by Megg Jensen
Still, I didn’t like being trapped in his arms.
“Sorry,” I whispered under my breath, “and thank you.”
“What was that?” he said. “A little louder. I can’t quite hear you.”
“Too bad because I won’t say it again.” I whipped my head around, slapping him on the face with my auburn curls. It would sting. I knew firsthand. While fighting, I always put my hair in a ponytail. I’d been slapped in the face with it more than once. A few times I had left red marks on my own face. I could only hope I’d left a few on his.
“Trevin!” Mags ran toward us. She jumped over the hole as if she’d lived there her whole life. Just a couple weeks ago she’d been confined to her bed most of the time, living a life of luxury as the queen while she cared for Trevin.
She’d changed so much.
Her dark curls bounced around her shoulders. Her eyes sparkled with a vigor I’d never seen in all the years I’d known her. She seemed healthy, happy even. Mags’ dark eyes had always held the weight of the world in them. She’d been forced to marry the king, a man she deeply despised. The only romantic love she’d found in her life died because of me.
“You brought Trevin to me!” She reached over and swiped him from my grasp. She dropped kisses all over Trevin’s little head. He giggled, reaching a hand up toward her face. She rested her cheek on his tiny palm. “Where are my other boys? Daniel and Michael? Are they here too?”
I shook my head. “No, they are still being held at the castle, under constant guard.” If I had known a way to free them, I would have. Mags would know that. She was my best friend.
She looked up at me, a curtain of anger falling across her face.
“And how are you, Lianne? Is Bryden still alive or did you get him killed with your reckless plans too?”
Her words stung me all over, like I’d just disturbed a swarm of angry bees. Aric, the man she’d loved, had died because of our plans to free her. They’d found out that Aric was Trevin’s father, not the king. He’d lost his head for it.
“I didn’t mean for him to die. I swear. He wanted to help us. Particularly you and Trevin. He still loved you, Mags.”
“And look where it got him. My world collapsed that day. I lost both Aric and all three of my sons in one swoop.”
“I know. I’m so sorry.” I reached out to her. Mags took a step back. She pulled Trevin even closer to her chest, as if she was trying to shield him from me. I’d cared for him day and night since I’d rescued him from Kellan’s trap. I took him with the intention to reunite him with his mother. It was the only way I could begin to make up for ruining everything.
“Don’t touch me. Or Trevin. Not ever again. Do you understand me?”
Mags’ eyes turned to stone, all the love she’d once given me was now blocked away. For years, she’d been my friend in a land where everyone hated me because of my birthright. I was nothing to them, little more than a servant to do their bidding. Mags had been just as trapped as I was. Knowing that she blamed me ripped my soul to shreds. Without her, and now without Bryden beside me, I had no one left.
I turned my back on Mags, refusing to beg anymore. “I’ve done what I set out to do in the forest. How do I get back down?”
Chase looked over my head, refusing to meet my gaze.
“I want to leave.” I grabbed his chin with my fingertips and forced him to look down at me. “Can you please tell me how to get back down?”
The others who had used the winches to pull Trevin and me up slowly dispersed. Not one of them looked at me. Within moments, Chase and I were totally alone on the platform. In the distance I heard people talking, but it was clear to me no one was interested in interfering in our conversation.
“You can’t leave, Lianne.”
My fingers dropped from his chin, like I’d been stuck by lightning. “What do you mean? Of course I can.”
“How? Are you going to jump? Fly? Just how are you going to get down to the ground?”
“Well how did you and that other brute get down? Where do your people get food? You can’t expect me to believe no one can leave. I’m not that stupid.”
Chase sighed. “I never suggested you were stupid, but the simple fact is that I cannot allow you to leave. I need you here.”
“You need me? Wrong! Bryden is the one who needs me. Obviously Mags doesn’t want me around either. Why not let me go?”
“I can’t tell you yet.”
I fumed. If I didn’t know better, I would have sworn smoke was steaming out my ears. My magic, which I had harnessed on the ride up to the canopy, had apparently left me again. But this time, I noticed it. The fire doused, leaving me feeling completely and totally empty.
“Why are you doing that? How are you doing it?” I wanted to rip his head off. Chase may have taken my magic, but I’d lived without it most of my life and still took good care of myself.
I punched with my right arm and clocked him, hard, on the chin. My body fell into a fighting stance, preparing to take on a new opponent.
“Don’t do this,” Chase said, shaking his head.
“Why? Afraid to get beat up by a girl?”
“No, I’m afraid you’re going to embarrass yourself and then you’ll be even more difficult to be around. What’s happening here,” he said, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb toward the tree house community behind us, “is so far beyond anything you can imagine.”
“Don’t give me that,” I fired back. “I know exactly what’s going on. The Fithians thought they were the conquerors and the Dalagans were under their thumb. Turns out it was the other way around and my people were using magic to control the Fithian’s memories. I know it all.”
Chase’s arm flung out and he grabbed my wrist. He twisted it to the side, forcing me to bend at the waist for fear he’d break my arm. I’d used that move on Kellan plenty of times. I thought I was fast, but Chase was quickly proving me wrong.
He forced my elbow to bend. Leaning over my back, Chase’s lips fell to my ear. “This little spat between the Fithians and the Dalagans is nothing. There are bigger issues in the world than you realize.”
I twisted my head to the side. “How is that my problem?”
Chase’s grasp on me loosened. I straightened up and shook my arm out, relieving some of the pressure. Blood rushed through my veins, bringing life back to my sore, tired arm.
“It doesn’t have to be your problem,” Chase admitted with a shrug. “But without you, I can’t finish what I’ve started.”
“You’re not making any sense.”
He held out his calloused hand, palm up. “Will you come with me? There’s something I need to show you.”
I hesitated. Chase had run hot and cold from the moment he’d captured me in the forest. One minute he was treating me like a criminal, the next he wanted my friendship. I wasn’t sure which side of him to trust. I glanced down into the canopy, but I couldn’t see the ground. From my ascent, I knew how high up I was. Jumping was out of the question. Until I could figure a way off this prison in the sky, I decided to play along.
I slipped my hand in Chase’s, trying to ignore the jolt I felt when we touched. It wasn’t anything like the exciting warmth I experience when I was with Bryden. It almost felt like my magic was coming to life, or connecting to a well of unlimited power.
“Show me,” I said.
Chapter Four
Chase held my hand so tight, almost as if he was afraid I’d fall off the platform to my death. I glanced at the picket wooden railings bordering the platform’s edges. They looked strong, but I wasn’t sure how secure they would be if someone tripped or was pushed into them. I found myself squeezing Chase’s hand a little tighter. I knew he was draining my magic from me, I could feel it leaking away with every passing second.
He led me around a few small structures. Dishes clattered and people conversed. “Is that where the residents live?” I asked. Chase nodded. No doubt, there was little privacy in a community like this.
Chase stopped. I focused on his face because looking over the edge of the railing made my stomach spin in circles. My ears filled with cotton. The railings moved closer, then farther away. Faster and faster, they shook until I couldn’t focus.
“I think I’m...” I slumped at the waist. My shoulders pitched forward and for one split second, I knew I was about to die. Chase’s arms wrapped around my body. He lifted, cradling me like I’d held Trevin not long ago. I rested my head on his shoulder, too dizzy to care that he was whispering in my ear, his lips tickling my earlobe.
“It’s vertigo. You’re not the first. Just hold still and I’ll get you someplace you can rest,” he said.
I nodded and left my chin on his chest. My hair fell across my face, forming a curtain between my eyes and the drop to certain death below me. Not caring what he said, as long as whatever he was promising would mean the dizziness would go away, I let him carry me. It went against every fiber in my being to avoid struggling, but I was too weak to care for once.
His knee lifted, barely scraping my bottom, as he kicked something in front of us. I forced my eyes open. A door swung in front of us. Chase strode through and my breath flowed back into my lungs. I glanced down at the solid wooden floor. It didn’t betray one glimpse of the lengths below us.
“It’s safe here,” he said, placing me gently on a bed. “You can’t see out unless you want to.” He pointed to the windows, far above the height of the bed. “And this cottage has the strongest floor in the community.”
I braved a smile. “Why?”
“Because I reinforced it myself. I grew up in a castle made of stone. The thought of plummeting to the ground had me concerned at first too. When I moved in, there were tiny slits between the wood. I could actually see the leaves below. No, thank you. I wanted them all covered, so I refloored it.”
My head came back to me quickly, the dizziness receding into the background. My ears unclogged and my vision returned to normal.
“Thank you,” I said. “I knew I had a thing about water, but I never would have guessed I’d feel this way about heights. I’d spent tons of time up the castle towers and never had experienced anything like this.”
Chase laughed. “How could you know? Being above the canopy, standing on a platform of a few wooden planks is totally different than a castle built of stone. Here we’re subject to fire, lightning, heavy downpours —”
I held up my hand. “That’s enough. Let’s not make a difficult situation worse.”
We both laughed. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. It had been so long since I’d had a moment to relax and have a laugh with someone who didn’t want something from me. Maybe it would be nice to make a new friend.
“So, you didn’t answer my question from before,” I said. “How do you guys stay undetected up here?”
“This village was built when the Dalagans first hatched their plans against the Fithians. Their plan to change the Fithians’ memories may have worked, but what they didn’t count on was someone seeing them coming ahead of time,” Chase explained. He sat down on a wooden chair across from me, laced his fingers together, and rested his elbows on his knees.
“If someone knew my people were going to do that, why didn’t they do something about it?” I was incredulous. Someone could have ended this entire war. My life wouldn’t have been a lie. Aric would still be alive and maybe, just maybe, Bryden and I would have found our way to each other without all the heartache.
“There are people who can see the future. Many of them have tried to change what was to come, but usually it was their actions that caused the event they foresaw. They’ve learned not to mess with the tides, but to do what they can to protect the ones they love.”
His eyes swept across me, as if he knew something about me that I didn’t know. I shivered and wrapped my arms around chest. A leaf fluttered through the window, dancing among the dust motes on the chilly breeze.
“I still don’t understand how you stay hidden. Can’t they see this place from the castle?” I asked.
“Could you, when you were there?”
“I don’t know. I never really looked for it. But, no, I didn’t accidentally see it either.”
“There are many trees, taller than the ones we’re in now, that shield us from the castle. Then there are people who live here whose job it is to make sure we have an extra layer of protection. A magical layer, I guess you could say. We also have guys on the ground and a network of spies to let us know if anyone is getting close. At those times we impose silence on the community until danger has passed.”
“I’m really impressed, but a little surprised. You’re just hiding up here. For what? When will they come down? Or are they all planning on living up here forever?” I couldn’t imagine how they could sustain for so many years. The Dalagans attacked Fithia when I was only an infant. Sixteen years ago. Chase couldn’t be too much older than me. “Have you lived here your whole life?”
Chase’s eyes widened. “No. These aren’t my people. I’m just a guest here.”
“A guest? I don’t understand. Where are you from? How did you find this place if it’s so well hidden?”
“They’ve been waiting for me, Lianne, and I found them. It’s that simple.”
I shook my head and rolled my eyes. “Nothing about that sounds simple.”
Chase laughed. His mouth curved up on one side and I couldn’t help but return the smile. Everything about him was infectious.
“You’re right, it’s not. But that’s really all I can tell you right now.”
I sat up straighter, instantly agitated. My whole life had been a lie. People were either fooled into thinking the same things as I was or they purposely kept information from me. “I’m tired of lies and secrets. If you have something to tell me, then do it. Otherwise, I really don’t have an interest in anything you have to say.”
His hand covered the side of my face before I could react. Cupping my cheek in his palm, Chase traced his thumb over my lips. “Eloh, you are so beautiful,” he said.
I jerked away from his touch. “Eloh?” I asked, curious enough to try to ignore his other words. I wasn’t used to anyone telling me I was beautiful, much less a strange man I met in the woods who was kind of holding me prisoner.
“Oh.” He laughed nervously, pulling his hand back as if nothing just happened. “She’s the goddess we worship in my homeland. It’s just a phrase we sometimes use.”
His intense gaze didn’t bother me, but I hoped he wasn’t getting the wrong idea. My heart was already taken. He had to know that. “I’m with Bryden. This separation between us is temporary.”
Chase stood up quickly, knocking back his chair as it clattered to the floor.
“Of course, I knew that. I’m sorry, I just,” he stuttered. “There are things I can’t tell you.”
“This is crap,” I muttered under my breath. Just one more person trying to keep things from me. Typical.
“I shouldn’t have been the one to approach you. I should have let someone else do it. But I just couldn’t stay away, Lianne. You are special. You have no idea.”
“Obviously I don’t. So why can’t you fill me in?”
Chase opened his mouth and his gaze softened. Just as quickly, he closed his mouth, turned on his heel, and walked out the door.
Chapter Five
I wasn’t sure what to do next. If I left his little cottage, then I ran the risk of relapsing into another bout of vertigo. There might not be anyone around to help me this time. If I stayed, then I’d just be sitting there waiting for Chase to come back. I didn’t like either option and couldn’t come up with a third.
Knowing that the easier, and smarter, choice was to stay, I stood up and strode toward the door. Placing my hand on the stone knob, I squeezed it until sweat dripped from my palm. I’d have t
o fight the vertigo. I rode on a boat just a few weeks ago; I could face this fear too.
The knob turned on its own. I ripped my hand away and took a step backward, narrowly missing the chair Chase had so conveniently left on the floor. The door slowly opened until a small head poked its way in.
“Lianne?” The little girl said it with such authority.
“That’s me.” I slapped a smile on my face. I gestured for her to come in so I didn’t have to step out. I couldn’t let a child see how weak I’d become the second I stepped over the threshold.
She pushed the door all the way open, flooding the cottage with light. I hadn’t even realized how dark it was until my eyes narrowed from the piercing sunlight pouring into the room. “I brought you some food. Chase said you’d like potatoes the most, so I grabbed you an extra helping.”
My mouth watered as the scent of rosemary wafted past my nose. I inhaled deeply, letting it wrap around my senses like a warm scarf in winter. “How did he know?” I asked her.
The girl ambled over to the table, setting the platter of steaming food down carefully. A cup sloshed and drops of water splattered onto the wooden tabletop. I picked up the chair and righted it next to the table.
She turned to me, a bright smile gracing her face. “Chase knows things. He knows a lot about you. Thanks to him, we all do. I’ve been so excited to meet you. He told us that your fighting skills are better than most military-trained men. He told me about your hair too. It’s the same color as mine, see.”
She pointed proudly to her red hair. I’d never liked my hair color. It warmed my heart to see this little girl so proud of it. It also surprised me. Chase said these people were Fithian, but I’d never seen a Fithian with red hair before.
“Were you born here?” I asked her.
She nodded, her braid bouncing up and down her back. Her rough, woolen dress wasn’t anything like the clothes we wore at the castle. Up in the canopy, it was a bit cooler. Maybe she needed those clothes to keep her warm, even in summer.
