Emerson's bows narrow as he studies me. "So, whose pictures are in the locket?"
The question throws me off for a moment and my hand reaches up and strokes the pattern on it. I appreciate the subject change he's trying to offer me, although I'm not sure this one is any less emotional.
I carefully sit down next to him and open my locket up, showing him the two pictures inside. One is a girl with bright red curls that reach her waist and green eyes that are identical to mine. A deep heartache washes over me when I think of Aileen. “Well, this one is of my twin sister. She died when I was a child."
Emerson nods his head thoughtfully, "I remember hearing about that. The entire kingdom was devastated. I hadn’t realized you two looked so much alike.”
“We were identical.”
“What about the other picture?"
My heart tugs at the boy in the picture. There is a smudge of dirt across his cheek and his hair is ruffled. But his smile is wide, and his eyes are looking at something just behind the camera. I remember the day this picture was taken; I was seven and he was ten. Mother had instructed us to dress in our finest clothing and wait until it was time to take the pictures. I, being the adventures child that I was, talked Caspian into exploring the hidden passageways in the castle. By the time we were called in for the picture, we were both covered in dirt and my dress had been ripped. Mother was furious, but Caspian had stood beside me the whole time with his arm linked through mine, enduring the lecture even though it wasn't meant for him. We were inseparable. That was until he left me.
I clear my throat to loosen the emotions that have taken a hold of it. "That’s Caspian. He was my best friend. But, his ship was taken by pirates and none of the crew survived."
His smile fades as he stares at me. "You've lost so much."
"I wear this locket to remember everyone I have loved and lost," I say as I gently close the locket and tuck it back down in my blouse. "To remember everyone, I couldn't save," I mutter quietly. "It looks like I'll need a bigger locket now."
He lifts his hand to my cheek and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “Addy, no offense, but you look like hell. You should get some sleep."
I roll my eyes at him. "Wow, Emerson. You sure know your way to a girl's heart."
He grins wickedly at me. "Well, feisty. I have a feeling the only way to your heart is to give you your bow back and let you shoot me with it."
He's not wrong...
"That might work. We should try it." I say halfheartedly. I know what he's doing. He's purposely being a jerk to distract me from my emotions. But, I'm mentally and physically drained. I don't have the energy to bicker with him right now.
"You should get some sleep. I'll take the first watch and wake you up in a few hours.” With that, he stands up and walks away.
I barely lay my head down on my cloak before sleep sweeps me away.
I sleep fitfully with images of fire and water flashing in my brain and terror boiling in my gut.
I rub my temples when Emerson finally wakes me for my watch. My mouth has gone dry and I quickly find a place to heave up my dinner from the night before.
At least my nightmares are still consistent. I think darky as I lean back against a tall oak tree. This spot gives me a breathtaking view of the river and it’s almost relaxing. Little forest creatures scurry in the trees above me and I can hear the water cascading over the rocks in the river below.
Emerson sleeps further away, my bow resting carefully under one of his arms. Before he fell asleep, he warned me that he was a very light sleeper and not to get any ideas. But the thought is still tempting.
When the gold and pink light from the sunrise is reflecting over the river, I wake Emerson up. Soon, we‘ve packed up our camp and we’re on the move again.
Neither of us is in the mood to talk much this morning. So, we walk in a comfortable silence, occasionally pointing out different things.
We follow the river for a few hours, stopping to eat what is left of our feathered friend for lunch.
When there is a sudden drop in the temperature, I tuck my cloak tighter around me trying to ward off the chill. The wind begins picking up and the sky fills with charcoal gray thunderclouds.
“A storm is coming and by the look of it, it’s going to be a bad one,” I tell Emerson, my eyes automatically scan our environment, looking for a shelter.
We’re still on the cliff that overlooks the river. The trees we’ve been walking in all day have grown sparse until only thin flowering trees remain. The yellow flowers sprouting from them are lovely, but they’re way too delicate to offer us any shelter. We need something, anything, that will protect us from the storm.
“I think you're right, feisty. We need to find somewhere to weather it.” Emerson starts walking faster downstream, searching for something we could use.
I doubt there will be anything in that direction.
I mentally study the map of the kingdom my father has hanging in his study. “There won’t be anything on this side of the river. We need to cross it, now.”
I walk carefully across the rocky ground to peer over the edge of the cliff. The river is flowing smoothly along its base, interrupted only by jagged rocks peeking up out of the water. The other side of the riverbank is a bit more manageable. There is sure to be an overhang in the rocks we can camp under. The trees are tall and dense over there too. It would be a much easier place to find shelter than here.
Emerson gives a choking sound next to me “You’re kidding, right?”
He scowls as I smirk at him.
“Don't even think about it, Feisty. There isn’t any way across.”
I haven’t come this far to be told no. “There’s a way, we just haven’t found it yet.” I say to him. My gaze diverts below us trying to find a route.
“Why can’t we make camp here? There are plenty of trees. We can figure something out.” He gestures wildly to the grove of flowering trees around us.
“Emerson, these trees have very little subsistence to them and the few branches they do have are too thin to be any kind of shelter. There are no weeds, tall grass, or anything else we can use to bind something together. Unless you know some sort of trick that I don’t know, if we stay here, there will be no shelter.” A flash of light shoots across the sky followed by a booming so loud, it sounds like an explosion has gone off. It leaves no doubt in my mind, we have to cross.
I turn back to surveying the river, carefully stepping up to the edge of the cliff.
Emerson grabs my arm and yanks me roughly backward. He wraps his arm around me, pulling me towards the trees. “That's a hundred-foot drop. You’ll die if you try going down that way.”
I slowly turn my head towards him and raise one delicate eyebrow. I’ve spent hours in the throne room watching my mother, the High Queen, deal with hysterical people. I try to remember exactly how her face had shown with queenly authority.
Tilting my chin up, I look down my nose at him.
“Let go of me,” I pour as much authority into my voice as I can. “I am simply looking over the ledge to see if there is a decent way to climb down. If we want to get out of this storm, there are no other options. We must cross the river. You can either stand here yelling at me, or you actually be helpful and follow the river south to see if you can find a better way to cross.”
His eyes narrow and his lips press into a hard line. “I would never dare get in your way, Your Highness. I’ll try and ‘be helpful’ by finding a way across that won't kill us.” He turns and stalks away.
Part of me wants to call him back and apologize. I don’t want to cross here any more than he does. But my pride hardens my heart and I keep my mouth closed. I watch him walk through the trees until he is out of sight. Then I stare for a bit longer, watching the wind shake the willow branches and the lovely flowers fall to the forest floor.
The little voice inside me tells me I am running out of time. So, I turn and run back to the ledge. The wind is so intense out here
that it is likely to blow me right off the side if I get too close. I lay on my stomach and crawl out to peer over at the river.
The water is no longer peaceful and flowing gently. It churns and thrashes as it slams debris into the rocks. I silently curse Emerson. There is no way to cross it now. Frustration settles over me as I imagine us trying to weather the storm under a delicate willow tree. It’s a ludicrous idea. I begin scooting back from the ledge when something catches my eye. I crawl back out for a better look.
My body floods with joy as I spot a little outcrop of rocks about ten feet down from the ledge and what appears to be a cave. The opening is small and who knows how large the cave is, but It’s better than nothing.
Once I’m far enough from the edge, I jump up and sprint through the willow trees. The sky has darkened, and the clouds are changing from a charcoal gray to black.
I have to find Emerson quickly or we won’t make it back in time.
The rain starts to fall, and the ground becomes slippery. I stumble as I see an opening through a group of trees.
Vaguely, I hear someone calling my name and I sprint harder.
Maybe he found shelter after all.
I burst through the trees and into the clearing. Right into a group of guards.
There are horses grazing throughout the clearing while men work together to set up a camp. They look like they’ve been riding for days and I hesitate for an instant.
Maybe they’re looking for me. Maybe they aren’t with my uncle…
Then I spot it. The flag flying at the main tent was HIS. The man who's to blame for all of this. These guards aren’t coming to my rescue, they are hunting me.
I slowly start moving back into the forest, hoping they won’t spot me. I’m just reaching the tree line when a man walks out of the main tent and looks directly at me. He is too far away to see my face, but I have no doubt he knows who I am. He yells and every single guard turns to look at me.
That’s enough for me, I turn and sprint back towards the river.
If I can make it back to the cave before they catch me, I can hide.
I silently apologize to Emerson, hoping he’s found shelter.
Running with everything I have in me; I duck under a low hanging branch and leap over a boulder before I round the edge of the tree line. The ledge appears in front of me at the same time I hear the men yelling behind me.
I didn’t make it. They’ll see me hiding and come after me.
My brain fills with panic as I skid to stop at the top of the cliff. The wind whips my hair around my face as I glance behind me and see several guards surrounding me. They have their bows aimed at me and from the looks on their faces, I doubt they'll miss.
I can’t take them all without my bow, but maybe… I hold my hand up begging my magic to do something. If I had it, maybe I could fight them.
As always, my magic is never here when I need it.
I glance longingly across the river to the other side, the sky has darkened so much, the trees are barely visible.
Suddenly a hawk darts out of the sky and flies straight for me. It follows a gust of wind and circles me once before diving below the cliff towards the river.
A burst of magic surrounds me, and a calmness settles over me.
Then I hear one word.
Jump.
I take a deep breath and launch myself off the edge of the cliff.
Chapter Six
“Don’t!” A male voice bellows from the top of the cliff, but it is too late. I’m already falling.
Everything rushes past me with a blur as I look down at the river. My heart feels like it's plummeting into my stomach as the wind rushes past me. I bite the inside of my cheek and focus on the river below.
It’s crashing furiously into the jagged rocks directly beneath me. The fire at my core flares and blasts out through my outstretched hands. I hold my hands out and focus everything I have on the rocks. It slows my descent just enough for me to maneuver away from them. Then the fire heats the water and I scream as steam burns my skin.
I suck in air right before I plunge into the rushing river. The cold water surrounds me, and I fight the surge as it keeps pushing me farther down current. I try to swim to the surface, but I can’t figure out which way is up. My lunges burn and I need air now. But, no matter how hard I try, I can't reach the surface. My mouth opens instinctively, and I gasp. Searing pain shoves its way through my chest as water fills my lungs. Stars explode at the corners of my eyes and blackness begins to rush over me.
Then I feel it again, the magic from the cliff, along with one last command.
Hold on.
A scaly creature rushes under me and I wrap both of my arms around it, holding on tight. It swims faster than anything I’ve ever seen. We burst through the surface of the water and the giant creature deposited me onto a little section of dirt by the bank. Gasping, I crawl onto my hands and knees. I try to breathe but everything hurts. My chest, arms, throat, nose. It feels like everything is burning.
“Breath, Adeline.” A female voice says soothingly from beside me.
This horrible burning sensation is way too familiar. It’s what happened when my magic burned the arrow out and attacked Emerson. “Get back, please. My magic... It will hurt you.” My voice is rough, and a racking cough shakes through my body.
“No, it won’t.” A warm hand brushes against my arm and a sweet, gentle magic flows into me. Jasmine and vanilla washes over me instantly putting me at ease. When her magic reaches my stomach, I retch river water all over the dirt. When I finally stop, my stomach aches, but I can breathe again. I roll away from the mess and onto my back. Laying there, I stare up at the rocky outcrop above me. I can hear the rain pouring down nearby.
A woman clears her voice and I jump. I’d forgotten there was someone else there.
“Well, this isn’t quite how I imagined we’d meet again, Adeline.” She says with a chuckle.
I prop myself up on my elbows and study the woman. She is around my age and she has a timeless beauty about her. She brushes back a long black strand of hair that had come loose from the bun at the nape of her neck.
She smiles at me and I see dimples at the corners of her mouth. But it’s her eyes that mesmerize me. It’s like looking into a mirror. I see my green eyes with gold flecks staring back at me. They were my mother’s eyes… And my twin sister’s.
I can’t believe what I'm seeing. “Aileen?” My mind is whirling, this isn’t possible. My twin died twelve years ago.
“Good. For a moment, I thought you wouldn't recognize me. It was my eyes that gave me away, wasn't it?” She laughs at me and pats the spot beside her. “I imagine you have a ton of questions.”
Wordlessly, I crawl over and sit down beside her. I must be in shock. Maybe I’m hallucinating. Maybe I’m dead. I shudder at the last thought. No, I’m in too much pain to be dead.
“Is it really you?” I manage to croak out. My voice sounds raspy and sore from the river water.
“Of course, it's me. Who else would it be?” She places her hand in mine and my heart tugs when I feel that familiar bond from my childhood.
Tears spring to my eyes and I throw my arms around her. My skin is still raw from the steam, but I don’t even care. It’s worth it.
“How is this even possible? I saw the monster that attacked you, Aileen. You died.” It’s hard to voice the words, but I have to. None of this makes any sense.
“That monster was horrid.” Aileen shudders and closes her eyes for a moment, “It bit me and its venom was so poisonous, I almost died. The only people that could save me was a small clan of healers up north, but they only save their own kind. Our parents had a choice, let me die or give me to this clan. I would live, but I would never be allowed to see my family again.”
“They gave you away?” My voice is a whisper and I fight the anger that builds within me. How could they do that?
“They didn’t have a choice, Adeline,” She says softly and squeezes my han
d. “Our mother would do anything to save us, you know that.”
I do, don’t I? She sacrificed herself so I could live. Both of my parents did.
There was still a detail that was nagging at me, “But, you’re here now. Does your clan not care if you see family anymore?”
Her answering smile was one full of mischief, “Let’s just say, I didn’t stop and ask for permission. I knew that you were in trouble, so I just left.”
We sit there holding each other for a while. She starts crying, then I do, then we start laughing. I haven’t felt this happy in a long time. I have desperately missed my twin.
When our laughter eventually fades, I lean against the stone at my back and wince. The skin on my back must have been damaged by the steam too.
“You're hurt! Why didn’t you tell me?” Frustration flashes across her eyes as she studies my arms.
“It's not a big deal. My magic will eventually decide to heal me. I can deal with it until then.” Okay, so it hurt like hell, but I’ve been through worse recently.
“You’re a healer, too?” Aileen's eyes grow big with wonder.
“A healer? No. I don’t think so… It has healed me before, but it was more self-preservation than anything else.” I shrug, then wince. “Wait, you’re a healer?”
“Amongst other things, yes. What do you mean your magic healed you for self-preservation? What is your magic?” She crosses her arms and studies me with an impatient look. A pang of sadness rushes over me when I realize it's the same exact expression our mother used to give me.
I fight back a fresh wave of grief. I must tell her about our parents… “I'm honestly not really sure what my magic is. I can control fire from time to time and there was that one time in the maze.”
We both shudder at the thought of the monster in the maze.
Princess of Fire and Smoke (Forbidden Court Book 1) Page 4
