by Morgan Wylie
“Yes, that is what he is telling you,” Daegan intervened. “I had loyalties. I was unsure they were truly on the wrong side. I had considered all options. I did not plan on encountering all the dangers and injustices that you faced. I would change them for you if I could. I am truly sorry for that.” Daegan came before Chel and kneeled in front of her. Tears now streamed down her face. “I was wrong. Can you please release Halister from this anger you now harbor?” His head was bowed.
“You do not want forgiveness for yourself?” she asked.
“No, it is not deserved. But Halister acted under my direction.”
Chel took a deep breath, looked over to Kaeleigh, and then considered something. “Yes. Hal is forgiven... and so are you.” Chel stood tall and wiped her eyes dry.
Daegan cocked his head and looked at Chel with thoughtful amusement and admiration at the notion that she could so easily forgive them both. “You are generous with your heart. Thank you.”
Kaeleigh stepped forward. “What has happened has happened. It is done. We cannot change it. It happened for a reason; whether that reason was solely on you or not, we will never know. But it has changed us and made us stronger and more aware of who we are to this land. It has given us a reason to fight and to dig into what is happening to Alandria.” She took a breath. “I’m seeing some things in this prophecy and have questions for Arileas and all of you.” She looked to the scholars and then to the other Ehsmia.
“We will discuss it with him when he returns for evening meal,” Líyl, one of the Ehsmia warriors replied above the others.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Exhile
The Land of the Unforgiven Dead
She was there. Waiting. She shouldn’t have to wait. Pacing in the tight space once more. It seemed that was all she did lately. Paced and waited on Maleina. Her hair wild with madness and entangled with strips of darkness. She was normally so controlled, but Maleina put her on edge. Absent-mindedly, she ran her hands back and forth across her stomach and down her legs, her fingers caressing the fabric. She still wasn’t use to it. It had been centuries since she had a form—a body.
“What is taking her so long? She knows I do not like to wait!” She spat out as she turned to the darkness in the corner of the cave she called home. Home? It seemed she had one once before. She had no recollection of where it was or when it was, for that matter. Did she know people? Did she have loved ones? HA! The very thought was absurd and she shook it off with arrogant flourish.
“Maleina!” She called to the darkness as she ran her finger through a reflecting pool of the blackest water possible. It rippled in response, but stilled quickly as glass once again. Nothing. No response. She had called to Maleina quite some time ago, definitely sufficient enough for her to find a secluded place to speak with her.
“Incompetent woman!” she spat. “She had such potential to come along my side too. Pity,” she whined as the darkness from the corner had slunk closer to her as a pet seeking attention. She beckoned it closer still to her and as it visibly nuzzled under her hand she crooned to it as an owner, as a lover. “I think she is losing her edge. Perhaps she is giving in to the side of the light or... OR...” She whipped around, her hair following as the end of the whip with a lash. “She is turning against me! Using my plans in her own hands! Ungrateful, weak-minded little witch! She has no idea what she is doing; what will happen once she has crossed ME!!”
She stared at the black water with a murderous glare, willing it to respond to her desires, her wishes. She could not yet leave her forsaken, desolate kingdom but she would find a way to enact her plan and execute her revenge. It was her entire means of survival.
“Maleina will pay for this!” She began to storm away when she heard the rippling of the portal waters.
“What is Maleina going to pay for?” A snide voice came filtering through the glasslike water turned mirror.
Stopping at the entrance of her chamber, she contemplated simply walking away and letting Maleina guess as to what her plan was. Instead she opted for civility. She may still be in need of the wretched Faerie yet.
“I called you quite some time ago.”
“I was trying to manage my kingdom in this realm. There was some unease that needed... smoothing,” Maleina said silkily.
“And did you smooth everything?”
“Of course. I am aware of everything happening in my territory and even beyond.” Her tone hinted at something.
“I would have chosen another if I had suspected anything less. Now on to the matters at hand...” She paused, thinking over her next words. Shrugging to herself, she flipped her hand in the air as if flippantly deciding on a different dress to wear to a ball. “This will be your only warning, Maleina. If you betray me and take this plan into your own hands... well, let’s just say that there are worse things than death. I am proof of that. You will be reaching for anything that will extend the mercy of your last breath, but will be unable to obtain it.”
There was silence then a cackling from opposite the scrolling mirror. The anger etched on the evil woman’s face would have melted the skin right off of Maleina’s if she could have seen her. Luckily for her, she couldn’t, at least not yet. “You think I would betray you... YOU? After everything you have done for me and the power you have bestowed upon me. I am faithfully yours, my lady.”
A sneer spread across the woman’s face. “When those who claim loyalty to me, when those whom I love refuse to communicate with me, what else could I assume? You will soon rule at my side. Do not give me a reason to doubt you again.” She’s own words were slippery and seductive. “When I call for you, my love, you WILL answer.” She was a viper, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. Her fingers drummed methodically on the edge of the dark basin, until she stopped and her eyes grew wide.
“Maleina, daughter of my heart, those who have put the rumor out there will be punished, of course, but I will need some kind of further assurance to show all that you truly are mine. Have you anything you are willing to offer me? Something of value you could prove your loyalty? Beloved, you are my daughter but I do not trust anyone, sadly not even you.” She relished putting this pawn in her place.
There was continued silence as she awaited her slave’s reply.
“Of course, my lady. I have something to offer you. How shall you retrieve it as we are not in the mountain of Gáraldrath?” Maleina asked hesitantly.
“You have more than enough power now and combined with mine, you do not need the portal within the mountain. I will give you the words to open a temporary portal through the scrying bloom. Simply insert it there, assuming it is not too large for the opening. But I’m sure you are powerful enough to accommodate that even if it was. Repeat after me...” She spoke a few words in a language that was familiar to the Faeries and yet much older, tainted and dripping with evil.
There was a momentary stirring in the black waters not made by the woman with eager anticipation in her eyes staring at her own reflection before it. Suddenly the fastened end of a chain necklace came straight out of the water. Grabbing the chain, she gave it a slight pull but not too much as the process was slower than she would like. Finally, the end of the necklace emerged from the dark water. It was a crystal—a white crystal with a swipe of blue through the center of it. It really was beautiful and she could feel the energy within it, but she did not quite understand the significance of it. She examined it for a moment to see if it would speak to her. Trying to coax the blue out of the crystal, she frowned as she could do nothing more than stir it. Before she could ask, Maleina’s sultry voice came through the water.
“It is the essence of a Ferrishyn that I have been tracking.”
“Why would I want a lowly Ferrishyn? What good is this to me? What foolishness is this!? Have you—” She was cut off by Maleina.
“No, you misunderstand, my lady. It is a piece of his soul; a piece of his very essence. You may track him or use him,” she said smugly, loving that she had some
thing that She didn’t even seem to understand.
“Whose, Maleina? I tire of this game,” she spat.
“The Ferrishyn called Daegan.”
Another moment of silence that seemed to stretch the moment far longer than it was. And then... a throaty, deep laugh that echoed throughout not only the cave in the mountain reaching far beyond it, but also through scrying well into Maleina’s chamber. When Maleina added her own haughty laugh, it felt as though an eruption of evil shook the atmosphere. Each laughing for different reasons.
“Well done, my love. This will suffice. The time is approaching quickly for our next move. Be available next time I call. We will proceed with our plans right on time.” She touched the blackest water with only the tip of her black fingernail, but it severed the connection instantaneously.
✧✧✧
“I have her!” Cley-una shouted ecstatically. “After so many tries, I finally have her. Okay, okay, focus,” she said to herself as she calmed herself down and slowed her pacing back and forth, wringing her hands anxiously. “Breathe,” she whispered as she did so. “In and out. In and out. Okay, I am good now,” she spoke serenely to Eva, who was standing next to her now holding her hand.
“Send her the message, Cley. Our time is running out.” Eva didn’t whisper but she spoke low enough that only a few nearby could hear her.
Cley nodded, bobbing her head swiftly. She closed her eyes tight, tuning out everything around her: the constant hum of low chatter, the bickering of the elderly Faeries, the deep slow breaths of her friend of many years standing at her side, the never-ending drip of water down the side of the cave wall. Peace. She needed to find that place of peace and connection where she could slide into the channel of energy that was specific to whoever it was she was making contact with. In this case, specifically, it was Kaeleigh.
“Kaeleighnna. Can you hear me?” Cley-una whispered gently into Kaeleigh’s mind.
Surprised, Kaeleigh answered with hesitation, “I hear you. Are you one of the Orchids?”
“I am Cley, of the Orchids and a friend of your mother, Eva. I am also Daegan’s mother.”
Kaeleigh gasped. “Oh! Please tell her I am here. Should I find Daegan? He is near.”
“You have no idea how tempted I am, but there is no time. I will try again with him. Tell him to be open.” It was quiet so Cley-una continued. “The woman who holds us in Exhile is about to do something, but we do not know on what scale. You must tell Arileas it is time for you to meet the hidden. Do you understand?”
“Yes, but we are currently with the Ehsmia, where they are hidden.”
“No, child. Tell him: it is time for you to meet the hidden. He will know.”
“Okay.”
Cley-una could tell Kaeleigh was confused, but it would have to be enough. “I have to go. Take care of him please.” Cley tried not to let Kaeleigh hear the emotion in her voice as she was about to lose contact with her only connection to her son.
“I will. Please tell my mother I love her. Cley?”
“Yes?”
Cley-una could barely hold the connection open to hear Kaeleigh’s last words, but she managed to just before the presence of the woman of the mountain, the mistress of darkness, made her way closer to their prison they called home for the last many years. What Kaeleigh said gripped her heart with more hope than she thought could be contained. Tears streamed down her face, but hope beamed through her eyes as she pushed her thoughts into Eva’s mind as she gripped her hand tightly.
“We are coming for you... for all of you. You will be free. Tell the others. Tell my mother: I’m coming for her. You will be free.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
It had been most of the day that Elder Arileas was in the gardens nearby the entrance in Ehsmia, soaking up the energy of the mountain. The garden was really just a condensed area of the large open atrium-style entrance that they all had walked through. It was lush and quite purposely overgrown. It was an oasis unto itself even amidst the serenity that was Ehsmia. Kaeleigh had stopped to let Arileas know what had happened when she had gone back to her room to rest for a bit. Arileas sat on a bench that practically blended in with all the greenery surrounding it. He did not seemed surprised that the Orchids were now confirmed to be in Exhile. What did surprise him, however, was that it was time to meet the “hidden.” He frowned and grumbled to himself so low even Kaeleigh couldn’t decipher what he was complaining about. She excused herself, not wanting to stick around. After all, she was just the messenger in this case and did not even know who she was supposed to meet, nor what their value was to the future of their cause.
After another day of training and learning to use both magic and weapons, Chel and Kaeleigh both had gone back to the Great Hall to help prepare the tables for the evening meal. Chel was in a mood, apparently. She set dish-wear down as if it bit her.
“What’s up, Chel? You seem, um, a little agitated,” Kaeleigh asked quietly to not draw too much attention to her friend as they were in the presence of the few others that also helped.
Chel snapped her head up. She looked at Kaeleigh then back down to the silver that was apparently causing her much grief. “It’s nothing, Kae, don’t worry about it.” She continued to set plates down with such force Kaeleigh was surprised they didn’t break or at the very least make a loud racket.
Okaaaayyyy. “Well, breaking the dishes isn’t going to help, and something is obviously wrong. Why won’t you tell me?” Kaeleigh pouted her lip, trying to get at least a laugh out of Chel if not more.
“Nice. Very mature, Kaeleigh.” Chel rolled her eyes.
“Is it Hal? Didn’t you guys talk?”
“No, I mean yes, we did talk. No, it’s nothing to do with him, at least not directly.” Chel sighed. “I haven’t shifted yet.”
Ahhh. Realization dawned on Kaeleigh. “It’ll happen when it’s the right time, Chel, please don’t worry. I hate to see this eating away at you.”
“It’s upsetting. Apparently, it is something I should be able to do and yet I can’t!” Her voice started to rise, and Kaeleigh moved closer. “I mean, look at you. Your powers are growing and you are getting more control. I’m learning to fight, but that’s it! I have no idea how to access my ‘inner animal’ or whatever it’s called and you know I hate feeling like I can’t do something. UGH!!” Chel threw a spoon down on the ground with a clatter. Her shoulders slumped in defeat.
“I have to say, I’m impressed with how long it’s taken you to freak out about this,” Kaeleigh said with a sly smirk.
“What?” Chel shrieked.
“Well, I know you, Chel. This would be bothering me a LOT and I knew it bothered you. I was just waiting for you to realize it yourself or to finally lose it.”
“I am not freaking out OR losing it!” she practically shouted.
Kaeleigh put her hands out to pacify Chel’s wrath. “Listen, I’m only saying that I am impressed with your patience and level of self-control. You’ve grown a ton. There’s no way you would have lasted this long before.”
With her eyes closed, Chel took a deep cleansing breath and held it for a second before she let it go again. “Hal taught me breathing exercises. When I feel stressed it helps me get control,” she said with her eyes still closed.
“It’s working.”
“Yeah, it definitely helps.” She opened her eyes and gave Kaeleigh a small smile. “I’m sorry. I was being pushed so much in training and they kept talking about how when I can shift into an animal I will still use the techniques but I will have to alter them accordingly and... and...” Her breathing accelerated and her hands started to shake. She closed her eyes again and concentrated on her breathing and slowing it down. “And I guess I just snapped a bit. Poor Gyon, he was training with me today and I totally bit his head off.” Chel laughed a little.
Kaeleigh put her hands on both of Chel’s shoulders, “Look at me, Chel.” Chel did even though her eyes shifted away momentarily then back. “It will happen. I have fu
ll confidence in you and what you can do now and will be able to do when you shift. You know why?” Chel shrugged. “Because I know you. I know your heart and what kind of person you are. Even if you end up being the only shifter who has never shifted, I will still love you and believe in you. Even if you are more of an ‘unshifter’ type shifter.” Kaeleigh waited while that sunk in and watched Chel’s eyes grow wide and infuriated.
“I will NOT be the only shifter who has never shifted!! I can’t believe you even said that to me Kaeleigh-whatever-all-your-new-names-are-Johnson! An unshifter! Really?! Of course I will shift. It’s in my blood. It’s part of my heritage and I claim that fully. I thought you believed in me,” Chel said, somewhat hurt.
Kaeleigh just smiled a big cheesy and satisfied grin.
“You totally set me up, didn’t you?!” Chel put her hands on her hips and looked to the ceiling of the Great Hall and sighed. “And I walked right into it. Okay, you’re right. Yes, I will change when it is the ‘appointed time,’” she said, using air quotes to reference what their fearless leader Arileas kept saying. Both girls erupted in giggles right in the middle of the Great Hall, startling the few others that were there helping to set up. Kaeleigh and Chel hugged each other then continued going about their duties for set-up. No one had asked them to help—after all, they were “guests”—but Kaeleigh wanted to be a part of the community and not above it.
✧✧✧
Everyone had gathered in the Great Hall for the evening meal just as they had done the night before. Arileas seemed to have what might be referred to as an inner circle of followers that were loyal to him and whom he trusted implicitly. He had never said as much, but it was obvious to Kaeleigh, as they were the same group that sat at his table during meals and were the same ones called when he had special meetings.