The Light of Asteria (31 page)

The lake’s hue intensified. My heart rejoiced
as the one person I had been waiting for surfaced from the
illumined portal. Tark’s blond hair was right behind Gavin, and he
darted ahead to reach the shore’s edge first. Rena danced to his
side. Dismay choked the cry that escaped my uneven breath, as Gavin
sluggishly made his way to shore. He was much thinner than even the
sketch had foretold, and very weak. Even from several hundred feet
away, his gaunt face was extremely pale and dark circles of despair
bruised his eyes. He stumbled and struggled to find his footing,
and I started to panic. There was no aura of health around him. For
one chilling moment, I was reminded of the oil soaked cattails in
the meadow right before they exploded in flame.

Gavin was dying.

A horrifying scream echoed in the empty
tunnel. My shield blasted into a million shards, opening the stores
of energy that had been building. I couldn’t see past the brilliant
light for a moment, and fear reigned supreme. In the urge to send
him power, I had forgotten I was watching through the convex glass
full of webbing, which now lit the window in brilliant blue. An orb
of radiant energy surrounded me. The tree hummed with intensity,
and the fringes of my new mind realized that the sudden brilliant
blue was the Mighty Oak absorbing the force I meant for Gavin. It
was acting as a filter—he was still dying.

Sobs rang throughout the tunnel; my hands
desperately pushed on the window. Gavin looked up, his gaunt face
instantly lit with elation; once dead eyes weakly sparkled in the
moonlight. With the last of his strength, he reached toward me, his
silent plea for one more touch. A beautiful smile flashed sadly
across his exhausted face, and he collapsed to the ground.

Rena, Tark, and the guard surrounded the
prince. Evil white noise screamed of victory. The Dokkalfar
increased their offensive, and a sea of black rushed towards the
water’s edge. Jakkar had obviously given the order to kill the
prince at all cost. The warriors who a moment ago had driven back
the black elves, were now chasing after them as they sped to
towards the lake. My heart plummeted as I realized that the sheer
number of Dokkalfar would overpower the guard in a few minutes. I
tore at the small latch on the top of the window, and shoved it out
of my way. The window bounced as I jumped to the wide bough of the
tree. I crawled as far as I could, until the limb narrowed to a
thick branch. The hideous sounds of the battle raging several
hundred feet below had not lessened, and I knew that, for the
moment, I had not been detected. From this vantage point, the
golden lake boiled expectantly. If I jumped from here, I would land
at the water’s edge. I focused on Gavin’s lifeless body surrounded
by silver guards as they struggled to keep the black elves at bay.
Panic turned to resolve, and I hurled my body off the branch. I
didn’t care that I was several hundred feet up; my intent was to
make it to the lake. Gavin would not perish on this day—I was
determined.

Now in freefall, leaves, twigs, and branches
struck my torso as the Mighty Oak soared past. Instinctively, my
arms flew up guarding my face. A sickening crunch echoed through
the night as my left shin struck a large limb. The break shot
excruciating pain to the bottom of my foot. Black fringes of
unconsciousness bit at my sight, but I belligerently fought to stay
aware. The branches continued to assault my body’s freefall, and I
reached out to the tree through the blue fog in my mind.

Mighty Oak, I need a clear path!

Heeding my plea, the tree parted the dense
thick branches, allowing safe passage to the water below. My heart
lurched as the lake grew near. The trajectory had been changed with
the branches interference, and I was falling dangerously close to
the edge. A sea of black darted in my direction.

Rena and Tark immediately threw themselves in
the crowd of the onyx demons that eagerly awaited my descent.
Dokkalfar lunged and jumped, desperately trying to reach me before
I was able to seek refuge in the brilliant lake. As the water grew
near, the murky fringe of unconsciousness taunted my periphery once
again. Fearing that my leg couldn’t take another hit, I brought up
the other knee and concentrated on keeping the broken leg straight.
As soon as my hand touched the water, the lake swept me to safety
far away from the black elves, and I plunged to the depths below.
Golden heat numbed the shattered leg as it submerged in the deep,
and I could finally think past the pain.

Gavin, we have to save Gavin!
My heart
cried.

The lake immediately answered my call, and I
was pushed toward the surface. Panic stirred as I saw Gavin’s
crumpled, unconscious body. The lake’s brilliance intensified, and
the light of it made the scene vividly horrific. Alfar warriors had
overpowered the Dokkalfar intent on my death, and were ferociously
dismembering them. The meadow was covered with black blood, and the
animals had rejoined in the fight. The smell of rotting flesh was
so consuming, that I wretched. Crunching and ripping sounds echoed
off the trees. The dark elves now were being driven back into the
Appalachian woods.

Please lake, take me to him
, I
pleaded. The water turned from its golden hue to a radiant
blue-white, and the trees glowed with the intensity. Dokkalfar
close to the lake dropped from the energy drain. Alfar warriors
took advantage of their weakness, obliterating them. To the north,
the few remaining black elves panicked, retreating out of the great
oaks’ boundary. Elias and Elaine were heading north, leading the
rest of the Alfar guard in pursuit. Onyx blurs, followed closely by
silver, passed the security of the tall oaks into the Appalachian
woods. The meadow lay in ruins; hundreds of Dokkalfar covered the
ground. Rena and Tark were the only elves that remained, checking
the bodies for signs of life. They were only yards away from Gavin,
edging toward the Keeper of the House of Frey.

The familiar scent of particularly strong
rancid dirt assaulted the breeze, and I turned back to the east. A
lone silhouette against the bleak background of desecration skirted
in and out of the tree line. At first, I thought it might be my
imagination, but then an evil yellow grin flashed in the night.
Jakkar’s intent couldn’t be any clearer; he had ordered the others
to the woods as a diversion … he wanted to murder the prince
himself.

The elf streaked straight for Gavin’s shore,
and I knew I only had a moment. Gavin was so weak that Jakkar would
make easy work of his death. My scream for Rena echoed in the
clearing, as I cried in my mind …
Lake, please we have to get
him out of here!
The lake responded with a great wave rushing
toward the shore. My next thought was to the Keeper of the House of
Frey.

Mighty Oak, protect Rena and Tark! They need
a filter; make sure no harm comes to them!

I had no time left, and closed my eyes. The
branches of the great oak started to sway as I opened my mind,
concentrating on nothing but Gavin’s crumpled form. The golden wave
carried me forward, and I forced every ounce of raw power I had
left. My chest burned and ached with the intensity of releasing
such energy, and for a terrifying moment, I couldn’t see past the
blinding light of the lake. The tar black body lay convulsing on
the ground, absorbing some of the light. Jakkar’s arms, frozen in
pain, lay twitching just a few inches from the prince’s head. The
lake impatiently pushed forward, and I lunged with both my hands
and grabbed Gavin’s ankle. The wave’s riptide yanked us toward the
center. Before I plunged in the now golden water, I looked to the
Mighty Oak , relieved to see Tark and Rena encased in the tree’s
protective cage. Jakkar’s furious snarl echoed in the darkness, as
the water eddied below.

Release them tree,
was my last
thought, and I plunged into the golden darkness.

The call of a beautiful bird echoed in the
distance. There was a light on … or was that the sun? The different
timbres of various small creatures joyously hummed all around, and
for a brief second, the sounds of life were in the forefront of my
mind—and then came the pain. My brows furrowed as I tried to block
the hot, searing agony running through my calf. I couldn’t feel my
left foot at all. Flames, which had started in my leg a second ago,
extended to my hip and radiated up my side. Biting my lip to keep
from crying out, I breathed in deeply through my nose. The scent
momentarily took away the pain. The beauty of it overwhelmed me. I
opened my eyes; Gavin was lying next to me.

His complexion was pallid, as if he had been
terribly ill. Dark purple circles reached past his cheekbones. The
aura bordering the flowers and grasses around the lake’s edge told
that I could see health in this realm, yet not a hint of energy
encircled him. I panicked as I felt for his emotions, but none
came. My ragged breath rang in desperation as shock set in. Shaking
uncontrollably with the combination of fear and pain, I frantically
found a frail pulse under the soggy cotton. Sobs echoed across the
land, and I ripped open the front of Gavin’s shirt, trying to
remember CPR and at the same time wondering if it would work on an
elf. His smooth skin lay encased in its icy state. I placed my left
hand over his heart.

“Gavin, please come back to me ... you
promised,” I whispered. His heart jolted, his pulse strengthened,
and a hint of relief allowed my depleted power to build once
more.

I am here, and we are together. Please,
wake up.
I opened my mind and thought of how I missed him,
urgently pouring out all of my love and devotion. Mentally trudging
forward, I flooded him with thoughts of how I had longed for this
day to come … I could feel him taking the energy; nothing changed.
It was as if he was a sieve. I was pouring into him, and he was not
able to sustain the energy—it dissipated as soon as it arced to
him. Panic seeped in.

What happened to him that had drained him
this much? He wasn’t in this bad of shape the day the Dokkalfar had
beaten him half to death. Pressing the front of my body against his
side, I scooted closer; my hand never left his heart. The broken
shin screamed in protest, and white-hot knives stabbed my lower
extremities. I put his palm on my cheek. It was as smooth as I
remembered, but the soft warmth that I always loved was now icy and
lifeless. Maybe I was too late. The sweat from pain dripping off my
chin mingled with a fresh round of tears as grief once more took
over.

Circle open, my mind raced over the problems.
Gavin had been drained of energy before he had gotten to the
portal. Only dark emotions could have done that, and the energy I
was giving him wasn’t working.

The fact that he seemed hypothermic
frightened me more than his unconscious state. Encouraged by the
backpack still in place and forever thankful of the waterproof
material, I unzipped the edge and found Edna’s gift. Fanning the
quilt out to cover us, I snuggled next to his side and started
rubbing his arms and his chest, stopping to feel his heart. His
shallow breath became steady, and a faint smile briefly hinted at
his lips. I sat up and shifted my weight, placing my heart directly
over his. Opening my mind further still, I strained to find his
lips. They were cold and unyielding, but I could feel him respond.
The sun’s rays hitting the quilt helped, as the heated blanket
blocked out the gentle breeze. His body was almost the same
temperature as mine now, and the warmth surrounding him allowed the
energy to finally take hold.

The silence whispered what I knew—he needed
more.

Refusing to give into the notion that I might
not have enough energy left, my sole intent became providing Gavin
with his source. My body tensed; the pain in my leg was unbearable.
I concentrated what little energy I had into one central location
around my heart.

Gavin, come back to me!

I wailed, as the last of my stores blasted
into him. The force of the power surging through him made his limbs
convulse. I couldn’t help but to cry out, as the sting of release
combined with the unbelievable throbbing on my entire left side.
Gavin’s pulse jolted under my chest. His sharp intake of air was
glorious to my ears, and his sweet breath caressed my face as he
exhaled. I lay my head on his chest, exhausted. His hands
automatically moved to my back. Finally, welcoming the black
fringes that had been pushing on the periphery of my vision, I
willed my body to go numb.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 19—Return of the
Prince

My first thought was of comfort. The softness
was familiar, and for a moment, I thought everything had been a
dream—until warmth enveloped me in the most delicious caress. My
mind automatically opened. I peered into the surprised emeralds
that held my heart … the ones I loved more than air.

I hesitated. “Do you mind the eyes?”

“You are as beautiful as ever.” The sincerity
in his baritone timbre eased my apprehension. Supple lips I thought
never to feel again lovingly touched mine. At last I felt
whole.

My mind’s eye followed the warmth of his
physique, and I cautiously flexed my foot; my shin no longer cried
in pain. Gruesome images of the Elite Guard eviscerating the
Dokkalfar plagued my mind … Jakkar’s onyx eyes glistening like
demonic jewels in the muted moonlight ... Rena’s slender frame
jumping from the tree … Elias and Elaine sprinting beyond the
protection of the ancient oaks…. What happened? Why weren’t they
back?

“Nora, please do not expend energy with
worry.” Gavin drew me near. “Elias is an expert in the ways of the
Dokkalfar, and the queen ordered the entire Elite Guard to
accompany us.” His voice rose and caught; his eyes darted away.

“Gavin?”