The Skye Trilogy: Isle of Skye, Isle of Night, and Isle of Dawn. * Bonus: Scrumptious Skye Confections Cookbook*

by Shannon Barczak

  “Hi Frank,” a woman’s voice called out when we entered the room. She was very petite, which caught me by surprise. It seemed like any Guardian I had met or seen was tall. Her dark hair was styled in a short, shaggy cut and her huge blue eyes sparkled with friendliness.

  “Hi Veronica, allow me to introduce to you Willa, our newest member of the island." Frank greeted.

  “Hello Willa, I’m happy to finally meet you, I’ve heard such wonderful things about you,” she said warmly

  “Nice to meet you too Veronica,” I replied

  “Veronica is Mathias’s secretary." Frank explained.

  “Really? What did you do that was so bad to warrant such a nightmare assignment?" I asked

  Veronica’s musical laugh tinkled with merriment. “Oh, Mathias’s bark is worse than his bite. He really is a lovely boss."

  Ok, I hate you, I thought. I murmured a "Hmm umm."

  Suddenly I was desperate to get away from this beautiful woman who seemed to adore Mathias.

  “Has everyone gathered?" Frank asked

  “Yes, everyone, including the Queen and her daughter are in the meeting hall,” she answered. “We’re just waiting for the rest of the royal family to arrive shortly."

  “Great,” Frank replied, “Willa do you want to follow me?”

  “I thought I would hang back for a second.” I answered. “Where is Mathias’s office?”

  “It’s at the end of the hall,” Veronica answered, pointing left, and looking confused.

  “See you in a minute." I said turning down the hall and walking as fast as I could. There was only one office at the end of the hallway, complete with its own small reception area, so I concluded I had arrived at my destination. I pushed the door open and looked around curiously.

  Mathias’s office was a lot like his house, stark, modern and lacking anything personal. A black desk was devoid of any clutter, just a sleek computer and phone. A few chairs, small mini fridge, and one bookshelf which were filled with books on history completed the rather sparse office.

  I came into the room a few more steps and saw three small paintings which were to the right of his desk and on my left. I wondered why he had positioned them there, unless you came into the office entirely; you would never have seen them. They all appeared to be a series by the same artist and were hauntingly beautiful landscapes. There were green rolling hills that stopped by a rocky coast and roaring sea, a small, stone farmhouse with a lone rugged, rocky mountain in the background and lastly sheep grazing in the picturesque pasture.

  I leaned closer to inspect these marvelous pieces of art and was so lost in the details of the fine brush strokes that I didn’t hear Mathias walk into the room.

  “Of course you're in my office. Why on earth would I think you would be in the meeting hall where everyone is waiting?"

  I chewed on my bottom lip. “These paintings are stunning. Is this where you grew up in Wales?"

  “What does this have to do with anything?” he asked as he threw up his hands and went over to lean against his desk

  “You were a farmer, weren’t you? These paintings, the farm that’s in one of them, and the rusted toy tractors in your house, is that what you did before you became a vampire?"

  “Yes." he finally answered after a long silence

  “Do you miss it?" I asked cautiously. I was treading on thin ice, but I couldn’t help it, I was horribly curious about Mathias and his former life.

  "Sometimes,” he said curtly

  “Why are you so afraid?" I asked exasperated

  “Of what?" he snorted

  “Of me,” I said, “Of letting me in or anyone for that matter. You're so confusing, one minute you’re flirting with me and the next you're pushing me away."

  “Don’t," he said in a low voice

  “Don’t what? Ask you a question? Tell you how I feel?"

  “This is ridiculous. There’s a room full of people waiting to be briefed about a rescue operation concerning Augusta, Julia, and Leona. A rescue mission, which includes a foray into the lion’s den so to speak with an untrained Princess,” he said very seriously. “So yes, don’t. Don’t ask me questions, don’t try to figure me out, just fucking don’t right now."

  I rolled my eyes. “Fine, whatever, close yourself off. I don’t see what the big deal is though; we just have to catch everyone up on all the details and make a plan."

  Mathias smiled. “Fantastic. I’m sure you will have no problem addressing the Guardians and assigning everyone a job. Oh and there’s also the little detail of making the plan itself, but you're right, no big deal."

  I smirked, “Easy peasy, lemon squeezy."

  “After you Princess,” he gestured to the door, still smiling wide.

  My eyes narrowed for a minute. “No, after you, I wouldn’t want you staring and drooling at my ass while I walk down there."

  “Fine." he said. “You can stare at mine."

  Shoot, I thought, mad at myself for opening my big mouth and mad at him for being right. I was going to drool. I squared my shoulders and sauntered after him. I was trying desperately not to stare at his distracting, retreating figure and trying to work out what the hell I was going to say to this room full of people. A room full of people expecting me to be brilliant, or at the very least, somewhat knowledgeable.

  No problem.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Hi,” I said too brightly. Standing in front of a room full of vampires, who were sitting still and alert, was daunting. I had to sound self-assured and business like but I also didn’t want to come off as fake or phony.

  So I decided to be myself. After all, I’m sure a few of them had already gotten wind of me. An untrained Fae-Castor Princess trying to sound like an Army general was a joke. My only experience rallying the troops was cheering on my team at the bakery for an all-night cake decorating session.

  “I realize that I don’t know many of you. I see some familiar faces but, unfortunately, I haven’t been around that long so I haven’t had a chance to be properly introduced to everyone. I’m sure that you have been briefed slightly on the details about the current situation, but I want to discuss it a little deeper with you."

  “It sounds crazy. Are we going to help with a rescue mission that someone had a vision of months ago? I’m here to tell you that, yes we are. I haven't met Julia or my Aunt Gussie or Frank’s wife Leona but in a crazy way I have this connection to them. I cannot in good conscience sit back and ignore what’s in front of me."

  “Julia says in her letter to me that she would sacrifice her life for that of her mother and the Clan. So would I. At the end of the day, this is about fighting for our way of life, whether it is from the Rau or some crazy witch and her string pulling puppet Fae Lord Master."

  “I may not be the most adept yet at my new position in this world. What I am willing to do though is fight, not only for my family but everyone else on this island. That includes Gypsies and Guardians. So I’m not asking only for your help and knowledge, I’m also asking for your strength. Strength that is not measured by how strong you are physically but the power that comes from within us."

  “This is not just about a crucial rescue mission. This is about a war, a war that is coming. If we can stop it or even delay it, great. But if we can’t, we need to prepare ourselves, and the only way I see us doing that is by working together as a team. As Guardians you are here to protect us but you must now let us help too."

  “Now, as far as the current mission goes, I have a few ideas on how we should proceed. First off, my cousin Jeremiah has already started researching the address Julia provided which is in London. I want maps and any information we can find out about who owns this building."

  “Second I think we need to go on a scouting mission of the area at first light. It’s too dangerous to go in the dark, and we do not want to arouse any suspicion. I already can guess that Guardian Worthing will want to go, so it’s up to him who he takes. For those of you that do go with him, I wan
t pictures, not only of the building but as well as the surrounding neighborhoods. Landmarks that are in within five miles will also be helpful. If I have to teleport, I will need to have a clear vision on where I need to go."

  “Third, I need supplies. Cell phones, preferably ones magically charged with long range capabilities, cash, and anything else you can think of that would be useful."

  “Lastly, I realize that most of you have been around for a while. You’ve travelled the world looking for lost clan members or other Guardians of Light. I need you to relay any information you have on the Fae Lords and any witches that you have ever heard of or even know personally. We need to be proactive about this. So if anyone thinks of anything, my father, Rhoswen and Kathleen, are in the library."

  “I’m going to hand it over to Mathias now. He knows you better than I do and is fully aware of what everyone’s skills are." I finished

  When I was finished, I saw expressions of surprise and shock. I’m pretty sure I had caught them all off guard with my speech. Apparently none of these vampires ever had to deal with a nitpicky bridezilla on her wedding day.

  Mathias took over from me and swiftly dispatched the Guardians into groups. I sat down by my mother as everyone in the room go about their assigned duties.

  “Sweetheart, you were magnificent, I'm so proud,” Cecily said

  “Really, because the time I stole Susannah’s clothes out of her gym locker while she was taking a shower was a spectacular moment of pride...at least for me."

  “You really did a good job Willa,” Winifred said surprised

  “Thanks. You don’t have to sound so shocked. I’m perfectly capable of speaking without insulting anyone or swearing.” I said. “So listen I had a thought. I’m not sure if this is something that we can do, but is there a way we can make a charm for Mathias, Frank and me?"

  “What kind of charm?" my mother asked curiously

  “We’re going to be going in blind. Isn’t there a way we can make a charm be our own little warning system?” I asked

  “A charm to warn you all when the Rau is near?" Winifred asked

  “Yes." I answered. “Here’s the thing, even if we do get blueprints for the building, we’re still not going to know how recent they are. We’re going to have no clue about what sort of Rau Special Renovation that they have done with the building."

  “Hmmm, I believe Oliver has some Rau blood that he kept from our last prisoners, he always likes to keep samples to study. Maybe we can infuse a necklace or bracelet with not only their blood but a charm as well." Winifred said thoughtfully

  “Our own personal Rau ADT system,” Mathias joined in our conversation, “Not bad, Willa. Not bad at all."

  “Looks like we have work to do Mother,” Cecily said

  “Yes, it’s going to be a long night. Mathias, make sure you and Frank get some refreshments before you leave.” Winifred ordered

  “Yes, ma’am,” he grinned

  “Willa...” Winifred said

  “I’m not going home to sleep right now. I have to coordinate with the team about supplies. I also want to hear about what information they come up with and see the pictures from the scouting mission." I interrupted

  “All right but after they get back, you must rest." Winifred pleaded gently

  “You got it Granny,” I agreed with a smile and gave my mom a quick hug before turning my back on Mathias and going to work.

  ************************************************************************************************************

  The scouting team led by Mathias left at dawn, and the rest of us waited patiently for their return. Veronica and the half a dozen other secretaries were a huge help. They made copies of maps and all the information we had gathered as well. They also provided us with all the necessary supplies, like pads of paper, pens, pencils, highlighters, and even set up presentation boards all around the room I liked to call Guardian Geek Heaven.

  The tech command center for the Guardians was in a huge room. Several desks had the latest computers, as well as tablets, and they were all connected to a massive large screen at one end of the room.

  The room was bustling with activity when I decided to take a break and join my family in a small conference room located just outside the command center. I accepted a cup of steaming tea from my mother and sank into one of the chairs.

  “I think we’ve done all we can do,” I said. “The only thing left is to wait for Mathias and his team."

  “They should be here shortly." Riah said

  “Did you find anything Cormac?" Jeremiah asked as he came into the room.

  “We’re still looking,” he answered. “The problem is both Rhoswen and I have not been in Fairlia for quite some time. Unfortunately, we don’t have many insights."

  “There’s nothing in any of the books?" my mother asked

  "There’s some mention of a few witches, mostly healers that worked for the court and travelled to the outer villages from time to time."

  “If this witch is involved with a Fae Lord, and is moving back and forth between realms, she has to be in Fairlia." said Rhoswen

  “Could it be someone on the fringes of society then?" Winifred asked

  “Maybe,” Rhoswen replied, looking tired

  “There’s got to be a way to find out who she is,” I said. “I mean, she’s also travelling here to meet with the Rau, I’m sure someone must know something."

  “We can capture a few Fae exiles." Riah offered. “If she met with a large nest of Rau scum in London, chances are she did not go unnoticed. I say we scope out a few of their Fae lackeys and interrogate them."

  “I think that’s brilliant." I said. “When we get done with this we’ll start working on that angle."

  “Mathias,” Serena said suddenly

  Mathias and Frank came into the conference room looking windblown and weary. “We gave Milton all of our digital photos to upload. He’s setting it up right now in the command center, shall we?"

  We all went into the command center and were greeted by Jeremiah and Milton, who was the head of the tech department for the Guardians. He was of average height, somewhat stocky build, and nondescript features, but what Milton lacked in looks; he more than made up for it in brains. He had been a tremendous asset during the whole planning stage.

  Several pictures came up at once, and Milton zeroed in on a clear, large shot of what looked to be an abandoned warehouse. The four story building looked neglected, all except for the shiny new windows that were blacked out. The area around the building was run down and overgrown with weeds.

  “Good news is it’s in a pretty isolated area of east London. The bad news is we didn’t have many options for the team that stayed. So, as of right now, they are scattered around on rooftops just within eyesight."

  “Did you have any luck finding out who owns it?" Mathias asked Milton

  “No,” he answered. “We found a complicated paper trail of dummy corporations but no real information on the real owner."

  “No matter,” Mathias said. “Willa, you need to study this picture."

  The image now being shown was of a brick walled alleyway. I could just make out the street in the end, and a store called Cooper’s Chemist and Grocery.

  “Study it, because this is where you’re going to go if you need to teleport out. It’s closer towards central London, and the area is crowded with people at all times throughout the day and night."

  “Cool,” I replied. "What else is around there? A little pub I can hop into and have a pint?"

  Mathias ignored me and said to my grandmother. “Were you able to make the charms?"

  “Yes." she answered. “We have one for each of you."

  “Supplies?" he asked Cuddy

  “Packed in a rucksack and ready to go,” he replied cheerfully

  “Good,” he replied. “I think Willa, Frank and I need to get some rest. Riah will take over for me here; the rest of the team is to check in every hour."

 
; “No problem, I’ll be right back after I tuck Willa in bed,” he winked

  I just laughed and shook my head. Mathias did not look amused. He just looked at Riah blankly until he turned away and walked out of the room. Surprisingly, he grabbed my hand and pulled me along with him.

  “Where are we going?" I asked

  “You need to rest. I’m taking you home. I’ll be back to collect you around five,” he replied curtly.