by B. J. Smash
“I do. Drumm is jealous of Lucian.”
“Ah, that might be true. And Lucian—what about Lucian? Is he not jealous too?”
“I don’t know. But he is one of my best friends. That’s all.”
“Just look deep within yourself. Take some time to sit back and think. And make sure. Sometimes we think we are doing the right thing without ever really asking ourselves for the truth.”
What was she implying? Things were becoming somewhat uncomfortable. Was she seeing something that I was not? She must have sensed my discomfort.
“Now you think I am a nosy mother.” She laughed. “All I am saying is, do what is best for you. And you’ll know what that is, when the time comes. The rest will fall into place.”
“Thank you, Mother.” It felt good to say that. For the first time, I had a mother.
She leaned forward, out of her chair, and kissed the top of my head. She smelled like every wonderful flower in the world.
Chapter Forty-One
Reuniting with the McCallisters was equivalent to winning the lottery. They were tipsy, as they had been celebrating their win, and when they saw me, they stood, except for Ian, pushing their chairs back and holding out their glasses. Angus was present. “To Ivy Fast Legs.”
“Aye,” they all said.
The exquisite room was decorated with fancy blue paneling engraved with swirly silver etching around the edges. The floor, made of a blue illuminated material with consistency of marble, was cold on my feet. The light source was a grouping of muted white stars floating at the dome’s ceiling.
Angus walked to the corner of the room and picked up a hurling stick. “This came ashore the day after you left. I knew you didn’t toss it to the sea; no, the ocean—she took it from you. And with Maximus’s permission, we came for you. Me and my men.” He held his beer in one hand and took a huge, long haul, then said, “With honor, I give it back to you, my dear friend, Ivy Fast Legs.” His laughter spread to everyone throughout the room. I accepted the hurling stick again, with great honor.
“Thank you, Angus. And your men, wherever they are. I am more than honored to be your friend.” I cupped his shoulder and squeezed.
Laying the hurling stick on the table momentarily, I hugged each and every one of the McCallisters, walking around the huge oak table that they stood around. First was Trent. He gave me a big squeeze, hauling me from the floor. When he set me back down, I group-hugged Alex and Hugh. I half hugged Adam with just as much joy, only I was afraid to get too close after I’d seen him as a raging hellhound. Ian sat in his chair, a jolly grin spread out over his five-o’clock shadowed face. I leaned in to give him a big hug. “Thank you, Ian, for coming along with me. I’ll never forget it.”
The others sat down and picked up the conversation where they had left it, and the drinking…
“Miss Seaforth, I can’t let you out of my sight until you’re good and ready to go out on your own. I just wish that we’d never been separated. We could have prevented a few of the wicked things that transpired. I see you suffer from a fat lip.” His eyes appeared strained as he focused in on my lip.
“It’s fine. Besides, you should see the other guy.” I knew that was an old saying, but I meant it. Lucian had totaled that “other guy.”
“No doubt.” He lifted his head back and said, “I’m proud of you, Miss Seaforth. You did a splendid job hanging in with the old-timers. They shoot some power. You did well.”
“Oh, it was nothing,” I said, although it had taken a great toll on me. “I had help in the end.”
“I heard. But still…do not take away from what you did. Not many can keep up with the likes of those three. They pack some power. Some dangerous, raw power. Good job. Perhaps there is a promotion ahead.” He finished with saying, “I think someone is waiting for you.” He cocked his head to Lucian, who stood behind him. Then he lifted his glass and continued to drink, dismissing me.
There he was, my comrade in arms. My loyal, trustworthy friend. My mouth quivered for some reason, but he grinned like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. He opened his arms, and I fell in with his embrace.
“It’s so good to see you made it.” His body twitched with laughter.
“I can’t believe it’s over,” I said. My voice was muffled into his shoulder.
“Tell me about it,” he said and then winced. “Ouch. You’re squeezing my wound.”
“What wound?” I leaned back, concerned. And then I remembered.
“That blasted demon dog. The claw mark is infected or something.”
I heard low moans of disapproval from the guys roll around the room. Apparently, this was a bad thing.
“Let me see,” I commanded.
“No, Ivy. It’s okay.”
“Let me see!” I insisted.
He reluctantly lifted his shirt. When I saw the wound, I gasped in horror and then bit my tongue. How rude could I be?
“Um…it does look pretty bad. What—” I scanned the room to see everyone’s response. Drumm leaned on the open archway with a cloudy expression. “What can we do for it?”
I saw Ian’s Adam’s apple when he swallowed. “We’ll be paying Maximus a visit. He’ll be fine.” But no one seemed convinced, and with their suddenly sullen and dour expressions, I couldn’t believe him.
I made myself look again. Lucian’s wound was raised and pruned like a raisin. The redness was intertwined with black veins. The wound itself was the size of my hand, and it didn’t look too promising.
“It’ll scar and heal,” Adam informed us. “But what worries me—”
The room fell silent.
“Perhaps we should discuss this later,” Ian offered.
“What?” I practically pleaded him to answer.
“We’re all family here, Father. Go ahead,” Lucian said.
“Well, demon dog scratches can have side effects on hellhounds. It’s a defense mechanism because we hellhounds can easily rip them apart from limb to limb. We’ll have to just wait and see.”
“What side effects?” My patience was wearing way too thin.
“He’s trying to tell you that I might lose my mind. The poison may drive me to insanity.”
This news destroyed my happy-go-lucky mood, and I pinched my lips together. A part of me was terrified, and a part of me knew that Maximus would be able to remedy this somehow. If not, what would happen to Lucian? Would he someday not recognize me—or tear me to pieces? What were they trying to tell me? That the McCallister darkness had just turned…darker?
“It’s all good.” Lucian let the conversation fall off him like water over rubber boots. “Now, everyone, just forget it.”
Soon everyone was talking again, about the hits they’d made in the battle. I hugged Lucian once more, though more loosely this time.
“I’ll be fine, Ivy. Don’t worry about me.”
I didn’t say a word, only nodding my head. I left him with one last glance over my shoulder. He was already smiling and hanging out with the rest of the guys. Picking up my hurling stick, I left.
Chapter Forty-Two
Saying good-bye to Pladia was harder than I expected. I would have liked to have kept her around, but a promise is a promise, and I had to let her go. She deserved to be with her grandpappy.
We left before the sun rose and crept out the entrance to the land of the Elven. The gate was interesting, as it did not seem grand but elegant. It had a circled archway about twenty feet high, with doors painted like peacock feathers. Brilliant green, blue, purple, and turquoise inlaid with the eyes of the peacock feathers that were lime green, a sliver of orange color, and the center turquoise and blue. They were fascinating doors that opened with pure gold handles.
Drumm had told me that the peacock doors represented immortality and royalty. A fitting door for the Elven.
Drumm did not come with us on this early morning. He had matters to discuss with some of the Elven elders. And so it was Lucian that accompanied Pladia and me. Lucian’s eyes
were bright and shiny, radiant with happiness. I knew he did this for my sake. Earlier I had confided in him the sadness I felt to see her go. But to be honest with myself, it wasn’t just Pladia that I didn’t want to leave behind. It was the whole package: the Elven, their magnificent home, and my mother. Plus, I knew that I would be parting with Lucian for the ride home. While this brought about a bit of sadness, I was so relieved to have Drumm back, safe and sound. He filled my heart to the brim, and recently, I had to wonder if he was my heart.
Regardless, this sucked.
I was the type of girl that never made friends easily. I had always been too shy and, well, sort of different. I was an introvert. So when I made friends, it was a blessing to me, and I felt a sense of loyalty; if they took the time to like me, I would remain forever loyal to them. Lucian and Pladia had stuck with me through thick and thin. And Drumm would always remain by my side—if he wasn’t called away to war. I knew that that could happen again, as he was quite valuable to the team.
When we passed through the peacock gate, the sun had just begun its glorious ascent, and the misty vapors were an orange-gold. Before us lay the wide-open grazing land, and in the middle of the lush, green pastures grew a copse of trees. This is where she led us, talking about how long it had been since she’d seen her grandpappy and how she left when she was a young pixie. She had hidden among the Elven when they flew over the seas to various places, as young, naïve pixies were known to do. She just happened to land in with a group that was headed to Merribay years and years ago. During that time, Egbert Winemaker had captured her, and she had lived with him as prisoner, until Lucian and I rescued her.
“I forever grateful to you,” she told us. “You no be sad, Ivy. You come back soon someday. We meet again.”
This was true—I’d be back. I cheered up after she said this.
We arrived at a thick grouping of limbs. Sensing us, the limbs parted, revealing a long, curving narrow trail between a type of tree I’d never seen. The trees were whitish-gray, with spindly limbs that held sparking silver leaves. However, the leaves upon the ground were yellow-gold. This was explained to me when a shiny silver leaf fell to the ground and turned to yellow-gold. Immediately, a silver leaf sprouted back on the same limb, just as quickly as one had fallen.
At the end of the curving trail, the trees were intertwined, and they too parted their limbs for us to pass. They creaked and moaned as they spread apart. I had to wonder what sort of visions I might receive if I sat at one of these trees.
When they were fully parted, and I saw what lay ahead of us, I gasped.
“So, this is how the pixies live,” Lucian said in awe. “Is this even real?”
The pond that Pladia had called the “coral pond” was really not your regular everyday pond.
Amidst the trees was a shimmer that sort of vibrated—something you could see but not quite see, and you could see the light bending through it, yet it was crystal clear. Fish with subdued greens, grays, and blues swam around many different-colored chunks of coral. A green-haired pixie dove in for a swim, causing a splash, and swam at a brisk pace right into a cave set in a piece of blue coral.
“Home!” Pladia cheered.
Absentmindedly, I walked right up to this mystery substance and stuck my hand inside. It felt just like water, but when I pulled my hand back out, it was dry.
Lucian copied me, and he was just as dumbfounded and amazed as me. Little pixie eyes peered out of the coral caves to observe us.
“Grandpappy!” We heard the excitement in Pladia’s voice.
Turning, we saw an old man pixie standing in a hollow of a grand tree. He bent over slightly and held a cane. Adjusting his position slowly, he turned around to see Pladia.
“Holy moly!” He whooped and raised his free hand. “Pladia! You come home to us!”
Pladia flew down and embraced the old pixie. His wings were a vibrant red, and I bet he shed red pixie dust when he flew.
That was another thing: sparkling dust of various colors glittered the area like gems. This place was pure magic.
About this time, many pixies, perhaps a hundred, flew out to greet Pladia. They were so jovial and happy that just this scene alone had been worth the trip here to the land of the Elven.
I felt a joy rise in my heart that was unparalleled, and I could have sworn these creatures radiated with happy vibes that were catching to those they came in contact with.
“You can have your old room!” He pointed his cane to another hollow farther down the tree.
“Yay!” she squealed.
Moments later, there were tiny tiers of cakes and pies and tarts—mostly chocolate—and they were all partying. She handed us a tiny glass (the size of my pinkie) of something that she called “ambrosia made by pixie.”
It tasted like heaven in a glass, a cross between coconut and pineapple juice, but indescribably better. The “ambrosia made by pixie” made us laugh and laugh, and before we knew it, it was time to go.
Pladia kissed my cheek and Lucian’s, too, and we were on our way. Glancing back, I could see the swarm of them as they waved. The tree gateway closed its spindly limbs, closing us out.
***
We packed up Solstice with our mere belongings and took off to the shore. Some Elven ladies had decorated Solstice’s mane with blue ribbons and a small tinkling bell. I imagined he had appreciated the attention.
Drumm sat before me and I held onto him, loving every single second of it. He was muscular and firm and so incredibly charming.
We carried on throughout the outskirts of the land of the Elven.
When we had parted at the gate, King Alinir had been present. Many of his soldiers had stood by him, silver swords sheathed at their sides. Angelic beings with bright eyes.
He had long, silver hair and a braided silver beard. He had been the only Elven that I’d seen with any facial hair. The azure blue robe he wore was trimmed with silver and adorned with flat crystal beads. His face had been ever friendly when he kissed my hand. “I hope to see you back again soon, my dear granddaughter. Have a safe journey home,” he’d said.
Regardless of any hard feelings I’d had for the Elven king—after all, he’d been the one to kick my father out of the land of the Elven—I felt a bond with him. Yet I felt a bond with all the Elven. Something inside my heart, my very being, called out to them, and they called back. We were interlaced.
Mother had kissed my cheek good-bye, and so did her two sisters, Emilaya and Grenalda, two beautiful women who resembled my mother.
I was told that I’d be returning soon, and not to worry; I’d get home in time to save my father. He would suffer no more.
As I rode with Drumm to the shore, another ugly thought raised its head. “Drumm?”
“Yes?” He tilted his head over his shoulder to speak to me.
“I sat at a tree back in Merribay. I had a vision.” It pained me to recall it. “Silvie and Ainsley ran through the forest, only to be shot in the back by arrows.” I further explained my vision, ending with, “And Aunt Cora was forced to participate. I think that she thinks she killed Silvie.”
“No, Ivy, she doesn’t. She knows who killed Silvie. She was only there because Silvie and Ainsley deserted the Unseelie. They don’t take kindly to desertion of any kind.”
“Apparently not, if they killed them.”
“Also, there is more that you don’t know. About the McCallister darkness,” Drumm said.
“What do you mean? I mean, Silvie is not a hellhound.”
“Oh, Ivy. The hellhound darkness isn’t their only darkness. The family has a dark secret. What I’m referring to is about how Silvie tried to poison your Aunt Clover.”
This stupefied me. He made no sense. “Say again?”
He stopped the horse and maneuvered his body to face me better. “It’s time you should know. It’s not my fault they didn’t tell you yet. I will wait for them no longer.” He let out a long breath. “I will tell you what Izadora told me.
“When Izadora refused to help her charm Ainsley, she turned to Magella. Magella enchanted a purple scarf to snare this man. When Clover wore it, she was irresistible. Well, it worked on Ainsley. For a time he loved her. But he had only been fooled—he’d been enchanted. He didn’t really love her.
“It turns out, the spell Magella used on the scarf was way too powerful to be handled. Clover began to lose her mind. She became obsessed with Ainsley, but his true love was still Silvie.
“Clover didn’t give up—she pursued him further. Finally, Silvie went to Cora for a potion. Cora was always handing out potions, and so she didn’t think anything of it. The potion Silvie asked for was a potion for her heart’s desire to come true. Silvie knew her heart’s desire was to get Clover out of the way, you know, just remove her from the picture. However, Silvie’s true desire went deeper than she thought. She didn’t know it really, but she wanted her dead. She didn’t just want Clover out of the picture—she wanted her dead.
“So, inadvertently, the spell messed with Silvie’s head, and she sent Clover a bouquet of cursed flowers. Apparently they were very beautiful, and Clover thought they were from Ainsley.
“SO, Clover held them close, and after inhaling their deadly fragrance, she was poisoned and would have fallen to her death had Cora not been there to reverse the spell. Cora was overwhelmed with guilt, and yet Clover had brought it on herself when she dismissed Izadora and sought out Magella’s spell.