Gaia's Secret (42 page)

The last thing I remembered was catching a
glimmer of silver flecks above a mouth smiling at me from beneath
Alex’s blankets.

Soft voices filtered around me as my
consciousness returned. I curled into myself, my blanket doing an
insufficient job keeping me warm. Alex wasn’t behind me. I had
fallen asleep.

When I opened my eyes, I found my dad off to
the side, discussing something with Cicero, Sonya, and Tran. Grool
was across from me, building something that looked like a trap with
rope and wood. He placed a small object beneath it, hopped away
with that maniacal laughter of his, and hid behind a tree, glaring
at his creation.

I couldn’t see Alex anywhere. Or Fleck.

“You’re awake!” Dad beamed, walking towards
me.

My muscles ached and my joints creaked as I
got to my feet. Dad wrapped his arms around me and then appraised
my attire. “You look just like your mother, dressed like that. I am
sorry I wasn’t the one to give it to you.”

“That’s okay. I’ve got it now, and, believe
it or not, I like them. By the way, have you seen Alex?”

A suspicious look passed over his face. “He
went with Fleck to the lake. We thought Fleck should look
more…presentable for our arrival. And when your little friend found
out by presentable we meant a bath, his shaking was so inconsolable
that Alex decided to go with him.”

I ginned, picturing the scene in my head. “I
guess Alex didn’t tell him about Amadis.”

“Glad to see you two are getting along
again.”

His grin made the heat rush to my cheeks, and
there was no way I was going to discuss this sort of thing with my
dad. “How long till we get to King Darius’s castle?”

He smiled then, knowing he’d caught me
red-handed. “One day.”

“One day? But it took us almost a week to get
here.”

“Tran’s offered to return the horses so we
can take the Vox. It’ll be much safer, and will put us there by
late afternoon.”

“So fast?” Only a week ago I’d been impatient
for my fate, but now I wasn’t ready for it. Especially if it meant
going to a palace to meet this grandfather king of mine.

Dad placed his hand on my shoulder. “I
thought we could ride together. I’d like some time alone with my
daughter before I’m forced to share her with the rest of this
world.” His tired blue eyes studied me a moment. “Of course, I
understand if you’d like to ride with Alexander.”

The heat rushed to my face again. “Dad,
I—“

“Look at me!” shrieked a little voice. Fleck
came bounding towards us, cheeks pink, freckles bright, and eyes
wide in admiration of himself. “I thought those stains were
permanent!”

Alex followed after him, hair dripping around
his face. He looked particularly gorgeous this morning. Our eyes
met and my heart skipped a beat.

“Well done, Alexander!” Dad chuckled. “Fleck
has turned into a presentable human being.”

“Lady, that Amadis is so nice. How come you
didn’t like her?” Fleck appeared very disturbed.

“Who says I didn’t like her?”

“Alex. He said you—“

“—didn’t
exactly
get along,” Alex
interrupted, stopping before me with a smile in his eyes.

I narrowed my eyes at him, unable to hide my
grin. “
Hopefully
he told you why?”

“Because she’s so beautiful?”

Alex laughed.

“Of course not,” I said. “It’s because—”

“Time to go, I’m afraid,” Tran
interrupted.

Dad reached out a strong hand. “Tran Chiton,
how can I thank you for all you’ve done.”

“For now, by keeping my existence quiet.
There is more I must do before the world realizes I’m still in it.”
He shook my dad’s hand.

Cicero and Sonya joined for goodbyes. I was
grateful to see Sonya’s energy had returned. Her features looked
refreshed this morning.

And then Tran turned to me.

His eyes were kind, studying my face as if
wanting to remember it just as it was. He placed his withered hand
on my shoulder, his grip surprisingly strong.

“My dearest Daria, it has been a pleasure and
honor, and I shall look forward to seeing you again.”

“Thank you, Tran. For everything.” I reached
my arms around his slight frame.

He laughed and patted my back. “That’s
enough, child. You’ll squeeze the rest of my life from me.”

I stepped away from him as he moved to
Alex.

“Alexander Del Conte. I’m glad Daria has such
a devoted companion in you.”

Alex caught my eye. “And I’m glad you have
Grool.”

Tran laughed and Grool glared through the
slit in his helmet.

“Until we meet again!” Tran mounted
Calyx.

Tran and the horses left with Grool walking
behind, swinging at the air with his makeshift sword.

“Strange, those two.” Cicero stared after
them.

“Strange, but brilliant.” Sonya smiled. “Tran
was always eccentric. It was one of the reasons I trusted him. And
now—” she turned to me “—are you ready?”

She was always so kind. I almost wished she
were angry with me so I didn’t have to feel so guilty for how I’d
treated her. “Sonya,” I began.

She waited, those tender eyes patient.

“I…didn’t have a chance last night to say
thank you, for…”

She held her hand to my lips, a smile in her
eyes. “All’s forgiven, my darling. It is time we took you home. To
your real one.”

It wasn’t long before we were sailing through
the air on our flying black stallions. Amadis fell behind, hiding
itself beneath the trees. The majestic rock spires began to shrink
as we gained altitude, and soon, that extraordinary and peculiar
Arborenne looked like nothing more than a thick green blanket
covering the earth. From these heights I was able to note the
actual scale of the forest. It was enormous—spanning all the way to
a mountain range whose silhouette I could just make out in the
distance. We had walked through a small fraction of that endless
green. No telling what else had been right there with us.

Just beyond, far off towards our right, was a
wall of enormous jagged mountains.

“Orindor.” Dad pointed, calling over his
shoulder.

“Lord Commodus?”

He nodded.

So that was where he’d been. One of the first
requests I’d make would be to get a tour of this land my
grandfather ruled. It was disorienting observing a landscape but
not knowing any landmarks. Where was the ocean? Which way was
north?

As we flew, I felt Dad’s anticipation. It was
one thing for him to tell me about my new life. It was something
entirely different for me to experience it. The day to day, the
people. I was anxious for it too.

I shut my eyes, feeling the wind as it flowed
over me. Air whistled past my ears. The flapping of the Vox’s wings
was hypnotizing as they beat out my thoughts, my worries. My
fears.

A few times I turned back to look at Alex.
Fleck rode behind him, holding on to him for dear life.

What would happen to us now? My grandfather
couldn’t be that controlling, could he? It was cruel realizing my
feelings for my greatest friend in the world when it was too late
to act on them. It had to be possible. Maybe Alex was wrong. He had
to be wrong, because I was afraid to think what would happen if he
wasn’t.

By late afternoon our powerful Vox had
descended into a deep valley, shaded by grand mountains on either
side. My stomach jumped as we dipped down farther and farther as
the landscape ran to greet us. With strong wings spread, our Vox
glided to the ground as gracefully as a bird might land in water.
And we stopped.

I jumped from the horse, my legs trying to
remember their balance on solid ground. We had landed in a narrow
clearing. Thick, towering trees surrounded us on all sides except
for a single path ahead that wove deeper into the forest. Everyone
else landed right after, and when Fleck’s eyes opened, he smiled
his toothy grin.

“I’m alive!” he said as Alex helped him
down.

“Of course you are.” I chuckled.

The moment we all dismounted, the Vox leapt
into the air with beating wings, soaring back in the direction we
had come. I watched the black shapes grow smaller and smaller until
they were nothing more than dark specks in the sky.

Dad smiled at me. “How are you feeling?”

I raised a brow. “How should I be
feeling?”

He placed a sturdy hand on my shoulder.
“Scared out of your senses.”

“Gee, thanks for the pep talk.”

“Daria, don’t listen to your father.” Sonya
smiled, grabbing my hand. “You’ll do beautifully. Everyone will
adore you.”

Great, just what I wanted. Everyone’s
adoration. I gave Sonya a face that said as much and she
laughed.

“I say listen to Alaric.” Cicero’s grin fell
when Sonya nudged him hard in the ribs.

“Is Stefan here?” Alex asked my dad.

“He should be.” Dad stared ahead. “I wrote to
him earlier this morning.”

Alex glanced at me before turning to walk
ahead. The rest of us trailed after him. Fleck lingered by my side
in a pensive silence. I wondered what a boy of his age could be so
pensive about, but then I remembered he had an incredible—and
inconvenient—amount of insight for one so young.

There was a light tug on my sleeve.
“Lady?”

I glanced down at him.

“Don’t be scared.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Once those people see what you can do,
they’ll be the scared ones.”

I paused, crouched at his side, and smiled.
“Just as long as I don’t scare you.”

“Oh, no, lady. But I think you scare him.” He
nodded towards Alex.

Just as he scares me
, I thought.

I patted Fleck on the arm and held his hand
as we continued. Both going to a place neither of us had been. Both
strangers in our own land.

A wall came into view, stretching in either
direction. It was built of stones and stood so tall there was no
way of telling what existed beyond. There was a large wooden gate
embedded in the thick wall and as we neared, I felt smaller and
smaller. The gate was wide enough for all of us to walk through
side-by-side with plenty of room to spare, heights reaching up at
least fifty feet. How the gate ever moved was beyond me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement
in the shadows of the forest. I felt it then—a presence, one that
felt familiar to me somehow. Stronger and stronger it came until a
young man emerged from the trees. His bronze hair shone in the
sunlight, bordering a pair of striking blue eyes I would recognize
in any crowd. They were my dad’s eyes.

He was of average height and his fitted black
attire showed off his muscular frame. He was an exact replica of my
dad, albeit much younger. There was a rigid structure to his face,
but it was no reflection of his spirit. That, I could feel, was
pure and good and honest. Even if no one had told me, I would’ve
known that the young man standing before me was my brother. And I
couldn’t have hand-picked someone better.

My legs began walking towards him.

We stopped a few feet from each other. His
blue eyes twinkled and he beamed at me. A few of his bottom teeth
were turned in the wrong direction, but their imperfection was
somehow more endearing. Then, without warning, he pulled me into a
tight embrace. His love and joy wrapped around me then, even more
powerful than his arms. When he stepped back, large, prominent
dimples framed the smile that spread across his face.

“Daria.” His rough voice sounded proud.

I took a deep breath. “Stefan.”

I didn’t think it was possible, but his
semi-crooked smile widened. And his dimples deepened.

“It’s about time you arrived. I’ve been
waiting my whole life to meet you.”

I liked the sound of his voice. It was strong
and confident and…kind.

“I wish I could say the same,” I said. “I’ve
only known you existed since yesterday.”

He looked past me at Dad with a smirk on his
face. “Father.”

Father. Strange hearing someone else calling
my dad “father.”

Stefan looked back at me with a spark of
humor in his gaze. “He’s a bit overprotective.”

“You think?” I grinned. “Don’t tell me he has
thermal sensors around this place, too.”

Stefan arched a brow. “You’re serious?”

It was decided, then. Life really wasn’t
fair.

“He left that bit out.” Stefan glanced over
at my dad—our dad. “I guess we know who the favorite is.” He smiled
back at me. “Well, I can hardly wait to get to know you myself,
especially after everything Alex has told me…”

“Um, I’m not so sure I’d trust everything
Alex has to say. He’s a little biased.”

Stefan looked thoughtful. “He was right about
one thing. You are beautiful. And that’s something I know for a
fact he’s biased about.”

He studied my now red face and his suspicion
surged. Then he glanced back at Alex and a smirk appeared. Dad
joined us, his face full of love and pride, and his joy was
overflowing at having his children finally united.

Dad and Stefan embraced, with firm smacks on
the back. “Thank you, Stefan. I know it hasn’t been easy.”

Stefan smiled and the dimples returned. “I
only did it for her.”

“Already uniting against me?” Dad asked.

I grinned. “Dad, you can’t postpone the
inevitable.”

Both men beamed. It was like looking at two
versions of my dad at the exact same time. Would I ever get used to
this?

Stefan continued, “Grandfather’s waiting for
you in his chambers. He dismissed the Council for the rest of the
afternoon after I told him you were on your way, but beware.
They’re all lurking about, wondering what in the blazes caused the
king to shorten yet another pointless meeting.”

“Good, you haven’t mentioned Daria then.”