, was the seer who told of the prophecy. Before her, was the one who predicted the splitting of the Mother Kingdom into the five Kingdoms we have today.
In this land's many, many years, we have had documented three seers, now I believe that number is four."
"So you had a warning Victoria was coming?" Axel asked.
"Yes we did," Wisdom said, as he nodded his head slightly.
"So, I can see the future?" I asked curiously.
"Not in the way you think. You will get bits and pieces of it. It won't always make sense. You will only see what is meant for you to be seen," Wisdom said solemnly.
"Tell us, what did you see?"
I took another deep breath and then recovered the dream.
"It was a war. There was blood everywhere. Mass killing. I've never seen King Eduard in person, but I assumed that it was him sitting on top of a horse. He looked like the pure definition of evil. He was laughing at the bloodshed going on around him. I don't know why we were fighting, or who, but they looked almost as scared as I felt. I wasn't myself, but someone else. I didn't want to be in this war. I think it was forced upon the person I was in the dream. I was being forced to fight. I was a prisoner, I believe."
"I had shackles on and was chained to someone else. I heard him scream beside me as the sword went through his chest. I tried to use my magic to protect me, but it failed.
I could feel his dead weight stopping me from running away, so I put my own sword through the murderer, unable to use my magic. That's when I was blasted by someone else's magic, and everything went black.
In my dream, I heard the words "coward's consequence," then I woke up to Axel shaking me," I told them.
Emerald Dreams (The Dream Traveler Series) Page 16