Hollow of Treason

by Lainy Lane

  "Anything helpful?" Jarreth asked, trying not to read the letter over her shoulder.

  "Not really." She sighed. “As usual, it explains a whole lot of nothing.”

  Of course, she hadn't expected to find something with all the answers mapped out on it, although that would have been more than welcomed at the moment. But she hadn't expected to find a letter composed of nothing more than riddles and statements that made no sense at all either.

  "Jarreth," Calandra pulled the one word she had never heard out of the letter for him. "Who is Akiye?"

  Jarreth's eyes widened as if the name suddenly solved every problem in the world and he glanced down at Calandra's necklace. "Oh…"

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Cause

  "What do you think she meant by a whisper in a daydream on a field?" Calandra tried to sort through everything she had learned in the last hour, and her head still held a million questions, which of course was nothing out of the ordinary here of late. Regardless of running over everything she had read multiple times, this was the one line that continued repeating in her head continuously.

  They were sitting in the field across from the tree that appeared to have grown another couple of feet since Calandra had restored it just a few days earlier.

  "I think she meant that she'll never really leave you. The people we love never really do, not completely at least. I think it was supposed to be assuring that even though Akiye took her in one sense, in another, she's not really gone." Jarreth smiled reassuringly at her.

  Akiye was apparently an Equinox Faerie. Calandra had learned that the solstice and equinox Fae were the oldest and most powerful Faeries there were. Not only were they powerful, but they were known to be quite unsympathetic, especially for those below them — which was pretty much everyone, except for maybe a few Greek Gods — Calandra was still trying to decide whether that part of the explanation had been a joke or not. Being in Faerie and surrounded by Fae was something she had accepted what seemed like a lifetime ago, but the Gods and Goddesses of Greek mythology existing was something she simply couldn’t seem to wrap her head around no matter what she had learned in the last few weeks.

  Either way, dealing with Equinox Faeries was quite serious business, made even more complicated by the fact that they simply didn’t work well with others. Which also meant that there was no one they could turn to for information on what a deal with such a Fae might entail. It would seem that Hollyn had been the only one who had ever managed to make a deal like this before and Calandra wasn't comforted in the least by the fact that she was also dead. The letter had said she was willingly giving herself over, so apparently, that had all been part of the deal, but it didn’t serve to make the situation any less complicated to decipher now. What no one could seem to understand at this point was what would make Hollyn sacrifice everything for this deal.

  Jarreth had explained that Akiye wasn't exactly just Akiye. She was only one part of the Equinox Faerie, she also had a counterpart. Akiye was the Autumn Faerie, and Vyri was the Summer Faerie, they existed as one in the same, yet were also polar opposites in many ways. Just because Hollyn had made a deal with Akiye didn't necessarily mean that her debt had been paid to Akiye. Really, the entire situation couldn't get much more complicated in Calandra’s mind. The only thing Jarreth was really sure of was that more than likely, Akiye would be back and would be expecting something from Calandra at some point as well, regardless of the sacrifice Hollyn had already made. Apparently, Akiye was a bit selfish and a liar.

  “So why your eyes exactly?” Calandra realized the question was not only rude, but also entirely random. However, it had been weighing on her mind for quite a while, so she decided to voice it as a way to pull herself out of her other thoughts anyway.

  Jarreth seemed only slightly taken aback by the sudden change of subject. “Why not?” Jarreth replied simply.

  “Really, Jarreth? We’re not over the riddles yet?” Calandra scoffed.

  “Really, Calandra? You can’t figure things out on your own yet?” he countered without missing a beat.

  Calandra rolled her eyes at him.

  “The eyes are the one body part visible from the outside that are directly linked to your soul.” Jarreth gave in and started in on an explanation. “This makes them the best way to show someone’s true feelings and intentions.” He reached up and brushed Calandra’s hair from her face.

  Her expression was slightly sad, her thoughts had drifted away, and she wasn’t entirely in the current moment anymore.

  “You sometimes wish you had inherited this trait don’t you?” Jarreth asked, attempting to bring her back to him.

  Calandra nodded, only allowing herself to return slightly. She turned away from him and stared at the tree, the primary focus in the field. The tree that she had somehow connected with. The tree that had the weight of the world placed on it at some point, just as Calandra felt now. Jarreth put a hand on each side of her face and turned her head to force her to look at him. He gazed deep into her. His opaque baby blues burned into her and seemed to ignite a flame somewhere deep within her. One she thought she had closed off to him.

  “You know, you may not have the opaqueness or the ability to show your emotions through them. But, in case you haven’t noticed, you do still have quite unique eyes, dear.”

  Calandra rolled her eyes. “Yeah, freaky right?”

  Calandra had never liked her eyes. In the mortal world, they were especially unnerving, to say the least. People would always stare at her because she was a freak. Her hair she could pull off, even though it was a lie, people just assumed she had died the orange and red streaks into her dirty blonde hair. Her eyes, on the other hand, their unnatural color couldn’t be explained. People just didn’t have tawny colored eyes with yellow, orange, and red streaks going through them. Except for her. Other than the eyes and the hair, she was an ordinary looking girl with a clueless fashion sense. Even now that she was in Faerie, her eyes still stood out and set her apart from everyone else.

  “Cal?” Jarreth pulled her out of her daze again.

  “I want to know why they’re like this,” she demanded, frustrated and expecting him to understand why even though he wasn’t in her thoughts.

  “Can you clarify what you’re referring to exactly, love?” Jarreth asked. “I’m not in that head of yours.” He smiled.

  “My eyes. If Drake’s theory is correct and I’m pretty much one hundred percent Faerie, then why do I still have eyes that aren’t Fae or human?”

  “I think you’re putting too much into what Drake said, Calandra. You can’t be completely Fae. We know there has to be at least some human in you because of Echo. Even if Kailen didn’t keep up with what happened between Echo and your mom, you would still have some human in you.”

  “So what exactly is it then?” The emotion in her voice raised steadily.

  “Why do you act like it’s a bad thing exactly?”

  Calandra shrugged. "I guess I just don't want to be different."

  Jarreth smiled at her. "Not different, Cal, special."

  "Whatever! That's just what people call freaks to try and make them feel better about themselves."

  "You're impossible, Calandra." Jarreth chuckled.

  Calandra stuck her tongue out at him.

  “And yet somehow still worth it!” he added.

  ***

  "Jarreth, you're just going to have to get over it," Calandra exclaimed for the last time. She was tired and done explaining herself. What he called his protection over her sometimes seemed more like controlling in her opinion. She didn’t like feeling as if her choices weren’t her own. Which was another reason she wanted Jarreth gone, she couldn’t admit it to him, but she felt like she needed a break from him.

  "I don't see why I can't stay," he complained, yet again.

  "Really, Jarreth? You really don't know? I can't deal with yet another one of your and Drake's freaking piss parties right now! Plus, you know he's not going to tell
me anything with you here more than likely." For someone who was usually pretty good at putting mysteries together, he certainly seemed to only be good at figuring out the ones that benefited him. Calandra rolled her eyes, only to herself, just thinking about the possibilities of what would go down if he were to stick around for this conversation. He didn’t even want Calandra to do it in the first place, but seeing as she was under orders from her mother to do so, there was no chance of talking her out of it.

  "Yeah, and with me not there, what's he gonna ask you to do for him to tell you?" Jarreth crossed his arm to reiterate his point, really all it did was make him seem like a child throwing a hissy fit. Calandra should really remind him that it was nowhere even close to an attractive quality. She bit her tongue to prevent herself from doing so.

  "I am so not getting into this with you Jarreth. Just go into town, have yourself a few drinks, whatever, I'll meet you there when I'm done. There isn't anything to discuss further regarding this." Calandra had put her foot down, and for once, she refused to be swayed by Jarreth's arguments. She refused to allow him to make her feel guilty over this, she was doing what her mom had requested from her, and there was nothing that could make her feel bad about it. Her mind was made up, and it wouldn’t be undone.

  "Fine," Jarreth pouted.

  "Are we really gonna do the five-year-old game again?" Calandra was over the games, especially after so many of them had collapsed on her recently.

  Jarreth sighed and shook his head, but still had a hint of a frown remaining.

  "I'm sorry." Calandra smiled apologetically despite the fact that her nerves had been severed by his immaturity over the situation. "I wish there were another way, but you saw the note, Drake apparently knows something that I need to know. There's not really a choice here." She shrugged.

  "I know, I'll go. Just let me know if you need me for anything."

  "Of course." She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

  "Oh, how sweet." Drake's sarcastic voice boomed from a few feet away.

  It set her nerves on fire. Why did he always have to walk in at the least convenient times for her? It seemed to be an uncanny talent of his.

  "Who let you in?" Jarreth scoffed, and his pout threatened to increase. Calandra was unable to keep her eyes from rolling.

  "I did, thanks for nothing. Will you be joining us in our little rendezvous?" Drake smiled, and his eyes flashed an odd shade of silver.

  "No, I'm off for a fix." Jarreth turned and walked toward the door.

  "Be sure to drink one for me." Drake smiled as Jarreth walked past him, his eyes gleamed over his ability to push every single one of Jarreth's buttons.

  "See you in a bit, love," Jarreth called back to Calandra before he headed down the stairs.

  She resisted the urge to show her irritation at his last stab at Drake made at her expense. She refused to fan the flames.

  "It really is just so sweet, Cal." Drake rolled his eyes once he heard the door close behind Jarreth.

  "Stop Drake, I'm not in the mood." All Calandra really wanted to think about was piecing together the letter her mother left her and exactly what it was supposed to mean. Jarreth's utterly childish behavior had been more than enough to deal with lately, bantering with Drake wasn't something she could even consider handling at the moment.

  "Hmm, well maybe I'm not in the mood to give you whatever you called me over here for. Unless of course, you wanted to go upstairs for some fun." Drake lifted one eyebrow to entice her further. His eyes glanced over to the stairs that led to the bedroom and his smile hinted at his desire.

  "Not even a chance!" Calandra squealed.

  "Well then, I assure you I'm disappointed. But go ahead, what is it you want?" Drake leaned against the bar in the kitchen with one leg crossed over the other, and his arms casually crossed on his chest. He looked beyond bored and completely uninterested.

  "This," Calandra handed him the letter her mom had left her in the chest, "look at the last line."

  Drake scanned over the page quickly before he read the last line aloud. "Well, this is certainly interesting."

  "So, what is it?" Calandra began tapping her toes on the floor to convey how impatient and frustrated she was about having to ask.

  "Why is it I'm telling you exactly?" His smirk was beginning to become more irritating, which was something Calandra hadn’t known was possible.

  "Please," Calandra whined.

  "Yeah, because manners are just my cup of tea, Calandra." Drake rolled his eyes dramatically. "Really, have you learned nothing?"

  Calandra kept to herself that she was beginning to think that she really hadn't learned anything as far as dealing with Faeries went. "Fine, what do you want?" Calandra gave in and dared to ask the question she was sure she didn’t want to hear his answer to, the question she had promised herself and Jarreth she wouldn’t ask.

  "Tell me one thing, Calandra." Drake stared at her intently, and she felt the heat rising within her.

  "Will you tell me then?" She knew he was trying to play another one of his mind games and she was hoping she had finally learned how to get around them.

  "Maybe," he smirked.

  "What?" she asked irritated.

  "Why him?" He laced the last word with irritability.

  "What you really mean is why not you, right?" She kept a groan to herself.

  This was a dangerous road he was trying to lead her down, and she was aware she would need to tread very lightly. Every move would need to be carefully thought out. It would be really easy to crash and burn, which Drake would love to see. That was likely his plan, Calandra refused to give him the satisfaction.

  Drake shrugged. "I used to know the answer to that one, but if you'll remember correctly, now he's deceived you as well."

  "With good reason," Calandra squeaked. She really hated how her voice tended to do that when she was under pressure.

  "No Calandra, it was for selfish reasons." Drake stepped over to her and left only a few heated centimeters between them. "There is never any reason for deceit other than selfishness."

  Calandra opened her mouth to say something and suddenly realized she had nothing. He was right. There was a cause for everything. All of the deceit she had been surrounded with, especially of late, had been for the other person’s gain. Why did people always use the excuse of ‘it’s for your own good’ when really it was only for theirs? Why was she so gullible to believe it every single time? Why was she allowing Drake to get to her?

  "Nothing, dear?" Drake smiled, showcasing just how proud of himself he was with his argument leaving her speechless.

  Calandra gave in and shook her head.

  Drake's smile widened, and his eyes flashed red for a split second. He pulled his right hand up and placed it at the base of her neck. He forced her to him, not that she fought it much, and gently pressed his lips to hers. Instantly she melted into him, despite knowing better, and the temperature in the room burst up quite a few degrees. For several intense moments, she allowed herself to play into his game, at least that was what she told herself she was doing. Honestly, she was unable to find the will to pull away no matter how wrong she knew what they were doing was.

  Drake pulled away all too soon and left her simmering from the absence of his passionate lips. She opened her eyes to find his opaque lavenders smoldering into her and begging for more. Her eyes widened as the reality of what just happened hit her like a ton of bricks. She touched her fingers to her lips and ran over to the living room, fighting back the tears that were threatening to escape.

  "I need you to go," she whispered.

  "Fine," Drake said. "But remember what I said. And to answer your question, he's a Gancanagh. Maybe Jarreth will tell you what that means." He disappeared before Calandra had the chance to allow the temptation to turn back around and look at him win. Despite every nerve in her body telling her to do so, she knew she couldn’t risk it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Effect


  "Gancanagh," Calandra repeated the word for at least the tenth time as she waited for Glyda to deliver her drink. It hadn't hit her until after Drake had left and she remembered how to breathe and think again that she had already known that much. Kailen had offered that piece of information to her during her first encounter with him as Kailen the Faerie instead of Chase her strict, Christian father.

  "That was all he said?" Jarreth asked.

  Calandra nodded. She was more frustrated with herself than with Drake, and she wasn’t sure how much of that had to do with the kiss they had shared.

  "Well, a lot of good that does us since Kailen had already told you that much."

  "I don't guess Drake is aware that we knew that already. He said maybe you'd explain what it means, which come to think of it I have no idea what it means so it would be helpful if someone wanted to tell me." Glyda finally returned with Calandra's drink, and Calandra immediately began sipping away on it. The warm sensation down her throat took the edge off of her emotions.

  "Wait," Jarreth eyed her suspiciously. "He didn't explain anything, and you didn't inform him that you already knew this piece of information?"

  Calandra's mind began to race through things to say that wouldn’t give her away. Unfortunately, she came up with nothing in particular. "He was in a hurry to leave. He wasn't exactly in the best mood after you left." She was disappointed in herself at the sorry excuse of words that she managed to come up with.

  "Hmm." Jarreth didn’t blink. Instead he continued to eye her up and down. "Yet he behaved?"

  Oh yeah. The thought popped unwelcome into her mind, and she tried to force it away. Calandra decided to nod her head, afraid of what might come out if she opened her mouth at the moment. "When did Kailen approach you with the proposition to keep your secret?" Calandra decided that changing the subject was the best way to close off her guilt. Drake had placed these thoughts in her mind, and she needed to confront them, or she was liable to go insane, which was something she was already on the verge of as it was, she couldn’t take any risks.