Legend of the Fae: A Highland Fantasy (The Dark Fae Saga Book 1) (5 page)

~ Chapter 5 ~

With eternal darkness cast over the land it was hard to distinguish day from night. The fortress, built deep in the earth, was the only thing that remained untouched by the curse.

Once her bag was packed, Ella tossed it over her shoulder, then ran up the stairs and outside into the forest. With a high pitched whistle, she called for her horse. The horse came at her command within moments. Swinging a leg over its side, she mounted. Snapping the reins, Ella led the horse through the dark forest towards the ruins of Lochmoor.

Had Ella shared her kin’s magical gift of wings, it would have made this journey much faster. Even at full speed it would take three days to reach the Kingdom of Greylyn. With little time to waste, she slammed her foot along the horse’s side, urging him to ride harder.

After several hours of riding, Ella finally came to the river, which she must cross to reach Lochmoor. Ella pulled hard on the reins, making the horse come to an abrupt halt. Scanning the tree line, she watched the woods for any sign of life. Her mission would be over if she was caught by Greylyn guards. Knowing it was too deep and dangerous to travel by horse, she quietly dismounted. She would have to travel by foot the rest of the way. Lightly, she tapped the side of his neck, encouraging him to leave. She waited as the horse turned and trotted off before heading down the ravine.

Making her descent down the slippery slope of the river bed, Ella used the fallen logs and rocks to cross until she reached the shoreline. On the other side of the river was a wall of stone that stood no higher than her hip. Crouched down behind a wall, she hid. Lifting her head, she peeked over the wall. Ella had to be patient to cross the ruins.

At the far end of the wall near the gate, she could see Baudi, the gatekeeper. Baudi was as large and husky as a giant. His tattered wings showed signs of wear, and would be useless in flight. After years as a warrior, he had been demoted to gate guard when he could no longer fight in the Queen’s army.

In order to pass through Lochmoor, she needed to walk through the ruins, cross the gate on the other side, and pass the Great Tree. Whatever was on the other side of the Great Tree was unknown to her. Ella had never crossed that far into the forbidden territory before and was unsure what to expect, but it was too late to turn back now.

When Baudi wasn’t looking, Ella crept past each grave and ruin. She walked as softly as she could to avoid Baudi from hearing or seeing her. With his magical staff, the gatekeeper blocked the pathway between her and the entrance to the gate.

As Baudi stood motionless, Ella knew that sneaking past him was not going to be an easy feat. Hiding behind a shrub with large, green, fern-like leaves, Ella watched and waited as Baudi conversed with one of the other guards. Ella looked between them and the unoccupied gate. Her eyes darted back and forth for a moment until she made the decision to run.

At full speed, she leapt over the bush and raced through the black rusted-iron gate, her pulse beating as fast as a hummingbird’s wing.

“Stop! You must not cross the gate! Come back! There are dangers and consequences; you don’t understand!” Baudi yelled out, though Ella chose to ignore his warnings.

Far into the labyrinth of trails and trees, Ella could no longer hear the desperate warnings. The woods around her were silent other than a slight howl from the wind as it blew above the trees. Their branches gently swayed in the light breeze, dropping the last of their leaves onto the ground. Like the roots of a tree, the path broke off into several directions. One which would take her back to her own lands, one that would lead to the Great Tree, and the other onward to Greylyn.

Biting her bottom lip, Ella looked down each path. Using her best judgment, she guessed that the unbeaten path was the one she needed. Not many traveled between Andor and the other kingdoms. Clutching at the black leather satchel tied to her belt, she opened the bag and emptied seven small rune stones into the palm of her hand. Each blackened stone held a whisper of fate. Individually, the stones meant nothing, but together they could unlock hidden secrets or guide the Seer on their quest. Etched on each stone was a series of lines and curves, an ancient language only few mortals could understand. Their silent wisdom was unfathomable to those who knew not how to read them, but they were never wrong.

The stones led her down a winding path. Ella could see sparks of light twinkling ahead as she neared the end of the path. The path she followed did not take her where she had intended to go. Instead of approaching the long road to Greylyn, she found herself at the base of the enchanted tree. Ella stood in awe of the tree’s massive size and girth, but it wasn’t the magnitude of its size that she found astounding. It was a sparkling golden ring of light that circled the tree. Like gentle ocean waves, the light swayed up and down in a harmonious pattern. The ring was made up of tiny sparkling lights, like burning fireflies dancing around the trunk
.
Why had the stones led me here? I was meant to go to Greylyn.

As Ella began to turn to take a different path, she felt a presence. Circling around, she saw no one. With her guard on high alert, her eyes scanned the trees. Ella felt a tingle crawl down the back of her spine as crows overhead squawked above her and took flight. Their wings swooshed as they cut into the cold dry air. Ella cautiously slid the stones back into the bag and removed her dagger.

Holding tightly to the hilt, she kept watch as she made her way back up the path. As Ella began her ascent, the surrounding area began to lighten, as if the sun was on the verge of breaking the horizon. Whatever the light source was, it was coming from directly behind her.

Ella slowly turned and stared into a reflection of light, coming from the trunk of the tree. Bright ripples waved outward like a pebble skidding across still water. The portal to the mortal world had opened. Ella took a step back. She had no inclination to cross into the mortal world, and she had done nothing to open the doorway.

Ella took another step back when a voice called to her.

“
Ella
!”

The voice sounded strained and high-pitched. Ella expected to see someone reaching out to her from within the vortex as if she were in a dream.

The voice called to her again. The urgency and desperation behind it drew Ella closer to the light. Ella intensely gazed into the light leading to the mortal realm. Why would someone be calling her from the human world? She had never even met a human before. None of this made sense. The voice calling her was the voice of a man that sounded oddly familiar, as though she recalled it from a dream. Her curiosity was maddening. 

Overwhelmed with a surge of emotion, conflict grew in her heart and mind about what she should do. It was forbidden for her to cross into the mortal world, and she was expected to reach Greylyn within three days and return with the babe, but her heart was desperately being drawn toward the portal. If
he
was real, she had to find him. She had to know who he was.

Ella knew that if she got caught, there were worse punishments than death. If she were to do this, there would be no turning back. Not only would this put her own life in danger but possibly her kinfolk as well. Chewing on her bottom lip, Ella nervously stepped forward. She knew there would be dangers, and not only the dangers Baudi referred to, but she was willing to accept the consequences. She had spent her entire life listening to her head; this time, she was following her heart.

Ella’s mind was made up. She would cross into the mortal world. If she did not find out why someone was calling her, she would return shortly after. It would be like she never left. 

Closing her eyes, she took a step forward, crossed through the ring of light, and approached the tree. With shaky hands, she pressed her palms against the bark of the tree into the reflecting light. Ella felt her hands sink into the rough bark. The trunk of the tree became as blurry as if she were looking through water. Ella took a hesitant step forward through the blurry opening and stepped out onto a heap of white snow. The doorway led her to a wintery forest; much like her own.

Ella turned to look back, but the doorway had vanished. The only thing that remained was a dying tree, withering away from the cold winter. The bark was badly peeling, and the branches curled, showing no signs of strength. It looked more like a willow than a mighty oak.

In the pit of her stomach, worry burrowed itself a deep hole. What if the portal could not be reopened from this side? What if she was stuck here? And why hadn’t she thought of this before? Anxiously, she pressed her hands on the trunk of the tree. The cold, hard trunk was as firm as stone.
What have I done?
 

The cold wintery wind sent goose bumps up her arms. Hugging her white fur covering, she wrapped herself up tightly within its warmth. Through the canopy of trees the moon offered just enough light to see. Surrounded by a thick forest, there was nothing but snow-covered bushes and trees. The sky was dark, other than the twinkling stars. Ella took a moment to admire them. They were beautiful, like jewels in the sky, pure and white.

Ella made several attempts to reopen the gate but her efforts were only a waste of time. The temperature was dropping faster than a heavy rainfall. She had no choice but to seek shelter and return again in the morning. Ella wandered through the woods, uncertain where she was or where she was going. Heading south, or what she thought was south, she followed her instincts which drew her like a magnet in that direction. She could feel it in her very soul, the very fibers of her being though she had no idea why or for what purpose. All she knew was someone had called her here and she was powerless to resist.

~ Chapter 6 ~

Galen sat back in his chair, rubbing his tired eyes. Picking up a tankard of whiskey, he brought it to his lips and finished it off. Glancing over the letters on his desk, he double checked the list of supplies. If this altercation with McGregor resulted in war, his clansmen needed to be well prepared in his absence. Once satisfied with the numbers, he composed a letter to Laird Neville Campbell asking for his assistance in this matter. Once finished, he sealed the missive with wax and set it aside for the messenger to deliver in the morning.

The hour was becoming late, and the flames of the fire were beginning to die, indicating that he had been working at least an hour. His eyelids grew heavy and the words seemed to dance across the pages. With a wide yawn, he stacked his paperwork back in a drawer and blew out the burning candle sitting on the desk’s top. Just as Galen was about to stand up and head to bed, he felt a nudge against his elbow. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that adorning eyes peered up at him.

“Where did ye come from? Tired of chasing rabbits, I suppose,” he said, in a tired voice as he patted the dog on its head.

The matted, brown-haired mutt looked up at Galen, panting and excitedly wagging its tail. Galen did not think any man was as loyal as this dog. No matter how many times he yelled at it, tossed it outside, or ignored it, the damn thing kept coming back; happy as ever and eager to play. There was no devotion truer than the devotion of a dog.

Without effort, the dog had chosen him as his master. It was during a hunting trip six years ago that he found the mutt lost in the woods. Mistaking him for a wolf, Galen shot him with an arrow. Lucky for the dog, the strong wind affected Galen’s aim and the tip of the arrow only clipped the dog in his shoulder. Since then, the dog followed him everywhere, and Galen found it appropriate to call him Wolf. Though at times he was annoying as hell, Wolf turned out to be a loyal guard dog, staying wary of strangers and attacking when he felt Galen was in danger.

Wolf rested his front paws on the arm of the chair as Galen scratched behind his ears. Though Galen enjoyed the pleasant company of Wolf, he would have preferred the company of a woman instead. Not to take to his bed, though he wouldn’t turn down the idea if offered, but a woman to have a simple conversation with, about something other than clan or political affairs.

“Alright, ye blasted dog, you’ve had enough. Go lie down,” he said, giving the dog a slight shove.

But Wolf did not budge. Instead, he paced back and forth between Galen and the window. With his nose pressed up against the glass, he whined and whimpered. If the dog needed to go outside, he could have easily gone down the stairs and out the back door, but something was clearly wrong. Trying to get Galen’s attention, Wolf bit his plaid and pulled him right out of the chair.

“What the bloody hell is the matter wit’ ye?”

Wolf ran back to the window. Galen glanced out the window, but saw nothing but his own dim reflection and the marigold-colored flames from the fireplace. Pushing the window open, a rush of cold air burst into the room like a battering ram.

He looked down into the bailey below, but he saw no movement, and all was quiet. As he was about to shut the window, a flicker of light caught his eye. The light came from within the woods, miles from any cottage. Suddenly the light began to move, as if it was being carried off with the wind. Wolf nudged his head to Galen’s side and began to growl. Something was definitely wrong, and Wolf was trying to warn him.

Swinging his cloak back across his shoulders, he grabbed his sword and quickly left the room. Running down the stairs, he ran out to the stables with Wolf following closely behind.

In the stables was Peter, the stable lad, sleeping upon a pallet of dry hay.

“My Laird, is everything alright?”

“Aye. I am just going to check something. I should nay be long,” he said, as he mounted a horse and rode out the gates.

~ ♥ ~

With frostbitten fingertips and feet that had long since turned numb, Ella walked aimlessly, desperate to find warmth or shelter. For what seemed like hours in the bitter cold, she hiked through the woods with no sign of life other than the occasional hoot from an owl hidden high in the trees. The muscles in her legs started to burn, though she felt frozen to the core.

Harsh, blowing snow stuck to the fox pelt around her, and her hair felt frozen stiff like straw. At every turn wide snowdrifts seemed to block the path she was following, or at least what she considered to be a path. Ella continued weaving past trees and snow-covered bushes until at last her salvation came in the form of an open clearing and the smell of burning wood.  

In the corner of her eye, through the silver snow, a dim light flickered. Though she felt frozen to the ground, exhilaration ran through her veins when she saw the orange glow of a campfire burning brightly. All the discomfort of the cold and frost melted away at the sight. Ella’s lips curled into a twisted smile as her teeth uncontrollably chattered. Near the fire, shadows paced back and forth between large white canvas tents. Their voices carried in the wind.

Desperate for the warmth, Ella made her way toward the flames with no second thoughts as to who occupied the small camp. She hid in the dark shadows behind a cluster of pine trees several yards away and pulled down the branches for a better view. She had never been this close to a human before. In fact, she had never seen one at all. With the bright silver moonlight illuminating her surroundings, Ella was surprised to see that they looked much more pleasant then she had imagined. She had expected them to look wretched and beasty. Alaris had described them as savages, but these before her looked nothing of the sort.

Creeping along the outskirts of the camp, she watched and waited. It was hard to get a good look, as they were covered in thick layers of linens and fur, but it was the glistening shine that caught her attention. Strapped to their sides, long swords hung low as the light of the flames reflected off the polished metal. Ella could only presume they were warriors, but determining if they were friend or foe was an entirely different matter.

Before Ella had time to react, a sudden unexpected noise came from behind her; the sound of a twig snapping under one’s foot. Ella’s breathing seized. Ella turned slowly. She expected to find herself face to face with a wild boar, or perhaps a wolf, but the small creature before her was far from what her vivid imagination had conjured. Standing only three feet tall, a young, wide-eyed girl looked up at her.

Ella gasped when the wee lass came into view. She had never seen a babe or a small child before. The little girl had beautiful, long blond hair that glistened in the moonlight, dark eyes, and a pointy little nose. She wore a light grey-colored linen dress that was covered by a heavily dirt-stained plaid cloak. Staring at her as if she’d seen a ghost, the girl remained quiet.

Ella quietly knelt down and held her hand out to the child. The little girl cautiously stepped forward. Ella smiled as she drew near. The small lass raised her tiny arms up and wrapped them around Ella’s neck. It was a peculiar sensation, warm and loving. Picking up the wee lass, Ella held her in her arms. Looking down at the child, she wondered why the lass was not afraid of her. Ella brought danger, not comfort. As the little girl smiled up at her, it warmed Ella’s heart. For such unpredictable wretched beings, it was strange how innocent their children were.

“Ginny! What are ye doing?” a woman yelled as she frantically ran around the cluster of trees. Seeing the little girl in Ella’s embrace, the woman ripped the child from Ella’s arms. “Who are ye, and what are ye doing wit’ my child?” the woman demanded.

Startled, Ella froze. The expression in the woman’s eyes was like a wolf protecting her young, though Ella would never have harmed the child. The best course of action in this instance would be to remove herself from the situation before the others became aware of her presence. She would just have to find warmth and shelter elsewhere.

Ella opened her mouth and moved her lips to speak but no words came out. Clearing her throat, she tried again but still nothing. Instinctively, Ella placed her hands on her throat.
My voice
!
Why can I not speak?
Trying to speak again was yet another failed attempt. Ella quickly became distressed, nervously pacing back and forth.
I don’t understand.

Was this her punishment for crossing into this forbidden world? Was this what Baudi was trying to warn her about? Without her voice, how could she tell this woman that she meant no harm to the child? It did not take long for Ella to realize how grave a mistake coming here was. With no voice, no weapons and no magic, she was completely vulnerable.

Ella could tell that her actions were starting to frighten the women though she could care less.   

“Stay back! Help! Help!” the woman frantically yelled out, clutching her daughter tighter in her arms.

Before Ella had time to run, three men came running from their tents circling around her.

“Are ye alright, Mairi? What is it?” a man asked as he stood in between Ella and the woman.

His raven black hair, slick with sweat, hung like wet moss off a dead tree branch. A long, grotesque scar marked the right side of his face.

“This woman! She tried to take my daughter.”

Ella shot a wicked look at the woman for her blatant accusation. She would never have hurt or taken the child, but the way the men looked at her told her that they would never have believed her. Like hunters circling their prey, their eyes watched her every move.

The look in their eyes and snarls on their faces caused Ella’s stomach to turn as she drew a shaky breath. These men meant her harm. 

“Take the wee lassie back to the tent, Mairi. We will handle this.” Before questioning Ella, he waited for the woman and child to leave. “Is what she said true? Were ye trying to take the child?”

Knowing she could not answer, Ella continued to stare, her eyes falling upon each man. She wondered at her ability to understand what they were saying. She was fairly certain they were not of the Fae. Was it possible that the Fae could understand any species but could only speak their own language? Could this be the reason she was mute?

“I demand ye to tell me who ye are,” he demanded again, more loudly this time.

Ella could feel the beat of her heart pounding harder against her rib cage. Her breathing became labored and her body tense. It was as if time had simply slowed. Even though, the sound was faint and muffled, as if someone had covered her ears, she could hear her assailant’s hoarse, heaving breath, and from above, the humming sound of feathers flicking up and down as birds swarmed the skies.

Ella’s only hope was to escape. Even if the cold snowy air killed her, she would run until she could run no further.

“Refusing to tell me who ye are matters not, Lassie. We crossed Graham’s land o’er an hour ago. If ye are trying to protect yer Laird than ye are as foolish as he is. If Graham had any sense, he would no’ be sending women out to do a man’s job. Why dinna ye tell us the truth? Ye were sent out here to spy on us, aye? Well, ye can tell that whoreson that we will never surrender to the likes of him.”

“Jamison, ye dinna mean to just let the lass go, do ye?” another man whispered.

“Of course no’, ye fool,” he responded before turning his attention back to Ella. “First, I am going to take from ye what Graham took from me. I am sure e’en a Graham lass knows how to warm a man’s bed.”

His men laughed at his statement. Licking their lips like vicious dogs, the three of them paced circles around her. Ella’s head whipped from side to side as she took short apprehensive steps away from them.

“Awe, come on lassie. Ye may e’en enjoy it.”

“I’ll take a go at her,” one volunteered.

Though Ella had no idea as to what he was referring, nor who this Graham was, she was not going to stand there and find out. Ella decided to do the only thing she knew to avoid being captured by these men; run.

Pivoting her toes on the hard frozen ground, Ella darted off toward the woods as the men gave chase. Thankful for the light of the moon, Ella dodged past trees and shrubs hoping to lose her pursuers. But no matter how fast she ran, they were quickly closing in on her.

Ella had to will her feet to keep moving faster. With panic flowing through her like water through a sieve, it was hard to concentrate on where she was going. Every tree she passed looked the same, as if she were running in circles. Though her body felt the intensely cold air, it was as if her body was nothing more than a mere shell, void of all emotion and sense. As if she watched a dream playing out before her eyes. But in this dream, death was a reality. As she gasped for breath, her lungs burned. To her surprise, Ella stumbled upon a tall dark building. Hoping to hide inside, she slipped through the door.

Quickly surveying the open space, she hesitated. To her horror, Ella’s heart felt as if it briefly stopped beating. Knives, swords and axes hung down from the rafters, and hammers, scraps of metal, and blades lay upon a work bench. The sight made her woozy and disorientated, but she quickly regained her wits when she heard the door handle jiggle. Ducking underneath the table, she hid behind a tattered cloth that smelled of smoke and ash as the three men entered the building.