The HeartStone Path

The HeartStone Path cont.

CHAPTER 22

That night, we went with Aine to each of the council member’s houses and offices.  Rhiannon and I kept watch while Aine drifted through the shadows.  Prince Aerron kept watch from further away, his hearing and sight better than ours.  The houses and offices were shamefully easy to get in to.  I felt a little wrong doing it, but I understood the Queen’s motives.  They would seek to bombard her at the first meeting to see how she held up.

In the dark of the witching hour the morning of the funeral, Aine slipped in to the last town house and the office within.  It belonged to the Lady Gemadine and her father.  It was difficult to only keep watch.  Tristan had been with the Lady at the viewing, seated next to her father and the king.  A buffer between the King and the council members.

We snuck back in to our rooms with just enough time to get dressed for the funeral.  Aine rushed to dress us appropriately in black, the kingdom’s mourning colors, to match the Queen.  There was something she wasn’t telling me, but I didn’t have time to press her about it.  She was avoiding meeting my eyes, though, and it was really bothering me.

The royal procession from the castle to the temple of the Goddess in the center of the city was long.  The streets were lined with people who had come out to say goodbye to their king.  We were all arranged by rank, so I was far away from the council members and their families.  I looked for Cleo and found her between her mother and father.  I hadn’t forgotten about her and my promise to move her to rooms near mine.  The Queen had even agreed that she be added to the royal household.  But with the death of the king, so much had been put on hold. 

I made it a point to drop back and loop my arm through Cleo’s and pulled her back up to my spot, just behind the Queen.  Her mother and father couldn’t say anything without interrupting the silence of the procession.  Queen Arianna turned and gave us both a smile.  She knew exactly what I was doing.  The Queen publicly acknowledged Cleo next to me and Aine and that was it.  Her place in the royal household was cemented. 

Cleo squeezed my arm tightly and held her head high.  My feeling about her the night I met her told me that she would be utterly invaluable in the years to come for Arianna.  Only a few years younger than the Queen, Cleo would hopefully stay with her until the end of her reign.

The funeral was brief.  The royal tomb beneath the temple only fit a few people, so only the Queen, King and a few Druids went below to place the king in his final resting place.  While we waited above in the temple proper, Cleo’s mother made her way over to me, but was intercepted by Prince Aerron and Cam.  She had no choice but to return to her seat, red faced and embarrassed at having been refused by the visiting Fae Crown Prince.  It was an extremely public refusal of access to their daughter.  Cleo’s father hid a smile behind his hand while her mother fumed with barely checked rage.

Cleo made herself small between Rhiannon and me.  My sister put an arm about the poor girl’s shoulder and tucked her close in to her side and shot a glare at her mother.  The girl had fresh bruises on her arms and neck that looked like they had been made by a woman’s hands.  Though she had tried to hide them with a shawl and her hair, Rhiannon had seen them and I’m sure had a few ideas about exactly what to do to Cleo’s mother.

Rhiannon kept Cleo close on the royal procession back to the castle.  When we passed the girl’s town house where she lived with her parents, the Queen dispatched three footmen and guards to gather Cleo’s things and bring them immediately to the castle.  Her father bowed deeply as the Queen swept away with his daughter in tow.  Her mother didn’t even look back when she flounced through their door.

“I hope you know what you are doing,” Aine whispered to me later when we were settling Cleo in to her rooms next to Rhiannon’s.

“She knows,” Rhiannon answered for me.  “Cleo is brilliant, if a little scared.”

“Right.  What education do you have,” Aine asked the trembling girl.

“Formal, my lady.  Like every woman in the kingdom,” Cleo stammered.

“Which means it’s not nearly enough,” Aine sighed.  “Oh, well.  We will teach you.  Do you have any gifts?”

“Gifts, my lady?”, Cleo said, stepping back.

“Magic, craft, powers,” Aine provided.

“Y-yes, my lady.  A little,” Cleo whispered.

“Well, let’s see it,” Rhiannon encouraged her.

Darkness started to settle in the rooms as the shadows grew and grew until the filled the room.  I opened my mouth to speak but found that I didn’t have a voice.  I tried to raise a Fae light, but my power only flickered in a small space round me.  She couldn’t completely snuff out my power, but she could muffle it from the sight of everyone around me.

“Sweet Goddess,” Rhiannon breathed when the darkness receded. “She is a Silencer.  I thought the gift was only a legend.”

“So, did I,” Aine said, stepping forward to examine Cleo more closely.  “Did you know, Mor?”

I shook my head.  “I didn’t know what she was.  I only felt a push of her power against mine at the dinner.  I had never felt anything like it before.”

“We have to tell the Queen,” Aine said quickly.  “Cleo must be near her at every public event.  Her gifts could save lives if there was ever an attack.”

Rhiannon agreed with her, stepping around Cleo.  “Do your parents know you possess this?”

“No,” she answered softly.  “I have hidden it from them since I was a child.  I can do little things, like light a candle and stir my soup.”

“Have you tried anything bigger?”, I asked.

Cleo shook her head.  “My mother was horrified when she found me doing any casting.  What I can do is what I have taught myself.  She refused to allow me to apply to the university.”

“And why is that,” the Queen asked from the door.

Cleo jumped and dropped in to a deep curtsey. 

“Why won’t your mother let you attend the university?  And please don’t tell me that those bruises are from her,” the Queen repeated.

“They are, your majesty,” Rhiannon answered for her.  “And she has kept her miraculous daughter hidden in her rooms.”

“Miraculous,” the Queen repeated.  “Show me.”

I nodded to Cleo and braced myself as darkness descended on the room again followed by the deafening silence.  When she pulled it back in to herself, the Queen was pale and my sisters had broad smiles on their faces.

“Sweet Goddess above,” Queen Arianna whispered.  “I thought Silencers were all gone from the realms.”

“If Sybal hadn’t randomly set Morrigan next to her at the celebration feast, we might have never known about Cleo,” Rhiannon said.

“I confess, I have never seen you at court.  I know your father well, and your mother,” the Queen said.

“She’s not really my mother,” Cleo whispered.

“I beg your pardon,” Aine said.

“She’s not my mother,” Cleo repeated.  “She can’t have children.  My father returned from a business trip with me and they have raised me.  I believe my father is truly my father, but she is not my true mother.”

“It’s settled, then.  Your place is here, in my household,” the Queen said. 

“She will train with us every day, your majesty,” Rhiannon offered. 

“I truly hope so.  Morrigan?  A minute please,” the Queen said.

I followed her out in to the hallway and glanced back at my sisters once.  Rhiannon nodded at me.  Cloe was fine with them.  The poor child finally looked like she wasn’t going to faint any moment.

“Thank you for noticing her,” the Queen said.

“It was purely by chance,” I said.

“You don’t believe in chance, Morrigan.”

“No, I don’t.  Either way, I hope she will be happy here.”

“I hope so, too.  This is her home now.  There were rumors when I was a child about her father.  I’m not sure if the court remembers, but I remember my father talking about it with my mother before she died.”

“For her sake, I hope the court doesn’t remember.”

“I do, too.  She is such a pleasant little thing.”

“What did you need me for, your majesty?”

“Ah, yes.  You have accepted the Prince’s offer?”

“Yes.  I have.  Though, I don’t know if anything will come of it.”

“Boudicca knows?”

“She knows.  She’s not happy, but she knows.”

“I am sorry I had to agree to make it public in my court.  I didn’t want to anger his powerful father when we will most likely need him soon.  And his armies.”

“I understand, your majesty.”

“I didn’t come to the decision lightly, Mor.  I want you to know that.  You are not a bargaining chip on a table or a prize mare to be sold off.”

“Tell King Einal that.”

“I wish I could.  The only saving grace is our traditions.  He must follow them.”

“Let’s focus on having a kingdom left to enforce those traditions,” I said, steering the conversation away from the Fae Prince.

“You’re right.  Have you heard anything from Boudicca?”, the Queen asked.

“Yes.  They are watching their cities and borders.  I will know if they come across any other scouting parties.”

“I hope it’s only lesser demons if they do,” she sighed.

“So, do I.  If it’s Shadow Elves, no one will survive,” I said.

“Shadow Elves?”, the Queen asked.

“A legend.  Not in every book.  I’ve read about them in only two books, both ancient and I don’t think I was supposed to read them.  The legend says that before Hel was imprisoned, she created an elite legion to serve her.  They are similar to Elves, from what I read, but not true Elves.  She created them with the darkest magic that was forbidden when she was locked away along with her legions.  If she is released, they will be released with her.”

“Is it possible the legend is true?”, she asked.

“I guess so.  I only know because I happened to find a reference to them in some old books.  No one I asked seemed to know anything about them,” I answered.  I reminded myself to ask the Master and Helian that night.  If anyone would know for sure, it would be them.

I didn’t tell the Queen everything, though.  The Shadow Elves were beyond deadly.  Both books failed to mention how they could be killed.  They were also the origin of the Forbidden Blades.  Hel had created the blades specifically for her legion.  If the blades were resurfacing, then that had to mean that the Shadow Elves were real, and they were slipping out in to the realms. 

I had had nightmares of Shadow Elves for weeks after I had read about them.  Created from the blackest depths of the Underworld, they were soulless and blindly loyal to Hel.  Though Hel had used the Elven form as her template, they were nothing alike.  Their eyes were full black, unless they were in blood lust.  Then their eyes glowed red like embers.  In place of regular teeth, they had two rows of pointed iron teeth, made for shredding and draining their prey completely of blood.  Each finger, of which they had six, ended in claws that were like their eyes, coal black until they were in blood lust.  Taller than real Elves, they were said to tower over the rest of the legions.  I doubted that account because the next lines had described their lack of substantial form most of the time.  They seemed to move through shadows, pulling all of the hate and rage in the world to them.  This worked like a magnet and pulled the worst of every race to Hel’s side where she enslaved them and twisted them to her purpose.

The possibility made me shiver.  I had written to Boudicca about it and she had asked me to keep the knowledge to myself for now.  There had to be a way to kill them, though.  And the Master had to be the one who knew where to find the rest of the legend.  I couldn’t think about it until I could make it down to the chamber, though.  I was supposed to meet Prince Aerron in the gardens. 

The Queen had suggested it because it was full of guards and very public.  I could have kissed her.  There were, in fact, more people in the gardens than I had expected.  The Prince was noticeably bothered by it, but I was the only one who noticed.  He had a winning smile and perfect manners for anyone we came across on our walk. 

It was a beautiful day to be outside.  Warm weather was in its last days.  The leaves on the trees and bushes were beginning to change their colors on the very edges so it lent an extra burst of color to the already fantastic array of color in the Queen’s gardens.  After a while, Prince Aerron steered us to a less popular part of the garden.

“I apologize for weaving in to your garden,” he said quietly.

I was shocked at his apology.  “Why would you apologize for that?”, I asked carefully.

“You were angry with me.  I could see it in your eyes when you saw me,” he said.

I didn’t answer.  Yes, it had been an intrusion, but I didn’t want him to know the importance of the rooftop garden.  Instead, I let him lead me around the Queen’s garden.   There were nobles, royals, servants and couples all over the gardens.  It seemed to annoy Prince Aerron, but I was thankful for the crowded gardens.  At least for little while.  Until I heard that voice that made me feel like glass was being drug down my spine. 

We rounded a corner and found Lady Gemadine walking with Tristan.  I saw the brief look in his eyes that said he would rather be anywhere but in those gardens, but it was gone quickly.  They had to have heard us coming, but the lady didn’t turn around until the Prince cleared his throat not so subtly. 

“Ah, my lord, my lady,” Lady Gemadine said, turning around and bowing slightly.

Tristan, surprisingly, bowed more deeply, but he didn’t greet us.  Lady Gemadine didn’t take the hint.

Prince Aerron settled a hand on my lower back, stopping me from dropping a curtsy that I was about to lower myself in to.  I forgot, a little late, that I didn’t have to acknowledge her if I didn’t want to.  The ranking of nobles was ridiculous.

The lady frowned at me.  “What brings you out today, Lady Morrigan.”

“Just a walk,” I answered, “like everyone else out here, I suppose.”

“With a handsome escort, it would seem,” she said, turning to Prince Aerron.  “I am sorry, my lord, I don’t think we have been introduced.  I saw you arrive with the Queen and her new husband, but I fear I never caught your name.”

I opened my mouth to answer her, but she cut me off cleanly before I could say anything.

“I was distracted by Lord Tristan.  He is one of the King’s friends.  From a wealthy family that belongs to the King’s household in the northern kingdom.  I made my father introduce us immediately.  The King was so gracious, allowing us to sit together at the feast.  My father is quite interested in coming to an arrangement with his family,” she said with an indulgent smile.

I felt Prince Aerron tense next to me, his hand tightened on my lower back.  He wasn’t looking at the Lady, though.  He was looking just over her head at something on the roof tops.  I followed his look and saw Aine above my rooms, waving at us.  His hand moved around to settle on my waist and tightened when I answered the lady.

“Of course, my lady.  No doubt the King felt that His Grace didn’t warrant an introduction.  This is the Crown Prince Aerron, heir of the High Forest Fae Kingdom.  He is a guest of the King and Queen.  I guess they felt he didn’t need to be introduced to any eligible ladies as he had already requested my hand from the Queen.  If you will excuse us, my lady, my lord,” I said curtly.

It took a brief moment, but it finally occurred to Lady Gemadine to drop in to a low curtsy.  “My apologies, your grace.  I didn’t know,” she said quietly.

His hand tightened on my waist slightly when he said, “Not at all, Lady.  I don’t expect the Kindred kingdoms to be versed in the intricacies of my house.”

“Indeed, your grace,” she said politely.  “If the Lady Morrigan must return to her lady, perhaps I can show you around the gardens.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Prince Aerron said shortly. 

I couldn’t help myself.  I turned to my escort and said sweetly, “My Lord, would you mind escorting me back inside?  I would like your opinion on something before we return to her majesty.”

“Of course, my heart,” he answered.  “Lady Gemadine, Lord Tristan, a pleasure.”

It didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would to let Prince Aerron lead me away from the two of them.  He kept his hand on my lower back until we reached the door of the castle.  Instead of the argument I expected, he took my hand and led me towards my rooms and the passage up to the gardens. 

I pulled him to a stop on the landing, just as the book case slid back in to place.

“You knew they were in the gardens,” I hissed at him.

“No, I didn’t,” he whispered back.  “I asked you to meet me out there because they weren’t there.  I didn’t want you to see them.  What was all of that, anyway.”

“I don’t know,” I mumbled.  I had wanted to claw the other woman’s eyes out, to be honest.

“You don’t know,” he said flatly.

“You didn’t see the way she flaunted Tristan at me?  Or the way she fawned over you when she discovered who you were,” I asked him.

“Yes, and I don’t care,” he said.

“How can you not?”, I said, surprised.

“Because I have known women like her my whole life,” he sighed.  “It’s not exclusive to the Kindred race, Mor.  There are women of every race who seek to raise their station and that of their family through marriage.”

“That’s what she’s after,” I said more to myself than anything.

“Yes,” he said shortly.

“Then why play along,” I asked.

“Who said I was playing along,” he asked, pulling me close. 

I pushed away from him and turned to the stairs.  He didn’t stop me, only followed me up the stairs.  Whatever Aine had been doing, she had definitely been trying to get our attention.  I didn’t think it was for fun.

Aine and Rhiannon were waiting with the Queen and Cleo when we reached the gardens.  I inwardly flinched at the discovery of my secret stairs.  No one there would have betrayed my secret, but I still didn’t like it.

“What is it,” I asked Rhiannon.

“Aine led us up here to show Cleo her gift to help her feel more…welcome,” she said.

“But on my flight, I saw another squad,” Aine blurted out.  “It’s the same size as the one we…took care of… the other night.”

I looked to the Queen next.  There were two options now.  Send us out to kill the squad or alert the council and publicly send a Yova and Kindred contingent after them.  I knew what I would do, but I didn’t have a kingdom to think of. 

The Queen paced through the garden, her hands clasped underneath her chin.  She was still wearing the mourning black that she had chosen when her father passed.  The dress was at complete odds with my garden.  Like a dark goddess had been set lose among the greenery. 

As she paced, my sisters leaned against the wall with Cleo, waiting on the Queen’s decision.  I stood next to the Prince.  His hand had drifted to the small of my back again, and I didn’t shake it off.  I couldn’t deny that I was angry at Tristan, but I didn’t think taking up with a Fae Prince was the way to deal with it.  Even though we had decided to distance ourselves from each other, I didn’t expect him to let himself be leashed by the likes of Lady Gemadine. 

“Tristan”, I tried.

“What.”

“What are you doing with her.”

“Why do you care.”

“Are you serious right now.”

“What I do with my time now is my business.”

“How can you say that.”

“You have your life.  I have mine.”

“But before we left…”

“Was an accident.  Shouldn’t have happened.  Don’t contact me like this.”

“Why.”

“It’s not safe.  And I have nothing to say to you.”

I fought the tears that welled up in my eyes.  When we left the northern kingdom, I had known that we wouldn’t be able to be seen together or even act like we knew one another beyond basic court courtesy.  This, though, was too much.  I was saved from dwelling on it by the Queen turning to face us.

“I don’t want to tell my council.  Not yet,” she said.  “I want to know what they are doing here.  I know you brought back letters and maps before.  See if you can find some again.”

“If we keep killing her squads, Hel will think we have something to hide,” Rhiannon cautioned. 

“If we don’t kill them, then they will reach the villages and who knows what they will do while they search it,” Aine answered.

“True.  But we can’t have her thinking that we are hiding something from her,” Rhiannon countered.  “If we empty the villages…”

“If you empty the villages, you will cause mass panic,” Prince Aerron said.

“He’s right,” I sighed.  “We can’t let anyone know what’s going on yet.  If the people knew that demon squads were searching the realms, who knows how they would react.”

“They reacted with common sense in the north,” Rhiannon argued.  “They fought back and then trusted their king to protect them.  People volunteered to house the soldiers needed to protect the villages, even.”

“We can’t know if that will happen here,” I said.  “They could panic.”

“They would panic,” the Queen said flatly.  “They would panic and then my council would blame me for not handling it properly.”

“There is no proper way to handle this,” Cleo said quietly. 

“The lady is right,” Prince Aerron said.  “There is no right or wrong way to handle this.  There isn’t exactly a rule book for dealing with demons.  No one has in millennia.”

“Certainly no one in this realm,” the Queen sighed.  “I can’t send the Yova out.  Not during the day.  Everyone would notice a troop flying out and it would cause a stir.  And how do I explain your absence?  Can it wait until tonight?”

“I believe so,” I said.  “They prefer to move at night.  Daylight is uncomfortable for lesser demons.  If a single Yova scout can go unnoticed and make sure they stay put, we can go after them tonight.”

“But what if this gets worse,” Rhiannon asked.  “This is too soon for them to have noticed the missing squad we took out.  We have to tell the others.”

“Okay, we tell them, and then what?  What if everyone is up to their ears in demons, too?  Or what if they don’t believe us?” Cleo asked.

“The other kingdoms will believe us,” the Queen said, “because the reports will be coming from our Yova to theirs.  You were brilliant to take Lord Roman with you before.  Take them with you again tonight and then we will send out a formal report.  The only kingdom we may have a problem with is the Fae.”

“Leave it to the Fae,” Aine grumbled.

“No, leave it to his father,” I said back.  “I can try it, your majesty, but I can’t make any promises.  If I do this, I will have to share with Boudicca, and the other races, what we have found.  Everything.  And they may not be so quick to leave their own lands unguarded.”

“It’s a chance we have to take,” the Queen sighed.  “But we don’t have to do it just yet.”

“And if another squad appears?”, Rhiannon asked.  “And another and another.”

“Then we kill them,” the Queen said.  “The other kingdoms would do the same if they were finding demons in their lands.”

“You must call a Blood Council, your majesty,” Cleo said softly.

“Call a Blood Council?” Aine asked.

“I read about it in an old book,” Cleo explained.  “A King or Queen may call a Blood Council if they are aware of immenent danger to a Realm.  They can send for a representative from every land to attend the Council if there is a threat or something that involves every kingdom in the realm.  It’s an old practice, though.  I don’t know if anyone is still alive who remembers it.”

“The long-lived races will remember,” Prince Aerron said.  “The last one called was by your ancestor when Hel was imprisoned.”

“My ancestor,” the Queen said, shocked.

“Yes.  It was before I was born, but we are taught about it.  A Human warrior, Arianna, your namesake, led her tribe against demons in this realm.  When they were almost overrun, she sent out a call to the realm for aide.  Everyone answered and the demons were destroyed and Hel imprisoned by the Gods.  Only one other time has the Blood Council been called.  When this castle was built.”

“I don’t understand,” the Queen whispered.

“Your castle, and city, are the oldest buildings in this realm.  The next built was the Northern Kingdom.  Then others as they embraced Elven technology and help.  Another reason my father hates the Elves,” Aerron explained.

“Because they helped the Humans build cities?”, Aine asked.

“Because they helped build the cities and helped the newly made Immortal Kindred discover their own magic,” he said sadly.

“Our own magic,” the Queen said flatly.

“Yes,” Prince Aerron said.  “Your race is not as old as you think.  You are among the youngest in all of the realms.  The Immortal Kindred were once Human.  The tribes that fought in the Wars sacrificed everything, were willing to lose everything to defeat Hel.  When the Wars were over, the tribes were blessed by the Goddess.  Over time, your people reformed in to clans as you discovered and become comfortable with your power and your gifts.  But, I think you have lost some of them.  Just as you have lost your histories.”

“So, I…” Cleo started.

“You are from an ancient bloodline, I would guess,” Prince Aerron answered.  “Your gifts were thought lost by the races.”

“But not you,” Cleo said.

“No.  The other Races remember Silencers.  It is a uniquely ancient guardian power.  My guess is that your father’s mate is not the woman is he married to,” he said sadly.

“What would you do, then,” the Queen asked him.

“I would send discreet messages to the other Realms.  Inform them that you have been killing demons in your territory and ask if they have been doing the same.  Boudicca believes that Hel is the real threat.  We keep killing any demons we find and make sure that the other kingdoms will come to our aide if Hel does indeed come through the lost kingdom at your southern borders,” he said quickly.

The Queen nodded.  “Wait until nightfall.  Kill them and bring any information you can find back to me and me alone.”

“And who will guard you,” Aine asked.

“She has Cleo,” Rhiannon answered.  “No one can get to the Queen with Cleo around.  Not anymore.”

“Cleo will take my head ladies room,” the Queen answered.  “Sybal would not object to being allowed to marry.  She has been with me a long time and will not argue against a marriage.”

“Careful, your majesty,” Aine said.  “People will notice the shift.”

“Yes, but they won’t care,” the Queen said, waving Aine’s concerns away.  “Sybal has been meeting Lord Canatol in secret for a while.  It’s the castle’s worst kept secret.  Senior, not junior,” the Queen added quickly when she saw the look on Rhiannon’s face.

Rhiannon’s reaction surprised me.   She had been positively frigid with the young General every time he had been around.  Clearly, I had missed something.

“So, you will, what,” Cleo asked.

“I will tell her she has my blessing.  He is a widower, but I do believe they love each other,” the Queen mused.

Prince Aerron rolled his eyes.  “As interesting as this is, there is a demon squad in that forest,” he said, pointing to the south.

“Right,” Aine said.  “I’ll show you where.”

Prince Aerron nodded and, in a flash of light, disappeared to reveal a large osprey perched on the wall.  I crossed my arms and stared at him.  I had read that every Fae had an animal form, but not all chose to use it.  It had been passed off as myth in the book I had read, though.  I was definitely going to ask him about it when they came back.

Aine followed suit and shifted to her owl form.  Both birds waited patiently while Rhiannon explained what they needed one last time before they took off.  I stood at the wall and watched both birds fly away.  Aine used a glamour and made herself look like a smaller osprey before I lost sight of them.  It made sense.  Not too many owls flew around during the day.

The Queen went back to her pacing and Rhiannon settled her elbows on the wall next to where I stood.  Cleo convinced the Queen to settle down on a bench after a while.  Pacing never helped anybody, she had said.  I wasn’t so sure.  It helped me wear off nervous energy.

It was near sunset when I saw the familiar form of a pair of ospreys in the clouds flying towards us.  Aine dropped the glamour when they landed and they both shifted back to their regular forms.  The Queen rushed them, demanding details.  It was much the same as before.  A small squad, sent to search for something, likely had correspondence and maps like the others.

The Queen nodded.  We were to go out after the moon had risen and the majority of the castle had gone to sleep.  Cleo would stay with the Queen.  To distract everyone, the Queen would give her blessing to Sybal in private first, then the senior Lord Canatol.  It would give the court plenty to talk about for a few days while we killed demons and messengers slipped out of the castle to the other kingdoms.

CHAPTER 23

That night, we stood in my roof garden and waited for the moon to rise fully.  The Queen’s plan had gone off perfectly.  Sybal had been beyond grateful and had immediately rushed to tell her lover.  Lord Canatol had been equally happy.  The court had been tossed in to a frenzy when Cleo was put in Sybal’s position.  It was masterful.

My own plan had been seamless, too.  Lord Roman knew what was happening and was prepared for the public announcement of the squads so that he and his guards could finally be seen protecting the kingdom along with the other tribes.  Helian knew about the corruption and were searching the chamber for any hint on how to stop it along with how I was supposed to stop Hel.

The moon was making its steady march across the night sky and finally was high above us.  The city and castle were quiet when Prince Aerron wove us to the location of the demons.  He set us down far enough from the camp that the demons couldn’t have possibly heard or smelled us.

Just like before, we set ourselves on four sides of the camp and set to killing the demons.  It was a group of lesser demons, like before, but there were higher ranking demons among them.  I fought back to back with the Prince, something that was a little too comfortable, as we finished the demons off. 

Aine searched for information while the rest of us checked the surrounding forest for more demons.    There were none to be found, but Aine found valuable information.  The demons were checking every kingdom on every continent.  And we had confirmation, again, that the third keystone had been found.  I had to tell Boudicca immediately. 

We burned the bodies and wove back to my garden.  Lord Roman was on the western wall with Cathan and the Queen was waiting for us, Cleo at her side.  Exhausted, Rhiannon explained everything to the General and the Queen who paled when she told her the news.  The messengers would have to leave that night.

In the dead of night, we waited on a nearby roof for a bridge to a Sky Road to be lowered.  Our only hope of reaching all of the kingdoms in time was for the Sky Fae to allow the messengers to travel on their roads.  The Sky Fae rarely involved themselves in the dealings of those of us on the ground, but they did aide us from time to time.

When the bridge was finally lowered, the Queen herself explained the situation to the Sky Fae guardian.  The guardian shook his head and allowed the messengers to pass, promising to aide in their journey.  I could only watch helplessly as the messengers disappeared up the bridge and into the night sky.  From my garden, several arrow larks took to the air, flying north and northwest, to the Yova tribes that were waiting for word of what we had found.

Finally, alone in my study, I wrote to Boudicca in the book she had given me.  Though it was late, I received a quick response.  She couldn’t believe what we had found.  I could picture her ranting and pacing her rooms before she responded to me again.  We did the right thing sending out the messengers and she was intrigued by Cleo.  I didn’t have time to ask her about Prince Aerron’s story about the Human race and the Immortal Kindred, but I didn’t think she would have much to say about it.  I would get more answers from the Master.

In desperate need of answers and advice, I dug out the rune stone the Master had given me from it’s hiding spot and made my way down the hidden stairs to the chamber below the castle.  There was too much I couldn’t tie together and for some reason I didn’t think I could talk to my sisters about it.

When I opened the door, both the Master and his Elf companion looked like they had been expecting me.  It was a bit unnerving, but something I was used to.  The Master patiently set down the ponderous tome he had been searching through and looked at me expectantly.  Helian used a piece of paper to mark his place on the scroll he was transcribing and tucked his arms into his sleeves.

“What did I tell you,” the Master said, “she has been busy and needs our advice.”

I opened my mouth to argue, then wisely shut it again.  He was right and arguing would be utterly fruitless and would only serve my fragile ego.  So, I simply took a seat at the nearest table that was somewhat clean and laid out my dilemma for them.

Not only was I now expected to court the Crown Prince of a Fae Kingdom, my own Tuillaryn was completely ignoring me, somehow corrupted and may have indeed turned on me in favor of some painted ninny whose father was wealthy, my sisters were increasingly trying my patience, there were demons in the realm, the third heartstone had been found, Cleo was a Silencer and I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do.  The dreams about the place I had been during the Rites were getting steadily worse and more vivid.  The other presence.  I knew it was a male.  And I had seen his wings.  Oh, and I needed to find a way to confiscate those awful books.  What in the Goddess’s name were Humans doing dreaming up things like vampires anyway?

Helian stared at me, wide eyed, and waited for me to finish.  “Are you done,” he asked.

“Yes, she’s done.  You can tell by the deep breath and look of complete defeat on her face,” the Master answered calmly.  “Quite a rant, child.  Where do I start?”

“I don’t know,” I sighed.  “I have no idea.  The demons and the third heartstone seem to be a good place to start.”

“Well, then.  That is where I will get started,” the Master smiled.  “Helian can answer everything else, I believe.”

“What?!”, we both yelled at once.

The Master turned an amused look on us.  “I will see what I can find about the demons and the heartstones.  I do believe the other questions are easy enough to answer, my dear friend,” he said to Helian.

The Elf straightened his robes and glared at the Master.  Clearly this was not his idea of what he was supposed to be doing with this time in this realm.  Guess what, friend.  I was way out of my league, too.

“So, let’s start simply,” Helian sighed as he took a seat across from me.  “Tell me about these books.”

Rather than try to explain everything, I summoned in a few of the piles of books that had been brought from Vahl’strael.  Then I told him all about what the two Princesses had told me.  Vampires, witches, werewolves, mermaids and other such beings.  Some of the creatures made sense, but others…I just couldn’t puzzle out.

“So, are vampires real,” I asked.

-“Yes”

-“No”

The Master and Helian said at the same time.

Helian shot the Master a dangerous look, then turned back to me.  “No, they are not real.  Humans have a vivid imagination that has a lot to do with their historical amnesia that you have been taught about.  You see, Human myths and legends are based on facts, all be it very old facts.  The creatures they dream up for their stories are remnants of ancient collective memory.  Some primitive part of their brain remembers what it was like to live among other races.  This feeds their imaginations and legends.”

“Did these creatures exist at some point?  And look at these Gods,” I said as I handed another book to Helian.  “What about those?”

“Ah, the Human religion conundrum.  Humans seek to make sense of the world around them.  They have an intense desire to believe in something bigger than themselves.  So, when they come across something they don’t understand, they attribute it to some God or Goddess.  Such belief and faith is put in to this, and that God or Goddess takes form from the infinite reaches of the universe, fulfilling their desires.”

“They create their own Gods?”, I said in complete shock.

“Not in the way you are thinking,” he said.  “Their belief holds such collective power that it calls those beings to them.  Those beings cease to be simply energy and take on the form that the Humans have collectively decided upon.  You see here?  Like this one, in a Lost Realm.  Their lizard God.  Quite real now, I assure you.”

“Fascinating.  And that explains the Master’s obsession with Humans and why the Order doesn’t want to share realms with them when they are the majority,” I said.

“Next, I believe you said something about the Crown Prince,” Helian ventured.

I sighed heavily.  I would rather go back to talking about Humans.  The books and their fascinating way of doing things.  But, I needed to face this.  It was going to become a problem if I didn’t.  He was now someone I was forced to trust.  I explained how he had found us in my garden and insisted that he go with us to go after the demon scouting party.  Because of this, I was entirely dependent on his trust and staying in his good graces.

Helian frowned and turned his quill over in his hands.  Something was bothering him about the Fae Prince.  I knew about the bad blood between the two races.  I also knew that just because the elves chose a life of knowledge and learning and peace, they were capable of battle magic and horrific violence if forced.

“Do you have feelings for him,” Helian asked quietly.

“Of course, she does,” the Master answered for me from across the chamber.  “She’s not dead.  The Prince would have been a decent match for her or at the very least, a good friend if his father had not intervened and pushed them together.  If they had met when they were meant to, it would have been different.  Now, the path has been obscured.”

“Lovely,” I groaned.  “I don’t know if I have feelings for him or not.  I think it’s just because I am so angry with Tristan.”

“Ah, that is another matter,” Helian said thoughtfully.

“No, no it isn’t,” the Master said quickly.  “Morrigan, I warned you before I gave you those books.  Tristan was going to have to do some things he wasn’t going to like.  You have to have faith in your Tuillaryn.”

I groaned loudly.  “Thank you for the non-answers, as always.  At least I understand Humans a little bit more.”

“I am sorry, child,” Helian sighed.  “I wish I could explain more, but some things you need to learn for yourself and figure out for yourself.  We are only able to aide you on your path, not show you where you have to go.  It is for you to decide.”

“How maddeningly unhelpful,” I said angrily.  “But, isn’t that always the way.  Thank you for the new spell books,” I said and picked up the books that Helian had handed to me.

“Learn the dunrunes, Morrigan.  They are older than any known language.  Older than the runes you know and stronger than blood runes,” Helian advised.  “This is important.”

“I believe you.  I will do my best.  Thank you.  Both of you,” I said.  “I know you can’t tell me my path.  I just wish you could give me some hints.”

“Ah, a hint,” the Master said and rose from his chair from across the room to walk over to where I was by the door.  “Here is a hint, child.  This task, putting Hel back in her prison, is not the end of your path.  It is but a small step in a very long path that Helian and I will walk with you.”

Helian tried to offer me a helpful smile, but only ended up looking sad.  “That is all we can tell you, I’m afraid.”

“What is this fascination with Humans, anyway,” the Master asked.

“Aerron told us about the Immortal Kindred earlier.  How they came to be.  They were Human tribes once that became the Immortal Kindred clans.  But there are still Humans in this same realm.  So, obviously not all of the tribes participated in the War.  And there are Human realms that Byr and the Order avoid like the plague, but the Goddess loves all of the realms no matter what races lives in them.  The Order claims to serve the Goddess, but the High Seat makes his own laws that go against her.  My Tuillaryn is corrupt, the Fae King is corrupt according to Raghnall and now I think it goes beyond them, too.  This is a small step in my path, but it is monumental.  I have to imprison a dark goddess that caused centuries of war.  If that is only a step, what does the rest of my path hold?”  I stared at the two of them, daring them to answer me.

Helian looked to his friend.  The Master took a deep breath.  “We will aide you as we have said we will.  You will not face her alone.  Learn what is in those books.  The answers will come.  As to the corruption…we do not understand it.  Not yet.  But we are trying.  One step at a time, child.  That is all any of us can do.”

I smiled weakly and nodded to the two men.  I needed sleep.  And to sort through everything they had told me.  I had precious few answers, but I did feel a little better about knowing that the Master and Helian would be there when I needed them.  I just wish I knew what they meant by the very long path I was supposed to walk and Hel only being a small step.  It seemed like a rather monumental wall to me.

I managed to get a few hours of sleep before dawn broke and I had to make myself ready to attend the Queen.  It would have been so easy to stay in bed, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to pull it off.  People would notice me missing, unfortunately.

CHAPTER 24

The next few days were horribly dull while we waited for the messengers to return.  We attended council meetings, listened to complaints and requests, attended dinners and stared out in to the night, looking for signs of more demons. 

The Master and Helian didn’t summon me back to the chamber, either.  I busied myself reading the books he gave me again when I couldn’t sleep.  The messengers and the lack of another demon squad was wearing on me and I didn’t like it.  I needed answers and I wasn’t getting them.

A week after the messengers left, they returned, in the dead of night.  I was roused by Rhiannon who practically dragged me out of my room and to the Queen’s chambers.  The messengers had been sent to rest as soon as they had arrived.  The Queen waited to show us what they had brought back.

To our surprise, the other kingdoms had been killing demons on their lands, too.  Prince Aerron had been right.  Each kingdom said they would attend if the Blood Council was called.  As long as the Queen promised to attend if one of them called it, as well.  There was no telling which kingdom Hel would enter, and I couldn’t tell them what I knew.  Not yet.

The Queen decided to keep everything from her council for the time being.  The winter season was coming and there was more than enough to keep the council and the people busy while we handled the threat of the demons and the Church.  I had to admit that her plan was well thought through and executed.

Through the rest of the summer and into Autumn, we killed demons at night and pretended everything was normal during the day at court.  It wasn’t every night that we went out, but there was a steady flow of demons.  They came in from all directions, but the most common one was the south, which led us to believe that it was the easiest route. 

The other kingdoms were dealing with much of the same.  News of the third heartstone being found reached every corner of every realm, though.  Well, most of them, anyway.  Quietly, armies were training around the realm in preparation for Hel returning.  Even though we had the support of the other races, I wasn’t so sure of our odds if we faced her.

Nearly every night that I wasn’t out killing demons, I was down in the hidden chamber learning what I could from the Elf and the Master.  They drilled me endlessly on old spells and ancient histories.  With the Queen opening up the University again, Helian was usually distracted by planning classes for friends who had requested his help. 

It began to bear the resemblance of a routine, if a weird one.  I had gotten used to playing the doting lady in waiting during the day because I was able to fulfill my true purpose at night.  Through it all, though, I had to watch Tristan get closer and closer with the Lady Gemadine and her father. 

Every event, holiday and dinner, I had to watch them sitting next to each other and it had gone from eating me up inside to outright driving me to rage to, finally, dull indifference.  It was one such night, towards the end of the Autumn season, when I finally gave up on him completely.

We were sitting at a dinner with nobility and royalty, celebrating the upcoming wedding of Lord Canatol, Sr., and the lady Sybal.  I was seated between Rhianonn and Prince Aerron among the royal household.  At the end of the King’s men, Tristan sat next to the Lady Gemadine, her father on her right.

“You have to get better at hiding your feelings, pet,” Prince Aerron whispered to me.  His touch was now familiar on my knee.  We had fought so much together now, that I was more comfortable with him than around my own Tuillaryn.

“Sorry,” I said, schooling my features back in to happy boredom.

“You have to be here,” he whispered.

“I know.  I just don’t know how they have wormed their way up to the royal household’s table,” I whispered back.

“Ah, that,” he sighed.  “They are getting pretty comfortable.”

“Thanks for pointing it out,” I said drily.

“It bothers you still,” he asked.

“Not as much as it did.  I just thought my own Tuillaryn had better character.  That’s all,” I said.

“So, did I,” he answered sadly.

Under the table, he squeezed my knee, trying to comfort me.  Dinner was almost over and some of the tables were being moved out of the way for dancing.  Aine was looking forward to the dancing and I was looking forward to being able to go back to my room and away from everyone.

The Queen let Sybal call the first song.  I let Prince Aerron pull me on to the floor with the Queen and the rest of her ladies.  Cam held carefully on to Cleo, taking his self-appointed role as her protector very seriously.  Rhiannon still managed to look upset at the fact that Lord Roman Canatol had singled her out to dance.  She was an enigma if ever I saw one.

I sighed when Prince Aerron pulled me in to his arms, “I’m sorry for being so upset.”

“I would be worried if you weren’t,” he answered, leading us into the first few steps of the dance.

“I hate that woman,” I said flatly.

“You and most of the court, dear,” he purred.  “By the way, you look especially ravishing this evening.”

“A new design from Aine and the Queen,” I pouted.  “They keep getting more and more daring.”

“And I love every one of them,” he smiled.

“You would,” I frowned.

“How not?  Your shoulders are bare, as is most of your chest and back.  I can feel more skin under my hands than before.  Which means I can do this more,” he breathed in my ear as he traced my spine with his fingers.

I shivered in his arms and laughed.  “That’s not fair.”

“Whoever said life was fair was selling something,” he whispered.

A grating laugh cut through the air and set my teeth on edge.  Whatever good mood the Prince had conjured up in me was long gone.  He spun me around and I saw the Lady Gemadine being held tightly in Tristan’s arms as they spun around the dance floor with other couples. 

“The King granted them permission to court officially a few days ago,” he said, after he pulled me back from a spin.

“He what,” I said flatly.

“It was at the insistence of her father.  The King had been putting it off and couldn’t find an excuse any longer.  Her father is too wealthy to deny for too long,” he said.

“But Tristan doesn’t come from a wealthy family in the North,” I protested.

“They don’t know that.  As far as her father in concerned, he is marrying his daughter in to more wealth that will give him an even greater foothold in the council,” Prince Aerron explained.

“I can’t believe he goes along with it,” I said angrily.

“I honestly don’t know why he does,” he confessed.  “Has he not spoken to you?”

“Not a word,” I said, “unless he is forced to.”

“I am sorry, my heart,” he said, running his knuckles over my cheek.

“I’m not.  And it’s not like you are making him do that,” I said, leaning in to his touch.

Prince Aerron flinched a bit, which was odd, but it was so fast that I wasn’t sure I had seen it.  “You are too forgiving,” he said.

“No, I’m really not.  I just know when I am not wanted,” I said simply.

“Do you want to get out of here?”, he asked.  “The wedding is tomorrow.  No one will think anything of the ladies going to bed early.  The Queen is already making her excuses.”

I turned to where he pointed and saw the Queen, holding on to her husband’s arm, bowing to the happy couple and saying good night.  I nodded to Prince Aerron and let him lead me over to congratulate the couple before I left for the evening.  Tristan didn’t even notice that I left on the arm of his once hated rival.

Back in my rooms, Prince Aerron settled on to my couch, which had become his habit.  I changed out of my dress and in to an old shirt and pants, then curled up at his side.  We watched the fire for a bit, Kai laying across my feet.  Outside, snow had begun to fall again.  I noticed and shook Kai to get her attention.

“If you are hungry, you better get a move on,” I said, indicating the barely open balcony doors where snow was beginning to swirl.

She lifted her head and let out a huff.  I know she had been putting off hunting because she guarded my rooms when I was out fighting.  She must have decided she was hungry enough because the air shimmered around her as she shifted to her normal size.  I told her I loved her when she jumped off of my balcony and into the night.

“I’ll never not worry while she’s gone,” I sighed.

He tightened his arm around me.  “She is always fine.”

I sighed and laid my head on his shoulder again.  He ran his fingers through my hair with one hand, his other resting on my leg that I had laid across his lap.  “Any word from your father?”

“He is pleased with the reports so far,” he said tiredly.  “But he is beginning to grow impatient.  He doesn’t like waiting on Kindred traditions.”

I frowned.  “What does that mean.”

“It means that, soon, he will be expecting something else to come of…whatever this is,” he said, patting my leg.

“Whatever this is,” I repeated in a whisper.  I had been avoiding that.  In fact, I would have rather faced Hel than answer that question.

“You know I won’t push,” he said.  “But my father will.  Every day that Hel doesn’t show her face, he is given more time to focus on me and what I am supposed to be doing.”

“And what, exactly, is that,” I asked.

“Wooing my future Queen,” he said quietly.

“Wooing, is it,” I teased.

“It’s not funny, Mor,” he said.  “I can’t hold him off much longer.”

“We have talked about this,” I said, sitting up and away from him.  “I will not be a slave.”

“But I..”, he started.

“I know you love me,” I finished for him.  “But love doesn’t change the fact that I will be chained to those lands and never be able to leave.”

“How long will we go around in this circle, Mor,” he asked sadly.

“Your grace, my life belongs to the Order.  I swore those sacred rites.  Everything I am belongs in the service of the Order,” I answered, reaching for his hand.

He let me take his hand in my own and hold it.  He sat quietly for a moment, unsure of what to say.  Instead, he pulled me to him again and in to his lap where he buried his face in my hair.

“I don’t know how to sway him, Mor,” he said, his voice muffled.

“He cannot defy the Order,” I reasoned.

“Tell him that,” he groaned.

“I have to get to bed,” I said, sliding out of his lap, setting my feet on the floor.

“You are still kicking me out?”, he asked.

“Yes,” I said.  “And I will every night that I am here.  It is not right for you to spend your nights in here.”

“And I will accept that.  For now,” he said.

I knew I was running out of excuses.   A part of me did love the Prince at that point.  He had fought with me and for me.  He had saved my life from forbidden blades more than once.  But I couldn’t give in.  I had trained all of my life to be a Ranger.  I couldn’t abandon my oath, even if my own Tuillaryn was about to abandon his for a southern w***e. 

Prince Aerron kissed me good night, thoroughly, before he left.  I rested my head on the door after he left.  His kisses held so much more than just the desire I knew he felt for me.  At times, it would have been so easy to give in to those kisses.  And each time, I managed to pull myself back and tell him good night. 

I didn’t go down to study with the Master that night.  I didn’t have the energy to do it.  He didn’t try to reach me, either.  So, I laid in bed and listened to the sounds outside my room.  The falling snow muffled the sounds of the city.  For the hundredth time that day, I wished I could disappear into the night and never be found again.