by Morgan Wylie
“Something is wrong. What is it?” Daegan asked quietly, leaning in to her ear. She could feel his breath tickle the sensitive skin on her neck, sending friendly chills down her spine.
“It’s nothing. You don’t need to worry about me, Daegan.”
His grip squeezed her wrist so she knew he was there, but that was something she didn’t want at the moment. His hot and cold mood swings were irritating. As she pulled her hand out of his grip, she pulled up so she could grip his hand in hers before she let go and pulled away completely. Before she moved out of his reach, she heard him mutter under his breath, “But I do.”
They found themselves carefully walking up rotted steps, unsure if it was an illusion. And if it was, could they still be hurt if they fell through the decaying boards? Soon they were all crowded into the entryway of what once could have been a beautiful old mansion. It was three stories tall with floor to ceiling windows on the first level, though most were either boarded up or broken. There was a grand staircase off to the side of the entry. There was no color in this place. It was a void, lifeless and muted, but it was all a deception.
CHAPTER FOUR
Elnye
The Castle in Elnye, the capital of Feraánmar
“My Lady, Maleina. It is always a pleasure, but I am afraid I have journeyed, personally, to bring you disappointing news.” The man before her inclined his head slightly, keeping his eyes downcast awaiting her to acknowledge him.
Maleina stood regally, poised in front of one of the tall windows off to the side from her throne. She appeared to be entranced, watching something far off in the distance. Fully adorned in her finest, knowing she was to have company, she wore silks of red and orange. The skirt was full with layers of bright fabric, while the bodice was sculpted against her outline. It was without sleeves, except for the short dress jacket she wore with it. Her mane of fiery red curls was, unusually, left down this day. She wore pins of exquisite jewels and several pieces of her hair were roped with strips of fabric that matched her dress.
She made the man in her presence wait longer than was hospitable, but then she did not desire to be accommodating. When she heard the fabric of his clothing rub together from his fidgeting, she took a deep breath and turned slowly to grace him with her attention. He looks nervous. Good, she thought. There were two other men—Elves—standing some distance behind the man in front of her. They stood as sentries, on guard for their master with their hands holding their spears and shields in front of them as if they were prepared for battle. In front of her stood the Elf who called himself “king” of Adettlyn—for the time being. She had other plans for him, but not just yet. She needed him for now.
“What is the news you bring, Syén?”
“I have eyes in the eastern woods of Lumei. They report to me of a group traveling under the cover of night and the trees. My spies watched them while they waited to hear my instruction, but then lost them when they were under attack from the Droch-Shúil and saved by a blinding light of sacred magic. When their vision was restored, they could neither find them nor track them. It was as if they had vanished.”
Maleina’s eyes burned with flames of fire. Her fists clenched at her sides. The king in front of her lowered his head, but continued to watch her. He took a step back, which he regretted. He did not like her superiority over him—after all, he too was a king—but he honestly feared her more. He preferred to send messages, but he owed his crown to her.
“I was counting on your resources to regain what is mine, but I shall now have to take matters into my own hands. Unfortunately, I know where they are headed and it is somewhere my reach does not grant me. She must have sent the Droch-Shúil on her own. I will have to resort to some unfortunate means to get results.” Maleina turned back toward the window, ignoring her company but not yet dismissing them. She mused the situation over to herself until she lighted on a certain outcome.
“You are dismissed for now, Syén. Do not stray from your kingdom, however, for I feel you will be needed there in the future.” She smirked condescendingly at him. He inclined his head and quickly left the throne room with his men behind him.
“Guards.” Her voice carried across the long room to the men stationed at the throne room entrance. “Bring me my son.”
CHAPTER FIVE
The heavy, creaking door of the haunted mansion closed loudly behind them, causing Kaeleigh and Chel to jump and grab onto each other’s arms.
“Fan-freaking-tastic. How did we go from another world to my nightmare?” Chel whispered.
Kaeleigh held tightly to Chel’s arm; she hated all things horror. There was a reason she didn’t watch those kinds of movies and now she was in one. She tried to take steady breaths. “It’s going to be okay, Chel. It has to be, right?” Kaeleigh whispered back. She didn’t turn around, but she felt Daegan at her back, his presence bringing a sense of calm and safety with him. It was almost like he was touching her, but he wasn’t. As much as she coveted the feeling of calm he gave her, it also drove her emotions and hormones crazy.
Ella muttered something in another language, and then there was a light a short ways down the hall in front of them. She started walking again. Apprehensively, they followed.
“Look,” Chel said under her breath and nodded towards the front.
“Oh wow,” Kaeleigh responded. “Is that her marking? It glows. That is pretty cool.” Kaeleigh and Chel both looked at Kaeleigh’s wrists as she pulled back her bracelets and material she used to cover them up to see if her marking glowed like Ella’s did. Disappointed to find that neither of them did, Kaeleigh shrugged. Then she felt Daegan nudge her back with what must have been the back of his hand. Distracted by Ella’s mark, they had gotten a bit behind and took fast steps to catch up.
✧✧✧
Ella led the group through the bright light that created the gateway into the pocket realm. She and her grandfather, along with a hand-selected small group of powerful and trusted members of Alandria, made it a habitable and thriving environment for the Twined. The group was made up of half mortal/half Alandrian beings and halves from two different races within Alandria who had escaped to flee recent persecution. No one knew how many there actually were in existence until they had begun to come from all over the mortal realm, looking for sanctuary. They either did not understand why they were the way they were—similar to Kaeleigh—or they had been taught some of their birthright from their parents, but wanted to be taught more and/or to be a part of what could be the hopeful future of Alandria. Ella had hoped that Kaeleigh would feel at home in this place. If there was anyone the Twined could relate to, it might be Kaeleigh—born of two Alandrian races, raised as mortal.
“We are here,” Ella said with her arms wide clearly proud of what was before her. “Welcome to Tylínyth.”
They stepped out from behind another cluster of large rocks and boulders. As they looked up behind them, they saw an enormous, white snow-capped mountain through the man-sized crevice they had walked through.
“Wow,” Kaeleigh breathed out in awe. Everyone, except for those who came with Ella and had obviously been there before, stood still for a moment in silence taking in the scene.
There were people busying about doing what appeared to be “normal” things in a village nestled at the base of a mountain chain. There were small houses, some more fortified than others that were more log cabin-esque, and there were larger structures that looked to house supplies if the strings of food and weapons hanging in the windows were any indication. Some of the houses that seemed to be more lived in even had gardens and greenery thriving around them. Off in the distance, there was a treed area—not nearly as old or mysterious looking as the forests in Alandria. Next to that were fields of wildflowers that went on for miles leading up toward a range of mountains. They were striking, tall and all capped with snow. They created a beautiful wall, proud and protective. The air was fresh and crisp. Even though the sun—no wait, was that two... three suns?—were high in the sk
y, and there was a spring chill in the air. There were birds chirping nearby and even a butterfly or two passed in front of them as they remained by the entrance to this familiar feeling place.
“Is this somewhere in Alandria?” Kaeleigh asked. “It looks more like something out of one of my Geography books, except for the three suns.”
“What did you do, Ella? I feel like I’m looking at a postcard,” Chel fired off. Ella uncharacteristically blushed. Backpedaling to not offend her, Chel added, “I mean it’s beautiful, it just seems too perfect.”
“It looks like somewhere in Switzerland,” Daegan said matter-of-factly. Several pairs of eyes shifted his direction in questioning shock. He shrugged his shoulders. “I know more about your world than you do. Yes, Chel, I think that is exactly what Ella has done, quite masterfully I might add. Except for the three suns, that is not a part of the mortal realm.”
“No, but as there are Alandrians living here as well, I tried to combine the realms to make everyone comfortable.” Then she huffed in frustration. “And they are not all suns. It is one sun and two moons, but for some reason I can not get the moon cycles to work quite right so they pretty much stay there permanently and just change shades at night.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she seemed to still be considering how to alter it.
Kaeleigh jumped in. “Ella, please show us around. This is truly incredible.” Ella’s eyes lit up and gestured for them to follow her.
They were shown around the different living quarters, the eating and meeting hall which was just a larger building, and the training arena out in one of the fields. Ella had explained that even though it looked as if you could go for miles, for now, it was just for appearances and you could really only climb up one side of the mountains before you had an “urge” to go back down to the bottom. The camp or village itself was not as large as it first appeared. Kaeleigh began yawning as they neared the end. She didn’t want to make Ella feel bad, but the events of the last while were suddenly catching up to her quickly. She needed a long rest.
“Ella, is there somewhere that we can rest?” It was Finn. He winked at Kaeleigh, covering for her. Though it was not always wanted, she did appreciate him and his heart, looking after her.
“Yes, let me show you.” Ella walked back towards the larger of the buildings. Right before they reached it, Ella stopped and gestured to a smaller structure next to it. It was larger than most of the “homes” they had seen along the tour. It was also extremely simple in construction, basically four walls and a flat roof, creating a box with a door and two small windows in the front.
“This is one of the bunk buildings. It is usually used for newer guests or those that don’t stay long enough to want or need their own residence. There is no one using it that I am aware of, though, so it should be peaceful for you all. I apologize there are not more individual accommodations for you, but with the recent events I assumed you would all prefer to remain close anyway.” Ella eyed Finn with a slight question in her eyes, but as soon as he nodded appreciatively she opened the door and entered what essentially was a big open room with only one door in the back—hopefully a bathroom.
Each wall was lined with bunk beds. There were a couple trunks in the room. Ella pointed at one of them. “There are blankets, linens, and towels in these.” She then pointed toward the door to the back, “The bathroom is simple, but it is at least modern plumbing.” Ella looked to the girls with a small smile.
Both Kaeleigh and Chel sighed with relief. They had been using the eau de toilette de nature quite a bit in Alandria while they trekked all over.
“It’s a shame having magic powers doesn’t give you the luxury of not needing a bathroom anymore,” Chel mused. Kaeleigh giggled at Chel’s blunt observation.
Ella interrupted their laughter calmly. “There is a meal in the main hall at sundown. I would like to introduce you to everyone.” Oddly she looked only at Kaeleigh, awaiting her reply.
After a second, Kaeleigh looked up from the bed she was about to stake a claim to. “Oh, yes, I would be honored to meet everyone.” She blushed at not realizing she was being spoken to.
Ella nodded as she walked out, but before she had gotten far, she gestured for Finn to follow her out. Kaeleigh almost missed it, Ella was so subtle. But then Finn followed her out, and Kaeleigh couldn’t help wonder if they had been “together” before Finn had been kicked out of his home to take care of her. A momentary stab of guilt pierced her heart, but then she remembered that he would have been sentenced to Exhile or death anyway; it wasn’t her fault he had to leave.
Without realizing it, Kaeleigh started to sway. The exhaustion from their journey and its events was catching up to her all at once, draining away any semblance of energy that she had left. Chel was immediately by her side.
“Daegan, help,” Chel said as she tried to hold Kaeleigh up with an arm around her waist and gripping onto one arm. “Okay, let’s get you onto a bed before you faint on us.” Daegan tried to help Chel by grabbing her other side but his height in contrast to Chel’s made it awkward and he didn’t want Kaeleigh to fall. His solution shocked Chel as he leaned over and swiped Kaeleigh’s legs out from under her and cradled her in his strong arms and simply carried her over to a bed.
“Wait!” Chel practically shouted at him before he laid her down. Daegan looked at her and then around the room, guessing at what her outburst was for. “She will kill me if we lay her on a bed that who knows how many people have laid on without putting a blanket down.”
Daegan got a crease in his forehead as he took in what Chel had said and watched as she strewed blankets and linens from the chest onto the bed. “She has slept on the ground and on a prison floor, I do not think she will notice there are no sheets on this bed.”
Chel’s mouth gaped open. “Even more reason to make her a bed that she might feel a little more comfortable in! Don’t you think?” Daegan looked to Chel and then to the bed and then down to Kaeleigh, now sleeping in his arms. He noticed how much she had changed in such a little time. Extreme situations had a way of doing that to a person. “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Chel said as she busied herself first making a bed for Kaeleigh and then another on the bunk above her. Then she moved to make the other two bunks next to that one. She watched Daegan out of the corner of her eyes as he gently laid Kaeleigh down and then began to take her shoes off with extreme care. “That’s far enough, buddy. Don’t be removing anything else.” Chel was serious but she snickered at her comment.
Daegan practically growled at her, “Do you think so little of me, shifter? That I would not honor her with respect?”
Chel stared him deep in the eyes. She was not afraid of him; in fact, in that moment, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt what he probably did not yet even understand himself. “I’m just being the best friend...” She looked at Kaeleigh with soft eyes then continued, “she’s been through a lot. But I do trust you with her, maybe more than you trust yourself.” She looked back at the shock in Daegan’s eyes, seeing that he saw the weight of what she said, but didn’t know what to do with it. She decided to help him out. Gesturing around at all the beds she asked, “So, warrior, which bunk do you want? I’ll put sheets on it as well.”
Daegan nodded toward the bunk across from hers and Kaeleigh’s but closer to the door so he could watch the entrance. “Bottom.”
Chel cocked her eyebrow at his statement.
He cleared his throat at the feisty little shifter in front of him, “Excuse my manners. I prefer the bottom, if you please... and thank you, Chel.”
“Oh, and I do please. I prefer the bottom too, but I think Kaeleigh might prefer the top,” Chel said with a suggestive wink then went to work. She giggled to herself and when she turned to spy Daegan out of the corner of her eye, he seemed flustered. Flustered! He even had a slight tint to the tan skin of his cheeks. Could he be blushing? Chel was shocked she was able to rattle him. Oh, this could be fun. But before she could go further with her teasing, he changed the su
bject.
“Please make a place for Finn here on this bunk at Kaeleigh’s head. I want someone on this side able to jump in front of you both if necessary.” He cleared his throat again and stalked to the door. “I will be right outside for a moment.”
“Need some fresh air there, warrior?” He stormed out the door, pretending not to hear her. Chel giggled again. It felt good to laugh a bit. It felt good to rest and feel safe, even if for a short time.
CHAPTER SIX
The door swung open, slamming against the wall. Jumping up from her bed, Chel peered through sleepy eyes at the stranger that had just froze in the doorway. Squinting, she couldn’t see much of the tall masculine figure that was shadowed as light filtered in from the outside surrounding him. It wasn’t anyone that traveled with them. She was sure she would recognize all their profiles anywhere. Suddenly, she was wide awake as she realized that it was only she and a sleeping Kaeleigh alone in the cabin.
“Oh! I’m sorry. I didn’t realize anyone was in here.” A rough timbre of a man’s voice broke through her surprise.
“Shhh... I swear if you wake her up, I will take you down myself if the big warrior behind you doesn’t do it first.” Chel smirked as the shadow of a man still in the doorway turned to see Daegan standing with his arms folded behind him with a scowl on his face.
Daegan moved back, inviting the shadowed man back outside with him. She could hear Daegan’s low voice interrogating the man. “Who are you?” There was a quick response from the man. “My name is Cyrus.” The rumble of their continued talking almost lulled Chel back into dreamland. After looking at the bunk below her to see Kaeleigh still out cold, Chel rolled over and quickly sank back into blissful sleep.