The Elf Girl (30 page)

“Me too,” Stellan said, and squeezed my hand.

“Me too,” Addison agreed.

Stellan continued to talk about Tarlore for a while after that. Addison piped in every now and then, too. I learned the main reason every elf loved Tarlore: it wasn’t modern one bit. How ironic. In the Human Realm, anything not modern was either mocked or cast aside. Seeing Tarlore would definitely be interesting. Stellan described it as “Renaissance.” I used to go to a Renaissance Fair in the Human Realm. I had always wanted to live in a place like that. I thought Birchwood City was similar, but it sounded like Tarlore would be even more like the fair. While Stellan didn’t describe the palace in detail, he did say that it was almost the same as a castle with some elfin touches. I looked forward to seeing that as well.

We stopped for lunch around noon and then resumed our travels. As we walked, Stellan whistled and Addison hummed a tune. I was too anxious to do anything musically. I was like a little kid. I kept asking Addison how close we were. I knew Zora didn’t have much time left, which meant Addison and Stellan didn’t have much time left either. The closer Zora got to death, the closer they got to prison. I was impatient to reach the capital because I felt useless just walking. I wanted to do something more to find my sister. Tarlore wasn’t coming soon enough.

I was concentrating so hard on my thoughts that I didn’t realize what was going on around us until it was happening for many moments.

I felt the wind pick up, circling rapidly. I knew right away that it wasn’t a normal occurrence. At first I thought it was the dryads again, but quickly dismissed the idea when I realized none of the trees were moving, it was just the air around us. I tightened my grip on Stellan’s hand. I had a bad feeling about this. I saw a shadow moving out of the corner of my eye, and then I felt as if wind was wrapping around me. I gasped and whirled my head around to see what was going on. Nothing was there, but I saw more shadows.

“Oh no,” Stellan whispered.

“What? Stellan, what’s happening?” I cried. “What’s with all the wind?”

“Run,” Addison decided for us.

“Why, what’s going on?” I asked.

“Just do it!” Stellan pulled me forward.

We went into a sprint and ran as fast as we could. I stumbled and tripped, but still Stellan dragged me along. We were all breathing heavily. Elves were not physically fit. Where was Cass when we needed him?

I could feel the shadow, or whatever it was, following us as we ran. I felt the air whisking around behind us. I could even hear the air because it was so strong. As it got closer, I could hear Addison’s cries as we tried picking up the pace. However, it was no use. We couldn’t run any faster. It wasn’t enough.

“Stellan, can you teleport us out of here, or is it too far to Tarlore?” I asked, as I ran blindly through the trees.

“Yes, but I can’t teleport all of us at the same time!” he reminded me harshly.

“Then go with Addison and come back for me,” I suggested.

“No!”

“You have to!” I cried, my breath coming out in short gasps.

“I won’t leave you with that thing!”

“What is it, Stellan?” I finally asked.

“It’s an air fairy,” Addison informed me, her breathing labored.

I gasped and then made up my mind. “Take her, Stellan, please. They want me. Maybe I can stall long enough for you to take her to safety so you can come back for me,” I suggested.

Stellan looked from me to Addison and then nodded.

“I will be right back.” We stopped running. “Sit by this tree.”

“I will,” I promised.

“I….” Stellan looked at me with a deep worry in his eyes.

“Just go,” I told him.

There was no time for tears, remorse, or second thoughts. If we were to survive this, we had to do it fast.

He nodded and took Addison’s hand. Within a second, they were gone. I finally realized what I had done. I had sacrificed myself, but I couldn’t have let Addison stay behind with the risk of being hurt or killed.

I felt the air again before I saw the fairy. It was cold and chilled me to my bones. I wrapped my arms around my chest as I waited anxiously for Stellan.
He should be back by now
, I thought to myself. Had something terrible happened to him? Had something happened to Addison as well?

Then I saw
her
. She flew toward me, blonde hair flowing in the wind she created around herself. She wore a flowing white dress that went to her knees. It sparkled like thousands of white diamonds. Her feet were bare. She looked like an angel. If only she
was
an angel, and not a dangerous enemy.

In another instant, she was right in front of me.

~12~
After Effects

“Ramsey,” she greeted, in a delicate, light voice. I could see how satisfied she was, finally able to reach her catch.

“Yes?” I asked, as I looked up to meet her icy white eyes, trying hard to hide my fear.

“My name is Lura,” she said.

“Okay…hello,” I said, as calmly as I could.

Where was Stellan?

“Do you know why I came for you?” she asked sweetly, although it didn’t sound very convincing to me.

“Sorry, a little new to this Realm. You will have to fill me in,” I told her.

She laughed a bubbly little giggle that made me feel sick. She was my enemy, and she was laughing? What was wrong with her? Was she crazy? Maybe all Element fairies were….

“You’re special, Ramsey. You must know that. We just want to know
why
,” she explained.

“You mean the Element fairies want to know why, or just Finn?”

“How do you know about Finn?” she asked crossly.

“So you know him?” I probed her.

“Yes, I do. How do
you
know about him?” she asked.

“A wild guess,” I said sarcastically.

“Look, Ramsey, I don’t want to make things difficult,” she said, glaring at me. Her sweet attitude had vanished in an instant, replaced with annoyance.

“Then leave. That’s a great solution for you right there,” I suggested to her.

“I can’t do that.”

“What
are
you going to do?” I asked.

“I just want to have a talk with you. That is my only job,” she informed me, clasping her hands together. I wondered if that was the only way she could keep from lashing out at me.

“Then start talking,” I suggested.

“Do you know what your secret is?” she asked.

“How is that any of your business?” I wondered.

She smiled sardonically, her eyes narrowing into slits. “Everything about you is my business, Ramsey.”

“Sure it is,” I said, rolling my eyes and crossing my arms against my chest. Goosebumps pricked my skin. I didn’t know whether it was from fear of her or the bitter cold she radiated, causing the temperate around us to drop several degrees. Most likely it was a combination of both.

“Do you know your secret?” she repeated.

“No,” I told her out flat.

“I can tell you are not lying.”

“Really, you’re that good?” I asked, believing her to be stranger by the minute.

“Yes,” she said. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I replied, not knowing what else to say in response.

“Do you know where Zora is?” she asked this time.

I thought for a moment and shook my head. It was best not to say anything about my sister, just in case. “No,” I said.

I sort of lied that time.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said.

“How did you know about Finn?” she asked.

Unfortunately, my eyes widened enough for her to notice. How would I explain knowing Finn without telling her about the connection?

“Someone told me about him,” I lied.

“You’re lying,” she guessed right away.

“No, I’m not,” I replied in defiance. But my tone was too defensive for someone telling the truth.

“Yes. You
are
lying.” Lura’s eyes burned with aggravation.

“It doesn’t matter how I know about him,” I snapped.

She smiled. “Oh, but it does,” she expressed. “You found out about him in a very peculiar way, didn’t you?” The tenor of her voice was both teasing and insulting.

“Did I really?” I retorted, throwing some of her nasty attitude back at her.

She ignored my question and asked another of her own. “Where are you headed?”

“A place you’re not welcome,” I told her.

“I’m not welcome anywhere in your Realm,” she pointed out.

I shrugged. “I guess you’re right.”

“Where are you going?” she asked again.

“Where do you
think
I’m going?” I wondered.

“I’m getting really annoyed with your answers,” she said fiercely.

“That’s not my fault,” I said in my defense. “You wanted answers, and I gave you some. It’s your problem whether they are the ones you are looking for or not.”

“Are you going to the capital?” she asked.

“Maybe, but why would I tell you? You’re my enemy.”

“Stop messing with me!” she shrieked.

It was the worst sound I had ever heard; shrill and terrifying, but also terribly beautiful. I shrunk back against the tree. Her eyes were blazing with rage, and they reminded me of Finn.

“Sorry about that,” she said, fixing her hair and flattening down her dress. “Fairies have very good lungs for singing
and
for screaming when necessary.”

“I can tell,” I said, still shaken.

“Now, what are you going to do in Tarlore?” she asked.

“I’m going to party. I’ve never been to a capital before, and I’ve never met a queen.”

I smiled at her. She scowled, but then her eyes brightened.

“Ah, so you admit you are going there.”

I refused to be fazed.

“I love partying and sightseeing. Why wouldn’t I go there?” I asked her.

“What are you truly doing at the capital?” she demanded.

“I’m meeting the Queen. She wants to meet me,” I said instead.

“All right, that is all then. Thank you for your time.” She straightened herself and turned to leave. Her white wings started to beat.

“Wait!” I cried.

She stopped and turned back to face me.

“What?” Lura asked.

“That’s it?” I asked.

The white beauty watched me for a moment before replying, “Yes.”

“You really just wanted to talk?”

“For now,” she said. She smiled deviously and flew off, the beating of her white wings the only sound other than my swiftly beating heart.

I was stunned. What had just happened? She’d had a chance to take me, or even kill me. She hadn’t. Why? Fairies were becoming more intimidating and confusing by the minute. How could I have ever thought they were dainty little creatures who liked to live in my garden? I was so naïve.

In addition, where in the Realm was Stellan? He promised he would be back! How long would I have to wait? I knew it would be wrong of me to start searching, because I could get lost, and then he might never find me.

I buried my head in my lap, frustrated, but something shiny made me lift it seconds later. Sitting on the ground in front of me was a Mood Diamond. It looked just like mine, but I knew it was not the same one. Addison still had mine.

I understood everything now. The Element fairies knew I had made a connection with Zora, and Lura left me the Mood Diamond for a purpose. They wanted me to connect with my sister again. They wanted me to go to them. It didn’t matter that Lura had found me. It was Finn who really wanted to meet me.

Should I do it? Could I? There were huge risks, and I knew it. I could die. I knew it. They could kill Zora right there, and I could die with her because of the connection. I knew it. Yet I had to go through with it. I knew that as well.

After all, I had to connect with her again if I wanted to figure out where she was. I might as well do it now. I couldn’t sit idly by as she lay suffering in a room somewhere. I had to act. I feared where this connection would lead me, but I had to go through with it.

Against all better judgment – and before I could change my mind – I picked up the necklace and put it around my neck. Then I focused on Zora. I repeated her name aloud. I concentrated on no one and nothing but Zora. Then the burning came as it had before. It wasn’t as bad as the last time. This time I was prepared for it. It wasn’t as fiery; calmer, but still painful.

I waited for the darkness.

***

As both the darkness and the burning subsided, I found myself standing in front of Zora once more.

“Ramsey…why did you come?” she asked. Her voice was shaky and hoarse.

“Because I had to,” I said.

But had coming here been the right choice? Did I even have any good reasons to support my decision? Had I not thought about it enough?

Yes, coming here was necessary. I had to trust that instinctive feeling. Besides, this opportunity might help me identify Zora’s prison.

“They…they…wanted you here,” Zora said.

“I know that,” I told her.

“Go while you still can.”

“I would like to, but I can’t leave you yet. I still don’t know where you are, Zora.”

“I’m...,” Zora trailed off, coughing and placing a hand over her chest in pain.

I cursed under my breath. If I didn’t figure out where Zora was now, I would never find her.

I heard the door open; in came Finn and another fairy with a beautiful oval face, short blue hair, a sparkling blue mini dress, and blue high-heeled boots that went to her knees. She was radiant, even though she sort of reminded me of a Hollywood pop star. Her eyes, however, shone with strength and fierce determination. This fairy meant business. With all the blue, I knew right away that she was a water fairy.

The two exchanged a few words in a language I didn’t recognize. I remembered Addison’s remark to me about old languages, how some fae still spoke in their own tongue as well as in Common. When they were finished with their little chat, they turned to face us.