I heard the horn again.
“Again?” Elron asked.
I nodded. “Yup.”
“Is it getting louder? Softer?”
“No. It’s the same.”
“Ok. I understand.” Elron walked a little ways off. He disappeared into the clouds.
“We can turn back.” James ran his hands through my hair.
“No we can’t.” I fought the urge to kiss him. A kiss would turn into so much more.
“Am I interrupting something?” Elron returned.
I took a few steps back from James to make it easier to resist him. I picked up the conversation we were having before Elron left. The horn was what I should be worrying about. Not sex with James. “What does it mean? What does the fact that the sound isn’t changing mean?”
“I am not sure.” Elron wrinkled his brow. “But I have a guess.”
Before he could continue the horn blew loud as if it were right behind me. I covered my ears with my hands and turned around. I saw nothing.
“You okay?” James asked.
“It was louder this time.”
“And it came from that direction?” Elron pointed behind me.
“Yes.”
“Follow it. We will wait right here.”
“Are you joking?” James’ face reddened. “Telling her to walk off into the clouds alone?”
“She is the only one who can hear the horn, which means the message is for her alone.”
“That does not mean she should be left alone.”
Elron was right, and James wasn’t going to be easily convinced.
I took advantage of his distracted state and walked into the clouds.
At first I saw nothing. I was close to turning back, but then I saw a shadow a little further away from the others.
I took a few tentative steps toward the shadow.
I squinted trying to get a better idea of what was standing there.
In a blur something warm brushed against me, and in the next moment I was smothered. I couldn’t breathe. This was it. The end. I needed to cry out, but I couldn’t because there was something over my face. I struggled, flailing around to clear my face. at first it wouldn’t move, then it easily fell away, and I touched something silky.
“What?” I looked down at a white silky object in my hand. Had that been it? A piece of fabric? I felt a wave of embarrassment that nearly cancelled out the relief. “Hello?”
“Ainsley?” James called. A moment later he appeared next to me. “Why did you walk off?”
“They gave you a robe!” Elron exclaimed. “Perfect.”
“Perfect? A robe?”
“You have to wear a robe when you seek an audience with the Elders. That means they are giving you an audience.”
“But where are our robes?” James asked. “She is only holding one.”
“Yes she is only holding one because she is the only one they want to speak with.” Elron eyed James warily.
“Absolutely not.” James grimaced. “She is not doing this alone.”
I tuned out on their dispute. I was stressed enough already and not in the mood to listen to the two bicker. I already knew what I had to do, and I had no choice even if it was going to make James incredibly angry. Sometimes in life you have to upset the ones you love in order to protect them. He wasn’t thinking straight. A side effect of our bond was it was difficult to look outside of us as a couple. It was even harder for him with the darkness seeping in at every turn.
I braced myself, not wanting to fight with James, but accepting it was my only choice. "I have to do this myself." I was getting tired of using that line, but I didn't really have a choice. Even if it weren’t for the appearance of a single robe, I would have known what I had to do. My father may not have out right told me, but I knew. I might not like what the Elders had to say, but I had to hear it myself.
"No. There is absolutely no reason for that." James’s hands balled into fists at his side.
"There is. I have to." It was hard to argue with someone when you wished you could agree.
"No. This is dangerous." James gritted his teeth.
"James, I worry about her safety too, but if she thinks—” Elron started.
"No." James cut him off. "You have no right to tell us what to do here."
"Except that you are here because of me. I am trying to save Ainsley not hurt her."
"So you say." James eyes darkened.
"Ok. Stop." I wrung my hands. "This is ridiculous."
"How is it ridiculous?" James face was a mix of exhaustion, anger, and fear. I knew exactly how he felt.
"The darkness is seeping into him." Elron met my eyes. “You know it as well as I do.”
"No. Do not worry about that, Ainsley. I am fine.”
"It is spreading." I spoke in barely a whisper. "Which is why I have to do this myself. You can't come with me." It was nearly impossible to say no to James. I wasn’t sure how much of that was the bond and how much of it was natural. Maybe the bond was natural. It was impossible to separate any of my feelings from it anymore.
"Then take Elron." James’ face twisted as if he were in pain. That was hard for him to admit, which is what made my response all that much harder.
"No. I can do this myself." Surprisingly I sounded like I kind of believed it. I didn't for a minute. Me standing before a group of god-like beings to ask for something? It was crazier than crazy. Maybe even crazier than stepping into the water to talk to my dad. I wanted to say ‘and look how good that turned out’, but I wasn’t sure if it had turned out well. It had sent me on this dangerous journey and made me mourn a man I had merely wondered about before. Maybe the right option would be to demand Elron and James take me home—but I knew as well as my traveling companions what would happen to my home if I turned my back on things right now.
"But you haven't gotten any other messages?" James shifted his weight from foot to foot. "How can you be so confident this is the right move?"
"Because I remember enough to realize what's at stake." Everyone I cared about.
“That isn’t fair.” James’ expression darkened. “I remember enough too.”
“Then you realize why you can’t come.”
“No. I realize why you think so. I can fight the darkness. I can do anything if it involves protecting you.” His eyes were deep pools of emotion, but there was something dark behind the emotion, and that darkness was enough to keep me firm in my decision.
“Yet you were ready to accept the darkness.” I closed my eyes wishing I could push away those memories and only hold on to the good ones.
“Because I have to save you.”
“But I am not more important than the survival of everyone else. You know that as well as everyone else.”
“I love you, Ainsley.” He held me tight.
“And I love you. Don’t forget that.”
“Why would I forget that?” His jaw went slack. “Why would you say that?”
“You never know what’s going to happen.”
“What are you implying?” Fire danced in James’ eyes. I was treading on thin ice with him. The ice reminded me of someone else. Someone dark.
“What about Gregor?” I remembered, so I assumed James did too.
“What about him?”
“We have to get rid of him…” Ok, that sounded harsh but that was the truth.
“What does Gregor have to do with you doing this all alone?”
“It’s a reminder that none of this is simple, and we all still have a lot of work to do.”
“Be safe, Ainsley.” James pulled me into his arms. I hugged him back before wrapping my arms around his neck. His lips met mine in a spark filled kiss. He pressed me against him, and for a few moments I forgot everything. All there was to know was the feel of his arms around me and the taste of his lips. His tongue found its way into my mouth and tangled with mine.
I would have stayed lost in that kiss forever if it weren’t for the sound of Elron clearing h
is throat.
I reluctantly moved away from James. “I’ll be back.” I stepped into the clouds in the direction I had heard the horn. Hopefully finding the palace wouldn’t be as hard as saying goodbye to James.
16
Ainsley
I saw nothing but clouds for a while. It is absolutely terrifying to walk toward something you can’t see yet know is dangerous. Still, I was doing it anyway. I stopped a few minutes in to pull the white robe on. There was no way I was taking off my clothes underneath. Just because I couldn’t see anyone in the clouds didn’t mean they couldn’t see me.
I really hoped I was going the right way. We had wasted enough time already. I didn’t need to get lost and cut into our time even more. If this turned out to be another endless beach with no clear direction, we were all in trouble.
The clouds began to thin. I squinted my eyes, and in the distance I saw something white. I picked up my pace and headed toward it, hoping I ended up finding more than a pile of wood this time. My walk became more of a jog, and then a slow run. Finally, I got close enough to make it out. There were two large golden doors that seemed to go on and on forever in height. I could see nothing past the doors, but this had to be the palace, right?
Then in a blur something flew down, blocking my path.
I stepped back in shock as I realized it wasn’t a something as much as a someone.
The someone grinned. “You did figure out what to do.”
I looked up at the guy. He was at least six-five with a thick beard, a bare abdomen covered in intricate tattoos, and most shocking a pair of black leathery wings that seemed to be connected to his back somehow. The wings were outlined by an almost navy blue color.
“I am talking about the robe. You figured out what to do with it.” He pointed at me. “You are the first human I’ve had to take in to the Elders. Are you in trouble too?”
“In trouble?” My hand flew to my throat. Was I? As far as I knew I hadn’t actually done anything wrong, but I was tied to James, and he had pure darkness inside him. If I was blamed for his darkness, I was in serious trouble.
“Yeah.. why else would you be granted an audience?” He turned his head to the side.
“Do you mean in trouble like I did something wrong, or in trouble like I need help?” Maybe I had misunderstood him.
“It has to be one or the other, doesn’t it?” He winked. Was he finding this amusing? That made one of us.
“I guess so.”
“There is no guessing about it. No one, especially not a human, would come see the Elders unless they had to.” He reached back and rubbed his shoulder. “Well, unless they are crazy. You seem sane enough.”
Sane enough? Says the guy with wings? “Are those real?” I put my hand over my mouth. Had I really said that out loud?
“Are what real?” He gave an amused smile.
“Your wings?”
“Of course they are.”
“They are pretty.” I pointed to his abdomen. “And those are cool.”
“I am not sure I have ever heard someone refer to my wings as pretty before.”
“Why am I talking to you like this?” I couldn’t quite fathom it myself. But I couldn’t help myself.
“I’m putting you at ease. It is the reason for my being here.”
“Uh…”
“I will not bore you with the details. You need to go inside anyway.”
“Inside.” I eyed the doors. They seemed even taller now that I was standing near to them. They were golden doors inscribed with words in a foreign language. I wondered what they said, but then again I had a feeling that knowledge wouldn’t put me more at ease.
“Yes. That is why you are here, correct?”
“Yes.” He was right of course, but that didn’t mean I wanted to go inside. My stomach churned, and my legs felt weak.
“Take your shoes off.” He pointed to my feet.
“My shoes?”
“Do you always repeat what people say?” He yawned.
“I was making sure I heard you correctly.”
“Yes, your shoes. It is seen as disrespectful to wear shoes inside.”
“Ok.” I untied my shoes and took them off. “Do I have to leave them out here?”
“Yes. They will be here if you come back out. No one is around to steal them. Oh and your socks too.”
“If I come back out?” Was he serious? Hadn’t he just said he was there to put me at ease? Implying I may not make it out wasn’t putting me at ease.
“When.” He gave a sheepish smile. “Sorry, I let that slip.”
That slip was all the motivation I needed to get this meeting over with. I took off my socks and put them inside my shoes.
After taking a few long, deep breaths, I readied myself. I took small, calculated steps toward the giant doors. I was really doing this. I was really doing something crazy and reckless again. But it felt kind of good, empowering even. Normally I would have let someone else do it because I would have assumed they would do a better job, but this job was for me. I was the one who needed to do it, so I would do it. And I would survive. I refused to go into the palace with any other mind-set.
I reached out to touch the door, there were no door handles, so I pressed my palm against the cool golden door directly. Instantly, the door started to open on its own. I resisted the urge to turn around. I couldn’t take the chance of chickening out. The sooner I got inside, the sooner I would be done. And hopefully I’d end up with the flower, or whatever it was, and more information. The other possibility— I learned nothing and came out empty handed—was of course real, but I couldn’t think that way. No death, no coming out empty handed. Was that too much to ask for?
I waited for the doors to open further, but they didn’t. It was only enough space for me to step through.
After letting out another slow, deep breath I stepped inside.
The white marble floors were cold on my bare feet. Considering you had to take your shoes off, couldn’t they have put down a carpet runner or something? I guess that was the point: make you uncomfortable.
They definitely succeeded with that. On top of the freezing floors, I could see nothing in front of me thanks to a blinding bright light. Within seconds I was seeing spots from the light and had to blink over and over.
Then to top everything else off, I heard laughter. Not light laughter as if someone was enjoying a joke but mean laughter. Someone was laughing at me.
There were few things in the world I hated more than being laughed at. The laughing got louder, but I still couldn’t see anything. I stumbled forward blindly, ready for this whole awful experience to be over.
Why were they laughing at me? What could I have been doing that could possibly be seen as funny?
I kept walking forward despite feeling completely and utterly sick to my stomach and having no clue where I was headed aside from knowing it wasn’t going to be a good place.
The laughing grew louder and louder, and I still couldn’t see.
"Why are you laughing at me?" I shouted. "Did I do something funny?" Considering these creatures made you take off your shoes to enter their palace, shouting at them probably wasn’t a smart move, but I wasn’t going to let them laugh at me. That was crossing the line. If there was one thing in life I was done with, it was being walked over.
"The laughing stopped abruptly.
"Thank you." I took a few more steps.
"No need to thank us. We didn't stop on your accord." A female voice echoed through the hall. The light was so bright I couldn’t see who had spoken. I wanted to say something back—to come up with something, but my question about laughing was all I had. Even without seeing these beings—I felt them. Somehow their power was something felt tangible—much like the greyness back in the realm of the dead. That was one of the strangest parts of exploring these different worlds—or realms. Whatever they were. You could feel things in a way that was entirely different than how things worked back home.
“N
othing else to ask us?” A female taunted. “Is the laughing the only thing on your mind?”
“I have more to ask,” I somehow mustered enough courage to respond.
“Then ask away.” She chuckled again but this sounded more forced.
“You don’t actually care.”
“Of course we don’t care.” She gave another forced laugh. “Why would we?”
“Then why should I bother saying anything? If you are going to ignore me anyway?” It was easier to speak my mind when I could pretend she was just another girl.
“I never said we would ignore you. It pays to listen closely.”
“You said you don’t care. That’s the same thing.” And if that was really the case, I wasn’t sure why I was wasting my time.
“Is it?” Her words hung in the air.
I thought over her words. “You don’t care, but maybe you would help for another reason?”
“Bingo. Maybe you do have some brains after all.”
I ignored the insult. I had bigger problems than a bruised ego. Besides, my ego had been bruised plenty before.
“Come on. Ask it already.”
“You already know, don’t you?” Maybe it was the fact I heard the voice and saw no one, but the woman felt omnipresent, as if she were in my head. If I didn’t already know it, that would have been the moment when I figured out she wasn’t human.
“I may have a hunch.”
“Then why do I need to say it?” Was this another way to make me feel lesser than she was? To say something that didn’t need to be said?
“Because you must ask in order to receive.” Her words sounded like a taunt, and a male laughed. I wondered why the male was willing to laugh and not talk to me. It was probably part of the mind games. Knowing that made it easier. I was stronger than they thought. I could handle what they threw me.
“May I see you first?” Maybe she was more frightening to look at than she was to hear, but the comfort in not knowing had already disappeared. I needed to know who I was talking with.
“Why do you want to see me?” There was a note of actual curiosity in her voice. “Do you believe that will put you at ease?”
“No,” I admitted. Nothing was really going to put me at ease. “But I would like to see who I am bargaining with.” It was interesting how the female assumed I only wanted to see her.
Forged in Light (The Forged Chronicles Book 4) Page 11
