Enchantress Sacrifice

by Denice Hughes Lewis

  Chapter Thirty-Six: The Hiding

  “Follow those tracks! They will not escape!”

  Chills creep down my back. Oh, Bryntar. Please be safe and on the way to join us.

  The khorbocks stamp their feet. Ice Lords yell and gallop away.

  I gasp in light.

  “I need help,” Daniel whispers.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah. The bridle is caught and I can’t move.”

  “I am coming.” It is much harder to back down the tree. Even twisting my head, it is impossible to see where to put my feet. I test a step, slip on the snow and straddle a branch. “Ow.”

  “You okay?”

  “Remind me not to climb another tree like this.”

  He chuckles. “It did save us from being caught.”

  I wiggle, squirm and succeed in banging knees and slipping on more slick needles by the time I see him. He sits on the saddle over a branch.

  I grin. “Going for a ride?”

  “Funny. Get me out of this.”

  The bridle wraps around his neck and the reins are caught in the needles of three branches. I squirm down and step on his hand.

  He groans.

  “I am sorry.”

  Trying to find another place to put my foot, I kick him in the head.

  “Ow!”

  Afraid to put a foot anywhere, I reach over and unhook the bridle. My other foot slips on an icy branch. My knee hits him in the stomach.

  “Ooofff. Don’t let me climb any more trees with you.” He laughs.

  I grin and we help each other down.

  While I brush off wet snow, he drapes the saddle and bridle over the branches of the tree. The jewels sparkle in the sunlight.

  “Are you leaving those here?”

  “Yep. Don’t want anything that belongs to that jerk.”

  “Are we close to the first landmark?” I ask.

  “We’ll have to climb that knoll to see.”

  We sneak through the trees to reach the top. Below is a deep canyon. Monuments of black stone stretch through low-lying clouds and into the sky. The seven pointed tops are covered with patches of thick moss that look like hair.

  “Is that it?”

  “Yeah. Bryntar calls the stones, ‘The Old Ones.’ Said they may be the beginning of life here. It’s also a place of silent pilgrimage, so we can’t talk.”

  “Where are we supposed to meet Bryntar?”

  “The other end of the canyon.”

  Glacial ice gives way to dark soil as we sneak down the canyon sides. I am grateful for the gradual incline and easy walk, but lack of sleep and the fear of meeting anyone make the journey difficult. I grow hotter as we leave the ice behind and stumble onto a winding track of pebbles. We weave between the five-sided stones. Small plants grow on the rough surfaces in beautiful patterns of muted green, orange and brown. I strain to feel anything that would put us in danger. I think I feel something and then it is gone—probably a small animal. Daniel pulls me off the path into the undergrowth to rest.

  I gaze up at the giant, silent sentinels. Reaching out to touch the nearest one, I experience a profound tranquility, as if the stone has a serene intelligence. Yet there is a strange foreign quality I do not understand.

  A thought flickers in my mind, of Aru destroying this special place. I am again reminded there is no other way but to accept that I will face the beast. I do not want to know where or when.

  We continue across the canyon, ever alert to our surroundings. Berry bushes satisfy our hunger. There is no one here this early and I am relieved to feel at peace for once.

  Turning a corner and leaving the last stone behind, I jump at the sudden thunder of water that breaks the silence. It is as if the stones can stop sound. A wide veil of water pours over smooth rock and splashes into the rushing river below.

  Daniel grabs my hand. “C’mon. We’re almost there.” He pulls me straight to the water.

  “Wet again?”

  He laughs, leads me upriver and points to stepping-stones jutting from the water. “There’s a cave behind the waterfall. We cross here.”

  “The rocks are barely sticking out of the water!”

  “Yeah, that’s the tricky part. Bryntar warned that the river is high this time of year.”

  “The current will wash us away. There must be another place to cross.”

  “There isn’t. I’ll go first.”

  “Do you expect me to rescue you if you fall in?”

  He smiles. “Only if you want to.”

  I hold my breath as he leaps from one rock to another. He makes it look as natural as breathing and lands on the other bank.

  “C’mon. It’s easy, like jumping croc heads, except the rocks don’t move.”

  “You jumped on crocodile heads?”

  “It was fun.”

  Jumping on the heads of live reptiles is fun? Maybe we are too different.

  I shake my head and stride to the river’s edge. The first rock is close, but a thin layer of water glides over it. I step on the flat surface and balance with both feet. Water sprays over my boots. The second rock has a top with two points and a flat space between them. I stretch to reach it with one foot, wobble and almost fall in before my hands grab one of the points. Water brushes my nose.

  Daniel laughs. “Good save. Keep going.”

  “Would you not talk to me?”

  “Just cheering you on.”

  “Stop it.” I step on the third rock, closer and higher out of the water. It is the next rock that sends shivers up my spine. One small point protrudes from the river and can only be used to reach the final rock. Two quick jumps. Taking a deep breath and focusing on reaching the tip of the rock, I leap. One boot touches it and I use the forward movement to leap to the other. I slip on moss and plunge toward the river, surprised to land in Daniel’s arms.

  Water rises to his waist, but he keeps me out of the water. “Knew that one was too slippery.” He sloshes out of the river.

  I do not want to wiggle out of his arms, but I do and follow him over plants and boulders to reach the falls.

  Daniel stops and points to a slim ledge.

  “You expect me to walk on that? My foot is wider.”

  “I’ll go first.” He presses against the wall, sidesteps carefully along the ledge and vanishes.

  Jumpy, I wait impatiently.

  He reappears and grabs my hand. We press our backs against the rock wall and slide along the slippery edge.

  I gasp when freezing water hits me in the face and the sheer weight of the falls smashes me against the rock wall. Daniel’s arm tightens. Moments feel like forever. Until he pushes me under an overhanging slab and we stumble into the cave.

  Sunlight glimmers through the water and ripples inside a deep cavern. I panic. “Where is Bryntar?”

  “Calm down. She has farther to go.”

  “How long are we supposed to wait here?”

  “Two days.”

  My stomach churns. “What if she does not come?”

  “Don’t worry.” He pulls me away from the spray of the waterfall.

  Horrified to think of life without Bryntar, I start to shake. “If something happens to her, I will take off my protective shirt and hope Aru finds me.”

  “Trust her. She’ll come.” Daniel rubs his hands to keep warm. “There’s no way to get dry wood in here to get warm.”

  “Then we have to get out of these wet clothes.” I remove my soggy gloves, coat and fur pants.

  Daniel says, “I’m not going to be caught with my pants off when Bryntar gets here.”

  “She will understand.”

  “You don’t know much about mothers.”

  “What do I need to know?”

  “That’s what I mean.”

  “I do not understand,” I say.

  “You’ll have to ask her.”

  I shiver in the dampness and collapse against the back wall.

  “We’ll stay warmer together,” Daniel sa
ys. He encloses me in his arms. His steady heartbeat thumps next to mine.

  I snuggle closer and shut my eyes. It is delicious to feel safe. My mind wanders to all the times Daniel has protected me. All the times he has put me above himself. I know he does not do this so I will save him someday. It is because he is willing to sacrifice his life for mine and for the greater cause. Like my uncle and Bryntar. Am I willing to do the same?

  I remember gazing into my mother’s eyes the first moments of my life and the impressions she gave me about love. Now I think I understand. The kind of love Daniel has for me is true and pure. It does not matter who I am, what my faults are, or my uncertain destiny. It does not even matter that he hides it from himself. What matters is that my love for Daniel is different. Desire for him will always burn inside me. Heat begins to radiate around us.

  “How do you do that?” he asks.

  I cannot ever tell him. “We should rest while we can.” I have never felt more awake and totally aware of him.

  “Elandra?”

  I lift my head and am lost in the desire in his eyes.

  “I’ve been an idiot. I can’t hide how I feel.” He lowers his head and his mouth consumes my trembling lips. Not with softness, but with a passion that leaves me breathless. Desperate, he pulls me closer and strokes my back. I thrill to his touch.

  His kiss deepens. Our bodies throb and soar to a place where there is no breath, no thought, only feeling. He pulls away and I moan, wanting to be one with him. He gazes into my eyes. “I’ve never felt like this before. With any girl.”

  I pull him closer and devour him with kisses as our hearts race together.

  He groans and pulls away. “We can’t do this.”

  “Why?”

  “We don’t know each other well enough.”

  “I do know you. You put others before yourself. You are brave. You are kind. You care about the important things in life.”

  “Stop.” He pushes me farther away. “Look. If we were in Florida, we could date.”

  “What is date?”

  “We’d go and do something fun together.”

  I frown. “Like jumping on croc heads? How can that make us know each other better?”

  He chuckles. “This isn’t the right time for a relationship. Okay? It’s not safe.”

  My finger traces his mouth. “We may never be safe.”

  “You’re hard to resist. I wanted to kill Jyrr when you were feeding him.”

  His words sing through me.

  “Don’t underestimate him. I know what he’ll do to you if we’re caught.”

  I sigh. “I shall be put to death. And so will you.”

  He shudders. “Who knows what he would do before that happens?”

  “We must not be caught.” I move in closer. My arms tighten around him. My head whirls with a possibility I never imagined could come true. Could Daniel and I have a life together?

  “Get some sleep,” he says.

  I lay my head on his chest, confused.

  His steady breathing calms me and I fall asleep in his sheltering arms.

  . . .

  The damp rocky floor grinds into my cheek. My muscles protest with stiffness when I jump up. Dim light filters into the cave making it difficult to see.

  “Daniel? Where are you?” I search the cave quickly. He is gone. Panic streams to every part of my body and I feel sick.

  A shadow moves under the overhang. “Good morning.” He drops berries and roots at my feet with a grin.

  Speechless, I stare at him, the panic draining away and another emotion taking its place.

  “Are you all right?” he asks.

  I throw the roots at him. “You left me. You could have been seen. Or captured. Or worse.”

  “I’m starved. Had to get food before it got too light. Besides, I thought I could get back before you woke up.”

  “How would you feel if I was the one who left?”

  “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” He kisses me.

  I pull away from him. “You are all wet.”

  “We can remedy the problem.”

  “You think it is easy to create heat?”

  He winks. “For you.”

  “Be careful you do not take me for granted.”

  “Since I’ve been shipwrecked, I never take anything for granted. Let’s eat.”

  Soon after we are finished, Bryntar steps through the waterfall.

  Relief washes over me as I run into her arms even though her embrace feels strange in her new form. I bury regret that my special moments with Daniel are over.

  She holds me tight. “I worried that my decision to take Jyrr away might have been the wrong choice.”

  “Where’d you leave him?” Daniel asks.

  “He kept trying to convince me to let him go. I dared not untie him, which made it necessary to take him to the foothills surrounding the palace.”

  “You could have been captured!” I say.

  “He wasn’t worth risking your life,” Daniel says. “I hope our khorbock gave him a merry chase.”

  “He mounted a search that fast? He is more powerful than I thought. How did you avoid capture?” She sways and clutches the wall.

  “When did you last eat?” I asked.

  “I do not remember.”

  “You won’t believe what happened,” Daniel says.

  Bryntar listens to our story while she eats.

  It is easy to create heat now that I know how and she sits next to me to dry her clothes.

  “You are changed,” she says, considering my face.

  “I accept what I am and what I have to do.”

  “It is more than that.” She looks at Daniel and bristles. “I see.”

  He shrugs. “Nothing happened.” He squeezes my hand. “I told you about mothers.”

  Bryntar glares. “We will talk about this, Elandra.”

  “Tomorrow,” I say. “You need to sleep.”

  She sighs. “It will be a relief to feel safe, at least for a little while. Now that we are known to the Ice Lords, we must take more care not to be seen.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Persevering

  Darkness still fills the cave when a noise awakens me. Bryntar paces up and down the floor. Daniel is gone again.

  She stops before me. “You love him.”

  “Yes.”

  “He has loved you since the first moment he saw you.”

  “He does not say so.”

  “It is in his eyes. Even Taroc knew. I never imagined you could have this kind of love, never dared to hope there would be someone worthy of you here. I was right about Daniel.”

  “I will not change my mind.”

  “You misunderstand. Daniel came from another world to find you. I am thankful that you know what it is like to love and be loved. Even if he will not admit it yet.” Her eyes meet mine. “I hope you have not completed the union. Until you save the island, this is not the time to worry about a child.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It is a natural occurrence with having a mate.” She hesitates. “Although there has

  never been an opportunity for a child to be born to one of your kind.”

  A child? “Nothing happened between us.”

  She sighs in relief.

  “I am glad you are not angry with me.”

  She puts her arms around me. “When have I ever been angry with you, dear Elandra?”

  I hug her. “Not often. I think you left that to Taroc.”

  Pain flickers across her face. “You are right. I could not bear to reprimand you.”

  “He was so happy and grateful to know you transformed.”

  “You really did see him?”

  “As clearly as I see you.”

  She sighs. “I wonder what we would have done if we had known that I could change back?”

  “Do you think you will age?”

  “Perhaps. I do not know.”

  I refuse to think that she can ever die. “What
are we going to do now?”

  She resumes her pacing. “The Ice Lords are searching for us. There is no safer place than home until we decide on a plan. I never expected . . .” She looks at her body and shakes her head. “I cannot give you and Daniel the kind of protection you need.”

  “You do not have to.”

  “Did I hear my name?” Daniel asks. He strides in bearing fruit. “I hope you know where we’re going, Bryntar.”

  “South,” she says. “I am concerned about what Jyrr might do. We need to take refuge in a small village of Keprys if we can reach it before the sun is high.”

  “You hate Kepyrs,” I say.

  “This tribe does not worship as Kepyr. Their vows of silence can protect us until we return home.”

  “We need to leave while it’s dark,” Daniel says.

  We eat everything, not knowing where or when we will have another meal.

  “Follow me,” Bryntar says. She disappears under the ledge.

  Daniel looks around the cave, then at me. “I won’t forget this place.” He kisses me gently and takes my hand.

  The icy water pounds me against the wall. I slide after Daniel, glad of his strong hand. When we emerge, Bryntar waits across the river. My eyes adjust to the darkness, but it is difficult to see the rocks.

  “Just go fast, but be accurate,” Daniel says. He squeezes my hand. “If you fall in, I’ll catch you.”

  I stare at the rocks and leap. One, two, three, oops, slippery . . . four, five, the bank. Made it. I whirl around, feeling something is watching us. It is too dark to see and the noise of the waterfall interferes.

  Daniel jumps across the river and hugs me. “You did it.”

  “We must hurry,” Bryntar says. “We have little time.”

  We follow the river away from the canyon of The Old Ones, weaving through moss-covered boulders and grasses that reach our knees. There is little talk with the pace that she sets.

  The river veers to the east and she stops. “Drink. Soon we cross the desert.”

  The boulders disappear, leaving only a few odd-shaped rocks to rise above the flat landscape. Grass becomes sparse and gives way to spindly plants sticking up through irregular squares of cracked ground.

  I stop when the sun rises in glory and turns everything pink and orange—a beauty that makes me realize for the first time that I do not want Aru to destroy the island. “Is it much farther?”