Page 8 of Broken Lands

“She’s beautiful.” I whispered, raising a hand to press it against her nose. Her eyes were dark and depthless, seeming to go on for eternity. She chuffed happily, nuzzling into my hand. I closed my eyes, resting my face against her cheek, taking a moment to indulge in the connection I could feel thrumming between myself and this beautiful creature. Something in my heart told me we’d met before, though I could not recall when or how.

“That’s Annie,” a gruff voice said, interrupting my bonding time with the horse.

Looking up, I saw General Brand rounding the back of the carriage, followed closely by Professor Darmon, four guards, and two coachmen. “It’s time to return to Danann. Are you ready?” He opened the carriage door and gestured for us to climb inside.

The carriage itself was elegant and understated. The outside was painted midnight blue with some light gold markings in the corners. There was only one window recessed into the door on the left side of the carriage. There were exterior seats on both sides, one behind the front wheel, another in front of the rear wheel. I assumed these were for the guards.

I stroked Annie’s nose once more, before moving towards the carriage door. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.” I said, grasping Stefan’s offered hand to help me climb inside.

The interior seats were covered with midnight blue velvet, gold accents continuing the theme from the exterior. There were two benches to the front and back of the carriage, leaving a space in the middle to climb in and out. The walls were again painted a midnight blue with the same gold accent. I was starting to think the colors were a fae thing.

“This is a royal carriage,” Stefan said, reading my mind. Again. “Midnight blue and gold are the chosen colors of King Ronan and Queen Ciara. They rule the water elementals back in Faerie and lead the fae who crossed to Earth in the attempt to save your world.”

“How’s that working out for you?” I asked sweetly, a hint of bitterness seeping through. “It’s been what, 15 years now? Earth is fading faster every year.” I took a seat next to him, already feeling a little guilty for my words.

I knew it wasn’t Stefan’s fault, but the fae kept us at arm’s length. We were struggling to survive whilst they seemed to thrive and live with everything they needed at their fingertips. Really, it appeared they were doing nothing at all to save our world, despite their promises to save it and return to Faerie.

General Brand appeared in the doorframe, his enormous frame blocking the view of outside momentarily before he climbed into the seat directly opposite me. He stared at me for a moment, his eyes dark, a frown lining his forehead. “There’s a lot you don’t know about us, Riley. A lot that you are going to have to learn in a short space of time.”

“We hope that you’ll be able to help us,” Professor Darmon revealed, taking the last seat next to General Brand, who shot him a warning look.

“That’s enough. We can discuss this further in the city.” General Brand closed the door and knocked on the window, signaling that we were ready to go.

The carriage began to pull forward then, and silence stretched between the four of us. There would be plenty of time to gather information later, I supposed. Leaning forward in my seat, I stared out the window, watching as the only home I’d ever known slowly faded into the night. Silently, I said goodbye. I didn’t know when—or even if—I would come back here.

Swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat and blinking back the tears burning my eyes, I continued to watch the scenery pass as we entered the dead forest. The men spoke amongst themselves, but I tuned them out. I wanted to take it all in. I had never traveled this far outside Sommers before.

It was so dark, the only light coming from the moon above and the small torches lit at the front of the carriage. Shadows blanketed the surrounding area, dancing in the lowlight. The silence was almost deafening and created an eerie and ominous feel to the land.

True to its name, much of the forest was withered and dry. Even on a sunny day, it felt as though no color existed here. No life either. Not much had survived the years of chemical and nuclear warfare the Last War had brought upon the world.

I had spent a lot of time on the edge of the forest as a child. It surrounded our community, keeping us walled in. No one ever ventured further than a few feet inside.

Always drawn to nature, I had shadowed Mr Cole in the garden almost as soon as I could walk. I felt at peace tending to the crops, nourishing the seedlings, and encouraging new life. I had naively tried time and time again to tend to the forest. In my child’s mind I had thought that if I only gave the hollow trees and the dried shrubbery enough attention soon enough, they’d flourish, bringing back color and life to the barren lands.

Of course, I could never revive a single plant and I was eventually disheartened enough to leave the forest be and concentrate on our crops.

It had always saddened me that I’d been unsuccessful in bringing any life back to the forest, and I think that was why I held such animosity toward the fae. They were in power. They had promised to restore our land and had so far failed. They had not kept their word.

A swift double knock on the wall pulled me from my thoughts, and I realized the carriage had slowed. I pulled back from the window, looking at General Brand and Stefan in question.

“Why are we stop...” My question was cut off by a curt shush from Stefan. He was hard to make out in the darkness of the carriage, but I felt him tense beside me, his fists clenching at his sides and worry painted across his moonlit face.

The General had leant forward, looking out the window. He shook his head as he pointed to the Professor and I. “Stay here and get down.”

Command filled his tone, leaving no room for argument. Professor Darmon nodded as the General opened the door, and silently slipped out, gesturing for Stefan to follow.

I swallowed hard. Fear coursed through my veins, making my heart race and my throat dry. General Brand had hinted that an attack was possible, but I hadn’t really believed there was a threat. I was a nobody.

Following the General, Stefan shuffled past me toward the door. My hand shot out, grabbing his shirt to stop him. He grabbed it and squeezed tightly for a moment. “Please stay with the Dean, Riley. It’s our job to protect you.” He said, before letting go and slipping out the door.

My stomach dropped as he closed the door behind him. What if something happened to him? Something tethered me to Stefan. Something deep, instinctual, and like nothing I had felt before. Losing him had already become an unfathomable thought.

Professor Darmon swiftly locked the door behind them and laid down flat on his side of the carriage, gesturing for me to do the same. I scrambled down quickly, trying to calm my breathing and listen to what might be happening outside. All was quiet for a moment, the light of the torches outside flickering through the small window.

Suddenly, we were plunged into darkness. The air inside thickened, like the oxygen had been stolen from it. I couldn’t hear or see anything outside the carriage, except for a small sliver of the moon peeking through the thick covering of tree branches. My heart was beating a wild pace, knocking against my ribs as the bitter taste of fear coasted my tongue. What was happening? What should I do? Were the boys okay?

Fumbling through the darkness, my hands swiped through the empty air in front of me as a bright orange light flared outside, bringing an intense heat with it. Flames burst past the window, scaring the shit out of me and I screamed in both surprise and fear.

---