Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Aaran
T he sun is setting when I wake up again.
Harper sits, eating from a leaf. She smiles at me, but her eyes are distant. “I’m glad you’re awake.”
Testing my ribs, I take a deep breath. “I feel better.”
“You had a collapsed lung. It looks like you’re breathing easier.” She finishes the meat. “Are you hungry? They’ve saved you food.”
Anchoring my elbow, I ease myself to sitting. Only the echo of pain in my side, I settle against the rise behind me. “I am a bit hungry.”
In a flash, she’s up and walking away. A moment later, she has a large leaf filled with meat and berries.
I eat, but her expression worries me. “Are you ill?”
“No. Just thinking about something Jax said.” She smiles, but again it doesn’t touch her eyes.
“What did he say?” I must speak to Jax about being kinder to Harper. She needs her confidence bolstered, not torn down at every opportunity.
“He said that he believes in me. Well, and a lot of other things, but that was the most important.” She moves to sit beside me against the hill, her shoulder pressed to mine.
“That’s—” I’m not sure how to respond. It was the last thing I expected her to say. “Extraordinary.”
“Right? I know. I was feeling less, and he helped.” She snorts. “I expected him to agree with all my doubts, but while he understood them, he pointed out some of my strengths as well.” She shrugs. “I’m glad you’re better. Cara said you will be ready to journey by morning.”
“Cara said?” I eat my food, which tastes better than I expected. I must have been hungrier than I thought.
“Well, through Dorian, but you know what I mean.”
When I can’t eat anymore, my eyes drift closed. I wrap my arm around Harper’s back and keep her close. “I suppose that’s the closest I’ve ever been to death.”
“Too close.”
“I’m sorry I scared you.” Honestly, when the darkness took me, I was scared too. I was letting everyone down, but it was peaceful in the place between worlds.
“Don’t do it again.” She kisses my cheek.
I wish I could tell her we’re safe from now on, but that would be a lie. No one is safe, nor will they be until Venora has been dealt with.
Stars begin winking into existence, and the moon rises next to Arcania.
Tal walks over and lies down next to Harper. Silently, she closes her eyes as Harper pulls a tattered blanket over the girl. Within a few minutes, the boys make their way over and pile in to sleep like cats.
When Fort plops his head on my ribs and I have minimal pain, I’m relieved.
The oldest, Bor, snuggles in behind Fort.
“This is unexpected,” I whisper.
“They’ve been staying close to me. Last night, I didn’t sleep much. They found their way over in the middle of the night. Fancor took them to a spot closer to the fire, so you wouldn’t be disturbed.” She brushes Tal’s hair from her eyes. “I think they’ve adopted me as their protector. They’re badly in need of some love and care.”
The children are smarter than we gave them credit for. No one exudes more love than Harper. It pours from her, filling everything with her soft attention. The fact that she bestows her love on me is a miracle. I can only hope that if we live long enough, I’ll become a man who deserves it. “There is no one better suited for the job.”
She sighs and leans her head on my shoulder. “Will your mother ensure they are taken care of until we can bring them to their families? I know they’re not your people, but they’re only children.”
Kissing the top of her head fills me with warmth and gives me the false impression that I’m somehow taking care of her. “No harm will come to them.”
“That’s not exactly what I asked.” She closes her eyes.
“No. I know, but I don’t have all the answers, Harper. Nothing has been ordinary since I met you.” The last light of day slips away, and the air cools. I’m not even strong enough to add heat to the fire. My magic is busy healing my wounds.
As if summoned, Jax walks over and shakes his head at me with a pile of children sleeping all around and Harper dozing at my side. He sends heat to the stones surrounding the fire. It will keep us warm through the night and allow the burning wood to die out. It’s better not to have those fires as beacons for the enemy. “I’m a little jealous, Riordan. I miss my family.”
“You’ll be with them soon.” I want to say that the worst is behind us, but I have no idea if that’s true. “Maybe we can gather some horses. The wild ones like the great spring.”
“Perhaps. Sleep now. I will keep watch. At daylight, we should leave this place.” He turns away and scrutinizes the surrounding dark hills.
“When will you sleep, my friend?” I feel as if I’ve been away from the group for months, though they told me it was only two days and a night that I was unconscious. Wherever I was is shrouded in mist now. Like a dream that I can almost remember but can’t quite reach. I don’t know who has slept and who has not. I only know what I’ve been told, which is very little.
“Fancor will take my place in a few hours. Your charges are safe, Aaran.” He walks to the top of the nearest hill.
“Thank you,” I say softly.
His warrior’s ears twitch, and he nods once.
A side from a few stiff muscles from the heads, arms, and legs of children hemming me in, I’m myself again when the sun rises. Its heat and energy fuel my magic. I may need a few days to be at full strength, but I’m on my feet, and that’s a big improvement.
Most of the freed elves are well enough to walk on their own.
Some carry the children or corral them in the right direction as we cross the hill country on our way to the river.
Harper stays by my side. I feel her worry. When I was elsewhere, I still felt the connection to her, but I suspect she did not. “Have you been working on your sword skills while I was unavailable?”
The way her lips twist in that don’t-mess-with-me way makes me want to kiss her hard until she’s panting. “I trained while you slept yesterday. Jax knocked me on my ass twice, but I nearly got the drop on him.”
“You know he’s been training as a soldier most of his life. Perhaps besting him shouldn’t be your aim.” I love how ambitious she is.
Grinning like she has a secret, she says, “I’m happy with nearly, but I would love to beat him one time when a volcano isn’t distracting him.”
“Take that as a big win, mo chroi . I doubt I could win a sword fight with Jax, and I’ve been at it since I was eight suns.”
“Eight. We really do come from different worlds. At eight, I played soccer, with my father coaching and my mother screaming encouragement from the sidelines.” Her memory leaves a soft, sad smile in its wake.
“What is soccer?”
“A game where two teams battle for a ball. Without using their hands, they try to get the ball in the net of the opposing team.” She kicks her right foot out as if she has a ball.
“You’ll have to teach me sometime.” A little jealous of her energy, I send a revival spell to my legs since they’re already sore and we’ve only gone a few miles.
Green rolling hills stretch on for as far as I can see. As we climb the next ridge, the glimmer of sunlight hitting water gives me hope. Still half a day away, and then the ferry across. It’s going to be hard going with so many to get across.
“Tell me about the river?” Harper picks up Bor and carries him.
The child rests his head on her shoulder and toys with her braid.
Before I can answer, Nainsi says, “Dálock Abhainn. It means Two Lakes River. It’s wide, and at this end, there are only two ways to cross. The ferry above the first lake or the Dagda Bridge, a full day’s journey north.” She tightens the band holding her braid at the bottom and pulls her lips into a tight line.
“Why do you look so dour? Is the ferry a bad choice?” Harper is a keen observer of others.
Shrugging, Nainsi sighs. “We have little choice really. Sometimes the water near the first lake is a bit rough, and there are a lot of us. But the bridge would be a day north and then an extra day south on the other side.” She picks up Tor as he’s running by. “We don’t have the resources for the extra days.”
“We’re already long overdue.” Ignoring the fact that my muscles are weak from lack of use, I trudge up the next hill, and the next.
It’s a great relief when we’re past the hills, and all that lies between us and the river is meadowland and high grasses for miles. Not exactly easy travel, but at least it’s flat, and the summer has left the ground mostly dry.
Deep into the grasses, Harper stops. “I have something in my shoe.” She puts Bor down and takes a step back to kneel.
I lift my arms and stretch, then squat and try to loosen my leg muscles. When I look back, Harper is rising.
She cocks her head and looks for something across the grass. “Magic?”
There’s a dull popping sound, and a hole opens beneath Bor and sucks him away. I leap to try to grab his hand, but the hole closes just as the pain of a vortex hits my arm.
With wide panicked eyes, Harper hollers, “Bor!”
The popping sound comes a second time. I grab Harper before she can be pulled away by another opening in the ground. Pushing her forward, I scream, “Run!”
“But Bor,” she protests.
“You can’t help him now. They want you. Run!”
She does as I say and sprints northwest as I follow.
I call out over and over to the group. “Run. Portal magic. Run for the river.” I’m just behind Harper. “Turn right. Get away from the group.”
“You should leave me.” She keeps running hard, her arms pumping.
With a pop, another portal appears beside me with Harper only a toe’s length in front. She teeters on the edge and screams. She’s falls back toward the empty space.
Digging deep for my magic, I shoot energy toward her and leap across the chasm. I wrap my arms around her waist and we tumble forward, away from the portal.
She jumps to her feet and continues to race toward the north.
Fancor hollers, “We’ll be at the ferry.”
“Go without us. Get them to safety.” I keep my focus on Harper and listen for pops of whatever magic this is. Behind us, elves are screaming and calling names. I have to fulfill my mission. As much as I want to help those heading west, my first duty must be to Harper. In my peripheral, the tall form of Avon is there one moment and gone the next.
Jax calls his name.
Still, we can’t go back or even look back. I’ve never seen portals formed in the ground. I don’t know where they go or how such magic was achieved. The only thing I’m certain of is that I can never let Venora capture Harper again. I failed her once; I will not do so again.
Breathing heavy, Harper begins to slow.
I run beside her. “We can’t stop yet.”
Her cheeks are scratched and bleeding from the tall grass whipping her as she runs. Tears run with the blood and sweat. “I can’t run much longer.” She grips her left side. “I still feel that magic.”
We splash through wet ground. Calling to the bright sun, I draw in more magic and let that filter through me to her, releasing her stitch.
She dashes forward. At the far northern edge of the grass, the land grows dryer, and here Harper stops. She cocks her head as if listening for something. “It’s gone. I don’t feel that magic anymore.”
I take her hand and pull her farther north, away from the wetlands and our friends.
After a few hundred yards, she bends over and grabs her knees. “Now what?”
Catching my breath, I say, “We head for the bridge. Whatever that magic was, it ended at dryer higher ground. Maybe she can’t cast it here, but we can’t go back and risk her feeling your presence anywhere near the others. They will cross at the ferry.”
“It didn’t feel like Venora’s magic.” She pauses and winces as if remembering the pain from her capture and torture. Gaze distant, she searches behind us and tears roll down her cheeks. “So, we just abandon them to whatever fate?”
I hate the pain in her voice. “No. We let them defend themselves. Fancor, Jax, and the others will protect them with their lives. If you go back, you’re putting them in more danger.”
“Why? How?” She dashes away her tears and faces me like a warrior.
“Whoever sent those portals knew where you were. The first one appeared just where you were standing a moment before. The second was just under you before I snatched you back. Even with you running, they almost pulled you in. They must have been able to feel you in that soft wet earth, Harper. We can’t go back.” With every fiber of my being, I want to tell her that everything is going to be alright. I want her to feel safe and at peace. But that’s not the truth. “We need to get across the river and then to the spring. It’s at least two days. The others will likely be rested and fed by the time we reach Tús Nua.” At least, I hope that’s true.
Eyes clear, she nods. “I thought Venora couldn’t use her magic here. You said the oracle protected this continent.”
“Clearly she’s finding other ways through and if that wasn’t her magic, then perhaps she has an ally we didn’t count on.” There are so many possibilities, and my head is full of theories. Hand in hand, we walk north, and her mind settles into acceptance.
Moving away from my touch, she keeps walking toward the Dagda Bridge. “Do you think your mother will like me?”
The question seems so random, I chuckle.
Harper gives me a sharp look.
“I think at the very least, she is grateful you have come.”
If her frown is to be believed, that was not the response she was looking for.
“Does it matter if my mother likes you or not? She will show you kindness and deference regardless.” The river appears at our left, and I walk to the edge. I send my magic to check for dark or shadow bewitchment. Finding none, I kneel and drink.
Harper sits at the edge and takes her shoes off. She drinks several handfuls, and then puts her feet in the cool water. Sighing, she leans back on her elbows. “It matters.”
Sitting cross-legged next to her with my arm touching her shoulder, I let her energy mix with mine. I could gather the information I want from our link, but I don’t, and she doesn’t offer it up. “I cannot imagine my mother or father disliking you, but I’m quite biased, as I love you more than I ever dreamed possible.”
“Thank you.” She closes her eyes and lies back in the green grass. “What will happen once we reach your home?”
“I imagine there will be a big feast.” I can almost taste the pheasant and wine. My stomach rumbles.
“Will we go directly to this gate of yours?” She removes her feet from the river and moves back far enough that they can dry in the sun.
“It depends on if my brothers have returned with the other women.”
Sitting up, she wipes the water from her feet and pulls her shoes on. “I almost forgot that I’m really just a tool to open the gate and that there are two other tools. Perhaps you would have been better off if one of them had been your goal. They might have jumped right into your portal, and you would have been back to the oracle and safe in a few minutes.”
I understand that she’s tired and scared. I also know that I am responsible for everything that has happened to her since we met. Still, her words cut deep. Before she can walk away, I take her hand. “I didn’t go about anything right. I thought I could command a stranger to jump through my portal without any explanation just because I am the eldest son of Elspeth Riordan. I was arrogant and intolerable. I have since put you in great danger. I never dreamed Venora would be able to break through the oracle’s wards. Even the vortex that she made in those woods, and the damage she did, I explained away as being too far south for the wards to be secure. I have been wrong about everything from the start, and I’m beginning to question my competence for leadership.”
She plops down, cross-legged in front of me. “You were bossy and carrying a sword which is strange in my world. However, you soon grew charming. You also saved my mother, for which, I can never repay you. Everything that happened since then was not your doing. I know you feel responsible, but you cannot take responsibility for the actions of others. You have gotten me to this point. In a few days, we’ll reach your home. Maybe there we will be safe for a time.”
The exhaustion in her voice pains me. I want her to be safe, to feel safe. I long to hold her through the night without having the need of guards and wards. “I wish you had seen this land before Venora. I was only a child, but it was greener then, brighter, and magic vibrated in the air. When Venora took the old city, her magic permeated and dulled Domhan.”
Standing, she looks around. “It’s quite beautiful now.”
Rising, I nod. “One day, my mother will step back into the tower and make it white again. Her magic will fuel that of the world, and then you will see what you have saved, Harper Craig.”
With a resigned sigh, she walks north along the river as I trail a step behind.