by E E Everly
His grin practically split his face. “Niawen, you have a visitor. You’ll never guess who it is.”
I knew. The heart-center I discerned outside still glowed with a cherry-pink light. Even though more than a year had passed since I left Talfryn, I’d never mistake him nor forget all he meant to me.
“I have a pretty good idea.” My bundle wiggled, and I shushed her gently. She would sleep only when I rocked.
Rapping at the doorframe preceded a tawny head. A throat cleared.
“Niawen?” Kelyn bumbled through the doorway. Our shoddy door, which hung loose on its hinges, bounced back and slammed Kelyn’s foot. He oomphed and grimaced over the jolting noise in the modest space. I didn’t bother scolding him. My bundle only wriggled her nose and pushed her fist under her chin.
Kelyn paused and glanced around. He didn’t have much to take in. Just a plain two-room cottage with meager furnishings. “Owein told me I was welcome. He said to wait so he could announce my presence.”
“Mainly so I could see the look on Niawen’s face as you entered.” Owein laughed. “I didn’t expect you to come roaring into the cottage like a buffoon.”
Another time I would have jumped up and leapt into Kelyn’s embrace, but I didn’t want to jostle my sleeping angel. So I smiled, beaming at Kelyn, hoping my eyes expressed my delight. “I’d expect nothing less from a crown prince.”
Light swelled in my heart-center, but I pushed the energy down, willing it away.
I was still in hiding. I’d be in hiding for an eternity. My light must never blossom beyond the brilliance of a mortal’s. I had managed well over the months while my stomach grew during pregnancy. Except through the delivery. My humble light was not enough to ease the pain. Now that spring was underway, my little bundle was already growing faster than I could keep track.
Kelyn’s radiance matched mine. He tiptoed into the room, sensing the need to stay quiet. “Owein informed me that she had just fallen asleep. I dare not wake her and face your wrath.”
He knelt beside the rocking chair and peeked into my arms. I took in Kelyn’s scent of cinnamon and cypress, of days on the road, of long-awaited reunions.
Owein snickered. My soul belonged to him, but we had often talked about old friends. He knew the memories I had swirling about my head.
“Does she have your green eyes?” Kelyn whispered.
I nodded. “Yes. Emrys eyes.”
His blue eyes sparked with the curiosity I was so used to from him. “Thick dark hair.”
I inhaled sharply. “Her father’s.”
Kelyn cocked his head, considering. “No, not like her father’s.” Kelyn nodded toward Owein. “She must have received the color from a relative.”
Kelyn knew Caedryn was her father. He also knew why that truth should never be uttered. As far as everyone knew, she was Owein’s daughter. Forever and always. I thanked Deian that Kelyn would keep my secret.
“She’ll have my sense of humor,” Owein said. “I can promise you.”
“That she will.” My eyes traveled from Kelyn’s face to Owein’s and back. I was surrounded by the three most important people in my life.
Except Kenrik. I was missing Kenrik.
“What’s the child’s name?” Kelyn asked.
“Ahnalyn. Her name is Ahnalyn,” I replied.
Tension drifted between us. Kelyn was most likely thinking what life would have been like had she been his daughter. We’d be at home in the highlands. Snuggled in front of a fire, listening to the winds howl through the bleak winter.
“Uh, Niawen,” Kelyn said. “I have a reason for coming.”
“You have word of Kenrik?”
“I do. He is well.” Kelyn searched my face in earnest.
“It’s not all well, is it?” I knew well enough. I’d had glimpses of Kenrik in my dreams.
“I’m afraid not.”
Owein stepped behind my shoulder and squeezed it. The small gesture shivered peace through me.
“Did he enter Gorlassar?” I leaned forward a fraction, just enough not to disturb Ahnalyn. “Did he get help? Why doesn’t he come?”
“Yes,” Kelyn said. “And yes. But he cannot ever come.”
My stomach suddenly felt bitter. “So the High Emrys couldn’t help him.”
“He is forever changed,” Kelyn said. “Forever linked to Caedryn. If Kenrik came here, Caedryn would find you.”
“I understand.” So much sorrow filled me because I was the cause of Kenrik’s suffering. Until the day Kenrik died, he’d have no choice but to endure Caedryn’s twisted temperament.
“He’s a vagabond. He took a ship in the south. I’ll never see him again. Not as long as Caedryn’s alive. But Kenrik did ask me to do one thing for him.” Kelyn pulled a velvet pouch from his pocket, untied the strings, and slid an object into his palm. He held it out. “Kenrik wanted you to have this.”
Shimmering in his palm was a round pearlescent stone attached to a silver chain. A precious jewel I thought I’d never lay eyes on again.
My dragon stone.
I placed my palm over Kelyn’s. He clasped my hand and pressed the rock firmly between us.
I closed my eyes as they brimmed with tears, anticipating. Nervous. Seren… Seren?
With her voice came three words, which gave back everything—affection, family, and home—that I had been missing for so long.
I am here.
***
Did you love Niawen and Caedryn?
Or maybe it was Niawen and Owein, or was it Kelyn or Kenrik?
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***
Want to know whats happens to Ahnalyn?
Keep reading to find out!
The first few chapters to Consumed: An Epic Dragons and Immortals Romantic Fantasy are on the next page!
CONSUMED
AHNALYN
The words slipped recklessly from my mouth. “I need three days.” I hadn’t expected to say them, and the shock of my quiet voice startled me.
Brenin didn’t seem to notice.
I stood in front of him, so close the individual freckles could be seen across his cheekbones. I could have counted them. The wind rustled his umber curls, and his hazel eyes glinted in the low light.
Brenin grinned, causing his eyes to crinkle around the edges. His unwavering regard flustered me, broke me out into a sweat, and nearly had me gasping for breath, so I looked beyond his ear into the meadow.
Yes, the meadow. Completely safe.
His tempting hazel eyes were not.
The day had shifted into evening, but the sky still held its brilliant blue light and billowing clouds. The grass and wildflowers swayed in the wind.
I vaguely heard the sheep call as the wind whipped stray strands of hair across my face and batted my skirt against my ankles. “Ahnalyn,” my flock teased. “Ahnalyn. What have you gotten yourself into now?”
I was hallucinating.
Unable to grasp the full repercussions of what I’d uttered, I absentmindedly brushed the hair out of my face and clarified. “You’ll have your answer in three days.”
“All right, Ahnalyn.” Brenin’s voice held a slight amusement, and his smile didn’t falter.
Rigid with unease, I stared blankly. My attention didn’t return to Brenin until he grabbed my hand and squeezed it.
I hesitantly emerged from my torpor and looked at him apologetically. “Sorry.” The warmth and strength of his hand was a comfort.
“An escort will arrive for you the third morning.” He leaned in and kissed me—a faint, delightful flutter—on my cheek.
My lungs stopped moving.
Brenin turned away, gently dropping my hand. He slipped down the hill and faded into the sun’s glare.
Somehow, I remembered to breathe again.
I’m nuts. Completely nuts.
What have I agreed to?
/> As I’d done countless times in the past, I rubbed my fingers across the iridescent stone hanging from the leather cord around my neck. The smoothness reassured me and kept me sane, especially when I said hasty words to charming men.
Just one charming man.
Why’d I tell him three days? I thumped my palm on my forehead. He’s sending an escort! He seemed so sure of my response. But was I? I should have refused him, but only an absolute fool would dismiss such a life-changing offer.
I slumped to my knees and cradled my heavy head in my hands. The rustling of the leaves drowned out all but the relentless bleating of my flock, who were still mocking me. With my eyes closed, I tilted my face to the sky, soaking in the day’s radiance and feeling the tranquil breeze.
I don’t know if I should do this. Mother, tell me what to do.
A glimmer of flame blazed into my vision, and heat more powerful than the sun’s warmth rushed over me.
Don’t be afraid of the unknown, whispered a soothing voice in my head. This is a path you can trust.
No. I flushed, not the least bit alarmed by the familiar voice and vision in my mind. This is a path that will change my life forever.
AHNALYN
The evening task of ushering the sheep into the paddock stretched on forever. I secured the bleating throng in the pen, relieved their mocking had withered to timid jabs, and rushed across the shadowy yard to a modest cottage. I pushed the old wooden door open to welcome the pungent scent of stew.
“Onion… my favorite.” I wiped my hands on my skirt while I crossed the room to give my father, Owein, a kiss on his stubbly jaw. “Smells delicious.”
Father huffed. “Same meal we had the night before.” He picked up a bowl to ladle stew into it.
I smiled. Father was still a handsome man for his age, with a strong build matching his equally energetic spirit.
“Tad,” I said, calling him the endearment children used for their fathers. “I’ll do that. Sit. I have something to tell you.”
How to start? What would be his reaction?
“Do ya now?” Father surrendered the bowl into my hands, and I dished the contents of the pot into it.
With shaking hands, I passed the bowl to Tad and began filling one for myself.
“Might it have to do with that boy?” Tad asked.
“That boy? You mean that man. Brenin is a man.” My cheeks became hot as I recalled the whisper of Brenin’s lips against my face.
That was the closest I had come to a real kiss.
And it had nearly made me pass out.
“Still a boy in the eyes of a father. Don’t tell me it makes any difference with his upbringing.” Father blew on a spoonful of stew, so steady, so calm.
Meanwhile, my chest was quickly tightening.
I ruffled Tad’s short hair before sitting at the table just big enough for two, knocking my knee on the leg. I winced but held in a curse. That was the second time in four days I’d done that. Instead of picking up my spoon, I scrutinized Father’s face. His tan, leathery skin contrasted with mine, which never reddened in the sun and stayed as pale as the moon.
We didn’t look alike at all. Except our brown hair.
I blurted my words. “He asked me to marry him.” I expected Tad to sputter and cough his food across the table.
I was wrong.
Father didn’t show any response. He lifted another spoonful to his mouth and took a careful sip.
I slapped the table, hoping to rile him. “Tad! Did you hear me? Aren’t you going to say anything?” I couldn’t believe he sat there emotionless. The man who had raised me, his only daughter, on his own, didn’t care that I had been asked to marry someone!
Slowly but surely, a smile curved on his mouth, showing unmistakable mischief. “I know.”
Ready to throttle him, I shook my head. “What… you know? How’s that possible?”
“Brenin came to the house this afternoon before he met you in the meadow.”
My mouth hung agape. “He asked your permission?”
Father stopped eating. “He most certainly did. It’s customary for the groom to ask for a girl’s hand, and don’t you think for one moment I’d let my daughter go off and marry some high and mighty lord without being a judge of his character. Why’s it such a surprise?”
I snapped out of my stupor. “And what does your judge of character say?”
His eyes twinkled, and the creases under them deepened. “Ahnalyn, my darling, don’t you think I’ve noticed the change in you over the past couple of weeks? When Brenin visits you in the meadow, you come home beaming with joy. How could I deny how you’ve been feeling, especially after the long years of sadness you’ve been through?”
Shame swept over me. Long years of sadness indeed. Tad was referring to my angry outbursts, my guilt. Mother had died, and it was my fault.
I still hadn’t forgiven myself.
A sigh escaped my lips. “How will you manage? What will happen to you?”
Ever since we’d been alone, Tad and I had been a team. While he took the sheep out to pasture, I cooked the meager porridge in the mornings and tackled the chores around the house. Midday, I brought Tad a scrap of bread and cheese and resumed care of the sheep while he returned home to finish his chores and cook supper.
“I have it figured out,” he said. “A maid from the village will come to cook and clean for me.”
“With what money? How’s that going to work?”
“Now, Ahnalyn, don’t you think I’ve been pondering this for a while? Surely you didn’t think you’d live here forever? Someday you’d marry.”
“I don’t understand how it’ll work.” I caught the confident expression on Father’s face. I narrowed my eyes as my suspicions brewed. “How are you going to pay for help?”
“He asked me, Ahnalyn. Brenin asked how I would manage without you, and I told him: if I had someone to do the housework, I’d be able to get along.”
I pushed my chair back. My hands shook as I stood. “Are you saying that Brenin is paying for it? Is that the price of him marrying me?” Impassioned tears stole down my face.
Father came around the table and wrapped his arms around me.
Anxiety rapped like a hammer on my heart. Tad’s crushing embrace calmed me as if absorbing my excess emotions.
“Brenin wanted me to live with you at the palace,” Tad said.
I hiccoughed against his shoulder and spoke, my voice muffled by his shirt. “He did?”
“I told him: What would I do? My life is here, not at the palace. I’m not made for finery and fancy trimmings. So we made an arrangement that would leave you free to decide what you want to do. Don’t you see? We’re trying to make this easy for you. But it’s your decision.” Tad pulled back from me and dabbed at a tear on my cheek.
“I don’t understand why Brenin would do this.” I sniffed and wiped my nose on my sleeve. Could he truly care for me?
“I do. I see more than you realize. Because of my understanding, I’m more than willing to give you away to be married. Brenin is a good man and worthy of you. Tell me the truth, Ahnalyn. You cannot deny the weight that is lifted when he’s near.”
My shoulders relaxed, but my brow tightened. What does Father see? “You’re right, Tad. You’re always right.”
AHNALYN
With silent tears running down my cheeks, I lay in bed, facing the wall. The sheep had quieted, their incessant noises replaced by the hum of insects.
I don’t know if I can do this. Leave everything I’ve ever known—leave Tad?
My body tensed, and blood pounded in my ears, ringing through my head. This familiar feeling had more often than not overwhelmed me in the years since Mother’s tragic death.
Every day had stayed much the same as the days before she died, and in this way, I remained close—felt her in the breeze and in the sun’s heat. In every heartbeat within the walls of our home.
In my thoughts.
I swore I could talk to her
. Sense her.
Swore I was not crazy.
If I left here, where the memories of her greeted me with every turn, would the bond we share fade? How could I leave what had kept her so close?
My pulse slowed, and my body relaxed as if guided by a gentle hand. Was this Mother’s way of saying everything would be all right and I should trust this new path?
I feel you.
I touched the round stone on the necklace that had been Mother’s. I liked how it shone with a rainbow of light, every move offering a different brilliance. She had given me the stone with her dying breath. The instant I’d tied it on, I was consoled, as if Mother’s presence still lingered. This occurred the same time the visions and voices started, so I’d taken it as a sign she was watching over me.
And not as a sign that I was crazy.
Dare I leave my familiar pasture and start a new life?
Until Brenin had charmed his way into my life, I didn’t have any expectations or hopes beyond what already existed.
I was simpleminded in this, but simpleminded meant uncomplicated and sure.
The day Brenin laid eyes on me from across the rocky creek became a catalyst stirring my empty heart. He showed up from nowhere and became a welcome distraction to my somber spirit. He made me laugh as I never had before.
And made my stomach do mind-bending somersaults.
Each day that Brenin spent with me, I grew fonder of him. Father was right. Brenin did lift my spirits. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to marry him.
I was afraid.
So afraid my heart was in my lungs, taking up valuable space, making breathing impossible.
Perhaps it was my fear of the unknown. I rarely traveled from my home and village. The prospect of a new life overwhelmed me, but knowing Father supported whatever decision I chose gave me comfort.
But not enough to dry my tears or even out my breaths.
What if I stayed and didn’t accept Brenin? But I didn’t want to think about returning to my solemn days, mourning over Mother and wondering what life would be like if she were still alive.
