Blood Of Fire (The Blood Burden Series) (15 page)

The world around Nicole became surreal
as she stepped out from the gateway.  The view was no longer that of the green
willow branches but a deep crimson that blanketed the world around her.  She
reached her hand out and touched the leaves of the willow, "It's
beautiful," she breathed.  She had never seen a tree such as this.  The
leaves were smooth like velvet between her fingers.  A blue magical glow
twirled along the veins of each red leaf and twisted around the surface of the
bark.

Sage took Nicole by the hand a pulled
her from under the limbs, "Just wait until you see the rest of your
world," she smiled.

Nicole let Sage guide her out from under
the canopy of leaves to where she stood on vibrant green grass.  The smell of
salt water danced on the breeze and the warmth of the morning sun kissed her
cheeks.  The willow was on a cliff high above the sea water below.  Stepping to
the edge Nicole took in the view of the perfectly white sands of the beach
below then let her eyes drift along the area around her.

"Look," Sage pointed,
"There is your kingdom," she beamed.  A massive white stone castle
clung to the edge of the cliff with stained glass windows near the top of each
tower glimmering in the sun like diamonds.  A town lay at the castle's feet and
even from where Nicole stood she could see it was full of people coming and
going.

Nicole shook her head as emotions
clamped down on her chest like a vise.  She fought back the tears that were
filling her eyes, "It's so beautiful but…this isn't my kingdom or my
people," she whispered as thoughts of her dad and Kat started to consume
her.  She missed them so much and hated that the only way to protect the both
of them was to leave them behind.  Her powers had already caused them so much
pain.  She had to finish this war so they wouldn't need to worry and she had to
see it through to the end.  That would be the only way she could keep everyone
safe
—
her dad, her
best friend and two races of people that were all depending on her.

"It's your kingdom when you're
ready," Slade put a hand on her shoulder but she kept staring blankly
toward the sprawling green land and grand castle that kissed the white beaches
of the sea.  "You must take your place, Nicole.  You can't fight destiny,
love."

"She doesn't have to do a damn
thing Slade so back off," snarled Luke as he yanked Slade's hand from
Nicole's shoulder.

"Gentlemen," a strong but
feminine voice sounded from behind them.  Nicole turned to see a group of
warriors flanking a small fae woman with snow white hair reaching past her
waist. Her skin was equally as white and smooth as her hair was and set off by
deep, dark brown eyes.  Slade, Sage, and Luke all bowed low at the sight of the
woman leaving Nicole standing in confusion.  "Slade, it would seem you
have forgotten your medallion," she looked down into his face as he stared
up at her.

"Yes, I'm sorry my Queen.  There
was no time for me to collect my things before we changed realms," he
apologized with what Nicole thought was genuine fear in his voice.  The queen
motioned to the guard nearest her and he pulled a silver chain from his pocket
and threw it at Slade's feet.

Slade begrudgingly retrieved the
necklace from the ground.  Nicole only caught a fleeting glance of the silver
dollar sized medallion before he placed it around his neck and tucked it inside
the sweat stained white shirt but within seconds she knew its purpose.  The air
around her crackled with power and warmth took over her whole body.  The
familiar ball of fire sprung to her palms without a command being thought and a
rush of words flooded her mind.  The walls that had been blocking her powers
fell away.  She leaned her head back and sighed with relief then she turned her
eyes on Slade, "You've had a way to turn this off all along and you never
did?"

Slade looked at her and started to speak
but, after a look of defeat, he drew his lips into a tight line, "I'll
explain everything, just not right now, love."

"Yes you will," she bit off
her words, "and stop calling me love."

Nicole turned her attention back to the
group but not before hearing a small grunt of laughter from Luke as he stepped
up to her side.

The woman moved closer to the group with
a tender smile on her thin, pink lips, "Nicole, we have been waiting for
you my dear."  She touched Nicole's face like a mother would her child,
there was so much tenderness in her eyes as she pulled her into a warm embrace.

Nicole smiled back after the woman
released her, "And who are you," she asked.

"Oh, yes, how forgetful of me.  I
am Teya.  I have been acting Queen since the passing of my sister Titania many
years ago," she sighed.  "You look so much like her."  Teya got
lost in her own thoughts for a moment and the smile fell from her face but she
soon recovered and reached for Nicole's hand. "Come dear, you must be
dreadfully tired.  Let's get you a hot bath and a warm meal."

Nicole fell into step with Teya.  She
noticed that even though the Queen was a small woman she carried herself so
strong.  The large warriors that were escorting her didn't seem as intimidating
as the petite fae in the beautiful white dress.  Even Nicole felt herself
wanting to cringe back from her and walk a step behind but she held her ground,
"But how did you know we would be here?"

"I see everything that goes and
comes through the gateway.  I can feel the change in the air when the portal is
opened.  It's a gift that only the King and Queen of the Fae possess.  It helps
us keep the kingdom safe," she smiled warmly as they continued down the
path that was bringing them closer to the gates of the town.

Nicole's gaze drifted ahead to the
people who were scrambling about to reach the side of the path, "What are
they doing," she whispered.

"They all want to see you.  This
kingdom has been lost without a true Queen sitting on the thrown or so that is
what I'm told," Teya laughed a beautiful, bell like sound as she patted
Nicole's hand.

Nicole weighted Teya's words for a
moment and was about to ask why the people felt that way but Teya spoke
instead, "You have really got to remember to put the guard up in your mind
dear.  I can hear your questions spinning at an alarming rate," she turned
her eyes on Nicole and though she was wearing a smile on her thin lips her eyes
reflected a bit of smugness.

"Oh, so sorry.  I've been without
the use of my powers for so long I guess I'd forgotten to block everyone out of
my mind."  Nicole was feeling a bit overwhelmed as the power rushed back
to her on top of taking in all of the new world that she had just stepped into.

"Well, it's best to fix that now
because most of the fae in this kingdom can hear your thoughts and some of
those you need to keep to yourself, dear."

Nicole wondered if she was imagining a
hint of a darker warning in the Queen's words.  She decided it was best to not
speak and focus on the world around her.  The closer they got to the gates the
more the sides of the cobble stone streets filled with smiling and curious
faces.  Nicole was amazed at the warm energy and excited thoughts she was
sampling from the crowd.

"Princess," squealed a soft
voice from the growing sea of faces.  A small, pointed ear girl came into view
and just as her mother was reaching to stop her she darted forward at a speed
that was just slightly faster than that of a normal human child.

Nicole looked down just in time to see a
blur of white lace and golden ringlets wrap tiny arms around her leg.  She
smiled down into the young fairy's big green eyes with a laugh and spoke,
"Well, hello there."

The little girl squealed with delight
and hugged Nicole's leg tighter.  Her mother reached for the little living
doll, "Zeva, let go please."  She smiled up at Nicole as she pealed
Zeva's small arms off, "I'm so sorry, Princess, she is a very free
spirit," she gave a nervous laugh.

"She's very beautiful," called
out Nicole as the young woman led the tiny fairy away.  Nicole glanced around
and didn't notice any other children.  Then she remembered Slade saying that
children were rare because of the lost gateway.  It was lonely at times for
Nicole to be an only child in her house so she could imagine it was a hundred
times harder for little Zeva who looked to be the only child in this town.

Zeva followed her mother with her bottom
lip quivering and un-shed tears shining in her big eyes.  When her mother
reached the edge of the road she stopped suddenly and pulled her hand away,
"Wait," she whispered in an urgent tone.  Her white and yellow dress
billowed out around her as she crouched down.  She looked up at her mother
eagerly and after a moment's hesitation her mother nodded with a smile.

Zeva clapped her hands together like a
child receiving a new toy then lowered her hands toward the ground.

Nicole stepped closer to the golden
haired child to get a better view of what had caught her eye.  She couldn't
imagine what kind of shining trinket or crawling bug hid in the crevice could
cause such enthusiasm.

Zeva smiled over at Nicole then turned
back to the small spot of dirt between two glistening cobblestones.  She
lightly touched the rich soil with her tiny fingertip then pulled her hand back
as if encouraging something to come out of hiding.

Within seconds a small sprout sprung
from the ground causing Nicole to gasp.  The seedling weaved and danced.  It
stretched higher and higher, forming bright green leaves on a long, thick
stem.  Then, with one last flick of Zeva's finger, the large bud on top opened
up into a beautiful, royal blue tulip.  Nicole stared in amazement at the once empty
spot among the stones that was now glowing with color. "It's beautiful,
Zeva.  I'm absolutely sure that is the most enchanting flower I've ever seen in
my life," she breathed.

The rosy cheeked fairy took in Nicole's
impressed stare then let out a beautiful giggle as she plucked the flower from
the dirt.  She placed the tulip in Nicole's hand then took a step back to curtsy
like a perfectly trained lady.

Nicole kissed Zeva's round cheek,
"Thank you, it's almost as pretty as you."  The little girl beamed a
proud smile as she stepped back to her mother's waiting arms.  Nicole admired
the flower then turned back to join the group.  She thought she caught a hint
of a smile on Luke's face but she dropped her eyes to the path ahead of her. 
She refused to focus on the pain his tender side brought to the surface of her
heart.  Not having him by her side hurt like hell but people change
—
grow apart
—
and now wasn't
the time for her to dwell on her own loss.  She had a whole kingdom of people
to think about.

Luke followed the group into the
castle.  He stood in the grand vestibule taking in the still somewhat familiar
surroundings of the place he used to call home many centuries ago.  The ornate
statues of kings and queens of the past lined the stone walls but a new one was
sitting in the center of the floor
—
the acting Queen Teya.  The figure was
imposing and heavily ornate compared to the modest likeness of the other
tributes.  The realistic replica sat atop a pedestal in the center of a flowing
fountain.  Luke walked up to the fountain's edge and admired the array of
colored exotic fish that swam about in the frozen queen's shadow.  They darted
away from him creating glimmering rainbows in the dark waters.

He glanced up seeing the group was being
lead to rooms but he didn't need to follow to know where Nicole would be.  With
his renewed powers he could once again feel her every move as her warrior blood
called to him.  He wondered if she could still feel him or if she even cared to
notice any longer.  The lure of the fairy life is one that anyone could easily
fall into but would she forget that she was also like him?

He rubbed his hand across the back of
his neck as he thought.  The stress was getting to him and not about the
mounting war
—
he was trained
for wars but not for dealing with women.  Knowing that he needed to talk to her
he bounded up the right side of the staircase in the direction that he could
sense her. 
It is time to stop being a jealous ass and tell her the truth
,
he thought to himself as he rounded the corner and walked down the hall.  The
castle wasn't stuck in the old ways like most would have thought.  Hardwood
floors lined the hallways and a deep burgundy was painted on the walls with
wide, white crown molding covering the once cold stone block walls.  The
fixtures were also modern insets that dotted the ceiling, dropping down just
enough light to cast a warm glow to the walkway.  "More of Teya's
touches," he grumbled as he reached the end of the hall and turned to the
right again.