Journey into the Realm: The Stolen Child (Journey into the Realm Series) (27 page)

***

When we reached the temporary camp, the morning fire had been doused and everyone sat waiting for my return. I could tell by the tapping fingers and darting eyes that they were anxious to continue traveling. I felt bad for making them wait for me, but I hadn’t exactly asked a strange dragon to chow down on my hand.

My friends watched wide-eyed as I led the green creature into the clearing. But their surprise was nothing compared to Eder’s reaction.

Jumping up from his seated position, he ran forward, grabbed me forcefully by my wrists, and yanked me away from the dragonlike creature. Once he stood between me and the little beast, he released a heavy breath.

“Eder, what was that?” I asked, annoyed by his unnecessary display.

“Do you know what creature was hopping along beside you?” he asked, the concern in his earthy dark eyes bothering me more than it should.

“Um, no, but I was hoping you would,” I admitted.

“Goddess, Fae – Ramsey, what were you thinking?”

I shrugged. “I wasn’t really. It was mostly instinct. Two griffins were bullying him, and I felt the need to intervene. After that he tried to eat my hand and then he just sort of…followed me back.”

He looked down at my bloodied hand, and I swore for a moment that he was as pale as the elf he had once pretended to be. “Oh, Goddess.”

I almost giggled. I had never heard anyone talk like that, and it was even funnier coming from Eder. He always seemed so serious, so
controlled
. Now he was panicking. It was humorous.

“You think this is funny?” he snapped.

“Uh…no?”

“You getting hurt is
not
funny.”

“Relax, Eder. The wounds are extremely painful, but Aimee can take care of my hand,” I told him.

“You don’t get it, do you?” he said, his tone suddenly soft and tender. My breath caught in my throat, the throbbing in my hand now forgotten.

“I can’t let anything happen to you, Ramsey. As your protector, your life is my life. If that thing had done more than injure you, I would have never recovered. Don’t you understand?”

I couldn’t believe he had just admitted that in front of everyone. I could only imagine the look on Nathan’s face. Eder wasn’t supposed to behave like this, not after I had explained my feelings to him in the Woodland Fairy Realm. Not after he had revealed himself as an Element fairy. We would never be together the way we once were. Didn’t he understand
that
?

“Let me go,” I said tersely. “Please.”

Eder, realizing his very public mistake, dropped my wrists and took a step away from me, leaving my little green monster in full view. To my amazement, Aimee was slowly petting his rough scales like he was a cat. Feeling instantly jealous, I walked over quickly. “What are you doing?” I asked, a little too harshly. I was possessive of him because I had rescued him. I couldn’t help myself.

She looked up and smiled. “Oh, I was just healing your new little friend. He had some nasty cuts and scratches.”

“Yeah, from the griffins. How do you know it’s a he?” I asked. “I only guessed his gender because he seemed fairly masculine.”

“I’m a healer. I know how to distinguish males and females,” she said, laughing lightly.

“Right. Well, thanks. Can you do something about this hand?” I asked, showing her my bloody fingers.

“Ouch. He did that?” she asked, gesturing toward the little green beast.

“Yep. But I’m over it. It just hurts…a lot,” I told her.

“Looks like it. Here, give me your hand,” she instructed.

I gave her my hand and didn’t complain when she touched the wounds even though fierce pain ran up my arm. Her green fire spread over my broken fingers, mending the bones swiftly and rather painfully. I winced and bit my lower lip to keep from crying out.

“It’s good your fingers had clean breaks, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to heal them completely. Your hand will be sore for a day or two.”

“Okay, I can deal with that. Thanks, Aimee.”

Aimee nodded. “You’re welcome.”

I knelt down and gave the green creature a tiny pat on the head. He made a throaty purring sound, which made my cat reference all the more laughable.

“Excuse me?” I heard Eder remark. “Has everyone forgotten about the monster we have in our presence?”

“What monster? All I see is a weird little dragon thing,” Tavis said.

Eder shook his head disdainfully. “No, it’s not a dragon. It’s a wyvern.”

“A what?” Rafik asked.

Eder sighed. “A wyvern. It’s a type of dragon, but not exactly a dragon.”

“That explanation made very little sense,” Nathan commented sourly. Obviously he was still bothered by Eder’s display of affection for me. I didn’t blame him.

“Wait, I’ve heard of those. They are the largest dragons to ever exist,” Rafik mentioned.

“Yes, Rafik is right. This thing would grow larger than any average dragon,” Eder explained.

I paused mid-pet, causing the wyvern to squirm impatiently. “Would? What do you mean,
would
?” I asked.

“The creature has to be destroyed,” he said simply, as if it were the simplest answer to the simplest question.

“Whoa, whoa, wait a minute there!” I cried, rising to my feet to face Eder. “He’s not going anywhere. I didn’t risk the use of my hand for nothing!”

Eder threw up his hands. “Well, he can’t stay with you!”

“Why not?” I demanded.

“Because he will
kill
you!”

“No he won’t. We’ve reached an understanding, right, little guy?” I asked, looking down at the little wyvern. He responded by affectionately nuzzling my leg. The endearing gesture made me bleed a little, but I didn’t mind. Besides, I was trying to prove a point. “See?” I asked, putting on my best fake smile. It was hard not to wince.

“
Maybe
he won’t kill you himself. But being with him will get you killed.”

“What do you mean?” Nathan asked, coming to my side and taking the hand that hadn’t been recently healed.

Grateful for his support, I leaned closer to him so that our bodies were touching. I needed him. Being around Eder wasn’t safe anymore. Despite his promise that he wouldn’t ask anything of me, he was still trying to tempt me.

“Wyverns are the beasts of King Vortigern. When the war started, he had every remaining wyvern captured and put under the care of his advisors and confidants in the capital city of Etain. Wyverns are his special tool in the war because of their size and strength He never had dragons; they sided with the elves. But these beasts are faster, stronger, and more powerful than you could ever imagine.”

“Why is this one so far from Etain, then?” I asked, trying to poke holes in Eder’s logic.

“My guess is that the mother hid him away when he was still an egg. She probably got away from Etain for a bit to lay the egg a few years ago. No mother wants her child to be a servant.”

“So what does all this have to do with Ramsey?” Nathan asked.

“Everything,” Eder snapped. I hated the way he talked to Nathan. Like he was superior to him. “If anyone were to hear that wyvern’s screeching, you would have a brigade of Element fairy soldiers on you before you could say ‘hush.’”

“I don’t care. He’ll stay quiet if I ask him to, right?” I said.

The wyvern nuzzled me again. This time I had to wince loudly because he was scratching the same spot as before.

“Don’t you think we are in enough danger already by traveling through enemy territory? And look at what he’s doing to you. Practically shaving the skin off your leg,” Eder remarked.

“I’m a danger magnet already because of this war
and
this journey. Adding the wyvern won’t change that,” I said.

“Wyverns are noisy and bothersome, and they aren’t the smartest creatures in these Realms, not to mention the amount of food he will eat. He puts your life at risk,” Eder said sternly.

I shook my head. “Not smart? I don’t believe it,” I said. “Maybe he just needs a good teacher. And I think it’s time I gave him a name, because he will be traveling with us from now on.”

“Did you listen to anything I just said?” Eder asked.

“Uh, not really.” I shrugged and turned away from him, leading Nathan over to where the rest of the group stood waiting. The wyvern followed close behind.

“So, what should I name him?” I asked.

“You’re serious about keeping him?” Tavis asked.

“Yeah, anyone have a problem with that? I saved his life and now I feel like we should stick together. He likes me and I already know he likes Aimee. That’s two so far. He’ll probably warm up to the rest of you sooner or later,” I said.

“I think he’s great. Welcome to the group, little guy,” Rafik said.

The wyvern squeaked.

“I think he likes you, Rafik,” I said, smiling.

Rafik was such a great elf, so easygoing. I wished Eder could be that understanding. Then again, I wished Eder could be a lot of things. Like less of an Element fairy and less interested in me romantically.

“He certainly is fascinating to look upon,” Glissarie said. “And I am sure we can handle whatever trouble Eder speaks of. Seven magical beings are more than capable of keeping one beast quiet. What about the name Ziv? It means brightness. I think that will suit him, maybe even help with his intelligence.”

“I think it’s a wonderful name.” I looked down at the wyvern. “Do you like it?” I asked.

Ziv nuzzled me again.

“You have to stop doing that or I will have no leg left,” I said, wincing for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

Ziv only repeated the motion. I sighed. No matter what name he had, he would probably still be a little dim.

***

Once we resumed traveling, everyone in the group except Eder took time to get acquainted with Ziv. I wanted to make sure he warmed up to everyone so what had happened to my hand wouldn’t happen to any of my friends. He seemed to approve of everyone and, other than the occasional painful nuzzle, no one was hurt.

Along the way, I noticed more of Ziv’s attitude, how he behaved and acted. He was definitely very easily distracted, always wandering off to chase a bug or small animal. One time he actually brought back a dead lizard, which I thought was weird because dragons seemed like they were related to reptiles.

Overall, Ziv had the attention span of a gnat. I had to tell him repeatedly to stay by my side. He also liked running around everyone in the group, nuzzling one here, nudging another there. I noticed he never went very close to Eder. In that department, Ziv was smart. But sometimes I had to warn him not to bump into trees, which didn’t bode well for his intelligence.

Although he listened most of the time, other times he completely ignored me and spun around in circles or romped through the bushes. Since I was still unaware of what language he used, I wasn’t sure if he actually understood me or was just reading my body language and the tone of my voice. Eder probably knew, but he wasn’t interested in speaking with me after our confrontation over Ziv. Come to think of it, neither was I.

When I needed a break from Ziv’s boundless energy, I put Aimee in charge and found myself traveling beside Rafik in the middle of the group. I hadn’t interacted with him one on one since the events that had taken place in Ellamara and was interested to learn how he was faring. He was the only member of our company with no previous ties to anyone, so I wanted to make sure he wasn’t feeling left out.

“I hope our endless drama hasn’t bothered you too much,” I commented.

The elf soldier grinned and shook his head. “No, I’m fine. It’s a welcome change from the seriousness of battle. To be honest, I’m more worried about you.”

“Me?” I asked, taken aback by the mention. “Why?”

“You have a lot to live up to,” he said. “Your life was planned before you were old enough to walk. You were chosen to lead a magical destiny before you knew magic truly existed. I would be nervous to meet such high expectations.”

I pushed a few strands of golden hair behind my pointy ear. “I guess I am. Nervous, I mean. But with everything happening in the present, it’s hard to understand the reality of what the future holds.”

Rafik nodded. “Ramsey, I can see the scars of combat in your eyes. However, I wonder if you have enough experience to properly face the next step in your journey.”

My face tightened. “I’ve been involved in plenty of battles, Rafik. I lost a friend to one,” I said defensively. “I think I’ve gained enough experienced for someone in my position.”

Rafik shook his head. “But do you know what a
true
battle is like? When you’re put up against an army? When there is too much movement to distinguish friend from foe?”

I could only blink in response. I didn’t know what to say.

“That’s what could happen when we reach the rebellion, when you go after Vortigern’s crown. A real battle. And although I don’t mean to insult you, I don’t believe you’re prepared.”

“Maybe I’m not,” I said. “I’m not a soldier, Rafik.”

“You have to be,” he countered. “I have no doubt you can be. But first you have to stop being haunted.”

I stopped, watching the others in my group slowly pass us by. “What exactly do you mean?”

“I’m a soldier, Ramsey,” he said quietly. “I understand trauma. I know the nightmares war can bring.”

“Do you have them?” I asked, ashamed to hear my voice crack. “Nightmares, I mean?”

“I did for a while,” he admitted, looking down at the ground as he spoke.

“How did you get rid of them?” I wondered.

“I stopped denying their possible reality, and I started paying attention to what they were trying to tell me.”

Were my nightmares meant to teach me something, as Rafik suggested? Was deciphering their meaning the only possible way for me to prepare for the battle I would ultimately face once I reached the rebellion? The idea seemed plausible, but focusing that much on my nightmares was a terrifying concept to ponder. I was barely surviving this Realm with my sanity intact. What would happen if I chose to follow Rafik’s advice and opened myself up to my nightmares?

“Patrol!” Eder yelled suddenly.

I jumped from his sudden outburst.

“Looks like you may have to face a battle earlier than expected,” Rafik said, removing his iron sword from its sheath.

I looked ahead to see a horde of Element fae rushing toward us.