The Tears of Elios

by Crista McHugh

  “Why do you insist on making things worse for yourself? You could have been caught or killed.”

  “But I wasn't.”

  “Why did you run into my arms then? Did you think I would protect you? If Anilayus had even remotely thought you were a shape-shifter, I doubt I could’ve done much to help you.”

  “The King is going to believe what he wants to believe.” She pulled herself away from his grasp and sat on the bed. “As for running into your arms, I needed you to cover me with your scent. After all, the Azekborn claimed he could smell the shape-shifter.”

  Gregor's hazel eyes flashed with anger behind his glasses. “One of these days, you’re going learn not to take advantage of people. I’ll protect you tonight, but next time, I won’t be so generous.” He slammed the door behind him, and a bright blue glow surrounded the room. The window behind her closed. Then she heard his boots pounding against the stone floor as he stomped away.

  Ranealya tried to open the door, but it was sealed shut. She ran into the same problem when she tried the window. He had imprisoned her in this room with magic, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to escape until he released her. On the other hand, no one could enter her room, and she wondered if it would keep the Azekborn from detecting her scent. She crouched on the bed and watched the door, ready to spring if someone other than Gregor entered.

  CHAPTER 17

  Galen's dreams troubled him. He was appalled that he would even imagine such things. He would never try to force himself on Kira. His head pounded when he opened his eyes, though, and he discovered a tender bump when he rubbed the back of his head. The room was empty except for him.

  Perhaps there may have been more to the dream than he originally considered.

  “Galen High-Elf,” a nasally voice said from the doorway. He turned and saw a faerie standing there. “The Queen desires another audience with you.”

  He rubbed his eyes and got to his feet. His whole body ached. He wondered if today would be any different than last night. Mab had stubbornly refused to give them the Tear of Elios she had, no matter how persuasive he’d tried to be. “What is the nature of this audience?”

  The faerie shrugged. “I wasn’t told what she wanted to talk to you about, only that she wanted to see you immediately.” The faerie flew behind him and pushed him out the door. “It would be best if we do not keep Queen Mab waiting.”

  Galen stumbled forward in the direction of the clearing. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. “Where's Kira?”

  The faerie turned so he was flying backwards to answer him. “The little human? She’s still in the forest.” The faerie laughed and fluttered away.

  Mab was lounging on her throne when he arrived, her hand resting on a crystal orb beside her. Her smile grew tight as she stroked the Tear of Elios with her spidery green fingers. “Good morning, Galen. Did you sleep well?”

  “As well as can be expected, Your Majesty.” He ran his hand over the bump on his head once more. How did I get it?

  She focused her gaze on the orb. “Do you still want this?”

  “As I told you last night, we need it for the ritual to defeat Anilayus.”

  “And you were hoping I would give it to you free of charge.” She lifted the orb into her hands and flew towards him. “Nothing in life is free, Galen. You know that.”

  “You would be guaranteed protection from the Elgeans.”

  “I would like to see them try and invade Sylvania.”

  Galen crossed his arms. “The humans may have a difficult time, but the drae that serve Anilayus would have no trouble blinking into your court and destroying you and your people.”

  “Drae?” Her violet eyes widened. “I thought all the drae had been banished.”

  “He found a way to summon them and then infused them with demonic powers. The Azekborn carry out his every whim.”

  “Hmm. That complicates things.” She stared into the orb, her lips pursed, and then back at Galen. “And you truly believe your plan will work?”

  “If we have the right combination of orbs and casters, yes.”

  Mab caressed the orb one more time, and an evil smile curled up from her mouth. “Very well. I will lend it to you.”

  Galen reached for it. “You're lending it to me free of charge?”

  She released it to him and laughed. “I told you nothing in life is free.”

  An icy tingle slithered across the back of his neck. “What price are you expecting me to pay in exchange for this?”

  “Oh, you've already paid the price for it, Galen, much to my amusement.”

  The uneasiness grew stronger. He searched his mind to discover what she was referring to, but he drew a blank. It was unusual for him to forget things. “And what price was that?”

  “You'll see.” Mab returned to her throne, the smile still present. “You’d better leave now before it gets too late.”

  “I will as soon as I find Kira.”

  Her fingers wrapped around the arms of her throne. “What a silly little girl she is. She has no idea what she wants.”

  A sickening feeling rolled in the pit of his stomach. “Mab, if you hurt one hair on her head—”

  “I’ve done nothing to her,” she replied. “You can find her under an oak tree along the path to your horse.

  Galen bowed and stowed the orb away. He didn’t want to press his luck with Mab, and he was anxious to find Kira. From the tone in the faerie queen’s voice, he knew something had happened to her. No doubt another faerie trick. He hurried along the trail, back to the region of Sylvania where the vegetation grew thick.

  He found Kira asleep under an oak tree, just as Mab had told him. She was curled up into a small ball, her eyes red-rimmed and swollen. As he leaned over to awaken her, he saw that the faeries had woven flowers into her hair while she slept, making her sweet fragility that much more pronounced. He rubbed her shoulder. “Kira, time to wake up.”

  Her eyes appeared glazed for a moment before growing wide once her vision cleared. She bolted up and backed away from him.

  The last time he had seen that look of terror in her eyes was when she first saw the horse she was supposed to ride. But now, her fears were directed to him. “Kira, what’s wrong?”

  “Don’t touch me.”

  “What happened?”

  She stood and brushed the leaves off her cloak, keeping a safe distance between them. She turned away and jogged down the trail. “Let’s go, Galen. I can’t wait to leave this horrible place.”

  What have I done to elicit this response from her? Then he remembered that Mab said he had already paid her for the orb, and his blood ran cold.

  Kira said nothing as they travelled to the edge of Sylvania and mounted his horse. Her body remained stiff instead of leaning against him like she normally did, and he missed her warmth.

  As they rode, he began to remember the events of the prior night in vivid detail. He had left the court, frustrated that he couldn’t convince Mab to give him the orb. Fairlin had led him back to the tree where Kira was. Then there had been a flash of purple, and a burning desire for her had filled him. He remembered kissing her, pushing her back on the bed, the feeling of her body under his, the tasting her skin. His arousal grew as he remembered it, but there was something wrong about it all.

  He looked down at Kira and saw a large bruise on the side of neck. The sight of it caused more memories to flood his mind. She had begged him to stop and pushed him away. Then there was the blinding flash of blue and the ache in his head. He reached back and felt the lump once again. So that was how I got it.

  He remembered the expression on her face as she ran out of the door, and his skin burned with shame rather than desire now. No wonder she was terrified of him. He closed his eyes and tried to push the searing pain out of his mind. This must be the price I paid to get the orb. I hurt her.

  They stopped at the empty dugout they had stayed at before. As soon as they dismounted, Kira distanced herself from him a
s far as she could within the small space and turned her back to him. The gap felt wider than the expanse of the sea. She must think I’m some sort of monster after last night.

  He stared at the mud caked on his boots. “I’m sorry, Kira.”

  She looked up at him in surprise and then lowered her eyes. “I keep telling myself that it wasn’t your fault, that it was just another cruel faerie trick, but I still can’t forget what happened.”

  He approached her with caution and knelt in front of her. He waited for her to pull away or attack him, but she merely flinched as he moved closer. Her lips were swollen. He gently brushed them with his thumb. “I must have kissed you rather hard to bruise your lips like this.”

  She turned away and pulled her hood over her head. “You did.”

  If she had plunged a dagger into his heart, it would have hurt less. “I’m not like that, you know.”

  She sniffled. “I know. You would have never kissed me if you hadn’t been under that spell.”

  He stroked her cheek. How fragile she seemed right now. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and comfort her, but that was probably the last thing she wanted. The silver haze began to cloud his vision as he leaned forward and tenderly kissed her forehead. She didn’t pull away from him, and the silver haze began to solidify into a cord as he closed the space between them. He then kissed the tip of her nose and felt the cord pull him closer to her. His eyes lingered on her full lips, and his pulse quickened. How would they feel against his?

  He looked up and saw her watching him with a mixture of fear and sadness. As much as he wished to continue, he retreated from her. He didn’t need to lose control of himself again. “That is how I would have kissed you.”

  He felt her brown eyes on him as he crept to the opposite side of the dugout. He’d done enough for now. They stared at each other for a few minutes before she finally lowered her head and turned her back to him.

  He discovered a new level of self-loathing from hurting her and acting on the things he had only imagined doing to her. Of course, in his fantasies, she had consented to his touch. Not like last night.

  He filled his mind with punishments that would somehow equal the pain he caused. Haunted by the memories of his own actions and plagued by the vision of the silver cord every time he looked at her, he had trouble falling asleep. He began to wonder if the legend of the Ruheshi was true.

  ***

  Across the dying embers of the previous night’s fire, Kira moaned. Galen sat up and watched her, afraid she was reliving his attack. Her eyes were shut tight enough to wrinkle her brow. This wasn’t a nightmare—she was having another one of her visions. She rose with a gasp and gazed past him with wide eyes.

  “Kira, what did you see?” He thought about moving closer to her but hesitated. He didn’t want to frighten her any more, especially if her vision had something to do with him.

  She blinked a few times, becoming aware of his presence. “I’ve never had a vision like that before.”

  “What did you see?” he repeated.

  She turned to him, her expressive face puzzled. “I don’t know how to explain it. Most of my visions have people and places in them. This one…” She ran her fingers through her hair, dislodging some of the flowers that remained in it, and twisted the ends around her fingers. “This vision I could feel.” She looked up at him. “Sounds crazy, I know.”

  “Not exactly. What did you feel?”

  She chewed her lip as she thought of a way to answer him. “There was this circle of light. I felt excited and hopeful, like something good was about to happen. Then the circle was broken, and I was filled with despair like I’ve never known before. Do you suppose it means something?”

  Galen rubbed his chin. He was just as puzzled as her. “Did you see or feel anything else?” She shook her head. “Then I suppose we’ll have to decipher your vision based on what you’ve told me. Perhaps Thoranus may be able to help us once we get back to camp.”

  She gazed off into the distance as she stood and walked to the horse. Her thoughts were elsewhere, but he was relieved to see that she seemed more relaxed around him today. As they rode, she leaned back against him. Most likely for warmth, he told himself.

  It was late in the afternoon when Galen stopped in the forest to make camp. The air grew icy, and clouds began to fill the sky. A storm was brewing. He settled on a thick grove of trees that formed a natural barrier against the wind and modified the circle of protection he cast so it would offer some protection from the elements.

  Kira dismounted without assistance and started collecting wood for a fire. He stood back and watched her. The dying sunlight created a prism of colors as it reflected off her hair. The subtle beauty that he had always seen in her grew with each day. He liked the idea that she no longer needed to disguise herself as a boy. Of course, now she had a new set of problems, like Arlisle and other men who would want to take advantage of her. Pain stabbed his chest when he remembered he’d been no better than them two nights ago.

  With a flash, a fire roared to life. Kira sat across from him and warmed her hands. “Did you recover the orb?”

  Her question surprised him. Was she trying to have a normal conversation with him after everything that had happened? He removed the Tear of Elios from his saddlebag and showed it to her. “Don’t touch it,” he warned.

  “I should know that by now.” She pulled her knees up to her chest. “How did you convince Queen Mab to let you have it?”

  He lowered his eyes so she wouldn’t see the guilt behind them and ran his hands over the dull crystal. “I paid the price for it.”

  Her head cocked to the side as she watched him, and he wondered if she knew they were both pawns in a game the faerie queen had played with them.

  “Am I forgiven?”

  “You had no control over your actions.” Her voice sounded flat.

  “I still feel horrible for what I did. It’s strange for an elf to feel regret. We are normally so in control of ourselves that we don’t do things we would be ashamed of later.”

  “It would be better if we both forgot that night, Galen. Please, let’s pretend it never happened.”

  He wished he could forget, but he could still see the bruise on her neck. His throat tightened. No, he doubted if he could ever forget that night.

  “I have another question for you.” She waited until he lifted his eyes. “Why did you flinch when Mab said your father’s name?”

  “Elves do not say the names of the dead. We believe it causes them pain to hear their names said by those still living.” He leaned back and tried once more to push the memories from his mind. What would my father have said if he knew of my actions?

  CHAPTER 18

  Ranealya pulled the hood of her cloak lower to shield her face. A cold drizzle fell from the gray skies, but that was the least of her worries. She was being watched.

  Her eyes scanned the courtyard. The soldiers stood at their posts along the wall, appearing bored. Gregor and Aemil were engrossed in their own conversation, paying no attention to her. No, the spies lurked elsewhere. She tilted her head to the side and stared at the large window of the castle. With her keen vision, she could barely make out the three figures that stood on the other side of the glass, looking down at her.

  She cleared her throat to get Gregor's attention. “It's growing late,” she said. And the sooner we’re away from Dromore and out of the King’s sight, the better.

  Gregor hugged Aemil before mounting his horse. He seemed so carefree with his cousin, and a little bit of remorse ate at her gut for taking him away from his family. For a moment, she toyed with the idea of going on without him, but she knew she required his help to recover the Tears of Elios. He needed to be the one to recover the third one, not her.

  Aemil approached her and rubbed the nose of her horse. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Ranealya.”

  “Likewise.”

  “You two take care of each other, and please stop by and visit longer on
the way back to your little hovel in the woods.”

  She forced a smile on her face for Aemil's sake. She had no intention of ever returning to Dromore. That is, unless it was to kill Anilayus.

  “We will, provided you aren't already on the battlefield,” Gregor answered.

  Aemil shook his head. “This is all madness.”

  “I know, but what can we do about it?”

  Ranealya had a reply poised on the tip of her tongue, but sharp glance from Gregor kept her silent.

  “In the meantime, I will continue with my studies and politely decline the Royal Invitation to join this nonsense.”

  “If only I had that luxury.” Aemil released her horse and took a few steps back, grabbing hold of the dog’s collar. “I'll take care of Duke for you while you’re in Arcana. I know how much they frown at drool on ancient documents in the Academy. A safe journey to you both, and may the Goddess smile upon you.”

  As soon as they were beyond the city walls, Gregor began to scold her. “What were you thinking last night, Ranealya? You almost got caught.”

  “But I didn't.”

  “You almost did. If it wasn't for the necklace—”

  “—and your scent.”

  “Will you at least let me finish a sentence?” His face flustered. “As I was saying, you nearly got caught. You're far too reckless. You didn't think of the consequences.”

  She snickered. “You're beginning to sound like Galen.”

  Gregor frowned. “He warned me about how headstrong you could be.” He sighed. “What were you doing last night anyway?”

  “I was spying on the King.”

  “In what form?”

  “A mouse.”

  Gregor smiled in spite of himself. “I don't think I’ve ever imagined you as something small and meek.” His expression then hardened. “Why were you spying on us?”

  His question caught her off guard, and she turned away. “Various reasons.” She didn’t want to tell him that she was glad to discover his resolve to not change in the company of the King. “I needed to hear his plans so I could pass them on to Galen.”