by Tina Engel
As I stood, the three of us entered the tree. I looked back to face the entrance, and I saw my human mother enter the clearing. She looked directly at me as the wind was thrashing around her, she trying to stay upright.
From behind a bush, not far from her, came movement and out from the bush came Eliza, the little goblin who was once a human baby, but never to be born, my human sister. She went to my mother and as my mother bent down to her, she put one arm around her waist, holding her tightly, to protect her from the angry storm that surrounded them. She looked at me and blew me a kiss, as Eliza waved.
The opening to the tree closed, as I stood there dumfounded. She saw me, and she knew I was there? I thought.
I turned to look at Albee and he was smiling a kind and understanding smile. “You have a lot of friends and family helping you. They are not all fey but they are all working together to help you.” He turned then and headed down a pathway, a tunnel in the trees’ root system.
We didn’t walk for long before he stopped in a large opening. Albee turned and reached out to me. I took his hands in mine.
“Princess, think about where you want to be. Help me get you to the beach where Captain Adam’s ship is. Think about it, put yourself there.” Albee stated with a look of concentration.
I didn’t quite understand what he was wanting from me. He knew where I wanted to go, where we needed to go, but not wanting to sound silly, if I asked a question that I should know the answer to, I thought of the beach where I had left the others. I thought of the wolf pack, my mother and father, Douglas, and I figured Rose and Lily were there too.
Suddenly, the area we were in started to pulse, and I felt dizzy. This feeling lasted for only a few seconds and then it stopped. There in front of us, was a portal, swirling with color.
It was Tilly who spoke first, “She did it. Princess, you are getting stronger as the days go by.”
“Come”, Albee said, and released my hands, turned, and headed into the portal. We all followed, and there on the other side was a tunnel.
The tunnel that we had been in had been wood, a tree root I knew, and suddenly it was dirt. Albee stopped and Tobias and Tilly came around me and took the lead, in front of Albee. I followed for a few more minutes and then I saw up in front of us, steps going up.
Tobias led, as Tilly followed, up the dirt steps and disappeared before I got to the stairway. I looked up and saw the blue sky, and just a part of the sun, shining down.
I turned to look at Albee and he just smiled, held his hand out as if telling me to go and said, “You got us here quicker than I could have.”
I was dumfounded. How could we be on the other side of the country already? I climbed up and out into the sunshine, and there waiting was Lily, Rose, Angelina, Jordan, Douglas and Weylyn.
I hugged them all, but when I got to Rose, being the last one to hug, she didn’t feel right. She was cold and had a strange look about her. I pulled away slightly and looking into her face, she smiled, and told me not to worry. She was fine.
She pulled away from me but still holding my hand, turned to look at Douglas, as he spoke. “We need to get back to the ship and get to Cape Matapan as soon as possible. Emilee, you can help Adam get us there faster. There is no time to lose.”
Not budging, as Rose gently tried to pull me along, I spoke with a questioning tone in my voice, “What do you mean, I can help, and how did I create the doorway that got us here so fast, and for that matter, I saw Eliza with my human mother.”
My head started to hurt, and everything started to spin just a bit. I saw Brett then. He was in a cave, dark and damp. I could feel the dampness, the evil surrounding him. He was chained to the wall, but besides chains on his wrists holding them up over his head, the wall looked like it was slightly attached to him. Like fingers, wrapped around him. I saw him then, for just a moment in the rock, Kimberlite’s face.
My diamond necklace started to vibrate and the dizziness subsided. I took hold of my diamond and looking into it, saw the lava pebbles, but not Kimberlite. The pebbles seemed upset, concerned, but communicated with me that it was going to be okay, they would always be with me.
“What did you see Princess?” Douglas questioned with urgency.
“Answer my questions please, Douglas.” I begged.
“Princess, you are strong, you can move faster than we can now. This is who you are, one with all, everything around you. You are still growing and learning but soon…” Douglas stopped as the ground closed up where we had entered just minutes before.
He continued then, “She can explain more later, but” and I cut him off, saying, “Varda?”
Douglas, looking a bit frustrated now, and continued, “Yes, and as for the human you call mother and the Goblin you call sister, they have been with you all along, working to keep you safe. She, your mother, Katie, has been with us from the beginning. She has known about Eliza also, but your human father knows nothing about this. Katie was the strong one, could handle the knowledge, but remember, not all humans can.”
“And I can help Adam get us to Cape whatever you said, quickly?” I questioned.
“Yes!” Douglas said in a frustrated tone, “Can we please go now, if you want to save Brett from more torture and possibly death?”
As he said this, I saw the fear in his eyes. Brett after all, was like a grandson to him, the love Douglas felt for Brett was deep, and I realized that he knew what I had seen just moments ago.
“You know what I just saw, Brett in chains and the rock wall behind him, holding him captive?” I asked calmly, but wanted to scream.
“That is what you saw?” Douglas replied. “I only know he is in grave danger and the longer we wait…” Douglas paused for a moment as he looked up into the sky.
I looked to where he was staring and saw grey wisps, the fey who chose darkness over light, circling overhead, high above us, as the sky darkened.
Douglas continued then, “Brett doesn’t have much time and neither do any of us, humans or fey in Terrafirma. Tobias and Tilly, you are coming with us and the rest of your clan that is here too. We will need your skills. Weylyn, you too, bring your strongest with you.”
Douglas headed up to the top of a sandy mound and disappeared over it as we all followed, even Albee. It didn’t take us long before we were on the docks, heading towards Adam’s ship, with fey staring and pointing both at us and at the sky, as the darkness continued to creep over the entire sky.
Chapter 18
The past,
Is just that,
The past.
We need to understand it
At times,
To go forward.
As we climbed up the walkway to board the ship, Adam and Trevor stood on deck along with several deck hands, including the one that seemed smitten with Rose. They were all looking up at the menacing sky, as the wind seemed to whip across the deck of the ship, tossing barrels around like they were toys.
Suddenly, I heard Lily cry out softly and mutter loudly then, “Could you give me warning before you do this to me?” As she staggered a few feet and my grandmother appeared beside her, a glowing orb first, then transforming into Varda.
Varda, spending no time with Lily, looked up into the sky and shouted as she raised her hands into the air, “Not now! Not ever, if I can help it! Go back to wherever you came from.”
From Varda’s hands came blinding lights that filled the sky, so bright that I had to look down. When it subsided and I could see again, I looked up as everyone else was doing the same, and saw that the sky was blue again, no grey wisps could be seen, and the wind was calm.
Varda looked at me then and with firmness in her voice said, “You can ask questions later, but now, we must get to Cape Matapan. That is where the cave, the opening to Hades is. Gehenna lies deep inside where he has Brett and your dragon. You need them both or you all will be lost.
“Adam, you and Emilee go to the control room and get us there quickly, I can’t hold them off much longer.
He’s stronger now, the dragon has been hatched, and Brett’s sword is beginning to transform to evil.
“I’ve been fooled by one, and when I find him, I will show no mercy.” Varda cried, and I actually felt frightened by her anger.
“Who is he?!” I yelled, “Who can be so strong, and evil. No one seems to know, but you must. Stephan said that you gave the Dark One something, something that he gave to Stephan to help him retrieve the egg and take Brett’s sword, and Brett! Who is he? I have a right to know before I go traipsing off into a cave!” I stood my ground, frustrated, frightened and angry.
Varda’s look softened then, a sadness crept into her eyes and calmly she answered, as she came up to me and softly put a hand on my cheek, “Emilee, he was someone I trusted with my life a long time ago.” She looked to Angelina then, my mother, and the sadness deepened.
She continued then, “I will share everything soon, I promise, but right now we must get there. Help Adam and then come down to the dining area. I will tell you all what you need to know before going to rescue your dragon and Brett.”
I opened my mouth to say, (What I want to know, not just need to know), but she put a finger to my mouth and said almost in a whisper, “Please my dear, not now.”
She stepped away, and looking at Angelina she started to glow, as she turned back into an orb, sucked poor Lily into it too, and when the light dissipated, it was only Lily standing there, looking quite irritated.
“Princess,” Lily grumbled, “When this is over, I am staying a cat. I may be by your side, but a cat I will stay.” And at that she headed to the door that led down below, and disappeared inside.
Adam and Jordan chuckled, but Angelina seemed deep in thought, Eagle was staring off into space as if not a part of us at all, and Rose was standing by the fey she was smitten with, but he didn’t seem to be aware that she was even there, next to him. I wondered why he was even allowed to be here, but then, it didn’t really matter, they knew that he had been working for Poseidon, secrets were out.
I looked to Albee and he had a questioning look on his face, as if not sure what he was to do. Jordan, seeing this confusion, suggested that he, Albee, and Weylyn go with him down below. They followed him but Angelina, before heading there too, came to me and held me for a moment, kissed me on the cheek and whispered, that she loved me so.
I suddenly felt emotional and sad to let her go, as she disappeared through the doorway. Adam suggested we head to the control room and get to the island so I knew I had to put my emotions away, for now. I had no idea how I was to help Adam, I still didn’t quite understand how I got us clear across the country in such a short amount of time. I knew however, that I had to get to Brett soon, I couldn’t live without him.
Rose left the fey’s side that she had been standing next to, and came over to me. Eagle looked at me, gave me a slight smile and turned into a bird, flew up to the top of the control room, and landed there.
Rose and I followed Adam up to the control room, and there he adjusted buttons and did whatever it was he needed to do, to get us heading in the proper direction.
Adam looked at me then, and said, “Ok, Princess, this is where we must go.” And he spread out a map on a table nearby. “We are here,” as he pointed to an area on the map. “and this is where we need to go.”
I looked at Adam, acknowledging that I understood the point A to point B part of all this but still had no idea how I was to help get us there faster.
“And what do you want me to do?” I questioned.
Rose touched my arm softly, so soft that I almost brushed the feeling away, thinking it was just a fly, bothering me, but realized that it was Rose. Something was very wrong with Rose but I couldn’t quite figure it out.
“Princess Emilee, just put your hands on the map and think about your destination, where you want to be.” And she took my hands and placed them on the map, between where we were and where we needed to be.
She continued then, “She is there, your dragon. She and I can help you, Princess.” Rose said as she placed her hands on mine.
I still felt confused as to how I could do this, but then, everything about what I could do these days, was confusing. I did what she asked, and again, the room started to pulse and I felt dizzy. It seemed to last a bit longer than before, but when it stopped, and as I looked out the window in front of us, there was a large circular glowing orb. I knew it was a doorway and I knew on the other side was our destination, Cape Matapan.
Adam’s grin was large as he said, “Well done Princess. I wish you could be with me all the time. You would definitely make traveling quicker.”
Adam sailed the ship towards the doorway. As we entered, everything got fuzzy, and dead quiet. It seemed to take several minutes and then everything cleared, and we were in the water, grey skies up above with the wind whipping around us, and an island in front of us.
Rose let go of me and began stumbling backwards and her appearance seemed to be fading. I reached out to catch her, and as I grabbed her hands, her appearance solidified.
I guided her over to a chair and asked if she was alright, but then of course, I knew otherwise. Not only was she not alright, but I was frightened as to what was wrong with her. I realized that Eagle, too, had the same appearance now and then. That of fading, becoming transparent.
Rose looked at me with a sheepish grin and said, “I’m okay, princess. You don’t need to look so worried. I am with you and will be for a long time, I promise. She told me so.” Rose reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck in a loving embrace.
Adam suggested that we get down to the dining area and talk to my grandmother before we went any closer to the island, and as he opened the door, Adam yelled out for a deckhand to take over until he returned.
In came the deckhand that Rose was smitten with, and I was a bit confused and concerned since he was the one spying on us, through Rose. I gave Adam a look of concern and he informed me that it was fine. Everything was out in the open and he was a good worker. Adam told the deckhand though, not to touch anything.
As we left the control room and went down the steps, I started to feel dizzy again and…
I found myself suddenly standing, just in front of Brett, in the prison where he was being held. A pain shot through me as I felt for a moment, Stephan’s thoughts, and he appeared in front of me, blocking Brett from my sight momentarily, until he moved over to my right.
I realized that Stephan had walked right through me. I wasn’t there in solid form, just my thoughts, but as he came in, not knowing I was there, he was able to go through me and I felt him. I felt nauseous but was stunned by Stephan’s emotions. There was resentment for Brett, and jealousy but also a tiny bit of regret for what he was about to do.
Stephan said then with a sinister laugh, “You will die at my hands brother, but not yet. I will wait until sweet Princess Emilee is here and I will let her see, just what a weak fey you are. She will be mine as soon as you are gone and the great Dark One is done with her.”
Stephan held out Brett’s weapon, in knife form, and continued as he pressed it to Brett’s chest and slowly cut crosswise, not deep, but just enough for a small amount of blood to ooze down his stomach, “I will drain you dry, right in front of her and she will drink only from me.”
What Stephan said to Brett and what I felt in Stephan’s mind were different, contradictions. What I felt in his mind was remorse, mixed in with the anger and rage. There was a part of him that didn’t want to do this, but the evil within him was stronger.
As I looked at Brett I could smell his blood, I could smell everything, all the odors in the prison that Brett was in, but his blood was, at that moment, all I could think about. Why Stephan thought for a moment that I would want his blood, was a mystery to me, or was it? They were brothers, after all.
I was in his mind then, or he in mine, Brett. “Leave Emilee, before he senses you. Hurry.” And he looked up and as our eyes met, I knew he felt me there.
I gas
ped, as Stephan turned his head in my direction, looking directly at me, and suddenly I was laying on the deck of the ship with Rose and Adam beside me.
“I saw him again. Stephan is torturing him!” I cried out as I sat up.
Adam helped me to my feet as I continued, “We must hurry, and get to him. Brett knows that we are here. He saw me standing there in front of him.”
Looking around, the deck was covered with trolls and wolves, none of them seeming happy to be on the ship, as the winds tossed us around like a toy boat. By the looks on their faces, I guessed that the trip through the doorway to get here, hadn’t been a pleasant ride.
I headed to the door to go down and talk with Varda, to find out the details that I needed, to get Brett out of there before it was too late.
What frightened me the most about all of this was that even though I was fearful for Brett’s safety, I was more fearful that I wouldn’t get the chance to drink from Brett, taste his blood. I had smelled it and the desire, need, I felt to have his blood, was so strong, I was disgusted with myself. The thought still lingered in my mind, why would Stephan think that I would want or need his blood?
When I walked into the dining hall, only Lily, Angelina, Jordan and Albee, were there. I felt instantly angry, Varda should have been here, she had promised me an explanation.
From behind me came voices, Douglas and Varda. I turned and must have had a look of annoyance, for Varda cut off her discussion with Douglas and looking at me, said, “What? I told you I would share with you what you need to know.”
I could feel my anger growing, and my body heating up. I wanted to know everything, not just what she thought I should know. I opened my mouth to speak but Varda put a hand up, and gave me a look of exasperation.
