by Amy Sumida
“You'll be back to normal in no time,” I laid a hand on her shoulder and this time she didn't flinch, just nodded. “Alright then,” I looked down at Cat. “You ready to see Danu?”
She yipped excitedly and I stepped forward. The giant door of the gate swung inward before I could lay a hand on it but I didn't hesitate. I walked confidently into the darkness of the In-Between and straight down the short path which went through it. At the end, another gargantuan door swung open for us and we all emerged into a garden very similar to the one we'd left. Nearly identical actually. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the same blossoming olive trees covering the hill.
Then the gate swung closed behind us.
I gave the witches an encouraging smile and headed for the only door in the circular enclosure. The walls around us were just like those in the last garden; smooth all the way up to the open ceiling. Here, the sky was slightly lighter and littered with fluffy clouds as opposed to the deep, clear blue of Ireland.
I opened the door and two startled guards angled their spears towards me. Then they saw my face and lifted the weapons so they could bow. I nodded to them and passed into the halls of the High Council House of Fairy, Cat striding along happily beside me. Tiernan came up on my left and took my hand. I smiled at him, feeling better than I had in weeks.
We were so close to an end. I just had to take these witches to Danu and then we could return and hopefully witness the signing of the first truce between the Coven and the Councils. I even knew where I'd find Danu; in her temple, just outside the Council House. She had once assured me that it was the only place in Fairy where you could be certain to hear her voice.
Several fairies roamed the halls and all of them gave us surprised looks when we passed. But none tried to stop us. Generally, if you made it through the gates of Anu's rath, you were meant to be there. So we walked out of the castle and down the flower-bordered path to the towering crystal temple of Danu without any issues.
I heard the witches gasp and shared a smile with Tiernan. Danu's temple was something out of a dream, beyond even a fairy tale. Crystal spires towered so high into the sky that you couldn't see the end to them. They were connected by delicate crystal arches, angled upward in places so that you kept wanting to look higher and higher.
The pale path we were on led right into the heart of the temple, where it circled a central pillar of crystal before it went on to bisect the temple completely. The heart was where I was headed; to the spirit crystal that sparkled with violet light. Set around the circular path that surrounded this crystal, were four more columns which stood guard like fairy knights; one column for each of the remaining elements.
The fire column was filled with a carnelian-crimson light and the base of it was surrounded by flames. Water held cerulean shimmers within its facets while rain fell steadily around it. Air was known by its buttery golden glow and the swirl of wind which constantly circled it. Then there was Earth; full of a mossy oak illumination and adorned with the curling clutch of vines.
I glanced at these elemental crystals but spared them only a moment before I went straight to the center one which represented Spirit; the fifth element. I placed my palms to the stone and prayed for Danu to come to us and fulfill her promise to the witches.
Tristan and Sarah were still staring about them in wonder when Danu appeared; a hazy feminine shape with a blurry face. She formed within the central pillar first and then stepped free of the crystal to stand before us. I saw my eyes in her shifting face but I knew it would be different for the others. Danu's eyes always became her viewer's. It was her way of showing how connected she was to her children.
Conri, Tiernan, and I were already on our knees when the Beckoning witches realized that Danu was among us. Then they knelt too, staring at Danu like they couldn't truly believe she was there. Cat ran up to the goddess and sat beside her, just happy to be near her, and Danu laid her glittering hand upon Cat's head.
“Hello, Catriona,” the Goddess spoke and Cat gave her a joyful yip in response. “Hello, Tristan,” Danu lifted her gaze and smiled at the male witch. “Are you ready to claim your place?”
“I am,” he said immediately.
“Then come here,” she held her hand out to him.
Tristan stood and rushed over to Danu. She placed her hands to Tristan's temples and a blinding light poured from her palms and into him. He went rigid as the light filled him and then began to shine through him, casting a glow over the ground like a halo. The Goddess remained serene; her hazy mouth smiling sweetly.
When she pulled her hands away, the light faded and we all gaped at what remained. Tristan no longer looked like a dullahan. He had grown several inches and his muscles had thickened slightly, giving him the sleek physique of an Olympic swimmer. His shoulder-length hair had darkened from oak to ebony and his skin had paled to a pearly sheen. His face was healthy again but a little longer; with a regal nose and high cheekbones. Beneath his noble brow were a pair of glittering violet eyes; the exact same color as the light within the Spirit column.
“Welcome, Councilman Tristan Lightheart,” Danu said solemnly. “Your trust in me has served you well and so I reward it with the dream you most desired. I've made you into a sidhe of Fairy.”
“I'm a sidhe?” Tristan lifted his hands to his beautiful face.
“Your spirit has chosen your mór magic for you,” Danu went on. “You were not born to be a warrior but a scholar and a healer. So you shall be. You bear a new magic; the lightheart. With it you will heal the most damaged of hearts and lighten the heaviest souls. You'll bring comfort to those without hope and peace to those who know only rage. You will be my vessel of compassion for my children.”
“I'm honored,” Tristan knelt and Danu laid her hand on him gently.
“But, I didn't know I could choose this,” Sarah whispered.
“Faith must be rewarded,” Danu said simply. “You chose duty to your people instead of love for me,” she held up a hand when Sarah started to protest. “I'm not judging you, Sarah. You made a valid choice and an honorable one. I will uphold our bargain and grant you the return of your old form.”
Danu held her hand out to Sarah. The witch stood slowly and moved forward as Tristan stood and moved back. Sarah knelt and looked up into Danu's face, all of her fear and anxiety leaving her as she gazed upon the Goddess. Then Danu put her hands on Sarah's head and light once more emanated from the Goddess' fingers. Sarah was filled as Tristan had been and when Danu stepped back, the magic faded from Sarah and revealed her to be as she once was.
Sarah bowed her head, “Thank you, Danu.”
“I will miss you, Daughter,” Danu laid her hand on Sarah's head and a brief glow lit Sarah's temples. “But I send you away with a little gift to remember me by.”
Then Danu turned to me.
“Goddess,” I bowed my head briefly. “Thank you for helping us. For sending Uisdean to see us safely out of Fairy.”
“He was a little reluctant,” she laughed and it echoed off the crystals like tinkling glass. “I saw that in his heart. But he agreed immediately anyway. He has always been a good son, loyal to me and Fairy. I hope that someday he will show you the softer aspects of his nature.”
“That's okay,” I shook my head. “I'm good without knowing his softer side.”
Danu laughed again. “You have put limits on your love, Seren,” she chided. “Let your heart grow and go where it wills.”
“Well, some places its gone are a little restrictive about where else I let it wander,” I shot a teasing look in Tiernan's direction but he was staring at the Goddess like she was giving him his results from a STD test.
“There are many paths to love,” Danu gave Tiernan a wink. “And many ways to experience it. Trust that Seren knows which paths to take to strengthen her heart without breaking yours.”
“Thank you,” I said, still feeling a bit guilty for kissing Raza.
“And, Seren,” Danu set her penetrating stare on me, wh
ich just so happened to be my own stare. “Watch your step. Navigating love and life can be dangerous and you are heading into rough waters.”
“I'll try my best,” I grimaced.
“Don't look so worried,” her blurry lips lifted in a smile. “I'll be walking the path beside you.”
“When the path leads into a bedroom, would you mind waiting outside?”
Danu laughed as she stepped back into the central crystal column. Her laughter lingered as she faded into the light.
“That wasn't an answer,” I called after her.
Chapter Fifty-Five
Tristan took his place among the High Council of Fairy with very little difficulty. Most of the council members were actually on the other side of the rath, in Ireland for the summit. Even William Sehoka, the imprisoned Flight witch, had been taken back to HR to be released into the Coven's care. There was only one high council member left on the Isle, the rest of the inhabitants were trainees or household staff, so there was no one to protest the witch-turned-sidhe taking his place in the High Council. The one councilman left had originally given us shocked looks but when it was all explained, he simply nodded and declared that Danu's wishes must be obeyed. Tristan was given a room and that was that.
After we saw him settled, the rest of us returned through the rath to the High Fairy Council House in Ireland. We stepped out of the garden to find my father waiting for us. My true father; King Keir. He smiled when he saw me and came forward to give me a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek, before taking my hand and wrapping it around his arm.
“The summit has been scheduled for tomorrow afternoon,” he said with supreme satisfaction.
“Wonderful,” I sighed. “Then I'm going to get something to eat and go to bed.”
“I'm afraid you aren't,” Keir laughed. “I came to collect you because you're needed immediately in the ballroom. There's a pre-summit party going on as we speak, meant to provide us with an opportunity to get to know each other.”
“Oh,” I ran a hand through my hair and looked down at the velvet fairy dress I'd worn to see the Goddess. “I guess it's a good thing I dressed up for Danu.”
“Indeed,” Keir laughed and looked back to the others. “All of you are welcome to join. There will be refreshments and entertainment.”
“I'm in,” Conri smirked and then turned to Sarah. “What about you, witchy lady?”
“I think I'm gonna get some rest before the summit,” she rubbed at her temple distractedly and broke away from our group, heading towards the stairs.
“Looks like you're losing your touch,” I teased Conri.
“Impossible,” he scoffed. “And if I'd actually touched her, she would have invited me to join her upstairs.”
“Bargest, you need to learn some humility,” Gradh said as she rounded a corner. “I could hear your ego coming all the way down the hall.”
Conri just stopped and smiled, looking over the amazing vision Gradh made in her fey evening gown. Her lustrous cobalt hair was piled high on her head in intricate braids, showing off the graceful curve of her bronzed neck, and the pistachio dress complimented her periwinkle eyes.
“I'm open to any suggestions you'd like to give me,” Conri bowed to Gradh and offered her his arm.
“If you touch anything you're not asked to,” she took his arm and narrowed her eyes on him, “I'll make those suggestions with my dagger.” She shifted aside her split skirt and revealed the gold dagger strapped to her thigh.
“Danu help me,” Conri groaned as he led Gradh away. “I think I'm in love.”
“You wouldn't know love if it bit you on the ass,” Gradh huffed.
“Was that an offer?” Conri asked hopefully.
“I think we'll just let them go into the ballroom first,” Keir grimaced.
“Don't want to be associated with the bargest and his female knight?” I teased my father as Tiernan came up beside us and Cat ran ahead with Conri.
“No, I don't want to be within the blast radius when Gradh decides she's had enough of Conri's flirtations,” Keir rolled his eyes.
“Blast radius,” I nodded approvingly. “Well said, Dad.”
“Thank you,” Keir beamed, proud to have got a human saying right. “Now, smile big and stay close. These witches have a dangerous aura about them.”
“Dangerous, eh?” I frowned, thinking of Danu's warning.
“Not as dangerous as us, of course,” Keir gave me a sideways grin. “But you might need to look after our human friends.”
“Right,” I slid a glance at Tiernan and he gave me a little nod.
Then we were entering the ballroom of the High Council of Fairy. Muted conversations melded with the strains of string instruments as my sight filled with fluttering gowns on dancing women and the gleam of jeweled sword hilts on dashing men. I was a little taken aback at how very many people were in the room. With all of the clans of the Coven represented, both Councils, the Extinguishers, the Wild Hunt, and every fairy noble who felt the need to be included in such a momentous affair, the room was near to bursting.
Everyone was dressed as if to show the others how important they were. I actually felt a little underdressed in my simple ruby velvet. I pulled self-consciously at the ombré aubergine stripe in my hair, twirling the lavender tip around my finger. The only jewelry I had on was my star pendant; a gift from my parents... all of them, in a way.
Keir, who was dressed as a king of Fairy with crown and all, smiled down at me and waved someone forward. It was Ainsley and he held a purple cushion with my crown on it. My crown was a daintier version of my father's; a platinum circle of thin spires topped with diamond stars. It was tall, as far as crowns go, and I generally tried not to wear it. But amidst this group, it seemed imperative that I did.
“Princess,” Ainsley smiled at me as he offered the crown to my father.
“Sir Ainsley,” I smiled back. “Thank you for playing the role of crown bearer.”
“My pleasure,” Ainsley bowed after Keir took the crown and then removed himself and the pillow discreetly.
“Daughter,” Keir lifted the crown and I edged forward enough to indicate that he could place it on me. He settled it firmly on my head, the thin layer of padding within the rim helping it to stay in place. “Beautiful.”
“Yes, indeed,” Uisdean agreed as he sidled up to us. “Brother,” he nodded to my father.
“Brother,” my father gave Uisdean a measured look. “I've heard of what you did for Seren. Thank you.”
“The Goddess called,” Uisdean shrugged but his pride was obvious and I wouldn't be surprised to hear him repeat that phrase throughout the night. Yes, well the Goddess called me herself blah, blah, blah.
“And he exacted payment,” I added.
“You made my daughter pay for your assistance?” My father narrowed his eyes on Uisdean and Tiernan tensed beside me.
I'd forgotten to tell Tiernan about the dragons. He was just going to love this, we'd gotten rid of one only to have a whole court of them thrown in my lap.
“Merely a request for her help in an ambassadorial matter,” Uisdean waved his hands out expansively. “That's her job, is it not?”
“What matter?” My father leaned toward his brother aggressively and the conversations around us ceased.
When two kings of Fairy argued, you paid attention. If for no other reason than to know when to run and in which direction.
“I have a meeting with the Court of the Nine Sons, nothing too dangerous,” Uisdean's eyes were like pits of darkness but his lips smiled wide, reminding me a little of a dullahan grin.
“Nothing too dangerous?!” My father let go of my hand and edged into Uisdean's personal space. “You want her to accompany you into a dragon court and you say it's nothing dangerous? Fairies have died from merely standing too close to a dragon argument.”
“Or an argument of kings,” I muttered. “Perhaps this isn't the best place for this? Or time?”
“Perhaps not,” Keir clenche
d his jaw as he breathed heavily through his anger.
“This is your daughter's duty,” Uisdean went serious. “She's our Ambassador, that means helping to keep the peace... in every kingdom. You cannot hoard her to yourself, Keir.”
“We'll discuss this later, Uisdean,” Keir growled and turned away, right into his sister, Moire.
“Awkward,” I groaned as we faced my aunt. The last time I'd seen Moire was when she'd come to ask for her son's release from our dungeon. It hadn't gone so well.
“Keir,” she hissed.
She looked fully recovered from the bloodthorns my father had inflicted upon her when she tried to attack me. But recovered didn't mean healthy for Moire. Her emaciated frame was enveloped in pallid skin, as white as bleached bone, and her hair matched it perfectly. It made her look like she didn't have eyebrows, a very creepy visual in my opinion. In fact, she was almost colorless, the only hint of life was within the barest blush of blood on her lips and in the gray of her eyes.
“Moire,” Keir barely glanced at his sister before brushing past her. He did stop to speak with her son though. “Bress, how are you?”
“I'm well, Uncle,” my cousin nodded politely but there were shadows under his eyes as well as within them. His slate-blue hair puffed around him like angry clouds as he bowed to me. “Cousin Seren.”
“Cousin Bress,” I found myself leaning forward to kiss his cheek and whisper, “The offer still stands. You'll always be welcome in Twilight.”
When I pulled back, I found him staring at me in shock, a thin film of moisture over his steel-swirled, sapphire eyes. He quickly blinked it away though and recovered his composure, giving me a jerky nod before turning away to attend his monstrous mother.
I don't know why I felt pity for Bress. He'd once tried to do horrible things to me. But then I'd seen how abused he was, how broken his mind was, and I'd felt bad for him. Danu had just spoken to me about keeping myself open to love. Maybe she had meant Bress... and the Goddess must not be ignored. Besides, I didn't have a lot of family left. If I could bring Bress back from the dark side, it would feel like a huge win for me.