Secret Worlds (318 page)

“Right away.”

I stared down at the outline of Marren’s shape. How his aura faltered slightly then stilled. I gripped his hand into mine and told myself he would come through. I would marry him, per his race’s traditions, and I would obey his every word just to have him live beyond the night. Stomping hooves approach and the lighter steps of feet. Two werewolves hoisted Marren’s body onto one of the centaurs, draping him over his back so that Marren’s head and arms draped over one side and his legs on the other.

I stood weakly, as though I ran out of energy and desperately needed a nap. But, somehow I managed to force myself to walk next to Marren as we turned around and started to make our way back out of the forest of the dead.

***

“You don’t seem like you’re doing well,” Danst said. The concern thickened his voice.

We made our way back into the part of the woods where the auras were thick and bright. The air was cleaner and warmer, but I couldn’t help but wonder if we missed something or we were followed closely or we walked into a trap.

“I think I’m just tired.” It was more than that, and Danst sensed it as well. But, he didn’t seem inclined to argue, which suited me fine, as I didn’t own the strength to keep an eye on the forest behind us, remain close enough to Marren in case he woke up, and argue my wellbeing with Danst.

“You will be able to get plenty of rest when you reach the elven territory.”

I smiled at the way he spoke about the land he was from. That proud honor and icy calm that all elves, half-blood or not, seemed to possess. “What’s it like?”

“I don’t know.”

That surprised me. “You—you have never been there?”

“Never. I was never allowed to. I could view it from a distance, but I could never actually go inside the village.”

“Why?”

“Because of what I am and what I did. More of the latter than the former.”

“Well, obviously, your race or heritage has little to do with it if they are willing to accept us now.”

“You misunderstood, Lady Relena,” Faun spoke as she continued to walk in front of us. She never turned to speak to us directly.

“Oh, how so?”

“Only Marren is invited into the village. He is an Ancient, and as such, our responsibility to do our best to revive him.”

“You must forgive me, but you aren’t taking him anywhere without me.”

“You will be able to camp outside our boundaries. That is the most that we can offer you.”

Something inside me started to burn. “I don’t care who you think you are, you—”

Faun stopped and turned so abrupt she was a blur, stilling with an icy glare. “I mean you no disrespect, Lady Relena, but you must remain outside our land. Our rituals and customs are sacred, and though you are Marren’s heart song, the circumstances regarding your union are still hazy at best. We will be able to do our best without any distractions.”

Something was wrong. I sensed it inside me stronger than I’d experienced anything. Her words started to fade. Her image took on a fuzzy quality. I became faint and numb.

“No—” It barely came out in a whisper, echoed in the air to my ears and far more distant than words from my own mouth should sound. The world tilted and all light removed itself from my sight.

***

I opened my eyes to a strange room lit by four oil lamps. The oil assaulted my nose, making my stomach churn. Beyond that was the nuttiness of oak, pine and another scent I couldn’t place. No decorations hung on the walls, only the print of wood grain sanded smooth. The air was quiet. Too quiet. I stood from the bed carved from the very wood the room was, despite its soft texture. Or I was too confused by my new surroundings to take in every sense correctly.

Then the thought came crashing to me; I stood within the elves home. Something happened when I fainted.
Marren!

He had a dim aura when I found him. That had to be the reason why. I stood, turning in circles to find the door to the room. Just as I took a step toward the wall to feel my way, a portioned opened, revealing Faun. She seemed just as angry and rigid as usual. Only this time, she held ice in her eyes.

“You are not to view this place,” she said, heavily pronouncing every word.

“Why did you bring me here?” I said, snapping back.

“Because, we nearly lost…” Her eyes fell to the ground just as fast as my heart sank.

“No, that can’t be.” Tears stung my eyes, blurring the room and everything in it.

“I didn’t say we did. Just nearly. When you fainted, we realized what Marren believed was true. Yet, you are still a stranger to us and need to earn the trust of my people.” She walked up to me with a cloth in her hand. I stepped back and glared at her with as much warning as I could muster.

“I’m sorry. I need to put this on you. You cannot set eyes on my home. That is forbidden.”

“Lousy traditions,” I muttered under my breath and gave a nod, however reluctant I was. “What about Marren? Is he awake? Can I see him?”

“He has not awakened. The forest of the dead is named such because, as you discovered, it sucks the life out of every living thing, surviving on the essence of those that find themselves ensnared within it.” She placed the blindfold over my eyes and tied tight against my head. “As such, the forest nearly drained Marren’s life from him. It will take some time, but he will recover. Meanwhile, you will be allowed to stay a few days. Until you regain your strength. Then, you must return to your own land.”

She pushed gently on my back, leading me out the door.

Once out, we continued walking, seeming as though we stepped along a downward sloping hill. “You know as well as I do, I can’t do that.”

“You will have no choice.”

“Why?”

“Because you are not bound to him in my people’s eyes. You are only his heart song, and even though that means everything to you—to us it means nothing.”

I wanted to growl but held it in. I didn’t want to give off the wrong impression, and I also didn’t want to lose the energy I had left. “You don’t understand. I won’t be able to leave him. I can walk in a thousand directions, and I will still end up here.”

“Then keep walking.”

I bit my tongue. Hard. I wasn’t going to win this argument. I needed someone who knew the elves, as well as their customs. I needed a way to earn their trust and gain permission to stay, even if that meant staying outside of their boundaries.

Once outside, Faun removed the blindfold and let my eyes adjust to the bright sun as a warm breeze brushed my skin still trying to fend off the chill from the dead forest.

I expected to find the rest of the group. Instead, a small tent with a fire pit sat on the border of the Elvish Plains and the trees that hid their home away filled my sight. In the midst of the plains, tall grass grew yellow and green, shifting in the breeze, dancing along in waves as far as the eye could see and rustling its song. Mountains became visible again. I turned to find my home and the lights within the windows, but nothing was visible from so far away. Hills and trees filled the horizon. Clusters of a few dozen trees spotted the plains. For the most part, everything seemed peaceful, calm and clear. Not how I thought everything should be.

Movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. I turned my gaze to a dark fabric caught on a low branch near a cluster of trees. It wasn’t there just moments before when I first looked. My curiosity piqued, I moved toward the cloth. I walked slowly, letting my eyes wander the width of the plain, searching for anyone it belonged to. As I drew closer, I realized the item wasn’t just a cloth but a cloak, hanging on a branch as if it blew in the wind and caught at the right spot on the hood. I yanked it free from the tree, tearing the cloth. It was a man’s cloak that must have blown off some time ago and got carried along the wind until it snagged a branch.

An invisible force weighed on my shoulders, as though someone’s eyes followed me. I turned around and found a dark figure, far in the distance, staring right at me. I took a few steps toward him, thinking he may be the owner of the cloak and had run after it. He turned quickly and ran in the opposite direction.

“Wait,” I called. “I found your cloak!”

Not wanting to wait until he was so far out of sight I could never catch up, I ran after him.

I followed the man until he disappeared behind some trees. Just inside those trees stood a camp. Figures, hidden behind their cloaks, moved about picking up weapons and packing them onto wagons. I quickly ducked under the tall grass, using it to hide my appearance.

The wind shifted, blowing into my nose a camp fire, sour milk, and rotting meat. It swam inside my head, making me dizzy and causing my stomach to churn. I couldn’t hold back and turned to the side to empty my stomach. Despite trying my best to be quiet, I made noise. Once I was done, I slowly popped my head up over the grass to check if I had gone unnoticed.

Four hooded figures stood on the outskirts of the trees. I caught a glimpse of their faces and sucked a quick breath of shock. Goblins. Ugly, green, scaly creatures that made Blyl seem as handsome as a god. They stood with their weapons in their hands, ready to attack and kill whatever had dared to venture too close to their encampment. I held my breath as they took a step toward me. Their eyes searching the area around me, apparently not finding me. They exchanged a few words in their language and started to break up. I feared they would come at me from different angles.

A shout filled the air from inside the trees. The four goblins glanced at each other, over the field again and turned around to greet whoever had caught their attention. I poked my head up, cautiously, to set my eyes on the one who had deterred my fate. I couldn’t see a thing. I had to know what these goblins were doing. There had to be a reason for being camped so close to the elves’ territory. I maneuvered my way to the trees, careful to keep enough distance from the camp and still get a glimpse of what went on. This could be my chance to earn the elves’ trust and permission to remain by Marren’s side.

I stared at the ground carefully. I stepped on places my feet would make the least amount of sound and used the trees to steady myself. Lucky for me, they stood close enough to do that. I managed to make my way in far enough to find a familiar man stood with his back to me. He had bright red hair and a long, black cloak. Jiren. The thought of him forced bile into my mouth. If I could spit acid, I surely would. In front of him stood another person I never thought I would see. Gurth. I didn’t want to immediately think he had defected, but Jiren was quite convincing when he needed to be. There had to be a reason for them being together. I was going to find out why. But I couldn’t get close enough without them discovering me.

They turned and stepped into a tent tacked to the surrounding trees, giving me the chance I needed. I slipped through the trees, as quietly as I could manage then shimmied my way toward the back of the tent. I didn’t need to get as close to catch what they said, but I wanted to also learn what they were doing.

“This has gone too far. Your greed has brought more upset than peace. This isn’t what you promised.” He had to be Gurth, the goblin Ancient. His words came out raspy and harsh.

“You worry too much,” Jiren spoke, cocky as ever.

“You killed one of your own!” Gurth stressed again.

“You are mistaken. I placed him where he would lack the strength to leave. I’ve been going back every night to feed him and make sure he stays alive.”

“You are taking too many risks! I don’t want his blood on my hands!”

“You don’t have much choice now, do you?”

Too enthralled in figuring out the conversation, I wasn’t aware of someone approaching from behind until one arm wrapped around me and one hand covered my mouth. The glove covering the hand filled my nose with dirt and mold.

He breathed into my ears, “If you know what is good for you, you will remain quiet.”

His voice sounded familiar to me, thickly accented, but I was too surprised to think clearly. I nodded my head and relaxed. His hand removed from my mouth, but his arm remained around my body. I stared down at his arm and then twisted to view his face.

“Tobias,” I whispered.

He nodded his head once.

“You can let go of me, I’m capable of managing.”

His arm relaxed and moved.

“Did you lose something?” I held up the cloak I still carried.

“Thank you,” he said.

“I thought you died back there. What happened?”

His cat eyes, green and bright, peered at me quizzically. As if he realized my thoughts, he smiled slightly and whispered, “It was a close one, but I managed.”

I nodded. “You should have let me thank you for saving my life.”

“Commander!” A harsh and raspy voice entered the tent.

“What is it now?” asked Gurth.

“A few of my men thought they heard something before I called them in. They went searching for an intruder and found some vomit on the outside of our camp.”

Tobias stiffened behind me. I turned my gaze toward him. His jaw set firm as he slowly shook his head with cold eyes. He stood up, and I followed, nearly falling over from the rush of blood to my legs. Tobias caught me with the glare an adult would give a small child who knocked over a pile of plaster pots in the marketplace. He strapped on his cloak then grabbed my hand, pulling me behind him as he started to run. I tried to step where he stepped, but the terrain was difficult to keep my footing. I snapped a branch and sent the whole encampment on alarm.

We ran through the plains, ducking inside the small cluster of trees Tobias’s cloak got caught on. We waited until the goblins lost interest, which ended up being very quickly as a loud horn sounded through the air, calling off the search.

“You should be more careful,” Tobias said finally.

“I’m sorry. I’m not quite at my full capability yet.”

“I’m sorry as well. I learned of Marren’s fate.” He glanced at me from the corner of his eyes, “And yours as well.”

I nodded. “He’s with the elves. They won’t let me see him. I think if we could let them—”

“That is a very unwise decision.”