by Lisa Rector
And that hope relied on convincing Gorlassar’s High Council to change their age-old tradition of ignoring the mortal realms.
Aneirin figured Caedryn’s army in the Great Forest would take fourteen to twenty days to reach the lower ridge’s gap and enter Talfryn. Plenty of time to muster the Dragon Riders. The army in Rolant would travel over a month. Aneirin wondered if the armies were coming in two waves or if the latter army was for cleanup and maintenance after they conquered Talfryn. Rolant would probably send additional men to Terrin to maintain order while they were at war with Talfryn. Either way, King Sieffre’s army was outnumbered. Both of Caedryn’s armies had to be destroyed.
The highlands were cool on an early spring night, so Aneirin gathered wood and leaf debris for a fire, which would be a welcome comfort. He held his palm over the accumulated pile and sent a concentrated light beam into them. Soon enough, they smoldered and ignited. After the fire was crackling, Aneirin set up the bedrolls and prepared some food, leaving Ahnalyn alone to decompress.
***
Ahnalyn struggled to secure the napkin on a squirming Einion. He was barely three weeks old, and so much had happened in so little time. The catalyst for Ahnalyn’s dramatic life change had been that fateful meeting with Brenin at the creek, and not even a year had passed since then. Ahnalyn was tired of the disappointment and lies. Maybe once they arrived at Gorlassar, she could start her life over. Do I really need a dragon stone? Can I live without it? Do I ever need to come back here? But Owein was here. He was her real father, not Caedryn. She couldn’t leave Owein under a tyrant’s rule. Maybe once Einion was safe they could come back for him. I’m sure Seren wouldn’t mind coming back for my father.
Einion fell asleep, and Ahnalyn laid him on a bedroll with the blankets swaddled around him like a nest.
“Will you keep an eye on him for a while?” Ahnalyn asked.
Aneirin cocked his eyebrow. “Sure, but why?”
“I want to stretch my legs.” She stood, throwing her arms behind herself and arched her back.
“Don’t go too far. You should keep in eyeshot. It’s dangerous out here. Until Cephias and Seren return, we have to be aware of wild animals.”
She waved him off. “Don’t worry. I’ll circle the camp. You’ll be able to see me the whole time.”
Ambling far enough away to be well beyond the fire glow, Ahnalyn worked a couple of laps around the camp. The pine trees had a spicy scent, and Ahnalyn delighted in the smell. It was so nice to stretch. With so much time in a tree, or on a dragon, she lacked exercise since pacing in her cell.
Ahnalyn stopped and looked at the sky. She closed her eyes and sighed. Recalling her dream about Aneirin, Ahnalyn glanced back to camp to see if he was watching her. He poked at the fire with a stick, but Ahnalyn had a feeling Aneirin kept close tabs on her even if it seemed he wasn’t.
Now would be a good time to practice focusing her light. She did feel cold away from the fire after all. Happy memories surfaced as she concentrated on her heart-center. The light grew and with it a pleasant tingling in her chest. She inhaled a deep breath and pushed the growing energy into her fingers, and turning her hand like a cup, Ahnalyn imagined a ball forming in her palm. She pushed harder, the effort taxing. Her pulse quickened as sweat broke out on her forehead. With one final nudge, a light orb ignited in her hand. Shaking, Ahnalyn exhaled an exhausted breath, and the light puffed out. Ahnalyn doubled over on all fours, panting.
Aneirin didn’t say it would be so physically exhausting.
She rose, wiped the sweat from her brow, and pushed her hair back—my long hair Aneirin is so fond of and constantly running his fingers through. Was this how the emrys were, given to open exhibition of affection? Aneirin sure was. Maybe they were all this way. Or maybe Aneirin couldn’t help himself. He said he loves me. He barely knows me! Could light-filled beings love more easily?
Ahnalyn decided she wasn’t ready to have feelings for anyone. The memory of Brenin’s death was too fresh, too painful. She had trusted Brenin and had given herself to him—Ahnalyn didn’t think she could do it again. Aneirin was a different man, and he did have redeeming qualities. He was attractive. He was loyal. If he truly loved her, he’d have to wait. Her son was more important. She would focus on him.
Ahnalyn slunk back to camp and sat near the fire to warm herself.
Aneirin looked up as she approached. “You did well back there. I’m impressed. It takes a while for your body to catch up with the strain pushing light causes.”
“Thank you. I knew you were keeping a close eye on me.”
“As you focused and gathered the light, it caught my attention. I wanted to see how well you did without me bothering you.”
A tremor vibrated the ground. Cephias and Seren landed nearby and stepped into the ring of the fire glow. Dusk was falling around them.
“Ready for duty,” Cephias said. “We had a couple of nice deer. Seren is ready for a nap. I’ll take first watch and Seren will do second.”
Seren curled up and soon fell asleep. Cephias sat down, folding his mammoth claws under himself, and stared into the fire. “You two lovebirds getting along?”
Aneirin looked at Cephias, giving him a not the best time face.
“Right… sorry. Aneirin, it’s frustrating being unable to hear your thoughts, so I had to ask.” Cephias said, half apologetic and half teasing.
“Cephias, will the dragons consent to fight? I mean, even if the emrys wouldn’t? I remember the debate as we prepared to leave Gorlassar. The council thought we should leave Ahnalyn to her fate.” Aneirin turned to Ahnalyn. “Sorry.”
“Am I even going to be welcome in the dragon realm? Have there ever been any half-emrys there before?” Ahnalyn asked.
“No, never. But they’ll have to allow you now,” Aneirin said.
“Why?”
Aneirin stared into the flames, a sullen expression on his face. “Because you’re Seren’s rider.”
“That didn’t convince them before.”
“Ahnalyn, you belong with the emrys. End of story. I won’t have it any other way.” Aneirin’s voice grew louder with each sentence. “Don’t worry and don’t doubt who you are. You’re an emrys and a Dragon Rider. Your potential is unlimited. Look at your light! You’ve been through so much and are still trying. Why can’t you see how incredible you are? I know you’ll be accepted by the emrys.”
Remembering her tortured dreams, Ahnalyn stiffened. He doesn’t know I killed Niawen. “I don’t think the emrys would accept a murderer.”
Aneirin frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“I killed my mother. I killed Niawen. You might have chased her from Gorlassar, but she died by my hand.”
He stood abruptly. “No, I won’t believe it. Why would you… why have you never told me this?”
“I finally remembered. The memory had been lost. Or blocked. I don’t know. I only remember I killed her with the dark energy.”
“No,” Aneirin said again, slow and stupid as if he refused to believe it.
Ahnalyn could see his mind working.
“Did Caedryn show you this?” Aneirin asked.
Ahnalyn bowed her head. “Yes.”
“Then it’s a lie! I know you wouldn’t kill your own mother.”
“Are you refusing to believe it because you’d like to think I’m only capable of good? You’d like to believe I’m pure enough to come to Gorlassar with you.” Thinking of the horrors her dreams revealed, Ahnalyn held out her hands. She was as much darkness as she was light. “Look at me, Aneirin! Look at me. My blood is not pure. The emrys will never accept me.”
“I am looking at you!” Aneirin’s hands were shaking. “I refuse to believe your darkness will overpower your light. You’re strong. You’ll fight this.”
“Am I fighting this for my sake or yours?” Ahnalyn asked. “What if I like how it makes me feel, Aneirin? Did you ever think of that?”
“How what makes you feel?”
Ahnalyn was standing, challenging Aneirin with her words. She didn’t know why she said it, but the words came tumbling out. She wanted to see his reaction, and for some reason, she wanted to hurt him as she’d been hurt for so long. “What if I like the power? Perhaps my father was right. The darkness is powerful. I’ve felt it. I’ve used it. It is great.”
The whites of Aneirin’s eyes rimmed his brilliant green irises as he took her words in. “Don’t call him your father. He’s a monster.”
Ahnalyn stepped into Aneirin’s face. “But that’s what you’re afraid of isn’t it? Afraid I’m too evil to enter Gorlassar? Afraid I’m too much like my father.”
“I don’t know where this is coming from. Stop it, Ahnalyn. Stop!”
“Tell me the truth, Aneirin. Why don’t you think I’ll be welcome in Gorlassar?”
Aneirin set his jaw and bared his teeth at her. Ahnalyn watched his eyes, moving side to side, as he studied her face. He was going to tell her, but she could see the fury on his face. Her words had struck a nerve.
“You might not be able to pass through the portal. You might have too much darkness,” Aneirin said.
Ahnalyn blinked slowly. “A minute ago you were so sure. So sure I would be accepted. Are you saying that you really aren’t?”
“I’m not sure about anything! This whole trip has been an overwhelming endeavor.” Aneirin pressed his fingers into his temples.
She watched Aneirin’s chest rise and fall with punctuated breaths as he steadied himself. A sudden shame washed over her. What have I done? Ahnalyn was about to reach out and reassure Aneirin. Speaking her deceitful words and hurting him was wrong. She was once again a complete fool.
But Aneirin startled her.
“Argh!” He threw up his hands and slipped out into the night.
Watching his faint glow of light fade into the distance, Ahnalyn gaped after him.
“Let him go. He needs to blow off steam,” Cephias said. “Even though he’s filled with light, he still has his moments. Though, I’ve never seen him like this. It’s because of you. You caught him thoroughly off guard.”
“What do you mean?” Ahnalyn asked.
“Aneirin wasn’t planning on falling in love for at least another century,” Cephias said.
“He wasn’t planning on falling in love? You can’t plan when you fall in love. So this is my fault?” Ahnalyn asked. “I didn’t ask for any of this—none of this. I was ready to die in that cell.”
“Now, Ahnalyn, don’t say that. Don’t ever think you want to die again. You have so much to live for. Aneirin’s right. You’re meant to be on this path. This is your purpose, no matter how much you might be struggling. You’ll come through this ordeal.”
“How did this become so complicated?” Ahnalyn whispered.
***
Aneirin stomped around in the woods, feeling rotten. Was he being immature? Hadn’t this stigma haunted him all his days as the youngest child of the High Emrys? Aneirin’s still too young to take command, to be given the duties his older brothers carry. Still too inexperienced with his ability to control the light. His emotions rose to the surface too often. Weren’t his parents right when they counseled him to stay out of the mortal realms? This little quarrel with Ahnalyn proved them right. He had let his emotions boil over.
Would his mother tell him he was too young to be in love? Would his parents even support his feelings for Ahnalyn as a half-emrys? This might be why he pushed her to use the light. To believe she’d be accepted solely on her merits of light was selfish, but that’s how the emrys were. His emotions boiled anew, and he clenched his fists, pushing, forcing his irritation away. He had to accept Ahnalyn for who she was or he would lose her.
He shook his head. Kill Niawen? This was ridiculous. Could this woman he loved actually have killed his dearest friend, her own mother? It would be a mark on Ahnalyn, a stain on her soul, but not if the death was an accident. Niawen’s death had to be a mistake. He refused to believe Ahnalyn’s version of the events and refused to believe that she favored the darkness over the light. Ahnalyn’s soul was not so far gone. She would enter Gorlassar.
But that left him with his feelings for Ahnalyn. Did they stem from this desire to fix what was broken? No. They were undeniable. Ahnalyn had fire. She stood proud in the face of evil and hardship. She had a hidden meekness. True, she could be explosive, but he loved her reckless energy keeping him on his toes. Ahnalyn’s so much like Niawen. Similarities between mother and daughter aside, he’d fallen in love with this spout of flame, but not with Niawen. Aneirin had an itch under his skin, and it grew the more he thought about Ahnalyn. She was the cause of his affliction, and she would be his cure.
Aneirin finished fuming in the woods and returned to camp once he had a grasp on his emotions.
Ahnalyn was asleep under Cephias’s watchful eye. He winked at Aneirin.
He sighed as he looked down at Ahnalyn. I’ll love her no matter how much darkness she has. He could do this. He had to do this. In time, her confidence would grow. He still believed she had potential. Ahnalyn might have a lot to overcome, but he had faith she could. I just have to be patient. I have forever.
Aneirin pulled his bedroll next to Ahnalyn’s and curled up beside her, wanting to stay close in case she or Einion needed him during the night. Aneirin shook his head, her valiant protector, indeed.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
SURE CHOICE
The following morning, once they were in the sky flying over the highlands, the glorious snow-covered peaks of Mount Eirwen rose into their panorama. Ahnalyn didn’t think anything could survive in such a formidable environment of sheer drops, narrow precipices, and unscalable cliffs. Aneirin was right. The dragon realm was well protected with the only way in and out by dragon.
Aneirin instructed Cephias to land on a flat, snowy ledge, flanked by two enormous boulders and spacious enough for both dragons. With no protection and full exposure to the elements, they were at the wind’s mercy as its icy fingers whipped through Ahnalyn’s cloak. She cuddled Einion close.
“Why are we landing here?” Ahnalyn asked over the groaning wind.
“I wanted you to see the entrance to Gorlassar before Cephias flew through it,” Aneirin called back to her.
Or maybe he didn’t want Ahnalyn to collide with the barrier if she couldn’t pass through.
“Follow me.” Aneirin moved between the two boulders and lifted his hand. “Can you feel that?”
Ahnalyn lifted one hand while keeping Einion secure with the other. “No, what am I supposed to feel?”
Aneirin took her hand and pushed it forward through the air. Warmth tickled her fingers as the air shimmered in front of her.
“Right there, did you feel that?” Aneirin asked.
“Yes,” Ahnalyn said. “Like holding your hand under the suns’ rays while standing in the shade.”
“That’s the energy from Deian’s light. He set the protection at the portal to prevent evil from entering.”
Ahnalyn gulped. Now was as good a time as any to find out if she was evil. Aneirin didn’t seem to fear, but the words he said to her the night before were like a seeping wound.
Aneirin squeezed Ahnalyn’s hand. He is sure. She felt it in his touch and in his firm grip. He wasn’t disheartened by the night’s contention. Aneirin gave her a smug look, which sent chills down her neck, as he pulled her into the waving energy.
If Ahnalyn expected to smack into a wall and be denied access, she was wrong. She watched as the snowy mountains and boulders around her fizzled away. The whistling wind hushed. Materializing in front of her, as if a filmy sheet had been lifted from her eyes, was a verdurous valley with a picturesque river winding through it. The weather wasn’t bitter cold as in the mountain but rather temperate like late spring turning into summer. A smile curled over Ahnalyn’s mouth as a feeling of majesty glazed over her.
Following them, Cephias and Seren flew through the entrance.
Ahnalyn glanced behind h
erself. All sign of the frozen mountain had vanished. In its wake was a soft rolling hill covered in nodding grasses. The same two boulders they had walked between stood in this realm, alone on the hill as warding sentinels. What was even more amazing to Ahnalyn was that beyond the boulders the rest of the valley continued on and on farther than her eye could see, reaching as though through eternity.
“The valley stretches on for leagues and you only exit it if you walk immediately between the two boulders,” Aneirin said. “They’re the guard stones, to prevent accidental entry into the mortal realms. If you didn’t go with a dragon, you couldn’t climb off the ledge and down the snowy mountain anyway.”
Ahnalyn nodded in understanding. Niawen and Seren had walked right through the guard stones. Her mother had made this choice.
Breathless, Ahnalyn took in what was before her. The valley was flanked by mountains bubbling in varying shades of green. Groves of trees and fields of flowers, crops, sheep, goats, cows, and horses spotted the rolling hills leading down into the valley. Looking minuscule from where they stood, cottages, connected by roads, dotted the landscape.
Ahnalyn looked in the other direction, and a gleam of white caught her eye. “Is that a city?”
“Yes, that’s Mared, the great city of the emrys.” Aneirin grinned from ear to ear. He was clearly thrilled to be home and pleased with Ahnalyn’s amazement. “Come, let’s walk for a while. Cephias, would you pick us up later?”
“By your leave, Aneirin. The missus and I will check on the young ’uns,” Cephias bellowed in his deep voice.
“You have children?” Ahnalyn asked, surprised. Why had this never occurred to me?
“Three of them. They’re grown and have their own Dragon Riders, but we like to keep an eye on them,” Seren said.
They swooped off, clearly ecstatic to be home.
Ahnalyn could see why. Gorlassar was a paradise. She’d never felt so insignificant and out of place.
