The Book of Eden: The Keepers Series, Book Two

by Alex Temples

  “Sorry about that. I’m a little tired.” It was the truth. Actually, I was more than tired. Exhausted would have been a more accurate word. Emotionally drained, rudderless, overwhelmed, but tired would have to do.

  Tristan’s brows narrowed slightly with concern, seeing all the things I wasn’t saying, but he wouldn’t question me in front of Professor Arnold, and for that I was grateful.

  Sinking into one of the leather upholstered chairs around a small table with gold inlays, I turned my attention to the subject at hand.

  Tristan nodded in a businesslike manner and settled into the seat next to Dr. Arnold.

  “Dr. Arnold, you haven’t had a chance to get to know Brinmar yet, nor she you. Normally I would introduce the two of you with a bit more context, but I’m afraid the matter which brings me here today is of utmost urgency.”

  Dr. Arnold’s grandmotherly air had faded a bit, and I could see a sharpening of her expression as she took in Tristan’s words. Her eyes darkened and her spine straightened and instantly I could see what I’d been missing. I opened my other senses to confirm my suspicion and I felt the warm buzz of magic coming from the old professor. She was fae.

  She nodded. “In that case. Please wait one moment before saying another word.” Her tone and movements were brisk as she paced to the open doors and carefully pulled them closed, sliding the lock in place for good measure.

  Turning back towards us, she muttered a few words under her breath and I felt the protective spell pulse across the room, sealing it off from listening ears. I must have sucked in a breath, because the good professor turned to me sharply, examining my expression with a bemused smile.

  “You are the new one then.” She speculated, a question in her voice.

  Tristan nodded, glancing at me as he replied. “Brin has only come into her power these last few months.”

  The older woman looked startled. “Months?”

  She looked at Tristan, but I was the one to respond. “Yes, I’m afraid I was rather surprised by the whole ordeal too.” I laughed, but my attempt at humor fell short. She frowned at me and looked to Tristan.

  He considered us both carefully before answering her question. “Brinmar is daughter of Rosaina. She has been kept secret for many years to protect the sanctity of the Keepers circle, but now that her name is known to the dark fae, It can’t hurt to let her be known for her true identify.” His green eyes held something I couldn’t place, protectiveness perhaps.

  Dr. Arnold turned to examine me more carefully. “Indeed.” She said softly as she looked me up and down. Suddenly I was very interesting. Interesting wasn’t something you wanted to be around the fae. Immortality tends to give the old ones a sharp edge, a world weariness and lack of empathy for, or interest in mortal affairs. The mortals that can hold fae attention usually possess something the fae want, and once they have it you become no more interesting to them than I would be a field full of cattle on a drive through Wyoming. I wriggled a bit in my chair as she continued to stare at me.

  Tristan saw my discomfort and decided to rescue me. “Yes, Brin is the one who recently fended off an attack by Gethin and his men.”

  The old woman raised an eyebrow and her interest turned to a grudging respect. “I see, well young lady, you have quite a task on your hands then.”

  I hesitated, not quite sure what she meant. Tristan sensed my hesitation and seemed to think a minute before responding.

  “She’s right, Brin. I know we said you’d be okay taking some time away to center yourself, but unfortunately there’s been a change of plans. Therefore, allow me to present Lupita, the protector. She safeguards some our most important magical objects on earth.”

  I looked from Tristan to Professor Anderson, or Lupita I supposed, wondering what was going on. “You…I mean, the fae, keep magical objects in the mortal realm? Why would you do that? Isn’t that dangerous?”

  Tristan met my eyes and nodded. “Yes.”

  Before he could continue Lupita aka Dr. Anderson spoke first. Her dark eyes burned as she spoke, flickers of orange dancing in the dim light. “It is quite dangerous to have these magical objects here, yes. But without anywhere else for us to take them, here they must remain. Thus, I have spent the last 110 years here in Dublin ensuring that they are safe from those who would use them against the Crystal Palace.” She considered me carefully before turning to Tristan. “She is but a pup wrestling with dragons. Have you not educated her to our ways?”

  Tristan frowned at her tone, but glanced at me briefly and I could see that he had the same concerns. “I’ll ask you to tread lightly here, Lupita. The Crystal Court has had a lot to contend with these last few months, not the least of which has been holding Gethin’s forces at bay and trying to mitigate the mortal deaths on our hands. Brinmar will be properly educated in due time. I’m here today because we received credible intelligence that the dark fae are going to try and make a play for the good book. I’m not sure if it is related to the letter.”

  Watching her obstinacy fade into an expression of disbelief, I fought down the feeling of frustration at my lack of knowledge. Good book? The bible? I raised my eyebrow and tilted my head in question, waiting for Tristan to enlighten me.

  To the question in my eyes, Tristan elaborated. “The good book has much information in it that can be used to gain power, and to discover the weaknesses of other fae.” Tristan glanced at Lupita, perhaps hoping as I did that she would shed light on why Evrei was interested in this good book, whatever it was. It sounded to me like the fae equivalent of a bible.

  Lupita stood, pacing across the hardwood floor to look out a window. “They cannot get to the book. There are many things in it that would increase their power, secrets of those long gone, of objects well hidden.”

  Tristan saw my confusion and raised a finger. “We’ll get to that, Brin, first, I think we need to open the letter.”

  “The letter?” I asked.

  He hesitated briefly, glancing over at me. Lupita cleared her throat impatiently and he reached into his front pocket and pulled out a thick, ivory envelope, setting it on the table in front of him.

  Lupita glanced down at the envelope and sucked in a breath. Meeting Tristan’s eyes with a sharp look.

  “That is the seal of the dark rider.” Her fingers stretched out and she tentatively ran them over the rough wax seal, snatching her hand back with a hiss as they made contact. Her eyes shot to Tristan and I contemplated the envelope with newfound curiosity. That was not your average wax seal.

  “I can’t open it either. Nor can Aelwen or Meurig. It uses directed magic.”

  He turned to me. “That means only the one for whom it is intended can open it. Our watchers confirmed the dark fae have been trying to secure several ancient texts and that others are at risk. Unfortunately, they couldn’t determine which ones. We were meeting to discuss an appropriate response to these threats when the messenger arrived. He said the dark rider intended this message for the current mistress of the keepers.”

  His vivid green eyes pooled with conflicting emotion and he lifted his head, gaze solemn as he considered the envelope. He turned to the older woman with a question in his eyes. I could see a sort of conversation between them, words unspoken.

  Tristan and Lupita stared at one another for a moment and then turned slowly towards me. I shifted nervously in my chair, suddenly feeling uneasy. Glancing around the cavernous room to confirm we were alone, despite my senses screaming a warning at me that something wasn’t quite right, I turned back to them, afraid to ask the question I already knew the answer to.

  In the end, I chose not to ask the question, and instead I reached out tentative fingers towards the thick paper. There was a warmth in the air hovering around the package and I gulped down my fear and let my fingers graze the seal. Instead of burning me as it had Lupita, I felt the seal recognize and welcome me. It was as if I were greeting a living and breathing creature. The magic greeted me like a long-lost friend, seeking as it cours
ed into my hand and up my arm, warming and melting under my touch. It seemed to find what it was looking for because with a final rush of power the seal melted fully and evaporated with a puff of smoke as the paper unfurled itself to reveal a short letter scrawled in elegant English.

  I sat, mouth slightly ajar, not sure what to do. It had only been a few months since I’d first experienced fae magic. Until Aiden had tracked me down and enlightened me to the otherworld, I hadn’t realized there was anything more than what I could see in front of my face. I certainly never could have imagined I could perform magic until Aiden had begun to teach me how to tap into the well of power that rested in that secret place inside me.

  I stared down at the enchanted letter intended for me. I couldn’t quite grasp that somehow a powerful being in this magical world I’d only recently discovered had taken the time to seal a letter intended for me. I had some sort of place in Eden, the fae world, a place of an authority I hadn’t fully claimed. I was the mistress of the keepers. I needed to figure out how to step into the role before those looking to me for answers realized how very inadequate I was for the job.

  Wiping the look of astonishment off my face, I slowly picked up the letter and began to read.

  To the Mistress of the Keepers,

  A woman once sat where you sit this moment. I loved this woman for her strength and passion. Unfortunately, these same qualities got her killed and I grew to hate her, because she made me forget my duty was to my people and our goddess.

  This woman reminded me mortals have no respect for other living things. They don’t respect the goddess or our mother earth. They slowly destroy with their own selfishness everything fae were created to protect – the very source of our magic.

  You, dear child, are more fae than mortal. There is hope for you. Thus, I offer you a compromise. If you cease your rebellion, I will allow you and yours to live in the world when the walls come down. If you continue to side with the mortals, I will not shield you from the intentions of my war chief and the other dark fae.

  Even as you read this, we continue to amass power. Soon we will have all the fae relics, and with them we will possess the true magic. All why defy us will be brought to their knees.

  I have lived a long life filled with regrets and hope not to add any more to that burden. The choice is yours and the time is short. Choose well.

  Evrei of Cibola, Lord of the Earth

  Dread knotted in my gut, a sickness sweeping over me as I continued to stare at the letter in my hands. I dropped it on the table in front of me and only iron control kept me from revealing how completely overwhelmed I was. I couldn’t show that weakness in front of Lupita. The fae despised weakness. Showing your weaknesses in front of some would get you swiftly killed.

  How was I supposed to respond to that? I certainly wouldn’t surrender to the dark fae. They had my mother. They had killed my father. This same monster had nearly taken Oren from me and had killed thousands, likely with many more to follow. I felt Lupita’s eyes burning into me. Shrugging off her predatory stare, I put on my best poker face before lifting my head to meet first her eyes and then Tristan’s.

  “Evrei has requested our surrender. He claims no harm will come to me and mine if we stop defying them.”

  Tristan snorted in disbelief. “Right. We would all live happily ever after just like in your mortal fairy tales.”

  His voice was laced with sarcasm. I understood what he was feeling. The fae couldn’t lie, so when Evrei said that no harm would come to us, he meant it as a matter of fact. He would not hurt us himself. The reason Tristan reacted as he did had nothing to do with the dark rider’s promise. He knew that to be true. The unfortunate truth of the matter however, was that if the Crystal Court were to succeed to the dark fae and turn over the rule of Eden, all the royal fae would be eliminated by the people of Eden. To put it in mortal terms, it was political suicide. Aelwen turning her metaphorical throne over to Evrei and allowing him to rule the people was the equivalent of announcing to the citizens of the United States that the president of the U.S. was handing control of the country over to Russia. Anarchy would reign.

  My stomach gurgled unpleasantly to remind me that even though I was currently discussing how we could potentially save all of humanity from the rule of an evil empire, I was starving. Damn mortality.

  “Brin?” Tristan’s voice brought me back to the problem at hand. Lupita sat silently, considering me with a thoughtful expression.

  “Any thoughts on the matter, Lupita?” My voice sounded strong, though I was feeling slightly nauseous, whether from hunger or the situation I didn’t know.

  Her dark eyes glanced down at the letter and then back to me. “It sounds like you have quite the dilemma.”

  I lifted an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue. When she didn’t I jumped back to our earlier conversation, sensing the letter and the rumors about the dark fae seeking the four treasures were somehow related.

  “What about the good book you mentioned earlier?”

  Tristan let out a deep sigh, folding and unfolding his hands on the table before looking up again. “There are many texts that remain very important to the fae. Despite your technology, the fae are a people content with the old ways. Much of the knowledge and history of our race is written within mortal books, or within magical books masquerading as mortal ones. Some of these cannot be transferred to Eden without destroying the true magic with which they were created. They remain here in the mortal realm where they are safeguarded by protectors like Lupita.”

  My eyes wide, I looked to Lupita. “There are magical books here accessible to human hands?”

  Lupita considered me with a bit of a frown. “There are magical books here, but I would hardly say they are accessible to human hands. They are guarded by very strong protective magic.” She made a dismissive gesture that rather effectively said your opinion is of little to no importance to me, silly mortal.

  “What is this about, Tristan?” She arched an elegant brow, her growing irritation clear.

  Tristan gave me a small, apologetic smile. “Our sources have confirmed the dark fae are preparing to steal some of the ancient texts.”

  The older woman pursed her lips. “Indeed. Do you know which texts?”

  Tristan shook his head. “I do not, though we did hear a rumor that Gethin is searching for the four treasures.”

  Lupita’s eyes grew wide and I wanted to ask what the four treasures were, but held my tongue, waiting for her to respond. There was no trace of impatience in her eyes now. We had her attention. She thought for a moment and then spoke. “What would he want with them?”

  I sighed impatiently and both Tristan and Lupita turned towards the end of the table where I sat, tracing a pattern in the thin layer of dust. I swallowed under the elder fae’s glare. I guess I was louder than I thought. Realizing they were both waiting for me to speak, I cleared my throat.

  “What artifacts are you talking about?” I asked.

  They continued to stare at me, Lupita with thinly veiled contempt and Tristan with disbelief.

  “Has she had no schooling?” The fae spat out, examining me over her wire-rimmed glasses, as if I were some sort of exotic creature.

  Tristan cleared his throat and sat up straighter.

  “None of that, please Lupita. Brin is very new to our world. Though she has learned a lot over the past few months, one cannot expect her to catch up on thousands of years of fae history in a matter of weeks. She’s been busy with other matters.” He flashed me an apologetic smile and then patted Lupita’s hand gently. She looked like she was ready to speak again, but instead she bit her lip and nodded in concession.

  Tristan’s eyes met mine. “The artifacts we speak of are the four objects of power, objects that are the subject of many tales and the root of many mortal legends. These objects are filled with the true magic, goddess-borne, rumored to be the most ancient of all magical objects, here when the goddess still lived within our realm. They are objects l
ost to time, for the most part well-hidden since the middle ages to protect our race from the lure of their power.”

  “For the most part?” I probed curiously, leaning forward a bit in my chair. The old fae next to me smiled at my question. It wasn’t a warm smile.

  Tristan nodded and continued. “Yes, while many argue that the objects are out of fae hands, there are some who believe that one or more of the objects reside in private collections. Others believe these objects have appeared at crucial moments in human history, that perhaps…” He paused to consider his words. “Perhaps mortals have held these objects and used their power.”

  “Worthy mortals.” Lupita sneered. “This is the rumor, but only a very few believe that a mortal would be able to handle an object of power without succumbing to the true magic, let alone controlling the object well enough to accomplish one’s objective.”

  There was silence for a moment as we all considered her words.

  “What are they? What do these objects do?” I asked, squaring my soldiers and staring into Lupita’s eyes in challenge. I wouldn’t let the old grouch intimidate me.

  She smiled, a hint of amusement in her eyes as she considered my question. “They are four, the ancient things, one from each of the great gods, brought from their former lands. These are more than just artifacts as you mortals understand them. They live and breathe, one may possess each object but they will never own them. Fae objects have a way of presenting themselves to the pure and true of heart in a time of need. Sure, someone may stumble across their hiding places on occasion, but the objects can choose to leave the bearer at any time.”

  I waited, but she didn’t continue. Instead it was Tristan who spoke. “The first object is the Lia Fail, the stone of destiny, it recognizes sovereignty and sings in the presence of the true king.”

  “A stone that sings?” I asked skeptically. “That is one of the great treasures?”

  Lupita was glaring again. Lucky me. Someday I’d learn to keep my mouth shut.