Heart of Farellah: Book 1

by Brindi Quinn

  I slid down the cottage’s rope ladder and the fog thickened, becoming a blinding white blanket by the time I reached ground level.

  “Rend?” Every step I took pushed the fog away for a moment before it rushed back to cover my legs. It felt cool and moist, more like mist than anything. “Nyte? Grotts? Scardo? Anyone?”

  My voice was muffled by the mist that rose around me.

  Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Doubting myself, I turned back only to find that the ladder had become hidden in the dense, sweet cloud.

  “No! Where did it go?!” I scrambled through the mist frantically, grasping for the lost ladder, but smashed instead into one of the fruit bushes. I clung to it, legs shaking. “Hello? Is anyone out there?”

  No one answered.

  The white mist carried with it a feeling of desolation. It slowly swallowed my body, and sadness swept over me.

  It’s hopeless. I’ll forever wander the mist. I was losing myself in the sickly sweet smell. There’s nothing I can do, is there?

  Use an ariando, a small voice in my head prodded.

  An ariando . . . why bother?

  Because it’ll work!

  It will?

  Yes. Just try!

  Fine.

  With my last ounce of hope, I opened my lungs.

  “Light of virtue, light of hope.”

  But the song came out sounding timid, muffled by the fog. I wasn’t strong enough; I was helpless. Everyone would be lost in the fog, and there was nothing I could do about it.

  Scardo . . . Nyte . . . Grotts . . .

  Grotts? ‘A bona fide songstress if I ever did see one.’ His words trickled back to me, and my spirits lifted a bit. I thought about that light I’d been able to summon in the forest, strong and bright.

  I did it then, didn’t I?

  Yes, you did!

  Then maybe I can again?

  Yes, you can!

  I gained confidence, and the fog seemed to thin a bit. Still holding onto Grotts’ words, I tried the song again. This time it cut through the mist, unmuffled and uncontained.

  “Light of virtue, light of hope,

  Light to drive away the void,

  A new light born where there was none,

  Light this song with spirit’s sun . . .”

  A yellow light burst out of me, brighter than the last time. I really was a songstress, and I was finally starting to feel like one.

  Touched by the glowing rays, the fog hissed. Searing from the power of the song, it dissipated slightly.

  My light is doing this?

  I focused my energy on the orb, and it pulsed and pushed the fog back even farther. This time, holding the song felt good. Even though it was taxing, it made me feel powerful.

  I could make out someone in the distance.

  “Who’s there?” I called.

  “Aura?” Grotts stumbled towards me, stepping into the edge of the light. He looked pale and shaky.

  “Are you all right?!”

  “I wasn’t, but I heard yer song and . . . Is that what’s pushin’ the smoke away?” He looked around the light, amazed.

  I nodded, relieved by my newfound capabilities. “What is this smoke?”

  “I don’ know, but it’s sucking the life right outta me.” He came next to me and let the orb’s rays soak into him. “That’s better.” Even as he said the words, his skin seemed to brighten.

  “Good. Let’s go find everyone else.”

  He nodded and followed behind me.

  It was hard for me to walk beneath the weight of the song, but I forced myself onward. My only thought was that we had to rescue everyone else from the despair. One by one, Elves stumbled into my light, each one as confused as the next. No one had ever seen such a mist before. I tried to press my light further, so as to accommodate them all, but it was getting harder to make sure they all remained within.

  The mist pulled out anyone that got too close to the edge.

  Eventually we found Scardo gripping onto one of the ladders. Grotts pulled him from his cowering stance and into the glow. The fog had drained him even worse than it had the mighty man, but he too brightened up the nearer he got to me.

  “Th-thank you, Miss Heart. You truly are the chosen songstress,” he said, grabbing onto Grotts for support.

  “I’m just glad we found you! Wait, weren’t you sharing a room with Nyte?” My words were anxious. “Have you seen him?”

  “He thought he heard the sorceress scream, so we both descended to ground level. I tried to follow him to Elder Pietri’s but lost him in . . . whatever this is.” He looked out at the fog disconcertingly.

  The scream had come from Rend. Was she okay?!

  We have to get there!

  At once I changed course and headed for the elder’s.

  “Wait, Miss Heart, what should we do with them?” Scardo looked around the light at the tag-along Elves, who were holding onto each other and stumbling to stay within the light’s reach.

  “Oh, right. I have an idea.”

  Assisted by the glow, we managed to find a ladder that led up to one of the connecting bridges. Scardo and Grotts helped me usher the roaming Elves up. None of them complained, all visibly ecstatic to get as far away from the fog as possible.

  “Stay inside,” I told them. “We’re going to find Elder Pietri and fix whatever this is.” Holding the song gave me a sense of authority. I felt really different with it over me. Like a different person. A stronger person.

  If there was anyone else wandering around, they’d have to wait. Rend and Nyte could be in danger.

  Please be okay. Since when had I grown so attached to them? Since when had I started missing Nyte’s presence? It doesn’t matter. All that matters is getting to them.

  Now free of the villagers, we ran to the elder’s tree.

  As we neared, the faint glow of a second light cut through the fog. I could vaguely make out two figures. We walked closer, and I saw that it was Elder Pietri and Rend, both of whom had their hands circled and were together projecting the second light, though it looked far weaker than mine.

  “Is everyone alri-” But I stopped at the edge of their glow when I realized what they were shining their light on.

  “What the hell is that?” yelled Grotts.

  That thing is part of the mist?!

  Nyte was standing before us, sword drawn, fighting something. It was white and wispy – as if comprised of a thick concentration of fog. It had no face, but it let out a deafening screech from some other part of its body and lurched at Nyte, its long arms dragging on the ground.

  “Nyte!” I ran forward, and the creature hissed when caught by my light.

  “Stay back, Miss Havoc!”

  I ignored him. “What is it!?”

  “I do not know! Some creature from the Mistlands!”

  “The . . . Mistlands? How is that possible? We aren’t even near them!”

  The White Wind . . . Was this the Feirgh I’d been warned about?

  I walked closer, and the creature sizzled under the light of my song. That was when it turned its frustrations to me. It lurched forward, swinging tails of wisp out of its body and towards my face.

  “Ahh!”

  “Watch out!” Grotts leaped in front of me and swung his hammer wildly at the creature. The hammer sliced through, but the Feirgh immediately reformed itself and lashed out at Grotts, who fell backwards.

  Scardo ran to his aid.

  “Sing!” Elder Pietri’s voice wheezed as he struggled under his own spell. “Make the light brighter!”

  Nyte slashed at the creature to hold it off, so that I could start the song again.

  “Light of virtue . . .”

  The light flickered only a little brighter.

  Ah! Think! What can I do?!

  “I need more power!” I shouted, not sure where I hoped to gain said power.

  “Use Nyte;” huffed Elder Pietri. “He possesses innate Elven powers, even though he has never been trained.�
��

  I looked at Nyte. “You do?!”

  “Maybe?” He seemed surprised by the news. “If the elder says so, then it is worth a shot. Grotts, Scardo, can you hold this thing off?”

  “Leave it ta us!” growled the massive man.

  Nyte threw his sword to Scardo, who stepped in front of us. With hammer held high, Grotts limped into place next to him.

  He’s hurt?! But I couldn’t worry about that now. Ah! Sorry, Grotts; do your best!

  Both men swatted at the Feirgh. It screeched and lunged back at them.

  I turned to Nyte. Was it really possible to draw more power from an Elf? If Elder Pietri believed so, then just maybe.

  I have to try either way, though, don’t I?

  I flattened my palms and held my hands out in front of my chest. Nyte stood close to me and pressed his palms against mine. The reflection of the orb in his eyes created a gold ring around the green of his irises as he stared into mine. My cheeks flushed.

  Stay calm. This is no time to get nervous! But it was hard not to.

  I took a deep breath.

  “Light of virtue . . .”

  When I started the song again, I felt something spark between our hands. Energy? Then the spark grew into a surge that traveled into my body, fueling me with power. I could feel him; his warmth. That same warmth that had touched me those other times now pulsed through my veins. It was . . . incredible; like everything I’d ever craved, but intensified.

  I wanted more.

  The light grew brighter. Wind erupted from the ariando, creating a whirlwind around Nyte and me that ruffled our clothes and hair. Light shot from the orb in every direction, and the Feirgh hissed louder as it flailed spastically under the blinding glow.

  It was working!

  I continued to draw Nyte’s power and struggled to remain composed while the warmth coursed through my body.

  Give me more! The light surged again.

  “Light this song with spirit’s sun!”

  At the end of the song, there was a loud pop. The Feirgh collapsed, thinning into a small cloud before disappearing altogether. The fog rolled away through the trees. Together we’d defeated the creature.

  I let out a mutter before collapsing under the weight of the song: “It worked.”

  Nyte grabbed my hands as I fell to the ground and finally released the orb.

  Chapter 6: The Aftermath

  I was back in the cavern of mirrors. This time the vines had completely bound me, strapping me against the wall with their sinewy arms. The blue orb zoomed into view.

  My song!

  It flitted about in front of my face, taunting me. If only I were free, I could reach it. But though I struggled, the vines only tightened.

  Help!

  A fragment of mirror flew from the wall and floated a few feet in front of me. I stared into it, and two silvery eyes stared back.

  Illuma?

  But the mirror cracked and fell to the floor. In its place, another shard flew from the wall and went for my throat. I couldn’t dodge it, so I braced myself for impact. Red light flooded the cavern, and –

  “She’s awake!”

  I sat up and smacked my forehead into Kantú’s chin.

  “Argh,” I grumbled. “Why’s there a squirrel on me?”

  The squirrel in question answered with a hug. “Good morning, sleeping head!”

  I lifted my lids, which were heavy with grog, and saw that we were back in the tree cottage. It was now free of smoke.

  “It is about time,” said Rend, stepping from the corner. “I will inform the men.”

  “About time? How long was I asleep?”

  Kantú let out a whistle and said, “Oh, about a day or so.”

  “A day or so!?” I hopped out of bed and started to dress. “What about the journey? We really lost a whole day because of me?!”

  “Oh, don’t be like that. From what I hear, you exerted yourself pretty far. We were worried about you!”

  I was about to tell her I was fine, but the door burst open before I could get it out.

  “Miss Heart! You’re awake!” Scardo scurried into the room in a huff. “I am so relieved.”

  I was still getting dressed, but at his intrusion, I gave up and threw a random stretch of fabric from the floor around myself. I later found out it was a half-made drape.

  Scardo didn’t notice. He plucked the dead rose from the front pocket and handed it to me with a bow.

  “Uh?”

  “It is tradition in my culture to offer up a rose to a person you are indebted to, as a symbol of the debt to be repaid,” he said.

  Indebted to?

  “Scardo, you don’t owe me anything.” I eyed the rose, wondering if he’d been holding onto it all this time solely in case a situation like this should arise.

  “If it were not for you, we would still be lost in the mist, and that creature would have destroyed Yh’tak. I only apologize that it’s not a live rose.”

  “No, it’s great!” Not wanting to offend him, I tucked the rose behind my ear.

  “Glad ta see yer all right.” Grotts came limping through the door behind Scardo. A yellowed cloth bandage was wrapped around his leg where the Feirgh had hit him.

  “Good morning,” I said. “I’m all right, but you don’t look so great yourself.”

  At his arrival, Kantú rushed over and began examining the bandage. “Grotts!” she scolded. “I told you to rest!”

  The gruff man’s embarrassment at the fawning was rabidly apparent, for he ran a giant hand through his dirty hair and grumbled, “I know, Miss Kantoo, but I wanted ta say hello to Miss Aura, and I knew ya’d be discussin’ important matters in here, so I just couldn’t stay behind.”

  She continued to scold Grotts, but my interest shifted to a tall figure that had slipped into the room behind her. With the corners of his mouth curling into a cunning smile, he walked up to the cot.

  “You are, without a doubt, the most worrisome captive I have ever had.”

  My stomach dropped when I remembered the way we’d left off.

  It felt so good. I shook the thought away and put on a cool front.

  “Well, I wouldn’t cause you so much reason for worry if you would just keep a closer eye on me. As I informed you before, your captor skills are quite lacking.” I reciprocated Nyte’s smirk. “By the way, you never mentioned you were a great Elven sorcerer.”

  He looked embarrassed.

  “I concur that it was quite extraordinary,” came a wheezed agreement. Elder Pietri had just followed Rend into the room.

  We both turned to face him.

  “What happened exactly?” I asked.

  The wizened Elf rubbed his beard. “You were able to draw out Nyte’s energy to boost your own, which was already far greater than Rend’s and mine combined. I knew the Heart of Salvation would possess a great power, but never did I imagine it would rival that of the Elves. Your body was strained under the power of two beings, thus explaining the fatigue you feel.”

  “I’m not even sure how I pulled the energy out of him. I’m just glad it worked.”

  The energy. I glanced sideways at Nyte. He shrugged.

  “I was not certain it would work myself; I only hoped. You managed to tap into his spirit somehow. It is very peculiar . . .” The elder’s voice trailed off.

  His spirit? Was that the warmth I’d experienced? My heartbeat sped at the thought.

  Rend studied Nyte and me suspiciously, clearly put off by this ‘spiritual connection’ the elder had mentioned.

  “What I would be most interested to know,” she said, voice sour, “is how that thing managed to break through the barrier in the first place.”

  “The barrier only protects against natural or living dangers. Since the creature was neither natural nor living, it was able to enter.”

  Kantú was silent a moment and then, “So it was dead and unnatural?” she shrieked. “Doesn’t that seem like something kind of important to leave out!?” S
he scanned Elder Pietri disapprovingly, like he’d intentionally left the loophole.

  Something dead and unnatural. “What does that mean, exactly?” I asked.

  “It was a creature of the Mistlands, a tormented soul that never made it to the next stage. There are several legends regarding these beings known as Feirgh. They haunt the mist, unable or unwilling to reach the afterlife.”

  Feirgh. The Spirit of In-between had been right. Maybe Kantú had also been right to assume the mysterious messenger was also a being from the Mistlands.

  “It brought the mist with it,” said Scardo, his hunched shoulders slumping even lower than usual as he relived the fog’s dread.

  “The mist . . . it was so sad,” I said.

  Kantú bounded over and plopped onto the cot. “I’m glad I was asleep for it!”

  “How did you manage to sleep through the ordeal, hybrid?” Rend narrowed her eyes, aware that Kantú was hiding something.

  “Guess I’m just malnutritioned from lack of meat!” Kantú squinted back and stuck out her tongue.

  “What we really should discuss,” said Scardo, “is our new plan. Will the Pure Heart be ready to leave by tomorrow’s dawn?”

  “I’m fine, really. It’s Grotts I’m worried about. I wish there was some kind of healing ariando I could use on him, but songs of healing don’t exist.”

  Grotts grumbled a protest.

  “The women of Yh’tak are preparing ointments from the forest for him now. He should be considerably better after another night in the haven,” said Elder Pietri.

  “Then we shall leave at first light,” said Scardo. “Rest until then, Pure Heart.”

  “It’s Aura.” I sighed and sat back down onto the cot.

  “That is right, Miss Havoc, get some more rest.” Nyte patted my head.

  I gritted my teeth at him, and he dashed out the door. One by one the rest of the party followed, except for Kantú, who stayed by my side until even after I climbed back under the soft dandrill cloth covers.

  I was surprised how quickly my eyelids returned to grog. Still worn from the ariando, sleep came easily, and this time I didn’t dream.