Fractured Darkness: A YA Fantasy Adventure (The Age of Alandria Book 3) Page 3

  ✧✧✧

  Kaeleigh felt weightless as she was lifted into the sky, but it was not a peaceful feeling. She was caught in evil’s grasp. This was not just a malicious wind, this was the Droch-Shúil and it had found her. It felt as if the wind was holding her up by pressing in around her from all sides, while the darkness pulled. It was tight. She could not move. Her skin crawled under the touch of the dark and evil residue of the wind as it moved around her. It was dark, and she could no longer see her friends. She had no idea where she was.

  Eyes, a blood-thirsty red, opened right in front of her. Her hair whipped wildly about her, but her arms were restricted to her sides unable to pull it out of her face. Panic threatened to explode from her, but she kept breathing. There was no one with her to help her. She had to find a way out of this herself. Kaeleigh felt for her magic, gently stirring it up, hoping for some kind of miracle.

  “She wants you,” the voice hissed darkly all around her.

  “She can’t have me!” Kaeleigh declared boldly.

  “She always gets what She wants. I will take you with me,” the darkness hissed out again. It was creepy how the eyes never blinked or moved, even as swirls of darkness moved around and around like smoke in the darkness.

  Kaeleigh’s magic stirred within her, spinning at a comparable speed to the darkness echoed outside of her. It grew in intensity similar to what it felt like when she tried to free Daegan, like it would explode. Kaeleigh could feel real sparks at the edges of her fingertips ready to ignite the darkness—that had never happened before. Pressure bubbled up in her stomach, moving upward through her chest, pushing outward, looking for release. Throwing her head back, she strained against her own magic, afraid of what might happen if she did let loose, but also afraid of what would happen not only to her but to her friends if she didn’t. It was painful holding back such a tidal wave of energy.

  There was a gentle, peaceful push into her mind and a whisper: “Release it, Kaeleighnna.”

  That was all she needed. Kaeleigh looked fiercely one last time into those eyes full of bloodlust and unspeakable darkness and shouted, “She cannot have me!”

  There was a simultaneous thunderclap and explosion of light, the brightest white Kaeleigh had ever seen. The darkness around her screeched a bloodcurdling scream and the tentacles released her from its grip, shriveling into the sky and disappearing. Then she was falling.

  ✧✧✧

  Chel screamed as she was hit and slammed to the ground by something large. “Kaeleigh!” she grunted out breathlessly from under her fallen friend.

  Breathing heavily, Kaeleigh rolled off Chel, looking around frantically to see the result of what had just happened. “Sorry, Chel, did I hurt you?”

  “Of course you did! You fell out of the sky on me!” she shouted as she threw herself onto Kaeleigh, squeezing whatever life she still had out of her. “Couldn’t you have fallen into the arms of one of these hunky warrior guys we have around here? Now that would have been amazingly romantic, just like in the movies.” Chel sighed with a wink, then sobered quickly. “We didn’t know what to do, we couldn’t reach you. I thought I was going to lose you again.” Chel’s eyes filled with emotion.

  “I thought I was lost too.” She looked up, confused. “I thought it had taken me somewhere.”

  Kneeling on the ground close to her was Finn. Aidón stood close by with his knife out, standing guard. She felt Daegan at her back. Looking up and back, she watched him as he stood fierce and protective, intensely scanning the forest. But in the back of her mind, she heard his voice sighing with relief, “You are safe now.” She nodded and when he looked down at her, puzzled, she realized that he had not meant for her to hear that. Strange, but she was beginning to like his voice in her mind.

  Hearing the sound of a twig snapping off to their side, they all reacted. Getting to their feet, they held their swords at the ready. However, what they saw coming through the tree line was the most welcome sight.

  “Ella,” both Daegan and Finn said with relief then looked at the other in confusion.

  “Hello, boys,” Ella smirked. “Always one for an entrance, aren’t you, Finnlan?” Ella sauntered her way through the brush and moss of the forest floor like she could slide right through them. She was not alone. Five Faerie men were with her. They were definitely warriors, but looked very different from the Ferrishyn that Daegan was. These Faeries had only a slight tint to their skin whereas, Ferrishyn were more of a tan complexion. They were also thin and tall, but athletic looking. All of them, including Ella, wore a cream-colored material that definitely did not allow them to blend in with their surroundings. Ella’s hair was a pixie cut—short and jagged—and frost white; the others’ hair seemed normal—by mortal realm standards of color—but they each had a variety of styles of braids with knots and ties in them. Some had shaved the sides of their heads. They carried spears, shields, and multiple ornately carved knives on their belts. Ella seemed to be the only one with personality as those with her remained expressionless and surveyed Kaeleigh and company.

  “Unless you want to wait for the Droch-Shúil to come back or the dark forces that are tracking you to catch up, I suggest we move now and talk later,” Ella directed at Daegan.

  “Wait. Who are you? How do I know we can trust you?” Kaeleigh stepped forward in front of Daegan, putting everyone with her behind her.

  Ella raised an eyebrow at Kaeleigh. “Good, you have a backbone. You are going to need it. I know you have gone through a lot, and will continue to go through even more.” At Kaeleigh’s befuddled expression, she continued, “I know more about you than anyone here does... him included.” She pointed to Finn, who rolled his eyes.

  Finn rolled his eyes. What is going on?! Kaeleigh looked to Chel to see if she saw what just happened. Apparently she did since her mouth was agape and she was staring straight at him.

  Ella continued, “You are about to find what you have been seeking, but only if we get to the mountain and my grandfather. So I’m asking you to blindly trust me at least for a little while... Princess.”

  The last word she spoke very quietly so Kaeleigh knew she was aware of her sensitive hearing. Kaeleigh didn’t like not knowing who she was with, but neither Daegan nor Finn would let them walk into something dangerous without knowing it. She nodded and gave Ella a small smile. There was something about Ella’s confidence and directness that made Kaeleigh want to like her.

  “By the way, good timing releasing your pent-up power surge, Kaeleighnna,” Ella spoke softly. Her voice triggered the sound of the voice that spoke to Kaeleigh while she was trapped in the funnel cloud with the darkness.

  She gasped. “That was you? You spoke to my mind.”

  Ella nodded. “And you listened. We made a good team.” She smiled.

  Chel jumped in. “Did you make that bright light?”

  “I did. While Kaeleighnna—“

  “Kaeleigh, please call me Kaeleigh. My friends do,” Kaeleigh interrupted.

  Ella smiled again. “While Kaeleigh was releasing her power, I released the light of the Quarian sun, our sacred star, thus blinding the darkness long enough for her power to break its hold. It was good we got to her when we did. You might not have been able to defeat it on your own today.”

  “The glorious Ella! Please tell us more about your great deeds,” Finn laughed.

  Kaeleigh was baffled for a moment, causing her to lose any comebacks. He laughed and talked like a mortal teenager... what is up with Finn?

  Kaeleigh was deep in thought when Chel elbowed her. “Did you hear how he just talked?”

  Kaeleigh nodded, dumbfounded.

  “What? It IS what happened,” Ella replied with the slightest smile. “Kaeleigh’s power is still blocked, and she does not have the sword as it is in the mountain. So no, you were not getting out of that darkness by yourselves. I helped. Simple fact. Deal with it, Finnlan.” She winked at him and began walking, followed immediately by a couple of her men. The other three
stayed to follow at the tail end of the group.

  “Thank you. Thank you for coming, Ella.” Kaeleigh, even though shocked by Finn’s behavior, felt a slight twinge of jealousy at his familiarity and ease with Ella. She could also clearly see the truth in what Ella said. They would not have survived, or worse, she could have been taken to this mysterious “She” had Ella not intervened. One more puzzle to solve.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “Where are we?” Chel asked, looking around in awe. They had walked in stressful, contained silence for quite a while until they finally reached a place where the forest began to thin, the mountain began to grow, and the ground cracked open into a canyon just beyond it. They followed a narrow rock path that went down the side of the canyon until the ground fell away from them and turned into a sudden long drop down the face of a cliff. Luckily, they had turned into an opening in the mountain that then led through a maze of tunnels and caves until it brought them to one unimpressive underground cave room. There was nothing in it except large rocks and boulders.

  “We call it ‘Sanctuary.’ It is my home away from home. It can be yours as well, you might find it comforting here. This very spot is an overlay in the realms, which is usually where a gate is put to govern who goes in and out, but this one was protected... or hidden I should say, so no one but us knows about it. It also has its own portal entrance into the mortal realm and also one near the entrance into Ehsmia.”

  Kaeleigh was relieved to see that not only did she and Chel have confused looks on their faces, but Aidón and Daegan did as well. She couldn’t imagine that Ella lived here. There was nothing homey about it.

  “What does it overlay, Ella?” Finn asked, suddenly very serious.

  She stared at him for a moment. “I was unable to show you until now, Finnlan, I beg your forgiveness. It was foreseen.” Ella looked down in an odd show of humility.

  “Where?” Finn growled out impatiently.

  “Locast Ridge.” She looked at him sheepishly but also with a glimmer of hope and excitement in her eyes.

  Finn’s eyes lit up. “Really?! I can’t believe it. Why you couldn’t tell me about it, I don’t understand. I could’ve gone back and forth the whole time and no one would have known.”

  Ella briefly shifted her gaze toward Kaeleigh then back to Finn. He seemed to get the message and slightly changed the subject.

  “Can we go there?” Finn asked. “I haven’t seen the boys in quite some time.”

  “Yes, I think that might be best for now anyway. You all can rest, then we will continue on to the mountain.” Ella looked to Daegan and his scowl.

  “I do not know this place. How far is the mountain entrance from here?” he asked.

  “It is almost a day’s journey, Daegan. You all need rest, shelter, and food. Kaeleigh needs to rest, her energy is draining. If we got attacked again on the way, none of us would survive at this point.”

  Daegan took a deep breath. He looked to Kaeleigh, taking a moment to really sense her, then nodded back to Ella.

  “So one more time: where are we?” Chel began again.

  “I will explain as soon as we get settled, Chel. But for now, know that it is safe and it is a part of your mortal realm.” With that little nugget, Ella walked around a very large boulder that was much taller than all of them and into a dark crevice that couldn’t be detected by the naked eye.

  “What?!” both Kaeleigh and Chel said at the same time. They looked to Finn and then to Daegan.

  “We are going back into the mortal realm? Do you know where? Can we go home?” Chel began firing questions in rapid-fire succession.

  “I don’t know, Chel, calm down.” Finn held his hands up trying to hold her back while Kaeleigh just started forward and followed Ella into the dark.

  “Kaeleigh, wait!” Chel whisper shouted.

  ✧✧✧

  Unprepared for what she saw, Kaeleigh had no frame of reference for where in the mortal realm they might be. They emerged from behind a large boulder similar to the one they had entered around on the other side. Behind them stood nothing but solid, smooth gray rock. The same rock was above them at a spacious distance, curving all the way down to the ground about thirty feet away. It was mostly smooth, but with jagged outcroppings and even small holes placed at various intervals. Several young men and a couple older ones stared at them with menace, pointing spears in their direction. There was no doubt that they would shish kebob Kaeleigh and her friends had Ella not stepped out from behind Kaeleigh with her hands up.

  Finn and Daegan were instantly in front of Kaeleigh and Chel, pushing them back behind them, but moving slowly, hoping not to provoke the spears that were mere feet in front of them.

  “You may look like Ella, but what is the secret password?” one of the older men asked.

  She nodded appreciatively. “Very good. Do not ever take what you see at face value. However, please never use the phrase ‘secret password’ again. We are not children.” Ella smiled. “The word is ‘Fantasyland,’ as picked by Tina this week.” Instantly, the men lowered their spears and took what few steps they could back to create more space.

  “It seems all is well?” a different man asked. He was in his late thirties perhaps, with scruffy facial hair and wearing thick pants, hiking boots, and a heavy flannel coat and hat.

  “There was a small delay, but nothing I couldn’t handle. I have arrived with the guests I was looking for.” Ella inclined her head toward Kaeleigh and her friends. The men in front of her did nothing more than nod and then continued speaking to Ella. Some of the younger men shook hands with the warriors that had been with Ella in Alandria. Although the warriors appeared to be trying, they still seemed awkward with the interaction.

  “What is happening here, Ella?” Daegan asked, unwilling to take Kaeleigh any further without explanation.

  Ella took a deep breath. “Daegan, you will have to trust me once more. This is something you will need to see to understand. I am about to show you something that everyone in Alandria believes to not exist. This is a colony of Twined mortals and Twined beings of Alandria that have fled the realm for safety. There are few that know of this place and even fewer who know the numbers within it.”

  Daegan looked troubled. Not only was he trying to fathom what Ella had spoken of, but if it was true, he was concerned about his presence there. “I should not come with you,” he stated flatly.

  Kaeleigh looked up at his face and then bit her bottom lip in concern. “The headaches?” she whispered and he nodded slightly.

  Ella stepped forward, looking directly into his soul through his eyes. “Yes, there is still a connection. I can almost see it, but this place is heavily warded. It is essentially an extension of Ehsmia. She cannot permeate our wards while you are there. You will not be a danger to us. Let us head to the entrance.”

  A glimmer of hope stirred in Daegan’s eyes. It made Kaeleigh’s chest tighten to know that there was still a connection between him and Maleina; that she wasn’t able to free him entirely of his bond. She could tell that Daegan wanted to see what Ella was about to show them, but his concern for the safety of the people/beings he didn’t even know outweighed what he desired.

  Without thinking, Kaeleigh placed her hand around the back of his bicep. At her touch, the spark that had been there before ignited once again. His muscles bunched underneath her hand. Even though she didn’t want to let go, she did. Then followed the group that was already trailing Ella down a dirt path cut through a grassy hillside. Above her, the sky was overcast and gray. There was a slight breeze that oddly brought confusion and dizziness when Kaeleigh tried to look around too much.

  Looking behind her, Kaeleigh’s eyes grew large. Where they had just exited through a crevice of rocks, there was now only a decaying forest of broken branches and lifeless limbs. Through the dying trees, she could see a large decomposing house; something out of a horror movie or a haunted house. Drained of all color and life, boards broken, and shutters barely hanging by their
hinges, it gave Kaeleigh chills.

  “Wha... What happened to the rocks?” she stammered.

  Next to her, Chel snapped her head around in confusion. “Where are we?”

  Kaeleigh could see in her friend’s eyes the beginning of panic. Kaeleigh could sympathize with her—suddenly feeling trapped, not knowing where she was. Turning back toward the way they were headed, Kaeleigh gasped, seeing the exact mirror image of the decrepit house that was behind them now suddenly also in front of them. Trying to stay calm for her friend was suddenly not working well for her. Swiveling her head back and forth between the two houses, she felt disoriented and lost; she almost began walking off in a random direction.

  A large hand with worn callouses gripped her wrist, sending jolts of electricity that both calmed her and cleared her head, but also stirred the butterflies deep in her stomach, sending them soaring all throughout her chest. She took a deep cleansing breath, the dizziness gone.

  “It is an illusion. Similar to a glamour, but it is meant to cause confusion to keep anyone out that should not be at the entrance,” Daegan explained quietly in her ear as he pulled her back onto the path.

  She looked over at him, then down at where his large, strong hand encircled her small wrist, and then back up into his eyes.

  “We need to stay together,” he said, and Kaeleigh nodded. “We need to stay with the group,” he amended. She looked over and realized Daegan was guiding Chel as well with his hand on her elbow. Kaeleigh gave her head a strong shake to clear her mind completely, then stood up tall and tried to focus on all the people in their group. Seeing Finn up closer to the front, talking to Aidón but following closely behind Ella, made Kaeleigh wonder about how they knew each other. Finn normally wasn’t that far away from her and she realized she felt a spark of something... Jealousy? No I shouldn’t be jealous. After all, he can talk to whoever he wants to just as I can. He doesn’t belong to me... no one does.