Veiled Shadows (The Age of Alandria: Book Two) (20 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY

They rode for several hours in silence. Kaeleigh even felt herself drifting off to sleep on several occasions. She found comfort in the lulling beat of the horses walking, the steady uncontrollable jostling of her body, and the pleasantly warm air and light breeze upon her face. She jolted awake at one point, when she felt Daegan’s arm slip around her waist in a tight grip and she stiffened. He leaned forward and whispered into her ear, “Sleep. You are tired. I won’t let you fall.”

She nodded and tried to allow herself a brief respite from the stresses of what was ahead of them, but all she could think about was Daegan’s arm around her waist and the little electric flutters in her stomach that always accompanied his touch. She happened to glance over and caught Finn glaring sideways at Daegan. Kaeleigh suddenly felt extremely self-conscious and uncomfortable. She didn’t want to hurt Finn and she wasn’t really sure what was between her and Daegan, if anything. He was fire and ice and so hard for her to read.

Kaeleigh sat up straight and gave Daegan’s arm a little squeeze as she pried his hand from her waist. Without turning toward him, she whispered, “I’m all right, but thank you.” She knew the wind would carry it back to his ears.

He gave a subtle grunt and spoke formally, “I do apologize, that was brash of me. Forgive me.”

Kaeleigh bristled.
Why is he being so formal with me?
She didn’t truly want to push him away, but she felt the sudden conflict in herself and knew that he probably did too.

As she was brooding, not sure what she should have done differently, Daegan spoke quietly but still louder than a whisper, “Look ahead, in the east.” She looked back at him as he nodded in the direction he told her to look. Kaeleigh squinted, not completely able to see where he directed. Suddenly her eyes focused and she could see more clearly than she had ever seen before.

At her deep intake of breath, everyone looked over at her in concern. She pointed. “Can you see it? It’s beautiful!”

Finn and Chel both followed her arm to see what she was looking at and they shook their heads. Finn stared at her with amazement and curiosity.

“What, Finn? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I can’t see it even though I know what’s there. I’m just surprised you can see it.” He shifted his gaze to Daegan, who gave him a stern look to let it drop. Finn did.

“What? What are you guys talking about? I can’t see... whatever it is,” Chel complained, then paused as if listening to something unseen. “Oh, something about a city, but also a warning,” she whispered in Kaeleigh and Daegan’s direction, hoping everyone else, namely the other “guards,” didn’t hear her. Daegan gave her a simple yet subtle nod and interjected quickly so not to draw attention to their conversation.

“We are nearly upon the gates to the territory of Feraánmar—my home. To the north, there is a smaller city named L’nalrinia, but we are headed toward the Ga’raldrath Mountain ridge and to the head city of Elnye where the Paladin govern.” His words held a hint of apathy and simultaneous frustration. No one seemed to catch it except Kaeleigh and Hal as he glanced back at Daegan from his position on the horse in a subtle warning.

Ever since Daegan was a small child, those mountains had given him bad feelings and dreams of evil happenings there. He still couldn’t shake it, even now as he looked up at them. They were craggy and desolate ridges surrounded by death and darkness. Once he had ventured up the north face, as it was the only climbable side, and had such a bad reaction that he was forced back down. He was sure there was some kind of dark magic spelling the mountain and keeping it empty. There were stories of mysterious disappearances, sacrifices, and evil things happening, but he had always just thought them that—stories—and his feelings, the results from years of hearing those stories passed down from the elders and those trying to scare the young ones into obedience at all costs.

As they rode, he remembered the stories, shuddering at some of them as still they gave him the creeps. What he didn’t expect, however, was to feel the anxiety flooding off of Kaeleigh as she shifted around in front of him on the horse, looking all about. He placed his hand lightly on her shoulder, sending soothing, calm vibrations of energy into her soul, trying to give her peace. She stilled, taking a deep breath and nodding without turning toward him. He found it interesting that she would have such an adverse reaction. Maybe there was more truth to stories of old than he had previously given credit. This thought troubled him greatly, even more the truth he felt stirring deep in his gut that he was beginning to see something that he had dismissed not that long ago. Words began to echo in his mind, not just from an ancient prophecy, but the specific rantings of a very old Elder:
“...Keep her from them. You know what they would do, the power they wish to possess. Help her find her way as you find yours. Bring her back here to us.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The day was waning and there was a deep chill in the air that was thickening the closer they got to the gates of the city before them. The weather in Alandria reminded Kaeleigh of fall afternoons in Montana. She found irony in taking in the beauty of the city gates before them as they were possibly entering a place of danger.

The sun was setting behind them, creating a beautiful array of color on the backdrop behind the mountain and glinting off the buildings of the city that sat looming ahead of them. The gates were tall and looked strong and ominous, made out of a mixture of iron and stone and encased by greenery that looked ready to strangle any unsuspecting victims that might cross its path. Several men, larger and bulkier than both Daegan and Hal, stood as the immovable warriors that they most likely were, armored with breastplates and arm and shin braces, holding shields with a circular design that looked like the marking on Daegan’s forearm in one hand and either a long javelin-type spear or sword in the other.

The horses came to a stop and all her nerves shot up from her gut into her throat. Kaeleigh fought back the feelings of nausea, distracting herself by counting the number of guards in front of the gates as they stood immobile, and then noticing there were several more in high towers on either side of the gates with bows and arrows. The guards stepped aside and allowed entrance when they saw Hal give a lazy salute. They inclined their heads to the Paladin’s son as the horses passed. Hal sat up straighter and gave a slight nod in their direction, but didn’t seem to fully embrace the royalty act as Kaeleigh had expected him to. She wasn’t yet sure if that was a good thing or not, but at least he wasn’t anyone other than himself and she respected that even if no one else did.

They passed through the gates with hardly any effort as the guards nodded at both Halister and Daegan. There was a lot to take in as they moved through the village on their way to the seat of power—Elnye. All the effect left Kaeleigh with, however, was a gut ache and a revulsion of what she thought should have been a very beautiful area. Instead, what she saw was desolation, hopelessness, and poverty evident in the very life force of the earth. What should have been, and perhaps was at one time, as lush and green as the long entrance from the gates, was lined with trees now stripped of their glory. There was heaviness in the air threatening to choke of any single threat of hope that lived within. Kaeleigh had to take deep, steadying breaths to keep at bay the anxiety she felt within her waiting to take dominion. She had felt Daegan’s hand upon her shoulder instilling her with whatever peace he could spare for her. That alone gave life to hope within her. She had to remain strong. Her friends were in danger because of her and she wouldn’t let anything hurt them.

Kaeleigh looked over at Chel and gave her a smile of reassurance and tried to will her hope through her eyes that everything would be all right. Chel seemed to understand and returned her smile with a slight nod. Catching Finn’s eyes, Kaeleigh tried to convey her gratefulness that he was with her and that she would do whatever was within her to honor the sacrifice he had offered her in returning, for her safety, to a place he had been thrown out of. She hoped to whatever Fates—or Orchids—were out there supposedly watching over them, that she wouldn’t let him down.

Finn pierced her eyes with his own intense gaze, seemingly trying to convey his own message. She felt little flutters in her chest. A hidden life stirred within her. Her breath hitched.
Why did he have to look at me like THAT?
Confused and uncomfortable, not knowing what that was all about, she focused on the city growing larger in front of her.

Finn had never looked at her that intently. The memory of his eyes, and the raw passion he allowed to be exposed there, unnerved her. What unnerved her even more was her reaction, or the fact that she had one. Kaeleigh hung her head in thought, then glanced back at Finn under the cover of her hair and out of the corner of her eye, only to be shocked that Finn was still focusing on her. He gave her the slightest twitch of a smirk and a quick wink before looking forward.

Of all the times, he picks when we are about to go into a possibly dangerous situation AND when we are surrounded closely!
Kaeleigh vented her frustration at herself until she realized that they had already made the long journey up to the gates.
Was that his intent, to distract me? Get my mind off my anxiety? The emotion in his eyes was too real for that,
she continued to think with sudden dread. She didn’t have feelings like that for her friend—or did she?

Kaeleigh needed to focus as they entered the city, but all she could think of at the moment was whether Daegan had seen what had just taken place between her and Finn. Did he care? Did
she
care? She didn’t belong to anyone, let alone either of them. She thought of the kiss she shared with Daegan and a flutter of electricity sparked deep down inside her.
What is wrong with me? Focus, Kaeleigh! Come on!
she reprimanded herself, getting her emotions in control. It frustrated her to no end that Daegan could feel her emotions; to what extent she still wasn’t clear on, but he had probably gotten all of that. She couldn’t win.

A few minutes into the city and out of hearing range of the guards and even the other riders traveling with them, Kaeleigh spoke quietly, “Hal?” He half turned his head to acknowledge her so she continued, “How is it you can be so relaxed when the guards and I imagine others treat you with royal admiration? Is it not looked upon as irreverent?” She heard Daegan snort behind her, but she ignored him.

“Hmm, well, Kaeleigh, I could tell you that I don’t care and act the part of the rebellious lost son, but that I am not. I like to have my fun and cause a ruckus when I can—that truth’s known,” he said with a smile and a wink when he turned back to get her reaction along with a forced “HA!” from behind her. “I am confident, perhaps some would even say cocky, but truth be told we are not truly royal and it is not in me to behave as something I am not. My parents were set as guardians, which we call the Paladin, in place of the fallen king and queen. A position to be respected for sure, but I do not feel to be anything but the me you see before you. There are times when tradition and protocol are required, but I try to avoid those as much as allowable.” He smiled and led the horses down a cobblestone street toward the hill not much further ahead of them.

Kaeleigh was intrigued by Halister and his open honesty. “Thank you for answering my question. I hope it wasn’t offensive,” Kaeleigh added as an afterthought.

Hal shook his head. “Not in the slightest,” he replied. “I will tell you this before we get much closer and the crowds of people come sweeping in to see what is about: my mother does not have the same attitude as I. She is very much about the role that she plays and acts the part even unto believing she is the queen in these parts. I admonish you, be very careful in her presence.” He had intended his little speech to be more insight than warning, but in fact he felt the truth of it being a warning as he spoke the words.

Kaeleigh grew somber, not knowing what to make of Halister’s words. Uneasiness grew in her spirit and her palms began to sweat. She looked back at Daegan for response, but all he gave her was a stern nod before gazing up at the castle ruins growing taller before them.

They approached what appeared to be front entrance of the castle. Young men still practically boys raced out to take the reins of the horses as the riders all began to dismount, and then led the horses away and toward what Kaeleigh could only assume were the stables.

The castle wasn’t quite what she had expected. It wasn’t as big as she would have imagined a castle to be. It was big, in fact the biggest of the buildings within the city that she had seen, but it didn’t have a “castle” look to it. She wouldn’t call it quaint, as it seemed to be formed from partial ruins, some still intact but some definitely in need of repair and overgrown with various climbing greenery—which only added to the otherworldly air about it. The grounds were well manicured with a lawn and trees and flowers; in fact, they had the only grass that she had observed passing through the small township. Looking about, she couldn’t quite figure out how that was possible.

Kaeleigh looked to Chel, who was also scanning the area. Chel shrugged her shoulders with a bewildered look in her eyes. Kaeleigh questioned her look with furrowed brows, trying to silently figure out what her friend was thinking. Chel subtly pointed to her ear, signaling she was listening to something. Kaeleigh stilled also, trying to hear something that perhaps she missed, but... nothing. Then she realized perhaps Chel was listening to something that only she could hear. Kaeleigh moved closer to her friend and stood by her as Finn gazed out beyond the castle at the city below with a deep frown on his face.

“What do you hear?” Kaeleigh whispered to Chel without looking at her, trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible.

Chel shook her head slowly, frowning. “Nothing. Nothing at all, that’s what’s strange. There is usually always something, but I tune it out. But here it’s like a dead zone. Nothing.”