I don’t need to worry about that now. And maybe Lorelei’s right. Maybe… maybe Caleb can handle it.
Entering Gwen’s work space, she saw the young woman focused on her work, sewing silver buttons onto a dark green jacket. Gwen looked up as Chelsea entered, and Chelsea was once again mystified by her golden eyes. They seemed to glitter and sparkle with their own light.
“I hope you had a nice nap,” Gwen said, smiling.
“We all did,” Chelsea said. “How’s the work coming?”
Gwen stood up straight, stretching her shoulders. “Oh, it’s gone well,” she said. “I can’t do everything by hand, but I like doing what I can in the time I have.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask… you’re like Isabelle, right?” Chelsea asked. “She can use magic without a Talisman, and can do things with her magic that I’ve never even heard of.”
“She’s an Enchanted,” Gwen said with a nod. “That’s what we call people native to the Enchanted Dominion. I’m one, too. Though, it always feels weird to say that.” She laughed. “It’s like if you introduced yourself as ‘I’m Chelsea, and I’m a Human.’ But, yes, Magic works differently for us.”
“What do you mean about how magic works?” Chelsea asked.
Gwen lifted the last button to be applied to the jacket. Her eyes flashed, and the button shimmered, twirled, and then applied itself to the jacket in an instant. “Magic in the Enchanted Dominion flows through everything,” she said. “It’s a part of everything you see, and it’s a part of every person as well. For those of us born here, Magic is second-nature. It’s an innate ability from birth, but the specific ways we use our Magic is a trained skill, much like for mages from Earth. But for us, we don’t need an item to help channel it — it comes from within us and around us. The best way I’ve heard it described is that, for the Enchanted, our connection with Magic is incredibly strong — that’s why, even outside of the Dominion, we can still use the same Magic freely. For humans, the connection isn’t as strong, because you weren’t born in Magic. It’s… somewhat foreign to you. That’s why you need an item, something nonliving, specially crafted to resonate with Magic and help you access and wield it. It’s why you split Magic up into different categories, like Elemental or Summoning. For Enchanted, classifying Magic would be impractical — we can do so much more with it than you can.”
“And it seems like Enchanted live for much longer,” Chelsea said. “Is that because of being born in the Dominion, too?”
Gwen nodded. “That’s right. Though time… age… they’re not quite as easy to figure out and measure as they are for you. While you can easily average out Human lifespans, and can tell how old a Human is just by looking at them most of the time, the same can’t be done for Enchanted. Time runs differently here and is more malleable than elsewhere. I would estimate that I’m about six hundred of your years old, for example. But…” Gwen turned at the sound of Isabelle’s laughter, gazing towards the balcony. “I get the feeling Isabelle is even older than I am. And yet her mind and soul… they have a youth to them that I don’t. I’ve met others like her, who have lived longer despite seeming and acting younger. I’ve also met aged, wrinkled sages who look like they’ve lived for millennia, but are only half my age.”
Chelsea’s mind was spinning. “That’s… so wild,” she said.
Gwen laughed. “It’s all right. It’s a lot to take in, I know. And I’m admittedly not the best person to explain it. I’m no scientist or doctor, but I know a lot about navigating the Dominion, and about clothes and architecture. I’m not the fighter that you girls are, either, though I know some self-defense techniques.” She held up the dark green jacket she’d been working on, a short and thin spring jacket with long sleeves that could be unbuttoned up to the elbow to adjust in warmer or cooler temperatures. “What do you think? I thought this might suit you, but if the color or fit isn’t quite right or to your liking, let me know.”
Chelsea was fine with the color — green was her favorite — and taking off her sweater to try on the jacket, she found the fit tremendously comfortable. She spun around once, letting Gwen see her in it from all angles. “I like it,” she said, smiling. “Thank you.”
Gwen nodded. “It looks good on you,” she said. Just as she did, Chelsea’s stomach growled, and she remembered why she’d come seeking Gwen in the first place.
“You said to find you when we were hungry, right?”
Gwen smiled. “I’ll get right on it. And after we eat, I can show you and the others the outfits I designed and selected for each of you.”
“Sounds great,” Chelsea said, following Gwen downstairs.
Lorelei and Isabelle had come inside, and Lorelei spotted Chelsea, looking over her new jacket approvingly. “I like it,” she said.
“Thanks,” Chelsea said. Her owl hopped up from the back of the couch, gliding the short distance to Chelsea and her outstretched arm, perching on it and nuzzling against her cheek.
“Dinner will be ready in a few minutes!” Gwen called from the kitchen.
“That was fast,” Lorelei said, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
Chelsea smiled. “Magic,” she said simply.
Soon enough, they were eating. It was a sort of stir-fry, with rice and eggs and tons of vegetables. Chelsea loved it, savoring every bite. As usual, Isabelle was adorably energetic about everything, and she loved Gwen’s cooking.
“It’s been so long since I sat down and shared a meal with friends,” Gwen said, sitting back from her now empty plate. She sighed contentedly, gazing up at the ceiling. “Thank you so much for this.”
This is exactly what we needed.
Chelsea smiled as she finished off her food, leaning back into her owl who was perched on the back of her chair.
After a while of just sitting, enjoying each other’s company and being delightfully full from a delicious meal, the girls rose, and Gwen took them upstairs to test their new clothes.
Chelsea’s green jacket was combined with a grey shirt with a subtle silver flower pattern, dark capris, and black boots with dark green laces.
“The shirt’s a little tight,” Chelsea said, twisting uncomfortably.
“I can take care of that,” Gwen said, holding out her hand. Chelsea pulled off the shirt and handed it to Gwen, who held it overhead. Her eyes flashed, the shirt pulsed with a white light, and then Gwen handed it back to Chelsea. “Try it now.”
Chelsea pulled the shirt back on and her eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, it’s perfect now.”
“Your magic is so cool!” Isabelle said happily. She spun around in her new dress, a pale blue piece with a pleated skirt that alternated between white and blue. As she spun, the two colors seemed to meld together in a mesmerizing fashion. The girl had still opted to go without shoes or socks, despite Gwen making some for her.
“The sleeves are a little short,” Delilah said, holding out her arms. Her new outfit consisted of a long, purple hooded sweatshirt that hung open, acting sort of like a long, breezy hooded jacket. Underneath was a white dress with a black belt, dark blue leggings, and white shoes. The sleeves of her sweatshirt were clearly too short, not even coming halfway down her forearms, and Gwen quickly adjusted their length with a little pulse of her magic.
“No problems here,” Lorelei said, smiling. She wore a blue blazer over a white buttoned shirt, with grey slacks and short black boots. Her ensemble was completed with a short, red-and-blue patterned neck scarf, tied in a neat bow.
Beyond their current outfits, the girls also had several other sets of new clothes, and Gwen had even given them magic bags — bags not much larger than an everyday handbag, but with storage space far beyond their size. No need for bulky luggage to carry everything they needed.
“Thanks, Gwen,” Lorelei said.
“You’re very welcome,” Gwen said with a smile. For her part, she wore much the same outfit as she had before, sticking to her red and gold color choice. It suited her quite well. “Now, as for our next d
estination, I have a thought.”
“Do you know where my home is?” Isabelle asked, eyes wide and hopeful.
“In… a manner of speaking,” Gwen said, sighing. “The Library of Solitude is, unfortunately, one of a very few Locations known as the Lost Locations. There is no direct way there, no way that anyone knows. But you said you needed a song to get there?”
“That’s what Mommy said,” Isabelle said. “But I don’t know the song. She said I’d be able to find it, but…”
“I think I know where to get at least a clue,” Gwen said. “There’s a Location called the House of Truth. Like its name suggests, it’s a place to discover the truth of things.” She pulled out a strange gold pocket watch. It was spherical, and opened to reveal multiple rings built around each other, each ticking away to different rhythms. “It’s never easy to figure out where exits from Locations will lead, but there are patterns, so… if we’re swift, I think the exit from here will lead to the House of Truth. That should provide us everything we need to know to lead us to the full song.”
Isabelle bounced on the balls of her feet. “So are we leaving right away?”
“I don’t see why not,” Chelsea said, smiling at the little girl. “Does anyone object?”
“I’m ready to go,” Delilah said.
“Let’s do it,” Lorelei said.
Gwen smiled. “All right, then,” she said. “Let’s head out. If we’re lucky, this may turn out to be a peaceful trip.”
“That’s good news,” Lorelei said.
Chelsea smiled. A peaceful trip sounded nice. At the same time, she wouldn’t have worried if there was danger ahead. The time here at Lilac Hill had rejuvenated her, and she felt ready for anything.
Chapter 30: Darkness and Defeat
— G —
Shana wasn’t sure she’d heard Annabelle right.
“Why… why can’t you let us leave?” Shana asked, watching the young girl carefully.
Annabelle looked desperate. “You have something that I need,” she said. “If you would just come with me…”
“Where to?” Shias asked, stepping in front of Shana. “Where do you want to take her?”
The womanly voice that seemed to come from all directions at once let out a sigh. “This is taking far too long, Annabelle,” she said. “The King will not be pleased.”
“Please,” Annabelle urged, taking a step forward. “If I can deliver the Dreamer’s Heart to him… I can be free.”
The Dreamer’s Heart.
So my dreams are even more important than I realized.
“ ‘Him?’ You mean the Radiant King?” Shias asked. “The man who took you from your sisters?”
Annabelle nodded. “Please…” she said again.
The Radiant King didn’t sound like such a bad title. But he’d stolen Annabelle from her sisters. That was awful. And it seemed like he was behind all of the children disappearing from Grimoire…
All in search of the Dreamer’s Heart.
The thing Shana apparently possessed was what had led to all of this sadness and pain for so many families.
“Why shouldn’t I go?” Shana asked.
Shias looked at her incredulously. “Shana,” he said, struggling for words. “You… come on, you can’t.”
“I have conditions,” Shana said, stepping past her brother and looking around for the source of the woman’s voice. “All of the missing children and adults must be returned to their families. If you can promise me that, I’ll go with you.”
“You have got to be joking,” the woman said. “You honestly think you have bargaining power here?”
“Please,” Shana said. “Let them go, and I’ll do whatever you ask.”
“And if I won’t let them go?” the woman asked.
Shana pursed her lips. “Then I’ll leave,” she said. “And I won’t come back until our team is able to free all of the children by ourselves.”
Condescending laughter rang throughout the grove. “Little girl, you should reconsider,” the woman said. “I have a better deal for you. Come willingly, and I’ll allow your friends to leave.”
“Shana, stop this,” Shias said softly, but Shana shook her head.
Shias was right. There are powerful forces at work here, and we aren’t ready to fight. We shouldn’t have come here. We should have told mom and dad. I…
Her heart twisted itself in knots.
I screwed up, didn’t I? This is my fault. So…
She looked back at her brother and her friends and nodded. “I’ll do it,” she said. “Let them go, and I’ll come with you.”
“As if,” Kathryn said, glaring daggers at Shana. “You’re not taking the fall for us. Come on. What’s this lady got? We can handle it.”
“Oh, you shouldn’t have said that,” the woman said, laughing. “But if that’s what you want, I can simply take all of you to meet the King.”
“Kathryn —” Shana started, but her friend gave her a look so forceful and angry that Shana could say no more.
“Bring it on!” Kathryn shouted, her ribbon wands in hand. “I won’t let you take her!”
“Let’s just get out of here,” Ben suggested, starting towards the grove’s exit.
Instantly, darkness fell over the area, so thick that Shana couldn’t see an inch in front of her. Altair and Brutus still glowed with light of their own, but while she could see them, their faint light didn’t illuminate anything else.
“Hey, the path, it’s…” Ben started, and she could hear him grunting as if he were pushing against something. “It’s gone!”
“Come along, little children,” the woman said gleefully.
“Don’t do this!” Annabelle cried out. “You don’t have to go through all of this. I can take them —”
“Silence,” the woman said. “The King will deal with you.”
Scratching sounds filled the air, seeming to come from above. Shana looked up, and she felt her throat close up over a scream that she couldn’t let out.
Up above them, crawling down the ceiling of silver thread, was the largest spider Shana had ever seen. Fuzzy and massive, it glowed with a dark purple, almost black, light. Its body alone was twice the size of Brutus, and its segmented legs stretched out to impossible lengths.
“Holy crap!” Kathryn exclaimed, staring up at the giant Summoned spider. “That thing’s huge!”
“Rae, get Brutus in front!” Shias called out. “Kathryn, stay out of its line of sight! Ben, look for an exit! Shana, get out of here!”
Shana felt her brother’s arms on hers, pushing her to the side, and for a moment, her feet wouldn’t move.
“Spider!” was the only thought in her mind, and she couldn’t take her eyes off of the gargantuan arachnid. Slowly it climbed down, first five stories above her, then four, then three… and it looked like it was coming straight for her.
“Move, Shana!” Shias insisted, pushing harder, and Shana finally was able to move. She ran, swallowing a scream as she followed Altair to the grove’s perimeter. Just as Ben had said, the trees had closed up, fusing into each other to form a natural wall with no gaps.
“Altair, recon!” Shana said softly. Her voice shook and she could barely muster a whisper, but Altair understood, racing along the perimeter, looking for an escape.
Shana knew she should look behind her. She knew her friends were going to try fighting the largest Summon she’d ever imagined.
But she couldn’t.
Spiders… she’d seen Weavers outside of Grim Night’s with Fae. Then, she’d been frozen with terror. If there was one thing she simply couldn’t handle, it was spiders.
Why spiders? Why couldn’t the horrible monsters of the world be anything else?
Shana shut her eyes and leaned against the wall, hoping she could just pass right through it like a ghost, vanishing from the grove and leaving all danger behind.
But she couldn’t. Of course she couldn’t.
Finally, slowly, Shana turned around. So
unds of combat were reaching her ears, and she had to know how her team was faring.
Not well, it turned out. Shias held his pen aloft, and it gleamed brilliantly with white magical light, but all it managed to do was illuminate his body — it couldn’t pierce the gloom.
Magical darkness, then. Which meant that Shias could see through it, even if he couldn’t illuminate it for the entire team — Divination Magic was one of Shias’ specialties. So it made sense that he was the one calling out orders, keeping track of the team and organizing their desperate battle.
Brutus roared defiantly at the giant spider, but even pummeling it with his fists did nothing. The arachnid swept one of its legs at Rae’s Summon, and it hit with enough force that it very nearly toppled Brutus in one strike. A flash of white light as the leg hit Brutus showed that Shias was using his Guardian Magic to help defend Brutus, but even that wasn’t enough to keep the powerful Summon in the fight for long.
Greysons of Grimoire Page 36