Forged in Fire (The Forged Chronicles Book 3) (12 page)

“If you think these are cool, wait until you see the castle.”

“I’m not going to see it.” Seeing the Elven king sounded intimidating. It was bad enough that I was meeting the queen. At least she lived in a house.

“You might. If my mother thinks you should.”

“Oh.” I was saying that word with greater frequency now. I had never been one to be at a loss for words, but as the experiences I faced got further and further away from the reality I knew, I found I couldn’t come up with effective responses. Either that or I was exhausted. Most likely it was a mixture of both. Luckily the haze was gone, but the ache for James was starting to return. I needed him, and I wasn’t sure how long I was going to have to wait to see him again.

Elron led the way to a spiral staircase that climbed up the side of one of the trees. I followed his lead, trying not to look down on my way up. Between the stairs in the tower and these in the trees, my slight fear of heights was getting a run for its money. But at least these stairs were surrounded by rope railings. I held onto the ropes tightly as we climbed.

We reached a wooden plank walkway flanked by ropes, but they were only handholds. There was nothing to stop you from slipping off the planks and down the thirty feet to the forest floor.

I kept my eyes fixed straight ahead.

“You all right?” Elron glanced back at me.

“Fine.”

“You should have told me you fear heights.”

“It never came up.”

He chuckled. “Along that same thinking I should have mentioned we live in trees.”

“Yes, but then again it would have been yet another reason for me to try to get out of coming, and you made coming seem pretty important.”

“Very important for you and everyone else.”

Several other Elves bowed slightly and moved off of the plank so we could pass them. I wasn’t sure if the etiquette dictated that one route of travel got priority, or if it was because Elron was royalty. Either way, I followed Elron and kept my mouth shut. I couldn’t trust that what came out of my mouth wouldn’t somehow be offensive.

A young female Elf smiled shyly and curtsied. Elron smiled lightly and continued. If I wasn’t mistaken, there might have been something between the two. It wasn’t my place to get involved in that, and it definitely wasn’t the time.

I followed as he continued to weave his way across the trees. I got braver and decided to look down. The ground looked frightening far away. I took a deep breath and caught up with where Elron had moved ahead. Finally he stopped in front of the doorway of one of the simpler looking cottages. He knocked three times—quickly as if in a rhythmic pattern.

“Come on in,” a strong female voice called.

Elron grabbed onto my hand before I could change my mind and turn back.

E
lron opened
the door and my breath caught as I followed him into an absolutely exquisite looking room. It was nothing like the austere exterior.

Bright colored tapestries covered the walls while the floors were made with a rich red toned hardwood. But neither of those things were what really got my attention. Instead it was the crystal chandeliers that hung from the ceiling in such a way to give the appearance of a thousand diamonds suspended in air.

“They are pretty, are they not?” A female voice broke me from my staring.

“Yes.” I struggled to compose myself and adjust my eyes now that I had finally stopped staring at the lights.

“Mother, this is Ainsley.” Elron bowed to a beautiful young woman with long jet black hair that reached her waist.

“I wondered when you would get here.” She walked toward me, and I realized that although she looked young, there was something about her deep emerald green eyes that suggested she’d lived through far more than most people.

“You saw a vision of her?” Elron asked.

“Yes. Of you bringing her here.”

“Then I did the right thing.” Elron nodded. “I am glad.”

“Of course you did.” She smiled at her son before turning her attention back to me. “I am Adaline.” She held out a hand. “Welcome to North Loriet, Ainsley.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you.” I attempted to curtsey, but I had a feeling it just made me look silly. I straightened up.

“No need to show deference. You are of royal blood as well.” Adaline put a hand on my shoulder. “We are equals.”

“Yeah… I don’t know about that.” I wasn’t an equal of the regal woman in front of me. Although on the surface she looked like a normal person—well aside from the ears that marked her as an Elf—there was an air about her that screamed importance.

“She is royal.” Elron stood at my side. “I am sure of it, and I think she is Monty’s daughter.”

Adaline smiled. “She is a Winthrop. I can see it in her eyes, but whether she was Monty’s or Theodore’s or some other’s I would not know.”

Elron nodded. “The timing makes sense. Monty had been living in the lost world at the time she must have been conceived.”

“But that is not why you brought her.” Adaline dropped her hand from my shoulder.

“No.” Elron shook his head. “It is not time for an alliance yet.”

An alliance? I looked between them.

Adaline noticed my confusion. “We have talked about an alliance between the Elves and humans of Energo. Your royal blood would have made you a suitable match for my son, but I know that was not his reason for bringing you here.”

“Oh.” There went that word again. As if Elron would have brought me there as some bride or something. Crazy.

“Not so crazy.” Adaline smiled.

“Did you just read my mind?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I read your expression.”

“Good.” I felt a wave of relief. My thoughts were things I preferred to keep private.

“You did not believe anyone would consider you a match for a prince.” It was a statement and not a question.

“I’m not sure about this whole royal blood thing, but I’m just a girl.” A girl who desperately needed help.

“You are not just a girl, although to be of average blood is nothing to be ashamed of. But an alliance could only be formed between royals.” There was nothing condescending in her words. She meant them.

“Will you show her the mark?” Elron asked gently.

I nodded. My fear had dissipated now that I’d met Adaline. The aura about her made me feel safer than I’d felt since leaving James’ side. I walked closer and pulled down on my shirt slightly to show her the mark. I closed my eyes, not sure I was ready to watch her reaction.

“The Mendel crest,” Adaline said quietly.

“Yeah…” I opened my eyes.

Adaline’s eyes were kind when I met them. “And how did you come to have this branded on your skin?”

“I slept with James Mendel.” The words sounded bitter on my tongue. What James and I shared went far beyond sleeping together.

“You are his kindred.” She smiled lightly. “That is a rare thing.”

“I am.”

She brushed her fingers along the mark. Her touch was gentle, a caress. “You are more than his kindred.”

“She is a vessel.” Elron spoke solemnly.

Adaline nodded. “Yes, that is clear.”

“So how do I stop being a vessel?” That was the million dollar question, wasn’t it?

“It is more of an if.” Adaline’s lips formed a frown. “I will not promise that which may not come to pass.”

“What?” My chest clenched. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

“I would be lying if I did, and I choose not to lie.”

“Great.” I turned to Elron. “I thought you said she could help. This was a waste of time.”

Adaline shook her head. “I can help. But it may not work in the way you want.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning everything we try may have dire consequences.”

“This conversation isn’t leaving me feeling all warm and fuzzy.”

“You have darkness spreading through you.” Elron rubbed the back of his neck. “Where are the warm and fuzzies going to come from?”

“Elron.” Adaline shook her head. “She is our guest.”

“You know that phrase?” I asked with surprise.

“I understand it.”

Adaline gestured to a large dining table. “I believe there is far more to the story than you have told me so far. Why don’t we sit?”

“We haven’t even started to scratch the surface.”

Adaline smiled. “Well then, why don’t you start?”

I nodded and took a seat at the table. Adaline sat to my right. I had expected her to sit across from me or something.

Elron remained standing. “Maybe she should have some spirits first. She had a difficult time telling me.”

“I don’t need anything to drink.” I shook my head. “But thanks.”

“You have not tried our spirits; they have more properties than what you are used to.”

“But does it work the way alcohol does?”

“Work in what way?”

“You know what I mean.”

“One glass will not make you drunk.”

I considered his words, and part of me was tempted, but my common sense kicked in. “No thanks.”

“Your choice. I will pour myself some.” Elron disappeared into the other room.

“I am disappointed, but that does not mean I will not help.” Adaline rested her hands in front of her.

“Disappointed?”

“You would have made a fine partner for him. You have a strength most women of your species lack. But that is not to pass.”

“Oh.” More awkward talk. “Yeah, that’s definitely not why I’m here.”

“Whether he knows it or not the time for an alliance has come, but you are already the kindred of a Guardian. Breaking that bond might change the future in irreparable ways.”

“To be honest, I don’t know much about the kindred bond.” I was laying so much out there already. I figured admitting that couldn’t help.

“It is rare, and nearly always occurs for a reason.”

“For a reason beyond a Guard falling in love?” I had a feeling this was all going to return to a discussion of the Source, and I wasn’t sure I was up for any more of the vague answers.

She smiled. “Love. I take it you believe in that term?”

I thought about my answer before giving it. “Yes. I believe in love.”

“But do you truly understand it?”

“A few days ago I would have said yes. Now I’m afraid to say I understand anything.”

“Never be afraid to express yourself.”

“I have to be. I’m in a world where I have no knowledge of the rules and traditions. At first that was kind of cool, but now it’s overwhelming.”

She smiled. “You are having no difficulty expressing yourself to me.”

“Thanks, but that speaks more for you than for my expressive abilities.”

“You do not know me, so that cannot be the case.” She brushed some of her hair behind her ear.

I shook myself from staring at her exposed ear. “That just means I lack judgement.”

“It means you know I am trustworthy. You should trust your instincts.”

“My instincts have gotten me in trouble plenty of times.” No matter what I did I seemed to get in trouble.

“My guess is that even the trouble has happened for a reason.”

“You mean fate?” That was another word I wasn’t sure if I completely understood.

“Fate, like love, is such a simple term for something far more complicated.”

“What do we have to do?” Reality dawned on me. For every moment we talked, that was a moment longer until I reached Belgard.

Elron returned with three glasses of a dark brown liquid. “In case you change your mind.” He set it down in front of me.

“Thanks.” I nodded. “Your mother was about to tell me what I have to do.”

“I was, but the first question I have for you is what do you know of your father?” She flipped her hand over on the table palm up.

“Not much. I mean, if he’s a Winthrop it’s probably Monty, but before this I knew nothing. My mom never told me much of anything about him.”

“And you were raised in the lost world?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“And how did you get returned to Belgard?”

“James brought me back, to protect me.” That was what he was doing. He’d been doing the only thing he thought he could. Considering what happened to Grace, it was likely they would have gotten me regardless of what we did. At least I knew why. Sort of. He wanted to make me a vessel. Although would that have been possible if I hadn’t slept with James?

“Protecting you from him?” Her forehead furrowed.

“No.” I shook my head. “Well, and kind of yes. At first it was from others working for his father.” He hated his father. I remembered the way he first described him to me, and now James was forced to do his bidding. I couldn’t imagine how hard all that had to be for him. “But now he’s struggling to fight off the darkness.”

“And your feelings for him are strong. You love him in all ways you know how?” She watched me intently.

I nodded again. ”Yes.” I wasn’t sure how much was supernatural, but either way I was hooked.

“Despite his father.”

“Yes. No one should be judged for the crimes of their parents.” Of course now everything had changed—but he was still James. “I have never felt this strongly about anyone, and I know it’s more than the poison. Maybe it’s the kindred thing, but I believe it’s even more. It’s real, and it’s not something I can turn on and off.”

“You feel this way despite him giving you the darkness?” Elron leaned toward me.

“He never meant to poison me.” I did believe him. Adaline had told me to trust my instincts, and I knew that one was right. “He never would have—.” I stopped myself before I could make the conversation more awkward. “He never would have allowed things with us to have gotten as far as they did had he had any hint as to what was to come.”

“And that is enough for you to forgive him?” Her expression was soft.

“Are you looking for me to give another answer? Am I wrong to feel the way I do?” I crossed my arms.

“No.” She shook her head. “Not at all. I am trying to understand your heart before I can come up with a solution.”

“My heart is messed up.”

“Actually it is the opposite. It is pure.”

“Elron said Elves can tell whether a heart is dark or light.” Although I knew nothing was that simple. No one was pure evil or pure good. Well maybe Blake had been pure evil, but everyone else fell in the middle. Like Charlotte. She was supposed to be so good, yet she refused to help James when he needed her.

“And yours is as light as they get for humans.” She wrapped her hand around my forearm. “You should not be so hard on yourself.”

“I’ve done bad things. I’ve hurt people.” And I’ve gotten people in trouble. If something happened to Grace I would never forgive myself. But at the moment something might happen to everyone I loved, and I had to find a way to stop it.

“Everyone has. That has nothing to do with your heart.”

“It doesn’t?” And I’d thought I was finally understanding something.

“You are not malicious. You do not seek to hurt others. That is a major difference.”

“Will that make whatever we are about to do any easier?” I felt a surge of hopefulness.

“No.” She shook her head. “Nothing I can do to help will be easy. In fact the most logical solution will be the hardest.”

I sighed. “Why am I not surprised?”

“Can you help her?” Elron set down his drink. “Can you stop the darkness from changing her?”

“The darkness will never change her.” Adaline smiled. “That much I can tell.”

“Her heart is that pure.” Elron beamed. “It was not an illusion.”

“It is not. And I do believe her father was Monty. She gets it from him.”

“Because the other uncle didn’t or doesn’t have a pure heart?” Once again I was lost.

“Monty was killed by Blake.” Adaline took my hand.

“Yes… Elron told me, and he seemed happy about it.”

She turned to her son. “Happy?”

“Excited at what that could mean,” Elron quickly explained. “Of course I was not happy about his death. That would be absurd.”

She turned back to me. “Elron speaks the truth. He was not happy about his death, but at how it could help your situation.”

“Could one of you explain what in the world you are talking about?” I shrugged off Adaline’s hands. “I am sick and tired of being left in the dark. Maybe I’m slow, but I have no clue how his death helps us at all.”

“Blake was the Cipher.”

“Yeah… I know that.” I unfortunately knew far too much about the Cipher and his corpses. I still refused to believe that James had really become it. How could I still love someone who was completely evil? I shuddered. It was impossible. He may have had a darkness in him, but it wasn’t him.

“The power of the Cipher can pass in many ways. One way is through death.”

“Ok…” Now we were getting somewhere.

“Blake would have only killed Monty with his own hands if he knew Monty would be incapable of accepting the dark power.”

“And that helps us?” There went the whole getting somewhere thing.

“It means that you are likely incapable of accepting the darkness either.”