Silent Orchids (The Age of Alandria: Book One) (18 page)

“I’m sure it’s not—” Kaeleigh started but cut herself off with her own sharp intake of breath. “It just ran over mine too!”

Chel huddled as close to Kaeleigh as she could, pulling Finn along behind her. 

“Girls!” Daegan growled, still trying to drag them along behind him with difficulty. 

Kaeleigh could hear Finn irritated as well but also laughing under his breath, probably at how irritated they had made Daegan. The girls were squirming and jumping, not wanting to walk on the ground for long enough to let anything else reach them. At least they hadn’t screamed.

At least not until something grabbed or latched onto Chel’s ankle and caused her to stumble into Kaeleigh’s back, which in turn made her stumble into Daegan’s back. That’s when the screaming began. Daegan turned abruptly. There was fire in his eyes again. Kaeleigh didn’t know if the others could see it but she figured they probably could when instantly Chel’s screams stopped and Finn’s words trying to calm Chel fell flat. However, she knew they couldn’t see him eye the snake of a vine that crept out from the wall of the tunnel and then slash it in half with his sword, severing its connection to Chel’s ankle. Only because of the low-wattage energy coming from where their hands met could she see anything. 

“You are released, Chel. Please, we must hurry, unless you want to spend eternity circling this tunnel never to see the light of day.” He tugged Kaeleigh’s hand and they all began to move again.

“Thank you,” Chel got out while she was trying to catch her breath.

After what seemed like forever walking in utter silence, the pressure shifted again, as though they had walked out of an atmospheric bubble. They stumbled into each other as they were spit out into another forest. This forest, however, was different. It was all encompassing, so dense that all you could see were trees upon trees. This forest was old as time. It felt mysterious and
alive
... very alive. 

They all stood there for several minutes taking it all in. Kaeleigh took a deep breath soaking in the natural scent; it was invigorating! A weight lifted off her; she felt alive and refreshed for the first time... well, ever.

“We got through!” Chel exclaimed, stating the obvious but excited nonetheless.

Daegan looked at all of them, his eyes finally landing on Chel with a thoughtful expression, and said, “Yes, you did. Interesting. I will admit I was unsure if you would make it, but now that you have, we continue on.”

Kaeleigh looked at his expression, realizing he was trying to figure Chel out. He turned and started to walk. Then what he said registered in her brain. He had been addressing Chel specifically.

“Wait.” Kaeleigh held up her hand. “You didn’t think she would make it, but you still led her through?” Her volume was beginning to rise. “So if she hadn’t made it, what would’ve happened? She’d get bounced back to where we came from?” She looked from Daegan expressionless face to Finn’s stony face then back to Daegan’s. 

He shrugged. “No. She’d die.”

Kaeleigh was livid. She was about to start in on Daegan when Finn’s hand on her forearm stopped her. “I wouldn’t have let her go through if I thought she wouldn’t have made it,” Finn said, speaking for the first time since they had arrived at the mountain. 

Looking at Chel, now having wandered about ten yards ahead of all of them, Kaeleigh lost her anger, only to replace it with apprehension. Head cocked and eyes closed, Kaeleigh could see her friend paying attention to something else entirely. Very unusual for Chel. Something was stirring.

A warm breeze came upon them, carrying with it the subtle tinkling sound of soft chimes. It circled playfully around each of them. As suddenly as the sound came, it was gone. There was a rustling above them as old oaks, cedars, and other pillars of the earth began to sway their branches and creak with the wind. Daegan was stiff—but when wasn’t he—his gaze alert and searching. He turned in a slow cautious circle, as did the rest of the group trying to see what had alerted his senses. 

All except Kaeleigh. She stood very still as a small ball of brilliantly bright white light floated slowly down from high in the trees to right before her face. Kaeleigh tried to call out to Daegan, but she had no voice. Panic welled up inside her as she realized she couldn’t move. A moment later a serene feeling of peace flooded her and she relaxed. Everyone else had stopped moving and was staring at her, well at it—the light—as it then moved to hover in front of Daegan. He bowed gracefully as it flitted in front of him then swirled back around Kaeleigh on its way back up into the trees from whence it came. It made a beautiful sound like a song of the most delicate wind chimes as it departed.

There had been a subtle subtext almost like a whispered voice in her mind underlying the chimes. The words were spoken softly in an alluringly beautiful and hypnotic sound with many voices that were individual yet one:
“Welcome, Kaeleighnna, daughter of the Orchids. Welcome back to Alandria.”
The voice continued as it slowly moved back into the trees,
“Take warning; you are in danger as you stand. Hunters are coming.”
 

Kaeleigh was captivated so much so that she forgot to breathe. She almost fell over, but Daegan caught her arm and held her steady. Her head was spinning. Did everyone hear the voice? Or was it just in her mind?

Chel was the first to speak as she rushed to Kaeleigh’s other arm. “Kaeleigh, are you okay?” Kaeleigh nodded, still confused. She looked at Daegan as if she knew he was going to speak. 

“What did she say to you?” he asked her.

“She?” Finn and Chel asked at the same time.

“
She
is the priestess of the forest. She is of the trees and one with the trees. Elders have said she is of the Dryads. She is keeper of the forest. If she spoke to you, it is not to be taken lightly. What did she say?” Daegan asked again with impatience.

Kaeleigh took a deep breath. So the voice had only been in her head. “She said, ‘Welcome
back
to Alandria,’ but I’ve never been here before. How does she know me?” Kaeleigh said, not wanting to mention the name she called her yet for some reason. It felt very personal. She wasn’t sure why but she wanted to keep it to herself for now.

Daegan interjected, “She is old as Alandria and knows many things. The trees tell her all the goings-on in our realm. She does not speak to many, it is a great honor.”

Kaeleigh was not quite sure what she should do to show her gratitude for the honor, but she did not want to offend her. Kaeleigh looked up into the trees where that last glow of light had been, said thank you, and gave a little curtsy of respect. Suddenly she remembered the looming threat to their lives at the moment; all the rest would have to wait. “Oh! She also said there was danger where we stood. Something about hunters were coming.”

Daegan and Finn, having the same reaction, reached for their swords and knives respectively. Kaeleigh couldn’t help but notice their warrior-like stature. Both were extremely intimidating and fierce in their individual ways. It really was a magnificent sight to behold, were they not all in mortal danger.

Daegan spoke. “We must move now!” He began walking quickly with an intense purpose. Not for the first time, Kaeleigh wondered what he was hiding under his stone exterior.

“Who is
hunting
us?” Chel asked as she came to walk next to Kaeleigh. “Do we get swords too?” she added with an excited gleam in her eyes that Kaeleigh hadn’t seen before. Chel had always been adventurous and feisty, but the intensity and confidence in the face of real possible danger—this was new.
What is going on with her?

“I want a knife or something sharp if we are going to be attacked,” Kaeleigh jumped in.

Without turning to look at Chel, Daegan said, “I think you will discover that you have your own weapons at your disposal when you are in need of them most.” About to argue that she had no idea what he was talking about, Kaeleigh saw Chel look down at herself as if to see if a weapon magically appeared. Kaeleigh frowned, sure that wasn’t what he meant, but mimicked Chel by patting down her legs—after all, this was a place of magic. But no such luck. After a few minutes, Kaeleigh noticed out of the corner of her eyes that her friend appeared to be confused and deep in thought, as though trying to puzzle out what Daegan had said to her. 

After what seemed like hours of walking in silence, alert and ready for something to jump out at them, Kaeleigh couldn’t stand the quiet any longer. She walked closer to Daegan to ask him about the priestess. 

“Where are we?” she asked as a conversation starter.

“This is the Forest of Dul Isteach,” he replied. Anticipating her next question he added, “It means Forest of Entry.”

“Has she, the priestess, ever spoken with you before?”  

After a minute with no response she thought perhaps he was actually going to ignore her. Her irritation grew, but then he sighed. He seemed to be distant in his gaze, still not looking at her as he spoke. “Yes, once, long ago when I was a child and then just now again.” He seemed conflicted. An inner struggle waged behind his eyes. About what the priestess had said? Or if he was going to tell her what was said? He didn’t have to make that decision just now though as his thoughts were interrupted.

Grabbing Kaeleigh’s arm, Daegan swung her behind him, holding out his sword. In swift movements that appeared practiced and conditioned, Finn and Daegan simultaneously backed the girls up behind them, creating a makeshift circle of protection. Nothing moved against them, but an eerie stillness had settled. They were being surrounded, enclosed upon, by something they couldn’t see but which carried with it darkness and evil.

Kaeleigh could feel whatever it was watching them. Seeking something, but what, she didn’t know. Gripping the back of Daegan’s shirt in one fist and Chel’s hand in the other, she kept her eyes and ears open. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Daegan lift his hand that wasn’t gripping the sword, touch his ring on the opposite hand, and mutter something under his breath in a language she didn’t know. Immediately, she felt a cushioning of warm air surround them that carried peace with it. The surrounding darkness swirled around them faster and faster, suddenly confused and aimless. Then was gone.

“What just happened?” Kaeleigh asked. “Is it gone?”

“For now, but not for long if we don’t get moving. I constructed a temporary shield that will throw it off our scent,” Daegan said. His voice was once again matter of fact, but also carried the barest hint of confusion.

Kaeleigh looked to Finn, who hadn’t yet dropped his knives. His eyes were cautious and guarded but also fearful. She had no idea what was going on but Finn knew something, she was sure of it. Whatever it was, he was also afraid... for her? for himself? He looked back at her. “Let’s get going!”

The unseen “path” they traveled on took them deeper and deeper into the forest. It was getting darker. The sun was going down, and the trees were growing tighter, causing their canopy to knit together, creating a patchwork quilt of various greens and browns splashed with beautiful colors from mixed-in flowers and leaves. Long draping moss, resembling Spanish moss from the mortal realm, trailed down from the branches while ivy climbed their trunks, giving the forest an enchanted and mysterious feeling. The trunks of some of the trees were so massive it took a while to go around them; and their roots clawed their way out from below the ground, making them an obstacle to climb over.

Finn was helping Chel climb over one of the massive root systems. They seemed to be following the roots up some kind of embankment they apparently needed to climb. Kaeleigh went around them and began to climb up her own roots. It was a struggle but she didn’t want to ask Daegan; he was intimidating and didn’t seem like he really wanted to touch her. The energies that flowed between their connection before had created an awkward situation. Her footing slipped and she huffed out in frustration. Daegan peered down at her from the top of the ridge. Frowning and looking like he was trying to decide something, he hesitantly extended his hand to her.

“I don’t need your help, thank you,” she said flatly, irritated that he had to think about it. She reached and grabbed the next root on her own then stepped up to begin her climb once again. He waited half a heartbeat, then reached down, grasped her wrist tightly, and gave a good pull. She landed a little unsteadily but, to her surprise, on her feet. Glaring at him she spewed, “I could’ve done it myself.” He kept walking, not giving her childish tantrum the time of day. With her hands on her hips, catching her breath, she softened and sighed. “Thank you.” And she meant it. He gave her the briefest nod, took stock of their group, and kept walking.
Man of many words.
 

She pushed herself to keep up with him, not wanting to show any further weakness in his eyes—why she should care, she couldn’t figure out. “Daegan,” she asked a little hesitantly, and saw the briefest tensing of his back muscles as if she had spat his name. She sighed, frustrated at his reaction, but she was not about to back down. “Are we going to make it to wherever we are going tonight or will we have to camp somewhere and continue tomorrow?”  

“We will not make it there tonight. Neither will we stop and make camp for the night. We have a long journey and best to keep moving.”  With that, he kept moving.

“Daegan, it’s been a long day. I think we could all use a little rest and some food,” Kaeleigh snapped back yet trying not to sound like she was whining either. He turned around and looked directly into her eyes again.
Searching for something? Go ahead, take a good look, I have nothing to hide.
His eyes widened as if he could sense what she was thinking. Finn stepped up to Kaeleigh’s side, sensing the tension.  

Kaeleigh, realizing what was happening, rested her hand on Finn’s arm and stepped forward. “I am not challenging you or your decisions. I merely had concerns for the well-being of my friends and frankly, I’m tired.”
Okay, so maybe I was challenging him just a little. Oops, too late now.
She could feel Finn and Chel’s eyes on her, but she didn’t take her eyes from Daegan’s. Kaeleigh had gotten into a few stare-downs with Chel’s parents over the years, both for challenge and for practice, which she often won, but always had wondered if they let her. Now she was not so sure, but the practice had helped her confidence. Daegan inclined his head toward her in concession, but did not drop his eyes in defeat. She acknowledged.