"You"re not alone, Abbs, and we"ll be figuring out if my visions are false. That way you can reform the bond with Brace." Lucy had her arms tightly wrapped around me, the security of her embrace helping me to ground myself again. "We won"t stop until your melding is reformed, and you and Brace are driving the rest of us insane again with your overabundance of love."
I appreciated her words, but all I could think about was the warning from the lalunas that the melding bond might never be the same. I might never have that perfect thing in my life again. I sniffled loudly, before taking one last deep breath and shakily getting to my feet.
Lucy helped me and I gritted my teeth, pus.h.i.+ng all of the anguish and agony back into the box. Tucking it away until it broke free again. And in that moment I felt a flicker of something in my mind. Something warm and comforting. And then it was gone. But it was as if for a second Brace had been there with me.
Cerberus dropped both heads down to rest them on my shoulders, and then he licked my cheek once. You had to love doggy comfort.
"I do not know what your malady is, but we must leave now." Malisna"s voice was urgent, and her eyes darted around as if she was sensing something but could not see it yet. "This is the edge of the pantaponies" territory. They"re gentle by nature, but will not like us lingering here."
We didn"t speak again as we followed the two pixies. I wiped away the last of the moisture on my cheeks, and Lucy gripped my other hand tightly. She didn"t let go for a really long time.
The landscape we crossed was changing again, and there was no way to really describe it but as "Freaking rainbows," Lucy snorted. "What the h.e.l.l is going on here? I feel like I just fell into a rainbow."
There were splashes of color everywhere, in eight-feet-wide stripes that covered the countryside, which was made up of lakes and flat plains. These areas were filled with long gra.s.ses and flowers. It was beautiful, if not a little dizzying from the array of colors.
And then I saw them.
The pantaponies were grazing in the field to our left. They were shaped like miniature horses, but with an extra set of legs close to the back pair. So six in total. And they were brightly colored in the differing shades of the rainbow land. Long tails sc.r.a.ped along the ground and they had full wavy manes. They were without any doubt the prettiest ponies I"d ever seen. A true medley of colors.
"They use the colors in the land to hide and act as camouflage," Refis explained. "They"re very intelligent and can speak in the tongue of Walkers, so you will understand them, but if they approach, let Mother smooth the path for us. It"s the proper way."
We entered the gra.s.sed area and every tiny horse face looked in our direction. Their snouts were shorter than photos I"d seen of Earth horses, with eyes that were larger and set higher and closer together.
It seemed as if they just watched at first, allowing us to move further through their territory. I kind of expected sparkles of colored dust or glitter to s.h.i.+ft under our feet as we ran, but there was nothing like that.
And then, just as I could see an end to the rainbow fields, four of the pantaponies stepped into our path. The one that was front and center was red, a bright seamless color that only s.h.i.+fted in tone along the length of its tail and mane. The others were blue, green and some other color I didn"t know. Almost like a khaki or dirty green.
The red one started to make noises, like a wailing cough. Malisna stepped forward from our group, Refis close to her back. Cerberus pressed near to me, both heads watching closely. And if I wasn"t mistaken, he was increasing in size.
"We need safe pa.s.sage through your gra.s.ses. We might actually have a chance to free ourselves from this land." Malisna"s voice rang free; it was authoritative without being too commanding.
The green spoke. "Your schemes, they never work. We do not want any more on our land. Too much death and burning."
"My daughter has returned." Malisna stood taller. "It was my sorrow, tears and her hair that bound this world, and with all three in return, we have a real shot to be free."
The four ponies turned away from us for a moment. They seemed to be conversing amongst themselves. Their large, dark eyes constantly s.h.i.+fted toward Lucy and me. And when I glanced over my shoulder there seemed to be a lot more rainbow ponies gathered closer.
Although the way that Cerberus was growling had them hesitant to step into his vicinity. Smart move. He could eat these little creatures up in one gulp.
"The goblins like to set fire to their gra.s.slands," Refis explained in a whisper. "It has made the ponies decidedly unfriendly."
Couldn"t really blame them for that.
Finally they turned back to us. "Last time we will allow this, Queen Malisna." Red spoke for the group this time. "Do not linger long; we have limited patience."
And then they stepped aside and let us proceed through their gra.s.sy plains. We didn"t waste more time. Lucy and I were going at a rapid pace to keep up with the pixies.
We soon left behind the rainbow lands, without any further incidents. The landscape slowly s.h.i.+fted then, the bright colors fading out as the darker zone took form.
The next area we stepped into was damp and there were clouds hovering low. It had somehow turned cool and dark in an instant. It was bizarre how these lands seemed to have their own little weather systems, despite the fact they stood side by side.
The ground started to soften, and those of us using our feet were having trouble navigating the land. It was rapidly turning into a swamp.
I gasped as I tripped over an exposed root these thin, wiry trees were starting to sprout up everywhere and almost landed in a large pile of something smelly and dark. Like mud, but thicker. At the last minute Refis caught my arm, and with surprising strength for someone his size, yanked me out.
"Do not step into the deadzone. These pits will suck you right in ... and you will not return."
"We don"t fly. How are we supposed to avoid them?" I said, taking a step back from the killer puddle.
"Let Cerberus go first and step only in his footprints. He can see and evade the pits," Malisna said. "And if a shepla appears, Cerberus is your best bet of avoiding injury."
"Oh, awesome," Lucy drawled. "I do love to avoid injury."
Malisna examined her for a moment. Sarcasm didn"t seem to register with the pixies, which was sure to make their relations.h.i.+p interesting. I couldn"t wait to see if she pulled the mom card and kicked Lucy in the b.u.t.t.
We moved slower now, Lucy and I stepping into the huge prints left by my Walker friend. The ground got soggier, but Cerberus was heavy enough to compact the area he stepped on, so we didn"t sink. The sheplas" territory could not be more different to the previous beautiful rainbow land. It was cold, dark and wet with long mud plains that were only broken by the gnarled trees. Everything was in shades of brown, black and yuck.
"Remind me not to come back as a shepla in my next life," Lucy groaned as mud splattered up her legs. She hated to get dirty. "Bet they look like little piglets."
She wasn"t exactly right.
My first indication that we were about to be attacked was the hair on Cerberus" back standing up.
Then he froze to the spot.
I managed to stop myself before I crashed into him. Suddenly, high-pitched screams flooded the area. I dropped to my knees, hands covering my ears. Energy rose inside me in response to the attack.
I staggered to my feet, hands still trying to protect my vulnerable eardrums, and lurched around Cerberus, lucky not to land in a deadzone.
The sheplas had risen from the pits, a group of three, and they were as ugly as their world. I tried to figure out how to describe them: about the size of a large garden gnome, but they resembled k.n.o.bby tree branches. Brown in color, their skin was rough and they looked as if they were carved from wood. They had dark, angry eyes and sharp pointed noses. The screeches continued to emerge from their wide-open slashes of mouths.
I released the energy which was smas.h.i.+ng at my insides. The blast knocked them back, and for a brief second there was blissful silence. And then, rising from the muddy depths, three more replaced the last ones, and this time they had weapons grasped in their hands. Spear-type structures with metallic pointed ends.
"Oh, eff," Lucy groaned.
She was wiping blood from her cheeks, which I guessed came from her ears. I could tell by the lack of ringing that my ears were already healed.
"It"s the rise of the gremlin stick insects. Quick, everyone, get out their bug spray and lighters."
I had to snort back my laughter, because something told me that the sheplas did not appreciate Lucy making fun of them. And we already knew, despite their size, that they packed a vocal punch.
"Stay behind Cerberus," Malisna ordered. "They know we are here now. We have to move fast before they all emerge. They can"t survive long out of the pits, so we just have to make it to the next land."
The race was on.
I couldn"t see what Malisna and Refis were doing. I had to focus on following Cerberus" steps and making sure Lucy and I weren"t ambushed from the side. Trust me when I say those little spears were lethal.
We would never have made it through without Cerberus snapping them up with both heads and swiping others away with his huge paws.
Finally, after twelve hours okay it was more like twenty minutes, but it sure felt like hours the ground firmed up under our feet and we moved out of the sheplas" area.
The little creatures popped up out of their pits to throw spears and screech, but we were too far away now for them to reach us.
Lucy collapsed on the ground, her breathing heavy. She didn"t have the stamina of Walkers or pixies, it seemed.
"I need to unlock your power." Malisna knelt next to her. "You will find the increased strength and stamina extremely beneficial."
Lucy was flopping around on the ground like a fish out of water. She started to speak.
"Yes ... I ... eff need ... hurry ... s.h.i.+t," was her garbled response.
I burst into laughter. She looked so wrecked and annoyed. Probably more about the fact we were both covered head to foot in mud. Even as a child she"d hated being dirty. I narrowed my eyes; there wasn"t a speck of dirt on Malisna or Refis. Their green-toned skin shone clean in the bright light. Maybe pixies repelled dirt; Lucy would love that power.
Eventually when Lucy could stand we started along another path. This one was on a cliff edge; it was made of stone and curled around a giant drop-off. Down the bottom looked to be forests.
"So how will you be unlocking my pixie side?" Lucy said, still quite red in the face, although her breathing had calmed.
"My blood will carve through any blocks that have been instilled, either from your father, or your half-pixie side." Malisna again took her hand. She couldn"t stop touching her daughter. "Full pixies are born with their abilities and they only increase as they age."
"What is the life-span of pixies?" I had to ask. We had thought Lucy was half-First Worlder, which should have given her the ability to live forever. But she was pixie and faerie.
"Pixies are long-lived but not eternal." Malisna blinked at me a few times, her eyes s.h.i.+fting color. "But faeries are forever, unless injury steals their blood or last breath."
"So what does that mean for Lucy? What"s her lifespan?"
"I cannot be totally certain, but I believe that Lucy should live for at least a thousand pixie years, and she quite possibly has the eternity of the faerie."
Lucy let out a whoop. "I"m happy with either of those. If the Seventine don"t kill us all in the next few months, I"ll have an eternity with Colt and Abbs."
"So optimistic," I said with a laugh.
"Why am I not struggling more without Colt?" Lucy suddenly burst out. "I saw how hard it was for you to be away from Brace and still is are we not true mates?" Her lips trembled then, but no tears fell.
I wasn"t sure what to tell her. The pain of my lost melding bond did seem to be a little less in here. Maybe the bonds could not really be felt inside pixie land.
Refis confirmed my thoughts. "Everything in here is muted. We have no connection to the outside world."
"Yes," Malisna interrupted, "that"s why it"s so strange that you had visions about where to find us."
Refis looked unhappy now. He was working his jaw back and forward in an agitated manner. "Pixies rely on their families to ensure a good mating match. You"re a princess; we should have met this Walker."
"Oh, you don"t have to worry, he"s perfect," I said, hiding my grin. "He barely ever sheds, only a little in the summer and he"s house trained and everything."
Eyebrows drew together on both pixie faces.
Lucy smacked my arm. "Shut it, Abbs." She turned to her brother. "Colt is a wolf-s.h.i.+fting Walker, blond hair, hundred-pack abs, chiseled jaw; he"s perfect. I"m very lucky, but thanks for looking out for me."
As if Lucy would take advice from anyone. She was as strong willed as they came and her pixie family would be figuring that out one day very soon. Refis still looked a little horrified, but I saw Malisna smile.
"Holy s.h.i.+t b.a.l.l.s," Lucy suddenly gasped. "You said your blood will clear the blocked paths. How exactly does your blood get inside?" Her eyes were wide as she faced her mother. Malisna opened her mouth, but Lucy cut her off. "No, don"t tell me." She squeezed her eyes closed so tight that her entire face crinkled up for a moment. "I can"t handle any more gross stuff while I"m already a.s.s deep in mud."
Well, it looked as if Lucy had recovered from her earlier blissed-out awe. She was now back to snarky Earth girl and I was pretty sure the pixies were missing the reference to all the slang and cursing she was doing.
The stone path continued to wind around the cliff, and we seemed to be getting closer to the trees below. Until finally we were on the edge of some ma.s.sive, but spa.r.s.ely s.p.a.ced woodlands.
I prepared myself for the sprites, having no idea what to expect after the pantaponies and sheplas.
"The road to perdition is just through these trees." Malisna gestured. Her tone was calm. She didn"t look at all worried, and I hoped that meant there was not any real danger here.
Unlike the jungles we"d been in lately, this forest was not damp, just pleasantly warm. There was not a lot of undergrowth, so we could move easily and no creatures were visible. We marched quickly through, from one side to the other. It was about two miles across and the journey was uneventful. For which I was thankful.
Malisna turned back when we reached the edge of the woods. "Always watching, King, thank you for safe pa.s.sage."
Spinning my own head back, I scanned the area. It took me forever to spot him. Okay, I didn"t so much spot him as he stepped out into the clear path. He stood a little taller than Lucy, slender, but with lithe muscles. He had a crown of roses and brambles atop his head and, judging by the nature of his leafy attire, I was going to guess this was the king of the woodland sprites.
The male didn"t acknowledge us. He hadn"t looked away from the pixie queen for even a moment. Since he wasn"t watching me, I had free access to gawk. He had brown skin, like that of freshly turned dirt, and brown eyes. His hair was green, much lighter than Refis". He was extremely good looking, like almost the most perfect features I"d ever seen. Only Brace topped him in chiseled handsomeness. Although the king was tad feminine for my liking.
And hot d.a.m.n ... he still had not looked away. The sprite was in love with Malisna.
The way those two stared at each other almost had me blus.h.i.+ng, and Lucy couldn"t keep the stupid grin off her face. Refis was the one to break the moment, clearing his throat.
"We need to keep moving." He turned away from the touching scene.
My heart ached as I watched them, so much love, and pain. I recognized both emotions. The familiar agony stabbed at me like a blunt knife. I wondered why they weren"t together.
As we turned away, I heard a mournful howl. When I looked back, the path was empty, but I knew he still watched us.
We didn"t speak until we were well clear of the forest, and then Lucy couldn"t hold it inside any longer. "Please tell me that you"re planning on letting down your hair and going all free spirit with that gorgeous king of the sprites."
Malisna"s mouth fell open, but at least some of the sadness receded from her eyes. "You just say whatever you think."
Lucy snorted. "Nope, the scary part is I censor everything I say."
I breathed deeply through my nose. That was definitely the scariest part. Living in Lucy"s head must be an interesting experience. I wondered how Colton would handle it.
"We are from different worlds; our love can never be," was all Malisna would say about the sprite, despite the badgering from her newly discovered daughter.
Bet she was having thoughts about sending her back to Earth for a little while. Lucy was tenacious when she got a hold of something.
After we left the gra.s.sy outer area of the woodlands, the ground started to darken and harden under my feet. I wrinkled my nose as we walked. An unpleasant scent was irritating me, and as we moved further along I realized what it was sulfur.
Seriously? Could this world get any more cliched? The road to perdition, sulfur, Cerberus.
Suddenly the smell increased and the path we were on s.h.i.+fted beneath us. Now it resembled something along the lines of a red brick road, and on either side were burning lava falls of red, molten embers. The section of path behind us fell away and we had no choice but to move forward.
"This doesn"t look good." Lucy s.h.i.+fted closer to me.
We were both squished into each other in the center of the path, neither of us wanting to get near the edge.