by Mary Swift
“I’m not a hero. I’m just sick of you.”
Dante flashed the knife in his face. “Don’t try my patience Cramer.”
Rowan stayed where he was. He couldn’t believe that rest of them fell for this act. As far as he could tell Dante was nothing but a phony. “What will you do? Slit your son’s throat again?”
“Maybe I’ll cut yours.”
“Go ahead.”
Dante raised the knife and then stopped. Rowan knew he wouldn’t. He grabbed hold of Dante’s wrist and squeezed. His grip wasn’t terribly strong but it had the desired effect. He could see Dante struggling with the power of the healing spell. His actions and their effects were being shown to him.
Something else happened too. On Dante’s right hand the outline of a ring began to show on his index finger. Rowan hadn’t noticed it the first time he had healed him. That was the missing piece.
“Stop it.” Dante managed to pry Rowan’s fingers away. “You should have never been born.”
“But I was born, so deal with it.”
Dante pushed his gray hair off of his shoulders. “I’m still going to win. The Founders are dead, your father is dead. There won’t be any more enchanters.”
“You are not going to win.” Rowan told him.
Dante laughed. “What do you know? You’re a stupid boy.”
“I know you’re as phony as they come.”
“I can write a poem and change the world.”
Rowan shrugged. “So what?”
“So what?” Dante sputtered. “I erased your mother’s memory of her son.”
“I want you to take me to Darkhill. I want you to prove to me that my father is dead.”
“I don’t take orders from you.”
Rowan stretched his hands towards him. Dante shrank against the wall. “You’ll do as I say. I’m the heir to the robe aren’t I? I should get some practice in telling people what to do. Take me to Darkhill and I’ll keep your secret a little longer.”
“And what if I don’t?”
“Then I tell the world who you really are.”
“You’re delusional.”
Rowan shrugged. “Maybe I am. Do you want to take that chance?”
Dante glared at him. “Fine, I’ll take you to see your dead father.”
Chapter 53
Gareth helped Arden down from the horse. The remnants of Darkhill were as they always were, a scrubby field void of any signs of settlement. It was hard to imagine that the circle still existed. Arden had heard of cloaking spells, but he had never seen one.
“Here we are.” Gareth lit a cigarette.
“You smoke an awful lot.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ve tried to quit but-” He waved his hand in the air. “Why bother?”
Arden managed to sit on the ground. He was tired. He would need help getting back up. He might take a nap before he went home. The horse sniffed his face and then began nibbling on the grass.
Gareth finished his cigarette and sat next to him. He looked up at the sky and sighed. “This is a tough time for enchanters.”
“Who is this healer you talked about?” Arden still had questions about him and why Constantine had been with Nora.
“He’s just some kid.” Gareth lit up another cigarette. “What was his name? Starts with an R. He’s got red and brown hair, reminds me of a cow.”
“Is it Rowan Cramer?”
“Yeah, I think that’s it.”
Rowan had gotten his wish to become a healer, and he could cure the sickness. “You said something about Constantine and Nora.”
“Yeah, he’s her son.”
“He’s her son?”
Gareth smiled. “That one was a surprise. I guess Dante wrote a poem to make her forget about him.”
“How can we reverse these poems?”
“We can’t, they’re spells.”
“But they must be able to be counteracted.”
Gareth puffed on his cigarette. “Nora said that when she found out about Constantine it weakened her need for the robe. I don’t really know much about what went on between her and Dante, but I’m assuming that if emotions are strong enough they can override spells.”
Arden sighed. Maybe he didn’t love Lucy enough to make Darkhill reappear, or maybe she was really dead. Whatever the case he had been coming here for years and nothing had happened. Nothing was going to happen. “I’m ready to go. Can you give me a ride home? I live in Rudder.”
Gareth tossed his cigarette away. “You know I could ride south and try to find the healer. You don’t look like you have much longer.”
“I don’t. Just take me back. You have a job to do.”
“Suit yourself.” Gareth helped him onto the horse. He lit up another cigarette and started to lead the animal by the bridle. Suddenly the horse whinnied. It reared up on its hind legs and threw Arden to the ground.
Arden had been around Firesea horses long enough to know that they didn’t generally get spooked, the horse breeders had spells to guarantee the animal’s temperament. Just like rangers the horses had their own ways to sense energy. It was necessary when battling different circles.
“Easy.” Gareth whispered to the horse. The animal bowed its head and pawed at the ground. Gareth looked at Arden. “You must have felt that.”
Arden didn’t feel or sense a thing.
“There’s someone from Firesea nearby.” Gareth told him.
“Yes me. We’re just sensing each other.”
“No. There was this sudden spike of energy. Firesea energy. It was huge.”
Arden put his head on the ground. It was too tiring to sit up. Both shoulders were now aching. Maybe he was closer to death than he thought. It might be good to die. He would be out of pain, both physical and emotional. If Lucy was dead then he would see her.
He shut his eyes and allowed his mind to drift away. He heard Gareth saying something but he ignored it. “I’m in here!” a faraway voice shouted. He wondered if he was passing into death, or maybe just sleeping. “Help me!”
Arden opened his eyes. He wasn’t sleeping and he wasn’t dead yet. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?” Gareth asked.
“I heard someone call for help.”
“There’s something wrong with this place.” Gareth put his foot into the stirrups of the saddle. “I’m getting out of here.”
“Hey! Wait a minute, you can’t go.”
“Dante might be around.”
“Isn’t that who you are looking for?” Arden asked.
“Yeah, but what if I find him? The Master Enchanter wants him brought back alive. The bloody enchanter moves around in smoke, and he can make himself into a cat. How am I supposed to catch him?”
“A Firesea man never backs down, ever.”
Gareth sucked on his cigarette and then threw it into the bushes. “That applies to you too. A ranger never backs down, not even for death.”
Chapter 54
Rowan and Constantine spent the night in Dante’s house in one of the upstairs bedrooms. They took turns sleeping in case Dante tried to harm them during the night. The next day he took them to Darkhill using the smoke.
Darkhill, like everyone said, wasn’t there. But Rowan knew it was simply an illusion created by Dante. He also knew that Dante wasn’t at all what he seemed or pretended to be. They were in a stand of pine trees staring at the supposedly destroyed circle.
“I told you it was gone.” Dante said.
“That doesn’t prove anything.” Rowan told him. “I know you’ve masked it. Make it visible again. Then I want you to take me into the hall.”
“You want to see the rotted carcass of your father?”
“You told me that you would prove he’s dead. Or do you want to talk about the ring you used to wear?”
“That’s none of your business.” Dante replied.
Rowan thought he sensed someone from Firesea nearby. He moved further into the woods, Dante and Constantine followed him. A few seconds l
ater a ranger came walking a horse down the road. An old man was on top of the horse, a long white beard obscured his face. Rowan knew that he was an enchanter and he was nearly dead from the sickness.
“Is that Gareth?” Dante whispered.
“Yes, it’s him.” Constantine said.
Gareth helped the old man off the horse. He stopped to catch his breath before ambling into the middle of the circle.
“What is Gareth doing here?” Dante asked. “I’d stab him but I’m sure you would save his life.”
“You’ll do no such thing and you know it.” Rowan warned.
“Fine.” he pouted. “We’ll wait.”
The two men wandered about the circle, poking the bushes and looking at the ground. The old man, obviously fatigued, sat on the ground.
“Come on, come on.” Dante grumbled.
Eventually Gareth helped the old man back onto the horse. Rowan felt a spike of energy. The horse reared and threw the old man off. Gareth started to mount. The old man shouted something at him. They talked some more before Gareth helped the man back onto the horse. As the two rode away Rowan caught sight of the old man’s face. He looked familiar. “Is that Arden?” he whispered to Constantine.
“Arden?” Dante asked. “He’s dead.”
“No he’s not.” Rowan told him.
“It’s not him.” Constantine said.
Rowan waited until Arden, or whoever it was, and Gareth were gone before he stepped out of the bushes. “All right Dante, do your thing and show me my father.”
Dante looked down the road. “That’s the ranger your sister loved. Why is he alive? And what is he doing here?”
“It’s not him.” Constantine insisted.
“He’s obviously looking for Lucy.” Rowan crossed the road and walked into the remnants of Darkhill. “Remove the cloaking.”
“I don’t have any paper to write a poem.”
“Can’t you write it in your head? Or take a stick and write it on the ground.”
“On the ground!” Dante looked incensed. “This is art I’m creating.”
Constantine mumbled something.
Dante sighed. “Very well.” He closed his eyes and muttered something under his breath. He opened one eye and looked at the circle. Nothing had changed. He tried it again. Nothing happened.
“You can’t do it, can you?” Rowan asked. He looked at Constantine. “What did I say earlier? He’s a complete phony.”
“I’m not a phony!” Dante cried. “It’s the two of you. You’re breaking my concentration.”
“All right then. Take me in there with the smoke, that is if you can.”
“I can do anything.”
“Sure.” Rowan agreed. He turned to Constantine. “Don’t move from this spot.”
“He’ll kill you.”
“No he won’t.” Rowan assured him. “All right Dante, take me away.”
Chapter 55
Lucy often wondered if she slept all day and was awake all night. It was possible. There was no way to tell what hour of the day it was in the council hall. She was having a difficult morning, or night. Sometimes the loneliness was unbearable. During these times she would sit next to Killian’s body and hold his hand. Like the other Founders, his body was not suffering from rigor mortis. His fingers were cool, but not ice cold.
She cried as she poured her heart out to him. “If only you would wake up Daddy. If only I could have you back again.” She kissed the back of his hand. “Maybe I should let myself die. No one is going to find me in here.”
A cool draft of air blew down on her. She automatically looked up but there was nothing but a slab of stone above her. Lucy stared at her father, willing him to come back to her. She would have even welcomed one of the Founders waking up for someone to talk to.
The air suddenly gusted. She looked up again. It happened almost every day, a sudden breeze in the hall, although there was no obvious way for it to be coming in. At the same time Lucy had a strange feeling. It reminded her of being in Firesea. She used to wonder if someone from Firesea was in Darkhill. Early on she had tried screaming and shouting, but she didn’t bother anymore.
But today was different. The Firesea-like feeling intensified. She let go of Killian’s hand and stood up. “Hey! Is anyone out there?”
She didn’t expect anything to happen and it didn’t. Lucy felt foolish for having hope. She stared to walk into the pool room when she felt it again. “I’m in here!” she cried out. “Help me!” Again nothing happened. “I’m losing my mind.”
Suddenly the room began to fill with smoke. Lucy knew what was coming. Dante. He was probably coming to finish her off. Maybe it was for the best. The smoke cleared. Dante was standing in the center of the hall. He looked considerably older than the last time she had seen him. Next to him was a tall man with red and brown hair. It was Rowan. He was all grown up.
Lucy ran to her brother and wrapped her arms around him. She felt tears sting her face. “I thought I would never see you again.” She let go of him. “You’re not a boy anymore.”
“No, I’m afraid I’m not.” He took her hands. “Everyone thinks you’re dead.”
“I’ve been stuck in here since he came.” She glared at Dante. “And now he’s captured you.”
“He thinks he’s captured me, but-” Rowan stopped. He had noticed the Founders’ bodies for the first time. He knelt next to Killian and took his hand. “Daddy.”
Dante’s surprised expression told Lucy that he hadn’t expected to find the bodies intact. She hadn’t a clue why Rowan and he were together. She had a feeling that Rowan was calling the shots. Rowan touched Killian’s face and hair. His eyes roamed to the other Founders and then to Dante. “You can’t kill your own kind can you?”
“Are you saying that Daddy is not dead?” Lucy asked.
“I’m not sure. What do you think Dante?”
Dante didn’t say anything. Lucy didn’t understand what was happening. He wasn’t doing anything. He could have easily left, or killed them. He just stood and stared at Rowan.
“So Dante, what happened to them?” Rowan asked.
“I, I don’t exactly know.”
“You can’t kill them. Maybe you didn’t know that.”
“Shut up Cramer.” Dante suddenly pulled out a knife and rammed it into Rowan’s back. He fell on top of Killian.
Lucy pulled the knife out of Rowan and lunged at Dante. This time she was determined to kill him. She pushed him against the wall and plunged the blade into his chest. Blood splashed on her hands. He tried pushing her away but her fury was too great. She stabbed him over and over again.
“Lucy, stop it!” Rowan was suddenly next to her. He pulled her away from Dante and tore off his shirt. Dante’s chest was bloody. Rowan put his hands over the wounds. To Lucy’s amazement Rowan’s hands began to glow. He was a healer. The gashes in Dante’s chest smoothed over, the blood dried and became flaky.
Dante’s eyes bugged out. “Get out of my mind!” He was panting heavily. “Stop it, stop it!”
Rowan let go. Lucy looked at Rowan’s back. There was a slash in his sweater and a little blood from the knife wound but otherwise he seemed unharmed.
“It’s just a superficial wound.” he told her.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Rowan said. He looked at the Founders. “I think we should leave them for now. They’re protected here.”
“Are we going somewhere?” she asked. The last few moments had felt like a dream. She had been trapped for so long; it didn’t seem possible that she would ever get out. Now that it was happening it seemed unreal.
“I don’t want to leave Constantine by himself for too long.” Rowan said.
“Constantine? Ugh, him again.”
“Don’t talk about him like that.” Rowan said angrily.
“I’m sorry.”
“A lot has changed.” Rowan pulled Dante to his feet. “Are you ready to do your thing Gavrashelli?”
Dante si
mply nodded. Lucy looked at her father lying on the floor. Part of her wanted to stay behind. She couldn’t leave him in this cold and wet place. The hall filled with smoke. The next second the three of them were back in the light of day.
Chapter 56
Dante couldn’t believe it had come to this. His old enemies were not vanquished, all because of Killian Cramer’s son. He could never seem to escape that man. Now he knew even his attempt at killing him had failed.
Dante was more tired than he had ever been. Taking Lucy and Rowan from the Darkhill council hall had used all of his strength. Rowan’s healing once again had shown him the consequences of his actions. He knew he was a terrible man, he was under no illusions about that, most of it came as no surprise. But one of the visions disturbed him. It concerned Constantine.
Despite what everyone thought he did love his son. He never showed the boy any affection because he was afraid he’d become soft. He wanted to raise a warrior. Instead Constantine was full of anxieties. He wanted to save everyone. He was the opposite of everything Dante had dreamt him becoming.
The images Rowan had showed him were shocking. Constantine hated him. He had heard his son say it a number of times, but he never believed it was true. He always assumed that when it came down to it Constantine would show his loyalty. Now he realized that wouldn’t happen.
After leaving the council hall they made a camp in the woods. The air was cool. Constantine started a fire and then set off to look for food. He returned with a handful of berries. “I think there’s a village not too far away, I saw chimneys. There wasn’t much in the woods to eat.”
They divided the berries. Dante was surprised that Rowan gave him part of his. He knew what was coming. Rowan was going to make him talk. He didn’t have the strength to disappear again, and even if he could he didn’t want to. He was tired of running. It was time to give up the fight. There was no point.
He wished Nora was with him. He didn’t love her anymore. But he had come to realize that he had once cared for her. Long ago when they had first been married there had been good times. She had been a good companion.
