Mira's Hope (25 page)

Turning back toward the way she’d come, she
grimaced and shuddered at the thought of walking past her loved
ones again. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew they
weren’t real, but their images would haunt her painfully for the
rest of her life. No one should have to see their loved ones die in
such a fashion whether in reality or dreams.

Squaring her shoulders, she strode
purposefully across the cavern and into the opposite tunnel making
quick work of it. It took a considerable less amount of time to get
through on the return trip than it had when she had first traveled
it. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the room that she knew
would hold her love’s body. She was determined to keep her eyes
focused on the tunnel that led out, but she couldn’t help glancing
down as she passed by the area she knew he would lay. There he was,
face white, blood surrounding him, sword still pointing out in an
awkward angle. Tears sprang up to her eyes, although her grief
remained in check. Before her eyes, he seemed to dissolve away into
nothingness, leaving behind a dark place where his blood had
spilled out, draining him of life. She stifled a choke, realizing
that this was the cave’s way of saying that she had won. She had
bested her worst fears and was worthy of taking the Sword of Lumina
as her prize.

Holding her head up, she crossed the room at
almost a run and traveled through the next tunnel, desperate to get
past the bodies of her family and to get out of this horrid place.
Entering the next cavern, she didn’t bother to avert her eyes, but
instead sought out the bodies of her family, hoping to see them
dissolve away just as Elenio’s image had. She found them quickly
and was rewarded by the quick disappearance of their bodies as
well. It was like watching rain fall up instead of down, the result
of particles leaving the solid form of their bodies and
disappearing into the magic of the cave. She took a deep, shaking
breath, thanking Mira profusely for this small comfort. The ragged,
broken mess her heart had been, started to heal, her mind becoming
whole once more. She would be able to do this. She would avenge her
father and brother’s death, for she remembered they had really died
in the world beyond the cave.

She found Venia and Jamin’s bodies and
watched as they too, rejoined the cavern walls and surrounding air,
never breaking pace as she did so. The cave’s entrance was not far
off and she knew she would find the real Elenio, safe and waiting
for her just beyond the mouth of the cave. She quickened her pace,
anxious to get out. Her heart still ached with the rawness of what
she had been through and she somehow doubted if her mind would ever
wholly heal, but she’d passed the test. She’d proven she was worthy
of wielding the Sword of Lumina.

Ahead a ways off, she could see the light of
day shining bright, tempting her with its false warmth as she knew
it was still the dead of winter. Each footstep brought her closer
to the light, changing from a tiny dot to something more real,
something she could easily reach. The blood that had soaked her
clothes was drying now, rubbing against her skin in an irritating
sort of way.

I am going to burn these clothes the first
chance that I get,
she thought wearily. Other than the sword,
she wanted nothing surrounding her to remind her of the horrible
events that occurred in this magical place. As long as she lived,
she would never tell of the horrors that awaited her inside the
cold stone walls.

Moving quickly, the sword at her side, she
took the last few steps toward the mouth of the cave. Using a hand
to test the barrier that had been there at the start, she was
relieved to discover her hand easily penetrated it now. The test
was over. She could leave the cave behind and continue with the
final part of her journey. Taking a deep breath to calm her racing
and worn heart, she stepped through the invisible barrier and into
the light of the clearing.

Chapter
Thirty-Three

Elenio stood with his back pressed tightly
against the tree. Despite the fact he’d given up fighting against
the vines some time ago, they still held him firmly, preventing him
from making a grand escape later. He felt the change in Galena’s
mind the instant she allowed him access to her thoughts. Taking
advantage of the small opening, he screamed in his mind for her to
get up, find the sword, and come back to him. She fought him for
several minutes, grief, pain, and a willingness to die,
overwhelming her mind and making him cringe with the mere touch of
it. She was broken and he knew it. Her words from earlier that week
rang in his head. ‘I don’t think you’ll be able to give me complete
peace, but I’ll have your thoughts to cling to when I lose my own
mind.’ She knew what was coming and she knew she would lose her own
rational thoughts as a result of what she would encounter. If he
hadn’t been so tightly tied to a tree, he would have kicked
himself.

Steeling his nerves so he would be of more
use to her, he called out with his thoughts once more for her to
get up, find the sword, and come back to him. He reassured her what
she saw and felt was not real, that he was okay. His thoughts
revolved repeatedly on her finding the sword and returning to him.
Finally, after hours and hours of persuasion he felt her rise and
begin to move. Her mind and heart were a shattered mess, and he saw
images float past them, breaking her resolve on more than one
occasion and he had to convince her to get up again, to keep
moving. On one such occasion, he found himself crying along with
her as she screamed back, telling him of her desire to die. At
this, he retorted back that she couldn’t, that she had to find the
sword and come back to him. She fought with him for several more
minutes until he was at the point of despair himself when finally;
she got up from the floor and started moving again.

He encouraged her, spoke loving words to her,
but above all else, he commanded her to keep moving, to find the
sword, and come back. As long as those words were ringing in her
mind, she continued to move. He felt her shuffling into a large
cavern, watched in his mind’s eyes as she collapsed, praying for
whatever was in the room to take her swiftly. He called to her,
screamed at her, but she would not respond. He feared he’d lost his
connection when he felt that slight loop in her thoughts and he
dove in, commanding her to get up and look around for the sword for
it had to be there. She got up and looked around, and with purpose,
she crossed the room. He sensed another change occurring in her
moments later. Her thoughts cleared and she began to think
rationally. He still felt the deep grief and the ache of death
surrounding her, but she was thinking clearly. He no longer needed
to guide her as he felt determination filling her.

He released a pent up breath and sagged
heavily against the vines still holding him. She had found the
sword. It was the only explanation he could come up with for her
sudden clarity and determination to move forward. Weariness wrapped
around him like a warm blanket. Days of traveling and hours spent
concentrating harder than he could ever remember doing throughout
his entire life, sapped him of all his remaining energy. Closing
his eyes, he slumped off into a dreamless sleep.

Stirring, he found himself waking to a stiff
neck, as he was still tied to the confounded tree. Rotating his
head slowly to work out some of the kinks, he reached out his
thoughts to Galena, breathing a sigh of relief as he sensed her
closing the gap between them. It had been at least a couple of
hours since he drifted off and although he still felt tired, he
thought he would be able to handle it now. He was glad he had not
been asleep when she finally emerged through the mouth of the cave,
because although he knew mentally she was recovering, physically he
had no idea what to expect.

“She approaches,” the gentle voice of the
guardian said close by his ear as the vines from the tree fell
away, leaving him standing on his own two feet. He seized the
opportunity and began to rub his hands on the cuts and bruises of
his sore arms as he waited for her to step into the clearing.
Twoit, the useless creature who could have gnawed away the vines
that had been holding him, lay in the same spot she had when she
first settled down. She continued to stare in the direction where
Galena would shortly appear.

He glanced back to the cave and there in the
middle of it, a delicate hand covered in blood, appeared briefly
before disappearing back into the cave. He held his breath, waiting
for her, wanting more than anything for her to step through,
returning to him. He watched in avid anticipation as she stepped
through from the darkness and into the light. She stood, covered in
blood, face looking ashen and grave, eyes searching for him. He
beheld the sword at her side, from the hilt and scabbard it didn’t
look very impressive. It was Galena that now looked different, more
intimidating. She appeared to have been through a very bloody
battle, but radiated with a light that seemed to come from within.
Her steady gaze held his own, pain etched so deeply there that he
was sure it would haunt him for the rest of his life. With one hand
on the hilt of the sword and the other arm hanging by her side, she
continued to stare at him as if she were afraid that he would
disappear. She spoke so low he almost didn’t hear it.

“Let’s end this.”

Coming 2015

The Sword of Lumina, book
3

Mira's Last

About the
Author

I am a preschool teacher in a little town in
Ohio. I have three wonderful children, Damon, Thomas, and Megan. I
love watching football in the fall and swimming in the summer.
Christmas is awesome and without a doubt, my favorite time of
year.

Believe it or not, I did not like reading
until about the fourth grade when I finally found a genre that
really sparked my interest—fantasy. From there it became a passion
of mine and often times the perfect way to escape the difficult
times in everyday life. Mythical creatures are another love of mine
so I combined my two loves and set forth to accomplish what I have
always wanted to do: write books for everyone to love.

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/swordoflumina

Twitter page:
@eelliottauthor

Blog Site:
erinelliottwriter.wordpress.com

Also by Erin Elliott with Fire and
Ice

Mira’s View, The Sword of Lumina,
Book 1

Turn the page for more books
available
from Fire and Ice

Also Available
From Fire and Ice

Mira's View
The Sword of Lumina #1

by Erin Elliott

In a world ruled by the
dark,

what would you do to see the light
again?

Galena is just like every other elf, enslaved
by the powerful Rau. Once a beautiful and powerful race, the elves
have been reduced to slave labor in the mines of Rau. Galena grew
up hearing the stories of old about a sword, when wielded by the
right elf, ending Rau's tyranny. Unsure if she believes these
stories, she finds herself plunged into a world unfamiliar to her,
hunted by Rau for her unnatural magical abilities. Will she find
the sword promised to her people? Or will she fall prey to the idea
of a sword that doesn't exist?

Also Available
From Fire and Ice