by Bill Hiatt
“I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done. Your presence made the difference—several times, actually.”
“I wish I could accompany you,” he replied. “Alas, that is neither my purpose nor my fate.”
“I’ll never see you again?” I asked.
“Who can truly say?” said Changó. “Our paths may cross again somehow. I hope that they do, but neither of us has any control over that crossing.”
The good-bye was long, but when at last each of us had said what we wanted to, the Oricha bowed and vanished. Usually, someone needed an Olympian’s permission to leave as well as to enter. I could only speculate that perhaps the sort of angelic status awarded to the Orichas enabled Changó to leave on his own.
Hermes and Hephaestus were not back yet, though some of the other Olympians had returned already. Apparently, Hermes had networked them just as I had taught him, and they now were spreading themselves through what was left of the palace rather than trying to stay jammed into Hephaestus’s workroom. At first, though, they still seemed preoccupied—Hephaestus and Hermes must have been drawing on them very hard. For a short time, though the throne room was reasonably full, I felt alone, as if I were surrounded by statues rather than living beings. I fought the urge to pace or fidget, though there really wasn’t much else I could do.
“Eager to return to your lover?” asked Eros, who had come quietly up behind me. Evidently, the work was nearing completion. I could see the other Olympians moving a little more than they had been.
“I don’t really have one,” I said, blushing slightly despite myself.
“Nonsense!” he replied. “You have Eva, and everyone knows it.”
“She doesn’t,” I said, trying to make the statement sound like a joke but not quite succeeding.
“Are you doubting my expertise?” he asked, then laughed—no, really it was more like a giggle. The he winked and walked away, leaving me irritated.
I knew he wasn’t mocking me. He was, however, encouraging false hope. Eva was with Jimmie, and Jimmie was a good guy. I’d told him I was all right with his relationship with Eva. That was my story, and I was sticking to it.
Finally, Hephaestus and Hermes returned with the new ring. Its surface looked very dull, which Hephaestus said he did on purpose to make it less conspicuous. I couldn’t really tell what kind of metal it was.
I could tell it was magical, though. As soon as I slipped it on my finger, I felt a warmth from it.
“To mislead your opponents, you don’t need to do anything visible or audible to activate the spell within. A simple thought is enough,” said Hermes. “I have also made the spell more subtle, so the subjects at whom it is directed are less likely to realize what is happening.”
“Thanks in advance for saving my life,” I said.
“It is the least we can do, son,” said Hephaestus.
“Son?” asked Zeus.
“Ah, yes, we forgot to mention, Father, that in a previous life Taliesin was your grandson Hephaestion. Another member of his group was once your son Alexander, and another was once your grandson Ascalaphus.”
Zeus stroked his beard. “It is most curious that so many descendants of Olympians were reincarnated in the same group. I have never heard of such a thing.”
“Nor have we,” I said. “I have to believe there is some purpose.”
Zeus nodded. “It cannot be mere coincidence. We will have many tales to share at our banquet I suspect. I see you have your ring; I imagine you must leave us now.”
“Sadly, that I must,” I said.
“You have our thanks, and my permission to depart,” said Zeus, smiling at me in a way that made me think of spring rain.
“Wait!” said Apollo. “Hades has been at work restoring order in the Underworld. He has just found two captives in Tartarus who should not be there: Nurse Florence and Vanora. He is even now releasing them and arranging escort for them to Olympus.”
Well, that explained why Vanora had suddenly turned to the dark side; yet another blood-magic double had been the real culprit. Once we solved our immediate problems, we would need to find some way to keep the spell from working on Earth, much as the Olympians were planning to keep it from working here.
As it turned out, Hades himself brought Nurse Florence and Vanora to Olympus. He must have figured I would want to depart with them.
We didn’t depart right away, however. We needed some time to bring one another up to speed.
“I can hardly wait to destroy that impostor,” said Vanora after she had learned about the chaos her double had created in Santa Brígida. At that moment I was glad I was not the one at which her burning wrath was directed.
“Much as I’d like to do that, we need to get to Annwn first,” I said. “My new impostor could cost Gwynn the war.”
“While you are doing that, perhaps we can attempt to ascertain what’s happening with the Order,” said Nurse Florence. “From what you’ve told us, it is under attack of some kind.”
“I’d rather confront my impostor,” said Vanora quickly.
“If we possibly can, let’s wait until the group in Annwn and I can return to back you up,” I replied. “We don’t know how much force your double has at her disposal. For that matter, Wales may not be safe, either. I don’t have the first clue who or what attacked the Order.”
“There are a couple of secret hideouts to which the nonmagical employees would have fled if their situation became unsafe,” said Nurse Florence. “We should be able to reach one of them without too much danger. If, as I suspect, Coventina has temporarily cut headquarters off from other worlds, the people who sought refuge in a hideout might give us some clues. It’s a good place to start anyway—and we promise to be cautious, if you’ll do the same.”
“Cautious as I can be,” I said. Both of them had criticized me in the past for being too impulsive, but I think they were too happy to be out of Tartarus to rub that reminder in my face.
Before they departed, they tried to help me get to Annwn. Ridiculous as it was, Arawn’s ban still prevented me from traveling there on my own. However, this time Vanora and Nurse Florence had no better luck than I would have had.
Both tried to use their privilege derived from their connections with the Order to send me to Annwn exactly where Gwynn. Both found that route blocked. Then they tried everything else they could think of, including an ordinary portal, since we had all been to Gwynn’s castle. Nothing worked.
The castle was probably under siege, both physical and magical, so I shouldn’t have been surprised. Since I couldn’t very well walk through the besieging army, though, there was now no way to reach Gwynn’s castle—and no way to confront my double.
Chapter 32: Divide and Conquer (Stan)
“Things are going well enough in Annwn that I’d like you and the guys to check out what’s happening at home,” Tal told me. “Nurse Florence and I can watch things here.”
That should have been good news, but the whole idea made me nervous.
“What if the negotiations break down?” I asked. “Won’t you need us then?”
“Gwynn doesn’t have enough men here to risk a battle against a much larger force, but he has enough magic and men to hold the castle. The siege could drag on for weeks, leaving you guys nothing to do. Wouldn’t you be happier making sure your parents are safe?”
The way he framed his point made it hard to argue with, and most of the guys would much rather have dealt with the threat at home first anyway.
“I guess I’m just nervous about separating, because it took us so much effort to get together in the first place,” I said.
“I know, and I feel the same, but Tanaquill’s sorcerers haven’t yet blocked my ability or Nurse Florence’s to travel Lady of the Lake style. If I have to, I can use water here to get back to Santa Brígida.”
“Have you talked to Gwynn about this? I wouldn’t want—”
“Buddy, you’re worrying too much. I’ve already talked to Gwynn. He
understands, and he agrees with me.”
“That’s good, but what about Vanora. None of us have magic—”
“You’re forgetting about Gabriela,” Tal reminded me. “She’ll probably want to come with you. I think someone told me she got a few other encantados planted in town when the defenses against them dropped. I’ll send Magnus along as soon as he gets back. I’d come myself, but I feel obligated to stay.”
“Speaking of Magnus, shouldn’t we have heard from him by now?”
“Yeah, but Gwynn thinks the Dagda could have been difficult. We both expect Magnus back any time, though.”
“It might be better to wait for him,” I suggested. “The encantados have pretty specific magical abilities, like casting illusions. To beat Vanora, aren’t we going to need someone like you or Magnus who has a broader range of abilities?”
“You make a good point,” Tal admitted, “but I think most of the guys would rather at least check on their parents than sit here and do nothing. I’ll see if I can work out a way to maintain contact with all of you and bring you back if there’s too much danger in Santa Brígida or if you’re urgently needed here.”
Which would be fine if not for all the magic Tanaquill’s sorcerers had enclosing Gwynn’s castle. Even if Tal got something to work to begin with, our enemies could theoretically cut our contact later if they figured out what he was doing.
Despite the obvious flaw in his plan, I pretended to agree with it because that would force him to actually implement his suggestion and give me some time.
Yes, I was probably being paranoid, and I knew Tal could argue with any of the objections I had, but I couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong.
While Tal was off working out magic to keep us connected, I sought out Shar. He listened patiently, though I could tell he, too, thought I was worrying too much.
“I’d rather be in Santa Brígida myself,” he said. “Sure, it would be better if we were all there, but we don’t have to rely on Tal or Magnus if things get tough. Gabriela can evacuate us by water if she needs to, and Umbra can take us anywhere there’s a shadow. As long as we don’t get met by overwhelming force, we can make a pretty quick getaway if we need to.”
“I hadn’t thought about that,” I conceded. “I guess I’m just worrying about nothing.”
However, I paid one more visit, this time to Lucas, to put my mind at rest.
“My ability to see possible futures isn’t something I can really control,” Lucas reminded me. “I haven’t gotten any warnings, but that doesn’t necessarily mean nothing is happening. It’s terribly frustrating sometimes.”
“I know this is probably a stupid question, but any insight from your past self?”
“Jakuta would want me to go out and start slaughtering my enemies,” said Lucas. “As far as I can tell, he doesn’t have any particular feelings about Tal one way or the other. I’d rather talk to Changó, who seems to have ‘evolved’ a little further—but I doubt I’ll ever hear from him again.”
“Tell me if you do see or feel anything,” I said.
Lucas hadn’t been very reassuring, but at least I knew that he hadn’t already gotten some kind of psychic alert. It was also clear that he, like Shar, wasn’t particularly worried.
As I was saying good-bye, one of Gwynn’s servants came by to tell us Tal wanted us to meet in the courtyard. By the time we got there, everyone else had already assembled.
“Stan,” said Tal. “Before I tell the guys about the plan, I have a ring here that should tie us together well enough that we can keep in touch.”
“That was fast,” I said, taking the ring as he handed it to me. It felt cold to the touch.
“Gwynn had a ring I could just modify,” Tal explained. “It will boost your signal, so you and I can communicate easily across world boundaries.”
I put it on. “There’s no way to test it until I’m actually in another world, though, right?” I asked.
“Oh ye of little faith,” said Tal, smiling. “You used to give me more credit.”
“Sorry, I’m still just nervous.”
Tal chuckled. “Aren’t we all?”
When Tal convened our meeting and explained his plan, everyone else seemed delighted by it, so I kept quiet. Truth be told, I was just as anxious as anyone else to make sure my parents were all right. If only I could shake that feeling that something wasn’t quite right.
Once everyone had agreed, Tal wasted little time in opening a portal and sending us on our way.
We arrived in his house, as he explained, because it was the best-defended point in town, and because we had a better chance of arriving undetected.
It wasn’t until we were all through the portal that I realized something was indeed wrong.
Tal might have been able to send us Lady of the Lake style, but he should not have been able to use a portal. The only way he could possibly have gotten us out that way would be if Tanaquill’s sorcerers had let him.
The only way they would have done such a thing would be if he was in league with them.
That damn spell had fooled us again, and Tal wasn’t really Tal!
Even worse, Tal’s living room, in which we thought we were standing, wasn’t really Tal’s living room at all, as I quickly realized when its image faded away, leaving us in absolute blackness.
“Umbra, get us out of here!” shouted Shar.
“I…can’t!” she yelled back. “It’s…it’s like the darkness isn’t really here.”
“It must be,” insisted Shar. “I’m touching Zom, and I can still see the darkness. It can’t be an illusion.”
The ring Tal had given me had gotten progressively colder, until it felt like ice wrapped around my finger.
“This isn’t reality. It’s a nightmare,” said Gabriela.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“I am not able to cast a spell, yet I feel no magical constraint. Such a thing could only happen if I were outside my body.”
“How could we be in a nightmare so fast?” asked Shar. “Wouldn’t we have to go to sleep?”
“We’ve seen spells act pretty quickly,” said Gordy. “If we were all caught by surprise, we could have been put out.”
Tal’s impostor could have done that easily, but he hadn’t come through the portal with us, and we were still conscious when we stepped out.
An icicle stabbed through my finger.
The ring! It must be what put us to sleep and what was holding us that way. I tried to pull it off but couldn’t.
Of course I wouldn’t be able to. It was on my physical finger; my dream one had only a dream version of it.
At that moment I heard screaming. Very close screaming.
Chapter 33: Change of Plans (Tal)
“There are two people we should be able to reach in your group—Shahriyar and Alexandros—but we cannot make contact with either,” said Athena. “Uniting our energy as you have taught us should enable us to get at least a simple message through, but we have had no success.”
“You must be getting blocked,” I said. “That only confirms our suspicions. My impostor would have more thorough knowledge of what kind of magic to block than Tanaquill’s sorcerers would.”
“I can no longer see your double in Annwn,” said Apollo. “Whatever protections were in place before have definitely been increased.”
“What can I do now?” I asked. “I can’t just let him wreak havoc in Annwn—or in my world, which is probably his next stop.”
“Why not seek help among the other inhabitants of Annwn?” asked Aphrodite. “This Gwynn is not your only ally, is he?”
I hated to admit it, but he pretty much was. At best, he was the only one I could count on no matter what. There were others who might respond to a threat on Gwynn, but anyone who felt obliged to take up his cause was probably already in or near Gwynn’s castle—and thus inaccessible to me.
The Dagda owed me. I could probably collect on that debt, but I hesitated a little. He woul
d almost certainly take advantage of the opportunity to pitch his desire to be high king of all the faeries, and the last thing I wanted was to get embroiled in faerie politics.
Then again, what choice did I really have?
I told the Olympians about the Dagda, and they agreed with my assessment that I had to try, come what may.
“Where might this Dagda be found?” asked Athena.
“His ancient home was on the Annwn side of the Brú na Bóinne in County Meath, Ireland,” I said. “However, I don’t think he reclaimed the place when he revealed he was still alive. I have heard that he is on Hy Brasil, the island that was once headquarters to Braseal, an early faerie high king.”
Apollo was obliging enough to check both spots and found the Dagda on Hy Brasil. The island used to be hard to probe, but I supposed it was part of the Dagda’s political strategy to make his presence there as conspicuous as possible.
Thanking the Olympians again, I tried opening a portal to Hy Brasil. The western isles had always been tricky to connect with in this way, but with the help of Vanora and Nurse Florence, I actually succeeded. Perhaps the Dagda had opened travel up, again as a way of making sure everybody knew he was there. I wasn’t going to complain this time, because it saved me a long trip from the Irish mainland.
I had last seen Hy Brasil looking like an abstract artist’s nightmare as a result of the Amadan Dubh’s insane attempts to use the lyre of Orpheus to recreate the place. I was surprised at how much progress the Dagda had made in restoring the island to something like what it must once have been.
I found myself surrounded by lush, green vegetation pulsing with health and vitality. The throne on the raised central platform for public audiences once again shone like gold—no, even brighter, almost like a small sun in its misty surroundings. There were no signs of the chains that the Amadan Dubh had used to imprison me and Nurse Florence.
There was, however, a cage—and in it I recognized Magnus’s faerie host.
“Come to gloat?” he asked, looking daggers at me.
“Whatever you think I did, it was another duplicate, not the real me,” I said. As quickly as I could, I filled Magnus in on my struggles on Olympus, as well as my discovery of yet another blood-spell double.