Titus shook his head. “I didn’t want to, but I had a choice. I thought I didn’t, but maybe I made the wrong one and now Eranna will kill me because I could never hurt you.”
“Please, just tell me. I don’t know how much pull I have in Fallada but they say I’m a princess. I might be able to speak on your behalf or something.”
Titus smiled. “Yes, you are a princess, inside and out. How could you ever forgive me for what I’ve done?”
Selena shrugged. “I’ll find a way for you to make it up to me, wolf boy. For now just tell me what kind of trouble you’re in and I will do everything I can to help you.”
“It’s my parents, Selena. I’m sure by now the Grimm brothers have told you of the conflict between the Werewolves of Mollac.”
She nodded. “They said that the wolves are divided, pack against pack, some on Eranna’s side and others running away. They say that because your eyes are red, you are one of Eranna’s drones.”
“That is only partially true,” Titus said. “I became one of her servants, but only to save my family. We had plans to leave Mollac once we realized that Eranna had grown too powerful to avoid any longer. Some families offered their services to her to save their own skins, or because they really believed in what she was doing. The others escaped to Goldun to find refuge within the realm of the Fae. My family left too late and we were captured by Eranna’s other hunters. She has taken my parents and sister prisoner. She promised to free them if I traveled to the world of men and killed the princess of Damu. That’s you, Selena. You know the rest.”
Selena felt pity and fierce protectiveness washing over her. She couldn’t explain it but something inside of her roiled savagely at the thought of Queen Eranna using Titus the way she had. Something in her wanted nothing more than to see the woman thrown down from her iron tower in disgrace but there was only one way for her to see it done and Selena wasn’t even going to consider it. Joining the war was out of the question.
Get Gram healed, go home, she reminded herself inwardly.
“You should tell Wil and Jake your story. They may not be so quick to turn you over to the Fae if they know the truth. In fact, I think the Fae should be able to help you find your family.”
Titus shook his head, his eyes wide. “Eranna keeps them prisoner in her iron fortress. No Fae can enter.”
Selena lifted her head, resolution gripping her in an unstoppable hold. “Then I will help you.”
~*~
“Princess, it is out of the question.”
“Says who?”
“Say I, and Queen Adrah when she learns of your plans. You are far too valuable to Damu and all of Fallada. You cannot go traipsing about Eranna’s lair looking for a family of Werewolves, when you should be preparing for the battle fulfilling the prophecy.”
Selena sighed, burying her face in her hands. She had left Titus in the brig after their conversation and was now in the ship’s galley with Wil and Jake, who had offered her a warm drink. Who knew that flying through space would prove to be so cold? Selena sipped the hot tea they’d given her gratefully, warming her hands on the tin mug.
“Maybe you guys didn’t hear me the first time. I am not going to get involved in some crazy war I don’t have any stake in. After my grandmother gets well, I want to help Titus and then go home.”
“Damu is your home,” Wil insisted. Jake sat beside him, staring at her silently. “Whether you like it or not, that is where you belong.”
“I’m not having this argument right now and I’m pretty sure I don’t need anybody’s permission. If this Queen Adrah won’t help me then I’ll find my father and he’ll help me.”
“King Eldalwen will agree with me, I think,” Wil scoffed. “Your rightful place is in Damu, preparing for the Red Dawn.”
“We’ll see,” Selena said before draining the last of her tea. “I just thought I’d give you the courtesy of telling you my plans. I was hoping you’d help, but I am going to find someone to do this with me.”
“Suit yourself,” Wil said. The scrape of his chair echoed through the galley. “I am done trying to talk sense into you, you silly young creature. I will be glad to leave you to Adrah; she can talk sense into anyone.”
With that he was gone, the stomp of his boots heavy on the wooden stairs as he descended to the deck once more. Jake continued to watch her, his hands clutched around another one of his notebooks. His fingers were stained with ink.
“If you ever get the pleasure of meeting your father, you’ll learn that you are much like him. Once he latches on to an idea, he does not let it go either. I take it that you are not going to change your mind about rescuing the boy’s family.”
Selena shook her head. “Not a chance.”
Jake smiled. “Good. We should be coming upon the portal soon. You should come up on deck, you will want to see it.”
Selena watched the Jake’s retreating form with raised eyebrows. It was nice to know that she had the younger brother in her corner. She followed behind him, finding both Zoe and Titus on deck. Behind them, the black night of space loomed, filled with twinkling stars. It was hard to remember that it was nearly dawn when it was so dark, yet Jake had told her it was almost time to enter Fallada, which meant it had to be dawn. The portal within the wall didn’t work until the sun had risen on the other side of it.
She joined Zoe and Titus at the ship’s railing, trying not to notice the way the whipping wind blew his dark hair around his face. His jaw was tense and his mouth tight, but he’d never been more gorgeous, surrounded by the beauty of space. One of the crew had given him clothes; a white button-up shirt and brown suede pants that showcased his long legs. A tan vest hung open across his broad torso.
“The brothers let me out of the brig if I promised to behave myself,” Titus said with a nervous laugh. “Your friend has been given a weapon with a poisoned dart just in case.”
Zoe lifted the silver pistol and smiled. “How badass is this?”
Selena rolled her eyes at her friend and leaned against the railing between them.
“Jake says it’s almost time to cross over.”
Titus nodded. “You see that constellation there?”
“You mean the Big Dipper?”
Titus frowned. “In my world we call it Dynathine. That is where we’re headed. Once we’ve passed through the brightest star of that star formation … ” Titus smiled, “ … well, let’s just say you’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”
He fell silent, propping himself up on his elbows as he stared into the great beyond. Selena gave Zoe a pointed stare for a few seconds before her friend got the message.
“Yeah, um, so I’m gonna go and see the view from the other side of the deck,” she said with a not-so-covert wink at Selena.
“You do that,” Selena said with a sigh. She watched Zoe circle around the ship’s large engine until she disappeared from sight. She turned her back to the sky and leaned back. Titus tensed, as if he felt her eyes on him, but didn’t look her way when he spoke.
“You’re going to get yourself killed,” he said. “This is my battle, Selena, and I won’t drag you into it. You should get your grandmother well and go home.”
“You don’t think I should go to Damu and lead the army like everyone else seems to want me to?”
He looked at her then, his eyes shadowed and turbulent. “Do you know how long it could take them to find the others? There are seven of you and in your world it has been almost seventeen years. Anything could have happened to those girls since then. All seven of you are needed and the odds of Queen Adrah tracking them all down and bringing them to Fallada are slim. It is a fool’s errand.”
“Thank you.”
He frowned. “For what?”
“For being on my side,” she replied. “Even Zoe thinks I should give this princess thing a shot. I’m sure she’s thinking of all the nice clothes, castle, and handsome prince in my future.”
Selena distinctly heard the sound of a low growl
ripping through Titus’ chest. He lowered his head and took a deep breath.
“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “The animal side of me is extremely jealous at the mention of princes. Your father will more than likely arrange a marriage for you once the prophecy is fulfilled.”
Rebellion surged, hot in her veins, as Selena vowed not to let anyone control her. She had her own goals and did not intend to get suckered into a full stay in Goldun, Damu, or any other place in Fallada.
“No need for jealousy. I don’t intend to stay long enough to get hitched.”
Titus grew silent again, and just as Selena was about to fill the silence, her vision was overcome with a brilliant burst of light. She hadn’t realized that they had approached the constellation, and now the glimmer of the formation’s brightest star was enveloping the ship. Selena closed her eyes against the brilliant flash, gripping Titus’ hand tightly as swirls of color and light contorted and flickered behind her eyelids. His fingers closed around hers as a deep, vibrating hum echoed through her.
The ship accelerated and Selena felt pressure on her body from all sides. The culmination of something filled her and the breath was sucked from her lungs. Just when she felt as if she would collapse from lack of oxygen, the pressure loosened its hold and air filled her starved lungs. She inhaled on a sharp gasp, opening her eyes just as the flash of white light faded. Selena’s eyes widened and her grip tightened on Titus’ hand as Fallada filled her vision. She gasped and exhaled, her voice coming out in a bark of laughter tainted with disbelief.
Selena faintly heard Zoe’s voice from the other side of the ship.
“Holy crap!”
Selena giggled. Holy crap was right. Titus had been, too.
She had never seen anything more beautiful in her life.
~*~
Chapter Six
It was as if someone had gone over the world with a paintbrush and replaced all of the usual colors with explosively bright hues. Beneath their soaring ship, blades of emerald green grass sparkled in the sunlight, bending beneath the gentle call of the wind. The sky was an intense shade of blue dotted with frothy clouds that sparkled like white diamonds. Trees rose up out of the ground so tall that some of the foliage scraped the bottom of the ship. Flowers dotted gently sloping hills in shades of fuchsia, teal, and violet, leaving Selena open mouthed and stunned. Behind the ship, the wall the Grimm brothers had told her about stretched on for miles in either direction. It glowed with a stunning mix of iridescent colors, pale blue swirling with light pink and lavender.
The Adrah slowed and the sound of a massive anchor falling to the ground below echoed across the grassy plain. Selena watched as several crewmen swung down on ropes, working to secure the anchor into the ground.
“I thought the journey to Goldun was supposed to take two days from here,” Selena said. “Why are we stopping the ship?”
“A flying vessel would draw Eranna’s attention,” Titus said, grabbing her hand and propelling her to where everyone was gathering around the Grimm brothers at the ship’s bow. “Now that we are in Fallada, we must travel quickly and stealthily if we’re to have any chance of reaching Goldun.”
“—and be sure to keep them on at all times,” Wil Grimm was saying as Selena and Titus reached the group. “If you do not remember to wear your talismans, you leave us all in danger of discovery.”
“What is he talking about?”
“Talismans enchanted by Fae magic,” Titus whispered as Wil began passing them out. She slipped the round, bronzed medallion around her neck by its leather cord, nestling it beside the dangling ruby.
“These will keep us from being found by the Eye of Mollac,” Titus explained. “Sort of a crystal ball,” he elaborated at Selena’s confused look. “Every region has one and it allows the person that possesses it to locate people wherever they are. I am sure Eranna knows we have left your world by now, but by wearing these we keep her from finding us using the Eye. Of course, this means that she will send her hunters after us.”
Selena shivered as a wave of foreboding washed over her. Titus spoke of these hunters as if they were more dangerous that he was. Remembering the eerie red glow of his eyes and the gleaming white canines, Selena could only hope that nothing existed in Fallada that was more frightening than that. Selena pushed such thoughts out of her head; she was not going to be around long enough to worry about being hunted.
All around them the crew bustled, shutting down the ship’s engine and preparing for the last leg of the journey. From below deck, one of the men carried Rose in his arms. Selena rushed forward to inspect her, shocked to find her face flushed and hot with fever. Rose moaned and mumbled incoherently as Selena stroked a few strands of dark, sweat-soaked hair away from her face.
“The fever has taken her,” Jake said as he stepped forward to help the other man place Rose’s body in a harness. Wil and two other men waited on the ground below to take her once she’d been lowered down. “Don’t worry, Selena, the Fae have been using their power to combat the effects of Werewolf venom for centuries. Once within their realm your grandmother will be just fine.”
Selena nodded and stepped back to allow the men the space to work the harness. Once they were sure Rose had made it safely to the ground, Titus, Zoe, and Selena shimmied down rope ladders thrown over the side. Once on the ground, Selena felt dwarfed by the towering trees. Above them the branches swayed and dipped, effectively blotting out the sight of the ship and most of the sunlight. A few feet away, a chariot-like vehicle hovered inches from the ground. It was flanked by several others and some were steadily being filled with members of the crew.
Selena walked over to the nearest one and circled it, running her hands along the side. The carriage was the color of gleaming pearls and was covered in intricate carvings of branches, leaves, and flowers. A latch opened the side door and revealed three rows of cushioned benches for sitting on.
“There are no wheels. Where are the horses?” Zoe asked as she rounded the front of the hovering vehicle.
Wil leaped onto the front bench before offering Selena a hand up. “No horses here! This craft is powered by Fae magic.”
Selena allowed Wil to pull her up into the chariot before reaching out for Zoe’s hand. Titus and Jake followed and Rose’s sleeping form was laid across the third seat. From her front row seat between Wil and Titus, Selena would have the perfect view of the passing scenery. She only wished that Rose were awake to see it. The gardening fanatic would never want to leave a world filled with flowers in such vibrant colors. Selena glanced over to where her grandmother lay in the back. Rose’s breathing was steady, if not a little rapid, and Selena prayed silently that they would make it to Goldun without incident.
Wil reached into one of his many vest pockets and retrieved a gleaming silver key. He placed it into a slot on the … dashboard? ... and turned it. A low humming met their ears and the vehicle vibrated gently as it rose up a few more feet from the ground. The chariot lurched and sped forward, pushing Selena back against the cushioned seat as it careened and dipped through the trees.
~*~
“My Queen, I have news for you that is most disturbing.”
Eranna sighed as she slid into her silk robe, turning to face Ushma, who had interrupted her during her nightly beauty ritual. Hours of soaking in a concoction of milk, honey, and enchanted herbs stolen from the forests of Goldun kept her skin young, healthy, firm, and kissed its paleness with a luminescent glow. Next would come another hour of treating her hair with the same mixture and brushing it until it gleamed. It wasn’t a bother to her; tending to her beauty brought her nothing but peace and happiness. She looked forward to the day when the pesky business of war had ended and she could spend her days reveling in others’ admiration of her exquisiteness.
“What is it, you hag?” Eranna snarled as she slid her feet into matching silk slippers. “Can’t you see that I am busy?”
“I would not have disturbed you if it were not important, my Queen,”
Ushma said, inching further into the room but keeping her head bowed in reverence. “It is about the boy you sent into the human realm.”
Eranna smiled at her reflection, smoothing one hand over a high cheekbone. A tiny shiver of satisfaction shot though her as she remembered the raw terror she’d incited in young Titus.
“He is quite delicious, isn’t he, Ushma? He is young, but moldable. Once his assignment is done I think that I might keep him around a while longer just for fun.”
“That is what I’m trying to tell you! The lookouts you posted at the wall have reported seeing him enter Fallada in the company of the Brothers Grimm.”
Fury swirled low in her gut and exploded from her lips in a ferocious roar. Her fingernails ate into her palms as she whirled on the hunchbacked witch, her eyes glowing with the pale, white light of her rage.
“Princess Eladria was with them, was she not?”
The calm tones of her voice wavered with the force of her anger, causing Ushma to cower and fall to her knees on the floor.
“Yes, my Queen. They are traveling together toward Goldun. What would you have me do?”
Eranna brushed past Ushma and moved through the open door of her bedroom, to the chamber containing the Eye of Mollac. She welcomed the frigid winter blast that met her through the room’s open windows. It stirred the stark white curtains with bursts of swirling snow and filled the room with white flakes. In the center stood a full-length mirror in a gilded silver frame, covered by a sheer, white cloth. Eranna pulled away the white cloth and felt serenity calming her turbulent thoughts at the sight of the swirling arcs of light within the mirror, her all-seeing Eye. She faced it determinedly.
“Mirror, mirror, show me the traitorous Werewolf and his companions.”
She focused all of her mental energy on Titus and called up his image using the Eye. It shuddered and glowed with a blinding white light as her vision was filled with that of a shady glen only one days’ journey from Goldun. By the afternoon of the next day, Princess Eladria would have made it to the realm of the Fae and would be out of her reach until transported to Damu, an eventuality that Eranna had been hoping to avoid. Once surrounded by Adrah and her warrior Fae, Eladria and her party would be more than adequately protected.
Daughter of the Red Dawn (The Lost Kingdom of Fallada) Page 7
