by Jen Pretty
As one we all started to move towards the cave. It was full dark now, but the rebels had a few campfires lit so I could see them wandering around. They hadn't spotted us yet, and every step brought us closer to the mouth of the cave. The small scrub brush on the rocky terrain wouldn't hide us for much longer, and all the soldiers were ready with weapons in their hands.
Just before we entered into the open area at the mouth of the cave, there was a blood-curdling scream and rebels started flowing out of the cave opening. At the same time, I noticed a dozen or so of the King’s soldiers turn and begin fighting against the other soldiers. That’s when I saw it was Franklin who had screamed and watched in horror as he sliced through several of his own men.
I froze time. It wasn't what I needed to do if I wanted to get Armond back, but I couldn't watch all these soldiers be cut down. Roman weaved through the frozen chaos and stood in front of me. "We might not be able to stop this, Lex. It's almost an even fight here."
I looked around and realized it was true. This was going to be a messy fight with a lot of lives lost, and it was Franklin who betrayed us. I zeroed in on him. Roman followed my stare then turned back to me. A question on his face.
"I have to take him out, then we will go get Armond and Aldridge."
I walked over to where Franklin was frozen with a soldier impaled on his sword. He had a look of glee on his face. He had always seemed so nervous, and I thought that was just how he was, now I realized it was because he was a big fat lying backstabber.
So I walked up and unceremoniously slit his throat. Blood sprayed out and caught my sleeve and the side of my face, but I didn't care. This man was going to be responsible for this massacre of his own people. Roman followed as I turned and left the battlefield.
I walked past the rest of the soldiers and rebels and into the cave. I sliced as many soldiers as I could as I ran past, but I had to get to Armond before the evil witch took him and disappeared again or killed him. I could feel the pressure of time weighing on me, I didn’t have enough of it. As I finally passed the last of the rebels who had been rushing out through tunnel, I let go of my magic, and pain punched me in the heart as I heard the battle continue behind me like an echo of the worst mistake I had ever made.
I pushed it all out of my mind. The caves were extensive, but only one path was well worn and naturally led to the areas used most by the rebels. I prayed Armond would be there and kept walking. I could feel him close by, but there were so many forks in the cave, he could be anywhere. Finally, at the end of the tunnel we were walking through, I saw what looked like a doorway with a lot of light coming out of it.
As we moved closer, I could feel Armond was nearly beside me. I started to walk faster. I wanted to get there as soon as I could. Roman kept pace with me.
I entered the open area and was confronted by my nightmare come to life again. There were several bodies around the room, and I felt like I was standing right next to Armond, but I couldn't see him. The witch must be keeping him invisible with her.
"Show yourself," I said with more bravado than I felt. I was proud of myself for not shaking visibly.
She laughed. Typical crazy evil villain laugh. It was actually terrifying, but I tried not to let that show.
Suddenly she was there in front of me holding Armond by the throat. His face was turning blue, and I made my first mistake. I took my eyes off the witch for a second, and suddenly she had me too. The shock of my throat closing suddenly by the force of her grip made me nearly drop my knife, but I fumbled until I had a hold on it again. I stabbed her once with my knife before she shook me and then slammed me into the wall of the cave hard enough to make me let go of my blade. I had no idea how this woman was so strong but she easily held Armond and I. I hadn't seen Aldridge yet.
I still had no air and stopping time wouldn't help me with her grip so solid on my throat. I kicked and scratched at her hand until my fingers were saturated with her blood. I managed to reach the tiny wooden blade that Collin had made for me before we left his village, and stabbed her in the neck with it, but she seemed almost immune to injury, like a vampire. I was going to pass out if I didn't get some air. Suddenly there was a roar from behind me. Fire lit the room, and I saw there was a wolf in the corner, but he was down for the count. He was light sandy brown and though I had never seen Aldridge in wolf form, I thought it could have been him. Just as my vision went dark, I saw an enormous fire-breathing dragon leap into the room. He was red, scaled and his face was fierce, not a cuddly or lovable thing about his appearance, but I loved Daisy more in that moment than any before. I silently prayed he would save Armond and then the world went black.
You never got used to waking up after passing out. It was painful and disorienting and it just sucked. My head was pounding, and my back was throbbing, so my foggy brain informed me that I probably slammed that off the floor when I fell. No. When I was dropped. My throat was scratchy, and it took several tries to swallow. I tried to clear my throat but it burned, and my voice was gone, so I stopped working to speak and just let my body explore my surroundings. I was on a soft mattress with a pillow. So no longer in the cave or a tent.
I felt a little movement beside my head and squinted an eye open. It was Daisy. I turned my face and pressed my cheek and nose into his soft feathers. I cleared my throat again and whispered, "You saved my life."
He untucked his head from his wing and quacked softly at me and booped my nose with his beak.
"I love you too, Daisy. I know you don't want to be a dragon, but I love you either way." My voice had a bit more strength to it, but it still sounded rough and harsh.
He quacked again. Shook his head and then cuddled back into my neck and tucked his beak into his wing.
I let my eyes close again. I assumed if Daisy was sleeping we were probably safe here. My mind went back to the last things I remembered, and I started to wonder if Armond was here. I reached out to our bond and there he was. Probably in the next room. I pulled a bit on our bond. I knew he was awake and then I felt him coming towards me.
Tears sprung in my eyes. It had been so long since I had seen him that my emotions flooded me knowing in just a second he would be beside me.
"Don't cry princess." his voice was like a balm. All my pain was gone, and I tried to sit up, but then he was there. On the bed with me and tucking me into him. Daisy shuffled a bit to keep in contact with me, and I saw Armond's hand come up and give Daisy a pat. "Good duck," he muttered.
I laughed softly through my tears. "It feels like I haven't seen you in a hundred years," I muttered into his chest. "Are you Ok?"
"I am now. That witch had all of my magic tied up, so I was weak as a kitten until you were close and I felt you. It was like you gave me strength and I was able to fight her a bit. She was still too strong for me though." We would have both been goners if it weren't for your ducky here." He said patting Daisy again.
I laughed again, and my voice was starting to come back to normal. "Daisy. His name is Daisy."
Armond chuckled at the name I had chosen for my duck and pulled me tighter to him.
I sighed. It was time to get some answers. "What happened to the witch? What did she want with you?" I asked.
He cleared his throat. "The witch cut and ran when Daisy arrived. As for what she wanted with me, apparently, she has no magic of her own but has been collecting magic for millennia. This world's magic was beginning to waste because she held it for so long, so she was hoping my magic would boost it, but that wasn't working either," he paused for a long moment. "She has a portal to another world. I think it's her world and I think it's a horrible place. A monster came through and said something to her. I didn't understand what he said, but he looked horrible. Like a monster from hell. She took that boy with her when she left. She kept calling him Prince. Roman filled me in on who he was - the king’s son, Aldridge.
I couldn't think of that right now. I wanted to get the hell out of here. "Can we go home?"
He held
me tighter. "Yes. We will probably have to come back and go after the witch. The elders won't want her to have access to earth, and I think we need to talk to the elders before we try to rescue Aldridge."
"Where is Roman?" I asked.
“He is speaking with the leader, Sofia. She just arrived back from Kingsland. Apparently, the battle outside the caves was the bloodiest in the history of these people. Very few of the King’s loyal men survived, so Sofia is going to spare some guards and round up other guards to help keep the King safe.
The guilt washed over me, and new tears started to fall. "It's my fault. I should have fought with them."
"No. You shouldn't have. You would have been killed by those wolves."
The truth didn't numb my guilt. All those men and women who marched across the land with me and were just led to the slaughter.
"Were all the rebels killed?" I asked.
Armond scoffed. "Your unicorn took care of them. He was so bloody, they wouldn't let him in the city until he jumped in the lake and turned back into a person. Can't say I blame them. You don't think of unicorns as vicious animals, but that one is terrifying. Armond hummed into my temple. All my muscles were feeling more relaxed, and my mind was clearing. I finally let go of the small amount of magic I had trained my body to hold on to so I would stay sane. With Armond here, I didn’t have to be so strong and I needed a rest.
"Thank you for saving me," he whispered into the silence that had fallen between us.
I snorted ungraciously. "I didn't save you. I got my ass kicked, and sweet fluffy Daisy saved us both." I pulled Daisy's sleeping body to my face and rubbed my nose in his feathers. He had become my touchstone in this crazy land. Roman may have helped me find the strength I never imagined, but Daisy was as familiar as an old pillow and always just there. My mind still hadn't linked the soft white down to the raging scarlet beast that blew fire at our enemies, and I wasn't going to try and force that connection. Daisy wanted to be nothing more than he was right now. Soft and gentle and sweet. I felt it was vital for me to support him in that by only viewing him as he wanted to be.
"I love You, Daisy," I whispered again softly before closing my eyes.
A knock at the door brought my head up, and eyes open a moment later.
"It's just me, Lex." Romans voice filtered through the wooden door.
I sat my head back down between Armond and Daisy. "Come in," I softly said so I didn't disturb either of them. I knew Roman would hear me.
He walked through the door in pristine condition. Not a scratch or hair out of place. When his eyes set upon the three of us in the bed, he chuckled. "You look relaxed finally."
"I might be able to live without him, but it's still so much better with him. I feel complete again." Armond squeezed me once more and then rolled off the bed.
"I'll let you two talk. I'd like to speak to Puck about the gateway that the witch escaped through." Armond said as he sauntered past Roman and patted him on the back once. "Thanks for taking care of Lex." Roman just nodded in reply and waited for Armond to walk out and close the door.
I sat up and scooped Daisy onto my lap. My rest time was probably over, and I was actually eager to get home again.
Roman walked over and sat in front of me on the bed. He reached up and tucked my hair behind my ear. I was sure my hair had turned into a massive rats nest. He leaned forward and kissed me then took Daisy from my arms and set him down on the bed gently before scooping me up and pulling me into his arms.
"I was so worried. You don't heal as vampires do. You take longer to heal, and I'm not sure how much damage you can handle. Seeing you lying there made me crazy." He cleared his throat before he continued, "I took out several rebels when they tried to rush the room, but Daisy was a force to be reckoned with."
I smiled at him, "so I heard. He's a hero duck. Do you think the elders will let Daisy and Puck stay on Earth?" I asked Roman.
He smiled. His sharp teeth flashed once before he sobered. "I'm pretty sure the elders won't deny you anything at this point. As long as they don't cause trouble on earth."
Daisy quacked at that, offended that anyone would think he would cause problems but his addiction to baked goods could get him in trouble. I smoothed down his ruffled feathers and kissed his little head.
"I'm sure he's talking about Puck,” I assured Daisy “He would never suggest you wouldn't be on your best behavior."
Roman tried to stifle a laugh as Daisy preened his wing feathers.
"Alright. Let's get home and talk to the elders. I'm sure Puck can fill in Armond on the way home. How far are we from the door to earth anyway?"
"Only about a day's walk. We will have to camp before we walk back to the main road. Hopefully, our vehicle is still where we left it, or it could be a very long walk back to the nearest town on earth."
I didn't even care. I just wanted to be on earth. I would love to go home and see Luke and sleep in my own bed, but I would settle for the earth. Coffee. Cookies. Showers! Oh Ya. I couldn't wait to get home.
The burst of energy that thought produced got me off the bed and out the door. We were followed out by several guards. Roman, Puck and Armond walked together and left daisy and me to tag along behind them, so half the guards split off and followed behind. It was a perfect day for hiking. Not too hot or too cold. As soon as we left the small city we had been staying in, the light tree cover gave us just enough shade to protect from the sun but not enough to make it cold. The walk dragged on, and we stopped a few times to collect water or have a light meal from the packs we carried, but none of us wanted to sit for long.
Finally, we entered the forest we had first arrived in. The massive trees weren't filled with noisy birds this time though. There were a few sounds of the forest, but the trip was so uneventful it made me wonder if the witch had taken all the trouble with her to where ever she went.
At last, the door came into view, and we all hustled towards it. The guards broke off and flanked the entrance as my odd little group started through. I waved goodbye to the guards who had escorted us home, and we all passed through the door.
It felt like coming home. I took a deep breath and let it slip away into the night. Roman put up a flashlight and popped the tent out of his pack. We all agreed we had walked enough for one day and hiking in the dark wasn't a good idea over rough terrain.
Armond set up his tent, and Roman set up ours before we all collapsed for the night. Daisy stayed with Roman and me. Puck, however, decided he would rather sleep in the open under the night sky. When he looked up and saw all the twinkling stars in our atmosphere, he was completely mesmerized.
Roman kissed my forehead, and we all fell asleep to the quiet earth sounds I hadn't realized I was missing.
chapter TWLEVE
"Wake up, sleepy head,"
I split my eyes open a crack and Roman popped into view. I closed my eyes again. The past few days had worn me out, and now that I was back on earth I didn't feel much like another full day of hiking. I could just live here forever. Probably.
"You won't get any breakfast if you don't get up now. Daisy is stuffing his face." An angry quack from outside the tent told me that said duck was within hearing distance and took exception to that statement.
I smiled and gave away my consciousness and Roman took that as his opportunity to tickle me. I squealed and folded up into a small ball, but his attack continued until I begged for mercy and he relented. Freaking vampire.
"Now that you are awake let's get moving. Food, then hiking." He kissed my forehead and left the tent to give me space to get up.
"Good morning Daisy," I said as I sat down on a log beside him. He wagged his little-feathered tail once and went back to eating his slice of bread. I patted his soft feathers as Armond handed me a plate of food.
"This looks amazing, thank you," I locked eyes with Armond and felt that familiar rush of his presence. A bit lightheaded, I sat on a log beside Puck and dug into my food.
"Your world is perf
ect," Puck said.
"I've missed it too. I didn't even realize how much until we came home," I replied around a mouthful of my breakfast. “But actually, Fae come from a different land. It looks much like this, but way more huge trees.”
"I would like to see that land too,” he said before taking another bite of his breakfast.
When our breakfast was finished, we started for home. The walk back was mostly downhill, so except for the occasional slip on loose rocks, it was easier than our hike in was. At the rock wall that had smashed my face on the way in, Roman just hopped down with me in his arms. The rush was amazing as I closed my eyes and let the feeling of falling fill me, my stomach up in my throat. The adrenaline pushed at my magic, telling me I was in danger but I held it back and the soft thump of Romans feet touching the ground made my stomach fall back into place. I smiled up at him, and he swung my feet to the ground but didn't let me go while we waited for Armond and Puck to get down the slow way. Daisy landed by our feet and settled into the cool ground.
It was several minutes before Armond's boots hit the dirt a few feet from us, but I was still reluctant to let go of Roman. His arms were comforting, and his chest was warm, the slow beat of his heart like a beacon to call me home.
"Alright, let's get moving," Armond said. He chuckled at the scowl I shot him. "I'm sure we will have a few days rest once we get back to the elder's castle. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can relax."
I sighed and bent down to give Daisy a pat to wake him up. He quacked and then stood up and started waddling toward the trail that went back into the woods.
We all followed behind until Daisy got tired and flew back up to sleep on the top of my pack. He was very good at balancing up there, and soon enough he was snoring away. It had become comforting to hear him so close to my ear. As if nothing bad could happen as long as Daisy was napping. He might be a ferocious dragon in his other form, but the sound of him sleeping as a duck helped calm my soul and heal old wounds. I was sure my old therapists would say I felt that way because I finally had enough control of my life that I could nurture another being.
