By the time the sun had set, we had made it to the quiet town of Bellanshire. It sat on the edge of a cliff by the sea. The air was cool, clean, and the sound of the waves crashing softly against the cliffs filled my ears. A white flock of birds flew overhead, screeching their protest of the cloudy sky. The buildings were quiet, except for the tavern from which sounds of laughter and lively music echoed down the streets, dim lighting from fires in houses sprinkled the hills.
We all followed Ember past the tavern and over a small hill to a stone house with a large stable. She guided Belle and settled her in with the many other Engii in the stables.
"My family is known for their Engii. After my parents passed away, the land's ownership fell over to me. But I never wanted it. My little sister, however, loved the place and the animals so I had given the rights to her. Then I moved to Listra shortly after, where I got the job working at the palace," she explained, stopping at the front door. She sighed, putting her hands on her hips, "I must warn you she's a bit eccentric and her husband... please don't freak out. She gets enough grief about it from the townspeople." And with that, she knocked on the door.
There was a bunch of clanging and fumbling before the door opened. A small, heavily pregnant woman appeared before us, looking a lot like a younger Ember; blue eyes and short blonde hair. Her smile brightened when she saw her sister, wrapping her arms around her with delight.
"Ember! What a surprise! It's been so long, how long has it been?" Once her eyes landed on us, she gasped. "Oh! And you brought friends? Come in! We had just finished dinner. Thremael is upstairs putting the little ones down. Would you like anything to eat? You look a bit thin. They better be taking care of you up at the palace. You wouldn't believe the horror stories I heard from the capital!" She ran around the tiny house, pulling plates, and cups down along with a wide variety of foods from the fridge, all while rambling on about everything going on in her life. In the span of a couple minutes, I felt like I knew everything about her sister except for her name.
Ember sat at the table and motioned for us to join her. "Just go with it, let it happen, don't deny her," she whispered before clearing her throat. "Alice? May I introduce Master Isaac Belwich and his friends Elizabeth and..." she paused at my sister.
"Isabella," Isabella said softly, her eyes wide from the whirlwind that was Alice.
Alice stopped dead in her tracks, dropping the plates she was holding. Her blue eyes widened at Isaac's name. "Did you say Belwich...oh...oh my..." her face fell as she looked around her house. "I wasn't expecting such a company. My house is a huge mess!" Her face paled as she realized all the insults she had just hurled at the capital and palace. "I am so sorry... please forgive me." she wavered.
Isaac quickly got up to help her with the plates which had shattered. "There is hardly any need for such formalities. Please let me help you, and your house is lovely, Mrs. Alice," he said politely. He bent down and started carefully picking up the pieces. Alice stared up at him in awe and blushed.
Suddenly a tall man came running down the stairs. I felt my mouth drop at his appearance. He was even taller than Isaac, with wide doe-like, crystal grey eyes that were slanted ever so slightly and very long black hair braided down his back. His ears were long and came to a sharp point, and his skin was the color of the sea. I almost yelped when I saw he had a tail. Isaac and Isabella were shocked, but I don't think they were quite as surprised as I was. I had never seen such a person before.
"I heard a crash. Is everything alright?" His voice was smooth like silk.
Alice stood up shakily, reaching toward the man. " We... we have guest Thremael, from the palace." her voice trembled. She was still in shock. I watched as he pulled his wife to him, his eyes scanning over us wearily before falling on Ember. I saw his body relax and he let out a breath.
"Ember. What a wonderful surprise! We weren't expecting you until the holidays. What brings you and your friends to Bellanshire?" He asked while guiding Alice to one of the armchairs that sat next to a lit fireplace. She rubbed her swollen belly anxiously.
"Something has been going on at the palace, and we needed a safe place to be. I hope you don't mind. I offered your home to Master Isaac." Ember said.
"Not at all. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Isaac." Thremael bowed slightly, his formality making Isaac smile nervously. "Please help yourself to any of the food Alice pulled out. If you'll excuse me, it's been a long day, and Alice needs her rest. Ember, I'm sure you can get them accommodated?"
Ember smiled fondly, "yes, Thremael. Goodnight."
Thremael helped his wife up the stairs to bed, turning to bid us goodnight once more before disappearing to the second floor. Ember let out a sigh of relief.
"I am sure you have questions, but before I answer yours, you must answer mine." She said sternly. Taking one of the pitchers off the table, she poured us all a drink. "You said you were in danger, and not even Mistress Lilith could know you were in the palace. Explain."
With some help from Isabella and me, Isaac explained everything, from Lilith's involvement in the Raven stalker attack, her plans and how she cast the spell to open the portal, what she did to me, Isaac and Luna, what we found out at Ravenwood manor and her attack. Ember sat listening intently to our explanation. Her eyes were wide, and tears streaked her cheeks by the time Isaac finished.
"I... I can't believe she would do something like this! You said she mentioned dreams? Lilith isn't a psychic. Are they simply dreams of a madwoman, or are they actually sent by something else?"
"I'm not sure. But she seemed very adamant that this is what the Goddess wants. But I have had dreams strictly warning of Lilith. I remember one that warned of the attack of the stalkers and another warning of Lilith taking control. I just never understood them until now." sighing, I should have known! I should have studied my dreams more intently. Maybe then Isaac and I would have been spared all that pain. Luna would still be here, and she could help us close the portal. I was still trying to understand my magic and how to help out more. Maybe Isabella would be able to help me, she is my twin and she grew up here.
"We're not sure what to do or how to close the breach." Isaac rubbed his face and let out a deep sigh. "There's also that prophecy, Lizbeth and I found. Was it about this? Could there be a connection, and would it tell us how to fix it?"
"What prophecy?" Isabella asked, "I've scoured that entire library. Are you talking about the one that's in Elvish?"
"That was Elvish? No wonder I couldn't read it... no Elf would help our scholars with translations." Isaac groaned. "What was the prophecy again, Lizbeth? Do you remember?" he asked.
I nodded and recited the prophecy, " When sparkling amber and ravens combine,
chaos will ensue—tainted words of the Goddess. Children of the moon unite. Banish evil and bring forth a new light."
We all sat in confusion as we pondered the words. Then Ember's eyes widened. "Could 'tainted words of the goddess' be the dreams Lilith was seeing?"
"It could be... but how can the words from the goddess be tainted?" Isaac asked.
"My people may be able to answer that." A voice called from the stairs making us all jump out of our chairs. Thremael was leaning against the wall. The light from the fireplace danced off his silvery skin. I still couldn't get over his appearance. His eyes seemed to glow like moonlight in the low lighting, and his black hair now fell loosely down his back. He chuckled at our response. "My apologies, I could not help but overhear." He came over and sat down in one of the chairs, resting his angular face on the back of his hands.
"Oh! Of course! Thremael is an Elf," Ember explained. "Are you sure they would be able to help? From what I've been told, they aren't very friendly towards us. You're the only Elf I've ever met, and sometimes I forget, I've known you for so long. " She laughed. I was so confused. How could she forget? It's not like Thremael could be mistaken for a human, so that's what he was, an Elf.
"Most of those stories are about the Arvellalei clan. They despise Arvorians and absolutely hate Magi. My clan, the Elvellenoris, are a lot friendlier though we don't mingle as much with Arvorians. There's a stigma against us, thanks to the Arvellalei. People fear us." he explained.
"How could your people help us? Do you practice magic?" Isaac asked.
"I do not, but there are some among my clan that do. We have been on Arvora for much longer than the Arvorians and have knowledge of older magic. I will send word, ask for a meeting and then take you there, after they accept. I'm positive they would know what to do about the hole in the sky." he stood up and stretched.
"Thank you, Thremael," Ember said, gathering the dishes.
Thremael nodded "it's no trouble. I'm happy to help in any way I can. That hole in the sky has everyone on edge, and I can't imagine what will happen to our world if it is left open."
After cleaning up, we said good night to Thremael, and Ember guided us to the guest bedrooms. Since there were only two, we had to double up. Ember and Isabella walked into one, Isabella giving me a knowing smile, and winked at me as she closed the door. I felt a blush creep up on me. Isaac came up to me from behind and wrapped his arms around me. The feel of his arms around me made the butterflies in my stomach swarm.
"Come on. We've all had a long day."
He pulled me into the room, lighting the candles around the room. The butterflies got worse when I noticed there was only one bed. I walked over and sat on the bed. The moonlight filtered through the thin curtains.
This was the first time Isaac and I have been genuinely alone together since our date at Hopper pond. There was that time at the manor, but so much was going on that we really didn't think about ourselves. Now we were alone in a room, behind a closed door. Were we going to sleep, or did Isaac have other plans? Was I ready for that?
There was a knock on the door breaking my train of thought and making me jump, my face turning beet red. I answered, finding Ember standing there with clothes in her hands.
"Thremael was nice enough to lend us some of Alice and his clothes! I figured you would want to get out of those rags. How long have you been wearing those? There is also a set of nightclothes. Good night, Miss Elizabeth!" She handed me the pile of clothes, giving me a warm smile before going back into the hall.
Isaac came out of the bathroom, the sound of water running inside.
"Are those clothes? I started a bath for you. I figured you would want to wash up after everything that's happened." He took one of the sets and put them on the bed. I felt my breath quicken, and my nerves run rampant as my thoughts wandered back. I felt my face start to burn as my imagination ran away from me. Isaac must have sensed my unease.
"Are you okay, Lizbeth? You haven't said a word since we came into the room." He came up to me and pulled me close. Following my gaze to the bed, I heard a soft chuckle reverberate in his chest. "You don't need to worry about anything, Lizbeth. Only sleep will be happening tonight. If you feel uncomfortable, I don't mind sleeping on the floor." I felt his lips press against the top of my head.
I couldn't help my curiosity. "Have you ever done that before?" I couldn't make myself say it. The thought of sleeping with Isaac made my head spin and my heart race.
He pulled back to look at me, smirking. "Done what? Sleep with someone in the same bed or... " he leaned down and captured my mouth with his, pulling me close. I felt his hands run up my back before settling on my waist. My heart was about to burst from my chest as he deepened the kiss. I felt a moan escape my throat. I had never felt this way before. My breath hitched as he trailed kisses down my jaw, stopping at my ear. He pulled away, cupped my face and kissed my forehead.
My face burned as I looked up at him, wondering why he pulled away. His smile was wide and his eyes alight with amusement. "You should go get ready for bed. There's a bath waiting for you," he said softly, pushing me towards the bathroom. The bathroom door closed behind me, leaving me alone with my thoughts, my legs felt weak, and my lips tingled. I looked around the small bathroom. A bath filled with steaming water waited for me and candles lit around the room. I leaned against the door, trying to calm my breathing. How dare Isaac tease me like that, curse my curiosity.
I pulled my clothes off and sunk into the hot bath. Cleaning all the dirt off my skin and the tangles from my hair felt so refreshing. I stared at the door, knowing Isaac was waiting for me. He said nothing was going to happen. But that kiss... I felt my stomach twist with nerves.
I finished up and pulled on the nightgown that Ember had given me. I paused at the door, taking a deep breath to calm myself before stepping into the room. Isaac sat on the bed, looking through one of the books that had been on the bedside table. He looked up when he heard me step out of the bathroom.
I slowly walked up to the bed. My hands clasped tightly together. "If you feel uncomfortable, I can sleep on the floor," he repeated with ease.
I shook my head, "No, I don't mind." Why did I feel so nervous? It was just Isaac. He would never do anything to hurt me or make me do anything I didn't want to do. It wasn't the first time we had done something like this. So why did this feel different? He pulled back the covers and patted the spot next to him. I felt his arms wrap around me as I laid down, pulling me close against his chest. The steady rise and fall of his breathing comforted me, he was here, really here again, and nothing was going to take that away.
"Are you alright?" He whispered.
I nodded, pulling his arms tightly around me, already feeling the call of sleep.
A lot had happened, and there was still so much that needed to be done. But in this moment, I could let the world slip away and finally take a breath. Faintly, I felt him kiss the back of my head and whisper, "Good night, Lizbeth."
©2021 Jessica Powell. All Rights Reserved
****Thank you to my wonderful editor Arco!****