The Eden Series: The Complete Collection

by Stalder, Janelle

  * * * * *

  Words could not express the feeling that shot through him as he watched Elisa throw herself to the ground. Of course she had heard the arrow first. It wasn’t until Wolf saw it hit the chair that he realized what was happening. Thankfully he had been close by. There was mixture of panic and pain on her face. It didn’t take him long to figure out that another arrow was heading straight for her. Flying through the air, he landed on top of her, quickly rolling them both under the table. He had been afraid he’d hurt her doing it, but he soon realized she was already injured from her own fall.

  Now he was walking towards Logan. The servant girl was with her, so he didn’t feel as bad leaving her alone. Everyone was yelling except Logan, who stood silently in the chaotic crowd of men.

  “What’s happening?” Wolf asked in a hushed voice.

  Logan shrugged his shoulders. “I can’t make out what anyone is saying, but from what I gather, they’re upset that someone tried to assassinate Markus.” Wolf’s breath came out in a harsh gasp. “I know. How is she?”

  Wolf looked back where Elisa sat. She was watching him, her eyes glazed. The blood in his veins started to boil.

  “Wolf –” he started to say warningly.

  “Everyone shut it!” Wolf yelled, holding up his hands. All heads turned in his direction. Markus looked wildly at him, a clear sense of panic written over every feature.

  “I beg your pardon?” he said, with confidence and assertion.

  Wolf stepped closer to him. “You know, for a man who has spent the last four days devoting all his time and attention to the girl, I find it pretty funny that you have yet to make sure she is ok.”

  Markus stood up straighter. “In case you didn’t realize, that arrow was meant for me! Elisa was wearing my cloak and sitting in my chair. Clearly they mistook her for me.”

  It took all of Wolf’s restraint not to hit him where he stood. “In case you didn’t realize, regardless of the intended victim, it was Elisa who was almost killed!” He was yelling now, his face red with rage. “Twice!” His breath came out fast and harsh. Markus looked hesitantly over to where she sat. “If it hadn’t been for all your wine and dining, we wouldn’t even be here anymore! It’s your fault I almost lost her!”

  Markus’s eyebrows shot up. His voice was extremely steady when he spoke. “I am concerned for her, obviously, but the more important thing right now is to find out who would want me killed.”

  Coming to his rescue, Logan finally stepped in. “Actually, I don’t think that is obvious. It is clear you only care about yourself.”

  “That is not true –” he began. He didn’t get any further. Stepping between Wolf and Markus, Elisa appeared, her head held high.

  “Stop,” she said, holding her hand up. A hush ran throughout the room. “I wish you luck in finding who did this tonight. I’m sure you wouldn’t want a recurrence. You’ll be looking for someone who is left handed, that much I can tell you from their shot.”

  “Thank you for your understanding,” Markus said, his voice changing when he spoke to her. It made Wolf feel sick to his stomach. This man didn’t love Elisa, he only loved himself. Elisa was just something foreign, beautiful, and exciting to him. She was another trophy for him to parade around his famous parties.

  “Right,” she replied, her voice cold. “That being said, I want to officially thank you for everything you’ve done for us while we’ve been here, but it is clear our time has come to leave. Our King will need to know about this, and quite frankly, I think we’ve worn out our welcome.”

  “Elisa –”

  “No.” Her voice was almost a whisper. “I’m leaving – we’re leaving. Tonight.” She didn’t give him a chance to reply. As soon as she finished speaking, she turned and walked towards the doors, leaving the group of men to watch her retreat.

  “Markus,” Wolf said, nodding in a gesture of respect and farewell, a slight smirk hovering on his lips. The shocked look on the other man’s face was almost laughable. Logan said his farewells and the two boys followed their friend out.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Aiden pulled the covers up to his chin, sinking gratefully into the soft mattress. It had been a long day and an even longer night. The whole village had come out when they returned, and true to his word, Hawk immediately planned a feast. It had been just like the time in the Capital when he had killed the beast, and everyone had eaten it. The thought made him miss his friends even more.

  Aiden had been the guest of honour, sitting at the head table beside Hawk, who frequently beamed proudly at him. Sunny had embraced him in a fierce hug when she arrived, although Rain had walked by him without a word, heading over to sit with a group of kids that looked her age. Moose shrugged his shoulders at Aiden’s confused look.

  “Women!” he offered with a wry grin. Hawk stood in front of the whole village, raising his glass for a toast. Aiden picked up the cup in front of him, sniffing the contents curiously. It smelled like beer, which pleasantly surprised him.

  “To our guest, the great warrior Aiden,” Hawk called out in a loud voice. Everyone raised their glass in response. “At sixteen years of age, he has managed to bring home a bigger kill than my own son,” he continued looking over at Moose with an amused smile. It didn’t seem to bother Moose, thankfully. He simply smiled and shrugged. “He has truly proven himself amongst our people, and has been officially welcomed as one of the Riders of the west.” Everyone cheered in response. He smiled back, raising his glass and thanking Hawk with a slight nod of his head. As he looked around at the smiling faces he noticed one person who didn’t have a glass raised. Rain. For some reason this bothered him, even though he knew it shouldn’t. He understood that she was mad at Hawk, but that was no reason to be angry with him. It wasn’t his fault the Riders didn’t allow women to join the hunt. Biting back his disappointment, he continued to smile, taking a large gulp of the ale.

  Later that night, much later, he retreated back to the house. It had taken him a while to get there, stopping and talking to the villagers along the way. They all wanted to give him their congratulations and approval. It was sweet, but he was tired, and he had been drinking ale all evening.

  “Long night?” a familiar voice came out of the dark, as Aiden had reached the gate to Hawk’s house. He turned to see the Shaman standing in his yard across the road. The old man stood still, his eyeless face looking in Aiden’s direction.

  “Good evening,” he replied respectfully.

  “Or good morning one might say,” the old man chuckled. “Our people love their celebrations.”

  Aiden laughed in return. “I’ve noticed.”

  “What you did today was a great feat, Aiden. You should be very proud.”

  “Thank you, I am sir.”

  His wrinkled face broke out into another grin. “Shaman, Aiden. Just call me Shaman. Tell me, how did you kill the great bear?”

  “With his axe, and some seriously quick moves,” came Moose’s voice in answer. “Not to mention an excellent partner, you know, in case he ran into any trouble.”

  “I believe you were the whole reason we were in trouble to begin with,” Aiden replied dryly. Moose shrugged, grinning from ear to ear.

  “Son of Hawk, it is a pleasure to speak with you,” the Shaman said, turning his blind gaze towards the spot where Moose stood. “I have not spoken with you in quite some time.”

  Moose cleared his throat awkwardly. “I’ve been busy.”

  The Shaman nodded thoughtfully. “You must make an effort to come by sometime, I miss our conversations.” Moose didn’t reply, instead he looked over at his house, the need for sleep as clear on his face as it surely was on Aiden’s. “Well I will let you boys get your rest,” he continued, in reply to Aiden’s thoughts. “It’s not every day one fights and kills a bear.”

  “Or kisses a forest girl and lives to talk about it,” Moose chuckled, elbowing Aiden. The Shaman turned back to Aiden again, eyebrows raised.

  “You met
a forest person today?” he asked, his voice filled with wonder and surprise, and something else Aiden couldn’t quite identify.

  “Yes, Shaman,” he answered, giving Moose a severe look. Moose held up his hands in defence, mouthing ‘sorry’.

  “Interesting,” the Shaman continued, almost to himself. “She kissed you, and yet here you stand? I must say Aiden, you are much stronger than even I imagined.”

  “Thank you?” he said, more a question than a statement.

  The old man was lost in thought as he turned to head back to his house. “You two have a good night,” he said over his shoulder, leaving them standing there alone.

  “He gives me the creeps,” Moose said quietly, looking across the street at the closing door of the Shaman’s house. “I don’t know what it is, but I’ve never liked him the way everyone else around here does.”

  Aiden looked at the Shaman’s house. “I know what you mean,” he said thoughtfully. “I get a strange vibe from him. I can’t tell what it is.”

  “Someone that quiet and alone all the time is bound to be nuts.”

  “I don’t think he’s nuts,” Aiden replied.

  “Then what?” Moose asked.

  “I think he has secrets,” Aiden confessed. They turned to look at each other. “There has to be more to why I’m here. For instance, how did I even get here? Diana told me only she could get me, because it took a special kind of magic that most people can’t perform. From what I’ve seen and heard about the Shaman, I don’t think he could manage something like this. And why even bring me here? Why the west, and not back to the High King and those who know me?”

  Moose was nodding his head. “I wondered how he brought you here too. When my father mentioned it at first, I remember laughing. I didn’t think he’d be able to do it. It sounded like the old guy was just talking nonsense again. But my father, he believed him. The Shaman kept insisting we needed to bring you here. It didn’t make sense, nothing was happening.”

  “That’s what I mean. Why now? Why here? The answers he gave me before didn’t feel complete, like he was hiding something.”

  Moose looked contemplative for a moment. “I don’t know,” he said eventually. “But I know we can’t ask him,” he continued, motioning towards the Shaman’s house with his head. “First, I don’t think he’d tell us, and second, I just don’t trust him.”

  “What about your father?”

  “I don’t know how much he knows either. My father tends to just go with what the Shaman says, and doesn’t ask too many questions. He’s all about respecting the elders,” he said, scrunching his face.

  “Well I need to find some answers. I love being back, but I need to understand everything that’s happening. Will you help me?”

  “Do you even need to ask?”

  Soon afterwards, Aiden was alone and in bed, and could finally let his mind and body rest. The fight with the bear may have turned out in his favour, but he could already feel his body growing sore. The physical pain on top of the mental exhaustion he was feeling from his conversation with Moose left him completely drained. Thankfully he knew if he got at least a few hours of sleep his body would feel better. That was the benefit of being in Eden. He might feel sore now, but the healing capabilities he had would rectify that shortly. As for his other problems – well now he had Moose’s help. That was better than nothing.

  As he closed his eyes, all thoughts vanished from his mind, and he began to sink into a blissful sleep. It only lasted for what felt like seconds, before he was woken by a light scraping sound outside his window. His eyes shot open and looked around. He waited quietly for a minute. Then it came again.

  “Now what?” he whispered, throwing the covers off, shivering against the cold. Walking over to the window, he lifted the pane slowly. A creak echoed throughout the quiet house. When he stuck his head out, he immediately recognized who was there.

  “Good morning,” she smiled up at him. His heart began to beat faster as he looked down at her. “I hope I didn’t wake you.” Lily smiled wickedly, her violet eyes wide with excitement, white hair shimmering in the fading moonlight. The sky was beginning to grow pink on the horizon, showing the signs of a new day.

  “Lily, what are you doing here?” he asked. It wasn’t that he was necessarily upset that she was there, even though he desperately wanted to sleep, but her presence scared him a little…while at the same time stirring up other feelings.

  “Come out here with me,” she said, ignoring his question. Aiden looked longingly at his bed.

  “I can’t,” he said, turning back to look at her. “I need to rest, and I know what you are now. You’re dangerous.”

  A small pout formed on her lips. “Dangerous? Says who? Just come with me warrior. I’ll make sure you get some rest.” She was smiling now, her plump lips stretched invitingly across her face. Something inside him wanted nothing else but to follow her, but a tiny voice in the back of his mind warned him against it. He was about to respond, when suddenly there was a light tap on his door and it creaked open.

  “Aiden?” Rain’s voice whispered. He turned around in surprise, hiding the open window with his body. She looked suspiciously at him. “Who are you talking to?”

  “N-no one,” he stuttered. “What are you doing here?”

  She narrowed her eyes at him, taking notice of the open window, but didn’t press the subject. “I need to go out again, and your room in the best way to leave unnoticed. You don’t mind do you?” Panic gripped him. For some reason he didn’t want her to see Lily. A protective feeling rushed over him. He looked back through the window and breathed a sigh of relief. She was gone.

  “Where do you go?” he asked, turning back to look at her. She straightened defensively. “I mean, if I’m supposed to look the other way all the time, shouldn’t I at least know where it is you’re going?”

  “Who are you? My father? I don’t need to explain myself to you.” Her last words dripped with sarcasm.

  “I don’t think your father would approve of this. I am a guest in his home. It seems wrong.”

  Rain stepped closer now, moving quickly across the room. “Don’t you dare tell my father about this!” she hissed, pointing her slim finger in his face. “I am going out, and you’re not going to say a thing. Is that understood?” Aiden looked down at her angry face. Something told him he didn’t want to make more of an enemy out of her than he somehow already had.

  “Fine,” he gave in. She walked around him, lifting one leg through the open space. He grabbed her arm before she fell. “Just know this though; if you get hurt, or I suspect what you’re doing is wrong, I will tell your father. I can promise you that.” Rain glared at him, but didn’t say anything as she disappeared over the ledge. She was out of his sight in seconds. Something in his stomach told him he should follow her, but she’d probably expect that, and he really was quite tired. Aiden finally shut the window and went back to bed, falling asleep the second his head hit the pillow.

  Late the next morning, as they ate breakfast, Rain joined them as if nothing had happened. He didn’t know when she returned, but whenever it was he had been soundly asleep. As usual, she avoided eye contact with him, which he was beginning to get used to. It wasn’t until afterwards, when he was sitting out in the sun by himself, that she spoke to him.

  “You snore loudly,” she said, sinking down on to the grass beside him.

  “You apparently don’t sleep at all, so what’s worse?” he replied, keeping his voice neutral. He didn’t want to fight with her if it could be avoided. She actually chuckled.

  “I sleep when I can,” she offered casually.

  “Are you going to tell me what you’ve been doing?”

  “No,” she answered quickly. They sat in an awkward silence. She was pulling out pieces of grass, throwing them away and going back to rip more. “I hate that my father won’t let me ride with the men,” she said suddenly.

  “I can see why that would upset you,” he replied, trying to
keep his voice from sounding excited. She was actually making conversation with him. This was a good step.

  “Moose will become chief, and Wolf got to go to the King’s army, but you know what I get to do?” she asked, turning to face him now, her eyes filling up with angry tears. Aiden shook his head. “I get to be a wife and a mother, and stay home all day cooking… I get to be just like my mother.” Her words were filled with bitterness.

  “I like your mother,” Aiden said, immediately cursing himself for sounding like an idiot. She shot him a harsh look.

  “That is not the point. I want to be more than that, and because of who I am and where I’ve been born, there is nothing else! You have no idea how frustrating it is.”

  “I think I can imagine.”

  “No you can’t. You’re this famous warrior who everyone loves. There is no way you understand.” She started ripping up the grass again, this time harder than she did before.

  Aiden laughed lightly, igniting another hostile glare. “I wasn’t always a warrior. I don’t even really think that’s what I am,” he confessed, looking up at the clear sky. “I came here without a clue of what this world was, or who I was expected to be, but you know what? I didn’t sit around cursing everyone because of it. I made the best of my situation. I made my own path by learning and trying new things.” He looked over at her now. “Rain, just because you’re expected to be one thing doesn’t mean you need to be that. Everyone makes their own paths in life if they want to, you just have to try.” She looked over at him silently, then looked down at her hands. Aiden glimpsed a mixture of emotions on her face before she turned away. Sadness, and… regret? He couldn’t make sense of it, but when she looked back up they were gone, and a blank, neutral look took its place.

  “Thank you, Aiden,” she said softly, leaning in to kiss him lightly on the cheek. “You really are a nice guy.” Before he could say anything back, she stood up and went inside. The whole exchange confused him, but he didn’t have time to wonder about it because Moose came out from behind the house the minute his sister disappeared.