do you mean by choice?”
He pulled over in a small parking lot not far from where she’d parked. “Please, Ryleigh. You have to understand and give me a chance to explain before you get upset and run away. Promise?”
Her turbulent eyes held his, and she nodded once.
That would have to be good enough for now. He shifted the car into park. “Give me your keys and wait here. I’ll run and get your car, so you don’t have to answer any questions.” Emergency vehicles littered the lot and the street, lights flashing, even though the sirens no longer blared.
“You can follow me back to the hospital so I can return the car. We’ll clean up and settle Mia then we can sit and talk all night if you want.”
“Fine.”
He got out, went around, opened Ryleigh’s door, and held out a hand.
She handed him the keys, climbed out, and stood staring at the destruction down the street. “Everything looked so normal by the hospital. How could there be so much damage here?” A tremor coursed through her.
He left her leaning against the car surveying the damage and strode toward the lot. He’d never thought of the destruction his people left behind. Sorrow filled him, and he hung his head, ashamed. How could he ever tell her his people had caused this mess? What would she think of a race who held such little value for human life? Maybe he could explain the reason they were so bitter first, and then perhaps she could have some compassion for them. Did they deserve it, though? He stopped and spoke to an investigator, then got permission to take the car. Even without any special powers, he could be quite persuasive over humans.
He returned to Ryleigh, not wanting her alone any longer than necessary. “Come on, let’s get Mia in the car and go somewhere warm.” He helped the girls into Ryleigh’s car. “You’ll follow me?”
“Yes, but I’m not making any promises other than I’ll hear you out.”
“Fair enough.” He closed her door and returned to the stolen car.
He tried to organize his thoughts as he drove. No matter how he phrased it, he couldn’t change the fact that the inhabitants of Cymmera had been enslaving humans for hundreds of years. Would she understand? Forgive him? And what did the future hold? Would he be able to continue on the path the Cymmerans were currently following?
What about Kai, that bastard? And Daygan? Had it been his soldier Jackson had disposed of in the parking lot, or one of Kai’s men? He’d have to ask the warrior when he saw him next. He rubbed the back of his head, winced at the pain, and returned his hand to the wheel. Well, maybe after he taught the cocky bastard a lesson.
He searched behind him in the rearview mirror. Good, Ryleigh was still back there, and as far as he could tell, no one else followed. When he pulled into the parking lot, he gestured for Ryleigh to wait where she was, then held his breath while he parked the borrowed car and ran back to her. He opened the driver’s door. “Move over, I’ll drive.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“It’ll be fine, I’ll pay attention.”
She glanced around but remained in the driver’s seat.
“Your feet have to be killing you. Just move over. I’ll drive, and you can rest them.”
She finally shrugged and got out and limped around.
He followed and opened the door for her. With one last look over his shoulder, he climbed in and hit the gas.
She laid her head back against the headrest. Strain lined her face, dark circles cradled her eyes, her hair hung limp and tangled. Her eyes drifted closed. Maybe she was offering him a reprieve.
He reached toward her to soothe some of her tension.
“Start talking.”
No such luck. He heaved a deep breath in, and let it out on a whoosh. “Cymmera is dying, has been for hundreds of years. Since the death of our Queen.” Jackson thought of his mother, as he often did. He’d only been a small child when she died, and several hundred years had since passed, yet he remembered her vividly, the radiance of her smile, the warmth of her embrace, the flowery scent always surrounding her. He missed her terribly still. Grief filled him, the only emotion Jackson fully understood.
“Daygan’s army attacked the farthest reaches of the Kingdom, a day’s journey at the least. The king had already left to lead his warriors into battle. They’d hoped to defend the outlying areas, head the invaders off and stop them before they reached the city itself. It should have worked, would have, if not for the army of humans.”
“Wait, I though humans couldn’t enter Cymmera?” Her head still rested against the headrest, but now she stared at him. Dirt covered her face, smeared where she’d wiped her tears away.
“They can’t, not voluntarily and not alive in the sense that you understand it. Our enemies are strong. Their leader, Daygan, is an incredibly powerful sorcerer, but he’s filled with evil and consumed by hate. He found a way to collect humans and enslave them. He brought them to Cymmera to attack the city while the Cymmeran soldiers were occupied elsewhere.” Rage threatened to surface, but he inhaled deeply, fought it back.
“The city of Cymmera is more like a very large village surrounded by a huge stone wall. The castle sits upon a hill in the center of the city. With the soldiers gone, mostly women and children remained within the confines of the wall. Some of the older boys, who were not yet warriors, lined the front wall of the city in a valiant effort, but everyone knew they would be no match for the onslaught. So Queen Dara left the safety of the castle.” A difficult enough memory without having to give voice to it. The helplessness the small child had suffered still plagued the man. He’d secreted himself in the highest window of the castle, witnessed his mother’s journey across the lush green field.
“She walked across the field that surrounded the wall and met the army commander. She spoke to him for a few minutes as the invaders moved into position, surrounded her. She waited until she stood in the center of the enemy army.” He paused, forced back the scream begging for release. She’d stood with her chin held high. Her defiance and pride had mocked the invading mass.
“Make a right here, and pull into that driveway.” Ryleigh gestured toward a small house.
He pulled into the driveway, put the car into park, folded his hands on the steering wheel, and rested his chin on them.
“She removed her crown.” He’d known then what she would do. Even then, he’d known. “Took two stones from it, replaced it atop her head, and lifted the stones high into the air. When she smashed them together over her head, they exploded. She felled an entire army that day, except for Daygan, and saved the city and its inhabitants. She sacrificed herself to save her kingdom.” He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Tears flowed unchecked down Ryleigh’s cheeks, but she stayed quiet and waited for him to compose himself and continue.
“The entire kingdom died with her. The lush green grass of the fields turned brown and brittle, the trees and flowers wilted and died, a cover of haze fell over the land. Darkness and shadow overtook spaces that were once filled with sunlight and color.” The memory of what Cymmera had once been was more distant, elusive, more difficult to envision.
“What
