My body buzzed with renewed energy as the light fell from the sky and crashed into me. My body lifted in the air as the tilium hurled through me. The last of the light flickered out and I fell back to the ground as darkness filled the ward around us.
“Cole! Cole!” Jericho shouted.
The dragons broke through their barrier and barreled towards me. The ward around us shattered with a loud crack, exposing the bright sun above us. I threw my arm over my eyes to block out the brightness. Water seeped up through the mud as the lake began to fill back up, drenching my clothes. Large hands grabbed ahold of me and rushed me to the bank.
“Eva.” I croaked out as exhaustion hit me.
“Cairo has her, she’ll be okay,” Jericho reassured me. “Where are you hurt?” he asked, sitting me down on the bank.
I assessed my pain and found none. I was exhausted but felt fine otherwise. How was that possible? “Gaber?” I asked as I recalled the last strike he took.
“Is also okay.” Jericho glanced behind me. “King Evander and Queen Annabelle are with him now.”
“Where were they?” I attempted to sit but failed, falling back onto the muddy bank.
“They were trapped on the other side of the ward. My Prince, please don’t move.” He placed his hands on my shoulders as he assessed the damage in front of him.
“Tana?” I asked as I looked around the now full lake.
“Gone with the rest of the farros.” Jericho shook his head. “I have no idea how you did it. But the farros are no more.”
“You mean-”
“You truly are amazing, Keeper of Dragons,” Gaber announced from over Jericho’s shoulder. “The tilium you stole from the farros turned pure while you housed it. When Tana attempted to take it back and use it for darkness, it rejected her. Her own tilium ended her.”
Gaber’s platinum hair was a mess and blood soaked through his green jacket. Evander, Annabelle and the other true creatures encircled us. The only ones I could not see from my prone position were Cairo and Eva. We needed to get back to the elves. Eldrick and the eldens were still out there.
I pushed my back off the ground and rested on my elbows. “Paraiso. We should head back now.” I pushed up to a sitting position and dropped my arms into my lap. “Where are Eva and Cairo?”
“Keeper.” Gaber said. “They are right—” Gaber fell to the ground in a tumbled heap. His body quaked as the orange light in his eyes dimmed. “Paraiso,” he muttered right before he passed out.
Chapter Twenty-One
Eva rested her head on my shoulder. We sat against a tree by the shore of Lake Maracaibo, or better known as the eldens’ swamp. Queen Annabelle and King Evander knelt on both sides of Gaber, who lay unconscious on the ground. Jericho paced as Cairo stood in guard mode alongside us.
“I’m scared,” Eva muttered.
I nodded against the top of her head. Her long red hair lay in a disarrayed mess, and her eyes fluttered as if fighting to stay awake. I grabbed her hand and squeezed.
“What’d they do to you?” I whispered, staring at Gaber’s unmoving body.
“Nothing. I mean I don’t remember anything until just a few minutes ago.” She squeezed my hand. “One second, I was standing in the hut in Paraiso, and the next I was laying on the ground here with Cairo begging me to wake up. I—” She shook her head against my shoulder and sighed. “What happened here?”
“The farros are gone.” I whispered. “But they were nothing compared to the eldens. I don’t know how we’re going to defeat them. I don’t know if it’s possible.”
“Together. We’ll figure it out together,” Eva said. “We need to get back to Paraiso. I have a horrible feeling. Why would Eldrick leave Tana to take care of us?”
Jericho paused his pacing and looked down at us. “He knew.” He glanced towards Gaber. “He knew you’d end them. Somehow he knew.”
Eva lifted her head from my shoulder and turned her now golden eyes towards me. I missed her sky-blue ones, the ones I grew up laughing with. They were home. I sighed and closed my eyes. This was my new home. A home where war encircled me. A home where my job was to protect all. Protect all that was true. When I opened my eyes, Eva was staring at me, a sad smile on her face; she must have been listening to my inner thoughts.
“How’d you end them?” Eva whispered to me.
“I don't know. She had won. I thought it was over. I didn't do anything.” I looked over Eva’s shoulder and shook my head.
Gaber’s foot twitched as Queen Annabelle slapped her hands against her chest “He’s waking up. Thank the fates,” she happily announced as her light pink eyes glanced our way quickly, then back down to Gaber, who was struggling against Evander to sit up.
“Gaber, stay down and remain calm,” Evander said as he pushed Gaber’s shoulders to keep him flat. “You passed out.”
“Paraiso. The elves. My elves. We must go,” Gaber rambled. “Paraiso. The elves. Now. We must go now!”
Eva crawled towards Gaber and pushed Evander out of the way. “What about the elves?” she asked.
“Eldrick. Clara. We need to save them,” Gaber stammered as he tried to sit up.
“Why would we save Eldrick?” Eva asked as she helped Gaber sit up.
“No. He has Clara. Paraiso. He has them.” Gaber looked around in a panic. “We need to go now.”
“We left an army protecting Paraiso. Not to mention the wards were back up.” Jericho stated.
“What?” Eva turned to Jericho. “You mean the wards Eldrick exploded?” The gold in Eva’s eyes began to swirl. “Cole, oh god. It was a trap.”
“Of course it was a trap. Eldrick thought he would be able to defeat us tonight,” Jericho stated.
“No, he doesn't want us,” Eva whispered as she looked back down at Gaber.
“The elves.” Gaber pushed off the ground to stand. “The elves. I feel their fear. I feel their pain. Paraiso is under attack.” Gaber’s orange gaze met mine. “Hurry.” He disappeared in a flash.
The trolls and fairies that remained vanished before us, following Gaber back to Paraiso. The dragons around me shifted and pushed off the ground without a command. Eva and I mirrored their actions, and were up in the air within minutes.
Visions of a battle between elden and elf haunted me during the dragging trip back to Paraiso. My mind raced with a hundred different possibilities as to what we’d find when we arrived. The sight of land ahead relieved and frightened me at the same time. I landed mid-shift and ran full force towards Paraiso, my feet thumping through the snow the closer I got. I broke through the final set of brush and skidded to a halt at the sight before me.
Gaber knelt in the snow with his head bowed. His shoulders trembled as he slowly raised his dimmed orange eyes to meet mine. The thumping of my blood swooshed in my ears and my breath halted as I took in his hopeless appearance. Evander and Annabelle stepped up behind him, both of their heads lowered. I felt Eva pause behind me as the other dragons cleared the brush. No one spoke. No words were needed. The elves were gone. The trolls were gone. All were gone.
A time of fear was now.
* * *
Continue the Keeper of Dragons Series in book three, The Mere Treaty
https://www.jaculican.com/keeper-of-dragons/
Books by J.A. Culican
Novels
The Prince Returns-Keeper of Dragons book 1
The Elven Alliance-Keeper of Dragons book 2
The Mere Treaty-Keeper of Dragons book 3
The Crowns’ Accord-Keeper of Dragons book 4
Second Sight-Hollows Ground book 1
Slayer-Dragon Tamer book 1
Warrior-Dragon Tamer book 2
Protector-Dragon Tamer book 3
Sword of Fire-Through the Ashes book 1
Embers of Darkness-Through the Ashes book 2
Blaze of Magic-Through the Ashes book 3
Spark of War-Through the Ashes prequel
Short Stories
The Golden Drago
n-Keeper of Dragons short story
Jericho-Keeper of Dragons short story
Phoenix-Hollows Ground short story
Savior-Dragon Tamer short story
About the author
About J.A. Culican
J.A. Culican is a USA Today Bestselling author of the middle grade fantasy series Keeper of Dragons. Her first novel in the fictional series catapulted a trajectory of titles and awards, including top selling author on the USA Today bestsellers list and Amazon, and a rightfully earned spot as an international best seller. Additional accolades include Best Fantasy Book of 2016, Runner-up in Reality Bites Book Awards, and 1st place for Best Coming of Age Book from the Indie book Awards.
J.A. Culican holds a Master’s degree in Special Education from Niagara University, in which she has been teaching special education for over 12 years. She is also the president of the autism awareness non-profit Puzzle Peace United. J.A. Culican resides in Southern New Jersey with her husband and four young children.
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The Elven Alliance Page 12
