by K. E. Miller
“If that’s what you really want, then I will call you Sophia,” I agreed.
“Thank you,” she replied, leaning across the table to kiss my cheek. I smiled at her as she pulled away, wishing I could return that kiss. It was only the recent loss of Jaden that prevented me from doing so.
Chapter 3
Jaden
I opened my eyes at the sound of a snapping twig. I remained perfectly still, wishing not for the first time, that I was still in possession of my sword. My fingers dug into the skin of my empty hand as they grasped for a nonexistent weapon. My other hand did what it could to hold together the open wound in my side.
Shortly after the fight with the Warriors began, I’d been distracted trying to keep one of them from stabbing Andrew in the back. Another one had taken the opportunity to get in a hit to my exposed side. It was a stupid mistake for me to make. I knew better than to overextend myself in a fight like that, but the shock of seeing one of them about to stab Andrew had overridden all of my awareness of the other Warriors around me.
Andrew and I had held them off for as long as we could, but after I was certain Aaron and Shaylee were a safe distance from them, we’d turned and ran in the opposite direction. Several Warriors had followed us and somewhere along the way Andrew and I had gotten separated.
I had no idea where the Bard was now, but I prayed that he was still alive. I would never be able to forgive myself if I had managed to survive the attack that had killed the man who was basically my best friend’s father.
Another twig snapped and I sprung up from my position. I darted around the tree in an attempt to tackle my assailant. It was a foolish move, but I was too drained to realize that I had other options.
A pair of strong hands caught me and swung me around so I was pinned up against the tree. I struggled against them, but there was little fight left in me.
I looked up to see a tall, well-built Warrior. His well-worn clothing was mostly hidden by a trench coat and his leather boots had seen better days. His face was young, but ragged. His long brown hair was pulled into a ponytail and his hazel eyes had a depth and warmth to them that surprised me.
He released me, but I didn’t have the strength to run. Instead, I leaned against the tree for support and glared at him as best as I was able.
“My apologies, Miss Jaden. You startled me,” he said. His voice had a rough yet comforting quality that seemed to fit his appearance.
“Well go on and kill me,” I said with exhaustion. His brow furrowed and his confusion was evident even through the haze of my blood loss. “Of if you intend to take me captive, you’d best get on with it.”
“Captive?” he asked. “I’m here to help you, Miss Jaden. I am Thorn Liam, Warrior of the Resistance and sworn Eternal of King Aiden and Queen Sophia.”
My mood brightened hearing that he was an Eternal.
“Where are they?” I demanded. “Are they alive?”
“I don’t know. I was following you, waiting for the proper moment to approach you. I kept my distance though. When I came upon your car, I found it empty. There was no one in sight. I found your trail and followed you here.”
“We were attacked,” I explained. “There were two dozen Warriors and at least one Mage from the Council. Aaron and Shaylee made a run for it. Andrew and I got separated. I’ve been trying to sense Shaylee, but I’ve lost too much blood. I’m too weak.”
“You are an Eternal?” Thorn asked.
“It was an accident, but I don’t regret it.”
Thorn nodded in understanding. I swayed on my feet and looked down to see that blood was once again seeping from my wound. I returned my hand to my side and suppressed a moan as I applied pressure.
Warriors healed faster than any of the other Clans, but my wound had been made with a Warrior’s blade designed to be harder to heal. I knew I needed medical attention if I didn’t want to die from it. I didn’t think Warriors could get infections like humans did from open wounds, but the blood loss would eventually kill me.
“I have to get you out of here,” Thorn said in distress as he glanced at my wound. “We will continue the search for their majesties after I’ve seen to you.”
Had I not been injured, I probably would have spent more time questioning Thorn and his presence in the forest. Thanks to the blood loss, I was less resistant to the idea of someone helping me than I normally would be. There was also something about Thorn that I just couldn’t help trusting. He seemed genuinely aggrieved by my injury.
He swept me off of my feet, carefully keeping my injured side away from him. As he carried me through the forest, I drifted in and out of consciousness; my head resting on his shoulder.
I don’t remember being put in a car, but the next thing I knew we were driving down the highway. The trees blurred past me as I gazed out the window. We drove into Princeton Kentucky, but I wasn’t aware enough to consider where that was in relation to other towns.
When Thorn lifted me from the car, the pain in my side brought me back to complete consciousness. A cry escaped me as he straightened with me in his arms. He carried me into a motel and I managed to stay alert until he gently placed me on the bed.
◆◆◆
When I woke up, I could tell that some time had passed. I lifted my head so that I could inspect my wound and saw that Thorn had bandaged it. I tried to sit up, but pain prevented it.
“Please be careful,” Thorn said. I looked over to the other bed in the room and saw Thorn setting a newspaper aside. He stood and towered over the bed where I lay. “You will pull out the stitches if you move too quickly.”
“You gave me stitches?” I asked.
He nodded and said, “It’s a bad wound. It will take you at least another three days to be fully healed.”
“How long have we been here?”
“Almost two days.”
I tried to sit up again, this time with more determination.
“We have to find Shaylee,” I insisted. “We’ve rested too long as it is.”
Thorn’s strong hands stopped me and gently pushed me back down.
“You won’t be able to help them if you bleed out. We would know if they had been killed. They must have gotten somewhere safe.”
I glared up at him in disagreement. I was determined to disobey his instructions. Shaylee was out there somewhere and I was not about to sit around while she was in danger. Thorn’s eyebrows rose and I realized that my plans must have shown on my face.
“Give it at least one more day, Jaden,” he said. “Then at least you should be able to fight without reopening the wound.”
I considered his request. I knew he was being reasonable. I was in no condition to fight anyone. I also knew that if he wanted to, it would take very little for Thorn to overpower me and force me to rest.
“One more day?” I asked, suspiciously. Not wanting to agree to any more time than was absolutely necessary.
“One more day and then we will go find them. I give you my word,” he replied. He spoke with such sincerity that I had no choice but to believe him.
I relaxed into the bed, knowing that even if I could get past Thorn, my body would fight me and I wouldn’t make it very far. I could allow one more day to heal, but only one.
“Alright then,” I agreed. “but if you’re lying to me, I’ll end you before escaping this place.” I spoke sincerely, but I could tell that he found my threat amusing.
Thorn smiled at me and returned to his bed and his newspaper. Part of me wanted to reiterate my threat so that he would understand that I was dangerous and he should take me seriously, but the conversation had drained me of my strength and I soon felt myself drifting off to sleep.
I opened my eyes to see the sunlight shining through the window. I sat up and felt a dull pain in my side, but I could tell the gash had closed. I looked around the room for Thorn and saw that he was looking out the window.
“Anything interesting going on out there?” I asked. When he glanced my way, I immedia
tely knew something was wrong. “What is it?”
He crossed the room and sat down on the bed next to me.
“Can you sense the queen?” he asked.
Wondering why he was asking I threw my power out in search of my lost friend. Instead of feeling her familiar presence, I felt nothing.
“Maybe they are out of range,” I suggested.
Thorn shook his head. “They could be in China and we would still feel something. I’ve been trying to locate them or get some kind of idea whether they’ve been captured or injured since we got here and I haven’t found anything.”
“That doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” I said, firmly. “They’re both powerful. Maybe they shielded themselves.”
“Why would they hide themselves from us? You are the queen’s friend, aren’t you? Wouldn’t she want you to find her?” he asked, his voice impatient with stress.
“We don’t know what happened to them after they jumped out of the car. There could be a reason they don’t want to be found. All I know is she can’t be dead. I have to believe I would have felt that.”
“Even so, we don’t have many options if we can’t find them.”
“We should head to Chicago,” I said. “That’s where we were headed before. If they weren’t captured, that’s where Shaylee would go.”
“Headquarters is there,” Thorn said, nodding. “It makes sense for their majesties to go there. Even if they aren’t heading there, we will have better luck tracking their majesties with the resources at the Resistance.”
“You sound very familiar with the Resistance,” I noted.
“I used to serve Nolen Darby, the Mage who has been leading the Resistance for the last seven hundred years. I volunteered to take the oath and become the Eternal of their majesties.”
“So, the Resistance can help us?”
“Oh yes,” he said, full of confidence. “The Resistance exists solely to serve their majesties upon the queen’s return. We have been waiting a very long time for this.”
“Then let’s get out of here,” I said. “The sooner we get to the Resistance, the sooner we can get some Mage power to help us find Shaylee and Aaron.”
Thorn nodded in agreement. He helped me to stand, which I was grateful for. Although the wound seemed to have healed, I could tell there was a nasty bruise under the bandage. I knew it would be another day or so before it went away and I returned to my full strength.
We got to the car and I willingly sat in the passenger seat and allowed Thorn to drive. After being the principle driver while on the run with Andrew, Aaron, and Shaylee, I was more than happy to let someone else be in charge of the driving.
As we left the small town, the feeling that we were leaving my friends behind, not heading towards them haunted me. It was extremely difficult, but I managed to push the thought out of my head, knowing there wasn’t anything else I could do from Princeton. I didn’t want to admit it, but Thorn and I needed help if we were going to find my friends.
“Will you tell me something?” Thorn asked, drawing my attention away from the trees passing outside my window.
“Depends on what you want to know,” I replied, evasively.
“What did you mean when you said becoming an Eternal was an accident? No Warrior ever takes the oath unintentionally.”
I thought about my answer before replying. Maybe accident wasn’t the right word. I had meant every word of my oath and I would never regret saying them, but at the time I hadn’t even considered that by promising to defend Shaylee with my life I would be bound to her forever.
“It was right after I’d found out what kind of danger Shaylee was in,” I tried to explain. “I meant every word, but it wasn’t a formal oath and I didn’t really realize what it meant until later. I’m glad I did it though.”
“This is why I disagree with the practice of keeping the unaware uneducated about their abilities until their Transition,” Thorn said. “Children used to be very well educated about their Clan.”
“When did they stop doing that?” I asked.
“After the Exodus. It was decided that it was more important to appear human, at least during childhood, so we began educating the new generations the same way humans are.”
“Wait, you remember the Sacred Isle?”
“Yes. I was only twenty-four when the Exodus happened. I was a member of the Palace Guard and I’m one of the few who escaped the attack by the Council,” he said.
“Are you saying Aaron is older than you?”
“The king is several years older than me, yes.”
I knew Aaron was old, but Thorn’s gruff appearance made it hard to believe that he was so much younger than Aaron. My youth and inexperience became even more pronounced in my mind. I knew there must be so much I could learn from such an experienced Warrior.
“Well, maybe with Shaylee’s return, the old ways will return as well,” I suggested.
Thorn’s only reply was, “Perhaps.”
“After the Exodus, did you join the Resistance right away?”
“I spent the first few years making my way to Europe.”
“Making your way from where?”
“When our people came through the portal, we were scattered all over the planet. I came through in southern Africa,” he explained. “The world was a very different place then. It was nearly a year before I came across another from the Isle. He had heard a rumor that there were Mages gathering in Europe so I decided to make my way there.”
“That’s crazy,” I said as I tried to imagine it. “How awful to feel so alone in a strange new world.”
“When I got to France, I found Nolen. He was struggling to convince people that Dominic was our enemy. Dominic had set up in Italy and already had quite the following.”
“What about Aaron?” I asked.
“It was my understanding that the king had a falling out with Nolen shortly upon arrival here. He disappeared for several decade. Most of us thought he was morning his wife. When he returned, he joined the Council.”
As we drove, we continued our conversation. Thorn kept our serious topics as light as he could. I had a feeling he would have changed the subject all together, but my curiosity didn’t allow it. There was so much I needed to know about the past, especially about Warriors and there was finally a Warrior who could tell me.
Chapter 4
Shaylee
Aaron stood at the counter, haggling with the car salesman. There wasn’t anywhere in town to rent a car, so we had resorted to purchasing a used one. It wasn’t the worst car I’d ever seen, but it was far from what one would expect two rulers of a magical land to be driving.
I stood guard near the door, looking out of the large glass windows, while Aaron handled the details. The salesman seemed reluctant to sell to us since we were so young and had a credit card with a high enough limit to pay for a car, even one as cheaply priced as the one we were getting.
The salesman finally handed over the keys and Aaron looked pleased with himself. We climbed into the car and Aaron started up the engine. I was surprised at how well the car ran considering its appearance.
“Don’t worry, Soph. This car will get us to Chicago without a problem and we got it for a steal,” Aaron said.
“We?” I asked. “You bought it.”
“Yeah, with our money.”
“We aren’t married in this realm. That money is all yours. You got this car for a steal. If I had been buying it, I would have just paid the asking price and been done with it,” I said.
Aaron didn’t reply, but some of the light had gone out of his eyes. I wondered if I’d hurt his feelings, but I decide not to ask as he pulled onto the road. It seemed like the topic was too serious to have on the short ride back to where we were staying.
We returned to the little inn we’d been staying at. Before buying the car, we’d decided to wait one more day before heading to Chicago. I was reluctant to leave. Thanks to my spell we were relatively safe. I was also hanging on
to the irrational hope that Andrew or Jaden would come waltzing into town. Aaron seemed reluctant to leave the town I had so carefully worked to shield.
Once in our room, Aaron sat down near the window and stared outside. He hadn’t said a word to me since leaving the car dealership and I was really starting to worry that I’d somehow upset him.
“Are you okay?” I asked, sitting down on the bed. He didn’t answer. He just continued staring out the window as though he hadn’t heard me. “Aaron, are you okay?”
He finally turned toward me and I could see the hurt in his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “What did I say?”
“Nothing,” he replied. “It was nothing. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Obviously it was something. Please tell me.”
Aaron leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. He looked down at the floor as though he were feeling embarrassed.
“I know we aren’t married anymore,” he said, quietly. “I never meant for you to believe that’s what I thought. You died. I understand that things aren’t immediately back to how they were in the Sacred Isle.”
“I know you didn’t think that. I just thought I should remind you, that’s all,” I said, still not fully understanding what had upset him.
“But the way you said it,” he continued. “You sounded like it wasn’t something you want. I know in this life you’re still so young and you don’t remember much about before, but I guess I’d always thought that if by some miracle the prophecy was real that we would be together again.”
I finally understood why he was so upset. I’d been careless in my words because I hadn’t realized that he had anxiety about our relationship just as I did. Our past was making our current relationship complicated and I hadn’t fully appreciated that. Even though it had never been my intention to upset him, I felt extremely guilty that we hadn’t fully discussed all of this before.