The Eden Series: The Complete Collection (48 page)

“You’re so stupid!” he yelled. “Didn’t I tell you not to talk to them?”

“Talk to who?”

“The forest people!”

“The forest people?” Aiden gasped, looking back to where Lily had disappeared. “You said they were nasty little things! How could you expect me to know what she was when you describe them like that?” He gripped his now aching head.

“They
are
nasty creatures! You’re lucky she didn’t suck the life right out of you!”

“Nasty? Did you not see her? She was beautiful!” Aiden shook his head, trying to undo whatever spell she had placed on him. Now that he was yelling, he realized how cloudy his head felt. Moose was quiet now, looking closely at him. “What?” he asked, looking back at the odd look on Moose’s face.

“You kissed her and you look fine.”

“Yeah, so?”

“I’ve never seen that before. Normally you’d be gone with her, but you’re here.”

Aiden shrugged, feeling suddenly uncomfortable under the other boy’s scrutiny. “I don’t get affected by things like you do here.”

“So it’s true then? You can’t be injured or killed?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that,” he said, blocking out the memories that flooded his mind. The pain of those last moments still woke him up at night sometimes, and he didn’t want to start dwelling on it now. “For the most part though, I usually heal faster than normal.”

“Amazing.” The other boy smiled at him that same childish grin Aiden was slowly becoming accustomed to. “Well, while you were here kissing strange girls, I was trying to hunt us down some food, and I got us a nice cub.”

“A cub?” Aiden asked, his voice squeaking. “Like, a bear?!”

“Yeah,” Moose replied over his shoulder, already turning back towards the stream. Aiden quickly grabbed his axe and caught up to him. Sure enough, beside the small stream was a tiny black cub, an arrow sticking out of his chest. Turning away, he swallowed the bile that had filled his mouth. Something about killing and eating a bear made him feel sick.

“Come on, let’s get him and go,” Moose was saying. He crouched down beside the animal and lifted it unceremoniously over his shoulder. He turned to look back at Aiden, then froze. A look of sheer panic filled his face. There was a low rumble behind him.

“It’s the mother isn’t it?” he asked, not turning to look himself. Moose looked at Aiden, but he didn’t nod his head. It didn’t matter, Aiden knew. Without waiting for it to attack first, Aiden took a deep breath, then turned quickly, moving forward as he did, his axe raised high in the air. A cry filled the air, which Aiden realized afterwards was his own. The bear was huge, but he had almost singlehandedly taken out an army of beasts that were made of harder skin than this bear was. For some reason, he wasn’t scared. He was
thrilled.

The bear stood up, towering over him, and let out a loud growl. Aiden swiped down quickly, sinking his blade into the bear’s right side. It screamed in pain and anger, claws narrowly missing his face. Dropping into a roll, he quickly moved around to the back of the massive animal, slicing the back of its hind leg. Another furious growl filled the quiet solitude of the forest, followed by a loud thump as it hit the floor. No longer able to stand, the bear turned on all fours, charging towards Aiden with speed that was unexpected for its size. Cursing, Aiden fell backwards into a bush alongside the water. Thorns bit deep into the back of his legs and arms, pain searing throughout his body. The mother bear was on top of him now, her breath blowing into his face. Large white teeth dripped with saliva as she prepared to kill him. Suddenly she reared up, toppling away from him long enough for Aiden to regain his footing. An arrow stuck out of the back of the animal, Moose stood frozen in the same spot, his bow empty. Having no breath to say thank you, or time, Aiden quickly rushed at the bear again, swinging a fatal blow with his axe right into the back of the mother’s skull. It collapsed onto the ground, a final growl escaping her mouth before she lay still.

Aiden stood over the animal, his breath coming out sharp and quick. He looked back over at Moose, who had lost all the colour in his face. “Thanks,” he said between gasps. Moose mutely nodded his head back. The small stream sounded oddly quiet now after the attack. None of the other Riders had come.

“Well,” Moose said, interrupting the silence. “That was – unexpected.”

“You
did
kill her child,” Aiden pointed out, looking down at the large mound of fur.

Unexpectedly Moose began to laugh. Aiden looked questioningly over at him. “I can’t believe you just killed that thing,” he chuckled. “My father is going to have a feast in your honour. Come on, let’s get it out of here.” Shifting the small cub further up between his cheek and shoulder, Moose walked over and grabbed one side of the mother bear.

“You want to bring this
back
?” Aiden asked, his voice betraying his surprise, and horror.

“Are you kidding? This is going to feed the whole village! Damn right we’re taking it.”

“Uh, Moose, do you realize how heavy a bear is? There is no way the two of us will be able to carry it back ourselves,” Aiden pointed out, eyeing the animal warily.

Moose brushed him off. He bent down and grabbed the shoulders. “How much could it possibly weigh?” Aiden watched as Moose tried to lift its shoulders. He laughed as Moose’s face turned red with exertion.

“I told you –”

Moose quickly cut him off. “Don’t say it! Come and help me. This is only difficult because I’m doing it by myself.” Cleary there was no dissuading him. With a heavy sigh, he walked to the other end and grabbed hold of the bear. “Ready?” Moose called out, rubbing his hands together. “On the count of three.”

Aiden waited until three, and lifted his end effortlessly. He looked over at Moose, who was watching him with wide eyes.

“You’re not even breaking a sweat,” Moose said, awed.

“Maybe this end just isn’t as heavy as yours,” Aiden offered.

Moose shook his head emphatically. “My side isn’t even that heavy anymore, Aiden. You’re compensating for most of the weight right now. Isn’t it heavy for you?” he asked while he eyed Aiden’s arms suspiciously.

Aiden shrugged. He didn’t have an explanation, but for some reason the weight of the bear felt like nothing to him. He eyed himself, wondering why that was. He wasn’t
that
strong.

“You’re so weird,” Moose whispered. Aiden looked up at him, offended. “It’s so awesome.”

“Let’s just go,” Aiden sighed.

When they came out of the forest almost everyone else was there. Hawk turned to look at the boys, his eyes widening in the surprise at the kill they both carried. Moose smiled his boyish grin over at his father.

“Looks like the great warrior has proven himself!” he called out. Aiden’s cheeks immediately heated. There was a moment of silence before everyone erupted into laughter and cheers. Hawk walked over and gave Aiden a slap on his back.

“You are officially a Rider now, my boy!” he said, affectionately. “Let us feast!”

* * * * *

She woke with a start. Something wasn’t right. Diana looked around her small cottage. It was still night. Sweat dripped down the sides of her face, her hair matted to her head. There was a dream – no, a feeling. Something had passed over her while she slept. Getting up, she walked over to the small kitchen and put water over the hearth. There was no point in going back to sleep now – not until she figured out what had woken her so suddenly. Looking out her front window, she scanned the perimeter of the clearing, looking for any intruders that might have interrupted her rest. It was unlikely, especially with all the spells she cast about the place. If anyone approached, she would have been warned much sooner. Still, something felt wrong. Something in the very pit of her stomach.

The two moons shone brightly in the sky, casting their blue glow down on the ancient forest. It was a beautiful, clear night. As far as Diana could see, nothing seemed amiss.

“What is it?” she wondered out loud. Just as she thought it, a flicker of movement caught her eye. It was white and quick. Casting out a sensory spell, Diana searched the surrounding area for threats. She felt her then, not far from where the forest cleared around her cottage. Grabbing her cloak, Diana walked out to meet the visitor, knowing there was no way she would enter the clearing willingly. Forest people did not like the magic Diana and her kind used. They rarely came as close as this one did to the home. Something must have happened to bring her here.

“Show yourself,” Diana called out, her voice firm. A small figure stepped out from behind a tree, formally curtseying low to the ground.

“My Lady,” she greeted in a light, smooth voice. Her hair was white with streaks of blue throughout. It was cut just below her ears, and stuck out in wild directions as if it had been caught in the trees of the forest while the girl ran. Leaves and twigs stuck in between the strands. Even in the lighting, Diana could see the bright whiteness of her eyes. It was disconcerting to look at her, Diana thought. It felt like the girl could see right through her. There were no pupils, just white. She had the tiny, pointed features, but her thin lips held none of the mischief Diana was used to.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” Diana asked, her voice even, despite the nervousness the girl ignited in her.

“Pleasure is a false word, I should think, but I won’t hold it against you,” she replied, smiling softly. “I have come on behalf of my sister. She has informed me that the great warrior has returned, and thought it would be wise to inform you.”

“The great warrior? Aiden?” Diana gasped. It came back to her then, the image she had as she slept – or more, the feeling. Something had disturbed the guard around Eden, and now she knew what. Aiden. “How is that possible? Where is he?”

“With the Riders, my Lady, in the west. My sister assumed you did not bring him here yourself. Something…” she paused, “doesn’t feel right.” There was no disagreeing there. Diana took a deep breath before smiling at the girl.

“Thank you for bringing me this news. It is indeed worrisome. Tell your sister I thank her as well.” The forest girl sank to the floor again before disappearing quickly. Turning back to her house, Diana went inside and began packing a small bag. She was going to have to take a trip into the Capital. Diana did not like leaving her home, especially when she had to go inside the city walls, but the forest girl had been right. Something didn’t feel right and Jameson needed to know.

CHAPTER TEN

The halls of the castle were cold. Freezing winds assaulted the stone walls outside, and little traces of bitter air seeped through the cracks. It had been much warmer inside the library. This was, by far, her favourite room in the unfamiliar castle, but the ladies there would not stop looking at her and Rose had finally had enough. Excusing herself, she told them she was going for a walk. A round of objections erupted, until she clarified that she meant only within the halls of the castle. No one would let her outside the walls, except when she was with Callum. It was increasingly frustrating the way everyone treated her like she was either a fragile piece of glass that would break at any moment, or like an outsider that they didn’t trust and therefore wanted nothing to do with. Not everyone had accepted Callum’s girl when they returned from the battle, but because of who Callum was, they were forced to treat her with at least feigned kindness.

Looking out through a small window along the north side of the castle, Rose saw only the snow covered peaks of the mountains around them. She desperately wished Callum was here with her, but he was meeting with Brutus all morning. They would not see each other until that evening. Back in her home village, before she had been taken by the northern army, she had been allowed out to explore the forests nearby, or go riding in the afternoon sun. It was different here. Despite her condition, she wanted to feel free if this was to be her new home, but the court ladies would not hear of it. Absently she ran her hand over the bump that was growing larger each day, humming a nursery song that her mother sang to her when she was a girl.

Turning, she began walking slowly down the poorly lit hall, enjoying the simple pleasure of walking, instead of sitting in silence among the other ladies. It had been half a year since the battle in Central Eden, and ever since, her life had taken a sudden and unexpected turn. In truth, it had started even before that, but her decision to stay with Callum had sent her into unknown territory.

After Callum, the youngest son of the late High King Elrond, and brother to the current High King Jameson, had taken her from her home as a prisoner of their war, she had stayed by his side for reasons that were unclear to her at the time. What was more surprising was the odd sense of familiarity and comfort she began to feel around him and Brutus the Red, leader of the North, even though it was their fault her whole family was dead, save for her brother Felix who was with the High King’s army in the Capital City. Many nights, before she fell asleep, Rose thought about her brother, and wondered what he was doing. She missed him, and often regretted not reuniting with him, but she had made her decisions, even though they were difficult to make. She shuddered at the thought of what her father would say if he were alive.

Before the battle began, Callum had sent her away, giving her a horse and the opportunity to escape the imprisonment of the northern army – and to find Felix. In the beginning, she had every intention of doing just that, but then he had kissed her before she left. Something inside her told her what she once believed was very different from the truth. Despite telling herself that she hated Callum, and only wished to find her brother, she found herself turning around and going back to the northern army’s camp. It was the most nerve wracking thing she had ever done, but she didn’t regret it – despite the cold welcome she received from the northern court upon their return. She had Callum. That was all that mattered. Her thoughts travelled back to that day, a small smile creeping onto her face as she remembered.

* * * * *