Heart of Farellah: Book 3

by Brindi Quinn

“Uncle Bergra’s got a theory.” Trib was still subdued. “That the mist just runs through the land.”

  “But then . . . you’re saying that the Easterlands are through there?” On the other side of the mist? “That can’t be right. Because . . . what about afterlife? The beyond?!”

  “The beyond does not exist in our realm,” said Nyte. “The mist is just a way of transition into it. Its true dwelling place cannot be reached but through the mist.”

  “How do you know?” I wanted to look at him, but I couldn’t rip my eyes from the dragon.

  “You may call it intuition.”

  It was at that point that I realized that there was something else happening in addition to the rest of this craziness. The moon was sinking, the mist was increasing, and the dragon was changing. It was turning whiter with each new drawn breath.

  “Why’s it changing color?” I asked.

  No one answered.

  The dragon pulled and pulled, and the mist flowed in, rapidly racing into the depths of the dragon. Faster and faster and thicker and thicker. The moon was nearly to the horizon now. The pink glow was leaving the air. Still the dragon pulled. Still it kept getting whiter. After several minutes, the stream of mist thinned, and then it turned into nothing more than a trickle, and when it was completely through, the dragon was stark white.

  It had consumed all of the mist.

  The dragon fell to the ground, and something inside of me clicked. My fear of the beast fell with it. It was still a dragon, but what my eyes saw was Ardette.

  “Ardette?!” I cried. “Are you all right?”

  The dragon said something to the moon, but I couldn’t hear whatever it was.

  “Very well,” responded a voice that was neither male nor female – while the now-ringed moon disappeared behind the wall of horizon. “Since your sacrifice has already been so great, I will separate you one last time.”

  In an instant that was too rapid for my eyes to catch, the curtain of black was back. And this time, when it lifted, there was only a pair of Daem brothers strewn on the ground several paces away from each other.

  Ad’ai was over, and I was still alive. It could only mean that the land had been successfully reunited. Whatever the brothers had done, it had worked.

  Trib ran to Sowpa. I ran to Ardette.

  But there was something wrong with him. There was something wrong with both of them.

  Like Sowpa, Ardette was leaking black shadow from every part of his body.

  “Ardette?” I said, heart-falling. “What’s . . . what’s happening?!”

  “My, my, my cherry pit. You’ve seen this many times before. There really isn’t a need for you to ask.”

  “You’re . . .” But I couldn’t finish, so Ardette did it for me.

  “That’s right, my pit. I’m dying.”

  Chapter 22: The End

  I’d seen Ardette die once before – at the dragon’s tomb – but this time, it wasn’t a trick of the mind. Ardette really was . . .

  “No!” I cried, bending over him, heart beating and shoulders trembling.

  “I told you before that I didn’t want to die because of you,” he coughed. “The truth is, my cherry, that I’ve long wanted to die for you. If I can’t have you in this life, then maybe the next . . .”

  “Shhh!” I said, tears falling down my cheeks and onto his face. “I’ll take care of this! Just hold on!”

  There was just one thing to be done. I had to do it quickly. The escaping shadow was too great. If I didn’t hurry, he’d never make it!

  My Song of Healing.

  But Ardette knew what I was thinking, and he reached a shadowed hand to my mouth.

  “Silly cherry, weren’t you listening? Your song won’t work . . . on a dragon.”

  “But you aren’t a dragon!” I said. “Not really!”

  “A piece of me is. Therefore, the Song of an angel will only bring me pain.”

  “No! That can’t be true!” I brought my hand to the side of his head. “What other way, then?! Drink from me! Do something!”

  “There is no other,” he said quietly.

  That couldn’t be true! There was always a way! But though I wanted to deny it, the truth of it was starting to overcome me. Ardette was dying. He was going to die. These were my last moments with him.

  “W-what? N-no! Oh, Creator! Why didn’t you . . . I never would have agreed to something like this!” The tears were there before, but they now released from my eyes in a streaming outpour. “You mean there’s nothing I can do?”

  Smiling the smile of a man feeling complete contentment, he shook his head.

  “This is the end for now,” he said. “Death couldn’t separate us before, though. Perhaps we’ll come back as true Magirs next time. Perhaps we’ll see this new world together. Maybe in your next life, you’ll be affected by my charms.”

  Oh Creator! His charms?! Why did those words cut me so deeply?

  “No! Don’t say something like that! Stay here!” I was pleading with him. “I don’t want you to go! Be my friend! Always be . . .” But it was hard to speak. The sobs were taking over, and with each word, I had to combat that heaving hurt. “Always . . . my friend . . . please. Please. I don’t know what I’ll do . . . if . . . if you aren’t by my side.”

  “Silly Aura-”Ardette’s voice cracked. He looked away from me and took in a breath before trying again. When he did, he returned his eyes to mine and forced another smile. “You’ve got another to be by your side. He’ll make you happy, and if he won’t, I’ll find him in the next life and gut him. Just remember, it’ll always be you. No matter how many lifetimes pass,” – his voice cracked again – “you’ll be my only cherry.”

  “Don’t leave . . .” I couldn’t finish that one because it felt too painful in the back of my throat. “Don’t go.”

  But that was it. He was disappearing into shadow before my eyes. I had no choice but to surrender. I tipped my head and let that sorrowful water escape me. I willed the pain to leave along with it, but something like that was too much – too selfish – to ask for.

  “I love you,” I whispered, whole body trembling now.

  “I know,” said his voice. The majority of his body was gone. “You just love him more. But next time, you’re mine. Next time, I won’t give you up.”

  “. . . Ardette . . .” It was the only thing I could manage.

  But he couldn’t answer; he was nothing more than drifting shadow.

  I inhaled a breath of him, struggling to hold on to whatever pieces I could. It clouded my head and made me fuzzy, and I heard his voice whisper,

  “I love you too, my cherry pit. I’ve loved you for longer than you’ll ever know.”

  And then he was gone. Ardette was dead.

  ~

  “I’m a little scared. I don’t know what to expect.”

  “Why, peach, you’ll do fantastically!” sang Miss Danice. “Now then, look at your hair. It’s gotten all wind tossed again! You haven’t been spending time with that young roughhouse, have you?”

  “I-”

  “Now, now, you don’t have to deny it! I can tell by your complexion! You’re positively glowing!”

  “Ehh . . .” I let her do her thing. I found it was easiest not to resist in these sorts of situations.

  “Who would have expected the Elves to possess such fine fabrics?!” She pulled at the bottom of my skirt. “This dress is amazing!”

  It just so happened that the first annual Meeting of the Races was taking place at Sredna this year. The Yes’lechian officers, governed by Elder Pietri, had reinstated the old ways shortly after the fall of Druelca and the defeat of its lingering troops. Parnold Rekrap and Mayor Berfield had been chosen as the representatives from Farellah, and they’d brought with them a few friends. Unfortunately, Miss Danice was one of them.

  She hadn’t left my side since arriving.

  Up for discussion was the best way to go about exploring the new land that had opened up after the disappe
arance of the Mistlands. Everyone was anxious to know what was on the other side, and so far, the existence of said land was still only a rumor in most places. There were only a few of us who knew. And those few of us were terrified of what waited beyond. However, in hopes of not upsetting the balance any further, Pietri had insisted we kept to ourselves the things that we knew.

  Surprisingly, he wasn’t angry about the way things had played out. Actually, he hadn’t even really seemed surprised. Was I possible that he’d intended things to be this way? That he’d sent us through the Mistlands with the hopes that we’d make the decision we had?

  No, it was unfeasible that someone could be that sneaky . . . right?

  Still, I’d tossed the idea around several times already.

  “Aurie Pie?” My mother was also on the list of the representatives’ guests. She finished fiddling with my hair and placed a slender-wristed hand on my shoulder. “You look lovely. It’s just a shame your father couldn’t be here to see you.”

  “No, Mother. It’s fine like this. I told you not to make him come.”

  I imagined my father quietly at the water’s side where the willows dipped in. That was the perfect place for him. It was where he belonged. After this was all over, I’d be sure to go back to that place myself.

  My mother stared at me a moment. Then she said, “Aura, I can’t believe how much you’ve changed.”

  “Simply astounding, isn’t it?!” agreed Miss Danice. She threw her arms out in a wild expression of ‘astound’. “Why, she’s like a completely different person! You can see it in her eyes. It shows there. She’s loved. She’s lost.”

  Lost?

  I hated that word. Each time I thought it – each time I thought about him – my throat caught itself trying to close, and my eyes found themselves wanting to wet. I wasn’t ready to think about him yet.

  Was it really possible that in our next life . . . ? But that was silly. Even Magirs only had two lives. It’s not like we’d really be given a third. It was a stupid notion I’d allowed to stay because I knew no other way of coping with the loss.

  Ardette, my friend. I miss you.

  “What’s wrong, Aurie Pie?” said Mother. “Are you getting cold feet?”

  “No! Of course not.”

  “I have to say, I’m still surprised that you found someone like him.”

  “Mother, it is okay to say ‘Elf’, you know. That’s what Nyte is. He’s an Elf.”

  “It’s just going to take some getting used to. But if he’s who you’ve chosen, then he must be special.”

  “He is.” A smile stole onto my lips.

  Thinking of Nyte wiped away that sadness that Ardette’s memory caused. Well, not really ‘wiped’. Maybe subdued? Stifled? Pushed away for a later date?

  I turned to the two fawning women. “Could I have a few moments? Alone? I need to clear my head.”

  “Of course!” Miss Danice grabbed my mother’s arm and whisked her away before she could protest.

  I stared into the pond of Sredna that was nowhere near as stunning as the enchanted one outside of Yh’tak, and studied myself. I didn’t feel special. I still felt normal. But I’d been the chosen. I’d been chosen, and I’d survived. And Nyte had survived. And even Illuma had survived.

  Not that that was common knowledge. At the voiding of Ad’ai, Lusafael’s bargain with the moon had also been made void. Much to our surprise, Illuma hadn’t died at the dawn’s light. But though she’d been left alive, she was far from fine. She was crazy and dangerous, and the Elven elders had had no choice but to cap her. Her voice had been taken, and she’d been delivered to Yes’lech. Until they could figure out what to do with her, she was there.

  I’d go and visit her . . . when I was ready . . . when I was stronger . . . once I learned what repercussions would come from the decision we’d made.

  “Aura!” sang Miss Danice. “You’ve got some visitors!”

  “Visitors?” I asked. Avoiding ‘visitors’ had been kind of the point of disappearing out here in the first place. I didn’t want to speak to any intruders. I wanted to brush whoever they were off . . .

  But when I turned to see them, I knew right away that these visitors were special.

  “Hey, hey, Miss Aura!”

  “GROTTS?!” I wailed. And he wasn’t alone. “SCARDO?! KANTÚ?!”

  The three of them ran to me. Grotts and Kantú wasted no time in giving me a bear’s embrace while Scardo looked on awkwardly in a proper half-bow. I released the others and gave him an equally exuberant hug. He was stiff beneath my arms.

  “Miss Heart, it’s really not necessary to-”

  “Scardo!” I released him. “Your tux!”

  “Hm? Pardon?”

  “It’s . . . it’s blue!”

  “Yes?”

  “But isn’t it always green?!”

  “No. Well . . . I suppose it was during the time we spent together, but I actually have an extensive collection of fine tuxedos at my home in-”

  “Oh come on!” said Kantú, hitting him in the arm. “She doesn’t want to hear about boring old tuxedos! Today is special!”

  I scanned the three happy guardians that I hadn’t seen in months. “What are you guys doing here?”

  “Well, these two are here on official business,” said Kantú, “but when I found out what was happening today, I begged Grottsy to let me come too!” She leaned over as if sharing a juicy secret. “I hate when he leaves me behind anyway, so there was no way I was missing out on something like this.” She perked up and batted me with her tail, which was much, much cleaner than that last time I’d seen it. “Aura, I can’t believe you’re actually-”

  “Aurie Pie?” interrupted my mother. “There’s another visitor for you.”

  “Another? Who?”

  But a meek figure walked into the space.

  “Well, hey, guys.” He smiled, but it wasn’t a beam, and he was nowhere near as peppy as he’d been before . . . before it had happened.

  “Darch.” Eyes watering, because I understood what he was feeling, I ran to him and threw my arms around his neck. “How are you holding up?” I whispered.

  The chimbree in his pocket jingled. For some reason, it had started to make noise again after Ard- . . . after what had occurred.

  “Oh, you know,” he said.

  “Any luck?” I said, continuing to speak in a hush so as not to alert the others.

  He shook his head. “I can’t find anything, actually. But that doesn’t change anything. I’m still not content with the theory that the Creator just grants second lives to some people for no reason. There’s got to be more to it than that. Why those people? If I can find out why . . . Oh!” He stopped because he’d noticed the look on my face. “I am so, so, so sorry, Aura! This isn’t the day for me to be talking about him. Just forget it.”

  Forget it? How was I supposed to forget my best friend?

  “So have you guys heard from Trib at all?” asked Darch, raising his voice and attempting to make up for the inner torment he’d just caused.

  “Actually, yeah,” said Grotts, rubbing the back of his head. “I guess she’s first in line to join the new world expedition. Doesn’t really surprise me none.”

  “Won’t she be conflicted, since she’s, you know, one of us?” I asked.

  “Rend’s joining it too, ain’t she?” said Grotts.

  “SHE IS?!” Kantú and I cried in stunned unison at the shocking revelation.

  “Yeah, I dunno. That’s what I heard.” Grotts shrugged. “I’ll tell ya one thing, though, I’m guessin’ the Easterlanders are gonna find us before we find them.”

  “What I don’t understand,” said Scardo, “is why they haven’t done so yet. If they truly are an advanced people, you’d think that an event as big as their Mistlands disappearing would be enough to warrant some curiosity. Yet, there’s been nothing reported of a foreign people entering the Westerlands.”

  “Ya know, though, the races are all just startin’ ta
get on their feet after being suppressed by Druelca fer so long. Who knows? Maybe we just haven’t noticed it yet. Maybe mekanix is already-”

  “Shhh!” Kantú wacked him in the back and looked around nervously. “Don’t say the ‘m’ word!”

  By her gusto, I’d have guessed that she’d been threatened multiple times to have her memories suppressed by Elder Pietri.

  “You’re right Kantú,” said Darch. He tried his best at a smile. “We shouldn’t talk about that stuff. Today’s important. How much time’s left before . . . ?”

  “Actually,” I said, “I’m sorry, guys, but soon, I think. You’re all staying here for a while, though, right? We should only be gone a week.” I crossed my fingers. “If things go well, that is.”

  “Sure, we’ll be here when ya get back.” Grotts beamed. “Take care of our boy, would ya? Treat ‘im real nice-like?”

  I rolled my eyes. “You mean the way Kantú treats you?”

  Growing red, Grotts let out a trail of mumbles and started to be very interested in the ground.

  Kantú let out a chitter. “You’re gonna do great, Aura! I’m sure things will go well! You have nothing to worry about!”

  “Thanks, Kantú.” I gave her another hug. “Thanks to all of you for coming here. It means a lot.”

  Scardo bowed low, Darch gave me a halfhearted wave, and together the four of them returned the way they came. My mother and Miss Danice also left. It was almost time, and I was supposed to be allowed at least a few moments of privacy.

  I returned to the edge of the pond.

  Our lives would all be different from here on out, and I had to be prepared to take responsibility if things got bad. Luckily, the council of Sredna knew everything. They were the only ones, besides us, that did, and they’d agreed to follow peaceful procedures whenever possible. It wasn’t much, but it was good enough for now.

  I wasn’t really ready for today. I was still mourning the loss of Ardette. I was still mourning the absence of Illuma. I was still trying to come to terms with everything that had happened, but if I’d learned anything since leaving Farellah, it was that unexpected things were constantly waiting along time’s line. I didn’t know what was to come; all I knew was that I had to do this today. I wasn’t certain about much, but I was certain when I came to this. This was right. I’d just have to get beyond everything else.