Good question. I push myself up gingerly, taking time to assess how I feel. “Good, I think.” A lot better than I should, considering the broken leg and crushed throat I knew I had. “How long was I out?”
“About a day and a half. What happened, Kendry?”
I look around without thinking, and she smiles.
“He’ll be back in a moment. He knew you would wake soon, and asked me to stay.”
I nod. “Another gargoyle showed up, told me my ‘presence was required.’ No one else was around, but the way he said it, I assumed he was from the Conclave. I’m sure that’s exactly what Grittanus thought I’d do, too,” I add bitterly.
“When I got there, he was going on about how I haven’t chosen yet, and some nonsense about untapped power.” I shake my head. “And then how powerful we would be as mates, and how he could destroy the humans with me.” I grimace. I’m so disgusted by the idea that I almost spit the word. “How he could overthrow the Conclave with me… I don’t understand any of it. He must have thought I’m someone else, because I can’t think of another explanation. Besides, of course, that he’s off-his-rocker insane.”
Brigid sits back, silent, her lips pursed. I wish I knew what she was thinking. My eyes brush over the room again, and I can’t help smiling when I see what’s on the night table.
“I was afraid I’d lost this,” I say, picking up Dad’s hunting knife. I’m happy to see the blade isn’t nicked from when Grittanus threw it.
“Axel made sure we retrieved it.”
Of course he did. She doesn’t say anything as I strap it back on my leg. It makes me feel better, having it there. And then the door opens, and Axel comes in, and I don’t need anything else to make me feel better.
“Good to see you awake.”
I smile. “Good to be awake.”
“How do you feel?”
There’s genuine concern in his voice, but also something else. “Good. Kinda feel like I’ve been asleep for a week though.”
His eyes flick to Brigid, and then back to me. “Do you think you feel up to, ah…visiting?”
My eyes narrow a bit. “What do you mean?”
“He means the Conclave would like to see you, now that you’re awake.”
The Conclave. The idea terrifies me, but on the other hand, it could mean finally getting the answers I’ve been looking for. And it’s a step closer to getting Mom back. Axel’s eyes follow my every movement, waiting for my response.
I take a deep breath, and decide. “Let’s go.”
The corner of Axel’s mouth turns up in a smile.
*
The Conclave meets in the center of the castle. We follow the corridors inwards along paths I haven’t travelled. Thom, Shelly, Caleb, and I left our exploring to the outer castle. The inner was suggested to be either off limits, or too dangerous. Either way, we stayed away.
Not anymore.
The farther in we go, the more stone gives way to wood. Beautifully carved oak and maple and cedar in great panels, and doors carved with everything imaginable. It’s hard not to get lost in staring. Axel stops us outside a pair of great oak doors, carved with trees and beasts and paras and humans. They look like a tapestry fashioned in wood, like they were made for an Italian cathedral, or Notre Dame. I’m suddenly nervous. Worrying that I’m stupid to do this. Because I know beyond these doors are the most powerful paras in the world.
Who am I to go in there?
Axel steps in front of me, hands on my shoulders, filling my vision with him instead of the doors. “Take a deep breath,” he says. “Relax. You can handle this.” He leans in close, so close I can smell him, feel his breath on me. “I know you can,” he whispers.
Well, when you put it that way…
I nod, breathing him in even as he pulls away, reaching out to open the great doors.
Inside is an antechamber, with identical doors. What’s not identical are the gargoyles obviously standing guard, swords at their sides, pikes in hand, same black uniforms that Grittanus wore.
Oh, and a pair of gryphons. Big ones.
Eep.
Four pairs of eyes turn towards me. The gargoyles come to attention, but I bet that’s for Brigid or Axel. The gryphons step towards me, sniffing the air. One of them bumps me with his razor sharp beak.
“State your name.”
Holy shit. Gryphons can talk.
Of course they can talk.
But holy shit.
I find Axel’s black eyes, the only haven in the room. His words echo in my head, and I take a deep breath. “Kendry Hartshorn.”
The gryphon sniffs again, as if tasting my words on the air. “Enter the Conclave, Kendry Hartshorn. Do no harm.” His deep voice echoes in my head as he steps aside.
“Ready?” Axel asks. I nod.
The doors open, and I step into the biggest room I’ve ever seen. I’m talking football stadium big. So big there’s no way it actually fits in this castle, big. And I can see why. It’s not just the number of paras. Some of it is the size of the paras.
“Axel, there’s a freaking dragon.”
He smiles quickly. “Two of them, actually.”
He’s right. I swallow, my head spinning. There’re werewolves, fae, seraphim, centaurs, unicorns… I think that might even be the jabberwock in the corner. Or a jabberwock. There might be more than one, for all I know.
Every mythical or paranormal being and creature I can identify and a hundred I can’t. Far more that I can’t. Gods from every pantheon and civilization in the world.
Axel’s hand in the small of my back is the only thing reminding me to breathe.
Brigid walks past us, moving towards a group of demis that I vaguely recognize. The same ones that stormed Grittanus’ room to rescue me. I recognize at least one of them now—the black haired woman with razor sharp features, and a raven on her shoulder. The Morrigan, that has to be. Celtic goddess of battle and strife, the Battle Raven. Brigid’s mother.
Sitting among them, Brigid looks every inch the goddess. Or demi, I suppose.
I’m startled out of my thoughts by Axel’s voice, booming behind me.
“Conclave, I present you Kendry Hartshorn.”
Silence.
A man with the head of a stag rises to his feet. He has a broad chest and big hands, and wears only tanned animal skin around his waist. My overwhelmed brain can’t remember who he is, but I know it should. And then I see the red-eyed, sleek white hunting hounds.
Herne. Master of the Wild Hunt. Once called Cernunnos. He’s one of the Old Gods. The really old gods, like back-to-the-dawn-of-time old.
He stops in front of me, stag eyes searching. I can’t take my eyes off him, or the hounds that circle his feet. Where did I hear his name recently?
One of his large hands reaches out for me. I’m immobile, frozen by his gaze. One of the hounds licks my hand, and Herne’s hand touches my head.
“Red-black hair and green eyes, like your mother. I’d forgotten how much you looked like her.”
Oh my God.
My knees give out as his stag head melts away, revealing a strong face with a tightly trimmed beard and a nose that’s been broken more than once. Wild brown hair, and a scar on his jaw that I used to play with. Dark brown eyes that feature in my oldest memories. It’s a face I never thought I’d see again, because I never really believed it when Axel said he was alive. He catches me, and we both sink to the floor as he wraps me in the strong, tight embrace I could never forget. I can’t believe it’s really him.
“Oh God. Daddy.”
I pull back and look at him. His weather-worn face is exactly as I remember. Not a day older. The words tumble out of my mouth.
“He said you were alive, and I didn’t really believe him. And this. Dad. I don’t… I just don’t… How could you leave like that? Why didn’t you trust me? And they came and took Mom, and Dad, oh God, you have to help me get her out, I tried, I really did, but they took her anyway, and I don’t know where she is anymore…”
I don’t know how much of that he even understands, because I’m sobbing now. And then something clicks in my head, and I suddenly understand what Grittanus was talking about.
“Oh my God. Dad, if you’re one of the demis, then…” My breath catches. “He said I hadn’t chosen yet. What did he mean?”
Dad cups my face in his hands and smiles sadly. “We have a lot to talk about. And we will. I promise to explain everything. But right now and right here is not the time nor the place.”
His words remind me where we are, and I blush, knowing I’ve been blubbering in front of the most powerful paras in the world.
Oops.
“Fellow members of the Conclave!” Dad’s voice fills the room, echoing louder than I’d have thought it could. “You have heard the testimonies of Brigid and Axel, of the minotaur Buc Browning, and of Danu and Dagda, and The Morrigan. You have heard them tell of the human soldiers’ new weapon, their impossible knowledge of my wife and child, and of the incidents of the last few days while we have been in assembly.
“There can be little doubt that the fears Brigid brought to us so many years ago, even before the Uprising, lie exposed as truth. That a traitor has been among us, among our most trusted protectors. And that his name is Grittanus, of the first guardians.
“Even now, having no idea that she does so, my daughter provides us with further proof of his treachery.”
He looks at me, and he seems so much greater than I remember.
“Tell them, Kendry. What did he say to you?”
I swallow. “I… He said that I was truly your daughter. That I had not yet chosen, that I reeked of power. That we would be powerful mates, and that with me, he would finally have the Conclave where he wanted them. That Herne’s plan…” I stop, frozen by the sudden memory. That’s where I’d heard his name before. “That my father’s plan would ruin everything, but the Conclave would finally be his, to sweep the humans from the world.”
My father nods to me in thanks. “You know there are witnesses to that last. Grittanus is no doubt our traitor, but I fear how many others he might have corrupted. And I fear how much he has compromised.”
What do you suggest, Herne?
I about swallow my own teeth as I realize the speaker is one of the dragons.
“As I did before. The veritas lapidem.”
Axel nudges my shoulder as the talking all starts at once. I look back at him, and he nods his head towards the door. I don’t need to be told twice.
We walk back into the antechamber grateful for the sudden silence. The gargoyles still stand at attention, wings folded neatly behind them. The gryphon that spoke to me before nods. “Herne’s daughter. Guardian.”
“Phaestos. When Herne finishes, please let him know we’ll be in the library.”
The gryphon Phaestos bows, stretching low on his front two feet. Axel ushers me out the second set of doors. In the hall, there’s another set of doors to the right that we turn into. It is, as he said, a library. But like the room in which the Conclave meets, I’ve never seen one so large. Axel smiles as he sees my awe.
“It’s the most complete library in the world.”
“Axel…”
“Yes?”
“I know this castle is big,” I say, my neck still craning around to look at all the books. “But it’s not this big. Nothing is big enough to contain a football stadium and the National Archives times a hundred.”
He laughs. “A little spacial rearranging. Magic.”
I nod my head. “This is incredible.”
“Would you like to sit down?”
I look at him, wincing at the crick I’ve put in my neck, and nod. He gestures to the side, where there’s a nice little reading corner, complete with fireplace and comfy chairs. I could really get to like this place.
I curl up in one of the chairs before noticing there’s not really a place for Axel to sit. High-backed comfy chairs don’t work so well with wings like his. I open my mouth to say something, but he waves me off, because now there’s a wooden chair, which he spins around and sits in backwards, so his arms are resting on the back.
“Do you see now why it wasn’t my secret to share?”
Whoa, cut straight to the chase!
I shake my head. “Yeah. I probably wouldn’t have believed you if you’d told me, anyway. I don’t understand any of it.”
“I think I can help with that.”
I look up to see Dad walk through the door, and this time he really looks like I remember. Gone are the animal skins and antlers. He’s human, with short brown hair and a well-trimmed beard, jeans and a nice fitting t-shirt. Nothing that says he’s a demi.
Axel stands up. “I’ll leave you two to talk.”
I want to ask him to stay, but Dad beats me to it. “No need to leave, Axelrod.”
But Axel shakes his head. “I won’t go far.”
His wings snap open, lifting him up to the higher floors. I watch him until he lands, and then turn back to Dad. He’s taken a seat, and is watching me with a look I’m not sure any girl wants to see from her father.
I blush, and he raises an eyebrow with a sigh. “Ah, they grow up so fast.”
My head drops, embarrassed. If it’s so obvious how I feel about Axel, that the father I haven’t seen since I was twelve can spot it, then I need to do something about it. Like stay away. Lucky for me, Dad changes the subject.
“I want you to know that I left to protect you.”
I look to the side, not sure I actually want this conversation, now that it’s here. “That’s what Axel said.”
“He’s right. Things were starting to move among the Conclave. I knew that eventually, the Uprising would happen, and I knew it would put you and your mother in danger. She knew, too. It’s why she went along with it, as much as I know it pained her.”
I nod. I’d figured that out for myself, really, that Mom must’ve known. “Mom is human?”
“She is.”
“So what did he mean, I haven’t chosen?”
Dad sighs. “Your twenty-first birthday is coming up soon, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. Not sure exactly when, since it’s hard to keep track with no more clocks and calendars and stuff. Month or so, I’d guess. Feels like early October.” I shrug. “What’s that got to do with it?”
“Kendry, you’re the daughter of a demi and a human. You know the myths, you devoured them as a child.”
“You mean I get powers or something? Like Heracles and Perseus?” I snort. “Figured they’d have shown up already.”
“Sort of. How it really works is that you have a choice. It doesn’t work that way with all the paras, some only get the dominant gene. Like your werewolf friends, or the gorgons. But not you. You can choose to remain human, live a normal human life. Or you can choose to embrace your other heritage. But there are responsibilities, and over the centuries, most have chosen the mortal life. Immortality isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” he adds with a sad smile. “You’ll outlive everyone. The powers you’ll likely gain might kill you. The transformation itself could. You won’t be able to go back to your old life. It’s not a decision to take lightly. But it is one you’ll have to make by your birthday.”
I look away, staring at the fire. It’s not every day you get to choose to be a God, and after a moment, I need to think about other things.
“How did Brigid end up in Greenbriar, and as my school teacher, of all things?”
Dad smiles. “You heard me say to the Conclave that she suspected a traitor first?” I nod. “We devised a plan. She pretended to forfeit her place in the Conclave and live among the humans. There was…much debate then, about whether to simply reveal ourselves or go on the offensive and attack the humans. Brigid swore to protect them, knowing it would inflame whoever our traitor was. I suggested she go to Greenbriar, asked if she’d keep an eye on your mother and you.
“She is, after all, your cousin.”
I almost fall out of my chair. “Wait, what?”
/>
“Danu, who healed you, is my sister. It’s not a well-known fact. Dagda is her son, and he and The Morrigan are Brigid’s parents. You’re my daughter. Brigid is your cousin.”
I can’t do anything but stare at him with my jaw on the floor. “Um.”
He laughs. “I’m sorry, Kendry. I know it’s a lot to take in.”
I shake my head. It’s more than a lot. “Dad…”
“Hm?”
“What are we going to do about Mom? We can’t just leave her.”
He sighs. “I know. I’m working on it. You and Axel have done all I could’ve asked, and more. Try not to worry about it. We’ll get her back.”
“I… Dad, I’m so worried about her! She could be hurt, dying—”
“Easy, Kendry. I’m sure they’re taking good care of her.”
My eyes about bug out of my head. “Dad. They kidnapped her. They shot me, and tried to blow us up! And they’ve been experimenting on paras!”
“I know. But I also know why they took her. They need her as leverage against me. They won’t hurt her, at least not yet.”
I take a deep breath and nod. I know what he’s saying makes sense. But so much has happened over the last—week? Two weeks?—and my worry for her is such a constant in the back of my mind. Above me, I catch the sound of Axel’s wings. I focus on him, letting it distract me from my panic, and catch myself looking up. He’s drifting from balcony to balcony, browsing through books. “Why did you send Axel?”
“I was worried about you.”
Still watching Axel, I shrug. “Brigid was there.”
“Axelrod has had my trust for centuries. Things were getting more and more heated here, and we were no closer to finding the traitor. I wanted to make certain you were safe, especially knowing you were getting closer to twenty-one. Kendry.” My eyes drift back to him, and then drop.
“He’s just my guardian. I’ll be fine.”
“Just your guardian?”
I roll my eyes. Back in my life for five minutes, and already I’m getting relationship advice. “Yes, Dad. Just my guardian.”
He settles his chin on his hand, tapping his finger on his lips. “Not the way you two look at each other.”
ParaWars Uprising Page 11
