by Linda Jordan
“So after you met up with the dragons, why did you stay with us?” she asked.
He could hear the coldness in her voice. What could he say to melt it? “I would like to say that your cause and my own were the same; which turned out to be true, but my intentions were not that honorable.” He nervously looked down, wanting to escape her freezing gaze. “The truth is I fell in love with you and could not bear to leave. I did not want to become Ronan again, because you trusted Edward. You talked to him, told him your secrets and relied on him. I did not want to lose you.” He sat on the bench beside her.
She remained silent, inscrutable.
He continued, “I wanted to talk to you last night, but could not get you alone and I knew your grief overwhelmed you. When I saw you nearly collapse during the toasts, I wanted to leave and carry you away. To care for you. As the new King, I could not leave.” His hands became tight fists, remembering the frustration.
She struggled with what he said. Emotions flowed across her face, died and seemed to be replaced by competing emotions. “How did you escape from the Sorcerer?” she asked.
He could tell she needed more time to understand things. “The pooka guard arrived and recognized me at once, they have always known about my abilities and are amused by them. The Sorcerer continued to search for you, while they took me to a cell. The pooka helped me escape and get into the palace. I became Ronan again and began to search for you.”
He stood up and walked towards the Black Opal, then came back and sat by her. “When I communed with the Black Opal, I was encouraged to talk to you about this. I will give you all the time you need to assimilate what happened and work things out. I realize you come from another world, that you have a life there and people you love, who love you. But would you consider living in this land? Could you consider being my Witch, my Consort, my Queen?”
She looked astonished. “I hardly know you. You know me, but I’ve only met you twice, briefly. We’ve hardly talked.”
“Yes, you are right. It is a preposterous request. I would never have dared to make it, if the Opal had not encouraged me.”
“I also communed with the Black Opal yesterday,” she said.
He was not surprised, “I know she chose you, but when?”
“After you were captured, I was chased all over the catacombs and got lost. Eventually, I returned to the cavern and felt called to stand between the pillars. I bathed in her light and presence.”
“So she chose you.”
“That’s what Aste said.”
“What will you do about it?” he asked.
“I haven’t decided yet. I need to go home and talk to Mom and my Aunt Rita. Tell them about Dylan. See if Amanda needs me. After that I don’t know. Perhaps come back here.” She looked at him and said, “But I have this horn. How can I go home with this?”
He took her hand. “I do not know, but it is beautiful.” Pushing a tendril of hair off her face, he said, “Tell me at least that I have a chance to win your heart.”
“You have a chance.”
“That is as much as I could ask for,” he said, quietly.
Chapter 37 - Mira
Mira walked though the formal palace gardens after dinner. Lanterns hung everywhere making the garden glow beautifully. Large, white moths the size of her hand flitted in and out of the light. She found a wildish section, full of herbs and scraggly trees. She sat on a gnarled wooden bench, noticing how drained she felt from the last several days.
Her bath this afternoon had been spent crying. Tears had run down her face for Dylan, for her Father, who left her by killing himself when she was ten, for Amanda, but mostly for herself. Now that she had done what needed doing, where was she? Here in this strange land with a horn growing out of her head and no clue what to do next.
She sat and breathed in the scents of lavender and old roses. What should she do about Ronan? Part of her felt furious with him. She sat and broke twiggy stalks of wormwood as she fumed. How could he have spied on her all that time, pretending to be Edward? Well, at least that explained who defended them in the battles with Nakia’s assassins. He was a shape-changer, not a pooka.
She stood and walked over to the wall of climbing roses. The fragrance filled her with lightness. In the end she would probably forgive him. He had done incredible things to keep them all safe and help them get to the City. She didn’t think they would have made it without him.
Another part of her felt thrilled to hear him say he loved her. Even though she didn’t know him and he didn’t really know her. When she went inside herself and asked the Opal about it there came a resounding sense of rightness and completion. She had been in a couple of really bad relationships, chosen the wrong guys, it was difficult to trust herself in choosing any man.
She moved out of the herb garden, intending to make her way into the palace and find Amanda. Freddie was stuffed in her pocket and Amanda would want him. The paths in the garden curved through hedges almost forming a labyrinth, echoing the design of the catacombs. She finally came to a large open space covered with lawn. In the middle of it sat Barinthus.
He said, “I have been waiting for you,” and flashed his green scales. Mira could see the gashes on his head and shoulders had been smeared with an iridescent purple paste.
“Will you be all right?” she asked.
“I shall carry the loss of him with me always, but his coming was a welcome sign that the world changes.”
“What do you mean?”
“His coming to us, joining with me, meant it is time for us to connect with humans again. The reign of the Dragon King, and perhaps the Unicorn Queen, is here. It is time to open the barriers we have put up between our peoples. When you healed the unicorn it was a sign. There will be hatchlings among us. The unicorns are beginning to recover from the horrible massacre and we can finally forgive ourselves for our part in it. With time they will cover the plains again. They carry the wild magic. It will be a beautiful sight. This is a momentous time in our land.” As they talked Barinthus led them down a wide stone path, the width of a two lane road.
“I didn’t realize any of this,” she said, walking beside his head. She knew so little about this world. The thought of the plains covered with unicorns sent shivers up her spine. She wanted to be here to see that.
“You will stay here. With Ronan?”
“I don’t know,” said Mira. “I don’t know him.”
“Of course you do, he is Edward. How can you not know him after all you have been through together?”
“I just learned he is Edward,” she said, stiffening.
“Humans sometimes amaze me. You become so insulted about small things that the larger part flies right past you. He loves you and I sense you love him. I could see that the first time I met you. Together you form a whole, Dragon King and Unicorn Queen. So many of your people are incomplete without a partner. Please consider staying with him, for both your happiness.”
“I will consider it.”
“Will you come with me to visit Dylan’s body one last time?” he asked.
“Yes, I will.” She had not noticed, but the walkway led them towards the Tower.
The Tower wall had a huge arch built into it at ground level. Workers were still clearing away the rubble from where Barinthus broke it open the night before.
“Before the enmity between humans and dragons this garden was a place for us to land and spend time with people. This Tower entrance was built for us so we could enter the palace. Queen Nakia walled it up when she became afraid of us. We could always have opened it, but chose not to.”
They entered into the cavern.
She felt amazement at the change in the room. The light drifting in made the three columns of bones almost sparkle. Dylan’s body lay on the stone platform between the columns. The purple phosphorescence of the Black Opal bathed him. The room was filled with people, pooka, faeries and dragons. Many of the dragons and faeries perched on window ledges up the entire height of the T
ower. They sang together, not quite so mournful as yesterday, more hopeful, she would say.
As they entered, a path opened to let them through to the front. She found Amanda, Ewan and Aste. Amanda gave her a hug, eyes swollen from crying. Mira reached into her pocket, pulled out Freddie and gave him to Amanda. Her sister took the cuddly dinosaur and hugged it, thanking Mira with her eyes. She clutched it to her chest and began sobbing. Mira couldn’t help but start crying again.
Ronan appeared and she felt him standing next to her, even though they didn’t touch. The keening of the dragons and faeries rose to a high pitch, reminiscent of a Gregorian Chant. The light from the Opal changed to orange. Heat rolled off the platform and Dylan’s body began to burn. She felt shocked, not knowing what else to expect. His body turned red, orange, yellow, green, blue, then purple again as it transformed to ash. In the smoke that rose, Mira watched three faeries dance and could have sworn she saw Dylan’s soul flying there, laughing. His soul looked like a red and gold dragon and the smell of pinon pines wafted through the air.
She felt herself drooping, Ronan put his arms around her for support. She turned into his chest, quietly crying.
“His body is at peace now. His soul will return when it is time and where he is needed,” said Ronan.
She heard a scraping noise and saw two men sweeping Dylan’s ashes into a stone urn. They brought the urn to Amanda and she hugged the jar.
Amanda said, quietly, “I will always love you, little one.” Then she handed the urn to Barinthus who took it with his supple front feet and handed it to the three faeries. They fluttered onto his back to sit. She said, “I would be honored if you would spread his ashes over the land where he came into his own.”
Barinthus nodded, “It will be done. The land is honored by your gift.” He streamed up and then out through the archway followed by all the dragons and faeries. It was as if a glittery, rainbow river flooded throughout the cavern, cascading upwards into the sky.
Mira numbly followed the humans and pooka up stairs and into the ballroom for a wake. She felt aware of Ronan holding her hand and guiding her. He pulled a chair out for her and occasionally reminded her to eat and drink. Her mind still seemed caught in the sights, sounds and smells of the funeral.
Chapter 38 - Mira
Mira sat in the formal palace garden with Aste. Stretching her legs in the warmth of the day, toes poking out of the tan sandals she wore, below the fluttery, summer dress made of gauzy, green material. She tried to savor what the day offered her.
The courtyard had massive fountains and ponds with a huge population of water birds and fish. Much of the stone work, wall statues and benches in this part of the garden were carved out of slippery, black stone. It felt silky and smooth to sit on. And warm, as if it absorbed heat from the air. Very comfortable. It made her realize how much tension she stored in her body. She felt the pressure of so many things that needed resolution.
The garden was filled with the sweet scent of a flower she didn’t recognize, but it smelled tropical and strong. The day looked as bright as any she had seen here, with no clouds in the sky, just an occasional dragon coming or going. Apparently this still wasn’t normal because whenever it happened, anyone in the garden, guests or gardeners stood and stared as if they’d never seen a dragon before. She sighed. Dragons would always make her think of Dylan.
“It wasn’t always this way, you know. There used to be a great partnership between humans and the dragons,” said Aste. “However, dragons hate deception and lies, thus they broke the alliance with Nakia.”
“What will happen to her and Angus?”
“I do not know. Either Ronan will make a decision or he will convene the High Council. The High Council have not been called together for a very, long time. Nakia disbanded them shortly after the massacre when she chose not to share her power, she made her own council. Either way, things will not turn in her favor.”
Mira had so many questions, she didn’t know where to start. The more she learned the more confusing everything was. She became distracted by the sound of hoof beats and a feeling of overwhelming joy in running. Five horses raced towards them. No, they were unicorns. A bay led the way. Mira recognized her as Shadow, only because she felt the mare’s mind. Shadow whinnied and slid to a stop in front of her. Mira stood and touched her neck. Upon the mare’s forehead grew a beautiful, tortoiseshell horn with swirling ridges sculpted into it.
Shadow snorted, Thank you for releasing us. Many of us chose to hide as horses who have little magic, after the Queen tried to crush us.
“You are most welcome.” She felt so happy to see Shadow.
Shadow tossed her head and said, We have decided to live in this lovely garden for a time. Humans and unicorns should mingle. I will come back and visit, but now it is time to run. She briefly touched horns with Mira, then raced off, leading the others.
Mira recognized the gray as Amanda’s horse, the strawberry roan who had been the packhorse and the black as the horse Aste had ridden. The other unicorn, a tall bay stallion, she didn’t know; although Shadow referred to him as Pinecone.
Mira asked Aste, “Why do all the creatures of our myths live in this world?”
“These are not creatures, but thinking, feeling beings. As are the horses they pretended to be. As was the cow we ate for dinner last night. Your world categorizes many things as non-sentient for its own convenience. It also will not admit to the existence of many beings, so they would be invisible to you, in the same way people who are not trained to clean up after themselves cannot see dirt or dishes that need washing. I would guess they live here because we acknowledge their existence and our grass is sweeter.”
“Why is this world beneath or inside my world?”
Aste looked amused. “Who is to say if you were to go slipping through a garden gate sideways that you might not find a portal to a new world ‘above’ yours? I would be careful about assigning a specific placement of any world in relation to the others. That is the logic drilled into you by your educational system. Everything must have a rational and scientific explanation.” She shook her head and smoothed her long skirt. “Do not misunderstand me. Science has brought your world many wonderful things, but it also brings a kind of blindness. If the current theories cannot explain something, it is often dismissed. The worlds are more closely connected than you realize. Passing from one to another is as simple as going into another room, provided you know where the door is and how to open it,” said Aste.
“But how did the portal open when we went through?” she asked.
“Some are always open. Perhaps Nakia opened all the portals in that area or maybe the eagle opened it. I do not know.”
“How will we get back?”
“I will make sure the way is open for you,” said Aste.
“How will I come back here if I choose to return?”
“If?” asked Aste, raising an eyebrow.
“All right, when. Probably,” she said.
“You can email me and I will open the portal for you.”
“You’re joking,” said Mira looking at Aste’s smug expression. “Okay, you’re not joking.”
“Most certainly not. Wickedwitch@paganmissive. The internet is one of your world’s wonderful things. Once you learn more, I will teach you how to open the portals yourself,” said Aste. “Have you spoken with Ronan about Edward yet.”
“Oh yeah.” She looked at Aste and crossed her arms. “You knew all the time, didn’t you?”
“Yes, but it was not my secret to tell. I trusted his motivation to be well intended.”
“How long have you known?”
“About his ability to shape-change?” asked Aste.
Mira nodded.
Aste said, “I am not sure. I knew about it when I was here at court. I do not remember how long ago that was.”
“How old are you?”
“Truly I have not kept count. It is not important to me. My eldest son Donal is fifty-three,” she shrugg
ed.
There came a flurry of activity in one of the fountains as two geese had a spat about something.
Aste asked her, “What else did Ronan talk to you about?”
“He asked me to be his consort, whatever that means.”
“In your world you would call it a life partner, a spouse. What did you answer?”
She tucked her hair back behind her ears. “I told him I’d think about it.”
“Will you?” asked Aste.
“Yes, but I’m going to think about it for quite awhile. I’ve had enough jerky boyfriends. And my emotional state right now is unbalanced, at best. I don’t want to end up in another mess. I don’t trust my judgment yet.”
“Love is always messy, but I do not think Ronan would qualify as ‘jerky’,” said Aste. She picked a daisy and rolled it back and forth between her hands, making it twirl. “Have you considered that none of this was an accident?”
“What do you mean?” Mira asked, feeling she knew what Aste would say.
“I do not believe in coincidences. What if you were brought here by the Black Opal with the intent that you replace Nakia?”
She took a sharp, short breath and leaned against the bench’s back, staring at Aste. Did the Opal engineer the Queen’s madness, the theft of Amanda’s soul, meeting Ronan, everything? “Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“Even Dylan’s death?” Anger rose within her.
“I do not pretend to understand all the implications of his death. I am not saying every detail was planned. I am merely speculating the Black Opal set things in motion for you to come here and become Queen.”
“What if you’re right?”
“It is possible you may not be able to go back through the portal. You are joined with the Black Opal in a way few of us ever are.”
“I might be stuck here?” she asked, trying to slow her breathing.
“I would not look at it that way, but essentially, yes,” said Aste. “I know Nakia tried to leave a few times, she had grand plans of invading other worlds. It seems the Opal no longer allows the chosen ruler to leave. That has not always been so. Her father ruled three different worlds simultaneously, and traveled between them.”