Faery Worlds - Six Complete Novels (169 page)

Shade turned her head, still following Dylan and glanced back at the brawny warrior. His wild eyes watched her intently, waiting for her to turn back. She shook her head and looked away. She had a strange feeling that the soldier was telling the truth. If not, he was an excellent liar. A part of her wanted to go back and ask the warrior so many questions, but she knew it wasn’t the right time.

The doorway to the fountains lay in shadows. They stepped into the darkness and waited as their eyes adjusted to dim light. Following Dylan and activating her light stone, she grimaced at the stone walls. Another cave.
Great
, thought Shade.

Just as she thought that, a light shone through another doorway, making her realize the hall they were in was more of a semi-circle. It led to an open courtyard in the shape of a full moon. Here in the middle of the mountains, the sun streamed down above the sharp cliffs that reached up to the sky. Shade drew in her breath, amazed at the sight; hidden from any prying eyes was a vast, rich garden. It was large, and the sound of water trickled and gurgled all around them. The grass was a brilliant, glowing green with the most brilliantly colored flowers and vines weaving throughout it.

The air was moist and warm here; it felt akin to being in a large greenhouse, like one she’d visited in her childhood with her father. It had contained an immense glass dome as a ceiling and held in butterflies and birds of all types. The warm mist felt much the same and made her want to curl up under a tree and take a nap. It was a piece of untouched land that seemed to be heaven on earth.

They stood in awe of the sights. Dylan motioned her forward again and broke her out of her thoughts. She followed but was stunned by the beauty of the place. Near the middle of the garden, they came upon what looked like a massive natural fountain, made of rock and crystals of every color. The crystals glinted and parted the light into beams of rainbow all around the fountain, making it hard to look at because the jewels shimmered so brightly.

Dylan stopped. He reached into his pack and pulled out a glass flask with a stopper. He held it out to Shade, signaling for her to take it. “Here, I can’t touch the waters, but you can. Take this and fill it. Then we will be done.”

Shade took the flask and smiled. Excitement hummed through her veins as she approached the fountain. She paused at the edge and stared down at the glowing crystals. The water swelled around them and trickled down the rock, spraying up a slight mist of warm water. She wondered what made it so special; it looked like water, plain water. The fountain itself was impressive, but that’s where it ended.

She licked her lips and took the stopper out of the flask, dipping it into the warm embrace of the water. She let it fill as it bubbled up around her hand. She felt the magic stir. As she immersed her arm in the water, the magic seemed to intensify. She felt it crawl up her arm and deep into her core. Her eyes widened as the euphoria overwhelmed her.

Shaking her head to clear it and think better now that the flask was full, she pulled the flask out to examine it. Rainbows swirled in the glinting sunlight inside of the glass. She felt the cool liquid run down her arm and drip onto the moist earth below. The dirt vibrated with life as green vines and leaves sprouted at every drop and reached for the sunlight. She smiled, enjoying the euphoric feeling and peace all at once. She realized she was glowing, reflecting light off the pool of water. It felt amazing.

“Shade? Are you okay?” Dylan’s eyes were wide in concern. His face appeared paralyzed in shock and disbelief. She looked up at him and smiled, nodding as she pushed the stopper into the flask.

“That was amazing, Dylan! I feel like someone just jolted me awake with a million double shot espressos; I feel great!” Shade laughed and hopped back to where Dylan stood, drying her arm on her hoodie. He approached her and smiled, watching her illuminated face and feeling the warmth spill onto him. He reached out and touched her cheek, sliding his fingers over her skin, the vibrating magic spilled onto his skin too. His hand glowed and the light crept over him as it did her. They stood in a cocoon of light and peace.

He laughed and smiled at her. Her smile was contagious. Her cherry red lips seemed to beckon him, and her dreamy honey eyes seemed to pull him into the deep abyss of her soul. He moved closer, cupping her face. Bending forward, his lips brushed against hers, warm and soft, sending Shade’s heart sighing in bliss. A feeling of drunkenness filled him, as though he had been empty and now was filling up to the brim. He gave in to the embrace, letting it swim around them like honey dripping off the trees and leaves around them, imprisoning them in a bubble of swirling magic. He wanted to kiss and hold her forever.

“There they are! We have you surrounded! Drop your weapons!”

The shout jerked them back to the garden and the trickling water. Dylan spun and stared at the squad of soldiers pouring in through the door in the rock wall and fanning out to surround them.

“Drop your weapons, or we will be forced to kill you, warrior. We only want the girl with the flask of water. Give her to us, and we will let you live.” The leader stared at Dylan’s swords, now loose and unsheathed, held in a fighting stance. The captain of this band shook his head and laughed. “You can’t win; we outnumber you, young man. Drop the swords.”

“Sir, I can’t locate the twins. It’s like they’ve disappeared. I found pieces of their armor, but they’re nowhere to be found. Maybe the little witch dispatched them before we arrived. I’ve heard strange things about her, sir.” The captain waved the subordinate away, furiously shaking his head.

“Don’t be stupid! Just as well. We’ll assume they’re dead. Now, secure the girl and let’s get back to the palace before dark. The Queen will be most pleased. Move in!” The circle of soldiers began to press in on them.

Shade turned to watch the soldiers closing in on them and backed into Dylan, her hands clasped around the bottle. Her eyes darted nervously at the soldiers. “What now, Dylan? There’s no way out! We’re trapped!” She bit her lip as the fear spilled over the fading euphoria.

“It’s all right, Shade. Listen to me, and do just what I say. Hold onto me. I’m going to drop my glamour and call my powers.” Shade looked up at him, eyes wide in terror.

“What are you gonna do?”

“I’m going to call my power of lightning. When I discharge it, the first ring of soldiers will drop with the shock. Hold onto me tightly; I have to control it so it doesn’t go too wide and fry the garden. Come on!”

Shade shook her head as she turned into him, letting his arms embrace her tightly. “I-I don’t know if this is a good idea. What if I get electrocuted, too?” She trembled in his grip. Dylan looked down at her and smiled softly.

“Believe, Shade. I believe since you are able to touch me, you are immune to my powers. It will be all right.” He whispered the last words and hugged her tightly. They closed their eyes as the blue flickers of fire crackled over his skin. The next thing she knew, she felt the bolt of energy discharge from his body, like a small earthquake vibrating through her. The bolt snapped and sent a thunderous boom around them. When it was done, just a moment later, she peeked around his chest to see that the first ring of soldiers surrounding them were down, most knocked out while others moaned in distress.

“It worked, Dylan!” She stopped as she watched the next wave of soldiers creep in, stepping over the others cautiously and staring at the pair of them in disbelief.

“Damn it! It’s a blasted Teleen; grab the lightning rods from the armory stash now! We’ve got to control the lightning before we can overpower him!” The captain’s face was beet red and sweat beaded on his face as he fumbled back from the fallen ones. “Hurry up!” he yelled.

The soldiers stood back as they waited for the rods to be handed out.

“Lightning rods? Dylan, what are they gonna do with the rods?” Shade turned around and watched the soldiers pass stacks of rods around the group.

Dylan breathed in and shook his head. “The rods will render me powerless; they will draw my power into the rods and leave me harmless. We’ve got to get out of here now.” He spun around and watched the soldiers gear up and advance again. He then turned to Shade and looked down into her shining brown eyes.

“Shade, listen to me. There’s a legend that says the holder of the water of the Santiran Fountains can use it to wish for anything they want, just once, and it will be granted by the water’s magic. Now I’m going to hold onto you, and you try to think as hard as you can of the Guildrin forest and imagine being back there once more, got it?”

“Yes, but, there’s no freakin’ way that will work!”

Dylan re-sheathed his swords, pulled her into his embrace and smiled. “I guess we’ll find out. Now wish us home, Shade. Do it now!”

Shade closed her eyes, feeling the soldiers’ auras vibrating around them and closing in. She breathed in, thinking of Queen Zinara, Ilarial and her newfound friends. She visualized the steps leading down to the Guildrin living quarters, the only place she had ever felt safe in Faerie.

Dylan’s arms felt warm and strong around her, and she only hoped he would continue to hold her this way. She wished him safe; herself and the others too. Unscrewing the cap of the flask, she whispered her thoughts into the bottle she had grasped tightly in her hands. She felt Dylan’s lips on her head, warm and firm as she wished them all back home safe, as hard as she could.

A peaceful feeling washed over them like a crashing wave. In just that instant, yelling and cursing blew up around them, followed by an intense silence. The sound of tree leaves rustling and birds chirping in the slight breeze made Shade open her eyes. They stood by the great tree to the Guildrin Court as if they never had left. She gasped, looking up at Dylan.

“You did it! Oh man, you did it, Shade! We’re home!” Dylan jumped and hopped about, hollering out his joy. Returning to her and lifting her up with his arms, he swung her around. Shade breathed in with relief. A moment later, another whoosh sounded around them. The entire gang stood there, looking startled and shocked.

“Oh, wow!” She ran and hugged the tall sorceress Braelynn and turned to embrace them all one by one. Hot steaming tears streamed down her cheeks. Every one of them was there. Everyone but Sylphi had returned, just as she had wished. They were all shocked and surprised but intact and safe. Shade did not ponder very long about where Sylphi had gone. Shade wasn’t missing her.

“What just happened? We’re home! How the…? What the…?” Soap was spinning around, looking at the landscape, absolutely petrified. Shade ran, hugged him tight and pulled back an inch to see his face. He grinned back to her and nodded. “This can only mean one thing. You did it; you actually did it, and without us to aid you, at that! You made it to the fountains, didn’t you? Incredible; how did you do it? How did you get us all home? One minute we were searching for you around the base of the Santiran mountains; we had just picked up your trail, and now here we are, home sweet home.” He sighed and hugged her again even tighter.

“Okay, let go; I can’t breathe!” she cried happily. He let go abruptly but caught her as she stumbled backward.

“Sorry!” He grinned and laughed. She laughed along with him, feeling elated.

“Do you have the water, then?” Shade nodded at Sary, who had worked her way up to her. “You did it, Shade. You saved our people!” Sary hugged her and joined the laughter.

“Let’s go home, everyone. It’s been a long journey, and it’s time to celebrate! Queen Zinara will be absolutely delighted. We will win this war against the Unseelie after all! We have new allies joining us for victory!” Jack smiled widely as he hugged everyone in the group. Everyone agreed and nodded. The stairs to the underground opened and they each descended, laughing and chatting with each other, all the strain of the journey lifted at once.

“Who are our new allies, Jack?” Shade inquired.

“Oh, sorry, you probably haven’t heard about it yet, but, on our way to the Santiran fountains, we ran into a group of villagers who proclaimed that Prince Lotinar had returned and sided with Queen Zinara. This will prove most useful to our cause.” Shade pondered what he had said, not really knowing of whom they spoke, and suddenly thought of something else.

“Wait, um, was Sylphi with you guys? Where is she?” Shade asked, not that she really cared.

“Sylphi? She ran at the battle with Lady Blythe. She probably returned to the Teleen Caverns. She most likely got too scared to fight,” Ewan chuckled.
Shade wasn’t the only one not missing Sylphi.

Shade approached the first step to the mound but turned to see Dylan watching her.

“The blood bind is still in place. I thought it might be fulfilled at journey’s end, but it’s not,” he whispered as his eyes stared off into the forest, glazing over. His face was serious and contemplative.

“I’m sorry, Dylan; you know I would break it if I could. What do you think has to be done to end it?” Shade placed her hand on his arm to pull him back into the present. He returned his gaze to her and smiled through the sadness.

“It’s all right, Shade, I know now that this is my destiny. I’m not meant to be captain of the Teleen guard anymore. I’m glad I met you, Shade. Changes are good.” His eyes sparkled in the dimming light of the dusk. The orange glow spread across the sky and dimmed the forest floor as the sun crept away to slumber.

“I’m glad we met, too. Come on, let’s get some real food and rest for once. After we give the flask to the Queen, I can go home and see my family.”

Dylan’s face darkened in gloom as he stared back at her. “Home? You’re leaving? Well, I guess you would want to go home, wouldn’t you. I won’t be returning home, probably not for a long time.” He pressed his lips together and stepped forward toward the stairs. “I have to warn you, Shade. I have to stay close to where you are, or my blood burns inside me.”

“I know. You could come, you know. You could meet my family. I’m sure I could think of something to tell my mother. You could definitely pass for a teenager. I could say your family is moving out of town, and you need a place to stay so you can graduate at our high school. What do you think? We do have a guest room; my mom rarely uses it, but I’m pretty sure she’d agree to letting you stay with us.” She stood before him, staring down the stairs of the faery mound.