Journey into the Realm: The Stolen Child (Journey into the Realm Series) (4 page)

I left Nathan shortly after and returned to my room to prepare for tomorrow. I wouldn’t be taking much with me, but I liked organization, so what little packing I had to do would have to be done now.

When I arrived, I detected noises coming from inside, as if someone were walking around my room. I heard footfalls pacing behind the door, slowly and softly, but loud enough for me to notice. I held my breath and waited to see if I was just imagining things. But the footsteps continued.

Who was in my room? And more importantly, why was he or she in there? I remembered my first visit to Tarlore. Both Aditi, the shape-shifting guard, and Brielle had entered my room without asking. I had hoped that history would not repeat itself, but now that hope seemed pointless. Someone definitely was in the purple guest room.

I slowly turned the doorknob, not sure if I should go inside alone. The door opened with a creak, and I almost swore in frustration until I remembered that would only contribute to the noise. When the door opened fully, I was face to face with a handsome, dark-haired elf with deep, dark green eyes.

His name caught in my throat. His being here had caught me off-guard. Although he had thus far played a big role in my life – even before I discovered I was an elfen, he had saved me from a water fairy assassin in the Human Realm – I barely knew him. Despite meeting on a few brief occasions, he was still a stranger to me, and I didn’t appreciate his presence in my room.

“Eder? What are you doing in here?” I asked him. “And please, no vague answers this time. I’m tired, and I’m not in the mood for any of your riddles.”

It was true. Eder was never straight with me. Whenever we spoke, he never answered a question completely.

Eder sighed, peering at me carefully, as if trying to decide what vague answer he should provide me with this time. His intense looks had always unnerved me, especially now that he was alone with me in my room.

“Ramsey, it’s nice to see you again,” he said calmly, as if none of this were in any way strange.

“Thanks, but you didn’t answer my question,” I said, brushing past him and over to my bed, where I kept a dagger under the pillow just in case there was an emergency.

After being kidnapped by Element fairies, I tried to be prepared. I didn’t know why Eder frightened me so, but knowing the blade was within reach made me feel safer. Even though I trusted him, I was also wary of him. It was as if I were split in two, one half trusting him, and one half ready to press the dagger against his throat if he so much as touched me without my consent.

“I’m here to have a word with you,” he replied, still in the same easygoing tone, while mine was one of nervousness and obvious fear.

“And you couldn’t have knocked?” I speculated, raising an eyebrow.

“Elves don’t knock on doors…usually,” he reminded me.

I clasped my hands together in an attempt to hide their trembling. “Well, maybe they should start. It’s a wise idea and a way to avoid freaking out the person who stays in the room or home. You shouldn’t have come in here while I was gone.”

“I only have tonight to speak with you, since you are leaving in the morning,” he tried to explain. “I have to leave in a few moments as it is.”

“Why?” I asked out of curiosity. “And how did you know I was leaving?”

His eyes drifted as he muttered, “I’ve left the Queen’s service.”

“What?” I cried, completely baffled by his admission.

“I told her today that I would not be able to assist as a high guard any longer.” He paused. “I have to leave. Trust me, it’s the only way.”

“What do you mean the only way?” I asked. When he didn’t respond, I pushed him further. “Eder, don’t think I’ve forgotten the Dreaming Potion. Somehow you planted yourself in Brielle’s birthday gift to send me a message. And that note about the orchard? You led me to those nymphs.” I sighed fitfully. “And now you’re leaving. What is it you’re trying to do?”

“I only mean to help you,” he said. “I sent you messages to ensure your survival. I’m leaving to ensure your survival. And your success.”

“Okay, let’s say I believe you. This is all about keeping me safe and helping me. But you go about it the wrong way. You frighten me, Eder,” I admitted, “with your ominous messages and strange words of advice that I have trouble deciphering.”

He shook his head. “Unfortunately, you’re wrong there. I don’t frighten you. I make you nervous.”

“Is there really a difference?” I countered with a sardonic smile.

He chuckled, enjoying my retort. “I’ll try to be less frightening in the future.”

“Do we even have a future?” I asked. I didn’t know what I really meant by that, but I couldn’t resist asking.

“Yes,” he said gently, most unlike him. “That’s why I’m leaving.”

I felt tired and weighted down. His words always brought a fog over me. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“It will,” he assured me. “When we meet again.”

“When will that be?” I wondered.

“Soon, hopefully,” he replied, another vague answer. “Just be careful out there in the Magical Realms, all right? And never lose sight of what’s important.”

He lifted my chin until our gazes met. Unlike Nathan’s, there was nothing enchanting about his eyes. But they were dark and fathomless, and held a power of their own.

“Don’t mention our meeting to anyone. When the time comes, your friends may know about me. Until then, let’s keep it our little secret. All right?”

Against all of my instincts, I nodded slowly. I felt the need to, although I didn’t understand why.

“Good. I’ll be seeing you,” he said.

“Okay,” I whispered.

Without another word, he turned around and walked slowly toward the door.

“My sister hid your letters from me,” I blurted suddenly. “I never knew about them…not until it was too late.”

He paused, sighing with what I assumed was incredible relief. “I thought…I thought you didn’t want me to write to you.”

“You thought wrong,” I whispered, unable to comprehend what was happening between us. An emotion I couldn’t place, couldn’t explain…but it was heavy and filled with
something
.

“Thank you,” he said quickly. He left the room before I could respond.

My nightmares woke me up that night. I had them frequently. They were always the same. They began with finding Janie and Daran dead outside my ability school, then transitioned to Stellan and his death at Ellie’s hands, and ended with the stream of fire I used to kill Finn.

No one knew about my nightmares except Nathan. I preferred to keep them to myself. I wasn’t the only one grieving for Stellan, or any loved one for that matter. It wouldn’t be fair to make it seem like I was the only one dealing with grief.

At first, I thought it was morning, time to leave Tarlore and begin my journey. I could see a faint light before me as I rubbed my eyes to clear my vision. Then I noticed that the light was all wrong. Dawn was usually light grays and blues in the Elf Realm. The sun would just be starting to rise. But this light wasn’t nearly the same as a normal dawn. It was red, fiery red.

Fire. I could smell it, the smoke engulfing the room in hazy light. I looked to the window. It was still dark out, and my elfen sense of time told me it was close to two in the morning. This was definitely not dawn.

My focus returned to the fire, which was in the shape of a small round ball, glowing and flickering in the darkness of my room. Wondering why a random ball of fire was floating in front of me, I rubbed my eyes once more, trying to see through the haziness of the smoke. It began to burn my throat and nostrils, so I held my breath as best I could.

Then I realized the fire was moving, only slightly, and if I hadn’t been paying close attention, I would have missed the movement completely. But I had definitely seen the flames move in an unnatural way. A way they wouldn’t have been able to if they weren’t being controlled by something…
someone
.

My eyes now adjusted to the darkness, I was able to make out the shadowy outline of a figure standing at the foot of my bed. The ball of fire rested in his open palms. I clamped a hand over my mouth and felt my body begin to quiver.

There was a fire fairy in my bedroom.

I wasn’t completely sure, but it was pretty obvious. Who else in the palace could hold fire in his hands?

Questions ran through my mind nonstop, preventing me from being able to think straight. Had he noticed I was awake? Who was he? And why was he here? Well, actually, the last one was a given. The fire fairy was here to kill me, just as numerous Element fairies had attempted to do in the past.

Despite my fear, I knew I had to act. I couldn’t just wait around for the fire fairy to notice I was awake.

But then he
did
notice. The fire grew larger until it radiated throughout the room, lighting the area before my eyes. Luckily, nothing had started on fire…yet. For now, the only fire remained in the palms of the fire fairy.

He had flaming red hair and dark, blood-red eyes. Incredibly beautiful, like all fairies, he had rippling muscles showing through his red peasant shirt and black pants. He was also smiling at me, wickedly. Another fairy trait. One especially common for Element fairies.

With the smoke burning my throat and fear constricting my speech, I didn’t know what I would do to alert the palace about his presence.

He whipped the fireball toward my head, but I was able to burrow under my covers before it hit me. Now my bed was on fire, rapidly spreading closer to my body with each passing moment. I felt a flame lick my arm, causing me to cry out in pain. I hated fire. I hated everything to do with it. And every second near fire only reminded me of what had happened with Stellan, Janie, and Daran. The flames also reminded me of Ellie. Waves of grief rolled over me, but I sucked down the choking emotions because I knew I couldn’t hesitate any longer.

I had to think fast before I, too, was burned alive.

I reached for the knife under my pillow, knowing that with my impaired speech, I wouldn’t be able to utter an attack spell. I wasn’t very good at attack spells yet – they were very difficult to master – so I couldn’t get away with just the hand motion. I had to say the word along with it to complete the spell. I would have to rely on the knife instead.

In a quick motion, I drew the knife out from under the pillow and sent it flying toward my attacker. The dagger embedded itself in his chest, splattering my violet bed sheets with droplets of his blood. Trying hard not to faint at the sight, I jumped out of my flaming bed and ran for the door, cringing as I heard the fairy’s flesh begin to sizzle. I had used an iron knife, and iron was poisonous to fae.

I opened the door and stifled a scream when I ran straight into one of the guards, Thane, a fox shape-shifter and Danica’s husband.

“God, Thane, you scared the crap out of me!” I cried.

Thane gave me a look, as most elves did when I used what they called “human words.” Elfen or not, living in the Human Ream for nearly fifteen years had made it difficult for me to leave their slang behind.

“What’s going on in there?” he asked.

“My bed is on fire and there is a wounded fire fairy in my room,” I blurted.

Wide-eyed, Thane drew his iron sword and hurried into my room, leaving me standing in the hallway dressed in a nightgown tattered and blackened by flames.

Moments later, the elf guard returned, his face sooty and covered with sweat. “The fire is out, although I had to throw your sheets out the window and into the streams. Nothing else was damaged…except for the fire fairy, who was near death when I found him. Don’t worry, I finished him off. There’s blood on the floor, but that can be cleaned.”

“Thank God I woke up in time,” I muttered.

Thane nodded gravely. “You’re very lucky. He had the mark of an assassin on him. Are you hurt?”

“My arm was burned a little, but I’m okay,” I replied shakily. “What were you saying about a mark?”

“All assassins from the Element Fairy Realm have a tattoo of a flame on their chest, their insignia. King Vortigern, being a fire fairy, uses the symbol to show that they are under his command. His assassins are the greatest trained Element fairies known to the Realms.”

“They can’t be that good, considering I nearly killed one without even taking aim,” I pointed out.

“Right,” Thane agreed, managing a grin.

“How could an assassin have entered my room, Thane?” I asked, suddenly not feeling very safe in the palace after what had just occurred.

“We can address that issue when we are in the presence of the Queen. Come on, let’s go,” he said.

He took my hand and began dragging me down the hall.

“What about the assassin?” I wondered.

“I’ll get a few other guards to take care of him.”

“But –”

“No time for anything else. Come on.”

Sighing, I gave up and followed him to the Queen.

***

“How in the Realm could this have happened? This is a royal palace! I have twenty guards patrolling the premises. How could a fire fairy possibly get past them and make his way to Ramsey’s room? He could have killed her, Thane!”

Brielle hadn’t stopped yelling since we all met in her quarters – Thane, Danica, and I. Not wanting to wake anyone else, we decided just the four of us would do for now. But it was difficult to keep everyone sleeping when Brielle was being so obnoxiously loud.

Brielle, too, was dressed in only her nightgown, her hair loose and falling well past her waist. She wasn’t even wearing her crown. And she looked like a mess. The assassin scare had unnerved her, especially because it had happened under her rule and her watch. She’d just had her coronation and already things were getting past her. If I were her, yeah, I would be upset. But I still wished she would quiet down.

“Your majesty, I –” Thane tried to explain.

“Stop!” Brielle shouted. “I’ve had enough of your pathetic excuses, Thane. They are far too frequent as of late. See Danica to bed, then clean up the mess in Ramsey’s room. Your position here will be discussed once Ramsey and her friends leave the palace.”

Thane remained standing, grasping at words he could not form, but Brielle showed no sympathy. The ugly side of a royal was showing its face, and I couldn’t help but look away. This was not the Brielle I knew and loved.

“Leave us,” she said again, her voice even and betraying no emotion.

Thane nodded curtly, took Danica’s hand gently, and guided her out of the room, leaving Brielle and I alone.

I tried compensating for Thane’s mistake. “Thane said he’d come across his kind before, when your mother was queen. The assassin wasn’t supposed to fail.”

“But thankfully he did, no thanks to my guards,” Brielle interrupted.

“Element fairies are strong, Brielle,” I reminded her. “Stronger than most. You know that just as well as I do.”

For a moment, I thought I saw tears forming in my cousin’s eyes, but she looked away before I could be sure. “Yes, I know,” she said, drawing in a shaky breath. “A band of them murdered my mother.”

I gasped, not knowing what to say. Until now, no one, not even Brielle, had spoken specifically about how Queen Taryn had died. Only that it was a grave tragedy.

Brielle nodded, understanding my surprise. “I know. I should have told you sooner. No one knows but myself and the guards. Not even…not even the rest of my family. It happened here, in the palace, just before the guards were supposed to cross into the Element Fairy Realm to rescue you. Nathan, Zora, Addison, and your dragon stepped into the portal the moment the Element fairy brigade arrived. Their sole purpose was to kill my mother. The guards surrounded her, forming a protective wall, while Lady Cora, Elvina, and I were ushered upstairs by Eder.” She paused, drawing in a deep breath. “But I saw the entire scene before I was herded down the hall. A break formed in the line because Danica suddenly doubled over in pain. An air fairy, seeing a good opportunity, rushed forward to attack her, but Thane was too quick for him. Noticing his partner’s distress, he left his spot in the circle to attend to Danica, killing the Element fairy that threatened her life. But in doing so he deserted the Queen, and an earth fairy was able to break through and spear her before any of the other guards could act….”

I swallowed to get past the dryness in my throat. The reason for Brielle’s anger toward Thane was apparent now. A part of her blamed him for her mother’s death.

“The guards swarmed the intruders after that, of course, killing every one of them. But it was too late to save the Queen,” she said, her voice hoarse and shaky. She blinked hard, but a single tear escaped, trailing slowly down her cheek. “I didn’t learn until later that Danica was pregnant, and the turmoil had upset the baby. Thane sacrificed the Queen’s life for Danica’s well-being.”

Startled by news of Danica’s pregnancy, I sat down on the couch and gripped the fabric of my nightgown between my fingers. Danica and Thane hadn’t planned on starting a family for a long time because they were so dedicated to their service. Obviously, nature had thought differently. No wonder Danica had reacted the way she had upon my arrival at the palace, crying and telling me how guilty she felt.

“This is the second time the Element fairies have found a way in. I’m sorry, Ramsey, for putting your life in danger.”

“You did nothing wrong,” I said tenderly. “It’s no one’s fault, what happened here tonight. You must understand that what we’re up against isn’t an easy foe. Vortigern’s soldiers are bloodthirsty creatures, and what happened to your mother, while it was terrible and tragic, was also deliberate and skillfully planned. Avoiding it would have been a miracle.”

I was surprised by how logical I sounded, especially after just escaping a trained Element fairy assassin. I was handling the situation much better than I expected.

My cousin sighed and wiped her cheeks until they were free of tears. “You may be right, but the truth is that my guards are incompetent. We have grown sluggish, believing the war couldn’t touch our capital city,” Brielle expressed, all traces of earlier despair vanishing within a second blink. “But none of this concerns you. You are leaving soon and have other things on your mind. Would you like to stay here for the night? I could make a place for you.”

I shook my head. “Thank you for the offer, but no. I don’t want to disturb you any longer. I’m sure no other assassins will be coming tonight. I should find Nathan and tell him what happened.”

“I’m sorry that I have put you in danger, Ramsey,” she said. “By bringing you here, I’ve put your life in jeopardy, all because I want the war to end.”

“The assassin would have come after me no matter where I was,” I interrupted. “They have tried to kill me in Birchwood several times. I have more protection here.”

Her green eyes blazed like fire. “Protection? My guards didn’t see a thing! They didn’t stop him; you had to. Just like you had to save Emera when we couldn’t….”

“Brielle, stop. You have to stop blaming yourself for what happened with Em. You had nothing to do with it,” I told her.

“Yes, but my mother did, and I didn’t protest any of her decisions. I could have, but I didn’t. I did nothing to bring her back. I never even talked about it…or thought about her –”

“Queen Taryn may not have even listened to you if you had.”

She averted her gaze. “But I still should have tried.”

I sighed. “Maybe you should have, but it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s in the past.”

I could tell that Brielle wasn’t convinced. I could see the regret plastered on her face, how much she believed all of this was her fault.

“You didn’t start this war,” I told her, even if she didn’t want to hear it.

“I can’t finish it, either. Only you can. Once again, I am relying on you. I should be able to do something. If I were a good queen, I would be able to help.”

“You are helping, by staying here and watching over your people. That is the best thing you can do,” I said.

“And it’s nowhere near enough,” Brielle muttered.

I sighed. There was no way I was going to get through to her like this, after what had just happened with the assassin. I gave up and massaged my temples, trying to get rid of the headache slowly coming on.

“I’m sorry I’m making you do this, Ramsey,” she said suddenly. “I’m sorry you must bear such a burden.”

I blinked hard. “So am I.”

But I didn’t blame her. Not one bit.