Fates Divided: Halven Rising

Derek grabbed Elena’s arm and dragged her to his side while her mother changed in another room. “This is insane. We can’t do this. You heard what your mom said about the danger.”

“I knew what I agreed to when I came to Tirnan.”

His eyes grew worried. “That was when we thought we had a chance at surviving by using my powers. Your mother seems certain you won’t make it.”

Considering all the warnings Elena had received to not venture into Old Kingdom, there was a distinct possibility she wouldn’t come out alive, but… “There has to be a way for us to get what we need and return safely. We can do this, Derek. Look how far we’ve come. We have my mother’s support now. There may be others she trusts who can help us too. We aren’t defenseless.”

He studied her face. His jaw hardened, but his eyes remained warm and caressing. “I don’t like this, but if we go through with it, you have to promise me you’ll stay with me at all times. No daredevil maneuvers, or I’ll kill you myself.” Harsh words, but the hand he placed at her waist rubbed softly up and down her side.

She curled in closer. “I’ll stay with you. We’ll come up with a good plan, and it will work.”

He pulled her to him in a tight hug and kissed her forehead, burying his nose in her hair.

Theda walked out of the changing room, and her eyes flashed distress at the two of them holding each other.

Because Elena was with a guy? Her mother barely knew her, but she seemed to have the mom instincts intact. Or maybe her mother was some sort of Fae Puritan who didn’t believe in sex before marriage?

Averting her gaze, Theda addressed the room as she opened a cabinet on the wall filled with knives. “To gain the power you seek, we must access the Ancient Allon inside Old Kingdom, as I mentioned. All allon leaves are life-giving, but the Ancient Allon connects mystically with the realm’s life force. Its leaves, in particular, enhance magic.

“I’ve called to Samuel. He and his team will escort us to the border.”

Elena eased away from Derek, who had a vise grip on her waist. “You called to him? Is he a telepath?”

“No.” She turned and faced Elena. “We only have a handful of mentalists in our kingdom, and no one with that ability. I used allon leaves and my magic to reach out to him. My magic transcends language barriers. I can send messages to anyone through the leaves, including animals.” Her mother paused and her brow furrowed. “How do you know about telepaths?”

“My bodyguard in Emain is a telepath.”

“He must be from the Old Kingdom.” She shook her head slowly. “You know more about our kind than most Halven.”

This seemed as good a time as any to ask something she had wondered about. “Did my father know what you are?”

Theda froze in the act of attaching a sharp little knife to her belt. “No. I believed I could keep you both safe by not telling him.” She resumed attaching the knife, and grabbed two others, affixing them stealthily beneath her clothes. “It became apparent that if I stayed any longer, there would be terrible consequences. Your father knew something of my past. He may have suspected more than I told him. Enough to know the importance of keeping you protected.”

Elena peered at the black and white sketch her mother had glanced at earlier. The rough drawing, framed in velvet and gold, looked uncannily like Elena’s baby pictures.

A rush of confused emotions flooded her: happiness, sadness, and, finally, frustration.

“What happened? How did you meet my dad? Why did you leave us?”

Theda’s eyes glossed over as she gazed at Elena with something close to desperation. “I never wanted to leave you and your father. I would have done anything to stay with you.” She thrust another knife into her belt. “I had no choice but to leave before you were discovered.” She paused and gave a delicate sniffle, shifting a sleeve that cloaked a small gun attached to her forearm. “It seems you were found regardless of my sacrifices. And now you are here,” she said flippantly, but with an underlying edge.

Theda swiped at her eyes and stared at Elena. “I met your father after the king, my father, promised me to a man I detested. I ran and escaped to the Earth realm through Emain. I traveled down the California valley.” She looked away, a small smile on her lips. “I hid inside unlocked storage sheds at night. It was nothing like what I was used to. I don’t know where I thought I was going. I suppose anywhere seemed preferable to returning home.” She looked back at Elena. “Your father, Alex, found me in one of those sheds. He worked for the man who owned the land. Alex was very handsome, and—ah, charming.”

She turned back to the weapons case and pulled another knife from the cabinet. “We were married shortly after.”

Elena’s brow furrowed. “That seems kind of quick for someone escaping another marriage. What was the rush?”

The side of her mother’s face turned pink, and a niggling suspicion entered Elena’s mind.

“You weren’t—you couldn’t have been—” Elena started, then stopped, unsure how to proceed without insulting Theda.

Her mother’s shoulders squared and she lifted her chin, still not looking Elena in the eye.

“He knocked you up?” Elena blurted, forgetting all manners.

Theda frowned. “I never liked that human expression. But yes, technically, we were expecting. We were in love and overjoyed at the prospect of having a child. Marriage was a natural transition.”

Sex before marriage. Not a Puritan, then.

Samuel walked silently into the bedroom, quickly scanning the area, then gazing at Theda in a guardian sort of way—and, if Elena wasn’t mistaken, a not-so-guardian way.

Samuel was attractive, with dark blond hair and a strong, bulky build. His nose was a little large for his face, but his lips were full and sensual. He looked to be about her mother’s age, maybe a little older, and he had an air of stability and quiet strength.

Theda had been gone seventeen years, but the idea of her mother with someone other than Elena’s father was too weird to contemplate right now.

“What’s our plan?” Derek asked.

“There is a portal from the castle to the Bridge of Fates that divides our two kingdoms, but we won’t use it,” Theda answered. “The portals are heavily guarded, or at least, they should be…” A worried expression crossed her face before she regained her composure. “We’ll travel on foot. After night falls, you’ll cross the bridge of the Fates River that divides our lands and enter Old Kingdom. Oldlanders will know immediately of your arrival because of the Presence Charm, which reacts to intrusions magical or corporeal, but at night, Derek’s ability will help keep you hidden.”

“That doesn’t sound like much of a sneak attack,” Derek said.

She turned to him. “There is no way to sneak into Old Kingdom. Just as there is no way to sneak into New Kingdom.”

“What about Sunland?” Elena asked. “Would it be easier to enter Old Kingdom from there because they’re more peaceable?”

“Anyone may enter Sunland, but no one can enter Old Kingdom or New Kingdom without our knowledge, followed by the full force of our armies, such as they are after the disease.”

“This is ridiculous,” Elena huffed. “We’re trying to save everyone. Why won’t they let us do our jobs? Why do the kingdoms hate each other so much?”

Her mother peered wearily at Samuel as his mouth formed a straight line. “There is the prejudice toward Halven—” Elena opened her mouth to say something, and Theda raised her hand. “I understand the hypocrisy of it. Fae created Halven, but it doesn’t change their beliefs. Our people strive to keep the bloodlines as close to pure as possible.”

“As close to their angelic ancestors, you mean?”

“Yes. And that plays into the differences between the kingdoms. The wars waged in heaven among the angels were brought to Tirnan. Descendants of the different angelic factions created their own kingdoms, and fight to this day. That is why there is very little mixing, and why our powers can be traced by kingdom. Suffice it to say, deep hatred has existed for thousands of years. If our people survive the disease, there will be a reckoning between the kingdoms the likes of which no human can fathom. It will make your world wars look like a skirmish in comparison. Everyone within the realm will be affected, even the docile Sunlanders. No one will be safe.”

“What a waste of time, trying to save a group of people determined to kill each other anyway.”

“There is always hope, Elena. It was the one thing I clung to all the years of my confinement, and here I am, reunited with my daughter.” Her mother gave a sad yet determined smile. “Never give up.”

Her mother was right. Theda had suffered in ways Elena couldn’t imagine, and had not only survived, but had also prevailed and become queen.

There was a chance Fae could overcome their differences, including their prejudice toward Halven. Elena saw it in the way Keen and even Leo had softened toward her. They hadn’t reached the level of believing Halven equals, but there was hope there.

Theda looked at Samuel. He nodded as though reading her silent thought.

“We’ll send two of our men with you into Old Kingdom to create a distraction.” She turned to Derek. “The guards said you transformed my daughter after you exited the portal. Transform her with you once you cross the bridge. They won’t see you and Elena if you keep to the shadows along the forest line. Old Kingdom guards will catch sight of our soldiers and take them for the intruders. As long as you remain transformed, there is a chance they will not search for you. The Presence Charm is not so specific as to identify numbers or locations of trespassers, and once you reach the castle boundary, you will become a part of the kingdom’s inhabitants. The charm will no longer react to your presence.”

The plan sounded dangerous for her mother’s people. “When they see your soldiers, what will happen to your kingdom? Will it cause a battle?”

“That is a possibility, but I do not believe it likely. Only two of our men will enter, and they will be wearing commoner clothing and quickly depart the land. It will appear more of an accident than an attack. War is unavoidable, but neither kingdom wishes to be the one to initiate it. Nor are we prepared, with our men and women dying.”

Theda grabbed one last knife, a fancy-looking ice-pick thing, and sheathed it beneath her sleeve. She closed the cabinet, apparently sufficiently armed.

The clothing her mother had changed into was different from the clothing Elena wore in Emain and what she’d seen of the New Kingdom inhabitants. Baggy and earth-toned, the two-piece set Theda wore appeared a cross between a Chinese peasant outfit and a Star Wars Jedi uniform, with a belt in the middle and the secret pockets her mother had tucked weapons into.

Theda removed her thin gold circlet and handed it to Samuel. Samuel, wearing the male version of the commoner clothing, carried the crown out of the master suite, presumably to somewhere safe. Theda placed a brown hat on her head that would have resembled an old-fashioned pillbox, if it hadn’t been for the flaps hanging over her ears and the leather cords that tied beneath her chin.

“Derek’s ability to keep you hidden is your best asset for staying alive,” she said. “Follow the Fates River. It leads directly to the castle. Breach the castle, but do not approach the Ancient Allon unless it is dark outside. If the sun grows high on the horizon, hide yourselves in the castle. Old Kingdom castle is not as large as the New Kingdom palace, but it is large enough that one could become lost, or, in your case, hidden.”

This was a lot of information to remember, and they needed to leave before they were discovered. Derek probably had it all down with his amazing memory, but Elena didn’t. “Should you be telling us all of this now? Why not wait until we get to the river?”

“We’ll go over it again at the river, but there is no margin for error. And I don’t know what troubles we may run into along the way. Should anything happen to me, I want you to have the information. It is my gift to you.”

Elena pushed back the tears that had suddenly welled behind her eyes. Her mother didn’t know her, but she was going to risk her life for Elena.

“The Ancient Allon,” Theda continued, “is the oldest allon in Tirnan. It grows directly through the center of the castle and out the roof. An invisible barrier allows nature’s elements to filter to the tree while protecting the castle against cold and rain. The tree is visible from every floor, but can only be accessed from the trunk located on the first level. Guards protect the tree at all hours. Were it not for Derek’s gift, there would be no way to reach the leaves without discovery.” Theda smiled at Derek. “A fortuitous ability you possess. Even so, you must climb at night, when the likelihood of discovery is at its lowest. Our people in New Kingdom have a more difficult time identifying your disguise, because few possess the same magic. Many have mental abilities similar to yours in Old Kingdom, and they’ll be able to see you.”

Samuel returned and Theda nodded to him, though he hadn’t said a word. She walked over to stand beside him.

“The rooms inside the Old Kingdom castle are lit by fire and are dimmer than what we have here. Old Kingdom has access to electricity, of course, but they choose the old ways.” Theda sighed in exasperation. “Under any other circumstance, the fact would baffle me, but in this case I am glad they cling to old customs. It will help you maintain your disguise. When you approach the tree, remember the changing of the leaves. The shifting is a part of the allon’s magic. The leaves change every forty-five seconds. Climb the tree and gather five leaves immediately after a shift, then run from the premises as quickly as possible. Samuel and I will wait for you on the other side of the bridge, where I will show Elena what to do from there.”

Theda held Elena’s gaze, her eyes intent. “Do not get caught. Should anything go wrong, run. Leave with Derek and do not return. I will find you.”

Elena smiled, trying to reassure her mother, though she didn’t know why. She barely knew her mom. Maybe every child had an innate desire to shield a parent from worry. “The plan sounds simple enough, as long as we remain disguised.”

“The plan may sound simple, but it is not.” Theda peered at Derek. “Do not leave her alone. Your parentage may save both of your lives if you should run into trouble.”

Derek grew visibly skeptical. “My dad’s a cardiologist. I’m not sure how that’s gonna save us.”

“Your human father may be a cardiologist, but your Fae father… If my guess is correct, he is nothing short of my sworn enemy.”

Derek’s face turned to stone, taking on a grayish hue. He stared at Theda as if she’d told him his house was on fire.

Portia had made a comment in Emain when they’d first agreed to help the Fae, about the person Derek had gotten his temper from. Elena hadn’t thought much of it at the time, because she hadn’t understood it. But now she wondered. Had Portia been referring to Derek’s biological father?

Theda smiled. “I do not hold it against you. You are here to protect my daughter, and for that I am forever grateful.”

Derek held up a hand. “Wait—maybe you should tell me who you think my father is.”

Theda took Derek in from head to toe. “Your stature is not as grand, though you are young and still growing, but your face is nearly identical to that of Osulf Niall.”

Derek shrugged. “And he is…?”

The name meant nothing to Elena either.

“The Old Kingdom’s ruler.”

Elena clenched Derek’s hand when he didn’t seem able to move or take a breath.

Theda looked at him with sad eyes. “It is unfortunate the two of you have become… friends, but fate makes fools of us all sometimes. Let us hope your differences continue to complement one another and do not put you at greater risk.”

Derek’s grip tightened on Elena. “How can you be so certain I’m the king’s son?”

“I am not certain, but the pieces of the puzzle fit. There was a time when Old Kingdom and New Kingdom had reached a truce. I was a child then, but I remember it clearly, for it was the only time we lived amicably. The kingdoms allowed egress between the lands during the truce. Nobility from each side came to know one another. Your father was older than me—closer to middling years—but very handsome. I remember his face well from those encounters.”

Theda looked down, as if thinking back. “Later on, rumors spread that a human bore Niall his only child. He is said to have searched for his child for years.” She looked straight at Derek. “By the look of you, my guess is that the child has found the father instead.”