Journey into the Realm: The Stolen Child (Journey into the Realm Series) (3 page)

***

I never planned on going to meet them. My original plan was to find Zora and tell her that I was leaving tomorrow morning, but then I realized I didn’t want to. I didn’t want her to know. Selfish of me, yes, but reality nonetheless. She wouldn’t be able to handle the journey I was about to embark on. And she would probably volunteer to travel with me, and that was something I would never consider. But I didn’t want to reject her when I was already taking Nathan with me, so avoidance was the only option.

Brielle had given me advice along the same lines. The fewer who knew, the better. The new queen didn’t want to draw attention to her secret weapon and, come to think of it, neither did I. I wasn’t looking for attention. I had received enough of that when the elves discovered I was half-fairy.

So when I realized I didn’t want to see Zora, I had nowhere else to go but downstairs in search of my visitors.

I found them in the library. Aimee was sitting on a couch, an open book in her lap. Tavis was inspecting the fireplace or something. I couldn’t tell because he had his back to me. I cleared my throat loudly so they would notice my entrance. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say to them yet, so I didn’t speak.

“Ramsey,” Aimee said, closing the book and placing it on the end table. She rose from the couch but didn’t travel any closer to me.

Tavis turned and moved to join Aimee. He regarded me warily. “Hello,” he greeted. I saw confusion in his eyes, probably because I wasn’t wearing my wings. I had furled them upon my arrival at the palace because I couldn’t deal with elves staring at me.

“Nathan told me you came,” I muttered, clasping and unclasping my hands nervously.

“We’re sorry it took so long,” Aimee said gently.

With her kind green eyes and short black hair, it was difficult to imagine a healer like Aimee exiling anyone for being different. She had sure fooled me.

Tavis was another case. He was tough and impulsive. His reaction to my half-fae heritage had surprised me only because he wasn’t an elf who feared easily. But he had feared me – probably still feared me.

“We tried to convince Reid to join us, but he refused,” Tavis said plainly. He wasn’t one to avoid the truth.

“He still blames me for Janie’s death. And Daran’s for that matter,” I replied, sighing heavily. “The question is, do you?”

Aimee smiled. “That’s why we’re here. Your secret was a shock to us, but we’ve realized our mistake. We should have stood by you.”

It made sense that Aimee was doing all the talking. She was never at a loss for words. But I wondered how much of her speech was scripted and how much was coming from the heart.

“Say something,” Tavis implored once the silence between us had grown awkward.

I took a deep breath. This was definitely not how I had planned our reunion. But having Aimee and Tavis beg on their knees for my forgiveness wasn’t realistic, and I knew that. This was their apology: coming to Tarlore, admitting their mistake, facing me without flinching. I could take it or leave it.

“I understand your reaction to my secret. That doesn’t mean I’m not bitter over it, but I do understand. Thank you for coming to make amends.”

I blinked hard and took another steadying breath. Aimee stepped forward and took my hand. Tavis smiled but remained where he was.

“Nathan told us you were leaving soon,” Aimee mentioned. “I wish we had more time to talk.”

I nodded. “So do I. But Nathan and I have obligations.”

“Wait, Nathan’s going with you?” Tavis asked, startled. “Isn’t that impossible? He’s not a Golden fairy.”

“Plans have changed. King Vortigern devised a spell requiring me to journey through each Magical Realm before I can enter the Golden Fairy Realm. And to move from Realm to Realm, I must acquire the crown of each ruler. I can’t do that on my own, so Nathan’s coming with me.”

“We’ll come too,” Tavis surprised me by saying. I had thought it would be Aimee who spoke first.

“I can’t ask you to do that,” I said, releasing Aimee’s hand and taking a step back.

“You don’t have to,” Aimee assured me, exchanging a quick glance with Tavis. “We’re willing to risk whatever danger there is in this journey. We didn’t support you when we could have in Birchwood, but we can now.”

I shook my head. I couldn’t let them do this. It wasn’t right. “This is different than standing up for me at Stellan’s funeral.” I paused when nightmarish images infiltrated my mind. I swallowed and found the will to continue. “The first few Realms could be easy, but I’ve been to the Element Fairy Realm. It’s no stroll down the dirt roads of Birchwood. And I have to somehow steal King Vortigern’s crown….You can’t come.”

Aimee narrowed her eyes in defiance. “No. Don’t say that. You admitted that you can’t do this alone. Just having Nathan isn’t enough either. You’ll need a healer. And Tavis’s explosive power will add to the offensive spell power you and Nathan share.”

“We can get you to the Golden Fairy Realm, Ramsey,” Tavis added. “Just give us the chance.”

Of course I wanted to tell them no. Bringing them along was a risk I shouldn’t take. They could be killed. But they were also right. Even with Nathan by my side, the journey wasn’t a guaranteed success. I could do with a little more help. Aimee’s healing and Tavis’s offensive ability would greatly improve my chances of reaching the Golden Fairy Realm. They were assets I couldn’t afford to ignore. I couldn’t let my emotions get in the way of my goal. To end this war, I had to be a realist. I had to let them join me on this journey through the Realms.

I couldn’t say no.

I found Aimee and Tavis each a room for the night, then updated Nathan on the status of our departure. At first he argued over my decision to bring our friends along but quickly came to the same conclusion: We needed all the help we could get. But that was it. No more additions to the group.

Keeping my journey a secret from Zora would be easy. Even though our relationship was slowly rebuilding after its downfall only a few months prior, we didn’t talk much. Talking usually led to rehashing the past or one of us mentioning Stellan. Neither of us wanted that, so we remained at a distance. I had distanced myself from nearly everyone, actually; grieving was easier in solitude.

I was glad Emera wasn’t staying in the palace. Brielle’s cousin on her late father’s side, Em had spent seventeen years in Fire Prison, located in the Element Fairy Realm. She had been used as leverage against Queen Taryn. The Element fairies had threatened to kill her whenever they wanted something. The late queen had gone to great lengths to ensure her niece’s survival but refused to end the war in exchange for her safety. Because of this, Emera wasn’t ready to face her royal family in Tarlore. When news came of Queen Taryn’s murder, she chose to stay in Birchwood rather than accompany Nathan and me to the palace.

I was grateful for that now. She was harder to keep secrets from and, as a lover of adventure, she would have jumped at the chance to join us on the journey through the Realms. But Emera had gone through enough during her stay in prison, and I would never jeopardize her life by allowing her to come along. She deserved rest.

I wasn’t looking forward to spending the coming days or weeks – however long it took to reach the Golden Fairy Realm – with any of the three in my group. I loved Nathan but I didn’t want to lose myself in him. I had to be strong on my own if I was to make it on this journey. I valued my friends but still didn’t trust them completely. I didn’t know if our journey would change any of that, but I wasn’t optimistic. I wasn’t optimistic about much these days except ending the war. When it came to that, I refused to accept the possibility of failure. I couldn’t fail at my destiny.

By the time I sat down to dinner, concern over the potential dangers associated with our journey had begun to affect me. I tried my best to push away the worrisome thoughts and enjoy my last formal meal in the palace. But I couldn’t shake the feeling of fright. I was afraid not only for my own safety but also for the safety of those who were journeying with me. I had gotten them into this mess. I was the reason they were taking on this mission. I couldn’t let them down. This great responsibility to them and the even greater responsibility to the whole Elf Realm weighed heavily on my shoulders.

But backing out wasn’t an option.

As my thoughts battled, elves were laughing, sipping wine, and having a good time. Even Queen Brielle, still deep in mourning, was able to show a few smiles. She
had
always been the life of the party. Why couldn’t I smile, though? I had lost many dear friends recently, but so had others seated at this table. Yet I was the only one deep in thought, thinking about how soon death could befall me and my friends.

Nathan leaned over and his lips brushed my ear. I shivered. My mood had shifted from dismissal to yearning, as it often did throughout the day. I was constantly changing my mind about him. Right now, I wanted to feel his fingers entwined with mine and his lips against my skin. “What do you say we leave dinner early?” he whispered.

For the first time during dinner, I smiled. “Sounds good,” I admitted.

Nathan always knew what I was feeling. It was both comforting and scary; sometimes it was hard to be that vulnerable with someone, even someone I loved with my whole heart.

He nodded in response and took my hand. After excusing us from the table, he led me through the hallways and out the palace doors. I breathed in the fresh air, trying to let the cool feeling calm my nerves and worries. The night was crisp and chilly, and the moon shone brightly in the starry sky. Everything was peaceful…except me. On the inside I was screaming.

We stood before the bridge that connected the palace with the city of Tarlore. The several narrow streams flowing beneath the bridge and around the palace sparkled and shone in the moonlight. I could hear trickles of water passing over stones and around the bends. The sounds soothed me and took my mind off the journey for a short while. I knew that I couldn’t escape my destiny and what I had to do, nor did I want to. But for now, I just wanted to forget my worries and breathe in the fresh air.

“I won’t let anyone hurt you,” Nathan said, his eyes admiring the beauty of this place, as I was. “I’ll protect you from whatever we have to face.”

I placed my hand over his where it rested on the railing of the bridge. “I know.”

“I really love you, Ramsey. Please don’t forget that.”

I fought the urge to cry and took a few deep breaths. I didn’t deserve him or his love. I was a tattered soul with a dangerous future. He deserved someone steady and safe. Someone who valued his love above all things.

I felt ashamed to admit that wasn’t me, not anymore. It could have been…before Stellan was killed, before Brielle lost her mother. But now what I valued most was success. If I succeeded in stopping the war, I would prevent further loss of life. I would finally achieve my life’s purpose. Less death. Less heartache. I knew it was twisted and faulty reasoning, but I couldn’t stop myself from thinking this way. Life had become more important than love.

Nathan’s fingers grazed my chin, lifting me out of my haze of thoughts, and I turned my head to face him. The silver slashes in his eyes took my breath away. His eyes had a strange hold over me that I still didn’t understand.

“Don’t forget,” he repeated, his voice a mere whisper.

At that moment I let my guard slip just a little bit. “I won’t forget. No matter what. I love you.” And I did. That wasn’t a lie. But I wouldn’t sacrifice my destiny for love. I wouldn’t let my feelings for him slow me down in any way. That was the promise I had to make to myself when I decided to bring him along on the journey. Duty came first.

He smiled and put his arms around me, relieved that I wasn’t completely closed off tonight. But he had no knowledge of the promise I had made.

Nathan held me close as we watched the night’s beauty around us. “And don’t worry about being the leader. I’m a better one anyway. You don’t have the social skills.” He stifled a laugh.

I smacked Nathan’s back. Like always, he was trying to make everything a joke. Sometimes I liked to make him think this particular trait bothered me, but secretly I adored his frequent sarcasm. His humor was one of the first characteristics that had drawn me to him.

“You’re going to regret saying that,” I said, pulling away from him.

“Why?” he asked.

I smiled and hopped over the bridge. I landed on the ground next to one of the streams. “Follow me and you’ll see.”

Unable to resist a challenge, Nathan climbed over and landed beside me. Not wasting any time, I cupped my hands in the ice-cold water from the stream and threw it up into his face, immediately laughing at his shocked expression. Nathan shook his head, sending drops of water onto me, joining in the fun. He bent by the stream, and before I could get away, threw water at me as well. I returned his attack with more. By the time we were done, we were laughing hysterically and soaking wet.

“We had better get back inside or we’ll freeze to death. It’s barely February, you know,” Nathan said, taking my hand and leading me back to the bridge.

“Yeah, but it’s never that cold in Tarlore, and hardly ever cold in the entire Elf Realm, for that matter,” I reminded him. “We have a very mild climate.”

“That doesn’t matter. It’s still cold at night,” he retorted.

“Stop acting like a mom,” I scolded.

He winked. “Someone has to take care of you.”

I rolled my eyes and followed him back into the palace. We dried off, changed into clean clothes, and spent the remainder of the evening sipping tea before the fire in the library. Nathan had one arm slung around my shoulders, and he wasn’t being shy with his affection toward me. I could tell he was taking advantage of this opportunity. I was loosening my guard for our last night in the Elf Realm. After tonight, who knew when the next mood swing would present itself?

“Do you think my mother ever thinks about me?” I asked out of the blue. I had been thinking about my mother a lot since I agreed to go on the journey because she supposedly resided in the Golden Fairy Realm. This was the first time I had spoken my thoughts aloud.

“She must think about you. You’re her daughter,” Nathan said.

“Then why hasn’t she come for me? Why did she make me figure everything out on my own?”

Nathan cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, not all on my own. You’ve helped a great deal. But that’s not what I meant. Why couldn’t she have just told me herself, face to face?”

“It’s not safe for her to be here, Ramsey,” he said quietly. “She had to help you from a distance. Your father was killed while they were trying to escape into the Golden Fairy Realm. She could never risk coming back here. You said it yourself. The Element fairies didn’t approve of her.”

“That’s only because of me. Only because she had me, and they found out I was important.”

“Having a child with an
elf
was what made them dislike her, Ramsey. It wasn’t only your birth. It was how she lived her life,” he explained.

“She lived her life right. She loved my father. And he loved her.” I closed my eyes. “And they loved me enough to sacrifice everything: time with their child, time with each other….”

When it appeared to him that I was done speaking, Nathan kissed me softly and smiled. “They chose the most natural course. Love is the strongest motivator for our actions.”

The Ramsey from before would have agreed with him. Unfortunately, this Ramsey was too focused on her destiny to understand.