Empyrean: Return of the Fire Faery

by Twyla Turner

  “Is that what’s wrong with Wakeley?” I joked, and Rafe burst out laughing.

  “More than likely.” He smirked.

  We walked along in silence for a few minutes, before he continued with his line of questioning.

  “So what happened to your mother?” He broached.

  I felt my body slump inwardly as if it was trying to protect itself from the pain of talking about a hard subject. “She died of a broken heart. No one in my stupid town believes it, but she did. With my dad gone, who had been the love of her life, she became really depressed. She took a lot of anti-depressant pills, and I was worried that she was taking too many and that she couldn’t function without them. I told my best friend at the time about it, and she blabbed to the whole town that my mom was on drugs. So the state took me away from her to investigate. I was the only good thing left in her life, and her sadness took over. And I guess her heart just gave out. G-Gave up trying.” My voice wobbled at the end, and I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. “And no matter how many times I say it, everyone believes that she was some kind of drug addict.”

  “I believe you,” Rafe said softly.

  I looked up at him, and his intense blue eyes were so sincere that a fresh wave of tears streamed down my face. It was the first time that anyone had believed me. The first time anyone had actually listened to me without needing to put in their two cents before I could even finish. I covered my face with my free hand and choked on a sob.

  “I’m sorry, Immy!” Rafe apologized, alarmed by my outburst. “I didn’t mean to get you so upset.”

  “No, no. It’s not that.” I took a shaky breath. “It’s just…th-thank you for believing me.”

  I felt some of my anger that had been bottled up, release and ease a bit. The ten-ton boulder that pressed on my shoulders became a lot lighter. I slowly released a breath and it came easier than it had in a year.

  “Sorry, I’m such a mess!” I laughed at myself as I wiped my face with my left hand. He still hadn’t let go of my right.

  I pulled my hand away from his, and his fingers trailed across my skin, leaving a scorching path. I had thought that Aiden gave me the butterflies when he looked at me or accidentally touched me. But he had nothing on Rafe. When the blue faery looked at me, it felt like I had a bunch of stealth bombers flying and spinning around in my gut like I was hosting the freakin’ air show in my stomach. And his touch sent electric pulses down to my nether regions and had me squeezing my thighs together. Which I’d never experienced before.

  “Don’t apologize.” He bumped his shoulder against mine. “Thank you for sharing that with me. I know it wasn’t easy.” He said as he reached over and caught a rogue tear that had escaped down my cheek with his thumb. He brushed the single digit across my cheek a few times.

  I blinked at him, my eyes wide. I didn’t realize I had stopped, frozen in my tracks, until Daegan and Saffi walked passed us. Daegan was suspiciously silent as they passed. No internal dialogue. No teasing.

  Rafe’s hand drew my attention back to him. He stroked my cheek once more and then trailed his thumb down the side of my face. My breath stuck in my throat when I saw that same hungry look he’d given my mouth the night before, cross his face again. His imprints rippled and turned from pale blue to dark blue and back again like they’d done the night before.

  “Your freckles are adorable. Like pixie kisses.” He smiled down at me.

  “Uh…thanks?” I said it as a question. Not really sure what to do or how to respond. “N-No one has ever said anything like that to me before. I hate my freckles, and I figured no one else liked them either. Well, other than my parents.”

  “That’s just because for some strange reason, no one got around to telling you. Which is sad because each one deserves its own individual attention. In fact, I think each one should have its own name.” Rafe grinned mischievously.

  “You have issues.” I giggled and then smacked his hand away from my face. It was easier to be playful than to get my hopes up.

  I began to walk again since we had already fallen way behind the others.

  “Aww! Come on! It would be fun.” He teased as he jogged to catch up to me. “Katrina. Belle. Fiona. Renae. Arissa. Tiana. Gertrude-” He listed before I cut him off.

  “Gertrude?!”

  “What?” He asked innocently.

  “I can’t even.” I continued walking and shook my head, trying not to grin with delight at our playful banter. He’d succeeded in making me feel better after such a tough topic. “And why no guy names?” I asked him curiously.

  “I’m not naming your freckles after guys!” He exclaimed indignantly.

  “Why not?”

  “I can’t tell you yet. But I will. Soon.” He informed me cryptically.

  I paused for a moment and gave him the side eye. “I guess I’ll be waiting with bated breath to find out this little mystery.”

  He just winked at me as we picked up the pace to catch up with the others. The terrain was getting steeper and craggier heading towards Älva Mountain in the distance. Slate gray rocks jutted out from the lush green grass. Rafe had to climb up a particularly rough patch. Once he got over the rise, he turned and helped pull me up the steep incline. As we both straightened up, something whizzed past our heads.

  We heard a thud on the ground and glanced over to see a battle ax embedded in the grass. Our heads whipped around, on alert. I watched in horror as sections of the ground started to move. What appeared as humps of grass, were actually creatures in disguise. They stood to their full height and snarled at us. They were huge, hulking beings with hideous faces. Their skin was crusty and wrinkled. They had wide mouths with crowded sharp teeth. Big noses and beady black eyes. They had on dirty, tattered pants and tunics and held weapons in their massive hands.

  My eyes searched for Daegan and the other faeries. They were stopped with expressions that probably matched Rafe’s and my own. There were about twenty creatures that made a semi-circle around us, blocking our way to Älva Mountain.

  “Trolls!” Rafe exclaimed under his breath as he drew his sword.

  “Trolls?! I thought trolls were small and hung out near bridges?” I hissed.

  “Not quite.”

  “Can we fly out of here?” I asked, pressing closer to Rafe as the trolls advanced on us.

  “We can fly you out of here, but not Daegan. And we can’t leave him, so we have to fight.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut, “I knew you were gonna say that.”

  I reached into my satchel and pulled out the little dagger I had been given. I need something way better than this! This will be like poking a bear with a sewing needle! At the very least, I was glad that I’d made the decision to keep my armor on as we traveled through Empyrean. So I had that little bit of protection.

  Hey, at least you’ve got that. All I’ve got is my horn! Daegan shouted over to me.

  Is this supposed to be the second gauntlet or is this just a freakin’ bonus?!

  Either way, it looks like we’re screwed! Twenty against six is craptastic odds. Daegan shot back, using the type of language I normally use. It was apparent that the unicorn being in my head all the time was corrupting him.

  Slowly we moved towards the others. I looked around at each of my companions.

  “Uh…guys? Now would be a great time to use your powers.” I said to them.

  As soon as the words left my mouth, the trolls charged us. Wakeley dropped down to his knees and slammed his fists into the earth. What felt like an earthquake rumbled, and the ground began to crack. Several of the trolls tried to jump over the crumbling rock and dirt, but didn’t make it and screamed on their way down the crevice Wakeley had made.

  Saffi spread her arms out wide and then brought them back together, her hands connecting in a loud clap. Wind from either side of them blasted the trolls, knocking them off of their feet and back into the fathomless trench Wakeley had created.

  Even still, some of the trolls dodged both th
e collapsing earth and the blast of wind. Only the handful that was left ran straight for us with a loud battle cry of rage. I lifted my shield as one troll smashed into me. The impact flung my body back several feet, and I landed in a heap on the hard ground. The wind was knocked right out of me, but I heard heavy footsteps approaching, and I tried to catch my breath as I scrambled back to my feet.

  My equilibrium was off, but when I looked up, I saw him charging me once more. A second before he reached me, I quickly dropped down into a squat and held the shield up to protect my body. I braced myself for the hit. I was crouched so low that this time the impact hit him below the knees as I shoved my whole body against his legs. His momentum sent him flying over me, and he crashed to the ground.

  Unfortunately, this only made him angrier than he already was. He roared his frustration and leapt to his feet. He lifted his flail in the air and swung the spiked ball around and around above his head, ready to slam it down on top of me. I could hear the whirling sound it made, as it cut through the air. I could feel sweat trickling down my spine. I bent my body, muscles coiled, ready to leap away from the direction he threw the weapon. I had no idea how my friends were faring. I couldn’t even think about it, as visions of that spiked ball sticking out of the side of my head flashed in my mind.

  Something whizzed over the top of my head, and I looked away from the spinning ball to the giant troll’s face. The feathered end of an arrow quivered from the force of the sharp head that was buried in the middle of his forehead. His beady little eyes rolled into the back of his skull, and he dropped the flail as his body teetered backward and fell with a loud thump.

  The breath that I had been holding exploded from my lungs. My whole body began to shake as the adrenaline subsided and I realized I was not going to die. At least not at that very moment, anyway. I turned to see the other trolls that had made it past Wakeley’s earthquake and Saffi’s blast of wind, were also on the ground with arrows sticking out from various vital parts of their bodies. Saffi was holding her arm, which was bleeding pretty badly. Other than that, they were all whole and okay, though slightly bruised and exhausted.

  My shaking legs could no longer hold me up, and I collapsed to the ground on my knees. I looked past my friends and saw an army of people off in the distance, heading towards us. I could only assume that it had been them that had saved us from the remaining trolls.

  Rae held her healing hands over Saffi’s wound while Rafe and Daegan made their way over to me.

  “Are you alright? Have you been hurt?” Rafe asked, his voiced filled with worry as he looked down at me.

  I shook my head, unable to speak yet. I was afraid that if I opened my mouth, I’d start crying. My tremors intensified and shook me so badly that my armor rattled. I could’ve sworn my life flashed before my eyes before that arrow hit the troll.

  Rafe dropped down to his knees in front of me. He cupped either side of my face with both hands. He stroked his thumbs across my cheeks. I barely registered the soft caresses as I stared at him blankly.

  We could have died. I almost got a spiked metal ball stuck in my skull. I can’t breathe. First, rock giants. Now huge trolls. What’s next?! I don’t even wanna know. I rambled off in my head.

  “She’s okay,” Daegan spoke up for me. “She’s just a little rattled and in shock. Give her time, she’ll calm down.”

  Rafe let go of my face and reached up to remove my helmet. He smoothed back my hair from my face and leaned forward. I finally came out of my stupor when his full lips touched my forehead in a sweet kiss. My breath hitched, and I blinked several times. His face was so beautiful and filled with concern for me. His imprints changed from sky blue to indigo and back again. They’d been doing that a lot since last night, and I had no idea what it meant. I pulled away from Rafe and awkwardly looked around at anything but him.

  “I’m okay. I’m okay.” I reassured them as I tried to stand on still shaky legs. “What the heck was that?! Was that the next gauntlet or just added practice, because I haven’t even gotten my next weapon yet to fight?”

  “I honestly don’t know.” Rafe grasped my arm to help me stand. “But at least we’re safe.”

  As soon as I felt I could stand on my own, I pulled my arm away from him. I thought I saw a look of hurt cross his face before he plastered on a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. I didn’t have time to analyze why I was pulling away from him or why he seemed hurt by it because the army of elves had reached us.

  Of course, they were not what I had expected. They were regular human size, so no Santa’s or Keebler elves, as I’d imagined. They did have pointy ears, though, so that was right. And just like every other human-like being in this realm, they were made up of several different colors. But from what I could see, all of their eyes were gold. One elf that looked to be of Arab descent, possibly in his late twenties or early thirties, stepped forward.

  “My name is Sabir, and I am captain of the elfin army. King Valen extends his greetings and welcomes you to Älva Mountain.” The elf announced formally.

  “Thank you, Sabir.” Rafe nodded to him. “You saved our hides just now.”

  “It’s good to see you, Rafe.” Sabir walked up and shook hands with him. “Too bad it wasn’t under better circumstances.”

  “Agreed.” Rafe nodded gravely. He turned to our group and began introductions. “Sabir, this is Saffi, Wakeley, Rae, Daegan, and…Imogen.” He paused before introducing me, drawing attention to me.

  “A human?” Sabir asked in disbelief.

  “Yes. She was sent here to help us.” Rafe explained.

  Sabir looked at me skeptically. “If you say so, Rafe. I’m sure Valen will love to hear about this. Follow me.” He turned, and the army followed suit and started towards the mountain.

  I gave Sabir’s back a snide face. I doubted myself enough. I didn’t need some jackhole who didn’t even know me to do it too.

  Chapter 21

  Rafe

  Sabir lead us up the mountain, through the village of elves, and into the private palace of the king. I watched as Immy’s eyes swept back and forth as she took in her surroundings. The village and castle were carved right out from the mountain. The village wove up the side of the mountain, and the castle sat at the very top, high above the surrounding land. A perfect vantage point, to see what was coming from 360º around. Two guards stood watch in the highest tower, at all times. Ready to chime the bell at a moment’s notice. Not that much ever happened in Hikari, until now.

  I had been to Älva Mountain quite a few times before with my father, to bring the machinery we had made for the elves. Even still, the castle never failed to amaze, and Immy was no exception if her mouth gaping open was any indication. The elves ability to carve magnificent things out of stone was evident in the fine details of the castle. The floors were polished to a gleaming marble, pillars with intricate patterns chiseled into them graced every room, and giant statues of great elves that came before them stood sentry in large alcoves that had been carved out in the great hall.

  The six of us, led by Sabir, walked towards the young elf king seated on his marble throne. Valen was a year older than I, but having the responsibility of an entire kingdom made him appear a little older and more mature. His golden eyes in a mahogany face took in everything. Nothing escaped his notice. If we weren’t distant friends, he’d probably intimidate me with his sheer size. We were both trained for battle, but the elves training was way more extensive since the faeries relied on our powers over the elements for combat, and it was obvious in the way Valen’s body was built. As we approached him, he stood to his full height that was about two inches taller than my six-feet-two-inches.

  I glanced over at Immy and saw her eyes widened slightly at the sight of the handsome elf king. A pang of something that felt a lot like jealousy shot through my gut. My eyes swung back to Valen, and it appeared that he couldn’t keep his eyes off of Immy either. His eyes swept her up and down, appreciatively. My jaw clenched, and my
hands fisted, ready to do battle if need be.

  “Valen,” I said to draw his attention to me. I bowed at the waist respectfully when he finally looked at me.

  He bowed back as he spoke. “Rafe. It’s good to see you, my friend.” His deep baritone vibrated off of the stone walls, and I felt Immy shift next to me.

  Valen stepped down from the raised dais and walked up to me and offered his hand to shake. I clasped his wrist as he gripped mine. Our arms pumped once, and then we released arms and bumped our fists to our chests, in our usual greeting.

  “It’s good to see you as well, Valen.”

  “So what brings you to Älva Mountain and who might I ask, are your companions?” Valen asked, glancing over to Immy and ignoring the rest of our party. It was obvious who he really wanted to know about.

  I started down the line, “This is Wakeley, Rae, Saffi, Daegan, and Imogen.” As I introduced them, Valen greeted each one.

  He gave Wakeley the same customary handshake between men and each girl he bowed and kissed their hands. I breathed in sharply as he bent over Immy’s hand. His long golden tipped coiled locks swung forward, blocking my view of his lips on her skin but I could still tell that he lingered longer than was necessary. I felt myself bristle at the intimate gesture.

  I cleared my throat to get his attention before continuing. “There is a sickness that is spreading from Myrkur. Apparently, started by Hafgrim. The Oracle said that Imogen was sent here to help us fight. To restore the balance in both of our worlds.” I explained.

  “Hmm… A human girl was sent to help us? That seems odd and unlikely.” Valen said doubtfully. He arched one eyebrow as he sized her up.

  I felt Immy straighten and tense next to me. I squeezed my lips together to keep from laughing. Valen didn’t know it, but he was dealing with a girl that had enough fire in her to singe the skin off his hide from a mile away if he wasn’t careful.

  “Hmm…” She began, mocking him. “It was this human girl who devised the plan that destroyed the Alpanians. So…” Immy trailed off with a defiant scowl, one that had been directed at me on many an occasion.