Fractured Darkness: A YA Fantasy Adventure (The Age of Alandria Book 3) Page 7

  He looked back at her friends, specifically to her warriors behind her, and spoke. It wasn’t a request. “Her life and presence here is more important than mine. If something should go wrong, let me go or remain as I am, but get her out.” He knew they would do just that. Looking back at Kaeleigh, he nodded. “Ready.”

  “I am going to place my hands on Aidón’s shoulders as he kneels. When you feel your own energy guiding you, place your hands on me or the ground surrounding us,” Kaeleigh instructed the others as she moved back to Aidón, already kneeling on the ground. “Life is energy. Energy is power. We are energy. Release your energy focused on freedom, focused on dissolving and consuming the excess energy surrounding Aidón, and push it toward me as I guide it around his glamour.”

  Kaeleigh took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and did exactly as she told the others. She could feel the power of their energy one by one as they drew close to her. She could feel it in the ground at her feet. It was uniting with her own energy, growing within her before she released it. It was more power than she had ever felt before, but it still seemed like it wasn’t quite enough. The power was turbulent, like the rim of a volcano, roiling unstable at the edge, enough to remain active not yet enough to force a blast. Until she felt him. When Daegan’s familiar energy collided with hers, it was explosive with raw power. She unleashed the energy in a controlled burst unlike the flailing power surge she had with Daegan back in Elnye. Kaeleigh could feel all the individual threads of energy uniting into a chord of power. She applied mental pressure, guiding it gently around Aidón’s glamour. She could hear gasps from various people as all those with her could visibly see the energy in this concentrated magnitude.

  “Stay focused,” she whispered with effort.

  Kaeleigh couldn’t help her own gasp as she watched the power swirling around Aidón begin to erode the magical barriers. She could sense the glamour was not ill intended, but quite the opposite. It was forged for protection with one of the greatest magical energies: LOVE. Having had her own glamour of a similar nature, she felt emotion bubble through her chest resulting in her own tears. Selfishly, she relished the familiar feel of the magical traces entombed within Aidón’s shell. Hunter. Her chest pinched; she missed him.

  “Let him go.” Daegan’s whisper floated through her mind.

  On a shaky breath, Kaeleigh poured out all the energy she had available to her and pulled a little more from those surrounding her just to be sure. With a final swirl of the thread of energy, the last of Aidón’s glamour crumbled away from him, leaving him panting in a fetal position on the ground near the river bank.

  Everyone pulled away also panting, but recovered quickly. Kaeleigh took a step back and practically sagged right into the arms of a very strong Ferrishyn ready to catch her.

  “I have you. Breathe. Well done,” a gravelly and somewhat hoarse voice spoke near her ear. Daegan settled her gently on the ground. With a simple smile of gratitude, Kaeleigh nodded her head. Her hands trembled almost as fiercely as her insides from having that extreme amount of power within her one moment, then feeling dry as an emptied river bed.

  “All good?” she asked as a general question to everyone as she inspected her friends. At all their nods, she relaxed back onto the grass. Kaeleigh was impressed with herself that she didn’t pass out this time at the use of so much power. Hopefully, she was getting a better grasp of her own magic and its abilities. Still, she felt practically paralyzed with exhaustion and was glad she and her friends were in a safe spot to rest.

  Just then a low, mournful cry tore through the camp. Startled, Kaeleigh crawled toward Aidón—or at least tried—just as Finn stopped her.

  “No. Stay back. Let us handle it,” he commanded her.

  Finn and Daegan—knives out—warily approached the older Elf curled on the ground, crying out as if in agony. Daegan stopped with his head cocked to the side, staring intently at Aidón. He dropped his knife and relaxed his shoulders then knelt closer to Aidón on the ground.

  “What are you doing?” Finn spat out.

  “There is no threat here,” Daegan said. “Lower your weapon, Finn.”

  “What? How do you know that?” He looked confused, but kept his weapon extended.

  “Trust him, Finn, he knows,” Kaeleigh interjected as she began to move closer once again, knowing Daegan wouldn’t stop her since he had basically given her the go-ahead.

  At first, Finn reacted as if she slapped him, and then something dawned on him as his expression lit with understanding, and he stared at Daegan. “You have the gift of empathy?”

  Completely ignoring Finn’s question, Daegan looked to Kaeleigh. “There is great pain in his past. He is mourning it all over again, but he will recover.”

  Kaeleigh nodded as she placed her hand on Aidón’s head for comfort.

  “That gift is rare, Daegan. Why have you not told us of it? I’m sure that comes in handy with what you do for the Paladin.” A greater revelation hit Finn, one he wasn’t sure how to process. “Wait. They don’t know of this gift. Do they?”

  “No. And they must not find out either. Please, Finn, they would abuse it,” Kaeleigh demanded. Daegan shot her a slight glare. Kaeleigh met his glare with her own and shrugged a shoulder. “What?”

  “I would appreciate it if you did not reveal this. But if you must, then that is your choice.” Daegan stared at Finn for a brief moment, then looked back at the man on the ground. His appearance had altered but in the state and position he was in, he had not been seen yet. Kaeleigh had moved close behind Aidón on the ground and she kept placing a hand either on his forehead or on his shoulder for comfort, but something dark and agitated rose within him at the sight of it. He shook it off, disconnected once more.

  “There is nothing more we can do here. Perhaps we should return to the training field and continue practicing while we await to meet the real Aidón,” Daegan strongly suggested.

  Kaeleigh gave him a questioning brow, but didn’t say anything.

  “I’ll stay with them,” Finn gestured toward those on the ground.

  Daegan gave a nod then began to walk back the way they had come, but then stopped at the sound of the small voice he quickly recognized as Metrí’s.

  “Kaeleigh, may I try something?” Metrí asked boldly as she approached. Kaeleigh watched the girl doing something strange that looked like drawing on her arm with her opposite hand. Oddly, she didn’t feel anything apprehensive about what the girl was doing. She nodded and gestured the girl forward.

  “What is it you are doing?”

  “I... I’m not really sure. I’ve never really done this before, but I just feel like I should. That doesn’t make sense, I know, but I...” Metrí started to back up, suddenly unsure.

  “No, I think you should try. Follow your instincts. That’s all I’m doing. Sometimes it doesn’t work but sometimes something amazing happens. Please, try,” Kaeleigh encouraged.

  The girl smiled a small smile, then knelt down next to Aidón but did not touch him. Instead, tall on her knees, she began to draw strange shapes and patterns in the air above him. She looked at the air as if she could see what it was she was drawing. No one else could see it, but it was there nonetheless. There was an intricacy to the movements she made with her fingers, but it was also simple. There was an energy that permeated the air around her. Daegan had come back to Kaeleigh’s side as he watched. The others as well moved closer so they could watch one of their own do things no one knew she could do. In a moment, Aidón had gone from stiff agony to a more peaceful relaxed state.

  “He is at peace now. Did you heal him?” Daegan asked.

  “You can heal people?” Chel asked as she knelt near Kaeleigh.

  “No. At least I don’t think so. I’ve never done that before... but I think I was offering him a healing of the mind, or a peace to allow himself to deal with whatever it is he is going through.” Metrí paused in her explanation, thinking about it. “Yes, that’s what I was thinking about and my f
ingers just started moving. What does this mean?”

  Everyone was quiet for a moment. Metrí looked around at confused and blank faces.

  “I’ve never heard of that type of gift in Alandria,” Finn offered. “But maybe it is something new, given your heritage that we are not familiar with.”

  Metrí scrunched her face up in contemplation. There was a rustling from the side as Ella approached them.

  “I felt the energy you all had released all the way over at the meeting hall. That was quite powerful, we will be fortunate if it was not felt outside of this realm.” She paused then looked to Metrí. “I agree with Finnlan. Your gifts will begin to emerge the more they are exposed to other magic and energy. You will need to be trained in how to use them as they continue to come forth, but Kaeleigh’s advice to follow your heart and your instincts is good. That is one of the best ways to grow and learn within ourselves.” Ella smiled toward Kaeleigh.

  The moment was interrupted as Aidón stirred and tried to sit up. All those gathered around him quickly scooted back to give him some room. He sat up and smiled a sad smile. His voice scratchy and somber, he choked out, “Thank you.”

  Kaeleigh gasped when he looked her in the eyes. Green eyes. Those eyes were familiar—she had seen them before.

  “I know you,” she whispered.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Elnye

  The Castle in Elnye, the capital of Feraánmar

  “The Sol-lumieth is growing in power,” Maleina spoke to the window, her back facing the extravagant room of her private chambers. Awaiting the arrival of her son, Halister, she took some time to conspire alone. The room was not small, but it was not large. It had several tall windows encased with long, thick draperies made from a cranberry dye that overlooked the gardens a story below. The small couch and settee were plush and sophisticated in dark colors that still looked feminine. An ornately carved desk took up one end of the room, a vanity at the opposite end. Even with the windows, though rarely exposed from their coverings, there was a sinister oppression in the heart of the space. Through her thin, barely there tie to her lost Ferrishyn, she felt the aftershocks from that surge of power released not long before. Even though most of the threads of energy connecting her to Daegan had been severed, there were still a few remaining and they were mending. She could still feel him. Though she may not be able to get into his head the way she could before and see through his eyes, she could still feel him. It was not enough to track him directly, but she would not need to rely on it solely. She had another source. He would be found, he and that girl who had no right to possess the power that appeared to be hers.

  A simple knock sounded at her door.

  “What is it?”

  “Master Halister is in the throne room when you are ready, my Lady,” the messenger replied through the thick wood of the door.

  “I will be there momentarily.” Maleina approached the vanity and took one look into the mirror at the sneer upon her face and schooled her features into those of a concerned mother. She took a deep breath and pulled a random curl or two from the perfected up-do that confined her fiery chaos. Maleina stepped out her door into the short breezeway that returned her into the throne room.

  “Halister, my son, something terrible has happened.” She approached him with haste and concerned eyes.

  Halister stiffened as she came closer. Looking her over, he noticed she seemed uncharacteristically out of sorts. “What is it, Mother? What has happened? Is Father all right?” He appeared confused and apprehensive.

  “Your father is fine. But I fear that Daegan, the brother of your heart and duty, is not.” She looked out the window and then down to the floor as if afraid she would not be able to speak her next words.

  “What do you mean, Mother?”

  “The king in Adettlyn was just here. His guards saw a battle within the forest: a battle with the darkness.” Her eyes were large and fearful. “They said there were various surges of power and then everything in the vicinity was destroyed by a blinding light.” She inhaled sharply. “It is my hope that he survived, but I do not know for certain.”

  “I felt a surge of power not long ago,” Halister said with a deadpan expression. Even though the surge he felt was from Kaeleigh’s blast of power, he could feel the familiarity of Daegan’s combined with hers. Not everyone could decipher each other’s power, but they had fought and trained alongside each other for so long that he could determine without doubt Daegan’s energy.

  “You must go find him, Halister. I know he betrayed us, but he is still family and I will always welcome him home. I fear for him.” His mother had moved to stand in front of him, her hands on either side of his shoulders.

  Halister took a step back from her. Her eyes widened in surprise. “I am not this easily manipulated, Mother. You want him back, but not as a part of this family. You would use and destroy him if you could, of this I have no doubt.”

  Maleina’s eyes grew dark. “Perceptive, son,” she sneered at her only son and heir to her throne. “You are right, I do want to punish him. He betrayed us... his family! He would be nothing without us! That little wretch of a human girl has bewitched him somehow and turned him from us!” She began pacing agitatedly in front of him. “We have to find a way to break her spell over him, then perhaps he will come back to us willingly.” She looked at her son with maddened false hope glistening in her eyes.

  Unmoved, Halister pierced her with his stare. “I will not be a part of your schemes for power. I do not know what you are trying to accomplish, Mother, but I want no part of this at all!” Hal was fuming, his fists clenched. He turned to leave then turned back to his mother. “Daegan is no enemy. And Kaeleigh is not either. Not of Alandria or ours!” He knew he crossed a line when he saw a spark of fire and a twitch in his mother’s eyes. He turned and stole from the throne room. He did not run, but his steps were wide with great purpose.

  Once the doors closed on Halister’s retreat, Maleina turned to the window nearest her that looked out upon most of the grounds around the castle entry. Halister stormed out of the castle carrying a small bag and headed straight for the stables.

  Maleina smirked as she watched him ride out. “Good boy.”

  Seeing one of her guards step out from the shadows of the stables and look up at her window, she nodded at him. He mounted his own horse and took off in the same direction as her son, keeping his distance. Maleina would find them; She was waiting.

  CHAPTER NINE

  “How do I know you? Are you... Are you my father?” Kaeleigh knelt down in front of Aidón hesitantly. She could feel the eyes of everyone around her, watching and waiting. Her heart fluttered and her throat was tight.

  Aidón looked at her with compassion as he lifted his hand to her cheek. “No, child, I am not. I... I am truly sorry.” He grabbed her wrist as she began to pull away from him, putting space between them. “I am, however, your uncle.” Kaeleigh gasped, her face flushed with hope. “Well, to clarify, I am your father’s uncle, your grandfather’s brother.”

  “What!?” “No way!” Her warriors drew their weapons while Chel gripped Kaeleigh’s elbow right next to her. Kaeleigh stared at them with piercing eyes, in shock.

  “Why do you have your swords drawn? He’s my uncle!”

  “Your ‘uncle’ was killed by his son during the last battle, Kaeleigh. This cannot be him, I’m sorry.” Finn looked at her with genuine hurt in his eyes. He hated to dash her hopes again.

  “True,” Aidón began when all their eyes whipped back to meet his. “My son, Syén, killed me to strip me from the throne I had been given in your grandfather’s absence. Only, he did not complete it.” With sad eyes, he looked down to the ground and took a steadying breath. He looked up to Metrí. “Thank you for what you did to alleviate the grief and pain. It helps. I do not understand your magic but it is a gift, indeed.” Metrí gave a small smile. “He meant to kill me. My own son. It was Ryek, your grandfather, who found me and brought me into hiding with
him. I was not able to deal with the grief and betrayal of what my son had done to me and to his mother. What he did not accomplish with me, he did to my wife. She was lost. He encased me in a glamour so tight that the details of what had happened would be fuzzy until I was strong enough to handle them. It was meant to protect me and to save me.”

  “How did you end up in Maleina’s dungeon?” Daegan asked him.

  “Ah, yes, I had been out gathering intel and passing along messages with a contact we had near Adettlyn, and I was captured. Apparently, someone believed me to be a thief and reported me. I think Syén recognized my energy in the area. I was careless and had used additional magic. For a simple thievery, they should have placed me within the barracks of Adettlyn, but instead had me sent to Elnye. There I have been until now.”

  “Aidón, do you know about my grandfather?” Kaeleigh asked with a small, broken voice.

  “I do, child. We had a bond. I felt it change not long ago.” He looked out at the mountains towering in the distance, his eyes full of grief and memory.

  “I’m so sorry for your loss,” Kaeleigh said as she placed her hand on top of his in comfort.

  “And I am sorry for yours as well,” he said with a small smile, patting the top of her hand.

  Both Daegan and Finn had lowered their weapons and stepped back to give Kaeleigh and her uncle some room. Chel, however, remained close to Kaeleigh.