The farmer laughed again. “I’ve seen Old Barr with my own two eyes, though not in decades. Believe me, no immortal being would be more wrinkles than skin. What person in their right mind would believe in such rubbish? These people have so little excitement in their lives that they have to invent fantasies to have something to talk about. Myself, I have too much work to do to get involved in idle chatter.”
Apparently, you still have plenty of time to listen in on all the “idle chatter,” Nerissa thought, sharing a glance with Raysel.
“I guess there are advantages and disadvantages to living in a small town,” Raysel commented.
“Now that’s the truth! My farm is a few miles off in the other direction, and I’m sure there’s no shortage of rumors about my kin and me either.” The man stood and began gathering squash in his arms. “Do you find the quality of my ‘goods’ satisfactory?”
“Indeed, I do,” Raysel answered. He handed the man a five gold coin and accepted a pumpkin and three of the squash in return.
Though her arms were now thoroughly numb, Nerissa smiled resolutely as the man piled the remaining three squash between the top of the pumpkin and her chin. She could just imagine the looks on their companions’ faces when they returned with enough gourds to feed them for a week.
Chapter 12
Over the Wall
Nerissa
Nerissa never would have guessed it was possible, but the road between the village of Kisoji and Barr’s estate was in worse condition than any they had previously encountered. In fact, it was so densely riddled with bumps, ruts, and grooves that it was almost a misnomer to call it a road at all. While the conditions weren’t particularly problematic for those on horseback, the same could not be said for her three companions driving or riding inside the wagon. Nerissa cringed sympathetically when the wagon dropped into one of the numerous craters and lurched precipitously, sending Leal skidding sideways along the driver’s bench into Jarold’s shoulder.
No sooner had it righted itself than the side window was thrown open, and Rian’s head popped out, his expression fierce enough to send a swarm of angry bees back to its hive. “Can someone please explain to me how this is supposed to be better for my health than riding?” he demanded. “This road—if you can call it that at this point—is so bad that even the potholes have potholes. Jarold, Leal, stop the wagon so I can get out!”
His appeal, however, elicited no response from either one of them.
“I don’t think they can hear you over the horses,” Raysel said.
“Raysel, either let me out right now, or I swear I will let myself out by climbing through this window.”
“You’ve nearly recovered from your injuries. I don’t think you really want to reopen them by tumbling out of a moving wagon,” Raysel said. “If you’re really that uncomfortable, I’ll ask Jarold to stop so we can saddle Keme for you.”
“Uncomfortable?” Rian squawked. “A seesaw would provide a more stable ride!”
Nerissa stifled a giggle but not quickly enough.
“What do you find so funny?” Rian snapped.
Her eyes narrowed, and she arched one brow coolly. “Wait a minute, Raysel. Let’s not be hasty. Releasing that beast may not be such a good idea after all. What if his barking frightens the horses?”
Rian’s lips pressed into a thin line. Before he could respond, the wagon hit yet another bump, jarring the window loose so that it dropped onto the back of his shoulders. A string of curses instantly poured from his mouth, which was mercifully muffled when he yanked his head back inside and slammed the window shut.
After that, there was no need for Raysel to ask Jarold to stop. Rian’s outburst caught his attention, and he brought the wagon to a halt on his own. He twisted around in the driver’s seat to cast a quizzical look back at the rest of the group. “What’s all the commotion about?”
“Rian wants out,” Raysel answered simply.
“I don’t blame him. My aching backside wouldn’t complain about a short break,” Jarold said.
Leal’s head bobbed in commiseration. “I could use a break myself. Although I like Jarold, I’m quite tired of sliding into his lap every few minutes. Besides, it would be a good idea to check over the wagon too. I started to hear an odd rattling about a half mile back.”
Raysel looked up to where dark clouds were gathering in the western sky. “It looks like it may rain soon, so Caeneus and I will ride ahead while you do that.”
“Not without me,” came a muffled shout.
“Think it’s safe to let him out?” Raysel quipped.
“If we don’t, I have a feeling it won’t be the road that tears the wagon to pieces,” Nerissa said with a wink. “Still, Rian may lose his temper quickly, but he cools down just as fast. I’m sure he’ll be back to his usual self by the time we get to the estate.”
“Caeneus, Rian, and I will ride ahead while you check the wagon,” Raysel amended loudly enough for Rian to hear. “Cole, saddle Keme. We’re leaving as soon as Rian is ready.”
Alba tossed his head, mirroring the frustration Nerissa felt as she studied the wrought iron gate that blocked them from reaching the manor. Though the ornate filigree of the ironwork was beautiful—and clearly crafted to impress visitors—the estate’s atmosphere could not have been less welcoming. Ominous clouds continued to collect overhead, cluttering the sky and covering everything in a gray pall. All of the windows were shuttered. Not a hint of light or life leaked through the slats. Ivy had engulfed the bottom half of the building, giving the appearance that the house rested in a nest of greenery. Though Nerissa couldn’t put her finger on it, something about the ivy seemed out of place.
None of those things looked as inhospitable as the stone wall. Standing more than ten feet high and extending as far as the eye could see, it completely encircled the grounds. Even the wall surrounding the Royal Manor hadn’t been that tall. Nerissa supposed that the difference arose from the fact that the one around the Royal Manor was intended to serve as a demarcation of the property limits, not prevent intruders. Regardless of how opulent the estate must once have been, this wall was clearly intended to keep people out.
The gate and the wall were not the only things about this place making Nerissa uncomfortable, however. She scowled and rubbed her ear for what seemed like the hundredth time, despite knowing that doing so would not rid her of the pervasive humming sound. At first, it had been so faint she couldn’t tell if she was really hearing anything at all, but the closer they got to the house, the louder the sound grew.
“Well, if the heat of Caeneus’ gaze could melt metal, we would be inside already,” Raysel said wryly. “Since that approach doesn’t seem to be working, we’re going to have to find a different way in. There’s bound to be another opening in the wall somewhere.”
Rian shifted in Keme’s saddle. “Are we sure there’s any point in trying? There’s no sign that anyone lives here anymore.”
“We need to go inside even if the place is empty. We have to find out what the source of this noise is,” Nerissa said, rubbing her ear again.
“What noise?” Rian asked.
Raysel and Nerissa turned to him with identical expressions of incredulity.
“The annoying hum,” Raysel answered. “It seems to be coming from somewhere near the house.”
Nerissa nodded in agreement. “It’s distinct enough now that I can hear the pitch rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Can’t you hear it too?”
Rian looked baffled. “Are you trying to trick me?”
“You really can’t hear it? It sounds like the buzzing of a bee,” Raysel said.
“Why can you two hear it and I can’t?”
“I’m not sure, but I don’t think Caeneus and I are the only ones,” Raysel said. He pointed to Borak’s ears, which were in constant motion, twitching side to side. Keme’s and Alba’s were also rapidly flicking around as if the animals were trying to locate the source of the sound.
Rian tilted hi
s head to the side, straining to catch a hint of the sound. “I can’t hear anything out of the ordinary.”
“I wonder why you can’t hear it,” Nerissa said. She cast an uneasy look toward the house. “Still, whatever the reason, we can’t find the source or the book if we don’t go inside.” A soft pattering sprang up, and a fat, cold drop of water splattered against the back of her hand.
Rian pulled the hood of his cloak over his head and urged Keme into motion. “Then we will have to find a different way in—and the sooner, the better.”
Nerissa pulled up her own hood and pressed her legs into Alba’s flank, nudging him to follow Rian and Raysel along the perimeter of the wall. Fortunately, it was not long before their efforts were rewarded. Just out of view from the front of the house was a smaller side gate. The distinct lack of rust on its hinges made it apparent that this entrance was used far more recently—and frequently—than the main one. It swung open easily, emitting a soft squeak in the process.
There was a hitching rail conveniently located beside the gate, so they tied up the horses and set off in the direction of the house. The gate was merely the first piece of evidence that the estate was not as uninhabited as it initially appeared. Inside, there were many more telltale signs. A short distance ahead, a pair of chickens scurried across the gravel path, clucking furiously and leaving a trail of feathers in their wake. All around, the grass was lush and green, neatly trimmed, and free of weeds. Even the ivy growing up the exterior had been carefully cut back to keep the doorway clear. Wispy curls of smoke rose from the nearest chimney into the gloomy autumn sky.
If Nerissa were thinking logically, she would have been elated by the knowledge that the estate was indeed inhabited. Yet something else had captured her attention. Halfway between the house and the gate loomed another walled area. Judging by the canopy of trees rising over the top, it was a garden of some kind.
With every step Nerissa took forward, the humming sound grew louder until it became so intense it ensnared all of her senses. It beckoned, drawing her to it like a moth to a flame. She was barely aware of the gravel shifting and crunching beneath the soles of her feet. The hum rose and fell within her body, pulsing like blood through her veins. She veered off the path, her feet carrying her toward the wall of their own accord.
“It’s coming from here,” Raysel murmured dreamily, drawing up beside her at the base of the wall.
“The sound is coming from inside there?” Rian asked. “We shouldn’t go in without going to the house first.”
Raysel ignored Rian and reached out, jiggling the handle of the door to the garden. “It’s locked,” he said.
Rian grabbed Raysel by the shoulders from behind and shook him. “Did you hear me? What’s wrong with you? If you want to see what’s inside, we should go to the house and ask them to open the door.”
“No, I have to get to the source of the sound. I guess we’ll have to climb over the wall,” Raysel said, unaffected by Rian’s attempt to rouse him.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Nerissa agreed. She grasped the top of a protruding stone and wedged her toes into a gap, lifting herself from the ground.
“What? No, no, no!” Rian exclaimed. “Why am I suddenly the voice of reason?”
Heedless of Rian’s consternation, Nerissa moved her foot to the next gap just in time to elude his lunging grasp. She was carried upward by an all-consuming desire to reach the source of the noise. It was so tantalizingly close now that she could hardly bear the anticipation.
After hoisting herself onto the top of the wall, she grabbed an overhanging limb and shinnied down the tree trunk. Raysel and Rian dropped to the ground beside her seconds later, but her eyes were fixated ahead. Standing in the center of the garden was a ring of six geodes, each nearly as tall as Nerissa, that had been cut in half to expose their crystal-encrusted interiors. They were beautiful, mesmerizing.
Although Nerissa felt Rian’s hands pulling at her clothes, she was too busy reveling in the giddy feeling that encompassed her. It flowed out from the pillars like an unseen river, and she longed to touch it. Drowning in it would be bliss. Her hand extended forward, straining toward one of the crystal points which was now only inches beyond her reach. Beside her, Raysel did the same.
Nerissa didn’t hear his exclamation of pain. She didn’t see him crumple to the ground. Her fingers kissed the cool stone, and a jolt of fire shot through her body. For the briefest moment, she saw a green-eyed woman sitting at the center of the ring where no one had been a moment before. Blackness laced in from the edges of her vision, and a distant part of her knew she was falling. Immediately before consciousness slipped away, she heard a voice cry out her name, and a pair of warm arms enveloped her.
Chapter 13
One Less Obligation
Nerissa
Nerissa opened her eyes a short time later to find herself in a spacious, but sparsely furnished room. Feeble gray light filtered in through rain-streaked window panes, and a fire crackled in the hearth on the opposite wall. The constant humming in her ears had gone back to being a gentle, distant buzz. Though the privacy curtains hanging between the elaborately carved bedposts obscured most of her surroundings, she could see enough to conclude that this was a room inside the manor. She could also see that she wasn’t alone. Raysel stalked back and forth across the foot of the bed, the floorboards creaking with his every step while Rian leaned against one of the posts. That was odd. Normally, Rian would be the one doing the stalking, while Raysel would be the one behaving calmly. It didn’t take long for Nerissa to realize why their roles were reversed.
“Keep your voice down. Do you want our conversation to be overheard?” Raysel rasped, his voice tight with restraint. “To answer your question, no, that’s not what it was like at all.”
Rian huffed in vexation, but he kept his tone low as well. “Well, if you didn’t lose control, how else can you explain your behavior? The two of you walked into that trap like lambs to the slaughter! You’re supposed to be her guardian. How exactly can you say you were keeping her safe when you weren’t even in control of yourself?”
Nerissa snapped her eyes shut as soon as she realized they were talking about her. It wasn’t right to eavesdrop, but she was too curious to speak up. There would be no harm in pretending to be asleep for a little while longer.
She heard Raysel sigh heavily, and the creaking of the floorboards slowed. “I’d like to say I don’t know what came over me, but I do. I remember every bit of it. The attraction to that place was irresistible. Being near that ring of geodes was absolutely exhilarating.”
“It must have been,” Rian murmured. “You were so caught up in the moment that nothing I said or did got through to either one of you.”
“Are you really sure we were in danger? It’s hard to believe. I can’t remember the last time I felt this good.”
“If you doubt you were in danger, then you’re still not thinking clearly!” Rian hissed. Nerissa could feel the bedpost shaking from his animated gestures. “Use your eyes! You may have recovered quickly, but Caeneus hasn’t awakened.”
“I can’t explain it,” Raysel said softly. “It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. She must have felt the same thing.”
Nerissa silently agreed with him. Weren’t you supposed to be tired or weary after fainting? Like Raysel, she couldn’t remember ever being so energized.
“What if there is another place that has the same effect on the two of you? How can you protect her then?” Rian asked.
Rian’s accusation must have struck a nerve. The creaking halted, and when Raysel spoke again, his voice was a raging whisper. “What are you insinuating? That I shouldn’t be her guardian? That you would be a better choice because you were unaffected? Because if you think that—”
Rian cut him off. “Raysel, don’t take that line of thought any further. There is no one more fit to be her guardian than you. You’ve misunderstood my point. I’m bothered as much by my own inabi
lities as by yours.”
Nerissa had only seen Raysel lose his temper once before, so she couldn’t resist the urge to open her eyes a sliver and peek at the pair.
“I know, I know. It still stings, even if you don’t mean it to be an insult,” Raysel replied, rubbing his face with one hand. Nerissa felt the bedpost shake again as Rian nodded his head. “I’m painfully aware of my inability to resist that place, but what do you mean by your inabilities?”
This time, it was Rian who sighed. “While you were being drawn into that place, I couldn’t see or hear anything out of the ordinary. How am I supposed to protect her—or you—from something that I can’t sense? You have no idea how helpless I felt when you both collapsed. I couldn’t do anything but catch her before she fell.” His voice cracked as he said the last part.
Nerissa was so astonished by his rare display of emotion that her eyes flew all the way open. Just as they did, a woman who appeared to be in her early thirties entered the room, pushing the door open without stopping to knock.
“Good, you’re both awake,” she said when her eyes met Nerissa’s.
Rian’s and Raysel’s heads swung toward the bed. Neither of them said a word, but Nerissa could see that Rian’s cheeks were flushed. He was probably wondering how much she had heard.
“I thought you would appreciate some water,” the woman announced. She strode across the room to place the tray she carried on the nightstand beside the bed. “Now that you’ve had ample time to recover, it would be best if the three of you were on your way.”
“We couldn’t possibly…,” Rian began.
“Impose on our hospitality any further?” The woman finished his sentence with a curt smile. Her gaze lingered on Raysel and Rian, who now wore their hair loose and draped down their backs to dry faster. Her eyes shifted toward the fireplace where three swords stood propped against the drying rack that held their cloaks.
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