The Song of Eloh Saga (90 page)

“Very nice, but can you shrink it back?” Chase asked.

“Yes.” I had no idea whether or not I could, but bravado had seen me through many difficult times in my life. Why not now?

I gazed into the flame, willing it to shrink. Instead of doing as I wished, it grew, covering my entire palm. I looked up at Chase, my eyebrows arching. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Relax and breathe. It’s inside; you just need to figure it out.”

I redirected my breath, which had become erratic since I’d opened my eyes and seen the flame. Instead of focusing on the fire sprouting from my palm, I turned inward. The searing magic inside had slowed to a trickle. I willed it to increase inside me, hoping that would decrease the flame on the outside.

Opening one eye just a tad, I saw the flame wink and then disappear.

“I did it! Chase, I did it! Did you see that?”

I grabbed his hands, stood up, and pulled him up with me. I punched him on the shoulder playfully. “I want to practice some more.” I bounced back and forth on my toes, waving my hands in the air. I closed my eyes and flicked my fingers in the air. When I opened them, tiny flames jumped from fingertip to fingertip.

Chase laughed. “That’s fine. Of course we can practice more, but you have to understand that your gift could burn down this entire community. You can only have access to it when I’m here. Okay?”

I breathed in and the flames receded. I really wanted to argue with him, prove that I was ready to handle my magic, but I glanced around at the community. The homes, stairs, platforms - everything was made of flammable material. “Okay.”

My fist flew out to punch him in the shoulder again, but he grabbed it in his palm, stopping me just inches away from his chest. “And don’t do that again. I’m a fighter as much as you are. If you catch me off guard, I might not react in such a friendly way.”

I pulled my arm back, letting it hang at my side. “Sorry. I’m used to sparring most days of the week. It’s hard for me to contain myself when I get excited.”

“We can spar too. The last thing I want is for you to be out of practice.” The smile dropped from his face. “There’s too much at stake. You need to be able to keep yourself safe.”

Chapter Ten

Over the next few weeks, Chase and I spent most of our time sparring and he taught me to harness the power of my magic. At first I had trouble calling the fire, but I reminded myself how to quiet my mind and let my body take over. The same principles I’d used learning to spar and meditate drove my quick mastery of magic. Well, it seemed like mastery to me. Chase tried not to laugh when I got excited over the tiniest trick. To him, all of this was child’s play, but to me it was the pinnacle of everything I’d been dying to learn. Knowing there was so much more, still beyond my grasp for now, drove me harder every day. I crashed in Chase’s bed at night, thinking about Bryden and missing his arms around me.

Deep in the night, I woke up to the sounds of a hushed argument. A beam of light streamed under the door. I threw the covers off and crept to the door. I pressed my ear against it and listened as closely as I could.

“I have to meet with her tonight. I need you to stand guard on Lianne. Don’t let her out of your sight.” It was Chase.

“This isn’t my problem,” the mystery man said. His voice sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it.

“It’s everybody’s problem. You know that. If you don’t help me, pretty soon we’ll all be under the Malborn’s thumb. You saw what it did to our people – to my mother!”

“I know, I know. But how can you be sure they’re after Lianne? Maybe it’s someone else?”

“I’m sure, trust me. But you can’t tell anyone back home that I have her. They’ll think I’m ignoring my duty.”

“You are.” The other man sounded smug. “You’re letting this bizarre obsession with this girl cloud your judgment.”

“They’re looking for her. If the Malborn find her, it could mean the end for all of us.”

“Or your recklessness could cause the end, Chase. Think about it. Your visions usually come true, right? How do you know you’re not helping them along? Maybe you’re the one that causes everything to happen because you’re protecting her? Maybe you should take a cue from your mother and stay out of it all.”

Someone let out a huge breath.

“Will it kill you to keep an eye on her for just one night?” Chase’s voice turned to a growl.

Silence returned to the night for a few moments.

“Fine. Just this once.”

Fabric rustled and I imagined them clasping arms.

“I’ll be back soon. Don’t let her out of that room.”

I hiked up my skirt, bunching the fabric in one fist. Then I flung the door open and ran out of the cottage. The bright light I’d seen under my door glared at me in full force. A rip in the air spilled light onto the platform.

“What is that?” I dropped my skirt, pointing at the shimmering golden light. “And who’s that?”

The other man was someone I’d met before. He was the man who separated Bryden and I in the forest. He was older than both Chase and I. Old enough to be my father. His long, stringy hair was streaked with gray, but his posture marked him as a very dangerous man. He didn’t slump at all, weary with the world, instead he stood with both shoulders squared. His eyes swept over me, looking for any weakness. I refused to show one ounce of fear.

“Lianne, you shouldn’t be out here,” Chase said. “Go back inside and go back to sleep.”

“Are you kidding me? You know there’s no way I’ll go back now. I won’t even consider it until you answer my questions.”

Chase sighed and pointed at the other man. “This is Ace. He’s going to guard you while I’m gone.”

I eyed Ace and then looked back at the pulsating rip in the air. “You’re travelling through that? What is it? I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

I reached out to touch it, wondering what the shimmering air would feel like, but before I could make contact, Ace grabbed my wrist and yanked me away. “Trust me, milady, you do not want to touch that.”

I twisted my arm to the side, easily breaking his grasp on my wrist, and yanked my arm back toward my chest. “Don’t touch me.”

Ace raised an eyebrow. “You weren’t kidding, Chase. She is tough.”

Chase laughed. “That’s just a basic move. You know that as well as I do. She can do far more than that if you give her the chance.”

I resisted the urge to smile. I could have Ace on the platform on his butt in a second if I needed to. I eyed his arms and legs. He was well-proportioned and stood firmly, his feet hip-width apart. He wasn’t huge, but he was wiry. Okay, maybe it would take me five seconds, not one.

“Are you satisfied now?” Chase asked me. “Go back to bed.”

“Where are you going? And how will that get you there?” I refused to leave until I had all the answers I wanted. Even then, I wasn’t sure I’d go back quietly.

“It’s a portal.”

My eyes widened. I hadn’t really believed him up until that moment. “Really? You can travel anywhere? Could I see Bryden?”

“Lianne, you have to stay here,” he said. “It’s the only place you’re safe.”

“So the answer is yes?”

Ace snorted, tossing his palm over his mouth.

“What’s your problem?” I asked him.

“You remind me of my wife,” he said. “She’s very, uh, tenacious, just like you.”

“Yes, Lianne. You could travel through something like this to see Bryden. If you knew exactly where he was and how to open a portal. But you don’t and you can’t. Your magic isn’t advanced enough yet. Go. Back. To. Bed.” He said it through gritted teeth.

I smiled in spite of myself. “Please take me to see Bryden. Please, Chase. I swear if you let me see him just this once, I will never ask to leave again. I swear.” I sprinkled some extra sugar into my voice, hoping he’d believe every word I said. Every carefully thought-out word. If I could get through that portal once on the way to see Bryden and once on the way back, maybe I could figure out how to use it on my own. Then I wouldn’t ever have to ask to leave again. I could do it myself, without anyone’s permission.

Taking advantage of Chase’s soft spot for me, I toned the smile down and tried to look cute. It wasn’t easy. His face relaxed slightly and I fluttered my eyelashes. Inside, I wanted to punch myself. I hated girls who used their looks to get what they wanted. But if it meant I could see Bryden again, and figure out a way to get out of this place, I had to do it.

He grabbed my arm, pulling me to the side. “No,” he whispered.

“Why not? You’re keeping me prisoner here and now I hear you’re going to the castle. Take me. Just this once, Chase. Please.” I dropped the cute pretense and let my eyes bore into his.

“Okay, but just this once,” he said, giving in. We walked back to Ace’s side. “She’s going with me.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Ace asked. “Can you trust her?”

“Hey, I’m standing right here,” I said. “And of course he can trust me. Why wouldn’t he?”

Both Chase and Ace stared at me and then laughed.

“Why should I trust you?” Chase asked.

“I don’t know,” I retorted. “Ask one of the pictures you drew of me.”

Ace laughed again, but Chase didn’t join in this time. Instead, he held out a hand to me.

“Just this once. I’ll take you to Bryden and you can spend some time with him while I do what I need to do. An hour is all you’ll get. Two at the most.”

I slipped my trembling hand in Chase’s. “Thank you! Now what do I do?”

“Just hold on to me and step through. You might feel a little sick on the other end. Most people do their first time.”

I nodded my head and swallowed nervously.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Of course! Let’s do this!”

Chase lifted his right foot and I raised mine to follow him. Not wanting to miss any second of it, I forced myself to leave my eyes open, even though a tiny part of me was really afraid of stepping into the magical portal.

The bright light blinded me. I blinked and reopened my eyes after taking two steps. All I could see was darkness, not the brilliant flashing lights of a mystical path. Then it hit me. My stomach seized and I fell to my knees. A wave of nausea raced through my body, radiating out from my stomach all the way to my toes. I struggled to keep my dinner inside me where it belonged.

“Are you okay?” Chase asked. I realized we were no longer holding hands. Instead, he was rubbing my back with one hand and holding me steady with the other. Without being braced by him, I might have fallen flat on my face. It’s not a desirable position for any warrior.

The nausea snaked back into my stomach as quickly as it had started. Taking two breaths, I struggled to my feet. “Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks.”

We stood close together. His breath warmed the top of my head. “Where are we?” I asked.

“Inside a closet. Take one of these capes and put the hood over your head. No one can see you when you’re in it, except for friends with magic. Bryden should be able to see you easily, but if I were you, I wouldn’t risk taking it off at all. Anyone could walk through a doorway at any time and see you.” He paused and took a deep breath. “Please don’t risk this. There’s so much at stake beyond just keeping you safe from the Malborn.”

“Like what?” I wanted to be let in on every little bit of intrigue. “If I know, then maybe I could tell Bryden and he could help you from the inside.”

“No,” Chase answered, his voice strained. “Don’t tell Bryden anything about me. He doesn’t need to know.”

“Then how am I supposed to explain my presence here?” I asked. “If I can’t tell him about you, then what should I tell him?”

“You’ll think of something. It’s not like you’re ever at a loss for words.” I could almost hear Chase’s sardonic smile. “You have one hour, Lianne. That’s it and then you have to meet me back here. You can’t travel without me.”

“I know, I know. I’ll try to keep track of the time.”

His hands grabbed my shoulders. “Promise me you’ll meet me back here. I don’t want to have to come looking for you.”

“I won’t try to escape,” I said. I wasn’t sure if I meant it or not, but until I knew more about what was going on I couldn’t make a solid decision.

“Escape?” The sadness in his voice rung out in the closet. “For Eloh’s sake, Lianne, I’m not holding you prisoner. I’m trying to protect you from the Malborn. I’m trying to protect everyone. Why can’t you see that?”

His hands relaxed their grip on my shoulders, but didn’t let me go. The tension in his muscles traveled into his fingers. I could tell he wanted to hold me tighter, but was holding back. I knew that feeling intimately. I’d been in love with Kellan, my first boyfriend, for years before he returned my feelings. That was the same way I’d touched him when we sparred. I wanted so desperately to jump into his arms, but had held myself back. My heart ached for Chase. I knew how it felt to be on that end of a non-relationship.

“I know, Chase, I do.” I tried to be more gentle with his feelings. “I’ll meet you back here. I promise.”

I heard a click and a small stream of light tumbled into the closet. Chase placed a cloak over himself and then covered his head. I could still see him, but a faint shimmer surrounded his body. That must have been the magic at work.

“Here’s yours,” he said, handing me a cloak. I pulled it around myself and lifted the hood up over my head. “Perfect. One hour.”

I ran out of the closet and into the hall. I couldn’t wait to see Bryden again.

Chapter Eleven

I stopped outside Bryden’s room for a moment to catch my breath. Everyone in the castle was asleep and I hadn’t passed anyone in the hall. I assumed Bryden would be asleep too. It had only been a couple weeks since I’d left. Had he wondered about me? Or had he given up hope of ever seeing me again?

The door opened with a loud creak. I glanced up and down the hall. At least no one came running. Or if they did hear, they didn’t think much of it. When I lived in the castle, it had never been totally quiet in the night.

Small streams of light led me into the room. Bryden’s steady breathing told me he slept soundly. I closed the door behind me, grabbed the nearest chair, and shoved it under the doorknob. Then I slipped the cloak off. Chase told me anyone could see me, but no one would if they couldn’t get in the room.