Night Veil

by Galenorn, Yasmine

  “You come for your friend, not for yourself. Bless you for that, child. I cannot come to your house—it is too close to my woodland and Myst. But wait—there may be a way I can help.” She snapped her fingers, and one of her serving girls knelt beside her. “Bring me Astralis.”

  The girl silently jogged off. As we sat there, I longed to beg Lainule to reconsider, to find a way to save Grieve from Myst’s clutches, but I knew that might endanger her willingness to help us with Kaylin.

  “Lady, may I ask you something?” I might not be able to ask about Grieve, but there was something I could venture to discuss.

  “What, child?”

  “My father. I’d like to meet him.” I only knew that his name was Wrath, and that he was one of the Uwilahsidhe.

  Lainule frowned. “It is not the time, but soon—soon, I think. There are so many things that could tip the scales of fate, Cicely. And I hold many of their threads in my hands. If you meet him, if you find out your parentage, how will it affect the war? And make no mistake: War is upon us.”

  I considered her words. Begging wouldn’t work, nor would whining, so I shelved the thought for the time being. “Then tell me, how can I keep out of Lannan’s clutches?”

  This brought a cloud across her face. “Oh, my child, I wish I’d talked to you before you made your deal; I could have warned you about how to proceed. But we were worried it might change your mind. And we needed you to take the contract. These are dark days, and darker still to come. The world is clouded with pain, and Myst’s people are not confined to the Golden Wood.”

  “You mean there really are others?”

  “While the Queen herself makes her home in my lands, her people have spread throughout the world. But if we can strike the heart of the hive, then we have a chance to break all of the swarms. For there is only one Queen; there is only one mother of the race. And make no mistake: Myst would conquer the world if she could, cloak it in an eternal winter, and keep both the magic-born and the yummanii as cattle—one for soul drinking, the other for blood and flesh.”

  “What about Lannan?”

  She hung her head and for once, she was no longer Lainule the tattered Queen of Summer, but a woman, like me. She reached out and took my hands. “I wish I could help, but oh my dear, there is nothing I can do to stop him. Regina favors him, and if I were to step in, she might break the pact and the vampires need the Summer Fae, even if they don’t realize it. They would not win alone against Myst and her people.”

  “So I’m sacrifice to his whims.” I stared at her hands as they held mine. “I made the bargain, I didn’t think. I just was hoping . . .”

  “I’m sorry, so sorry.”

  At that moment, the girl returned with a silver bowl. Lainule motioned for her to leave, then dipped it into the silent lake, filling it full with the warm water of summer. She waved her hand over it, whispering something, and leaned close. As I watched, she breathed on the water and then closed her eyes.

  Her eyes flew open and she looked up at me. “Cicely, Kaylin is in danger. He’s evolving on his path. His demon is trying to wake. Unless he receives the help he needs, he will slide forever into a dark hole in his mind and never regain consciousness. There is no time to waste. You must journey into the Court of Dreams and bring back the spell that will waken his demon.” She placed her hands on my shoulders. “You must journey to the home of the Bat People. It is a long, dangerous path, but there is no choice. It’s the only way if you want to save Kaylin.”

  Chapter 4

  I stared at the Summer Queen. “The Court of Dreams? You seriously want me to go into another plane in search of the Bat People?”

  Lainule gazed at me. “It’s not what I want, child. The journey depends on whether you value your friend’s life. I would not have you go, except Kaylin plays an important part in your future—that much I can tell you. If his demon does not wake, you will never recover him and this will change the course of the war against the Indigo Court. Whether for good or ill, I do not know, but I don’t like playing with the future once it’s told me its secrets.”

  A hummingbird, sparkling green with hints of blue, darted around my head, beating its wings furiously. The creature was beautiful, almost ephemeral. A gust of wind could knock it senseless. A year or two and it would probably be dead. And yet still it fed, and seemed happy, and took no notice of the future.

  “To be so carefree,” I whispered.

  Lainule followed my gaze to the bird. “The hummingbird is no more carefree than you are. She must eat, and eat often. She must build her nest to lay her eggs and hope that predators stay away while she incubates them, and later, while she is off fetching food for the chicks. She must avoid flying into buildings or other stationary objects. She must avoid being caught by birds of prey and cats and anything else that might want to eat her. The world is her enemy and yet . . .” Lainule held out her hand and whistled, and the hummingbird dove for her, perching on her finger, fluttering its wings a few beats every second.

  “And yet, she trusts in the way of things. She brings joy in her wake. What lessons can you take from her?” She reached out with her other hand and gently stroked the bird’s head, then motioned for me to do the same.

  I felt an odd instinct rise up, one I didn’t like. A part of me—my owl self—wanted to dart forward and snatch up the hummingbird. It was food, prey . . . And yet I was able to control the predator within and, taking a deep breath, I reached out and ran my finger along the back of the bird, reveling in how small and yet how incredible it was.

  “You just faced what will become one of your greatest lessons, I think. When we automatically attack those weaker, we lose incredible opportunities. This is a lesson most of the Cambyra Fae must learn—to hunt only when necessary. What else, child?”

  Exhaling slowly, I thought for a moment. “To persevere, regardless of the odds. To take joy in what I can. To attempt what seems impossible. To soar, despite the effort it takes.”

  “Very good.” She flicked her finger and the hummer raced off.

  I followed it with my gaze as it soared into the distance.

  A lazy breeze wafted past, and I reached out on the slipstream to listen. The sound of fading summer ran through the currents, along with the whispering of leaves on the edge of turning color. The faint thunder of winter’s drums threatened in the distance. And then I understood. I turned to Lainule.

  “Your Court is waning . . . Myst is sucking the life force out of your realm.” My voice was hushed. The thought that the Mistress of Mayhem could destroy not only Lainule’s people, but her very realm, was terrifying. The long winter had truly come, riding the coattails of Summer, with wolves baying.

  Lainule’s face—unlined and clear—fell into sadness, and I wanted to reach out, to wipe away the mourning in her eyes.

  “Yes, child. She is slowly draining me. She has taken over the Golden Wood, and while I can set up Court elsewhere, the woodland contains the Alissanya—my heartstone. I did not have time to retrieve it when they routed us. There was so much terror that night. So many people screaming and so much blood. My guards fought valiantly, but the blood ran like a river through the throne room, through the halls. Even if we reclaim our rightful home, the scent of terror will never vacate the barrow, and the ghosts of my people will linger. I will forever remember their screams. And I could not stop her. Myst’s people fed well.”

  Shivering, I tried to block out the images, but I could see them—it was as if I had connected into Lainule’s memories. The Cambyra Fae, running, screaming, trying to escape as the Shadow Hunters broke through and began to rip them to shreds. The monsters raged that night.

  Pushing aside my nausea, I asked, “Heartstone? I’ve never heard of it. What’s a heartstone?”

  Lainule reached out and tipped my chin up. “I tell you what few outside of my realm know, but since your father . . . since he’s one of my people, I will tell you. And perhaps it will help you against Myst, though I do not want
you running off half-cocked. Do you understand?”

  I opened my mouth and then stopped. My tongue felt thick.

  “I am placing you under a Binding Oath on this one, child. Whatever you promise to me on this matter will hold you to your word.” Her voice was solemn, and I realized that my assent would, indeed, give her power over me.

  “I promise, I won’t do anything rash,” I whispered.

  “A heartstone is part of a Faerie Queen’s heart. When we take the throne, a part of our heart emerges from our body during the ritual and is encapsulated in a gem. The gem is hidden within the depths of our realm. This keeps our land safe; it allows us to shift our lands in and out of the realm of mortals. It is what keeps my realm forever summer . . . it is what helps keep the realm of the Queen of Oceans forever submerged. All Faerie Queens have one.”

  All Faerie Queens? I knew there were several, but I had no clue how many. “Even Myst?”

  Lainule shrugged. “That I do not know. I should think she has to, in order to bring her winter with her, but the ritual may have been tainted, for she did not take the throne until she had been changed by Geoffrey. She was not a Faerie Queen before he got to her.”

  “And if you lose your heartstone?”

  Looking half-sick, she shuddered. “If we ever should lose our heartstone, or if we are driven out of our realm and cannot take it with us, we will fade and become a spirit, doomed to wander the earth like a ghost, and our heartstone will crack. Or . . . if someone finds it, they can destroy it and thus we will die. If Myst finds my heartstone, she can obliterate me.”

  “And it’s still within the Golden Wood.” I breathed out a long, slow breath. Lainule was fading, slipping into the realm of spirit because Myst had taken over her land. “So she hasn’t found it yet?”

  “I guarantee you, if she had, I’d be dead. No, the Alissanya is well hidden still, but it’s in the heart of the wood and there is no chance of reaching it without attracting her notice. As it is, reaching the Court of Dreams is going to be dangerous enough because you must go into the Golden Wood to find your way there.”

  She took her place on the makeshift throne, and I sat cross-legged on the grass next to her, enjoying the warmth from the sun.

  “She looks to cover the world in a new ice age, doesn’t she?” I asked.

  Lainule hung her head. “Perhaps not the world, but her territory, yes. Winter’s banging at the door, and unless we can stop her, there will be no summer to balance out the world. Do you understand why Geoffrey and I had to try? Why we hoped this plague would stop her?”

  Biting my lip, I nodded. “I do, but . . . Grieve. Please don’t tell me to forget him, because I can’t promise you. Not like I did to keep silent about the heartstone. I love him, Lainule—he is a part of me and there’s nothing I can do to change that. But I will be cautious.”

  I picked a blade of grass and chewed on it for a moment. “How do I enter the Court of Dreams? How do I save Kaylin?”

  Lainule smiled then, and once again the sun emerged from behind a lazy cloud. Summer’s tattered robes were still brilliant and beautiful, and not yet fully stripped away. And whatever I could do to keep Myst from destroying the joy of summer, I would willingly do.

  “There is a portal in my realm that leads to the Court of Dreams. It is not near the barrow, so if you are cautious, you should be able to reach it. I would not allow you to journey into Myst’s territory without good reason, but Kaylin . . . he will be needed before this war is over. Once you find the portal, you can enter the Court of Dreams and seek out the Bat People. Ask their shaman for help—explain what happened.”

  “Are they dangerous—the Bat People?”

  Lainule pressed her lips together for a moment, then took my hand. “Child, everyone in your world is dangerous, including your own self. Get used to it—no matter whom you are talking to, they will be a danger. The Bat People are . . . unpredictable. They can be intimidating and they can be terrifying. But they are not unjust. Use caution, use diplomacy, watch your temper.”

  “Can I take someone with me? I can’t do it alone,” I whispered. The thought of facing the journey by myself frightened me. Not only the Shadow Hunters, but also Myst’s spiders and the goblin dogs and tillynoks and other creatures pledged to the Ice Queen haunted the woods.

  “Take Chatter with you. He knows where the portal is.”

  As I jerked my head up, she laughed.

  “Yes—I know you have him with you. I am grateful you were able to save him. He was always a good servant and playmate for Grieve. And take your friend Peyton. She can help you through the woods. Do not take your cousin or the vampire lackey. I do not fully trust him, and your cousin is too unpredictable in her powers yet. Chatter can run camouflage, you and Peyton can shift into animal form . . . both factors may save your lives.”

  “I suppose I’d better be quick about it. When should we leave? If we wait till tomorrow morning when the Shadow Hunters are sleeping off their pain, will it be too long for Kaylin?” I didn’t want to go into the woodland at night. I really didn’t want to face Myst’s people when they were awake and hunting.

  But Lainule dashed my hopes. “No, you must leave soon. Go as soon as you’re home. You may have enough time before nightfall to make it to the portal. I wish I had more help to give, but any additions to your party will call attention. Tell Chatter I entrust your life to his care.”

  And then the Queen of Summer leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “My kiss will not protect you, but may it gird your heart and when you are afraid, remember, the Court of Rivers and Rushes believes in you. I believe you can do this, Cicely. I have faith in you.”

  As her guard led me away, I glanced over my shoulder just in time to see Lainule reach her hand up to catch a sunbeam. It traveled down her arm, bathing her in light, and for a moment, I stood, entranced, watching the glory that was the heart of the Golden Wood. And then the portal opened and I stepped back into the snows of winter.

  Rhiannon shook her head. “How can she ask you to do this? To send you directly into Myst’s clutches? You’re insane to even think about it. Who cares what Lainule wants?”

  Chatter flashed a surprised look at her. “She is the Queen of Rivers and Rushes. The Queen of Cicely’s people, of her father’s people. How can Cicely disobey her? And mind you, this is not for Lainule’s greater good—but your own. Our own. Kaylin is a powerful ally and you call him friend. How could you let him drift forever in the mists of his mind?” He sounded almost hurt.

  I held up my hand. Peyton had stayed, and now she, Rhiannon, Chatter, and I were sitting around the kitchen table. Leo had gone back out—Geoffrey’s errands couldn’t be tabled. And that was fine with me, because I had a feeling he’d object even more than Rhiannon. Leo would want to go to Geoffrey for help, and this was something I didn’t want the vampires to know about.

  “Enough. I’ve already promised. Chatter, you will come with me?”

  “Of course, Miss Cicely.” He smiled softly and quietly set his hand near mine. “I’ll do whatever you need me to.”

  “Peyton? It’s your decision. You are under no obligation to go, but Lainule seems to feel that you would be an asset during this journey.”

  “Hey, how can I open a magical investigations company if I don’t take some risks? Count me in. I’ll call Mother and let her know I’m going to be gone for the night. I won’t tell her what we’re doing, though—I just have a feeling she’ll be happier if she thinks I’m just hanging over here with you guys.” She slid out from her chair and headed over to one corner of the kitchen, flipping open her cell phone.

  Rhiannon was pissed, that much was obvious. She headed for the sink, fuming. I leaned against the counter, next to her, trying to think of a way to calm her down as she filled the teakettle. When she was thirteen, she’d thrown a temper tantrum, accidentally starting a fire that killed a young girl trapped in a car. Traumatized and eaten by guilt, she’d repressed her powers until recently, when th
ey’d flared again. Anadey—Peyton’s mother—had been helping her learn to control them.

  “Rhia,” I said softly. “I have to do this. We need Kaylin. He’s your friend; I’m surprised you’re so against this. He’ll die—or worse, become a vegetable—if we don’t help him.”

  Her eyes blurred with tears as she clutched the saucer in her hand. “I lost my mother. I can’t lose you, too.”

  I took the saucer from her and put it in the rack. “I won’t let anything happen. I’ll come back with help for Kaylin. I promise you.”

  She leaned against the sink, hands clutching the porcelain, shoulders shaking. “I’m just so scared. I miss my mother. I hate what happened to her and I don’t want that to happen to you. What would I do without you?”

  I slipped an arm around her. “That’s not going to happen, but if by chance anything does, go to Anadey and ask her for help. Listen to what she says. I want you to promise me.”

  Rhiannon’s face crumbled, but she nodded. “I promise. I’m not as strong as you are, Cicely. In some ways, Krystal’s lack of care prepared you to handle all of this better than Heather’s love ever did me. I’m frightened, but I’m trying to learn to be strong. For so long I hid from myself. I felt tainted. Now, I have to learn how to use my powers and learn fast.”

  “We’re all learning. We’re all learning how to survive. Rhia . . . more than just our personal lives rest on this. Myst is draining away Lainule’s power. Summer will fade and the winter will settle in if we don’t stop her. And to stop Myst, we need Kaylin.” I took her hands in mine and gazed into her reddened eyes. “I have to do this. I’ll take Chatter and Peyton with me. You and Leo keep watch over Kaylin and the house. Okay?”

  She let out a shuddering breath and hung her head. “I guess we don’t have a choice.”

  “No, we don’t. Because even if we run, Myst has other colonies out there, and they will be edging into other towns, and bringing the winter with them, and their hunger . . . no place is safe. Magic-born, Were, vampire, yummanii, we’re all on the hit list.”