Forged in Fire (The Forged Chronicles Book 3) (9 page)

“It would be wise of you to stop worrying about me and start worrying about your plan instead.”

“It is not simply my plan.”

“So you suggest.”

“Do you doubt my words?” I stilled.

“No.” Gregor shook his head. “Blake wanted Belgard the most.”

“He did.” But he wanted more than the place. I had seen enough memories to understand that. It was his obsession with Emma that drove him. “Everything is going to work out, Gregor. Have no fear.”

“You do have the Cipher in you.” Gregor laughed.

“I do.”

“And you will do what it takes to secure a dark kingdom?”

“I will do everything.”

Gregor wrinkled his brow. “Only time will be the judge of that.”

I
no longer felt nervous
. I had been through so much already I wasn’t sure anything could be worse. Sure there was the possibility of death always looming there on my subconscious, but that possibility wasn’t going anywhere. The bigger issue was making sure no one else in my life or otherwise was in danger.

I thought of Grace. Had the wolves found her yet? How would I even know? It’s not as if I had a phone that would work in Energo. If I had more time I would go back to Charleston before Belgard, but if James was right and my entire world was in danger, what would that do? Besides who would I even contact? I had no clue who these wolves were or how they could help. Once again I’d been reckless and gone along with something. That seemed to be happening with increasing frequency.

“Are you planning to start talking?’ Elron broke me out of my thoughts. I had promised to tell him the story, and I couldn’t put it off much longer. Part of me didn’t want to share, but a larger part of me did. Even if it weren’t for the gut instinct that I could trust him, I wanted to get it off my chest by sharing my screwed up story with someone else.

“It all started with an invitation to housesit.” That really was the beginning, and there was no better place to start.

“As in to watch someone’s house while they were away?” Elron asked.

“Yes. A former professor approached me about it. It sounded perfect. Live in a beautiful home in an ideal location rent free, what practically broke twenty-something wouldn’t jump at that?”

“Twenty-something? I assume that has to do with your age.”

“Yes.” I nodded.

“Ok, continue.”

“I said yes, moved in. And nothing really happened for a while.” I was getting used to the feel of the horse under me, but I was definitely ready to get the ride over with.

“But something eventually did, otherwise this would not be your story.”

“Exactly. And yes, something major did.” Or rather someone did. I still remembered the first time I set eyes on James. I would never forget it.

“And what was that?”

“I found an attractive guy in my bed.” That was the understatement of the century. My heartbeat accelerated just thinking about James.

Elron exhaled sharply. “Oh.”

“I mean I literally found him there. I came into my room after a shower, and he was on my bed.”

Elron cleared his throat. “How did that happen?”

I hoped Elron wasn’t picturing me after a shower. Maybe the throat clearing was because of the general situation. “He thought the house was empty.”

“But it was not.”

“Nope. And it turned out he knew the people who owned the house. He especially knew the girl who had lived in my room.”

“Has the girl passed into the realm of the dead?” Once again he used that terminology.

“No. She is alive and very well.”

“Am I correct that you are hinting at something with your words?” Elron asked.

“Possibly.” I rolled my shoulders back in an attempt to get some of the tension out.

“Who is she?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try me. I have an open mind, and I have accepted your word so far.” He made a reasonable point. “Besides, I already have a suspicion.”

“You do?” Maybe it was more obvious than I thought.

“Yes. Clearly she is important and was in the lost world. There is only one young woman that fits that description as far as I know.”

“How do you know I am from the lost world?”

“Your speech, your mannerisms, the name of your birth place. You admitted to not being from Energo, so it was the most likely place. Besides you claim to know the Essence.”

“Charleston isn’t where I was born.”

“Where was it then?”

“Chapel Hill.” North Carolina seemed even farther away than South Carolina. That part of my life seemed like a distant memory.

“I have never heard of it.”

“If the world was lost, how has anyone heard of it?” It was a question I had been mulling over since I first heard the term.

Elron chuckled. “It was not lost in that sense.”

“Then how was it lost?” That wasn’t enough of an answer.

“It was left behind.”

“Meaning?” I pressed.

“It was separate, and none of our nations wanted anything to do with it.”

“Why not?” I found I was insulted even though the exclusion wasn’t personal at all. Still, it felt as though someone were disparaging my family.

“More reasons than I can recount right now. It is more important that you continue your story.”

“More important for you maybe,” I mumbled. No one ever wanted to answer my questions, but at least he’d told me something. That was better than what I usually got.

“It is important for you too. Do not discount the importance of visions.”

“I already told you a vision got me in trouble.” Thinking of the Gregor vision made me think about Grace and the wolves again. I really hoped she was okay.

We were riding parallel to a river—or really a stream. The water flowed over large rocks as It meandered along in curves alongside us. If time weren’t an issue I would have asked to stop the horse to check it out.

“But maybe it needed to happen. Ever consider that?”

“I didn’t need to be thrown into a frozen lake.” It was an experience I had no interest in experiencing again.

“Thrown into a frozen lake?” Elron asked with surprise. “You need to keep talking. There are a lot of holes for you to fill in.”

“Where was I?” My thoughts were all over the place.

“The part where you found a man in your bed.”

“That sounds far worse when you say it.” I was glad I didn’t have to look him in the eye.

“There is no judgment in my words. If you feel it, you are creating it yourself.”

“Ok, so yes. I found a man in my bed. I freaked out, but I also acknowledged he was singlehandedly the most attractive man I’d ever met.”

“Quite a statement.”

“I stand by it.” And I knew that wasn’t likely to ever change. Every inch of James appealed to me.

“What happened with the most attractive man you had ever met?”

“He wouldn’t leave. A neighbor assured me he was really friends with the family who owned the house.” I remembered my relief at finding out his story was true. I’d still been mad, but at least he had some business being there.

“I bet that was reassuring.”

“It was. Somewhat.” It seemed almost comical how upset I’d been over something so minor compared to everything else that had happened.

“And then?”

“And then we found the house broken into and a slip of parchment with my name scrawled on it.” So much had changed with a single piece of parchment. It was crazy.

“What kind of parchment?”

“Parchment with the guys’ family symbol.” This was it. I was laying out all my cards and hoping that Elron was as trustworthy as I needed him to be.

“Family symbol?” He asked. “Do you mean a crest?”

“Yes. A crest.”

“And what family are we talking about?” His voice was filled with curiosity.

I braced myself. Either Elron would freak out or he wouldn’t. He would definitely recognize the name. I was sure of that. “Mendel. It was the Mendel crest.”

Elron said nothing, and the silence was nearly deafening. I looked out into the early morning sunlight. As much as the morning signified the passing of time, I was glad for it. Things didn’t seem quite so terrifying in the light of day.

“Ok, the suspense is killing me.”

“I am processing what you said.”

“Could you process it faster?” My patience was almost non-existent.

“Processing that you are involved with James Mendel is difficult.”

“Have you met him?”

“No.”

“But you know of him?” Maybe James was right. Everyone assumed the worst about him.

“Everyone knows of him.”

“He is not like his—” I stopped. Was that even true anymore? He’d certainly made it sound like everything had changed. Still, I refused to believe inside he wasn’t the man I loved. James was kind. He cared deeply for those he loved, and he only wanted to protect his land and people. But on some level I also accepted that he had changed. The darkness was changing him, and I hoped there was still a way to stop it.

“Why did you stop?”

“Because the story gets crazier.”

“Crazier than you falling for the son of darkness?” Elron’s voice lilted.

“Yes.” Listening to James explain how he’d accepted his father’s help for a price had been the craziest and scariest thing I’d ever heard.

“Then please by all means continue.” There was something almost hypnotic about Elron’s voice. It had a velvet richness that wrapped around you and make you want to talk even if only to hear more of it.

“He brought me to Energo. I tried to run away. I realized I was safer here. Then we went back to the lost world.” It was strange how it was easier to refer to it that way now. “Long story short, I got pulled in by the zombies.”

“You are missing details.”

“I am.” I sighed. “Lots of details.”

“I need to know some of those details.” His voice was at once kind yet demanding.

“There were wolf shifters involved.” That was an important detail, and one that I wouldn’t have believed if I hadn’t seen them with my own eyes. I’d never thought to ask James about Denny and Talen. Although I had hoped to find Talen back in Icentris—well that was before I’d run into Elron.

“Interesting.”

“Two types of wolf shifters,” I added.

“Very interesting. The different groups of wolves do not usually get along.”

“I can’t say these got along either.” I remembered the initial meeting with the Dire Wolves. It was Talen that caused the biggest problem.

“Ok, continue.”

“And so I got pulled through a hole like I told you.”

“With corpses,” he interjected. “The corpses part is important.”

“See I did already tell you a lot.”

“But not everything.”

I nodded. “Ok. So then I ended up back in Energo, saw the stuff from my vision, got thrown into a frozen lake with a bunch of other guys, and then James rescued me.”

“Putting aside the part about there being a bunch of
guys
in the lake.” Elron said guys as though it were a dirty word. “If James rescued you, where is he now?”

“In order to rescue me he needed to get help.” I closed my eyes and focused on the feel of the wind rather than the dark reality I was about to share.

“And where did he get help?” Elron asked when I didn’t continue.

I took a few long deep breaths and opened my eyes. This was the part I didn’t want to explain. I had no idea how Elron would respond, but I doubted it was going to be as calmly as he had with everything else. “The Essence refused him.”

“Oh…”

“Yes.” My whole body tensed. “And so he got help from the last place he wanted to.”

“The Cipher is not truly dead…” Elron wasn’t asking a question. “We have known it all along.”

“His body is gone.” Or so I’d been told. I’d been thrown into a world with no instruction manual. Then again, what kind of manual would that be: the history of evil incarnate and how to save your world from it?

“A body is only a temporary resting place for the Cipher’s power.”

“Yeah well, I think it’s using James now.”

“You think?”

I sighed. ”Ok, I know. James almost killed someone. The guy from my vision who is supposedly his half-brother.”

“Blake had another son?”Elron asked with what sounded like genuine surprise. Everyone may have known of James, but no one else seemed to know what else Blake had been up to.

“It seems that way.”

“Was there a reason this other son threw you in a lake?” Elron slowed the horse as we turned into the woods. He led us a little ways in before stopping in a clearing.

“Why are we stopping?”

“It is time for breakfast.”

“Can’t we eat on the horse?” Time was all we had, and wasting it couldn’t be a good thing.

“No.” He hopped off and held out his hand to me.

“Is it safe for us to eat here?” I glanced around at the trees surrounding the small open area.

“You tell me.”

“Why would I know more than you?” I accepted his hand. Despite not wanting to waste time, I was more than ready to take a break from the horse.

“You are the one hanging out with evil’s sons.”

“Hey.” I put a hand on my hip. “What ever happened to you not passing judgment?”

“That was about you finding a man in your bed. That situation was out of your control. You have the choice to pick who you spend time with.”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

“Meaning?”

“I am James’ kindred.” It felt strange to admit it out loud but also good.

“His kindred?” Elron spread out a blanket on the ground. He really did travel prepared.

I nodded. “Yes, so it may not have really been my choice.”

“Interesting.”

“I should probably also show you the other thing.” If I was going to trust Elron, I probably needed to trust him with everything.

“Show me the other thing?” He raised an eyebrow. “What other thing?”

I let out a long slow breath before revealing the mark below my collar bone. “This.”

Elron took in his breath. “Did James tell you what that mark meant?”

“He says it is the Mendel Crest. Their darn crest again.”

“It is that crest. Did he put it there?” Elron looked right into my eyes.

“No.” I shook my head. “Of course not.”

“So it just appeared.” Elron looked off into the distance before turning his attention back to me. “Did he tell you the symbolism of it showing up on your skin?” Elron ran his finger over the mark.

I jerked away.

“Sorry if that upset you, but I wanted to see something.”

I shrugged. “Thanks for the apology, but warn me next time you are going to touch me.”

“Did he tell you? About the symbolism?” Elron repeated his question.

“No.” Dread crept over me. “Why do I get the feeling I am not going to like what you have to say?”

“Because you will not.” His words were blunt.

I accepted them, and his point. “But I probably need to hear it.”