Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Harper
I wake up with the sun above the horizon and the camp bustling around me. This is our third camp, and the third morning I’ve struggled to wake since we left Tobhtá. My hair is a riot of waves. I should have braided it last night. With a sigh, I comb my fingers through the mess and make one plait while the elves cook in battered pots and pans they brought with them.
The pain in my gut lurks like it could escalate at any moment. I rub the space just under my sternum and take a breath, let it out, and accept that there are other people here in far worse condition.
Nainsi smiles as she walks toward me. “You look better.” She sits.
“I feel as if I’ve been run over by a truck.” I laugh. “Which is actually better than I felt yesterday.”
We both chuckle, and she examines a bruise and scratch on my upper arm. “You’re stronger than you look.”
“Do you think so?” I take my shoes off and adjust the stuffing in the toes before putting them back on.
“I do. Humans are more than elves give them credit for.” She points to Bert. He’s talking to Fancor and Jax. “Look at my man and how he cares nothing for the differences in the beings around him. He sees the similarities instead.” She grows serious. “Venora destroys Domhan first because she is from here and it’s easier for her. When she is done with us, she will find a way into other worlds like yours and destroy those, too.”
“Why? What does she want? How much power can she need? How many slaves does she require?” Frustration boils inside me.
“I’ve read your history books, Harper. You have had the same kind of tyrants in your world. They might not have shot black lightning from their fingers, but they were just as evil. How much would have been enough for them? If Hitler had succeeded in dominating your world and had known of other worlds, do you think he would have been satisfied?” She picks up the comb from the ground and puts it in her leather pack.
There’s no need to respond to the question. We both know the answer. “I guess we had better stop the witch queen here then.”
Cara walks over and hands each of us a large leaf. On top is a small pile of fish and some kind of white vegetable.
“Thank you.” Once Cara has bowed and walked away, I stare at the strange breakfast.
Nainsi eats several bites before noticing that I’ve not touched mine. She says, “It’s not bad. Needs some seasoning, but the fish is fresh, and the corble reminds me of my childhood.”
“Corble?” I taste the fish and agree that while I’m not used to fish for breakfast, it tastes familiar.
“It’s a nut that grows wild on this continent. We don’t see it across the sea. Try it. It’s almost like corn.” She finishes her food and licks her fingers. “I’d better see if I can help Aaran so we can get these people fed and heading around the lake.”
As she strides across the camp, I catch sight of Aaran helping an older man fashion a splint around his crooked leg. These people are so kind. How did Venora go so wrong? How many more like her are there in this world, like Ciaran? I shiver at the thought of his evil mind touching mine as he looked for information.
I finish my food and agree that the corble tastes like corn.
Beran approaches with a look of either concern or embarrassment. I can’t tell which. He kneels. “I found this on the ground after you were struck down in the great hall. There didn’t seem a good time to return it until now.” He hands me my father’s wedding ring.
My throat tightens, and tears spring to my eyes. I wrap my arms around his neck. “Thank you.” It’s not enough. I don’t know what else to say. “Thank you.”
When I let him go, he’s blushing. “You are welcome. I thought it might have some meaning to you.” He rushes away.
I clutch the ring a moment longer before slipping it on my finger. It’s just a token with no magic, but it makes me feel stronger somehow. Beran can’t know how he brought my parents back to me, but I am grateful.
In the distance, there’s movement in the sky, like smoke, only the shifting isn’t smooth or in the same direction as the wind. It goes east and then west in a strange pattern. As it draws closer, I can make out the wings of black birds.
Jax, his men, and Nainsi all start chanting something I don’t understand.
The others all lie flat on the ground and freeze like everyone in the Driver’s Motor Vehicle office.
Aaran runs to me and covers me with his body. “Don’t move.”
A gray haze forms around us, and the metal-tinged air is still. “What are they?” I whisper.
“Blackbirds, but they are under Venora’s eye. She searches for us.” As the birds fly overhead, he holds his breath.
I do the same. My lungs ache by the time he lets out his breath.
The gray haze lifts.
Aaran rises. “We have to get moving. There’s no way to know if they saw us before the shield went up.”
Standing slowly, I try not to show my pain as it spreads from my stomach. “Could she have healed this quickly?”
He shrugs. “Even if she’s still hurt, she has other means to reach us.”
Not sure what that means, I try out my legs and am pleased that while they still feel weak, they hold my weight.
T he hilly terrain levels out as we leave the camp a few miles behind us. Somehow having the lake nearby feels comforting. Of course, it also reminds me of how Aaran washed my hair, back, and legs. Had I not been so battered, I would have begged him to make love to me that night. Instead, he held me while I slept, which was nearly as good.
There are tall trees in the distant north, but here the ground is dry and the trees short and gnarled. A good deal of bramble lines the hills, and the grasses have given way to thorny bushes that have seen better seasons.
It’s slow going with so many people, and quite a few of them still sick or injured despite Cara’s efforts each night.
Aaran steadfastly makes sure no one is left behind.
My speed lags as my legs strain to keep me upright.
“Get on my back,” Aaran commands, stopping in front of me.
I’m not an outdoorsy girl. I’m used to a suburban lifestyle with an occasional camping trip where I drink beer around a campfire and sleep in a tent with an air mattress. Between Venora’s torture and sleeping on the ground, I feel like I’m eighty years old. Without an argument, I climb on his back and wrap my arms around his chest.
He grips my calves, one in each hand, and walks us to the front of the group.
Jax gives him a nod and drops back.
I’m not sure what it all means, or how such strategies are best implemented, but I study everything. “Where would Venora have gone to recover?”
“I do not know.”
“So you don’t know the other places she and her shadow army live?” This is troubling. “Is this world as big as mine?”
Nainsi answers, “Similar, but Domhan only has two continents and some islands. Much of the world is covered in sea.”
“Part of which, we’ll have to traverse,” Fancor says gruffly. “Sailing is not my favorite thing.”
Bert slaps him on the back. “Get seasick, do you?”
I swear Fancor turns a bit green even though we’re on dry land.
Laughing, Bert says, “Nothing to be ashamed of. I was sick my first month at sea in the Navy. Had to be given IV fluids and kept in the sick bay for a week. You can get past it.”
“Why can’t Venora get through to my world?” It’s a question that’s been niggling at the back of my mind.
Aaran lifts me higher. “The old gods protected your world long ago. They made the portals work only with light magic, which she can no longer wield.”
“Then how did she get her wolves and shadow demons through?” Even knowing I have to fight this battle in this world, my heart wants to keep my mother and my friends safe.
Venora has already proven she can break through the barrier. It’s only a matter of time before she wages her evil war on Earth.
Aaran says, “She’s learning new things. The elf who helps her is crafty. He knows old elven and reads the sacred scrolls. Eventually, she will break through all barriers.”
“Is that how she came to get me on the western continent?”
Nainsi grunts. “She shouldn’t have been able to. The oracle protects the west. The trees didn’t know her magic wouldn’t kill you. They sacrificed themselves to keep you safe.”
“The trees?” What in the hell is she talking about? I close my eyes and see that old gnarled tree swaying in the breeze. The black lightning heading for me, but then the tree exploded.
“That wood is ancient, as are many. The trees have a life to them. They must have sensed her evil and protected you.” Nainsi’s eyes darken. “The price was that Venora destroyed another of their kind.”
“That’s terrible.” I want to know more about the trees, but my skin tingles, and my arms glow in myriad colors. “Aaran, it’s happening again, only there’s no mirror.”
Everyone gasps.
What happened in the hotel when I glowed? This must mean something. “The wolves. They came at night. Aaran told me about elves being turned into shadow demons. In the morning, I prayed that I wouldn’t be turned into a shadow, and I started to glow.”
Before we can discuss my theory, the wolves’ low growl rises above our footsteps. Six of them stalk toward us from the northwest. Larger than normal wolves, they are as beautiful as they are terrifying. Saliva drips from their bared teeth.
I get down from Aaran’s back.
After drawing his knife from his boot, he hands it to me. “Don’t get killed.” He slips his sword from its sheath and runs toward the wolves.
All the elven warriors and Fancor rush after Aaran. Nainsi and Bert stay with me to protect the weak.
I suppose I should include myself in that group, but I grip my knife and bend my knees. I’m ready to defend myself and these elves who were so kind to me while I was in pieces.
From the back of the group, a dozen elves brandishing sticks and cookware run to help.
Nainsi says, “You’re glowing like a beacon, Harper. Can you stop it?”
I wish the glow would go away to keep us safe. As I keep that thought in my head, my arms fade to a normal color. It’s a warning. I tuck that knowledge away to talk to Aaran about when we’re all safe.
“That’s better.” Nainsi raises her sword and stands with her legs spread.
I take up a similar stance with the knife.
Bert doesn’t lift his knives. He holds one in each hand and keeps them by his side. “Harper, keep out of harm’s way. You’re not strong enough to fight yet.”
He’s right, but I stand my ground.
Ahead, a wolf charges at Aaran and leaps, its long canines gleaming in the sunshine.
Aaran continues forward at a run, slides as if he’s stealing a base, and slices the underbelly of the beast.
The wolf’s eyes dim, and it falls in a heap to the ground.
Two of the warrior elves shoot arrows, killing another wolf.
Jax slices the air while a wolf dodges his strikes. Taking a step back, Jax pulls a small blade from his thigh sheath and throws, hitting the wolf in the eye.
It collapses.
A wolf has one of the elves in its mouth, shaking him like a toy.
“No!” I can’t stop the scream from getting out.
Fancor turns to see why I’m yelling. He runs from the wolf he’s fighting, leaving Avon to continue, raises his broad sword and lops off the wolf’s head.
Aaran is fighting one wolf, but the last comes directly toward me.
Dorian and Beran rush to shield me.
Nainsi and Bert close in so there are no gaps in the line between me and the beast.
Fear and rage war inside me. My legs wobble with the strain of keeping upright.
Cara and three elves I don’t know stand beside and behind me. More elves surround me.
The wolf howls a deafening sound.
I can barely see it now through the crush of elves determined to protect me, a human they don’t know but who they believe will save their world. A vision of my mother sick and dying flashes through my mind. Another of her walking out of the hospice healthy. I can practically feel her arms around me in our last embrace. I’m not dying here or letting them drag me to wherever Venora is holed up.
Turning the knife so that it points down, I’m ready to stab anything with fur that comes through the line. If I thought I could get past these elves, I would rather be injured than let them endure any more of Venora’s evil.
It’s all too much. I inhale deeply and let out a roaring scream as the wolf reaches Dorian with its gaping maw ready to bite. My scream fills the air, reverberating off the ground, shimmering over the lake.
Stopping, the wolf whines, and its ears lower. Eyes wide, it stares through the crowd at me. It backs up several steps and scans the bodies of its dead packmates. Unbelievably, it turns and runs north, tearing up the ground as it goes.
The crowd around me separates.
Nainsi blinks and stares at me. “What was that?”
“I don’t know. I got angry.” My cheeks heat, and the pain in my middle grows sharper.
Cara smiles, and it may be the first time she has in many years. It seems to surprise her, and she touches her lips. She pats my cheek before walking to where the bitten elf, Lare, lies motionless on the ground.
Dorian grins then bows to me, as does Beran.
As Aaran comes closer, the elves part. As he looks me up and down, his breath is shaking. “You’re not hurt.”
“No. I’m fine. It never even got close to me.” I hand him the knife.
He slips it inside his boot. Without warning, he lifts me into a hug, hard and quick. Stepping back, he says, “We need to get you a weapon and train you to use it.”
I’d hoped for something more touching, but I can’t argue with him. If I’m to be attacked at every turn, I should know how to defend myself. A voice in my head is yelling that I should demand a portal back to my own world where the worst danger I’ve ever been in was a fender bender on Route 1 in rush hour traffic.
Nainsi and Aaran rush over to the two injured elves. Nainsi heals their wounds and sets a broken arm.
Cara has her hands on Lare. After a few minutes, she stands and shakes her head.
My feet give out, but Bert wraps an arm around me to keep me upright. “Hold on, Harper. I’ve got you.”
“I didn’t want anyone to die protecting me.” My tears come quietly and rain down.
Bert sighs. “He died doing what soldiers do. He died protecting his people. It wasn’t about you. None of this is. This is about saving Domhan from a tyrant.”
Throat tight, I nod. He’s right. It’s selfish and arrogant to think it’s about me. I’m needed to keep these people safe.
“I’m sorry to say, he’s not the first, and likely won’t be the last. He fought bravely, which is all a good soldier wants from his service.” Bert lifts me off my feet, carries me to an outcropping of rocks, and settles my back against them. “Rest. I’m sure we’ll move on as soon as possible.”
The roar exhausted me. I rest my head back on the rock and close my eyes. I just need a minute or two to recover.
I t seems like only a minute later when Aaran is kneeling in front of me, gently shaking my shoulder. “Harper, we’re ready to send Lare off.”
“Lare?” The sun is high, and I have to blink to focus.
“The one who fell.” He helps me to my feet.
I was in such a deep sleep that I almost forgot where I was and what happened. We walk together to the edge of the lake where they stacked wood and bramble high. Lare’s body, wrapped in cloth, is placed on top.
Jax steps to the edge of the burial pyre holding a torch. He speaks in a language I’ve only heard in muttered spells, but his voice is loud and clear.
Aaran whispers in my ear. “He says Lare was a good soldier and son of Pallera. He goes now, with honor, to be with his father and his father’s father. He goes with our blessing and thanks for the sacrifice he made to save others. It was his duty, and he is fulfilled.”
Jax lowers the flame to the bottom of the wood. The dry tinder catches immediately, and Jax backs away as the fire engulfs Lare.
We watch for a few minutes. Several elves kneel and pray.
Lowering to his knee with his back to me, Aaran says, “We have to get moving.”
I climb on piggyback style and lay my head on his shoulder. “I guess I didn’t think this through well before I agreed to come with you.”
His back stretches beneath me as he takes a deep breath. “Would you have chosen differently if you had known what the last few days have been?” Before I can answer, he says, “Of course you would have. I can’t blame you. I would send you home if I could, mo chroi . I would see you safe and in your mother’s embrace.”
“Aaran, we are in this together. I would have come even knowing what I know now, because along with what Venora did and seeing what I saw today, I have met your people. I have seen their suffering and their kindness. If it is within me to save your world, I have to try.” My throat is tight by the time I get it all out. I wish there weren’t so many people all around us so we could stop and I could see his face.
His hold on my calves tightens. “You are…” He shakes his head and jogs forward.
The entire party speeds up as we round the lake’s north side. Many are still being carried, but the defeat of the wolves and the loss of Lare seems to have renewed the strength of the elves and their desire to live.
The sun crosses the sky, and clouds roll in, bringing a drizzle as we trudge on.
Aaran slows and looks around the plains that spread out in all directions. Mountains rise to the northeast, and a forest lies far to the north. “We’ll have to stop for the night soon. I don’t like the lack of cover or place to hide you and the injured.”
“Do you think she would attack again so soon? I thought magic took a toll. She sent the blackbirds and the wolves. Doesn’t that require magical expenditure?” In the distance, if I squint, I can barely see the sea. The plains roll downward to the east.
He nods. “It would require magic to send the beasts.”
“Then we should be safe for now. It took her almost four days to recover from my touch. You recovered your strength with the help of the sun in my world. Is it the same for her? Will the sun heal her?”
His cheek pulls back as he smiles. “Very good, Harper. You would make an excellent student.”
It’s best if I keep my barely-getting-by grades to myself. He already knows I was lazy about my driver’s license, no need to tell him I was lazy in school as well.
“Venora’s magic is dark, though it wasn’t always. She has embraced evil and so her resources come from elsewhere. She can draw magic to heal herself from deep inside this world where fire burns and demons prevail.” He shivers. “It’s pure evil she feeds on, and there is much to gather.”
“Is it hell, like in the bible?” I’d never given the idea of heaven and hell much thought. At least not since I was a child.
“I don’t know that word, but Coire is another world within this one, and it is the place where dark magic gets its power.” He shivers again, as if speaking of the place gives him the willies.
Fancor carries a woman who looks young but must be over thirty. Skin and bones, she hugs his neck as if holding on for her life. He says, “My people call it Ifreann, but it references the same place.”
“I’ve heard that name too.” Aaran lifts me a bit higher.
The jerking motion sends a shock of pain through me that radiates from my center. I try not to wince, but a soft hiss escapes nonetheless. “Sorry.”
He steps to the side and lowers me to the ground. “You’re still in pain? Why didn’t you say something?”
“It seemed like there were other fish to fry. Also, it got worse after I screamed, or whatever that was.” I hold my upper abdomen. “It’s a duller version of the pain from the black lightning.”
The entire group stops and hovers around me.
Aaran kneels beside me and places his hand just under my breasts.
I’d like to be the kind of woman who doesn’t blush when being touched by a man in full view of a hundred people. However, my cheeks are on fire, and I lower my face, hoping it goes unnoticed.
The tingle that I’ve learned to associate with magic warms me as Aaran searches for whatever is wrong with me.
His frown deepens. “She’s left some bit of her darkness inside you, Harper.” His eyes open, and their bright blue irises are filled with concern. “I’m going to try to remove it.”
I look at the sun low on the horizon and put my hand over his. “Wait. You said your magic is restored by the sun. There will be none soon. You should wait until morning at least. What if whatever it is kills you?”
Nainsi puts her hand on Aaran’s shoulder. “She’s right. You shouldn’t attempt this without knowing more about the magic.”
His lips tighten to a thin line. “We can’t leave this inside her to fester.”
Stepping to the front, Cara eases him aside and places her hands on my stomach. Her magic is cool and vibrates faster but softer than Aaran’s. Without words to know her by, Cara is a mystery, but as her magic strengthens, the pain ebbs.
I don’t want anyone to be injured in an effort to heal me. I can manage the painful reminder of my time in the presence of the witch queen and her horrible consort.
After a few minutes, Cara’s cheeks pale. Before I can put a hand on her to stop her, she backs away. She nods to Aaran and gestures to me, indicating he should try again.
Still sitting beside me, he leans in. His hands warm me. His magic draws away more evil or heals the wound. The ache lessens. After two minutes, Cara pulls Aaran away and waves at Nainsi to treat me.
I keep my questions to myself. What are they doing? Are they healing or absorbing evil? Can Venora’s magic harm them as they treat me?
Jax lends his magic next. His hands are cold, and he glares at me, as if I am the cause of his problems. Perhaps it is how he looks all the time. Though, in Clandunna he was tender with Selina and his children. He is yet another person in this insane world who I can’t figure out.
Fancor kneels beside me. His round cheeks turn bright red. “My people are not natural healers, dear girl, but I shall lend what help I can.”
“Thank you.”
His magic is bright and forceful at the same time. It’s strange how each person’s magic feels so different, like a fingerprint. Fancor’s hands are rough, and it’s as if heat radiates from the dwarf. Somehow, he feels more human than the elves. He and Bert are not dissimilar.
Bert is taller, but both men are broad and muscular. Both speak directly without anything to hide.
The bright red dims only slightly at the apple of his cheeks and he pulls back. “I sense nothing dark anymore. How do you feel?” His dark eyes stare intently into mine.
I draw a long deep breath, and indeed the hurt that was deep inside me is gone. Searching for it, I continue to draw in air and stretch. “I feel better.”