Forged in Light (The Forged Chronicles Book 4)

by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  “I could be wrong.” Theoretically we could be connected to a large landmass, but I had a bad feeling we weren’t.

  “Ok, let’s explore.” Ainsley leaned her head back to look up at the sky.

  “Stay close to me. Okay?” I did not wish to come across as controlling, but we had no idea what dangers we might face.

  “I was planning on it.” Ainsley nudged my shoulder with her own.

  “Good.” I took her hand, and we headed away from the water.

  The sand went on and on. I started to doubt my island theory. I had expected to see a line of trees come into view rather quickly, but a mile in we were still walking under the hot sun with no tree in sight.

  Soon my priorities changed. I was no longer worried about getting to Mount Majest. I was concerned with finding us food, water, and shelter. My basic survival instincts kicked in, but my focus was on protecting Ainsley.

  She glanced over at me. “Is it me, or is this beach really long?”

  “It is long.” There was no reason to pretend otherwise. “We have to reach some cover soon.”

  “And if we don’t?” She fanned herself with her shirt.

  “We will.” We needed to stay confident. Panic was dangerous.

  “Have you ever seen a beach this long?” She gestured up the beach with her hand.

  “Me personally?” I wiped sweat off my forehead.

  “Yes.” Ainsey picked up her pony tail off her back.

  I shook my head. “No, but there are many places I have never been.”

  “So for now we keep walking?” Ainsley dropped her ponytail.

  “For now.” I needed time to formulate a plan.

  The mile became two, then three, and I knew we were in trouble. The sun beat down on us mercilessly. I was hot and tired, and Ainsley also looked worse for the wear. “You all right?”

  “I’m hanging in there.” She crouched down.

  “Want me to carry you?” I was completely serious about the offer.

  “No.” She stood up. “I’m fine.”

  “We should try walking in another direction.” What we were doing was getting us nowhere.

  “Ok. Right or left?”

  “Right is west. I like those odds better.”

  “But I thought this was an island, so won’t it all connect anyway?”

  “I am starting to doubt it is an island.” I was wondering if it was more like the realm of the dead, with no clear start or end. Such realms were not worlds as we knew them.

  “Right it is.” She started walking in that direction.

  I followed, hoping we were making the right decision. We could not afford to waste more time.

  It was harder to walk this way. The wind picked up, blowing the fine sand into our faces. I could barely look over to check on Ainsley, but I knew she was right beside me.

  I wasn’t sure how much longer we could continue this way and was about to suggest we turn around when I saw the faint outline of an object in the distance. “Do you see that?”

  “What is it?” She stopped short. “I hope it isn’t a mirage.”

  “It might be our imagination, but at this point, it is our only hope.”

  The glimmer of hope was enough to motivate us. We picked up the pace as we watched the tall, odd-shaped object grow closer.

  “If it turns out to be anything dangerous, you need to run.” I would do anything I could to protect her.

  “Run where exactly?” Ainsley asked. “I think our best chance is to stay and fight. I don’t know about you, but I am just about ready to get out of here.”

  “Just about?” I raised an eyebrow. “Was that a joke?”

  “Maybe.” She shrugged. “Not a very funny one.”

  “Any joke is welcome now.”

  “I bet you don’t laugh much.”

  “I don’t get too many chances to.” The life of a Guardian, particularly one who was the son of darkness, was not one that involved much laughter.

  “Belgard isn’t a funny place, huh?” She remembered things now. She had seen Belgard. She had visited my home.

  “And Charleston is different? Your life there I mean.” I remembered her present situation as well. I remembered the ex-boyfriend I wanted to pummel.

  It was nice to fall into conversation, even if it required straining our voices to talk over the wind. I studied the object, or maybe it was a structure, as we drew closer, noting that it seemed like some sort of wood.

  “Point taken. What do you think that is?” Ainsley pointed ahead.

  “I cannot be sure, but I am thinking maybe a boat washed up? It is the most likely thing to be marooned on the sand.”

  “I was hoping for a tiki bar.”

  “A tiki bar?” I remembered the exotic-themed bar from the backyard of one of my temporary schoolmates in Charleston. “Wouldn’t that be nice.”

  “Refreshing maybe but not helpful. A boat would be helpful.”

  “Assuming we could get it to work, would you want to get back into that water? Even on a boat?” The journey from the realm of the dead had been treacherous.

  She shuddered. “We can figure that out if it is a boat.”

  “Yes. Very true. You know maybe it will be the best of both worlds.”

  “The best of both worlds?” Ainsley took my hand back. “What would that be exactly?”

  “We find a tiki bar. First we drink the merchandise, and then turn it into a boat.”

  “You have boat building skills?” She raised an eyebrow.

  I refused to let her question insult me. “I think we could figure it out.”

  “If you are going to want my help, you should probably remind me to stop after one drink.”

  I laughed. “All right. I will remind you.”

  It was incredible how at ease I was with her. How were we having such a seemingly normal conversation while we walked across an endless beach toward something we hoped was our escape? I should have been planning, but I needed more information to make a plan. I would have to wait and see. Normally that would have had me worried, but I was surprisingly calm as we continued on. Ainsley was changing me all right.

  Before long the wooden object came into full view. It was a pile of wooden boards. Not a boat nor a tiki bar.

  “Huh. How’s that for a surprise?” Ainsley picked up a piece of wood.

  “We are fine. We can build a boat from this stuff.” I moved through the different sized board. Unfortunately I saw nothing to help connect the wood. Without trees or nails we had very little to work with. Worse came to worse we could use our clothing.

  “Uh, James?” Ainsley lightly shook my arm to get my attention.

  “Yes?” I set down the board I was holding.

  “What’s that?” She pointed a little ways down the beach where the sand seemed to be a different color.

  I walked toward the disturbance in the sand.

  “It’s a hole.” Ainsley said before I could. “Do you think we are supposed to jump in it?”

  “Jump in it?” I gasped.

  “I mean we escaped the realm of the dead by thinking thoughts about wanting to leave and going under water. Is it so crazy to think we have to jump in a hole to leave here?” She put a hand on her hip.

  “You doubt my boat making skills that much?” I was only teasing while I assessed her reaction. Was the sun getting to her, or was she really that willing to take the risk and jump?

  She frowned. “I don’t trust the water. You asked me before if I was willing to get back in it, and now that the decision is here, the answer is no. What if we can’t survive it the second time? What if we drown or get stuck in that current another time?”

  “What if it is just a hole, and we get stuck?” She had a point, but sometimes it was helpful to play the devil’s advocate in a situation to make sure you looked at things from all angles.

  “Then we find a way to climb out?” Ainsley sighed. “Look, I am tired of all of this, but we have to get off this beach.”

&n
bsp; “We do.” She was right. The sun showed no signs of setting, and we were going to burn to a crisp and become completely dehydrated if we waited too much longer.

  “So you’ll jump with me?” She ran her teeth over her bottom lip.

  “Yes. I will always jump with you.” I looked back at the pile of wood and took Ainsley’s hand again. “On three?”

  “No counting.” She shook her head. “I want to just jump so I can’t come up with an excuse to chicken out.”

  “Why would you chicken out when you are the one who suggested we jump?”

  “Because saying is very different than doing.”

  I made a split-second decision. I jumped over the edge, pulling her with me.

  She screamed as we were swallowed up by the hot grains of sand. I really hoped the hole was the way out.

  14

  Elron

  Our exit from the realm of the dead had been more difficult than I expected.

  The current was fierce, and the small bruises on my skin were evidence of the rough treatment. My throat burned long after the water released me, and I had landed in a small forest clearing.

  I lay in one place for a full minute trying to get my bearings. Without the sound of the wind, my surroundings were eerily quiet.

  I sat up and glanced around, searching for Ainsley and James. The towering trees above provided shade, but the air was much warmer than the chilly realm of the dead. There was no question I was a long way from there.

  “Ainsley? James?” I called quietly.

  No one replied. I moved to my feet and took a better look around. There were tall, towering trees on all sides of the clearing, and it looked as though they went on forever. From my initial look, I did not recognize the forest. Likely there was a reason I ended up there, but technically it may have merely been the closest safe location.

  “Ainsley?” I called a bit louder this time. “James? You here?”

  I quietly waited, straining my ears for any sound that suggested I was something other than alone.

  Aside from a faint rustle in the trees above, the forest was silent.

  “Ainsley?” I tried one more time before settling down against one of the trees. I was afraid to yell any louder. Just because I believed I was alone did not mean danger did not lurk.

  Something was wrong. Was it my fault? Was I supposed to have kept physical contact to leave? For the first time I could remember I had no clear path ahead. Returning was out of the question, and that left me with almost no options. Did I go back in time and start over yet again? It would cost me more time off my life, but it would be worth it. But what of the James and Ainsley of this timeline? It might do more harm than good.

  I decided to give it a few hours. Maybe they were late. Time was a flexible thing.

  I closed my eyes and let myself relax into my thoughts. I needed to wait before I made any more decisions.

  Any chance at relaxation was gone as one hour became two. What if they never showed up? What if they had never left the realm of the dead? Maybe Ainsley struggled to compel herself to leave her father. Still, James should have been able to leave, but it was possible they were so connected he was stuck too.

  I needed help, and I did not like the place I might have to go for it. Turning to my mother would mean admitting my mistakes to my father. I would not go that route unless it was the only one left.

  I felt panic slowly ooze into me, when suddenly I heard a howling noise. Seconds later there was a rustling in the trees above, and James and Ainsley came falling down.

  I tried to break Ainsley’s fall, but she still hit the dirt with a thud.

  “Finally!” Relief flooded me. I held out my hand to help Ainsley up, but James beat me to it. He helped Ainsley to her feet immediately.

  She wiped dirt off her pants. “What do you mean finally? Have you been here long?”

  “Hours.” I was so relieved I no longer cared about the wait.

  “Oh. So you came right here?” Ainsley touched the tree nearest her. She ran her hand over the bark as if checking whether it was real or not.

  “Where did you go?” I waited with bated breath.

  “A beach that seemed to go on and on forever,” James answered.

  “You were on Endless Beach?” I hadn’t thought of that.

  “It has a name?” The corner of Ainsley’s mouth lifted. “At least it is an appropriate one.”

  “You went there for a reason.” You always went for a reason.

  “Because we were destined for boredom?”

  “No, because you needed the stop off. The endless beach exists for those who need a pit stop between realms.” A horrible thought dawned on me. “You two. You did not…”

  “Didn’t what?” Ainsley crossed her arms.

  James frowned. “What is it that you want to ask us?”

  Despite how angry the question would make James, I needed the answer. “Did you have intimate relations?”

  “That is private, Elron.” James’s frown deepened.

  “After what I told you… the poison.”

  “The poison was back already.” Ainsley looked down at the ground. “Everything came back. All the memories and the needs.”

  “She is telling the truth.” James put an arm around Ainsley. “None of this is her fault.”

  “I never insinuated it was. We all know Ainsley is innocent in this.” Which is why it made it all the more important I protect her from the end she was destined for. “And the mark?” I already knew the answer.

  “It’s there.” Ainsley reached back and touched the spot. “James found it earlier.”

  “Then all of this was for nothing?” I no longer cared about my lost time. I worried about everyone else I had ever known.

  “No. You said yourself I wouldn’t have made it to the realm of the dead in the condition I was in before. And James—well it would have been too late you said.” Ainsley’s jaw went slack. “The poison is at the early stage I think.”

  “If the poison is back…” I did not want to finish the thought out loud.

  “You are asking if the darkness is back too?” James rubbed Ainsley’s shoulder. He was always touching her now.

  I nodded.

  “Not fully.” He took a seat on the ground where Ainsley had just seated herself. They moved together as one.

  “Then we still have time.” I held onto that one positive thought. I had made enough mistakes already. I thought I knew everything about time travel. I thought I understood the risks and possible outcomes, but I never anticipated what the kindred bond could do. I was nearly positive the bond was why everything was a mess. It was so strong it could connect the different timelines.

  But no amount of knowledge could alleviate the disappointment. After all of that work, Ainsley was still poisoned. On the bright side, she had been strong enough to speak with Monty, but our journey was nowhere near over, and she was losing her strength by the minute. Just as frightening was the realization that the darkness would grow in James. Was there anything we could do to destroy the darkness without destroying him? Would Ainsley agree to an outcome where he perished? Or would the kindred bond make that impossible?

  There were few times in my life where I felt at such a loss. But this was not the time to sit and pontificate on the difficulties of life. We had a plan. We needed to reach Mount Majest and hope Monty knew what he was doing by sending us there.

  Ainsley leaned back on one of her hands. “Where are we, and how do we get where we need to go?”

  I waited a few seconds before giving her an answer. “I do not know.”

  “You don’t know where we are, or how to get where we need to go?” She pursed her lips.

  “Both.”

  “Fantastic.” James’ lips fell back into a frown.

  “At least we are reunited.” Not long ago my greatest worry was that I would not be able to find them again.

  “Yes.” Ainsley appeared to be straining to stay composed. “That is one problem
solved.”

  “How about we move to the next one.” James leaned back on his hand in the same way Ainsley did. “Or maybe we can combine them, as it does not matter where we are if we can get where we need to be.”

  “We are in a forest—” I started.

  “Really? That’s where you are going to start?” Ainsley interrupted.

  “If you would let me continue.” I choked back my annoyance at being interrupted. “A forest of Morave trees. Those only exist in a handful of places. So that narrows the location down.” The trees thick and complex tree-roots had a unique set of needs that were hard to meet.

  “I still am confused about how you don’t know. Didn’t you select the destination?” Ainsley’s forehead furrowed.

  “No. I focused my thoughts on leaving.” Exactly the way I had instructed them to do.

  “Then how did we all end up together here in the end?”

  “We arrived together in the last realm. That was enough to have us leave to the same place. Of course aside from your detour.”

  “Just to be clear, we did not ask for that detour.” James voice held a warning. He was changing, there was no doubt the darkness was brewing inside him.

  “I never implied you did.” I met his gaze. “I am not a threat to you. Do not make a fight where it does not need to exist.”

  Ainsley put her hand on James arm, and his expression softened. “Ok. Enough of that. How much more info do you need before you can get us to that mountain?”

  At least she was able to calm him, for now. “I need to know who controls this forest.”

  “Why?” She moved her hand to his leg.

  “Because I cannot use ‘tree transport,’ as you call it, in all places.”

  “Why not? There are limits?” She seemed genuinely curious.

  In another time or place I would have taken the time to explain in detail, but I couldn’t afford to now. “Yes. There are political rules, for a lack of a better term.”

  “It’s always politics.” She looked up at the sky. “Ok, so how do we figure it out? You said the trees narrow down where we could be.”

  “This place is foreign to me, so it cannot be in Energo.” James rose to his feet.

  “You know all the forests of Energo?” Ainsley narrowed her eyes.