His attention was focused sharply on a place further up the road where Eve could see the shadowy figures of two large boulders on each side, but he answered her question without irritation.
“The city of Trig Na nOg is the heart of all Evalon. The ruler of each landscape chooses a unique atmosphere, whether it be dawn, daylight, or night. Trig Na nOg is the only one, which remains forever in twilight. In honor of the Sidhe and the city itself, every landscape experiences one hour of twilight each day. It serves as a reminder to all of Evalon that the city is always there. We are attempting to outrun the twilight.” He looked solemn as he spoke and Eve understood that the monster would come with the darkness.
11
The sky didn’t fade as it did in Upper World. The colors did not gradually blend nor did the stars slowly become visible. The shadows didn’t lengthen bit by bit, as they would have in the human world. When twilight came, it simply appeared, masking the lemon yellow sun as if someone had held up a freshly painted canvas over the original. The darkness enveloped the land and turned everything into a shadow.
Still a half mile from the boulders that Eldon watched, Eve felt the danger. The hairs on the back of her neck and arms raised. Bai and the other Ki’Lin pricked their ears straight up, listening to the sounds around them. Eve strained to hear anything besides the labored breathing of the unicorns and the steady, quick clopping of their hooves.
No one spoke and Eldon seemed hyper-alert. The sound came as a low rumble, as if somewhere in the distance, a train hurtled towards them on worn tracks. Quickly, it grew louder and the temperature dropped in a sudden plunge. As peril filled the air around them, the Ki’Lin broke into a run. Faster than the wind itself, they plummeted toward the boulders.
Eve screamed with the sudden burst of speed. She locked her legs tight to Bai’s sides and gripped his mane fiercely to try to stay abreast. The stallion made no protest but Eve felt guilty about her own brutality, but not guilty enough to slacken her hold and risk taking a fall. Eve focused on the boulders, hoping they reached whatever safe haven lay within them. She did not know if it was merely a safe place or another gate, but she knew they must make it in order to escape the darkness.
Eve leaned low over Bai’s strong neck. Her face nearly touched her hands as she fought to keep herself out of the chilling wind. She turned her head to the side to prevent his mane from assaulting her eyes and nose. Eldon sat high on Heian’s back with his silver blade drawn. His hair blew back in the wind and his face wore a mask of bravery. Eve felt safer knowing he would defend her. He was a Daione warrior, and his duty was to the queen.
Eldon shouted, “When we reach the passage, do not slow. Hit it full force.”
Eve tensed. She knew they must be nearing their destination but the roaring drowned out the sound of the unicorns. She couldn’t help wanting to rise up and witness what happened when they crossed the spot in the road. Even as frightened as she was, she expected it to be nothing more than miraculous. As she started to rise, she saw the eyes.
To the right of the road, a forest stood. It did not seem special, an area full of tall trees. Deep within the darkest shadows, Eve saw two glowing blue eyes, much bigger than any animal in her world. When she looked into them, it felt as if a hand of ice reached in and covered her heart. She trembled violently, and when she opened her mouth to scream, her voice froze in her chest. Almost at the same moment, the group slammed through the passage.
A dizzying and blinding change instantly overcame her. Eve, Bai, Eldon, and Heian were the first ones through. The passage led them from an empty countryside into the heart of a bustling village. Anyone who traveled the way often would have known to do so slowly, but the group had no choice but to charge through at full speed in order to escape the demon in the woods.
Bai and Heian reared up, front hooves filleting the sky above the cowering pedestrians. Those who were lucky enough to be safely out of harm’s way seemed too stunned by the presence of Ki’Lin to be afraid for their fellow townspeople. Some shouted angry screams, while others emitted gasps of awe. The rest of Eve’s escorts barreled through the gate and skidded to a halt, but not soon enough to keep from colliding painfully with each other.
Eve’s grip faltered and she fell. No strong arms were there to catch her. She and Eldon had been separated during the chaos. She slammed down hard onto the cobblestone street and cried out in pain. Stamping hooves pounded all around her and she choked on the cloud of dust they had brought with them through the pass. Curling herself in to a protective ball and covering her head with her hands, Eve screamed for Eldon.
He heard her voice but she was not on Bai’s back. Bai regained his four-legged stance and hastily butted his head at the others, desperately searching for her. Eldon jumped from his mount and screamed her name. His heart raced. He had faced down army hordes of black dwarves and had never felt as afraid as he felt in that moment. Fighting his way through the Ki’Lin, he spotted her.
She had managed to crawl to the edge of the street and huddle against the curb. She still held her forearms over her face to shield herself. Her whole body shook and he could hear her whimpering cries. Eldon forgot his barriers, he forgot all his reasons for not caring for her, and he ran to her. Gently lifting her from the street, he saw she was bleeding. Her blood ran bright red against the torn fabric of her jeans. Her arms were scraped raw from the rough cobblestone.
Eve’s golden eyes burned with pain as she looked up into his face. His name was a whisper on her trembling lips. He tried to move slowly, tried not to jostle her, but each step obviously tormented her more. As soon as he could get loose from Rai’s back, Yath had run to find a healer. Eldon saw the boy tugging the old hag by the hand down the narrow sidewalk.
“Here! She’s here.” Eldon’s voice quaked. Eve shuttered violently against him as if she were cold, despite the warm afternoon. He didn’t know how serious her injuries were and he thought she was in shock. He swore under his breath, his voice consumed with guilt. Eve misunderstood his reaction and whispered that she was sorry.
Shocked by her apology, he wanted to tell her he wasn’t angry with her. He focused his anger at the monster, Bai, and the stupid peasants in the street. None of which was the true cause. Truthfully, he was angry with himself for not being there to catch her. He knew she didn’t ride well. He knew the crossing would be rough, yet he had given Heian her lead, and he hadn’t been where he was the most needed.
He had no time to tell her. The hag reached them and led him away. Yath’s watchful and accusing gaze never left Eldon. The others waited for orders and the Ki’Lin grew exceedingly uncomfortable with the scrutiny from the people of Shawd.
Eldon yelled for Caleb, “Get the Ki’Lin out of here. Three of you go with them to the nearest woods. Tell Vandel to talk to the townspeople, talk to the mayor, and make sure they stay away from the unicorns. Whatever you do, do not let anyone else get hurt.”
Caleb grimaced and the look on his face told Eldon exactly what he thought. Eldon’s place as their leader was to take care of his men and the Ki’Lin. He should leave the girl to one of the soldiers. Eldon always led them by sheer determination and wit. He had let her lead him straight into stupidity. Instead of challenging him then, Caleb took up his orders with a gruff countenance. He would speak to Eldon later.
They followed the old healer into a dark alleyway and through a side door. She ushered them into a dimly lit backroom. Eldon put Eve down on a cot in the corner, he thanked the Goddess that the bedding looked and smelled clean. Eve’s eyes fluttered open and her lips parted in a moan of pain. He pulled the heavy wool blankets around her. Her chin shook and her lips were turning blue as the cold gripped her.
The hag shoved him aside as if he were a child and hovered over Eve. Ripping the covers away, she shook her head. Her voice was like gravel ground against glass as she shrieked at him. “Stupid boy, those blankets will not warm her. The flesh wounds and the shock of the fall on her delicate senses are not killing he
r. A curse has a hold of this girl. An old and powerful hex that reeks of dark magic and of dragon’s breath is eating her away.”
“Just do something. Make her stop shivering. Cover her up. Heal her leg. Do something, damn it!” Eldon raged. The urge to smash his fist into something in the room overwhelmed him.
The old healer backed away with fear in her eyes. “I will heal her not because you demand it, stupid warrior, but because this queen will be the one to awake the sleeping magic deep beneath Evalon.” Shaking her ragged head, her matted gray hair fell about her and she began to hum an old healer’s tune while she crushed herbs.
Her voice scratched against Eldon’s brain. “Strip off those garments.”
Eldon began to protest. Even if Eve were not the Sidhe queen, he couldn’t have exposed her so readily. His face blushed and again the hag brushed him aside. Pointing a gnarled finger with long yellow nails at a dark corner, she spoke again. “You there, are you more of warrior than this one. Can you do what Mother Elsie asks?”
Eldon had forgotten all about Yath until the boy scampered from his hiding place to do the hag’s bidding. Eldon turned his back and laid his head against the cool stones of the building. Ignoring the way the rock cut into his flesh uncomfortably, he let the chill sooth him. He could hear the snipping of a heavy set of sheers as they cut away the jeans. He bit his cheek and tasted blood when he heard Eve scream pain. He ignored the burn of the tears on his face as the shrieks turned into terrified pleas for him to make it stop.
He told himself that his grief was because she was young and innocent. He claimed his sense of duty caused him to remain instead of the unseen force that connected him to Eve. Finally, the begging broke through the falsehoods he layered on himself. Not caring about her decency or her modesty, he turned to face her.
Yath had cut the clothing away and stood near the bed with his tiny arms wrapped around his body. He shook with sobs and Eldon could see the boy suffered as he listened to Eve’s cries. Yet, he had done what Eldon could not. Ashamed of his cowardice, Eldon placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder to tell him how proud his grandfather would be.
To his shock, Yath’s body felt as cold as ice. He wore nothing but the rawhide pants that were a custom of his people but even so, he should have been soaked in sweat because of the physical exertion and heat of the room. Eldon knelt to look at the boy closer, concern filling his face.
Yath could speak in the native tongue but he rarely let others know. The fact no one knew he understood was his secret weapon. Eldon was shocked when the boy spoke. “The cold, it’s from her. She’s freezing. I took some of it when I touched her flesh but it grows stronger within her heart.” Yath’s teeth chattered and his breath puffed in little clouds of frosty mist.
“You have done well, little warrior. You did what I could not and I owe you a great debt. Go warm yourself.” Wrapping the boy in an extra blanket, he sent him back into the corner to hover out of the way.
Eldon looked at the crone. He wanted to shake her and demand she do more, but she was doing all she could. Elsie still hummed the song while she bathed Eve’s wounds in warm water and carefully smoothed a blue paste over them.
She spoke without looking at Eldon, “We must treat the flesh before we treat the curse. Her body is strong and her will is like cold iron.” The hag turned back to her patient as if her words made perfect sense.
Eldon squeezed through the cobwebs, along the crumbling cupboards and shelves, and past the low burning flame that heated the sticky blue goo and the water. He knelt down beside Eve and offered her comfort each time she clenched her teeth and screwed her eyes shut against the pain.
His words were nonsense. He said sweet things and hopeful things that he had never spoke to anyone. He told her when she was well that he would take her to see the moon dance on Lake Loki. He told her of the castle in Trig Na nOg. He went on and on as the healer worked slowly over Eve’s wounds. His hand absently brushed her sweat-drenched hair out of her face, while he crooned to her.
He had no idea if she heard the words but she seemed to calm. She still quivered from the cold but the pain seemed to lessen. Eldon thought some of her color returned, though he found it difficult to tell in the dim light of the room. She didn’t look quite as pale and her lips were less blue.
The hag stood slowly, like a half broken ladder trying to extend. She studied Eldon and Eve for a moment before she spoke. “The body is healing. Her leg is not broken but her wrist is. Her head will have a nasty bump but I can give her something to ease the ache. The cold helped to numb the pain but when she is warm again, it will rear its ugly head. We must treat the curse.”
Eldon felt obliged to the old woman more than his words could say. He also felt he had done her a great injustice by treating her the way he had. He felt like a monster. He had let Eve fall, he hadn’t gotten to her in time to save her from her wounds, he had let a child do his work because he had been to afraid to do it himself, and he had treated the crone poorly out of his own self-disgust.
“Elsie, what must I do? I will do whatever it takes. I will take the curse upon myself if that’s what must be done.” He spoke as a valiant warrior should and the crone was pleased.
“I believe you will, warrior.” Choosing a small vial from the shelf, in what seemed a random gesture, she studied the label for a second. She let a single drop of the dark liquid spill on to one ancient fingertip and smoothed the syrupy liquid on to Eldon’s lips.
He fought the urge to pull away. He didn’t like the crone touching him in such an intimate way but he endured for Eve’s sake. Once the old woman covered his lips fully with the sticky sweet liquid, she instructed him on what he must do to save Eve.
“To save the girl, you must breathe the fire of life back into her heart. You must do it because I am too old and the child is too young. Our life forces are not strong enough to give as much as she will need. Take her in your arms and press your lips to hers. As you give your own breath, you will take the chill from hers. It may take seconds, it make take minutes, but the cycle of warm and cold will eventually pull the ice from her veins.” The crone spoke with her deep brown eyes focused on Eldon’s blue ones. The tone of her voice was professional and nothing more.
Eldon doubted nothing she said. He wouldn’t have hesitated if the old witch had asked him to behead a goat and drink its blood. Moving to take Eve into his arms, the crone laid one hand on his arm to halt him.
“You will take some of the chill into yourself. The curse is not yours, so from your body, the effects will fade instead of kill.”
He shrugged away the crone’s hand. Not liking the weight of the potion on his lips, Eldon told her, “I do not care. I said I would gladly take it upon myself if it will heal Eve.”
While Eldon gathered Eve to him as gently as he could, the crone ushered Yath out of the small room. “Let’s go warm you up in the sun. We will get you a nice cup of tea.”
His duty to Eve and the invitation of warmth left Yath looking torn. “I promise, on my honor, to care for her. You have done well but you need to care for yourself. Eve will need you as she heals.” Eldon’s words gave him the extra push he needed and Yath ducked out the door with Elsie behind him.
Eldon was alone with Eve and his task stood clearly before him. He studied her for a moment. She looked terribly frail and broken. Elsie bandaged Eve's broken wrist with a brace made from wood and the same thick cloth she used on the wounded leg. He was afraid to touch her, but afraid not to try.
The goo on his lips was drying quickly and he did not think it would help with the spell. He spoke only briefly. “I’m going to press my lips to yours. Please don’t be frightened, I promise to be gentle and you will feel much better when I'm done.”
As the crone had said, Eldon pressed his lips lightly to Eve’s and slowly let his breath ebb into her. Without parting his lips from hers, he drew in a deep breath. The first icy shock hit his lungs and he nearly drew away. It felt as if he were breathing in sha
rds of glass. The pain expanded before it slowly faded into a dull throb. He breathed in and out. Each time, the pain shot through him harsher than the next.
After the first ten breaths, Eldon was sure it wasn’t working. He wanted to break away and yell for Elsie but he was afraid he would break the spell. He took one more breath, let the pain ebb, and then breathed gently out. Eve’s arms came up to circle his neck and she pressed her body tighter against him. She whimpered in pain as she held on.
Eldon knew she could feel the warmth and the spell was working. He ran his hand gently up and down her back, hoping the friction would help her circulation. Once more, he breathed in and the pain wracked him as the cold burned his lungs. He breathed out and she pressed her lips to his roughly.
Eve’s unbroken hand twined into his hair and he felt the shocking sliver of her tongue brush against his lips. Lost in the sudden passion after the terror and pain, he kissed her. Sensation trembled from her to him and back again. He treasured the feel of lips on lips, tongues lightly brushing tongues, and body pressed against body. The moment was exquisite until Eve stiffened.
Pulling away he stammered, “I’m sorry. I…the healer told me to. I was doing what the healer told me to do in order to help you. Oh shit, are you okay?”
Eve blinked once and then twice, as if waking from a dream. She looked around slowly and color rushed into her cheeks. She realized she was clothed in nothing but her under things and a blanket while she sat quite suggestively in Eldon’s lap. She tried to scramble backwards and the pain crippled her.
Eldon had enough time to help position her on the small cot when the first shudder hit him. A fist of ice punched him deep within his chest. He hunched over, gasping for breath, and Eve shrieked. Elsie and Yath entered the room in time to see Eldon fall.
Faire Eve Page 12