Ethon (The Other Worlds Series Book 2) (14 page)

She ran a hand through her hair, pulling back strands that had fallen across her eyes. “Sazx showed me attention and affection I hadn’t experienced in basically years. When he kissed me, I impulsively allowed it. I shouldn’t have.” She dropped her head into her knees. “I’m sorry, Will.”

Will was ashamed. He’d given Olinia two years of unnecessary pain. He could only imagine what she’d thought of him being away for so long when he’d promised her only one day. Silence stretched between them for a moment. He glanced at one of her room’s curtained windows. “Will you please come with me?”

“To where?” She lifted her head.

“Not far.” He got to his feet and extended a hand for her. “I won’t keep you long.”

Gingerly, she took his hand and slipped out from underneath her covers. “Where are we going?”

He smiled out the corner of his mouth. “Just trust me.”

A minute later, after Olinia had put on a jacket and a pair of shoes, they made their way silently down the stairs to the dark kitchen. Will motioned for her to follow him out the back door, onto the porch. Once outside, he shut the door behind them and pointed into the surrounding forest.

“Do you see them?” Will was pleased that the little fireflies were still swarming the trees.

The moon peeked through the cloud covering overhead, shining onto Olinia. A soft night breeze pulled at the hair surrounding her face, but it wasn’t cold out. Will regretted his sweatshirt. It was a warm night for October. The warmth was probably what drew them out.

She chuckled. “I’ve always liked lightning bugs.”

“Come here.” Will grasped her hand, his fingers slipping between hers, and felt the sparks rippling over his skin.

The fireflies weren’t scared of being close to humans. They continued to flutter around, sharing their blinking light. Will walked deeper into the grove until the tops of the trees hid the house from his view. He then stopped with Olinia beside him. Enough moonlight managed to sneak through the branches overhead for him to still see her expression.

He smiled. “Watch.”

As if on cue, the fireflies encircled Will and Olinia, twirling and twisting through the air – flashing off and on, one after the other. They were so close that if Will had stretched out his hand, he could have grabbed one. He looked at Olinia and found her staring, mouth open slightly.

“It reminds me of Sivean,” Will said. “They sort of look like Astrilites. Remember that first day I met you?”

She turned to him, beaming. “They’re beautiful.”

He couldn’t move his eyes from her face. “Honestly, they don’t really compare.”

Slowly, Will lowered his head. For a moment, his lips brushed over Olinia’s, savoring the dull current she was unconsciously giving him. His hands dropped to her hips and then pulled her close against him. Olinia hesitated.

“Why won’t you trust me?” He breathed into her neck.

 “Don’t you hate me for what I did?” Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

“What you did?” Regret and shame coated his mouth with a bitter taste. He winced, pulling back slightly so that he could hold her gaze again. “Olinia, as long as you promise to never kiss anyone else, I promise, I will never leave you again. Besides,” he smiled crookedly, “you still owe me a birthday kiss.”

She grunted. “Do I?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, his mouth met hers. The magnetic energy upped its voltage as their kiss deepened, leaving him burning from head to toe. But it wasn’t painful. In fact it was quite the opposite – the electricity invigorated him, leaving him craving more. He didn’t want to ever release her. It seemed so right to hold her in his arms – to have her so near. If Olinia could still pause time, he’d ask her to do so now. He wished for nothing more than to stand frozen in place with Olinia beside him for the rest of eternity. But Olinia suddenly collapsed against him, letting out a cry as she clutched her left hand to her chest.

9

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Even though Tlaid was his home, Archrin was looking forward to the chance to escape it. Unfortunately, Tlaid held only painful memories. His sisters had both married young and left Tlaid for other worlds. They chose not to keep in touch with their half-animal brother, afraid that he would harm their children. Absurd notion, as the only human Archrin had ever harmed as an animal was Pavn, the youngest Kendren brother. Even then, it had only been in protection of Tiara.

Oh, Tiara
. Sometimes he wondered if she asked too much of him. Archrin cast his eyes upward, gazing at the thick clouds. Summer was over and the first of the autumn storms were threatening the city of Desnbi, the Tlaidian capital. It wouldn’t be too much longer before the sleet would release, right onto Archrin and his caravan.

He sat atop his gray mare, observing as the devatte of soldiers readied themselves for departure in the courtyard of Desnbi Castle. Men in deep purple, who had once sported the dark green tunics of the Kendrens, were scuttling around in last-minute preparations. In the center of the chaos, several of the men surrounded a freshly painted brown carriage, its trim the same purple as the uniforms. In just a few more minutes, Tiara and her new lady-in-waiting would climb into the carriage.

At the far end of the courtyard, half the court stood to see their new princess off. Archrin wished they could have forgotten about the whole thing. The less eyes watching, the less likely a pair of them would discover the woman playing Tiara was a fake. Fortunately, Archrin didn’t recognize any in the group of courtiers who actually knew Tiara.

“Milord?”

The voice below him, made Archrin turn. Over the past few weeks, Archrin had come to accept his new position as future king of Tlaid and, eventually, the Saerds. At first when someone addressed him as “milord” or “my liege,” Archrin hadn’t realized they were referring to him. Now, the title was almost second nature to him.

It was a pageboy of about thirteen who had spoken. Archrin nodded his head once in the boy’s direction. “Aye?”

“Her highness would like to inform you that she approaches.”

Archrin grunted. He highly doubted Tiara sent the boy. She was not very fond of protocol. He assumed the boy had been stationed outside her chambers for the purpose of alerting the caravan. Archrin dismounted and handed his horse’s reins to the boy. “Thank you.”

He made it across the courtyard to the tall doors of the castle’s keep just as a slender figure with dark brown hair and dressed in a gown the same tint of green as her eyes emerged outside. Archrin bowed slightly at the waist before kissing her cheek, silently acknowledging a second woman just behind the first.

“You look splendid.” He smiled and offered his arm.

She slid her arm through his and glanced over her shoulder at the handmaiden, wearing an elegant, yet simple gown in a purple that matched the Tlaidian uniforms. “Come along, Nareen,” she said in her unfamiliar voice.

If anyone who really knew Tiara were watching, then they would have recognized the charade. The woman on Archrin’s arm looked similar to Tiara, but any Craele who had smelled Tiara before would know this was an imposter. Not to mention, this woman’s cheekbones were neither high nor prominent enough. Also, her eyes were too narrow and were the wrong shade of green. As for the handmaiden – whose head was bent to watch her feet in an attempt to contain her smile – one whiff of her and a Craele would see through the guise immediately. Luckily for the giddy handmaiden, none of the court was close enough to notice any of this.
Good.
Archrin relaxed slightly.

It had taken him ten days to secure the officers willing to play along with Tiara’s plan. All of them were men that he thought he’d never see again – men he had fought alongside of as a Kendren. But in comparison to finding Tiara a decoy, Archrin’s old friends had been easy to track down. Archrin couldn’t count the number of women he had auditioned for the part. Finally, just two days before, after searching for almost two weeks, Archrin discovered Nareen, working in a tavern on the outskirts of Desnbi. She was just close enough in appearance and stature to fool the casual observer. Too bad Olinia was stuck in Ethon. She would have worked perfectly.

As Archrin, Nareen, and Tiara neared the awaiting carriage, a stable hand bowed deeply. “Your highnesses,” he said before straightening and opening the carriage door.

Archrin first handed Nareen in, kissing her fingers for the court’s benefit. She grinned and ducked inside. Tiara was next, keeping her gaze downward. Archrin squeezed her hand as he helped her up the carriage’s steps. He then turned to the court, saluted in the Kendren and Tlaidian fashion of sliding one arm across his chest, and joined the women.

Once the carriage door was shut, the court cheered, and only when the applause ended did the caravan begin. Archrin released his breath in a rush and tipped his head back against the wood paneling, above the cushioned seat that he shared with Tiara. “I’ve had enough of Tlaidian protocol.”

“I thought it was sort of fun.” Tiara laughed lightly.

“Fun?” Archrin snorted.

“Do you think anyone suspects us?” Nareen asked, smoothing out her dress on the bench across from them.

Beside Nareen, Archrin’s dark-haired friend, Eagen, spoke up. “If they did, we’ll know soon.”

Out of Archrin’s old friends, Eagen looked the most like him. He had the same color hair, similar tall and stocky build, and the pointed, rough jaw of Archrin. Eagen even smelled a little like him.

While Nareen was to be Tiara, Eagen was to be Archrin. For the past hour, Eagen had been hiding in the carriage, wearing a purple uniform that he was to switch with Archrin’s brown traveling tunic and vest. As royalty, Archrin had to stand out from the other men. It was something he wasn’t too keen about doing, but it was just more Tlaidian protocol to adhere to.

“Where’s your horse?” Eagen raised an eyebrow at Archrin. “Weren’t the two of you going to ride out of here?”

“I gave it to a page,” he replied. “I decided we would be fine to go on foot.”

“When did you decide this?” Tiara blinked.

“About fifteen minutes ago.”

“Nice to see you be a little spontaneous.” Eagen grinned. “You ready to change?”

Archrin nodded and soon both he and Eagen were barebacked, swapping tunics. As Archrin pulled the uniform over his head, Tiara asked, “You remembered the shimmer stone, right?”

“I have it hidden in my boot,” Archrin answered.

“Good. How long until they open a portal?”

The they she referred to were Archrin’s officers at the front of the caravan. They would be using a Sinith – a flat, oval traveling device created by the Velvitors – to open a portal to Drivian. “I told them to ride a mile out of the city and then slow down to open it,” he told her. “That will be our cue.”

Eagen finished slipping on Archrin’s vest and peeked through the curtain covering the little window by his seat. “So far so good, right?”

Tiara looked out her window too. “We’re outside the city now.”

“Just a little further,” Archrin said.

Not quite ten minutes later, the carriage began to decrease its speed. Tiara caught Archrin’s eyes. “This is it.”

He leaned over and yanked the shimmer stone free from his left boot. “I’ll go first so I can catch you.”

“Alright.” Tiara ran her tongue along the inside of her teeth.

“Good luck,” Nareen whispered.

Grasping the stone in one hand, Archrin used his other to open the carriage door. The ground was still moving beneath him, but not so fast that he wouldn’t have a safe landing. As a Craele, his reflexes were quicker than the average human.

“Is anyone watching?” Tiara said into his ear.

“No,” he shook his head, “they’re all up ahead waiting for their turn to go through the portal.”

“Then, what are you waiting for?”

Archrin let out a short laugh as he jumped. Tiara was always the impatient one. His feet touched the ground, and he ran alongside the carriage, motioning for Tiara to leap towards him.

She pulled a face and tossed over her shoulder to Nareen, “Have fun.”

Taking a deep breath, she hurdled herself into Archrin’s arms. As soon as she exited the carriage, its door snapped shut by a floating hand from inside. Archrin lowered Tiara onto her feet, grabbed her hand, and practically dragged her off the road past a line of spruce trees.

“Did it work?” Tiara was grinning. “Are we finally free?”

“It looks that way.” Archrin eyed the back of the caravan warily.

“Hurry and open a portal.” Tiara gripped onto his arm tightly. “Remember to picture Olinia.”

Archrin obeyed, raising his hand containing the stone into the air before slicing downward through open space. Silvery light formed a line in front of him. Still holding onto Tiara, he stepped into the portal, pulling her with him.

They went from day to night in the matter of just a few seconds. Out of instinct, Archrin shut his left eye, relying only on his violet Craele one to see in the dark. Apparently, the portal had taken them to a thin grove. He scanned through the trees. The place was filled with fireflies. Archrin frowned. He and Tiara seemed to be alone.

“Tiara?”

The man’s voice made both Archrin and Tiara whirl. Will was crouching down by Olinia on the ground, staring. Olinia’s face was twisted in some sort of pain, but at the sight of them, she too was gaping. “You came for me?”

“Of course.” Tiara’s eyes must have adjusted to the dark because now she was looking right at the princess. “I told you I would.”

Just then, Olinia released a short shriek of agony. She glanced up at Will. “I can’t wait any longer.”

All at once, Olinia stood, waving her left hand in a circle around her and Will. Archrin raised an eyebrow as bluish light shot out from her fingertips, creating the beginning of an orb. He had never seen anything like it. Tiara suddenly dove for Olinia, grabbing hold of her shoulder just as the orb sealed shut and then disappeared entirely. Archrin stared, his eyes wide, wondering what had just happened and why Tiara had left him behind.

:  :  :  :  :

Fuladrik eyed his daughter and nephew wearily. This was not the news he wished to hear. The three of them were in the sitting area of his personal chambers. An Eveon fire blazed in the fireplace, creating light but producing no heat. He and Arynn were seated across from each other in high-back stuffed chairs, while Dallyn stood, leaning against the fireplace mantle. All of their faces reflected the same grim frown.

The Lantz Zedgry and the Key’s heir had mysteriously disappeared. As for the location of the princess and the young Lantz Legann, that was also unknown. According to Dallyn, Will had left them in an unidentified world simply stating they were safe. Distracted by first the retreat from the crumbling Vrenyx and then the healing of the wounded, Dallyn hadn’t pressed Will for further information. Thus, in the course of a few short hours, the heirs to the Other Worlds had been lost. The king would not be pleased. He and Queen Archelda still had yet to be reunited with Princess Olinia.

“Perhaps they ventured to Sivean, father,” Arynn suggested, “since they have been there before.”

Dallyn shook his head. “Looking back on it now, the way Will had said that Olinia was somewhere safe made it seem like he was avoiding giving me the name of the world. I was too focused on other things that I didn’t pay it much thought.”

“Why would he avoid telling you where she is?” Arynn’s brow pulled together. “That doesn’t sound like him.”

“I think the question at hand is where would he have taken them that he would not wish to explain?” Fuladrik mused.

Arynn and Dallyn exchanged worried glances. Arynn voiced her question, “He wouldn’t have taken them to Ethon, would he?”

“He could have brought Olinia and Legann to the Key,” Dallyn replied. “Will told me that he’s still living.”

“Is he?” Arynn blinked.

Dallyn nodded. “Before Will came to our realm, he was staying with the Key.”

Arynn paused, struck by this. “If Olinia and Legann were with the Key, then I would assume them safe as well.” She turned to her father. “Perhaps they are in Ethon.”

It seemed plausible. Fuladrik passed a hand across his eyes. Outside, it was nearly dawn. He had not slept in nearly two days. With the loss of the heirs, it appeared he would not be permitted to retire to bed as he had hoped. “I will inform the king and inquire of the queen to search her Vrylaen Stone for their whereabouts.”

“Will she be able to locate them if they are in Ethon?” Arynn asked. “Or what if they are in a hidden world?”

Fuladrik released a deep breath. “These are all possibilities we must be mindful of while we search, but remember that the heirs have never been hidden from Archelda before.”

Prior to the heirs seventeenth birthdays, only Archelda’s stone had been able to see them. A protection had been placed on them to hide them from Dagon – a protection that only lasted until they reached adulthood. Archelda’s stone was uniquely connected with her grandchildren. If anyone would be able to find the lost heirs, then it would be the queen.