Stone of Hope

Chapter 34

Iturn my head, not wanting to see the rezurc get pierced, but the animal never makes a sound.

“Open your eyes, Jewel,” King Gus whispers. His voice is deep and smooth, a jarring difference from how he sounded at the riverbank.

Peering out between clenched hands, I see a magical sight and can’t stop the gasp that tumbles past my lips. “Your wall is an illusion!” I marvel. His arm tightens around me, as if he thinks I might try to squirm away and run.

“It only parts for me and my men. No one else is allowed to get through; either in, or out.”

“But how?” I twist around to see his eyes.

An elusive smile plays across his lips. “For now, let’s just say that it is magic.”

For a split second, I wonder if he’s an Elder or if there’s more magic in this kingdom than meets the eye. The rezurc comes to a stop and I turn back around expectantly.

King Gus’s handsome face seems to relax ever so slightly. “This…is our kingdom.”

“Our…” I can’t believe what I’m seeing. Darkland doesn’t describe this kingdom at all.

“Breathe.” The word falls from his lips next to my ear in a tantalizing whisper.

I inhale deeply, no longer smelling death, but fresh cut grass and fragrant flowers. “It’s stunning,” I admit.

The pastoral land is wide open and stretches for miles in each direction with gentle slopes and rolling hills. There are scattered trees and verdant plant life, more like a valley than a forest. We’re standing in a meadow, and the surrounding knolls go on as far as the eye can see. Yellow, blue, and pink flowers dot the landscape and sway in the gentle breeze, heralded by a clear blue sky.

Startling me out of my peaceful reverie, Gus gives a high-pitched whistle and the rezurc begins to gallop. I assume the sudden change in pace means we’re close to his castle. We quickly leave his men behind and make our way out of the dark, twisted forest illusion into my father’s kingdom, my new home.

Not my home, but where I’ll be staying for now. After all, what choice do I have? Before long, I’ll be too sick to care.