The Key ( #1 Anna Kippling Series) YA Paranormal Romance / Epic Fantasy

by A. D. Duling

  “There is no way this horse can jump that!” she yelled up to him as they charged the wall.

  “It’s an illusion,” he yelled back, “there is no wall!”

  Anna looked over his shoulder at the stone wall ahead of them.“It looks pretty real to me!” she yelled up at him.

  “Trust me!”

  Having no choice, but to trust this stranger, Anna closed her eyes and prayed he was right.

  Chapter Seven

  Anna wrapped her arms tighter around his waist and tucked her head against his back. She waited in anticipation for a crash, but when nothing bad followed, Anna opened her eyes and found the wall no longer in front of her. Anna laughed and looked behind her. The wall now stood far behind them.

  “That was amazing!” she yelled up to him, “How did you know that?” she asked him, but he didn’t answer.

  They raced towards the forest ahead of them and traveled deep within it, before he pulled the horse to a stop.

  “Why did we stop?” Anna asked him.

  Again he didn’t answer her. He climbed down and walked over to a nearby tree. Anna watched him quietly as he pressed his ear against the wide trunk and kept it there.

  “What are you doing?” She asked him.

  Again he didn’t answer. He lifted his head and then whispered something to the tree. Anna climbed down and walked over to him. His eyes darted over to her and his finger came up to his mouth, to assure she remained quiet. Offended, Anna crossed her arms and pouted, but still watched him. He whispered something again to the tree, too soft for Anna to here and then stepped back away from it and waited.

  “Now can you answer me?” she asked him.

  “Just wait.” He answered.

  Suddenly a door appeared on the trunk before them and he walked over and opened it. Anna’s mouth dropped open in astonishment.

  “We’re going to hide inside.” He told her.

  Anna walked over to the opening and peered inside; it was an empty room. A hand came to her back and the stranger nudged her inside. Anna looked around the room; it was a little larger than her bedroom, which was surprising since from the outside the girth of the tree trunk was only about four feet in girth. What was even more amazing was when the rider’s horse passed through the tiny door after her; the door had been barely taller than she. Its width definitely didn’t appear wide enough to pass a horse through, yet the animal did and with no difficulty at that.

  “How’d you do that?” she asked him as he entered. He shut the door behind him and it disappeared. Anna hoped his door worked just liked hers. “Will we be able to get out?” She asked him.

  He pressed his ear against the trunk and listened. His hand came up again to quiet her as the sounds of running horses went past them outside their magical tree. The rider listened a few minutes longer before he stood up and walked over to his horse.

  “Good boy, Thunder.” He praised the animal and patted his side. The rider then reached inside his saddle bag and pulled out what looked like jerky and fed it to the animal.

  “Who are you?” Anna asked him.

  He reached up and pulled the cover from over his face, revealing a young man not much older than her. His handsome features caused Anna to blush and she looked away, pretending to be busy brushing away some dirt from her dress. After a quick recovery Anna looked back up at him, “Who are you?” she asked him again.

  “You already asked me that,” he said, with a smile hinting on his lips.

  Anna crossed her arms. “Yes… you’re right, but you still have not answered me,” She pointed out, bringing a smile finally to his face.

  The rider gave her a polite bow. “My name is Hayden; I am the son of Harmon.” He cordially answered her.

  Anna remembered the name Harmon given to her by Nathan. So this was the son of the man she needed to give the note too. This meant she wouldn’t be getting rid of him anytime soon. She frowned, already hating his smile; another perfect additive to his attractive face.

  “Like I know who he is,” she snapped at him, not so eager to confess of the note. Anna didn’t know who she could trust here.

  Her eyes stayed on him as rubbed the horse’s head and then bent down to check each hoof. A lock of hair fell forward from behind his ear and she watched as beautiful long fingers came up and tucked the blonde lock back into place. Anna decided then she hated his hair too; hanging a little past his chin, layered with a slight wave to it.

  “Word has spread about your arrival here, Anna Kippling.” He said. Anna looked away from his hair and found his his beautiful grey eyes staring at her.

  “Why?” she asked him; recalling she had in fact seen grey eyes before and thought nothing particularly pretty about his.

  “What you just experienced was courtesy of the Chancellor. That back there was not Tatania; there is nothing there. All of it was an illusion.”

  “Well who is this Chancellor and what does he want from me?” She asked him.

  “He wants to kill you.” His response was curt and a cold chill went to her bones. Anna shivered.

  “How do I get out?” She asked him, realizing his nose was a bit crooked.

  “Aren’t you going to ask me why Anna Kippling?” he asked her.

  He’s toying with me! Her thoughts screamed in her mind as she walked over to where the door had once been felt around for a knob. “I’ve only just arrived here yesterday and now you’re telling me a Chancellor wants to kill me!” She squeaked. She slapped at the wall in frustration having not found the knob. “I don’t think I need to ask why, all I need to do is get out of here!” Her voice cracked as she tried not to panic. Anna moved along the wall, still finding nothing.

  She made her way along the wall to her right, frantically searching for anything that would get her out. When she came back over to him, she found him sitting. He was relaxed and leaned against the wall staring up at her. Anna peered down at him.

  “Are you just going to keep staring at me or can you help me get out of here?!” She yelled down at him between her open arms.

  He stood up coming between her arms and brought his face inches away from hers. “I know your scared Anna, but we need to stay here and we need to stay calm.” He leaned in closer, bringing his cheek next to hers. “We also need to remain quiet,” he whispered into her ear. Goose bumps prickled down along Anna’s spine. “Those men will back track,” his hot breath tickled her ear, “I will get you to Tatania Anna and in one piece. When you get there, you will get your answers too,” he promised her.

  Anna gasped and took in a breath, having not realized she had been holding it. She took in a couple deep breaths and tried to calm herself. Hot tears filled in her eyes and she blinked, sending them trickling down her flushed and dirty cheeks. His fingers came up and he gently wiped them away. Outside the sounds of returning horses with their soldiers, circled back in search of them.

  Their loud trampling outside penetrated through the walls of their magical hidden room, but Anna no longer heard them as Hayden whispered into her ear again. “Just relax; we’re safe here as long as we remain quiet.”

  His hand rubbed her arm which sent a whimpered out of her. Confusion set in along with new emotions Anna was unsure of. Was it the fear of being discovered by the soldiers outside that brought the whimper or had it been from his touch or how close he stood next to her? Was Anna afraid of him? Hayden was her rescuer and Anna didn’t think he wouldn’t hurt her. So why had his touch brought the reaction it did and if it wasn’t fear, then what was it?

  Hayden pulled his head back and looked at her. Anna listened with him as the soldiers continued to circle outside. Hooves pounded the dry earth that sounded very close to their hideout. Anna went to ask him if they had been discovered, but his kiss halted her. Heat climbed to her chest and then into her cheeks, as Anna took in her first kiss. The strength in her legs threatened to leave her, but thankfully his arms came around her waist and he saved her once again. Worry seemed to leave Anna right then. I
f the soldiers had left already, Anna was oblivious to it.

  Chapter Eight

  When the kiss was broken and by him, Anna opened her eyes and looked up at him. Both were breathing heavily and heat was not only in her cheeks. His arms let go of her waist and Hayden leaned back against the trunk wall. His hands went deep into his pockets and his grey eyes remained on her green ones. Anna suddenly remembered then that she had never seen this coloring before and thought his eyes would be considered pretty. Growing embarrassed by his bold stare, Anna went back over to the spot where the door had been and pressed her ear against the trunk wall to listen.

  “Are they gone?” She whispered, but received no answer. Anna looked back at him and found him still staring at her. She found his boldness uncomfortable, but stubborn, she stared back at him. What was with the kiss? Anna thought. She wondered then if it had been just a game. Maybe the kiss was just to keep her mind off of the soldiers outside... She rationalized. Anna had never been kissed before, nor had she ever expected to be in such a manner. It had been a romantic kiss and perfect in every way.

  So why is he now staring at me?! She thought, growing uncomfortable. Hayden smiled and sent a deeper shade back to her warm cheeks. Anna looked to the door to recover. “They’re obviously gone so why are we still in here?” She asked him.

  Hayden didn’t answer and Anna looked back at him again. She came face to face with him as he now stood very closely in front of her. Her mouth opened to repeat herself, but the question never came out. His lips came to hers and Anna found herself receiving another kiss. This time however, Anna wasn’t so cooperative and pushed him away.

  “Wait!” Her hand went to his chest, to keep him at bay. She wiped her mouth; the kiss had been a sloppy one. A playful grin teased across his face at her removal.

  “Don’t you like kissing me Anna?” He asked her.

  Anna nodded, but then quickly shook her head.

  “You can’t just keep kissing me like that Hayden!” She stammered as he leaned closer towards her again, forcing her hand to press harder against his chest. Solid was his form, muscles were not lacking on this playful predator.

  “But we’re both enjoying it, so why stop?” he asked her.

  Anna shook her head again. “I’m only seventeen Hayden and I don’t think I should be kissing like this, especially with someone I’ve only just met,” She protested.

  He smiled. “Well… I’m nineteen and I think you should,” He insisted and went to kiss her again, but her fingers came up and kept his lips at bay.

  “No we shouldn’t.” She stressed and he smiled.

  “Alright Anna...” He surrendered. Hayden leaned closer to her and Anna pressed herself back against the trunk wall. His smile went larger as his hand touched the wall next to her and the door reappeared.

  Chapter Nine

  Hayden guided the horse along the man-made trail as the sleepy Anna leaned against his back for support. Every movement soothed her and lulled her along towards slumber. It was late evening now and they had spent the day fleeing from the Chancellor’s soldiers. They were a determined force and the two had to hide out a few more times before they finally lost them. Hayden never did kiss her again, but each time they hid in one of his magical trees, their quarters seemed to get tighter.

  Anna didn’t know if he had any control over that, but by their third time, she had her suspicions. Hiding in the cramped compartments quickly grew old, no matter how snuggled she was to him. Her and Thunder had gotten to know each other pretty well during those times as well. The horse was a playful thing and had no problem nudging her often to pet his head, but Anna didn’t mind. The horse stopped and Anna dozily sat up and looked around.

  “Why’ve we stopped?” She asked him.

  Hayden pointed to the cave ahead of them and climbed down; Anna clumsily followed after. Her small form stayed close to his taller one as they walked towards it. The forest surrounding them did not seem so pleasant anymore.

  “We’re going to cut through the cave,” he said, “It’s been awhile since I’ve passed through this way, so stick close.” He warned her. He dug inside his pocket and pulled something out. When he opened his palm, a flat golden oval shaped object lay inside of it.

  “What’s that?” She asked him.

  “Watch…” he said and lifted his palm to his mouth, “Illuminate.” He spoke and then softly blew across its top. A lid popped open, revealing a hollowed space inside. It lit up sending out a soft glow above them that illuminated a brightly lit circumference around them. “This is our light,” He said to her, smiling.

  “How did it do that?” Anna asked him, amazed.

  Hayden laughed. “I’m guessing you don’t have this from where you come from?” he asked her and she shook her head.

  “No, at home we use something called a flash light,” she said, “It’s ingenious in its own way, but nothing compared to this!”

  Anna looked down at the little object in his hand. She could not figure out how the empty cavity that glowed ever so faint could light up such a large area around them.

  Hayden laughed. “Well when I tell you later about my light orb, you’ll have to tell me more about your flashlight…agreed?” he asked her.

  She smiled and nodded.

  From the outside, the cave looked dark and uninviting. Anna’s imagination played her along, sending gruesome horror film images to her thoughts as they passed through the entrance. But as soon as they stepped a few feet in, the cave transformed into the complete opposite. It became a beautiful environment with a peaceful vibe. Tiny minerals in the cave walls reflected from the orb’s passing light, creating a beautiful flickering glimmer to travel along with them.

  A little stream soon appeared along the way, its bottom illuminated up a soft blue hue that added to the serene atmosphere surrounding them. Its glow came without the need of their light and flowed down along the center of their path. Hayden and Anna followed the little stream down for some time before they came to an opening where the little stream poured out into a large pool of water and then stopped there. The path forked around it, but was a very narrow crossing.

  “We’ll have to separate and take each side slow,” said Hayden, “I’ll guide Thunder along with me and you go alone on the other side.”

  Anna walked her side carefully, going along slowly. The water of the pool changed as she went along. It seemed the further she went towards the other side, the more the water solidified into ice. By the time Anna met up with Hayden, the entire pool was frozen over.

  “Hayden, look.” Anna pointed to the frozen pool and he nodded.

  “I just noticed, how long has it been like this?” he asked her.

  “It slowly did that as we went along.”

  Anna walked over to it and crouched down. She reached her finger out to touch it.

  “Anna wait… don’t!” Hayden warned her.

  “It’s just ice…” she said and touched it anyway.

  Suddenly Anna found herself in the water and trapped underneath the ice. Hayden beat hard on the ice above her, but could not break it. He disappeared for a second and then returned with a large rock in his hands. He was yelling something to her, but Anna couldn’t hear him. Her lungs started to burn and the panic sunk in as she watched him above her hit the rock repeatedly over and over again as hard as he could, but still could not break the ice. Every hit brought no damage to the ice; not even a crack formed across its indestructible surface.

  Anna’s screaming lungs contracted from lack of air and she instinctively inhaled, taking in a lungful of the freezing water.

  Chapter Ten

  Anna panicked and banged on the ice above her, thinking her drowning.

  “Anna...” she heard a voice speak, “Anna… you are breathing.” It told her.

  Anna stopped, realizing its truth. She was breathing! Needing more oxygen, Anna took in the water and sure enough, somehow she received the oxygen her depriving body required. Beneath her, a soft glo
w ascend up towards her and then the voice came again, “Hold out your hand and let me pull you along.” It instructed her.

  Anna looked around for someone, but saw nothing; only the glowing light approaching her.

  “Trust me and hold out your hand.” It said to her again.

  Anna reached her hand out and felt a tingle in her fingertips. It increased as it climbed up to her palm and she felt a tug on her wrist as an invisible force pulled her down towards the dark bottom. As Anna neared, a glass structure came into view. How it remained solid beneath the intense weight of the water surrounding it, was baffling to her. The tugging force pulled her over towards the opening and then released her, leaving Anna floating towards it. When her feet touched the platform, Anna remained put and did not float away. From where she stood, Anna could see every aspect of the pool of water. She knew she had gone deep, yet when looking up above her, the icy barrier seemed not so far away.