by G. Bailey
“Eowynn, you are back?” An older man says, running over to me and taking my hand in his. The moment his hand touches mine, a flash of memories assaults my head, making me fall to the ground.
Chapter 7
“Mother you can’t die, I can’t run this whole town alone,” I say, holding her tightly in my arms on the bed. She looks up to me, smiling.
“I must tell you the secret the king left here when he was a young man, before I die. You must save everyone here before it’s too late,” she says and I shake my head, tears falling down my eyes. I look over at the door, knowing my husbands are outside and I want to run into their arms, not be strong for my mother like I need to be right now.
“Eowynn, you know the white cliffs on the other side of the island? The ones I used to take you to as a child to see the sea?” she says, and I nod my head, meeting her eyes that are so much like mine. The cliffs are high on one side that fall into the sea, but there’s another side to them that has a deep pool of icy water. My mother always told me that someone could survive a jump in the pool, but not so much the sea. The pool has a small beach on the other side, one that you could swim out of.
“Jump into it, swim down and there’s a cave at the bottom. In the cave is the secret, the map to a crown that can give a changed one the power to kill the king,” she says and I watch her in silence as her words run around my mind.
“The war, the whispers of war and the changed one that could win it, it’s all true? You believe this story?” I ask her.
“Yes, find the map and take our people to the mountains. Take them to the princes and the changed one. Help them win this war because they will need you. The war must be won, there is nothing left good in this world if it isn’t. The old gods will rise, and the true heir needs to be on the throne for when that happens. Everything will be lost Eowynn, everything,” She says desperately as I wonder where she has heard this from. Old gods rising? What gods? I look down when she starts squeezing my hand tightly enough to hurt me.
“Promise me you will jump,” she says and I nod.
“Say it Eowynn, I need this promise,” she demands, still the strong women I know even as she dies.
“I promise,” I say, choking on my tears as the light leaves her eyes and her grip on my hand loosens until it drops into my lap. I sob quietly as I lie her body down on the bed, lifting the sheets and pulling them over her body before getting off the bed. I pace next to her body, harshly wiping the tears away as I think about what she said. War is coming and it’s up to me, the last council member to decide which side we are on. The evil king, who has murdered and rules with fear, or the whispers of a changed one. A girl who faced the king, almost killed him and escaped. A girl who has the heart of the princes and an army behind her.
“Eowynn, I’m so sorry my treasure,” Fen says, looking at my mother’s body and back to me. He goes to walk over and I let him hold me as I cry my eyes out. I eventually pull away, straightening my spine and lifting my head.
“Call everyone to the town, I need an emergency meeting,” I say, and he nods, walking back out.
“I will deliver my promise,” I tell my mother, before looking away and walking out the hut.
“Is she alive? Eowynn? Wake up?” I hear Fen demand, as the hands on my arms start lightly shaking me. I open my eyes to see I’m on the table, lying down and my husbands are all around me.
“I remember everything,” I say, sitting up quickly as they look at me in shock.
“Fen, Diego, Cullen and Shan…we need a big meeting once more,” I say, and they all give me equal looks of relief and love. I look around, seeing the heads of most the families watching me before locking eyes with Neil.
“Can you arrange this for me, in an hour? I have somewhere we need to go first,” I tell Neil, my cousin, who nods before running away. I slide off the table, walking over to my mother’s seat and remembering the last time I sat here, telling the entire town the plan. My husband’s follow me over, watching as I stoke a hand over my mother’s seat and look to my father’s.
“We need to go to the cliffs,” I tell them, waiting for the bad reaction I know they will all have.
“No way, you nearly died there!” Fen protests and I shake my head.
“I was pushed, when I wanted to jump,” I say and they all look at me like I’m mad.
“We need to jump in, swim to the cave at the bottom and get something from there. It’s important and we need it before we leave. I went last time, but I got into a fight with Smith. He didn’t want me to get the map from the cave, he wanted to side with the king. So, he pushed me, and I banged my head on the cliffs as I was too close to them,” I say, and Shan growls lightly.
“We should have killed him slower,” he says, and my husbands all nod.
“So, we are going for a swim?” Diego says, stroking his beard, and stepping closer to me.
“Yes,” I say as he links his hand with mine.
“Let’s go,” he replies. We all walk out the council hut, straight to the right side of town and towards the cliff that isn’t far from the town. I walk straight up to the top with my husbands by my side and look down at the pool below.
“You don’t have to jump, we can do this for you,” Shan says, stepping next to me and I look up at him.
“I will wait with the clothes, as I can’t swim,” Fen says, and I walk over, kissing his cheek.
“Thank you,” I tell him, knowing how scared he is of the water.
“As much as I love you for offering, this is something I promised my mother,” I say and he understands, not needing to ask me anything else. I pull all my clothes off, standing in just my white lacy vest top. Shan, Diego and Cullen are all in just their trousers as we walk to the edge. The cold wind blows against my ears, as I look around and I swear I can feel my parents with me. Helping me have the courage I need to do this.
“For my mother,” I say before jumping straight down. I hear the air whistle past my ears and my heart pounding in my chest as I straighten my arms out above my head just before I hit the water. I swim straight down when I hit the water, trying my hardest not to let the cold freeze me like last time. I feel a push of water next to me, and I turn to see Diego and Shan on my left, and I turn my head to the right, as I swim further down to see Cullen. He points to the left of him, and I see the light he is pointing to. I turn, swimming after him and towards the light. I swim into the light, gasping for air when I break out of the cold water into the warm air of the cave.
“Why is it warm?” I ask, coughing and wiping my eyes from the water. I look up to see steam coming from the walls of the cave. I look behind me as Shan and Diego pop out of the water near me. The water is slightly warm here as well.
“Come on, we need to get what we came for and get out,” Cullen shouts, and I turn to see him climbing out the water on the other side. I swim over to him, grabbing his offered hand and letting him pull me out. I stand up, shivering from the cold water dripping down my clothes as I look around. Its empty in here, other than the water and one box I spot on the other side of the room. I run over to it, pulling the lid open. Inside is another box, a water tight one with a silver case. I snap the latch open, seeing an old map resting in the middle of it.
“What is the map for?” Shan says behind me.
“To win a war,” I say, snapping the box shut.
Chapter 8
“Thank you for coming here, I appreciate the heads of each family spending their afternoon with me,” I shout into the room of people waiting for me to speak. I look back at my husbands, seeing them all give me looks of strength and showing their support for me.
“I fell into the sea, as you all know. I also forgot all of my memories for a day, and I have them back now. I remember why I asked everyone to pack, I remember why I hate the king,” I say and whispers follow my words.
“For years the councils have served him, every council on every island. We have let him send guards to take the changed babies and kill them
. We let him come here to visit and kill our people for sport. We let him control us with fear and until now there was nothing we could do to stop this,” I say to them all. I look at the pregnant woman in the crowd, and her eyes meet mine. It’s a fear for every child born, as we are always scared that they will be a changed one. That’s why I never had children with my husbands and won’t until this world is better. This world is no place for a child.
“We have all heard the whispers of war. The whispers that come from Fiaten and the call they have made for fighters. For healers and for anyone that doesn’t support the king to come to them,” I shout, hearing whispers following my words, “I’m not going to stand here and tell you what you will do. I am telling you what I will do, and if you follow me that is your choice,” I say, waiting for them to stop speaking to each other and the crowd to wait for me to speak.
“I am going to take this map, a secret of the king’s to Fiaten. To the princes, the pirates, the changed ones and everyone that fights against a king who has destroyed our world for far too long!” I shout and cheers follow my words.
“We will leave in the morning, and anyone is welcome to come. If you support the king, then stay but do not expect him to help you. He helps no one but himself! We need a new ruler, we need a war and we need a winner. Fiaten has that, and we will return to our free home when the war is won. Now who is with me?” I shout.
“I am,” a man steps forward, and then another, and another. Until all I can hear is people shouting I am. I pick the box up of the table, turning to my husbands who watch me.
“We are proud of you, and your parents would have been also,” Shan says, wrapping an arm around me as we listen to the cheers.
“You’re right, they might have been,” I say, feeling like I have done something right. That what is in this box could change everything.
“Now what can we do to persuade you back to our hut and we all have a night in bed before we leave?” Fen asks as he steps closer and I smile.
“Nothing…that was exactly what I had in mind,” I say, seeing all of them react in the same way. With happiness.
Epilogue
“Mama, they are coming!” my five year old daughter shouts from the end of the dock as I walk towards her and Fen who is smiling as he stands behind her. I look over at the dragon flying towards us from the ship in the distance, and know my friends are on their way. The dragon lands in the sea, never going under as she glides to a stop in. front of us. Cassandra grins as she slides down the wing of her dragon, with Ryland right behind her, holding their own daughter on his shoulders. Their daughter, Riah, is the same age as our daughter and they get along very well. Much like me and Cassandra have done since the wars. The first war I brought the map to Cassandra and it helped save us all. The second war, I could only hold and protect her child as both the land and sea fought each other. We are finally at peace, but it did come at a big cost for us all.
“Eowynn, I’ve missed you!” Cassandra says, pulling me into a hug when she gets close. I hug her right back before we both pull away and laugh.
“You come every year at the same time, and say the same thing. I’ve told you more than once you could live on Sixa with me if you like,” I tease, half joking. I know Cassandra’s home is not Sixa, it isn’t anywhere really. Well, unless you count her men.
“I have too many responsibilities, and you know it. Besides, I like the sea too much,” she says, glancing at her dragon as Vivo flies into the sky and back to the ship in the distance. Her other partners will be getting a boat before coming to land, filled with things for their annual two week stay.
“So does Riah,” I say, seeing her running off with Briony, who has been waiting for weeks for her best friend to turn up. Cassandra hooks her arm in mine as we walk away, and I look back at Fen who winks at me. We have the future all deserve, and now it is time to enjoy it.
Afterword
Thank you for reading As I Fall. You can meet Cassandra and her pirates in Escape The Sea (Saved by Pirates Series).
Link to Amazon…
Hunter’s POV of when he met Cassandra
Hunter’s POV of when he met Cassandra bonus feature.
I lean against my brother’s room, watching the stormy sea push against the sails as I think about my argument with Ryland. He wants to keep the changed one and take her to Fiaten, and I think he has lost his damn mind. The king will be after her, and us from the moment he hears of the girl. I smirk as the girl runs up the stairs, stopping as she looks around and I sink further back into the shadows. The breeze blows her brown hair around her face, her eyes looking at everything in wonder, like she has never seen anything like what she is seeing right now. She is beautiful, but I remember that from when I saw Jacob pull her out the water. Her dress shows off her small waist, pale skin and a body most men would lose their minds over. She looks like a little bird, always wanting to fly away and be free, but her mark makes that impossible for her. I start clapping, actually impressed she managed to get all the way up here on her own. I wonder what she did to Chaz? She spins in my direction, making me laugh as her determined eyes lock with mine.
“A nice night for a stroll,” I say as I spread my arms wide, my voice dripping with sarcasm. I watch as she smiles sweetly at me, a fake smile, as I see her look towards the side of the ship, and the boat she could escape on.
“Don’t think about it,” I say, trying not to laugh when she narrows her eyes at me and loses the fake smile.
“Try to stop me then,” she laughs, distracting me with how seductive her laugh is as she makes a run for it. I run after her, grabbing her around the waist as I slam into her and rolling us as we land so I slam my back on the floor. I groan in pain when she slams her knee up between my legs and I tighten my grip on the little bird as I roll her over, so my body pins hers down on the floor. Her hazel eyes lock with mine, such strength and stubbornness shining through them, making her more beautiful and attractive than ever before. She doesn’t give up, no matter what.
“You are a brave little bird, aren’t you?” I lean down to whisper, feeling her shiver against me.
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About the Author
G. Bailey is a USA Today bestselling author of books that are filled with everything from dragons to pirates. Plus, fantasy worlds and breath-taking adventures. Oh, and some swoon-worthy men that no girl could forget. G. Bailey is from the very rainy U.K. where she lives with her husband, two children, three cheeky dogs and one kitty who rules them all. And, of course, the characters in her head that never really leave her, even as she writes them down for the world to read!
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