by Mindy Hayes
“This is ridiculous. We’d figure it out. Stop talking. Save your energy.” I lifted my gaze, combing through the shrubbery. “Calliope! Calliope!” My voice sounded gravelly to my own ears. I was losing force. “Help me, please!” I cried.
“It’s no use, Cameron. No one is coming. They have a bigger battle to fight in there.”
“Yes, they are, dang it. Calliope!”
“Cameron, shut up!” Lia choked and coughed. “Just shut up and kiss me.”
I shook my head. Kissing her meant I was accepting this. It meant saying goodbye. I refused to say goodbye to Lia.
“You’d deny a girl her dying wish?”
I leaned down, unsmiling. I wouldn’t laugh at her attempt to joke with me. “I’m not kissing you because this is over. I’m kissing you because I want to. You’re not dying. Stay with me.”
“Staying,” she said in a faded whisper as her eyes fluttered close. I pressed my lips to hers, but her mouth didn’t react to mine.
“Lia.” I pulled away to look at her. Her head fell to the side, slack. “Lia?” I shook her, but she didn’t respond. “Lia!”
Chapter Thirty Three
SARAI
I pried my eyes open, but everything was a blur. I knew I was lying down. The earth was rough beneath my shoulder and side. “Sarai,” someone said. “Can you hear me? Sarai, are you okay?”
My eyes clenched shut. There was too much. Too much pain. Too many sounds. Too many figures. Too many things fighting for my attention.
“Sarai, please say something. Can you hear me?”
I took a deep breath and opened my eyes again. Marcus’s concerned face came into focus. “Are you all right?”
“I will be,” I croaked. Beyond Marcus, pandemonium unfurled throughout the cavern. Calliope took out several elves at once with a gust of wind, knocking them against the wall. While our Keepers dominated with strength and speed. This was not what I’d wanted. Why couldn’t Guthron see reason? Tears filled my eyes as I tried to sit up.
“Be careful,” he urged and helped prop me against the rock. “Can you still use your element?”
I nodded. If I had to use it sitting down, I would. This would end one way or another. If I had to take them all out with a tsunami, I would. As soon as the Keepers and Calliope and Marcus were safe, I would flood this entire cave.
Marcus peered at me with the saddest eyes, his hand cradling my face. I was about to tell him to leave me and fight when one of the enhanced elves appeared behind Marcus, arm raised with a sword above his head.
“Marcus, watch out!”
With rapid speed, Marcus rolled out of the way and the sword came down between my legs, nearly severing my knee. My eyes shot up and met the elf’s frightening glare. He hissed and heaved the sword back, prepared to take my life. Fire blasted from the torch above me and engulfed the elf’s face. He stumbled back and ran into the chaos, trying to slap out the fire.
Marcus grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. I scanned the sides of the cave and spotted a ledge near the top. “Get us to higher ground.”
“What?”
“We need to get to that ledge.” I pointed. “All of us. We need to tell Calliope and the Keepers. I have a plan.”
“But, we need to secure the scroll and the blood first.”
“Where are they being kept?” I asked.
“I don’t know, but Guthron must be storing the blood near by. He changed Lia here in the cavern, and the blood needed to stay fresh long enough for the transfer.”
I did not want to think of how fresh it needed to be. “I will find it. Just get them to that ledge, and I will meet you up there.”
Marcus hesitated, his gaze memorizing my face. For a beat of my heart he held my stare. I realized my hand was still locked in his grasp. I hadn’t bothered to twist free. “Be careful, Sarai. Please,” he said before he charged the mob of elves and joined the fight.
I leaped across from wall to wall above the throng, until I reached the ledge and searched for another tunnel or crevasse where Guthron could have a den or some place to hide the scroll and blood. On the opposite end of the cavern, a smaller opening appeared to lead down the other end of the cave. I flipped down and bolted for the break in the wall. Before I could go any farther, Guthron blocked my path, standing in the middle of the opening with his sword ready to strike.
“This way, unfortunately, is off limits.” His answer gave away the position of what I wanted. Poor decision on his part.
“Guthron, this can end now. No one else has to die. Hand over the scroll and the blood, and we can agree on a ceasefire.”
“That will never happen. We were given the scroll. It is rightfully ours to do as we please.”
Given the scroll? “By who? No one would willingly give it up. No one even knew of its existence. It belongs to the True Royal family of Faylinn.”
“And now it belongs to us. You have your brother to thank for that.
My brother?
“Skye made sure it wound up in the right hands.”
“Skye?” I choked. He was misguided, but to turn on his own kind. It made no sense. “He would never.”
“You think your brother worshipped your father and believed in his cause?” Guthron laughed. “He didn’t think your father could follow through and force the other kingdoms to live in Faylinn. We were supposed to build an army to make the rest of the kingdoms comply, and in return we would receive your powers. He called for a truce. You did us a favor by taking out Skye and Adair. We owe no one now.”
My family’s transgressions would never stop haunting me. “You must see how dangerous the information in that scroll is. That scroll holds the key to our existence.”
“And ironically enough, that power now resides in my hands.”
I angled myself to look over my shoulder at the carnage piling up. With the power of their elements, Marcus and Calliope were taking out numerous amounts of elves at once. One sweep of my hand, and the rest could be annihilated.
“The last thing I want is to fight fire with fire. Let us work this out civilly. I believe we can still live in peace.” I had to believe. Otherwise, there would never be accord again.
“We have been oppressed for long enough!” he seethed. “We deserve your powers. We are not a pawn to be played.”
“Of course you’re not. You are free to do whatever you choose in this world. No one is stopping you. But, killing innocent fae to obtain their powers will not be tolerated. Turn over the scroll and the blood, and this will all be over. You can go back to living in peace, and so shall we. We will put this behind us.”
“There is no peace, Sarai,” he scoffed. “The elves have always been feared, shunned, avoided. We are deprived of our own kingdom, forced to share the land and move when our dwelling is no longer habitable for our protection. Pixies do not require the space we do, the mermaids own every body of water, and the trolls are too dense to know they deserve more. If I return the scroll to you, we are left with nothing to our advantage.”
I needed to find a solution. One that ended the violence and concealed what happened here. The more contained, the better. “I am a reasonable woman, Guthron. I am not my father, or my brother, Skye.” I may be a Royal, but I was not above begging. “What do you want? If it is within my means, I will make it happen. What will keep you from further pursuing this?”
“You want to bargain with me?” Guthron appeared confused by my willingness to negotiate. Had we truly never treated them as equals?
“I want this to end. I am tired of death and loss. I am tired of war and anger. I want us to live in a world where there is peace and understanding. I want to amend my father’s wrongs and give back the lives that were taken advantage of.”
His chest puffed out as he stood taller, attempting to intimidate me. “I want our own kingdom, a branch on the Waking Oak.”
I frowned. “That is not up to me, Guthron. You know that. The Waking Oak creates as it sees fit. If it were up to me, I wou
ld give that to you.”
“Then you have nothing to offer me.”
“If you do not give me something, every last one of you will die.”
“This sounds less like a negotiation and more like a threat.”
“It is a fact. I cannot allow you to continue slaughtering my fae, and you cannot afford to lose any more of yours. And rest assured, if you refuse to cease, not one of your fellow men will remain when I am through with you. If we come to an agreement, no one else has to die.”
“Your blood is the only thing I want.”
“And I cannot let you have it.”
Think, Sarai. Think. I spared a glace at the battle behind me as it continued on. There seemed to be more on the ground than those who remained standing and fighting. Was this what it looked like at the Battle of Faylinn? Did anyone show mercy?
I spun back to him. “What if I give you a portion of Rymidon? Miles and miles of land for you to call your own. It’s not your own kingdom, but it is more than enough for the number of you that is left. You will not have to continue relocating. Rymidonian craftsmen will help you build homes and whatever you might need. You will have access to our harvests and our trade with other kingdoms. My Keepers will also serve as protection. An attack on the elves will be an attack on me. I will be your advocate. If there is anything you need—anything within reason—I will do what I can to help.”
Guthron blinked, either unable to fathom my offer or contemplating my seriousness. I could tell my offer was more than he’d received in the past. How cruelly had my father treated them for our kinds to hate each other so intensely, to be mortal enemies?
“I am showing you mercy, Guthron. Take it. In exchange for your silence and the ceasing of transformations, I will grant you all of this. Hand over the blood and the scroll, and this ends now. The fighting ends today.”
Guthron’s mouth pinched in consideration. He held up his hand and shouted, “Stadeb!” His booming voice echoed throughout the cavern. I had no idea what it meant, but every elf immediately ceased their fighting and looked to Guthron.
“I have one more condition,” I said. “You must all remain in Rymidon, no traveling to other kingdoms. You will be free to roam our land, but if you must travel through the Waking Oak, you will be accompanied by one of my Keepers. I need the assurance that all fae are safe, that there will be no other kingdoms targeted. If you prove yourselves trustworthy, we can renegotiate these terms in the future, but until then, this is what I ask of you.”
A hand gripped my shoulder. Calliope whispered in my ear, “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
I nodded once. This was my decision. Calliope wasn’t going to change my mind.
“He could turn on you at any point,” she tried to reason.
I murmured, “And the repercussions will be tenfold.”
Guthron hesitated before he outstretched his hand. His sharp nails gave me pause, but I needed to trust him. I needed him to know I trusted him. I placed my hand around his wrist and his fingers locked around mine in a root.
“We will agree to your terms.”
Internally, I heaved a sigh, but kept my outward appearance reserved. “This agreement is binding. I am a fair woman, but I will not be exploited. If you or any of your clan breaks this treaty, everything I have offered will be taken away. There will be severe consequences.”
“The same will go for you and your kingdom. If any of the things you promised are withdrawn, the blood of your kind if fair game.”
“Then let us remain fair and understanding.”
Chapter Thirty Four
LIA
Muffled sounds flooded my ears. My brain was in too much of a haze to place my surroundings. I tried to open my eyes, but my lids felt like they’d been cemented shut.
“C’mon, Lia. Wake up. Wake up, Lia.” Calliope? “Cameron, her eyes fluttered.”
A gentle hand pressed to my jaw, a thumb stroking my cheek. “Lia? I’m here. Come back to me.” Cameron? “Please come back to me.”
What happened to me? Why couldn’t I move? I was so uncomfortable. Something ragged dug into my shoulder blade. I shifted away from it.
“No, hold still,” Calliope ordered, pressing my shoulders into the ground. “You’re still healing.”
“It hurts,” I muttered.
“I know,” she sympathized, “but you have to stay still. Your wound was so deep. It may take another few minutes for you to feel like yourself.”
“No,” I groaned, trying to move again. “My shoulder. It hurts.”
After a second, I felt them move me to the side, and the sharp pain in my shoulder disappeared. “That’s better.” I sighed.
Someone laughed. “Good grief. She gets stabbed in the stomach, but she’s complaining about a rock in her back.”
I opened my eyes. “It really hurt.”
Cameron hovered above me and smiled, but his expression was off. “Welcome back.”
“Hi.” I attempted to smile at him. The pain in my stomach pulsed as it fought to heal. “Did we win?”
“Sarai took care of it,” Calliope answered, but she didn’t sound convinced.
I looked to her. “I feel like that’s not an answer.”
“She showed a lot more mercy than I would have, but it’s over. The scroll and blood are on their way back to Faylinn with Declan and Kai. They’ll be kept in a secure place until we decide what to do with them.”
“How long have I been out?”
“Not long,” she said. “I came out to a very frantic Cameron. We almost lost you. I showed up with barely enough time. I could feel the life leaving you.”
My eyes drifted to Cameron whose emotions finally registered. He looked terrified. “Thank you, Calliope,” I said.
“Thank the boy scout here.” She patted Cameron on the back. “He held pressure on your wound long enough for me to get to you. You would’ve bleed out for sure if not for him.”
He stayed with me. How long had he stayed, waiting for me to fade away, thinking I would die? “Thank you, Cameron.” I clutched his hand by my side, and all he did was nod.
“We should get back to Faylinn. You need to rest, Lia. And I need to get Cameron back home.”
Right. Cameron had to leave. I didn’t want Cameron to leave me. What have I done?
…
Calliope showed me to the guest room down the hall from her chambers where I’d stayed before.
“Get some sleep,” she said. “It’s late. We can talk about what you’re going to do in the morning.”
“I’ll lay down, but could Cameron and I have a minute before you take him back?”
Calliope gave me a funny look. “Okay, but make it quick. He’s acting more and more strange. I don’t think I can handle Cameron going crazy on top of everything else today.”
I nodded, and she left the room. Was he acting more and more strange because he was a human in the faery world? Or was it because he felt as heartbroken as I did?
After a long stretch of quiet, Cameron said, “So.”
“So,” I said.
He swallowed and dug his hands into his front pockets as he rocked back on his heels. “I guess I’ll still get to come to faery parties and we can hang out, so there’s that.”
“Yes. There’s that.” I tried to smile, but something told me it didn’t look like much of one. I stared down at my feet, thoughts of what I wanted to say to him running around inside my brain, but none of them slowed down long enough or seemed like the right thing to say.
Thanks for taking care of me.
I had fun living with you.
I think I love you, too.
“Would it be blasphemous if I asked Calliope to use some of the left over faery blood on me?”
My head whipped up.
He nervously rubbed his hands together. “I know it’s the blood of innocent faeries—or alleged innocent faeries, they could’ve deserved to die for all we know—but if it’s going to be disposed of anyway, what c
ould it hurt, right?”
“Cameron, we don’t even know if the blood would work on you.” My heart raced rapidly inside of my chest.
“But, it’s worth a shot, don’t you think?”
Yes.
Chapter Thirty Five
CAMERON
“Are you insane?!”
I knew this conversation wasn’t going to go over well.
“What if it doesn’t work on you?” Calliope stood in the middle of the atrium with her arms spread wide, looking at me like I was an idiot. Yup. This was the exact reaction I was expecting. “The elves knew the right amount of blood that was needed for them and the amount needed for faeries like Lia after experimenting for months. The chemical make up of your body is completely different, Cam. You’re human. Not to mention weight, height—all of that needs to be taken into consideration. What if the dosage of blood is wrong? Then what? You die, Cam. That’s what! No. No. You’re not changing. I won’t allow it.”
“I’m not one of your faeries. This isn’t your decision, Cal.”
“It should be!” she yelled. “It’s going to be difficult enough as it is to explain how Lia transformed back. Everyone would question how you became a faery.” Calliope flung her arms in the air, throwing all kinds of hand gestures and sweeping motions between Lia and me. No one talked with her hands more than Callie did. “Faylinn and Rymidon all know you were my human best friend. We were trying to keep this under wraps. We do not want anyone else knowing what can be done with our blood.”
Solutions ran through my mind. “What if we go to one of the other kingdoms to live?”
“It doesn’t work like that, Cam. It’s not like moving from city-to-city or state-to-state. You can’t just bounce from kingdom-to-kingdom. We don’t all work the same. We have different laws and rules. Not to mention, enough rumors have been spread. Everyone knows who Lia is now. She’s probably safest in Rymidon.”
