The Emerald Dagger (Daradawn Book 2)

by Barbara Hodges

  "Margeaux, may I enter?"

  "Ben? What are doing wandering at this early hour?"

  Ben entered the cave. Candle stumps, almost buried in melted wax, lit the interior. The smooth, gray, silk-like walls shimmered like silver where the candle's light touched. When the cave had been Thomas', mage globes illuminated the cave, but Margeaux was not a mage, just a talented elven healer, and a woman who had crept into his heart. She sat at a small table, a dark green book open before her. A welcoming smile curved her lips.

  "One of those Thomas left behind?" Ben asked, crossing to stand beside her.

  She nodded. "Herbal lore, but very old and hard to make out." She pointed at a section of writing. "Like this section. I think I have it, and then a word is faded and if there is a chance of even one word being wrong, I dare not use the rites for gathering of the herbs."

  "Why would Thomas have a book of herbal lore?"

  Margeaux pushed her chair back from the table and rubbed her lower back. "He probably had no idea what the book contained. A good portion of it is in ancient elvish."

  She peered into Ben's face. "What's wrong? It is the girl, is it not? You have spoken to her."

  Ben smiled. It would do no good to deny his troubled mind. "I have a grandson." He told Margeaux of his talk with Delilah. When he finished, Margeaux stared across his shoulder in silence. He reached to grasp her hands. "I must go back."

  Her silver gaze shifted to meet his. "Will you?"

  "It's only seven years."

  "Ben, you have not aged since entering Daradawn. Regan's power has made it so but, once you go through the rift, you will age again."

  "Come with me," he said. "Let me show you my world."

  "Your world? I thought Daradawn was now your world."

  His hands tightened around hers. "Wherever you are is my world."

  Margeaux lowered her head and her white hair dropped forward to screen her face. "Me in your world? How would you have me hide my slanted eyes and pointed ears?"

  "I would have you not hide them at all."

  She laughed softly. "Oh, my Ben, you are such a dreamer." She stood and walked to the small brazier. "I cannot go with you. Elves are not immortal, just long-lived. For every year in your world I would age seven. And your illnesses would easily kill me. I would not survive seven years. When do you leave?"

  "Tomorrow, ... no, this morning."

  "Stay with me for the remainder of this night," she murmured.

  For seven years they had worked side by side, slept next to each other beneath the stars, but not once had she invited him into her bed. They had not even shared a kiss.

  "I will return," Ben said.

  "Ben, we have waited long enough. I had thought such urges were beyond me. By your time counting I am two hundred years old." She moved to him and took his hand. "Will you have me?"

  He drew her into his arms. "I love you, my elven beauty. I have since the first time I walked with you in my dreams." He held her away at arm's length, and then added with a grin. "Besides, I've always had a thing for older women."

  *****

  Regan moaned and rubbed her temple. "Zara, calm. Calm."

  "What? What is it?" Peter demanded.

  Regan's face paled and she waved him to silence. She couldn't answer both of them, and Zara's anger and rage felt as if it would drown her.

  "Zara, tell me."

  "I will kill. I will shred their skin from their bones." The answer shrieked in Regan's mind.

  "What? Who?"

  "The fairie wolf riders have attacked my babe."

  "Yes. We know. I am taking care of it," Regan sent.

  "Nay, not Gorsedd, but Llyr," the answer roared into Regan's head.

  "Oh, my God," Regan said.

  Peter knelt beside her and grasped her hands. "Tell me."

  She shook her head. "A minute. Give me a minute," she said, then sent, "Llyr?"

  "He lives. He escaped them. But they will not see another sun rise. They flee into the land of fairies. I will have revenge."

  "Zara, no."

  "Lilith flies to join me. We will kill them all."

  "Thea commands thee no," Regan said. "I will see to them. Thea promises."

  But Zara was gone. Regan fell back upon the bed. "By the Goddess, no. She can't do this."

  "Regan, tell me what is happening."

  "Llyr was attacked by fairie wolf riders." She held up her hand. "He lives, but Zara is beyond listening. She's waiting for Lilith, then they're flying to Enid-Etain."

  The door to their chambers burst open. "Momma, Momma," Daniel cried as he ran toward them. "Patrick—"

  "Not now, son," Peter said.

  "But—"

  "No. We will speak of it later," Peter said.

  Tears filled the boy's eyes, and he whirled and ran from the room.

  "Daniel," Regan said, struggling to a sitting position.

  "He will be fine," Peter said. "We must worry about Zara now."

  "There isn't any way we can reach Enid-Etain before she and Lilith do."

  Peter grasped both of Regan's hands. "You must stop them, Thea."

  "How?"

  "Use the Power. Shackle them in the cave."

  Regan recoiled from him. "She'll hate me."

  "You must do so, or they will die by our hand. Raya's treaty with the fairies leaves us no choice."

  She stood and walked away from him on shaking legs. She had to do it; if not, thousands would die, and the dragons with them. "I don't think I'm strong enough."

  Peter moved to stand beside her. "We will do it together."

  Drawing in a deep, shaky breath, she said. "Get me my book."

  Peter moved to the chest. With closed eyes, he whispered the words to remove the wards. He picked up the book of jingles and walked back to Regan.

  She moved to a small table and picked up a quill pen. Opening the book to a blank page, she stared downward, but her mind was as blank as the page she stared at. She lifted her gaze to her husband. "Help me," she said, as she dipped the pen into a bottle of blue ink.

  "A mother's pain and fury fills your heart," Peter offered.

  Regan nodded. "With talons bared in a killing rage, you wish to depart."

  They stared at each other in silence and then Regan added. "With daughter at your side, you will fly to the land of fairies, and all will die."

  "Doorway of stone become whole," Peter said. "Inside the mountain's womb you must remain, giving Mother Earth time to heal the pain."

  Regan laughed mirthlessly as she wrote the words into the book. "It would take a dragon's lifetime for such pain to go away." She wrote the last letter and the words flared red, then turned to black. It was done.

  "We will only keep them for a short time. Just until you can get through to Zara," Peter said.

  "She will hate me. They both will."

  Peter grasped Regan's hands. "It is the only thing we can do. We cannot let them wage war against the fairies."

  Regan looked away from him. "I know. Damn! What is attacking the dragons, and why?"

  "Kelsey will find out and we will stop them."

  Regan walked to Catherine's cradle. Staring down at her daughter, she tried to will away the frustration that threatened to choke her. She needs me. I am her mother. Catherine opened her eyes and stared into Regan's face. With a strained smile, Regan picked up her daughter and held her to her breast. Mother first. Thea second. The Goddess will understand. Regan sought Zara's daughter, Lilith, with her mind.

  "Lilith, Thea calls."

  "I hear." The response was warm with love and acceptance, so different from the always grudging answers she received from Llyr and Gorsedd.

  "You fly to Zara?"

  "I am here."

  Regan felt no hate in the young dragon's mind, only sadness. "You wish to kill all fairies?"

  "I will honor Zara's wishes."

  Regan broke the contact and turned to Peter. "They're both inside the cave."

  He took
her hand. "Let us do it. Feed the Power to me. I will say the words. Perhaps Zara will believe the spell is of my making, and not yours."

  Regan stared into Peter's eyes and felt love fill her and chase away the twisting frustration, for now. Zara would know the flavor of Thea's power, but let Peter think otherwise. She would deal with the dragon's wrath.

  "Maybe," she said with a small smile.

  Regan closed her eyes and sought the tiny marble of blue power in her stomach, a pulsing warmth, as much a part of her as her breathing. She touched the Power with her mind and it expanded, filling her stomach and moving up toward her heart. She gloried in the tingling pleasure coursing through her. With a mind command she halted its expansion, and separated five slender strands from the whirling mass. The strands writhed, coming first together and then apart in a ballet of throbbing blue. One at a time she threaded them down her arm and into each finger. When all were there, she released them into Peter's hand. She heard him gasp and her eyes flew open. Peter's lips were drawn back tight against his teeth. His normally pale face flooded with color.

  "The Power is stronger within you now," Peter said.

  Regan frowned. "Stronger?"

  "It must be the birth of Catherine."

  "Catherine is our second child."

  Peter glanced toward their daughter. "But the only one marked as a Chosen by the Power." He took a deep breath. "No matter. We will deal with that later, but for now. A mother's pain and fury fills your heart. With talons bared in a killing rage, you wish to depart. With daughter at your side, you will fly to the land of fairies, and all will die. Doorway of stone become whole, for inside the mountain's womb you must remain, giving Mother Earth time to heal the pain."

  Regan dropped Peter's hand and rushed to build her mind shield. A blast of rage sent her to her knees.

  "Release me."

  "Zara..."

  "Release me, Thea."

  Regan pressed her palms against her temples. "I will not," she gasped.

  "Thea," Lilith's panicked thoughts filled Regan's mind. "Zara throws herself against the mountain's side."

  "Zara, stop," Regan cried. "It will do no good."

  Zara roared. "Release me, Thea, or all contact between us will be forsaken."

  Regan dropped her head into her palms. Tears flooded her eyes and ran down her cheeks. She felt Peter kneel beside her. "I cannot."

  A cold, burning pain arced through her head. Regan screamed, and then there was nothing, a numb void, as if a part of her soul had died. "Zara, Thea commands."

  Echoing silence was the response.

  "Lilith?" Regan heard the panic in her mind-voice as she questioned.

  "I am here."

  "Zara?"

  "Is here, but she no longer hears your words."

  "No. She can't do that."

  Lilith's mind-voice was sad. "We can."

  "But the Goddess…"

  "It is our choice. Will you release us?"

  Regan inhaled a deep shuddering breath before answering. "Do you still fly to kill the fairies?"

  "Zara wishes it."

  "I cannot release you."

  "Then that is your choice, Thea." Lilith's voice faded.

  "Lilith," Regan cried, "you will speak to me?"

  "That is my choice." And then Lilith's voice was gone.

  "She didn't answer me," Regan whispered.

  She became conscious of Peter's arms holding her close.

  "What has happened?" Peter asked.

  Regan turned her face to Peter's chest, unable to get the words beyond the lump in her throat. She felt the spot of numbness in her mind and, like a sore tooth, she worried it, willing it go away.

  "Zara is dead to me," she finally choked out.

  "What do you mean?"

  Regan pulled away from Peter. "I would not release them. She has severed our mind link."

  "It can be done?"

  Regan laughed hollowly. "Oh, yes. It can be done."

  Peter reached to pull her back into his arms. "Regan..."

  She stepped back. "No. Not now."

  Peter dropped his arms. In the cradle, Catherine stirred and began to cry. Regan shut her eyes for a moment, then turned to her daughter.

  "I will get her," Peter said, and moved to the cradle. Regan watched in silence as he scooped their daughter into his arms and walked from the room.

  The silence in the room echoed the spot of silence in her mind.

  "I am alone," she whispered as she moved to the edge of the bed. She felt a cold nose nudge her hand and glanced down. Brown eyes stared up at her. When had Maggie come into the room? Regan stroked the basset hound's ears. "Can you still hear me, Mags?"

  "Where is Daniel?" Maggie said.

  "I don't know. Maybe with Kelsey."

  "She is alone."

  "Then the stables. He's mad at Peter and me. He always goes there when he's upset."

  "I will see." Maggie started to turn away.

  "Mags?" The basset hound stopped. "Don't ever quit speaking to me, okay? No matter what I do."

  "I love you," Maggie said, her mind tone clearly stating that the idea of not mind-speaking Regan was ridiculous. After a quick lick of Regan's cheek, she trotted away.

  Regan watched Maggie disappear through the open chamber door, then stood and smoothed her gown. Zara would change her mind. She was angry, but she would calm down and then they would talk again. Right now what she needed was a good dose of common sense from her sister. Kelsey would know what to do; she always did.

  *****

  Daniel tightened the girth around his pony's middle. "Hold, Zipper," he said as the pony shifted to the right. Zipper snorted. Daniel looked up and cast a quick glance around, but the stable was empty and quiet. The boy led the pony from the stall and toward a bale of hay. His packed saddlebags waited there. Tears threatened, he blinked them away and tossed the saddlebags across Zipper's saddle.

  "I am old enough. Lord Hafgan will foster me. They've got Catherine. She's got the blue flame mark. They'll be busy training her to use the Power. They don't need me."

  The bravely spoken words brought more tears to the boy's eyes, and he wiped them away angrily. "Patrick said I could come any time, that he would take me to Healer Kerry." Daniel scrubbed tears from his cheeks. "I will be a warrior like Uncle Rourk. He always has time for Patrick."

  He climbed onto the hay bale and then into Zipper's saddle. He nudged the pony with his heels. At the stable doors, he halted Zipper and looked both ways. He'd never make it by the guards, but he knew a back way from the castle. He reined the pony to the left and was soon lost in the darkness.

  Chapter Seven

  Standing on the small balcony, Kelsey stared up at the star-dusted sky. The swollen white moon, at its zenith, hovered among the stars, reminding her of a mother hen with a brood of chicks. She yawned. Her body ached for sleep, it had been a long day, but her mind wouldn't shut down. She glanced back inside the room. The quilt's edge dragged the floor, and the sheet lay kicked into a mound at the bed's bottom. The pillow rested against the chamber's door, left where it landed after she'd given it a good throw.

  She closed her gritty eyes and the sonorous roar of waves caught her ears. Funny, she'd never noticed the cry of the waves before. Her mind jumped to Rourk again. She was like a dog worrying a bone. An urge to scream built, but she forced it away. A mist-laden breeze moved across her and she shivered. She should go back inside. A hand touched her shoulder and her eyes flew open as she whirled around.

  "Damn, Regan, what are you trying to do? Scare me to death?"

  Her sister shrugged. "I knocked. You didn't answer."

  Kelsey took a deep breath and waited for her heart to stop pounding. "What do you want? Shouldn't you be with Catherine?"

  "I just fed her. She's asleep." Regan rubbed her bare arms. "Let's go inside. I'm not dressed for star-gazing."

  Kelsey's gaze flicked over Regan's white cotton gown. "What you're dressed for is bed. Come on."
/>   Inside her chamber, Kelsey closed the doors and turned to look at her sister, who had moved from the moon's white light and into the darker shadows. Kelsey raised an eyebrow.

  "I was on my way to check on Daniel."

  "His room's the other way." Kelsey crossed her arms and waited.

  "He's mad at us, again." Regan's voice sounded thick.

  "Let's get some light in here." Kelsey moved to the candle on the stand beside her bed.

  "No. I—"

  Soft light flickered.

  "Regan, you've been crying," Kelsey said. Instant feelings of protection rose inside her. She could make her sister cry, but no one else had that right.

  Regan turned away.

  "What happened?" Kelsey said. "Is it Peter?"

  "Zara."

  Kelsey frowned. "Zara? But the dragon's miles from here."

  "She's broken our mind link."

  "So? Call her back, or whatever it is you do."

  Regan faced her. "I can't. It's permanent."

  Kelsey smiled. "She's pissed at you, too?"

  Regan's face flushed. "Don't you make fun of me. Don't you dare," she said. Hands clenched at her sides, she turned her back on Kelsey.

  "Hey, calm down. What happened?"

  Regan turned. Kelsey watched her blink back tears.

  "We had to," Regan said in a choked voice. "We had no choice."

  Kelsey took her sister's hands and drew her to the side of the bed. "Tell me."

  *****

  Daniel reined Zipper in. Gnawing on his lower lip, he strained to listen in the darkness. The trees overhead whispered and the pony snorted; all else was silent. Daniel glanced upward. The moon rode high. What had Rourk told him about telling time at night? It must be around midnight. He'd hoped to reach the woodcutter's cottage by now.

  I knew we'd get lost. The tiny voice in his mind nagged.

  "I'm not lost. Things just look different in the dark."

  Zipper sidestepped at the sound of his voice.

  "Easy, it's only me."

  But the pony's head came up and his ears perked.

  "What is it?" Daniel strained again to listen. "I don't hear anything."

  Zipper nickered and shook his mane. Daniel felt the pony tremble against his legs. To their left, the thick-growing brush rustled, and his hands tightened on the reins. He nudged Zipper in the sides with his heels and the pony moved forward. Beside them, the rustling in the brush kept pace. On his other side, Daniel heard more brush rustle. His eyes peered into the darkness. Zipper snorted again.