Hello, Readers! Here is chapter 2 of my rewrite. As I stated in earlier, I have completely rewritten everything, starting from scratch. So, enjoy!(:
“You do not know about this war, my dear?” the elder asks.
“No, I don’t know anything about this war. Just today, my grandmother was taken by the servants, and I found myself in Harrington. I know nothing except that I am being hunted down.” I cross my arms.
“This war was caused by your parents. Your parents were together illegally.” Trenton sits on the armrest of the couch.
“Illegally?” What are they even saying?
“Your father was a human Mover, while your mother was a fey Mover. Both the most powerful of their races. The two different societies thought this as punishable by death,” the elder says. “They kept it a secret, but then they had you.”
I dig my face in my hands, not wanting to listen, but knowing that it’s mandatory for me to know.
“James was a friend of mine, long ago.” The elder pauses, then continues, “Once he told me about his love for Ivory, he said that if anything happens that I must protect his future child, if he has one.” He coughs, making my stomach churn. “He knew he would be killed for treason, along with your mother, but they did not care the slightest.
“At that time, there was already conflicts between the fey and humans. It was bound to happen. The humans had their Movers, while fey had theirs. Almost like property. Once it was found out about your parents having you, battles erupted, who you rightly belonged too.
“The rulers of both kingdoms sought out their Movers to kill the enemy’s, which ended your kind. At this time, your parents hid away, hoping people thought they had died. During your second year of life, the King sent his servants to take you, even if that meant murder of your parents.”
I look up from my hands, a tear forming. My parents. Why wouldn’t Grandmother tell me this? I have a right to know.
“Your grandmother took you while your parents fought. They were killed after a long fight. The fey did not know they were alive and well until it was too late. For fourteen years, both kingdoms have been searching, stepping over boundaries, sending armies to find you,” Trenton continues.
“That’s why I am wanted?” I muse. Grandmother never told me any of this. How could she? All these years, I would ask her about my parents, but she would say they were great people, to be proud of them.
“Trenton has been chosen to fill the place as your protector.”
“Travel where?” My voice shakes slightly.
“To the fey, that is the safest place for you. Trenton will explain more once you are some distance away. You must hurry.” The elder uses the chair as support as he tries to gather things together. I feel numb, hoping this is a dream, that it’s not true at all. My mouth opens slightly, eyes glazing over.
“Elle, we must hurry.” Trenton comes over, offering his hand. I watch it, carefully bringing my hand to his. He pulls me up, a steady hold.
“Here you are.” The elder holds a bag in one hand, a sword in a metal sheath in the other.
“Thank you for allowing me to stay here. You will be repaid.” Trenton straps the sword onto his side, slings the bag over his shoulder.
“Getting Elle to Feyer will be enough.” The elder and Trenton grasp each other’s forearms, almost like an embrace. They part, not taking a second glance.
“Thank you,” I murmur to the elder. He gives me a curt nod.
Trenton stands at the door, waiting for me. I pull up my hood, tucking in my hair. In the street, people stumble along, laughing uncontrollably. Trenton latches his arm to mine, and we start making our way into the shadowed trees.
My feet move automatically, while my mind twists and turns. A knot forms in my stomach. Beside me, Trenton feels tense, his hunter’s gaze watching as we hurry into the trees. The shade coats us in a darkness, limiting my vision. A great force of wind comes through, my cloak whipping around my ankles.
Trenton sighs in relief and I feel a swirl of emotions around me. I watch Trenton in complete awe. His once rounded ears are now pointed, face more sharp, eyes wider and alert.
“What did you do?” My mouth drops open.
“Removing the glamour, or magic, that can hide my true profile from others. It’s very handy,” Trenton says. His mouth seems to stay in a permanent smirk, eyes glinting with excitement, almost like he craves this feeling of being so close to death. Because of me, he could die, I suppose.
“What’s glamour?”
“Other’s emotions. We can use that emotion as a fuel to power our magic. I will show you how to use it later on,” Trenton promises.
“So, you are a fey?” I ask.
“Yes, and I have been alive much longer than you. When I started living with Jerrard, I was only a toddler and he was a young adult. Since the much more rapid time, I aged to a seventeen year old. Once we get to Feyer, you will stop aging as will I.” Trenton elbows me playfully.
Silence. My heart pounds, my mind grasping everything. “You could die, right?” My voice sounding alien to me, curiosity dripping off of it like sap.
“Yes. I fully realize the extent of dangers of doing this, but I know I must do this. The whole of this land depends on me to get you to safety before the King gains control of you.” Trenton’s smile fades.
“If the King gains control of me, what will happen?” I shudder.
“I obviously don’t know exactly what will happen if he gains control. Besides, it is not going to occur, so don’t worry yourself about that,” Trenton says in a overly confident tone. He snickers.
I can’t help but smile, a small laugh. Something I haven’t done in a long while.
“Look at that, she has a sense of humor,” Trenton says dramatically.
In response, I leer at him. He just laughs. Still curious, I give him a serious look, begging for an answer. Trenton sighs. “If you obey him, follow him loyally, he will keep you as a weapon in war. If you don’t, he will kill you. He does not want the risk of you falling into enemy lines. Same goes for the fey. You are basically the one to create peace among everyone. The King seeks to gain control of everything, while King Alberic just wants peace among humans and fey.”
A shiver creeps up my spine, twisting around my body, latching on tightly. Trenton sees my response, then wraps his arm around my shoulder. “Now, no need to worry. Since your with me, you will be safe through the entire trip to Feyer. Once there, you will be treated like royalty.”
Calmness blankets over me, and I begin to feel at ease. He is right, I have no need to worry. Everything will be alright.
“All you have to do is follow these rules.” He points his index finger upward. “One, if we are attacked and I become hurt, killed, or taken, just run. Head North until you reach Feyer.” Middle finger follows. “Two, don’t make yourself prominent, that will bring unwanted attention.” Third finger. “Three, don’t question me.”
“Alright,” I say.
“Wow, you are not one to argue. I was expecting to have to negotiate.” Trenton’s eyes gleam in the dark. He jumps up on a log, taking his arm off my shoulders.
“If I may ask, what is it exactly you are doing?” I cross my arms.
Trenton smiles, then bounces off. “Well, since it’s a life or death situation, thought I should lighten the mood. Come on, we are already a good distance away.”
“You definitely put off the wrong first impression.” I continue walking.
“What do you mean by that?” Trenton comes up from behind me, a hint of play in his voice.
I try holding back my smile, but it doesn’t work. “Not as serious, or that is just my own observations.”
“No, back there I had to be. Out here, I have no worries about us getting caught by servants. We have an advantage here. Servants rarely travel in the woods. Most often, they hire hunters to search for people to do that. Usually those hunters are not very skilled.” Trenton nods his head to the side, a cocky grin plastered on his face.
“Ah.”
“The one thing you do need to watch out for is Lucidius.”
“What is Lucidius?” I face Trenton.
“Who is Lucidius. He works with the King. Lucidius was once a fey Mover, then turned dark. The King promised him power, so he followed. He learned how to control and use dark magic. The only time that Lucidius leaves the Capitol is during wars and if you were reported. If we do come across him, I want you to run.”
I shudder at the thought. He can certainly kill me.
“So, you might as well enjoy yourself, my friend,” Trenton says.
I begin to calm, taking Trenton’s advice. It has been a while since I enjoyed myself. Without much force, I create a string of water, thin as yarn, from the ground and snap it at Trenton, only using my mind. I hear a small wail, and turn to see Trenton rubbing the back of his head. “You are quite right, my friend. This is rather enjoyable.” I smile innocently.
Trenton leers, saying, “That is not fair. I can’t control elements with my mind.”
“Well, seems I have the advantage here,” I say with a smirk.
Trenton’s face lights up reminding me of a child. In the eerie glow from the moon, I can see his emerald eyes glow bright, overly confident grin on his face. My heart pounds in my ears. “How can I trust you so easily?” I muse.
“Ah, now that’s a very good question that I don’t have an answer for.” Trenton decreases the distance between us until he is right at my shoulder.
“It’s hard to believe that I met you only hours ago.” I kick a rock.
A wrenching silence breaks between us. I can feel that he wants to say something, but is holding back. I’m at a loss of words. Without much thought put into it, I ask, “How long will this trip last?”
Trenton ponders. “Five days at most. That’s without rest. If we take a few breaks here and there, I would say seven.”
Five days? Maybe seven?
“The first town that we will be passing is Rue. Next will be Alden which is the second largest city. After that... is the Capitol. Once we get passed that, we will be close enough to see the border.” Trenton places his hands behind his head, elbows bent.
“We are going right past the Capitol? That doesn’t sound cautionary.”
“No, no. We aren’t going through it, just around. That alone will take a day or so.”
I feel overwhelmed already about passing the Capitol. Isn’t it more logical to avoid the Capitol?
“Are you sure that’s safe to do so?” I hug myself.
“Yes, it is. I have traveled this route with Jerrard to Feyer. Never once did we experience problems nearing the Capitol.” Trenton’s eyes go dark.
“Why were you chosen?” I ask.
“Because my mother died, leaving me alone. I didn’t have a family, or anyone who would miss me. I was the perfect for the job.”
I grow silent, unsure of how to respond. Awkwardness flush my cheeks.
“Don’t feel sorry for me. If it weren’t for that, I would not be here, now would I?” Trenton’s face lights up again, forcing away what must be a sad memory for him.
“Yes, I suppose,” I say softly.
Silence. Around us, trees creak and moan, snaps sound in the distance. Paranoia creeps back into me and in response, I search rapidly for something that may not be here. Trenton is an antithesis of me, calmly whistling while jumping atop logs or stumps. He pulls out an apple from the bag, taking a bite from it.
“Would you like something to eat?” He takes another bite.
My stomach churns and twists in hunger. I have forgotten that I haven’t eaten in quite sometime now. I nod. He tosses me an apple as well, almost falling through my hands from lack of expectation. I turn the apple around in my hand, the smooth red skin in complete contrast against my white flesh. Digging my teeth into it, sweet and tart juices erupt in my mouth, sliding down my throat. My teeth ground the apple, then I swallow.
“It’s quite delicious, isn’t it?” Trenton smiles, tossing his half-eaten apple up in the air, then catching it.
“It is indeed.” I take another large bite from it. I swallow loudly, not knowing the appropriate way to respond. Just so I don’t have to answer, I chew another piece of apple.
“I’m curious. What exactly can you do?” Trenton throws the apple core into the bushes.
“Excuse me? I don’t understand what you mean,” I say.
“Like, your Mover abilities. Are they a grand thing?” Trenton waves his hands in the air dramatically.
“Of course they are,” I say in an offended tone.
“Well, show me.” Trenton’s voice seemed to drip with disbelief.
“Fine.” I toss my apple at him to hold. Trenton smiles happily from excitement. To feel less restrain, I untie my cloak so that I am left in my black leggings, matching knee-high boots and a silver tunic with a belt tied around my waist. The shirt my grandmother made shines and sparkles, unlike average, human-made tunics.
My hair falls loosely to my elbows, billowing in the wind. I close my eyes, searching for any large amount of water around me. The gentle pull shows me an aquifer just below us. I gain control of it, bringing up a small amount of it. I open my eyes and see the water breaking up into water droplets, forming like rain. Wanting to mold it together, I bend my wrists until my hands connect at my fingertips, forming a ball in between my palms. The water follows, turning into a tight ball. Using my mind, I turn it into ice and let it drop to the ground in a thud. The ice chunk is the size of a stump.
Trenton doesn’t look too impressed. Anger rises in me. I melt the ice, using the water for something else. I pull it up in a quick jerk of my arms, forming daggers of ice. Without touching them, I send them all flying into a tree, lodging them into the trunk. Only the very tips stick out, completely embedded in the bark. Trenton’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise, then a look of boredom.
“How is that not impressive?” I cross my arms.
“Just thought you could do more,” Trenton says, tossing the apple back and forth.
Determined, I do the same as I did with water, but this time with wind. I hurl a massive pocket of it through the trees, some falling down from the force. My right hand swings horizontally, the wind slicing a tree in half. Trenton leans up against a tree, watching me with curiosity, somewhat intrigued now.
I begin to feel the earth around me, taking in all of my surroundings. Just as I did water, I collect small rocks and pull them into the air. With a small amount of energy, I combine them to one until it’s roughly my size. I twirl it around, then toss it through the brush, landing a good distance away. Next, I topple down a decent sized tree, knocking it to the ground. Around me, it looks as if a large storm came pummeling in through here.
Trenton claps. “I underestimated you.” He tosses me my apple. I take a bite, my throat craving the tart juices. “If I may ask, are you able to Move fire?”
My stomach twists and tightens. “Yes, but not as well as the other elements,” I say. Holding out my hand, I focus on fire. My gaze never wavers, energy keeps sucking out of me. Suddenly, a small spark erupts in my palm. The warmth feels comforting. I bend my hand a certain way, playing with fire.
Exhaustion blooms in me, my legs buckling beneath me. My eyes blur, and Trenton is at my side. He holds my face in his hands, worry glazed over his eyes. Trenton shakes my head slightly, getting my attention.
“I’m... I’m fine. Just... need to rest.” Trenton lets go then begins to roll out blankets for me. I rub my eyes, barely able to keep them open. I need to learn fire. This is ridiculous. A minor flame and I feel like passing out.
Trenton helps me up, my arm strung over his shoulder, his wrapped around my torso. Gently, I’m laid down. A blanket lays over me, my eyes closing. I feel content, happy. All sounds vanish, and I plummet into darkness.
That's all for now, Folks!(:
Here for chapter two!