The Outlanders

by Erin Rhew

  Iris glanced down at her hands. “We have our ways.” Samson blew out an exaggerated, exasperated breath. Iris frowned. “I will tell you how we do that. Later. For now, my sister needs to hear this story.” She pivoted back to face Layla. “Needless to say, our mother didn’t want to go to Vanguard, but she did because she wanted to provide the best life possible for me.”

  Iris paused to catch her breath, overcome by emotion. Jule reached over and patted Iris’ arm until the younger woman regained control. During the pause, Wil moved his seat closer to Layla, placing an arm around the back of her chair and stroking her shoulder. The gesture calmed and settled her. All worries about their potential union receded to the depths of her mind as these new revelations about her lineage and family demanded her full attention.

  “Are you okay? I know this must be a lot to handle.” Wil’s hand slipped up into her hair, his fingers kneading the knot at the base of her neck.

  Layla nodded.

  Jule resumed her tale. “While in Vanguard on assignment, Daria met and fell in love with the very solider she’d been sent to spy upon. Marriages between Outlanders and Vanguards were unheard of. Still, she accepted, and they married in secret. Your mother planned to come back to the Outlands to collect Iris so they could all start a new life in Vanguard, but Queen Luna caught on to her plans. When Daria arrived back in the Outlands, Luna took her captive. Our queens do not accept defections.”

  “Are all Outlander queens cruel?” Vespa asked.

  Iris and Jule exchanged a look before Iris answered, “Yes. My mother and Jule grew up with Luna, but she never showed any signs of brutality until she became queen. The same is true for Cataleen, who was a close friend of mine until she took the crown. We aren’t sure what happens to our queens when they ascend to the throne, but they seem to lose their individual identities, transforming into an oppressive leader that terrorizes the Outlander people. Inexplicably, it happens to every queen. Most succumb to madness as Luna did. She climbed to the tallest tower of the palace and flung herself off. Soon after that, Cataleen became queen and cycle began again.”

  Wil furrowed his brow, tipping his head to the right. “What do you think causes such behavior?”

  “We don’t know.” A defeated expression passed over Jule’s face. “If only we did…” Iris patted Jule’s hand. “Our mother’s condition became apparent very quickly, due to our short pregnancies.”

  “Short pregnancies?” Vespa echoed.

  Iris flipped her hand in the air. “Oh yes. Outlander women give birth in only three months, a gift from Haddey, the First One of the Outlands.”

  Vespa gasped, her hand covering her heart. “Three months. How are the Outlands not overrun with children then?”

  “Though we grow and birth children with ease, we do not get pregnant often. Only those with queen’s blood can conceive quickly.” Jule pointed to herself. “Take me for instance, I only have one daughter. It took me seven years to conceive her while Daria had two children in only five years’ time.”

  “What is queen’s blood?” Samson spoke for the first time.

  “Every generation, at least two, sometimes three, girls are born with queen’s blood. Only these girls may one day assume the role of queen.” Iris looked at Layla. “Our mother was one of them.”

  Layla found her voice. “Why did Luna become queen over our mother?”

  “The current queen always selects her successor. Queen Ides chose Luna.”

  “How do you determine if a woman has queen’s blood?” Wil continued to stroke Layla’s neck as he spoke.

  “For one thing, all women with queen’s blood have a diamond shaped birthmark on their upper right shoulder. But they possess a unique ability which makes them most useful in Etherea.”

  Wil shot Mia a suspicious glare before returning his attention to Iris. “What unique ability?”

  “All women with queen’s blood are immune to Ethereal Alterations.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Layla

  Layla swung around to face Mia. The girl sat motionless in the corner, avoiding eye contact, though everyone in the room now stared at her.

  “Immune to Ethereal Alterations?” Vespa stood and crossed the room to loom over Mia. “You were sent to spy on us?”

  Mia shrank back in her chair but did not reply. Vespa, her face red, leaned in closer. This behavior, so unlike Vespa, shocked Layla. She had never really seen the princess angry but could now understand how sweet, gentle Vespa proved so valuable in battle. Threatening those she loved awakened a beast inside the Ethereal.

  “Answer me, Mia! Did you come to Etherea to spy on us?”

  “Yes.” Mia turned to Wil. “But I did not choose it. Please believe me when I say I had no alternative.”

  “Why should we believe any word that comes out of your lying mouth?”

  “Vespa.” Wil’s voice held a warning. The princess huffed but stalked away, leaving a white-faced Mia gaping.

  Wil rose and took his sister’s place beside Mia. He knelt down in front of her to be on eye level. “Why did you spy on us?” Her features softened under his kindness.

  Mia’s feelings for Wil shined upon her face, leaving no question what she thought of him. She may have been sent as a spy for the queen, but like Layla’s mother, Mia had grown to love the object of her assignment. While Layla wanted nothing more than to hate Mia for spying on them and endangering their lives, she also felt closer to the girl. They shared the same heritage, and Mia’s story followed Daria’s.

  “Please don’t ask me that, Wil.” Mia hiccupped.

  “Iris said we are safe to speak here without the queen spying. You can tell me.” Though he kept his voice soft, Layla heard the appeal behind it.

  “I can’t. I want to tell you. I want to tell you everything, but I can’t.” Silent tears slid down Mia’s face. With a sigh, Wil stood and took his seat beside Layla.

  “That’s it?” Vespa jumped up again. Grant placed hand upon her arm. “Wil, you’re going to let her get away with an answer like ‘I can’t’?”

  “Let it go, Vespa.” The siblings faced off, neither willing to back down.

  “Vespa.” With one word, Grant received the princess’ full attention. “Please, love, sit down.”

  Wil placed a hand behind his neck and rolled his head from side to side twice. “Vespa, Iris and Jule promised to tell us what we want to know. We will find out what we need to know about the Outlanders and their queen in due time. For now, Iris and Jule, please continue your story about Layla’s parents. I’m sure she’s anxious to hear more.”

  Layla smiled at him. While the information Iris and Jule provided about the queen and the Outlanders could prove useful later, Layla needed to hear more about her family. Wil always knew what she desired without her having to ask.

  Jule turned her attention back to Layla. “Of course. I’m so sorry. Where were we?”

  “The queen discovered my mother’s condition.”

  “Ah yes. Despite her lunacy, the queen made sure Daria received proper medical care. Babies are highly valued here given our low birth rate. She allowed me to attend to Daria during your birth. When we saw your dark, black hair, Daria beamed because the color reminded her so much of your father, but when you opened those purple eyes, we both panicked. We knew what black hair and purple eyes signified—a Prophecy candidate. Daria pleaded with me to find a way to get you away from the Outlands, away from the queen and the Ecclesiastics. But I didn’t know how. At the time, I had no knowledge of the Resistance.

  “Luna recognized your features right away and contacted the Ecclesiastics. With time running out, I kept searching for a way to get you out of the Outlands, with little success. Daria grew frantic. One night, a servant of the queen showed up on my doorstep, a bundle in her hand. You, Layla. She smuggled you right out of the castle, under the queen’s own nose, with the use of marjoram. That night, I learned of the Resistance.”

  Layla tried to envision her mother
and the panic she must have felt to discover she birthed a Prophecy candidate. After seeing the candidates in Volton, Layla gained an inkling of insight into what her life would have been like had her mother, Jule, and the Resistance not changed her destiny. But did they really change it or only fulfill it? The scholarly question—one for Voltons or Ecclesiastics, not a mere Vanguard—remained a constant companion during her waking and sleeping hours. Destiny. Did it exist? Could she change or escape it? Or had a Seer centuries ago truly mapped out Layla’s life from beginning to end?

  Jule interrupted Layla’s musing. “Using a series of safe houses, the Resistance helped me get you from the Outlands to Vanguard, where I searched for your father. I’m sorry, but I do not know what became of him. Try as I might, I could never find him, so I did the next best thing. I left you on the doorstep of your father’s brother and returned to the Outlands.”

  “Father’s brother? That means Layla is our cousin?” Samson slapped his hand down on his knee. “Well, I’ll be…”

  Layla’s mind raced. Father’s brother. Jensen’s brother. Holt. Volton Holt. She recalled his dark black hair, gentle blue eyes, and compassionate spirit. Her father. Her father. The word rattled around in her brain. She longed to shout it out, to make her paternity known, but she had promised not to reveal Volton Holt’s familial secrets.

  Had he even known about her? Layla thought back to her conversation with the Volton. He had mentioned his wife but never a child. He didn’t know. Another realization hit her. He mentioned the death of his wife. The death. She struggled to breathe.

  “She’s dead. She’s dead.” Wil covered her hand with his own as she whispered the words. Somehow she’d known as soon as they began the story, but the reality still hurt.

  Jule’s tears glistened and silently spilled over. “By the time I reached the Outlands, Luna had already hanged Daria.” She and Iris clasped hands. “After that, we lived in constant fear of Luna. The Resistance assured me the marjoram and route I took to Vanguard shielded me from the queen’s sight, but I had trouble believing for a long time. You’re the only people outside of the Resistance who know what I did that night.” Jule’s shoulders slumped.

  Iris picked up where Jule left off. “Queen Luna threw herself off the top of the palace tower a few years ago. Her death did nothing to relieve the pain of losing my mother as I had hoped. Instead, Cataleen became queen, and the vicious cycle began anew.” She smiled at Layla through her tears. “But you’re here now. We’ve been waiting for you to return to us since the day you were born. You can save the Outlander people.”

  “I don’t understand.” Layla still reeled from all the revelations.

  “You are the Fulfillment,” Iris said.

  Layla frowned. “I still don’t understand. The Prophecy states ‘In a time of war, when the land is divided amongst the two, she, with raven black hair and purple eyes, shall bring peace. She, from one side, shall marry into the other, and peace shall reign from that day forth.’ It doesn’t say anything about the Outlanders.”

  Iris and Jule exchanged a startled look. “That is your Prophecy?” Iris asked.

  Wil cleared his throat. “That is the Prophecy.”

  Jule shook her head. “Then you don’t have the entire thing.”

  Thank you so much for reading The Outlanders. If you would be so kind to post a review on one or more of these sites, I’d greatly appreciate it.

  http://www.amazon.com/Outlanders-Fulfillment-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00O2I8X50/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1412985527&sr=8-15&keywords=The+Outlanders

  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23302633-the-outlanders?from_search=true

  Acknowledgements

  First and foremost, I’d like to thank my fans. I would be nowhere without your love and support. This book would never have come about without my Dream Team—Dawn Ward, Danielle, Craver, Kim Sharp, and Ginny Hunsberger. They gave freely of their time, attention, and creativity. I am forever grateful!

  And to my Jay, thank you for your constant support, your unconditional love, and your faith in me and my work. I would not be where I am today without you. I love you with all my heart!

  About The Author

  Erin Rhew is an author and fitness trainer. Since she picked up Morris the Moose Goes to School at age four, she has been infatuated with the written word. She went on to work as a grammar and writing tutor in college and is still teased by her family and friends for being a member of the "Grammar Police." In her free time, Erin enjoys acting, running, kickboxing, and, of course, reading and writing. Her favorite place to be is at home with her family and easygoing tabby cat.