on thinking you were alive — searching for you until I was sure that you were either dead or unconcerned with me?'
'You thought Father left and didn't return because he didn't love you?' He reached to pull her close but she rose to her feet. 'Ariana, that's not true.'
Koen had returned, no doubt at the sound of Ariana's distress, and rubbed his nose against Michael's arm, whimpering.
'Duncan has already told you that Father spoke of you nonstop when he was away from you. I certainly hope you don't question that you are loved by me and by all of Adoria. Don't misunderstand my caution as anything more than what any brother would do. Genny had to bear the same from Jareth. If she were still here, I would keep her at the same distance from things of this nature. It isn't personal.' He lied. That wasn't quite true. He'd had less to worry about with Genny. Ariana's little display back in the caverns alone would be enough to elicit several discussions with Jenner concerning her heightened protection.
She shook her head, her expression losing its momentary warmth. 'And what a wonderful, close, relationship that must have been. How blessed she must have felt to traipse along in your shadow, doing as she was told and never thinking a single thought for herself.' Her voice cracked. 'There are women on the council of elders, in case you haven't noticed. Some of us are here as more than ornaments in your perfect world!'
Ariana couldn't have been more wrong in her assumptions about how Michael viewed women, how he'd viewed Genny. Truth was that Genny had a weak heart — both literally and figuratively. He'd learned to be careful with her because by the time he'd married her, he'd had no choice in the matter. And in the end, it still didn't do her any good.
Jareth coughed again and clamped his hand over his mouth and nose, making his words difficult to understand. 'That's unfair, Ariana. You didn't know my sister and you don't know what kind of relationship she and Michael had.'
Michael waved Jareth quiet. Now was not the time for an argument.
Ariana turned toward the caves. 'Will you still do nothing to help Sara?'
Michael sighed. It just wasn't plausible. She was likely dead, or from Ariana's description, she might have been chosen as a breeder. If the latter was the case, they would never be able to get anywhere near her.
'If it were within my power to allow it or to rescue her myself, I would. I swear it to you, but I can't. There are greater things at play here that overrule any one human being, no matter her place in your heart.'
Ariana nodded only once and he thought he heard her whisper, 'OK,' as she passed back through the divide, leaving Michael alone on the rocks with Jareth.
It almost bothered him more that she didn't cry. Seeing her caretaker should have elicited more of a reaction than a temper tantrum. He feared that she'd experienced one too many losses. Perhaps not having Sara's death confirmed would work in his favor until he'd had time to decipher everything that was still unknown about her abilities.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
It was well into the night when Ariana awoke. Darkness still covered the landscape beyond her window. It had taken her hours to fall asleep, visions of the carnage permeating her every thought. Michael had the best of intentions, this she knew. But knowing Sara was in imminent danger was too much for her to bear. She lay awake, staring at the canopy above her bed. She would go to Eidolon, with or without Michael's aid. Her heart raced at the thought. She'd already been face-to-face with Garren and survived. She'd have to take that chance again, or live forever with the knowledge that she could have done something to save Sara, yet chose not to.
She'd spent weeks with Bronach, reading everything she could find on the history of Eidolon and Adoria. She'd learned much from the writings of the Braeden, and had secured a map leading her there from the northern border of Adoria. She would have to rely on her wit and ability to improvise. A few days earlier she'd found the amulet that had once belonged to her mother wasn't any ordinary necklace at all, but a key of sorts. According to the legend on the map, where an exact likeness of it was drawn, it appeared to be related to the Braeden tunnels below Eidolon. The history she'd read explained that whatever magic protected the divide between Adoria and Middengard had also been forged to protect the tunnels — the Ereubinians would never have known they were there.
She rose from her bed and changed into the only clothes she had that would blend in at all — the ones she wore when she escaped from Palingard. The blood from her wound had ruined her blouse but she'd managed to find one similar. She pulled on her riding boots and a long brown cloak. She looked to see if Kaitlyn had stirred, but the girl lay silent in her bed.
She leaned over and glanced down at Koen, who was sound asleep. She didn't wake him. When he discovered her absence, he'd alert the others. She took one last look into the room before she left. She would have to be more than cautious, as Michael tended to roam at odd hours. She couldn't tell if it was because he'd always had strange sleeping patterns, or if he'd been burdened by a heavy mind since her arrival.
The halls were silent, as she'd hoped. The fastest way to the stables was to pass Michael's door, but she didn't dare take that route. She took the long way, through several tunnels and back through the main dining hall. She finally made her way into the night and around the corner to the stables. She'd been given a horse, a beautiful chestnut with a black mane. A gorgeous beast, it reminded her a little of Shadow, but minus the cowardly demeanor. Ariana patted him on the neck saying, 'and that is why I named you Midnight.'
She led him out of the stables before mounting him. They made their way through the back passages that would take them out of Cyphrus and into the Adorian woods. It would be some time before they reached the borders.
As she rode, the snow fell fast and heavy. The wind picked up and she wondered if this had been a wise decision. But the image of Bella's body dropped crudely in the dirt urged her forward.
It had been hours since she'd left. The sun was coming up over the horizon, and she had yet to reach the border. She knew Michael and the others would rise soon and find her missing. She squeezed her legs against her horse, and he took off. They couldn't be far from Middengard. As soon as the words had formed in her head, the scenery changed. Her horse stepped down from a two-foot embankment onto the floor of a field. She looked back, surprised. She hadn't expected the ground to be a different height, but it shouldn't have surprised her, considering the landscape outside of the border she had found at the edges of the cavern the day before. Her heart stopped for a moment — this was it, she couldn't turn back now. She wondered, perhaps too late, if the only dangers would be in Eidolon, or if she'd even make it that far. She reached into her saddlebag and grabbed a compass. Comparing it to the map, she turned her horse north and raced onward.
She stopped several times during the first day to rest and drink water. Once she reached the marshes, she slowed considerably, her boots filling with water as she mucked through, leading the horse by his reins.
She dismounted another hour into the journey to rest. According to the map and her estimate of how many miles they'd been riding, she was within a mile of Eidolon. She decided it would be in her best interest to leave her horse there.
Michael would have long since been made aware of her departure and this thought brought a small stab of regret. She didn't want him to worry, but it was unavoidable. She tied the reins to a tree, hesitant to leave her weapons behind. As much as she wanted them with her, she wouldn't be able to conceal them in her cloak. She ran her hands down the mane of her horse and rubbed his nose.
'I'll be back,' she whispered. She was trying to convince herself more than inform the horse. She walked in the direction of Eidolon.
It was a barren place, much darker than she'd envisioned. The gates weren't guarded, which made her nervous. She supposed it was because the city itself hadn't been attacked in centuries. The last time Adorians were in Eidolon openly was nearly two thousand years earlier.
Eidolon was expansive, a great black nothingness that seemed to go on forever. There were only small bushes and shrubs to hide in along the edge of the wood. Past that was a barren field of tangled root and mire, where she'd be seen long before she reached the gates.
