The Eden Series: The Complete Collection (59 page)

Lily looked nervously back at the village as she wrung her hands together. Before he could think better of it, Aiden reached out and grabbed them in his. He needed Lily to trust him enough to let him know what it was that was bothering her.

“I really need your help, Lily,” he urged.

She shook her head, looking down at their entwined hands. “I don’t know,” she answered. “I wish I did, but I don’t.”

A wave of disappointment washed over him. “You must know something.”

“I just know what I feel, and it isn’t good. There is something disrupting the energy around the Riders’ village. I don’t understand it, though.” Aiden was about to ask more questions, but he didn’t get the chance to. “Your friends don’t know you’re here,” she continued in a low voice.

“Pardon?”

“Your friends in the Capital, they don’t even know you’re here. Doesn’t that seem odd?” Aiden thought carefully. Had Hawk said he’d tell them? He couldn’t remember, but he must have. The King would need to know he was back.

“I’m sure Hawk sent someone,” he disagreed. “Do you think I’m here in secret?” She just looked at him.

“Come with me,” she urged again.

“I can’t do that –”

“Please,” she interrupted, her voice pleading. “I will keep you safe. I will take you to the witch.” Was she referring to Diana? A lump formed in his throat. Since he had arrived, he had missed all the people he had come to love there. It would be wonderful to see Diana and the others, but the Riders had been so good to him. He didn’t want to leave just yet.

He gave her slender fingers a gentle squeeze. “You don’t have to protect me. I can do that all by myself. I’ll go there soon, when I’m ready.”

“I do not trust them,” she shook her head back and forth rigorously. “There is a dark force here.” She stepped closer to him, breaking the hold between their hands. Her tiny body fit neatly against his, her head resting under his chin. Instinctively, Aiden brought both arms around her. They stayed in an embrace for a while. Time seemed to move slowly whenever he was with her. Aiden thought about what she had just said. Did he trust the Riders? Yes, he did. He trusted Hawk’s family, just like he trusted Wolf. The Shaman? Well, he wasn’t sure about that one. Not anymore.

Finally she stepped back and looked up him with an expression he couldn’t read. The deep purple of her eyes against her glowing skin and white hair always left him speechless. She was so perfect it almost seemed impossible. All his worries seemed to vanish. There was only her standing in front of him that was suddenly important. Tilting his head towards her, their lips met for the second time, all thoughts leaving his mind again. The same surreal feeling wrapped around him. It was a soft kiss at first, but deepened quickly. Her arms reached up around his neck, keeping him firmly close to her. A small moan escaped his mouth as he pulled her tightly against him. Then, without warning she broke free.

“I have to go,” she said, breathless. Before he could even ask why, she took off, disappearing into the thick woods like a ghost. He had to give his head a few hard shakes before the cloudy feeling disappeared.
What the hell had just happened?
One minute he was thinking about his growing list of concerns, and the next he was kissing her!
This is messed up
, Aiden thought, bleakly. When he exited the forest, he saw Hawk standing leisurely by the outskirts.

“Aiden,” he greeted, his eyes looking past him questioningly.

“Hawk,” Aiden returned, keeping his voice low and respectful.

“Are you ok? What are you doing out here?” he asked, searching Aiden’s face.

“I just went for a walk,” he lied.

“It is dangerous to be unarmed in the forest. You should be more careful.” Aiden nodded his head appreciatively, assuring Hawk he would remember that for next time. They headed back towards the village. Lily’s question about his friends not knowing he was there repeated in his head. It was definitely odd. He needed to make sure she was wrong.

“Did you tell the High King that I returned?” Aiden asked, trying to keep any accusing tones out of his voice.

“Of course,” Hawk answered, immediately. “We sent someone as soon as you arrived.” It didn’t sound like he was lying. There was no reason Hawk would lie. Was there? A suspicious feeling built in Aiden’s gut, but he thought better of it. Maybe Lily was deliberately trying to sew distrust as a way to get him to leave with her. Moose had said the forest people were very deceptive. When they walked up to the house, Moose stood lazily against the small fence that ran around their home.

“Where have
you
been?” he asked, looking at Aiden with a suggestive expression.

“Just went for a walk,” Aiden said in a voice that really said to drop the subject. Moose nodded his head, unconvinced, a smirk plastered on his face.

“Must have been a vigorous walk. You’re all flustered.” A full smile spread across his wide mouth, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. Hawk walked past him and entered the house, leaving the two of them standing outside. “Where were you
really
?” Moose asked again. Aiden sighed.

“The forest,” he answered, leaving it at that. Moose chuckled.

“So? Who came out?”

Moose’s question brought him back to the important matter at hand. “No one,” he answered. “I watched for over an hour, but nothing happened.”

“Strange…” They both turned to look at the house.

“You heard him talking to someone, right?” Aiden asked, making sure he wasn’t going crazy.

“Yup,” Moose answered instantly.

“My only wish is to please you,” Aiden reiterated. “What can that mean?”

“Maybe he’s talking to those spirits he’s always going on about?”

“Maybe…”Aiden trailed off. He wasn’t convinced.

* * * * *

Later that evening, as they were all eating dinner, there was a loud knock on the door. Sunny stopped mid-sentence in the story she had been telling, and looked questioningly at Hawk. Aiden thought her husband looked relieved for the interruption, and took a bite of meat to hide his smile. One of the older men Aiden had seen around the village stood outside, his face visibly frightened. He was speaking quickly to Hawk, his voice too low for any of them to hear. Moose looked over at Aiden, his eyebrows raised in question. Aiden shrugged unknowingly. When Hawk came back, his face was a mask of stone.

“You two,” he pointed at them. “Come with me. Girls wait here.” Sonny started to ask what was wrong, but he held up his hands to stop her. “I’ll come and talk to you later. Right now we need to leave.”

Aiden and Moose got up wordlessly, following Hawk out of the house. Aiden cast a glance at Rain before he left and saw a mixture of fear, anger, and something else on her face that he couldn’t quite place.

They were standing in a large circle outside the border of Avalon. The men were speaking in hushed tones when the three of them approached. Hawk took position in the middle, a cohesive hush running through the crowd.

“We’ve just received word from our men positioned close to the mountain pass that the northern army has been spotted about a day’s ride from here.” Hawk announced. Everyone except a few started to speak at once. Aiden and Moose looked at each other. A cold sweat began to build on the back of Aiden’s neck.

“Quiet,” Hawk instructed. They all went still. “I’m sure this comes as a surprise to a lot of you. We were not expecting the north to move so soon, but it looks like they have shifted their sights to us. As worrisome as this is, we all know our homes are veiled from outsiders. This being said,” he continued, looking around at all of them, “until they have left, please keep your wives and children inside the limits of our shield, and be on full guard. If they want a fight, they will have it. But we shall not act unless it is necessary.” The men began nodding in agreement. “Be thankful that the God and Goddess are on our side during this time of war, and with us is the great young warrior from the other world,” he turned to smile at Aiden. Moose gave him a playful nudge, snickering under his breath. Aiden didn’t find any of this funny.

“Go back to your homes and assure your families that we are safe from harm.” With that, he ended the meeting, sending everyone their separate ways. Moose and Aiden walked up to meet him.

“What do you think?” Moose asked, keeping his voice low.

Hawk ran a hand slowly down his face, a tired sigh escaping him. “I don’t know what to think. It makes no sense for them to come this way. Why?” The question hung in the air. “They know they’ll never find us. What could be the purpose on coming here?”

“Perhaps they will just move past?” suggested Moose. Aiden thought back to Lily’s warning of danger, and wanted to tell them, but was too afraid to admit he had spoken with her again. There was no telling how Hawk would react. Everyone in Avalon distrusted Forest People.

“We must post men around the perimeter,” Aiden said, his voice taking on a tone of confidence. “We’ll watch from behind the protective lines and make sure they pass without harming anyone. There shouldn’t be any problems.” He wasn’t exactly sure if that was true, but it seemed like a good idea to him. Hawk looked thoughtfully at him for a minute before speaking.

“Go home and get some rest, boys. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” They nodded their heads and started back towards the house, leaving Hawk standing alone in the evening light.

“He’s worried,” Moose said, glancing back at his father.

“Who isn’t? No one likes war,” Aiden answered.

Moose shook his head. “My father is not worried as easily as most. Something must be wrong.”

“Nothing bad will happen if we’re there to stand against it,” Aiden replied. They walked the rest of the way in silence, retreating to the solitude of their bedrooms once they reached the house. Suddenly his problems didn’t seem so big anymore.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Stepping through the gates of the Capital was like taking a deep breath of fresh air. Elisa hadn’t realized how much she truly missed her home until that moment. The guards at the gates slapped them affectionately on the back as they passed by. It would only be a matter of minutes before her father would hear about their return. She desperately wanted the comfort of her bed, but the night was young, and they were sure to be in for one of Turk’s infamous talks. The boys would have the worst of it, but she knew he’d save some special words just for her.

“I don’t know about you two,” Logan said, as they walked through the twisted streets towards the dormitory, “but I’m suddenly terrified to be back here.” Wolf snorted, but said nothing.

Elisa couldn’t help but snicker. “Whatever happens, just stick together.” Logan looked over and grinned at her. They were only a few feet away from the front doors to the dormitory when her father showed up.

“All three of you in the throne room,
now
.” A chill ran up her spine.
Oh we are in trouble
, she thought. And this time it wasn’t going to be funny. Wolf and Logan avoided eye contact as they turned and headed towards the palace. Turk fell into step with Elisa. They didn’t look at each other, but their shoulders brushed lightly. She knew he had missed her, and having him so close, despite the fact that he was clearly angry, made her feel comforted and safe. The silence that surrounded the four of them was palpable as they headed past the guards and into the throne room. King Jameson stood by himself at the far end of the room.

“Our missing soldiers have returned,” he called out sarcastically, his eyes void of humour. His eyes bore into each of them individually before he spoke again. “Which one of you is going to explain this to me?”

The three of them shuffled uncomfortably under his disapproving gaze. Thankfully Wolf spoke up before Elisa was forced to. “We apologize for our absence,” he said awkwardly.

“I don’t doubt you do. That doesn’t explain it however. Did you not get our summons to return?”

Wolf glanced hesitantly at Logan. A look of guilt passed over his face. “I did,” he answered truthfully. “But in Logan’s defense, he was not aware of them.”

“So you received them and simply decided to ignore a summons from your King?” Jameson’s voice started to take on a dangerous tone. Wolf seemed to hear it too, standing up straighter to meet his consequences.

“Yes sir.”

“I see.” Jameson looked at her father. A silent message appeared to pass between them that Elisa could not decipher. “Captain?”

Her father cleared his throat loudly. “Normally I would sentence them both back to training, and take away any privileges outside the dormitory, but I think that would be too easy for them.”

Jameson smiled slowly. “What do you suggest then?” he asked, clearly enjoying her father’s disciplinary manner.

“Wall patrol for the next month. Night shifts. They can sleep for two hours before joining me in the training camp for new recruits.” Elisa didn’t dare look at anyone as her father spoke. Wall patrol was for the lowest men in the King’s army, a position that no one wanted, especially during the night. It was boring, and required little to no skill. Her father was punishing them worse than she expected, and he still hadn’t dealt with her yet. She could feel the colour draining from her face.

“I agree,” the King said, firmly. “Now tell me Elisa, why was it that
your
trip took longer than expected?” With his attention now on her, Elisa broke into a cold sweat. She had grown up with the King, thinking of him like that uncle who was always more fun than her father. It was different when he was angry. That was when she remembered just who he really was, and the power he had.

“We ran into a – situation,” she answered softly.

“A situation?” her father asked, before Jameson could speak. Elisa looked over at the boys for help, but both had their eyes pinned to the floor.

“Well, Markus found out I was there and insisted we stay. It was rather difficult to just leave. He said he had sent a message telling you.” Her father and Jameson exchanged another silent look. She could almost detect a hint of a smile on the King’s face.

“Interesting. We didn’t receive a message, but these things sometimes get lost. Regardless, I think we understand what happened,” the King said, an obviously humoured. “We will accept that you performed your task to the best of your ability and let it rest at that. Now, since we’ve settled the manner of your punishment, you may leave here to get some rest. Your shifts will start tomorrow.” The three of them nodded towards him, accepting this as their dismissal. They walked back out in silence, leaving her father and the King alone in the throne room. It wasn’t until they got out of the palace that any of them spoke.