Free Veiled Shadows (The Age of Alandria: Book Two) by Morgan Wylie

anticipated, but looking around at her companions as golden tears trickled down her face, she realized they had no other choice. All of their energies had been joined together to get her to project her own energy further than she had been able to before, but something had changed... shifted... with the activation of the prophecy and Kaeleigh’s own power. They knew they had their opportunity and acted quickly to take it. Unfortunately, it hadn’t lasted as long as they had hoped. Eva frowned with despair. “I did not get to tell her where we were.” She looked down. “I am sorry.”
    “But it worked?” Cley-una asked as she walked up to Eva, extending her a hand to lift her up.
    Nodding, she looked up to Cley-una, accepting her hand with a twinkle in he eyes. “It worked. I could touch her and hold her.” More tears flowed as she smiled. “She is beautiful, Cley.”
    “Well, of course she is, she is your daughter.” Cley-una smiled sweetly.
    An interruption from another of the Ferrishyn in the group: “You were able to enlighten her?”
    “I believe so. I did not have much time, but I explained as much as I could.” Eva looked up into the faces of all those who had been trapped with her in this place of darkness for much too long. “She is strong. Much stronger than I gave her credit for. And those she is with will help her.” Eva looked back at Cley-una and Dy’lánd confidently. “Daegan will find his path. I know he will, she is too stubborn to let him fall to the darkness. I saw it in her eyes and in her heart.”
    “We have done what we can to make a drastic impression. Now it is up to them.” The old Ferrishyn warrior spoke gruffly with finality.
    “I have given her direction. Although she needs to find Brandt—she will need him.” The others nodded in agreement, the only problem being that they hadn’t even been able to find him all these years. “She has Nithylríth , it has found her,” Eva mentioned with a victorious smile. “She just needs to complete the un-warding ritual by making her way back from the In-between.” Eva wrung her hands a bit nervously, but then nodded to herself as she came to her own determination that of course Kaeleigh would make it back.
    Cley-una stayed by Eva’s side as the others began to scoot away from where they had gathered. Just then they heard a tortured noise and felt the mountain tremble.
    “Nooooo!!” Screams echoed from the vast interior of the cavernous mountain.

 
     
    CHAPTER EIGHT
     
    Kaeleigh’s body relaxed. Her breathing slowed to normal. Color returned to her skin even though she was left with creamy pearlized skin. Everyone stared at her with anticipation and awe as her body, magic still hovering above it, was slowly changing her into her true image. She had traditional Faerie features: the narrow yet delicately pointed ears, sharp facial features that enhanced her slightly rounded face, long graceful fingers. She still had most of her “Kaeleigh” features but they seemed to be more accentuated—everything about her was simply “more.” More defined. More enhanced. More alive . She even appeared to be taller, perhaps a bit disproportioned from her human form, but then again she wasn’t human. Even closed, her eyes seemed to be larger and her mouth took on a slight pout; there was an edge to her that hadn’t been there before if you were looking carefully, which Daegan and the rest of her friends were—definitely looking. She was beautiful. Dangerously beautiful.
    And Daegan recognized her.
    Looking at her now, he wasn’t sure how he had missed it before, but she most definitely was the girl of his dreams. Or rather, the girl from his dreams. The one who he had been visiting random events of the past with. The one he was drawn to, but could never reach. He didn’t know how to react... couldn’t figure out what this could mean or why. He simply stared with a frown.
    Intakes of breath came from Chel as she clasped her hands