Dolmarehn - Book Two of the Otherworld Trilogy (17 page)

I blinked at the morning sunlight and turned to glance at the waterfall, frothing white and misty in the near distance.

Before I had a chance to take in the sounds and colors of this marvelous place, Cade tugged me further along, heading for the edge of the terrace.  A set of stone steps led down into the side of the canyon and to the mouth of a . . . cave?

I gave Cade one of my uncertain looks.

“We need to use one of the dolmarehn in the caves,” he said.

“Oh, right.  Uh, where are we going exactly?”

I hoped he didn’t plan on dragging me to another dimension.  He had said that some of them led to other realms besides the mortal and Otherworldly ones.

He grinned.  “You’ll see.”

He let go of my hand and began walking down the stairs.  Fergus, who I hadn’t seen arrive, barked once and leapt after his master.  Meridian’s claws dug into my shoulder.  Together, we followed Cade and Fergus.  I stepped onto the small patio at the base of the steps and moved into the darkness of the cave.  I reached out a hand to help guide my way and gasped when someone grabbed it and tugged me forward.  I wanted to yell at Cade for scaring me half to death, but any words I might have spoken lodged themselves in my throat and I was sucked into the whirlwind of a dolmarehn’s magic.

With Cade’s help, I landed on my feet on the other side.  I blinked and eyed my surroundings as Meridian took off, grumbling about the uncomfortable means of transportation.  I found myself agreeing with her.  That last trip had been rockier than the others.

I spun around, trying to become familiar with this new environment.  Straight ahead of us a thick forest loomed, spreading far into the distance on either side of me.  I glanced over my shoulder and my eyes grew wide.  A huge lake, or the ocean maybe, stretched far across the land in the opposite direction of the forest.  I couldn’t tell where the shore ended on the other side and several small islands, bristling with pine trees, rose from the lake’s surface like stepping stones.  They, too, disappeared beyond my sight.

“Where are we?” I whispered in wide-eyed wonder.

Cade moved closer to me, and I sensed his warm presence at my back.

“We are on the edge of the Weald, and that is Lake Ohll, Eilé’s largest lake.”

“And where exactly are we going this time?” I asked, remembering Cade’s mention of these places before.

Cade glanced over his shoulder at me, smiling.  His eyes looked much greener here in this new place and I had to bite my lip to keep from sighing in appreciation.  Why did he always have to look so beautiful?

“We are going to meet the Wildren.”

Cade, oblivious to my inner turmoil, nodded towards the dark trees just in front of us as he took my hand once again and started leading me into the woods.  I stumbled after him, his sure grip on my fingers the only thing keeping me from falling flat on my face.

“Really?  The Wildren you told me about before?”

“Yes,” he answered without turning around, “and one of them in particular.”

Ah yes, the other person, besides the Dagda, he’d wanted me to meet.  Who could it be?

“Um, is he as intimidating as the Dagda?” I pressed.

Cade turned around and grinned at me, not once breaking his stride.

“Oh,
she
is even more intimidating, I think.  But I hope you’ll like her.”

I almost tripped. 
She
?  Why had his eyes glinted and why was he so eager for me to meet her?  I gritted my teeth and continued after him, telling the jealous knot in the pit of my stomach to go away and mind its own business.

We walked for several more minutes, stepping over tree roots and around thick brush.  I started picking up on the strange noises coming from places just beyond the trail, so I crept closer to Cade, clinging to his back.  This seemed like the perfect place for unsavory faelah to lurk.

He turned and arched a brow.

“I thought I heard something,” I hissed.

Cade smiled.  “Most likely wood sprites and gnomes.”

When he took in the expression of fear on my face, he added, “The docile kind.”

I breathed a sigh of relief and banished the memory of the incident in the swamp with the non-docile kind from my mind.

We hiked for an hour, Fergus and Meridian scouting ahead and exploring on their own.  The forest grew thicker the further in we went, and I began noticing the little creatures Cade had been talking about.  Several were small, some only a few inches tall.  Most of them resembled a gathering of twigs strung together in an oddly humanoid shape.  They chattered to one another, but I got the impression the words they exchanged were pleasant ones.  I liked them.

“Twigrins,” Cade replied when I asked him what they were called.

I glanced up and spotted half a dozen of them peering at me from the side of a tree like wary squirrels, their round eyes large and curious.  I smiled and they began chattering again, a sound which resembled rustling leaves and chirping birds.  Their fingers were long and slender, for holding on to branches I assumed.

“In springtime,” Cade murmured as we picked our way around the exposed roots of a huge fallen beech tree, “some of them will sprout flowers just like a fruit tree.”

“You’re kidding.”  I couldn’t hide the delight in my voice.  I hoped he spoke the truth.  I’d like to see them that way someday.

He nodded his head, a smile gracing his face.

As he helped me over another large root clinging to the ground, the sound of a taut string being stretched to its limit cut through the almost silent air.

I froze when Cade’s hand tightened on mine.  Somehow, he managed to get himself between me and the base of the tree.

The hair on the back of my neck stood o
n end and I stopped breathing.

“Identify yourselves,” someone said.

It was smooth and feminine, and I couldn’t for the life of me decide where it had come from.

Cade stood up straight and said in a loud, clear voice, “Caedehn MacRoich of Eilé and Meghan Elam of the mortal world.”

I held absolutely still, wondering if it would be enough to appease whoever had spoken.

A light rustling sound followed by a soft thud caused me to flinch.  Only when Cade’s tense stature melted away did I brave a look around him.  There, fifty feet ahead of us on the trail, stood a tall young woman, a longbow clutched in her left hand.  An arrow still rested against the string, but it sat easily upon her wrist.  Her right hand was placed casually on her other hip and her weight was shifted to one leg.  She looked like some forest bandit, what with her knee-high boots, leather pants, loose cotton shirt and thick leather jacket.  A quiver of arrows strapped to her back completed the ensemble.

She stepped forward, a swagger to her walk, but her slow approach gave me a little time to finish studying her.  The girl was beautiful with tanned skin and golden brown hair, curling away from her face like smoke.  Her eyes were flickering between an intense pale grey and green.  She smiled and the forest seemed to light up around her.

A few moments passed as Cade and this wild woman gazed at one another, and then, without warning, they both bolted forward and caught each other in a violent hug.  The longbow clattered to the ground, temporarily forgotten.  That’s when I decided this must be the woman Cade had wanted me to meet.

Jealousy clawed at my heart again and I almost winced.  What was wrong with me?  I wasn’t
that
girl, the one who drooled after a guy and treated any other female acquaintance like some evil enemy.  That was Michaela and her gang.  Not me.

I continued to watch their joyful reunion from the lower section of the trail in silence, the envious feeling in my stomach intensifying when I realized they were smiling and laughing with affection. 
No!  Stop it Meghan
!  But I couldn’t help it; apparently I no longer had any control over my emotions.

They eventually released each other and the girl punched Cade on the arm.  Hard.

“Why haven’t you come to visit, you great buffoon!”

I gaped, my burning resentment evaporating instantly.  Huh?

Cade rubbed the spot on his arm where she’d hit him and grinned sheepishly.  “I’ve been busy.”

The girl wrinkled her nose in irritation and crossed her arms.  “Too busy to visit your own sister?”

My gasp must have been pretty loud, because both of them forgot their reunion and turned to consider me.

“Forgive me,” Cade said in that voice he reserved for only calm situations.  “Meghan, I would like you to meet my sister, Enorah.  Enorah, this is Meghan.”

Enorah grinned brightly and cast Cade a prodding glance, then strolled over to me, thrusting out her hand.  “Glad to meet you.”

She had a strong handshake and her eyes danced with mirth, so I did my best to match her good humor, secretly chastising myself. 
His sister you dork, just his sister.  Besides, it’s not like you had any claim on him anyways
.  I set my jaw and kicked my conscience to the curb.

After introductions were over, Enorah guided us further into the forest.  A half an hour later, the trees became even denser and darker and I couldn’t hear or see the Twigrins anymore.  I
pulled my arms close to my body
as the trail descended and hit a pocket of cold air.  Cade reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder, reminding me of his presence and in his own way, telling me not to worry.  He had insisted on walking behind me while Enorah led.

Meridian dove from the canopy above, a white streak of graceful wing beats, and came to rest on my shoulder.  She chittered affectionately and nibbled my collar before fluffing her feathers and tucking her beak beneath a wing.  Looks like I was forgiven for leaving her out in the snow all night.

We walked for what seemed like hours, Enorah leading us silently onward.  I used the time to study her, noting that the only thing she appeared to have in common with Cade was his height and athletic build.  But unlike Cade, who had a talent for going unnoticed if he wished, Enorah seemed to stand out like a beacon.  Despite her quiet way of moving over thick tree roots or around massive boulders or through shallow streams, she stood out.  Perhaps it was their magic, their glamour that set them apart.  Maybe a Faelorehn’s power was as unique as each individual and it radiated beyond them, unseen but obvious in how the world viewed them.  I shook my head, not sure if my last thought even made sense.

“Almost there,” Enorah said as she flashed a dazzling smile over her shoulder.

We’d been traveling in silence for so long, I hadn’t noticed that the trees had grown sparser, still huge but with room to run between them.  The trail flattened out and stretched crossed a wide clearing, and in the middle of that clearing there stood several crudely built cabins.  Smoke curled from stone chimneys and the laughter of children and the trickle of water somewhere in the distance reached my ears.

“Welcome to my home!”

Enorah clapped me on the shoulder with enthusiasm.  I nearly staggered, but manage to keep my balance.

Several children, ranging in age from four to their late teens, came rushing out as Enorah let loose a harsh whistle.

I froze and felt Cade move in closer to me.  I counted forty to fifty people in all, plus Enorah and about a dozen adults.

“Everyone, you remember my brother Caedehn?”

Enorah then turned and gestured to me.  “This is his friend, Meghan.  They’ve come to visit us for the day.  Meghan, these are the Wildren, the wild children of Eilé.”

Suddenly, several pairs of eyes were trained on me.  I tried to hide behind Cade, but he drew me to his side and held me there.  Eventually, I glanced at those who were watching me.  No one smiled.  Their faces were grim and dirty, and their changeable eyes seemed haunted. 
Unwanted
.  I frowned as I remembered what Cade had told me about the Wildren.  My unease was immediately replaced with pity.  These poor things.

One girl in particular stood out.  She couldn’t be any older than my own brother, Aiden.  Her hair was the brilliant copper-red of autumn leaves and her huge eyes, a clear, pale hazel brown, flashed gold when I caught her gaze.  She was holding an older girl’s hand, and as soon as our gazes met, she whimpered and turned her face into her friend’s skirts.

Enorah scooped up the little redhead and gave her a raspberry on the cheek.  The girl seemed to forget her shyness and giggled, hugging Enorah around the neck.

“Now Tegan, I’m going to show our guests around, but you can join us later for the afternoon meal.”

Enorah passed Tegan off to someone else and presented us with a guilty look.  “I would offer you something to eat, but I’m afraid we are too late for the midday meal.”

Cade assured her we’d brought our own food just in case.

The next few hours passed rather pleasantly as Enorah gave us a tour of their little community.  Everyone had a task or chore, and she told us they managed quite well, considering they had no parents to care for them or guide them.

As we wandered from one place to the next, I took the time to study Cade’s sister further.  A sister.  Why hadn’t he told me?  And why was she here and not at the castle with him?  I tucked these thoughts away to ask him another day, when I had the courage.