“One last time,” Lorelle said. “We will go through the gateway and enter the Otherworld at the trade center which is on the level below the Light Fae. We will then port to the Queen’s home and get what we need. Based on whatever information she has for us, we will decide what to do next.”
“Let’s do this,” Jordan said. “The sooner the better. We haven’t even made it there and I’m ready for this to be over.”
I knew exactly how she how she felt. I wanted nothing more than to protect our people. I even wanted to protect the half-Guardians, but at the same time, I would have been happy to never have dealt with it. Miah’s vision last night had shaken me more than I cared to admit.
We left the Elder room and headed outside so we could port to the gateway for the Otherworld. Strix flew ahead and said he’d meet us there. He preferred spreading his wings to the instant transportation any day. I didn’t blame him. If I could soar through the sky like him, I probably would, too.
We arrived at the gateway and I gave myself a little pep talk. Miah’s visions changed all the time. I was going to be fine. Lucas would help protect me, along with every other person standing around me.
“You’re damn right we will,” Lucas said next to me. “Everyone is coming home from this mission.”
Jordan walked over to me and pulled me into a hug. “I wouldn’t let something happen to you. Nobody will put up with me like you do. I’m not losing my best friend.”
That made me laugh. I knew she was trying to cheer me up and I appreciated it, but she had Kane now. If something did happen to me, she would be fine.
“You underestimate your importance to the people standing around you, my love,” Lucas said mentally, but I didn’t respond. I didn’t want to think about it anymore.
I pulled back from Jordan’s embrace and glanced around for Strix. He scared the crap out of me by landing on my shoulder from behind. I reached my hand up to rub his silky white feathers and shook my head. I should be used to that by now, but he still managed to catch me off guard every once in a while.
“You guys ready?” Oliver asked.
“As ready as we can be,” I replied.
I was ready, but I was nervous. I wish we had made time to visit the Otherworld before now. Learning about Arvata and our history had seemed more important at the time, though. I had seen pictures from the memories I had from the past Arelias, but that couldn’t exactly prepare me for the reality of it.
At the exact same time, Lucas squeezed my hand while Strix rubbed his head against mine. I smiled and a giggle snuck past my lips. I loved these two so much. They always offered me an extra boost of love when I needed it.
“When we come out the other side, we will be in neutral territory, so we shouldn’t have anything to worry about. This gateway takes us to the fourth level of the Otherworld, where the trade center is.”
We paired up and stepped through the gateway. I let myself enjoy the brief moment of nothingness as we were transported from one world to another.
A green light started to appear. I wasn’t used to that, but Lucas sensed my fear and reassured me it was normal. Once we reached that light, we’d appear in the Otherworld.
Sure enough, as soon as I closed my eyes against the bright light, my feet hit solid ground. I steadied myself and turned to make sure everyone was on the ground with us. Tiana was standing next to Oliver with the biggest smile on her face.
“What are you so happy about?” I asked curiously.
“I was an avid reader before we came here. I read every day. Don’t get me wrong, I’m nervous as hell, but to know the things I’ve let my imagination run wild with are true and I may even see some of those things today, brings a smile to me face. I know it’s weird, but I don’t care.” Tiana laughed.
“You’re insane,” Jordan said with a wicked smile. “I love insane.”
I turned back around away from the others and stumbled a little from the shock. The memories I had seen hadn’t shown me large spans at a time. I was only shown small glimpses, but now I was blown away by the utter beauty before me.
This was the most gorgeous place I had ever seen, and that was saying something considering I’d lived in Arvata for a year. The sky was lit up in a sunset orange with bright stars scattered around it. There were green and purple clouds that floated around and a castle-looking building in the distance. I looked closer and noticed there was a calm stream that led straight to the castle.
I lifted my heels up and down. The ground had some give to it. The inner child in me really wanted to bounce on it, but I figured that wouldn’t be appropriate given the situation.
“The ground is flexible to allow for the season changes. If you came back here in six months, you’d see a completely different setting.” Lucas said out loud after hearing my thoughts.
We would definitely be back here again in six months. I wanted to see what this world looked like in the winter. Well, at least the light and safe places.
“Who’s ready to head to the trade center?” Jordan said with way too much enthusiasm. “There are a few things I wouldn’t mind picking up here that we can’t get anywhere else.”
Of course my best friend wanted to go shopping. I should have expected that when Lorelle mentioned we’d be arriving at the trade center.
“Isn’t our group a little big?” Lela asked. “Won’t we draw attention to ourselves?”
“It’s a little larger than what’s normal,” Lucas answered. “Plus, we have Strix, but it shouldn’t draw that much attention. If we feel like it’s drawing the wrong kind of attention, we can split into two groups and see if that helps.”
“We can port within the Otherworld, but let’s do it in smaller sections,” Lorelle said. “We will finish the port on the outskirts of the trade center and walk in so we don’t port into the middle of something we shouldn’t.”
“What is the trade center, exactly?” Tiana asked.
“It’s like a farmer’s market,” Jordan replied. “People will bring their own goods and set up booths. Gold, silver and rare stones can all be used as currency here, but most people prefer to trade. Hence the name, trade center.”
“Did anyone bring anything like that for trading or buying if we need to?” I asked.
“I have a rare stone that I think might help us acquire the succubus blood if needed,” Lorelle said. “As well as some gold and silver coins. Should be enough to get us by. Let’s get going, though. Time works a little different here. It’s getting later in the day.”
We paired up and ported a few hundred feet at a time. It took us about five minutes to travel the few miles to the trade center, but it was still much quicker than walking. I took a deep breath and calmed myself. I needed to be completely aware of our surroundings at all times here. I didn’t have time for nerves.
When we walked into the entrance, I felt weighed down. Though it lasted only a second, the sensation was very intense. I peeked at the others and could tell by their facial expressions that they had felt it, too.
“Each person that comes here is scanned for weapons and their emotions are read for their intentions,” Lorelle said. “It’s not fool proof, but it does deter most who might want to come here to harm others.”
“What happens if someone doesn’t have good intentions for coming here?” Kane asked.
“Then they get stuck in the shield we walked through and one of the guards they have around here comes to collect them.” Lorelle shrugged her shoulders. “Not sure what happens after that.”
That was an interesting bit of information, but I didn’t think I really wanted to know what happened after they were caught.
We kept walking, and I became convinced my jaw was broken. My mouth gaped open with each new thing we saw. There were tables full of herbs, shrunken heads, and glass jars filled with unrecognizable items I’d rather not look close enough at to decipher.
The people behind the tables were just as interesting. Lucas pointed out some of them for me as we
walked by. We saw witches, goblins, and even a troll. None of whom paid much attention to us, thankfully.
We got halfway through the trade center when two tiny, twin pixies started flying between us. They were flying so fast and talking so fast I couldn’t understand a word they were saying.
“Slow down, Tinkerbell,” Jordan said. “What are you trying to say?”
Both pixies stopped flying and stayed suspended in the air with an occasional flick of their wings. They were opposites of each other in coloring, but had identical facial features and were only around two feet tall. One had turquoise wings and a black dress with the fairest skin. The other had black wings and a turquoise dress with russet skin.
“Excuse our excitement,” the one in the black dress said. “I’m Bam and this is my sister Sam and no, our parents don’t hate us, though one might think so by our rhyming names. The Queen sent us to find you and bring you to her. She doesn’t have much time, but would like to meet you in person.”
“That was very kind of her,” Lorelle said. “Did she mention anything about the darkness when she sent you?”
“Oh yes!” Bam tsked. “How could I forget? She wanted to make sure you knew to always choose the light. Not sure what that meant, but hopefully you do.” The pixie shrugged.
I had forgotten about that as well. Thankfully, Lorelle was on top of it. She nodded at them and said we’d follow them. I moved to step forward and ran into Lucas. I looked up confused. Nobody was moving.
I craned my neck around Lucas to see what was going on and was shocked to see the pixies were opening some sort of portal. Right in the middle of the trade center. Apparently, this was normal, because nobody even stopped to watch.
Bam was plucking at the edges and making sure the hole was wide enough for us to step through while Sam flew up and down applying some sort of magic. I could see a building on the other side of the hole. It was large and pristine, made from some sort of white marble.
When Bam and Sam finished opening the hole, I was speechless. I needed to get my crap together and remember this was going to be nothing compared to what we would see by the end of the trip.
“What is that?” Lela asked as she eyed the hole the pixies had created and I was so glad she did.
“It’s a walk-through,” Sam said. “We use it to travel from one place to another. Not all of us can teleport like Guardians.” Sam winked.
Her voice was musical and tone was genuine. I liked these twin pixies. I hoped we’d be able to spend some more time getting to know them. Something about them drew me in, and I knew we could trust them.
“Pixies are generally easy to read,” Strix said. “You should be able to tell pretty quickly with each one if they mean harm to you or not. Not all beings around here are like that, so just be careful.”
“I’m so glad you came with us,” I said mentally.
“I’ll have to take off for a while when this is over, but I wouldn’t miss being here for you.”
“Thank you.” I knew he had other responsibilities and I respected that. Our bond and understanding of each other had grown so much.
“Right this way.” Bam gestured with her tiny hand for us to go on through.
I waited for Lorelle to go first. I was perfectly fine with her taking the lead while we were here. She went through, then Lucas nudged me forward. I instinctively held on to Strix with one hand and Lucas with the other. I expected to feel some sort of shift in the air when we went through, but there was nothing. We walked right through and if the scenery hadn’t changed, I wouldn’t have even realized we had been transported from one place to the other.
“Welcome, Guardians!” a loud voice boomed as we all made it past the walk-through.
I turned toward the sound to see a ridiculously tall male standing there with a megawatt smile. He had stark white, straight hair that was tied back, showing his long-pointed ears. He also had the lightest, yet most intense, green eyes I’d ever seen. His nose was turned up slightly and his cheekbones were well-defined. He definitely met my expectations of what I anticipated a Fae to look like.
“I’m Aston, the Queen’s head councilman. Please, follow me and I will lead you to her. She doesn’t have a lot of time as we have our own war to fight, but she wanted to give you the Fae stone herself.”
“That is very kind of her,” I said. “We’ll follow you.”
We followed Aston through massive wooden doors that took us into a grand entryway. The interior of the home was also marble, but unlike the pristine white of the exterior, the inside was filled with color. Greens, blues and yellows were the primary colors, but I could see so many others. Whether it was in the unique paintings or the different colored walls, there was so much beauty.
As we walked along, Aston and the pixie twins pointed out various things about the Queen’s home. Family heirlooms and portraits of past queens lined the halls we roamed. All of the doors were shut to the rooms we passed, which slightly disappointed me. Who knew when we’d be back here again. I couldn’t help but wonder what lay behind the closed doors.
“You sure are curious today,” Lucas said mentally.
“Can you blame me? Are you seeing what I am seeing?”
“Of course I don’t blame you, just try not to gape so much,” he teased.
I jabbed him in the ribs with my elbow. He had a point, though. I needed to act like the Elder I was supposed to be and not a tourist. I could even sense Strix’s amusement at my penchant for being completely amazed by all these new things.
Strix didn’t chat with me as much inside my head these days, but he was always there when I needed him. He had many responsibilities as an animal guide. Even though he was bonded with me, he still assisted others like him. A few of them lived on Earth, but most of them resided here in the Otherworld until they were needed.
We arrived at an intricately designed door. It was made from silver and had vines etched into the edges that surrounded large wings. Aston twisted the doorknob and the door swung inwards. As we passed by it, I reached my hands out and felt the wings. I thought the door would be textured and rough from the etching, but it was smooth and cool to the touch.
The Queen was seated at a table going over some paperwork with another Fae. She stood up when we all entered the room and nodded to Aston. He and the other Fae left without another word, closing the door as they walked out.
The Queen walked to stand before us. She eyed each of us individually with her light purple eyes. Her blonde hair was twisted into a bun at the base of her neck and a silver crown embedded with jewels sat atop her head. She wore an elegant silk gown that reached the floor. Her pointed ears had several beautiful earrings hanging from them with diamonds that caught the light as she turned her head.
“Guardians, thank you for coming. I wish I could be of more assistance to you, but as you already know, we have our own issues to deal with at this time. I have eyes and ears all over the Otherworld, so if I learn something new, I will be sure to send word.”
“Thank you, Queen Lucinda,” Lorelle bowed. “We appreciate your generosity. We will not keep you long. Do you have anything else for us beside the stone?”
The Queen walked back to the table and opened a drawer. She reached inside, pulled out a small wooden box, and handed it to Lorelle. With a wave of her hand, the lid opened and a smooth green stone sat nestled into blue fabric. I could feel the power it radiated and it seemed called to me.
I leaned closer and reached out to touch the stone, but the Queen closed the lid just as quickly.
“This stone is not to be touched until you have the dagger it will reside in and the succubus blood to bond it together. Then you may bond to it and use it to end Cassius once and for all.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
“What do you mean bond to it?” Lucas barked.
The Queen eyed Lucas for snapping at her, but let it slide. “This stone has many uses and is very rare. Whoever activates the stone with the succubus blood will be bonded to the da
gger and stone. That person will be the only one who can wield the dagger and use it to kill Cassius.”
I nodded at the Queen in understanding. The Fates probably knew this all along and didn’t tell us.
“Anything else we should know?” I asked.
The Queen glanced at each person in the room again. “I don’t have any information for you, but I do have some items I believe will be helpful to you on your journey. I tried to have them ready before you got here, but we need just a little more time. Would you care to stay and wait for them or be on your way?”
I wasn’t sure we had time to wait, but if she had something that would help us, it probably wasn’t a bad idea. “If you have something else to help us and you’re certain it won’t take too long, I think we should wait.”
“I agree, Kali,” Lorelle said. “How long should we expect to wait?”
“They’re very close to being done. I expect it to take no more than a couple hours,” Queen Lucinda said. “Please, enjoy the trade center while you wait and I will send the pixies for you when the items are ready.”
We gave the Queen our thanks and said our goodbyes before leaving under the guidance of another Fae. He wasn’t as friendly as Aston, but he got us back to the trade center in no time.
“Let’s split up,” Jordan said. “I’m not letting Kali slow me down. I love coming to this place.”
“I’m with Jordan,” Tiana agreed. “Let’s go shopping.”
I rolled my eyes, “Happy to be left alone. Go have fun. We can meet up for lunch in an hour and then hopefully the pixies will find us so we can move on.”
Lucas put his arm around my shoulder, “I won’t leave you, my love. I pity Kane and Oliver being drug around for the next hour.” He laughed.
Ryan and Lela stayed with us. Lorelle went off on her own as usual and we didn’t see the others until exactly one hour later. We went to a few shops, but just browsed. I didn’t think we’d have anywhere to leave our stuff and I wasn’t going to carry anything extra while we tracked down Cassius.
From The Falls (The Falls Trilogy Book 2) Page 10
