The Sunset Lands Beyond (The Complete Series, Books 1-3): An epic portal fantasy boxed set

by Sarah Ashwood

  A person would have to be extra careful on this part of the trail, I thought, especially in the dark.

  Just then I saw the glow, and there she was, at the base of the tree. The fairy’s bare feet were planted on one of the Elm’s protruding roots, and her face was alight with welcome.

  “Peace to you, warriors of Treygon,” she said, lifting a hand in greeting. “Come, you shall abide this night in my vale.”

  I glanced around the group, curious as to what their take on the situation might be. Judging from their expressionless expressions, nobody seemed surprised to see her.

  Did you really expect them to be?

  Not really. If anything, I was getting to the point where I’d have been surprised to see them act surprised.

  The High-Chief spoke for them all when he stated, “Our gratitude, my lady.”

  “Indeed. Please dismount and follow me.”

  They began swinging down from their mounts. I started to follow suit, but stopped mid-action with a soft cry of pain. “Oh!” I gasped. I was sore! I hadn’t ridden as much in my entire life as I had these past couple of days. Muscles I didn’t even know existed had taken a beating and complained when I tried to climb off my horse’s back.

  To my surprise, I felt hands at my waist. “Allow me, my lady.”

  Trapped in a half-dismounted stance, I cut my eyes down at my would-be rescuer. “I can make it.”

  But instead of releasing my waist, the High-Chief simply lifted up and out. My feet slid free of the stirrups as he lowered me to the ground. I touched earth and stumbled backward, catching myself with a hand to his chest. Our eyes met, and I felt myself flush beet red.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled, snatching my fingers away as if they were on fire.

  His hands fell from my waist, and I moved as quickly as my stiff legs would allow to the other side of my horse, ducking under its head and catching up its bridle. Gritting my teeth, I followed the Simathe in front of me into the trees.

  Darn him! Why can’t he just leave me alone? And why am I either a crying weakling or a clumsy idiot around him?

  He made me so nervous. And I felt very confused.

  The feelings of confusion lingered, but this time it wasn’t because of the enigmatic Simathe High-Chief. Instead, I noticed as we walked through the forest no tree branches or twigs reached out to snag my hair and clothing. No bushes whacked my shins, no vines or brambles impeded our progress. It wasn’t like we were on any kind of path, and the trees, limbs, bushes, vines, thorns, and brambles were all there. When we reached them, however, they…weren’t. It gave me the oddest feeling to think the forest was somehow moving itself out of our way.

  Craning my neck, I scanned the area ahead. In the gathering twilight, darkened several shades by the forest canopy, the fairy’s aura was an illuminating glow. She glided along effortlessly through the woods, the rest of us following in single file.

  Duh, I suddenly realized, it’s her. She’s the one who’s moving everything out of our way so we can get through easier.

  Immediately, my head began to clear. Then another thought struck, and I almost laughed aloud at the irony of it all. If I’d made this same discovery a few days ago, when I’d first arrived in Aerisia, I would’ve been freaking out. Now, not only did it not disturb me, I was actually comforted by this display of the fairy’s powers. What did that say about me? That I was learning to go with the flow, accepting this new world and its craziness at face value?

  As I walked along, I contemplated the people of Aerisia and what it would be like for them if our situations were unexpectedly reversed. Would my world be as unique and intimidating to them as theirs was to me? Everything I’d taken for granted at home—electricity, photography, CDs, computers, DVDs, smart phones, indoor plumbing, cars, airplanes—would these things seem like magic to Elisia and Rittean? To Aureeyah? I didn’t give them a second thought, but would they be shocking to someone from a place where true magic and fairytale creatures were the norm? Would they be as shocking to an Aerisian as, say, an immortal warrior was to me?

  Too bad none of them will ever get to walk in my shoes and find out, I thought sourly.

  Before long, we were so deep in those boundless woods I couldn’t have found my way back to the main trail even with GPS. Everywhere I looked there were trees, trees, and more trees, with only the occasional clearing, meadow, or stream to break the monotony. It was silent, peaceful, beautiful. The sounds of our footsteps and the clopping of the horses’ hooves were muffled by the heavy carpet of grass and fallen leaves underfoot, while the night around us had grown nearly pitch black. We had only Aureeyah’s gentle glow to guide us along.

  Close to an hour was spent traveling through her forest, and then the fairy stopped, causing those of us behind her to pull our horses to a quick standstill. Before us, I could faintly make out the outline of a hill. Knee-high clumps of grass sprouted in the clearing, bending in the breeze. Patches of moss darkened the faces of the large boulders dotting the whole scene, and fireflies darted in and out, their lights winking on and off again in the darkness.

  A full moon had slowly risen, casting its rich beams into the meadow’s velvety shadows. I lifted my face to it, remembrances of Rittean, Risean, and the legend of the Moonkind running across my mind. Wisps of hair, long since escaped from my braid, drifted about my face. I pushed them lazily away.

  Nighttime here in the deep forest was incredibly serene. It was hard to believe that at this very moment creatures like the drocnords shared the same quiet moon as me. Did they ever look up to appreciate its beauty, as I was doing now? Or did the evil twisting their souls keep them from enjoying simple, wholesome pleasures like nighttime in the woods?

  In the midst of my musings, Aureeyah glided like a whisper to the side of the hill, tracing a pattern on its face that was too complicated for me to follow.

  “Querdo,” she ordered.

  I’ve heard that word before, I thought. Where?

  I was still puzzling over it when the side of the hill started to split soundlessly. My mouth opened too, but only for a second. I closed it with a wry smile. Ah yes, querdo. That was the command they’d used back at Laytrii’s palace to open my bedroom door.

  Aureeyah stepped into the opening, which was now high and wide enough to admit both man and horse. We did the same, following her into a long stone tunnel. I studied my surroundings with awe. Stalactites and stalagmites formed fantastic columns where they coupled, and twisted needles jutting into or falling from the air where they didn’t. As the fairy went ahead of us, her soft aura flickered off these formations, creating shadows that danced and moved like living creatures.

  Maybe they were a little too lifelike?

  Thinking I’d actually seen something move, I bit back a cry and jolted to a stop. Whipping my face from side to side, I strained to peer into the darkness as unbidden memories of both the drocnords’ attack and a long-ago dark night when I’d been lost in a different forest sprang to mind. I tried to dismiss them, but I was still nervous and jumped when something moved behind me. I whirled to see another dark shape at my elbow. Even in the ghostly light, those eyes, blacker than the blackness of this cave, gleamed.

  “Ilgard?” I whimpered, for the first time daring to use his given name.

  “My lady? Something amiss?”

  I shifted a step backward, unconsciously seeking the sense of protection his sword arm and powerfully built body gave.

  “I thought I saw something. There.” I pointed straight ahead.

  Clasping a warm, solid hand on my bare shoulder, he leaned past me to look. The others had stopped, and there was a moment of hush. Close to my ear, I could hear the warrior-lord’s steady breathing. Then, “I see nothing.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Another pause. “I am.”

  I was tempted to ask if somebody could light a torch and go investigate, but knew it was probably nothing worse than my own imagination. Besides, I didn’t want to appear a bigger wimp than I
already did. Also, hadn’t Rittean mentioned that a Simathe could see as well in the dark as the light?

  “Hannah?” That was Aureeyah’s voice. “High-Chief? Is something amiss?”

  His face was so near mine he only had to turn slightly. Our eyes locked, and I found myself swallowing hard. Did I trust him that it was nothing, or did I demand a search? His men were unconcerned; they trusted their leader implicitly. Could I?

  “Can you…can you really see in the dark?” I faltered.

  “Aye, my lady. I can.”

  “And—there’s really nothing there?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing.”

  Worrying my lower lip between my teeth, I thought hard. Trust him or not? Everyone else did. He’d saved my life. Tall and daunting, stern and cold, dictatorial, lacking human emotion…he seemed all of those things. However, in spite of his flaws, he’d been chosen over everyone else in Aerisia as my personal guardian. I didn’t really think he’d lie about this, or speak so positively if he wasn’t absolutely certain, did I?

  I straightened my spine. “Aureeyah? Nothing is wrong. I just, uh, had a little problem, that’s all. Everything’s fine.”

  She paused, then, “Very well.”

  We started off again. The Simathe leader moved to fall back, but I begged, “Walk by me, please?”

  Goosebumps still dotted my arms. This warrior might be frightening, but he sure beat walking alone.

  He said nothing, but he did pull his horse even with mine, matching his pace to the one I set.

  We made it through the cave without further incident. I kept thinking I saw something from the corner of my eye: half-formed shadows behind boulders, the silhouette of a drocnord crouching beside a rock. I would start, feeling a spiral of panic, and then I would glance up at the man next to me. His eyes were constantly scanning, his posture alert but not tense, and I would trust his night vision and warrior’s instincts enough to calm down until the next shadow, the next creepy shape.

  Still, it wasn’t until we’d navigated the tunnel with no attack that I felt myself genuinely relax. As we stepped from the cavern’s blackness into the moonlit night, I released a sigh.

  Free of caves and tunnels at last. Thank goodness!

  Lifting my face to the stars, I closed my eyes and breathed deeply of the flower-scented air, held the breath for an instant, then released it in a puff of air. I opened my eyes to discover my Simathe companion watching me in a way that told me he found my behavior very strange. The High-Chief, it seemed, always found my behavior—and thus me—very strange. I was too cheerful to be bothered.

  “Nice to be back in the open, huh?” I grinned.

  “As you say,” he nodded, then turned away, calling for his men to take the horses and ready them for the night.

  Mine went with the rest, and Aureeyah appeared at my side. “Welcome to my domain, Lady of Earth. Come, rest and be refreshed.”

  Her aura illuminated the night and, combined with the radiance of the full moon, offered plenty of light to check out my surroundings. If ever an artist’s work had been brought to life, it was here in this magical spot. The tunnel we’d traveled through was now closed, and the mossy, rock-covered hill formed one boundary of the enclosure. To my left was a thick forest wall and a moon-dappled stream. In front of me, with my back to the hillside, was a fairy vale of scattered, moss-draped trees and sizeable boulders interspersed among dancing grasses. To my right, an open meadow stretched for miles under the starlight.

  Aureeyah smiled at the wonder written all over my face. “Beautiful, is it not?”

  “Oh man, it’s…wow, I don’t know what to say!” I laughed. “Yeah, it really is. It’s perfect! And it’s so bright out here. For night-time, I mean. The moonlight and your…glow really light this place up.”

  “The light of fairies,” she clarified, amused by my stumbling description. “The light of goodness and purity.”

  “Hmmm. Fairy light, huh?”

  She smiled, laying a hand on my arm. “My friend, do you know what we are? What we fairies truly are?”

  “What fairies truly are? I don’t know. I guess I never thought much about it. Until today, I didn’t even know you existed. We don’t have fairies on Earth.”

  “Once you did.”

  That took me aback. “We did?”

  “Aye. Come, I will explain these things while you eat and refresh yourself.”

  By now the Simathe had several fires going and were gathering around them to prepare their evening meals. Aureeyah escorted me across the clearing, seating me on a smooth stone beside one of those crackling fires while she sank gracefully into the grass beside me. The warrior tending our blaze handed me a freshly filled waterskin and something to eat before moving off, giving the two of us some privacy.

  Tiny droplets beaded the outside of the leather bag, wetting my fingertips. Tipping my head back, I drank thirstily, washing away the dust that had settled in my throat during the long day’s ride. I half emptied the bag before I came up for air, setting the waterskin next to me and wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

  Catching the fairy’s smile, I grinned sheepishly. “Sorry. I was really thirsty.”

  She giggled. “So I observed.”

  Snapping off a piece of bread, I popped it into my mouth, chewing and swallowing before asking, “So what were you going to tell me about fairies? About what they’re made of or something?” Then, remembering my manners, I offered my handful of bread. “Oh, here, you want something to eat? It’s pretty decent for trail food, I guess.”

  Aureeyah smiled her thanks as she broke off a corner and chewed it slowly. “Thank you, Hannah. I have not eaten man food in many years.”

  “Man food?” I wrinkled my nose.

  “Aye, that which is eaten by mankind. To we fairies, it is man food.”

  “Ah. So I guess you, being a fairy, usually eat different stuff, huh?”

  “When we do eat.”

  I pondered that. They must be something like the Simathe, these fairies, not having to eat very often. Maybe never.

  “Would you like some more?” I finally asked.

  She waved a hand in dismissal. “I think not. But I thank you for your offer. You are most kind.”

  She gave me a scrutinizing glance as she said the last part, and I felt my face warm. Getting used to the searching looks wasn’t easy. It was like I could feel everybody thinking, Is she or isn’t she? Is she really the Artan? Can she save us?

  Well, I sure didn’t know. It was as much of a mystery to me as to any of them. Probably more.

  I forced a quick smile. “Not at all. Now, what were you going to tell me about fairies?”

  Parallel Worlds

  In soft, lilting tones she began to speak, weaving stories of fairies and magic. Each sentence melted into the darkness as she completed it, yet I clearly remember everything she said that night as we sat before the fire.

  The Simathe busied themselves with their evening meals, making little conversation among themselves and none with us. For the most part, they acted as if we didn’t exist—they were definitely not social butterflies. After eating, some wrapped up in their cloaks and stretched out to sleep, while others remained on guard. They were so silent, so still, I guess I forgot they were even there as I listened with rapt attention to what Aureeyah had to say.

  Concerning fairies, Aureeyah told me they were the life force brought into visible being of their different realms. She, herself was a forest fairy. What gave life to the trees, flora, and fauna, what sustained the hills and rocks against pounding weather, what kept the woodland alive and regenerating itself…all of these were her innermost essence and what gave life to her. A fairy also has power, each in her own dominion, to sustain and protect it from The Evil and to ensure its survival.

  Like nature itself, fairies are not mortal; they don’t age or die. Although she didn’t tell me her age, I assumed she was very, very old. Probably older than the oldest Simathe. I had come to thi
s conclusion while considering Ilgard’s strange deference to her back at the stream. What I’d thought was odd behavior at the time must’ve been an exhibition of deep respect on the part of the Simathe for a being even older than himself. This, coupled with her kindness to the warrior-lord and his men, told me there probably existed a bond between the two races, forged by the fact that both were ageless, immortal.

  Later that night, snug in my bedroll, I mulled over these things during the restless minutes before sleep claimed me. Fairies, Simathe, and immortality were deep enough, but even they couldn’t compare to her account of Aerisia’s past connection with Earth.

  Before the dawning of a new age on Earth, she’d said, an age where men fancied themselves wise and forgot, casting aside the legends and stories they’d once believed, people knew. Mankind remembered. They remembered times of the past, when Earth held concord with another land, another world.

  That sister-world was Aerisia.

  Twin lands they were, side by side. While in unity, the peoples of Earth and Aerisia—even the Aerisian fairies—often visited the two different worlds, journeying from one to the other, for Earth was very much then as Aerisia is now.

  “How did they travel like that, between the two worlds?” I’d asked.

  She claimed she didn’t know. When the ways were closed, the knowledge of this art was lost, even to the fairies. There were none left who knew the way. But from Earth, she knew travelers must pass into the setting sun, for, upon Earth, Aerisia had been known as the Land Beyond the Sunset.

  And from Aerisia to Earth?

  She didn’t know. Not even the smallest hint of knowledge remained. The paths once traveled were now closed, never to be reopened.

  But why? Why had they been closed? And how had I, a woman from Earth, come to be in this Land Beyond the Sunset if the paths between our two worlds were permanently closed? Furthermore, how did she know all these things?

  Why? There were rumors conflict had erupted between Earth and Aerisia, conflicts provoked by evil ones who, as a means of destroying life in each other’s lands, took strange creatures through the links between the twin worlds. Wild animals from Earth, dragons from Aerisia. There were also thieves who stole from one world, taking what was not theirs to their home world, including the arcane arts. In the end, whether from Earth’s side or Aerisia’s—she didn’t know which—the links uniting the parallel worlds had been closed. No longer could Aerisians and Earthlings walk freely from one land to another.