The dirt rose up, clinging together rather than scattering. It formed into a large, hulking creature, its body rounded like a barrel while its arms and legs were trunk-like columns of soil and rock all mixed together. The golem had no eyes, no mouth, but reminded me of an artist’s mannequin created out of dirt rather than wood.
“Elemental!” Smoky pushed me behind him, his hair keeping me steady as it wrapped around my waist. “Earth Elemental.”
“Crap.” Shade squeezed past the others till he was near the front with Smoky.
I turned to Bran. “Do you have anything to counter an Earth Elemental? Because I don’t.”
He was staring beyond me at the growing mound of walking dirt. “Uh, no. Frankly, I have never dealt with one and even though my mother would, no doubt, have some ace up her sleeve, I’m afraid I don’t. I wish to hell she’d left me out of this.”
“I wish she had, too,” I muttered, trying to think of what I might have running around in my magical bag of tricks. I had my doubts if a lightning bolt would do much against the Elemental, considering that the ground just absorbed lightning. Rain might turn it into mud, but it would have to be a downpour that would wash us off the mountain, too. Fire? I didn’t even want to go there. And earth would just strengthen it. Death magic wouldn’t work, even if Morio had been here. “Without the horn, I’m useless in this fight.”
Venus shook his head. “My magic works differently, and I don’t think there’s much I can do either.”
That left the two dragons. Smoky and Shade couldn’t turn into their natural forms, but they were both far stronger than the rest of us put together. They approached the Elemental, who seemed to be following their movements with its head, even though it didn’t have any eyes or ears. I had no idea how the creature worked, or who had set it to guard the mountain, but right now wasn’t the time for speculation.
Smoky glanced over at Shade. “The Ionyc Sea.”
Shade shook his head. “Could be suicide and I can’t shift there unless I’m in dragon form.”
“I can drop the creature off in the Sea. Leave him out there. There’s nothing else we can do. We can’t turn form and attack him. We can’t fly around him. We can’t just climb the mountain. We have to do something.” Smoky called back to me. “Camille, I’m going to grab hold of it—well, some part of it—and shift over into the Ionyc Sea.”
Before I could stop him, Smoky raced ahead toward the Elemental. I clasped my hand to my mouth, trying to keep from screaming at him to stop because the truth was, I couldn’t see any other way. Even if we turned around and headed away, we had activated the creature and I knew enough to understand he was a guardian. Once awake, he’d pursue us until either he was dead or we were. I wanted to curse the monks for not telling us what to expect. Logically, I knew that wasn’t fair, but right now my husband was about to body-slam a giant walking ball of mud and attempt to stay alive long enough to transfer it into the Ionyc Sea, where he would then do his best to shake the creature off before it killed him.
Smoky raced toward the Elemental, his duster flying behind him. Delilah put her arm around my shoulders, holding me as I watched, unable to drag my gaze away. The Elemental turned toward my dragon, rearing upward. The creature was a good twelve feet high, and as Smoky aimed for one of his legs, grabbing hold, the Elemental echoed a thundering rumble that shook the ground below our feet. Without another word, Smoky vanished, taking the creature with him. I collapsed to my knees, unable to move, waiting to see if my husband would return alive.
Chapter 16
“IT WILL BE all right. He’ll be back.” Delilah leaned down and, holding my shoulders, helped me stand up. I huddled against her, staring at the last spot the Elemental had been standing. “Breathe, Camille.”
It was then that I realized I was holding my breath. I let it out in a burst, gasping.
“How long does it take? He wouldn’t have to go far, would he? The creature couldn’t get back here on its own, could it?” I turned to Shade. “You know the Ionyc Sea. Is what he’s attempting even possible?”
“Oh, it’s possible. I imagine he’s just making sure the creature’s far enough away.” But Shade looked worried, even as he spoke. “There are potential complications, though.”
“Don’t say that!” Delilah smacked him on the arm.
He blinked at her. “But…” Turning to me, he said, “Please don’t worry. Smoky’s experienced. He’s not all that young, even though he’s quite a bit younger than me.”
I slowly moved forward until I was staring into the gaping hole from where the Earth Elemental had appeared. “This mountain is far more dangerous than I thought.”
“It’s even more dangerous further up, beyond the cavern. I’ve heard tales of massive birds—rocs, they call them—big enough to tangle with dragons. And still other horrors that lurk in the depths of the mountains.” Bran stared up through the night sky at the mountain next to us. “Do you want to go on and let Smoky find us when he returns?”
I pressed my lips together. Was he just trying to antagonize me now?
Delilah moved between us. “Bran, can you go help Shade? He’s exploring around the hole where the Elemental came from.”
As Bran moved off, Delilah glanced at him over her shoulder. “Don’t mind him. He’s an annoyance, but I don’t think he’s deliberately trying to goad you. Remember, Raven Mother dotes on him and she doesn’t rein him in. She’s like a lot of parents, Elemental Lady or not.”
I shrugged. “Whatever. But once I’m living out at Talamh Lonrach Oll, I’m setting some limits. He may be welcome in Aeval’s court but he’s not setting up residence in mine.” I glanced up at the mountain, my nerves playing me like a harp strung way too tight. “Where is he?”
“Give it time—” Delilah stopped as the air nearby shimmered and Smoky stepped through, looking no worse for the wear.
“You’re back!” I raced over to him, grabbing him around the waist as I planted my face firmly against his chest. “I was so worried.” I didn’t care who knew it. I tried to keep a brave front but even I had my limits. Standing back, I then placed one hand on his chest. “If you ever do that again, I swear I’m going to kill you when you get back! You understand me?”
His nose twitched and he gave me a wry grin. “What? Save the group?”
“Yes. No. You know what I mean.” I tried to glare at him but couldn’t manage it. “Oh fuck it. I’m just glad you’re back. You scared the hell out of me. So tell. What happened?”
“That Earth Elemental knew how to hang on. I had to go deep into the currents to shake him. Luckily, it seems that once away from solid ground, Earth Elementals have a way of turning back into the inanimate matter from which they’re made. You know how you fall asleep?”
I nodded.
“Well, he fell…to dirt. I was able to shake him off then, but it took me longer than I expected. He’ll never wake up there.”
“Good information to have.” I contemplated this for a moment. “Would this work on all the elements?”
“Maybe not air, but then again, grabbing hold of an Air Elemental would be a feat almost impossible to master. I don’t really want to try it.” He gazed down at me, tipping my chin up. “I promised you I’d come back. I will always keep my promises, love. You know that, don’t you?”
I reached up to stroke his cheek. “I know you mean what you say, Smoky. But there are forces in this world that could devour both of us without blinking. One of these days, I’m afraid you’ll run into one and it will strike you down before you realize what’s happening.”
“Then I promise to be more vigilant.” He leaned down and brushed my lips with a kiss. “We’d best get a move on now, my Fae Queen in waiting.”
I nodded, and he motioned to the others. “I don’t know if we’ll encounter anything else till we reach the cavern—it’s right along the fork—but stay alert.” And with that, he led off again.
We skirted the
hole that had contained the Elemental and continued toward the fork, where we turned to the left, edging along an even steeper path toward the Cavernica Redal. All the way—which was short but slow going—I felt like we were being watched, but nothing else came popping out to try to stop us. Fifteen minutes later, sweating from the harrowing climb, we reached the ledge in front of the cavern. It was wide enough for us to gather on without crowding, and for the first time since we had started up the mountain, I felt like I could breathe without fear of toppling over the side.
I stared at the cavern. Here I was, not quite at the top of the world, and inside lay the key to my destiny. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be feeling—wonder, thrills, fear…but mostly I felt queasy and I was sick of being on the road. I was tired, and I wanted to climb into a warm bed and sleep for a couple days.
“You want all of us in there with you?” Chase wandered over to where I was standing.
“Might as well. It’s cold out here, maybe it will be warmer inside.” I flashed him a weary smile. “Mostly, I just want this done and over with.”
“I hear you on that one.” He winked at me. “Remember when life was so easy? When the good old days when I’d come into the store and flirt with you and you’d threaten to kick me in the balls if I didn’t stop?”
That broke the tension. I coughed, then snorted, then laughed so hard my voice echoed through the night. “Oh gods, I know I shouldn’t be so loud, but I can’t help it.” Wiping tears away from my eyes, I draped my arm around his shoulder. “Chase, I’m glad you’re here. You’ve always been here for us. Thank you.”
“Don’t get maudlin on me, woman,” he said, but his voice was cracking rather than stern.
Shaking my head, I wiped my eyes and let out a soft breath. “All right, let’s go meet my destiny. I have to go in first—I know that. Chase and Venus, you’re behind me. Then the others as you will.” Sobering, I straightened my shoulders and, taking the lead, entered the cavern.
THE CAVERN WAS vast that I couldn’t see the back. As soon as I entered, my flashlight switched off. But in its place, a flicker of illumination began to glow from the walls—faint swirls of blue, green, and purple light. From the entrance, I could see a narrow path of smooth stones leading in. They, too, glowed softly in the same colors. The stone path led forward to what appeared to be a deep square pit.
I motioned for Venus to walk behind me, and for Chase to walk behind him.
“The rest of you, stay back along the edge, or you’ll be in danger.” I wasn’t sure where the knowledge came from, but I was running on instinct. From here on, I realized that it was all up to me—to my intuition. I took three deep breaths, letting them out slowly, before beginning my walk along the stone path. I kept my attention focused straight ahead. There were demons hanging out in the shadows to the sides. I could feel them waiting for the chance to jump in, to cause havoc.
“Camille? We’re being watched.” Chase sounded uncertain.
“I know. Ignore them. Focus on Venus’s back. Don’t look into the dark. Don’t doubt. Simply trust me. Put your life in my hands.” Surprised by the strength in my voice, I straightened my shoulders and, the heel of my staff marking each step, I continued toward the edge of the pit.
A low rumble began to vibrate the floor of the cavern, rippling through my feet. It was like a heartbeat of some long-dead goddess waking to life. With each step, the lights of the cave grew brighter.
“It’s so beautiful,” Venus whispered.
I glanced up to see the patches of color blending and moving, swirling like the aurora borealis, sparkling with each pulse. The swirls spread, linking up with each other, until the entire ceiling was a rippling vortex of light.
Turning my attention back to the path, I stopped at the edge of the pit. We were halfway into the giant cavern and I was entranced by the energy. It was familiar, like a song I’d heard long ago and forgotten until one day, the chords suddenly began to play in my mind again.
The pit was square, created out of bricks of the colored stone, terracing down to a center point about ten feet square like an inverse ziggurat. A dizzying set of steps led to a bare-leafed tree in the center. The tree was short—only about six feet tall, and it was cloaked in shadow—a mere silhouette. A swish of movement danced around it. The guardian. I wasn’t sure where the thought came from, but whatever was down there was guarding the tree.
The demons hiding in the shadows let out a howl, but I ignored them. They were there to frighten me off and I hadn’t come all this way to turn around and run. I knew that if I gave them any attention, they would come out of those shadows and be on me before I could take another breath. Instead, I focused on my mission. Behind me, I could feel Venus’s trance, the waves of his energy reaching out to surround both Chase and me. He was steady, an anchor negating some of the tension, binding all of us into the trance.
As I put my foot on the first step, the entire stair running around the pit lit up. Then the second. The third. Each step shimmered to life as I descended, Venus and Chase following me. And every step locked me into what I was doing. The world fell away as I descended into the pit, and the only thing that mattered was the tree in the center. The stairs continued to light, the pit flaring to life, and I lost track of how far down we had gone. Thirty steps…fifty…until we were finally at the bottom. Chase moved to my right side, Venus to my left, standing a step behind me.
As I stepped into the center circle, the howling of the demons grew louder and the entire floor was glowing. I ignored the demons, focusing on the tree and the shadows of the guardian surrounding it. As I approached the swirling mass of shadows, they gathered itself in front of the tree and took form into one, brilliant, shining figure. I paused.
She rose up before me like a sunburst of dark jewels, with wings that reminded me of those of a feathered, tattered bat. Spreading them wide, she tilted her head to look down at me, and her eyes were a glimmer of ice and snow.
“I am the Guardian of the Keraastar Diamond. Only the true Queen of the Keraastar Knights may claim it. All others will die. Do you wish to begin?”
I swallowed. Hard. I knew that I was supposed to claim the diamond. The question was, did she know? And if she did, how would I prove it to her?
“Don’t doubt,” I heard Venus whisper to me from somewhere far distant.
“I’m ready.” I kept my eyes on the Guardian at all times, trying to remain focused. Then it crossed my mind that—whatever she was about to throw at me—it couldn’t be worse than some of the things I’d already been through.
“Come closer.” She motioned to me, crooking her finger.
My feet moved on their own, even though my head was arguing that this wasn’t exactly the best idea. But in my heart, I knew that I had to go through with it. There was no turning back, no changing my mind. Whatever waited for me at this dark faerie’s hands was the next stage in my journey.
As I approached her, she enveloped me in her wings, embracing me in a shroud of cobwebs and faraway wind chimes, of spiders spinning out their webs in the dark of the forest, and that indeterminable space between twilight and starlight, when the Queen of Dusk gave way to the Queen of Night. Birdsong echoed in my ears, lonely and haunting, calling home for the evening. I felt the rivers of time pass by, the cycle of life moving in a spiral. Midnight to morning, morning to noon, noon to twilight, and twilight back to midnight—time marched ever onward and yet, always came back to the same place.
As I tried to sort out the emotions racing through my heart, the eons flashed by in a parade of images. The rise of Fae, the flight as a grandeur of dragons rose into the air, the wars of men laying the ground waste with blood, the scent of death rising. And yet, always life sprang from death and rose once more, and then—as do all things—fell into decay. Through all of this the gods kept watch, and the Immortals—the Elemental Lords, the Harvestmen, and the Hags of Fate—dealt out the hands that decided destiny and fate.
I had scarcely caught my breath when the sparkling guardian of the diamond spun me around, dancing with her in a macabre waltz as the ghostly strains of violin music echoed around us. We danced on the web of life—our feet lightly landing on thread after thread. We danced until I could barely remember my name, or why I had come to this place. I was no longer on a journey, but I had become the journey. I was the end goal—and I was the traveler. I was the Fool of the tarot, seeking my path through the wild wood, and I was the Universe at the end of the road, looking back on what I had been and looking now on what I had become.
“Why do you want the diamond?” the Guardian asked me as we waltzed.
I didn’t need to think. I just answered from deep within my heart. “I don’t, but destiny bids me to take it and raise the Keraastar Knights in order to defeat Shadow Wing. So I accept the responsibility.”
“You will rise to be a fearsome queen. Will you accept what this brings into your life?”
Then I saw. This was the end of dillydallying. The time had come. I saw the raging of demons, as I led the Knights into battle. Blood spilling on the ground like water over the falls. A harsh and terrible light and then, the image of Shadow Wing filled my mind. I had never seen him—none of us knew what he looked like. But there he was, rising like a winged demon, taller than a giant, with coiling horns and ruddy-red skin and flaming eyes. He wielded a sword and he was looking right at me.
I could barely breathe. Evil bled off him like sweat, and everything that he touched became tainted and vile. I tried to break away, tried to hide but there was nowhere to go. He could see me, as clearly as I could see him, and he knew what I was doing. He knew I had come for the diamond, and soon he would have a rival he never expected. I would be flanked by my Knights, but still—when it came time to face him down—I would be there, on the front lines, standing between him and the world.
Moon Shimmers (Otherworld Book 19) Page 25
