Mark of the Princess (19 page)

Moments later, Brennus returned with a dead hare and a handful of berries.

“I’m sorry Alannah. I couldn’t find any water or even anything that could hold any. I thought I would at least bring you some food.” He said extending his hands out to show her what he had brought.

She walked to the front of the cave and looked at the food. She thought she would be famished but again the thirst drove it away. Tears welled in her eyes from the frustration and she felt the anger boiling inside of her like lava in volcano. She wanted to scream but knew she couldn’t because that would give away their position in the mountains. She gritted her teeth and held her fists at her side as she stifled a scream and fell to her knees.

Just as Brennus saw her and began to drop the wood for the fire to go attend her he looked up and saw dark rain clouds roll in. He looked around the sky and saw no other clouds in site other than the ones that seemed to be right above them. By the time that he reached her it had begun to rain on them. Alannah who was by this time on all fours saw the rain hitting the ground in front of her, and began to crawl toward it.

She felt Brennus’s arm around her as he helped her out and stood her in the rain. She tilted her head back and opened her mouth. Instantly the thirst was quenched and she was feeling better. It was as if the rain was washing away all the emotions she had bottled inside. The rain fell hard and fast and just as easily as it came, it was gone again.

Alannah stood at the cave mouth soaking wet, and smiling. She looked at Brennus who had only stepped a couple of feet away from her when he realized that she was now able to hold herself up.

“Alannah, I think
you
did that.” Brennus said watching the clouds disappear, a look of awe on his face.

“Did what?” Alannah looked around in obvious confusion.

“
That
!” he emphasized as he pointed to the sky. “
This
!” motioning all around them at the puddles of water and their wet clothes.

“Alannah , there were no other clouds in the skies. There haven’t been clouds all day. You let out a cry or scream and in they came! It was as if they appeared out of nowhere.” He said still glancing at the sky.

Alannah was beside herself. “But that’s not possible. I didn’t control that. I , I..” She dropped off turning to look at the sky, and all the water around them.

“You did that.” He professed, now sure it was her. What were you feeling or saying inside?”

“I, I don’t know. I was frustrated and angry and I felt like I was going to boil over. I wanted water. That was all. I felt like there was something inside of me that I just can’t explain. Like a sea of emotions and pain and, I don’t know, I just, wanted to let it out.” Alannah looked around. She tried looking inside herself for those emotions or any trace of them but they were gone. She was satisfied.

“Looks like someone’s powers are coming in.” He said with a sly grin, as he turned to walk back toward the trees.

“Wait, where are you going?”

“Well, thanks to the rain, I no longer have any dry wood for the fire so I have to find some.” He said motioning to the wet wood that was to be for the fire.

“Oh.” she smiled.

~
Chapter
18~

Tristan, Kaleb and Evyette had remained mostly quiet since the incident with the shape shifter, climbing and walking with great determination. It was frustrating having wings and not being able to use them, either because there were too many trees around or because flying above the trees would put them at risk of being seen. Most of the day had already passed and they hadn’t encountered anymore creatures. They had heard rustling in the trees around them a few times, but figured it could also be animals. They had stopped once to speak to their parents through a small mirror that they carried. It was a spell that Tristan had practiced a few times with Kaleb at their home. It was quite a power draining spell but it was more effective than sending messages any other way.

They were told about the five Nations and how they were on alert. All are eagerly waiting for the result of this search and any other information that they could get for them. They were told that the Kingdom of the Magi were scouring all the minds they could contact searching for dark activity. It was then that they realized that even if they found Alannah and were able to rescue her, it would not be the end of whatever was going on.

Evyette looked at the sky in wonder, “Tristan, did you see that?”

Tristan who had been tending to his weapons and potions had not even been looking in the same direction. “See what?”

“I’m not sure exactly. These clouds appeared in the distance there,” Evyette pointed to an area a bit distant, “as if out of no where and then disappeared.”

Tristan looked around to the area that Evyette had pointed out and saw nothing.

“Hm. Maybe it was your imagination or someone doing some magic over there. We
are
getting deeper into the mountains and there are other fae out here.” Tristan said, turning his attention back to his weapons.

Evyette stood for a moment as Tristan began putting his weapons away again and walked over to sit by Kaleb. “Are you alright?”

“Huh? Oh, um yes. I’m fine.” Kaleb responded, grabbing a stick and poking at the wood in their small fire. “Just thinking of Alannah. Wondering what she is going through, and if she thinks or knows that we are coming for her.” He finished solemnly.

Evyette put her arm around him. “She is tougher than she looks. She will be fine. And I’m pretty sure she has an idea that we are coming. She knows better than to think that I would wait around for news of her.” She laughed to herself.

Kaleb nodded. She wanted to say more to comfort him but saw that he would rather be alone in thought.

She looked across the flames at Tristan, the fire lending a golden glow to his blue eyes. The glow of the fire making his face seem a bit softer, not as angled and firm as usual. She watched as the flame’s shadows danced on him and highlighted his Marks. She stood and walked over to him, never taking her eyes off of him.

“Are
you
ok?” Tristan asked tilting his head to look into her eyes. Evyette smiled, she knew that he could see that although she tried her best to comfort Kaleb she was still worried.

“Yes. I just can’t wait to see her again, you know. I just need to know that she is ok.”

Tristan put his arm around her and pulled her in to lean on his chest. He brought his chin down for a moment, and gently kissed the top of her head, then leaning back against a moss covered stone, and closed his eyes before drifting off.

Evyette awoke to find that the guys were still sleeping, and shadows were creeping about the edge of their camp. She heard them saying something but she couldn’t make out what it was. Evyette walked closer to the surrounding tree lines to find that it was her name they were calling, but the words they spoke were in a language she didn’t recognize. The shadows’ eyes were red and menacing, their faces obscured by the shadows, yet she couldn’t help but want to get closer to see what they were. She crept closer to them and saw that the shadows never took shape and remained hovering around the edge of their campsite. She turned to look at Kaleb and Tristan and didn’t understand how they hadn’t awoken to the noises and talking of these shadows. Suddenly she felt a pull on her entire body. She tried to turn and head back to the camp, but her feet seemed to be stuck to the ground. She opened her mouth to scream but one of the shadow’s hands covered her mouth allowing no noise to escape.

She decided to turn and fight it, bending down and pulling the blade from the holster on her leg she readied herself. She threw herself forward onto the shadow and found that she didn’t fall through it but rather on it, as it had taken form. She tried to stab it but it moved out from under her. As it circled her, it called her name and then spoke again in the language she couldn’t understand. Finally she spun around and saw her silver blade cut through the chest of the shadow figure. Thick black liquid poured from it’s wound as it fell to the ground. The fae marks that were engraved on the blade also covered in the black liquid.

Is that its blood?
She thought. As she watched the shadow fall to the ground she felt the force of two more head toward her. Again she tried to move and couldn’t. It felt as though they were reaching inside of her. The pain was so intense that it caused tears to stream down her face, she opened her mouth to scream but again no noise came out.

She sat up so suddenly that Tristan awoke with her, her mouth still open just as in her dream. Her breathing was heavy and she was patting her chest where the shadows hands had delved inside of her. Her face was wet with tears and when she looked at her hand there was no blade.

“Oh…” she began, her breathing slowing down, “a nightmare.” She said as she turned to face him.

Tristan cupped her face in his hands wiping her tears with his thumbs. “About Alannah?”

“No. Some strange shadow creatures. They were attacking me. It was strange. At first they were shadows with no forms, and then they had the shapes of fae with no wings, and hardly any features at all, except their eyes. They were horrible.” She explained with a shudder.

Tristan felt his heart drop. “You’re ok. I’ve got you.” He reached out pulling her against him again, “As long as you’re with me I won’t let anything hurt you.” He knew these were the same spirits from the other night but because of the protection spells they cannot physically get to her.

“Tristan.” She tilted her head back to look at him.

“What were those?” Tristan was unsure if he should tell her. He didn’t want her to worry.

She sat up never taking her gaze off of him. “I know you know what they are. I saw the look on your face last night when I was attacked and I can see it in your face now.”

Her usual calm demeanor was gone. There was worry and panic now that wasn’t there before. A different worry than the one she had for Alannah’s well being.

Tristan rubbed the back of his neck trying to think of the best way to tell her without sending her into a full out panic. But there was none.

“Venator-animus.” He said finally looking back at her. “Soul Hunters”

Her look changed from worry to horror. “But, why? Why me?” Evyette said, feeling the anxiety building up inside her.

“I don’t know. Usually they only target certain individuals who they have laid claim to their souls. The wards that Kaleb put on you should hold for a while but we will need to see one of the Magi to find out more.” Tristan explained, running his hand up and down her back trying to comfort her.

“I just do not understand. Why would it claim me? I am not important. I am not royalty or anything. I’m a damn orphan!” She exclaimed fright and anger wreaking havoc on her emotions.

Tristan grabbed her hand. “We will figure it out. Do not worry. For now, you have Kaleb and I protecting you. Nothing will happen to you as long as the protective wards are up and we are with you.”

She buried her face in her hands, although she didn’t cry. She didn’t like people seeing her weak. She rubbed her face with her hands and put them back on her lap. She realized that now was not the time to worry about this anyway. There were other things that needed to be done before she could worry about herself. She didn’t say anything else and for all intents and purposes Tristan decided that it probably wasn’t time for him to say anything either.

She laid down next to him again and put her head on his chest.

‘As long as you’re with me I won’t let anything hurt you.’ she thought of his words and let out a sigh. She hoped he was right.

* * *

Alannah looked at the cut on her arm that was already healing thanks to the spell that Brennus preformed.

She was still thinking of what he had said about her powers coming in. She didn’t understand if it was her powers, why they were so uncontrollable. She had seen other faeries powers come in and usually as they manifested, they were very easy to handle and would grow in strength as the faerie grew older and tried to master it.

Brennus had already put out the fire and walked back into the cave. “How’s your arm?” He walked over and grabbed her arm to look. She was sitting close to the mouth of the cave where the moonlight still trickled in.

She didn’t let him finish. “You can not or you
will not
?”

“I can not. The spells we use are different than the ones other faeries use. We use a language that we have to learn from the time we are very young. It’s specific to the magic and fighting style we use.”

“Oh.”

“So you see
Princess
, I wasn’t denying you just to deny you. I truly cannot. To learn the magic we know, you have to be taught by our teachers. Not by me, regardless of how great I might be at it. ” He stood and walked out to the area in front of the cave.