Ruby Morgan Box Set: Books 6-10

by LJ Rivers

  “Wow!” Charlie said, easing further into the cave. “This place is amazeballs.”

  I caught up with her by the pool of water and crouched, brushing my fingers against the surface. “Just as I remember it.”

  “What do you think this all means?” She pointed at the symbols on the wall.

  “I’m not sure, but if I understand it correctly, I think my grandfather believes that this is where the Magicals came through to Earth. He believes there is a portal here that can somehow be reopened.” If only one had the key. Or was the key. Now, there was an unsettling thought. “I do recognise some symbols from the chalice, but since I don’t have it anymore, I’ll have to go by memory. It seems to me like every symbol on the chalice is reflected on these walls.”

  “What about that one?” Charlie pushed her glasses towards her eyes and squinted, leaning over the water.

  I followed her gaze to the other side of it. I had thought it ended at a plain back wall, then had some sort of way in and out below ground. But there was something else there I hadn’t noticed the last time I was here.

  Charlie stepped into the water and started forward. I grabbed for her arm, but she jerked away from me before I could catch her. Staring at the surface, I stayed where I was and sent a ball of fire sailing up by Charlie’s side. I wrapped the fire in a force field and it illuminated the wall beyond.

  The Trinity symbol covered the wall at least five feet wide and tall, nestled deep into the stone as if carved from it with the utmost precision.

  Charlie put her hand to it and traced the symbol with her fingers. “You should get over here.”

  I shook my head. “Nah, I see it just fine from where I am.”

  “The water is only knee deep, Ru. It’s fine.”

  Swallowing hard, I shook my head again. “I—I can’t.”

  “All right, then, but I wish I had my phone so I could take pictures.”

  While Charlie was on the other side, I searched for the swords anywhere I could possibly think of. It didn’t take long before the cave was lit with fire encased by force fields, acting like lightbulbs. They now hovered every other foot across the walls, aiding my vision. Apart from the variety of symbols, everything looked more or less the same as it had. I glanced at the spot where I had sat after destroying the Realm of Shadows and sat there once more, watching my friend.

  She studied the symbol a while longer, nodded at the wall and trudged back to me. Water dripped from her jeans and the droplets swam from the cracks in the ground and back to the pool as if drawn to a magnet.

  “Any sign of the swords.”

  “I don’t think he hid them here.”

  “Let’s hope Jen’s had better luck.” She took my hand. “I think your grandfather might be onto something.”

  “You do?”

  She tapped her temple with her index finger. “I’ll need to digest it for a bit, but I do.”

  We climbed back outside where I magically rolled the stones into place again. Satisfied that the cave was shielded well enough, we went to look for Jen. I glanced at my Fitbit as we wandered across the grass-covered hill. An hour and a half had already passed. Were we down there that long?

  A wolf howled in the distance, and we turned. The white wolf stood atop a boulder, backlit by the morning sun and howling to the sky. Her white fur shimmered in hues of gold as she shook her body and flew through the air, leaping in our direction.

  She disappeared behind another boulder—the same she hid behind earlier—and reappeared a minute later in her human skin. Fully dressed and with murder in her eyes.

  Charlie squeezed my hand. “Find anything, Jen? Any swords maybe?”

  “I found something, all right. The place where the swords were, but no longer are.” She gestured wildly with her hand up the hill and clicked her teeth. “And I found a scent.” Her lips curved in a snarl.

  “I’m scared to ask.”

  “Breathe, Jen,” I said. “It’s just Charlie and me. What did you find?” I met her eyes, and anger boiled in their depths.

  “Gemma was here. It smelled of a fox when we came here, which is why I shifted. Foxes are hardly native to this island. As a wolf, however, I recognised her scent immediately. Gemma was here.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She gave me a hard stare.

  “Right, you’re sure.” I shifted from foot to foot, and my eyes flickered across the green shrubs and rocks. Fire burned in my veins at the mere thought of Gemma this close to where we stood. “Is she still here?”

  “The scent trail moved about for a while, then it simply vanished. As if she had stood in one spot and just disappeared. I don’t think she’s here now.”

  Auberon. Panic seeped through my skin. “She couldn’t have been alone. My father was here too.” Why was he here? With her? I could understand coming for the swords, but why bring Gemma? And why now? “Ugh, my head hurts.”

  “Tell me about it,” Jen said.

  “So,” Charlie said cautiously. “Now Auberon has the Chalice and Excalibur.”

  “And Felicia,” I muttered.

  “Sure. But Excalibur was the main prize, don’t you think?” She started pacing. “The symbol on the wall in the cave has a chalice and something that looks a little like a sword.”

  “It’s a key,” I interjected.

  “Of course, but Excalibur could act as a key, couldn’t it?”

  I considered it for a moment. “I suppose, but I’m not sure it fits.”

  “I think it does. At least, I think Auberon needs the chalice, the key, and the well. The water in the cave could be the well, I guess. Or maybe not, I’m not sure. Anyway, if he has all the components he needs, is it possible he has found a way to return to Avalon?” She stopped pacing to look at me.

  Jen’s eyes widened, and I waved my hands at them both.

  “Mum had this idea that I was somehow a key. I dunno, maybe what she said had nothing to do with this. But then, on Thursday, Llewellyn said he thought a Pure Morgana could open the portal to Avalon—or Gwyn Fanon—though one has yet to succeed.”

  “You’re as Pure as they come.” Charlie’s eyes sparkled.

  “But I’m not. I’m wrong, an abomination.”

  “Or maybe you’re just right. I’ll have to think about this, but I’m sure there’s something here worth exploring. Imagine if it was possible.”

  Auberon believed it was, and my grandfather believed it too. Now, I was beginning to think they might both be right. The question was how, and what in Morgana’s name did I have to do with it. And even if it was possible, was it something I should try to avoid?

  Rhys plodded towards us, his wide frame casting a heavy shadow behind him. He raised his arms and dangled his satchel in the air. “Filled to the brim,” he called joyously. “My Mari will be polishing my claws out of sheer gratitude.” His beard split to reveal his warm smile.

  Brendan appeared behind him and waved. We met them halfway and went back to the boat.

  “Smells nice.” Charlie eyed the herbs.

  “Oh, don’t be fooled.” Rhys slapped the bag with the flat of his hand. “If you administer it the wrong way, it’s deadly. Mixed right, however, it ails pain. Nature sure is a funny thing.” He patted my back. “Find what you were looking for?”

  “Sort of, and no.”

  “I see. Well, we had better get back. No herbs in the world will make Mari forgive me if I miss the solstice celebration tonight.” He paused and stared at the horizon, towards Perllanafal. “Though staying here does sound tempting, doesn’t it?” He said it in such a low and sombre voice that it sounded more like an afterthought to himself, rather than him speaking to us.

  I stepped onto the boat. Standing in Brendan’s embrace, we watched Bardsey Island shrink in the distance as we puttered back. Shuddering, I held onto Brendan’s arms. My father had been here. He had taken the swords, and he had brought Gemma.

  What are you up to this time, Father?

  Chapter Fifteen
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br />   The orange sun hid behind a thin veil of clouds over the dark green fields to the northeast. Grains of sand found their way between my toes as I strolled along the beach. The gentle susurration of the sea caressed the shore and sang in my ears. I inhaled, catching every nuance of scent in the air. There was salt, of course, and seaweed, but also the earthy smell of the surrounding farmland, reminding me of home. A few sheep were bleating in the distance, and a horse whinnied.

  A reflection caught my eye, and I stopped to examine it. By my feet lay a conch, much bigger than any I had seen before. I had no idea such large seashells could be found in the UK, but then again, had I ever known much about seashells?

  I picked it up and dusted the sand off it. It was rougher on the outside than I had expected, with several spikes protruding from the spiral shape. Inside, however, it was shiny and smooth, and the colours that played in the evening sunlight were mesmerising. Wasn’t there something about hearing the sea inside a conch? I held it to my ear.

  At first I couldn’t tell if I was hearing the actual ocean or if it came from the conch. Then the sound changed, from the soothing waves to a low rumble, like a storm blowing on the other side of a hill. I tried to pull the seashell away from my ear as the sound grew louder, but my hand wouldn’t obey. It was starting to hurt. What the fudge? The waves rolled closer, and the sound changed once more, as if I were dialling on an old radio, looking for the station between the white noise and static.

  Words. There were words caught in the whooshing sounds.

  … the trinity … the blood … the key … open the door of infinity … you can open it, Ruby.

  Ruby!

  With a jolt, I threw the conch away. It hit a rock, and shattered.

  That voice! Had it come from inside the shell? That made no sense. What made even less sense was that I recognised it. I had heard it from the chalice that night in the aircraft hangar. Nimue!

  But then again, it wasn’t her. Had it not been a male voice? Yes, it was William, the old Phoenix.

  No, that wasn’t it, either.

  Was I going mad?

  The voice inside the conch had been that of my father. Auberon.

  Ruby!

  “Ruby, are you OK?”

  “Hm?” I opened my eyes, blinking to focus. “Ch—Char?”

  “I heard you moaning. Are you sick or something?”

  I sat up, remembering where I was. My bedroom at my grandparents’ house. I had gone in here to read after we came back from the trip to the island.

  “Must have fallen asleep. I had a strange dream, is all. Is Brendan back?”

  “Not yet. It’s only been an hour, and Llewellyn said it would take at least two to get all the fence posts up. You hungry?”

  I shook my head, suddenly aware that my book—William’s book—lay open next to me on the bed. “No, thanks.” I casually closed it and tried to hide it under my duvet.

  “Fancy notebook,” Charlie said. “Moleskine?”

  “Hm?”

  “Haven’t seen that design before. Figured it might be that, or Paperblanks. They’re cool, too.”

  “Uhm, it’s not a notebook. Just an old book I’m reading.”

  “Not much reading in a book of blank pages.”

  I shrugged. “It’s a bit strange, I agree.”

  Charlie sat on the bed next to me. “Now you’ve tickled my curiosity, young Lady Morgana. What are you not telling me?” She poked me with her index finger. “Come on, spill. It’s not nice to keep secrets from your little sister, right?”

  I couldn’t. William had made me promise never to share the contents of the book with anyone. Then again, Charlie wasn’t anyone. And who knew, maybe she could help me understand more of what was inside? I sent a silent plea for forgiveness to William.

  “It’ll have to be between you and me. Like, a real secret. I need you to swear on it, Char.”

  Her smile faded, and she looked at me with a mix of wonder and seriousness. “I swear, Ru,” she whispered. “It’s magical, isn’t it?”

  “Oh, it is. It so is.”

  I told Charlie about how William had reacted with shock when he found out I could read what was on the pages. I told her about the various incarnations of the Phoenix that had written in the book, dipping their pens in their own tears to keep the contents secret. How some stories were more historic accounts, like Madeleine’s paragraphs about the London fire, while other writings were directly related to Gwyn Fanon, Avalon, and the portal. I had to bite my lip as I watched her eyes grow increasingly bigger. She was the quintessential kid on Christmas Day, finding one gift bigger than the next.

  “I’m officially reassessing the meaning of awesomesocks,” she said when I was done. “This is a whole new level of surpreendente!”

  “So, you’re saying you like it?” I gave her a mock-quizzical expression.

  “Hello! Does a one-legged duck swim in a circle? This is as cool as a penguin in a freezer in Antarctica!”

  “Shh! You have to keep it a secret, Char. I wasn’t even supposed to share it with Mum.”

  She closed her mouth so fast it made a popping sound, then tilted her head forward to look me in my eyes. “Not even Elaine?” She crossed herself. “I promise on Santíssima Virgem Maria, Ru. I’ll never tell!”

  I laughed. “I believe you, sis. And I told you because you might be able to help me make sense of it all. I have to say, crazy as it might sound, I am more and more inclined to believe there actually is a way to open the portal.”

  “If there is, we’ll find it.”

  Brendan and Llewellyn came back a little after three o’clock that afternoon, the two cats in tow. I filled a couple of bowls of food for the animals and placed it in front of them. Kit slanted his head, staring at the table and back at his cat food, clearly not impressed by his meal compared to ours. Charlie and I had just finished cutting bread and setting the table with cheese, fruit jams, and freshly churned butter—courtesy of Lowrie’s strong hands. The wee wolf had brought it and some jars of jam to trade for lamb meat. My first encounter with her had been awkward to say the least, but she hadn’t mentioned it, so neither did I. Her sun-blonde hair was curled into a tight bun. She wore no makeup, and though she was small, her muscles were tight underneath her pale skin. Her incredibly toned shins told me she could probably outrun me without breaking a sweat. While she helped us with Lili’s chores, Jen had gone out with Lowrie’s fiancée, Osian, and the rest of the Hopkins pack.

  “A fine, strong worker, this one,” Llewellyn said as the men sat down. “Told me all about this fencing of his. I tell you, Lili Helene, these Donnals have some strange ways. But I must admit I have read about the Olympics from time to time. It’s a mighty big spectacle.”

  I handed him the bread basket. “You don’t have any sports here?”

  “We have games, which I suppose is more or less the same. Only, we don’t keep teams and money involved, like the Donnals seem so obsessed with. I mean, those footballers, they get insane amounts of money. And the cefnogwyr—the supporters—it’s like a religion.”

  Lili leaned forward to sip from the spoon of soup her husband was holding. “Oh, that’s nice. What is it?”

  “Creamy cauliflower and broccoli,” Lowrie said.

  “Imagine that, a wolf making such a blasus vegetable soup. Anyway, I have read about those football supporters, and I don’t think it’s healthy.”

  I shrugged. “You’re right, as is Llew. Football is probably more important to many supporters than religion.” I sent a thought to Dad, who would’ve been absolutely over the moon now that Liverpool had finally won the Premier League. He repeated the ‘next year’ chant every May when the trophy eluded the Reds yet again.

  “Osian loves bol defaid,” Lowrie said. She gave Lili a hug. “I wish you could come tonight.”

  “Thank you, dear. Give my best to your Mam and Tad, will you?”

  The young Shifter put a hand on my grandfather’s shoulder. “Will you be there, Llew?�
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  “I think I’ll stay here with Lili Helene. Maybe next time.”

  Lowrie gave me a quick wave before she left, ignoring Brendan and Charlie.

  Brendan shrugged at me, knowing I was annoyed at the brush off. “What’s bol defaid, then?”

  “Sheep’s belly? Is that right?” I asked.

  Llewellyn nodded. “It’s an old game, where a sheep’s belly—the bol—is filled with wet grass and sewn shut. The house that has it from last time, throws the bol in the air and then all the other houses try to catch it and bring it home. In the old days, on Avalon, that meant to their actual homes. Nowadays, it’s played on an open field, with a circle of stones marking each house’s ‘home’. Sometimes they use our north field, after we’ve cut the grass, of course.”

  Soft fur brushed my legs, and I grabbed another slice of bread, handing a piece of it to Kit. “Something tells me it can get rough. I mean, the wolves and the bears must have quite the advantage. Not to mention Time Turners. Or maybe the force fields of the Fae come in handy?”

  My grandfather shook his head. “Magic isn’t allowed in a game of bol defaid. It’s considered twyllo. All houses have a fair chance.”

  Dad had said the same about trout fishing. Using magic wasn’t fair on the fish. I didn’t want to bring him into this discussion, though. It stung that I deliberately avoided talking about him, but I figured it would only provoke my grandparents. If only they had met him, they would have seen what an amazing person he was.

  “That being said, there’s plenty of work for us Fae after the game, I’ll tell you that much.” Llewellyn stuffed half a slice of bread in his mouth and winked at me.

  Lili asked Brendan to explain about the fencing, and he happily obliged, showing a few moves with a butter knife for a foil. My grandmother seemed to warm to him, laughing out loud when he stood and showed her his footwork. If they accepted my boyfriend, why hadn’t they accepted Mum’s?

  Lili made an attempt at clapping, but gave up before she got started. “I reckon an Irishman would be quick on his feet, what with all that strange dancing of yours.”