by K. F. Ridley
My blood drips steadily on the floor as I start to slip into unconsciousness. Rowen runs to my side ripping off his white tshirt. He wraps my bleeding wrist tightly with the white cloth and the bloodletting slows. His brethren fight The Dark Thorn swordto-sword, three on one.
Beyond the walls of the grand room, the crowd screams in panic and bedlam can be heard beyond the doorway as imps screech in anticipation. The room rattles as the creatures try to force entry to engage the battle ensuring my death.
“Hang on, Ashe. We’ve got you,” Rowen says. His eyes still deep blue and loving me with their gaze. Pulling out a knife, he cuts the three remaining leather straps and lifts me off the table of death. He moves fast or maybe that’s the room spinning around. He hands me over to Ruis, who whisks me to the side protecting me from the mayhem.
“Take her out of here.”
“What are you doing? Don’t leave me. You can’t leave me.”
“You will be in good hands. I have some unfinished business,” he says softly.
I pan the room. Blades move back and forth like glitter in the air with lifeless bodies scattered about. Black robes blend into the ebony floor, but Straif is nowhere to be found. Alder is on the platform engaging Bran. With each jab, Alder is quick to the move. Bran’s anger seethes, building into frustration as hatred overcomes him. Suddenly, Alder thrusts his sword into the professor’s side and he rests on the floor, motionless, dead with his smoldering green eyes open. The glow begins to fade and Alder looks back at us gesturing with a nod for us to leave.
“Happy birthday to me,” I mumble under my breath.
“What?” Ruis asks.
“Nothing,” I answer. The door to the room is barred and those on the other side beat on it trying to get it in.
“Where’s Rowen? I don’t see him. Where’s Rowen? Rowen?” I ask with panic.
Coll is engaged with Phagos and Duir while the rest of the thorn retreated following their coward leader. Phagos pins Coll up against one of the giant pillars with his sword about to strike. Alder jumps in between the two giving Coll a chance to break free and he’s one on one with Duir, while Alder makes mincemeat of Phagos. He’s alive, but battered and bloody. Phagos struggles for retreat as he limps away.
“Duir, let’s go.”
Duir backs away from Alder and the two vermin leave the room. All the members of The Dark Thorn are gone, but those on the other side are about to break through. A sharp high-pitched squeal pierces the air and splinters of wood fly across the room as imps begin dismantling the door. Hundreds of them move towards us like a swarm of roaches with sharp teeth gnashing. They’re crazed with anger and hunger.
“Run!” Alder yells.
“We can’t leave without Rowen,” I insist.
“He’s gone to find Straif. Heknows what he’s doing.” Ruis throws a small thin thread directly over our heads hooking the ceiling and we go straight up and out of a window. The scaly gray imps bombard the room and are at our heels as we rise towards the room’s ceiling. Alder and Coll are right behind us with the same move. As we rush down the mountain side, the imps squeal pouring out of the window crawling viscously over each other like roaches.
The sentries move fast and never look back, but I do. Saliva drools from the imp’s mouths. They slow cautiously then retreat into their cave, except for one. He runs until his eyes explode. Blood and flesh spew from his face and a horrible din bursts from his mouth. Eventually, he bolts into a rock and into unconsciousness.
We arrive in the valley underneath a massive tree. “What happened back there? What happened to that creature?” I ask.
“Imps don’t do well out here. They dwell in caves. Their eyes will explode if they are exposed to sunlight.”
“Where’s Rowen? Aren’t you supposed to protect one another? How could you leave him there?” I yell at Alder. I imagine what might happen to Rowen with those evil things running around in there.
“Calm down, Ashe. He’s fine.” He reacts without alarm.
“How do you know?” I’m confused by his calmness, his lack of concern.
“We are sentries. It’s our business to know what’s going on within the brethren.” Alder peers at me as if I’m guilty of something.I realize it’s time to keep my mouth shut.
While the winged horses graze, the moment is quiet. The orange and pink hues of the setting sun comfort me as I sit under the colossal branches. Alder and Coll give me snide glances every once in a while, making me uncomfortable.
“He’ll be back. He knows what he’s doing. Sit and rest. I’m Ruis by the way,” he says bringing me a gourd of water. I drink spilling liquid out from the edges and down my neck. “Slow down a minute. You’ll choke,” he attempts to take the gourd. My hands are glued around it. “Okay, but slow down,” he responds when he realizes I’m not giving it up.“Want something to eat?” He hands me some bread and an apple. Like a barbarian, I rip the bread apart.
Moments earlier, I was being sacrificed. Now, here I’m eating, breathing, waiting for Rowen, and glad to be alive.
The beauty in front of me is deceptive, knowing the battle underground lingers. I sit quietly and wait, but my eyes can wait no longer. Like curtains on a stage at the end of a performance, they shut tightly hiding secrets behind them.
13
The soothing breeze brings me to consciousness. His blue eyes bounce off the curtain of cobalt sky. “There you are,” Rowen whispers.
I sit up screaming, “Oh my God!” And I grab hold of him as tight as I can. We’re flying. The trees below us look like bushes as I glance over the horse’s shoulder.
“ Calm down, Ashe.”
“I can’t look down,” I respond.
“This is Ruamna. Say‘Hi’ girl.” The horse neighs a couple of
times. Her wings span out like a bridge across the sky. As I sit in his lap, I remain latched to Rowen and begin to trust the strength of his arms. After I catch my breath, peacefulness surrounds me, but I then realize how disgusting I am.
“ I look horrible.”
“You look beautiful, but you don’t smell so good,” he says as he laughs a little. I haven’t had a bath in, well; I wasn’t sure how many days. I look like I live on the streets.
“Shut up,” I say as I begin to calm down. “Where are we going?”
“To your Great Aunt’s house. Ivy.”
The wind rushes over us like air through a wind tunnel. Coll and Ruis fly in front of us while Alder rides alongside on his beautiful palomino. His eyes cut in our direction with a grimace of concern. For some reason, I get the sense we’re doing something wrong.
“Did you get Straif?” I ask.
“No. He ran off. We’re not done with him yet.”
“How’s my Dad?”
“Still safe.” He hesitates.“I’m sorry I let you down. I don’t know how you can ever forgive me.”
“What do you mean you let me down? I’m here aren’t I? Safe, with you.”
“But, I promised you I wouldn’t let harm come to you. Now, look at you.”
“Okay, you don’t have to remind me. I know I look bad…and smell bad.”
His eyes melt. No tears, but the shimmering of liquid filled eyes stare down on me.“I’m sorry.” His voice draws me closer to his face kissing me softly on the mouth, warming my entire body.
“Rowen!” Alder shouts. Rowen looks over at him and draws me closer to his chest. “We’ll talk my brother, later.”
“What’s he so upset about?” I ask. Rowen’s face is tight, his jaw clenches. He’s hiding something. “What is it Rowen? Have I done something wrong?”
“No, but I’ve done something no sentry has ever done. We will talk about it later. I know I have said this before. Trust me. I don’t know if you can, but I need for you to trust me.”
“I do trust you with everything,” I murmur. I don’t understand what’s going on, but there’s so much about Durt I don’t understand. At least for now, I’m happy to be alive.
We
soar through the air; the view below is breathtaking. The trees are full and the sky is a quilted blanket stitched perfectly with mesmerizing colors covering the land. Birds fly below us unaffected by the enormity of their fellow aviators.
As we descend, I grab hold of Rowen with my scabbed hands. We drop so fast it takes my breath away. My stomach sinks to the bottom of my feet as we land in a clearing. Once when Taylie and I were younger, we rode the rollercoaster when the fair came to town. I barely kept my stomach contained. This experience is very similar to that rollercoaster.
We gallop through the woods for a while then arrive at a small stone cottage hidden in a thicket of trees. The thatched roof is tall and built into a huge oak tree, looking like a luxury tree house. Waiting outside the front door, is a very lanky, slender, blonde woman. She’s older, but unbelievably beautiful. The small hints of light sneaking beyond the canopy of the trees bounce off her and she glows. She illuminates the surrounding space with beams of gold.
“Who is she?” I ask.
“Ivy, your grandmother’s sister.”
A relative. A blood relative. Before now, I only knew of one, Dad. I’m embarrassed to meet her. I not at all presentable. What will she think of me?
The horses are unable to stand completely still. Rowen jumps down from Ruamna’s back without effort. He stands below me with his arms open wide. It’s a long way down.
“I’ve got you,” he says.
I slide off the giant sorrel’s back and drop into Rowen’s arms. We are eye-to-eye, pausing to absorb a glance that without restraint will lead to a secret kiss.
Alder, Ruis, and Coll have already gone up to the house. Rowen sets me down. I’m nervous, but his arms feel safe. I don’t want to go in and face rejection. I can already tell Alder and Coll have a problem with me. Rowen senses my apprehension.
“Come on. She’ll love you.”
My balance is tested by gravity. My feet won’t move and I fall to the ground. Rowen reaches down to catch me. He helps me up, but I’m unable to stand. Rowen looks down, his expression filled with shock, like a deer in the line of fire. Below my right knee there’s nothing, but a hazy shadow of what was once my extremity. My leg has disappeared again.
“What’s going on, Ashe?” Rowen asks as if I have the answer.
“I don’t know. So, you don’t see it either? I thought I was going crazy.” He sweeps me up and runs toward Ivy never becoming winded, never showing the least bit of strain.
“Get her inside,” my Aunt Ivy insists. She looks worried, but not surprised. If I didn’t know better I would have thought Nuin’s picture on the mantle had come to life. She makes my mother real. Her beautiful wavy amber blonde hair winds its way down her shoulders stopping at her waist as her radiant blue eyes distract me. I can’t stop staring at her.
“It’s going to be all right, dear.” Her voice is soft and musical. I wonder if my mother’s voice had been the same.
Rowen lays me on the couch and Ivy rushes out of the room. “What’s wrong?” Alder asks.
Rowen points to my missing leg. “What’s going on Rowen? What’s wrong with her?”
“Come with me.” Ivy looks at Alder with a shovel in her hand. They rush out of the front door.
“What’s going on, Rowen?” Ruis asks. His innocence shows through his childish expression.
“He’s probably screwed up again,” Coll says, releasing his bottled-up sarcasm. Rowen gets in Coll’s face. They are exactly the same height and nose-to-nose.
“That’s enough. There’s something wrong with her. This is not the time,” he growls at Coll.
“When will be the time, Rowen?” Coll asks after a short staring match and he backs away.“There will come a time, Rowen, and this matter will be dealt with.”
“Come on, Ruis.” The youngest of the group starts to follow Coll outside when Rowen redirects him.
“Ruis, get the medication for her hands.” The youth is unsure of his place and hesitates before he does as Rowen instructs.
Rowen kneels down beside me, putting his hand in mine. My leg still has not reappeared and I am feeling weaker by the minute.
Alder walks in through the front door.“Ashe, how long has this been going on?” he asks.
Ruis brings in a bowl. Alder removes my soiled bandages and places my hands in a solution of teal blue water sparkling with glittering light. The pain goes away immediately and the sores begin to heal instantly.
“I don’t know. Two or three days, I think. Time seems so different here.” Alder removes my hands from the bowl and Rowen dries them off. They look as if they were never injured.
“That feels so much better,” I say amazed by the miraculous healing.
Ivy rushes in holding a jar covered in dirt. She sprints passed us into the kitchen. “What is it, Ivy?” Rowen asks.
The stunning regal woman darts back into the room with the jar cleaned off, drying it with a rag. She approaches me with her perfectly-pressed robe flowing behind her in waves of white. She kneels down beside me. “Drink this.”
“It’s the yellow muck?” I sit up confused. “Where did you get this? Where’s Dad?” She has my medicine, so he has to be here.
“Your father is fine. Now, drink.”
I’m hesitant. I glance at her and see the blue that reminds me of the mother I never knew. Can I trust her? I look at Rowen standing behind her.
“It’s all right. Do as she says, Ashe.”
“Is this the same…?” I’m unable to finish the sentence before she interrupts me.
“Yes, dear. We have a small supply here. Your father has supplied us with the serum, but we have only been able to smuggle in small amounts. Straif monitors our every action and we can’t let him find out about the serum or its whereabouts. Now, drink up.”
As I swallow, I remember Dad and how he mulled over his lab making this most wonderfully bitter formula. What was once a burden is now a much appreciated gift. I hand the empty glass to Rowen. They snicker as if I have geek stamped across my face. Rowen points to my upper lip. Apparently, I have a yellow muck mustache, to adorn my already disgusting appearance. I wipe it off with the cloth I used to dry my hands. With my olive complexion, it’s hard for me to blush, but somehow I manage. I look down in embarrassment and I notice a more vivid image of my right leg starting to appear.
“It’s working.” Ivy’s encouraging. She scoots outside again snatching the dirt covered shovel on her way out. I’ve never seen a person her age move so fast. Well, I don’t know how old she is, but I know she’s a lot older than my father.
I feel stronger. “What’s going on?What’s happening to me?” I ask Rowen.
He turns to Alder for an answer. “Faeries cannot live in the human world. So, in an effort to save your mother, your father developed this serum to keep her alive. The human world is so toxic. Our kind will began to age rapidly and die within months if we’re without the serum. Unfortunately, your father was unable to perfect it in time to save your mother. He finished it soon after her death.”
“I’m part human though.”
“You are a bithling, Ashe. Therefore, your father wasn’t sure if your body would be able to tolerate the human world either. He’s been giving you the formula since your infancy. However, bithlings do run the risk of dissolution.”
“What?”
“As a bithling grows, their bodies begin to change. Some turn to sand. Some simply disappear. Others aren’t at all affected by their condition.”
“So, being a bithling is a condition?” I say with sarcasm.
“I was told there has been only one before, Ashe,” Rowen says.
“There have been other bithlings, other than Luis. You and Luis are the only ones to reach the eighteenth year. Your father has kept you alive with the serum. It’s by decree from the Elders this information has been forbidden knowledge to protect our world, to protect your world, to protect you. If The Dark Thorn knew of the serum we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Alder e
xplains.
All of a sudden, it hits me. “That’s what he’s been burying in the backyard all these years. He’s been hiding it in the ground!”
“It’s not hidden there. It’s the dirt that gives the serum its power. Your father discovered this soon after Nuin died,” Ivy says and then she leaves through the front door with shovel in hand.
Ivy returns with another dirt covered jar. Her pristine white robe has splotches of brown at the hem. After rushing in and out of the kitchen, and drying the jar off with a clean towel, she hands it to me. “Drink up.”
As I gulp my leg materializes, becoming more solid and functional with each passing second until I’m back to normal. The second dose revitalizes me.
“Good, it’s working,” my aunt remarks.
I’m still wearing the same pair of jeans and green t-shirt that’s tie-dyed with black grime.
“Is there any place I can freshen up?”
“Sure, dear, the bathroom is right this way.” I lift myself off the couch and have a dizzy spell. My legs are working, but I’m still a little wobbly. Rowen jumps up to steady me and walks me to the bathroom.
“I’m not leaving you,” he insists hovering over me as if I’m made of glass.
“I’ll be okay.”
“You’re not leaving my sight,” he says looking down at me.
We walk down the hallway of the cottage. The walls are made of stone. The ceilings are about twelve feet high. Light seeps through the green stained glass windows providing a soothing emerald hue. Everything meshes with the natural world.
“In here, dear.” Ivy points to a bathroom and then goes to another room. As I enter, Rowen follows behind me.
“You’re not coming in here?” I say pushing him out of the doorway.
“I told you. You aren’t leaving my sight. We’ve been through this before. Remember in Skewantee?”
“That was different.”
I waiver as we share a glance. Part of me wants him to join me, but I really not ready for‘that’ yet, whatever‘that’ might be. “Really, I’ll be fine.” I’m walking better now and make my way into the bathroom.