Lark (36 page)

Hidden in the Shadows until the time is right

Can heal the Cursed of their Underground prison

Then once more they will walk among the Light.

The One with Spirit though, holds the Key

To See what others cannot See

They will bring Light to the Dark

Only to perish but for the Grace of the Lark.”

He pauses and lets the words of the prophecy that has terrified me for weeks now sink in. They take on a completely different meaning to me now.

“Was it about us both?” I ask
Alberico.

“It is very possible. Though, it appears that at least part of the prophecy has been fulfilled. Jacoby’s spur of the moment trip to the Underworld resulted in bringing the Light Elves to the Dark Elves.  Without you, Jacoby would have perished, so that came true as well. Perhaps, the prophecy only warns of the possibility of the Dark Elves being healed from their curse. Maybe you do have the ability to heal them, but you chose not to.”

              “So what do we do now?

He sighs and a shadow crosses his face. “I guess all that we can do is
be ready.”

“I can do that,” I smile. I think last night I proved to myself and everyone else that I am more than capable of taking care of myself now. “So you really aren’t disappointed in me?”

“Of course not. Why would you think that?”

“Last night, after Dugan and his followers rushed off, you looked upset. I thought it was because I ruined everything you had been planning for weeks. I thought you were mad that I put the Light Elves at risk,” I choke on the words.  After everything he has done for me, I hate that I may have disappointed him.

“Of course I was upset. What kind of father would I be if I wasn’t upset that my only daughter put herself at risk like that? I never wanted you to have to go through any of that. If anything, I am disappointed in myself that I couldn’t defeat Dugan for you.”

My heart swells with affection for my father. I throw my arms around his neck and hug him tightly. 

“I love you, Dad.

             
“I love you too, Mia.”

Alberico
and I finish the rest of our breakfast talking about much more pleasant things than Dark Elves, like school and my job and even cheerleading.  Try-outs for next year’s squad will be in a few weeks and I’m in charge of organizing them. After our showdown with the Dark Elves, I’m more than confident I’m up for the challenge. In fact, I’m looking forward to doing something so completely ordinary again.

              After breakfast I head to Jacoby’s room as I promised earlier. I feel a little giddy about seeing him, even though I just saw him an hour or so ago. 

             
The door is ajar so I just let myself in.

             
“Jacoby?” I call out when I don't see him. Maybe he is waiting for me in my room.

             
I’ve never been in his room before, so curiosity gets the best of me, and I decide to take a look around. His room seems slightly smaller than mine, but that could just be because of the slate and gray tones making the room much darker than my pale gold room. I know his closet probably isn't nearly as massive as mine. Guys don't need all the extra space for their shoes.

             
I wander over to the large bay window. It faces the west so he probably has a perfect view of the sunset every night. I idly wonder which view would be more beautiful, my view of the lush gardens or his of the rich gold and pink hues of the setting sun. I decide it’s a toss-up.

             
“Hey, Lark.”

             
I turn at the sound of his voice to find him coming out of the bathroom.

             
Wearing nothing but a towel and a crooked grin.

             
“Oh! Sorry! I was just, uh, checking to see if you were ready to leave yet,” I stammer as the heat rises to my cheeks. Nobody should be allowed to look that good in a towel.

             
“Not quite yet,” he smirks slyly, gracefully sauntering over to me with his damp hair glistening.

             
“Um, well, I'll go. So you can finish, um, getting dressed.” I turn to leave but his hand catches mine.

             
He pulls me against his damp chest and places his hand on my back. He presses his lips lightly on my forehead before leaning down and kissing my lips. Even the lightest touch leaves me breathless and tingly, and I feel like my heart is seconds away from exploding with joy. I wonder if it will always feel like this?

             
I hope so.

             
“I'll be ready in a few minutes,” he sighs wistfully.

             
I’m still a little incoherent from the kiss, so I just nod.

              “Gotta get you home before bedtime,” he grins. “You've got school tomorrow.”

             
“
We've
got school tomorrow,” I correct him as I slowly make my way out the door, smiling brightly at the turn of events in my life.

             
I know that things aren't over yet. In fact, they are just beginning. I may be blessed by the Sun goddess, but I have royally pissed off the Dark Elf king. I know that he will eventually seek revenge. And when he does, I'll make sure I am ready to face the consequences.

             
But for now, I have other things to worry about.

             
Like homework.

Acknowledgements:

I’m incredibly lucky to have so many people willing to help me throughout this process.

Heather Sloan's enthusiasm for my story was a huge motivator. She believed in me from the very beginning
, and I honestly don't know if I would have been brave enough to ever finish Lark if Heather wasn’t cheering me on the whole way!

I’d like to thank
Maya Bentley for going through my manuscript with a fine-tooth comb. She has a keen eye, and any mistakes that you may have found can be entirely blamed on me going back and adding something after she edited it.

Komal
Lewis, author of
Impossible,
offered not only her support, but gave me a huge amount of advice and help as I was writing Lark and when I decided to self-publish. She even recommended my amazing cover artist!

Anna
Capezzera, Michelle Flick, and Elizabeth Hilburn read, edited, and offered their feedback, and I appreciate all of their help.

I want to thank my
husband, Zach, for not giving me (too much of) a hard time for spending so many late nights working on my story.  I’m sure I haven’t been the easiest person to live with the last year.  Heck, I’m sure I haven’t been the easiest person to live with the last six years, but he puts up with me and for that I gotta love him.   

And of course, thank YOU for taking the time to read my story. I hope you enjoyed reading Mia’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

About the Author:

Erica Cope lives in Missouri
with her husband and their three children. She has been writing short stories and poetry since she was a child, though Lark is her first novel. 

She enjoys knitting, pretending she knows how to play her guitar
, and reading pretty much anything you put in front of her.

You can find Erica
on Facebook, Twitter (@EricaCope3), and she blogs at ericacopewrites.blogspot.com.