by Jana LaPelle
Nemus looks affronted but reconsiders, "Okay then, I can glamour her to look like a myna bird, they are small in size and can replicate sounds, and are considered talking birds. The rest of you I will cloak your weapons and your ears." He says as an afterthought.
“Jasmine, are you okay with this?” I ask.
"I agree. Make it so. At least I can speak my mind," she says.
"Let's make our way down to the library so I can brief everyone before we leave out," I say. Once we get to the library, I share all that I know with my men, including Nemus and Jasmine. There are a few questions all around which are quickly dealt with, and then we mount up and make our way to the sídhe mound and the dolmen that will take us to the Mortal Realm, hopefully, in a close vicinity to where Ashlinn is supposed to be.
(Ashlinn)
Limbo. That's what Alaric said. I'm stuck in "limbo." His words are so not making me feel better. I might as well be stuck in Siberia! Oh, my God! What if he's unable to find me? What's going to happen to me? What about poor Lexie? I can't think about that right now, or I'm going to lose my mind.
The meadow, on the other hand, I can think about, it gives me hope that things are not as bad as they seem. It was so beautiful, the sun rising and all the sprites fluttering about with the light reflecting off their skin and iridescent wings. Wings that kind of remind me of dragonflies. Add the rays of the sun, reflecting off the water, in that oh so tranquil pool. Wow! It took my breath away. Then there were what I think were tree nymphs, butterflies, birds, rabbits, wombats, and I don't know what else all looking on in that sacred meadow. It was simply spectacular, and majical in an otherworldly way. Then when Alaric stepped out from under the tree, I could have stopped breathing right there. That smile, oh my, and those ears! But above all that, his words to me struck something deep in my core, I don't know how, but we're connected. He said he was my Guardian, my kindred soul, and that our destinies were intertwined. I'm not sure what all that means, but there is one thing I know for certain. I know in my heart that I know him, he's name is forever branded across my soul. I feel it in the depths of my being. It defies everything I know about the world I currently live in, but unless I'm utterly looney tunes he, this meadow, the tree, and I are all connected. I just don't know how.
As much as I'm called to Alaric, I'm also drawn to the tree, but in my current predicament, I'll have to wait to see if Alaric can find me and free me from this eternally dark prison, my limbo, this void where I currently exist. My strength continues to fade, and I'm not sure how much longer I can last, but I will hold out until there is no more life force left in me, and I'll put my faith in my kindred.
(Alaric)
The sun is beginning to set by the time we approach the sídhe. I know that we've made good time, but I also feel as if we're cutting it close. The sooner we're able to pass into the Mortal Realm the better. My sense of urgency is skyrocketing. The Aos Sí come out to greet us as we ride up to the outskirts of the mound in the dwindling light of day. Obviously, Jade and her sisters were able to deliver my message. The Aos Sí are really just a variety of fae people that live at the mound and serve as guardians to the dolmen portals. The leader of the clan, Meria, steps forward, she’s an elder elf with long flowing silver hair and twinkling emerald green eyes, nodding she addresses me, “Greetings Prince Alaric!” she says with a smile.
“Meria, it’s a pleasure as always.” I greet her in kind. “My guard and I seek passage to the Mortal realm, it is imperative that we leave out as soon as possible.”
"Agreed, young prince, quick before the sun sets or you will lose another day, one that cannot be lost. She needs you so make haste, you and your guard." Meria states with a determined air about her.
"Fergus, Ēolieus, and Lorcan take care of the horses and await our return," I say as I dismount Tempest. I give him a quick nuzzle before I walk away. "Remember, I need you to keep a watch out for anything out of the ordinary. The rest of you gather your gear, we need to make it to the dolmen portals before the sun sets, we've only moments before that happens." As we make our way up the green mound toward the four standing dolmens, we walk towards the stone portal with the markings for the Mortal Realm. The six of us gather together as we seek passage to Earth, we are eager to be on our way, but in order to activate the portal, I must wait until the exact moment the sun is about to set casting the last rays of light on the portal. As that happens, I reach down and gather some loose earth or dirt and toss it into the dolmen entry way to activate the portal. As the dirt hits the rays of light in the entry way the portal is activated and we have exactly two minutes to enter. I turn toward Meria, "Thank you for your warm welcome, and your service to the portals of the sídhe. Please await our return from the Mortal realm, until then you have Fergus, Ēolieus, and Lorcan at your service." I bow briefly, and then follow my men with Jasmine through the portal to find Ashlinn.
We emerge under an outcropping of rocks that looks like a small cave facing out towards a forested area with lots of trees and plant life. As we walk out into the light of day, I turn around to look for the marking of the Otherworld. It would be in the rock face of the cave we have just emerged from, and I find it crudely carved into the stone above the entryway. If you weren't looking for it, one would never know that it was there. I pull out my compass and see that the cave faces the eastern sky and note to myself that to enter here we will have to arrive at sunrise. That’s when I notice Jasmine as she zips about taking in our surrounding and she lets out a low whistle.
“Whoa, so this is the Mortal Realm? What’s wrong with the trees?” She asks as she flutters about. “They seem sickly, not as healthy or vibrant as back home. Where are their dryads? I don’t sense any nearby.” She says. “I’m not sure I like the Mortal Realm, the air smells funny and, and…” she’s at a loss for words as she flutters around in circles taking it all in, so I help her out.
"Jasmine, the mortals that live here have no idea what their modern technology is doing to their world. They're slowly but surely killing their planet. There are very few dryads left in this world, but they can be found in the oldest of trees that remain." I say. "Now, men let's quickly make our way to our safe house in this area and see what we can find out about this accident, and where Ashlinn and her niece Alexia are located. As soon as we find where they are, we head out with whatever provisions we need to accomplish our mission. Let's move out!" I say.
It takes us close to an hour to make our way on foot off the top of the mountain ridge to the safe house, but once we are there, Declan sets about gathering information online from the computer we have stashed here. It doesn’t take him long before he has found where the girls are hospitalized, and then we set off again to get to Ashlinn and her niece.
Chapter 5
(Alaric)
Jasmine is on my very last nerve. If she bounces up and down one more time, I'm going to duct tape her to the inside of the windshield. "Will you please, settle down?!" I grate out between clenched teeth.
It turns out that both girls were transferred to a hospital in Knoxville. We’re less than 10 minutes from reaching our destination according to the GPS navigation system on the dash of our black Hummer. Jasmine is hopping around as if she’s overdosed on sugar. Tolin and Torin are quibbling amongst themselves over who can beat who in a dual using only a staff. Declan is driving and Nemus, as usual, sits quietly off to the side taking everything in. I’m trying to come up with every contingency plan I can think of in the off chance we need one. Nemus is going to persuade hospital staff to stay away from Ashlinn’s room for as long as we need so we can see her through her awakening.
As we pull up outside the hospital, I hop out of the vehicle before its even parked and make my way to the hospital entrance. As I enter, I stalk toward the information desk. "Ashlinn Elan, what room is she in?"
“Are you family? It’s after visiting hours and only family may enter to see her after visiting hours.” T
he receptionist states with a tight lip grimace.
Her words push me over the edge, and I explode, “I demand to see her at once!” I state as all of my guard gathers behind me. I think that I might lose it before Nemus steps forward and very gently persuades the receptionist to give us her room number and buzz us in.
I turn to Nemus, "Thank you. I'm obviously not holding up well. Your cool head and actions are much appreciated."
As we round the corner in the wing that holds Ashlinn, Nemus sets about persuading the staff to stay away from her room until further notice. Hopefully, his persuasion will last for as long as we need it to, to complete Ashlinn's awakening.
The rest of my men and I enter the room. Alexia gasps, and looks around rapidly taking in the intrusion and its meaning, "Who are you and what are you doing here?" She demands.
I hold up my hands in a submissive posture, “Alexia, my name is Alaric, and we mean you and Ashlinn no harm. We’re here to help. We’re going to bring her back to you. To us. I know this is a lot to ask, but you have to trust me, to trust us.”
“How would I know that? How can you prove that you mean us no harm?” Alexia demands.
"Lexie, this is going to sound crazy, but Ashlinn came to me in what I would describe as a "dream-like" state and asked for my help. She told me about the accident. She said that you sit by her side, and that she can't wake. We're here to see to it that she does wake. Can you trust us to do right by you and Ashlinn?' I ask.
“How should I know that I can trust you? And you’re right, what you just said sounds crazy. It’s not inspiring much faith that you’re here for the right reasons.” She demands.
"If Ashlinn remains as she is for much longer she will die," I state.
“What? What are you talking about? The doctors say she’s just in a coma.” She says.
"I'm talking about saving her life. Is that something that you are interested in?" I ask bluntly, losing my patience while trying to get through her defenses.
“Yes! By all means, but I don’t know any of you, and this all sounds crazy! I’m not sure what to do? She’s all the family I have left.” Alexia’s voice trembles, and she’s now on the verge of tears, her false bravado now gone.
Declan steps forward at that moment and kneels down in front of Alexia and looks her directly in the eyes. For a moment nothing is said, and then slowly he takes her hand and says, "Alexia, my name is Declan. I know that this is an unusual set of circumstances. You don't know who to trust right now, but I swear to you on my honor that we mean you and Ashlinn no harm. We are truly here to help and have your best interest at heart."
They stare at one another for a few moments longer, and then with a slight nod of her head Alexia looks up to me with unshed tears in her eyes, and then back to Declan and says, "Okay, I trust you. I'm not sure why, but I do." With a quizzical uncertain glance, she nods again at Declan as something unspoken passes between them.
"Thank you, Alexia," I say. Turning to Nemus, I ask, "What must we do first?"
"First, the necklace, she will need her talisman in order to get started," Nemus says.
Chapter 6
(Alaric)
“Alexia, do you know where Ashlinn’s necklace is?” I ask.
"When I woke up after the accident the staff gave it to me for safe keeping for Ashlinn. I think it was taken off of her in route to the hospital. I asked if I could put it back on her but the staff told me no, and for me to just hold onto it. Should I have put it back on her? I have it here." She reaches over to pull the top drawer open of the bedside table and gently pulls out the necklace and hands it to me.
I reach out to take the necklace in my right hand, and at that moment Jasmine lands on my shoulder in the form of a myna bird ruffling her gray feathers and says, “It kind of looks like a key.”
“Where did that bird come from, and why does it sound like it’s carrying on a conversation with you?” Alexia asks, eyes wide.
I smile at Alexia and say, "Well that's a long story, but I will say that not everything in this room is what it appears. If we can trust you, to not make a commotion, I'll have Nemus lift the glamour that he has put on us before we get started. But you should know that I, Declan, Torin, and Tolin are elves. Nemus is a Druid and, well, the myna bird is a water sprite named Jasmine." Alexia is once again looking at me with wide eyes, but she nods her consent. "Nemus, we're all friends here, lift the glamour from all of us except for Tolin and Torin, they are to guard the door. It's just one more thing you'll not have to concentrate on while you work with Ashlinn."
Nemus just shrugs, and with a wave of his hand, the glamour is lifted. Alexia just stares at the three of us with her mouth slowly dropping open as she says, "Oh. My. God. I obviously died in that accident, and this is a weird hallucination in the afterworld. She's like a fairy, and you all have pointed ears except for him. Wow." She shakes her head back and forth as if clearing cobwebs from her mind, but her gaze never strays long from Declan.
I make a mental note to ask Declan about it later, but right now we have a mission to complete, but before I can focus on that Jasmine takes that moment to land on my open hand to examine Ashlinn's talisman. "It's beautiful, is it a key?" She cocks her head and gets down on her hands and knees to take a closer look. She runs her tiny hands over the piece and says, "There are four trinity knots that are paired together to make a sort of square, connected to a short round barrel with multiple raised edges on either side of the barrel, attached to the pendant hanging from the necklace. There are amber and diamond stones strategically placed throughout the design. Interesting, I still think it looks like a key.” She continues to examine the piece.
"Jasmine, can you go introduce yourself to Alexia? Maybe tell her about your first meeting with Ashlinn? Nemus needs to get started." Shifting my attention to Nemus, I walk towards him. "Should I place the necklace around her neck?" I ask of him.
"Yes and then we will begin." Nemus is always so serious, but now I can tell that he is about to withdrawal into himself in order to perform the ritual that he has been preparing for in order to safely awaken Ashlinn.
I look down on her in this form that she has worn almost her entire existence, and she is beautiful. Her brown hair lays gently swept back away from her face; her skin is a beautiful golden tan, her ears are rounded, and she looks so very fragile. I gently place the necklace around her neck and clasp it shut. I lean down and whisper in her ear. "I've found you little one; it's time to wake up. It's time that we get to know one another. I've been waiting for you for a very long time. I'll lend you my strength, and I'll be here for you, waiting for you to wake." I pull back and look down on her face. Then I gently cup her left cheek with my large callused hand and lean over her to place a kiss on her forehead. "Begin," I say quietly and hear Nemus behind me start his chant.
(Ashlinn)
He's here. I can feel that he's here. My energy is almost gone, but then I feel his vitality merge with mine. Don't ask me how I know that's what just happened, but I do. From a far off distance, I hear someone begin to chant. Suddenly I'm caught up in a maelstrom of feelings and sensations that I didn't expect, and then my inner turmoil and pain begin. I reach out to that invisible source of strength and latch on to it selfishly needing to replenish my stores, before I'm wiped clean. My dark prison is not so dark anymore. Now, like a computer booting up, I feel my senses come online. I'm in sensory overload, and it feels like my body is on fire. Like someone has reached into my being and is rearranging my molecular makeup. I've never felt pain such as this in all my life. If I had control over my form, I would be screaming and convulsing from the sheer agony of it all. I can sense Alaric by my side, and I'm so very grateful that he's here. His touch grounds me and helps me endure the pain that has overtaken my entire being.
I’m now free of my prison, the void, but the agony that is racing through my body is about to unhinge me. The only comfort I hav
e is Alaric, and then I hear, “I have you, Ashlinn. Always. Take what you need from me to get through this transition. I’ll be right here by your side, we’re kindred souls, and I have been waiting for you my entire life.”
With those words, I let go of all that I've been holding on to. I feel my body begin to change, evolve. The pain slips away as I feel my form lift off of the bed that I've been laying upon. Alaric lets go of my hand, and a warm, comforting light begins to warm me from the inside out. As the light continues to build, I can feel it pulse through me. I'm pulled into an upright position in midair, and I begin to slowly spin, emanating light from four points of my being. I feel the subtle changes start to take hold and in one last moment, I feel my body contort around an excruciating pain. I pull my legs and arms to my chest, and then suddenly I straighten out suspended in midair, arms and legs were thrown out with light emanating from my body before I sink back down to the bed I occupied before. The energy receding is leaving me exhausted, but free from my prison. The chanting subsides.
Chapter 7
(Ashlinn)
I’m breathing heavily. My body is still in turmoil as I struggle to adjust to what just happened, but then I open my eyes to see his brilliant sapphire eyes looking back at me. It’s at that moment that I realize I’m lying on top of him, and his arms are wrapped around me, securing me to his chest. I look up at him through my lashes, and then slowly I wrap my arms around him pulling him closer, savoring his smell and his feel. I find that I quickly lose myself in him as I snuggle in closer to his chest, my breathing is heavy as if I've just run a marathon. Just being held by him calms my jagged nerve endings. I could get lost in this feeling; it's like nothing that I have ever experienced before. I lay my head on his chest and close my eyes sighing in contentment, feeling like I have finally come home. The pull I feel toward Alaric is nothing short of majical, and I would be content to stay in his arms forever.