Page 16 of Emergence of Fire
“My shield will hold but not for long. Someone’s helping them. Someone powerful enough to break down my barriers!” Twyla shouts for all of us and we start running. Torin holds Cordelia tight to his chest trying hard not to jostle her as he runs besides Twyla. Adrian and I both turn, following hot on their heels as more booms rend the air around us. It sounds like another bomb going off from behind us, as if someone is tearing the very fabric of our universe. Whoever it is, they are throwing everything they have at Twyla’s defenses. Fissures begin to form in the ground.
Adrian and I both jump over a large crevice beginning to form as we scramble to catch up. Another loud boom, followed by an ear-splitting crack, making the ground ripple under our feet. I chance a glance back only to see Cordelia’s childhood home beginning to spit in half from the earthquakes the magic is causing. I feel a pang in my chest for her loss, she will be devastated when we tell her what happened.
Twyla stops just shy of entering the woods in front of us and begins to chant. She stretches her hands out in front of her, then brings them together as if in prayer. Instantly, she starts to pull them apart, as if she is pulling at an invisible force. Sparks begin to fly in the space between her hands and I stare transfixed as we all stand back and watch. The sparks form an orb, glowing bright white and shimmering, it hovers before her and rotates slowly at first.
We hear another boom behind us, the force is so strong this time we all tumble into each other. Torin stumbles with Cordelia in his arms and Adrian runs to help him before he falls. I run to Twyla just in time to catch her. Lifting her gently back to her feet she continues to chant. Her concentration never breaks despite the mayhem around us. She pulls her arms further apart and the orb begins to grow wider, spinning faster in the air. I can see the toll it’s taking on her to conjure like this, she sways on her feet but I stand right behind her to lend her what help I can. Sweat drips from her brow and she grits her teeth at the effort it is taking. The ground continues to shake around us, and I know it won’t be long before whoever it is breaks through completely. I take one last look at the beautiful brightly painted home crumbling to pieces behind us and again my heart goes out to Cordelia. She has lost so much in her life and all I want to do is fill that void with love—our love.
Twyla grunts as she draws the orb toward her body. In just a matter of seconds the orb has grown exponentially in size. She pushes the orb forward with great effort as the last words of her chant fall from her lips, it flies forward to form a shimmering portal in front of us.
“Well, hot damn, that was impressive,” I say to Twyla but she doesn’t respond as she collapses in my arms completely exhausted.
“We. Need. To. Go. Now.” She pushes each word out through gritted teeth. Torin is the first one to run through with Cordelia. She being our number one priority, he doesn’t hesitate. Adrian grabs Twyla’s satchel from the ground and runs to the portal, vanishing out of sight. Another explosion sounds behind us, shaking the ground. I know this is the one that breaks the barriers around the now demolished house. The sound is more intense, the feeling in the air is oppressive, making me feel as if I’ve been punched, and the pressure makes my head feel heavy! The force of the blast makes me stumble with Twyla in my arms, but I manage to stay on my feet, barely, as I make it to the portal, I turn and see six black cloaked figures watching from a distance. I back up into the portal, and as a farewell to those assholes I blow them all a big ass kiss.
The last thing I hear as the portal wraps around us is the satisfying sound of Thaddeus’s screams of rage.
* * *
The pressureon my head and chest eases as I walk out of the portal, my eyes trying to search in spite of the darkness for my brothers and Cordelia. When I don’t see them right away, I begin to panic. “Adrian! Torin!” I shout out into the dark forest that surrounds us. We’ve all been to Celestia for trade numerous times but this forest is uncharted terrain for me. The trees are dense here, with only slivers of moonlight peeking through the branches above. My Dragon pushes through, my vision sharpening as we both search for our mate. Even with our exceptional sight the forest is too dark to see further than directly in front of us. I’m pretty sure this darkness is magical in origin but I don’t sense any immediate danger. It just feels off.
My own magic flows through my veins like a long-lost friend and I ready myself just in case. I can practically feel my Dragon stretching inside of me, eager to shift and fly. The sky calls to me as an Air Dragon. The need to fly and be amongst the clouds is calling me but I need to make sure my brothers and Cordelia are secure first. I am sure the others are feeling the same call to shift considering we’ve been without our magic for longer than we’re used to. Twyla squeezes my arms gently and I ease her down to her feet, I release her when I am sure she can stand on her own.
“Thank you, Gale,” she says as she walks forward and I follow her. I’m anxiously wondering what happened to the others. Twyla continues forward and suddenly collapses to her knees, bowing forward until her head touches the ground. I wasn’t sure what was happening as I step over to help her. I honestly thought she had fallen out of exhaustion. The shadows begin to move around us and the darkness starts to recede. I go into protective mode and go to step in front of Twyla.
“Gale, you need to move.” Twyla whispers to me as she shoves at my legs. I look down confused. Just as I was about question her the darkness lifts completely and we are surrounded by Druids on all sides. My eyes find Torin and Adrian instantly. Cordelia is still unconscious in Torin’s arms. I take in a relieved breath; my Dragon settles now we have caught sight of our family.
“Rise, daughter.” A deep voice calls from the shadows but he moves quickly toward Twyla. I recognize the speaker and bend my knee in respect.
“King Maddox,” I say, bowing my head. He places his hand on my shoulder and bends down to pick his daughter up. She rises easily and stands in front of him. She searches his face and looks around at the Druids around her, then over to where Cordelia lay in Torin’s arms. I can see her body sag in relief.
“Gale, there is no need for formalities here. Please, get up and join your brothers.” He gives me a reassuring pat and I waste no time crossing the clearing, nearly tripping over my feet, to stand beside them. Adrian coughs beside me and tries to muffle his laugh with how clumsy I was. Jerk. “I apologize about the extra defenses but we have had our portals under constant surveillance these past three days. This location is only meant for royalty and only my heirs know the spell.” He pulls his daughter to his chest. King Maddox doesn’t look a day over fifty and I know he is more than two hundred years old. Twyla looks small in his arms as he towers over her, touching her face and hair, as if he can’t believe she is here.
“Father.” I barely hear Twyla whisper into his chest. The moment is private and tender, her arms wrap around his waist as if she was still just a small child. Her shoulders shake, as she cries into his dark green robes. She gave up everything willingly to save Cordelia, a debt I don’t think any of us could ever repay. I can’t imagine what they must be feeling.
I look over to Torin, he is looking at Cordelia, our thoughts possibly mirror each other's. This is our chance to make things right. To fight for not only the Dragons in our regions but the entire Realm. Our mate is alive and well thanks to Twyla, and now she has given us the breathing room we need to prepare our girl for war. I have no doubt about what’s in store for us all and we need to be ready. I have a feeling that the enemy will be closing in from more than one side. If the display of power back at Cordelia’s house is anything to go by then Twyla’s theory is true, the Fae are up to something dire.
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
CORDELIA
My eyes open slowly, the sound of someone humming a tune I can’t recognize drifts around me. Soft sheets caress my skin like sensual kisses and my head is cradled by the plushest pillows I have ever felt. I feel like I am floating on a cloud. I settle back in as the humming continues and my eyes close as I almost let sleep take me once more. Then it dawns on me that I’m not home. Everything comes back to me, my brain is inundated with the memories of our burnt-out kitchen, Thaddeus’s threats, my Dragon trying to claw her way out of me, and Ms. Banks.
I sit up in the bed, my hands cover my mouth to hold back a sob as tears fall freely. Grief hits me hard. I will never see Ms. Banks again. She’s gone and it’s all because of me. My chest feels heavy as I cry uncontrollably, the literal weight of it all is crushing me, trying to drag me under. I sit there for what feels like hours although I know it was only minutes to let my pain bleed out of me. Eventually, I take a deep breath and close my eyes to gather up my emotions. I take a moment and sit still, allowing myself a chance to calm down before I open my eyes.
Through blurred vision I can see sunlight coming through the windows and a light breeze lifts the long white curtains as they blow inward. I quickly wipe my eyes, taking in the natural wood furnishings, everything in this room looks handmade with care. Wicker chairs with fluffy cushions sit next to my bed, as if someone had been watching me whilst I slept. The room is minimalistic in design with so much plant life I feel like I have woken up in a forest. An actual tree is growing within the walls on one side of the room. A huge branch extends outward and hanging from it is a large hammock swing. Oh, I am definitely going to use that. I think to myself as my eyes take it all in. This room screams eco-friendly, where the hell am I? What time of day is it? I pause and push the blankets down and look at my clothes. Wait, what am I wearing? Who undressed me? Where are the guys? I throw the covers back as someone comes into the room, the humming I heard earlier stops abruptly.
“Princess. My sincere apologies. I did not mean to wake you. I was just tidying your room.” A woman bows—like actually bows—low to me. I wait for her to stand but she stays in the same crouched position, I assume she is waiting for me to give her permission to stand.
“Oh no, we are not going to do that. Girl, get up.” I swing my legs over the bed and walk over to her. She has long blonde hair, her skin is pale against the dark brown robes she wears. I grab her arm and a shriek escapes her lips as I try to pull her to her feet. I let go of her as she shies away from me, her sandals make a scraping sound against the floor, her eyes are downcast, as if she’s refusing to look up at me.
“What’s your name?” I ask her as I approach. My own bare feet get caught in the long linen nightgown I’m wearing. Why is it so long? I gather the extra fabric and close the distance between us. She is hugging the tree wall, as if it can swallow her up. Not wanting to freak her out more than I already have I stop and give her space.
“What’s your name?” I change my tone, adding just a little more warmth to my voice. I’m just naturally assertive and I know I can sound aggressive. I wait patiently until she finally raises her eyes to meet mine. She is probably a few years younger than me with bright grey eyes that are almost silver. She reminds me of a tiny porcelain doll.
“Silva, princess.” She bows again. Ok, we need to squash this right now.
“Hi, Silva, I am Cordelia. Not princess, ok?” I lift my eyebrows to get my point across, her eyebrows are raised almost to her hairline and her eyes are round like large silver coins as she stares back in shock. Where the hell am I? And who broke this woman?
“Silva, where am I?” I look around the room again hoping that something will jump out at me but I am stumped.
