Insight

by Tina Engel

  I knew that I needed the egg, but I also couldn’t let Emilee die. I didn’t know what to do, how could I do both. Suddenly, out of the doorway that was still open, flew Brett. (Well not really flew, but rushed out)

  With his sword out in front, he struck out at Stephan, but the sword, as it struck the field that protected him, bounced off and out of Brett’s hand, only to land a few feet from where Stephan stood.

  Stephan laughed as he pushed his hand with the glowing object in Brett’s direction and Brett went flying backwards, hitting the downed tree and knocking over a wolf fey who was standing in his way.

  Stephan then went over to the sword, and as he picked it up, he said, “Well thank you dear brother, I have wanted this gift from you for a long time. Emilee, are you coming with me or not?”

  “When hell freezes over!” I yelled, as I went to Brett’s aid.

  “Well that can be arranged and will be soon. I will see you soon, for I know you will come for your precious dragon, you need her…” and he stopped talking and looking at Rose, continued, “Rose, poor Rose…” and then looking towards Brett with a gleam of hate in his eyes, said, “And Brett, I do hope you come along too. I’m sure you will want this back.” and he held up the sword.

  At that, Stephan disappeared into the tree that he was standing in front of, the tree dropped into the ground, with a thunderous sound, and the ground shook as if an earthquake had just struck. Then the ground closed up, leaving no sign that a tree had ever been there.

  As I looked around, everyone started to move again, the sky turned grey, the wind stared to howl, as did the wolves, some of them slightly wounded but others severely. I went to Brett as he got up on his feet and when I reached him, our embrace was short and sweet. I had to tend to Emilee, I knew, but needed to touch him, Brett, I needed that strength.

  “Go, Emilee, and do what you can for the human, Emilee.” He said as he squeezed my hand.

  As I went over to her, Brett went to Douglas and Varda, who were deep in conversation, Varda not looking too happy to see Brett.

  I bent down to Emilee, as Rose held one of her hands and Lily held the other. I smiled a concerned smile, as I could see the affection they both had for this human.

  I wasn’t sure what to do. Inspecting her body, I saw that she had a large gash in her chest, where her heart was. I placed my hand with the ring over it, and could see inside her. Emilee’s heart was still there, but next to it, I realized, was where the dragons egg had been hidden, attached to her heart.

  Emilee’s heart was beating but very sporadic and slow. The vein that had been attached to the egg, was severed, as the egg had been ripped out of her chest. Blood was gushing from it. She was bleeding from her ears and nose and had a few scrapes and bruises starting to appear. She fought hard, I knew, not knowing why, but she had to protect something.

  I had to heal her heart first, in order for her to live. I placed my hand with the ring inside her chest, and wrapped my hand around her heart. I could feel the ring get hot and my hand became warm and tingly. Soon her heart was beating with a normal rhythm and sped up to a normal human’s beat. The vein that had attached the egg to her heart, shriveled up and fell off. She seemed to breathe steadier then.

  I took my hand from inside her chest, and ignoring the blood that covered my hand and the surrounding area, I removed my necklace from around my neck and put it around hers. I then put my hand with the ring, over the gash and I felt it close and heal within seconds.

  The stone on the ring was glowing a soft green as I felt Emilee’s wounds heal. As I stared at the glowing stone, I saw Emilee in a bed, or was it me. As soon as the vision came, it was gone. The ring allowed me to see something, but I didn’t understand what I was seeing.

  I pushed the vision out of my mind for now, as the human Emilee was breathing normally, but her color was so pale, for she had lost a lot of blood. Too much I feared. She was human and I was fey, but I felt that the only way to keep her alive was with blood, someone’s, but who’s, mine, Rose’s? I didn’t know.

  Lily touched my shoulder softly and said, “A few drops of your blood, should help, but just a few drops. We don’t want her turning fey on us. That wouldn’t help the human population, at this time, anyway.” And she grinned that cat grin.

  I bit down on my finger, just enough to make a small hole and watched the blood pool to the opening. I placed my hand over Emilee’s mouth and as Lily gently opened her mouth, I placed a few drops into it and Lily lifted her chin to close her mouth again.

  I felt a presence behind me and my grandmother caringly said, “That is all you can do for her now, Emilee. We must go before they come looking for her.”

  Still looking at the human Emilee, lying there injured, I questioned, “You said my forest friends had the egg hidden but it was in Emilee, how? I don’t understand.”

  Varda replied, “When she took your place, before we put her back here in the humans’ world, we hid it inside of her. We felt that it was a place no one would think to look.”

  I stood, and as I turned around, I saw Brett still talking with Douglas and Weylyn, and Rose was over tending to an injured wolf. I didn’t remember Rose leaving my side. She looked over at me with an expression of sadness and I went over to help.

  I tried to heal him with my ring, but he was broken so badly, his back, neck and both legs, that the ring did nothing. My ring wasn’t strong enough. I didn’t understand, I had healed Emilee, and she was far more injured, I thought.

  “He wasn’t meant to survive, Emilee. Your ring and your abilities can only do so much.” Varda said, as she stood behind me, resting her hands on my shoulder, as I stood.

  “I don’t understand. I healed, Emilee. What do you mean, he wasn’t meant to survive?” I questioned.

  “It was his time, child, he was meant to go to Nirvana. It was his time and he welcomed it. There was nothing anyone could do.” Varda said wearily, as two semi-injured wolves picked him up and carried him into the bushes, out of sight.

  Lily came then, and stood next to Varda as Varda bent down, and placed a kiss on my forehead. She told me she had to leave, and that Douglas would take care of everything. As she stepped away from me, the glow came, and she vanished.

  Lily let out a soft moan and said, “This is getting tiresome.” As she looked at me with dismay.

  The weather was getting rougher, thunder and lightning filled the air and the wind was causing the tree tops to bend at its will. There was noise through the trees behind me and Douglas insisted we leave the humans’ realm and head to Terrafirma.

  I looked at him in disbelief and back to Emilee, laying on the ground, pale and unconscious. “We can’t just leave her here. She will die.”

  Brett came to me and took my hand, as Douglas told me that it was her parents, coming through the forest, looking for her, and we had to leave. They would take care of her and we had to get the dragon from the Dark One, before he turned her to his ways.

  As I looked around, the wolves were disappearing, as were the spiders, Queen Widow and the tree fey that had been injured during the scuffle. Before Queen Widow disappeared though, she smiled and said, “Try to stay out of trouble.”

  Rose, Lily and Douglas all vanished, back to our realm, Terrafirma, leaving Brett and I still in the humans’ dimension. Instead of leaving, I walked over to a large tree, pulling Brett behind me, since he wouldn’t let go of my hand and was grumbling something about me never listening.

  When we got behind the tree, I put my hand up to Brett’s mouth to shush him and then peeking around the tree, watched as my mother and father, Katie and Willy, emerged from between bushes, and ran to Emilee.

  Kneeling down, they inspected her and then lifting her up, Willy carried her back from where they came. Just before they disappeared though, something fell from Emilee. It was my necklace, I had forgotten that I had put it around her neck.

  I heard a voice then, my grandmothers, “No loose ends left behind, my dear.”

/>   I went over and picked up the necklace, put it around my neck and just stood there, standing, staring into the forest where they had entered. I felt a lump in my throat, and tears burned my eyes. They were my parents too, my mom and dad.

  I felt Brett behind me and his arms went around my waist. I turned towards him and buried my face in his chest and cried. I wanted to go to them, hug them and tell them that I was okay, but it wasn’t me they were worried about, but her, their daughter Emilee, not me.

  I felt such pain, a pain of not belonging. This was my home, they were my family, and being here again and seeing them, opened up all the memories that had been slowly drifting away over the past months.

  “It’s time to go now, Princess. He’s causing great destruction now, here in the humans’ world, and we must stop him before he destroys their world, and those in it.

  “The grey fey that escaped from Gehenna, and disappeared as we struck out at them, were not there to hurt you or us. They were sent to this dimension, to the humans’ realm to create destruction and chaos. Douglas told me that we don’t have much time. I know where we need to go now but we must hurry.”

  I looked up into his face, full of worry and anger. The anger I knew was at himself for listening to Weylyn, telling him not to come with me through the doorway to the humans’ realm, and for allowing Stephan to get hold of his sword. The worry was for Emilee, the human Emilee. I saw it in his mind. He didn’t think she would survive.

  Brett smiled then and bending down, kissed my forehead and told me that we needed to go. Brett, being in my mind also, continued, saying that I wasn’t alone and my home was in the humans’ realm as well as Terrafirma and elsewhere too.

  Somehow I understood this, my home was growing, and maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t just getting closer to my real home, but maybe I was there already. Maybe my home was everywhere.

  Chapter 17

  The fear of losing those you love,

  Can paralyze you momentarily,

  But don’t live in that fear,

  Have faith

  That you will see them

  Again.

  Suddenly the doorway closed and Brett, looking in that direction said, “Damn!”

  I looked at him and asked with curiosity, “Can’t we open it again? I thought the doorways were always there. I thought all I had to do is think of Terrafirma and we would enter it. I see it all around us right now.”

  Brett, looking frustrated, replied, “It isn’t just Terrafirma that we must enter but to get back to the beach where everyone else is waiting. We need to get to Adam’s ship. And I must get my sword back before it becomes Stephan’s, for good.”

  I didn’t understand what he meant by the sword becoming Stephan’s for good.

  Brett seeing the confusion on my face, continued, “The sword was given to me by my father, but it had belonged to someone else before me. It was Stephan’s father’s sword, and has very special powers. It took time for it to accept me as its owner, but the sword has always had the imprint of Stephan’s father deep inside.

  “Now that Stephan has it, Stephan being his son, it is possible it will imprint on him, and if I touch it, it will burn me, will not listen to me and will be lost to me, forever. I can’t let that happen. It will make Stephan stronger and I will have a harder time protecting you from him.”

  “I can protect myself from that bastard,” I responded strongly. “And we will get both the dragon and your sword back.”

  I looked around, hoping to see something that would help us get back to the ship on the other side of the continent, we were on.

  Brett chuckled, gave me a squeeze and said with a silly grin, “Bastard yes, but I think you still need a little help from your friends.”

  Suddenly I heard, a man’s voice say, “Emilee, I’ve waited long enough. Maybe this will get you moving?” And the ground started to rumble and Brett and I both struggled to stay upright as we were forced away from each other, by some invisible presence.

  I couldn’t keep my balance and fell backwards, landing on my butt and as I looked to Brett, the ground opened up beneath his feet and he disappeared, the ground closing then, and he was gone.

  I shrieked Brett’s name as I got to my feet, running to where he disappeared and started to dig with my hands as I screamed his name over and over.

  I heard menacing laughter, all around me, and the voice commanded, “Come to me or he will die! Well he will die anyway, in time, but you can prolong his life! I am tired of waiting!”

  I pounded the ground and yelled as tears fell from my eyes, “I will kill you, if you lay a hand on him, I will kill you!”

  The laughter subsided slowly, and I sat down on the ground and sobbed quietly. I felt a hand on my shoulder and without thinking I removed the barrette from my hair as I twisted away from whoever was behind me, and swung my knife in front of me as I scooted away and put up my force field.

  There, standing just a few feet away and looking quite shocked and a little frightened, was Tobias. “It’s okay Princess Emilee, it is just I, Tobias. I won’t hurt you. We’re here to help. She sent us to you.”

  Looking around then, movement everywhere, were the trolls, all coming out from holes in the ground. Tree fey came out of their trees, different tree fey than before.

  I looked back at Tobias and saw Tilly standing next to him. She came over to me, but stopped as she touched the shield and she reached out her hand to me. I dropped the shield and she came and knelt down in front of me, reached out with both arms and wrapped me in a safe embrace.

  “I couldn’t stop him.” I sobbed. “I couldn’t stop him and now Brett’s gone.”

  Tobias said quickly, “Come Princess, she sent us to get you, to take you to safety. He has somehow blocked your friends from getting here to the humans’ realm and you to them, but we were close by, are always close by to watch over her, Emilee.”

  I looked at him as if he were crazy, not understanding what he was saying. Then it dawned on me as I looked around, these were some of my childhood friends. Even though the troll family’s home was far from here, they somehow were here too. The tree fey and others, small creatures that I realized were lizards and frogs, chipmunks and birds, in humans’ eyes, but I saw them as fey, were here, and were my friends.

  “Come Princess, we must hurry.” Tobias implored, and he reached out to take my hand as I tried to stand.

  Tilly helped also and soon all my old friends were around me, all but Eliza, my would have been sister, if I had been human.

  Suddenly a tree opened up not far from where I stood, and out came another tree fey. It was Albee, but was it the real Albee or Stephan, disguised as Albee, like before?

  I put my shield up around myself and Tobias and Tilly, as Albee approached us. He smiled and bowed, and then said calmly, “It is I, Princess Emilee, Albee. She sent me to you.” As he looked around at the troll clan and the other fey here to help me.

  “She, Varda, I can call her by her true name now that you all know who she is, sent me to help. We will go through the trees’ root system to get to a place where he hasn’t found a way to block, and a doorway will be there to get you to the rest of your allies. Adam will take you to Cape Matapan. That’s where Stephan went, where you will get your dragon back before the Dark One turns it against you.”

  Tobias, not seeming to be happy to see Albee, snorted, “She sent us to retrieve and help the princess and take her through our tunnels. We were here first!”

  Albee chuckled at this and I could see that Tobias was getting even more upset. When Albee saw this, he replied, “Yes, I know Tobias, but she wanted to make sure that the tree fey and troll clan worked together. She felt that if I came also, the tree fey would cooperate more freely. As you know there are some who are working with the Dark One and my presence will ensure their cooperation.”

  “Who is the Dark One?” I implored. “Do you know? No one will tell me and I am getting really tired of these secrets. Everyone tells me that no o
ne knows for sure, but surely someone does, and how do you know where I must go next, Cape Matapan?”

  Albee sighed, and said, “Princess, I don’t know who the Dark One is, but she does, she, Varda, knows. Right now we need to go. It isn’t safe here in the humans’ realm. He is changing things. Creating chaos and destruction here.”

  Albee was right, I knew. The wind was blowing more forcefully and as it howled through the trees, looking up, I saw the trees were full of crows, large and menacing looking, and suddenly the rain began to fall. Not just a sprinkle but a downpour.

  I wanted to go to my house, Emilee’s house, and make sure that the real Emilee was alright, but I knew that it wasn’t a good idea at the moment. I dropped my shield and headed in the direction of the open tree, as Albee headed that way too.

  When I got to the tree, I questioned again, “You didn’t answer me, how do you know where Stephan went?”

  “I was told by Varda, and I will be accompanying you. She believes I can help since Stephan took over my essence for a short time as he tried so desperately to get you. Varda feels that I may have a small connection to Stephan and will be able to weaken him just enough for you to retrieve Brett’s sword and free Brett. She hopes anyway.”

  “What about the dragon?” I asked.

  “That is for Varda to share. I haven’t been given any more information other than what my role will be.” Albee said as he turned and entered the tree.

  Tobias grumbled something derogatory about tree fey always getting their way and Tilly was trying to console him. When we got to the tree and I turned around, only Tilly and Tobias were standing there. All the other fey, were gone from the humans’ realm, safe in Terrafirma, I hoped.

  Tobias said, “We can help too, if she would let us.”

  Tilly replied looking at Tobias with affection, “We are helping, Tobias, she sent us to get the princess to safety. We must trust and obey.”

  Tobias had a look of embarrassment on his face as he looked up at me. I knelt down, and putting my hands on his shoulders, told him that this was the third time he had rescued me and I was eternally grateful. I was in his debt and would always come if he needed me, if it was possible. I hugged him tenderly and when I moved away, he was blushing, and feeling my face warm, I knew that I was blushing too.