Read Bonded: Book One of the ShadowLight Saga, an Epic Fantasy Adventure for Free Online Page B

troubles
forgotten. All memories erased.
    Lothar reached for her,
running his slippery hand over her cheek.
    "You really are a
beautiful girl, even if you are a Scandian."
     

Chapter 8
     
     
    "Emma!" Erik called.
    A man circled Emma. He looked like melted wax—slippery, pale
and ever-changing. Emma’s face flushed pink. Her scent, the subtle fragrance of
linnea flowers, filled Erik. His vision appeared vivid—bright and alive—but far
away, as if he watched the scene through a dark tunnel.
    "Emma!" he yelled again, without her notice.
    Erik tried to edge closer but couldn't find his limbs. The
man’s indigo sleeves fluttered as he walked, his lanky fingers wrapped around a
gilt goblet. Liquid swished inside, gathering momentum as he rolled the
contents, a wily smile dominating his thin face.
    Though Scandians were
fair skinned, this man’s coloring appeared exaggerated. His waxy skin and frost
blonde hair reminded Erik of the swan maiden. Except, unlike the woman, this
man oozed a sordidness, warning Erik of perversions lurking below the surface.
    A din roared in Erik's
ears, drowning out Emma’s and the man’s speech. He fought to scoot closer again,
but again he failed.
    Emma held the cup to her
lips.
    "Emma, nei!"
    His beloved paused; she
looked over the lip of the goblet, thick lashes sweeping upward in search of
the ceiling.
    "Nei, Emma! Don’t
drink anything he offers. I do not trust him."
    Her bright eyes searched
the room. Then she sipped. A dizzy gaze washed over Emma’s face and she beamed.
Erik adored the fact that her smile stretched all the way into her eyes,
lighting sparkles within her gray irises. But Emma wasn’t smiling for him, and
his chest constricted at the scene. The man slunk close, grazing the back of his hand across
her face.
    Suddenly, they vanished and
blackness pervaded Erik’s vision. The dark walls rolled inward until he floated
in obscurity.
    Erik , a voice intoned.
    "Who's there?"
    Here , the voice said again, echoing through the black
space.
    Erik searched for the
source, only meeting dark veils, as if his eyelids refused to open. He twitched
and writhed. He had to get back to Emma. Free her. Kill the man who dared to
lay his hand upon her.
    Erik, this is not the
way. The voice sounded behind
him.
    A smoke-colored
landscape appeared out of the darkness. Erik’s tunic and trousers, cloaked in a
charcoal haze, blended into the environment. He whirled around, and realized
his feet didn’t touch ground. His body floated in a half circle without the aid
of his limbs, until he faced the swan woman. Her milky skin appeared
translucent, the shadowy background filtering through her figure. She lifted
her hand, touching Erik’s shoulder.
    "Where's Emma?"
he demanded.
    Her iron eyes seemed
softer—kinder than he remembered. Instead of answering, she waved her free hand
and hummed. The tone rushed through him, tugging at his emotions; it was filled
with both sweetness and sorrow. Her body solidified.
    Erik blinked.
    "I'm dreaming."
    In a way , she responded, but her lips remained shut even
though her voice spilled through the air.
    Her humming continued,
weaving through the gloom, as the gray of Erik’s clothing brightened to white
and his limbs materialized.
    "I have to get to
Emma."
    I know, but you must
find another way. Her words spun
around him, resounding from all directions.
    "Brother!" Another
voice invaded his head.
    The woman’s face
contorted, swirling, distorting until she looked like a white swan with
blue-black eyes. Wings fluttered. The waxy man’s lean face flashed, his mouth twisting
into a snarl. Emma's gray eyes danced and her cherry stained lips opened,
calling Erik’s name. The song resonated through it all, curling in and out,
filling the air like a choir.
    You must find another
way.
    "Wake up. You’re
having a nightmare."
    Erik’s eyes ripped open.
He grabbed Rolf’s tunic, bunching the homespun fabric up in his fingers.
    "Hey! Watch out,"
said Rolf,