Peering into the features of her face, he could see in the dim light that it was the rider from earlier in the day. It was the one Nimi and Adalay called Princess Ceridwyn. She was beautiful. Her long black hair had been braided against her shoulder. It contrasted the ivory of her skin and the blood red of her lips. Kneeling beside her, he shook her shoulder gently. “Wake up,” he whispered.
“No. No. Leave me alone,” she mumbled, struggling against his touch briefly. “I won’t marry you. I won’t.”
“Do you know where you are?” He gently shook her again.
“The shadow realm? Have I crossed over? I’m so alone here. Where am I?”
“You’re in the Black Warlock’s castle. You’re at Crag Cairn.”
“I should be home. I should be at Murias Donn. Can you take me there?”
“I’ll try. But you need to wake-up. You seem very weak.”
“They…they gave me a drug. Mmmm…it’s making my mind cluttered. I need…need to give you something. I need to give you something before the warlock takes it.”
“What? What do you need to give me?”
The girl tried to open her eyes again, but couldn’t. She seemed to be in a deep sleep that even he couldn’t wake her from. What did she want to give him? Idril pondered the circumstance. He wanted to help her, but didn’t know if he could get her out of the room without alerting the whole castle. Moreover, what would his friends say to the fact that he rescued someone they believed to be in league with Uthal? His only choice would be to leave the door unlocked and hope that when she came to, she would be strong enough to make it out on her own.
He bent over her. The beauty of her face engulfed him, and without giving a second thought, he took from her a kiss. In the moment that his lips touched hers, he felt a jolt of energy course through his body. The voices of the wand all cried at once in excitement. He didn’t understand what had happened and didn’t care. He only wanted to make sure she had a way out when she woke up. Viewing her face one last time, he gently traced the contour of her cheek. There was something about her that made him wish he could stay.
The thought of his stolen kiss stayed with him when he left the tower room. He could still feel the softness of her lips as he retraced the steps down the staircase to the floor below. Hovering in the darkened doorframe, he contemplated his next move, his mind still replaying the conversation he had with the princess. Without warning, fingers grasped his wrist. Taking a small dagger, he thrust it toward the body hiding in the shadows behind him.
“Would you harm a friend?” the individual asked in a whisper.
The voice belonged to Nimi. Idril smiled as he saw the elf’s familiar face edge into the dim light. He lowered his dagger.
“We’ve been searching everywhere for you,” Olifur said softly. The dog stood at the elf’s side.
“I’ve been in the rafters.” He pointed upwards.
“Ah. The one place I didn’t think to look. We found the bodies of the riders down below. Looks like the witch wasn’t as welcoming with them as we thought.”
“So that means the girl wasn’t here to form an alliance?”
“I’m inclined to say that there may have been an offer and it was refused.”
Idril wondered if he should tell them about the princess in the tower room. But for some reason, he didn’t.
“Have you seen Adalay?” Olifur asked.
“No. I couldn’t see anything in the dark after the spell wore off. Once I made it into the castle, I kept running into those rat things. I thought hiding in the rafters and watching them would probably be the best move.”
“A wise decision on your part. What’s up there?” Nimi pointed up the staircase. He put his foot on the first step leading to the tower.
“Empty rooms. I was just up there. Empty rooms.”
“Any way out of the castle from there?”
“No.”
Nimi’s eyes searched his face. Idril wondered if the elf knew he was lying. He hoped not. He remembered their reaction when they saw the girl riding toward Crag Cairn and for some reason he felt the need to protect her. “Shouldn’t we look for Adalay?” he asked quickly.
“Yes. Yes, we should. I’m very concerned about her. We haven’t picked up her scent in the castle walls at all. Olifur’s been over most of this floor. And below. Hunting the hallways and corridors. That’s how we found you in this maze. We happened to run across your scent on the floor here.”
“Good thing I came down out of the rafters then.”
“Most certainly. I wish I could find Adalay.” Olifur whined. “I’m very worried.”
“What have you seen, sitting up there?” Nimi asked. “Anything that would be useful to us?”
“Lots of activity down that hall.” Idril pointed at the end of a darkened corridor. “Seems to be a very important area. All those rat things have been moving back and forth. Dragging mirrors.”
“Then perhaps we should do the same. Not drag mirrors, but head to that part of hall.” He stepped silently down the corridor, moving toward the doors at the other end.
Idril followed behind him and the three crept along in the dark. Before they reached the oak door, Idril saw Olifur stop. He turned and looked back at him. “Someone’s coming. I can hear them.”
“Here,” Nimi commanded in a hushed tone. He pointed to an empty hallway. “Hide in the shadows.”
Moving into one of the connecting walkways, the two crouched to the floor. Idril could hear the footsteps grow closer. He saw a young woman suddenly emerge into the dim light, walking briskly toward the far end of the hall. He watched her face. She seemed to have such unrealistic perfection. Her blond ringlets cascaded down her back and not one strand seemed out of place. The paleness of her skin was a stark contrast to the black outfit she wore. She was too perfect, he concluded to himself. Like a doll sitting on a shelf.
The sight of the blond strands brought something else out. It was an unfamiliar emotion that he couldn’t identify. Another small snippet of memory washed over him. This time it was of a girl standing in the sunlight. Her blond hair glimmered like gold and she smiled at him. Who was this? His chest tightened with this recall and he felt extreme sadness and loss. Shaking his head, he dislodged the brief encounter with his past. He didn’t want to remember anymore. The last emotion was too powerful. Instead he concentrated on the woman that had just passed him.
When her journey finally brought her to the large oak doors at the end of the corridor, she opened one of the massive panels and crossed its threshold. A band of light briefly illuminated the stone floor before being extinguished as the door closed behind her.
“Who was that?” he asked.
“I would guess Bera. The winter witch. Uthal’s help mate.” Nimi frowned.
“Maybe she has Adalay. I could sniff at the bottom of the door. See if she’s in there?”
“Possibly. But let’s not be hasty. Until we think this through.”
“I could use the wand again…”
“Again?” Have you used it here?”
“No. Remember? I used it on the Wulvers.”
“Adalay was very adamant that you should not use it so close to Uthal. He’ll know we’re here.”
Idril remained quiet for a moment. He didn’t want to disappoint his friend by telling him he used it to unlock the tower room door. “If it’s a small spell, and quick, would Uthal even sense it?”
“All magic is sensed in some form or another. Even the small use of strange magic in this fortress will not escape the warlock’s notice.”
“Perhaps that’s what happened to Adalay. She may have been captured by him. He knew when she cast that spell of invisibility.” Olifur whined again and lay on the floor. He put his head on his paws and whimpered. “I want to find her.”
“You could be right. It might explain why we haven’t picked up her scent. She’s been captured and they’ve confined her somewhere.”
“Then we should go look for her. I would s
uggest in the direction the witch came from.” Idril pointed back down the long hall.
Nimi didn’t respond right way. To Idril, the elf appeared torn. In a moment, Nimi raised his eyes. “It would take time from what I was commanded to do,” he stated slowly. “I’m under strict orders from Queen Erulisse to accomplish my mission.”
“Don’t you care for her, archer?” Olifur whined again.
“Yes. More than I care to admit. But you know our orders. Don’t you remember?”
“I can’t think of her being held and tortured by those rat men. We must find her.”
Idril didn’t say anything. He knew better than to interfere with the dispute. But he also understood Adalay. She was extremely independent. With her magic, if she wanted them to find her, she would have already sent a message to them. Somehow. In his mind, she didn’t want to be found, at least not yet. Her goal had always been the same as Nimi’s. Idril understood that from her words and her conversations. She would accomplish that task at all cost. He just wondered if Nimi understood her.
“I’ll relent this time,” Nimi said reluctantly. “But once she’s found? We come back. I know Uthal is behind those doors. I can feel it. He’s our prey and we must extinguish him before he begins his vengeance on Green Isle.”
Idril followed the archer slowly through the winding corridor. He felt some apprehension as they journeyed further into the dark crevice of the castle.
“Find the witch’s scent and lead us to where she came from.” Nimi let the dog in front of him.
Olifur’s nose touched the cold stone. His head moved to the right and then to the left and then back again. “Here. I’ve found it. She came from this hall.”
Idril and Nimi followed as the canine trotted down a corridor. At its end was a staircase that led down into another long, narrow hallway.
“This is where she came from?”
“Yes. We must go down. I smell others.”
Idril grew perplexed. “You smell others? Who?”
“I don’t know. They have an unfamiliar scent. Can’t say.”
Nimi nodded and headed down the steps. Idril followed with Olifur close behind. At the bottom, they found themselves facing a large set of double doors. A pale-yellow light softly beamed out from underneath the frame. Creeping softly, Idril made his way to its glow. He pressed his ear against the wood. On the other side were muffled voices. A female voice began to sing a song, its words eerily haunting and calming. When the song ended, he heard others talking.
“They’re in here,” he exclaimed. “Those others you smelled.”
“There’s a large keyhole. Let me look through it. Find out who these ones are.” The elf pointed to the small point of light from beneath the door latch.
“What do you see?” Idril asked after several moments.
“There are five,” the elf whispered. “A dark banshee stands guard. I don’t feel her presence is malevolent. She seems to be guarding them. I think the song she sings is a very old one. Its phrases seem Fomorian. The ancient language that’s on your wand.”
“Can I see them?” For some reason, Idril felt compelled to know who these five were.
“Yes. But be quick. We must leave. We need to find Adalay.”
Nodding his understanding, he moved to take the elf’s place in front of the keyhole. Squinting, he focused his gaze on the five individuals on the other side of the wood door. There were three girls, a red-headed boy, and a young boy. It was the small child that caught Idril’s attention. He looked familiar. He had seen him before. But where? His mind raced. Where had he seen this little one? Then it came to him. It was the memory from Earth.
With a small jump that propelled him backwards, he fell on his backside in shock. This boy was the one he had seen in the small memory of the ravens. This child was from Earth. Where he had belonged at one time.
“It’s him,” he said in a whisper. He felt strange. His breath became ragged. He didn’t know how to tell Nimi what he was feeling. He didn’t know how to tell him that he remembered who this boy was. He didn’t know how to tell the elf that he understood who he had been at one time when he lived on Earth.
“Who are you talking about?”
“It’s the one I was coming for. The one I died for. It’s Toby.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Miranda remained quiet. Her body and mind were weary. Conflicted, she tried to steady herself for what loomed in her future. They had reached the end of the tunnels and were now at the bottom of Uthal’s fortress.
The small skirmish in the temple with the Fir Darrig’s had been her testing ground. Practice for what she must accomplish against the Black Warlock. Miranda shook her head slightly. Taking the lives of the witch’s henchmen hadn’t been what she expected. Her act of vengeance sat on her soul heavily. It left in her a dark, vacant void. An emptiness. One that blended itself with the emotions she carried for the loss of Matt.
“I don’t think all of us are going to fit through that,” DaGon exclaimed.
“I was afraid we might run into something like this,” Bijan replied. “It was only time before the corridor narrowed.”
The small opening in the rocky wall in front of them was big enough for DaGon, but not for the large white dragon. Miranda frowned.
“There’s got to be a way,” Ned cried. “We can’t leave him behind.”
“Not to worry, Ned Neely. I’ll go back the way we’ve traveled. I noticed another passage that seemed to have air that smelled of salt water. I think that leads to the ocean entrance that had been constructed when the fortress was built.”
Ned shook his head. Miranda could see that this was affecting her cousin. Bijan seemed to sense it, too.
“I’ll find you in time. I promise.” The white dragon lowered his head to Ned. “You set me free. Now it’s my turn to repay the favor.”
They all watched in silence as the white dragon turned and disappeared into the darkness of the caverns. Miranda felt in her heart that he would be there when they needed him.
“I hope he gets out. He’s my friend, ya know.” Ned shoved his hands in his pockets.
“He’ll find a way to us, my dear,” Lily said. She flitted in front of him. “We must hurry now. Bijan understands the importance of our quest and we must all meet together to face the warlock.”
“Dragons are always true to their word.” DaGon moved next to Ned. “Never known one to lie. Bijan will find a way to us. Remember? He was imprisoned down here. They had to have some sort of opening big enough for him to be lured in.”
“Gee, I hope so. Not that I don’t believe him when he says he’ll find us. But whizzers. What if it’s too late when he does?”
“We have the Sword Bearer. All of you seem to keep forgetting this, and it’s becoming unbearable. She’ll protect you,” Sonya retorted indignantly. “Don’t any of you understand? The power she holds now? The true magic of the sword? Or have you forgotten the whole purpose of our trip to Balorn’s grave and our journey to Black Isle?”
“There’s no need for harshness, Sonya,” Keltrain said quietly. “Everyone’s worried. We’re standing at the very bottom of Crag Cairn. It can fray the nerves a bit.”
Miranda turned away. She could feel the energy of the group begin to shift. The very knowledge of knowing they were beneath the cursed fortress caused her to shudder. Will I live up to their expectations? What if she didn’t succeed? Would they perish? Just as Matt had done? Sonya’s sharp rebuttal to Keltrain brought her mind back to the moment.
“How can you mistake a statement of truth for harshness, wizard? If I hadn’t been injured, we might not have lost Matt to the Slaugh. Your incompetence has not changed in three thousand years.”
“We still not be knowin’ how those injuries came about, ya sassy cat,” Lamfada exclaimed. He poked his walking stick at the feline. “Do ya care to enlighten us to how you became so injured?”
“We don’t have time for games, leprechaun,” Sonya replied. “We’re too
close to Uthal. Miranda is our main concern now.”
Miranda grimaced. Sometimes it was chaos in her mind as the voices all talked at the same time. This was one of those moments. Too many of them cried out in her head with sorrow. Their emotions were now mixing with her own and she felt as if she was losing herself.
“Let’s get going,” Sonya demanded. “Tonight is the night of the alignment. This is what they have been preparing for. Tomorrow at dawn the twin moons shine in the sky with the sun. If Uthal’s going to create the spell, it’ll be then.”
No one moved.
“Well? Let’s go.” Sonya turned and trotted ahead.
Miranda watched the others file past her into the small opening. Lug held back. He took a protective stance next to her. She could feel his breath on her shoulder. Turning her head, she caught a glimpse of his eyes. His hand came up and touched her arm briefly.
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah. I guess.”
“I sensed something in you.”
“That fighting and all. It gets to me. Ya know?”
“I understand. They’re frightened. That’s just how they embrace their fear.”
“By fighting with each other?”
“I know. It’s hard to understand.”
Lug bent down and placed his lips over hers before she could respond. The kiss was long and deep. Miranda felt his energy, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tight. She didn’t want to let go. But eventually they parted and she touched her mouth, feeling the wetness on her bottom lip.
“I’ll always be here for you. You understand that, don’t you?”
In a strange way, she knew he would. Her heart felt connected to him. She closed her eyes. She wanted to fall against him again and forget her duty. But she held back. “Yes. I know,” she whispered.
Lug kissed her forehead, smiled, and turned to follow the others. Miranda watched his back as he disappeared into the dimness. For a moment, she thought of her mother. What would she do if her daughter never returned home? What if I chose to stay with Lug? The memory of the afternoon she and Matt sat on the porch swing surfaced. It felt like life in a dream. Earth felt as if it were a dream. This place, these people, had become the reality she was most familiar with and this created a deep conflict in her soul. Slowly, she followed Lug.
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