Frozen Memories: Heirs of Ethra

The Tricky Part

“Where is this place?” Max impatiently asked while we trekked through the gradually thickening forest of strangely colored trees.

“We will get there soon enough.” Keyvah retorted with irritation. “Don’t ask again because I will not be answering, guardian.”

“When will we get there?”

Keyvah stopped and glared at Max, who simply stood there challengingly staring back at the vampire princess. “What did I say about asking questions?”

“You said not to ask you where this place is again…you did not, on the other hand, say not to ask when.” Max smugly answered. “So, are we going to get an answer, or are you just going to stand there and try to look pretty?”

Keyvah was obviously annoyed with Max-though this was nothing new, as Keyvah found it quite easy to be annoyed with any breathing entity that was not herself.

Instead of answering Max, Keyvah turned her back on my best friend and continued walking through the seemingly endless grove of forest trees.

“Guess the answer remains-we’ll get there when we get there.” Amorah chuckled dryly whilst she too surveyed her surroundings.

I think we were all just nervous newcomers, surrounded by strange, mysterious new things. We all just wanted to be in familiar territory again, and Killian, Roman, Nixon, and Thorne were in that territory. Keyvah was the only one that actually was not a complete stranger to this place out of the three of us, and even she seemed to want to find the guys.

“The sooner we’re all together again, the better,” Amorah muttered under her breath.

“You took the words right out of my mouth.” I agreed as my eyes continued to observe and study what Ethra’s nature had to offer.

The greenery was nothing like the forest greens that one would see of our trees on earth. The ones surrounding us were deep shades of viridian-some even a hinted hue of teal. Surrounding us, were violet and green mable trees-or at least that was what instinct told me they were. My hand reached out to touch it but suddenly thought better of the idea as not too long ago I was surrounded by trees that produced a blood-like sap specifically made for vampires. There was really no telling what these beautiful specimens were responsible for creating.

I pushed forward, my eyes pressing toward the evening sky, its hazy, tranquil, cyan blue descending into a color more Prussian, and gray, the clouds shifting into an almost indigo shade, casting over a rising moon.

“Hard to tell when the day is leaving and night falls,” Max mumbled.

“Yes,” I absentmindedly muttered. “The sky…is definitely different here.” I looked down at the forest floor. “Everything seems to be a little more…saturated in color here..though beautifully so,” I commented at rich dirt amidst the jade green grass softly crunching beneath our feet as we trekked forward. “Do these trees secrete anything?” I asked Keyvah.

“Yes, poisoned sap.” She replied. Incredulously, I looked at her, wondering who on earth and Ethra that would be good for. She shrugged. “These trees create a sap that, if ingested, can kill a vampire or an elf-maybe even a nymph-who knows? But if concocted correctly, it can provide extraordinary treatment for wounds and illnesses.”

“Wow,” Max, Amorah, and I muttered. “It’s’ a wonder how some of the most dangerous things can save one’s life.”

While continuing on our journey through the alleged back ends of Ethra, my thoughts gradually seeped into worrisome concerns about whether my brother and the others were alright.

“Do you think they’re okay?” I found myself asking before I thought better of it. My question garnered stares-one of those stares, in particular, was what concerned me. “It seems that we do have cause for worry then,” I said to Keyvah as she quickly averted her gaze once I focused on her specifically.

Keyvah shrugged. “Maybe…maybe not.” She simply remarked.

“I need you to clarify that if you don’t mind.” I sardonically returned, my concern for them steadily growing after her comment.

“Listen, I’m not the Ethrian guide or storyteller here, so-”

I cut off her path, meeting her gaze with frustration clear in mine. “I get that you are used to being an insufferable, spoiled know-it-all who likes to hold things over everyone’s head for some sort of sick, twisted self-validation, but I need you to put that aside right now!” I snapped. “As far as we’re concerned, you are the Ethrian guide and storyteller of this group. You have far more information than we do, and right now in a place where we are surrounded by the unknown, we need to be focusing on plans of action instead of aimless wandering! If you have information about anything that we are about to be up against, whether certain or uncertain, you need to be sharing it now, Keyvah Marsh. Otherwise, you are of no use to us, and you’d be better off returning to your father.”

The last of my comment was what seemed to bother Keyvah the most. I seemed to have hurt her feelings slightly with my words, and maybe I should have chosen them more wisely, but at the moment I really did not care one way or another how hurt she was. Our lives were in potential danger and there was no time for the sparing of feelings.

Taking a deep breath, she seemed to resign to my wishes. “Fine,” She huffed, averting her gaze for a moment before walking around me and continuing forward. “Killian was an Alpha of one of the packs-his brother, the head of Beast’s Den in general. After his brother died, Killian became second in line to head the packs.” She looked at me. “But he disappeared with his son, your brother…” She returned her gaze forward. “And Roman,” Keyvah told us. “Apparently, he felt that he couldn’t lead the Den of Beasts and keep your brother safe at the same time.” She shrugged. “The Den of Beasts is a place where all of the species of wolf and lycan and just…who knows what else resides. They’re aggressive, and volatile-and they’re not an easily forgiving people as you witnessed earlier.” If Keyvah was referring to the near attack we suffered once I opened the door to their Hamlet, then yes, I was now quite privy to their volatile behavior. “Who knows how they reacted to seeing their King Alpha return after all these years?”

“Then we need to quicken the pace,” Max insisted. “We can’t have them fending for themselves in there-”

“Hold your horses, Juliet.” Amorah interrupted Max’s panic. “Remember what four guys we’re talking about here. If anyone can handle themselves, it's Killian and the boys.”

Amorah was right. “I agree,” I said to Max. “They’re very capable-probably far more than us right now. Sure, we have powers but…” I shook my head. “We’re amateurs compared to them.” Then another question came to mind. “If…Roman is Killian’s nephew and…he is the son of the Alpha King…shouldn’t he be next in line to inherit the packs?” I asked.

Keyvah scoffed. “Roman…though a perfect specimen in anyone’s eyes physically, is considered a half-blood to the beasts.” She said. “And not the right kind.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“His mother…was a dark elf…and rumored royalty,” Keyvah explained. “Though the dark elves rule the shadows, and every creature has their respect for them, it does not mean that it is alright to co-mingle with them. It’s considered dirty when we bleed genes.” She shrugged. “That’s what they call it, anyway. Roman is a half-dark elf and half Lycan. He’d be an outcast to the Den of Beasts-no matter how powerful, leader-worthy....or even royal he may be.”

I couldn’t help but think about how cruel this sort of mindset was. “Where is his mother?” I asked Keyvah.

“I don’t know.” I could tell by this point that Keyvah was tired of answering my questions. “As a child, it was rumored that she was put to death alongside Roman’s father when he was but an infant. Neither the royal family nor his people acknowledge him as a person even though he is part of both. At least, that is what the rumors and stories say.”

“What a terrible card he’s been dealt,” Amorah remarked compassionately, and I could not help but agree with her.

Hearing this about Roman made the thought of telling him about Adanis even more nerve-racking. Though, admittedly, I…could not understand where this obligation to explain anything to him came from in the first place. We owed nothing to one another but friendship, and maybe that was why, but some part of me felt like there was more to it than that.

“Roman’s come to terms with his life,” Keyvah countered. “For the most part. The real question is what the hell is going on with you and Adanis?” She asked me. I was definitely caught off guard by this inquiry-certainly because I did not desire nor even know how to answer it. “What’s the relationship there?”

“I…there is no relationship.” I retorted. “Why would you think that there is?”

“Because I see it.” Keyvah returned without missing a beat. “Anyone with eyes can see that he is drawn to you, and whether you want to admit it or not, you seem to be drawn to him too.”

There was a tension-filled silence before Amorah said my name. “Mina…is this true?”

I glanced at Max, who seemed to be curious as to my answer as well. Quickly, I looked away. “I do not know what this is.” I said. “I…when he touched my hand…something…strange happened-”

“What?” Amorah asked. “What happened?”

“I don’t-I-it was like some sort of light or something-like a gust of power shot from both of us…as one and-”

“So then he really is your betrothed.” Keyvah leered. “Well, this just got a hell of a lot more interesting.” She remarked and then looked at me. “You sure move fast, princess.”

“I would never,” griped frustratedly. “We have not even been in Ethra long enough for me to get to know him so-”

“Yea, and certainly not long enough to be getting married to the first dark elf prince you see,” Keyvah snidely commented. Before I could even counter in defense, Keyvah pressed further. “What do you even know about Adanis? Do you know anything about the prince, outside of how attractive he is?”

“No! I-I do not know anything! I-only know that whatever this is…is confusing and I want no parts of it.”

“Hm,” Keyvah raised her brow at me. I only assume that the expression is doubt that I am being truthful, and I do not appreciate the accusatory look at all. “What exactly are you going to tell, Roman, when you see him?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, though part of me already knew.

“Are you going to tell him about Adanis? How are you going to explain it to him if you do?”

Odd, that I was not the only one who thought that I owed Roman an explanation as to what was going on in my life. The answer that I could service anyone with at this point was a simple and very vague shrug. I stressfully rubbed my temples, and shook my head. “I do not know what I’m going to do.”

“The answer will come to you, Frosty.” Max tried to reassure me, placing her hand on my shoulder with a small smile. She then turned her sights on Keyvah. “To be honest, I’m surprised that you even care about this relationship working between Min and Roman.”

“Wai-what relationship?” I asked.

My confused words were ignored by both Keyvah and Max, as Keyvah harshly confessed. “I don’t care at all about the relationship between the two of them. To be honest, I hope that she does talk to him and that it is incentive enough for Roman to finally seek something better than a relationship with a Nymph.”

Though I placed very little stock in Keyvah’s words, the near repulsion that she emphasized in my species did hurt a little. Even after all that we’d been through, she still found that malice was the best way to go when dealing with me.

“I guess you’re supposed to be that better choice?” Max asked, the sarcasm oozing from her words. “Then I guess if that was the case he would have at least given you a second glance before he ever laid eyes on Wilhelmina.”

“Max-”

“No,” Max cut me off. “Since we’re being petty, then why not?” She stepped to Keyvah. “Wilhelmina has done nothing to warrant your malicious behavior, and quite frankly, I’m tired of it.”

Keyvah scoffed. “Look at the big bad guardian. You came into some powers and now you think you can step to me? Cute.”

“Enough!” Amorah snapped, pushing past the two of them. She stood next to me. “You fight on your own time. Right now we need to get Thorne, and Killian and the others!” Amorah rolled her eyes at them and then looked at me. “You’ll figure this out, Mina. You always do.” She smiled. “Let’s go.”

For the rest of the journey, we traveled in silence until we reached an arched opening surrounded in entwined violet-toned wood. Keyvah stood in front of the opening. “We’re here.” She turned around. “This is the entrance to the Den of Beasts.”

I stared at the entrance. Past it, the way seemed clear...but I already knew that it would not be so easy to get through. “I take it…this is the tricky part.”