Reclamation: The Sacred Isle Series

by K. E. Miller

  “Yes, but you weren’t there,” I said. “I was on a beach, alone, and then Rylie was there. We seemed friendly.”

  “He was your best friend when you were a child. After his father died, he became your father’s advisor, like Nolen was to you. When you became queen, you made him a member of the Council.”

  “The Council?” Horror filled me at the thought of a once close friend now being my enemy. “So he betrayed me?”

  “We don’t know how many Mages betrayed us and how much was Kellan’s doing.”

  Upon hearing the name, another memory flashed in my mind along with feelings of fear and hatred.

  “Kellan was the leader of the Council, wasn’t he?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

  “He still is. Now he goes by the name Dominic Victor,” Aaron replied, the disdain evident in his voice.

  I wondered how much hatred there was boiling just beneath the surface. I leaned against him and he put his arm around me.

  “Don’t worry,” I whispered into his ear. “He was first on my list before we came to this realm.”

  Aaron looked at me, seeming to search for something in my eyes. He wrapped his other arm around me and pulled me closer. I allowed him to hold me for a few minutes before pulling back far enough that I could once again see his face.

  “What about the war?” I asked. “The one on the Mairead Coast. That’s what Rylie and I were talking about.”

  “A group of Warriors from the south decided to overthrow the Mage who ruled over their land. They rebelled, leading to war. The Mage was later executed for treason by your father, but at the time the king had no choice but to quell the rebellion,” Aaron explained.

  His voice was calm and thoughtful as he told me about the past, but his eyes suddenly began to sparkle.

  “That’s how we met,” he said.

  “I remember healing you,” I told him. Then I frowned and added, “You were really badly wounded for being such a powerful Mage.”

  “There were some Mages who sided with the rebellion and I was very young and reckless. I put myself in unnecessary danger on more than one occasion. The war is what led to your decision to dismantle the Clans after you assumed the throne.”

  “I thought that was our decision,” I replied.

  He smiled at me. “At that time, you made most of the decisions. I just agreed with them,” he said with a chuckle.

  Letting the conversation end, I leaned into him and laid my head back down on his shoulder. He still had his arms wrapped around me and I felt secure in his embrace. I knew whatever happened, we would be together.

  Chapter 2

  Aaron

  The dark wilderness of the mountains surrounded us. It was the middle of the night and Shaylee had fallen asleep again and I wondered if she was having any more dreams of her past. I hoped that her sleep was peaceful for once.

  Andrew was once again in the passenger seat. His head leaned against the window and from the way it moved when we drove over a bump, it was obvious he too was deeply asleep.

  There were almost no other cars on the road. We were deep in the forest somewhere on the northern side of the mountains. I hadn’t seen a car pass us for several miles. Andrew had insisted on an insane zigzagging backroads route to Chicago. In the empty darkness I felt more exposed on the lonely road than I would have on a busy highway.

  A misty fog seemed to settle around us and I found myself growing tense. Something felt off. I didn’t have premonitions, but there was something in the air that just felt wrong.

  Suddenly, Jaden slammed on the brakes, throwing everyone in the car forward and causing the vehicle to skid to an abrupt halt. I looked over to see Shaylee’s wide eyes staring back at me and I was pleased that she wasn’t hurt.

  “What the devil is wrong with you?” Andrew shouted at Jaden. “We could have been killed.”

  “We still could,” Jaden whispered, her eyes never leaving the road in front of her.

  Andrew followed her gaze and he froze when he saw whatever it was Jaden was looking at. I leaned to the side so I could see out the front window.

  There, standing barely visible in the car’s headlights, stood about two dozen, darkly clothed, heavily armed Warriors. None of them had their weapons drawn, but I knew they would be upon us in an instant if we made a wrong move.

  “What do we do?” Shaylee whispered, proving just how new all of this really was to her.

  “We fight,” I said without a second thought.

  “We can’t win,” Jaden said. “There’s at least one Mage out there. Can’t you feel it?”

  As soon as Jaden mentioned a Mage, I felt his presence. I also sensed just how powerful he was. He had to be a member of the Council.

  “This is what we’re going to do,” Jaden began. “Aaron, you and Shaylee are going to make a run for it. Andrew and I will hold them off.”

  “We can’t leave you,” I said. “You won’t last ten minutes by yourselves.”

  “Listen to me,” she continued. “Shaylee is the only one standing between all of us and the Council. She has to survive and she won’t make it without you. Andrew and I can be replaced, the two of you can’t.”

  “Jaden, I can’t just leave you behind,” Shaylee said, frantically.

  “On the count of three, everyone will move together,” Jaden continued, ignoring Shaylee. “Aaron you’re in charge of Shaylee. Andrew, I’ll hold them off, but I need you to watch my back in case they surround us. As soon as Aaron and Shaylee are clear we make a run for it in the opposite direction.”

  “Jade…” Shaylee whispered, clearly on the verge of tears.

  “Get ready to run, Shay. Don’t look back,” Jaden ordered.

  When Jaden said three, I threw open my door and pulled Shaylee out of the car behind me. I didn’t pause to even consider what Jaden and Andrew were doing. I clung to Shaylee’s hand and pulled her after me, off of the road, and into the forest at a dead sprint.

  I was momentarily aware of some shouting behind us, but I kept on pulling Shaylee without looking back. I slowed only to help Shaylee when she tripped, which grew more frequent as she began to tire.

  Branches hindered our progress in the dense forest. All I could hear was my heart thundering in my ears as I continued pulling Shaylee along. I glanced behind us to see if there was anyone following us, but it was impossible to see anything in the darkness.

  My brief glimpse behind was all it took to miss the exposed root from one of the massive trees surrounding us that Shaylee’s foot got caught on. She fell to the ground. I slid to a stop and reached down to grab her arm. I pulled her up and propelled her forward, not even checking to see if she was injured. If we were found, her injuries wouldn’t matter. Escape was the priority.

  When I finally stopped, we both collapsed onto the ground. My lungs screamed at me for more oxygen, but I held my breath as I listened for sounds of pursuit. The vast forest was silent, the only sound was the wind blowing through the bare trees.

  As Shaylee’s breathing slowed, she began to cry. She pulled her battered knees up to her chest as tears fell down her cheeks.

  “I’m so sorry, Shaylee,” I told her. I pulled her into my arms, expecting her to push me away, but instead she leaned into me for comfort. “I didn’t want to leave them, but Jaden was right. You are the only one who can defeat the Council. We couldn’t risk them killing or capturing you.”

  “I know,” she sobbed.

  I waited until she had calmed and stopped crying, before helping her to her feet. I was grateful for Jaden’s forethought in packing practical clothing for Shaylee. Although neither of us was wearing winter coats, Shaylee’s thick sweater would be enough to keep her warm unless the weather took an unexpected turn. We continued our trek through the forest, this time at a more comfortable pace. We had to keep moving. I kept my attention on listening to the forest around us for any sign that we were being followed, knowing that we would be at risk until we found someplace to hide.

&nb
sp; The sun was beginning to rise when the trees finally parted and we were presented with a road. It was poorly paved and obviously not often traveled. I stood debating which way we should go when it occurred to me that it would be best to ask Shaylee. She’d always had a far better sense of direction than me.

  “Which way do you think we should go?” I asked, turning to her.

  “North,” she instantly replied, pointing to our right. “Jaden and Andrew knew we were heading to Chicago. If they escaped, that’s where they would go.”

  “North it is,” I said with a smile.

  Shaylee rewarded me with a small sad smile in return, but it was a smile nonetheless, and it warmed my heart. I reached out and she willingly took my hand. We set off down the road. I didn’t know what we would find when we got to the end of it, but I knew I would honor Jaden’s wish and keep Shaylee safe.

  ◆◆◆

  Eventually, after the sun was high in the sky, the forest began to clear and there were more fields than there were trees. When we finally came to a main road, I felt a sense of relief. I had to ignore that feeling. I knew that just because I hadn’t seen any Warriors, they were still out there searching for us and if the Mage was still tracking Shaylee it was only a matter of time before they found us. We headed west in the hopes that we weren’t too far from the Illinois border.

  Long after the sun had set, we were rewarded by the lights of Marion Kentucky. Walking into town, I pointed out the first restaurant I saw.

  “Food would be amazing,” Shaylee said. “but we don’t have any money.”

  “I do,” I said, grateful my wallet had been in my pocket when we fled the car. Shaylee frowned and looked like she was about to argue. “I’m paying, Shaylee. I’ve got enough cash to get us to Chicago.”

  She thought about things for a moment before nodding in agreement.

  We headed into the restaurant and collapsed with exhaustion into a booth. The server took our order and we sat in tired silence, waiting for our first meal in more than a day. My mind drifted to thoughts of Jaden and Andrew. I wondered if they were still alive and if they were, what had become of them.

  “I should have fought them,” Shaylee said, bringing my attention back to the present. She looked dazed as she stared down at the table. I had a feeling she would be crying if she had the energy left to do so. “Why didn’t I fight them? I could have destroyed them all.”

  I reached across the table and took her hand. She lifted her eyes to meet mine.

  “There was so little time. I know you could have fought them, but Jaden didn’t want to risk your safety. We didn’t have time to debate. We did what had to be done,” I told her.

  The waitress brought our food before Shaylee could say anything else. I knew my words did little to comfort her, but I hoped that in time she would be able to move passed what had happened.

  We ate in contemplative silence and it wasn’t long before I was paying our bill. I asked our waitress about a place to stay and she told us about the few options there were in town. I got directions for the hotel closest to the restaurant, not wanting to walk any further than we had to.

  We left the restaurant and walked about a mile to a decent looking inn. The woman on duty in the lobby was friendly enough without being nosy. Not wanting Shaylee to feel uncomfortable, I thought about getting two rooms, but since we were undoubtably still Warriors in the area, I didn’t want to risk leaving Shaylee alone.

  When we got to the room, I was pleased to see that it was fairly clean. Shaylee threw her bag down on the floor and herself onto the bed in exhaustion. I sat down at the small table by the window. I had little doubt, after only a few moments, that Shaylee was asleep.

  I remained awake, though in a sort of dazed trance. I was too tired to be truly aware of my surroundings, but I was too worried about an attack to allow myself to sleep. The night passed and I slouched in the chair from exhaustion, waiting for the sun to rise.

  When the sun finally reappeared, Shaylee stretched and sat up. She looked well rested and alert. A deep frown lined her forehead as she looked at me.

  “Haven’t you slept at all?” she asked.

  I shook my head in reply, too tired to say anything.

  She got up and came over to me. She pulled me up from the chair and walked me over to the bed. She pushed me to sit, but I took little convincing.

  “It’s your turn to sleep. I’ll keep watch while you rest,” she said.

  I closed my eyes. When I opened them, the late afternoon sun was shining into the room. I sat up, looking for Shaylee, but she wasn’t in the room.

  I was up in an instant, but before panic could truly set in, the door opened and Shaylee walked into the room with a paper bag that smelled like fast food.

  “Good, you’re awake,” she said with a bright smile.

  “Where were you?”

  “I went to get us something to eat. You’ve been asleep for nearly ten hours. I knew you would be awake soon.”

  “What about the Warriors? You shouldn’t go out alone,” I told her.

  “Don’t worry,” she said, dismissively. “I was reading that spell book you gave me. There was a spell in it for protection. I reworked it and placed a protection shield around the whole town. It was originally just a spell for one person and I couldn’t figure out how to add you, so I figured if I did the whole town, they wouldn’t be able to track us.”

  I was a little shocked by her causal attitude about not only using her magic, but reworking what had to be a complex spell. I joined her at the table as she pulled out sandwiches and cartons of fries.

  “Are you sure about that spell?” I asked her after we had finished eating.

  “Of course, I’m sure,” she said, sounding confident. “I studied it thoroughly before I cast it. I’m determined to never again be in a situation where I don’t know enough magic to do anything. I spent all day studying that book and trying to remember as much about my power as I can.”

  “How much do you remember?” I asked, filled with curiosity.

  “Not very much,” she admitted dejectedly. “but enough to know that I cast that spell correctly.”

  “The memories will come to you in time and I’ll do whatever I can to help,” I promised.

  “Will you tell me more about the war? How did we meet?” she asked.

  “It was very early in the war,” I said, smiling at the memory. “I dislocated my shoulder after getting into a fight with my superior officer.”

  Shaylee looked shocked as I confessed to my bad behavior. I used to be ashamed of the careless immature person I used to be, but so many years had passed that I had accepted those experiences as part of what made me grow into a person worthy of Sophia.

  “As I told you before, I was very young,” I shrugged. “I went to the healing tent. You’d just arrived. I think I was your very first patient. When you asked me how I had injured myself, I told you I had single handedly defeated twenty Warriors in battle and my shoulder was my only wound.”

  “Why did you lie?” she asked.

  “I wasn’t about to tell the most beautiful woman I had ever met the truth. My father was a nobleman. He raised me better than how I was acting. I could tell you were of noble birth and I didn’t want you to think I was the rouge I had been acting like. I wanted to impress you.”

  Shaylee smiled and said, “Your plan didn’t work out did it?”

  “Of course not. You saw right through me. After that it took me months to convince you I that I had any honor. Everything changed though when I was wounded in battle.”

  “That was when I realized I was in love with you,” Shaylee said. “That was when I knew I wanted to marry you.” Her cheeks began to darken. It was the first time either of us had brought up our marriage. Seeing that she was somewhat distressed, I decided it was a conversation for another time.

  “Perhaps I could help you recover some other memories,” I suggested.

  Shaylee nodded, but her blush didn’t diminish. S
he fidgeted, her foot tapping lightly on the floor.

  “Close your eyes and relax,” I told her. She closed her eyes and after a few minutes her breathing evened out as the tension left her body. “Clear your mind. Just let the memories come to you.”

  After a few moments, Shaylee said, “I remember dancing in the throne room. I danced with a man who seems really familiar, but I can’t remember who he was. When the song ended, he kissed my cheek. Then you were there. The man placed my hand in yours.”

  “Then we danced. You were wearing a white gown with lace embroidery. Your hair was pulled up and had diamonds in it,” I said with a smile.

  “You remember what I was wearing?” Shaylee asked, opening her eyes.

  “Of course. That was our wedding celebration. The man you were dancing with was your father.”

  As I thought about that magical day so long ago, I found myself wishing that Shaylee and I were in a place to resume that relationship. Without her memories I wasn’t sure exactly how to get us back to where we were before the Exodus. For a brief moment I was overwhelmed by the fear that we would never be as we once were, but I pushed that fear aside to focus on the moment and what memories Shaylee did have.

  “My father,” she whispered, awe in her voice. “It’s so weird that there was a life where I knew my father. I wish I remembered more about him.”

  “You always loved your family. You’ll remember that in time.”

  “I remember how much I loved you,” she said. Her eyes widened as she realized what she’d said.

  “I haven’t forgotten,” I told her, reaching across the table and taking her hand.

  “Do you think you could do me a favor?” she asked.

  “Of course. Anything.”

  “I think you should start calling me Sophia.”

  “Why?” I asked, confused. It wasn’t that long ago that she had insisted that she and Sophia were completely different people.

  “Because it’s who I am…or was,” she surprised me by saying. “I think being called Sophia might help. I’ve been thinking about this a lot and I’ve been struggling because it seems like there are two sides of me at war with each other, but deep-down part of me knows it’s all the same person, me. There aren’t two sides, there’s just what I can’t remember. Shaylee and Sophia are just two names for the same person. Just like Aaron is another name for Aiden.”