I decided to take a look at the ruins, and Myrddin didn’t stop me.
When I reached them, I found the remains of a stone cottage. It had been about the size of a small bungalow—I estimated three decent-sized rooms’ worth of space. The roof was long gone, but I could make out the rough shape from how the stones had tumbled down in places. The foundation had been dirt, but oddly, no plants had overgrown the space. As I knelt by one of the moss-covered rocks and pressed my fingers to it, a tingle ran through me, as though I had plugged myself into a generator that was still just barely working. I touched the rock again and closed my eyes.
Flash.
I was standing at the center of the valley, staring up at a triple moon. One moon was blood-red, the second had a silver tinge to it, and the third, a luminous blue glow. Three moons, one for each world. Three moons from the same core, and yet each had its differences. Three moons, for three worlds driven apart by a magic so old and ancient, nothing could counter it.
I saw her, then—the Guardian from the cave in the Tygerian Mountains. The spirit from whom I had claimed the Keraastar diamond. Her wings were ephemeral, tattered feathers in bat shape. Her eyes were black with a swirl of snowflakes in them, and her skin, the color of burnt umber. She turned to me, a feral smile on her face.
“You have returned.” She cocked her head to one side.
I nodded. “I’ve come to finish the prophecy. To unite the Keraastar Knights.”
“Then look for the key. The doorway awaits.”
And then, as quickly as the vision had come, it vanished.
I SAID NOTHING as we lingered near the fire. But after my knights went to sleep, and Myrddin had also bedded down for the night, Shade, Delilah, and Smoky remained with me around the campfire. Shade was about to take his place at the edge of our encampment to keep watch. We stared into the flames, as overhead, the stars flared to life. Without electricity over here in Otherworld, on clear nights they spread out in an expanse that I had almost forgotten.
I had told them about the vision. “I wonder what sort of key I’m looking for.”
“I don’t know,” Delilah said. “But I think it’s important to think outside the box.”
“Good gods, I hate that expression. It’s so cliché.”
“Maybe because it’s true.” Delilah smirked.
I sighed. “You may have a point. What did you mean?”
“Not all keys are physical in nature. I’m not sure what I’m saying, but something tells me that the key you’re looking for may not fit on a keychain.” She shrugged.
I mulled over what Delilah had said. Surely, if there was a key lying around, by now somebody would have found it and made off with it. Erastel wouldn’t have been so shortsighted as to leave it around. But what could be the key?
Over to the right, where my knights were all sleeping, Venus made a noise that sounded like a strangled scream. Concerned, I hurried over to his side and gently knelt beside him. I knew better than to wake him up abruptly. He was a trained fighter as well as a shaman and I didn’t trust him not to wake with his fists out. I gently whispered his name.
“Venus? Venus, wake up. You’re having a bad dream.”
Blinking, the old shaman shook out of his night visions, slowly rolling to a sitting position. He squinted, staring at me, and then cleared his throat.
“Are you all right?”
He nodded, looking fuzzy. “I had a dream. I dreamt that we were gathered inside of the ruins, all of us—the knights, that is. You were there, and we joined hands, forming a circle. We were summoning something… Someone. I don’t know, but we were hand to hand, and the energy racing through us was so strong that it almost lifted me off my feet.”
A thought struck me. “Did it feel like a dream to you? I know that sounds odd, but—”
Venus cocked his head to the side. “No, not odd at all. I know what you’re asking. I’ve worked out on the astral far too many times for me not to understand a question like that. The answer is, both yes and no. I wasn’t actually participating in something, but it feels like… A premonition. Does that help?”
I nodded, standing. “Get some sleep. You’ll need it tomorrow night.”
As I headed back to the campfire, I knew what we needed to do. I glanced up at the sky. Tomorrow night would be the new moon. An energy from the diamond was flowing into me, and everything felt right.
Delilah and Smoky were waiting for me, looking expectantly.
“I know how to proceed,” I said. “We’d better get some sleep, because tomorrow is going to be a long day, and tomorrow night an even longer night.”
With Shade watching over us, we bedded down for the night near the fire. I wasn’t sure I could sleep, but the moment my head hit the pillow of my bedroll, I was out like a light and didn’t wake till morning.
Chapter 6
WE WOKE WITH the sun. During the night, the air had grown so chilly that I didn’t want to get out of my bedroll. I tucked my head under the covers, warming my breath before braving the cold. I wasn’t whether Smoky and Shade had slept, for they were both sitting by the fire, warming their hands against the flames. Several of my knights were up—Venus, Luke, Tanne, and Chase. They were busy making breakfast. Lisa, Bran, Clyde, and Amber were still sleeping. Delilah was returning from a nearby thicket. She was carrying a roll of toilet paper, so I knew what she had been doing.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” she said with a grin. “Get up and face the day.”
“Bring me coffee and I will,” I said. As I crawled out of my bedroll, the full chill of the morning hit me and I wrapped myself in my cloak, fastening it snugly around my neck. “I seem to have become a tenderfoot in our time spent over Earthside. There’s certainly something to be said for central heating.”
Delilah laughed. “I totally agree. I’d like to find a nice big sunbeam and roll around in it.”
I took the toilet paper from her and headed toward the thicket. It wasn’t my first choice for a bathroom, but it was our only option. After I finished, I headed back to camp and dipped my hands in the bucket of hot water that someone had thought to heat over the fire. The soap and warmth were comforting and I lingered as my hands absorbed some of the heat. Finally, I joined the rest of them around the campfire, where Smoky handed me a plate of fried potatoes and ham. Delilah brought me a cup of coffee with cream in it, and I eagerly accepted.
“What do you need us to do today?” Chase asked.
“I had a vision last night. Venus cemented my thoughts on the ritual. I need to meditate today, but I know what we’re supposed to do. I would like for you and the rest of the knights to spend the day in meditation. Gather your energy. I need you all at full strength by evening. I’ll explain then, but for now, try not to overexert yourselves.” I knew I sounded vague, but I couldn’t pinpoint anything more exact. I turned to Myrddin. “Do the scrolls say anything else? Anything at all that I should know about?”
Myrddin paused, then held my gaze for a moment. “Only a warning. I translated the last bit this morning,” he said softly. “But I think we should speak of that in private.” He gave a nod toward the knights and my guards.
I understood. “After we eat breakfast, let’s take a little walk. Can Smoky, Shade, and Delilah come with us?”
“I think it’s important they do.” And with that cryptic remark, he went back to his food.
I drank my coffee, and then a second cup, and finished my ham and potatoes.
It felt odd, being back in Otherworld. Especially in a remote location where the silence was so acute. Even in a park, or out at Talamh Lonrach Oll, there were sounds of civilization.
But here in the Golden Wood, it felt like we were a million miles from the nearest encampment or city. The only sounds up here were the sounds of the wind, the rustling of the grass, and the sound of birdsong. It was comforting, in a way. The gentle susurration of the ever-present breeze flowed through like background music.
<
br /> It both calmed me and yet,unsettled me. I realized that I had become acclimated to living over Earthside. I wasn’t sure if I could ever get used to Otherworld again. Maybe it was a good thing that I was destined to stay in my mother’s home world.
When we finished breakfast, Myrddin, Smoky, Shade, Delilah, and I took a walk a few hundred yards away from Erastel’s End. Once we were out of earshot, we settled down in the grass. By now the chill had burned off, leaving behind the crisp tang of an autumn morning as the sun beat down golden, but not hot.
“So what did you want to tell me?”
“There’s a warning in the scroll. I managed to decipher it this morning. The meanings eluded me until now. It was the only piece of the puzzle that I hadn’t been able to solve before we left.” He frowned. “I take it you had an epiphany about the ritual itself?”
I nodded. “Erastel came to me in the vision I mentioned. I know what I need to do. I know how to proceed. So what was the warning?”
“There’s a chance that…” He paused, then shook his head. “Apparently, the Great Fae Lords knew what Erastel was up to. The warning was added onto the scroll by someone after Erastel died. I’m not sure who wrote it, but I certainly wouldn’t dismiss it.”
“There were probably those who were on her side about this. Someone had to hide the Maharata-Verdi.” Smoky frowned. “Is there some guardian or danger that will appear when Camille starts the ritual?”
Myrddin nodded. “Yes, there may be. Apparently, after Erastel died, one of the Fae Lords volunteered to go into stasis to prevent the ritual from taking place, and he was secured near here. The ritual will probably wake him up, and if so, you know he’ll do his best to put a stop to it. I have no clue as to how powerful he is, but if he’s anything like the Fae Lords that we fought during the Great Divide, he won’t be easy to take down. Even with three dragons at our disposal.”
I bit my lip. I was no match for one of the ancient Fae Lords. But then, I had a weapon nobody knew I had brought. My fingers traced over the unicorn horn, safe in its long pocket within my cloak.
“We have to prepare. But how can we prepare against an enemy we don’t know? Is there a way to find him today? If he is secured near here and in stasis, can we go hunting for him? He must be close by if there’s a chance he can interfere with the ritual.” I paused, then my gaze fell on the series of Barrow Mounds. “Those mounds. Could he be in one of those?”
Smoky shaded his eyes, looking out over the expanse. “You might have something there,” he said. “The great kings of old were interned within Barrow Mounds. With the ego of the ancient Fae Lords, I wouldn’t be surprised that they would choose to follow suit. It makes sense. There, they would be secured from the weather and from raiders.”
“I won’t have my knights hunting with me. They need to stay in meditation today. However, I’m quite capable of going alone. So don’t try to dissuade me.”
I knew Smoky. If he could prevent me from putting myself in danger, he would. But this was too important. And I had the feeling that if there was one of the Great Fae Lords hiding around here, I’d be able to find him easier than the others.
The Keraastar diamond was changing me, slowly but surely. I could feel it working on me—just like the spirit seals had been working on my knights. I felt more aware of everything around me, and when anybody who had anything to do with the spirit seals was near, I could sense them even before they announced themselves.
There was a connection between me and the Keraastar Knights that went beyond friendship, beyond allegiance. It was as though the webs of our lives were now woven together, and our common destiny had settled into the very bones and cells of our body. I had the feeling that a common threat would put us all on alert.
Delilah was watching me closely. “Where do you think this will lead?”
“What do you mean?” I knew she wasn’t talking about the hunt for the Fae Lord.
“Once we’ve defeated Shadow Wing, where will the Keraastar Knights go? What will happen to them…and to you?”
I had thought about that question quite a bit over the past few months. Ever since I had taken the Keraastar diamond, I found myself playing with thoughts of the future. We were bound by a destiny that I could only hope would soon be over, but beyond that, it felt like there were new playing fields that awaited. I couldn’t see them, not yet. But I knew they were there. Defeating Shadow Wing would not be the end of the Keraastar Knights. We were all evolving together, in both our personal lives and together, as a unit.
“I’m not certain, but I know we have things to do in the future. I think, though, we should focus on one step at a time. I don’t even want to talk about Shadow Wing yet, because the thought of facing him fills me with terror. Regardless of how much help we have on our hands, fighting him is going to be one of the hardest things we’ve ever done.”
Delilah mulled over my answer. “I’m not sure I agree,” she said. “I think one of the hardest things we’ve ever done was when we were sent over Earthside. We didn’t know what life would be like. We didn’t know how long we’d be there. There was so much of the future left in question. At least now we know I’m a Death Maiden, and you’re a Fae Queen, and Menolly… Well, Menolly is a vampire princess. Of all three, that would be the last one I would have seen coming.” She laughed and I laughed with her.
“I still can’t get over the Princess Menolly title. But perhaps you’re right. So much has happened since we were assigned over Earthside. So much water under the bridge, so many people we’ve lost, and so many people who’ve entered our lives.”
I glanced at Smoky. My mother’s home world had brought two of my loves into my life, and had brought my first love back to me. The intervening years had been so full that I hadn’t taken the time to think about the past, to follow the path that had brought us here.
“Do you think that we live several lives within each lifetime? We had our lives back in Otherworld, before Mother died. Those years are hard to remember because we were so young, but they were a life in their own. And then, we had our lives as we grew up and joined the Y’Elestrial Intelligence Agency. That time ended when Menolly died. When she was turned, another chapter started—another lifetime. And then for me, when I met Trillian. And when we were sent over Earthside. It’s as though we live these miniature dramas within the bigger scope of our life. How many transitions have I been through? And you? And Menolly?”
Myrddin was listening to us closely. “All good philosophical thoughts, but if we’re going to hunt for the Fae Lord, we’d better get started. Why don’t we split up into two teams? Shade and Delilah, you look together, and Smoky, Camille, and I will look together. We can cover more territory that way. Why don’t we start with those two mounds over there, the ones closest? And Camille, the reason I didn’t want your guards to hear what I had to say, or the knights, was because we have no idea if any of them have been influenced by anybody else. We can’t chance that they’re safe to confide in.”
“What you mean? You can’t mean you distrust my knights?” I could see him distrusting the guards. They might swear an oath of loyalty, but it was easy to mouth words, and it wasn’t like we administered a truth serum to them.
“During the Great Divide, the Fae Lords were incredibly powerful. They split three worlds asunder. You can’t do that if you don’t wield enormous power. It isn’t so far-fetched to think that even now, one or more of them might still be awake and working against us. Mind control isn’t that difficult. And until the last of the Keraastar Knights is found, your circle will not be complete. I think once it is, you will know the loyalty of your knights.”
My mood plummeted. He was right. And when I thought of the power it took to split part the worlds, it underscored just how easy it would be for one of the Fae Lords to reach out and twist the mind of one of my knights.
“I see what you mean. Very well, I’ll tell them to stay at the fire.”
We walked back t
o the campfire. All my knights were sitting in a circle, meditating, as I had instructed them to. Telling them one more time to stay in meditation, and telling my guards to stay with them, I joined Smoky and Myrddin to head for the Barrow Mounds.
WE HUNTED AROUND the first mound while Delilah and Shade took the one next to us. The mounds were even, sloping up in a circular fashion, as though the ground had grown perfectly formed breasts. They were obviously formed not by nature, but through some magic or careful engineering. We looked for any sign of a door, any magical nuance, and then I leaned against the earth, pressing my hands to the side, searching for something to tell me that what we hunted might be buried within. At the first mound I sensed an ancient energy, but it was quiet and steady, and felt alien to me. I wasn’t sure what the Barrow contained, but it wasn’t a Fae Lord—of that I was certain. Twenty minutes later, we moved on to the next.
“Shouldn’t I…feel the ones that Delilah and Shade are searching as well?” While Delilah’s ability to sense energy had increased exponentially with the advent of her being able to see ghosts, that was no guarantee that she’d be able to suss out the particular energy I was looking for.
“If we don’t find anything by the time we searched through all of these mounds, then you can go back along the ones she and Shade have looked at. There appear to be thirteen mounds in this area.” Myrddin shaded his eyes. The sun was fully up now, and while the day wasn’t warm, it was bright.
“That sounds good to me. I think we should be able to work our way through all of these by early afternoon, if not sooner.”
We moved on to the second set, and then the third. By the time we came to the fourth set of mounds, I was getting tired. Each mound seemed to contain a force of some sort, an energy that I could almost recognize, but not quite. I motioned for Delilah and Shade to join us as we rested for a moment.