“Yes.” Kilara reached up, her pasty, frail fingers stroking the stone in a flitting motion. Immediately, the roar of stone grew louder. Shade could no longer hear anything but it’s horrid screech. The door disintegrated before her, pulverizing into ash within seconds, allowing her to continue to drag the Ancient along.
Kilara was gaining strength, but she was still slow and sluggish. It was bad enough to make Shade wonder why she hadn’t recovered from the long slumber yet. Why didn’t she use magic? It all felt wrong, but she pushed the thought from her mind and continued to partially drag her ancestor from the chamber, down the short hall and out into the foyer where Nautilus caught Kilara in his arms, taking on more of the weight right before the noise behind them amplified. All eyes spun around to watch as the room they’d just been in buried itself in rock and stone.
Dust billowed from the entrance, and Shade waved her hands to clear it from her face. The chamber had sealed itself once more, never to be opened again. Turning back to Kilara, cradled in Nautilus’s arms, Shade wondered what was going on with her.
“Kilara?” The Ancient’s dark brown eyes slid open, her tired face studying Shade’s as she waited for her to continue. “Why are you so weakened? You’re an Ancient of Faerie, you should be able to smash us all to smithereens right now. What’s going on?”
“My magic is suppressed. I cannot use it or Arthas and Corb will know I’m awake. I must reanimate and heal slowly, without magic.” Her eyes clenched shut, as though a sharp pain had hit her. Slowly, her face relaxed and she peered at her descendant once more, the color returning her face, slowly restoring a semblance of life.
“What do I need to do now?” Nothing was more frustrating than not using magic. Shade knew how Kilara felt at that moment, and it was not something she wanted to have to endure ever again. She was relieved it wasn’t her magic suppressed this time.
Kilara’s wild eyes focused on the ground, her jaw flinching. “I must find my sister, Rowan. Once she’s awake, I can use my magic and overtake Arthas once more.”
“But Aveta is with him. Can you take her out, too?” Nautilus still gripped onto the Summer Ancient, afraid she would topple to the ground without his support.
“I do not know his descendant, Aveta, but the land has whispered to me of her treacheries. Yes, I can extinguish her life easily. Once I have Rowan and Corb to wrangle Arthas, she will be of no consequence to us.”
Shade nodded, glanced up at Nautilus and signaled that they needed to move.
“Where can we find Rowan?”
Chapter Five
Fire & Ice
SWIMMING TO THE surface was much easier than reaching the bottom. Shade had let the leader of the merfolk enchant them, allowing them to surround themselves with an air bubble of sorts, sending them careening to the surface so fast it had left Shade’s head spinning. At least her thoughts about not being affected by the pressure were right on. She felt as normal as ever.
Dylan’s strong arms reached into the water and lifted her out, giving her a sense of home. She slumped into one of the vinyl chairs of the boat and deeply heaved in a breath. The air felt much lighter than the water had felt in her lungs. Even the old, musty air in the underground cavern had felt heavy and gross. It made her have to bend over to let the fresh air clear out her lungs, leaving her sputtering as if half drowned. Her lungs screamed at the difference, but she had little time to wallow in it as she watched Dylan and Nautilus help Kilara into the boat.
Her dress clung to her frame and curves, soaked, but she wasn’t shivering. Her translucent skin looked even paler in the bright sunlight, reflecting its glow off her enough to make Shade shield her eyes. It might’ve been an easier swim to the surface if Kilara had been able to use her magic. That fact alone had Shade wondering how long the Ancient would abstain from using her magic. She understood the reason for it; having Arthas on their back would not be good. But depending on Shade’s magic alone was going to be a challenge. Not that she was that weak—her magic was one of the strongest in the land, a fact that still didn’t quite feel comfortable to her—but it was still nothing compared to an Ancient’s abilities.
“We head east.” Kilara’s gaze fixed toward the lakeshore. Her lips were tainted with a deep blue from the cold. Shade slipped down next to her to turn up her fire power for warmth. They both needed to dry off fast.
“How far?” Shade enquired.
The Ancient turned toward her with a stiff frown on her pretty face. “Too far from here. I need to get Corb. Do you know how to find him?”
Shade cringed and her dread grew. If there was any other way besides using Corb, she would take it in a heartbeat. The Ice King was not to be trusted. Even bound to Shade, his trickery lurked just beneath the surface.
“Do we have to get him involved?” She still remembered his icy touch and the way he’d trapped her and Dylan inside his frozen domain, erasing their memories of all they’d held dear. Only being near death had saved them both from his eternal imprisonment in The Great Divide Palace. “You said you were hiding from him, too.”
Kilara’s glare bore into her like ice picks. “Without magic, I cannot get us there fast enough. He’s the only one who can. I don’t want to bring him into this, but I have no choice. He’s the lesser of the two evils. Rowan must not be discovered by Arthas. If he gets to her before we do, our chances of bringing down the Unseelie fall a thousandfold.” She stepped forward, kneeling down before Shade. “Call to him. Now.”
“Okay.” Shade nodded, gulping down the desert in her mouth. Kilara in person was much different from the Kilara in her dreams. Why was that? The Ancient in the flesh was entirely more frightening than anything she could’ve imagined, even more so than Aveta. At least she knew she could wrangle Corb’s magic. She was just really reluctant to. But Kilara was wild magic, uncontrolled and freed.
Scanning the horizon, the buildup of power within her focused on Corb’s face in her mind.
Corb, I need you to find me. We need you to come to us. Kilara is here, she needs your help.
Nothing happened at first, but when a small wave rocked the boat a bit too much, Shade wished they had waited until they were on the shore to call him. With another sonic boom, they were all sent flying from the boat back into the cold water. Thrashing in the water, Shade kicked her way back to the surface to find the boat sitting on top of a patch of ice, next to Corb, who was completely focused on Kilara, standing on the ice before him.
“Hey!” Shade called out to them and tried to pull herself up onto the ice. It was freezing, slippery and frozen over with water sloshing over it. Dammit! She concentrated on her water powers and felt the waves heave her up onto the ice. Stumbling to her feet, she glared at the two Ancients who watched her with stoic faces, apparently not impressed.
Stupid! Where’s Dylan? The thought sent her eyes darting about before she spotted him and Nautilus treading water nearby. Focusing her energy onto them, she used her water affinity magic to send a wave to topple them over the threshold of the ice. Finding their footing, they flicked their gazes to her before turning back toward the Ancients.
“Glamour, the humans will see!” Nautilus hissed as he sent out his glamour magic to cover up the ice patch they stood on. Shade complied and sent out her own magic to cover up the frozen circle which had appeared in the middle of the lake. If anyone had seen it, they saw nothing but water now as it suddenly disappeared from human eyes.
Dylan had also linked to their powers as he boosted the glamour magic. His face was red and angered. This game of the Ancients was wearing them all out.
“You need me, Your Grace?” Corb let a small, smug grin upturn the corner of his mouth as he studied Kilara with cold, calculating eyes. She didn’t smile back but turned toward the boat and climbed back in.
“You will find Rowan and break the seal of her sarcophagus for me. I can’t use my magic until we do that, or Arthas will know of our return.”
“I’m not your lover any more, Kil
ara. I don’t just fall to my knees at your every whim.” Corb’s voice was as icy as the snow now falling about him. His smile was wiped clean from his face. Instead, his icy blue eyes flickered back into the mother of pearl white they had been at his full power, back in his kingdom The Great Divide.
Shade signaled for Dylan and Nautilus to get back into the boat. She had a feeling the two Ancients were going to break up the ice plateau they sat on any minute. Sure enough, the moment they all jumped back into the boat, it sank into a crevice of ice, splashing into the water where the ice was now disintegrating. Except for Corb, who still stood on a small disc of ice on the lake, his arms crossed and his stance tall, the four of them waited as the moments ticked by.
“That may be true, Corb,” Kilara said, answering him, “but I am still Queen of the Summer realm and of the Seelie powers of Faerie, so don’t defy me, or you will never sever those chains a halfling has placed on you.” She turned toward Shade. “Make him come to the boat. I’m not wasting any more time on his petty stubbornness.”
“Make him? He’s an Ancient….”
“You hold all his magic, don’t you know that? He is bound completely by you. Without you, he’d be less than human. You’ve loosened your reins on him far too much, now use the bond and make him come here, or you will see what wrath I can bestow upon you both, even without magic.” Her face was contorted and purple with rage. Nothing had ever sent Shade into a swallow of fear more than Kilara at her worst. Not even Darren’s evil could compare.
“Yes, Kilara.” Shade pressed her lips tightly, placing her hands on the edge of the boat’s port side, gripping the ties until her knuckles turned extra white. She stared at Corb, his stubborn feet planted on the disc of ice. She focused on it and pulled it toward them, feeling the ice power coursing through her as she channeled it more and more, draining Corb’s ability to use it.
A moment later, Corb was next to the boat, facing her down with a fiery anger swirling in his once again human-like blue eyes. Was that a trickle of fear in them? Shade wasn’t sure, but she snapped at him to get into the boat, her own fear leaking from her large brown eyes.
What the hell did we get ourselves into?
“You’ll regret this, Shade. You choose sides unwisely. Kilara may be your ancestor, but she knows nothing of true honor and loyalty. She’ll twist all your wishes and dreams, give them to you while sending you screaming as you run away from what you believed you wanted. Nothing she brings will ever be given the way you want it. It is the way of the true Sidhe Seelie faeries.” His voice sent silvery waves of frigid air coursing through her, making her shake before he gripped her forearm to make sure she’d heard his whispers. “Not so unlike the Unseelie, we are. Her promises will only bring you pain and suffering. Do not trust her. Do not forget my words.”
“Into the boat, Corb. Now,” Shade hissed. The strain of the ice power was wearing her out, adding to the exhaustion from swimming through the cold lake. She needed sleep and food, something these Ancients could do without.
Corb climbed in and sat on one of the vinyl seats, looking somewhat defeated, but he quickly replaced his expression with one of boredom and superiority.
Shade turned toward Kilara, the powers receding from her and leaving her achy and tired. “Now, which way do we go?”
Kilara nodded, looking smug and satisfied. She pointed, and as she spoke, her cold voice sent even more shivers down Shade’s spine. “We go east, toward the city you call Chicago.”
Chapter Six
The Sarcophagus Chamber
THE EDGE OF Faerie was like staring out a plate glass window. Chicago looked like a bustling town beyond the see-through ward. It was one of the few left standing with Arthas and Aveta still rapidly pulling them down left and right. They passed by this barrier silently, observing the pollution and loud honking of cars as they continued on toward the outlying land around Chicago, where Rowan’s sanctuary lay.
“You sure we can trust these two?” Nautilus nudged her as they made their way along the border of Faerie.
“No.” Shade was in no mood to talk, even with Nautilus.
“Quite reassuring. Look, I don’t know what you know about the Ancients, but this is serious stuff. They can pulverize you if you get on their bad side, just like that.” He snapped his fingers, but she ignored it.
“We have no choice.”
“Have you been to Chicago before?”
“No. I’ve never really lived anywhere but Oregon.”
“Maybe we should check it out one day. Heard there’s tons of good food there.”
Shade peered over toward Nautilus, hoping he was joking. He wasn’t. His face was hopeful, probably holding out for her to say yes to him. Turning away, she gulped and pushed the thought from her head.
“One day I’ll travel. But that won’t be anytime soon.” She picked up the pace, in the hopes of not encouraging him any further.
He pulled back and resumed the rear guard, not wanting to harass her any more, especially since Dylan had been throwing him speared looks from the forward position. He’d just grin and wave an eyebrow until Dylan turned back to the front.
Something in the back of Shade’s mind was bothering her, something in a story someone had told her long ago. She was afraid her memory loss had affected her recall somewhat, for it was murky and wouldn’t come to her, no matter how hard she thought about it. It was a story about the Ancients that didn’t sit well with her. Maybe it would come to her with more time and focus. She hoped it would return before it was too late.
Back in the forest, Shade felt a bit more relaxed. Dylan kept turning to check on her and throw her his handsome smiles. It always sent a tingle to her stomach when he smiled like that. His eyes would twinkle in the sunlight, and his long locks of hair would fall into his face. She longed to have more time to pull him closer and run her fingers through those soft strands of obsidian and brush her lips against his.
It had taken about three days of hiking to go from Lake Tahoe to these forests. The wards were still standing, making travelling a bit easier to different areas of the Land of Faerie, and it was faster than hiking straight though the human world would have been. Still, she was weary of traveling and kept thinking about how useful it would’ve been to have Camulus with them now or at least the use of a car or airplane. Her feet ached, even though she was pretty fit now compared to how soft she’d been when she’d first traveled into Faerie. Hiking took its toll on anyone after weeks and weeks of it.
Where was that green skinned teleporter now? She hadn’t bothered to inquire since she hadn’t returned to the Glass Castle since Ursad’s betrayal, when he’d dumped her right into Corb’s hands, having Camulus leave them in the Arctic without a ride home. The memory made her frown and feel slightly empty. Her alliances were all in question after that; nothing lasted forever in the Land of Faerie. Not trust, not life.
“Here.” Kilara stood in the middle of a meadow, a clearing surrounded by evergreens with tall grasses and wildflowers swaying in the constant buffeting of the wind. They had returned deeper into Faerie, a fair distance from Chicago. Her yellow dress was looking a bit ragged after several days hiking, but it didn’t seem to bother her. She never even slept or ate, so a pack with supplies and a change of clothes wasn’t needed, but it was strange even so. Shade remembered how Corb never seemed to eat or sleep either, though he’d had tons of human food served to them in their imprisonment. It was mind blowing to say the least, but they were true immortals.
Shade bent down to touch the ground. Unsure of how to get to the hidden chamber apparently below the dirt, her fingers raked through the soil to no avail. She craned her neck to look at Kilara, a sea of questions in her eyes. “How do I open it? You said you can’t use your magic, so how do I do it if I’m not her descendant?”
“This chamber does not have that requirement, as mine did, but a descendant could do it. The problem is, Rowan never had any children. Only those who know of the chamber and its exact
location can open it, along with an Ancient’s magic. Since no one really knew both things, it was very safe. You have to but ask the land to open the entryway for you, Shade.”
A sudden jerk in her mind brought a sickening feeling growing in her stomach. The story she’d been trying to remember rushed back in. Dylan had told her all the Ancients slumbered together, except for Kilara. If Arthas was awake, he’d know where Rowan was. She would’ve been right next to him, in a sarcophagus in the same chamber.
The thought made her sick. Rowan was probably already gone. Maybe not, though.
Shade stood up, surprised at the simplicity of the hidden entrance key. She nodded and stood back, licking her lips as she closed her eyes. She could feel Dylan shuffling behind her, looking out for any enemies who might be lurking about.
“Land of Faerie, I ask with a humble heart, open the entrance to the chamber of Ancients, and let us enter.” Could it be so simple? She hoped it was and waited, letting her eyes flick open as she scanned the weeds and rocks beneath their feet. The dread didn’t ease. She kept her fingers crossed that Rowan was somehow still safely sleeping under their feet.
A soft rumble shook the ground, sending Shade scurrying back away from the clearing. Dylan joined her, with Nautilus stooping behind another tree. They gripped onto the trunk of a large pine until the shaking stopped.
In the ground right before Kilara was a small hole, leading down into the darkness. It reminded Shade of the oubliette she’d spent a night in, chased by some Unseelie soldiers. It very well could be one.
“Come on.” Kilara descended the small dirt steps into the chamber below, followed by Shade.
“I’ll keep an eye out here,” Nautilus offered. Dylan stopped at the entrance and waved her on, motioning that he’d stand guard, too. She nodded and continued until her eyes adjusted to the small torch flames burning inside the perimeter of the darkened chamber.