by D. E. Morris
“I think that is a good place to begin, yes.”
Connor nodded his approval. “He might know of a good place for me and Badru to stay while you and Mairead go up to Cynefin, too.”
“I noticed your new tattoos.” Badru quirked a brow at the couple. “Does this mean you are officially recruits?”
They grinned at one another in pride, Connor answering for the both of them. “Yep. We had them done when we were visiting Gia on Dragonspire. Speaking of Gia, where did she go?”
“That is something we were still trying to figure out,” Badru confessed, his expression grim. “I suggest covering up your mark before returning to Rhiamon's village, Lilia. As much as it protects you, it exposes you to new dangers as well.”
She pulled the sleeve of her traveling gown down, but shrugged at the same time. “I'm not all that worried about it. Quite honestly, I'd be surprised if she didn't see it when I was there last time. The things she had Rowan and I wearing didn't have any sleeves at all, if you can imagine.” Her cheeks flushed and she shook her head. “At least we were more covered than the Nagini women.”
“I'm glad I didn't bring Nyx this time,” Connor admitted. “She would not have done well with all of those people herding us like that. She doesn't like a lot of strangers anyway. Really, she doesn't like a lot of people who aren't me in general. Rowan seems to be the exception.”
“You and Rowan share genetic makeup,” Badru told him. “It makes sense that your dragon would feel a connection to a blood relative of yours that you show favor to.”
Connor's brows lifted. “Really? They can tell that?”
“Oh, yes! They can also detect disease and defect...”
Lilia glanced over her shoulder as the two men dove deep into the subject of dragons, aware of how quiet Mairead had become. She'd fallen a few steps behind the group as well, her gaze as far away as her thoughts appeared to be. When Lilia pulled her hand free from Connor's, he barely noticed as she dropped back beside her friend. She said nothing at first, only gave her a smile of encouragement and walked beside her in the hope that Mairead would offer whatever was on her mind freely. When it became obvious that was not going to happen, Lilia took the initiative.
“You've been awfully quiet for the past ten or fifteen minutes.” Mairead's returning smile was thin and fleeting, but she did not respond. “I see you're wearing Niam's pin in your sash. Does that mean what I think it means?”
“It means nothing,” Mairead replied softly, “only that it brings me comfort.”
Lilia eyed her friend, a line of sadness between her brows. “Are you frightened?”
“Not frightened, really. Since the games, since the explosion there has been this...” She clutched at the neckline of her dress and shook her head. “I cannot explain it and you would not understand unless you have felt it before. You would think me mad.”
Lilia took her free hand. “Mairead, I would never think that!” She huffed to herself. “I wish I had never thought to bring you along. This was a terrible idea.”
“No, not if everything you told us about this woman is correct. I want to do this, Lilia. I do. Yet sometimes the things we want to do, the things we know we have to do can make us feel like we want to crawl out of our skin.” The way Lilia looked at her made Mairead frown. “That is only part of it. In the middle of it all, I cannot breathe or think straight. I want to scream and tear at myself because it feels like the only thing I can to do.”
“Mairead...”
“Niam understands that. He understands me and I think he is confusing that for something else.”
Lilia's forehead wrinkled. “Right, because he couldn't possibly have true feelings for you. Whether you see it yourself or not, you are beautiful. You are lovely both inside and out. He'd be insane not to fall for you.” Though the men kept on walking, she took both of Mairead's hands in her own and made her stop to face her. “I'm sorry that I didn't know it was so hard for you.”
“I will be fine, I promise. My only fear is that I will say the wrong thing or act the wrong way.”
“If you feel, even for a second, that you are uncomfortable or that you aren't safe, we will leave. You have my word.”
Mairead nodded, taking a deep breath. “But the objective is to gather as much information as we can during the duration of our stay.”
“If these people are responsible for the bombing at the games and are spearheading the purge movement, we need to know so that we can eliminate them before their reach grows too wide.”
“That is correct,” Badru called back, waiting just a few feet ahead. He and Connor had paused when they realized the girls were no longer right behind them. “You may discover they have ties to the Rabia poisonings as well.”
Lilia let go of Mairead and the two moved forward to join the men. “I thought Ashlynn said Merrik was involved somehow.”
“That is the belief, yes, but anything is possible at this point.”
When they finally reached the edge of town, Lilia led the group toward the shop the Keeper owned. Connor convinced them all to let him go just in case anyone was watching that might have seen Lilia leave with the shop keeper last time. With his pack lashed tight to his back and a cap to hide his red hair, he entered like any other villager and strolled around with wandering eyes. Sure enough, the man Lilia described sat to the side next to a counter, sewing a ribbon into a bonnet. He glanced up as Connor came in and gave him a polite smile before returning to his work.
“Good day, sir!”
“Good day,” Connor replied, looking around with a casual air. “How's business?”
“Oh, I can't complain. I mean, I suppose I could, but what good would that do me?” They shared a polite laugh before the man looked up from his work once more. “Are you looking for anything in particular? I sell mostly women's clothing here but I do take custom orders and can certainly craft you something fine. If you're looking for jewelry or trinkets, my sister runs a shop called the Dancing Dragon just a few doors down that will have any lady you're looking to woo melting faster than a candle left out in the summer sun.”
Connor chuckled as he strolled over the wooden floor toward the man. “I'm actually in the market for a new shirt. When I left home I packed in such a hurry that I took my brother's shirt by accident, and the sleeves are just a little too short. See?” He thrust his left arm out, purposely overextending it to make the sleeve come up just enough to reveal the bottom edges of the tattoo on his wrist.
“I see,” the shop keeper breathed, leaning in for a closer look. He touched the edge of the sleeve and pushed it up just enough to see the full tattoo before pulling the fabric down. “Now that I think of it, I did have a young man about your size order a few shirts from me a couple of weeks ago. He never came by to get them so I've just got them sitting out back if you want to take a look.”
“Wouldn't that be a happy coincidence?”
“Indeed, it would!” He set his work down and stood. “Adelisia!” A girl of about twelve popped her head out from under a counter on the other side of the store. “Oh, there you are. Mind the store a minute.” He waved his hand, beckoning Connor to follow him. “That's my daughter. She's a handful, but she's cute and cute sells clothes.” He held back a dingy white curtain that separated the front of the store from the rear. Connor passed through before the shop keeper followed him and let the curtain drop. “I thought I recognized you from the lake. Are your friends with you?”
“I brought some new friends this time, but Lilia is with me; you met her the other day.”
He pointed to a door Connor hadn't seen. “Bring them in through here. If I'm not here when you return, I will be shortly. Try to be as quiet as possible.”
“Thank you.” Connor unlatched the door and poked his head out to peek down a back alley. When he was certain it was clear, he ducked out and hurried to the edge of town where he'd left the others. Though no one paid them any special attention, they made sure to keep out of sight when possi
ble, keeping their heads down and their faces hidden until they filed into the back of the shop. Sure enough, in just a few minutes, the shop keeper joined them with a wide smile of greeting for Lilia.
“Glad to see you made it there and back again in one piece.”
“You and me both.”
He glanced over Badru and Mairead, who had fastened her veil over her face, then returned his attention to Lilia and Connor. “It isn't safe to talk here.” Moving around the small space, he lifted an old dusty rug to reveal a square that had been cut into the floor. It was barely visible until he took a hook from the wall and stuck it into a tiny hole to lift the square away. A simple ladder led down into a dark tunnel below the shop. “It isn't as spooky as it looks,” he promised. “Follow me.” Taking the ladder first, he headed down without waiting to see if anyone was coming. They all looked at one another in question until Badru gave them a nod. Connor led the group, seeing the flare of a torch being lit as he descended. Lilia went soon after, then Mairead, with Badru at the tail end, sliding the door shut atop the hole without being asked.
They were surprised to find the ladder went down far enough to be at least two stories underground, opening up into a space wider than the back of the shop. It was cool and quiet. Somewhere in the dark, they could hear the sound of dripping water, and somewhere farther away, the sound like a river.
“What is this place?” Lilia asked.
“This is the burrows.” The man moved about, lighting more torches and candles. “It's a series of tunnels that runs under the city. We have one that runs to the river, one that runs to the mountain. There used to be one that ran all the way out toward the capital, but it caved in a few years ago from disuse.”
Badru trailed his hand along the smooth packed earth all around him. “What are these tunnels used for?”
“Not much anymore.” The large, empty space was well lit now and there was little else to be seen. “We come down here for maintenance on the off chance they ever need to be used again, but back when the tunnels were dug out, they were used in helping Gaels escape. There are five separate bunkers down here large enough to house some small families for a few days. When Tadhg first took the throne and started going through all the Celtique Nations trying to eradicate the Gaels, we were sure he was going to come for us eventually. Granted, we've never had many Gaels down here, they seem to be more up north, but we've always had our fair share. For some reason, his attacks were always either halfhearted or ill-planned and never really went anywhere. We were able to house some families down here when they needed sanctuary, though, and that's what matters most.” He looked at Lilia and Connor. “Sounds like they may yet be needed again.”
“It is likely, yes,” Lilia answered. She laid a hand on Mairead's arm. “My friend and I are going back to Rhiamon's village to try to gather some more information. Though it has not been long since I last saw you, a great deal has taken place. My high king and queen have reason to believe Rhiamon and her people may have something to do with some terrible events that have occurred.”
“I wouldn't put it past her.”
“Are any of the bunkers still hospitable? Obviously we can't all go up there if she only favors women.”
He shook his head, his brow wrinkling. “Oh, they're perfectly fine, certainly, but I can provide better lodgings than that.”
Lilia exhaled in relief. “Thank you.” With a perplexed smile, she gave a quiet laugh. “I feel so foolish, but I don't even know your name.”
He grinned and extended his hand to her. “Gerwyn Pryce.” After kissing the back of Lilia's hand, he took Mairead's and did the same to her as Lilia introduced all of them. “Prince Connor,” he said in surprise, bowing when the young man was introduced last. “Here I don't even know what the high prince of my own country looks like and now I've met the one belonging to Ibays. That definitely settles it, then. No prince is going to sleep in an underground bunker. Come on. Follow me.”
With torch held aloft, Gerwyn led the group down a dark tunnel to the left, leading under the shop and toward the heart of the city. The four of them linked hands, forming a chain behind the shop keeper as he took sharp, random turns that kept them guessing. He muttered to himself as he went, pausing every now and then to get his bearings before jerking forward once more when his memory kicked in. If any of them had been hopeful in mapping out their journey, it would have been impossible. The only light available to them was Gerwyn's torch, which left Mairead and Badru to follow the others in darkness and hope nothing was coming up behind them. If he wanted to, Badru could have summoned fyre, but until he felt surer of his surroundings, he wanted to keep the fact that he was an Elemental to himself.
“Stay here,” Gerwyn said to the group after a time. He handed Connor his torch, then disappeared into the darkness. The four of them stood completely still, listening to the scuffling of his footsteps and the sound of the rushing river that was much closer than it had been by the shop. Lilia tightened her grip on Connor's hand as well as her grasp of Mairead's, holding her breath as she waited.
“Badru?” she whispered.
“I am still here.”
The sound of gravel crunching underfoot in the distance stopped, only to be replaced by the soft pad of feet climbing the wooden rungs of a ladder. A knock sounded hollow and far away, then came the scrape of stone against stone, followed by silence. The group stayed where they were, listening to the river and the sound of the torch Connor held, peering through the dark as the seconds ticked by. Lilia was certain Mairead would start panicking at any moment, but it seemed she was the calmer of the pair, whispering words of encouragement each time she felt Lilia squeeze her hand. When at long last they could hear Gerwyn returning, the winged woman nearly doubled over with relief.
“This way,” he told them in a quiet, cheerful tone, taking the torch back from Connor. They were led down a final tunnel that ended with the suspected ladder. Light poured down from a square hole above, blocked only by the silhouette of a man. “That's Kyo, he's a friend.” The silhouette reached down to offer a helping hand to Connor, grasping his forearm to pull him up. In doing so, he revealed a familiar faded tattoo on the inside of his left wrist. Once Connor was up, he turned and helped pull Lilia up, then the rest before moving the stone slab back in place and covering it with a blanket and a bookcase.
“Phew,” Kyo groaned, wiping sweat from his brow. “I am too old to lift that stone anymore.” If his appearance was accurate, he was much older than Gerwyn, with long gray hair, a mustache and a beard that reached halfway down his broad chest. His slanted eyes were wrinkled and his cheeks sagged with jowls, but his face was kind as he looked the newcomers over. “Welcome to my home. Who wants tea?”
With the shades drawn, neither Gerwyn nor Kyo seemed worried about the strangers being there, and the group began to relax. Kyo's home was big enough for a small family, but he told them that it was just him there now. Though he initially offered tea to everyone, as he talked, he began preparing an entire meal. Badru was taken by his shelves of books, and the two older Keepers were thrilled to tell tales of the old days to the two newest members.
“You're brave to go back up there,” Kyo told the girls. He laid mismatched pottery out on the table in the center of the room and wiped sweat from his brow. “You are also wise to bring these two with you. You're welcome to stay as long as you like. I can tell people we're all brothers.” As everyone helped themselves to the food provided, laughter rippled around the table from all but Mairead, who simply ate in quiet observation.
“You said that things have been happening since you were last here,” Gerwyn reminded Lilia, cutting up some of the meat on his plate. “Can you fill us in?”
In between bites, Connor, Badru, and Lilia told the two men what had taken place with the family of Gaels, the Rabia poisonings, and the stringing up of the dragons in the villages.
Gerwyn shook his head in utter confusion. “How does an entire village sleep through something lik
e that? You can't string up an animal that size, dead or alive, without making a ruckus, let alone three of them.”
“The same way you poison an entire castle,” Kyo pointed out. “You slip something into their drinking water, their wine.” He held up his steaming mug. “Their tea.”
Lilia made a face. “Is nothing safe anymore?”
“My tea is safe,” Kyo assured with a wink.
Connor sat back with a full belly and wrapped his hands around his tankard of warm beer. “Have either of you heard of anything like that happening down here?”
Kyo and Gerwyn looked at each other, both of them shaking their heads. “No,” Gerwyn answered, “but that isn't surprising. Like I said, our Gaels are few and far between. It's the sympathizers we're really going to have to look out for down here.”
“Especially if Rhiamon likes to cut out their tongues before she makes them join her little cult,” Lilia spat. “What can you tell us about her? Gerwyn told me a little the other day, but anything else that you think might be helpful before Mairead and I head up there would be much appreciated.”
Once more the two men looked at each other, silently volleying for which of them would go first. “Her name,” Kyo started, “means 'witch queen' in the old language, the language she and her people still speak. No one knows if it's her real name or one she's adopted, only that she takes great pride in it. She likes to take young girls and entice them up to her village, whereupon few of them are rarely seen or heard from again. She has no use for men – well, that's not entirely true. She has one use for them, and one use only.”
Lilia nodded and looked to Connor for confirmation. “When we were there, we noticed the number of women compared to men was rather disproportionate.”
“Females had multiple dwellings compared to the few for men,” Connor told them.
Gerwyn nodded. “She believes women have more power and are more adept in magics than men. They are also more pliable and willing to obey.”
“And she has an eye for pretty things,” Kyo added. “If she sees a man who is attractive, she will not hesitate in adding him to her collection. However, they do not call women the fairer sex for nothing. If something doesn't please her, she either discards it or she fixes it.”