The Eden Series: The Complete Collection

by Stalder, Janelle

  “I’m not afraid of you, Aziz,” the new prisoner replied. The voice was soft and feminine, and did not waver under his stare.

  “I know.” He chuckled. “Your mother has made you reckless and overly confident. Little girl, you may be stronger than most, but you’re not stronger than me.”

  “Maybe not,” she said, her voice smug now, “but Aiden is, isn’t he? Are you scared Aziz? You invite what will destroy you right onto your doorstep. Who is the reckless and overly confident one now?”

  The sound of flesh hitting flesh bounced off the walls, ringing in his ears. Ethan flinched, even though he wasn’t the one who had been struck. Melissa grew still behind him. He could sense that she was actually paying attention to what was happening inside their cell. This was new. Normally she was lost in her mind, a place he could not reach her.

  “You will watch your tongue, before I cut it out! All your efforts and those of your Goddess,” he sneered, “all of them have been for nothing! Soon I will have what is mine back, and this time no one will take it from me! You’ve lost! All of you!” He was seething with anger. His movements and voice clipped. Ethan looked to the new girl. She sat, huddled on the ground. The large cloak still hiding her, but even through the fabric Ethan could see that she did not tremble. If Aziz had directed his anger at him, Ethan would have been terrified. Not this girl. Whoever she was, she remained calm, undeterred by his threats.

  “You have played this game too long, Aziz. Perhaps your ending will not turn out the way you imagined.”

  “Everything will turn out the way I imagined. I’ve spent my life planning for the day that boy steps foot in my home. He will know where he belongs. Truths cannot be hidden forever.” He didn’t wait for her to respond. With those last words, he turned on his heels and marched out the door. The winged man looked down at the girl for a moment before shutting them in again.

  He was expecting to hear sniffles come from the other side of the room, but he didn’t. She didn’t cry or scream, or do any of the things both he and Melissa had done when they first came to be here. He wanted to speak to her, but his voice was hoarse from disuse and thirst. He also wanted to give her a moment to come to terms with where she had ended up. Melissa shuffled forward a bit so she could peek around him. It was impossible to see things very clearly. The girl was simply a black spot in the already endless black background.

  The girl shuffled, presumably getting comfortable, before letting out a long sigh.

  “Who are you?” Ethan jumped at the sound of Melissa’s voice. She rarely spoke. He turned to look at her, but could only see the dark outline of her face.

  “My name is Lily,” the girl replied. Ethan liked her voice, he decided. There was something about it that made him feel relaxed. It was a strange sensation.

  “Lily,” Melissa repeated. She paused. “You know Aiden?”

  Another long sigh. “Yes, I know Aiden.”

  “Will he come?”

  Ethan looked into the blackness of the other girl. His heart picked up speed. Melissa had asked the one question Ethan had been wondering since the first day. Would Aiden come? How could his friend expect to go up against someone like Aziz? He wasn’t a normal man, and Aiden was, well, Aiden. Tall, lanky (well maybe not so much anymore), geeky, Aiden. And yet…Ethan realized that both Aziz and the girl Lily had spoken of him like he was someone great. It made him wonder if they were even talking about the same Aiden. Certainly his best friend Aiden was no match for a man like Aziz.

  He realized the girl had been silent for quite a few moments. That didn’t bode well in his mind. “Will he?” Melissa asked again, her voice barely a whisper. There was so much hope in those two words they threatened to break his heart. For some reason she actually thought Aiden would come here and save them. She really believed he was capable of such a thing. They both knew Aiden. There was no way Melissa was remembering him correctly if she actually thought their Aiden was going to do much of anything. He thought maybe the captivity was just getting to her; that she was looking for some hope to hold on to.

  Lily replied this time, her voice sad. “Yes, he will come. He is probably already on his way.” It was strange to Ethan that this girl had spoken so fiercely of Aiden to Aziz, blatantly saying that he would destroy Aziz, and yet now she didn’t sound as though she wanted him here at all.

  “Why are you so sure?” Ethan asked. He cringed at the rough sound of his voice.

  He heard her readjust herself again before replying. “Who are you two?” she asked, ignoring his question. “Why does Aziz have you here?”

  “For the same reason he has you,” Ethan said. “He thinks Aiden will come for us.”

  He sensed more than saw her stiffen. “Why would Aiden come here for you? Do you know him?”

  “He’s my best friend,” Ethan replied. He had meant to say it firmly, but it ended up coming out almost as a whisper. Honestly, the thought of Aiden actually made him sad. He missed him. He wanted to believe that some way, somehow his friend would show up and get them out of this hell. Most of all, he just wanted to see him. Things had been so strained between the two of them since the summer ended, and now he regretted it. He could admit that he had been jealous of all the changes he had watched his friend go through, but now he didn’t care. He didn’t care how different they became. No matter what, he knew deep down that Aiden would always be his friend. Even if he became some football star at school, it would be Ethan’s table that he sat at during lunch. It would be Ethan who went to his house for Thanksgiving, and read princess books to his sister, Eddie. Since grade nine it had always been the two of them, and that wasn’t going to change. He had lost sight of that for a while, but now it was as clear as day. All he had to do was figure out a way to get back to him.

  “Do you mean…” Lily trailed without finishing her questions. She was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. “Where are you from?”

  “What do you mean?” Ethan asked.

  “Are you from his world, or ours?”

  His world or ours? What was she talking about? Melissa’s tiny hand suddenly wrapped around his, and she gave him a squeeze. “I don’t understand,” he said.

  He could sense her distress. “Aziz actually took you from his world,” she said, almost as if she were speaking to herself. Her voice was filled with disbelief. “He doesn’t know,” Lily whispered.

  “Who doesn’t know what?” Ethan asked.

  “Aiden. He doesn’t know Aziz has you, or he would have been here already. Trust me. I know how Aiden is, and if he knew you were being held here, he would have come right away.” Her words actually made Ethan feel better. He didn’t know why, but a small amount of hope and relief spread through him. If Aiden had known he’d have been here. It was comforting to know, even if Ethan didn’t think he could do anything – except maybe join them in the cell.

  “Why will he come then, if he doesn’t know we’re here?” he asked.

  “Because Aziz took me, and he thinks Aiden will be angry enough to come and get me back.”

  “Will he?” Melissa asked.

  “Yes, he will.”

  “Will you tell us where we are?” said Melissa, moving so she was sitting beside Ethan rather than behind him like always. She seemed to trust this new girl. There was definitely something about her that pulled you in. He honestly couldn’t say what it was, but there was just something about her.

  “I will explain everything,” she replied, moving closer to them. Slowly, she removed the cloak. Ethan squinted in the dark, watching as she stood and spread the fabric over the hard, stone floor. She was clearly tiny, he could tell at least that much. As she sat back down, she motioned for them to join her. The thin cloak didn’t do much about the hardness of the stones, but it did offer a bit of a break from the cold. Closer up, Ethan could see more glimpses of her features. Her eyes were big and round, her hair pale and long. He could tell she had a little nose, but couldn’t see more.

  “I had better star
t from the beginning,” she said, resting her back against the wall.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Things had quieted down now, but Aiden’s ears were still ringing. At first there had been screaming and yelling all around him, but his focus had been on the sky. Everything outside of that was a blur. He could hardly remember Elisa frantically trying to get his attention. Her soft hands had felt cold on his face as she angled his head towards her. Even then she seemed out of focus. Soon other hands were gripping his arms and guiding him inside. He could hear Turk barking orders, but he knew, even in his agonized haze, he knew it was useless. The creature had wings. There was no way any of the men in all three of the now combined armies would be able to catch them. They were gone. She was gone.

  Now as Aiden sat in Markus’ private office, the spot in his chest that suddenly felt empty began to ache again. It felt like his chest might burst. All he could picture was her long, white hair blowing in the wind, strikingly contrasted against the tanned skin of her abductor. All he could hear was the memory of her screams still ringing in his ears. How had this happened? One moment they had been standing together, her snugly in the circle of his arms, enjoying the festivities of newfound peace. The end of war between brothers, even though everyone knew it was just the beginning of a war against a sorcerer. Still, they had been happy and relaxed. He had only left her side for a few moments.

  I should have stayed by her, he thought for the hundredth time. The thing, creature, man, whatever he was, he would not have attacked had Aiden been there. How did he know this? He just did. Somehow he knew that whatever took her was the same thing she had been scared of only that morning; the presence that had been hidden above them in the clouds, and the same thing that Aiden hadn’t feared, but felt strangely connected to. He hadn’t told anyone this. When he saw it swoop down that feeling was still there. It was almost as though he knew the attacker. That feeling was the reason he hadn’t reacted quickly enough. A split second of hesitation had caused him to lose the one thing that was just beginning to mean the most to him.

  Lily.

  He had to get her back. Everyone needed to stop talking about strategies and how to move so many men and their supplies. What they needed to do was just move! He didn’t care how they did it, they just needed to get off their asses and go. If only he left then so be it. The rest of them could stay here and talk about the mechanics of maneuvering a significantly larger army all they wanted, he wasn’t wasting any more time.

  Aiden moved to get up, but was halted by a tentative hand placed on his arm. He looked down at the slim fingers then followed the arm up to the concerned green eyes staring at him. Felix’s sister looked at him like she knew exactly what he was thinking and how he was feeling. Her expression said to sit back down.

  “We’ll get her back,” she said, her voice a reassuring balm to his frantic nerves. “Be patient.”

  He wanted to be rude and rip his arm out from under her hand, but the sadness he read in her eyes stopped him. Had she felt this way about Felix? Had she wanted to rush to the Capital just to be with him? But she was with Callum, he argued. How could she be with her brother’s enemy, and still want to save him? His eyes moved to where Callum stood. He was bent over the table beside Jameson, Turk and Markus, his face a mask of concentration and determination. Aiden could guess how much Callum wanted to go up against Aziz after being made to do his dirty work.

  When he turned back to Rose he saw a twinge of hurt and understanding in her eyes now. She must have guessed what he had been thinking when he looked over at Callum.

  “Sometimes,” she said quietly, “you can’t choose who you fall in love with.” She offered him a weak smile before moving closer to her husband. Aiden thought about that, and decided she was probably right. Even he could not help who he fell in love with. Yes, he could admit that he was most likely, maybe, very much in love with Lily. Okay, he was in love with Lily. Despite the fact that he told himself it wasn’t smart and there was no future for them, he had still given his heart to the spirited, beautiful forest girl. He already missed her playful antics. The urge to run out, wielding his double axe above his head, and charging full throttle all the way to Aziz was so strong, he had to grip the arms of his chair to keep himself in place.

  “You look like you’re about to explode,” Logan said as he plopped down in the seat beside him. Aiden looked over at his friend. Logan smiled, holding his hands up in front of him. “Whoa boy, don’t look at me like you want to skin me alive. I didn’t do anything.”

  There were dark circles under his eyes, his clothes wrinkled and dirty. Suddenly Aiden felt deflated, and relaxed his features. Obviously Logan had been one of the men running around the city, trying to find anything that would help them. What they had thought they would find was beyond Aiden, but at least they had been doing something. Unlike him, who had just been sitting in the same chair for what must have been hours now.

  “I’m sorry,” Aiden said, dragging his hand down his face. “I’m on edge.”

  “I think we all are,” Logan replied, all traces of humour gone. “I’ve never seen people panic like that. You’d have thought it was Aziz himself flying around up there.”

  Aiden snorted at that thought. “Something tells me that was the closest to Aziz we’ve gotten yet.”

  Logan nodded, understanding his meaning. “You honestly think Aziz could create something like that? Didn’t you see him? He was practically human.”

  “Yeah, except for the whole enormous wings coming out of his back.”

  “Well yeah, except that,” Logan admitted. “I just don’t see how Aziz could create something so human.”

  Aiden shrugged. Who knew how Aziz did anything. It was beyond Aiden’s understanding. He had never met the sorcerer, and his gut told him he didn’t want to. The man had been haunting Aiden since his very first visit. He didn’t ever want to come face to face with the source of his nightmares. Unfortunately he no longer had a choice.

  “Aziz is probably capable of doing more than any of us thinks,” Aiden said.

  “Why wouldn’t he have used that guy in the first battle?”

  Aiden shrugged again. “Who knows? All I know is that I want to get moving. We need to head east. That’s where they were headed.”

  “Oh yeah? You go east, and then what?”

  His question made Aiden stop and stare at him. And then what? It was a good question. Actually it was an excellent question. Aiden had never been to the east, didn’t even know what it looked like for that matter. No one had been able to locate his home, so what made Aiden think he could? His frustration grew at the impossibility of everything. He felt hopeless and angry.

  Logan squeezed his shoulder. “Don’t worry Aiden,” he said, leaning in closer so no one else could hear. “We’ll find him and we’ll get her back. Even if you, Wolf, and I need to sneak off and take care of it ourselves, you know we will. Aziz won’t get away with this.”

  “I know,” Aiden said. And he did. There was nothing his friends wouldn’t do for him, and vice versa. It still felt impossible.

  “Aiden! Logan!” Both of them jumped at their names. They turned to see Captain Turk motioning them over. They joined the others around the table they had all been staring at for the past hour. Spread out was a large map of Eden. A few spots were circled in ink.

  “What are those?” Aiden asked.

  “Possible locations for Aziz’s home,” Callum answered. “Brutus and I never knew where exactly he was, but some of the things he said made us believe he was in the mountains. I don’t think he would have stayed in Ramel, the capital of the east.”

  “Why not?” asked Logan.

  “Because the Sand People don’t like him. He’d be a target there. He must be far enough that they don’t know where he is, but close enough for him to have access to a village and people.” He pointed at a few areas on the map. “We’re guessing around here, but we’ll need to find a way to confirm it.”

  “Didn’t thos
e hooligans who carelessly knocked me out say something about Frost Point?” Logan said, pointing at a small village in the middle of a valley. Aiden saw Markus stiffen out of the corner of his eye. Logan, Wolf and Elisa had been attacked by what they thought were highway thieves, but turned out to be scouts for Markus. It was a sore spot for all of them.

  Jameson cleared his throat before answering, hiding his grin but Aiden caught it. “Yes I think they did. That’s where we’re sending most of our men, but there are still hundreds of places Aziz could be around there. The mountains surround the entire valley. There’s also Riverend and Foxgate that are good possibilities. It could take us months just to locate him.” He looked up and met Aiden’s stare. Aiden could see the unspoken apology in the other man’s face. No one here knew what Aziz wanted with Lily, why he took her, or what he would do to her. But everyone knew Aiden was very close to her, and had been giving him that same look all night. It was slowly getting on his nerves. He didn’t want their sympathy, he wanted action.

  A strange feeling spread up his arm. It felt like he was on fire. He shook his hand looking down at himself in confusion. The other’s continued to talk about how long it would take. The more they spoke, the more his veins pulsed with this new energy, in time with the steady beat of his heart as his anger grew. A rush of air shot through the room extinguishing all the candles. Aiden breathed harder. He could hear everyone’s surprised voices as they tried to figure out what was happening as more wind rushed around them. Aiden felt like he was standing in the eye of a storm. The wind whipped around him in a funnel. He should have been scared, but his anger over everything that was happening seemed to trump it. He just wanted Lily back. Glass shattered as the large chandelier above them crashed to the ground.

  The others were running around frantically, grabbing hold of objects as they flew through the air. Aiden took a deep breath, trying to calm himself so he could help. After a minute he started to feel more like himself. As his heart slowed, he noticed the air around him began to still as well. When he opened his eyes to look around, everything had settled. The men were looking at one another in confusion. Aiden didn’t look at anyone. He simply looked down at his hands, still clenched with the effort to remain calm.