by Morgan Wylie
In the center of the clearing, the black winds suddenly swirled to life around Maleina’s body. There were mysterious words uttered in a low, guttural voice—words that had not been spoken in Alandria before. Then Maleina was gone. Vanished with the wind.
No one moved, they simply breathed. It was astonishment mixed with relief. Then simultaneously, as if on cue, the creatures of the forest began to stir. They could hear singing and chattering in the forest again. An audible sigh was exhaled from the trees themselves. There was still some mending to do with the trees that had been the worst off, but they were alive and they were together.
Arileas approached Ella and Finn. “No longer does the portal into Tylínyth exist. We cannot simply reconstruct what was built from such ancient magic in one day. Ella, you and Finn will need to accompany Daegan and Kaeleigh as they go into the mortal realm. This changes things considerably, but there is a portal there from which you can enter the Twined realm.” The Elder turned to Finn. “Finnlan, Ella knows where the entrance is on the mortal side, but she will need your assistance and knowledge of the mortal realm to help her navigate the journey.” Finn nodded and went to stand close to Ella.
“Daegan and Kaeleigh, your path has not changed. Make haste and be safe.” Arileas smiled and held his hand out to Daegan in the manner the Ferrishyn were used to. “It is now in your hands. The war has begun. Metrí and I will remain in Ehsmia and prepare for battle. There is much to do.”
Arileas bowed to Daegan and then turned to Kaeleigh, lowering his head to her also in a show of respect. Kaeleigh stretched up on her toes and surprised him by kissing his forehead and whispering, “Be safe, my friend. Thank you.”
Andreinna stepped up beside them, inclining her eyes toward Kaeleigh and Daegan. “I will guide you to the end of my forest as you journey to Kandri. Beyond my borders, I cannot protect you. However,” she paused, “it does appear that your path is already in place.”
Daegan bowed his head with some emotion. “My priestess, since I was a child, you have been gracious to me.” He looked up at her with the sincerity of a child and then spoke in another tongue. “I thank you, great lady of the forest. You have honored me in battle and now again as you help us on our way. The future seems dark, Priestess.”
Her eyes looked with compassion at Daegan. Then she smiled and spoke in a manner all could hear. “It is always dark before the light bursts forth.”
Everyone smiled as her words, laced with peace, washed over them.
Arileas waved them off with his hands as he spoke, “Off with you then and may the heart of Alandria go with you all.” Then he turned back toward the entrance to Ehsmia.
And so their new journey began as they followed the priestess of the forests leading them on their way.
The forest was alive and cool, vibrating with the magic that had been unleashed throughout it by its priestess. Kaeleigh was mesmerized as she watched Andreinna move. Finally, walking peacefully and not under threat, she could observe so much more. Kaeleigh admired the priestess as her legs didn’t seem to touch the ground, but instead she glided between trees, all the while barely touching the earth beneath her. They were initially tired, but the energy that came from all the life and light around them rejuvenated their bodies.
Refreshed, they reached the edge of the forest. It was an abruptly defined demarcation. The trees simply all stopped in a line, creating a border between shelter and a great, wide open plain. It was filled with nothing but field grasses—dying and brown—and brush dotted with a spattering of large boulders.
“Be well, my friends. You will know the way from here.” She looked to Kaeleigh and Daegan, pride and honor gleaming in her eyes. “The power of the Dryads will always be your ally. However, I can take you no further than here. But remember, even the rocks choose their friends. You will find many supporters along your path.” She stepped back into the closest tree, becoming one with it. Then she vanished completely. Andreinna was gone.
A new journey was beginning. The four of them looked with contemplation out at the open space before them and the mountains that walked along next to it.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
“I don’t understand.” Finn’s face was lost as he took in the desolation before him. “What happened here?” he asked, looking at Daegan and then to Ella.
“I did not realize it was this bad,” Ella said with as much confusion, taking in everything in front of her. There was even a boundary line in the sky. Everything this side of the tree line was browns and grays, sickness and death.
Daegan was kneeling on the ground with his hand flat on the land and his fingers digging into the dirt. His eyes were stormy and tormented. “Maleina has been sucking the land dry, feeding her own magic. I have no idea how she is doing this. This is not a magic from Alandria,” Daegan spat out in disgust. “It is tainted and poisoned, slowly killing the land. I have seen areas in Elnye that are glamoured with life and greenery, but underneath feel like this. I do not know how the illusion feeds the people though. There must be enough life energy being recycled to not allow them to feel it.”
He bowed his head and spoke to the ground. “Kothnyte. Thantül. Gallten. Brachtah. You will be set free. I will find a way,” he uttered as he withdrew his knife out of the sheath at his side. In a swift, fluid motion, he sliced his palm and gripped a handful of dirt, mixing it with his blood now pooling in his hand. Squeezing tight, he then sprinkled the dirt, returning it to the ground. Kaeleigh knelt down beside him and held her hand out for his knife. He frowned but she only continued to hold forth her hand, palm to the sky. He handed her his knife, blackened at the edge with deep inscriptions of symbols and words ancient to her. She took it and without thought, cut her own hand. Taking some of the dirt she mimicked him, mixing her blood and making a silent vow of her own. As she placed her hand down into the ground, he placed his hand over hers and squeezed it, united in the dirt, their blood mixing, strengthening their vows together.
Kaeleigh jerked her hand back suddenly, as the ground heated in response beneath their hands. Her eyes wide, she looked to Daegan. “Alandria accepts our vow, and is showing her thanks.” Kaeleigh smiled, then awkwardly patted the ground. Daegan’s lip lifted tightly in silent amusement. Daegan rose then extended his hand to lift her to her feet.
“Thank you,” Kaeleigh said.
“The pleasure is mine,” Daegan whispered close to her head, sending shivers down to her toes.
When they looked up both Finn and Ella were staring at them with a mix of respect and simple curiosity before they began surveying the land.
“What did you say?” Kaeleigh asked quietly.
“The words do not translate the same, but I vowed to give the land release and then offered the land my blood, binding my words,” Daegan replied softly.
“Wow, that is powerful and beautiful.”
“I might add you did as well.” Daegan smiled proudly at her. Kaeleigh nodded her head in agreement.
After a moment, they looked around at the land before them.
“There is not much for shelter,” Finn stated the obvious.
“We cannot stay here,” Daegan replied with his own obvious statement.
“Well, I think that much is given,” Kaeleigh said, practically rolling her eyes, but then she thought better of it. “Is this the only path to get to the portal Arileas told us about?”
“Yes,” Ella answered definitively. “We can skirt the edge of the mountain range there.” She pointed off to their side. It was an extension of the range that the Kandrian Mountain was a part of. The range was tall, barren, and rocky. It was a contrast to what the other side of the mountain looked like, lush with greenery and life and even snow-capped. “It will provide at least some shelter and obscurity.”
Daegan and Finn both eyed the way that would lead them beside the mountain, nodding at the prospect of it. “I think she’s right,” Finn added. “At least we wouldn’t have to watch our backs from all sides.”
“It
will also lead us into Kandri,” Daegan said flatly. There was a hard edge in his face as he gritted his teeth. Kaeleigh wanted to ask, but thought there might be a better time. As it was, they would be walking for a long distance if the edge of the mountain range had anything to say about it.
“I don’t know what’s there, but I don’t think we have a choice but to follow the mountains. We can’t go back,” Kaeleigh said.
Daegan looked into her eyes. He had shut down for a moment, but she returned his gaze, enforcing that she was there with him. His gaze softened and he reached for her hand. She quickly gave it to him and he led the way.
Kaeleigh turned back to give a small smile to Finn and Ella following behind them. Everyone was quiet, the mood heavy and somber, their thoughts weighted with concern for the Twined camp and for those they left behind. Not for the first time, Kaeleigh’s mind wandered to Chel and Halister on their own journey. She didn’t know if there was a god, but if there was she prayed for their safety. Kaeleigh beseeched Alandria to guard over them as she sent her intent within a wave of energy into the land. She wished the group could have gone with them. But they didn’t have a choice, they couldn’t go back. They could only continue forward, their journey taking them to the mortal realm in search of an ancient book with the key to freeing the Orchids from Exhile and the evil that has trapped their souls. The journey felt never-ending at the moment, but then the light from Kaeleigh’s energy tickled her in her chest as it swirled about with its own intent. It cocooned her heart, spreading warmth throughout her body. Something bubbled within her—hope. They were getting answers and they were making progress or the darkness would not be so threatened. That thought alone gave her determination and hope for the future. They were stronger than they had been—she was stronger. She had Daegan and together, along with their friends, they would not let the darkness destroy Alandria. They would not fail. They could not.
Sensing her new resolve and feeling the overwhelming sense of hope radiating from Kaeleigh, Daegan stopped and looked back at her with a glimmer of purpose and hope in his own eyes. Then he looked to Ella, who couldn’t help but feel the blanket of hope and love for Alandria that was emanating from Kaeleigh, and watched a lone tear fall from her eye. She raised her eyes to his and then to Kaeleigh’s and nodded. Finn came up behind her and placed his hand at her lower back. He too embraced the hope and a fierce determination shone in his face.
“We do this together. We carry on for those we love, for this land that gives us life.” Daegan spoke with pride and an authority he was embracing as his own. “We will find redemption.” Then his gaze matched the look of fierce determination on Finn’s face. “And we will drive out the darkness from our land.” His jaw tight and his teeth gritted, he held his hand out to Kaeleigh and turned to follow the mountain into the valley of Kandri.
EPILOGUE
The Journey to Mandü tré Lan
Halister’s hand clapped over Chel’s mouth as he dragged her back to his chest, maneuvering them both into a crevice behind a large boulder barely big enough for the two of them. “Shhh...” Hal whispered close to her ear as he held her tightly against him. Chel squirmed in his arms, but they were locked down. “They are tracking us,” he uttered quietly.
Chel froze. All the blood drained from her head down to her toes, leaving her dizzy and slightly numb. He removed his hand from her mouth and she tilted her head back on his shoulder so she could see his face. His face was tight, his eyes roaming, seeking out the danger hunting them. As he looked down at her face, she questioned him. He seemed to understand and nodded.
The only thing that brought her terror like that was the Droch-Shúil. Chel gulped and tried to move back even further into Hal. If she could have climbed inside of him, she would have. He gripped her shoulder tightly with one arm wrapped above her chest. The other was around her waist, effectively pinning her arms down as well. One of her hands found his thigh and dug her nails in as deep as she could while the other hand had come up to grab his forearm encircling her stomach. She could feel his body tense against hers.
“If you claw me any harder, I might scream like a little girl. Then we’d really draw their attention to us,” Hal whispered sarcastically through his gritted teeth. Her death grip loosened just enough that there was no danger of causing him real damage. He relaxed a little behind her. “That is better, thank you.”
Chel rolled her eyes to keep from making a snarky comment in return. Self-preservation was more important right now than a good comeback.
“Was there something you wanted to say?” he whispered once again into her ear as his head came forward. Chel looked back up at him with a scowl on her face. Be quiet, she mouthed to him. He went back to scanning the area beyond their little hiding spot.
Instantly, Hal’s relaxed posture went rigid and the lines on his face grew tight. Chel’s head whipped around to face what lay outside the craggy rock opening they were in. She sucked in a silent gasp and held her breath. Unable to take it, she wiggled just enough that she could turn around and bury her head in Halister’s chest. He pulled her in tight and held her still. Neither one moved. Even with her head buried in his warm chest made of solid muscle defined and chiseled over time as a Ferrishyn warrior, she closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, inhaling his scent of pine and clove, and found comfort there.
Suddenly Halister leaned down into her hair. Barely audible, he whispered, “Not a sound.”
He pulled them into the rocky crevice as far as they could go. His back, up against the abrasive wall, bore the brunt of their temporary shelter. It was rough and dark, but he was grateful. The terrain in this part of Alandria was harsh and chapped, but all the hills of rock and stone provided many small shelters from weather or predators. He just hoped they didn’t find their way into the shelter of someone or something they should be avoiding.
Outside the rocky crevice, the wind picked up. There was an eerie feeling carried with it. It grew dark just over the area where they were. It looked like shadows dancing across the desert, but these were no ordinary shadows. It was the Droch-Shúil and they had found them. Red eyes turned toward where they hid, seeking their prey. Suddenly the shadows all moved in another direction led by a larger set of red eyes. Diverted. Hal took a deep breath. Still holding Chel so tight that he was afraid he possibly suffocated her, he whispered, “Like I was saying, you could do without the relentless eye rolling.”
Afraid and perturbed that he would risk their safety by correcting a habit induced by adolescent rebellion, she leaned back and scowled up into his face. He looked down at her, standing a head taller than she. “What? It is not becoming on a young female.” Hal shrugged his shoulders then winked at her.
So many words went through her mind, but all she could come out with was, “Female? Female? Really, Hal?” She tried to pull back from him but he wouldn’t let her. “I’m assuming it’s safe to chat now, since you would have already given our position away to our friendly neighbor out there.” She jerked her thumb out the entrance behind them. Realizing she still had his shirt in the death grip of her other hand, she let go and tried to smooth out his now wrinkled shirt.
Quietly, he watched her. She looked up into his eyes. Caught off guard by the intensity she saw there, all she could do was stare back. The moment changed into something charged and electric. Chel leaned in a fraction. Hal matched her movements inch for inch. She looked at his very full and enticing lips, and licked her own. Rising on her tiptoes, she was about to close the deal when a handful of pebbles and stones slid in front of their hiding place from above. Chel snapped back away from Hal and then spun around and froze, thinking their evil followers had found them.
“Chel?” came a scratchy male voice from above them.
Chel turned to Hal with complete confusion written on her face. Hal pushed Chel behind himself, but inched his way to peer outside their shelter. Someone jumped down right next to him. Hal didn’t flinch. “Who are you?”
“Who are
you?” came the same male voice that was now much more familiar to Chel.
Chel peered out from behind Hal’s back, surprise and shock fighting for dominance in her expression. “Samuel? What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to take you home where you belong, Chel.”
Thank you for reading Fractured Darkness!
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Morgan Wylie is an award-winning author with several genres published from YA fantasy to adult paranormal romance and other things in between. Morgan published her first novel, Silent Orchids, one year after moving across the country with her family on a journey of new discovery. After an amazing three years in Nashville, TN and the release of two more books, Morgan and her family found their way back to the Northwest where they now reside. Still working everyday with great optimism, Morgan continues to embrace all things: "Mama", wife, teacher, and mediator to the many voices and muses constantly chattering in her head... where it gets pretty loud!
You can find her and news on her books at the following:
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