Tales of Darkness and Light (Book 1 Complete)

Chapter 12: Of Heroics And Close Calls

Chapter 12: Of Heroics and Close Calls

Addy Freeland

    Addy's head was still swimming from her conversation with Hayden. In a matter of hours, she had learned more about what fate had befallen her former home then she had in years. There were still so many lingering questions, still the sense of something being so very off...

She dismissed that thought, that itch scratching in the back of her mind. She was being paranoid. She was sure that there was nothing to worry about. Speaking to Hayden had probably just dredged up feelings of homesickness, of paranoia, of that stubborn love for Alura that she had tried so hard to quelch.

Addy had been born in the cultural capital of the world, a place of innovation and creativity, where painters and dressmakers and poets mingled with healers and inventors.  Thousands of tourists flocked to Moonlight City just to see the great temples, the palace, the glass tower where the Academy of Healing was located.

She had been too spoiled and sheltered to truly appreciate how wonderful her home country was when she was younger. Other countries had their own strengths, of course, like Giana and their beautiful forests and magical creatures, Perrnath, and their unparalleled navy, and even Gilland and their institutes of higher learning, but none of them called to her as Alura did.

But she was Addy Freeland, not Abigail Valadon now. Regardless, Alura wasn't hers to cherish, to love so desperately. She had given up that right so many years and mistakes ago.

"Listen. Do you hear that?" It was Lillian's voice, cutting Addy off from her spiraling thoughts.

Addy turned to look at her companion, who had brought her horse to a grinding stop and was hunched forward, trying to make something out.

It was difficult to see or hear any one particular thing in the dense Perrnath forest, with a cacophony of noise and movement from the various woodland creatures. Normally, forests such as these seemed peaceful enough, but today, it was almost... agitated.

"Something's wrong," Hayden muttered, from her other side. "Very wrong."

As if on cue, a shrill scream pierced through the air, and the forest fell completely silent.

"Oh, Diamara."

Addy exchanged a quick glance with her two companions, and then they kicked their horses into motion, moving as fast as they possibly could. Time was of the essence.

Addy was almost grateful for the wind in her hair, for the pounding of her heart as she raced through the forest. The chance to save someone's life always made her feel less unworthy. Less... her.

It was everything she had never been able to do when it had mattered the most.

~~

Abigail Valadon - no, Addy Freeland - was panting, panting, panting as she raised her sword and lunged again. It missed Gavril by inches. The knight raised an eyebrow, amused. In the dim light, the flecks of white in his dark hair almost shone, but without the laugh-lines on his brown skin clearly visible, he looked years younger. Yet he remained unfazed, as always.

She guessed some things never changed.

Addy could still remember when Jay had been the one swinging his sword widely, off balance and without a clue where he was going wrong. That had been so long ago, back before the scared, shy little boy who preferred books to the blade had been replaced by a fierce and deadly, yet compassionate commander.

Jay had become the sort of man others would follow. A fit future king, destined from birth to lead Alura into the next century. Addy had no doubt that her brother would carry out his task with the intensity that he would approach all things, that he would shape Alura for the better.