by Karen Lynch
I stared straight ahead. “But it’s a possibility if they can’t repair the damage.”
“Yes,” he said honestly. “Don’t worry, Jesse. We will find a solution before that happens.”
I nodded but didn’t say much as we took the lift to my level, and he walked me to my door. When he started to follow me inside, I held up a hand to stop him. “I’d like to be alone for a while.”
He frowned. “Are you sure? I don’t want to leave you when you’re upset.”
“It was a lot to take in, seeing her for the first time and then her saying that.” I dug down deep and summoned a smile for him. “I think I might go to the training room and get in some more practice on the staff. Exercise always helps clear my head.”
He visibly relaxed. “That’s a good idea. I will let Vaerik know you are well.”
“I doubt he even knows we left,” I said as I kicked off one of my shoes.
“He does. He could not come after us, so he signaled me to make sure you were okay.”
I stumbled in the process of removing my other shoe. “He did? I didn’t see that.”
Conlan smiled. “You were not supposed to see it.”
He walked away, leaving me staring after him. I shut the door and bent to pick up my discarded shoes. Even in the midst of such an important meeting, Lukas had been concerned about me. I wished I could see him tonight, but he would be tied up until Queen Anwyn left.
I let out a sigh and turned toward the living area, coming up short at the sight of the woman standing by the balcony door. The shoes slipped from my fingers and clattered to the floor.
“Aedhna,” I said in a hushed voice. “Is it time?”
“Yes.” She held out a hand to me. “Come here, my child.”
My heart thudded against my ribs as I walked to her. When I reached her, she took my hand in hers, and calm descended over me.
She smiled. “Is that better?”
“Yes, thanks.” I looked away, embarrassed that she had sensed my fear.
“Today, I will explain what must be done to heal Faerie and the human realm. Tomorrow, your work will begin.”
I swallowed hard, unable to think of a thing to say.
Aedhna released my hand and walked to the balcony rail. “Do you remember what I told you about the ke’tains during our first conversation?”
Ke’tains? Plural? I dug through my memory of talking to her during my conversion. It was still a bit hazy, but it all came back to me.
“You said there are four of them, and their energy keeps Faerie alive. And that the three hidden stones were weakened because they had to work harder when the fourth one was taken from Faerie.”
She nodded. “Now we must correct the imbalance created during that time.”
I followed her to the rail. “But you said the world would heal on its own once the ke’tain was back.”
“It can, but it will take a long time and only if it is closed off completely from the human world. That will save Faerie, but not the world you still call home.”
“That’s what Queen Anwyn wants to do.” I braced my hands on the stone rail. “I can’t let that happen.”
“King Oseron will argue against it, but eventually, he will accept it is the only way,” Aedhna said, and every word was like an arrow in my heart. “Unless we can restore the balance.”
Understanding dawned. “You waited to come to me because you knew what Queen Anwyn was going to say in the meeting, and you wanted me to hear it.”
“Yes.”
I spun to her. “Tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”
Aedhna clasped my hands in hers. “The ke’tain in the temple must be restored to its full power. To do that, it has to replenish its energy from the three other stones.”
“How?”
“You will take the temple ke’tain to each of the hidden stones,” she said as if it was no big deal. “After each pairing there will be storms, but do not be alarmed by them. As the temple ke’tain grows stronger, Faerie will begin to heal itself.”
I couldn’t tell if my heart was racing from excitement or fear. “The ke’tain is under constant guard in the temple, and it’s protected by wards. How am I supposed to take it without getting caught?”
“The stone I gifted you will allow you to increase your own magic to enter the temple unseen and pass through the wards around the ke’tain.”
My excitement dimmed, and I grimaced. “I’ve only used my magic once to create a portal, and it didn’t go as planned.”
She laughed softly. “I will teach you how to use it.”
“Am I going to create portals to get to the other ke’tains?”
“No portal can take you where you need to go,” she said. “Your drakkan will fly you there.”
“Gus is not exactly my drakkan,” I reminded her. “How do I find him and tell him where to go?”
Aedhna squeezed my hands. “I will teach you that as well.”
Apparently, she had thought of everything. I puffed out a breath. “Okay then. Where do we start?”
* * *
I got off the lift and walked to the main hall. The guards attentively watched me approach, but none of them spoke when I crossed the hall and opened the smaller door. I stepped outside and gave a little wave to the two other guards posted there before I set off toward the road to town.
It wasn’t until I rounded a curve and the entrance to the mountain was no longer visible that I was able to breathe normally. People left court all the time to go to town, so it was the perfect cover for my absence today. With Lukas and the others fully occupied by the Seelie visit, there wasn’t anyone who would miss me. I’d left a note in my quarters in case one of them did go there looking for me.
The fork in the road came into view, and I glanced around to make sure I was alone before I took the road to the right. The trees were so tall they formed a canopy over the road and blocked out the sun, giving the impression I was in a long eerie tunnel. A shiver went through me. I was a city girl, and I could handle alleys and dark buildings. The woods, not so much.
Half a mile in, I came to a spot where the trees thinned out to show a wide patch of blue sky. I stopped and listened, but all I could hear was birds.
I reached up and touched the goddess stone in my hair. Closing my eyes, I pictured Gus, and an image formed of him perched on the edge of a cliff eating some kind of fish with tentacles. Gus, I called in my mind, and he responded by cocking his head to the side. I called again. Come to me, Gus.
He dropped the fish and stood. Stretching out his wings, he leaped off the cliff and flew in my direction.
It worked! I let go of the stone and jumped up and down exuberantly.
Having nothing else to do but wait, I sat on a fallen tree at the side of the road and whiled away the time going over my plans for what to do when I got to the island. Aedhna had spent hours with me last night, patiently teaching me how to create illusions, but I wasn’t as confident about my ability as she’d been. Everything hinged on this, so I could not fail.
A branch cracked, and I jerked my head in the direction of the sound. I sucked in a breath as the biggest boar I had ever seen shuffled onto the road a dozen yards from me. The creature was at least six feet tall at the shoulder with spiky, black hair and bottom tusks that reached his ears.
I scrambled to remember what I’d read about Fae boars. In my world, wild boars could be vicious, so I expected no less from those in Faerie. Drakkans kept most dangerous creatures out of the valley. Predators preferred to stick to the forest where game was abundant, and they were sheltered from the drakkans. I’d never come this close to the forest or considered the dangers lurking inside.
The boar ambled to the other side of the road and sniffed at the ground. I sat very still, barely breathing and hoping the animal was too busy foraging for food to notice me. I thought about hiding behind the tree I sat on and dismissed that idea because moving might draw the boar’s attention. I had the staff and one of the kniv
es I’d gotten for my birthday with me, but they’d be useless against a creature the size of a bull moose with a hide thicker than that of a rhinoceros.
A bird took flight from the underbrush, and the boar lifted its snout from the ground. It sniffed the air and swung its head slowly in my direction until its beady black eyes found me.
Neither of us moved. The boar grunted and sniffed. One of its front hooves scuffed the ground, drawing my eyes to the short, pointed horn protruding from each hoof.
I tensed as my fight-or-flight mode kicked in. Outrunning a wild boar wasn’t an option and neither was fighting it off. That left one avenue of escape. The lowest branches on most of the large trees were too high to reach, but I spotted one I might be able to climb. The only problem was I didn’t know if I could get to it before the boar got to me.
The boar growled. I sprang to my feet as it charged.
I fell backward as a drakkan dived through the opening in the tree canopy and snatched up the boar in his massive claws. I barely caught a glimpse of red and gold scales before the drakkan and boar disappeared into the trees. I covered my ears to block out the terrified squeals and the sound of ripping flesh as Gus made up for the meal he had abandoned to answer my call.
I’d stopped shaking by the time he walked out of the woods, licking his snout. He paused to chew on something stuck in his claws, and a full body shudder went through me when I saw it was a curved tusk. He tossed it to the side of the road and trotted toward me, looking calm and sated.
I cleared my throat. “Hey, Gus.”
Gus stopped close enough for me to smell the scent of fresh blood on his breath. He lowered his head, and I tried not to gag as I reached up to pat the end of his snout.
“Good boy,” I said and stepped back so I could breathe. “You want to take a little trip with me?”
He shifted restlessly and angled his head to look at me with one big red eye as if he was awaiting instructions.
I shivered at the intensity of his stare. “I need to go to the temple on the island.”
I should have been prepared, but I wasn’t. One second, I was standing on the road, and in the next I was rising into the air in Gus’s claw. I barely had time to do the glamour to make me invisible before we were flying over the main road. The people below looked up but didn’t point or anything, so I assumed my glamour was working.
I couldn’t take any chance of someone seeing me, so I held the illusion until we were out to sea. I relaxed and dozed on and off until the island came into view. Then I created a new glamour to hide me. Drakkans didn’t normally go to the island, but no one would make a big deal of it unless they saw he wasn’t alone.
Gus landed in the same spot as before and let me go. I plucked the stone from my hair and clutched it in my fist as I walked to the building that housed the temple. I stood in the doorway, my heart thudding at the realization of what I was about to do. I had to take a few calming breaths before I could continue.
The circular room at the bottom of the steps was as I remembered it. I crossed it and peered into the main chamber below. From here I could not see the guards who were stationed on either side of the stairs to give them a full view of the altar.
My stomach quivered. What if my glamour wasn’t strong enough? What if I tripped and broke the illusion? What if…?
I shook off my nerves. I was here, and there was no going back now. Aedhna believed I could do this, so I would.
I descended the stairs and looked back at the two Seelie and two Unseelie guards who were so still they could have been statues. Lukas had told me it was a great honor to be chosen to guard the temple, and every court guard asked to be in the rotation. The job was mostly ceremonial since it was the ward that protected the ke’tain, but that didn’t matter to the guards. I felt guilty for deceiving them when they took their duty so seriously, but if all went as planned, no one would ever know the ke’tain had left the temple.
I felt the ke’tain’s energy as I approached it, but it wasn’t overpowering like it had been my first time here. Now, there was no invisible wall that kept me from getting close to the altar.
I looked down at the ke’tain that glowed from within. For months, I’d lived in close proximity to it, and I’d held it in my hands for a short time, but I’d never had the time to study it because I’d been too busy being kidnapped and getting shot. If one small stone could hold enough power to affect the balance of magic in the realm, I understood why Aedhna had kept the existence of the others hidden. I didn’t want to imagine the damage someone like Queen Anwyn would do with all four ke’tains.
Glancing at the guards again, I stuck my free hand into my pocket and pulled out a small cloth sack. Inside it was the plain blue stone Aedhna had given me last night. It was the same size and shape as the ke’tain, and if I created the illusion correctly, it would look like the real thing to anyone who entered the room. The illusion only worked as long as no one got close to the stone, but the wards would keep people away from it.
Holding my goddess stone in my right hand and the blue stone in my left, I focused my gaze on the ke’tain. Then I closed my eyes and visualized the blue stone taking on the physical properties of the real thing. The fingers on my right hand tingled, and it intensified as a current flowed up my arm, across my chest, and down my left arm. The sensation faded, and I opened my hand to reveal the exact replica of the ke’tain lying in my palm.
Almost there. More confident now, I moved to the last step. I pushed out the illusion that hid me until it enveloped the altar. The tricky part of this was to portray an image of the ke’tain sitting on the altar so the guards could not see me switching it out for the fake. It was the one step that Aedhna had needed to work on the longest with me last night, and I was about to find out if her tutelage would pay off.
Using one hand, I made the switch. My hand prickled uncomfortably when it touched the ke’tain, but as Aedhna had promised, it didn’t harm me. I carefully placed it in the sack that had held the fake and put it in my pocket. Then I held my breath and pulled the illusion back to me.
One of the Seelie guards took a step forward, his eyes narrowed on the altar. “What was that?”
I froze.
“What do you see?” his partner asked.
“The ke’tain… It moved.”
The other guards jumped to attention. One grabbed the hilt of his sword as the four of them crossed the room toward me.
Chapter 15
My mouth went dry, and my heart pounded so hard I was afraid they would hear it. Thoughts of what would happen to me if I were caught stealing the ke’tain made my stomach roil.
The guards reached the ward and spread out, but their eyes remained focused on the ke’tain. One of the Unseelie guards lifted his eyes and stared right at the spot where I stood. Could he see me?
He turned his head toward the Seelie guard who’d spoken first. “I see nothing out of place, and the wards are working.”
The Seelie guard scowled but kept his eyes on the altar. “I know what I saw.”
“It looks normal to me as well,” said the second Unseelie guard. “But if you are certain, it is protocol to send for our heads of security.”
I bit my inner cheek so hard I tasted copper. I was as good as dead if they sent for reinforcements. My only option was to try to slip past them and pray to the goddess that the fake ke’tain held up under scrutiny until I could return the real thing.
The first Unseelie guard shifted his stance. “Korrigan is attending the conference with the king today. I do not think it would be wise to interrupt them unless we are sure there is a problem.”
The two Seelie guards exchanged a fearful look. The one who hadn’t sounded the alarm said, “Bauchan is with the queen as well. Do you want to send for him?”
“No.” The first guard glanced from his partner to the Unseelie guards and back again. “The wards are up, and no one but the goddess could walk through them. It must have been a trick of the light.”
I let out a breath. It was evident by the guards’ expressions that no one in the room wanted the heads of security coming to the island. Now, if these guys would return to their stations, I could get out of here. The illusion made me invisible, but it wouldn’t hide me if I brushed up against someone.
As if by mutual silent agreement, the four guards turned and walked back to their spots at the wall. They looked more alert than earlier, but as long as they stayed there, I should be okay.
I stepped back and moved slowly around the altar. On shaky legs, I crossed the room and ascended the stairs. I didn’t breathe until I stepped out of the building into the bright sunlight. Bending over, I braced my hands on my knees and took a few deep breaths. I was too shaken by my close call to revel in what I’d done. And this job was far from over.
I straightened and hurried over to Gus who lay waiting for me. His head came up as I approached, reminding me he could see through my glamour. I stopped in front of him and pulled out the sack containing the ke’tain. His nostrils flared, and he lowered his head to sniff at the sack.
“You remember the ke’tain, don’t you?” I whispered. “There’s another one like this far away in the Duergar Mountains. I need you to take me there.”
Gus stood, and I tucked the ke’tain away. He picked me up, and we were off.
He flew back the way we’d come, but when land came into view, he veered north and flew along the coast. Small towns were scattered here and there, but we were too high for me to make out any of the details. Maybe someday, when I wasn’t busy trying to save the world, I’d come back for a closer look.
Hours passed, and the terrain changed, slowly rising to form a mountain range that stretched as far as I could see. Gus turned inland, and the temperature dropped. I was warm tucked against his belly, but I could feel the bite of cold air on my face when I lifted my head to look around.
We dropped lower as we flew over the foothills that were covered in dense forests. It was a little warmer down here, and I enjoyed the myriad of colors from the green valleys dotted with wildflowers and lakes so blue they didn’t look real. A few times, we passed other drakkans, but they kept their distance from us. One thing I didn’t see was signs of civilization, and it started to feel like I was the only person left in the world.