by Cate, Marnie
Tightly squeezing her, I whispered, “I will bring him home. No matter what I find.”
“Be safe, love,” she said, holding me tighter. “Goddess, bless and guide this girl.”
When we left the hotel, I was surprised that the sky was dark but the full moon cast a glowing light onto us. I am losing track of time and reality, I thought.
“What was Meg talking about? She said I slept for three days. And why does she think Cole is in Starten?” I asked my father.
“I didn't think you needed to know how long you had been asleep,” my father said. “Meg and Miles kept asking about Cole and it was the first thing I could think of.”
“Why didn't you tell them the truth?” I said. “Tell them that there is a horrible person out there that keeps trying to destroy our family.”
“Caterpillar, you want me to tell a nine-year-old that a goddess stole Cole and that you fell apart from the pain and heartbreak?” my father said. “I'm sorry for being short. I know you are upset…we all are. Kai has been doing everything he could to find out where Cole is. Just be patient and we will find him.”
“Being patient was never my strong point,” I said. “It was just horrible to see him—”
“You can't think about any of that,” he said. “We are dealing with deities dragging us into their war. We will find him and everything will return to normal.”
Normal? I thought. When was my life ever normal?
We continued walking past the businesses until we reached a building with a large black and red sign that read Emmett's Rockin' Rides.
Unlocking the door, Essie led us into a large cement room filled with cars and motorcycles in various states of repair. The smell of oil and tires was nauseating. Leading us to the back of the building, she pointed at two strange looking cars. The vehicles, constructed with heavy metal bars, were just seats set on a frame with two large tires in the back and two smaller in the front.
“Elliott, let's take the dune buggies, our search will more than likely bring us far into the desert,” Essie said, climbing into the driver seat of the red one.
“You can drive one of those,” Kai said, mockingly to Essie. “Aren't you full of surprises?”
“More than you know,” Essie said, staring at him. “Mara, you should probably drive your vehicle. Fire Boy will not be as careful.”
Hesitantly, I climbed into the yellow vehicle. Kai hopped into the seat next to me.
“What is going on with you, two?” I whispered. “You are bickering like siblings.”
“More like cousins,” Kai whispered back.
“When you are ready, we can go,” Essie said, turning on the buggy and revving the engine.
Raising his eyebrows, Kai hissed, “I told you so. Control freak. Yes, Essie, we are ready. Thank you for keeping us on task.”
As she began to respond, my father touched her cheek softly and leaned in to whisper something in her ear.
“Lead on, Caterpillar,” my father commanded. “We have my future son-in-law to find.” Under his breath, he muttered, “Men are not going to run away any more in this family.”
I focused my attention back at the machine that would be taking me to Cole. Turning the key, the engine began to rattle. Feeling scared, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “I have no idea how to drive this,” I said to Essie.
“It is just like the truck,” my father called. “Gas, break, shift and steer. I have seen you drive Gram's truck. Just follow Essie out of here.”
Chapter 27
Essie slowly led us out onto the main street, stopped and gunned the engine. “Lead on, Fire Boy,” she called to us.
“Don't,” I said, stopping Kai from responding. “We need to find Cole and then you can argue all you want with Essie.”
“It's all in good fun,” Kai said. “Follow the paved road out of town.”
Driving at a reckless pace, my fingers gripped the steering wheel so tight my knuckles turned white.
“Relax,” Kai whispered. “Remember what I taught you.”
The familiar feeling of warmth ran through me. This time my thoughts of the time we had kissed did not excite me or tempt me. My feelings were focused on Cole.
Continuing the drive, we left the town just as the sun began to rise. The desert sky was glowing a bright orange pink with the sun blazing its golden rays as it peeked over the horizon.
A warning sign read Pavement Ends. Slowing, I waited for Kai's instruction.
“Turn right at the end of the pavement,” Kai instructed, pointing to a rocky dirt path.
“Really?” I questioned. “Are you sure this will make it?”
“Trust me,” he laughed. “This thing was created for roads like this.”
Slowing down even more, I made the sharp turn onto the path. The rocky dirt turned to a fine sand. We continued for less than a mile before I slammed on the brakes.
“What's wrong, Caterpillar?” my father questioned. “Did you find something?”
“Do you not see it,” I called back to him. A trail of frost shimmered on the sand.
“Follow it, Mara,” Essie said. “It will lead us to Cole.”
Worried that the hot sun would melt the icy trail, I pushed the gas pedal all the way down and we took off. We flew over the sand like a boat on water until the frosted sand turned to thick patches of ice. Slowing the pace, I watched for signs of Snowystra. As I drove up and down the hills of sand, I anxiously scanned the barren land for any signs of Cole.
The ground below us turned from light cream to a black sheet of ice. I hit the brakes, sending us into a spin. Gaining control of the buggy and coming to a stop, the air around us blew icy cold. The sun was now covered with dark sinister-looking clouds.
Shaking from the intensity of the spin, I closed my eyes. A low growl sounded. When I opened my eyes, Kai and I were surrounded by three men in tattered black clothing. Each had white skin that appeared translucent. Their eyes were black and surrounded by dark circles, their cruel smiles bared pointed white teeth. Images of the snapping trout in Starten forest came to mind.
Yanking me from the vehicle, I was thrown to the ground. The men loomed over me.
“They've come to find the boy,” the tallest man said to his companions. “And, they brought one of Danu's pets.”
Snarling and snapping their jaws at Kai, the trio advanced. “She can't have him. He is hers now,” the followers cried in unison.
Jumping out of the vehicle, Kai blew a flame of fire at the men. “You will take us to Cole,” he warned.
“That is all you have? We will not be taking you anywhere,” the leader said.
“Cerin, you never learn,” Kai said, launching dozens of fireballs at their legs, the smell of smoke and burning flesh filled my nose. Screaming and rolling on the ground, they attempted to put out the flames.
“Now what will you do?” Cerin picked me up to use me as a shield. I kicked and clawed at him. Summoning a dagger, I stabbed it into his shoulder and he released his hold on me. I threw a gust of wind at him knocking him down. The wind tossed the men in the air, where they crashed into each other as they landed. Kai began his barrage of fireballs at them again.
The leader cried out, “Enough! We will take you too him. Stop with the flames.”
Throwing more fire at them, Kai snarled at the leader. “You deserve more than the flames I have in store for you.” Again, the men struggled to stifle the fire that had engulfed them.
I touched Kai's hand, silently telling him to stop. As I walked towards the men, I held my hands to the sky. “With my hand to the west, Water, I call upon you and ask you to cleanse those who wish to harm.”
A heavy rain showered the men, dousing the flames. Falling to the ground, they panted and gasped for air. Joining me, my father put his hand on the ground and quietly whispered. Under his fingers, thick green stems sprouted and grew. He pulled hard on the ground, freeing the vines.
Handing half to Kai, he said, “Bind their hands. We don't
need any tricks.”
“You cannot do this,” Cerin said. “We will not be treated like animals.”
“Until you bring me to Cole, you will be bound. My intention is to free him only, not to harm you,” I glared not hiding the fury I felt towards these men. “When he is safe, you will be released.”
“I do not take orders from mortals,” he warned. “You are playing with fire.”
Holding my hands out to the side, I created two fireballs. “You have no clue how correct you are. Should we test out exactly how much magic I have inside me? If you are one of Snowystra's peons, I will be happy to rid the world of all of you.”
Focusing my eyes into a cold hate, I bent down to Cerin, holding the flames close to his face as I hissed. “Mortal or not, I do hold the power inside me to remove you from my presence.”
As I raised my arm to throw the ball at him, Essie clasped her fingers tightly around my wrist. “Your grief and fear will not help us,” she said. Facing the leader, she commanded, “You will play nice or I will permit her to carry out her threats.”
Hanging his head in defeat, he whispered, “We will take you to him but we cannot protect you from her. Follow me.”
Chapter 28
Kai and my father bound their hands in front of them leaving a leash length of vine. Cerin and his companions shuffled ahead of them with their heads hung in defeat. Essie and I drove the dune buggies behind.
“How much further? This better not be a trick,” I warned.
We had been travelling for so long that the sun had begun to set. My father had turned over the vine he had been holding to Kai and rode in the buggy. Being an elemental Kai's energy seemed endless.
Stopping and turning to me, the smaller of the men said, “I promise we are leading you to him.”
“Hush, Dunn” Cerin snapped. “Do not speak unless I permit you to do so. She will have to trust us or just get it over with and kill us.”
The third man whispered, “Don't upset him. It will do us no good to have him angry.”
Dunn replied with defeat in his voice. “There is no point to any of this Tynan. She will make an example out of us. With luck, it will be quick and painless death for all.”
A feeling of pity for the men overcame me. Would I be the cause of their death? My mind raced, I would not lead them to their death. Thoughts of how to leave them out of this raced through my mind.
As if Essie could read my thoughts, her soft voice filled my mind. You cannot punish Snowystra's children for the path she has led them down. At the same time, you cannot save them from the choices they continue to make. Listen to your heart not your rage and all will be as it should.
Glancing at her, I raised my eyebrows in response to this unsettling feeling. You can read my thoughts? With a slight nod, she smirked. For the love of the Goddess, I thought. She has been reading all of my thoughts.
My memories were interrupted by the low growl of Cerin. We were approaching a darkened forest, I gasped as the last of the light from the sky shone on the tree line. The black and red trees were gnarled, dripping with a blood like substance. The same sticky goo that I had passed through in the vision to see my mother trying to save Cedric from Snowystra.
“We are not going in there until the sunrises again,” Kai insisted. “Snowystra is the Goddess of Darkness. We are not being led into her domain during the night.”
“Are you afraid of the dark, child of light?” Cerin snarled. “You have bound us. We will not be able to harm you.”
“You know damn well that they will not be safe in there at night,” Kai shouted. Sending sparks of fire magic through the vines, he shocked the men. “You were hoping to lead them to one of her dorcha spiders. They feed at this time of day.”
“We will camp away from the forest and enter at dawn,” Essie said.
Reluctantly, Kai said, “The three of you sleep. I will watch them.” Pointing at the leader, he said. “Sit. Give me a reason, any reason and I will end you.”
When Cerin hesitated, Kai jerked the vine and sent Cerin tumbling to the ground. The other men snickered as they promptly sat down.
Cerin coldly stared at Kai. He looked like he would start sending more fire at the man.
Kai is feeding off their darkness, the voice of Essie whispered in my head. We need to calm him. Focus on the love you feel for him and let him know that you care.
I don't love him, I thought.
You do love him, Essie continued. There are many kinds of love, Mara. Your love for him does not tarnish the love you feel for Cole. Your father loved Eliza until the day she died…and still does. This does not lessen what he feels for me.
Her words made sense. I did love Kai. I did feel attracted to him and there was a passionate feeling that lingered in the back of my mind for him. But, I also had the kind of love you have for a true friend.
Slipping my hand into Kai's, I sent slow pulses of my air magic onto his skin. “Remember what you taught me. He is baiting you,” I whispered, pressing my lips close to his ear.
My touch seemed to reach him. Loosening the grip he had on the vines, he sighed. “Even an old elemental can forget that darkness will always try to consume light.”
“We need to remind each other,” I whispered. “We will save Cole together. Unless—”
“There is no unless,” he said.
“Mara,” my father called, patting the blanket he had spread out on the sand in front of the dune buggies. “Come sit with me.”
Hugging Kai tightly, I whispered, “Thank you for being here. It means a lot to me.”
“I will always be here for you, Mara,” he said in a husky voice. “Always.”
As I walked away, I glanced back at Kai. The look of anger was replaced with determination.
“Sleep,” Kai commanded. “I will call you if I need help. I am sure they will be on their best behavior.”
Cerin turned away in disgust and closed his eyes.
Taking a seat next to my father, he cuddled close to me and kissed me on the forehead. “Sleep my little caterpillar,” he said softly. “Tomorrow we will reunite our family.”
Again, I thought. Was life always going to be having to save someone I love from Snowystra or her followers? Resting my head onto my father's chest, I slowly drifted off to sleep.
* * *
I was running through the Starten Library, I threw books and knocked furniture until I found myself in the back corner of the library. As I turned to hide behind a bookcase, my mother appeared.
“There is nowhere to hide here, Marina,” she warned. “You cannot run from her.”
“How can I trust you?”
“I have always loved you, Marina. I admit that I was jealous of the love my mother felt for you but I never intended to harm you. My first love was taken away from me and I fought to reclaim it. Elliott, Meg and you were unfortunate victims. I did end up loving you all even as I loved Cedric. Don't hate him. He had no choice in any of this.”
I held her tightly. Her scent brought tears to my eyes. Something became tangled in my hair and began to pull me away from her. I could not see what was attacking me. Holding tighter to my mother, I struggled to keep myself from being ripped from her arms.
“The snake. He has the protection,” she said. “It will keep you safe.”
I was being dragged further and further away from her. “Eliza! Mother,” I screamed. “Help me, mother!”
Chapter 29
I awoke lying on the blanket next to my father. Trying to gather my senses, I looked around the camp we had made. Essie was on the other side of my father with her head in his lap. He was softly snoring. Kai sat on the ground and slowly twisted the vines he was holding. Cerin and Tynan were asleep as Dunn stared nervously at Kai
Shaking my father awake, I said, “Eliza was here.”
“What? Eliza?” he said, “No, you were dreaming.”
“She wasn't here, here,” I said with frustration. “She was in the dream. She told me that he
had the snake for protection. We need to find the man she was talking about.”
“Love, it was just a dream,” he said, closing his eyes. “Go back to sleep.”
“You are not listening to me,” I hissed not wanting to wake Cerin. “She came to me. She apologized. She said she loved me. She loved Meg. She even said she loved you. I wouldn't dream that! We need to find whoever has the snake.”
“You are being hysterical,” my father said with a look of worry. “The stress of everything is catching up with you. Sweetie, please just put your head back on my shoulder and sleep.”
With his arm around me, he tried to pull me close again. “No, listen to me. We need to find him,” I insisted, pushing him away.
Awoken by our conversation, Essie sat up. “Elliott, listen to her,” she said, touching my hand. “Mara, calmly tell us what is going on.”
Recalling my dream, I told them every detail I could remember. With an intent look of concern, Essie listened. When I finished, she stood up.
“Elliott, you have the snake,” she demanded. “Stand up.”
As he stood, she plunged her hands into the front pocket of his blue jeans and began fishing for something.
“What are you doing,” my father chuckled, as he tried to squirm away. “I have nothing in my pockets, Essie.”
“Nothing,” she said, as she removed her hands from his jeans and held out a silver ring that was shaped into a snake design. The body of the snake twisted around the middle with a curly tail on one end and a head on the other. The snake had two small emeralds for eyes. “You always carry this.”
Picking up the ring, he stared at it. “This? Oh this was just—”
Cutting him off, Essie said, “It was from Eliza and you always have it with you. No need to conceal the truth, love.” Kissing his hand, she said, “Just tell us about it. It must mean something for her to come to Mara's dream and tell her about it.”
With his eyes fixated on the ring, he sighed. “Eliza gave me this ring when we were first married. She had a matching ring. She told me that it would protect me from the darkness. I would tease her when I turned the lights out. I really thought it was just a sweet gesture between newlyweds. It was just a habit to carry it that I didn't break.”