Marie Harte - Aftershocks

Strong arms lifted her, and she tried to struggle but hadn’t the energy. Then Jonas whispered in her ear, “It’s alright, Ellie. I’ve got you now. You’ll be fine.”

“Is it really you?” she asked, her voice hoarse and sore from ‘Sin Garu’s chokehold.

“It’s me.” He waved a hand over her face and the fog that had been trapping her suddenly faded.

She sagged, weary beyond measure. Tears fell as she saw the barely-breathing queen struggling to hold on to life. “Oh no. This is all my fault.”

Jonas shushed and rocked her, supporting her since she had no strength to stand on her own.

Arim and Cadmus suddenly entered.

“Aerolus is caught in the east by a sudden attack, and Alandra’s readying the Aellei…” Arim trailed off when he caught sight of Ravyn. With a curse, he joined her side and began chanting, while Cadmus stood, staring numbly around him.

“Not true, not possibly real,” he muttered, as if trying to awaken from a bad dream. Then his eyes caught Ellie’s, and she wanted to cry.

He looked so miserable, so sad and angry and disheartened as he stared at her. The accusation was there in his glance if not in his voice.

“I didn’t do it,” she whispered.

He watched her a moment longer before turning to his mother.

“Leave him,” Jonas said when she tried to join him. “Give him time, Ellie. He’s had a shock.”

I have too , she wanted to shout. I know his mother’s been hurt, but doesn’t he care at all that I was almost killed?

Darius glared at her. “That one was here when it happened. Norse said he saw her attack Mother. That the new princess tried to kill the queen.”

Arim looked up from Ravyn, his brows close. To her surprise, he said nothing and turned back to the queen. Marcus threw up a hand, and Ellie felt a sharp thrust of energy before Jonas shielded her.

“Not now, River Prince.” Jonas shook his head. “You don’t know the circumstances or the truth around this treachery. See to your kin and your wounded, and leave Ellie be.”

“Yes,” Arim agreed. But Ellie’s heart broke as Cadmus stared at her, his face blank, and said nothing. “I’ve done what I can for your mother, but the Netharat are here. Marcus and Tessa, to the south, now.” He pointed a finger at them and they disappeared. “Darius, take Samantha and guard the west wall. The attack is focused there.” Darius grabbed Samantha and they too vanished under Arim’s stare.

“I’ll stay with Mother,” Cadmus said in a hollow voice.

“Yes, do.” Arim turned to Ellie and Jonas. “You two, come with me.”

Pressure eased through Ellie before she found herself in an unfamiliar room.

“You’re in the northern territory, that of the Earth Lord. You’ll be safe here until I can figure out what went wrong. Jonas, stay with her.”

Jonas nodded, and before Ellie could say anything, the sorcerer disappeared.

Jonas carried Ellie to the large bed in an otherwise empty room and laid her down. Too tired to argue, she let him wipe her tears and tuck her under covers.

“Rest, Ellie. Let the spell wear off. Then you can tell me what happened.” Jonas kissed her forehead and stroked her hair, fingering the bruise on her cheek. “I believe in you, honey.”

She cried harder before blessed tiredness overwhelmed her, and she slept.

Cadmus stared at his mother, unable to separate his nightmare from reality. Ellie crying, looking guilty. Ellie laughing, remorseless in her duplicity. What was the truth? And why did he feel so dirty, so tainted for believing the worst about a Djinn? They had, after all, killed his father. But Ellie wasn’t just a Djinn . Her radiance, her love of life and laughter, her ability to stand up to him, to see him as a man, as more than his brothers’ shadow, proclaimed her his affai . Bewildered and heartsick, he closed his eyes and focused on the land, the source of his power.

The hum of life, of the trees and the swell of earth trickled through to him, growing into a steady swell, until he felt at one with the rich land. A great love seemed to fill him, the love for his family, his life, and there, through an ill-placed tangle of evil and confusion, his affai , Elliara. Sudden clarity grew where before was only doubt, and as he searched deep within himself, he realised what ‘Sin Garu had done.

“Son of a bitch,” he muttered as he regained awareness. “I’ll fucking kill him when I get the chance.”

“That’s much better,” Arim said from behind him, narrowly deflecting an arch of energy that flew from Cadmus’ hands. “I feared you’d lost what little mind you have left.”

“She didn’t do it. It was ‘Sin Garu. He did something to her, I know it.”

“Yes, I felt his presence here the moment I stepped into the room. It was all over your affai .”

Cadmus tensed. “Is she—”

“Distraught that the man she loves didn’t believe in her? Yes. And she’s got some bruising around her throat and face, but otherwise she’s fine. I left her with Jonas for protection. She needs sleep more than anything to combat the spell ‘Sin Garu placed over her.”

Cadmus clenched his fist and stood, staring from Arim to his mother. “I’ve got to go to her, now. Can you place a guard over Mother?”

Arim nodded. “I’ve already summoned our most trustworthy guard, as well as a half dozen spellcasters to watch over them. But you have other needs to attend to than your affai. Come, Cadmus. We need you more than Ellie does now. Tanselm is on the verge of corruption, and we must support the kingdom. Darius and Samantha have the west wall, but the Netharat has doubled their size and are now attacking the southern tower. Hurry.”

Not wanting to, but trusting his uncle had the right of it, Cadmus felt the familiar tingling of pressure before the southern tower came into view. Taking a deep breath, he plunged into the hellish battle ensuing. Shocks of power and waves of life-giving black soil struck his enemies time and time again, Tanselm lent her aid as he fought with the other warriors present against the vile stain of evil spreading over the kingdom. But though he fought, not once did he spy ‘Sin Garu, and his feeling of unease grew.

Beyond exhausted, Cadmus and the Light Bringers defending the tower finally reigned victorious over the enemy. But many lives had been lost. As a group of healers swarmed over the masses, Cadmus staggered into the open air out of the tower onto a rampart, needing some space. A few warriors had the same idea, but Cadmus found isolation in the shadows.

Though the open air soothed his many hurts, he couldn’t stop thinking about the way he’d treated Ellie. He felt sick at what she most likely thought. He hadn’t intentionally accused her of anything. It was just the shock of seeing his vision made flesh. And even then, he hadn’t been able to truly believe what he saw.

He covered his eyes with a dirtied fist and rubbed tiredly. Much as he wanted to wash and recover, he had to see Ellie first. He had to see for himself she was okay, and to explain his misunderstanding.

He looked for Arim and found him with a few of the warriors overlooking the western wall. “Arim, a word?”

Arim stepped away from the men and took Cadmus by the shoulder. He led him back to the private area in the shadows away from moonlight. “Yes, Cadmus? What is it?”

Cadmus frowned. His uncle didn’t sound like himself. “I need to see Ellie.”

“Oh?” Arim’s smile widened with satisfaction. “You want me to transport you, hmm?”

“Well I don’t need you for your stellar personality.” His uncle knew what he wanted. Cadmus was fast losing his patience. He didn’t have time for games. He needed his affai .