Journey into the Realm: The Stolen Child (Journey into the Realm Series) (15 page)

“Tavis,” I managed to whisper. “I’m…so sorry.” I felt my cheeks grow wet with hot tears.

He nodded gravely, although I could see the sorrow and fear in his eyes. “I came on this journey on my own terms. You have nothing to be sorry for,” he said.

His words only made the guilt pile up more. He was so forgiving. So unregretful. And that made me want to die. This wasn’t how it was supposed to work. I had known going into this that lives could and probably would be lost. But it wasn’t supposed to be Tavis. If anyone should die, it should be me. This was my journey. I would either live or die trying to finish it. No one else deserved the lesser fate.

I had berated him for his ignorance toward the fairies. Now, I realized that no matter how he felt about them, he cared for me. His acceptance of me was all that mattered, all that should have mattered. Unfortunately I had been too afraid of others not accepting me to notice someone when he did.

“How sweet. He forgives you. Too bad you must realize his loyalty to you right before I end his life,” the earth fairy said sweetly. Her lips curled into a cruel and twisted smile. And then the boulder appeared before our eyes.

“Ellie, please,” I croaked. “I surrender. Let him go. You promised.”

Terra laughed beautifully. “She may have, but I never did.”

Ellie turned her head away as Terra released the boulder.

But I saw everything.

The boulder hit Tavis with such force that it lifted and carried him backward until both he and the boulder careened into one of the trees lining Honeysuckle. An elder tree. It split in two upon impact, half of the tree crashing into the rowan beside it. The noise was deafening, but I couldn’t cover my ears. I couldn’t close my eyes either, even though I would have preferred to do so.

Even from afar – although I couldn’t see his body – I watched his blood seep into the ground, witnessed it paint the flowers red. If it weren’t for the rock holding me up, I would have fallen. Knowing he was pinned against the tree, knowing he was most likely dead…I couldn’t imagine having the strength to walk on my own again.

The earth fairy sighed and wiped her hands down her green dress. “I think that’s enough dirt and grime for one afternoon. I’m ready to leave whenever you are, Ellie.”

I screamed as loud as I could. How could she treat death so lightly? How could she wipe her hands of murder so carelessly?

“Oh, don’t fret. We are leaving now. No need to worry,” she assured me. “How wonderful it feels, to have finally caught you. So many have tried and failed, but Ellie and I have succeeded, and we will be rewarded kindly, won’t we, Ellie?”

“Of course,” Ellie replied quickly to her companion, but her eyes were trained on the boulder covering Tavis’s body.

With one clap, Terra undid the rock holding me captive. As I had predicted, I immediately dropped to the ground. The lovely smell from the flowers was comforting until I remembered the ones covered in blood not too far away. Grief-stricken and weak from my constraints, I could do nothing but lie there among the petals. Like Ellie, my eyes wouldn’t leave the boulder.

“Come along, then,” Terra instructed, kicking me with her boot like she had Tavis. I winced in anguish over the similarity. “I will make the circle now, and then we will all take a little trip.”

My blood began to boil. I felt myself become hotter. Angrier. Vengeful. I wanted Terra to shut up. I wanted it to be her blood soaking into the ground, not my friend’s. But I didn’t have the strength to kill her. And I didn’t have the strength to refuse her wishes.

“Ellie, ignore him,” Terra snapped. “He’s dead.”

Ellie tore her eyes away from the boulder. “I know,” she bit back. “Just make the circle. I’ll keep watch in case the others try to attack.”

Terra tossed her hair back, obviously bothered by being told what to do. But she followed Ellie’s orders and began preparing the circle. I looked away from the boulder so I could focus on Ellie. Clearing my throat, I said, “He could still be alive. You could save him.” I didn’t believe in my words much, but I knew playing on Ellie’s emotions was the last chance I had. I felt horrible using Tavis this way, but I didn’t have another choice.

“Even if he was, why would I want to do that?” she questioned, anger filling her every word. But I couldn’t tell who she was angry at: me, Terra, or herself. That uncertainty was enough to make me continue pressing her.

“Because you didn’t want him to die. I know that because you gave me the option of saving him. And I know it wasn’t a lie because fairies can’t do that,” I reasoned.

“You’re right,” she snapped, “I didn’t want to kill him. I didn’t think you would cooperate if I did. But then Terra came along, and she made a choice, and I didn’t see any reason to challenge it at the time.”

“What about now? Don’t you regret letting her do this?” I asked, praying I could get through to her. I could tell that Terra was almost done with the circle. Thankfully, she was too focused to pay any attention to my conversation with Ellie.

“It doesn’t matter now,” she said, her voice hushed. I could barely hear her. “He’s dead, and we’re handing you over to the King.”

I was going to argue further, but a far-off call stopped me from doing so. Ellie heard it as well. And we both recognized the source.

“Nathan,” I whispered. I struggled into a seated position. It was the best I could manage. I was still weak from the rock constriction.

Ellie suddenly whipped her head in my direction. “Don’t call him closer. Terra will kill him.”

“And what about you?” I challenged. “What will you do?”

I heard another call, this one from Elvina. They were all together; they had to be. They could save me if they got here in time. If I led them to me.

“Ellie, Nathan’s not alone.” I had no idea why I was telling her this. I didn’t know what I was trying to do. I was just following my gut. “Ellie, if you’re going to take me, take me now, before they come.”

The fire fairy’s hands fell to her sides. Her face displayed too many emotions for me to identify even one. Flames came to life and then died in her palms. “I…I can’t.”

“What?” I said, hope flaring in my chest.

She released a loud breath. “Call it an exchange. You spared me. I’ll spare you,” she muttered hastily. “Just kill her quickly.”

And then, wings unfurling, Ellie darted into the sky.

I couldn’t process what had just occurred. I had no words to explain Ellie’s actions. All I knew was that she was gone, and I had been given the chance to escape. I was going to take it.

“Nathan!” I screamed, feeling the strain in my throat. “Nathan!”

My sudden outburst alerted Terra. She turned from her nearly finished circle, probably to hit or kick me, but stopped when she noticed Ellie’s absence.

“Where did she go?” the earth fairy shrieked at me. “
Where
?”

“I don’t know,” I replied honestly, my voice hoarse from screaming Nathan’s name. “But she said something about killing you quickly.”

A startled gasp escaped Terra’s lips. Stunned that her partner had deserted her, she spent precious seconds staring at me wide-eyed in disbelief. And it was just enough time to implement my escape plan.

“Uproot!” I heard Nathan say.

Despite my situation, I grinned. He was using the elf spell that allowed him to lift any object and throw it with his own mind. I turned and noticed him holding the representation for the spell: the root from a tree. I remembered the last time he had used that spell, also against an earth fairy, back in Birchwood before I had even learned my secret, when he had saved my life.

Strengthened by Nathan’s presence, I struggled to my feet and started running to avoid the attack. I tripped and stumbled, but I managed to get far enough away. The rowan tree, already damaged, uprooted itself and sailed toward the earth fairy. With a final gust of power, Terra created two pointed spears of stone in retaliation. Choosing offense over defense, she threw the spears, one toward Nathan and one toward myself, and awaited her fate.

I threw myself out of the way just as the rowan collided with Terra. The massive tree crushed her completely. The chance of her survival was minimal. I sighed in relief. My knees and forearms were sore and raw from skidding on the ground to avoid the stone spear, but I was alive. Nathan had saved me yet again.

I had to exert even more effort to get up this time. Sweat dripped down my face and neck as I pushed myself off the ground. I finally stood, wobbly but balanced, and my eyes began immediately searching for Nathan. When I found him, I nearly dropped to the ground again, wasting all of the energy it had taken for me to stand. I clutched at my clothes in exasperation, gripping fabric between my fingers. Bile rose in my throat but I swallowed it down with panic, my breaths coming in shallow gasps and wheezes.

“No, no, no,” I muttered, as I took in the sight of Nathan with a spear through his abdomen. I started running toward him, staggering across the field until I was close enough to smell the blood. I dropped down at his side and frantically considered my options. He was barely breathing. Did I dare remove the spear?

“Aimee!” I screamed. There was so much blood. My head was spinning. My stomach was churning. My heart was beating too fast. “Aimee!”

I grabbed Nathan’s hand, shaking him lightly to keep him from slipping away from me. “Nathan,” I choked, tears clouding my eyes until all I could see was red. “You have to stay awake. You have to stay awake until Aimee gets over here to heal you.”

He didn’t say any heartfelt goodbyes. He didn’t promise that everything would be okay or that I should just leave him to his death. He didn’t tell me to hope for the best or fear the worst. He just nodded. And somehow his silence was worse than anything else he could have said because it confirmed how near he was to death.

I turned to see Aimee and Elvina gathered near the boulder where Tavis lay. Elvina was shaking her shoulders, trying to make her listen to my cries, but the elfen healer remained unmoving.

“He’s dying, Aimee! Please,” I begged, squeezing Nathan’s hand together. My fingers were slick with blood but I refused to let go.

She wasn’t listening. She was too focused on Tavis. Were it any other time, I would have been understanding. I would have accepted her grief, her unwillingness to react to the world. But the elf I loved was dying, so I didn’t care about her. I didn’t even care about Tavis. And I didn’t care how selfish that made me. Any healing spell I used wouldn’t be enough. Aimee was Nathan’s only hope.

“Tavis is dead,” I shouted. “You can’t do anything to help him. The earth fairy made sure of that. But you can make sure the same thing doesn’t happen to Nathan.” Just as I said his name, Nathan began to cough; a wet, gurgling sound that made me cringe. I released a suppressed sob, unable to contain myself. “Aimee, he doesn’t have much time.”

My final plea was enough to make her react. With one last look at Tavis and the boulder, she darted to my side, kneeling down onto the blood-soaked field. “When I say to, remove the spear as smoothly as you can,” she instructed. “I have a very small opportunity to heal him before he stops breathing.”

I nodded, assuming the most calm and focused attitude I could manage at the time. The time for crying was over. Aimee couldn’t do this on her own.

Aimee’s hands hovered over Nathan. Slowly, they began to glow with green light. When they were fully illuminated, Aimee gave the signal. I removed the spear. Nathan gasped as the stone left his abdomen. Aimee immediately positioned her hands above his wound. I couldn’t bear to watch. His injury was gruesome, muddled with ripped skin and oozing blood. I closed my eyes and prayed to God. Nathan cried out in agony.

After what seemed like a painful eternity, Aimee whispered, “It’s done.”

I opened my eyes. Nathan’s wound had closed, leaving a faint scar that would most likely disappear within a few days. The blood had disappeared, as if he had never been close to death. Heavy breathing and torn clothes were his only side effects.

“Thank you,” I said to Aimee.

She turned her gaze upon me, and her eyes blazed with anger. “I will never forgive you.” Without another word, she left us and returned to Tavis. I held my breath, watching her go, knowing things would never be the same between us. I had forced her to accept Tavis’s death too quickly in order to save Nathan’s life. I didn’t regret my choice, but I felt terrible for having to make the decision.

Nathan was still lying on the ground. I gave him my hands and helped him up. We stood facing each other awkwardly for a moment, until he finally reached for me. I went into his arms with an enthusiasm I hadn’t felt since the night I first told him I loved him. He held me tight, which made breathing difficult, especially after my time bound in stone. But I didn’t tell him to stop. I buried my face in his neck and gripped his pale hair between my fingers as I silently thanked God and Aimee for his survival.

“You’re safe. I’m safe. It’s okay,” he muttered against my hair, trying to soothe me.

“No, it’s not. You almost died. And Tavis…he –” I broke off, unable to finish.

“We should join the others,” he replied solemnly.

I nodded and released my hold on him, suddenly afraid that he and everyone else would blame me for what happened to Tavis, would blame it on the journey I was destined to take. But as soon as I stepped away, he took my hand, and fresh tears flooded my eyes.

“I’m here,” Nathan said, and those words reassured me that he at least was on my side.

Together we joined Aimee and Elvina. Aimee stood nearest to the boulder, her boots planted firmly in Tavis’s blood, completely fixated on the scene. Elvina stood nearby. Her eyes glistened, but no tears escaped. As a pureblood Woodland fairy, it was difficult for her to express sorrow, even after growing up in the Elf Realm.

I didn’t want to look at Tavis’s body, but I forced myself to out of respect for him and for Aimee. At this angle, I realized the boulder hadn’t landed on him as I had imagined before. It had rolled forward somewhat after its impact with the tree, leaving Tavis slumped against the trunk, his legs spread out and bent at odd angles, signaling numerous broken bones. His head had slumped forward. I was grateful, because I didn’t think I could bear to see his face.

I knew too many words of comfort would only make Aimee angrier with me, so I settled with: “I wish I could have stopped it.”

Her body language told me that she was either ignoring me or she was too focused on Tavis to comprehend my words.

“We should return to Honeysuckle,” Elvina suggested. “We were able to retrieve the crown from a hiding place within the city, but we still need a Flower fairy to make the circle. I saw Daur and Drasill disappear. The devastation of their trees was too much for them. The only way for them to recover was to leave the scene of the destruction.”

I nodded in agreement. “Then we should find a willing Flower fairy as soon as possible. Ellie…she flew off before you found me. I don’t know if she’ll come back.” I swallowed dryly, still unsure of what to think of Ellie’s choice to spare my life.