Lincoln bounced around, gyrating his fists like he was dancing at a rave. “Dawg, even better! What’re you waiting for? Jack ush in.”
Farouk’s gaze slid to Fate and Eustace then back to the boys. “There are risks,” he confessed begrudgingly. “One of you may develop less than desirable side-effectuals.”
“Do any of them include bleeding from the eyes, coughing up an organ or instant death?” Mason asked.
Everyone tensed as Farouk paused a touch too long. “Nothing along that line. They will be much worse. If your chi rejects the Dragon Eye, you may suffer severe confuddlement, perturbitude and phantascinations to the point of violent behavior or suicide.”
Mason looked surprised. “Oh, is that all? We hear warnings like that on TV all the time. Let’s do it. Dragon Eye me.” He gave Darcy a peck on the cheek, then turned to bump fists with Lincoln.
Darcy scowled at them. “Fools.”
13
There’s Nothing Civilized About Faeries
FINN PLACED THE LAST of the ritual items on the corner of the purple cloth he’d found in the main part of the chest that had held the grimoire hidden. Everything he needed had been carefully packed away inside the wooden chest. He was familiar with most of the ingredients for the ceremony–crystals, feathers, holy blend tobacco, incense, sacred lamp and wand. Except for the cloth, which was embroidered with a circle of Sidhe symbols.
Finn slipped the white cloak made of flax over his shoulders, clasping the hook at his neck before donning the hood. It was clear to see by this ready supply of ceremonial tools that O’Deldar had performed several of the grimoire’s rituals. The druid priest had obviously managed to come through them unscathed. If he hadn’t, Finn would’ve sensed the presence of darkness in the man when they’d first met.
If only he could be as sure of his own ability to pull this off. He desperately wished O’Deldar had been present to do this for him.
Finn clenched his jaw. Dwelling on if-onlys was a useless waste of energy. He needed to trust that the time he’d spent encased within the oak and his connection with the Earthmind had thoroughly cleansed his spirit. He’d known without a doubt he’d been fundamentally changed for the better. It was time to start believing in himself and the purity of his intention to reunite with Fate. If nothing else, his love for her would surely protect him against the deadly fae he was about to invoke.
Taking a deep breath, Finn glanced down at the open pages of the grimoire and began reading the invocation aloud. With each word spoken, his mouth grew dry and his tongue seemed to thicken. As he neared the end, speaking the incantation became difficult.
The moment he spoke the last word, a murky brown haze formed above the ceremonial cloth. As the haze expanded, a sickly yellow glow gleamed at the center, growing brighter, spreading until it became a dull golden circlet surrounding a blue-green expanse shot through with veins of dirty brown. Dark formless shapes snaked within the portal’s deep folds of space.
Finn’s nerves stretched thin as he watched a frenzy of movement disturb the aquamarine clouds. They were coming. The shadows seemed to be coagulating, growing denser, larger. Within seconds, something pushed through the outer membrane of the portal. Before Finn could make out what it was, he did as the book instructed and turned his back to the portal.
An icy breeze raked past him as the sound of hooves clopped onto the stone floor. Clawed feet clicked, and something slithered off to other parts of the chamber, while the hoofed thing stepped close and sniffed his head. Stifling a shudder, Finn tightened his grip on O’Deldar’s wand.
“Who is it that presumes he has the authority to summon us?” a deep grating voice asked next to his ear.
“Your master.” Finn’s voice sounded more like a choke. His mouth and throat were as dry as chalk.
A condescending chuckle filled the room. “Master of none is what you are. How can you be our master when you have no control over yourself? Remember what you wanted to do to Fate?”
Finn’s face flushed hot with shame. The book instructed that the Triad would sense his weaknesses and seek to fill him with self-doubt and confusion.
The slitherer snaked along the wall Finn was facing, ruffling the heavy curtains. He closed his eyes before it could show itself to him. The book warned against looking upon the Triad, since doing so caused paralyzing terror and guaranteed insanity.
“I am endowed with the authority of the Lord of Light,” Finn answered.
More laughter. “You are a filthy pagan and worship the old gods. What do you know of the new god?”
The book had said he’d be tested on his faith and character. He was to answer questions and challenges with politeness and moderation to keep the conversation civilized, which to Finn seemed ridiculous. There’s nothing civilized about faeries. They are wild and unpredictable. Despite his dislike of them, he wasn’t about to go against the book’s advice while they were in the same room with him.
“Aye, you’ll have to forgive me. I’ve never observed the laws of the new god. But as you know, I’m druidkind, which means I know your history with the Lord of Light and how He cast you down to earth.”
Silence.
Finn almost smiled, knowing he’d stunned his inquisitor with secret knowledge.
“What is it you wish from us?” the hoofed one asked.
“I want to leave here and cross the fiery divide into the other world,” Finn answered.
“What is this fiery divide you speak of? We know nothing of such things.”
Anger burned hot in Finn’s chest. What a lie! “Don’t act daft with me. You know about it. I command you to speak the truth!”
“Very well, but the location is unknown to us. The Djinn took control of the divide eons ago and have kept it cloaked ever since.”
Hearing this made Finn want to go into a fit of rage. Fuming silently, he pressed his lips together. This was supposed to be a quick, simple transaction. He didn’t have time for complications. “If I find the divide, can the Djinn open the gateway?”
“The Sidhe constructed the divide and it can only be opened by the Triad.”
“Bloody brilliant,” Finn swore under his breath. It was bad enough being forced to deal with faeries, but the Djinn too? He knew very little about them. “Send me a guide. One who knows where to find the Djinn.”
“Fae do not deal with Djinn. Payment for such a request will exact a high price.”
“Remember whom you’re dealing with.” Finn’s voice pierced the room with an air of authority. “You may’ve hidden the truth from the rest of mankind, but I know you’ve been condemned to serve us. I owe you nothing for this.”
The impatient stamp of a hoof against stone resounded directly behind him as something rough snaked across his foot.
Finn tensed. Holding the wand tight in his fist, he whispered an incantation, igniting the tip with a blinding white light. Growls and hisses filled the air as he listened to the fae creatures retreat to more shadowy corners of the chamber.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Finn loosened his grip on the wand, when suddenly a clawed hand slid over his shoulder, snatching away his only defense.
14
Xena’s In The Room
EUSTACE SLOTTED THE KEY Farouk had given him into the door marked with the Greek symbol for knowledge. It was the only mark they’d been able to recognize so far. Fate, Jessie, Gerdie, Steve and Darcy followed him inside.
“Now this is more my speed.” Eustace stopped just inside the door and glanced around at the massive library.
“Oh, yeah.” Steve walked over to a shelf and ran his fingers over the leather spines of a row of books.
The heels of Darcy’s lace-up Victorian boots clicked over the marble floor as she strolled into the center, turning slowly as she took the place in. Somehow, she still managed to look unimpressed.
The library took Fate’s breath away. Romanesque architecture housed countless books with walls stretching in half-mile lengths on either side. The shelv
es were stacked six stories high, each level divided by wraparound terraces. Intricate arches laced across a curved ceiling painted with frescos rivaling Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.
“Sure thing, a bunch of dusty old books are so much more exciting than getting super powers,” Jessie grumbled.
Fate tried to hide the hurt she felt. “Jess, we’re just watching out for you.”
Jessie’s glare landed on Eustace. “What happened to your big speech about making our own choices?”
Eustace looked apologetic. “I’m sorry you’re upset with us, but your mother will kill me if I allowed anything to happen to you.”
“How’s she going to do that if she’s not here?” Jessie yelled, surprising both Fate and Eustace. Fate couldn’t remember a time when Jessie had lost her temper with an adult. She was all about manners.
Jessie paced back and forth like a caged animal. “I know what’s at stake here. We might never make it back home. This place is dangerous. I get that. But how am I supposed to defend myself when I’m stuck in a library? What am I supposed to fight those monsters with? Harsh language?”
Steve held a book with occult symbols embossed all over the cover. “You could use magic against them.” They turned to look at him. All of a sudden he looked very warlocky to Fate.
“Put that away,” Gerdie scolded him. “Nobody dabbles with the magics without my say so.”
Jessie dropped into a leather chair with a loud huff. “Great, I can’t even do that much.”
“If you haven’t noticed, I didn’t get to be Dragon Eyed either,” Fate reminded her.
“And you don’t need to.” Resentment darkened Jessie’s expression. “Look at you. You’re all muscled arms and kickass armor. And you already know how to fight. Watch out everybody, Xena’s in the room.”
Fate clamped down on the urge to tell Jessie to grow up. Her patience was wearing thin. Smoothing Jessie’s ruffled feathers and worrying about how the others were faring with Farouk’s questionable tactics at turning them into super soldiers was not what she should be focusing on. If anything, she should be out there with Brune, fixing what was broken and corralling the monsters that had been set loose.
Then she’d be free to do what she really wanted. Find a gateway back to Finn.
Eustace’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Jessie, I understand your frustration, but there’s another line of defense you may want to consider. Knowledge is every bit as powerful as brute force, if not more so.”
Jessie folded her arms. “Yeah, that’s what they all say, until somebody gets punched in the face.”
Eustace placed both hands on the table between them and leaned forward. “You don’t see me picking up the sword. Instead, I’m choosing to arm myself with knowledge about the monsters outside these walls. I want to know their strengths, and most of all, their weaknesses. If I do my job right, Fate and the others will have a better chance at defeating them. And surviving the attempt.”
Jessie shot Fate an anxious look.
“But as you can see, that’s a task far too immense for just me and Gerdie.” Eustace waved his hand at all the books in the enormous library. “So I’d like to suggest we assemble a different sort of team here in the library. Jessie, Steve, Darcy? Will you join us?”
Steve hurried over. “Count me in. I haven’t been playing a warlock just to look hot in these high rollin’ threads.” He sniffed and puffed his chest. “I’ve always been into the magics. Anybody want to have their cards read?”
“Not by some dabbler,” Darcy grumbled.
Steve’s back stiffened. “I’ll have you know I’m a student of the mystical arts.”
“Oh really? Then you must be up on all the history too. So answer me this. What are the Tarot’s origins?”
“Hmm,” Steve mused, his blue eyes glinting with mischief. “You probably think the Tarot started with a mystical sect of the Knights Templar. I believe they were located in Syria at the time.”
Darcy’s eyes widened. “Hardly anybody knows that.”
“What’s even less known is that the Tarot was introduced to Southern Europe from India, via the Arabs.”
Darcy opened her mouth, but she seemed to have nothing to counter what he was saying and promptly tightened her lips.
Eustace watched the silent war between them. “Uh…well, it’s good we’ve got that settled.” He looked at Jessie. “And how about you? Can we count you in as part of the team?”
“I suppose,” she muttered.
“Excellent.” Eustace winked at Fate.
She mouthed a silent thank you.
He nodded, before turning his attention back to the others. “Time to get to work then.” He glanced around at the walls of books. “But where in the world do we begin?”
“Good question.” Gerdie tapped her foot impatiently as she glanced around. “It’s not like we can ask a librarian.”
Suddenly, the sound of grinding stone echoed throughout the expanse. Everyone turned as the two giant roman pillars flanking the entrance to the library rotated, spinning a full turn before revealing a long, narrow doorway. When the pillars came to a full stop, out stepped two twelve-foot tall, wispy figures. They each had six flesh-colored arms, and might have looked like spiders, except that they were equipped with two inhumanly long legs attached to mechanical torsos. They had pale, expressionless faces made of the same flesh-colored plastic. The unsettling masks ended at the ears. The rest of the skull was made of brass machinery, blinking with gold lights, coils and sparking circuits. Their heads swiveled in unison upon long necks of copper tubing and wire as they gazed vacantly at Fate and the others. “What is it you seek?” they both asked in soft, modulated tones.
Shaking his head with a smile, Eustace laughed. “Everything you’ve got on the Fomorians please.”
The robot librarians split off in separate directions, each easily scaling the bookcases to the upper levels with the ease of spiders, due to their many arms.
“And throw in whatever you’ve got on Chimeras!” Fate called after them. Ever since the fire-breathing creature had rammed itself against the sanctuary walls, she’d been dreading going out into the Keep.
After ten minutes of watching the librarians crawling over the walls of the library, they returned with several large stacks of books. Upon delivering the goods, the willowy robots stood by, towering over everyone as they gathered around the large table.
Eustace went through the volumes. “Hmm, it appears the Fomorians go as far back as Babylonian times. We have the seven tablets of Enuma Elish here. Correction. Eight tablets. How very curious.”
“If you say so.” Fate was entirely clueless on the subject. “Anything there on the monster who can’t decide what it wants to be when it grows up?”
Eustace shoved three thick tomes across the table. “Try the Bibliotheca. The Chimera will be in there.”
Fate grabbed one of the books and flipped through the first few pages. “What is it, some sort of dictionary?”
“More like an encyclopedia of myths and legends.” Eustace didn’t bother to look up from the volumes he was studying.
“I don’t know…it all looks Greek to me. Literally. You do know I can only read English.”
“Look again,” Eustace told her.
Fate glanced down just as the Greek letters shifted to English. “Oh, that’s too cool. But there’s no table of contents. Please tell me I don’t have to comb through all three of these humungous books. And here I forgot to take that speed reading course last year.”
Eustace didn’t answer.
“Dad?”
“The others can help you,” he answered absent-mindedly.
“Okay. Which one of you book soldiers wants to pitch in?” Fate asked.
Steve chose one of the volumes. “I’ll dig in.”
Fate looked at Darcy, Jessie and Gerdie.
Darcy sat down next to Eustace. “Don’t look at me. I’m on Fomorians with your dad.”
Jessie held out he
r hand, though begrudgingly. “Fine, give me the other one.”
Gerdie backed away with a sneaky smile. “I’ll leave you to it. I’m gonna keep the librarians busy with some other stuff.”
“Like what?” Fate asked.
Gerdie was quiet a moment. “I’ll let you know if I find it.”
“Sure.” Curious as to what she was eluding to, Fate watched her head toward the other end of the library with the two robots following her. It wasn’t like Gerdie to not roll up her sleeves and help. Whatever mission she was on must be pretty important for her to take a pass.
Sighing, Fate went back to skimming pages. Not too long ago, she would’ve devoured the epic myths inked on the pages of the ancient Greek tome in front of her. But her experiences inside the Book of Fables had changed her on so many levels. She’d grown far too accustomed to picking up the sword and charging into battle.
Impatience skimmed along her nerve endings. The restless warrior she’d become fought to be let loose. But it wasn’t just that. She feared the oath she’d taken as Keep Guardian had permanently sealed a penchant for warfare. As far as Fate was concerned, she should be getting her ninja on with Farouk and the others. Not thumbing through books like the nerd she used to be.
“Found something!” Steve flipped his long hair off his shoulder with a proud sniff.
Fate slammed her book shut. “Thank the gods, cuz I gotta say, Zeus’s family soap opera is tired. I mean really, how many times do we have to hear about his dad wanting to eat him and his sibs? You’d think a peek at the original version would have a few surprises.”
Steve stared at her with a big grin. “Well, I found it fascinating reading.”
“I’m with Fate,” Jessie agreed. “Mine’s a snore too. Book Three’s mostly about a bunch of characters who’ve never made it into any of the really good books and movies. I haven’t heard of half of these jokers.”
Steve sagged in his seat. “Guess that makes me the biggest geek in the room.”
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