Warrior

by Jana LaPelle

  From the room behind us, I hear T say, “Damn. Seriously? How many times is that today?” I can’t help but laugh as I make off with Ashlinn, again. I can’t remember the last time I felt so lighthearted and I for one am going to enjoy every last moment of this time before it comes to an end.

  Chapter 25

  (Ashlinn)

  Yesterday was perfect. Between bouts of Alaric and I disappearing for twenty or so minutes at a time, we spent much of the day just playing with the twins and surrounded by our extended family. Later in the evening, after everyone left us for the night, I caught Alaric with Lachlan and Lillie, recounting a tall tale about a young male imp, named Pipperton, who was brave beyond his years, with courage enough to save a lost god in The Underworld from certain death. The two were totally engrossed in Alaric’s not so tall tale. I watched from the door, just out of their line of sight as the three together began to yawn, until one by one they fell asleep, the children snuggled into the crook of Alaric’s arms. He held them gently, but securely. It was the most perfect moment of our time spent at our Kentucky home.

  This morning we went about closing up the house and headed back to The Otherworld. As much as I hated leaving our snowy home here in The Mortal Realm, I realize that it is becoming easier to leave this world that I grew up in behind. I’m happy to be back in Faerie at Glenndale Loch. Standing on the terrace with Lachlan and Lillie, I feel energized and at home, but I can feel a change in the air. It’s more crisp somehow, and some of the tree’s leaves are beginning to change ever so slightly. I bet that the autumn colors here are a sight to behold. I kiss both my babies on the forehead and smile down at their beautiful little cherubic features. “Come on you two, we’re going to be late for our meeting.” I trace the three of us down to the entrance of the library, which I rarely do within the confines of the Keep. As we pop into the hallway, Lachlan squeals in delight, and then the next moment he disappears out of my arms. His residual laughter echoing in the hallway as I begin to panic. He’s never done this before. Where did he go? I look all around us before crying out, “Alaric?! Lachlan just traced?!”

  I race into the library to see everyone transfixed by my son sitting in the middle of the large mahogany table. He’s cooing and gurgling in delight at his accomplishment. His hearty little laughter at seeing me race into the room with his sister in my arms soothes my worried soul. He reaches out with both hands up, his little fingers moving in a motion that means he wants to be picked up, and then he says, “Mama!” One second he is sitting on the table, and the next his chubby little arms are wrapped around my neck and my arm instinctively wraps around his little bottom.

  “Well snap!” I exclaim, looking back at Alaric, “We have our very own little Jack-Jack on our hands.” I mutter, just happy that he’s back in my arms again.

  “Who’s Jack-Jack?” Someone mumbles.

  Lexie laughs, and explains, “Jack-Jack is a fictional character, he’s the baby from a popular animated movie about a family of superheroes in The Mortal Realm. Ash, I’m glad it’s you and not me that has a child that can pop in and out of a room whenever he wants. That’s going to make things interesting, don’t you think?”

  “Honestly Lex, I don’t know what to think.” I look down at Lachlan as I hand Lillie off to Alaric, and say, “Lachlan, sweetie, you scared mommy. I had no idea where you went.” His features cloud over as his enthusiasm begins to wane, and I continue, “You are so bright… and so gifted, and everything your Da and I could possibly want in our son, but please, no more tracing for a little while until we can figure out how to follow you. Okay? You nearly gave your mama a heart attack.”

  Lachlan reaches up to pat my face with his baby hands and babbles, “Mama… my mama.” Then he nuzzles into my neck.

  Looking up at Alaric, I ask, “Do you think he understands?” I can’t imagine what I will do if he decides to trace back to our home in The Mortal Realm or worse. I have no idea as to how we can follow him or how to even know where he has gone.

  “Only time will tell mo grá, but I think he wants to make it up to you for scaring the daylights out of you. I don’t think he's going anywhere tonight except close to your side.”

  I sigh and pat my little Elf-Man on the back and kiss the top of his head, his soft dark curls tickle my lips, “I love you too, baby boy.” Then I proceed with a tickle attack to lighten his mood. His laughter is immediate and lightens my heart.

  Dagda pops into the room with his sexy little Succubus tucked close to his side. He looks about at everyone standing around us, and asks, “What did we miss?” His loud booming voice startles the kids, as always.

  Jasmine is quick to chime in, “Lachlan can trace! He did it for the first time, just moments before you arrived.”

  Dagda’s response is a hearty laugh before replying, “Well that took longer than I expected. What about our little flower? Has Lillie shown any other signs of her gifts?”

  “She can heal. She used her gift on me, but where I can heal the physical body, I think she may also be able to heal a damaged soul… a sort of spiritual healing.” Alaric announces to the room at large and everyone begins to talk amongst themselves.

  We have officially been derailed from the original reason for our meeting given the recent turn of events, and the meeting hasn’t even started yet. I smother Lachlan with kisses before calling the whole room to order, “Everyone… settle down. We have a lot to discuss and not a lot of time to do it!” Turning a pointed look toward Dagda, I ask, “Before we get started, just who is your friend? Now, don’t be rude, Dagda. I believe that you have kept your female friend here under wraps long enough. Out with it.” I tease with a barely contained smile, remembering the two together the night of Tarron’s pronouncement that he would be crowned The Horde King. The celebration afterwards was one I will not forget as I watched all matter of dark fae give into their baser tendencies.

  “Ashlinn…” he scolds, his cheeks tinged with the slightest hint of pink.

  “Dagda?” I counter with a teasing grin, shocked that embarrassment has colored his cheeks. It’s then that I realize that this female means a great deal to our beloved Dagda.

  “Alright, then, my dear,” Dagda smiles down at his companion before announcing to the room, “this is Sasha and she and I are… well, we’re not sure what we are at this exact moment, but we are looking forward to finding out what we may be to one another. Sasha is one of Tarron’s horde. She has pledged her fealty to him and to our cause. I ask that you please welcome her into our midst.”

  Smiling, I step forward holding out my free hand, “Welcome Sasha.” She looks down at my sleepy child and back up again.

  “Thank you, My Lady. You are so blessed. You have not one, but two younglings,” she smiles hesitantly, and places her hand on the top of Lachlan’s head, before saying, “He’s such a little angel.”

  Lachlan reaches for me bashfully and snuggles in close. I can’t help but smile at his shy reaction, looking back up at Dagda’s Succubus, I reply, “He is such a ham, and is going to be quite the handful. Sasha, welcome to our humble group. We are all family here and you are most welcome. Our home is your home.” Turning to everyone gathered in the library, “Seriously, though, we are pressed for time, it’s getting late and we need to plan for the upcoming days. Do we have any additional intel on Cú Chulainn and his whereabouts? What is our current timeline? Just what exactly are we dealing with? Does anyone know?”

  With that everyone gets down to business. Millie takes Lillie and Lachlan to put them down, but Lachlan is not having any of that. He is putting his newfound abilities to use. Each time he is put down, he appears wrapped around my neck. I wave Millie off when she comes for him again and I settle my little Elf-Man in my arms, hugging him to me. Millie brings Lillie to Alaric and we proceed.

  Lugh has joined our gathering and imparts, “My sources tell me that my son and his company of Fomorian warriors are approaching the midway point of their travels. Here in lies the problem, fro
m this point forward we will be unable to trace into this area. Once they pass over the threshold of what is known as Ardland Gap we will be forced to travel by foot or by horse. The dwarfs are very… private, and a tad… paranoid. They do not want just anyone able to pop into their territory unannounced. Many eons ago they warded their territory against anyone tracing in. I hate to say this, but if we trace into the furthest most point in that area in the morning, we will be behind my son at least a half day, if not longer. He is making remarkable time. It is as if he and his companions have not stopped to sleep or rest.”

  “Then we can only hope that he is delayed by the maze, or that they will succumb to exhaustion at some point.” Declan says thoughtfully, “It’s not a perfect scenario, hopefully we can make up some time.”

  I shake my head and ask, “Is there no other way to get ahead of them at this point? If Lainn is now under the influence of The Morrígan’s curse, then he may not need to stop to rest. The elixir is very powerful. We have seen firsthand what it is capable of, what I don’t understand is how their mounts have not needed rest.”

  Lugh and Dagda look at one another, assessing, before replying, “Since they made better time than we thought they would. That could point toward allies that they encountered during their journey helping them along the way. Exchanging out their mounts for fresh horses. Listen, Tarron has been able to sway much of The Horde to follow him as their king, but many remain loyal to The Morrígan. She has had many years to cultivate her relationship with the dark fae, whereas Tarron has found that time is in short supply in his endeavor to establish his reign. I fear that The Horde will remain divided until after the war is all said and done.”

  Alaric looks at me before asking, “Okay then, Lainn and his group are making good time and they obviously have allies at this point. Knowing what we know now, we need to except the fact that they are going to be ahead of us, if we choose to follow Cú Chulainn. What if we look for an alternate route? He’s working his way north from the south west. Have we given any thought into approaching from the north? Can we trace in closer if we take that direction? That’s Rime territory. Beyond the other side of the mountain range. I have heard rumor that the dwarfs have a back entrance or exit to their mountain abode somewhere on the opposite side of the mountain range right into the winter fae’s territory. I’ve never been that far north, but my father and mother have a fairly good relationship with the fae that live there.”

  Dagda and Lugh share a look before Dagda says, “That might work. Lugh and I can try to trace into their territory tonight to seek council with the Rime’s ruling pair. I have na been to their court in many a year. With any luck we can be back here by morning light with their blessing, along with information as to whether or not there is a hidden entrance into the dwarfs’ mountain tunnels.”

  “Okay, I have to ask. What or who are the Rime?” I implore as Lachlan pulls my hair to his cheek and nestles into the crook of my neck, sucking on his thumb with his index finger curled around his pert little nose. By the gods I love my little Elf-Man.

  Alaric gains my attention as he floods our link with images of the winter fae before saying, “They are our cousins from the north. Much like the Forrest Elves they look a bit different from us ordinary garden variety elves. They have very unique qualities. Because of their uniqueness, they do not travel to warmer climates, they cannot survive any temperatures above freezing. They are the winter fae and for the most part do not socialize with the rest of the fae in Faerie unless we travel to their court.”

  “Okay, I think I understand now. So… we wait for Dagda and Lugh till morning to determine our next step?”

  “Yes, ceann beag, we will be back early on the morrow. Be prepared and dressed warmly. The tempertures in Rime territory are quite frigid. Until then.” He nods curtly to us all before both he, with Sasha, and Lugh wink out of sight, leaving us to discuss our options before we all head to bed for a good night’s sleep. I can sense that our time table for this war is beginning to speed up, and I can’t help but worry about how all of this will end.

  Chapter 26

  (Ashlinn)

  The morning has arrived and with it the air has turned cooler yet. A layer of heavy fog shrouds the loch in the early morning light. The fire crackles and snaps in the grate as we prepare to meet everyone for our morning meal. This morning we are dressed in our battle gear as we prepare to head to Rime territory. Last night, Alaric explained to me that Rime is another word for hoarfrost, which totally makes sense now. Hopefully, Dagda and Lugh will have good news to impart upon their return. Otherwise, we will find ourselves playing catch up behind Cú Chulainn, and we are all in agreement that cannot happen. It definitely will not bode well for the realms if we fall behind Lainn.

  As we enter the large dining hall the mood is a somber one. Everyone seems to be on pins and needles except for Alaric and me. I look upon his handsome face and smile, and he reaches up to gently stroke the curve of my cheek. My sweet devoted Elf-Man, I love him so and I’m so happy to have him back. We discussed what we believe is to come until the wee hours of the morning last night. I’ve had no visions of impending doom. No premonitions. Nothing that will lead me to believe that we will not be successful in our quest today. No matter how long it takes us to traverse the maze and get to Gorias, hidden within the mountains. He and I both have taken that to be a good omen. A sign of good things to come, but there is a tiny part of me that urges us to not be overly confident in the task before us. Anything can happen. My visions have always been limited to those that are closest to me, which brings me a bit of concern. With every step we take we are that much closer to war. A war that will not only shape this realm, but all realms. I can’t help but think that there will be surprises ahead, secrets revealed. This has all been prophesied, and we are all caught up in something that is so much bigger than us all.

  There is none of the usual morning banter that I’ve become accustom to. We all finish our morning meal and begin quietly making our way to the library, hoping beyond hope that Dagda has good news. As we walk into the enormous room, Dagda’s booming voice announces, “You will need your mounts! We have little more than an hour to make our way back to Rime territory. The winter fae are waiting for us and are eager to meet you Ashlinn, you and Alaric.”

  Sighing, I turn to my kindred. Honestly, I just want all of this over. I say, “We need to say goodbye to the twins,” turning back to Lexie, I say, “Lex, we need Morgwais for the coming battle, not in this, but the final leg. I need you to find her. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is important to The Morrígna’s downfall. You. Must. Find her!”

  Lexie grabs hold of my arm and pledges, “Ash, I know you’re right, I feel it too, I will find her. No matter where she is. Now go, do what you must, but be safe!”

  “Thank you. I’ll see you when we get back. I love you Lexie.” I pull her into a desperate hug. Clutching her to me.

  “I love you too!” She says and pulls back. With that, Lexie races away, Declan and Nemus on her heels, her tumultuous red hair trailing behind her. I watch her go, and for a moment wish that we could just be two young mothers enjoying a beautiful autumn morning with our mates and our children. No worries, no impending war, but today is not that day.

  Turning, with a heavy sigh, I ready myself for the day to come. Things have become rather chaotic as everyone rushes around preparing to leave. Alaric and I just look at one another before we trace to our chambers to say one final farewell to our children this morning. Both are sitting in their crib playing quietly. They look up when we enter the room, knowing that we are getting ready to leave, and both begin to pout. I just hate that we are constantly leaving these two behind. They may be just our wee babes as Dagda would say, but they are most definitely old souls, and they have begun to figure out the way of things in our extremely complicated lives. I can only hope that we are able to put this all behind us soon. I reach out with open arms and Lachlan is there in the blink of an eye, his arms wra
pped tightly around my neck. I laugh and squeeze my little Elf-Man close as he continues to exercise his new-found tracing ability.

  Alaric leans over the edge of the crib and swoops in to lift Lillie high up into the air, her bubbling laughter is infectious. He presses sweet kisses all over her face and says, “Soon, Lillie Joanna, you will be able to trace as well, but for now, your Mother and I need for you to be an anchor for our wayward little guy over there. It’s important that you two stay out of trouble this time. Do you understand?”

  On some level, both of our children get it, and for some reason they are okay with us leaving them this time. We say our final farewells and hand our children over to Millie, my mother, and their Guardian protectors.

  My mother gains my attention when she pulls me into a hug and whispers, “Stay safe, baby girl.”

  I pull back and take my mother in, today she is literally glowing, and I whisper with a knowing smile, “I can’t wait to meet my little brother or sister. Take care of yourself and your grandchildren over there.” Then on a more serious note, I reach up and kiss her lightly on the cheek before confessing on a whisper, “I love you mother.”

  She pulls me in and hugs me even more tightly than before and says, “I love you too. You will always be my baby girl, Ashlinn. Now go… before I try to do something crazy. Like… locking you and these beautiful grandchildren of mine away from harm’s way. I mean it Ashlinn, you and Alaric be safe. The Rime are good fae, they will not lead you astray, but the dwarfs… their allegiance can be swayed. They are a greedy lot, and you both would do well to remember that.”

  I nod, tucking that nugget of information away before taking Alaric’s hand in my own. With one last look at our children we trace. I’m comforted in knowing that they are being moved to our twilight realm and are in capable hands as we head toward the stables. Both of us are carrying enough weapons on us to support a small army. Our mounts are waiting for us and Alaric assists me as I mount my beautiful, recently acquired Shire horse. Alaric mounts Tempest while I sit astride my beautiful steed, who I have named Storm. She is a beautiful dapple grey, her mane the color of ash, and, for the most part, she is all differing shades of black, grey and white, her coat speckled in spots on her sides. We connected the moment we met. She’s gentle with me but I can tell that she is also fierce. Tempest is very protective of her as well, and when they are turned out to pasture, he is always by her side. My one wish is that we could have had more time together before going after Cú Chulainn, but that can’t be helped. So many things have taken precedence of late.