The more you weigh, the harder you are to kidnap. Stay safe, eat cake.

It's been a long time since I've blogged.

That's cause I've been doing a little of this:

A whole bunch of this:

A normal and relatively healthy amount of this:

And just a teensy, touch of this:

 To make up for so rarely blogging and giving updates, here's a chapter :)

Also, I'm getting so close to finishing the first draft!  It's almost twice as long as my first book (which took me almost a year to write, so I feel good about getting this done in like six months!).  Right now I'm at 198 pages in Word, which translates to a whole bunch more in Kindle format.

 Chapter I have no Idea because I'm going to be changing the order of the chapters soon enough anyways.

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            The voices had ceased being disturbing several days ago.  Now, they blended with the wind, just another noise that Holly’s ears had grown accustomed to.

“Why did we have to cross over this mountain again?”  Holly’s legs burned.

            “Because the valley below is cursed.”  Grace replied evenly.

            “Right.”  Holly sighed and looked longingly down at the green valley so very far below.  The valley was where the voices originated.  Grace had tried to explain the story, but even she could freely admit she didn’t know it all.  Which made for a fragmented story and no real reason for the valley being cursed, other than the fact that a bunch of trolls had disappeared overnight in it and now there were distant voices.  Were they even voices?  They were so soft, little murmurs and whispers, easily disregarded.

            Holly was beginning to wonder if perhaps Grace was a little paranoid about curses, what with Parakku and the valley.  If curses were real, surely every place that had ever had people driven out of it would be cursed and there’d be no land left to walk on.

            Just this morning, Holly had gotten her first glimpse of Orod Silma.  Grace translated the elfin words to the mountain of Starlight.  At first that seemed a presumptuous name, but the closer that they drew to the mountain, the more that Holly appreciated it.  It was a tall mountain and the top half seemed to always be covered by clouds and fog, even when the sun was high in the sky.  Stranger still, was that the fog glowed, as if the inside was lit.  Grace had said that was Llewethrune that lit it up and Holly didn’t doubt it, after all, this was the Light Elves.  Holly knew what the Dark Elves could do with their magic, why shouldn’t the Light Elves be able to command the fog to be lit like that?

            It was beautiful.

            It also made the end seem near, even though this was really still another beginning.  One journey would be over, though, and for that Holly couldn’t help but feel a sort of anticipated relief.  Just a trek down this mountain and up the next.

            Time passing felt slow and she was given too much time to think.  She wondered about the Light Elves.  Her impression of Forest Elves was not a good one, although Wysteria had seemed normal enough.  And Dark Elves, who should be the opposite of the Light, well, the two Dark Elves Holly had met and spoken to were fairly opposite already.  Connor and Sirus…she felt a familiar tightness in her stomach at the thought of Sirus.  She didn’t ever want to see him again, but the Dark Elves were making a habit of showing up, first Myre and then the Werebeasts in Bataurloth…and then river.  The only thing that Holly could think of was that they were tracking her and that filled her with a terror that only outmatched prey could relate to.

            Her thoughts turned to Laney.  Laney, taken by the Werebeasts…Holly felt horrible thinking her friend was dead, but she also felt horrible thinking that Laney might be alive.  What would the Dark Elves do to her if she were alive?  What if they took Laney to Sirus?

            “Holly!”

            But Holly reacted a second too slow, too distracted and tired to realize what was happening until she’d stepped wrong.  The loose rock gave way and her foot slid out from under her.  She flailed and failed to catch herself, rolling the rest of the way down the steep mountainside.

The sky was blue above her, the air crisp but it was terribly hard to breathe.  Her lungs had temporarily stopped working.  She blinked and then drew in a wincing gasp of air.  Grace leaned over her, blonde hair sticking out and looking so frazzled that Holly wondered if she had fallen too. 

“Well,” Grace said once she knew Holly wasn’t injured  “That’s one way to do it.”

Holly let out a surprised laugh, but it cut off as she sat up.  “The painful way,” She made a face.

Grace held out her hand, but as Holly went to take it, something zinged between their fingers.

            Holly looked at the ground to her right.  It took a second for her eyes to find the arrow.  It was finely crafted, white wood and tipped with a sharply cut crystal.  Holly reached towards it, forgetting for a second to be afraid.  She’d never seen any arrowheads like that before, the crystal’s facets catching and fracturing the sunlight.

            “Don’t move.”

            Both women looked to the source of the voice and watched as a tall man stepped forward.

           

            “We’re heading to Llewethrune.”  Grace spoke up.

            “There is no other reason to be within thirty miles of here if not for Llewethrune.”  The elf looked down his nose at them.  At least, that was how it seemed to Holly.  The truth was that she was on the ground so he had to look down his nose to look at her anyways.

            She didn’t mind because she was too busy studying him and wondering just how closely the different elves were related.  The Wood Elves had looked shockingly similar to Connor.  This man looked…

            She couldn’t decide how similar.  Some aspects were nearly identical.  For example, the sharply defined face with overly arched eyebrows and the color of his skin, as if the sun had browned him but the tan never faded.  Other aspects were the exact opposite of Connor.  This elf’s hair was white.  On closer inspection she could see it wasn’t the white of someone who was old, but rather the white of someone who had spent every moment they could in the sun.  The roots of his hair were a pale blonde that transformed into perfect snowy white by the tips.  His hair was also long, far longer than any human would have worn his and even longer than the Wood Elves she remembered from the forest.  His hair fell beyond his shoulders.  It caused, she decided, a rather effeminate image.

            The elf stepped closer and Holly sat up, still studying him.  “Don’t move.” He said and she heard the way he pronounced his words, every consonant and vowel purposefully pronounced rather than the sloppy way that humans often used, slurring syllables together.

            When he continued to draw closer, she had to tilt her head back and she was suitably shocked.  Connor had been tall, but this elf was far taller.  Different body, she thought.  Every limb seemed elongated on him.

            “What are your names?”  He asked.

            “This is Holly and I’m Grace.”

            Holly didn’t mind that Grace spoke for her.  It meant she could keep studying the elf.  His movements were graceful.  She thought he might be extremely strong despite his sinewy appearance.

            The elf lowered the bow and arrow he still held.  “Ah.”  Was all he said and in response, six more elves suddenly stepped out from their hiding spots.

            Where they had hidden, Holly couldn’t say, seeing as these mountains lacked the pines that clustered the Northern mountains.

            “We will escort you.”  The elf said.

            Grace helped Holly to her feet as the new elves surrounded them.  Holly was instantly uncomfortable.  She was uncertain whether the escort was protect her and Grace or to take them prisoner.

            “We’d appreciate that.”  Grace nodded at the elf.

            He looked sardonically amused and Holly was certain that he was purposefully looking down his nose this time.  “We escort the fairy marked girl.  Not you.”

            “Grace is with me.” Holly gripped Grace’s elbow, a little afraid they’d try to leave Grace behind.

            The elf’s gaze ran over Holly and she shivered.  His eyes were such a bright blue she thought for a moment they glowed.  But then he looked away, motioning for them to follow as he picked a path up the mist covered mountain.

            “My name is Anoron.”  He said as they followed and then was silent, even when Holly dared to ask him what he and his men had been doing in the area.

            The elves, whom she was immediately intimidated by, were not nearly as breathtaking as the city they led her to.

            Amid the fog, the forest had returned, mainly pines and some tall leafy trees.  Then the elves led her over a ridge and the fog, which had persisted so stubbornly on the mountain, was gone in that small valley that lay before her.  A valley filled with beautiful trees and several trickling streams, and amid all that beautiful nature, were smooth white paths of marble and glistening buildings wrought with spiraling silver and some kind of glistening glass used as walls. 

Holly gaped.  “What are they made of?”

Anoron didn’t seem confused or surprised by the question.  He smiled.  “Some of glass, some of crystal, and a few of diamond.”

“Diamond?” She stuttered.

“Diamonds love the light.  Just as we do.” Anoron tipped back his head, seeming to revel in the brilliant sunlight that filled the place.  “Everything in Llewethrune was built to honor the light.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it.”  Holly admitted.  “It’s stunning.”

Grace drew up next to Holly, but her face didn’t show any of the admiration that Holly felt.  Holly wondered briefly about it, but then Anoron laughed.  “Stunning does little justice to what Llewethrune is.”

Despite the elf’s obvious pride, Holly could see how genuinely he loved the city and she smiled with him, forgetting for the moment just why she’d come to this place.  The city glowed and the closer that they drew to it, the brighter the air around them became.  Sunlight fell and was reflected back on mirror like walls, pools of water glittered, and the clear jewels magnified the fractured light.  Wandering in the midst of the light, like little travelers, were the elves, cultivating and creating, going about their days.

Grace’s face was scrunched up, squinting as she studied the city.  Holly knew her own face must be similar, because the light was quickly becoming too much.  Its glaring brilliance that had seemed so awe-inspiring had converted into a sharp ache behind her eyes and forehead.

            Holly’s attention was drawn to a large pool of water, with about twenty clear white circles of marble in the middle.  On each step of marble stood a child and in the very center, a tall elf who seemed to be leading them through some kind of exercise.  Holly marveled at their grace and then openly stopped and gaped as the elf and children created little balls of light with their hands, sending the lights dancing around.  Hints of laughter tingled on the wind and she instinctively wanted to draw closer.

            Anoron stopped her, his hand landing heavily on her shoulder.  Holly looked up into his frowning face and shrank a little, as if she were the child and she’d done something wrong.

            Whatever Anoron was going to say was lost, though, when another elf spoke.  “Marvelous, aren’t they?”  Holly squinted at the approaching figure.  Anoron’s hand fell away from her shoulder. “For the young, life is still a dream, full of laughter and possibilities that are entirely for their taking.”

            Even if she hadn’t been distracted by his appearance, Holly wouldn’t have had a response to that.  It was the sort of enigmatic thing that a well-meaning but completely unfathomable teacher might say.

            “Lord Faerniir,” Anoron bowed slightly and Holly wondered if she ought to bow, too.

            “Captain.”  Faerniir took another step towards Holly and she wanted to step away.  She resisted and instead craned her neck, looking up at him.  “Eldirion just left to check the watchtower.  Perhaps I could assist you by going to fetch him?”

            Anoron looked relieved.  “That would be greatly appreciated, my lord.”

            Faerniir smiled.  “We shall meet you in the Crystal Hall presently.”  Those lightening blue eyes pierced Holly as he looked directly at her.  “I look forward to making your acquaintance further, fairy walker.”

            Her muscles tensed and Holly barely managed a tight smile in return.  She understood why Grace seemed uneasy.   As Faerniir walked away, Holly breathed a little sigh of relief.  Grace touched her elbow and they exchanged a look.

            “That was Eldirion’s father.  He has powerful noble blood in him.”  Grace whispered.

            Holly glanced at Anoron, but he gave no sign of having heard Grace.

            The Crystal Hall was as splendid as it sounded.  The ceiling was either made of glass or was simply nonexistent, Holly couldn’t tell.  There must be something, though, because hanging down were several elaborate chandeliers, the little crystals glittering almost violently.  Holly almost jumped out of her skin when a movement to the right caught her eye, but when she looked, she saw that beyond the twisting marble pillars, the walls were simply mirrors.  The effect was unnerving, simultaneously making the room larger, but also making her feel as if there were other people in the room.

            “How did you know that we wanted to see Eldirion?”  Holly suddenly asked.

            Anoron gave her a look.  Then he seemed to catch himself his eyes and remember that Holly was to be respected, for his eyes immediately shifted to the walls beyond her.  “He is the lord of this city.  All who pass through speak to him.”

            “That’s impossible,” Grace commented distractedly.

            Anoron gave her the same look he’d first shot at Holly, only this time he didn’t catch himself.

            “She’s right,” Holly thought about it.  “This is a large city and you must receive hundreds of visitors a day.  It would be impossible for Eldirion to see them all.”

            “Lord Eldirion,” Anoron muttered the correction and didn’t seem incline to speak after that.

            The six other Light Elves who had accompanied them had taken up posts at the doors and around the hall.  Only Anoron stood near Holly and Grace.  Holly frowned and drew a little closer to Grace.

            “Are the Light Elves trustworthy?” She asked softly.

            Grace shrugged, still squinting at the room around them.  “Seems a little late to be asking that question.”

            “How could they know we were coming?”  Holly pressed.  “It was like Anoron was waiting for us.”

            “Two possibilities spring to mind,” Grace sighed and looked directly at Holly, her face serious.  “The first is that Eldirion has seer’s blood in him, which would explain why the queen was so set on you finding him.  The second is—”

            But she stopped speaking, her face going blank.  Holly was on the verge of asking her what was wrong, when Grace’s face broke into a smile that was more brilliant than the elaborate hall.

            “Braden!”

            There, walking towards them was a small group and flanking the Light Elves was the vampire.  At the sight of his wife, the vampire quickly outdistanced the group.  Braden caught his wife in a fierce embrace, but over the top of her head, his dark eyes met Holly’s and he winked.

            Holly grinned.

            The moment was immediately ruined by a derisive scoff.  “So like a muddy hedge witch to fall in love with a vampire.”

            Neither Braden or Grace acknowledged the comment, but Holly’s gaze snapped to the offender.  Before Holly could say anything, lord Faerniir interceded.  “That is as true a love as any I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen many during my thousand years.”

            The golden haired woman’s nose wrinkled in disgust, but she didn’t say anything more.  Instead, her scathing gaze turned on Holly.  “This is the girl the fairy chose?”

            Holly lifted her chin and glared at her. 

Again, lord Faerniir interceded, this time with an open and honest laugh.  “Perhaps wait to judge the girl so harshly, Serena.  Fairies aren’t prone to rash decisions.”  Faerniir then motioned to the two who stood beside him.  “Lady Holly, if I may have the honor of introducing my wife and son.”

The lady before her name made Holly flush.  She wasn’t sure whether to nod or bow or, worse yet, curtsy.  The awkwardness doubled when the woman beside Faerniir gave an elegant curtsey, her skirts rustling.  Holly froze and her gaze darted to the final man in the room, Eldirion.

He was, she thought, not at all what she expected.  Still, she was intensely grateful when he stepped forward and clasped her hand in a very human gesture.  “I’m pleased to meet you finally, Holly.”  And Eldirion smiled.

His hair was cut short, the top ever so slightly longer than the sides.  It was silvery white, a bit grey, as if he were the eldest in the room and not the son. She also noticed that there was the shadow of a beard on his face, which was odd because his beard was so obviously dark like his eyebrows and not grey like his hair.

His eyes, also, were not any of the shades of blue she’d seen so far in the other Light Elves.

They were grey and steely and when she looked at them, she got the sense that Eldirion was like an uncompromising wall that would never fall.

“I…it’s nice to meet you, too.” She finally stuttered, realizing that the silence had stretched too long.  Her face was red from all the attention and she was again filled with discomfort.

Eldirion may have sensed her discomfort.  He turned to Anoron.  “Thank you, Captain.  Would you be so kind as to escort Miss Grace and her husband to their room?”  He didn’t wait for an answer, but then turned to the golden haired beauty who was glaring at Holly.  “Mother, you might take Serena to see the Glass Gardens, if she’s agreeable.”

It wasn’t really a question, even Holly knew that.  Serena opened her mouth to protest anyways, but the white-haired female elf was soon leading her away before those protests could be voiced.

Before she knew it, Holly was alone with Eldirion and Faerniir.

Faerniir was smiling and he nodded at Eldirion, as if pleased with his son.  Then he, too, left.

Holly stared after him until Eldirion spoke again.  “I thought it might be best if we spoke alone, first.”

She looked up at him.  Not only did his face have the shadow of a beard, but also there were little lines around his eyes and mouth.  “Yes.” She finally answered.  “I think that might be best.”

            He led her to the side and through a door that was so well crafted she didn’t realize it was there until he opened it.  The garden they stepped into was small, with a single bench before a small pond filled with white lilies.  Eldirion motioned for her to sit and then he sat next to her.

            “You may have realized by now that the vampire told us you were coming.”

            “Yes,” Holly answered when he stopped and didn’t speak any more. 

He was gazing at the lilies, a little furrow between his brows.  Then he sighed softly.  “He didn’t tell us much, only that you were fairy marked and that the Dark Elves were tracking you.”

Again he stopped and again Holly was unsure of what he expected her to say.

After a moment, he asked, “May I see the mark?”

“Oh, um, of course.”  She fumbled in taking off her glove and then thrust her hand towards him, palm up.

“It’s larger than the vampire led me to believe.”  Eldirion took her hand gently and studied the floral mark.  “The flower is true.  You were marked by the Queen of Spring.”

“Did you think someone else marked me?”  Holly was startled, having never considered that the fairy might lie to her.

Eldirion gave her a closed mouth smile.  “It was a possibility.” He admitted.  “Will you tell me how you received the mark?”

Holly’s thoughts skittered to Connor and she hesitated, torn between protecting him and telling Eldirion.  But what harm could come to Connor now?  He was far away and Eldirion was here and the only hope Holly had solving everything.  The words got twisted in her mouth and she had to keep backtracking to make sure she told him everything.  By the time she finished, the sun was sinking low in the sky.

“Do you believe Sirus is the one connected to the Unseelie Court?”  Eldirion asked.

“I don’t know.”  Holly replied wearily.

They both fell silent.  Holly stared unseeingly, lost in her thoughts.

“I have many connections, but I don’t know of anyone who would know where the gates between worlds are located.”

Holly’s shoulders sagged.  “I don’t know who else to ask for help.”

Eldirion rose and held his hand out to help her up.  “You should rest.  In the morning we can discuss this further.  With your permission, I will consult with my father and also with the enchantress.  She may have connections.”

“Enchantress?”  Holly blinked.

“Lady Serena, the golden haired woman, is an enchantress.”

“I’m not sure what an enchantress is.  Is it different from a witch?”

“Very,” Eldirion smiled and tucked Holly’s hand in the crook of his elbow as they walked.  “The enchanters are a separate race.  They possess the power of illusion.”

“So, she can make me see things that aren’t there?”

“To put it crudely, yes.”

They were heading down a hall and drew up in front of a door.  Holly was relieved to see that this hall and the room beyond the door were not made of glass.  She rather liked privacy.  Two guards stood across the hall and they nodded at Eldirion.

“The witch and her husband are in the room across from yours.” Eldirion smiled.  “In the morning, go down that way.” He pointed to the right.  “There is a hall for taking meals that way.”

“Thank you,” Holly whispered, swaying on her feet.

She shut the door and marveled at how comfortable the bed was when she fell upon it.

She didn’t sleep for long.  She wasn’t used to going to bed so early or to sleeping on a mattress…and she had grown accustomed to not being alone.

After only a few hours, she sat up, soaked in sweat.  She had dreamt about Laney being dragged off by Werebeasts.  No matter how hard Holly tried to chase, she couldn’t close the distance between them.

She shivered and tried to drive the dream from her mind.

The walls around her glowed like moonlight.  Or perhaps it was starlight?  This was the mountain of starlight, after all.  It hurt her eyes.  She lay back and flung her arm over her eyes, trying to block it out.  That didn’t work.

Holly rose.  She hesitated at the door, wondering if she’d get in some sort of trouble for wondering around at night, and then shrugged.  She went out.

The halls were even brighter than her room, white light spilling from chandeliers and candles, reflected on the crystal walls and making Holly’s eyes hurt.  Brilliant and beautiful, but right now she would have welcomed some darkness and peace.

“Holly?”

Holly blinked and saw Grace standing between the two guards from earlier.  Instantly alarmed, she stepped forward thinking to assist her friend.  “Grace?  What’s going on?”

“Oh,” Grace smiled tightly.  “The elves don’t seem to trust me.  Or Braden.”

“What?”  Holly remembered the way that Anoron had treated Grace.  “Why?” 

Grace stepped forward and the guards glared.  A hand twitched, as if one guard intended to reach forward and drag Grace back.  Both Grace and Holly noticed, Grace eying the guards warily.  “Because of who we are.  Or what we are.”  Grace shrugged and at Holly expression, she smiled.  “Outside of the peace villages, race is very important, Holly.”

“But you’re helping me.  We’re all on the same side.”

“I don’t think they believe that.”  Perhaps, Holly looked outraged, because Grace laughed and made a pacifying gesture.  “Truly, it’s alright, Holly.  Annoying, but understandable.  Most people aren’t comfortable around vampires and, well, hedge witches often worked with the fairies in the past.”

Holly started.  “I didn’t know that.”

Grace motioned to a beautifully carved marble bench and they sat down, close enough that the guards only glared at them, but didn’t come to fetch Grace.  “It was a long time ago and it wasn’t all the hedge witches, just some.  We’re not a very social people.  We tend to live on our own, with our plants, rather than joining together in big groups.”

“I was beginning to think everyone hated fairies.”

“And you’d be mostly accurate.”  Grace assured her.  “I’m not even sure that the hedge witches liked them.  Truthfully, I think some hedge witches just hoped that they might learn more about the fey’s powers.  You see, fairies seasonally create and grow plants and witches like me use those plants.  In turn, the witches often helped the fairies with various things.  We had what you might call a symbiotic relationship.”

Holly considered and then asked something that had been bothering her.  “How are the plants and seasons still happening when the fairies are gone?  When the queen said the king of Summer had disappeared and we had to stop the Unseelie before summer…could summer not happen?  Could the seasons change?”

            Grace looked thoughtful.  “I don’t think it works quite like that…maybe create is the wrong word for what fairies do.  It’s more like they watch over and guide nature.  If they were gone, the world would continue to revolve.”

            “That makes them seem unnecessary.”

            Grace laughed.  “Perhaps they are, but I wouldn’t say that to the queen.”

            Holly couldn’t quite work up a smile.

            “What is it?”  Grace peered at her.

            She couldn’t quite work that out herself, only that fear cramped her stomach.  She shook her head mutely.

            Grace touched her hand.  “Are you worried about the future?  Or about Laney?”

            “Both,” Holly answered and thought she might have been able to add a number of other subjects to that list.  “Sometimes I feel paralyzed by how scared I am.”

            Grace squeezed her hand.  “It’s easy to look at other people and think they are brave.  It’s far more difficult to recognize courage in ourselves because we know the truth of how terrified we really are.”

            “Do you think Laney is alive?”  Holly asked quietly.

            Grace was quiet.  “I honestly don’t know.”