Meanmna: Book One of the Daearen Realms (14 page)

Keep your guard up.
Elwin took my hand and we kept walking.

We continued to walk toward the city ahead. Ray took the lead and was twenty yards ahead of us when Elwin asked Mike, “How has it been lately?”

Mike frowned
and said, “Not good. We’re safe here for now, but many other areas have been attacked. Eascanns have burned entire fields and livestock has gone missing.”

“
What is an Eascann?” I asked.

“
An Eascann is a fifty-foot-long eel. They can control fire under water. It’s the same as the fire you have in your world, but it works underwater, much in the same way you can breathe underwater. Oxygen acts differently in our realm, which is why your breathing—as well as fire—can happen underwater. It’s the magic. With the hard times we are experiencing, the fey have tough choices to make. If the choice is to let your children starve or let darkness into your heart, what would you choose? Desperate times, difficult choices and desperate measures. That’s what I mean when I say lose them,” Mike explained.

“
So if all your crops and livestock are being destroyed, how are the fey surviving down here? Do you import goods?” I asked.

“
Lake Hasani might be the hardest hit, but we are not the only ones. We import what we can, but a lot of fey just pick up and leave. It’s not that straightforward; it’s far more devious and hard to figure out. Over time, however, we have seen a pattern emerge that indicates how deeply the darkness has taken root. Our first clue in figuring out who is dark is the condition of a particular family. Down here, everyone knows everyone—it’s really just like any small town anywhere. If one fey family never gets attacked like everyone else around them, it’s safe to assume they have been turned. Or, if one child in a class is never hungry, then they too are probably turned. When we see something like that, we investigate. But usually by the time we have real proof, rather than just suspicions, they are gone—vanished. We find empty houses every day now.” Mike looked toward the town.

“Where do they go?” Elwin chimed in.

“We don’t know. Entire families, and even a few of the smaller outposts, have just vanished. We’re still trying to piece it all together.”

“
Why did you guys lead us in from that direction?” Elwin asked.

“
Last week Ray was attacked near the main entrance. It is now too risky to use that one. The tight cavern we went through is a secret. I never knew it was there. Dad showed us after the attack,” Mike said.

As
we got closer to the underwater settlement, I was again reminded of the Old West; that is if a town  in the Old West could be made out of sand and seashells. There was one main street, with stores lining either side. There weren’t any real roads, so to speak, but little well-worn paths to small, sand castle-looking houses spread out from the center in a haphazard way. It was clearly a busy place, with fey going about their business. I did notice a couple of sideways glances in my direction. Mike looked at me and caught my eye.

We kept your identity a secret
, Princess,
Mike said telepathically,
Visitors are rare down here, so my father had to come up with something. Your name is Mandy. You were in the queen’s court when you met Elwin. He’s escorting you home to Beinn-Theine.

Ok
ay. Two questions. Where and what is Beinn-Theine?

Beinn-Theine is the
Fire Fey castle. It’s carved out of the middle of a volcano.

Got it—inside of a
volcano. That would have been my third, maybe fourth, guess.
I smiled at Mike, but he was looking at his brother.

We followed Ray
into a store called Jones Mercantile. It looked like a modern convenience mart, like a 7-Eleven or QuikTrip. Ray walked straight through the store and went behind a curtain along the back wall. Mike glanced at the curtain for a moment before he turned to the girl standing behind the counter. He got a “come hither” look on his face and sauntered, no
swaggered
, to the girl and said, “Good morning, Tessa.” He placed his forearms on the counter, lifted himself over and gave her an intimate kiss on the lips.

She turned bright red. “Stop that,”
she said with a smile. Tessa was stunning; I was beginning to think all the fey were gorgeous. She was my height—five-feet-six—with long, straight, blonde hair that reached her small waist. She had dark, cobalt-blue eyes, high cheekbones, and full lips. And if I guessed correctly, she was in her early twenties.

“
Tessa, do you remember me talking about my old friend, Elwin?” Mike asked, “Well, Elwin, Tessa. Tessa, Elwin.”

Elwin
shook Tessa’s hand.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Elwin.”

“This is Mandy,” Mike said and nodded at me without taking his eyes off Tessa.

I walk
ed over and shook her hand. “It’s very nice to meet you, Tessa,” I said with a smile.

“I’ve
got to go, sweetheart. See you later,” Mike said and kissed her again. Tessa nodded, and Mike spread the curtain and went through the opening to join Ray. We followed, went up a set of stairs, and walked into a modern and reasonably sized apartment. A middle-aged version of Mike and Ray walked out of a hallway with a giant smile on his face. He also looked like a beach bum with board shorts, a swim shirt, and the weathered face you might expect from a surfer.

“Paul
Jones of the Water Fey, may I introduce Princess Sarette of the Spirit Fey,” Elwin did the heart-fist-bow and Paul and Mike followed suit.

“Princess, it is an honor.
Welcome to my home.” Paul swept his hand like Vanna White does after turning a tile on the
Wheel of Fortune
.

“Please call me Sarette
—oh wait, Mandy. Shoot, is it safe here to call me Sarette? Or did I already blow my cover?”

“
You are completely safe here, dear. Do not worry; your cover is not blown.” He chuckled, then turned to Elwin. “Elwin! It’s been too long.” Paul walked over and gave Elwin a man-hug. They shook with one arm and used the other arm to hug and pat each other’s backs.

“You two must be exhausted. C
ome, let me show you to your room.” Paul turned and disappeared down the hall. Mike followed his dad and we followed Mike. We all turned into a room on the far end. This bedroom had a king-sized bed, desk, and two nightstands. “There’s a bathroom through that door.” Paul pointed to a door in the right wall. “I have invited some loyal friends for dinner at five. Do you guys need anything else?”

“
No, Paul. This is perfect. Thank you,” Elwin said and shook Paul’s hand again, this time in gratitude. Mike smiled at me and walked out after his father, closing the door behind him.

“
Finally, we’re alone,” Elwin said. “Maybe we can relax and rest a little.”

“
Can I shower first?” I asked.

“
Sure.”

I
dropped my bag and walked into the bathroom without saying anything else. I locked the door, turned on the water, and waited for it to warm up before stepping in. I stood in the shower, thinking about the inevitable heartbreak that was looming.   I knew I needed to come up with a plan—not to avoid the pain, but to be prepared for it and, hopefully, quickly move on from it.
What’s the bigger picture, Sarette? I have to save my world. I have to save my mom’s world. It is all in my hands. I feel like Atlas with the weight of the world on my shoulders. It’s time to get real, get ready, and get to work.

I turned off the shower and got out.
No towels in here. Just awesome
. One thing was for sure: being alone and naked with Elwin in a bedroom was not the best idea. I did not want to ask Elwin for help. I needed to keep my distance, no matter how insignificant our situation.
Maybe I can make a break for it, grab my bag, find a towel, and get back in the bathroom without Elwin knowing.
I cracked the door open to peak out. I didn’t see Elwin; however, I did see a towel on the bed. Eye on the prize, I opened the door to make a mad dash to the bed and back. I made it about half way across the room when Elwin walked in and shut the door behind him.

Elwin looked up from the papers he was
carrying and froze in place, his mouth gaping open.

“Oh
, my God!” I turned and ran back into the bathroom without the towel.

“Princess, I’m sorry. I should have knocked. A
re you okay?” Elwin asked through the door.

“It’s okay. Grab me a towel.” I opened the door and stuck my hand out for it. Once I had it inside the bathroom and the door was shut, I blurted, “
I think it’s time for a come-to-Jesus meeting.”

“A what?”

“I think it’s time to lay all the cards on the table.”

“Huh
?”

Clearly
, clichés were not working. I wrapped the towel around my body, opened the door and leaned on the jam. “Elwin, I need all the info now. I can’t make sense of this with one tiny bit of information at a time. For me to be ready for this I have to know where and what we are going to do. I do not understand my enemy. I don’t even know how large la-la land is! And it’s my kingdom, right? This is all my responsibility. I’m done with just going along for the ride. Be prepared to start talking after your shower.” I walked to my bag by the door.

“
I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. At this moment we have one thing to do, get you to the castle safely. That is my mission from the king and queen and that was my promise to you. I think we should just focus on staying alive long enough to fulfill your destiny.” Elwin used a forceful tone I hadn’t heard before.

I turned around so fast my towel’s twirl gave him a peep show. “I am fully prepared to play my ‘do-you-know-who-I-am?’ card, Elwin. Don’t make me go there with you. You will tell me what I want to know, and
I’m not going to continue on my journey until you do.” I had a definite tone to my voice too.

Elwin stalked over to me and grabbed his bag
, then headed for the bathroom. He turned to me and said, “My orders do not come from you. I have authorization to get you to the castle, by any means necessary, Princess, so don’t make
me
play
that
card.” Elwin said through clenched teeth and a furrowed brow. He shut the door before I could respond.

I was fuming as I got dressed. The nerve of Elwin, and whoever gives the orders around here (i.e. Grandma and Dad).
Any means necessary?
I don’t think so. I heard the shower turn on as I was shoving my dirty clothes into one of the empty compartments in my backpack. Looking up at the ceiling, I wished I could look up at the glow-in-the-dark stars on my bedroom ceiling back home. I used to be able to sort out my thoughts while looking at them
.
Feeling alone and overwhelmed, I missed my stars, my mom, Peggy and Mathew. I missed the times when I wasn’t fighting for my life and when I had the ability to choose whom I could love. I wished my new reality wasn’t real; I wished it was just another dream from which I could wake up and not remember the details. Even if it meant I had never met Elwin, at least my heart wouldn’t break a little more each day. I felt so confused and lost. I rolled over with my back to the bathroom door and drifted off to sleep.

I wo
ke up sometime later to a flutter across my forehead. I opened my eyes a little and saw Elwin lying next to me with his head on the same pillow as mine.

“
Hi,” Elwin said. “I’m sorry, but I do have my reasons for not explaining everything to you. I need you focused on what’s ahead of you, not what’s lurking behind. But you are right. You do need to learn about your kingdom. I got you a map to la-la land. You can start learning about your realm whenever you want.”

“Thank you for the map, Elwin. You know,
I do understand you have your reasons for not telling me everything, but this is my life. I will be better prepared to be queen if I actually know what is happening.”

“
Yes, and you will at some point. I promise.”

“
That doesn’t help me feel better now.”

“
I’ll make you a deal. Let’s get through dinner and finish training. Then, after you become comfortable with your sword, we can go over some, but not all, of what is happening.”

“
Doesn’t sound like a great deal to me . . . but I’ll take what I can get. I need a better understanding of the enemy. That is what I want explained tonight. Deal?” I asked.

“Yes, P
rincess,” Elwin said as he tucked a loose curl behind my ear.

“
Elwin, unless you would like me to start calling you Sir Dickhead, please call me by my name. I’m not ready to be a princess.”

“
Yes, Sarette,” he replied, with a flicker of a smile.

We
spent the next few moments just looking into each other’s eyes. I started getting that longing inside, but I resisted. I couldn’t let myself go there right now. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and started to sit up.

Elwin caught my arm. “Sarette . . .” His choked voice made my heart hurt worse than the thought of leaving him. I let him pull me back and we were looking into each other’s eyes again. Elwin cupped my face in his hand and swept his thumb over my lips. He
started to move his lips closer to mine and I closed my eyes in anticipation. I felt a soft chaste kiss on my lips. We both made a noise like a growl and started to deepen the kiss when there was a soft knock on the door. My eyes flew open and met Elwin’s hungry-angry-dissatisfied eyes.

“Oh, for the love of all that is holy,” Elwin muttered as he sprang from the bed and opened the door. “
What
?” he snapped. I couldn’t help it. I giggled at the annoyed tone in his voice. Elwin cleared his throat and said, “Sorry, Paul. I’m . . . um . . . sorry.”

“Oh, my boy,”
Paul chuckled behind the door. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but our guests will be arriving shortly.”

“
Thanks, Paul,” I answered between giggles. “We will be right out.” I sat up with my legs hanging over the side of the bed. I was in the middle of a good cat stretch when Elwin’s arms encircled my waist. He was behind me with his legs on either side of me. I leaned back and enjoyed the feeling of his arms around me. He tightened them into a hug.

“C
ome on. Let’s go,” he whispered in my ear and nibbled my earlobe. After my involuntary shudder, I turned and kissed him on the cheek. I stood up and put my hand out for him. He took it and stood, looking at me. He kissed me on the forehead and we walked hand in hand out of the bedroom and down the hallway.

There was something
yummy smelling when we walked into the kitchen. Paul was wearing a “Kiss the Cook” apron and humming as he stirred something in a pot on the stove.

“
Paul, that smells so good. Maybe if I make it safely to the castle, you can give me a cooking lesson or two.” I walked to him and looked in the pot. None of the food here looked the same as at home, and this was no exception. It was a blue sauce, the consistency of marinara, with brightly colored chunks of
something
floating in it. Looked weird, but smelled delicious.

“It would be my pleasure, Princess
! But, of course you will make it to the castle safely. Elwin would never let anything happen to you.”

“
I know that. I trust him completely.” I felt Elwin squeeze my hand, and when I looked at him, he was smiling.

“Did you rest well, P
rincess?” Ray looked upset as he walked into the apartment.

“
Yes, I did. Thank you.” I thought I might have been seeing things, because Ray looked cool as a cucumber by the time he made it across the room.

Paul snagged my attention from Ray. “Sarette, tonight we have
two very good friends coming over, McConnel and Michealla. They are going to impart some of their water magic to you. You will need your wand. They are in charge of the second part of your journey tomorrow. My boys and I are taking care of the first leg. Please be ready to go at
8 a.m
.” Paul checked on something he had warming in the oven.

Mike slammed the door as he came stomping in. He looked pissed off
.

“
Are you okay?” I asked.

Mike looked at me and then zeroed
in on his brother. “Why did you tell Tessa who Sarette really is?” He stopped two feet away from Ray. Mike was clenching his fist.

Everyone in the roo
m looked at Ray. He shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms. “Tessa is going to be your mazon. I assumed you told her.”

“Tessa’s
furious,” Mike fumed. “She thinks that I don’t trust her, and that’s not it at all. She wouldn’t even let me explain why. Tessa said that no matter what my reasons were there is never a valid excuse for lying to her. ‘Valid excuse’ is a phrase you use all the time. What else did you say to her?”

Ray almost smiled, smirked really, and took a deep breath
. “When I mentioned dinner tonight with the princess and the royal family of the Water Fey, she was shocked and assumed that you didn’t tell her because you don’t trust her. Maybe you don’t. Why else wouldn’t you tell her the truth?”

“
I was protecting her! Knowing who Sarette is makes Tessa a target and you know that! And you also know what the mission is—this is need-to-know information and she
didn’t
need to know.” Mike stormed out of the room and slammed a door down the hallway.

Elwin let
go of my hand and said, “I’ll go talk to him.” He walked down the hall and went into a room on the left. Ray looked at me with no apparent emotion, yet something in his eyes made me cringe.

“
Dad, I’ll go wait downstairs for McConnel and Michealla,” Ray said as he left.

Change of plans
, Princess. Be ready at
6 a.m.
, Mike communicated telepathically.

Paul
changed his frown to a smile when we heard greetings exchanged downstairs. There wasn’t time to discuss what had just happened. It was time to be a princess. I took a deep breath, planted a smile on my face, and turned to greet two more fey who were willing to risk their lives for me. It was a humbling thought.

The t
wo sets of footsteps on the stairs belonged to a set of Hawaiian beach bums. Both were five-nine, had light mocha-colored skin, almond-shaped eyes, dimpled cheeks, and heart-shaped lips. Their only difference was the length of their curly dark-brown hair. Hers fell to her waist and his was trimmed to his jaw.

“McConnel and Michealla of the
Water Fey, I would like to introduce Princess Sarette of the Spirit Fey.” Paul did the fist-heart-bow thing and the twins did the same.

“Please call us Mick and Mica,” McConnel said.

“Only if you call me Sarette.”

“I think I like you al
ready,” Mica said and linked her arm with mine. “Paul, Ray said he would be up as soon as he locked up downstairs.”

“Why don’t you three go check on Mike and Elwin and imbue Sarette’s wand now. Dinner will be ready when you are done with that.” Paul shooed us out of the room with a dishtowel.

Having Mike and Elwin as witnesses, Mick and Mica blessed me with some of their magic. And then, we went back to the kitchen where Paul had just put the last plate on the table. Ray had returned and was lighting the candles on the table.

While I was shoving my face full of one of the most delicious meals of my life, I learned that Mick and Mica were the unmated fraternal twin rulers of the Water Fey. Their parents had been killed last year when Mick and Mica were away at the Spirit Fey castle, Meanmna. It happened when the farm of one of the royal family’s servants—the chef at Castle Hasani—was under attack. Mick and Mica’s parents
personally rode out to help him, but they were ambushed on the way. The twins had to stop their training with my father, Roland, who prepared all future knights in this realm to step in and rule. Mick and Mica had to sneak out of their own castle because ensuring the future queen’s safe passage through their realm was their duty.

“Why aren’t you expected to find your mates?” I asked.

“Because we represent the male and female entities for the throne, there’s no need for us to search for our mates right now,” Mica snuck a glance at Ray and then back at me. She registered a shock at being caught with her feelings exposed. I smiled, nodded, and mouthed, “It’s okay”, before anyone else noticed.

“What happens when you do find your mate?”

“We will rule together until that happens and then the mated pair will have to take over and rule.” Mick glanced at Mica. “Not it!” they said at the same time. I had just taken a drink, so naturally I laughed and swallowed it down the wrong way. Elwin patted my back to help me stop coughing.

Mick and Mica were
completely entertaining with their well-played humor. Well, actually, everyone at the table played off each other. Elwin, Ray, Mike, Mick and Mica had been friends their whole lives. Mick and Mica’s parents were busy ruling and Elwin’s mom was always working, so Paul became the group’s surrogate father. That’s the way it worked here, a community in which everyone does their part.

It all felt so normal. I let myself pretend for the night that I was just a girl, meeting her boyfriend’s friends f
or the first time. Everyone had a different embarrassing story to tell about someone else in the group, all in good nature and fun. The evening ended entirely too soon.

“
Thank you all. Tonight has been wonderful,” I picked up my glass to toast. “To new friends.”

Everyone picked up their glass and said, “To new friends.” We all took a drink.

Then everyone but me said, “Godspeed and Goddess save the queen.”

After Mick and Mica left, Elwin and I excused ourselves. I was able to talk him into not training that night. I gave him the excuse of being mentally exhausted and I was, but really I just wanted to hold onto that
normal
feeling a little longer.

We were soon ready for bed
. I got in and laid my head on Elwin’s chest. He put his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. I fell asleep with him running his fingers through my hair.