Meanmna: Book One of the Daearen Realms (13 page)

Later that night, Elwin and I climbed into bed fully dressed in our gear.

“
This is super uncomfortable. How am I supposed to fall asleep like this? And with someone watching me?” I nodded toward the guard inside the room. “Also, how do we know that we’re not going to stab ourselves while sleeping with this sharp stuff? I have a long and storied tradition of being accident prone.”

“
The guard will remain inside as we sleep because this is when we are most vulnerable. We won’t stab ourselves because we won’t move at all once we’re in the dream plane.” Elwin slid into the bed next to me and tucked me under his arm.

“A
t least I get to fall asleep like this, it’s my favorite way,” I whispered.

“
It’s mine, too.” Elwin kissed the top of my head and we drifted off to sleep.

In the dream plane, Elwin ra
n through a series of lessons and tactics, one right after another. Combat training was a lot harder than magic training.
This sucks!
I telepathically yelled at Elwin as I ducked behind a fallen tree. We were playing what amounted to a tenacious version of hide-n-seek involving weaponry. The goal was not simply to find someone, but to beat them in combat, and at the moment he was “it” and clearly winning. I heard a sound to my left and took off away from it, running smack into Elwin’s hard chest.

“
Ow! What did I do wrong that time? What did I hear over there?” I readjusted my sword and belt that had gotten knocked sideways on my hip.

“That time
I could still hear you from way over there.” Elwin pointed to a small stand of trees “That noise was the stick I threw to distract you. It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book. The bad guys will be cleverer than that. You need to try harder and focus. Use all your senses. Don’t just depend on one sensory input like sound to make a decision. Use all of your senses, and then analyze your next move before taking action.”

“
I
am
trying hard and focusing! I have never tried harder at anything. What I really don’t understand is why can’t I use my magic? This whole physical attack stuff seems pointless if I can just grab my wand, say ‘invisible’, and sneak away.”

Elwin eyes got really wide. “
Sarette! Where’d you go?” He turned in a circle and his hands were groping the empty air. “How did you do that?”

I brought
my hand in front of my face and realized that I couldn’t see it. “Holy crap! I’m invisible! I didn’t even touch my wand! How do I come back to land of the visible?” Elwin’s eyes widened again. “Can you see me now?”

“
Yes!” Elwin said. “You are amazing! I’ve never seen that type of magic before. I’ve never even
heard
of magic that strong.”

“
So, what’s next?”

“
I think we try this again, but this time you use your magic.”

“Really? What should I use?”

“You decide. I’m in unchartered waters here.” He turned and walked away. “You have two minutes before I turn around and start looking for you.”

I
ran in the opposite direction, but I could hear every step I was making as I crashed through the leaves and sticks on the ground.
This is ridiculous. Be quiet, Sarette.
I picked up the pace and could no longer hear my footsteps. I continued toward the lake and paused at the tree line. I quickly surveyed my surroundings and looked up.
I’m light as air.
I started levitating so quickly I let out an audible squeak.
Darn it! I hope Elwin didn’t hear that
. I waited until I was high enough to be hidden by the branches and leaves.
Stop
. I grabbed a nearby branch and lightly sat upon it. I could see Elwin below me, looking around.

“
I know you are over here! I heard that cute squeak of yours!” Elwin yelled from below me.

“
You think I’m cute?” I shouted.

He looked up. “
I think you’re beautiful. Come on, let’s see what you can come up with by the water.”

“
Sounds good.” I hopped off the branch.
Down gently.
Elwin watched in astonishment as I  floated toward earth. I looked up to where I had been and shrugged. “I really didn’t do much, I just thought light as air, stop, and then down gently. Not that I’m complaining, but shouldn’t it be a lot harder?”

“It is a lot harder than this,
for
every other
fey. There isn’t even a legend about a fey that can create magic in their heads without using a wand. You could be the first fey ever who can do that, so for now this needs to be our secret. When we are around other fey, you need to pull your wand and look like everyone else.”

“
Shouldn’t this prove that I’m strong enough to take care of myself? Or at least scare away the fey that want to kill me?”

“
I wish it would, but I suspect this information will make you even more of a target. And before you ask, I don’t think it changes your mating issue either. We need to get back to your training, come on.” Elwin turned and jogged to the shoreline like he couldn’t wait to get away from me.

I watched him, unable to move yet
.
I couldn’t understand why Elwin would think this wouldn’t change my mating issues. What reason did he have to say that? I certainly seemed powerful enough; he said himself that no fey could do what I could do. Maybe I was reading too much into his feelings for me. Maybe he really didn’t want me. Maybe, he just couldn’t say no when I threw myself at him
. Oh my God! That’s exactly what I have been doing, throwing myself at him.
My heart literally began to hurt as I walked to Elwin.

“
What’s wrong, Sarette?” Elwin asked.

“
Nothing.”

“It’s not like I like
the situation any more than you do. It is what it—”

“Don’t say it.”

“. . . is.”

I point
ed my finger at him, “You can be a real jerk sometimes.” Elwin jerked up about five feet into the air. “Holy crap! I’m not supposed to be able to do that.” I spun my finger around and Elwin’s body spun, too. I moved my finger over the water. Elwin swung out and hovered over the water.

“Sarette!” Elwin screamed.

“Oh sorry!” I brought him back to the sand and gently set him down. “I’m not supposed to be able to do that yet, right? That power only comes after I become spirit queen. How could I do that?”

“I have no idea.
You shouldn’t have enough power to do anything like that. It’s dangerous to use that much magic, Sarette.”

I smiled at him
, “I feel fine. This is a good thing . . . Ooooooow!” I screamed and doubled over in pain.

“Sarette!” Elwin raced over. I couldn’t support my weight and fell to my knees. I started dry
- heaving so hard I couldn’t get any oxygen into my lungs. The world looked fuzzy and I was starting to have tunnel vision. Elwin picked me up and walked with me. I was suffocating.

“Sarette, you need to fall asleep. Whatever happens in this realm will not follow you to the other. Please
, love.” I was lowered to the blanket and could feel the warmth of the fire on my back. Elwin was holding me tight to his chest. I held onto his shirt but couldn’t look in his eyes. I could not watch him as he watched me die. I was still gasping for air and it was becoming harder and harder to breathe. I could hear the death wheeze coming. I heard Elwin beg, “Please, just fall asleep. You don’t have to die for this to stop. Just please, oh God!”

I exhaled my last breath.

Wednesday December 17, 2014

I woke with a start the next morning. I started hyperventilating all over again as the memories of my death rushed through my mind. Elwin’s strong arms wrapped around me and I felt an instant sense of calm. We both sighed loudly and I said, “Well, I guess I won’t do that again.”

Elwin chuckled and said, ‘Please don’t.”

“Let’s shake a leg.” I kissed his cheek and bounced out of bed.

“You say the strangest things.”

We quickly packed our bags and were finally able to drink some coffee. Yes! They have coffee here! Caffeine is the best way to start a day—the
only
way to start a day. No matter how easily I awake or how much energy I have, I just don’t feel right without my morning joe. With our bags packed and all of our gear on, we set out to see what else needed to happen before we left.

In true form, Melinda was rushing around
, barking orders at her firefly follower people, fey, bugs, whatever. Lilly had gone to the top of the cavern to watch for our ride. I assumed it was a car, but I hadn’t seen a car yet in Daearen. Elwin headed to the exit while I took one last look around to make sure I had not forgotten anything.

As I was rushing down the hall to leave, t
he silent guard from last night stopped me. “Princess,” he said.

“
Yes.” I stopped quickly, almost losing my balance.

“
Godspeed! And, Goddess save the queen.” Of course he did the heart-fist-bow thing. I was still uncomfortable with the royal salute, but I realized that it “is what it is”. I needed to accept it as easily as a head nod from a passerby on the sidewalk or a smile in a hallway at school. I was still clueless as to the right response, but I decided to go with my gut. I gave him a quick hug. He raised his head and gave me a strange look.
Wrong again, Sarette. Say something to not look like a fool.
“Do the fey not hug? Because where I come from, a hug passes strength from one to another. It is a sign of sincere appreciation and kindness.”

He looked
at me for a second, a debate raging behind his eyes. He smiled and swept me into a bear hug—a too-tight bear hug, but it was a start.

“
Can’t . . . breathe. . .” I managed to speak and he set me down. I smiled at him and turned to find a receiving line of fey to the exit. All had their arms out; all had a smile on their face.
Did I just do that?
Wow.
I took the time to hug each and every fey on my way out. Lilly, Melinda, and Elwin were at the end of the line.

I grab
bed Lilly into a big hug and said in her ear, “Thank you! Thank you for helping me feel normal. That helped more than you can ever realize.”

“
Until we meet again, Sarette,” she whispered.

I move
d to Melinda and gave her a hug. She pulled back and said, “Godspeed, and may the Goddess keep you safe, Sarette.” She pulled me close for another hug. I saw her wipe her eyes as we parted.

I look
ed at Elwin. “Ready?”

He looked
at me with a proud look on his face and lifted my feet off the ground in a hug. “You are going to be the most amazing queen.”

You know I made that whole hug thing up
, right?

I don’t know
, Princess; I think you just gave them a lot of strength. You should look around.
He set me down and I looked at everyone. The fey were smiling. A couple of them were crying, a few were doing the heart-fist-bow thing. There was a different feeling in the room—a charged and exciting vibe that hadn’t been there before. I truly didn’t understand what I did, so I looked at Elwin.

He smiled
and said, “You have given them hope, Princess. Hope is a very powerful thing.” He took my hand and we stepped onto the invisible step. I turned around and waved as we went upward into the forest portal.

As soon as we broke the surface, Elwin took
off running with me in tow alongside the creek bed. A firefly ahead of us started blinking. Elwin noticed it and jumped to the other side of the creek. Ahead, I saw another firefly blink and Elwin ran straight for it. We kept running for another ten minutes and the trees started to thin out. I could see another firefly ahead of us. Elwin and I slowed down and he still had my hand in his. I was walking with my head down so I didn’t trip.

We kept moving toward the break in the trees. We stopped at the edge of the forest and I looked across the vista.

Oh my
God, this is our spot, isn’t it
? I spoke telepathically to Elwin.

Yes, this is where our crystal was found. We’ll have to come back again when we can enjoy it.
Elwin started scanning the lakeshore.
There they are. Remember, do not show your abilities.

I nod
ded and we walked toward the shore of the lake, hand in hand. I didn’t see anyone.
Where are we going?
Elwin nodded and kept walking toward the water. I followed his gaze and saw two male fey standing on the water thirty feet out.

“
Get your wand out,” Elwin mumbled an incantation as he pulled out his own wand.

How about I just do it right? God and Goddess please, I need help.
I took a deep breath and we both walked onto the water.
Thank you, God and Goddess.
When we got close to the fey, I could tell that they were brothers because their features were so similar. Both had curly bleached-blond hair, one wore his shaggy hair to the top of his ears; the other man’s hair brushed the tops of his shoulders. Their eyes were the same shape, the one with the shorter hair had dark brown eyes and the other had bright blue eyes. They were both bare-footed and wearing board shorts and swim shirts, but in different colors. They were shorter than Elwin’s six-foot-three inches, but with their broad shoulders, thick strong arms, and strong muscular legs, they looked like a couple of California surfers. When we reached them, they did the heart-fist-bow thing.

“
Hi,” I called out, wasting no time with formalities.” Is there an invisible boat or something? You
are
our ride, right?”

They both look
ed at me, straightened and, in unison, looked at their feet. I followed their gazes downward and saw four giant seahorses below the surface of the lake. Seahorses the size of real horses—only in la-la land.

“You have got to be kidding me,” I said under my breath as the two fey started
waving their wands and murmuring something I couldn’t understand. The four of us began to sink underwater. We mounted the seahorses like cowboys mounting their steeds in an old Western. I was holding my breath as my head went underwater. My oxygen was running out and I started freaking. I looked around nervously to see what I should do. The twins and Elwin were talking and laughing like nothing was unusual.

“Huh?”
I exclaimed and a bubble leaked from my mouth.

One of the twins
said, “Breathe normally.”

I can’t breathe underwater
; that’s how people drown.
My lungs were burning and I couldn’t see the surface anymore because my vision was starting to get spotty. I was panicking but I had no choice. Prepared to die, I took a breath and expected water to fill my lungs. But it didn’t. It felt normal, just like breathing air. “How is this possible? I’m underwater, riding on a seahorse. How am I breathing?”

Elwin sa
id, “Princess Sarette of the Spirit Fey, I would like you to meet Ray...” He pointed to the fey with chin-length hair, “…and, Mike Jones of the Water Fey.”

“
Jones? That’s not a very fey-sounding name.”

“And what does a fey-
sounding name sound like?” Mike asked.

“I have no idea
,” I said. “I’m new here.” Mike laughed and Ray looked a little annoyed. “So how am I able to breathe underwater like a fish? I can see schools of fish over there—how are they breathing air?”

“Everything works differently here than where you’re from. This water is magic. It feels and acts like air to us, but it acts and feels like water to fish.
The water magic also provides something akin to gravity. You wouldn’t be able to get off the seahorse and start swimming now. You’d drop and hit the ground with as much force as you would on dry land. The plants are aquatic so they are sustained. Only the Water Fey can stay here indefinitely. Our bodies adjust automatically, but everyone else needs a Water Fey to spell them so they can stay under water for longer periods. When you are in a building under here, it will be air filled and everything will be completely normal,” Mike explained.

I watched as a school of a thousand s
ilverfish swam by. “I feel like I’m a Bubble Guppy. Maybe Angela Lansbury is going to fly by on a bed with a knob and a broomstick any second.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about, but we have to go. Father is waiting to meet you.” Ray took off on his seahorse.

“How do I get this thing to work?” I asked. “Whoa!” The seahorse took off after Ray. I heard Elwin and Mike laugh behind me. Elwin caught up and rode next to me on my right side and Mike caught up to his brother.

I think we were about one hundred
feet from the bottom and about forty feet below the surface. Instead of talking, I looked around to take in everything and was amazed at what I saw. I could see large solitary fish and schools of small fish whisking around. The seascape was dotted with brightly colored plants at the bottom and small reefs and boulders. They all had so many colors, elegant off-shades of the rainbow that appeared to glimmer.

It did
n’t feel like we were descending, but I noticed we were getting closer to the bottom. We leveled out about fifty feet above the lake floor. The closer we got to the bottom, the more clearly I could see the life below.
Wow, I can actually see fey down there. This is so crazy.
If it wasn’t for the fish swimming by, I would have thought we were above the surface. Next was a farm and someone tending a flower garden. There was a field filled with vegetation I didn’t recognize, and a guy was using an old-fashioned plow attached to a cow-sized fish with legs. To me, the creature looked like a scientific rendering of what a dinosaur fish would have looked like.

We
passed over the undersea farm and I could see a mountain of coral a mile ahead of us. The road below us continued on and was cut through the giant coral reef. About one hundred feet from the coral mountain, Ray and Mike stopped and then dropped down like an elevator. I looked at Elwin just as my seahorse started dropping. I let out a squeak.

“
That squeak is so cute,” I heard Elwin say, and then down I went. I felt like I was on the Demon Drop ride at Cedar Point, my favorite amusement park. We came to a jarring stop at the bottom of the lake. The four of us closed the distance to the mountain and I looked up. The reef was at least eighty feet tall and I couldn’t see how far it reached to the sides. The four of us entered the road that was cut in the reef ahead of us. We were probably on it for a mile or so when Ray and Mike stopped their seahorses and got off. The seahorses swam past us, back the way we came. Elwin and I dismounted as well.

“T
hank you,” I said as I got off.

It was my honor
, Princess,
I heard in my head before my seahorse swam away.

When I looked back at the
brothers, I noticed that Ray had a strange look on his face. He quickly masked it and said, “We have to go by foot the rest of the way into the city. Tonight, you guys will stay with us. Tomorrow, we will escort you to the other side of the lake for the next part of your journey. What are your arrangements for the next leg, Elwin? Do you need us for anything?”

“No, we don’t need anything, thank you.”
Elwin had his poker face on and I wondered what he was thinking. The brothers turned toward the side of the canyon with their wands raised. I couldn’t hear what they said, but a giant boulder rolled to the side, revealing a hidden path. We followed them in and I heard the boulder roll back in place.

The space looked like the canyon at the end of
Indiana Jones and the
Last Crusade
. The cavern was only four feet wide, requiring us to walk single file. Ray had the lead, followed by Mike, and Elwin was behind me.

I don’t like this
, Elwin. We could get trapped here very easily. A boulder could fall. We could get attacked from above. Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but something doesn’t feel right.

Trust your instincts
, Sarette. There is nothing wrong with being cautious. Be ready for anything. I’ve never come this way before. Something is off.

Lights up ahead revealed the end of the cavern
, then our path opened up and we exited onto a ledge overlooking a large space. We continued down a steep incline and approached a road. I followed it with my gaze and saw a small city in the distance. Mike smiled at me and I thought to Elwin,
Nothing happened, I guess there was nothing to worry about.