Journey into the Realm: The Stolen Child (Journey into the Realm Series) (17 page)

***

We had no idea where the capital of the Woodland Fairy Realm was located, and Elvina mentioned nothing about Eder having found us an ally or guide, so I suggested exploring the Realm until we figured out where to go or who to ask for directions.

Compared to previous Realms I had visited, the Woodland Fairy Realm was definitely the most enchanting. Unlike any forest landscape I had seen before, there was a stark contrast between what I saw at eye level and what I witnessed when I looked up toward the sky. Aside from a few moss-covered boulders and small patches of flowers, the forest floor was mostly clear, with long, pale green grass acting as the only dominant feature. When I reached down to touch the blades, I was surprised to find that the grass was soft and light like feathers rather than prickly.

The trees stood far apart from one another. They needed the space because of their enormous girth. Wider and taller than any trees I had ever seen, they seemed to reach at least three hundred feet in height, their immense size reminding me of the Redwood forest in the Human Realm, a popular tourist destination. Coarse bark resembling the darkness of a night sky stretched high above until it gave way to widespread, claw-like branches with sparse amounts of green foliage. Because of their thickness, the tight branches provided only cracks and patches for the sun. More shadows than sun rays accompanied our progress.

The giant, brooding trees ruled the woodland forest, but a few weeping willows made their presence known in the distance. Their vines offered extra greenery to a Realm more easily identified by bark and branches.

The most unusual feature of the Realm was the sky, which was lavender instead of blue and held a blush pink sun. I wondered if the color of the sun and sky depended on the hour of the day, and if leaving the Flower Fairy Realm at midday meant nothing here, where time could operate on a different scale. Ever since leaving the Elf Realm, my inner sense of time hadn’t worked properly, so I didn’t know if the sky’s color was the result of approaching night or rising dawn. Maybe the sky remained this way all the time. I wouldn’t know until we were here longer.

Being in the Woodland Fairy Realm felt very much like being suspended in time. Everything was quiet and still. The shadows seemed to hold secrets. Mysteries begged to be uncovered. The air was thick with raw, untouched magic that I could feel enveloping me like a dense fog. I wished I knew how to tap into its power. I could only imagine what wonders this Realm held.

Walking proved to be difficult. The gnarled roots extending from the trees lay above ground and often interrupted our footsteps. I tripped multiple times, cursing my elfen clumsiness as I did so. Eventually I took Elvina’s advice and switched to flying, easily unfurling my wings now that I had grown used to the pain. Feeling pity for the elves left tied to the ground, I was very grateful for my golden wings.

Time stretched on, the lavender hue never leaving the sky. The sun remained in place, retaining its color as well. How would we mark time if everything in this Realm remained static?

***

We heard the Element fairies before we saw them. Unfortunately, we were nowhere near one of the large trees and there was no other place to hide. They surrounded us before I could suggest running. Instead of finding a guide, we were facing foes once again.

This group was worse than Ellie and her companions in the Flower Fairy Realm. Ten in all, they shared the same wicked beauty and lethal presence. We stared, open mouthed, as the fairies closed in around us. I gripped Nathan’s hand tightly, and I saw Aimee burrow her face in Tavis’s chest. Elvina shivered in fear. Caught unaware, we knew whatever battle we were about to face wouldn’t end well for us.

“Look here, team. We didn’t even have to search long. They walked right into us,” a male fire fairy pointed out, grinning mischievously.

“Great luck,” a water fairy female cheered in response.

“Our leader will be so pleased,” another fire fairy added.

Out of the group, a male earth fairy stepped in front to take a good look at us. “I had no idea that we would find you here. And to think our leader suggested waiting for you in the Element Fairy Realm. I was right after all. Good work everyone, although we didn’t do much.” The earth fairy smiled at his companions, but this time it appeared almost…genuine.

He appeared glad to see us…and not in an evil way. But that didn’t mean the others didn’t look just as cruel as every other Element fairy I had encountered. I wouldn’t be fooled by their tricks.

“What are you going to do to us?” Tavis asked, standing tall and speaking clearly. Unfortunately, his frantic eyes gave away his unease.

The earth fairy cleared his throat. “We only want to –”

He was quickly cut off by loud shouting headed our way. Soon, a group of elf soldiers came into view. They outnumbered the Element fairies by at least ten, so the fairies took one last look at our group and retreated.

At first I assumed all of the elf soldiers would follow the Element fairies, but to my surprise, one stayed behind. He was tall and lean like most elves, with long black hair collected at the nape of his neck in a ponytail. He was devilishly handsome, despite the patches of dirt scattering his clothes and the smudge of grime on his cheek. His clear green eyes danced with interest as he surveyed our group.

“Greetings,” he said. “My name is Rafik. I am part of Queen Brielle’s elf battalion stationed in the Woodland Fairy Realm, on the lookout for Element fairies who pass through.”

“That’s odd,” I remarked. “I didn’t know the war had reached the Woodland Fairy Realm.”

Rafik sighed. “For years King Vortigern has directed his force exclusively toward the Elf Realm. But recently he’s begun expanding his interests to include other Magical Realms, especially the Woodland Fairy Realm. The Elf Realm tries to maintain its forces against the Element fairies, hence the battalion’s presence here.”

“Are you its leader?” I asked.

Rafik shook his head. “No. I’m only in my third year as a soldier, which is considered too young to lead. My commander went on ahead with the others.”

“Well, thank you for getting rid of the Element fairies. I thought they would kill us for sure, or at least take us hostage,” I admitted.

Rafik smiled. “You’re very welcome. Now, if you don’t mind my asking, what is it that has brought you to the Woodland Fairy Realm?”

“We are sort of…on a mission,” I told him.

“You wouldn’t be the Queen’s cousin, by any chance, would you?” Rafik asked.

I nodded. “That’s me. I’m Ramsey. These are my friends: Nathan, Tavis, Elvina, and Aimee.”

“Nice to meet you all. Believe it or not, I’ve heard quite a bit about your journey,” Rafik expressed.

“Really?” Initially, I was amazed by how fast news had traveled. But one look at Elvina’s coy smile, and I knew why. “Did you happen to hear about it from an elf named Eder?”

The elf soldier’s eyebrows raised. “That’s exactly right. How did you know?”

I rolled my eyes. “He used to be a royal guard in Tarlore, but he left shortly before we did. Apparently, he’s been spreading word of our travels, alerting royals, making friends, preaching my good name. I don’t know why. My companion, Elvina, does, but she won’t say a word about it.” I spared a few seconds to glare angrily at her before returning my focus to the elf soldier.

Rafik’s eyes widened. “That’s quite a situation. Confusing. And very strange. But I appreciated his visit. It led me to you.”

I narrowed my gaze. “What exactly are you looking to gain from meeting me?”

“I was hoping to…well, to join your group,” he admitted sheepishly.

“Wait, wouldn’t leaving your battalion be considered desertion?” Aimee asked. “If found out, you could be imprisoned for disloyalty.”

“I don’t want to desert the war effort; I just don’t want to be here. I want to join the rebellion,” he revealed. “I feel useless, running after stray Element fairies, enduring the endless teasing of the Woodland fae. In the rebellion, I would have a real purpose. I would be close to the action.” He sighed. “Eder said you would need the rebellion’s help to obtain King Vortigern’s crown. We can go together, if you’ll have me.”

“What’s the rebellion?” Tavis wondered.

I sighed. “Brielle told me a little about it. It’s a large group of Element fairies led by someone named Joseph that wishes to remove King Vortigern from his throne. They’ve been plotting against their own kind for years.”

“They haven’t done much yet,” Rafik added. “They’re still building their army. Until they have enough soldiers to go up against Vortigern, they won’t strike. And the rebellion is made up of more than just renegade Element fairies. Elves and other types of fae work with them as well.”

“Where is this rebellion located?” Nathan asked. He sounded irritated, probably because I hadn’t mentioned the rebellion until now. Brielle had made me promise to keep it secret. Not because she didn’t trust my friends, but because she didn’t want spies to overhear any talk of the rebellion.

“Not far from the capital of Etain, I hear,” Rafik told us. “A few scouts are even stationed inside the city.”

“If we invite you along, what can you offer us in return?” Elvina wondered, ever the practical one of the group.

“I know the location of the Woodland Fairy capital, Ellamara. I can take you there to meet the Queen. And my ability gives me the opportunity to turn myself into shadows, so I’m excellent at roaming undetected.”

“So…you’re…invisible?” Tavis concluded.

“Nearly,” Rafik confirmed, crossing his strong arms against his chest.

“Can you give us a moment, please?” I asked. I needed to discuss this with the group before I gave him an answer.

The elf soldier nodded. “I’ll be just over there,” he said, pointing to a boulder nearby. Within moments, he was sitting with his back facing us.

Satisfied with the amount of privacy he had given us, I turned to my friends. “What do you all think?”

“I think it was wrong of you to hide such an important detail of the journey from us,” Nathan remarked bitterly. “How could you not tell us about the rebellion?”

I bit my lip. “I didn’t want to keep it a secret. Brielle made me promise. She didn’t want word getting out. I’m sorry. I would have told you about it once we reached the Element Fairy Realm.”

Nathan shook his head, unable to look me in the eyes. He obviously wasn’t satisfied with my explanation. But I didn’t know what else to say.

“While I agree that Ramsey should have tried harder to find a way to share her information with us, what we’re supposed to be discussing is Rafik, not her past choices,” Aimee reminded us.

“Aimee’s right,” Elvina agreed. “I for one think we should take him with us. He seems useful. Eder must have sought him out for a good reason.”

I released a frustrated breath. “Unfortunately, you’re the only one fully confident in Eder’s abilities because you know his plan.”

Elvina gave me a dark look. “Regardless, we can use Rafik’s help getting to the capital. We might otherwise spend days searching without him as our guide.”

“He’ll also provide us with more strength,” Tavis added. “After what happened in the Flower Fairy Realm, we could use a soldier.”

I was surprised by this humble side of Tavis. His near-death experience was affecting his decisions. “I agree with Tavis. Adding him to our group can only benefit the journey.”

Nathan didn’t contribute anything else to the discussion. Bothered by my secret-keeping, I knew he wouldn’t get over this until we were able to have a good, long conversation concerning the subject. With a lot of apologizing on my part, of course. But now was not the time. We had already spent a great deal of time in the previous two Realms. To make it up here, we would have to move fast, another reason why adding Rafik to the group was a good idea.

“Then it’s settled,” Aimee decided. “He’ll come with us.”

We all nodded – well, all of us expect Nathan, who wasn’t expressing much of anything but frustration – and left our little huddle. Aimee called for the elf soldier to return. While we waited, I made another quick attempt to resolve things with Nathan.

“I know we need to talk about the rebellion,” I began, “but right now –”

Nathan sighed audibly. “It’s not just the rebellion. It’s everything with you lately.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, shocked by the confession.

He scoffed. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed, haven’t had to deal with your changing moods ever since Stellan –”

“You don’t understand,” I replied, cutting him off. “I can’t be with you the way I used to. Not right now.”

Rafik returned before Nathan could respond, and the rest of the group was gesturing for me to speak. With one last fretful glance at Nathan, I turned to the elf soldier waiting patiently for my answer.

“We’ve made a decision,” I told him.

He smiled, all confidence and positivity. “Have you?”

I nodded, unable to help smiling myself. “You can join our group and accompany us to the rebellion, as long as you lead us to the capital.”

“And help us with whatever trouble we face along the way,” Tavis included.

Rafik put out his hands. Now that I could control my ability to see the memories of others, I could easily slip my hands into his without fear. He gripped them firmly. “I accept your offer. Thank you – all of you – for allowing me to come along.”

With a capable elf soldier as our guide, our time in the Woodland Fairy Realm was already proving to be a better experience than the last two Realms we had visited. I only hoped that once we reached the capital and met the Queen, our good luck would continue.