I bit my cheek when I saw him flinch. Maybe I should have worded my thoughts in another way, but I found it strange that we were camping out in an abandoned castle. I mean, this place had to belong to someone, right?
Cade sighed and walked over to the fireplace. He added a few logs to the hearth and soon had a blaze going. I hadn’t heard him strike a match, so I wondered if conjuring a flame might be another use for his glamour. Once the fire started blazing, the room became flooded with light and I gasped.
The apartment was gorgeous: two large, tall windows dominated the opposite wall and a carved, four poster bed took up the center of the room. A stuffed chair and a wardrobe occupied one corner and a thick carpet covered the floor. The colors were welcoming as well: pinks, greens and golds. Not overly feminine but soft enough to make the space pleasant.
“This is my castle, more or less,” Cade said softly, still kneeling beside the fire.
I blinked away my admiration of the room and gaped at him in surprise.
“What do you mean, your castle?”
He took a breath and ran his fingers through his hair, standing up as if every joint in his body ached.
“It was left in my keeping.”
I cleared my throat, then asked Cade the next obvious question, “Who left it to you?”
His gaze grew cold. “My mother, with the help of the Dagda.”
Something about his tone warned me not to press further, so instead I asked him another question. “Why didn’t you tell me this was your castle before? When we camped in the hills?”
He sighed and settled his hands loosely on his hips, dropping his gaze to the floor.
“I was a little embarrassed, to tell you the truth.”
He glanced up and caught my surprised gaze. He gave a half grin. “I didn’t want you to think less of me after coming to this place.” His gesture was meant to include the whole castle, not just this room. “It’s not exactly in pristine condition.”
I simply stood and stared at him for a good thirty seconds. Was he serious? The slight reddening of his cheeks and the way he broke my gaze was answer enough. He was serious.
Swallowing back my own reluctance, I crossed the space between us and wrapped my arms around him and leaned my head against his chest. The hug was innocent, one I hoped showed my appreciation. Cade returned the embrace and seemed to relax.
“It’s beautiful Cade, all of it,” I said softly, breathing in his unique scent. I could so easily fall asleep leaning against him, and I almost did.
“That is why I took so long to contact you after . . .” he let his words trail off. I knew what he was referring to, but I didn’t press him. Bringing up the awkwardness of what had happened when we had camped on the hillside would only ruin this moment.
He took a deep breath. “I wanted to make up for my behavior and ensure you had a decent place to stay when you came to visit Eilé. So I spent the last several weeks preparing this room for you.”
I jerked my head up and pulled away from his embrace.
“Cade! You didn’t have to do that!”
He nodded slowly. “Yes, I did.”
A long silence spread between us and Cade got a strange look on his face again, the one that made my heart flutter and my stomach twist into knots. A log crashed in the fireplace and sent a flurry of sparks up the chimney, breaking the spell.
“I had better leave you then. I know you’re very tired. If you need anything at all, I’ll be in the chamber across the hall and two doors down. Your bag is in the bathroom through that door.” Cade pointed to a door I hadn’t observed earlier.
“Goodnight Meghan.”
He moved silently through the room, pulling the door shut as he left.
“Goodnight Cade,” I whispered to the emptiness.
* * *
I woke up to the sound of something scratching against the window. Grumbling, I rolled over in bed, luxuriating in the thick, warm sheets.
I ignored the noise until a single thought pierced through my mind: OPEN!
I bolted upright and blinked the sleep out of my eyes. Early morning light flooded the room and yesterday’s memories came hurtling back. The Dagda, the Cauldron, Cade’s castle . . .
OPEN!
I jerked my head towards one of the tall windows, barely making out the fluttering of white feathers through the frost-encrusted glass.
Meridian!
I threw the sheets back and scurried to the bay window, hissing when my bare feet left the carpet and hit the cold stone floor. I had to climb up onto a stone bench to get it open. I flipped the latch and pushed, and a very disgruntled Meridian tumbled in.
Ice, she sent. Outside, all night.
She flew over to the fireplace and fluffed her feathers.
A pang of guilt hit me. I’d been so distracted by the castle last evening that I’d forgotten to call her in. I walked over and stoked the embers, hoping they’d offer her some heat.
I’m sorry girl, I sent.
Her psychic voice grumbled but soon the tremors stopped.
While Meridian warmed herself by the fire, I returned to the window and gazed out. My mouth dropped open when I noticed the snow on the ground, not much, but enough to paint the landscape white. The view from this spot was wonderful: a slight glimpse of the rolling farmlands, grey forest and silver creek flowing below.
A soft knock at the door made me squeak and bolt away from the view outside.
“Meghan, may I come in?”
Cade, of course.
“Uh, just a moment!”
I quickly shut the window and threw a sweatshirt on over the camisole I’d worn to bed. I was just glad I had flannel pants on instead of something more revealing. I opened the door to find Cade, wearing his traveling clothes.
“Oh,” I said, feeling somewhat foolish, “is it time to go?”
“I thought I’d get dressed first, and while you’re getting ready I’ll fix us something to eat.”
“Okay, I can be ready in fifteen minutes.”
I smiled and closed the door, rushing to get ready. I rummaged through my backpack and found my spare set of clothes. I brushed my hair and teeth in the bathroom Cade had pointed out the night before. To my delight, it appeared the Otherworld, although lacking many of the technological advances of the mortal world, did have something akin to modern day plumbing.
After I was finished, I quickly made the bed and coaxed a much warmer Meridian onto my shoulder. The fire had nearly burned out, so I left it. Sighing, I peered around the room once more, secretly hoping one day I’d come back.
Cade met me the moment I stepped into the hallway and handed me a granola bar. Shrugging, I took a bite and soon realized I was ravenous. The bar was delicious.
Instead of heading back downstairs, Cade led me to the end of the hall. I followed him over a small stone wall, well, what used to be the back outer wall of the castle but had since caved in, and out onto a wide patio built up against the hillside.
I blinked at the morning sunlight and turned to glance at the waterfall, frothing white and misty in the near distance.
Before I had a chance to take in the sounds and colors of this marvelous place, Cade tugged me further along, heading for the edge of the terrace. A set of stone steps led down into the side of the canyon and to the mouth of a . . . cave?
I gave Cade one of my uncertain looks.
“We need to use one of the dolmarehn in the caves,” he said.
“Oh, right. Uh, where are we going exactly?”
I hoped he didn’t plan on dragging me to another dimension. He had said that some of them led to other realms besides the mortal and Otherworldly ones.
He grinned. “You’ll see.”
He let go of my hand and began walking down the stairs. Fergus, who I hadn’t seen arrive, barked once and leapt after his master. Meridian’s claws dug into my shoulder. Together, we followed Cade and Fergus. I stepped onto the small patio at the base of the steps and moved into the darkness
of the cave. I reached out a hand to help guide my way and gasped when someone grabbed it and tugged me forward. I wanted to yell at Cade for scaring me half to death, but any words I might have spoken lodged themselves in my throat and I was sucked into the whirlwind of a dolmarehn’s magic.
With Cade’s help, I landed on my feet on the other side. I blinked and eyed my surroundings as Meridian took off, grumbling about the uncomfortable means of transportation. I found myself agreeing with her. That last trip had been rockier than the others.
I spun around, trying to become familiar with this new environment. Straight ahead of us a thick forest loomed, spreading far into the distance on either side of me. I glanced over my shoulder and my eyes grew wide. A huge lake, or the ocean maybe, stretched far across the land in the opposite direction of the forest. I couldn’t tell where the shore ended on the other side and several small islands, bristling with pine trees, rose from the lake’s surface like stepping stones. They, too, disappeared beyond my sight.
“Where are we?” I whispered in wide-eyed wonder.
Cade moved closer to me, and I sensed his warm presence at my back.
“We are on the edge of the Weald, and that is Lake Ohll, Eilé’s largest lake.”
“And where exactly are we going this time?” I asked, remembering Cade’s mention of these places before.
Cade glanced over his shoulder at me, smiling. His eyes looked much greener here in this new place and I had to bite my lip to keep from sighing in appreciation. Why did he always have to look so beautiful?
“We are going to meet the Wildren.”
Cade, oblivious to my inner turmoil, nodded towards the dark trees just in front of us as he took my hand once again and started leading me into the woods. I stumbled after him, his sure grip on my fingers the only thing keeping me from falling flat on my face.
“Really? The Wildren you told me about before?”
“Yes,” he answered without turning around, “and one of them in particular.”
Ah yes, the other person, besides the Dagda, he’d wanted me to meet. Who could it be?
“Um, is he as intimidating as the Dagda?” I pressed.
Cade turned around and grinned at me, not once breaking his stride.
“Oh, she is even more intimidating, I think. But I hope you’ll like her.”
I almost tripped. She? Why had his eyes glinted and why was he so eager for me to meet her? I gritted my teeth and continued after him, telling the jealous knot in the pit of my stomach to go away and mind its own business.
We walked for several more minutes, stepping over tree roots and around thick brush. I started picking up on the strange noises coming from places just beyond the trail, so I crept closer to Cade, clinging to his back. This seemed like the perfect place for unsavory faelah to lurk.
He turned and arched a brow.
“I thought I heard something,” I hissed.
Cade smiled. “Most likely wood sprites and gnomes.”
When he took in the expression of fear on my face, he added, “The docile kind.”
I breathed a sigh of relief and banished the memory of the incident in the swamp with the non-docile kind from my mind.
We hiked for an hour, Fergus and Meridian scouting ahead and exploring on their own. The forest grew thicker the further in we went, and I began noticing the little creatures Cade had been talking about. Several were small, some only a few inches tall. Most of them resembled a gathering of twigs strung together in an oddly humanoid shape. They chattered to one another, but I got the impression the words they exchanged were pleasant ones. I liked them.
“Twigrins,” Cade replied when I asked him what they were called.
I glanced up and spotted half a dozen of them peering at me from the side of a tree like wary squirrels, their round eyes large and curious. I smiled and they began chattering again, a sound which resembled rustling leaves and chirping birds. Their fingers were long and slender, for holding on to branches I assumed.
“In springtime,” Cade murmured as we picked our way around the exposed roots of a huge fallen beech tree, “some of them will sprout flowers just like a fruit tree.”
“You’re kidding.” I couldn’t hide the delight in my voice. I hoped he spoke the truth. I’d like to see them that way someday.
He nodded his head, a smile gracing his face.
As he helped me over another large root clinging to the ground, the sound of a taut string being stretched to its limit cut through the almost silent air.
I froze when Cade’s hand tightened on mine. Somehow, he managed to get himself between me and the base of the tree.
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end and I stopped breathing.
“Identify yourselves,” someone said.
It was smooth and feminine, and I couldn’t for the life of me decide where it had come from.
Cade stood up straight and said in a loud, clear voice, “Caedehn MacRoich of Eilé and Meghan Elam of the mortal world.”
I held absolutely still, wondering if it would be enough to appease whoever had spoken.
A light rustling sound followed by a soft thud caused me to flinch. Only when Cade’s tense stature melted away did I brave a look around him. There, fifty feet ahead of us on the trail, stood a tall young woman, a longbow clutched in her left hand. An arrow still rested against the string, but it sat easily upon her wrist. Her right hand was placed casually on her other hip and her weight was shifted to one leg. She looked like some forest bandit, what with her knee-high boots, leather pants, loose cotton shirt and thick leather jacket. A quiver of arrows strapped to her back completed the ensemble.
She stepped forward, a swagger to her walk, but her slow approach gave me a little time to finish studying her. The girl was beautiful with tanned skin and golden brown hair, curling away from her face like smoke. Her eyes were flickering between an intense pale grey and green. She smiled and the forest seemed to light up around her.
A few moments passed as Cade and this wild woman gazed at one another, and then, without warning, they both bolted forward and caught each other in a violent hug. The longbow clattered to the ground, temporarily forgotten. That’s when I decided this must be the woman Cade had wanted me to meet.
Jealousy clawed at my heart again and I almost winced. What was wrong with me? I wasn’t that girl, the one who drooled after a guy and treated any other female acquaintance like some evil enemy. That was Michaela and her gang. Not me.
I continued to watch their joyful reunion from the lower section of the trail in silence, the envious feeling in my stomach intensifying when I realized they were smiling and laughing with affection. No! Stop it Meghan! But I couldn’t help it; apparently I no longer had any control over my emotions.
They eventually released each other and the girl punched Cade on the arm. Hard.
“Why haven’t you come to visit, you great buffoon!”
I gaped, my burning resentment evaporating instantly. Huh?
Cade rubbed the spot on his arm where she’d hit him and grinned sheepishly. “I’ve been busy.”
The girl wrinkled her nose in irritation and crossed her arms. “Too busy to visit your own sister?”
My gasp must have been pretty loud, because both of them forgot their reunion and turned to consider me.
“Forgive me,” Cade said in that voice he reserved for only calm situations. “Meghan, I would like you to meet my sister, Enorah. Enorah, this is Meghan.”
Enorah grinned brightly and cast Cade a prodding glance, then strolled over to me, thrusting out her hand. “Glad to meet you.”
She had a strong handshake and her eyes danced with mirth, so I did my best to match her good humor, secretly chastising myself. His sister you dork, just his sister. Besides, it’s not like you had any claim on him anyways. I set my jaw and kicked my conscience to the curb.
After introductions were over, Enorah guided us further into the forest. A half an hour later, the trees became even denser
and darker and I couldn’t hear or see the Twigrins anymore. I pulled my arms close to my body as the trail descended and hit a pocket of cold air. Cade reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder, reminding me of his presence and in his own way, telling me not to worry. He had insisted on walking behind me while Enorah led.
Meridian dove from the canopy above, a white streak of graceful wing beats, and came to rest on my shoulder. She chittered affectionately and nibbled my collar before fluffing her feathers and tucking her beak beneath a wing. Looks like I was forgiven for leaving her out in the snow all night.
We walked for what seemed like hours, Enorah leading us silently onward. I used the time to study her, noting that the only thing she appeared to have in common with Cade was his height and athletic build. But unlike Cade, who had a talent for going unnoticed if he wished, Enorah seemed to stand out like a beacon. Despite her quiet way of moving over thick tree roots or around massive boulders or through shallow streams, she stood out. Perhaps it was their magic, their glamour that set them apart. Maybe a Faelorehn’s power was as unique as each individual and it radiated beyond them, unseen but obvious in how the world viewed them. I shook my head, not sure if my last thought even made sense.
“Almost there,” Enorah said as she flashed a dazzling smile over her shoulder.
We’d been traveling in silence for so long, I hadn’t noticed that the trees had grown sparser, still huge but with room to run between them. The trail flattened out and stretched crossed a wide clearing, and in the middle of that clearing there stood several crudely built cabins. Smoke curled from stone chimneys and the laughter of children and the trickle of water somewhere in the distance reached my ears.
“Welcome to my home!”
Enorah clapped me on the shoulder with enthusiasm. I nearly staggered, but manage to keep my balance.
Several children, ranging in age from four to their late teens, came rushing out as Enorah let loose a harsh whistle.
I froze and felt Cade move in closer to me. I counted forty to fifty people in all, plus Enorah and about a dozen adults.
“Everyone, you remember my brother Caedehn?”
Enorah then turned and gestured to me. “This is his friend, Meghan. They’ve come to visit us for the day. Meghan, these are the Wildren, the wild children of Eilé.”
Dolmarehn - Book Two of the Otherworld Trilogy Page 12
