“I don’t know, Harlu. Maybe the Black Prince sent us to the wrong place?” replie s Fien as he walks away from Harlu, looking behind him toward the highway.
Janlu also looks toward the highway and ask s , “Can they see us?”
“I couldn’t care less.” Harlu answers as he shakes his wrist and lets the Bells of Sheni fall out . It dangles from his wrist by a small braided rope made of l aurel bark.
“Damn.” I curse.
“What is it Tharin?” ask s Tolan, alert and ready to pounce.
“Harlu has control of the Demlok. He has the Bells of Sheni.”
“Damn,” he curses .
“Fien, Lucas couldn’t send us a…” Harlu doesn’t finish his sentence. Instead, he becomes alert and is looking directly to w here the others are standing . What ’s going on? Then I feel it…Lily.
She’s focusing on Harlu , probably trying to hear what he’s saying . In doing so she ’s broken a barrier from the sand casing. She might as well be pushing down on a car horn without letting up. I reach out to her. She’s scared and terrified beyond reasons that I can’t understand. I would have expected more from her. As for Julia, she’s scared as well, but she holds her fear in check , and I don’t sense the same level of terror that I’m getting from Lily. Something else is happening to Lily that I don’t have the time to figure out at the moment.
“Stay calm.” I say, trying to ease her fear, calming her down. How she’s able to respond back is a little startling, but she does have talents that she, or I, aren’t aware of yet. I have to see what else she’s able to do, that is if I can get us all out of this alive. I smile as she sends me a mental picture of her sticking out her tongue. Again , she sen ds it without realizing what she’s doing. She doesn’t even recognize how easy it was for her to do. My response to her gesture embarrasses her, but mostly , it shocks her out of her fear momentarily . She seems calm, a little confused, but she’s n o t as terrified anymore. At the same time, I find myself liking the idea of teaching Lily how to kiss. I breathe deeply . No w is not the time to get distracted.
I sense the Demlok coming closer, stopping just before the sand shield. I still can’t see it, but I feel it s nearness as Tolan does. I stand ready and feel Tolan preparing to pull the wall of illusion up to keep us from being seen by the cars passing by . Then without w arning, the Demlok gives a high—pitch ed scream! I send a mental thought to everyone, including Julia , to stay calm, be still and be silent. The Demlok screams again, but the sand shield holds. My cousin may not have the strength Tolan and I have, but Phoris is of our blood and his will is strong enough to keep the shield in place .
I sense the Demlok’s frustration and disappointment. I feel it back away as Harlu steps forward.
“This place is a wasteland and a waste of our time , ” he says quietly. He calls back to Fien, “I think Lucas is sending us on a wild goose chase, what do you think Fien?”
“I think you should cut his throat and get it over with,” answers Fien menacingly .
Harlu turns laughing as he walks over to Fien . Pu tting a hand on Fien’s shoulder he say s , “Now Fien , is that any way to speak of your future king? Besides, haven’t you notice d that he isn’t himself lately?” Harlu laughs at Fien’s confuse d reaction. “Lucas is already dead, Fien. Falsad has now taken over his mind and his body completely . Besides, I’ll have to take the throne from its rightful heir to be king .” He steps away facing us again, “The right to the throne belongs to his sister.”
I feel Tolan stiffen in shock at Harlu’s declaration. I’m as stunned as he is. Lucas is dead. Harlu is cousin to Lucas and Lily, and third in line to the throne of the Willow Clan . Now he is second heir to the throne. I’ve heard rumors in the past that Harlu is actually the son of John Michaels and Senestra, but there was no eviden ce of Senestra having a third child. If Harlu is John Michaels’ son, then John would have slept with another Sidhe woman , which would make Harlu half human, like Lily. In our bloodline, most cousins could pass as actual siblings, take Mellis and Alorn. They may be first cousins, but their features are close to identical that most , upon first meeting , mistake them for twins , m uch to Alorn’s dismay. However, the trait is common of Sidhe, not humans. No, Harlu is Sidhe and must be a cousin since everyone knows the Queen gave birth to one child before she was killed . A sister to Lucas .
“Not a word to Lily.” I send the silent command to Tolan. He gives a slight nod.
Janlu, looking a little une as y, asks, “What of the Demlok?”
“As long as I have the Bells of Sheni, it will do as I command.” He turns his head slightly to Fien , “Call him.”
Fien turns toward the direction from where they came and does as he’s told. He pulls a sphere from within his coat and it floats out before him. Like the message ball from Kalis, he speaks into it after an image appears. It’s Lucas or Falsad. I’m thankful that Lily is not able to hear or see her brother. Fien’s body is blocking her view . I hear the false Lucas speak softly, but I can still hear the tension in his voice. Fien closes the sphere and it disappears. Within seconds, a light mist covers them. Once they are completely encased in the cloud, it slowly rises and then disappears the same way it came. I look upward and watch the the cloud move at high speed away from us. As for the Demlok, I reach out and I can’t sense it anywhere near us.
I feel the tension release from Tolan and the SUVs reappear. I watch as the sand that surrounds us slowly sprinkle s back to the desert floor , and I hear Alorn and Mellis catch Phoris as he staggers after releasing the shield . I can feel Lily staring at my back and know that she has many questions ― questions that I may not be able to answer and questions that I won’t answer.
*
Chapter Twenty Lily
The sound of the black void is terrifying and I think I’m going to be sick. Both Julia and I have our hands over our ears trying to keep the screaming from exploding not just our eardrums but our brains as well. If it weren’t for Tharin’s calm voice in my head I would have been screaming myself.
After it screams a second time , I sense the hatred and frustration coming from it and watc h as the black nothingness move s away from us. It slithers back and forth along the highway , and to my surprise , the cars continue to drive by as if they can’t see it. How is that possible?
The leader steps forward saying something that the sand shield blocks from my hearing. The one behind him responds, making him laugh. When he breaks into laughter, he seems warm and friendly, but the way Tharin and Tolan are staring at him tells me otherwise. Afraid that I’ll be the one to give us away, I keep quiet and still as Tharin instructs. After a few more minutes of conversation between them, one of the other elves turns back to the highway, but I can’t see what he’s doing. I know he’s doing something or talking to someone ― that’s evident by the way the other two stand close by as if listening. Within seconds a cloud covers them and then they…just float away and disappear.
The black nothingness remains for a second longer, looking after the departing cloud. I can see by the way it trembles and the way its eyes slant that it’s filled with rage and hate. Slowly, it turns back to me and even though it ha s no lips, I swear it’s smiling; wicked and evil, but nonetheless a smile. I now know it can see me ― my heart is about to stop . Why it didn’t give us away confuses me. Then in a puff of black smoke, it disappears.
Within seconds Alorn and Mellis are at Phoris ’ side. The big Sidhe looks a little drained, but is able to stand without assistance. Tolan is at Julia’s side as soon as the shield comes down . She awkwardly stands close to me watching him look her over.
“Are you all right?” he asks as he reaches up to move a stray hair from her face. Julia is so use d to having any hand raise d at her mean a strike will follow that she unintentionally flinches from him. Tolan lets his hand drop, his face unreadable. He turns and walks over to Mellis, and they talk quietly among themselves . I feel Julia sag disappointedly next to me. I want to comfort my fri
end, but I find all my attention is focused on the e lf standing apart from the rest of us.
Tharin stands facing the hig hway not moving. I wonder what is going through his head. Is he disappointed that he was fo rced to hide instead of fight ? How did he talk to me in my head? How is it that the leader acted as if he knew where we were standing if we were covered by the sand? Why did he have my face? Why am I so afraid of him?
*
Chapter Twenty-One Lily
The rest of the ride is mostly silent . I’m in the front passenger seat while Tharin drives and Julia is quietly sitting in the backseat, alone.
After the incident with the Ange, Tharin spoke with Tolan and the others while Julia and I stood nearby. We watched as the brothers’ debate their n ext move. At first , Tolan argued with Tharin , but he became quiet when Tharin t urned toward Julia. Tolan walked away without looking at Julia , heading toward the first SUV with Mellis. Phoris and Alorn went to the last SUV and Tharin strode over to us, indicating that we would ride with him. Julia stood for a moment looking after Tolan, then quickly walked past us and climbed quickly in to the back seat. She’s been quiet ever since.
We have been driving for several hours before we finally reach the outskirts of Primm. Julia leans forward as we both try to look at al l the casinos at once. She taps my shoulder pointing out the roller coaster ride. According to Tharin, situated about forty-five minutes out of Las Vegas , Primm is just a taste of what ’s to come. Tharin’s plan is to drive th rough without stopping, but it has been a long drive and both Julia and I are in bad need of a restroom. Without hesitation , Tharin agrees and I watch in amazement as Mellis slows down to pull off on the first exit.
“Can everyone in Velesi read minds?” I finally ask.
Tharin glances over at me before answering, “No.”
We are quiet again. I can feel Julia’s focus shift to us instead of what was going on outside her window.
“Oh. So, only the royal family can?” I ask again.
“No.” He repeats.
“Oh. So only you can read minds?”
Tharin follows Mellis off the exit . He steers into a large gas station area pulling up behind him at the pumps in front of the Primadonna Hotel and Casino. He turns off the engine before turning to look at me.
“No, Lily, I can’t read minds. No one can.” I feel as if he’s waiting for me to answer my own question, the same way he did during our panswa conversation. Again I feel unsure, so I keep quiet.
Tharin sighs disappointed ly replying, “No , Lily, we don’t read minds.”
He opens his door and is about to step out when Julia asks, “Then how did you get in to my head back there? When the loud screaming started, I thought I was going to start screaming, too. Then I heard you in my head telling me to stay calm.”
Tharin looks back at Julia through the rearview mirror. He gives her a crooked smile before answering, “Because we’re able to communicate telepathically, Julia .” Before getting out he looks at me again saying, “But we don’t read minds.”
I realize then that he wanted that question to come from me. He wanted me to think things through and figure out why and how they happen ed . I feel like a coward because it was what I wanted to ask. It’s just that when he looks at me like that I feel like the person he wants to see would be a person who would disappoint him . I’m also confused as to w hy that should matter to me anyway .
I turn to look at Julia who i s watching me closely.
“You heard his voice in your head , too ?”
“Yeah, I did. Can you do that, Lil? Communicate that way?”
“Ha, yeah right!” I answer laughing. “Can you imagine us in class talking to each other in our heads ?”
She grins at the thought , “Yeah, okay, why not? They all thought we were weird anyway. Can you imagine all the money we could ’ve saved on our cell phone bills?”
I jump when Tolan taps on my window. I open the door and he stands back asking, “Would you like something to drink?”
He keeps his eyes on me. I glance back at Julia who is once again sitting quietly. She keeps her eyes down, but I know she heard him .
I turn back to him saying, “Yes, but I need to use the restroom first.”
I slip out of the car before Julia can sa y a word and start for the mini mart leaving her to fend for herself. I ’m half way there when I hear Julia open her door. I figure those two already have enough tens ion between them that they don’t need me getting in the way. Before walking through the door, I glance back to see Tolan standing stiffly in front of Julia and she’s looking everywhere but at him. I smile to myself thinking they wi ll either fall deeply in love or end up killing each other. Either way, they need to do something about it and get it over with.
I spot the women’s restroom sign at the far corner of the mini mart. As I make my way ther e I notice Alorn, Mellis and Phoris at the drink cooler deciding what to purchase. Actually, they’re in a heated debate on what water brand tastes the closes t to Velesi water. I laugh to myself as I continue down the aisle , distracted by them until it’s too late. I knock the poor woman down and she hits the floor hard. The small paper bag she was holding lands beside her with a soft thud. I’m instantly at her side trying to help her up and at the same time stepping over my own words trying to apologize.
“I’m so sorry, are you okay? Oh my God, I didn’t see you. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”
She laughs as I help her to her feet . She look s to be in her late sixties or early seventies, tall, slender with a pleasant and surprisingly youthful face. Her size and looks belie her strength, however, as she holds on to me, trying to get her feet back under her. She has fair skin and her hair is a soft blonde with streaks of gray. She looks delicate, but her laughter is healthy and comes easily.
I bend down to pick up her paper bag off the floor and when I stand I jump slightly, my heart skipping a beat. I’m startled by the large man who appears from out of no where and is now standing close behind her. Embarrassed, I laugh as I once again stumble through an other apology as he smiles pleasantly at me. Like the woman , he’s an older man, but he’s still broad and muscular for his age. They make a striking couple. They are both wearing black tops, except her shirt neckline has a flowery border, while his is a plain black shirt. The hem of her long green skirt ends just above her ankles. The color, matching her eyes, is faded and the skirt is a little worn, but clean. She has on spotless white tennis shoes with no socks. Like her, the man’s blue jeans are worn but clean . His fisherman’s hat and black boots also seem to be well kept. I hand her the bag apologizing again, and when I try to get pas t her, she steps in front of me.
“Thank you,” she says with a kind smile. “I want to give you something for your kindness. Most people who knock me down usually keep moving without saying a word, least of all help me back up.”
I find it hard to believe that anyone would knock her down and not help her back up. She seems so nice and her eyes are kind, and somehow familiar. I notice she’s staring at the scratch under my eye. Even though she seems pleasant and sweet , there i s a kind of desperation in her eyes as if she wants me to accept her offer. I look at her companion , and although he still has a smile on his face, I can’t read his expression. He glances up for a moment, then bends down and whispers in the old woman’s ear.
“Ah, I’m sorry , Lily. It seems that I will have to reward you some other time. Until then, this is for you.” She offers me the paper bag and when I try to say no, she shoves it at me. Again her size and age contradicts her strength.
Not sure what to say I nod, “Okay, thank you , b ut it’s not necessary. It was totally my fault. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.”
She smiles at me kindly again, “You’re such a good girl. We will meet again, I promise.”
She then turns to the old man and they walk away holding hands . I watch after them and it’s not until they a re down the aisle and almost turning the corner that I real
ize she knew my name. I’m startle d by the realization and am about to go after them when I feel him behind me.
*
Chapter Twenty-Two ~ Tharin ~
I’m not sure why Lily is having a hard time asking me what I want to hear, but it really irks me . I can’t understand why she’s not interested in knowing anything about who we are and how things in our world work. It’s as if she plans on n ot remaining in Velesi, or worse , not go ing through with the wedding.
I grit my teeth at the thought . I f she doesn’t go through with it , the delicate thread that now holds the Thirteen Clans together will unravel, causing civil war among the c lans. The Oak Clan is the strongest and oldest of all thirteen and has ruled over the realm of Velesi for millennia . We a re the original c lan of King Kalinest and his q ueen. For centuries our rule has been fair and just , but within the last century there have been rumors of civil unrest in the East and to the Northeast. Even now , my father prepares for civil war among the lesser Regions to bring them back to the fold should the treaty between the Oak and the Willow Clan fall through . The Willow Clan is considered second only to the Oak Clan and if Lucas, or this Falsad Harlu mentioned, should succeed in killing Lily, it will come under his rule. As long as Lily lives, the Willow throne will not accept anyone else, including Lucas. With the strength of the Willow armies and allegiance from the Regions to the South and North, they would be a formidable enemy. It’s also rum ored that there are one or two c l ans in talks with Lucas . I pr omised my father I would do what was necessary to prevent that from happening . I intend to keep that promise. The wedding will happen, and Lily will rule beside me .
I shake my head thinking, since when did I decide that Lily would remain in Velesi? Just last night I was happy with the thought of marriage in name only, and to have her return to the realm of her father to pursue her own destiny , but as a marrie d woman. Today, today I can’t even think of having her far from my sight. What if Falsad decides that even after the wedding she should be dead? If that should happen within the first year of our marriage, the possibility of the treaty falling apart ― causing the civil unrest talks to resume again . Those talks would eventually turn to war. Well then , it’s settled . I suppose I will have to keep Lily with me to protect her at least for the first year. After that, she can return to this realm and do whatever she wants, I could n’t care less.