Bound by the Mist (Mists of Eria) (6 page)

Kenhel gave a delicate shudder. “Thank the heavens I don’t have to dress such every day, and only during special occasions. Of course, then I’m trying to impress pretty eivain, so I don’t mind.”

Relian rolled his eyes and gave a snort. “You were ever one to chase the females.”

“Whereas you never had to do a moment’s chasing! Eivain practically kneel at your feet, awaiting your bidding and any small shard of affection that may happen to fall on them.”

Relian had a flock of females who hovered and suffocated him by their cloying presence. He, like most males, preferred to do the hunting at least once in a while. There was no thrill, otherwise.

“That’s why I’m much less swayed by physical pleasures, my friend, than you are.” While he said this, his human rose to the forefront of his mind. He somehow thought she would
not
kneel at his feet for attention. “I believe I may have the chase of my life on my hands all too soon.” He absently rubbed at his left wrist.

Kenhel looked at him for an explanation, eyes widened in question. Relian cursed himself for speaking that thought aloud and drew his arms farther into the voluminous sleeves of the robe. “It’ll have to wait. Everything will be explained soon enough.” Before Kenhel could even form a reply, Relian said a terse goodbye and spun on his heel.

Chapter 6

Cal gritted her teeth. The cheap strobe light that flashed in one corner of the room sent pinpricks of pain through her eyes. She should’ve never let Maggie and some other friends talk her into coming to this house party. But it was Friday, and she made it through the week without any strange occurrences. Well, except for the bracelet that wouldn’t come off, no matter what she tried or used on it. A blowtorch probably wouldn’t harm a hair on its head.

She smiled wryly. She hadn’t exercised that option yet. But she’d tried many others, much to her detriment.

Once the shock of the bracelet’s appearance had worn off, anger had won out over any guilt. She’d attacked the offending piece of jewelry with scissors, only to become furious when they failed to make a cut. In her fervor she accidentally nicked her wrist more than once before finally admitting defeat, at least for the time being. She’d had to leave it be since she didn’t want to injure herself beyond repair.

She fingered the bracelet through the long-sleeve shirt she wore to cover up the scratches. Frowning, she yanked her hand away. If only she could tear her thoughts away so easily. While dreams didn’t haunt her as before, her mind definitely flouted her control. She thought about
him
all the time. Damn, had she
been naive enough to think she could come and celebrate her “normal” week when she wasn’t normal at all? Not that she was into the party scene, but she—like any red-blooded girl—enjoyed the attentions of good-looking young men. Never had so many shown an interest in her before, but she couldn’t muster up the slightest bit of interest in any of them. They weren’t...Relian.

She fought off another set of persistent hands. God, she needed to find Maggie and return home, with or without her. The lights, the music, the guys – her nerves were cracking. When she’d freed herself, she stalked through the throng of people. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Maggie’s light golden-brown hair.

Turning to go in that direction, Cal stumbled to a stop.

Just ahead of her, slightly off to the left in a corner, was a familiar soft mist. Like a marionette on a string, it drew her. When she neared, just discernable were tumultuous gray eyes that glared in a pinched face.

Cal shook her head at the accusation in his gaze. “I didn’t ask for this.” She didn’t know if she meant the party and the over-eager guys, or him and his crazy world of dreams and mists.

“I’m sorry.” Her apology came out a whisper. Turning, she shoved through the crowd toward the exit. Maggie called after her. Thankfully, her friend must’ve gotten caught in the crush of bodies because she didn’t follow.

After she left the noisy party, it didn’t take her long before she arrived at the apartment. She closeted herself in her room and sawed away at the bracelet, but it did no good. With a yell, Cal threw the scissors across the room. They bounced off the wall, leaving a nasty dent, before they clattered onto a table.

As she held and rubbed her left wrist, tears coursed down her face. Damn it, she wanted no part of…whatever this was. Relian and everything else related to him needed to go back to fantasyland. Her breath hitched. But running wouldn’t tell her why she’d been medicated for most of her life, why she’d seen things nobody else had. Flames ignited in her chest. Her childhood had been ruined by him, by that mist. He owed her some answers.

“Cal,” Maggie called softly.

She started and looked up as Maggie interrupted her righteous plan for justice.

“Please tell me what’s wrong.”

Cal ignored the plea. Maggie walked closer and focused her gaze on her wrist, which was red and raw in places. She grabbed Cal’s hand to still her movements over the inflamed area. “What did you do?” Her voice rose in pitch.

“Nothing! The blasted thing won’t come off, and I cut myself instead of it.” Cal yanked on her bracelet to give credence to her words. She couldn’t help it. The truth was about to tear her up inside. Who better to tell than her best friend? Maggie might not think her too crazy.

“What do you mean, it won’t come off?”

She sounded disbelieving, and Cal couldn’t blame her. Maggie gave her a frown before she stood up to go over to Cal’s desk to grab another pair of scissors.

Maggie brought them back to the bed. “See, this is how we cut things. By opening the scissors like this, you can make a nice, big cut.” She demonstrated this for Cal, showing her how they opened and closed. “And now we line it up like so,” Maggie said and showed her by opening the scissors and placing the bracelet between the blades. “Now we make that nice, big cut like….” Her words trailed off as she attempted a cut, and her eyes widened.

Nothing happened. No surprise there.

Maggie tried again to cut the cord of hair and silver thread. “Does this baby need a blowtorch or what?” She threw down the scissors and examined the bracelet for a cut. “Not even a nick?”

“See, I told you.” Cal offered her a wavering smile.

Maggie choked out, “What? How?”

Cal shook her head. “I don’t know. All I have are suspicions. And before you ask about what,” she said, cutting Maggie off, “I will explain, but please let me tell you this...story without interruption. Otherwise, I might lose the courage to finish.”

Maggie mutely nodded. She looked shocked and numbed at the same time, and Cal hadn’t even begun her tale yet.

“Okay.” Cal let out a breath she hadn’t been aware she held. She began at the very beginning with the dreams and visions she’d experienced since she was a young child, of how she’d seen the “Fair Folk” when she was twelve. Then came the latest tale of the mist and meeting Relian.

True to her word, Maggie spoke not a word. She just sat there with a slack expression on her face. A few times Cal wondered if she even listened anymore. But Maggie most likely hung onto every detail and worked hard to process all she said. The supposedly impossible becoming possible would bog anyone down.

After Cal drew to a finish, her friend sat there for a few minutes, mouth agape. Anxiety welled up. What would Maggie say? Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait long to find out that answer.

“The story would be unbelievable coming from almost anyone else. But I know you. You don’t lie for kicks. You’re a little strange at times, just like I am, but not crazy. There’s also the proof of this irremovable bracelet. Given that, I’m sure we’re not both subject to the same hallucination.” She paused before finishing with her usual panache. “Wow, so totally awesome in a really disturbing, terrifying way.”

Cal’s heart lightened as if a great load had been lifted. “Oh, how you read my mind and stole that description from me word for word.”

After the emotional outpouring that occurred, Cal was glad when she and Maggie decided to stay in and watch a movie together. In a silent mutual agreement, they didn’t talk of what they discussed earlier in the evening. The rest of the night would be about normality, just the two of them having fun. They started their DVD, threw a bag of popcorn in the microwave, and lazed on the living room’s sofa in something that approximated happiness.

Her troubles were not over, far from it, in fact. Still, she was determined to find peace where she could and would make the most of this night. She didn’t know when she might get the chance to have another such evening but had the feeling it would come none too soon.

During the following week, Cal settled back into a semi-rigid routine while she could. Time ticked down to the day when she wouldn’t have any control. She just
felt
it and would’ve bet her favorite guitar, her only guitar, on it. But there was some solace in knowing she wasn’t crazy.

She went to classes and field experiences, wrote papers, practiced and rehearsed for her private lessons and her upcoming performances. Work was stuffed somewhere between studying and sleep. While she maintained this hectic clip throughout the next couple weeks, she kept her intruding thoughts to a minimum. The coming storm would soon sweep away this time of clear skies.

Her dreams of Relian returned and remained constant, but the mist didn’t pay her another visit. They were almost calming in their consistency. The reliability of timing and uniformity of content became a familiar presence in her life. It became a time she strangely looked forward to after a tough, challenging day.

***

Relian’s pacing reached a frantic level, but at least he hid away in the privacy of his own chambers where no one could look upon this behavior. The beige rug under his boots muffled any sound that may have escaped the room.

He was more than upset. Distraught was the word, and over a mortal
.
These thoughts settled over him like a wave of cold water and caused him to stumble. Relian swore his feet had grown a few sizes too large. His body, as well as his mind, no longer functioned under his control.

How could he feel the way he did? He hardly knew the human girl. And she hadn’t seemed to be enjoying herself at that party a few days ago. She promptly stopped wandering hands from roaming to inappropriate places—
his places
. After the dance—if that gyrating could be termed that—was over, she’d walked away without a backward glance. Those were not the actions of a woman who sought out attention. Relian would know. He’d been the focused object of such affections countless times.

He’d never been attracted, physically or mentally,
to an eivai
to the extent of wanting to bond. At his age, he’d all but given up on finding the one who would be his complete-bond mate.

Even his father had never found his own, but wanting an heir, he’d made Relian’s mother his queen. But they were never complete-bond mates. That was what had kept his father sane, whole, and alive after her death. Many of those in total bonds weren’t so fortunate.

Relian had assumed he would either follow his father’s lead, choosing an incomplete bond, or none at all. An ironic snort escaped his mouth. His complete-bond mate hadn’t existed in Eria for the simple reason she was human. Why would fate play this trick on him? In his most outlandish thoughts, he’d never imagined such a thing. He could only foresee problems if he brought her here.

A despairing laugh welled up in his chest. Even if, once here, she agreed to break the binding, he didn’t know if he could do so. Every fiber in his being cried out for it to be completed, to be whole. It was the nature of the binding. That was why, in all the history of his people, he could count on two hands all the bindings that had been undone, and there would still be fingers left.

He
had
to bring her here or face the consequences. Otherwise, he would never be the same again. Closing his eyes, he sought to block the truth but couldn’t. Regardless of which course he chose, nothing would ever be the same.

The tantalizing idea of fresh air and battle swept over him. He threw on appropriate clothes and sought out the person who would give him both.

Relian soon found what he sought on the training grounds. He sparred with Kenhel, while the other soldiers either looked on or practiced whichever art of war that called to them. In a wide-open space, he worked his mind and body in an intricate dance. The human, for once, didn’t take up all his thoughts. He could also drop his guard, that stiff formality he often adopted because of his station, age, and race.

His and Kenhel’s sword work was renowned to be some of the best in the land. They were not far behind in archery. As young elves they’d often competed with each other for any honor, be it a run to the kitchens in the effort to get the first sweet cake to taking part in a formal competition.

While they both participated in such rivalry, neither one normally cared which one came away with the prize. Instead, they honed their skills on each other. It didn’t hurt that they usually had an entertaining, if not challenging, time in their endeavors.

On this early afternoon day, they’d been sparring for well over two hours. Relian didn’t foresee signs of abatement anytime soon, though both he and Kenhel were hot and perspiring.

Kenhel sent him a wicked smile and feinted to the right before spinning behind him. Relian, quite familiar with this maneuver of Kenhel’s, was not distracted from his target. By the time he turned, his friend would be ready to deliver blow after blow. Relian was ready.

“Still using that tired old trick, hmm?” questioned Relian mockingly.

A mock look of outrage painted Kenhel’s face. “I almost knocked the sword from your hand with the strength of my blows, you old elf. I swear if I didn’t know better, I would think you were getting old and decrepit like a human.”

Relian faltered for a moment but quickly recovered. That last remark hit a little too close for comfort. He pivoted around to miss a swing aimed at his shoulder. “If I am getting old, then you’re surely following behind. After all, you are only five years younger.”