We had tried to gloss over some of the details but when I finally looked at Sidra; her sharp eyes seemed to bore right into my brain. I knew that she was aware we weren’t entirely forthcoming with her.
“What are we going to do?” I asked
“We are going to do what our clan has always done. We’re going to survive,” she answered
“Do you think I would ever let anyone hurt you or take you from me?” Riah asked. “I know who would get stuck with taking care of Cupcake.”
“Leave my puppy out of this.” I smiled
“We will find something soon. I know it in my heart.” Winifred said
“What if it’s too late?” I asked. “What if we don’t have all the pieces put together in time?”
“Willa, one thing I have learned since meeting you is that you can and will do anything you set your mind too,” she said, “I believe in you.”
“Awesome. No pressure or anything.” I snorted
“If we do fail I think we should at least consummate our relationship.” Riah said, “We should give in to our deepest desires.”
“You are right Riah.” I said gently. “Do you know what my deepest desire is concerning you?”
“What’s that Luv?”
“You in an apron,” I answered
“I’m assuming you mean me naked in an apron?” he asked curiously
“If you’re comfortable with that, sure,” I said
“A little kinky but I’m game.”
“Great!” I answered. “Tomorrow we’ll make this dream come true. I can’t wait to see you roll out some dough and do some baking.”
“That’s your deepest desire?” Winifred
“Concerning Riah, yes,” I said. “Do you realize he’s never cooked or baked anything ever?”
“Why do you have to be so cruel to me when all I do is worship?” he asked
“You can worship some flour Lord Hawkins. That’s an image I will carry to the grave with me.”
“Your wish my lady,” he bowed mockingly
I turned to walk away after giving Riah a smile but stopped short.
“Paintings,” I said aloud. “If there are paintings of the Fae Sanctities they would have to be done by a Fae painter right?”
“Most likely,” Winifred agreed
“It looks like we are going to the library Riah.” I said determinedly. My grandmother was right. When I set my mind to something, I went after it. Right now I wanted the Fae sanctities, and I wasn’t going to stop until I found them.
Lucky them.
Chapter Two
“So your grand idea is to try to find the Fae painter who might have done a series of paintings of the Fae Sanctities?” Jeremiah asked a few minutes later when Riah and I pulled up to the Isle of Skye Library and Archives building where he worked.
“Yes.” I answered. “How hard can it be? There can’t be that many well-known artists.”
Both Jeremiah and Riah burst out laughing. “Willa, you’ve never been to Fairlia but let me tell you the whole place is a shrine to the arts. Paintings, tapestries, and pottery of all kinds line every surface of that place.” Jeremiah said
“There are several hundred famous Fae painters Willa.” Riah smiled
“Shit.” I said. “Well, we have to do something. I refuse to believe Julia had this vision out of the blue for no reason. We can narrow it down to a few and see if she recognizes a particular style or something.”
“Maybe we should just ask your grandmother.” Jeremiah offered. “You know, the Queen of the Faeries, Nymphs and Sprites.”
“We’ve been over this J. We can’t risk telling her anything yet.” I replied with a sigh
“I have to agree with Jeremiah on this one.” Riah said. “Willa, she is your grandmother. Why don’t you trust her?”
I thought about that for a minute. It had been such a short visit with Sidra. She had been charming and polite, but her serene royal mask had been set on her face the whole time. The one time she had dropped it had been when they were leaving, and she had hugged my father tightly before she said her goodbyes.
Even though, Winifred had shown great dislike for me and wanted to ship my dad and me off to Fairlia when I first arrived, I still had inexplicably trusted her. I sensed right away that she was a fighter, someone who would stand up for what she believed in, Sidra, on the other hand, seemed more inclined to be political correct.
For this I needed a warrior, not a politician.
“Tell you what, if we still haven’t uncovered anything by the time the Fae arrive, I will consider confiding in her.” I announced
“Finally,” Jeremiah said grinning
“Finally what?” I asked
“Finally you are thinking with some sense,” he replied
“As opposed to the majority of the time when I’m an idiot?” I asked perturbed
“Not an idiot.” Riah answered, “Just a beautiful, stubborn, woman.”
Jeremiah rolled his eyes. “Doesn’t he have an off button?”
I cut Riah off as he started to speak. “Can you please not provide an opening for him and his crappy lines?”
“It doesn’t matter. I can pull them out of thin air.” Riah responded, “Especially when I’m around you.”
“Ok, this is ridiculous.” I said shaking my head. “Let’s get to work.”
“On you?” Riah smiled mischievously
I just rolled my eyes before I stomped away to go inside the library.
Two hours later we were no closer to finding any new information. The vast number of artists that were from Fairlia was overwhelming.
“It’s a tiny little country on a different dimension. How many freaking artists can these people reproduce?” I asked frustrated
“I told you so.” Jeremiah said
“I told you so.” I mimicked as a child. “If you’re not part of the royal family of the court or realm, it’s like you’re an artist, musician, or tradesman. There are no other options for these people?”
“You forgot jugglers.” Riah added. “There’s seems to be an unusual amount of those kicking or should I say juggling around the kingdom.”
“This sucks!” I said, getting out of my chair.
“Willa calm down...” Jeremiah started
“No, I don’t want to calm down. It’s been four months, and we haven’t found anything! I have all these freaky powers that everyone’s so amazed by but the only thing they’re good for is to kill vampires.”
“Some might argue that’s a pretty good thing.” Riah said
“Well, screw them. I just want to find something, anything for goodness sake, just give me a hint.”
“Can you please keep your voice down?” Jeremiah asked. “Kids are going to start coming in here for story time soon.”
“I’ll give them a fucking story.” I said
“Oh, good Lord Willa, really?” Jeremiah asked as he stood up and slammed his chair into the table.
“Well, I’m sorry Mr. Librarian but I’m pissed. I’m irritated. I’m frustrated. I just want a Goddamn clue!” I yelled as I punched the wall next to a bookshelf.
“That’s enough.” Jeremiah said. “You need to take a break. You will not take out your frustrations on these hallowed walls of the Library.”
“Hallowed walls?” I smirked. “What did you step out of The Lord of the Rings? Should I buy you a large staff and call you Gandalf?”
“The Lord of the Rings is a classic literary work recognized and loved by millions of people.” Jeremiah said. “I’m sorry if you don’t enjoy the brilliance of J.R.R. Tolkien. Perhaps if he threw in some BDSM scenes you would be more interested.”
“Oh, ok, ‘Mr. I only read the classics’? Tell me what’s the name of that small group of yours on Facebook? Men of Fifty Shades?”
“You hacked into my Facebook again?” he asked furious
“If you leave it open, I’m going to look.” I answered
“Umm, guys?” Riah interrupted
<
br /> Ignoring him, Jeremiah said. “That’s funny. You know that’s how I feel when I pick up your mail and packages.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked
“Willa…” Riah said
“Well dear cousin, when you order something from a sex toy shop, I’m going to look.”
“For your information that was a gag gift for Julia’s birthday last month. Not to mention that’s against the law!”
“A gag gift? Then why did you buy two?” he asked
“I would like to explore this conversation in greater detail, but Willa, Jeremiah? Have you ever seen this book before?” Riah asked.
“What book?” I turned and there lying on the ground, was a large, red leather bound book.
“Where did this come from?” Jeremiah asked
“Well, after Rocky here punched the wall, it fell from the top of the bookshelf and landed open on this page.” Riah answered
“It’s not cataloged.” Jeremiah said quizzically as he ran his fingers over the binding. “That’s so odd.”
“Well, what does it say?” I asked as all three us knelt down and started reading
The great artist Patcoena, son of Thoma and Apalina of the Air Kingdom
Thoma was the second son of the Air Lord, Joseiah and
Apalina was the third sister of the mighty Fae King
Cormagglia.
“Where the hell do they come up with these names?” I asked
“It goes on to say that Patcoena, after finishing the painting in the Great Hall of Fairlia’s grand castle, mysteriously went into hiding. His work was widely admired but once King Cormagglia died, he became a recluse.”
“That must be the great hall.” I observed. The large picture in the book depicted a stunning ceiling painting in a large, ornate room.
“It doesn’t say why though.” Jeremiah finished
“Interesting,” Riah muttered before continuing. “It is rumored that the new Queen commissioned several works from Patcoena but those works have never been put on display. Soon after Patcoena disappeared, and he was never to be seen or heard from again.”
“This has to be it.” I said excitedly. “We need to get Milton on this. We also need to scour this place for any other reference that is made about Patcoena.”
“See your freaky powers are useful for something other than murder.” Jeremiah said
“We’re not done with our discussion about you opening my mail.” I answered
“I second that.” Riah agreed. “I think from now on I’m the only one that is authorized for Willa’s parcel pickup. I believe I will need to witness a demonstration for any items ordered by you. That way we know they work properly.”
“I’m so getting you back for this.” I said to Jeremiah
“I will try to keep any references to Bob at a minimum,” he replied with a grin
“Bob?” I asked
“Battery Operated Boyfriend.”
“I’ll try to keep any references about V to a minimum as well.” I said sweetly
Jeremiah’s face fell. OK, so teasing about the love of his life, who just happens to be a Guardian, was a little harsh. Veronica initially returned his feelings, but unfortunately Serena, my former Guardian, who was killed, made her feel guilty. Any intimate relationships between a Guardian and Clan member was frowned upon, but a royal prince and Guardian? Taboo to the ninth degree
Jeremiah had initially thought that was Serena’s issue, but it wasn’t. She had been in love with Veronica as well.
“Sorry.” I said genuinely remorseful
“Stay off my Facebook.” Jeremiah replied after a few seconds
“Stay out of my mail.”
“Done,” he said
We both smiled at each other before I grabbed the book and headed out of the Archive’s room.
“I’m heading over to Geek Central. Are you coming Riah?” I asked
“Of course, where you go, I go.” he answered
“Tell me if anything new comes up.” Jeremiah said
“I will.” I answered. With a newfound hope, I almost skipped out of the library. After all these months, we had found something. It might not lead to anything, but I was feeling much better.
“This could be nothing you know.” Riah said as we climbed into my golf cart. For once I let him drive.
“I know but it seems like it is something. It seems important. I just know it.”
“Speaking of something important, let’s get back to Bob...” Riah said
“I can pretty much tell you that we are never discussing Bob.” I smiled. “Like, ever.”
“It’s an image that will haunt my dreams at night,” he sighed
As we pulled into the courtyard of the castle, I was struck by the beauty the late afternoon sun had cast over the magnificent structure. While it was large and somewhat imposing, the gray stones that covered the outside walls shone brightly this time of time of day. The Georgian design softened the overall look and feel, making it not quite as intimidating as one would think when they imagined a castle.
I jumped out of the golf cart and called out a greeting to Christopher. He was acting as the Head of security for the Guardians while Mathias was away.
“Hey Christopher,” I said brightly
“Good afternoon Willa and Guardian Hawkins,” he replied politely. Tall and lean, Christopher’s jet black hair was cut short and his hazel eyes looked upon me with friendliness.
“Have there been any new developments?” I asked curiously.
“Actually yes,” he answered, surprising me. Every time I saw him I would always ask and up until today he would shake his head and say no. Today though, his solemn eyes almost seemed to light up when I questioned him.
“What’s going on?” Riah asked, equally surprised
“I just spoke to Guardian Worthing and he believes he may have found something concerning the items you have been researching,” he answered
“What? What is it” I asked stunned. The odds that we both found something on the same day were way too much of a coincidence.
“I’m not sure exactly; he didn’t say, but he seems to think it might be something of importance.”
“When is he coming home?” I asked impatiently. “We also might have found something. We need to pool our information together.”
“Guardian Worthing didn’t say when he would be arriving.” Christopher answered. “He said he had to take care of a few more things but wanted me to assure the Queen that he would be back to perform his duties before the Fae arrive.”
“That’s great news. Thank you Guardian Aldridge.” Riah said smoothly
“Yes, thank you Christopher.” I said quietly. I walked away to the back of the garages to enter the Guardian subterranean offices that were located underneath. As I went down the three flights of stairs, my mind was racing.
Mathias had found something but apparently he didn’t think I was important enough to relay this news too. Considering all he would’ve had to do was speak directly in my mind, I felt stung by his silent rejection of me. Since he left I had tried unsuccessfully to get him to communicate with me, but he never did. He completely cut himself off from me the second he stepped out of my door to leave.
When I pushed open the door to the main reception area, I was momentarily sidetracked by the sight of Milton, head of the Guardian Geek squad. Milton was short, stocky, and had nondescript features. He was the last person on earth I would even suspect was a vampire.
“At last!” he exclaimed when he caught sight of me
“What’s up Milty?” I asked smiling. Milton may have been a total geek, but I adored him and his analytical mind.
“I did it!” he practically yelled. “I hacked into Fairlia’s main frame.”
“That’s great, Milty, but is there a reason you’re so excited by this act of crime you’ve committed?” I asked
“There’s so much information. I feel like I have hit the motherload. We need to have a mee
ting.” he said
“Wow, calm yourself Milton.” Riah said smiling. “We need to talk to you first about some information we’ve discovered.”
“Information?” Milton asked. “You found something?”
“Maybe,” I answered. “Let’s go to your cubicle and chat.”
Milton raced down the hallway to where his, and several others’ work area was located. The epicenter of the Guardians command center was a large room that looked like something out NASA. Several desks were scattered around, and they were all outfitted with the latest electronic gadgets that were available. There were also five huge projection size computer screens all around the room that flashed with information from any of the Guardians that chose to share what they were working on at the moment.
Riah and I followed Milton over to round desk and sat down. Milton had added three chairs to his area for Riah, Jeremiah and me over the last few months. Jeremiah even had a small desk set up in the corner since we started visited almost daily.
“So what did you find?” he asked once we got settled.
I quickly explained Julia’s vision this morning and started to tell him about our recent discovery of the book in the library.
“It just fell open to a particular page?” he asked
“I was kind of hitting the wall and it fell open.”
“You see? When you start feeling discouraged things have a way of working out,” he smiled
“No, I literally hit the wall and it fell from the top of the bookcase.”
“You punched a wall?” he asked in disbelief
“I was getting a little pissed.”
“It was a pretty nice right hook.” Riah added
“Thanks.” I said appreciatively
“So it opened up to a page about Patcoena the famous painter?” Milton asked
“Have you heard of him?”
“Of course, he not only painted the mural in the great hall of Fairlia’s castle but several pieces of his work is hung throughout the building as well.” Milton answered.
The Skye Trilogy: Isle of Skye, Isle of Night, and Isle of Dawn. * Bonus: Scrumptious Skye Confections Cookbook* Page 36