by E A Foley
“Do not convince yourself that you can save your friends,” Eireann’s soft voice broke through Iris’s thought process.
“That obvious?” she asked as her eyes came back into focus.
“Yes. No matter what you believe, they are lost to you.”
“I refuse to accept that, but I will remember your words of warning.” Iris set her jaw. She needed to believe she could get them back. It was her fault they’d fallen in with Chaos. If she’d listened to everyone’s concerns about Brett earlier, they wouldn’t be in this predicament. If she hadn’t been so selfish and denounced magic because she wanted to be normal. Whatever normal was.
“Who decided what normal is, anyway?” Iris whispered. She didn’t think she’d spoken loud enough for anyone to hear her, but Eireann did.
“It is a fabricated reality created by humankind in its desire to catalogue everything and everyone.”
Iris made eye contact with Eireann. The queen of the faeries smiled at her. She was right. Normal did not exist. It was a concept created to establish a hierarchy system that Iris rejected.
The elders excused themselves a few minutes later. They had nothing else to say and Iris had no more questions. She tried to hide her bitterness at their assertion her friends were lost but was sure she failed. At least, the twinges in her eyes told her one of the dozen emotions filling her showed though. She didn’t care which one.
Eireann spent the rest of the afternoon showing Iris around the ancient Moreton Bay Fig Tree and the community nestled amongst its roots and branches. Several faeries insisted on speaking with her and welcoming her back to Gemina Terra or Faerie Glenn. It made their tour slow but even more enjoyable. Memories of her past life flitted through Iris’s mind as stories passed down amongst families she knew in her former life were shared with her. Many had to do with Faerie Glenn. A few brought forth remembrances of her relationship with the Prince of the Elves.
They were also depressing. If Iris couldn’t stop Chaos this round by defeating Mr. Moreno, Brett, Jaden, and all their minions, then everyone and everything on Gemina Terra could cease to exist. She tried to push those thoughts to the back of her mind but didn’t manage the task very well.
Iris left Faerie Glenn for Mothar Crann close to dusk. She focused on the rediscovered memories of her past life as she flew back to the small apartment she shared with Nimbus. His entire being brightened when she transformed into her human self in their living room. Iris joined him on the couch. He pulled her onto his lap rather than allow her to sit next to him.
“How was your afternoon?” he asked after a welcome home kiss.
“It was good,” she said as she snuggled against his chest. “I spoke with some of the elders and then Eireann showed me around Faerie Glenn. I’m not sure if you’ve had the same experience, but there were so many faeries who wanted to share stories with me about my past life. It brought forth some pleasant memories.”
“I know what you mean. Every conversation I’ve been in has involved some story about me when I was the Prince of the Elves. They come with other memories, too. Ones about you.”
He raised his eyebrows at her. Asked if it was the same for her without using words. Iris smiled in response. Her gaze shifted from his eyes to his lips and back as she leaned forward. Nimbus increased his grip on her hip. Iris shifted her position on his lap. Her hands went to the back of his head and neck. A sinking sensation filled her as the memory of hearing of his disappearance in their past life ran through her mind.
She placed her forehead against Nimbus’s. Tried to banish the memories. She didn’t want to dwell on her past pains or the what ifs that could come to fruition. Nimbus noticed a change in her mood.
“Do you want to talk about it, love?”
She shook her head, slid off his lap, and extended a hand to him. Nimbus took it and she led him into her room. He closed the door behind him, stopped in the center of the room, and tugged on her arm. Iris gladly moved into his welcoming embrace. He held her chin and cheek in one hand. Used his thumb to caress her face as he stared down at her. Desire grew in Iris. She didn’t know how to express her wants to him. She found the hem of his shirt, slipped her hand underneath it and gripped his warm skin.
Nimbus leaned down and kissed her. His free hand slipped under her shirt. Iris moved her other hand under his shirt and lifted it a few inches. Nimbus removed it a moment later before helping Iris out of hers. She led him toward the bed as she took several steps back. When her legs found the mattress, she sat down, kicked her shoes off, and scooted further onto the soft mattress. Nimbus followed.
Chapter 11
Iris’s heart raced. She’d felt this sensation before, but never so powerfully. All thoughts of past love interests vanished as Nimbus leaned on one arm next to her head. She smiled as she stared into his eyes. He smiled back. Shifted toward her.
Nimbus showered Iris’s neck with kisses. Caressed her side and stomach before moving his hand up to her breast. She tightened her grip on his side and kissed him deeply. Her hands moved to his jeans button and zipper. He pulled the pants off. Used one hand to undo the fastenings on her jeans. She could tell he’d done this before.
Now that she lay in only her underwear and bra, a slight awkwardness ran through Iris. She tried to push it away as Nimbus brought his head close to hers. Thoughts about how her body wasn’t beautiful ran through her mind. He smiled down at her. Caressed her face. Kissed her deeply. All thoughts vanished except for those focused on Nimbus and how happy he made her as a warmth filled Iris’s being. He felt right and she was completely comfortable around him. She trusted him. Loved him. Iris shut her mind down and let her body respond to the physical prompts of Nimbus’s and her desires.
She wasn’t sure what she had expected for her first time, but being with the right person made all the difference. He was kind, gentle, and attentive, and they were the only two people that existed.
“I have waited for you for so long,” Nimbus whispered as he held her to him afterwards.
Iris snuggled closer to him. Though she felt the same way, she didn’t respond. Her mind raced with thoughts about what would happen to him if she couldn’t stop Chaos. When she finally drifted off to sleep, nightmares kept her from having restful slumbers. Memories of being tortured by Jaden, thoughts of her friends going through the same thing she had, and images of Gemina Terra on fire woke her dozens of times.
When Nimbus started stirring the following morning, Iris used kisses and caresses to wake him. He had no qualms against the methods she employed. Sex helped push all her fears to the back of her mind once more. The pain didn’t last nearly as long this time which made the morning even more enjoyable.
When Iris left Nimbus’s arms for the shower, all her fears crashed back in on her. She refused to let them terrify her like they had the night before. Instead, they doubled her resolve and increased her desire to train her friends. She needed to assure they all survived—even if she did not.
Iris spent the next six days training her friends. Each day she increased the intensity of the training sessions. If her friends noticed, no one said anything. She made sure everyone mastered multiple requests and barriers before moving onto a wide range of offensive and defensive skills.
Each one of her friends increased their power, stamina, and abilities significantly during their time on Gemina Terra. Most became more powerful than Iris had been when they arrived on the planet. It meant they were all significantly more powerful than Jaden let alone Zarina, Morrigan, and his minions. Iris wasn’t sure about Mr. Moreno but she knew they were stronger than Brett too.
In order to not overwork her friends, Iris interspersed training sessions with a few more afternoons off or ended practices early. It gave her friends the opportunity to explore more of Gemina Terra or enjoy time in their true forms and be with the creatures they held kinship with. Iris used some of that time to continue training those faeries and elves interested in learning magic. Several more came each day. Ni
mbus helped her with the training most days. The more time she spent with him and the inhabitants of the planet, the more memories of her past life surfaced. And their relationship on Gemina Terra.
By the time their last day on Gemina Terra arrived, Iris had taught several elves and faeries how to create light sources and help plants grow or heal. Aerianna and Kylee spent a few hours teaching some of the stronger magic users how to heal each other or the fauna of the planet. Iris refused to teach them anything related to fighting and reminded them of their promise to only use magic for positive changes. Everyone assured her they would.
The friends from earth were full of joy the final afternoon they stayed with the elves of Mothar Crann. Iris spent a few minutes after lunch reviewing everything she’d taught her friends and assuring each one of them they’d grown in abilities and strength. She gave everyone the rest of the afternoon off to relax while she changed into her faerie form and snuck off to her rooms in Faerie Glenn. She needed to formulate a plan for getting back to Davis and school.
“Iris?” someone called through her door in the Gallery.
She sent half her mind to see who it was. The other half tried to come up with a solution to the pressing problem of getting back to Earth while Jaden, Zarina, Morrigan, and who knew how many others were looking for them.
“What’s up?” she asked Nimbus as she opened her door. His brows were drawn together. Sadness and concern pooled in his eyes.
“You didn’t go back to Earth again, did you?”
“No. I’m in Faerie Glenn. I needed a quiet place to think.”
“About what?”
“How to get us all back to Davis without Jaden attacking or capturing us immediately.”
“With how strong you said everyone has become, we have nothing to worry about.”
“You have no idea how persistent Jaden is.” Iris pursed her lips. She looked to his door, shook her head in disgust, and started pacing the large domed room.
“I don’t. You’re right. But I know there is no way in hell he’ll be able to take any of us by force if we all show up together.”
Iris turned to protest. Nimbus held a hand up to stem her words.
“Even if he has all the magic users from the Hotel Mar with him. We’re more powerful than they are. I gauged all of their strength—once they filled with power—while they had us surrounded in the ballroom. Half of them were new magic users who didn’t possess a quarter of Morrigan’s strength. Besides Jaden and Zarina, only six or seven were more powerful than Morrigan. The rest fell somewhere in between. I haven’t said it yet but I’m sure one reason Jaden agreed to your terms on New Year’s Eve is he knew he couldn’t win if you gathered your friends. Even if they trained non-stop while at that castle Jaden took you to, there is no way they could have done more than doubled their strength. Which means most still aren’t as strong as Morrigan.”
“That may be true, but it won’t stop Jaden from calling all of his minions to him the moment we step foot back on Earth and attacking us. In front of any witnesses present.”
“Then we go somewhere safe. Allow them to attack us. You or I or Cirrus should easily be able to produce a barrier large enough to protect everyone here from their attacks. They’d wear themselves out magically before we would.”
“Then what?”
“We talk to them. Ask for Davis to be a neutral zone so everyone can finish college.”
“He’d never agree to that.”
“Then we threaten him—”
“He knows I’d never follow through on any threats.”
“Iris.”
Nimbus’s tone pulled her eyes to his in a flash. He hadn’t raised his voice, but she could tell frustration permeated his being. He tightened his jaw before letting out a long, slow exhale through his nose.
“Do you have a better plan?” he asked once he’d calmed himself down.
“No,” she admitted. “But I’m not sure this one is right either.”
“Why don’t you come back to our rooms in Mothar Crann so we can have a real conversation?”
Iris nodded slowly.
“Is there anyone else we should involve in the conversation?”
“No. I’d rather let everyone enjoy their last few hours here and not burden them with reminders about what’s waiting for us at home.”
“You take on too much.”
“I have a lot to make up for,” Iris whispered. “See you in a second.” She left the Gallery, formed a doorway to the apartment in Mothar Crann she shared with Nimbus, and stepped through. She transformed into her human-self a moment later.
Nimbus engulfed her in a hug before she took a single step. He tilted her head up and give her a kiss. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Iris replied without thought. It was the truth. She’d refrained from saying it for fear of becoming too attached to Nimbus and exasperating her trepidation of losing him but she could no longer deny her feelings to herself or keep them bottled inside.
“I know,” he said with a smile that filtered through this tone.
Iris poked him in the ribs.
“Okay. I’ll stop,” Nimbus chuckled. It helped lighten Iris’s mood. “So, back to our problem at hand?”
“I think your idea of asking for a truce in Davis may be our best shot. Though Jaden may not go for it. If that happens, I think we should have a counter offer ready.”
“What about a truce until everyone graduates?”
“That won’t work. Kyxy and Kylee are a year younger than most of us.”
“Think he would agree to not attacking anyone in Davis between September and June?”
“Probably not. I bet I could get him to lay off everyone during the quarter though. Maybe from day one of the quarter through the last day of finals. Brett agreed to that once, so Jaden might. He and Zarina need to graduate too . . . Though they may no longer care about graduating. Then again,” she countered herself. “I bet Zarina is still interested in graduating even if Jaden doesn’t care anymore.”
“It means you guys wouldn’t be safe during spring break or the summer.”
“True, but it means everyone can feel safe enough to go to class. And work. And anywhere in Davis throughout the quarter.”
“What will you do if someone violates the agreement?”
“Go hunting.”
Nimbus tilted his head to the right. Looked at Iris through slightly narrowed eyes for several long seconds before nodding his head. His expression told her he saw a different person in front of him.
“Okay. We have a plan. How do we execute it?” he finally asked.
“I think the best idea is to go straight to our practice island. Then I track down Jaden, pop through a doorway, and lead him back to the island where all of you are waiting behind a protective barrier.”
“Iris—”
“I know what I’m doing. I’m the only one who can track him easily. It may be enough for me to form a doorway next to him but not step through for him to track it back to my location. I’m positive he’d follow the link to come after me before having a second thought.”
“How about we try now? I’ll go to our training grounds and you form a doorway there a few seconds after I leave. Then give me thirty seconds to see if I can track your location through the closed door before I come back. If I can’t track your location, we come up with a different plan. If I can, then we’re set.”
“Okay,” Iris agreed.
Nimbus formed his double door with its perfect replication of the centermost tree in Mothar Crann and a prominent elf in the foreground. He stepped through onto the field they’d used for practice all week. Iris waited for his residual magic to fade before requesting her doorway open at the base of the tree their apartment was situated in. She stepped through, released the door, and formed a new one to the training grounds. Nimbus’s doorway started forming close by in less than two seconds. In ten he stood next to her.
He looked around. “Good idea to alter the st
arting point so I didn’t know where you were. I’m satisfied. We should tell everyone else.”
Iris drew in and let out a large breath. “We should. All right, let’s go. At least I feel like we have a fighting chance now.”
“I think we have much more than that,” Nimbus said as he placed an arm across her shoulders and rubbed her arm. “Much more.”
Chapter 12
It took Iris all of five minutes to explain the plan to get back to Earth safely and field everyone’s questions. A somberness descended upon her friends as reality reared back into their lives. She ended by telling them they’d leave in the morning. She wanted everyone well rested so they could get through their first day of classes without worrying about being tired and whether or not they’d be attacked.
Iris didn’t sleep well. Guilt over bringing this upon her friends filled her. Nimbus tried to comfort her, but she was inconsolable. Memories of her dreams as she healed in the rose garden and the conversations she had with the elder faeries filled her mind. She had mentioned none of it to her friends but she felt justified in hiding it for the time being. They had enough to worry about with getting back to Earth not to throw an ancient entity upon them too.
After a quick breakfast, everyone gathered around Iris. She focused her mind on the time she left Earth with her college friends. Let the moment fill her before adding the location of the practice island behind it. She willed the archways into existence.
A shimmering light filled her eyes. Became the archway of silver. The archway that represented Gemina Terra. Iris approached the silver doors. They opened with the slightest touch and she stepped onto the iridescent bridge. She didn’t look back. There was no need. Footsteps behind her showed her friends followed. A kind of tension filled the grey void as they crossed the bridge.
Iris reached the golden arch. She waited until all sounds of walking feet stopped. She closed her eyes, exhaled, and pushed the doors open. Tropical air and warmth meant she at least got the location correct. Nimbus stepped past her onto the island followed by Cirrus and Rozlynd. Iris couldn’t believe how much stronger Rozlynd had become. She wondered if Roz felt even more betrayed than Iris did. Zarina had been her best friend.
