by C. J. Anaya
“A White Out spell? Sounds ominous.”
He gave me a wicked grin.
“This spell will give you the ability to call the elements of wind and water to create a small blizzard that blinds your opponent.”
My jaw dropped in amazement.
“But won’t I hurt other people if I call up a blizzard?”
He shook his head and chuckled under his breath.
“Always worried about others.” He lovingly caressed my cheek. “You won’t hurt anyone else so long as you control the size of the storm. If you’re dealing with one opponent, you simply channel your focus on that one person. If there is more than one person, the size of the blizzard will directly correlate to the expansion of your focus.”
“Okay. What do I have to do?”
He guided me to the middle of the cave and then walked back several paces, turning to face me.
“Now, I want you to direct the spell at me.”
“What if I hurt you?”
He laughed as if I’d just told the funniest joke he’d ever heard.
“Hey,” I said, fighting back a smile. “just because I can’t remember how to do this, doesn’t mean I don’t pack a serious punch when it comes to magic.”
He shook his head, still grinning at me with obvious affection.
“I’ll be fine,” he reassured me. His face sobered as he went back into teacher mode. “Now then, focus on your core, feel its power, visualize the breadth and width of the storm you wish to create, and then repeat these words: gaoithe agus reo uisce agus a fháil.”
“What does it mean?” I asked as I went over the incantation in my head.
“Wind and water, freeze and find.”
Cool.
Literally.
I took in a deep breath, tugged a little on that frozen core within and repeated the spell, bringing my arms up and over my head for a moment as I channeled the magic from my core to the tips of my fingers. Then I said the words again, bringing my hands down and pointing my fingers in Kheelan’s direction. Magic snaked through me, exploding from the tips of my fingers and creating a dense mass of snow and ice that began to swirl and spin as it made its way over. The storm engulfed him quickly and lifted him into the air before he disappeared from sight within its tumultuous depths.
“Kheelan?” I cried.
I didn’t have to worry. Within a few moments, golden light shot bright tunnels of heat through the storm, and it slowly dissipated into a mist of steam that lowered him to the ground.
He met my eyes, giving me an approving smile.
“That was awesome,” I said in a choked whisper.
“You did wonderfully,” he said. “I honestly didn’t expect you to get it the first time, let alone create something strong enough to lift me into the air.”
I felt relieved that I’d managed it, but my euphoria was soon replaced with discouragement.
“That’s only going to buy me a few seconds. Jareth is older than you and just as powerful. A few seconds isn’t going to give me enough time to get away from him.”
He quickly crossed the distance between us and enfolded me in his arms.
“He won’t come near you,” he reassured. “He’ll either see reason and join our cause or live the rest of his life buried in the dungeons of the Seelie Court. Please don’t be afraid, my darling. You’re safe as long as you’re with me.”
I nestled my face against his chest and fought hard to hold in the terror I felt at ever being at the mercy of his brother. My helplessness irked me. My constant need for reassurance and my fear and insecurities made me feel like less of a queen and more of a wimp.
A victim.
In the back of my mind I had this idea that I wasn’t usually so dependent on others. I was a fighter, a survivor, a girl who could take the hits and push through until I came out on top.
If that’s the girl I pictured in my head, why couldn’t I pull myself together? Why did I feel like I was nothing, and capable of nothing unless I had Kheelan beside me?
I was dangerously codependent on him, and I didn’t think it was healthy, but I didn’t know how else to react.
I didn’t know what else to do.
Kheelan pulled back and brushed away the tears streaming down my cheeks.
Annnnnd bring on the waterworks. I am such a ninny.
My anguish must have crumbled his resolve because he held me close and softly brushed his lips against mine, pulling me flush against his body and offering me security and comfort as he kissed away my doubts and fears. I desperately kissed him back, locking my arms around his neck, opening to him as his tongue pushed past my lips and delved into my mouth. I no longer held back. I opened my whole heart to him, gave over my will completely, knowing the only safe and secure place for me was in Kheelan’s arms. After a few more minutes of this passionate exchange, Kheelan reluctantly pulled away. His eyes were shadowed with desire as he gazed at me with so much love it took my breath away.
“I think we’d better stop before I press for something I know you’re not ready to give me.”
I smiled shyly and nodded at his wisdom. My body may have reacted to him, but emotionally I was still too fragile for anything more.
“Waiting until we’re married sounds like a good plan,” I said, giving him a shy smile. “We should probably make it sooner rather than later. Which means I really need to graduate to the more complicated marriage bond spell.”
He took a step back in surprise, his stunned expression morphed into absolute elation as he picked me up and spun me around, laughing as I laughed with him.
“Are you truly ready even though you don’t remember the past we share?”
I nodded, even though I felt a slight shiver of unease creep up my spine, which I instantly attributed to my loss of memory.
“I don’t need to remember our past, Kheelan. I can’t imagine being without you. In case you didn’t know, you’re a very likable individual.”
“Is that so?” He gave me a saucy smile and slowly lowered his lips to mine until they were barely touching. “I can be lovable as well, if you’re willing to give me a try.”
“I’m more than willing” I whispered against his mouth.
He groaned just before taking my lips more roughly this time, making my legs shake and my insides turn to jelly.
So what if I had no memories of the love I’d once had for him?
We were making new memories now.
I wasn’t supposed to be doing this. Both Kheelan and my father had warned me repeatedly that exploring the mine on my own was absolutely forbidden. But after six weeks of being cooped up in my rocky abode, I was beyond caring. Kheelan and my father were so powerful, I knew full well that no one entering the mine could get past the many enchantments, illusions, and red herrings strategically placed around it. Not to mention throughout it.
No one was getting down this far into the caverns.
And Chuck was coming with me purely for moral support. Yep. Never once crossed my mind that he might play the role of backup should I run into a wayward faerie.
And even if I had been too afraid to venture out on my own and risk running into faeries who may or may not want to kill me, I couldn’t ignore the pull I felt from the Stargis any longer. I’d fought it ever since my visit to them two days after I woke up. The magic in my core felt so incomplete, and for some reason, I knew that they held the answer to whatever it was my core required.
I thought about asking Kheelan why I was so drawn to them and their magic, but I immediately dismissed the idea. He’d already gone against my father’s orders once. I didn’t want to put him in a difficult position, forcing him to lie to his own ally, and if I was being honest with myself, it just felt wrong to tell him about my connection to them.
So I patiently waited until Kheelan and my father were called to a meeting they were both required to attend. Neither one of them felt comfortable leaving me alone, but there wasn’t much choice. They couldn’t take me with them and
risk exposing my whereabouts to Jareth and my uncle.
Now as Chuck and I hurried to the cavern with the three different tunnels, I felt a satisfying sense of freedom I hadn’t experienced for as long as I could remember…which wasn’t really that long.
I took the middle tunnel, a sense of urgency flooding through me at the thought of Kheelan returning only to find me gone. He would absolutely freak out if that happened, and I didn’t want to put him through it. I also didn’t want to have to explain myself and my actions.
I didn’t understand them myself.
“We’re just going for a leisurely stroll,” I said to Chuck who rested comfortably on my shoulder.
He gave me a disdainful little snort, no doubt calling my bluff.
Chuck was quite adept at copping some serious attitude.
When I finally reached the end of the tunnel, I caught my breath as the ledge I stood on opened up, overlooking the enormous landscape below. I took in the makeshift homes built of stone. The Stargis were clearly living in a state of poverty, and it made me hate my uncle and Jareth even more for threatening them, forcing them into hiding. This was no way to exist. I was more determined than ever to win this war and overthrow the wicked rulers who terrorized their subjects and treated them with so little regard.
Just as soon as I became wicked good at all this magic…stuff.
It took several minutes for them to notice me, and during that time I studied them as some worked to pull water from a large well on the far left of the encampment. A few of their young played in a circle, using magic to create what looked like shadow puppets that spoke in a language I couldn’t understand. The kids laughed as the shadows disappeared and then created more, much to the amusement of some of the parents.
Despite their awful circumstances, it was obvious the Stargis were making the best of a bad situation. There was an air of hope permeating the energy among them. I didn’t understand it, but the positive energy smelled and even tasted fairly fresh. I moved to the left and found some stairs carved into the stone siding, creating an easy path to follow to the encampment below. The soft tread of my footsteps alerted them to my presence and all at once activity stopped as they stared at me with wide, obsidian eyes. I didn’t think it easy to read their facial expressions, but even I could tell they were both shocked and thrilled that I was there.
They came to their knees and bowed their heads the moment I reached the bottom of the steps. I turned to look back up the stairs, thinking my father must have followed behind me, but there was no one there.
What in the world were they doing?
I walked forward and touched the shoulder of the Stargis closest to me. The soft suppleness of his skin surprised me. I expected to feel a tough, leathery texture.
His head lifted and he stared at me with an exuberant smile on his face.
“Uh…excuse me, but are you Zauhn?”
“No, Princess,” he said in a gruff voice.
“I am Zauhn,” said another voice in the center of the group.
I searched the sea of green bodies before I caught the eye of the Stargis who’d helped to heal me.
“I’m so sorry to bother you, but…would it be okay if I ask you a few questions?”
Zauhn stood and moved toward me through the throng of kneeling beings. I still wasn’t sure what their behavior was all about.
“This is no bother, Princess,” Zauhn said once he reached me. “You are our ruler.”
I shook my head in denial. I was nobody. I felt like nobody.
“I’m not really your ruler.” I let out a nervous laugh, but Zauhn’s eyes looked serious.
“You are. We follow you.”
My eyebrows narrowed in confusion.
“Don’t you mean you follow my father?”
He shook his head, a flash of hatred zipped across his black eyes.
“Your father is—” he broke off abruptly as pain tore through him and he fell to the ground.
“Zauhn,” I shouted, dropping low to grab him as he writhed in agony for a few moments.
Once the pain subsided he took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. I helped him into a seated position and checked him for injuries, but I couldn’t see anything that would have caused him so much pain.
“What happened?”
“Spelled not to talk. Spelled not to tell…”
“Tell what?”
His grim smile was all he could give me.
“Did my uncle do this? Prevent you from speaking about things you learned? Things that might help us win the war against him and King Moridan?”
Zauhn simply stared at me, beseeching me with his blackened eyes to understand what he wanted to communicate, but I couldn’t read his mind and I certainly couldn’t understand the message he held within the depths of his enigmatic stare.
He had information that I could use, but someone had spelled him, and most likely everyone else, from being able to tell me, Kheelan, and my father the things that would help us win this war.
“It’s okay, Zauhn. I don’t want you to answer. I just came to you because…well…”
How did I tell him that my magic had sought his people out? I didn’t understand what it was I had come here for, which made it difficult for me to receive their help.
Zauhn surprised me by placing a hand just above my core. He closed his eyes for a moment and when they opened, that fierce hope I’d sensed as I entered the huge cavern came rushing back to me.
He quickly stood, taking me with him and once we were on our feet he let out a loud shout, bringing everyone to their feet. One by one, they clasped hands with the people in front of them and behind then, creating several different chains that led to me and Zauhn. Each person at the front of the chain moved closer to us until they were able to touch him. Every time one of them made contact with him, a low humming noise echoed throughout the encampment and a bright shade of amber lit their fingertips. The leaders of the chain rested their hands on Zauhn, engulfing his entire body in the amber light of their magic.
Chuck shifted nervously on my shoulder, but a soft word from Zauhn caught his attention. They stared at each other for one heated moment, a certain understanding passing between them before Chuck seemed to snort what looked like approval and fluttered in the air, hovering near me, but no longer making physical contact.
I followed him with my eyes, wondering what to make of that, but the buzzing hum of the group’s power brought my attention forward again.
Zauhn continued to hold his hand above my core and then he looked at me as if to say, you ready for this? I knew this was what I had come for even though I didn’t understand what exactly it was or how they knew what I needed. I grasped his hand with mine, watching as the long line of amber magic shot down each long chain of Stargis, pulsed through Zauhn, and merged into my body. I closed my eyes as each new chain of power was siphoned into my core, activating the amber hues within the bright sphere of light that my core represented. I realized the magic from the amber and chestnut brown areas of my core had been dormant until now. For some reason I couldn’t fathom, the Stargis had brought the magic to life and bound us all together. I felt the life pulse of the race, I understood their fears, their needs, their hopes, and their pains.
They were my people, and for whatever reason, I was responsible for them on a level that felt one hundred percent personal. I wasn’t just an abstract member of the Unseelie Court to them. I was their ambassador. I was their connection to the magic their species held dominion over.
“Where is your king?” I asked in a breathless whisper, fearing I already knew the answer to that.
“Dead,” Zauhn said. “You are our ruler now.”
I nodded. The amber hues from my healing were now magic within my core, activated by the Stargis which made me Stargis as well, and my gut told me Kheelan and my father could never know.
And that made me very nervous.
“I’m going to overthrow my uncle and King Moridan.” I said. “I�
�m going to get you out of here.”
Zauhn’s smile was tinged with sorrow.
“It’s not going to be as simple as you think, your majesty. You will have to root out the impostors amidst the allies, and that missing piece within your mind is the only thing that will help you do it.”
He touched my temple in a gentle caress and then stepped back.
“My memories,” I said. “If I remember my past, I’ll be able to protect you. I’ll be able to save you.”
He nodded.
“Go now,” he said. “Your past is seeking to claim you even as we speak.”
Well, that sounded unpleasant. I sincerely hoped it was metaphorical.
“Thank you,” I said so that everyone could hear me. “I promise I won’t let you down. I will save you.”
Their hope and faith in me penetrated my core and gave me extra strength.
Zauhn tilted his head for a moment as if sensing some activity within the caverns.
“You must go now,” he said, “and you cannot return to your domicile.”
“Why?” I asked, wondering if someone had been able to get through the layers of spells guarding us. “Is it not safe anymore?”
Zauhn nodded.
“Do not return to your place of refuge. It is dangerous.”
I shook my head, wishing Kheelan hadn’t left me alone to deal with this. I didn’t know how to defend myself against someone powerful enough to break through the spells he and my father had cast.
“Once you reach the cavern with three tunnels, you must take the one on the right and follow it all the way to the end. No matter what, you must follow it to the end.”
The one on the right? The magically booby trapped one on the right?
More tunnels?
Dude, it took me some serious focus to get through this last tunnel.
“I don’t think—”
“No, you must take the right tunnel,” Zauhn said, grabbing my hands and practically willing me with his gaze to understand the urgency of his request.
I nodded, not understanding why I was being led away from my sanctuary and into a tunnel Kheelan had expressly forbade me to use, but feeling confident enough in their motives to know the Stargis would only ever lead me in the right direction.
