Valdjan Read online

  Chapter Eighteen

  Ithyll

  Ithyll went to the entrance again, standing in the opening. For long minutes, nothing happened, and the magic continued to grow.

  Slowly, the ground beneath her began to vibrate, and a faint roaring sound filled the air around her, growing louder and louder as each second passed. In the distance, she saw the canyon turning bluish green.

  It was so far off that it took her a moment to realize what it was.

  A giant wave of water.

  And it was coming right at her.

  She glanced at the crystal. Until after a champion was chosen, she was stuck here, bound to this place by magic. But if that wave hit at full force, it would probably flood the cave. Then both of them would die. Because if she died, she wouldn’t be able to pull Valdjan from the test, and if he won, he would reemerge into a cave full of water.

  How can I stop that wave?

  The shield obviously hadn’t worked, even with the reinforcement. She had no idea how they’d gotten around it. Even with water magic, they shouldn’t have been able to counter the double crystals powering the shield.

  She eyed the wave. It would simply break through any barrier in its way, but what if she could divert the water somehow? Then a way occurred to her.

  A ramp!

  It would have to be gradual enough to slow the water but steep enough to take away most of its force before it got to the cave.

  If she started small and built gradually, she could still maintain part of her focus on the test.

  Standing just inside the entrance, she raised her hands and began to gather her magic, projecting it outward toward the bottom of the canyon.

  Slowly, a ramp began to take shape. She added layer upon layer of magic, strengthening it, just as she had built the shield that had guarded her domain for so long.

  The wave advanced ever closer, and she could feel its force tearing through the sides of the canyon, shaking the earth beneath her feet. As it neared, she realized its true magnitude, and wondered if she’d made the wrong decision.

  There was not time for fear, though. Valdjan was counting on her. The crystals were counting on her.

  Fucking. At this point, everyone on Aurora was counting on her.

  She gritted her teeth and put even more power into her magic.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Valdjan

  Valdjan began walking toward the building, and Elberos strode beside him. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  “Me, too.” Valdjan inhaled the cool, slightly thinner air of Melamar. “And thanks for coming. I have no idea where I’m going.”

  “Well, if you want to see Lord Tahlavel, he’ll probably be inside the residence wing. He and his mate reside here full-time since he’s the head of the council.” Elberos led him back into the building and down the corridor to the first elevator. After taking a minute to look through all of the buttons on the green side, he hit one and grabbed a handle on the side. “You’d better hold on to something. This elevator doesn’t rotate forward, but the sideways rotations aren’t as smooth as they are on the space station.”

  Valdjan grabbed the bar on the other side, and when the elevator reached the bottom and rotated to the left, he was glad Elberos had warned him. The trip was relatively short, too short for him to think of a workable plan.

  When the doors opened, he took a deep breath and stepped out, pressing the button on Tahlavel’s door before he could talk himself out of it.

  A second later, Tahlavel himself opened the door. “Ilphthal. Come in, my friend. What are you doing here?”

  Valdjan had no idea what to say, so he said the only thing he could. “I’m here to ask you not to vote to close the portals.”

  The other elf looked offended. “What? But you more so than anyone knows why I want to close them!”

  Valdjan wished Lord Ilphthal had written about it in his notes, because all he knew was what Uhlsfel had told him. “Because of your daughter.”

  “That’s right. She defied me—her father! I gave her everything, practically begged her not to go to that awful Aurora planet! In doing so, she publicly embarrassed me. She also disregarded our traditions, sacrificed her place in the women’s council, which her mother worked an entire lifetime to get.”

  Valdjan hesitated. “I can understand your position, my friend. But as the vote draws near, I couldn’t help thinking more about it. Do you really want to strand your daughter on another planet? Cut off her access to the homeworld? What if she gets in trouble? Or needs help?”

  Tahlavel crossed his arms. “She should have thought of that before she left. You know I warned her of every eventuality before she left.”

  “I know, but this is something you can’t come back from. It might even turn public opinion against you—how many elves would vote to abandon their own daughters?”

  That stopped Tahlavel for a moment, and Valdjan could tell that he cared deeply about his reputation, perhaps even more than his daughter. “I was wrong, Lord Tahlavel. If you do this, I fear you will regret it for the rest of your life. Once she’s gone, she’s gone forever. You won’t be able to get her back. And you’ll have to weather public opinion of your actions.”

  Tahlavel frowned and then his expression hardened. “You really think now is the time to change your stance? We’ve been discussing this for weeks! Since the first creatures turned malevolent and starting attacking the elves on their planets! You are the one who made me come to terms with it!”

  Valdjan put up his hands for peace. “I know. I was wrong. You are my friend. I just don’t want you to make a mistake you’ll regret. And we have many long years to regret it.”

  That seemed to make Tahlavel angrier. “Get the vok out of my residence, Ilphthal. You have a lot of nerve doing this now!”

  “I’m sorry.” Valdjan began backing toward the door. “I’m going to Lord Ha’avel, and Uhlsfel is talking to Zekrail. I know they’re also against it, but I have a theory as to why the magical creatures are becoming malevolent in the first place.”

  Then a door opened from another room, and an elf who must be his mate walked in.

  Her eyes were red, and she was clenching a small, white piece of cloth.

  Lord Tahlavel shot him a dark look. “Save it for the meeting, dhaeraon!”

  Elberos exited first, and Valdjan closed the door behind them.

  “That went well,” Valdjan muttered.

  Elberos stared at him, his mouth agape. “That did not go well, unless they have a different definition on Aurora. He called you a traitor! You’ll be lucky if he doesn’t send assassins to our ship before the vote.”

  “You need to learn sarcasm,” Valdjan retorted.

  “What is that?”

  “It’s where you say the opposite of something. It’s supposed to be funny.”

  Elberos was silent for a moment, so Valdjan headed back toward the elevator. “Where is Lord Ha’avel?”

  “Look, if you’re going to talk to him, you need to be a lot more careful than you have been. Lord Tahlavel’s clan only makes the swords for a living. But Ha’avel’s tribe uses them—they’re the warriors. You’ll be lucky if he doesn’t stick one right through you when you open your mouth, and that is not sarcasm.”

  “Fine. I’ll be careful,” Valdjan promised.

  “I don’t think you know what that means.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Ithyll

  The water is too strong!

  It’s going to take all my power.

  The wave hit the ramp with a deafening roar, the reverberations shaking the ground, her entire body vibrating with the force of holding it back. Water shot up the ramp into the sky and curled over on itself—and for a blissful moment, she had success.

  But then, whoever was behind the magic sensed what she was doing and increased their power on the water. It pushed more water at her, the force greater than she could have imagined. It thrust her back into the cave, its weight dropping her
to her knees as she trembled and watched the water flood her space.

  She wasn’t going to be able to hold it back.

  But then the crystal fell out of her pocket and she saw his face.

  Valdjan.

  I have to do this.

  He was the one her magic had chosen, the only one who could pass the tests. But beyond that, he was a strong warrior, honorable, and caring, and he’d lived through enough grief that he deserved the chance to succeed.

  She felt a new determination fill her and grabbed the crystal before it was taken by the water, knowing she had no choice but to pull him out of the test in case she failed at holding back the wave. Or in case she died when she used the last of her magic.

  She waved her hand, and he appeared beside her.

  “What the hell is that?” he asked swiftly, pulling her back farther into the cave as the water began to rise to their knees.

  The question almost made her laugh.

  The hell it is a wave.

  “What can I do?”

  She couldn’t even take the effort to glance his way. Sweat poured off her as the cold water continued to fill the cave and the only thing she could manage was a shake of her head as she pushed to her feet. The wave kept gaining in power, forcing them to retreat until their backs were against the crystal wall, the water at their necks.

  As the water had risen to their waists, Valdjan had tried to fight against the current and get them to the door, but the pressing power of the water was too great, and it rose too quickly. He wrapped his arms around her as the water rose swiftly to their shoulders, treading water, lending her his strength and keeping them both afloat.

  “Once it covers us, I’ll try to swim low and get us out,” he promised. “Take a deep breath— now!”

  But rather than taking a breath, she screamed, and from somewhere within her, a power arose, one that she didn’t even know she had. It was made of duty, anger, and justice, and no small amount of love.

  The water covered them, and with a second, silent scream below the water, she pushed her hands out, forcing the water back out of the cave, magically slamming and sealing the entrance.

  All at once the power of the wave pressing against the cave gave out and she collapsed, Valdjan catching her before her face hit the stone. He went to his knees, cradling her to his chest, both of them trembling from cold and exertion and the remnants of fear.

  The world began to disappear as she fought to remain conscious, but it was useless. She was too spent, and finally gave up, sinking into the warmth of Valdjan’s chest as he cradled her in his arms.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Valdjan

  “I

  thyll? Love?” He brushed the back of his knuckles down her cheek.

  Slowly she opened her eyes, but it was obvious she couldn’t speak. They flickered a few times and then closed as she faded into unconsciousness again.

  He tried not to panic as he checked her breathing, then her heartbeat at her wrist. Both were there, but weak. It was obvious that she had used all her magic to stop that water and needed rest.

  His heart was still pounding, the rage of helplessness still flowing through him. The force it must have taken to invade her domain was unfathomable. Could it have been the merpeople? And what would they do if the merpeople sent tidal waves, or hurricanes and tsunamis whenever they wanted something?

  It was an impossible question to entertain, so he shoved it away and focused on making Ithyll comfortable. There were two crystals on the floor inches from her slackened fingers. She must have dropped them, so he scooped them up and then stood with her in his arms.

  Everything in the cave was saturated, so he stripped the blankets off her sleeping pallet before settling her on top of the woven mat. He arranged her hair around her head, and for a moment he had to remind himself that she wasn’t Jessa. She wasn’t dying, she was only sleeping to recover her magic.

  As quickly as he could, he hung her bedding outside over a boulder so it could dry, and then he was settling onto the floor next to where she slept, examining the crystals he’d picked up.

  He didn’t know what the first one did, but second one was the golden-purple crystal she used for his test. He didn’t expect to see inside—he didn’t have magic, after all—but when he examined it, there was a golden light on the side. The golden light was about two-thirds full.

  As he watched, a tiny bit faded.

  As if it were running out.

  Or counting down.

  Obviously, the test didn’t stop if something happened to her. He had to hope that she would recover in time for him to finish.

  He turned back to her, her beautiful face looking pale and strained even in sleep. For all his knowledge of battle wounds, he didn’t know anything about magical ones. The elves would know how to heal magical wounds—maybe she would have some instructions around somewhere.

  She didn’t seem cold, despite the dampness in the cave, so he began to search. He began at the door and proceeded to the left, even searching the adjoining caves. There were carved stones and beautifully wrought wooden chests of all sizes that contained clothing, storable food, and supplies. Sorrow filled him at the fact that they were all soaked with water. It would take days to clean up.

  Ceramic vases and plants had been tossed here and there by the water, some broken into many pieces. Their beauty and detail alluded to how she had spent some of her free time over the years. Seeing the number and detail of the vases, the reality of her situation began to hit home for him. She’d been alone for a thousand years, waiting for someone to take the tests.

  His respect for her grew as he examined a broken vase with intricately detailed knotwork carved into the sides and painted. It was obvious that she’d worked hard to keep herself busy over the long years alone. He was just beginning to understand the immense amount of strength it must have taken to guard the crystals for so long. A sense of purpose and duty, for a cause greater than herself.

  For a moment, he felt shame at the fact that he hadn’t come to the cave with the same sense of purpose. However, that was changing. He was becoming more vested in finishing the tests, in finding out what had happened so long ago.

  He finished his search, finding no books or information of any kind that might help her. Of course, perhaps if there had been hide scrolls or books, they would have been washed away by the water, or irrevocably damaged and rendered useless.

  He returned to her bedside and watched the time go down on the crystal with an uncomfortable feeling rather like despair growing in his stomach.

  A sharp rapping sound came at the entrance to the cave. To his surprise, the entrance opened, and a giant, white-and-gold bird entered.

  Valdjan stood, shifting so he was standing in front of Ithyll as Paradiso crossed the floor toward them. “How did you get in?”

  The enormous bird eyed him. “Ithyll has been kind enough to give me a way to enter through her magic,” he said calmly.

  “You must be Paradiso.”

  The bird inclined his head. “I am.” He peered around the damp cave, plucking a starfish from one of the floor tiles. “What happened here?”

  Valdjan didn’t know whether he trusted the bird, but Ithyll had made it clear that she was his friend. “All I know is that she pulled me out of the test and water was filling the cave. She had to stop it with her magic, and now she’s unconscious. I have no idea how to heal her.”

  The bird clicked its beak. “Nirhjar.”

  “What do you know about him?”

  The bird ruffled its wings. “Not much since neither Ithyll nor I can stay underwater for long. However, I know he wants the crystals, and possibly Ithyll. I also know he’s dangerous.” The bird paused, and Valdjan could have sworn it was measuring him. “What about you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “What do you want? Are you just here for the crystals—or for her?”

  Usually, Valdjan would have looked away. He had never wanted a woman ot
her than his mate enough to admit to it. But Ithyll was different, and something told him that this bird’s approval was important. He let out a breath. “I want her,” he admitted, giving the truth in three simple words.

  The bird shifted its head, eyeing him with the other eye. “I hope so,” he muttered, gracefully stepping around him to Ithyll’s bedside.

  This time, Valdjan let him. “Why?”

  “Ithyll has been through her fair share of pain. After all this time alone, she deserves someone who will love her and take care of her the way I never could.” He looked away for a moment. “My time here is almost finished, and when it is, I won’t be here to protect her.”

  Valdjan glanced back at her on the pallet. “I will protect her with my life, and more than that—provided she wants me to.”

  Paradiso bent and brushed his beak against her cheek. “I’m going to hold you to that, cyborg. Now, let’s see what we can do to heal her.”

  Paradiso went to a space by the back wall that Valdjan had already searched. The cyborg was about to tell the bird not to bother, but then Paradiso seemed to reach inside the wall with one of his long, spindly legs, bringing out a hidebound book. “I believe you’ll find healing toward the center of the book,” he said, handing the book to Valdjan. “Now, I must leave and make sure they don’t send another wave or do something even more disastrous. I’ll be back to check on her again later.”

  Valdjan nodded, opening the book. The pages were yellowed with age, the lettering across the top leafed in gold. There was a page in the front listing the contents, but there was nothing for depleted magic.

  He did find one for healing battle wounds, however. Turning to the page, he muttered to himself, “I hope this will work.”

  The directions were precise and easy enough to follow, but there was one problem.

  He couldn’t do magic.

  Valdjan looked up, but the bird was already gone. Turning back to the book, he scanned the page again. On the opposite page, he found some fine print at the bottom.