by K.N. Lee
Stark naked, the chill in the air gripped me. No one had ever seen me while nude, and now two sun elf guards who could care less about me, stared at me without remorse or a care.
I whimpered, my bottom lip trembling.
The world spun, and there was no escape. Four walls closed me in, and two towering elves blocked the exit.
The uncertainty of it all was what stole my soul. I clamped my hands over my breasts and squeezed my legs shut to hide my womanhood from their eyes. None of that mattered once I was shoved to the ground.
"Clean her and toss her into a cell," the warden said from the other side of the door. "She sees the magistrate in the morning, and we all know he doesn't do well with dirty prisoners."
Crouched down onto the stone floor, I curled into a ball and wrapped my arms around my legs.
Tears streamed down my face, but one wouldn't be able to tell, for they poured cold water onto me, washing away the blood.
The world spun, and I struggled to keep my meager supper of porridge down as they locked the door and left me alone.
Glowing eyes looked back at me from the cell across from me, and I looked away.
Silence was what I needed. Solitude.
If this was my last day, I would spend it the only way I could.
I sat in the far corner, huddled amongst the filth, I no longer cared.
Sleep called to me, and in the realm of dreams, I was what I always wanted to be.
I was free.
Chapter Twenty
Ava
Days passed, and I began to wonder if I’d ever be set free, or if my mother and sister believed I was dead.
I was awakened by heavy boots walking down the narrow, stone corridor. It squelched, as if the elf had walked through mud, and the footsteps echoed.
Hope filled my heart, and I sat up from the soiled hay and wiped my eyes.
My muscles were stiff and my hair was matted to my face.
"Up you go," the guard said, unlocking the door to my cell.
The command was a sweet release, and I came to my feet and headed to the door.
There was no indication what my fate would be as I stepped through the doorway, but anything was better than sitting in solitude of that dank, and dark cell.
"This way," he said, and we walked along the narrow corridor toward the thin staircase that lined the far wall. Up several stories, we ascended until we reached a massive door that the guard had to push open, and hold for me to step through.
I had kept my eyes down. I didn't want to see who else resided in the prison walls and who I would be rejoining if things turned sour with the magistrate. All I'd done was break curfew. There were no laws against catching wisps, but as I stepped into the room, I noticed the golden boots of a royal sitting in the darkness, his cane held out before him.
In the center of the room was a wooden desk, and a sun elf with long, white hair sat behind it.
"Wait outside," he said to the guard, barely looking up from the parchment he read.
The guard did as he was told, and the door creaked closed behind me.
Vulnerable, and afraid, I stood there with my head lowered, hair shielding my face, and the eyes of two elves upon me.
It was worth it.
I'd seen things I could have never dreamed of, and I'd done it for the right reasons. I did it to save my family.
As I stood there in silence, awaiting my fate, a tear rolled down my face. What would mother and Moira do without me there to help them? They'd be put out on the street and forced into the mines before the end of the week.
That notion turned my stomach.
I had to do something.
There was no way I could let them face such a dismal fate. Moira couldn't work. She needed a healer.
Even in death, I would never escape the grief and shame of letting my sister die.
At least we'd be in the afterlife with father.
At least there was that.
My eyes lifted then.
Perhaps that was the way it was supposed to be.
"Step forward," he said, and I did as I was told.
For a moment, my eyes lingered on the figure in the shadows. Why was he there watching me. I could barely make out any of his features. All I knew was that he was just as pale as his people, with alabaster skin that nearly glowed, and eyes that followed suit. Silver stared back at me, and for a moment, I thought I recognized his scent.
Impossible.
I turned away.
"I'm innocent," I said, barely above a whisper. "Your grace."
I chewed my bottom lip, embarrassed that I barely knew the proper way to address a magistrate by his proper ranking.
He didn't seem to care. Instead, he glanced at me, an apathetic look on his face. He had to be an elder, for his eyes had a glossy look and the wisdom of several decades, if not centuries, held within them.
"Are you now?" he asked, and lifted a brow. He stood, and straightened his reading glasses on his thin nose. Dressed in a blue cape and white blouse, he also wore black pants and boots. He didn't keep a sword at his hip, but something told me that he didn't need it.
A quick glance into his eyes told me why.
He was an elf mage. Those of the mage class didn't carry weapons like their warrior counterparts.
Some might say that made them even more powerful than the ones who could fight.
"Yes," I answered, nodding. Perhaps he would actually hear me out. I wasn't quite out of the game yet. "I simply lost track of the time."
He stood before me, hands clasped behind him. He seemed amused by my reply.
"And, what were you doing out so late anyway? What is your trade? Or occupation?"
My cheeks burned with embarrassment. "I used to work on The Wall. I fell, and have since been searching for another position."
"I see," he said, stroking his beard. "So, you had no business being out after curfew anyway..."
"Well," I began, and he waved a hand, stopping me.
"Its not important," he said, with a sigh. "I know what you were brought in for, and I'm not interested in your breaking of the curfew. It is a minor offense usually sentenced with a public flogging."
I paled, eyes widened.
He waved a hand again. "No worries about that," he said. "I have someone here that is interested in what you were caught doing. Catching wisps, is it?"
I wasn't sure if I should speak. I'd be damning myself if I did. So, I pursed my lips and did my best to clear my face of any emotion or hidden truths. That only served to give him the answer he wanted.
A chuckle came from his lips as he looked me over. "How does a scrawny little girl like you manage to catch a wisp? Tricky little buggers who would burn most."
Shaking my head, I had no answer for him. I would never reveal Kem's part in my deeds, but he seemed to think I was fully capable.
“No matter,” he said. “My friend here has decided to pay the fee for your crime.”
Fee?
I never even knew there was such a thing, not that it mattered since I hadn’t any coins to give.
My questions faded into the dark recesses of my mind as the stranger stood and stepped forward.
When he stepped into the light, my entire world shook.
Those eyes.
Chapter Twenty-One
I gasped when he looked at me.
It was the royal who I'd bumped into after my fall from The Wall. The bright ivy color of his eyes was unmistakable, and the rust-colored hair that hung straight over his shoulders, and reminded me of the trees in the distance over The Wall when the leaves began to change with the cooler season.
His presence brought back the memory of his smell, and strong arms holding me steady. Now, he searched my eyes, and I wondered if he remembered me as well.
Why would he? I was no one.
I couldn't tell what went on inside his head, and he didn't reveal anything by his blank expression.
"Prince Alexander,” he said, introducing
himself with a slight bow.
Yes, I remembered that voice.
"Ava," I said, and his eyes lingered on my lips before he headed toward the door.
"This way, Ava," he said, leaving the magistrate's office.
I couldn't believe that I was being set free, and allowed to walk out of the prison without the usual punishment for breaking the curfew.
It could have been worse—I could have been charged with treason for helping The Crows.
Once outside, the bright sunlight nearly blinded me. I shielded my eyes, and glanced at him.
Leaving the prison, I held back tears. Crying would not do at this moment. A royal had pardoned me, and though I had no idea why, I wanted to present myself the best way I could.
I wasn't a criminal. I simply wanted to take care of my family the best way I could. Catching wisps was something no one else could do. Perhaps he wanted to use me for himself.
The palace was all I'd wanted, and now I walked toward it with a royal by my side. It wasn't the way I'd imagined my entrance, but I couldn't complain.
He led me to the servant's entrance at the side of the palace where the stables and a stone courtyard awaited.
Prince Alexander led me to the river that flowed through all of Veruth.
We headed down the white, stone path, and to the narrow dock where a small boat that awaited our arrival.
I'd never rode a boat before, and so I held my breath as he took me by the hand and helped me inside. It wobbled beneath me, but as we sat down together, the boat steadied and my shoulders relaxed. Something about being near him calmed my nerves, and as the boat began down the river, I couldn’t help but stare at him.
“Why have you come to my aid?”
He glanced at me, his bright brows lifted.
“Are you not pleased?”
I shook my head. “Of course. I’m quite pleased. Thank you.”
“Welcome,” he said.
Breathing in the fresh air, I stretched my arms over my head, and tilted my chin upward.
“Where are we going, Prince Alexander?”
He winced. “You don’t have to call me that. Especially in public,” he said. “I’d rather you call me Xander.”
“I can do that,” I said with a nod.
“Good,” he said, and cracked the first grin I’d seen on his face.
It was nice to see him relax, and his smile only made him more attractive. I wanted to touch his perfect, tanned skin that seemed to have a iridescent shimmer to it under the sunlight.
“To answer your question, we are going to Taurilan.”
My eyes widened, and I perked up in my seat.
Could it be? Truly? Excitement rose in my chest.
We were going somewhere I never thought I’d ever see in person.
Taurilan. The ancient Sky Keep above the city.
Chapter Twenty-Two
"I'm sorry it took so long to free you from that wretched place," he said, breaking the silence.
Frowning, I turned to him. "What do you mean?"
The song of the water pixies grew louder as a group of them emerged from the rushing water and took to the sky.
For a moment, I was distracted by the wyverns joining the pixies in flight, and the way the Sky Keep poured water from its falls downward and into the river.
He didn't answer right away, and I could tell he was torn about something.
"We've met," I said, and he nodded.
He did remember me.
"But, it was by chance." Even as I said those words, I had a feeling there was more to it.
"Not exactly," he said, and I gave him my full attention, even as the boat began to rise into the air, captured by the force of the Sky Keep. Though I held onto the side of the boat, my eyes were fixed on the side of his face as he continued to stare forward.
"I have dreams," he said, and I narrowed my eyes.
"Don't we all, your highness?"
He closed his eyes, and shook his head. "Not like this. Mine are a bit...different. When I see things in my dreams, they actually happen."
"Oh," I said.
Like mine, I thought, but kept my mouth shut. I wasn’t sure who I could trust, and though he got me out of prison, he was still a sun elf.
I peered over the edge of the boat.
My stomach lurched at how far down the ground was from us now. I quickly looked away, and swallowed a lump in my throat.
"Go on," I said, hoping to distract myself from how high we were in the sky. I wasn't afraid of heights, usually, but there was something different about this, when I had nothing to hold onto to ground myself.
He took me by the hand, and gave it a tender squeeze. "Relax. We are nearly there. I won't let you fall."
Our eyes met, and I offered a small smile, and tucked a fallen lock of hair behind my ear.
"Thank you."
"You see," he continued. "I had dreamt of a girl falling from The Wall that day, and I knew that girl was special. I came to find you, and you found me instead."
"I remember," I said. How could I forget? "What else happened in your dream?"
As we were lifted to the Sky Keep's courtyard, the boat settled right before the entrance. Two keepers awaited our arrival, and reached for me. They'd help me over the gap between the boat and the stone surface from where they stood.
"Easy now," one of them said, and I came to my feet, holding my breath.
I was better at climbing and agility than most, but my nerves were on edge after having been locked away for days. Now, as I accepted the hands of the keepers, I was helped onto the ground, and released a breath of relief.
Prince Xander followed, without any aid, and stood beside me.
"I'll tell you more inside," he said, and nodded toward the massive structure standing before us.
My lips parted as I tilted my head backward to behold the marvel before us.
The Sky Keep was taller than any building in the kingdom, and floated above it with its towers stretching into the clouds. The top of the towers was lost in the puffy, white clouds.
Xander led the way through the stone path that weaved through the lush green grass that covered this piece of land in the sky. The garden opened up to stone steps built into the mountain, and led to the entrance of the keep.
Once we reached the top, I took a moment to gaze back toward the kingdom below. From the Sky Keep, I could see it all.
Xander and I stood at the edge, just at the stone balcony before the large golden doors that reflected the light of the sun. Together, we peered down in silence as the elves and humans below went about their lives.
"It's magnificent," I said in a whisper, and he reached for my hand. I tensed, and glanced down at his hand holding onto mine. A smile tugged at my lips, and I resumed my marveling of the city, and the circular rows that rippled outward.
We climbed the stairs that led into the keep and were met with monks and keepers dressed in heavy robes of brown and gold. While the monks wore hoods to cover their heads, the keepers wore circlets with jewels that resembled suns on the front. Sun elves.
My nerves began to get to me again, as I was sure they wondered what a human girl was doing in their sacred place.
As two monks draped a heavy cloak over my shoulders, I began to wonder the same. We went deeper into the Sky Keep, to a library.
“Find the Dark Tome,” he ordered a keeper who nodded, eyed me, and went off to obey the prince. He turned to me then. “Time for you to learn the truth.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“The truth?” I asked, and he stroked my cheek.
I gulped, unsure of how to feel. His touch frightened me, but also made my body heat with something utterly foreign.
“I know your secret,” he said.
I could tell that my cheeks were as red as the skin of a ripe apple.
He stared at me, in the way he did that was utterly unflinching. Unabashed.
Such a gaze shook me, and made me more self-conscious than I'd ever
been. I wanted to be brave. And so, I met his eyes straight on, and despite the beading of sweat on my forehead, my shoulders relaxed.
He knew what I was, and he didn't turn me in. He could have had me killed on the spot, and instead of doing so, there I stood, in the Sky Keep with him as the caretaker searched through the tomes of books lined up along the stone walls. The sun beamed down from the glass ceiling, sending golden rays onto everything below.
"Just a moment, your highness," the keeper shouted from the bottom level of the keep’s vault.
Our gazes broke and we both peered down from the brass staircase to see pages of parchment floating upward toward us.
"You just came of age, is that correct?" Xander asked and I tensed.
Why did he ask such a thing?
Instead of replying, I nodded.
"What did you do to celebrate?"
"Well," I began, curling my fingers around the railing. "We don't get to have elaborate parties like the elves, but we did our best to celebrate." A smile came to my lips at the memory. Though it had just been nights ago, I would never forget my first taste of freedom.
He lifted a silver brow. "What do you do then?"
"I spent it in the blacks. Drinking mead until I passed out with my mates."
"Mead?"
He repeated the word as if he had never heard it.
"Yes," I said, nodding. "You know? Quite sweet, but gets you tossed off your feet if you drink enough of it."
He chuckled. It was the first time I'd seen him crack a smile and show a sense of humor. It brought a smile to my face and eased my frazzled nerves.
"I've had it before, but didn't know it was something you drank for fun."
"Oh?"
"We drink it as a healing tonic. Not for fun or recreation. To celebrate, you need a good red wine."
“I’ve never had wine,” I said.
“We'll have to change that then, won't we?”
Giddy, I nodded. “That would be grand.”
He continued to smile, his eyes lingering on my lips.