The Light of Asteria (25 page)

“Nora, I would like for you to meet someone.”
He pointed past the lake to the dense woods beyond.

Light green reflections flashed in the
underbrush and a wild rumble reverberated from the darkness. My
adrenaline started to pump, and I leaned into Gavin, suddenly
afraid. His comfort surrounded me. Camel colored coats shone in the
sunlight, as the great beasts padded across the field.

“As you know, the Alfar are much faster than
humans, but unfortunately, the Dokkalfar now possess the ability to
travel at high rates of speed. These are the only living creatures
in this realm that can outrun them.”

As the giant cougar approached us, I took a
few steps back. His shoulders came up to my chest, and his eyes
spoke of intelligence that transcended the animals of Edna’s
mountain. He smelled my fear and gazed inquisitively at me. Gavin’s
devotion warmed my heart. His explanation seemed to satisfy the
predator, and the cougar found his way into the shelter of the
trees. Gavin’s hand laced with mine, and we walked across the lush
open space.

At first, the large kidney shaped lake seemed
a perfect fit for this beautiful picture. It made sense the animals
needed water to survive; the lake would provide for their needs.
Why the sound of cascading water seemed odd didn’t register until
this moment ... lakes don’t babble ... brooks do. Gavin’s laughter
startled me, as he read my thoughts.

“I love you more than you can comprehend,” he
whispered. His emotional embrace strengthened, and a massive wave
of mourning and sorrow hit; the power of it was simply unbearable.
He placed his hands on either side of my face.

“I feel I need to remind you no human has
ever tried to cross into our lands before; to try and do so now
would be foolish. Do what Rena instructs of you. Listen to Tark. I
will be back as soon as I can, I swear to you with all I am.” Tears
flowed freely, and I tried not to think that in a few minutes he
would be gone.

How long is it from the portal to the
kingdom?

“A day if I ride. But if I know my mother, I
am sure she has declared my homecoming a time for celebration. In
which case, it will take several days. I’ll be back as soon as
possible, I promise.”

My shield flew up; panic reigned. I had no
idea how big his kingdom was, or how long this was going to take.
Maybe I should ask him to claim me now and not have to worry about
it? What if he got there and changed his mind? What if Mia had some
trick up her sleeve? My feeling of trying to find a way through the
portal intensified.

Gavin’s eyes searched mine, and then he
resignedly turned to the water and whispered something I couldn’t
understand. He touched the lake with his fingers; it immediately
started to boil. A flash of gold flickered in the lake’s depth. The
light grew and now covered the bottom of the great pool. The
familiar smell of sunshine hit my senses, and the golden beacon
grew until it filled the lake’s entire mid section. Only when it
reached the shore did I realize the light was actually the water
turning to liquid gold. Gavin’s body took on a sheen, as if he was
answering its call.

He brought his lips to mine and kissed me one
last time.

“I love you.” His voice broke. I held my
breath, my mind stayed shut. A tear trickled down my face.

“Ditto,” I whispered.

A smile played on his lips as he let me go
and jumped in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 15—Cabin in the
Woods

I knew he was gone as soon as the lake lost
its glow. My body numb, I fell to my knees and wept. Rena
cautiously came from meadow’s edge, her emotions wailed with
concern.

“We have to get you home, Nora; it seems as
if it might rain.” Thunder rumbled in the distance.

“What makes this place impenetrable?” I
muttered. Why couldn’t the Dokkalfar come here?

“This is the last place on earth that is
still as it was created to be. It has not lost sight of the Maker’s
love. Every plant and animal rejoices in the fact that they were
formed, and they give that glory back. Selfishness does not exist
here, and so the Dokkalfar do not know of its existence. We have
nothing to fear.”

We walked further south to a small opening in
between the huge trees. I had envisioned the cabin to be a small
cozy hut, but anything could have been further from the truth. The
shelter was actually one of the oaks that grew hundreds of feet
above the forest floor. The base of the tree was easily a football
field in diameter, and the center of its trunk held a porch.
Windows of various shapes and sizes were randomly placed
throughout, but for some reason it seemed natural.

I turned from the massive tree to take in the
view. The lake was visible from the front door. That was a good
thing; I planned to wait everyday and into the night by the water’s
edge until Gavin returned.

The main room was vast, and the outer walls
curved with the tree’s circumference. Stairs wound around the
perimeter and seemed to go on as far as the eye could see. I leaned
my head back, searching the trunk’s center. Finally, way up on the
third level, a ceiling could be seen. Towards the back was an open
kitchen with a large table that could seat twenty easily. I was
amazed at the cabin’s lighting. These were not the standard bulbs
of electricity, but were orbs of blue energy that bobbed next to
the walls.

“Come and eat something, Nora. You haven’t
had any food all day.” Rena prodded, but I shook my head; the
thought of food made my stomach turn.

“I’m not hungry. Can you show me to my room?
I think I need to lie down for a minute.”

“Anything you wish, my lady.” I rankled at
that a bit but had no energy for a retort. Rena’s features became
hard; without another word, she started towards the stairs.

We wound around the tree three times before
we came to a hallway. My thighs burned from the effort; my breath
became labored.

“Here is your sitting room, and your bedroom
is beyond. I will be back in a while to check on you. Please do not
despair. I feel it in you as I did the day we laid Edna to rest.
You must have faith; he will be back.”

“Rena, you don’t understand. Try to put
yourself in my shoes. What if Tark was a prince and you hadn’t been
mated yet. You weren’t of his world, and had a much shorter life
span. His mother, the queen, wanted him to marry someone else. And
the circle of energy that comforted and fed you love, that you had
come to depend on, was cut off from you—could you
not
despair? I am strong Rena, but at the moment, I’m not sure I’m
that
strong,” I whispered, as the tears finally made their
appearance. She held my hands with a fierce look of a warrior.

“You have no choice, betrothed to the Prince
of the Alfar, Nora of Light. You will not despair. When he returns,
you must be safe, strong, and ready to be his source. Now, I will
leave you to rest, but when I come back, you will eat something,
and together we will find some creative play.” Rena’s expression
held a snap-out-of-it kind of reproof. I took a deep breath

“What would I do without you?” I asked, a
ghost of a smile echoed on my face.

“Let us hope we never find out,” she
muttered, as we walked to the hall.

“Why did you call me Nora of Light?” It just
occurred to me. No one had ever called me that before.

“Very few words are the same between worlds.
Names have meaning, more so in our world than yours. The word Nora
means light in both elfish and human dialects. Gavin found your
name fascinating the first time he met you. The day of the attack,
you were his beacon that refused to let him go into the void. He
always refers to you in the way of our people as Nora of Light. His
intent was to call you the brightest and purest light in the dark
world of man.”

A smile played at my lips; I really didn’t
know what to say to that. Rena winked and then shut the door. I
walked through the sitting room admiring the opulence throughout
the suite. The décor of paneled wood and art was similar to the
mountain house, but the couch was made of a material that was much
softer than wool. I caressed the cushions for a moment appreciating
the texture. The suite must have run the width of the tree, and I
took comfort that this was Gavin’s original home in this realm. The
lavish bedroom was befitting a prince, and a note addressed to the
future princess of the Alfar was propped next to the gilded mirror
that stood atop the dresser. My heart raced as I opened the linen
envelope.

Nora, my love,

You will always have me as
a place of your own.

But until I get back,
please sleep in my bed

and know I will join you
soon.

I miss you already.
Gavin

I read the letter through several times, and
enjoyed the security of knowing that he would be back. We had to
have faith. I lay down for just a moment; a hint of his scent still
lingered on the pillows and sheets. My eyes became heavy, as the
sun warmed my face.

It was dark outside when Rena brought dinner.
The blue lights bobbed in their orbs, and she explained that their
energy came from the life of the tree. Dessert was a strange pink
fruit that had been cut in round slices.

“Rena, what is this? It’s amazing,” I said,
as I took another bite. The texture was like cream.

“It is a fruit from our lands. It grows only
here in the meadow.” She took the tray and set it outside the
door.

“Tomorrow can we go exploring?” I couldn’t
believe how big the suites were. Rena giggled.

“Nora, this is the prince’s quarters and is
the biggest of all of the spaces, other than the queen’s. Before
you ask, it is strictly forbidden to even go in the chamber room,
and so we will not set foot on that floor,” she warned
mischievously. Linking her arm through mine, she playfully pulled
me into the hall that connected the bedroom to the sitting
chamber.

“I need to show you how to use the water here
as no human has ever stayed … I wonder if it will work?” she
questioned, more to herself.

“How does the tree grow this way?” I asked,
looking at the strange sink and shower.

Rena giggled at my phrasing. “We do not
destroy life to create necessities. We mold the trees to what is
required, bending its essence to meet the needs of the Alfar.”

“So how do you get water out of it?”

Rena concentrated on my expression, her
curiosity apparent. “You have to ask it with your mind. I don’t
know how it will work if you have no barrier. Try asking it with
your shield completely up. You do not need to use language, your
intent will do.”

I stared at the faucet, blue shield firmly in
place, feeling extremely foolish, and grumbled
I need water.
Nothing happened.

Rena seemed to be satisfied, as if she
expected that. “Okay, now soften your shield a bit.” I sighed,
making the blue in my mind a dense cloud and repeated …
I need
water
. This time the water trickled a little from its wooden
faucet. Rena seemed pleased.

“What about the fog?” she encouraged;
frustration reigned.

Light blue mist fringing my mind, I turned to
the sink and commanded
I need water!
Surprise hit as the
faucet from both the shower and the sink gushed, spraying us
thoroughly.

“Turn it off! Rena, how do you turn it off?”
I shouted through fits of laughter. Rena managed to turn the water
off as Tark appeared at the door. The floor was flooded, and we
both looked like drowned rats.

“I am teaching Nora how to use the facilities
here.” She managed to say in a somewhat straight voice.

“She isn’t allowed to cook.” Tark declared,
as he left us with a grin widely plastered on his sun-weathered
face. Rena giggled and wiped the hair from her eyes.

“Try it again, Nora. This time really try to
control your intent with your mind.”

I closed my eyes.
I need water that is
warm to the touch
. There, that was more specific; fog in place,
not too loud or forceful.

The water came on and was warm to the touch.
Rena beamed, and I realized there was a lot I needed to learn
before Gavin came back.

“You have had a long day, my lady. If you
have need, call out and I will be here. Can I get you anything
else?”

I didn’t have any clothes.

“Gavin had Elaine stock the closet for you.
Your dresser is full, and the top drawers will have pajamas.”

“Thank you Rena. Can we work on an art
project tomorrow?” She winked and assured me that we would start
first thing in the morning. The door clicked shut, and I became
acutely aware I was alone. I had grown accustomed to the quiet, but
this was different. This was silence … and it was mired in
separation.

Tears flooded, and I started to hum Edna’s
song as I found my pajamas and made my way back to the bathroom. It
didn’t take long to find the intent for hot water, and I relaxed
under the gentle cascading warmth of the shower.

Climbing into bed, I tried to ignore the cold
solitude of the smooth sheets as I mindlessly stared out the huge
windows. The lake gleamed in the moonlight, but the vast canopy
overhead kept the stars from twinkling. Trying not to panic, my
mind automatically flew open as the instinct to search for Gavin
flooded through my heart. A timid knock startled me and I bounded
out of bed, shield firmly in place. I opened the door to find Rena;
her eyes rounded with concern.

“Nora, you cannot do that while you are here.
He will not be able to hear you, and you have grown more powerful
than I think even you know. Tark asks you to keep your shield up;
it is difficult for us to resist your power while we share ours. I
know it sounds confusing, but he would rather not have to answer to
Gavin for inadvertently taking in your essence.”