The Light of Asteria (24 page)

“What state are we in?”

“To be honest, I don’t know,” Gavin admitted.
I searched out the window waiting for a road sign of some sort, but
there wasn’t one. Odd, I thought all roads had to be marked.

Gavin jolted; tension aggressively ran
through me.

What’s the matter?
His knuckles grew
white under the increased pressure of his grip.

You promised not to keep things from
me.
He exhaled sharply.

“Elias and Elaine have made it back home
safely. They had an uneventful trip.” His faceted emerald eyes
glittered with tightly controlled anger.

Why would you be mad about that?

“They spoke with the queen, and she is most
displeased. They explained they were there on orders, which
included not telling her anything other than I was coming to visit
and the Dokkalfar are running rampant here. I told them they could
tell her of the loss of Michael and Edna, but not about you, the
dark elf attacks, or anything after. I need to explain all that has
happened, and I need to try and let Mia down without her falling
into despair.”

His jaw set as he kept his focus on the road.
I scooted closer to him and placed my hand on his chest.

“You know we are mindful of our emotions,
always tuned to them for energy and health. Rarely do jealousy and
rejection occur in my world. But when they do, the amount of energy
needed to feel such things can weaken us to the point of death. We
have not had an elf die of a broken heart since before the Great
War. I care for Mia. She has been a friend, and even though I don’t
feel for her as I do for you, I don’t want her to suffer.”

The portrait of the beautiful shiny black
haired elf with shallow, ice blue eyes flashed through my mind.
Gavin became restless. For the first time, Mia seemed like a person
and not some blurry complication. I knew I didn’t want her to
suffer either. Maybe if I could meet her and make her see, she
would understand. Gavin could not go alone.

“Nora, we have been through this a thousand
times. You cannot make it through the portal.
Please,
do not
think of it,” he growled, losing his patience.

I rankled at his tone. “Forgive me, my lord,”
I frostily bit back at him. Awkwardness screamed from the back
seat, but I ignored it.
I’m only trying to help
. He
hesitated for a moment.

“No, it is I who need to ask forgiveness. It
is a difficult situation. I have to concentrate on how to go about
this the right way, and I don’t want to have to worry about you
trying to get through the portal. It would kill me to lose you
now,” he murmured.

“I’ll try not to think of it. And I promise
I’ll stay safe and do as you ask until you return. Only, please
don’t take too long.”

Dusk turned to dark, and I grew uneasy. From
here on, I had no idea what to expect. Fear crept in, but I kept it
at bay, concentrating on the fact that I was with three highly
trained warriors, and had seen them slaughter a hundred or so
Dokkalfar not more than twenty-four hours ago. That thought sent
shivers down my spine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 14—The Last Pure
Land

We finally came to a place where the path met
thick woods, and I knew we would travel no more with the Tahoe. To
be honest, that made me wary; I’d grown to depend on the webbing.
Gavin stopped the truck, and immediately Tark and Rena were out. I
started to panic.

“They’re on watch, Nora. If they spot
anything, they’ll warn us.” Rena winked as she opened the back,
taking out the packs and lowering back seat. This gave ample room
for an air mattress, and Edna’s quilt made up the bedding. The
night surrounding the windows smothered the small space, and I
could feel panic creep in. But then he was there, and I knew I
would be all right. Nuzzling my nose at the base of his neck,
peppermint and sunshine warmed my lungs.

I hope we never lose this
, I
sighed.

“Me too … now sleep, love,” he murmured. My
consciousness gave way to dreams of a vivid, intensely bright
pasture. Pure white unicorns with shining silver manes pranced in
the field. A warm breeze tickled my face; Gavin and I walked toward
unfamiliar woods.

Extreme scrutiny jolted me out of slumber.
Blinking several times trying to adjust my vision, I finally
focused on hard green emeralds that were only a few inches from my
nose. Gavin’s eyes narrowed in concentration as he tried to
penetrate my mind.

What are you doing?
Has something
happened…? Gavin?

He leaned on his elbow searching my face
while his emotions churned aggressively.

“Please recall your dream.” His voice was low
and serious. My brow rose in surprise.

Weird request … but okay. We were holding
hands in the most incredible place;
I recalled the color and
detail of my dream….
The unicorns were white with pure silver
horns gleaming in the sunshine. Everything was so clean … I could
hear the water
…. I played it out for him as his shock saturated
my emotions.

“Gavin …what is it?” I stammered.

“That is my homeland. Your dream is of a
field I pass in order to reach the kingdom. It’s not far from the
portal. How would you know of it? How could you dream of it?” His
voice almost snarled with intensity.

Search me…
.
Maybe it’s because I
can feel your emotions, and subconsciously I picked up images of
your land. If it is the future I see, that means I will find a way
to your world. If it’s not, maybe it’s the deepest desire of my
heart.

“Have you ever dreamt of a place you didn’t
know?” he asked, truly curious, and also a little concerned.

I thought about that for a moment. A small
one-bedroom apartment flashed in my mind. My father was in his
usual spot on the couch, passed out with one foot resting on the
floor ... bags of trash and beer cans lie everywhere. I found
several pieces of half eaten pizza from an old box closest to the
door. The cheese had grown almost translucent, but it wasn’t molded
yet, and so I scraped the bugs off and finished several pieces of
the crust. The stench of stale beer punched my nose as I grew near.
“Dad I’m going to bed,” I whispered, and went to the back room that
held only a bare mattress on the floor. Grabbing one of his
sweatshirts to use as a blanket, slumber mercifully brought relief
from harsh reality. That night, I dreamt of ... beautiful green
eyes and trees. I must not have been more than seven years old.

The nested webbing flickered in the morning
light; comprehension cycled through the combined energy, as Gavin’s
arms tightened around me.

“What do you understand that I don’t … what
do you know … Gavin?”

“I will tell you after we have been mated,
but not before. I would not ask for that patience, but you have
helped me this day more than you know.” His rich voice softly rang
through the truck, his expression deep and sincere.

It was mid morning as we hiked through dense
forest, finally coming to rest next to a steep rock wall. I
stretched my arms wide and yawned, leaning my head back, truly
appreciating the sun’s warm rays. It felt good to be in the fresh
air, and I realized it had been over a month since I was allowed
this luxury.

Rena and Tark brought up the rear, and
instead of stopping, they easily scaled up several hundred feet. My
mouth suddenly went dry as Gavin unzipped the top of his pack,
finding a climber’s harness and wrapping it around my waist.

“Gavin, I honestly have no clue how to
climb,” I whispered, looking up at the rock wall that now seemed as
if it reached the heavens.

“Not to worry. Climbing is second nature to
the Alfar. I can carry you easily; just keep your arms around my
neck. The harness is just a safety precaution to keep you from
falling.” As he spoke, a rope fell from the sky. My heart
plummeted. He grinned again and softly kissed me. “Don’t you trust
me?” His warm breath tickled my ear.

“You know I do … I just don’t like heights.”
I finally admitted. Gavin tied the rope to the harness and tugged.
I wrapped my arms around his neck.

“Don’t look down, and just hang on.” His
confidence ran through me and I squeezed my eyes shut,
concentrating on him. My arms ached from being in the same
position. His breath became ragged from the effort, and the air
grew colder around us as we ascended to the mountain’s summit.
After what seemed an eternity, the ground became horizontal again.
I opened my eyes and gasped.

Only gray peaks smothered in snow could be
seen above the white clouds floating around the ledge. I leaned
into Gavin; my stomach grew queasy. We shuffled across the rock
shelf, sidling into a narrow fissure. I could feel Gavin unzipping
my pack, and a flashlight was thrust in my hand. Rena and Tark took
out similar lights, and soon harsh halogen lighting illuminated the
large cavern. Tark took point, and I followed Rena with Gavin close
behind. We wound through the tunnels, dipping and crawling our way
for hours, and just when I thought we were surely lost, a weak beam
of angled sunlight shone in the distance. My heart finally slowed
as we stepped back onto soil. I tried to calculate how long we had
been in the mountain. Dusk was settling over the land, and so we
must have been traveling for hours.

“We’re making great time, Gavin. If you wish
to continue, we may be able to reach the portal by nightfall,” Tark
said. Gavin’s reluctance flared.

“We will set up camp here and continue on in
the morning,” he said, the molten green in his eyes deepened.

I could hear Rena and Tark whipping around us
in an elfish frenzy, but I couldn’t stop staring at Gavin. My brow
rose as I felt his desire course through me. I turned to find Rena,
but she was nowhere to be seen.

“Where did they go?” I murmured.

“I sent them away. They will keep watch from
a distance. I want an evening with only you. The tent has been
embedded with webbing, and we are protected more than you know.” My
heart jumped out of my chest.

“Can you keep control? I know I can’t, and
you have to face what you have to face tomorrow.” His intensity did
not falter, and I honestly concentrated on not
hyperventilating.

“I promise I will not ask you to make your
request this evening. I want one night, Nora. It’s too inviting.
You and I completely alone, open to one another, just being
together.” Instinct cried to be careful. I reached on my toes and
kissed him gently; his emotions were on a tight leash.

We started a small campfire next to the tent
and ate dinner. He told of what the stars were like in Kailmeyra. I
always thought of his home like Ohio, just over some innocuous
line. I was fascinated to learn that our mythological creatures
actually did live on the earth at one time, but they decided to
leave when King Frey sealed the portals.

Gavin asked about my memory that morning.
Images of my life with my father flashed through my mind, and Gavin
began to understand why I thought of Edna as my only family. I
raised myself while watching my father wither away with loss. Even
now, I had Gavin in my life, but a longing to belong to someone
still gripped me.

I leaned against his chest as we watched the
fire crackle in the dark. “You have but to ask, and you will belong
to me forever,” Gavin said, as he wrapped his arms around me,
desire swirling in his creature.

Don’t tempt me. We must be patient. Instinct
will know when the time is right.

“And what does instinct say to you now,
Nora?” he murmured, as his hand wove into mine. I searched his
emotions for a moment. He knew before I spoke, but I had to say it
anyway.

“Instinct says I must wait until you have
dealt with Mia and the queen. If you were to show up without your
soul stone around your ankle, she would surely despair; no one
wants that.”

Gavin and I watched the stars and the
moonlight, listening to the sounds of life surrounding us, until my
eyes grew heavy. Our circle coursed through, and I knew while Edna
had her one perfect day, I now had my one perfect night. Unlike
Edna though, there were many more to come.

I love you with all of my heart, soul,
mind, and hopefully soon my body, oh great Prince of the Alfar,
Gavin of Frey.
That was my last thought before dreams of his
homeland overtook me once more.

I could hear Rena packing for the day, and
knew it was time to break camp. Rena brought breakfast, but I
couldn’t eat. In a few short hours Gavin would be leaving.

Rena and Tark started out ahead, and we
walked just a few miles from the mountain’s wall. My shield came up
automatically as she waited for us by a cluster of trees that
seemed to touch the heavens.

“My Prince of the Alfar, Gavin of Frey, I
charge to you no harm will come to your source while she is in my
care. I will take care of her as if my life depended on it. Be safe
and hurry back.” Her voice held a formal rhythm to it as old as
time.

“You hold my life in your hands, Corina,
daughter of Rill. Protect her well.” Rena glanced at him for a
moment, and then she bowed.

We faced the enormous oaks, ready to cross
some unknown threshold. Gavin took a deep, shaky breath, placing
his forehead on mine. His emotions were stronger than grief, as a
tear rolled down his angelic face. I placed my hand on his heart,
and felt the mourning subside to sad resolve. My gaze tore away
from his green eyes before I was lost completely. He spoke in a
strange language; the air charged with electricity. He wrapped his
arm around my waist, guiding me through a maze of huge trunks. The
trees finally gave way to grass, and my eyes rounded in
surprise.

The glory of this countryside made human
existence seem insignificant. All life forces in this place
survived in harmony, undisturbed by the pollution or evil that
ruled the earth. The air here was clean, the way it was meant to
be, and I greedily took in another breath. The animals curiously
watched as Gavin nudged me forward. Every creature, from the
smallest spider skittering along its gauzy labyrinth to the largest
predator, was pure and untainted.