Trinity Awakening (18 page)

             
"I love ya Trinny, and I'm here for you no matter what." 

             
"I love you too." The girls laid back, they didn't sleep for some time, and they just listened to the waters wake hitting the bow.

             
"How are you feeling Aarion?" Garus had come to join Aarion standing at the stern.

             
"Fine Garus, just eager to get to Taeith and see how my father is doing." 

             
"Aarion, we've know each other for a long time, there is something more going on in that head of yours. Is it about Trinny? I’ve seen how you look at her." Garus knew Aarion better than anyone, and hated seeing his best friend in turmoil. Aarion kept looking out toward the riverbank.

             
"Garus, the king of romance is going to give me advice on girls?" Aarion laughed.

             
"Aarion, I may not be experienced when it comes to matters of the heart, but if I found someone who looked at me like that and I felt the same, I would move heaven and earth to be with her." Aarion looked at Garus, surprised at what he had said.

             
"Even if it meant hurting other people you love?" He asked sincerely.

             
"If by other people you mean, family, friends, all of the Fairon race? I would give them a chance, let them know how I felt before I made my final decision, sometimes others are willing to break tradition and old rules for that powerful thing called love. But that's just me, 1: I'm not a prince. 2: I don't have someone madly in love with me. 3: no one would care." Aarion smiled at Garus.

             
"I would! And my sister is stupid for not looking your way...Garus, let's not talk about this again." Garus nodded and stood silently with his friend.

             
"Wake up sleepy heads." Garus nudged Emma and Trinny gently. They sat up to see dark clouds in the sky and Garus's grinning face above them.

             
"Where are we?" Emma asked in a
groggy
tone. 

             
"Taeith, we arrived about half an hour ago, Morthos and Aarion have already gone into the city.

             
"They left without us?" Trinny looked a little disappointed.

             
"Aarion asked me to bring you up to the King's court." Garus replied. He helped Trinny to her feet. Emma was already standing, wiping the sleep out of her eyes. Trinny looked around, the boat had docked at a small wooden wharf, and there was no one around, just a path that disappeared into a grove of large oak trees. 

             
"This is Taeith? I was imagining something a little bigger, maybe with people?" Emma raised her eyebrows at Garus. 

             
"It's not far, Aarion didn't want to attract to much attention, so we docked a small distance from the main river wharf, let's go." As Garus led the way off the boat, he handed Emma a light brown muslin head scarf, Emma did not look happy about it, but she snatched it out of his hand and wrapped it around her neck, lifting it up over her head to cover her short hair. As they walked up the path through the leafy oak trees, Trinny saw horses coming toward them, four in all, with one rider.

             
"He's hot!" Emma exclaimed as the rider came to a halt before them. His straight dark hair hung just below his shoulders, his toned frame slid off the horse with ease and he looked over Trinny and Emma.

             
"Greetings Pilosus, what takes you away from the Queens side?" Garus asked in an overly polite way. Pilosus had an arrogant look on his face when he answered. 

             
"The Queen felt it would be more appropriate that our guests ride into the city." 

             
"When you say ride, you mean a nice car right?" Emma saw Pilosus's confused look. "Or maybe a soft padded carriage?" She added hopefully.

             
"My Ladies, I have brought some of Taeith's finest meres for your comfort." Pilosus gave Emma a smile that left her silent. 

             
"We don't ride horses where we come from. Well some people do, but
we
don't." Trinny declared.
             

             
"You'll be fine, let's give you a foot up, I'll lead the way." Garus pulled Emma away from Pilosus side and tried to help her up onto the horse, she wasn't having a bar of it.

             
"Allow me." Pilosus pushed past Garus without acknowledging him and took Emma by the waist, he lifted her with ease onto the saddle then gently placed her feet into the stirrups. He then took Emma’s hands and placed the reins in them. "I'll be by your side my Lady." 

             
"Emma, my name is Emma." She gave him such a sultry look that Trinny had to bite her lip to stop from laughing. Garus was looking a little annoyed, but he managed to help Trinny onto her horse.

             
"Are you okay Garus?" Trinny asked quietly.

             
"I'm not officially a Fairon warrior yet, so I don't get treated with the same respect as someone like Morthos, I'm tolerated because I'm Aarion's friend." Garus grit his teeth and got up onto the horse next to Trinny.

             
"You kept my friend safe while we were parted, you're a warrior to me Garus." Garus smiled at Trinny as their horses fell in behind Pilosus and Emma who were now in deep conversation. Trinny could hear the occasional flirtatious giggle from her vivacious friend, and she could see that Pilosus was also piling on the charm. They rode slowly along the forest path. As Trinny looked around, she started to see people coming and going through the wood. There were large tree houses spread out through the grove, it reminded Trinny of old fairytales with enchanted woods, but these were
human size, not made for tiny creatures, the houses were so beautifully made, with carvings over the doorways and step ladders that could be pulled up from the ground. As they went further, the trees grew more sparse as small cottages started to line the path, the people were eager to see who was coming into the city on the Queens horses. The Fairon women had stunning long hair and fair skin; they wore similar clothing to Trinny and Emma, Trinny felt like she had been taken back in time. The cottages gave way to street merchants selling fruit, fabric, tools and beautiful handcrafted jewelry. She was amazed when she saw a man shrink to the size of her thumb, spread his wings and fly away. Emma looked at her as if to say '
did you see that?"
But Trinny was already nodding, knowing exactly what her friend was about to say. The horses came to a stop before a huge black iron gate; it had silver Celtic like designs over its massive surface.

             
"Open the gates, guests of the King and Queen require entry." Pilosus called out.

             
"These are the Acacia Gates, the city lies beyond." Garus said to Trinny. 

             
"What were all the houses and stalls back there, is that not part of the city." She asked. 

             
"That's just the village market, the Fairies, Pixies and Fairon do trade here, but the real city is protected behind these gates." Garus answered looking eagerly toward the opening doors. Trinny could see there were tall stone walls that went to the left and right of the city entrance, she couldn't see how far they stretched as they vanished beyond the trees. The massive gates opened, and as Trinny passed through she could not believe her eyes, it was almost magical. The road was wide now and the most beautiful cottages lined the sides. There were trees everywhere; it was like they built the houses
around them. There were shops, a bakery that filled the air with the most divine smell of freshly baked bread, Trinny could feel her stomach rumble, she had not eaten much over the past few days. She watched a blacksmith pounding at a metal horseshoe and saw a seamstress greeting a customer. There was a shop front filled with tiny bottles that looked like medicine and a store lined with books. The street was busy with people, everyone looked as Trinny and Emma rode by, as if they had all been expecting them. They came up to a large stone building; Pilosus dismounted and helped Emma down, and then Trinny. 

             
"This way." Pilosus said as he opened a small door that was flush with the dirt road. "I have brought you around the back as the Great Square is filled with Fairon Warriors protecting the Ora." Pilosus led the way up a narrow staircase then into a long corridor. As they reached the end, it opened up into an entrance type area, to the left were enormous steel doors, which two Fairon were guarding. As Pilosus approached them they opened the doors on both sides. He motioned for Trinny and Emma to come through. Garus hung back a little. Trinny looked up at the huge doors, they were carved with the same Celtic style writing that she had seen in the Sanctuary and on the gates into the city. When she turned to look ahead, she found herself in the most beautiful room. There were high arched ceilings with intricate paintings of battlefields, and large windows on each side of the room with warriors stationed at each one. Swirling designs painted in gold filled the walls, like they told the story of this nations history. Trinny and Emma crossed the floor of the large room until Pilosus stopped them as he motioned for them to wait. He approached what looked like two thrones, Aarion stood
next to one talking with an older woman who sat, and the throne to her right was empty. 

             
"Your majesty, the guests have arrived." Pilosus announced.

             
"Bring them closer Pilosus." The other woman requested. She had long dark wavy hair and wore a long deep purple gown with gold trim, her eyes were the most stunning green and her lips a full soft pink, Trinny thought how lovely she was. She looked toward Emma, and then fixed her gaze on Trinny as she spoke. "Welcome, we are so pleased you have arrived safely, my son has told me you have had a hard journey.  I also hear that I should be thanking you Trinity Gaia for saving his life, I am eternally grateful." She was so sincere when she spoke, and Trinny could now see the resemblance to Aarion. Aarion’s face was straight and unreadable; he was not looking at Trinny and hadn't acknowledged her arrival at all. Trinny gave the Queen a small nod and smile, she was not sure if she should say anything, so kept silent. At that moment, Trinny's mother arrived through the large steel doors behind her and came up beside her daughter. "Greetings Lucianna, it has been some time since we saw a representative from your people here in Taeith, we are happy to have you." The Queen said. 

             
"My mother would like you to know she is by your side should a battle ensue." Lucille spoke in an official tone that Trinny hadn't heard since the time she was called into the principles office for accidentally breaking a school window. 

             
"We are honored to have your people by our side Princess." The Queen answered. It was strange to Trinny to have her mother called a princess, this whole situation felt surreal to her.

             
"Mother, we need to get Trinny to father as soon as possible." Aarion had come up closer to his mother. 

             
"You are right Aarion. Trinity, my King is very ill from the poison that is also taking the Ora's powers, we need your help. You have saved one that I love dearly, can I ask you to do the same with another?" The Queen had a pleading in her eyes that pulled at Trinny's heart.

             
"Whatever I can do to help." She replied. Lucille looked at her daughter proudly. 

             
"She will need to have the King brought down to a place with earth your majesty." Lucille explained. 

             
"Of course Lucianna." The Queen nodded to Pilosus, who then took some guards with him through a large arched doorway to the left of the room, Trinny could hear their footsteps echoing through the hallway. "We will meet in the East garden." With those words the Queen left in the same direction as Pilosus. Aarion glanced at Trinny quickly then followed after his mother. Trinny felt a pang in her chest as he left; she took a deep breath and felt her mother’s hand take hers.

             
"You can do this Trinny, you are your fathers daughter." Lucille said, smiling encouragingly at her. 

             
"I hope you're right mum." 

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

'Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness,

to
pull another hand into the light.' - Norman B. Rice

"It doesn't matter what I try this door will not budge." Nina was highly frustrated at their situation; she had spent hours searching every corner of her dimly lit cell room checking for loose bricks or some weakness in the magical barrier that was restricting her powers.

             
"The only way we are going to get out of here is if they let us out to go somewhere." Micah said from the cell next to Nina’s.  "I heard voices last night, from the cell on the other side of mine, I think they have another prisoner in here, maybe an Elf."