“Please tell me I am dead.” Eli surrounded again by the sweet flowers of the Gardens of Avalon.
He sat on a cold stone bench as the sun dangled brightly in the horizon like a beacon. The glass buildings framed the blue sky and glistened in the sun like melting icicles. Then, Zoey dressed in a moss green shirt that only deepened her already green eyes, stepped in front of him smiling.
“You don’t want to be dead yet.” She told him. “I have something else I want you to know that you have to tell everyone.”
Eli felt it was no use to compromise on his death anymore and looked up at her as she gently ran her cool fingers over the side of his face.
Zoey began to tell him about how she had Lyssa and to save her she gave Lyssa to Kearlyn to take to the Etherworld as a deal between them. Zoey gave Kearlyn safe passage in return Lyssa would be unknown to any Fae and safe in the Etherworld.
“I wished every day that Lyssa would never find out who she was and grow up as an Etherling,” Zoey said with her green eyes filled with tears. “I promised myself to never see her again, but I couldn’t and when Kearlyn was murdered, I knew I had to step in. That is when I could see she was a vessel. When she was fifteen I came and got to know Thomas and Lyssa, then I placed the Everspell in her. It was like it was meant to be.” Her voice rang with a light amount of joy. “I was to come back and bring her with me to meet you and take the Everspell to the Isle of Stars and protect it there.” Zoey held tightly onto Eli’s hand. “We were to be a family.”
Eli felt regret and betrayed as well as sorrow for Zoey. “Why didn’t you just tell me this so much sooner?” He looked away. “How could you keep something like this from me?” He gazed at her as she wrinkled her forehead shaking her head. “Things may have not come to this.” Eli wanted to scream at her, but he didn’t. He felt there was no need to argue now.
“Because I didn’t want to hurt you. If the Muses’ found out…the less of the connection the better.” Zoey removed her hand from his. “Lyssa needs you and your protection. You need to wake up now. Lyssa is with Orzan in Sidhe Hills, go to her Eli and save the gift that yo gave me that I will always cherish—our daughter.”
Zoey leaned over Eli kissed him gently and softly on his lips. There was so much more he wanted to ask and he knew deep down, Zoey truly cared for him. He wanted to linger there, never leave, but the sun grew in brightness encasing everything in a burning white light.
Eli sat straight up with a stinging pain across his back. He winced at the pain trying to cling to Zoey’s face. He sat there for a moment looking around the stark room that he realized was the Rebel’s Palace.
His dream had been very vivid, like it really happened. Eli didn’t want it to be a dream; he wanted it to be real, then he thought of Lyssa. She was his daughter, the one thing Zoey cherished and he had to save her.
Eli got up and steadied himself.
“I’m not going to chase you all over the place only to have to redo your stitches.” Elijah looked down towering over him.
“I have to save Lyssa.” Eli tried to contain his nauseating sickness growing in him with the pain intensifying.
“Not like that you’re not.” Elijah sat Eli back down.
“I talked to Zoey she told me Lyssa is with Orzan. You don’t understand, I have to save her—for Zoey!” Eli demanded in a pleading voice.
Elijah only looked at him with sympathetic eyes. “You know you should be dead.” Elijah stated flatly. “You must have something in you that’s hard to kill—kind of like cockroaches. I suggest you take that gift and rest because it looks like you have just had a date with death.”
There was no use in fighting with Elijah, he was by far bigger and Eli didn’t want to waste his strength on fighting with him. Complying with Elijah’s request, Eli went back into the bed and waited for him to leave.
Eli sat for a moment giving ample time for the Giant to safely leave. His eyes grew heavy and soon they were shut.
Darkness surrounded him. A beating sound filled his ears. From out of the darkness a woman appeared. Her hair was black and her skin a warm shade of tan. She was dressed in white that only amplified her sun kissed skin and smiled at him with white teeth that nearly matched her dress.
“Who are you?” Eli asked as she stood with hands folded and relaxed in front of her.
“Elsa, I am one of the Fire People and I have come to help you. Zoey sent me.” Elsa’s eyes twinkled at him.
Slowly she walked around him as he watched her.
“When you wake up Eli, the poison will be gone and your cuts gone with only a scar as a reminder. You must go to the Black Caves in Sidhe Hills to save her. Lyssa needs you and she needs you now.”
With a puff of smoke Elsa disappeared from his vision. Hot embers mixed with smoke burned his skin until he woke up screaming. His legs were twisted in the blankets and sweat poured down his naked back.
He shut his eyes tightly and then opened them again. The pain subsided and he felt his strength returned. Leaping from the bed, he found his shirt put it on and then went discretely to the weapons room.
With several weapons, Eli went up to Merlin’s chamber, found the portal unguarded and open. He wondered what had happened that it was left in such a state. He didn’t have time to figure it out. Cautiously, he entered the portal to find Lyssa.
Lyssa
“Don’t you see Lyssa, everything I’ve done, prepared for and undying dedication is for the pure survival of us.” Lyssa watched Orzan walk casually with each of his footsteps echoing in the moist air. “Like a light we must grow in strength or die out.” Orzan began to glide his hand over something about waist high that slowly began to glow. Lyssa recognized them as stalagmites or landtowers as Dane called them.
“You know you can do this too. Your mark is just like mine.” Orzan’s sly smile made her sick.
“You’re not my father.” She stated. The cave wasn’t like the one she was in with Dane; this one had a foul smell and dampness that made her joints ache.
“That’s alright if you don’t believe, I am not going to make you do anything you don’t want to. But there’s something I want you to see.”
Orzan raised his hand and above them the pointed dagger like stalactites began to glow. Lyssa looked at them in awe remembering what Dane had said about them. You had to have a great deal of power to do that. Lyssa suddenly felt the weight of everything on her. She was no match for Orzan.
The cave now was fully illuminated in a white light. Lyssa looked around until her eyes fell upon a statue of a man frozen in a kneeling position holding his hands up to protect him from some invisible force.
“Does he look familiar to you?” Orzan’s thick eyebrows lifted from under his hood. Lyssa wondered what happened to the other two brothers since they haven’t said anything.
She didn’t reply; only let her eyes examine the ice like sculpture before her. Through the clearness of the sculpture she could see her father, she could see Thomas.
“Let him go!” Lyssa yelled through Orzan laughing at her.
“Gladly.” His voice rang with a dark undertone.
“I have search far and wide for a cure to my aliment. The one last disease that will claim us all one day. How can I build something so magnificent to let someone else place their hands on it and manipulate it to their will?” Orzan’s voice grew into almost a growl. He then looked at Lyssa, straightened his stance and then smiled at Lyssa. “Though, I didn’t expect a young Fae to understand that, so I had to use other means.” His eyes fell on her dad like he was admiring a piece of art.
“He isn’t dead. Though time is running very short.” Orzan stood in front of her dad and gently flipped back his hood.
Lyssa placed her hand to her mouth in disgust. There, where two faces once where squished on one head were now half rotted with dangling flesh and
bones showing through the melting flesh. Orzan covered them up and stepped closer to Lyssa.
“My quest for immortality has taken a bad turn. I should have had the Everspell when I did this and now need it to survive.” Orzan’s eyes flickered with a growing flame. “Lyssa if you don’t give me the Eversepll, not only will I perish, but so will your Etherling dad.”
Lyssa looked up at her dad wanting to talk to him and ask him what to do. She couldn’t let him die, but if she did, then Orzan would die too.
“Times ticking here.” Orzan prodded.
Lyssa turned around and glared at Orzan. He had her, so why did he need her consent. There had to be something more.
Orzan raised his eyebrows at her.
“You can have what you want. I don’t pose a threat to you.” Lyssa stalled hoping Wes or Zoey would help her soon.
“Like I said you don’t understand magic. If I force you the magic isn’t as pure and plentiful when you go willingly.”
Lyssa looked at her dad frozen literally in fear. She couldn’t let him die.
“You can’t hurt him—promise!” Lyssa’s voice echoed causing the stalactites to rattle.
Orzan looked up at them slightly startled. And then let his thin lips curl into a smile. “You have my word.”
Lyssa wasn’t sure if she made the right decision, but at least her dad would have a chance.
Orzan flicked his hand at Lyssa and suddenly a ring of blue flames surrounded her until they grew nearly reaching the ceiling. Lyssa couldn’t see or hear anything but the crackling sound of the heatless blue flames.
Lyssa didn’t feel any different until she tried to move her feet. She looked down at what should have been the leather boots Zoey gave her, where now clear as glass. She screamed and watched the creeping glass take over her legs, torso and then her arms until she felt nothing.