by Tara Maya, Elle Casey, J L Bryan, Anthea Sharp, Jenna Elizabeth Johnson, Alexia Purdy (epub)
“Um, excuse me, boys, but do you know where the nearest town is? I’ve done gone and got myself lost. Would either one of you gentlemen care to show me which way to go?” She batted her eyes at them in the girliest way she could think of. Flipping her hair back, she didn’t think she looked irresistible, but she’d figured what the hell, it’s worth a shot.
“Stay put there, miss. Andre, grab her and make sure she ain’t got no weapons.” Draden waved at his brother. They were immediately at full alert and converted into the soldiers they were trained to be. Shade swallowed hard and stiffened but recovered almost immediately, trying to act like it was no big deal.
“Oh, come on now, boys, why would a little lass like me be carrying around a weapon? I wouldn’t touch those filthy things if you paid me. It would ruin my nails.” She curled her fingers into her palm, hoping they wouldn’t notice her dingy and short cuticles. She cranked up her smile and flashed her eyes at the approaching guard again, the one named Andre. He crouched by her and signaled her to hold her arms up as he did a quick sweep of her sides and yanked her pack from her back. She was about to protest but decided that silence would be the safest choice. She hoped the glamour charm Dylan had waved onto her pack was good enough to hide all her stuff, especially the weapons.
“I don’t see any, Draden. She’s got nothing but makeup, a brush and some clothes in this thing.” He tossed it back to her, and she caught it as it whacked her chest. She frowned but slipped it back on, widening another smile across her face, twirling her hair. It dangled from her ponytail and flew about like a wispy halo around her face. She waited, observing the other guard, who was squinted his suspicious eyes at her and frowning.
“What’s your name, girl?” Draden approached her with his sword drawn. Shade held her breath as he came up to her, bending his head down to meet her eye to eye. With the cold stare of ice blue eyes, he appeared more menacing than his twin. His long blond hair was pulled in a loose braid and dangled partially in his face. Up close, his face was worn with years of hard fighting; deep lines creased his eyes and mouth and stubble grew, sprinkled across his skin. His twin looked just as hard, but maybe not as cold. She swallowed and wondered how to answer this big man with his sword pointed right at her. She took a breath, staring back into the warrior’s eyes.
“My name is Alice, Alice Coleman. I’m sorry, I must have interrupted something. I’ll just leave then and go along my merry way. I really didn’t want to impose or anything.” Draden, pressed his sword into her clavicle, cut her off. She stepped back, but he grabbed her arm to stop her. She felt her panic rush over her.
Where the hell is Dylan?
“I don’t believe you.” He pressed the blade a little more, and her skin burned with the tiny cut. She held back a cry and stared back at him, anger spilling across her face as she clenched her lips together.
“I don’t care what you think. I said I’ll be on my way now.” She continued to stare and waited, since he did not let up on his grip. He glared back and seemed to ponder her face, stamping it into his memory. She wondered if he would actually hurt her or even kill her. She didn’t want to find out, but her impatience grew with every second.
She decided to chance another step backward. Slowly she retreated, but watching him dart his eyes just a moment made her pause. He continued to press the sword into her but did not push it in any further. She stared at his eyes and willed him to drop the sword. She beckoned with her eyes, like a silent prayer. She felt her magic swirl within her, inside her heart, spinning around like a mirror ball and growing with each moment. It felt like a breath flowing out of her, up to her wound and down the sword Draden held firmly in his hands.
The moment it touched him, she saw him waver. He looked away, down at the sword and back up to her face. His face fell, eyes widening and fear creeping up into his icy stare as his eyes darted from the sword to her, and back again. Finally, he stepped away, relenting, letting his sword slide down until it grazed the soil and hung slack in his hand.
“What did you do? How did you… who are you?” He stepped away, and his firm stare met her gaze, mixed with confusion and suspicion. “Who sent you?”
Shade licked her lips and watched him as he backed away. Andre approached with his sword in hand but halted with a wave from Draden. The dominant brother was obvious to her. She hoped that whatever had just happened would save her.
“Drop your swords, or we will not stop. She will churn your insides into pulp, and she will not hesitate.” Dylan had two swords readied and crept up behind the twins, cautiously poking them in their backs simultaneously. They both froze, surprise and anger spilled across their faces. Draden glanced at Dylan and then back at Shade, seemingly contemplating the situation, probably pondering their chances against them.
Whatever magic had filled him from Shade had gotten the best of him. He dropped his sword and straightened, holding his head up and puffing his chest out in some male attempt at superiority. Andre followed suit and dropped his sword, hands in the air for surrender.
“Shade, tie them up, and hurry; I don’t know when their replacements could show up.” Shade hurried over, kicking the dropped swords out of reach and grabbed the spool of rope Dylan handed over to her. She took the slim ropes and walked over to Draden. “Ok, tell your brother to turn his back into that tree there, and you can back into it, too. Stand next to him with your arms behind you.”
Draden glared at her with tense lips and hard eyes. She waited patiently, not letting his stare creep into her again or letting any fear slip out. He did what she said and waited as his brother walked over and turned around behind him. Shade snickered and hastily tied the ropes around their wrists. She silently thanked her mom for those scout campouts where tying knots was a requirement to earn those nifty badges her mom would carefully sew onto her uniform vest. She still had that vest, hanging neatly in her closet.
Once she had them tied, she directed them to a tree where she wrapped the remainder of the rope around them several times, as tightly as she could get it without cutting off circulation to their bodies. She knotted the ends securely. She looked at the brothers and beamed with satisfaction.
“I know what you are. You’re a changeling. Only changelings can send magic into others to make them weaker. I met one once. He’s dead now. He was powerful, though. You will never be that strong.” Draden sighed and looked down at the ground, pensive and serious. “You look like him, though; your father, I mean.”
Shade stopped him, her face frozen in surprise. “What did you say? Who are you talking about?”
Draden snapped his head up and watched her face, smirking.
“What are you smiling at?” She felt anger flush over her face, but she tried to contain it, not wanting to give him the satisfaction.
“You don’t know, do you? You didn’t even know you were a changeling. How’d you do it, then? Wild magic flows through you like a cancer; he had the same powers. I could help you, you know. I knew your father. He was a powerful man. I was his second in command for centuries until he died and that crazy queen took over.” The husky man squirmed in the ropes, grimacing and obviously trying to loosen the ties. Shade was no longer smiling, but at least there was no way in hell he could break loose.
She turned to look at Dylan. He was standing nearby, his dual swords ready in hand. He was not as sure as she was that the rope would hold. His lips were firm, straight and almost colorless. His eyes furrowed in concentration, contemplating what the soldier had said. “Don’t listen to them, Shade. He’s trying to trick you and delay us. Let’s go to the fountain before someone else shows up.” He brought the swords down, turned and motioned for her to follow.
Draden’s eyes widened, seeing the two of them walking away. He fidgeted again and yelled after them. “I swear it’s the truth, girl. I know things you need to know. I was his second in command. Your father would have wanted you to know these things. Stop!”
Shade turned her head, still following Dylan an
d glanced back at the brawny warrior. His wild eyes watched her intently, waiting for her to turn back. She shook her head and looked away. She had a strange feeling that the soldier was telling the truth. If not, he was an excellent liar. A part of her wanted to go back and ask the warrior so many questions, but she knew it wasn’t the right time.
The doorway to the fountains lay in shadows. They stepped into the darkness and waited as their eyes adjusted to dim light. Following Dylan and activating her light stone, she grimaced at the stone walls. Another cave. Great, thought Shade.
Just as she thought that, a light shone through another doorway, making her realize the hall they were in was more of a semi-circle. It led to an open courtyard in the shape of a full moon. Here in the middle of the mountains, the sun streamed down above the sharp cliffs that reached up to the sky. Shade drew in her breath, amazed at the sight; hidden from any prying eyes was a vast, rich garden. It was large, and the sound of water trickled and gurgled all around them. The grass was a brilliant, glowing green with the most brilliantly colored flowers and vines weaving throughout it.
The air was moist and warm here; it felt akin to being in a large greenhouse, like one she’d visited in her childhood with her father. It had contained an immense glass dome as a ceiling and held in butterflies and birds of all types. The warm mist felt much the same and made her want to curl up under a tree and take a nap. It was a piece of untouched land that seemed to be heaven on earth.
They stood in awe of the sights. Dylan motioned her forward again and broke her out of her thoughts. She followed but was stunned by the beauty of the place. Near the middle of the garden, they came upon what looked like a massive natural fountain, made of rock and crystals of every color. The crystals glinted and parted the light into beams of rainbow all around the fountain, making it hard to look at because the jewels shimmered so brightly.
Dylan stopped. He reached into his pack and pulled out a glass flask with a stopper. He held it out to Shade, signaling for her to take it. “Here, I can’t touch the waters, but you can. Take this and fill it. Then we will be done.”
Shade took the flask and smiled. Excitement hummed through her veins as she approached the fountain. She paused at the edge and stared down at the glowing crystals. The water swelled around them and trickled down the rock, spraying up a slight mist of warm water. She wondered what made it so special; it looked like water, plain water. The fountain itself was impressive, but that’s where it ended.
She licked her lips and took the stopper out of the flask, dipping it into the warm embrace of the water. She let it fill as it bubbled up around her hand. She felt the magic stir. As she immersed her arm in the water, the magic seemed to intensify. She felt it crawl up her arm and deep into her core. Her eyes widened as the euphoria overwhelmed her.
Shaking her head to clear it and think better now that the flask was full, she pulled the flask out to examine it. Rainbows swirled in the glinting sunlight inside of the glass. She felt the cool liquid run down her arm and drip onto the moist earth below. The dirt vibrated with life as green vines and leaves sprouted at every drop and reached for the sunlight. She smiled, enjoying the euphoric feeling and peace all at once. She realized she was glowing, reflecting light off the pool of water. It felt amazing.
“Shade? Are you okay?” Dylan’s eyes were wide in concern. His face appeared paralyzed in shock and disbelief. She looked up at him and smiled, nodding as she pushed the stopper into the flask.
“That was amazing, Dylan! I feel like someone just jolted me awake with a million double shot espressos; I feel great!” Shade laughed and hopped back to where Dylan stood, drying her arm on her hoodie. He approached her and smiled, watching her illuminated face and feeling the warmth spill onto him. He reached out and touched her cheek, sliding his fingers over her skin, the vibrating magic spilled onto his skin too. His hand glowed and the light crept over him as it did her. They stood in a cocoon of light and peace.
He laughed and smiled at her. Her smile was contagious. Her cherry red lips seemed to beckon him, and her dreamy honey eyes seemed to pull him into the deep abyss of her soul. He moved closer, cupping her face. Bending forward, his lips brushed against hers, warm and soft, sending Shade’s heart sighing in bliss. A feeling of drunkenness filled him, as though he had been empty and now was filling up to the brim. He gave in to the embrace, letting it swim around them like honey dripping off the trees and leaves around them, imprisoning them in a bubble of swirling magic. He wanted to kiss and hold her forever.
“There they are! We have you surrounded! Drop your weapons!”
The shout jerked them back to the garden and the trickling water. Dylan spun and stared at the squad of soldiers pouring in through the door in the rock wall and fanning out to surround them.
“Drop your weapons, or we will be forced to kill you, warrior. We only want the girl with the flask of water. Give her to us, and we will let you live.” The leader stared at Dylan’s swords, now loose and unsheathed, held in a fighting stance. The captain of this band shook his head and laughed. “You can’t win; we outnumber you, young man. Drop the swords.”
“Sir, I can’t locate the twins. It’s like they’ve disappeared. I found pieces of their armor, but they’re nowhere to be found. Maybe the little witch dispatched them before we arrived. I’ve heard strange things about her, sir.” The captain waved the subordinate away, furiously shaking his head.
“Don’t be stupid! Just as well. We’ll assume they’re dead. Now, secure the girl and let’s get back to the palace before dark. The Queen will be most pleased. Move in!” The circle of soldiers began to press in on them.
Shade turned to watch the soldiers closing in on them and backed into Dylan, her hands clasped around the bottle. Her eyes darted nervously at the soldiers. “What now, Dylan? There’s no way out! We’re trapped!” She bit her lip as the fear spilled over the fading euphoria.
“It’s all right, Shade. Listen to me, and do just what I say. Hold onto me. I’m going to drop my glamour and call my powers.” Shade looked up at him, eyes wide in terror.
“What are you gonna do?”
“I’m going to call my power of lightning. When I discharge it, the first ring of soldiers will drop with the shock. Hold onto me tightly; I have to control it so it doesn’t go too wide and fry the garden. Come on!”
Shade shook her head as she turned into him, letting his arms embrace her tightly. “I-I don’t know if this is a good idea. What if I get electrocuted, too?” She trembled in his grip. Dylan looked down at her and smiled softly.
“Believe, Shade. I believe since you are able to touch me, you are immune to my powers. It will be all right.” He whispered the last words and hugged her tightly. They closed their eyes as the blue flickers of fire crackled over his skin. The next thing she knew, she felt the bolt of energy discharge from his body, like a small earthquake vibrating through her. The bolt snapped and sent a thunderous boom around them. When it was done, just a moment later, she peeked around his chest to see that the first ring of soldiers surrounding them were down, most knocked out while others moaned in distress.
“It worked, Dylan!” She stopped as she watched the next wave of soldiers creep in, stepping over the others cautiously and staring at the pair of them in disbelief.
“Damn it! It’s a blasted Teleen; grab the lightning rods from the armory stash now! We’ve got to control the lightning before we can overpower him!” The captain’s face was beet red and sweat beaded on his face as he fumbled back from the fallen ones. “Hurry up!” he yelled.
The soldiers stood back as they waited for the rods to be handed out.
“Lightning rods? Dylan, what are they gonna do with the rods?” Shade turned around and watched the soldiers pass stacks of rods around the group.
Dylan breathed in and shook his head. “The rods will render me powerless; they will draw my power into the rods and leave me harmless. We’ve got to get out of here now.” He spun around and watched the
soldiers gear up and advance again. He then turned to Shade and looked down into her shining brown eyes.
“Shade, listen to me. There’s a legend that says the holder of the water of the Santiran Fountains can use it to wish for anything they want, just once, and it will be granted by the water’s magic. Now I’m going to hold onto you, and you try to think as hard as you can of the Guildrin forest and imagine being back there once more, got it?”
“Yes, but, there’s no freakin’ way that will work!”
Dylan re-sheathed his swords, pulled her into his embrace and smiled. “I guess we’ll find out. Now wish us home, Shade. Do it now!”
Shade closed her eyes, feeling the soldiers’ auras vibrating around them and closing in. She breathed in, thinking of Queen Zinara, Ilarial and her newfound friends. She visualized the steps leading down to the Guildrin living quarters, the only place she had ever felt safe in Faerie.
Dylan’s arms felt warm and strong around her, and she only hoped he would continue to hold her this way. She wished him safe; herself and the others too. Unscrewing the cap of the flask, she whispered her thoughts into the bottle she had grasped tightly in her hands. She felt Dylan’s lips on her head, warm and firm as she wished them all back home safe, as hard as she could.
A peaceful feeling washed over them like a crashing wave. In just that instant, yelling and cursing blew up around them, followed by an intense silence. The sound of tree leaves rustling and birds chirping in the slight breeze made Shade open her eyes. They stood by the great tree to the Guildrin Court as if they never had left. She gasped, looking up at Dylan.
“You did it! Oh man, you did it, Shade! We’re home!” Dylan jumped and hopped about, hollering out his joy. Returning to her and lifting her up with his arms, he swung her around. Shade breathed in with relief. A moment later, another whoosh sounded around them. The entire gang stood there, looking startled and shocked.
“Oh, wow!” She ran and hugged the tall sorceress Braelynn and turned to embrace them all one by one. Hot steaming tears streamed down her cheeks. Every one of them was there. Everyone but Sylphi had returned, just as she had wished. They were all shocked and surprised but intact and safe. Shade did not ponder very long about where Sylphi had gone. Shade wasn’t missing her.
