Secret Worlds (321 page)

Don’t think about them
, his thoughts whispered in my head.
You’re safe, and that is what’s important. These people understood the consequences of fighting.

I nodded and pulled away from him. He gazed into my eyes as he rubbed my arms gently up and down, filling me with his warmth; warmth I missed so much. His eyes smiled at me once more then we turned toward the edge of the trees, to the boundaries of the elves.

***

Two tall elves, dressed in white robes, stood at the entrance between two trees. They lowered their heads in respect and allowed us through without a word. My heart palpitated anxiously. I held my breath waiting for them to tell Marren only he could pass. But none stopped me. As soon as we stepped through, I couldn’t help but focus on the center of what took up my vision.

The ground was carved out hollow, tapering down to a level platform. Trees arched above in a surrounding protective barrier. In the center, stood dwarves, elves, and werewolves. They stood solemnly with their heads bowed. Their arms hung slack at their sides or crossed at the wrists in front of them. My heart picked up in pace.
Are we too late?

Marren didn’t answer. He continued leading me, instead, toward the center where Danst lay, taking his last few numbered breaths. How I clung to the hope he held on long enough for me to arrive at his side to say one last goodbye, but the silence was too thick. Not even the breathing of the races taking up the center of the elves home broke through the thick air.

Marren released my hand and my body took over, gently pushing through those standing around to find the one I needed to see, one final time.

I nearly collapsed when the base of the bed he lay on came into view. It was covered in white cloth that shimmered with a pale effervescence and had a green border of ivy and leaves that delicately wove along the edge. My eyes slowly moved up to Danst’s feet, covered in smooth layers of light gray cloth that appeared to be as soft as flower petals. A white robe with silver trim stretched to his mid-calf, bound at his waist with a silver clasp adorned with pearls.

His hands rested on his stomach, one on top of the other. He appeared as though he slept. His jaw was relaxed and smooth, the battle long gone from his face. His green eyes hid beyond the lids that made his eyebrows more pronounced. And above them, a silver band encircled his forehead with his stringy brown hair woven through.

My heart took on the weight of what everyone else already knew. Danst was gone. I was too late. I approached his side, resting my hand on his, the warmth gone from his pale skin. I slapped a tear that fell down my cheek. My heart broke into so many pieces. Those fragments would forever miss his presence. Miss his laughter and the warmth in his smile. The way he showed patience when he first taught me to fight, the care and protection he gave me when he saved me so many years ago. He shouldn’t have needed to give his life.

A movement caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. Joe’n approached, stopping at Danst’s head. She peered down at him, the corners of her lips turned down, which caused me to question her sadness for his loss of life. Her eyes rose to mine, and as if she heard my thoughts she said, “Danst was my grandson.”

Her words held no disgrace, no hate. I almost expected a murmur of shock through the crowd.
How had I not known this? How could I have possibly been the last to learn this?

“As is custom with my people, Danst will be sent to his next life in our tradition. He meant a lot to you, as you did him. I’m giving you the chance to send him on his final journey.”

I stared for a long moment, processing her words. She spoke them with grace and calm, though clearly torn about losing her grandson. The whites of her eyes were red. Even the lower lid was puffy, as though she had been crying until she approached. Realizing she waited for a response, I numbly nodded my head. I removed my hand from Danst’s, leaving part of me behind with him.

“Relena, I need you to follow me, alone. This is a private ceremony. You may join your friends after the send-off.”

I nodded and glanced toward Marren at the back of the crowd. His voice echoed into my mind,
Go, I’ll be waiting for you.

I know.

Gvgeyu.

You too.

I wanted to experience the emotion that would fill me with Marren’s words. Instead, emptiness and lifelessness filled me. Joe’n turned then moved down a dark path in between some trees and stop as she waited for me to follow. The four elves picked up the bed Danst lay on, waiting to carry him. I quickly followed behind the Ancient, sensing the others in close proximity with Danst.

***

I was wrong when I thought Danst lay on a bed. He lay on a raft. A small one built to accommodate him to his next journey. I understood nothing of the ways of the elves, of which Joe’n realized, and quietly told me of the ceremony. This sort of funeral was given only to those who deserved the highest honor. Danst gave his life protecting others and made difficult decisions to protect his people and his home. She told him long ago that because he was half human, he would have to prove himself to her. She didn’t realize what she asked of him at the time and wished she had shown him her affections. This was her way of remedying that. Not only was this the highest honor she could bestow on her grandson, he was of the Ancient bloodline. It was his birthright.

Hearing the emotion in the words Joe’n spoke pulled at my heart. I thought she outcaste him because he didn’t fit in with the rest of the full-blooded elves. Being new to this realm had given me a fresh perspective on things. His life wasn’t the way it was because he was on the outside, but because he had to prove himself worthy of his lineage. Just like I had, and likely still will have, to prove I’m worthy of Marren’s love—regardless of our heart song.

The races of this world had taken extreme measures to protect themselves and in doing so had procured such high levels of fear and suspicion over outsiders. I understood why they were so protective over themselves. Being different created a risk the races of the immortal realm had to be leery of in order to extend their lives and protect those they loved. A means of survival.

We approached the head of the river, flowing away from us toward the horizon. Where the river ended, no one knew. The living wasn’t meant to know. Only the dead could see, and even then they had to be worthy of what waited at the other side.

The elves stepped into the water and rested the raft carefully on the surface. As instructed, I stepped toward Danst then placed my hands at the foot of the raft. Before pushing him off, I said, “Whatever waits for you at the other end of this river, know that until we meet again, you have always been my closest friend. You were the only real family I’d ever had. Until the end, I love you.”

A hot tear fell down my cheek. I gently pushed the raft into the current that pulled it along the river’s length and waited until the fading light made it too difficult to make out his shape before walking out of the water.

We decided to wait until morning before heading back to our own home. The night was spent with roars and grumbles of angry voices demanding to know Jiren’s next move. Apparently, Tobias had been right. Between him, me, and Marren, Jiren sustained enough damage that he retreated to regain his strength. You can’t kill energy, but you certainly can damage it. Marren maintained that he would find a way to destroy him, but at that moment, Jiren was probably deep into hiding, licking his wounds. We’d only won the first battle.

I couldn’t handle the conversation anymore. If I didn’t leave, I would loose my mind completely and seek Jiren out myself. Despite how incredibly flawed my reasoning was, I left the elves home to stand in the field, cleaned of the bodies but still stained with the evidence of battle. Some of the trees from the cluster that hid me had been cut down to serve as kindling for the mound of dead ready to be burned. A chill crept up from the small of my back to the nape of my neck, forcing a violent shudder from me. The moon, high in the sky, did nothing for the image in the field except enhance the malevolence and deepen the shadows and reminded me of the forest of the dead. Only the life of the trees here still glowed.

Don’t run off too far without someone with you,
Marren’s voice filled my mind and made me grateful that night was only a memory—due to fade soon enough.

I’m right outside. The talk of another battle leaves a bitter flavor in my mouth,
I said.

I’ll be out to join you soon.

No, stay. They need you.

But I need you,
he said.

We have forever, Marren. We’ll be home tomorrow. Just one more day.

I took my time walking through the grass, careful to not get too far from the trees. I needed some distance. Some quiet. Some alone time to gather my thoughts. So much happened in the past few weeks. So much in the past few days. Who would’ve thought the weight of the world was such a heavy burden to bear?

Flutters and flips filled my lower abdomen, much stronger and quicker than before. I gazed down and found myself surprised by the bulge that wasn’t previously noticeable.

Emotions overwhelmed me.

Uwoduhi, are you alright?

I jumped at Marren’s words in my head.
I’m fine, Marren. Just delighting in the way our child moves.

I sensed something, more than I had from him before. Pride? Awe? Immense joy? Maybe all of them.

I stood in the middle of the field, stomach bared in the moonlight and my hands over the small, yet visible bump. I sucked in a breath as the movements were not only inside me but on my hands as well—barely noticeable.

The sound of crunching grass behind me drew my attention to Marren. I peered at him quizzically, finding expectant eyes returning my gaze. I smiled at him and reached my hand out. He gave me his, allowing me to pull him to me, placing it over the bump. The movement happened again.

“Amazing!” Marren’s voice was full of fascination.

“That’s what I thought.” I smiled.

“So strong!”

I nodded.

He swept me into his arms so fast I could barely breathe. His lips found mine, creating a hunger in me that I understood wouldn’t be fulfilled, but that didn’t matter. I would deal with the hunger as long as I could still kiss him. He pulled away from me, before my desire for him completely took control over me, and placed both hands on my belly. He dropped to his knees and placed a soft kiss over the spot where the most movement was.

At least the night ended better than it started.

***

The trip home was exhaustingly long. I was tired, worn, and coming down from all of the events that happened as of late and dealing with Marren’s nightmares. I tried to get him to talk about them, but he refused, even though I sensed how it affected him. Whatever it was, if it scared Marren, it scared me, too.

The moisture in the air clung to my skin, chilling me each time the wind picked up. The sky grew darker from the deepening clouds in the distance. We would be blessed if we arrived before the storm hit. Everyone was in a somber mood; the last thing we needed was to be damp and cold along with miserable. Not a good combination for traveling.

The drops started to fall as our feet hit the dirt of the path that led us toward the mountain home. Enid took off in a run, either from excitement or from anticipation of being home before the rain started to fall, I wasn’t sure. Raden took the path that cut off toward the home of his people and Ildir, the Ancient of the Dwarves. One by one, the races split, heading home. Blyth left before we started the trip. I never did get to see him fight or his following races. I thought about bringing that up to Marren, but every time a discussion was brought up, he quickly dismissed it.

The smell of the rain, a blend of sulfur and water, mixed with the aroma of dirt and the plants, creating a scent that was intoxicating and lifting for me. As if willing to cater to my wishes, it fell harder. Large drops of water pelted the ground, me, and Marren.

I started laughing. Marren joined in. Unable to deny the effect my laugh had on his heart. Then something spontaneous came over me…I ran.

Where are you going?
His voice filled my mind.

When was the last time you and I went on a run without worry or fear? Come find me.

That’s not going to be hard,
he said.

Prove it.

I pushed my legs faster and faster, beyond the path and through some trees. I moved higher and higher up an incline that was slick. The air filled my lungs, bringing a renewed energy I missed. Each stomp of my feet against the ground warranted another. I wove in and out of trees, jumping from a large rock to the ground, swinging from nearby tree branches. I took a wide turn back toward our home. Before I left the woods, I was tackled.

I rolled on the ground with Marren; wrapped around each other.

A proud laugh escaped Marren’s lips. He pinned me, holding my hands to the ground, while he straddled my waist. The rain lightened to a soft mist that tingled along my skin. But what I experienced most was the large amount of desire that filled me from within, a pressure pulsing from inside my thighs.

Marren’s eyes held me prisoner. Hot breath came over me in waves as he lowered his face to mine. The heat spread over my neck, forcing the throb of desire closer to my threshold. As he pressed his lips to mine, his hands slid from my wrists to my hands, weaving his fingers through mine. I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him closer to me. A soft moan escaped our lips, forcing him to kiss me harder.

I thought you couldn’t be with me while in this
delicate
state?

Some rules are made to be broken. I’ve lived through the worst time of my life thinking I could never have you again. I’m taking you now,
Marren said.

I let my control go. Whatever I could get of Marren, however short-lived it may be, I was going to take. And how glorious it was!