Mark of the Princess (16 page)

“Yes, thank you.” She said quietly, staring into the fire knowing her cheeks were flushed and hoping that the light of the fire would conceal them.

“We’ll find her you know. She will be alright. He wouldn’t hurt her, at least not much.” She pulled her head back and looked at him with a questionable and somewhat disgusted look. “No, I mean that he probably wants to just use her as a bargain. He knows that the wrath of the five kingdoms would fall upon him if he hurt her badly.” Tristan explained nervously.

“I suppose so.” Evyette said, still unsure if he could be right. She laid her head back on his chest, as he released a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

“Have you ever been to the mountains? I mean besides to see the dragons?” She asked, hoping he would say yes and ease some of her anxiety.

“I don’t know. But it is very strange that it is not a ransom. It can’t be, otherwise a letter or message would have been left just as she was taken or shortly after.” Tristan responded, disappointed that Evyette had moved.

Evyette sat quietly as the boys discussed possible situations of what Maligo could be planning and possible situations they could encounter in the mountains.

For a moment she wished that she had the connection with Alannah that Alannah’s mother did. She wanted to know that her sister was alright. That she was alive and to let her know that they were coming for her.

The conversation had long since ended and Kaleb and Tristan were sleeping. Evyette sat looking at the fire and listening to the forest around her. All the sounds seemed amplified tonight. She rehearsed spells in her mind to keep her occupied. Preparing for what they may encounter.

For a moment she thought she had heard footsteps, but when she reached over to rouse Tristan the noise had stopped.
Forest creatures
she thought.

Although she knew that Kaleb and Tristan had laden the area with glamour and that they couldn’t be seen to anyone else, she was unusually nervous.
We probably should have put some protective spells around the camp
she continued thinking as she looked around.

She looked at Tristan, even asleep she knew it would make her feel better just to look at him, but he was facing in the other direction. His dark golden hair sprawled onto the old log he used in place of a pillow.

Suddenly she felt something tighten around her neck. She reached around her but couldn’t grasp anything. It was as if something was choking her. She reached for Tristan but was too far, the tips of her fingers grazing his hair as she gasped for air that she couldn’t take in. The force that was strangling her pulled her down, she tried to stand but couldn’t. It was as if there was something pushing her onto the ground. Her eyes began to water as she realized that there was nothing she could do. She couldn’t even recite a spell. She tried to think of the words to a spell, any spell, but they were pushed away by panic. She had stopped kicking and writhing as her energy drained from her body along with her life. As her body began to go limp she saw a flash of light, and the force pulling her down and choking her released it’s hold. A dark shadow stood a mere couple of feet from her. Her invisible attacker was not so invisible anymore.

“I
ncendium!
” the bolt of fire shot out of Tristan’s hand, past her and at her attacker propelling him into the dark forest.

Tristan ran over to her as Evyette laid sprawled on the floor barely breathing. Evy tried to catch her breath but the pain on her throat was unbearable. Almost as unbearable as her lungs screaming for air that for some reason they still weren’t taking in.

“Evy.” She heard Tristan but it was as if his voice was a thousand miles away.

“Evy! Breathe, Evy Breathe!!” Suddenly as if her body decided that it had had enough she gasped, and then again. She reached instinctively for her throat but remembered that nothing was there anymore, save for the medallion that hung around her neck falling just beneath her collarbone, and now the trickles of blood coming down from where she had been choked.

“What… What was that? She asked, stunned and panicking looking in the direction Tristan had shot the fire at.

Tristan sat her up and held her against him. “Evy, it looked like a Night Spirit. I’m not sure if I killed him, but I know he is gone.” Suddenly she grabbed onto him as if she were falling and needed to hold on to something. As if he were her only hope of living. He held her back just as tightly. He ran his fingers through her honey hair, as he felt her tears wet his shirt.

“It’s ok Evy. You’re alright now. I won’t let anything happen to you.” He whispered reassuringly.

Kaleb walked the perimeter of the camp with his sword at the ready. Using his powers he searched as far as he could but with it being so dark it was difficult even for him. He came over and knelt down in front of Tristan and Evyette. “Evy. Let me look at your neck. Some of these Night Spirits can do some very serious damage. I know a number of healing spells if you need.”

She reluctantly let go of Tristan and pulled her head back for the boys to see. Judging from their reaction she knew that some damage had been done. There was a deep fine line across her neck that was bleeding. It was as if someone had cut her with a thin blade.

Her skin was still pale but regaining some color, her eyes were sunken and bloodshot it was then that Kaleb and Tristan realized that she had been on the brink of death when Tristan attacked the Night Spirit.

Night Spirits were malevolent spirits. They could temporarily make themselves invisible, and can also wound a person or animal as they so desired. Often times they were the spirits that come to claim your soul before the angel of death can. They were not common or welcome in the forests but it was hard to banish them all since they were so difficult to find.

Kaleb began to examine the wound to make sure that it wasn’t deeper than it looked and then began to recite some healing spells. He pulled a vial from his belt “Drink this. Used in conjunction with a well placed spell, the potion can promote quick healing.” He explained, handing her the vial.

As she put it to her lips she instantly smelled the lavender oil, rosemary and other plant derivatives. The taste stung her sore throat but began to work right away, she handed the vial back to Kaleb and mouthed ‘Thank You’, she wanted to speak but the words just wouldn’t come out. She didn’t know if it was the exhaustion of fighting the creature, the damage it did to her or just that she wanted to retreat inside herself for a bit.

Kaleb smiled at her and put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly before going back to where he had been sleeping.

She looked at Tristan who had just gotten up and walked over sitting down against a large tree. Without saying a word he held out his hand. She felt like he had read her mind. She slowly stood and made her way to him. She collapsed onto him, her head resting against his chest. She wasn’t thinking of what to do next, she wasn’t thinking of what else might happen to her, about the sadness and anger and frustration and confusion that she had been carrying around for days… She was just there with him… and her eyes closed.

Morning came sooner than they thought, the sun shined right through the trees onto their campsite waking them all. Evy reached a hand to her throat and realized that her cut had become a thin scar.

“Soon the scar will be barely visible. The healing potion and spell that Kaleb used is powerful and since he applied it right after it happened, it should heal immaculately.” Tristan said, looking down at her, breaking the early morning silence.

“I can barely remember what happened.” Evyette said softly, sitting up and stretching.

“Trust us, you do not want to re-live it.” Kaleb’s voice came from behind her. He had already doused the fire, and put on all his weapons. He walked around her and reached out a hand to help her up.

She smiled a warm and thankful smile. As soon as she was up on her feet, she flung her arms around him and hugged him. It was so unexpected that he took a moment to hug her back. She pulled away and looked at him with the most sincere eyes.

“Thank you for healing me.” She said sweetly, her eyes as large as a doe.

“Anytime.” He replied with a smile and shook his head.

She turned to face Tristan but found she was looking directly at his chest since he had already stood up. She looked for a moment at the marks that came out from under his slightly unbuttoned shirt that was stained faintly with her blood.

“I don’t remember much from last night,” she started, “but, I know that you saved me. You got that thing off of me and you didn’t let me go…” As she spoke Tristan slipped his hands onto either side of her face along her jaw line, tilting her face up to meet his. Her honey eyes were not bloodshot anymore. The dark circles around them were gone and she wasn’t anywhere near as pale as she was last night. “I just want to than-”

Suddenly his lips brushed softly against hers. Her hands that had been at her sides, found their way to his hips. His lips were soft and tasted of nectar. He pulled her closer and slipped one of his hands onto the back of her head tangling his fingers in her hair. Evyette wrapped her arms around him, feeling the cords of muscles along his back.

He pulled back slowly and smiled at her, his hands on either side of her face, his thumbs caressing her cheeks. “You don’t have to thank me Evy.”

Evy. No man had ever called her that. She never gave them permission to. But when Tristan said it, she wanted him to say it again. Evyette stood too stunned to speak but was smiling wide, a smile that reached up to her eyes.

* * *

Alannah’s shoulder was hurting, but not nearly as much as it was the night before, it was as if she could almost feel it healing itself.

She thought back to all the running and climbing that they had done the night before.

How Brennus saw her exhaustion and agreed to stop for the night, also reminding her that he had to take the rest of the arrow out of her shoulder before it began to infect. She didn’t want to seem weak in front of a warrior faerie and agreed in an instant. He sat Alannah down on a tree stump and kneeled in front of her. Grabbing her shoulder with one hand and the arrowhead with the other he looked at her frightened eyes.

“Now hold still.” He held his hand around the wound and began reciting spells that she had never heard. Not wanting another snide remark she waited for him to finish to ask what he was doing. But it wasn’t necessary. As soon as he removed his hands she realized that she wasn’t bleeding anymore and her wound had even started to close a bit.

“It tore through some muscle but that will heal as well.” Brennus explained as he got up and searched around for a place to sit.

“I have never heard those spells before.” Alannah said, still gazing at her wound in amazement, and using the edge of her wet skirt to clean the blood of her skin.

Brennus sat down on the ground letting out a sigh.
He may be a warrior but even the amount of action we saw tonight tired him
. Alannah thought to herself.

“They are in the ancient language of the warriors.” Brennus said examining his own wounds, determining which to start with. She watched as he recited several of the same healing spells on his own wounds. He was the first faerie that she had met that not only could heal that quickly, but was almost covered in The Marks.

“So tell me
Warrior Faerie,
” she said, raising an eyebrow, “why did they have you there?”

“I was kidnapped when I was leaving on a journey some time ago. Since then, they have been trying to use spells to get me to lead some army they kept speaking of. I have been trained to guard my mind so that those spells that they used cannot affect me, but it was draining.” Brennus responded, searching himself over for any remaining wounds.

“I can see that you are very skilled and that a simple unlocking spell is something very well in your reach. How come you didn’t try to escape before?” Alannah questioned him, marveling at the speed at which he was healing.

Brennus chuckled and even smiled a bit. “True, that I could have done that. But because they knew that, they continued to pour potions mixed with demon blood into my cell to keep me drugged and physically weak. I was fortunate that in the last days, the sorcerer was too busy to remember about me… of course, I am sure that is because his mind was on you.”

“Demon blood?” She retorted, confusion filling her features.

It was then that he realized that she did not know about dark magic, or what Maligo was truly capable of.

“Alannah, Maligo is more powerful than you think. He has called upon demons to help with this plan of his.” He walked over and sat on a large rock beside her. She watched how the moonlight fell across his hair and face and gleamed off of his markings. His hair was such a dark black that it was almost blue, his skin beneath the marks was tanned.

“When a sorcerer calls upon demons for help he can be more powerful than fifty sorcerers combined. Don’t get me wrong, it comes with a price, a hefty price. But whatever he has planned he usually deems worthy of that price. In exchange, these demons help him usually by providing strength in spells or binding. Demon blood is pure liquid evil. If you touch it, it will burn you. Mix it with a weakening or binding potion and it will make it ten times more powerful.” Brennus explained, a solemn look on his face.