Thom gently guided her forward, concealing a self-satisfied grin. ‘Absolutely.’
The water was viscid and by the time Kaelia was immersed to her shoulders, she was already exhausted. It smelt stagnant, dead. Kaelia’s fingers wrapped around her grandmother’s amber amulet hanging from her neck. Closing her mouth, she allowed the viscous water to pull her in. Walking became difficult. The water clung to her, strangely warm as it engulfed her head. Knowing she was already dead didn’t calm the natural instinct to fight for air. A pain seared through her forehead and she was suddenly spat from the sticky sea. Sapphire water slipped from her face and she gasped for air. In the distance she heard Thom screeching but couldn’t decipher his words. White light assaulted Kaelia’s eyes; they had become accustomed to the surreal gloom. Why she was floating above the sea?
‘Is this supposed to happen?’ Kaelia shouted to Thom.
His voice was far away. ‘This is a breach of the rules!’
The white light diffused to reveal a figure swathed in robes.
‘Vanadis?’ The amber amulet grew hot in Kaelia’s grasp, she released it and it swung around her neck.
The light figure nodded and pointed at the amulet and then at herself, her long, plaited hair billowing although there was not a breeze. She reached out and gently poked Kaelia’s forehead, stealing her sight and knocking her far from the Drauguri Sea into further darkness.
* * *
‘You can’t give up!’ Calix wailed. ‘She can’t stay dead!’
Ashen faced, Bran silently lowered Kaelia’s body back onto the bracken.
‘Look!’ Calix exclaimed excitedly. ‘She’s moving!’
Bran was beside her in a flash, closely followed by the Vallesm. The creature skulked next to Bran, lips peeled back warningly.
Kaelia’s eyes flickered open and she gulped for air. Bran’s and Calix’s faces fell into focus but her hand went up and it was the Vallesm she reached for. The wolf knocked Bran aside, catching him off guard and forcing him to stumble, before lowering its huge, furred body protectively around Kaelia.
Calix, eyes swimming with tears of relief, wanted to hug her but was warded off by the Vallesm’s burning glare. He settled for waving at her instead. ‘You’re back!’ He slapped himself on the forehead. ‘Sorry for stating the obvious but I’m so relieved.’
‘You and me both.’ Kaelia used the Vallesm’s thick fur as a rope to hoist herself into a sitting position. ‘You failed.’ She directed the statement to Bran.
Bran shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat. ‘Did I?’
‘It wasn’t you who brought me back.’
‘How do you know?’ Bran glared at her. ‘You were unconscious.’
‘I was underneath the earth.’
‘What?’ Calix’s eyes bulged. ‘In Niflheim?’
Kaelia shook her head, keeping her focus firmly on Bran.
Bran stopped breathing for a moment. ‘Thom.’
‘The Draugr?’ Calix exploded. ‘How did he find you?’
‘He was watching but you already knew that, didn’t you, Bran?’ Kaelia laid a steadying hand on the Vallesm. It lowered its head, growling menacingly.
‘Of course I didn’t know he was watching.’ Bran averted his gaze.
‘When you let me die,’ Kaelia continued, ‘Thom offered me life.’
Bran looked square at her this time. ‘Tell me you didn’t let water from the Drauguri Sea fill your lungs?’
Kaelia shook her head. ‘Not quite.’
‘What is the Drauguri Sea and why does it matter?’ Calix demanded.
Bran’s voice carried the slightest tremble. ‘It is the sea of the Draugar. Spirits whose lungs fill with the sapphire water are reborn.’
‘So, he was trying to save Kaelia?’ Calix asked.
‘No.’ Bran cleared his throat. ‘If Thom had succeeded in his plan, Kaelia would have been the same as him. She would’ve been a Draugr and had no choice but to join The Salloki.’ He looked away again.
Kaelia’s heart raced. ‘There’s something else, something you don’t want to say.’
Bran struggled to keep his face blank. ‘You would also have become his. You would’ve become Thom’s wife.’
* * *
Eleven
The sun rose, bathing the woods in early morning light, lending them a mystical appearance. Any minute Kaelia expected dancing fairies and enchanted animals to show themselves but all around was still except for the crackling of the undergrowth under their feet as she, Calix, and the Vallesm made their way back to the clearing by the entrance to Mortiswood Academy.
‘I can’t believe I forgot the motorbike in the first place,’ Calix grumbled. ‘It’s okay for you with your freaky powers; you don’t feel the exhaustion in the way I do.’
Kaelia elbowed him. ‘Stop complaining. I still get tired.’
‘I would’ve been fine if Bran hadn’t thrown me around.’ Calix glanced around, checking the necromancer wasn’t behind them. ‘Where’d he have to go to in so much of a rush anyway?’ He rubbed his back. ‘I’m still sore. Can we rest a while?’
‘I healed you so quit moaning. I came back from the dead,’ Kaelia reminded him.
‘Was it just you and Thom there?’
Kaelia shivered. ‘Yes, I’ve never felt so alone.’ The warm breath of the Vallesm hit her hand. The creature was even larger than she had remembered and it had refused to leave her side since her return from the Drauguri Sea.
‘Do you think Bran was telling the truth about Thom trying to make you his wife?’ Calix shuddered. ‘That’s gross. Thom’s a Draugr.’
Kaelia shrugged. ‘I don’t think I’ll trust anyone ever again.’
‘Apart from me?’ Calix adopted a hopeful expression.
Not for the first time, Kaelia wished it were Bay beside her, pulling the silly face he used to when he’d wanted to pinch her packet of crisps.
‘Motorbike,’ she said, changing the subject without answering Calix’s question. ‘Then to free my grandmother’s spirit and find out what happened to my mum. All this time I assumed The Salloki took my mum, or killed her, but Thom denies it. Bran says the Draugr twists the truth for his own use and just because The Salloki deny having any involvement in my mum’s disappearance doesn’t mean they’re not behind it.’
Calix, wounded when Kaelia hadn’t responded to his question, pushed his own feelings aside. ‘You’ve already forgotten what you said about trust and as far I’m concerned both Bran and Thom are twisting things in their favour. We know why Thom would want you, it’s to join The Salloki but what does Bran really want?’
‘I don’t know.’ Kaelia sighed. ‘I suppose I’ll have to trust Bran at least until he shows me the way to Niflheim.’
They had reached the clearing in the woods and Calix turned Kaelia to face him. ‘You can trust me, Kaelia, you know that don’t you?’
Kaelia held out a hand to the Vallesm, which was growling at Calix, and didn’t answer. The visit into Thom’s realm beneath the earth had truly opened her eyes to things she never knew existed. Both Bran and Thom had their own agendas so she couldn’t help questioning everyone’s motives.
* * *
Bran reached the hill with the spiked tree at the opposite end of Mortiswood Academy’s grounds in barely any time at all. The sun rising behind the distant academy building bathed its castellated roof line in golden light. He turned his back on the building and faced the dead tree. Lifting his hands in the air he spoke a string of words in ancient tongue. The ground beneath his feet quaked and Bran struggled to retain a foothold. A huge gash opened at the base of the hill and a rush of violet smoke poured out. Bran’s nostrils twitched at the decaying odour carried in the smoke, and he shielded his eyes as a monstrous horse galloped from the opening in the ground and then thundered towards him.
Bran folded his arms across his chest and drew himself to his full height, waiting for the horse to change form. ‘Draugr,’ he said once the beast had shifted.
‘Necromancer.’ Thom’s lips lifted in a half grimace, half smile. He picked at his teeth with a long finger, flicking a globule of chewed flesh from it. ‘You stole Kaelia from me.’ He opened and closed his hand. ‘I had her in my grasp but you snatched her away. She could have been mine for all eternity, the power we would have had together!’
‘She was never yours for the taking!’ Bran fumed. ‘You had no right doing what you did!’
Thom tipped his head back and laughed. ‘Do not attempt to dictate to me what I can and cannot do. Remember, you work for The Salloki not the other way around and we will do as we please. You failed to deliver the girl to us, Necromancer, and you have failed to reveal the identity of Marrock. We will not be patient with you for much longer.’
Light crackled from the tips of Bran’s fingers, he struggled to speak. ‘I do not work for The Salloki and Kaelia is not yours to take!’
‘Do you think you have a claim on her?’ Thom loomed above Bran, his shoulders hunched to compensate for his height advantage. ‘You think you will be the one Kaelia unites with?’ He laughed scornfully. ‘We were wrong to think you capable of seducing Kaelia and delivering her to us. All you have succeeded in showing The Salloki is that we do not need you. Kaelia will be far more powerful than you ever will. I will have my time with her again by the Drauguri Sea and I will succeed!’
With an almighty roar, Bran flung his hands out and shot bolts of light at the Draugr, hitting Thom in the chest and sending him flying backwards down the hill.
‘You’ll never have her!’ Bran screamed. ‘The power will be mine!’
Bran fired bolts of light in rapid succession before Thom had the chance to find his feet, or to shift into the hideous horse beast. He sent the Draugr back through the gash in the earth at the foot hill before belting out the words to knit the land back together. Fury frenzied his breathing. Smoothing his hair into place, Bran flew down the hill to make his way to the clearing on the other side of Mortiswood Academy, ready to meet Kaelia.
* * *
The Vallesm had reluctantly been left in the clearing with Kaelia promising they would fetch the motorbike and return immediately. Mortiswood Academy was silent when Kaelia and Calix reached the garages. The row of ten garages was no more than wooden rooms without doors. Magic cloaked the entrances, keeping the elements at bay to protect the vehicles inside.
Kaelia had manoeuvred her motorbike out of its parking space when Calix tapped her on the shoulder.
‘You return then leave so soon?’ Harriet, standing at the garage entrance, wore a sad expression.
Kaelia propped the bike up by its stand. ‘I have to. It’s time.’ She didn’t want to alarm the older woman with all that had happened so far. Instead, she said, ‘I must find my family. I have shied away from it for too long. If I really am The Chosen One, I should be strong enough to do this.’
‘And Marrock?’ Harriet asked. ‘Have you found out who Marrock is?’
A strange feeling rushed over Kaelia, the same as it did every time the name was mentioned. ‘No, I’m in no hurry to fulfil that part of my destiny. What if I don’t like this Marrock? I can’t believe I have to be intimate with Marrock to fulfil my destiny. It’s archaic!’’
Harriet held out a velvet pouch. ‘My dear, where destiny is concerned, I am afraid you have no choice. It is written. What is in this pouch may help you on your journey.’
Kaelia reached into the pouch, her fingers closing around something pointed and cold. ‘What is it?’ She held the mottled brown, curved knife’s ornate silver handle in her hand.
‘I call it “The Thorn of Isandr”.’
Kaelia hadn’t heard the name before. ‘Isandr?’
‘The fiery stag!’ Calix exclaimed, quickly he filled Kaelia in on the tracking potion which had actually turned out to be a spell, omitting the fact it was Cadence who had told him.
Harriet’s lips twitched. ‘I suspected you took a vial of Rosealrium oil. Isandr was not only a stag but a great man and a brilliant sorcerer.’
‘I was planning to replace the oil,’ Calix interrupted.
‘I’m afraid that will be impossible to do,’ Harriet replied. ‘I’ve not heard of a Rosealrium bush bearing any flowers this last decade.’
‘What power does this thorn hold?’ Kaelia studied it. ‘Is it really a thorn?’
‘No, not a real thorn,’ Harriet explained. ‘It was part of Isandr’s antlers.’
‘How did you come to have it?’ Calix asked.
Harriet’s eyes misted up. ‘Isandr was my great, great grandmother’s lover when she was young. The stories of their love have been told through generations of my family. When The Salloki captured Isandr and killed him, my great, great grandmother was there, disguised as a tree in the woods where Isandr died.
‘When The Salloki left, she found a piece of Isandr’s antler on the ground, which is why I came to have it. It wields great strength, Kaelia. If your powers fail you and an attacker is upon you.’ Harriet grasped Kaelia’s shoulders. ‘Drive it straight into their heart, no hesitation. It will pierce them with pure Rosealrium and stop the beating of an evil heart.’
‘Thank you.’ Kaelia slipped the knife back into its pouch, made to put it in her bag but instead tucked it into the side of her belt. It would be easier to reach if needed. She pushed the motorbike out of the garage and straddled it.
‘Remember,’ Harriet called as Calix hopped up onto the motorbike behind Kaelia. ‘The Thorn of Isandr will stop a truly evil heart, if the heart is not pure evil it will wound but not kill!’ She shivered and watched the pair speed off in a cloud of dust. ‘May Isandr protect you both; you’ll certainly need it.’
* * *
The sun had bled into the sky when Cadence parted the trees with a wave of her hand and stepped into the small clearing before the mouth of the cave. ‘He’s not here!’ Her face dropped.
‘Are you sure we came the right way?’ Jade peered around.
‘We would’ve been here quicker if I’d taken lead first of all,’ Cadence scolded. ‘But no, you had to lead because you were crowned this year’s top tracker. What a joke!’
‘It’s not my fault if it all looks the same!’
Points of Cadence’s bob emphasised her sharp cheekbones as she knelt and lifted a broken piece of bracken from the ground. She held it to her nose, closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Scent from the foliage told her Calix had indeed been there.
‘That’s weird.’ Jade eyed her friend’s back. ‘Why hasn’t my sense of smell improved yet? I’m lucky if I can sniff out an open packet of chocolate cream biscuits.’ Her stomach growled; chocolate cream biscuits were her favourite.
Cadence straightened, discarding the bracken. ‘If I know you, you have a packet in your satchel.’
Jade shook her head. ‘I forgot to pick any up and we’re missing breakfast. Did you pack any food?’
‘No, I wasn’t thinking of food.’
Jade laughed and clutched a hand to her chest. ‘Oh, Calix, Calix, I love you!’ She did a fair imitation of her friend’s voice.
Cadence arched an eyebrow. ‘Shut up! I’m not that obsessed with him.’
‘No, you’re not that obsessed just totally obsessed!’
Cadence’s eyes hazed over, she whipped up a whirl of fallen leaves and attacked Jade with them. In return Jade’s eyes swirled green and she pulled vines across the ground to snake around Cadence’s ankles.
‘Enough!’ Cadence’s breath was knocked out of her, the vines sweeping her off her feet to land flat on her back.
Jade dropped beside her, laughing. ‘You must be in love, you let me win.’ She poked her friend in the leg. ‘Are you becoming soft?’
‘Absolutely not!’ Cadence thought of Calix.
Jade poked her again. ‘There it is - the dreamy look. You really like him, don’t you?’
‘I suppose.’
‘Or is he appealing because you want to get one over Kaelia?’
‘I
don’t know what you mean.’
Jade studied Cadence intently. ‘You know full well what I mean. Calix is no way your usual type. Are you into him because you want to take him away from Kaelia?’
Cadence bristled, annoyed with Jade yet knowing the latter was partly right. ‘Have you seen him naked?’
Jade shook her head. ‘I’m not interested.’
This time Cadence poked Jade. ‘Who are you interested in? You’ve not dated anyone since ...I can’t remember when you last dated anyone.’
Jade didn’t answer.
Cadence screwed her face up. ‘Wait, wasn’t it Austin, the Truth Seer? Many years ago!’
‘No, I’ve dated since Austin. Can you stop thinking about my dating life and tell me when we’ll be finding breakfast?’ Jade’s stomach growled again.
Cadence stood up. ‘Unless you want to try and catch a rabbit or find some mushrooms, you’ll have to wait. Come on, Calix and Kaelia can’t be far away.’
Jade grumbled but allowed Cadence to haul her to her feet. ‘They’re probably off somewhere having breakfast.’ She followed Cadence past the cave, neither of them noticing it, to where a small stream babbled. ‘Can you smell that awful stench?’
Cadence shook her head. ‘Come on, this way leads to the road.’
‘No, it doesn’t.’ Jade pointed in the opposite direction. ‘That’s the way to the road.’
‘How do you know? You took us all around the trees before.’
Jade shrugged. ‘I know I’m right this time. Can’t you feel the path pulling at you?’
‘You can?’
Jade grabbed Cadence’s hand, tugging her in the direction she was compelled to follow. Cadence objected, certain Jade was wrong but energy radiated from Jade. She glowed. Cadence had never seen her friend glow before.
‘Are you okay?’ Cadence asked Jade worriedly. ‘You’re all luminescent.’
Contrasting to her glowing skin, Jade’s eyes were murky and dull. ‘Can you feel it?’
‘Feel what?’
Mortiswood: Kaelia Awakening (Mortiswood Tales) Page 18
