He’d put them both in so much more danger, and now, Lia couldn’t run, not using her full speed, because Vik wouldn’t be able to keep up.
Lia sighed.
It was what it was, though. And really, how could she fault Vik for not leaving when would’ve done the same thing in his stead?
Chapter Twenty-Five
Thanks to Lia’s still-present connection to the unconscious Thea, they found the rest of their group easily enough – along with the familiar-looking Fae who was still shadowing the evaders.
Lia reckoned he’d been the one to escort the slave wagons from the Lower Kingdom back when she’d been bought by Lord Byron, which had only made it all the more easy to incapacitate the male.
Getting back at someone who’d been at least partly responsible for her enslavement had felt kind of good, actually.
Maybe she should’ve been ashamed for that sentiment, but right then, the only thing that mattered to Lia was that the male was temporarily out of the picture. He wouldn’t rush back to Aroan and deliver him right next to Lia the moment they stepped over the invisible line that marked the border of the area he’d referred to when speaking about his vow to allow every being their freedom while there.
They were swiftly approaching another border, though – the one that denoted the boundary of the territory of Wentbur. And the place where Wentbur met that two its two neighbors, creating a very rare gateway – well, that was the location they sought.
And they were nearly there.
Fortunately for them all, Evana and the others had only veered slightly off the right course by following the ever-broadening river as she’d asked, and she and Vik had caught up to them before they crossed over into the next territory instead of making for the only crossing point they could reach without daring the river’s rapids – a near impossible feat for humans, and considering the state they were in …
Well, it was better to not even think about it.
They were out of the trees now, in plain sight of anyone who happened to came by, and they were all nearing the end of their strength, especially young Damain and Sander who was still carrying Thea, but with the wealth of energy she’d had to expend since stepping out of Aroan’s rooms in Cerridwen, Lia wasn’t doing much better herself.
They were getting closer, though. She could feel it. The magic of the place was calling to her. And as they crested the next hill, she finally saw it. The ripple of energy in the air gave away the location to anyone who had even a drop of magic. Which meant –
“Lia …” Evana whispered hesitantly between gasps of breath, eyes locked onto the gateway even as she leaned over, putting her hands on her knees.
Clever, clever girl. The little elfling had already caught on to what Lia planned to do next.
“Yes, Evana.”
The elf looked over at her, eyes like saucers.
“How do you … ” She took another gulp of air. “How can you see it?”
“See what?” Vik cut in, looking confused.
Right. Humans weren’t supposed to see the crossing point.
Before she could answer either of them, Evana went on speaking, though, as if she couldn’t get the words out fast enough.
“I can’t open it, you know,” she said, dejected, shoulders curling in.
Oh, no.
Lia dashed over to Evana, gathering the girl in her arms.
“No, Ev, no. That’s not why you are here. I asked you to come because I love you. Because I want you to be safe,” she gave the elfling a squeeze, then tipped back her head so she could see her eyes. “I don’t expect you to access the gateway.”
She wouldn’t be able to. She was of Fairykind, and not even all Fae could. That was another privilege of the High Houses.
Stroking the girl’s cheek, Lia stood and started down the hill. Venturing into the field that rippled with waist-high grasses, she made a beeline for the crossing point, going around a boulder and parting the shrubs in her way – and there it was.
Where ordinary people would only see an impenetrable wall of stone, Lia detected elegantly carved runes that were the source of the mighty ripples of mystical energy. Holding out her hand, she let it hover mere inches from one of the filigreed markings, then moved it toward another, getting lost in the moment. Feeling with how much care the runes had been created.
Lia kept skimming the hard surface without actually touching, marveling at the details and the power. Then suddenly, a tingly energy shot up her arm, breaking her out of her reverie. She snatched back her hand, rubbing on her fingertips deep in thought.
The energy had subsided the moment she’d removed her hand from the wall’s vicinity, but her fingers were still tingling. It had to mean something that the surge had occurred when she’d gotten near a certain marking. She must’ve accidentally activated one. It’d reacted to her, and that was exactly what they needed.
Readying herself for the onslaught, Lia put her hand back right where it’d been, and the energy flow started up again immediately, just as she’d expected. Stretching out a finger, she brought it closer and closer to the stone, and as she came into contact with the marking, the mysterious energy shot up her arm again, pulsing through her blood and electrifying her skin.
Suddenly, Lia knew exactly what she had to do. She removed her index finger from the first rune and let it glide over the surface again, seeking out the second marking, then the third and the fourth. The little carvings had to be touched in a certain order, and the next one in the sequence only revealed itself after she’d already detected the rune before it .
One after the other, the symbols she needed lit up. The tingly energy was now emanating from all eleven of them, bathing her in a current of such intensity Lia wasn’t sure she could withstand it. She had to, though. She wouldn’t have the power necessary to try again right away, and they had to cross over before someone found them. As she pressed her finger against the twelfth rune, heat flared, engulfing her whole body. Her long hair streamed out behind her as if blown back by an invisible wind, but she held fast, looking on as a little slit opened up in the middle of the stone wall.
The place of the thirteenth and final marking.
The one rune that wasn’t on the wall. Which the person seeking passage had to possess and insert.
Reaching into her pocket, Lia brought forth the tiny stone she’d retrieved from the clearing. Back then, it’d looked unremarkable. Just like any other stone. Now, though, it was gleaming with a soft white light – a light that got stronger and stronger as Lia lifted it, then placed it into its place.
The energy that emanated from the stone gave a flare, and the gateway itself revealed itself to Lia. She just had to step through now, but first, she needed to make sure her friends could cross over with her.
Unable to look away from the stone wall, Lia called back over her shoulder, “Vik! Sander! Lay down Thea on the ground and put her hand into mine!”
She extended her free hand, hoping the others would comply. That they were close enough to hear her. She couldn’t tell, though. At some point, the outside world had imperceptibly disappeared around her, and now the only thing she could perceive was the gateway. It filled her up.
As a hand touched hers, folding her fingers over another’s and giving it a squeeze, Lia breathed a sigh of relief.
Her friends were there, and they’d heard her.
“Grab onto each! Hold hands, everyone!”
She felt as the others did as she’d told, her consciousness expanding to engulf each of them as they followed suit and came into contact with a person she was already physically connected to. They became a part of her.
They became one.
Now it was Lia’s turn again. She had to take the first step.
As she was about to move, anxiety crashed into her.
This was it. She was leaving behind the very realm. Lia was about to cross over into a dimension where no humans ventured. Ever. And she was dragging a group of weary, confused and bat
tered humans with her, along with two young elflings.
There was no going back now, though, and there was no time to hesitate. All of their lives depended on her succeeding now, and she wasn’t letting them down.
She could do this.
Lia really believed that. Otherwise, she wouldn't have risked so many lives in this risky endeavor.
Sucking in a deep breath, Lia leapt forward, and the flickering magic closed in around her, pressing against her body from all sides. Lia kept going, undeterred, even though it felt like she was moving through molasses and getting nowhere. The resistance grew steadily, soon reaching a point where it was scarcely bearable, then surpassing it.
Lia couldn’t breathe. Everything went white around her, then even that light vanished in a blinding flash, and she was left without sight. She tried to listen instead, but couldn’t hear anything over the high pitched ringing in her ears. Cold seeped into her bones, prickling then slashing like razor blades. Tearing her apart. Lia screamed – wanted to scream, but she couldn’t. She had no mouth. No body.
She was nothing.
Then with the same suddenness as it’d all started, Lia slammed back into her form. As a strange feeling washed over her, reality wavered, and something gave way. Lia felt it in her bones. Felt it in her very blood. The next instant, her own ragged breathing filled her ears. She felt a clammy hand in hers that she held in an iron grip. Then her eyesight returned, and she realized they were still moving forward and through a cloudy veil that suddenly parted, revealing an inconceivable, incredible world.
With her next step, Lia entered another realm where only mystical beings dwelled. The next second, her companions tumbled through after her, and light as she felt, Lia practically fell on her face, unable to hold herself upright a moment longer. Then she just lay there with her eyes closed, breathing. Relishing the sensation of being whole.
Of being alive.
After what felt like a heartbeat of time but was probably a lot longer than that, Lia managed to turn her head to the side and peel her impossibly heavy eyelids open. Her gaze landed on Evana who was staring down at her with big eyes, those deep, soulful orbs wider than ever before and filled with such astonishment and wonder that it left Lia speechless.
“You're Fae,” Evana finally managed to say, voicing what had to be apparent to each and every member of their group now, if Vik’s expression was anything to go by.
The young human who’d been her steadfast friend and only confidante ever since her life fell apart stared and stared at her, dumbstruck, unable to do anything else. Over the years, she’d shared so much with Vikarion, revealed so many things about herself and her past – but not this. Never this.
This one thing, she hadn’t been able to tell anyone.
And she wasn’t truly Fae. She didn’t consider herself one. The humans were the ones who’d taken her in and raised her. Taught her everything. They were the ones she owed her allegiance. But she knew how she must look now, and she could just hope that Vik and the rest of her friends would still accept her and believe she was one of them.
“Good day, Your Highness.”
The unexpected greeting startled Lia out of her reverie. Quick as lightning, she was on her feet again, taking up position in front of her friends so she could protect them from the newcomer – an ethereal Fae with a bell-like voice. However, the ash-blonde female held up her hands, signaling she had no intention to attack, and bowed her head.
“Or perhaps I should say, Your Majesty.”
The stranger straightened, regarding Lia with an unreadable expression, but Lia no longer felt threatened so she relaxed her body, although she stayed right where she was, preventing access to her companions. Now she just needed to claim them as hers, so that their safety was also guaranteed in the long run.
“I am no princess, and certainly no one’s queen,” Lia said in answer, voice distinctly even and resolute, even though it rang foreign to her ears. “But as my ability to cross over amply proves, I am High Fae, and these people belong to me. All of them. They are under my protection.”
She found the other Fae’s eyes and stared her down.
“No one touches them, and when and if I decide to leave, they will be free to do so as well.”
She wasn’t about to let her friends get taken, enslaved, or thrown back out, nor held here against their will.
The stranger inclined her head gracefully.
“As you wish, You– Lady Caylia. No harm will come to them. Not from us And if you so desire, they are all free to remain here and, when the time comes, to take leave of our realm.”
Smiling quizzically, the regal Fae glances over at the others for a moment before her eyes returned to Lia’s.
“In the name of Her Majesty, High Queen Aoibheann Ó Raghallaigh, I welcome you to the Olden Realm.”
~ *** ~
Roan
Fifteen minutes earlier
Roan hadn’t moved from his spot since Melia had walked away from him.
Closing his eyes, he’d concentrated all his attention on tracking her movements, observing as she circled back around after vanishing among the trees, heading to whoever had been waiting for her. He never lost her, not even for a moment, as she – they – went on, staying always in motion as they followed the river and picked up speed, only halting a good while later, and even then only for a second or two.
Then they were off again, and long since nowhere near the river, so Roan could’ve gone after Melia then without breaking his word – and he wanted to. So much so that it physically hurt to stay in place. It took all of his tremendous willpower to lock his muscles, but he had to find out where Melia thought she was going. Had to see how far she got before he went after her. And he knew that once he started chasing after her, nothing and no one would be able to stop her from catching her.
After that … Roan had no idea what would happen then. What he would – or should – do. It seemed, though, that he was about to find out since his little fugitive wasn’t on the move any longer. She’d been staying in the same position for quite some time now.
Was she waiting for someone? Was someone supposed to aid her?
That Roan didn’t know, but if so, Melia wouldn’t be there when that someone arrived anymore. Or at least she wouldn’t be alone. Maybe they’d wait for that person together, Roan mused as he ran, moving as fast as he could so he’d reach Melia all the sooner. He thinking and running, thinking and running, and Melia was still there, and he was getting so close he should be able to catch sight of her any moment …
Gasping, Roan fell to his knees, his legs unable to support him any longer. The wrenching tear he felt deep inside incapacitated his whole body and scrambled his pathways, rendering him incapable of thought. It filled him up until it became the only thing he could think of, then it slowly coalesced into knowledge. Into certainty.
Letting out an earth-shattering cry, Roan clutched his head, still not believing what he knew to be true because it couldn’t be – but it was.
His Melia was gone, and what he’d just felt, that hadn’t been the severing of the weak connection that cursed collar had enabled him to form. Somewhere along the way, it’d turned into so much more …
But now Melia was gone. From the kingdom. From the realm.
From life itself.
Roan had found his mate, but in his stupidity, in his blind ignorance, he hadn’t realized it, because the Fae were fated to other Fae, not humans. Never humans.
He never would’ve thought a mere human girl could possess the other half of his soul. That wasn’t how it was supposed to be. That wasn’t what he’d believed. Wasn’t what he’d been taught.
But he’d been wrong.
And now, his one and only mate was gone, and it was Roan’s own damned fault.
He’d driven Melia to her death.
The End
… for now.
But Lia will be back soon, along with her friends and adversaries, so don’t forget to watch
for the next installment in The Kingdoms series.
###
Thank you so much for purchasing and reading this e-book. If you liked it, please take a moment to leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads – or wherever you like. ^_^
Thanks again,
Norah J. Stone
About Norah J. Stone
N. J. is a fun-loving, free-spirited author with a rather active fantasy. She’s been writing stories and creating worlds since she was a little kid, and when she’s engrossed in a book, nothing and no one can pry it from her fingers. N. J. also loves surrounding herself with people, though. But from time to time, she turns into a loner, just like Lia, the main character in N. J.’s first Fantasy series, The Kingdom.
Under other pseudonyms, Norah J. Stone has already published novels and short stories in several genres.
Visit N. J.’s website:
http://norahjstone.wordpress.com
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