The Light of Asteria (44 page)

“Nora … Please…” His plea was heartbreaking.
I opened my mind.

Warm blood gushed down my shoulder, soaking
the carpet beneath my face. Gavin’s palms glowed as brightly as the
spiders’ webs, and he covered the wound. I pushed back the black
fringe that threatened my sight, concentrating on his beautiful
eyes. They were pools of liquid terror. Willing my body to heal, I
sent him the last stores of my power.

Smaller palms warmed my temples, and I
strained to see who was there. The queen’s lavender health
surrounded her as tears dripped off her chin. Why her lovely
botanical scent seemed so strong at this moment, I had no idea. It
calmed me though, and I boldly tried to inhale through my nose,
fighting to keep my lungs from filling with blood. I wanted to tell
her that I would be all right, but I was too weak.

My body writhed as unbearable pain shot
through the wound. The agony made me want to cry out, to beg them
to stop. I only managed to cough, metallic liquid spewed from my
mouth. Gavin’s panic spiked and I grabbed his shirt, placing my
bloody palm over his racing heart. Gasping for air, I realized
there was no room in my lungs.

I love you.

“Nora … don’t leave me …” The pain grew;
every moment of our time together raced in my thoughts as I took in
the last moments of my life. Gavin sobbed; his hands increased
their pressure, his palms now illumined the flesh surrounding the
wound.

My mind locked on his first touch. Warmth
started at the top of my head, racing down my spine. Heat lashed
through me, and I willed it to wrap around my heart. My eyes never
left Gavin’s, forever locked in the shared memory. Deep within the
emeralds sparked hope.

“That’s right, love … remember …” he softly
commanded; his palms grew hot as his determination flamed through
the both of us. The light, the buntings, Sophie, the first time his
lips touched mine. I inhaled through my nose, his sunshine and
light filled the small space. Aggressively exhaling, I coughed up
more blood, filling the new space with his scent once again. I
weakly smiled; I had more room.

He and the queen kept their healing hands on
me until I no longer struggled for air. The agony diminished and
even though breathing was painful, my lungs no longer throbbed. The
metal taste of blood lessened. I could think past the pain; my
heart found its rhythm.

The cool rush of relief soothed my soul. I
was extremely weak, but I would live—my prince still had his
source.

As soon as Gavin heard that thought, anger
scorched like wildfire. The material over his heart ripped out of
my grip; my hand no longer was on his chest. I reached out to him
with my mind. Hatred boiled in his emotions, and I could feel his
lust for vengeance—someone would suffer for my pain.

“Elias,” I whispered. He would be able to
help me … Gavin couldn’t lose control. I focused on the tiers above
my head; only Malachi remained.

Gavin, please stay with me!
I begged,
as I willed him to look at me.

He stared for a moment at the bloody
handprint over his heart. When his gaze found mine, I whimpered.
His eyes were chips of green ice; his face looked as if it were
made of stone. I knew that he was now giving orders to every
soldier in the kingdom to hunt this person down, but leave him for
the prince. He would want to kill this one with his own hands. His
cold eyes sparkled as he read my thoughts. My heart plummeted. I
searched for his feelings—only the steely determination for
retribution could be found.

“Take care of her,” his deadly voice
commanded. Malachi bowed.

Don’t leave me, not for this. I’m not strong
enough … we can’t be parted. Gavin …

He knelt beside me, but there wasn’t a
moment’s pause. His chiseled features leaned down, and he kissed me
with the force of a warrior.

“I love you,” he growled, and then he jumped
off the balcony to the nearest tree and was gone.

Gavin!
I implored, trying desperately
to find him, but I felt his rejection as his emotions blazed with
rage.

Diamond eyes, steeped in grief, pierced my
soul. A tear fell from Malachi’s eye as he saw the future of the
land give way. Vengeance held the most controlling intent. Gavin
was surely lost if he continued down this path. I desperately
opened my mind; he rejected me once more.

“I have to get to him, Malachi,” I whispered.
My strength had not returned, but my determination had. “He cannot
allow his fury to control his actions.”

Wrapping my mind in sky blue, I allowed all
of my dreams to come forth—Gavin, my beautiful dress, his ring, the
flowers from the sprites. Energy weakly threaded itself through my
heart. A sudden image of Gavin’s hand on my swollen abdomen blazed
in my mind. The picture so clear, it was as if it were a true
memory. I knew that this was our future if I could save him. My
knees buckled under the strain as I forced myself up. The entire
left side of my dress was wet; the knife must have hit an artery.
My heartbeat became erratic from the small effort of standing; the
blood loss must have been significant.

“Nora?” a whispered sob jolted me out of my
determination. Queen Lera’s skin was growing papery thin, the
wrinkles around her mouth deepened.

“Malachi, please take care of the queen. We
cannot lose an entire monarchy in one day,” I muttered. The Ancient
One winced. I started to collapse again; grainy dots invaded my
sight. Focusing on Malachi’s diamonds, I locked my knees in place.
Opening my mind, I concentrated on the pure scent of the unicorns,
hoping with all my might that they were close.

“All is not lost,” Malachi said as I passed
him, stumbling up the balcony.

“I’ll be back … please, do not despair,” I
whispered. The last thing I needed was for him to age as well. He
darkly chuckled.

“God’s speed to you, Gavin’s Light.” He
patted my hand.

I shivered as the blood-soaked clothes grew
cold in the afternoon breeze. The stairs swam in and out of focus,
and I held onto the rail for dear life. My feet found their way to
the marble entryway. Pandemonium reigned. Elves, running to reach
their homes, knocked me down, and I crawled to the outer wall.
Leaning against the cool rock, I edged my way to the front doors. A
few kinsmen slowed and glared in concentration as they focused with
their minds. I realized that they didn’t understand. I couldn’t
hear them telepathically, and they were too frightened to
speak.

The sun warmed the top of my head, but I kept
my gaze fixed on the ground, concentrating on the simple act of
putting one foot in front of the other. Finally, the metal and
stone gates loomed before me. I leaned on the castle’s entrance,
desperately needing rest.

My heart palpitated from the lack of blood,
and my lungs burned. Squashing the negative thought that I wouldn’t
make it, I closed my eyes once more. The sun started its
progression westward, but I refused to despair and focused again on
the sweet smell of syrup. The pure ring of a white whinny in the
distance was the most glorious sound. Relief flooded as the
unicorns charged toward the castle.

Opening my mind to him, I sent the intent of
saving Gavin. The people who had gathered around the gate cried out
and dropped to their knees from the power surge, but I could not
shield right now. If we were too late, Gavin would be lost forever.
The magnificent beast bowed; his front hooves impatiently
shook.

I held onto his mane, pulling myself astride
his back and thought with everything I had,
please, find
Gavin
.
We have to get to the portal before it’s too
late.
Not having the strength to sit up, I leaned down and
wrapped my arms around the unicorn’s neck. The sweet smell of him
made my pulse slow, and I hungrily took his scent again. He was
Gavin’s other source; together we would save him.

The unicorn sped into the forest. Focusing on
the image that was clearer than a memory, my heart finally found a
regular pace. The air grew colder; the sun sunk toward the
horizon.

Edna’s face, bathed in sunlight,
intentionally played in my mind. Her sunshine song sang in my
heart, and I started humming its melody. The unicorn jolted, and
for the first time since the knife embedded itself in my chest, I
felt hope. A smile crept on my face as I strained closer to his ear
and sang the words as well. The woods blurred past, and the road
that took us over a day to travel was done in only an hour or two.
The great beast slowed with a snort; my heart stopped—my sketch had
become reality.

Mia’s black hair billowed behind her as she
headed toward the lake. Her foul gray skin caused bile to burn my
throat. Rancid dirt danced on the breeze. She cackled with wild
laughter. Gavin’s features were razor sharp. I gasped as I realized
why the Dokkalfar had such pointed features—this was how they
started.

Please, great leader, hurry!
I
pleaded, as I sang in the unicorn’s ear. Judging by Mia’s speed, I
knew that she would reach the portal first. Gavin’s lust for
vengeance burned through me. His pace did not slow; he was going
through the portal so that he could kill her with his own hand. My
emotions wailed in helplessness. I knew that I was not strong
enough to follow.

“
Gavin … No
!” I cried out in both
voice and mind, but his heart was closed and he didn’t hear. Mia
lunged toward the water.

The unicorn sped up once more. I willed the
last of my energy to gather in my chest. The heat of it was
painful, and the power caused my skin to glow. I filled my heart,
mind, body, and soul with the intent of reaching Gavin.

“
Stop! I’ll not be parted from you
again!”

He faltered; the unicorn flashed to his side.
Gavin’s fury stabbed through me, and I cried out.

I had nothing left. Pain shot through my
chest going down my left side as my heart fought just to stay
pumping. It suddenly felt like I had a tight, metal band
compressing my ribs. Tears rolled down my face; my vision started
to fade. I whimpered, trying to stay conscious. Fear that I would
not wake crept through, and I couldn’t push the negativity from my
mind. The lack of blood sent sharp, shooting pains down my left arm
and up my neck. My body slipped from the unicorn’s back, and I fell
into oblivion.

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

Chapter
29—Understanding

I was suffocating in black velvet. The
recesses of my mind latched onto the distant scent of peppermint,
sunshine, and light combined with the sweet smell of the unicorns.
I pushed my way through the barren isolation, trying to find my way
back. The darkness smothered Gavin’s voice, but the direction
became clear. A small stream of energy trickled through. Emotions
of love and regret directed my path, and my eyes fluttered open,
trying to focus on the hazy, rudimentary images blocking the sun.
Gavin’s palm illumined over my chest as he tenderly rocked me. His
voice, so close to my ear, sang in a strange language, and my heart
found a faint pulse. Liquid silver and pure white coats shone in
the sun’s last light. The unicorn herd surrounded us, their heads
bowed in concentration.

Gavin’s howl cried throughout the land, and
his tears fell on my face. I opened my mind, not caring where we
were. It took everything I had, but my hand found its way to his
chest. He bent and kissed me as if he were afraid that I would
shatter into a million pieces.

“Please forgive me,” he whispered. A troop of
soldiers ran past.

“Elias and Elaine cannot go. They are needed
here,” I mumbled.

“I know, my love, I know.” He gingerly stood,
cradling me to his chest, and I reached over to the leader of the
unicorns and stroked his muzzle.

“Thank you, my friend, for saving the future
king.”

He nudged my cheek; his sweet scent filled my
lungs. I willed my thoughts to Gavin.

We will not be parted again,
I weakly
demanded. My energy, now a whisper of what it should be, wafted to
him as I thought of our commitment to one another.

“I’ve almost lost you twice now; I will never
leave you again.” My concern weakly drifted around him. “Please do
not worry, love … I won’t despair. Just strengthen.” His voice
broke. The unicorns moved in closer, and the world became dark once
more.

The feel of Edna’s quilt had me questioning
for a moment, and then I realized that we must have made it back to
the castle. I could still smell a hint of tea rose perfume, and it
warmed my heart. The patterns of aged scraps that were a century
old appeared as if they had never been marred by Mia’s desolation.
Gavin’s arms tightened around me. The rush of air flowing over my
bare shoulder held my attention. My hair was no longer caked in
dried blood, and I cautiously lifted my head, trying to ignore the
muscles screaming. It was daytime, and I was wearing my favorite
pink pajamas. Gavin’s chuckle sent a warm shiver down my spine as
he kissed my neck.

I stretched a bit more, pointing my toes and
flexing every muscle carefully. The pain that coursed through was
surprising. Honestly, it felt like someone had thrown me into an
iron man triathlon with no training and forced me to finish.

“How did we get home?” I murmured, trying to
stretch; the burning and stiffness begged me to stop.

“Malachi sent word that it would be best for
you to recover at the castle if possible, and so the leader of the
unicorns allowed me to ride with you to Kailmeyra. It took several
days as we all were weakened. I wish you had been conscious when we
entered the gates. The elves of the land were overjoyed, and the
queen ordered a new sculpture in the courtyard to honor the
unicorn’s service.” I nestled down, trying to move as little as
possible.

“Did you put me in these?”