Mortiswood: Kaelia Falling (Mortiswood Tales Book 2)

by Gina Dickerson

  Bay shook off the remainder of his human form and with a howl, turned full wolf and launched through the open window. Expertly, his heavy paws cushioning his fall, he reached the roof of the level below; next he pounced across to a balcony jutting out then propelled from it and landed on all fours in the castle garden. Agilely, he raced through the tended gardens, ripping up flowers in his wake. The gates opened automatically to allow him to pass through and the mighty Vallesm raced into the woods, nose locked onto the scent of the firebird.

  * * *

  ‘This place is amazing.’ Jade climbed the spiral staircase behind Calix. It was wide enough to accommodate the pair of them side by side but she kept stopping to look at things. ‘What do you think Kaelia’s doing?’

  Calix, already at the top of the stairs, shrugged.

  ‘Or should I ask who is Kaelia doing?’ Jade’s laughter echoed, bouncing off the walls to the marble floor. ‘But I think we both know who that is likely to be!’

  Calix tut-tutted. ‘Like I said before, Kaelia’s known Bay for ages. They grew up together. Bran cursed Bay to stay trapped in his Vallesm but even so, Bay woke Kaelia from a Sleeping Death spell.’

  Jade sighed dreamily. ‘Without Kaelia even knowing what he really was. That is so sweet. I hope I find someone like that one day.’

  ‘What, a Vallesm?’

  ‘No, someone...just someone sweet enough to love me that much.’ Jade eyed Calix’s back as he reached for the door to the library. ‘Nothing says I love you more than breaking a Sleeping Death spell.’

  Calix stopped walking. ‘You’re so different to Cadence, Jade.’ He turned to face her. ‘I can’t believe the pair of you were best friends for so long.’

  Jade, pulling her white-blonde hair over her shoulder and deftly plaiting it into a side-braid, grinned. ‘Because I’m nice and she’s not?’

  ‘No, you’re more—what’s the word—romantic. Cadence is nice too. The difference is she doesn’t want people to know it. She was Queen Bee of Mortiswood Academy after all.’

  Jade nodded, her eyes sad. ‘I know she’s not all bad. She’s a great friend. The best.’

  ‘Until she decided to become a Draugr.’

  Jade sniffed. ‘It was my fault. I brought Thom into her life even though I didn’t mean to. When I was under his thrall I couldn’t even think, you know? I’ll never forgive myself for being responsible for leading him to her. I only wish I’d been stronger and fought Thom off. I’m a Sifar and I didn’t even think to use my powers against him. I should tattoo the word wimp across my forehead and be done with it.’

  Calix patted Jade’s shoulder. ‘You’re not to blame. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Standing up to Thom isn’t as easy as it sounds. How tall is he anyway? Seven feet? His hands are massive...I imagine him picking my head off my shoulders like he was pinching an eye off a prawn! And have you seen those teeth when he opens his gob?’

  Jade smiled a little. ‘You’re right. He’s frightening.’ She shuddered. ‘And he stinks.’

  ‘Yeah, of rotting flesh and dead fish! If being immortal means stinking for eternity, I’m glad I’m normal. No amount of deodorant could mask Thom’s evil stench. I hope Cadence doesn’t smell like him, she’s such a stickler for cleanliness.’

  Jade laughed, feeling better. ‘I’m sorry you lost her.’

  Calix’s face turned serious. ‘I’m sorry we both lost her. I guess I liked Cadence a little more than she liked me, or than she liked us.’

  Jade gave Calix a pitiful smile. ‘I think the lure of immortality just won her over. We’ll have to make sure we make Thom pay for what he’s done in any way we can. He may be bigger than us but we can still try!’

  Calix held out his hand and Jade shook it. ‘Deal!’ they both said at the same time.

  Calix blushed, turned away and pushed open the library door. ‘There’s no-one here.’

  ‘Where are they?’ Jade looked around the empty room. ‘Gosh, it’s cold in here.’ She hurried over and closed the windows. ‘Where have Bay and Kaelia gone?’

  ‘I guess they must be in another room. This library is almost as well stocked as the one at the academy.’

  Jade sniffed. ‘Can you smell that really faint scent of bonfire?’

  ‘You must have a better sense of smell than me, being you’re Sifar.’

  ‘Don’t worry, you norm, I’ll tell you if I sense anything dangerous!’

  ‘Thanks!’ Calix poked his tongue out and walked around the central table. Next, he yelped, tripped over and crashed to the ground.

  Jade burst out laughing. ‘For someone so into physical fitness, you are such a klutz!’ She grabbed Calix’s hand and yanked him up.

  Calix hastily pulled his hand back, using it instead to dust himself off. ‘Don’t laugh, it really hurt. What did I trip over?’

  ‘This.’ Jade lifted the scorched rug from the floor and held it up; stretching her arms above her head to display it as much as she could. Her voice was muffled when she spoke again. ‘Something happened here and I don’t like the smell of it.’

  ‘Let’s lay the rug out so we can see it properly.’

  Jade allowed Calix to take one end of the rug and help her spread it back on the floor. Together, they peered down at it.

  Calix folded his arms across his broad chest and exhaled noisily. ‘The burn mark is in the shape of a body.’

  Jade pointed at burnt trails running from where the head would have been. ‘A body of someone with long hair.’

  ‘That’s exactly what I was worrying about. Only Kaelia has hair that long.’

  ‘You think something has happened to her?’

  Calix’s mouth formed a grim line. ‘I hope not.’

  Apprehension fluttered in Jade’s chest. ‘You don’t think it was Thom, do you?’

  Calix shook his head. ‘Thom needs Kaelia alive; it wouldn’t make any sense for him to harm her.’

  ‘He could’ve hurt her enough to make her agree to do what he wants. He’s evil like that.’

  ‘I know he is.’

  Calix strode over to the nearest window and flung it open. Sticking his head out he looked down at the ground then up at the turret. ‘But what’s even stranger is Bay’s disappeared as well. I can’t see anything or anyone unusual outside. Kaelia and Bay can’t just have vanished into thin air.’ Slamming the window shut, Calix moved the heavy, velvet curtains. ‘There must be some kind of clue to help us figure out what happened in this room.’

  He strode over to the other window and kicked the curtains this way and that. ‘What’s this?’ Easing free something bright from underneath the curtain, he held it out.

  Jade grabbed it; it was soft to the touch. ‘Wow, what is it? It’s beautiful.’

  Smiling, Calix gently took the object back. The golden light emanating from it cast a glow against his tanned face. ‘If I’m not mistaken,’ he whistled, ‘it’s a feather.’

  Jade giggled, and shoved Calix. ‘I know that, idiot, but what kind of a feather lights up?’

  Calix shook his head. ‘I’m not an expert on birds but it’s obviously magical. Come on, we need to keep looking for Kaelia. Bryson needs to be healed. You search upstairs and I’ll look downstairs. Don’t leave a room unturned.’ He tucked the golden feather into his jeans pocket, concealing its light, and ushered Jade from the room.

  * * *

  Chapter Thirteen

  ‘I can’t find them anywhere.’ Calix panted, meeting up with Jade in the hall after having searched half of the castle. ‘Did you have any luck?’

  Jade, hands on her knees and bent in half catching her breath, shook her head.

  Calix hurried back to the Vallesm Bryson and felt the wolf’s neck for a pulse. ‘We have to do something or he’s going to die. There must be a remedy, or health elixir in one of those books in the library to help us. Surely we’ll find a recipe for something to bring him back into the land of consciousness.’

  ‘Well,’ a deep, male voice called from the castl
e door. ‘It’s lucky I’ve arrived.’

  Jade’s eyes slid to Calix. Catching her worried look, Calix grinned and jumped up. ‘Gunnarr! How did you gain entry?’ He hurried over to the older, stocky man and heartily shook his hand.

  Gunnarr held up a pendant hanging from a chain around his neck. ‘It’s made from amber but it’s called a wolf’s-eye amulet. The Vallesm give them to people they trust. It works in the way of a key and allows the wearer access to any place guarded by Vallesm.’ He tucked the amulet back inside the neck of his jumper. ‘Bryson gave me this many moons ago.’ He strode over to the amber Vallesm and dropped a holdall on the marble floor, it landed with a clank beside the wolf. ‘Where’s Kaelia? She could heal Bryson in a jiffy. I can make him comfortable if you want to go off and ask her to come here.’

  Calix stretched his neck, trying to ease off some of the rising tension. ‘She’s disappeared.’

  Gunnarr scratched his bristly chin. ‘What do you mean, disappeared?’

  Jade nodded. ‘Gone. We’ve been looking for her but she’s gone, so has Bay.’

  ‘Bay, Bryson’s lad?’ Gunnarr felt the Vallesm’s neck. ‘I haven’t seen Bay since the day he was born. I expect he’s all grown up now.’

  ‘You don’t know?’ Calix asked. ‘Bay and Kaelia are together. They’ve known each other for years.’

  ‘Boyfriend and girlfriend?’

  ‘Yes, Bay was enchanted by Bran to take his Vallesm form early and remain in it until someone loved him for being a wolf.’

  ‘And Kaelia did,’ Gunnarr deduced.

  Calix nodded. ‘Of course she did and it broke the enchantment. Now they’ve both vanished. Is it true that Bay could be Marrock?’

  ‘Marrock?’ Gunnarr rocked back on his knees.

  ‘Kaelia thinks so.’

  ‘Hmmm,’ Gunnarr replied, his lips twisted into a prune shape. ‘It is said only Kaelia will know who Marrock is when she finds him. When she finds and unites with Marrock her full powers, and true self, will be released.’

  ‘So if Bay is Marrock then Kaelia could already have reached her full power?’ Jade questioned.

  ‘If he is,’ Gunnarr replied. ‘Then, yes, but I’m sceptical. Does Bryson know his son is missing?’

  ‘Nope, he was out cold when we brought him back and Bay went off to wake Kaelia up. He never returned and he wouldn’t have left his dad, not in this state, without good reason. We looked for him and Kaelia and found this.’ Calix pulled the glowing feather from his pocket, offering it to Gunnarr. ‘Do you know what it is? Don’t say a feather.’ He looked at Jade and winked. ‘We already know that.’

  Gunnarr’s voice was strangulated. ‘It can’t be.’ He stroked the feather and held it up towards the fire. The light emanating from the feather perfectly matched the dance of the flames. ‘It looks like a firebird feather but I’ve never seen such a creature. I thought they were a myth.’

  ‘Are firebirds dangerous?’ Calix asked.

  Gunnarr passed the feather back to Calix. ‘I’ve heard many tales about them. Some say they represent truth, others say they make people tell the truth. They breathe fire; I think that’s pretty dangerous.’

  ‘Has it ever been said one has killed a person?’ Jade asked. ‘Like, burnt them to death?’

  Calix’s neck stiffened. ‘Don’t say that,’ he said warningly, thinking of the charred rug. ‘Don’t even think it.’

  ‘To answer your question, young lady, I ask do Vallesm have teeth?’ Gunnarr quipped. ‘Of course they do, so of course it has been told firebirds have killed many people. Yet, it could all be made up fairy tales to scare children.’ Returning his attention to the comatose Vallesm, he said, ‘You’ll be fine, old friend. Calix, prepare a potion exactly as I say. This old wolf will be back on all paws before no time. Open my bag, will you? Spread everything out so I can see what I’ve brought.’

  Calix unbuckled the canvas bag, emptying the contents onto the floor. ‘Do you think the firebird came for Kaelia because she’s unleashed her full potential?’

  Jade hopped from one foot to the other. ‘The Salloki could’ve sent it...it could be an assassin!’

  ‘It won’t be an assassin!’ Calix snapped, rubbing his aching forehead. ‘The Salloki need Kaelia alive to free Vanagandr.’

  ‘It could be a persuasion technique,’ Jade carried on. ‘To make Kaelia pledge herself to Thom and do The Salloki’s bidding.’

  ‘Kaelia will never do their bidding, she will never free Vanagandr!’

  ‘She might if the firebird took Bay, making her go after him!’ Jade said.

  Calix groaned in frustration. ‘All this guessing is giving me a headache. We have to find Kaelia. I need to know she’s safe!’

  Gunnarr looked Calix straight in the eye. ‘Calm down, lad. I’m sorry I don’t have answers for you. We need to focus on helping Bryson. One thing at a time. If anyone can track down where Bay and Kaelia have gone, it’ll be him.’

  ‘Why did you come here?’ Calix asked. ‘What about Father Peter? I thought you were returning to the Isle of Stone after I last saw you.’

  ‘Father Peter knows I’m here, don’t worry. He’ll be here as well in his own time, and more people will follow. More of those who want to join with Kaelia to defeat The Salloki. The Salloki have enemies but without Kaelia’s powers none of us have been strong enough to attempt to defeat them. The Dark One, the necromancer, is a loose cannon and something needs to be done about him. If he finally pledges allegiance to The Salloki then the fight will be even harder. With him on their side, they’ll be one step closer to releasing Vanagandr without even realising. If Father Peter worked out The Dark One’s touch is also needed to melt the sword between Vanagandr’s jaws, surely it won’t be long until The Salloki come to the same conclusion.

  ‘No-one ever thought it before but since Kaelia came of power, talk has been rife about the connection between her and Bran. When she is of full potential, she will be of at least equal strength as he. We have heard how they combined their powers to defeat an army of Dybbuks. Their power together will be unmatchable and The Salloki will want them both, they won’t give up until they get what they want. The only hope we have is Kaelia will never succumb to the seduction of their power, or Bran’s.’

  Calix nodded. ‘The problem is Bran’s like a drug to her.’

  Gunnarr replied, ‘It is because they represent the two sides of a whole, night and day. When their energies meet, it must be euphoric for them both but you say she is with Bryson’s son? In a romantic way, I mean.’

  ‘Absolutely,’ Calix replied. ‘She loves him.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Oh, I know she does. There’s no doubt about that, so don’t worry, she’ll never join with Bran or The Salloki.’

  Gunnarr smiled, his face a mixture of uncertainty and relief. He cast a look at Jade. ‘And you, you’re a Sifar? I’m sorry I didn’t ask your name when I came in. I knew a Sifar when I was a lad. Right handful, she was. Turned up on the Isle of Stone one summer, seduced the heck out of me and then buggered off. I never saw her again!’

  ‘Yes, I’m Jade, a Sifar. I’ve been trained by Harriet Barton at Mortiswood Academy. You’ve probably heard of her, she’s one of the best at teaching our kind how to master our skills. I’m not the strongest Sifar but I know how to control my powers. Cadence was a handful Sifar but she’s now a Draugr.’

  ‘Hmm, a Sifar turned Draugr, interesting. Yes, I’ve heard of Harriet Barton, she’s highly spoken of. I imagine she trained you well.’ Gunnarr gestured for Calix to pass him a bowl from his bag. ‘We’ll need people like you, Jade. The other Vallesm, where are they?’

  ‘Other Vallesm?’ Calix asked. ‘I thought it was just Bay and his dad.’

  Gunnarr shook his head. ‘Has Christina returned with more Vallesm?’

  Calix shrugged. ‘Who’s Christina?’

  ‘Do you walk around with cotton wool in your ears, lad?’ Gunnarr scolded. ‘Didn’t you wonder where Bay’s mother
was? Christina is Bay’s mother, Bryson’s wife. Last I heard she was searching for the few remaining Vallesm—those who had gone into hiding after the last cull The Salloki made upon them.’

  ‘I didn’t know there were any more surviving Vallesm until recently, I thought Kaelia’s Vallesm was the only one,’ Calix said. ‘Why didn’t you tell me this before?’ A thought struck him. ‘You knew I was looking for the Vallesm Castle when I told you I was searching for a Rosealrium bloom to stop Cadence from becoming a Draugr. You knew where the castle was and that it was the Vallesm Castle!’

  Gunnarr laughed, the deep sound rumbling in the immense room. ‘I did, lad, I did.’

  ‘You let me think I was walking into a castle guarded by a beast when it really belongs to an old mate of yours!’ Calix pointed at Bryson. ‘I crapped myself when this amber Vallesm shot out, snarling at me and Kaelia!’

  Gunnar clutched his sides and laughed. ‘I sent word to Bryson telling him to wind you up. I’m glad he listened!’

  ‘Oh no,’ Calix replied. ‘He wasn’t winding us up.’ He proceeded to tell Gunnarr the story of how Thom and Bran had invaded the castle grounds while, together, they prepared the potion needed to revive Bryson and heal his wounds.

  * * *

  Chapter Fourteen

  Cadence didn’t think she would ever grow used to the sensation of the earth’s continental crust moving around her. Clutching tightly onto Thom’s hand, rock and loose matter parted for them as they swam through the earth, Thom’s magic tunnelling them a way through. The urge to cover her eyes from the passing fragments was strong but Cadence knew she didn’t need to; she and Thom were not mere humans, such things would not harm them. Thom tugged harder on her hand, moving them along even faster, and she kicked out with her feet.

  Experimentally, Cadence allowed her free hand to trail behind her and called upon her magic, to test Thom’s theory she was no longer Sifar. The usual rush of energy flooded her veins and her eyes hazed over the way they used to when she had been human and had used her power. Rock moved to her will and a piece catapulted over Thom’s head. Cadence giggled, this was amazing. She hadn’t lost her Sifar magic at all. In fact, it felt easier to use. What a bonus.