by Lisa Rector
She paused in the hallway, bracing herself with her arm against the wall. A guard ran up to her, out of breath, and Rhianu snapped up, rigid. “Out with it.”
“Your Eminence, the new prisoner—”
Oh, now what? “What’s wrong with the prisoner?”
“Gone! Vanished!” The guard flinched, waiting for a strike.
Siana! Anything to do with vanishing had her marks all over it. “Meuric!” Rhianu yelled, ignoring the guard with disgust.
Meuric appeared at her side in under three seconds. “Rhianu, what is it?” He spared the guard a wary glance.
“It seems our mother has gone off with the prisoner.” She would not say his name.
Don’t deny it, Rhianu, Aerona said. Say his name. Who is he? He’s the father of your child.
Taken aback, Rhianu realized that her dragon was urging her with love and kindness, despite their quarrel. She didn’t need this confusion from this abrupt change in her fearless and fear-inspiring dragon.
“Leave it to me,” Meuric said.
Rhianu grabbed his arm and hissed, fighting to disguise her haphazard feelings under her ire. “Do you happen to know where they’ve gone?” Meuric surely had nothing to do with this.
Meuric growled at the guard. “Leave us.”
The guard scurried away, terrified. Meuric still protected her dignity. Even during a meltdown, she could always rely on him.
Meuric answered her without honeycoating the words. “Where do you think, Rhianu? What does our mother want most in this world?”
Her eyes widened. My so-called freedom. Rhianu knew this ever since she took the light, ever since her mother wished that she’d turn from the darkness. “She wouldn’t! Meuric, you have to stop her.”
Meuric’s eyes flashed at her, and he tried to pull his arm from her grasp to perform his disappearing act, but Rhianu gripped him harder. “Don’t hurt him. But don’t let him do it. Stop him.”
His brows pinched together. “He would do it for you, wouldn’t he?”
Rhianu squeezed her eyes shut. She knew the answer. Einion would take the evil power himself just to liberate her, the woman who had betrayed him, from being the Vessel. Why?
He still loves you, Aerona said.
Rhianu swore. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. What has Mother talked him into? It will kill him.
You care?
I care. I care! All the years’ memories of being the Vessel flooded her mind. She had loved it. She had embraced it. But Einion… it will destroy him. Her heart ached at the thought of his deep brown eyes filled with hatred and the thought of his dimples no longer visible behind a smile. His light… his light…
“He cannot become the Vessel!” Rhianu fell against Meuric and balled her fists, tugging on his surcoat.
Einion can’t become the Vessel with his light. If he transitions to a Dark Emrys… No, no, no! She couldn’t bear it. Though she had betrayed him and even bludgeoned him on the head in her pursuit of her master’s mission, she couldn’t allow this to happen. His light was what was most precious about him. His light was all that was pure in him.
His light was… his love.
He does still love me.
And you don’t want that love destroyed, Aerona said.
Rhianu couldn’t take this. She erupted, “I love him!” Did I just say that? “Find him! I have to make this right.”
Meuric wrapped his hands around hers. “Your brain is addled. See what love’s done to you.”
Rhianu snatched her hands from his touch and slapped him.
Meuric’s face blossomed red, but he laughed. “All right. I was testing you.”
“This is no laughing matter.” She’d had enough of tests.
“If this is truly what you want, I’ll stop him. But I think you need to sort out your priorities.”
“My priorities—”
But Meuric didn’t answer. He was already gone.
Rhianu smoothed her clothes and stepped back into the council room. While Meuric dealt with one mess, she would initiate the only undertaking she could to “sort out her priorities.” Love or not, she knew how to realign her purpose and obey her master. “Change of plans,” she announced to the captains. “We’re moving out. Ready your units. By morning I want the men and women of Rolant screaming in terror.”
***
Einion stood before the jagged cut in the side of the sweltering mountain. Smoke billowed from several fissures in the top.
His escape had been easy. As if he wasn’t even there, Siana had taken Einion by the hand and led him out of the dungeons, past unsuspecting guards. She explained that as long as they kept in touch, no one, not even her daughter, would know of their passing. Nimue, her dragon, was waiting beyond the outer walls of the stronghold. Einion didn’t see her at first. Not until Siana placed her hand upon Nimue’s flesh-color scales did Einion see through the concealment.
“How’s this possible?” Einion asked.
“I’ve developed this ability over time. As long as I have my dragon stone, Nimue shares the same cloaking abilities.”
“It’s a wonder Rhianu has never taken your stone,” Einion said.
“She has considered it. But my skills have been too useful for her to deny me my bond with my dragon.”
Undetected, Nimue flew Einion and Siana the short distance to Uffern, the mountain where the Dark Master was imprisoned.
The Master of Light had placed powerful enchantments on this abode to contain the evil that seethed from its core. Einion shivered as he considered the enormity of what he was doing.
Siana looked at him, measuring him up. “Are you ready? This way won’t be easy. It will take many long hours, and you’ll feel as though you’re going to your death inside these walls. You must trust me, and you must make your heart strong. Can you do this, Einion?”
“Yes, I’m certain I can.”
They turned to enter the mountain.
“Wait!” a voice called out.
A presence joined them without warning. Einion whirled around, ready for attack, all too familiar with the voice that preceded the pain.
“No, Einion!” Meuric held his hands up in peace.
Einion smirked. Healed and full of purpose, he could easily defeat Meuric. “What do you want? If you’re going to finish me off, let’s be done with it.”
“No,” Siana said, reading her son’s face. “You’re not going to stop us, are you?”
“No, I’m not,” Meuric said.
Einion scoffed. “What’s your ploy?”
“I desire the same result you and my mother do. I’ll let you go on with this venture. You can free my sister.”
“Why haven’t you done this yourself?” Einion asked with irritation. Though he knew what Siana had told him, he wanted to hear the words from the scoundrel’s mouth.
“I could never betray my sister in this way. I do not seek the power. Believe it or not Einion, I can love my own family,” Meuric snapped.
“This would still be a betrayal in Rhianu’s eyes, and you know it,” Einion replied.
“Maybe so, but I could live with her despising me if I knew she was free.”
“Then why are you here? To wish me well on my travels?” Einion hoped Meuric would not mistake his contempt.
“I’m here to make sure you don’t touch my sister again. The last person you see when you emerge from the tunnel after becoming the Vessel will be me.” Meuric grinned.
“Second mark against you. Let’s see if she thanks you for laying another hand on me,” Einion said.
“Meuric, enough,” Siana said. “We’ll be lucky if Einion doesn’t kill us all. Have you forgotten what happened to Rhianu after she took on the power?”
“No, Mother, I have not. Do you think you’ll be able to contain him?” Meuric asked.
Einion looked at Siana. “What are you saying?”
“When Rhianu took the power, it was raw and untamed. She became a dangerous and merciless killer,” Siana
said.
“Great. You’re saying I’ll want to kill everyone. Does that include Rhianu too?” Einion asked.
“I won’t let it come that far,” Siana said.
“Nor will I.” Meuric raised his eyebrows quickly. “I’ll protect Rhianu from you. Knowing this, are you still going through with it?”
Hmm, the desire to kill everyone and everything all to save the woman he loved. Sounded like a delightful undertaking. I can’t wait.
“Yes.” With that, Einion turned away and entered the tunnel into the smoking mountain.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
TO YOUR DEATH
Siana ran after Einion. “Wait!”
Einion rounded a corner and held his palm up to project a light.
“Do not use your light in here!” Siana slapped his hand down.
“You expect me to navigate the tunnels in the dark?”
“No. At the entrance… a torch.” Siana backtracked and retrieved it. She pulled flint from her pocket. Einion held the torch while she lit it. “I’m sorry. I should have told you. The passages are enchanted. Using light will rebound on you.”
“Is this speaking from experience?” Einion gave her a doubtful look.
“Yes. Einion, I asked you before if you trust me. Do you? If you don’t, you might very well die.”
“I trust you, Siana. I’ll rely on you to pull me through this.”
“Good, because the first challenge is after this long descent.”
They walked in silence with Siana leading the way. The tunnel sloped downward, and many places became steep and narrow, never forking, winding endlessly. At one point Einion ducked his head. Without light from the torch, they would have been in pitch-blackness. Einion lost sense of time as they crept deeper into the mountain’s center, where the air grew stale and hot. In fact, after a few more turns, the air was unbreathable.
“Siana, will the air become much hotter? It’s getting harder to breathe.” Einion pulled at his shirtfront, unsticking it from his chest.
“This is normal. Yes, the air will grow hotter. The first chamber draws near. You’re panicking. You’re not using your light to steady you.” Siana turned and shone the torch in his face. “Take long, slow breaths. Go into a place in your mind where you feel calm. The magic is testing you. I’ve done this countless times, and the effect is muted.” She placed a hand on his shoulder.
“I have had enough of magic.”
Siana smiled at him.
Einion turned his mind to Catrin. What would Catrin tell him? Einion, you’re not inside a sulfur-reeking volcano. You’re on Trahaearn, flying in the bright, blue sky. The air is blowing on your face, and the cold wind is whipping through your hair.
His anxiety subsided.
They continued on. Ahead, a glow intensified as the tunnel opened into a chamber. Einion uttered an oath under his breath as his eyes fell upon the fiery inferno that claimed the inside of this mountain. Smoldering liquid rock flowed under a stone bridge, which arched across the river not far above the molten surface.
Heat stung Einion’s eyes, and his nose burned with each breath. Sweat completely drenched him.
The bridge narrowed dangerously in the center as they crossed. Weary from the heat, Einion wanted to collapse over the edge, but Siana supported him with her touch.
“Press on. This room weeds out those too physically weak to withstand the heat. Many have fainted crossing this bridge,” Siana said. “A first defense to prevent humans from breaching the chambers. Supposedly, only immortals can withstand temperatures this high.”
They moved away from the lava river and continued down the passage. The air grew cooler, much to Einion’s relief.
Another chamber opened before them. In the center stood a rounded pedestal of sculpted stone with a flat top and fluted column. Two objects lay on the smooth surface—a thin taper candle and a knife with a carved bone handle.
Einion stared at the objects. “What’s the purpose of this?”
“Two objects. One choice. This is meant for the half-emrys to choose between darkness and light.” Siana eyed him curiously.
“Why’s this even a choice?”
“Think about it Einion. If you took Cysgod’s power before you made a complete transition to the darkness, your torment would be unbearable.”
“Are you suggesting I take the knife? You know what it’d mean to transition.”
“I know. I’m not suggesting anything. It’s your choice.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Siana. I’ll not have your blood or the blood of anyone else on my hands.”
His fingers twitched above the objects. He wasn’t going to pick up the knife. Einion wasn’t an idiot. He pictured Rhianu standing here. She had chosen the knife. She had murdered to complete the transition. “Who was it? Who did she murder?”
“Her father. He had followed us into the cave. She picked up the knife right as he entered the chamber and plunged it into his heart. The heat from the prior chamber had taken its toll. He was dying. I was amazed he had made it through. As she pulled the knife from his chest, Rhianu told me that all mortals eventually die, so what difference did it make? She rationalized his death to placate her remorse. And the deed was done. She transitioned. It was dreadful—the shock and the momentary anguish, the fleeing of light from her body. But she recovered. I could tell taking her father’s life had rattled her. After that, taking the Dark Master’s power was easy for her.”
Einion shook his head. “No!” How could Rhianu have done this? “No! I’m not choosing the knife! I’m not keeping this power. I’m not going to kill you to save myself from torment. I’ll be able to fight it and control it.”
“It will be excruciating with light inside you.”
“But you knew, coming into this cave, I’d face this choice, and you came alone.”
“I knew you wouldn’t harm me.”
“And you were sure.”
“Plain as light.”
“But it’s still possible to take the power with light inside me?”
“Yes. Though you’ll wish you were dead.”
Einion’s hand hovered over the candle. Flame leapt from his hand and lit the wick. A loud crack broke the silence, blowing Einion backward off his feet. He landed with a thud in the cave’s grit ten feet away.
“Is that what happens when you use your light?” Einion rose, rubbing his backside.
“Yes. Sometimes. Sometimes other consequences.”
“By the Light, what’s next?”
Siana gestured at the chamber’s edge to a passage that had opened when he lit the candle. She led Einion onto the steep passage, and they descended farther into the mountain.
“This will be one arduous hike out of here,” Einion said.
“Getting out is easier. The way opens before us. You’ll find the mountain all too eager to let us go.”
Einion heard whistling. “Is that wind? Down here? Underground?”
“It’s unnatural, but yes, it’s wind. See.”
Einion and Siana stood at the chamber’s entrance, where a torrent of wind whipped from one side to the other through a large chasm.
“Another crack in the earth to pass over?” Einion asked.
“This looks easy, doesn’t it? Looks can deceive you,” Siana said.
A path, wide enough for two people abreast, led straight across the chasm but hovered in midair with only the arching rock foundations holding it up underneath. Given the torrent of the wind as it whipped across the gap, Einion was sure he’d blow off, falling to his death to who knew how far below.
“We’ll have to crouch low,” Siana said. “As soon as we step into the chamber, the wind will extinguish the torch. We’ll be groping in the dark. Follow my voice and feel your way to the bridge. Feel the edge with your hands as we move across. Stay low—the wind will gust. You might have to throw yourself flat. Are you ready?”
“Why don’t I stay here and hold the torch so you can see?”
“
I would not let you cross the chasm alone in the darkness, Einion. We do this together.”
Siana walked into the room, and the torch flickered wildly and blinked out. She took Einion’s hand, and they moved with sliding steps, feeling for the drop-off with their feet. When they reached the edge, they moved to the right where the path lay. Siana crouched down and let go of Einion’s hand. Einion heard her crunch onto the path.
“This way. Perceive my internal light and follow it,” Siana called over the wind’s howl.
Hearing someone whisper over a raging waterfall would be easier, Einion thought as he strained to follow Siana’s voice. He inched along the bridge. The wind had whipped his formerly sweaty clothes dry and glued his curls to his face. Right in front of him, Siana’s inner light shone bright in his mind’s eye. Though his physical surroundings were shrouded, he felt comfort in her presence. With Siana’s help, he would survive this. He would make it to the final chamber where the prison held Cysgod.
Einion thought about the strangeness of these tasks. If Deian imprisoned Cysgod here, beneath this cave, why have a way to reach him at all. Why the trials?
The wind gusted, causing him to sway. Einion crouched low, and he braced his hands on either side of the ledge. The unrelenting wind forced Einion to his knees, where he crawled with his head tucked into his chest while he felt blindly along the edge. This was easier, though his aching knees and chapped hands complained vehemently.
What’s the point of all this?
Einion looked up when the gust slowed. Siana’s light had disappeared! Where was she? Did she fall? He never heard a scream. Deian, where is she? Panic gripped Einion.
“Siana!”
Once again, the wind roared around him. Einion curled into a ball, unable to move. If it didn’t cease, he wouldn’t be able to budge off this bridge. He was alone. Siana was gone. He was alone! She had promised to be here for him. I’ll never be able to do this! His breath shortened into gasps. His knuckles burned as he gripped the stone. A lightness in his head threatened to propel him over the edge. Any moment his hands would release him to his death.
