The Emerald Staff

by Alison Pensy

  “What is it, Faedra? Is the ghost talking to you again?” Faen asked.

  “Yes, she says the key is in the security guard’s office,” Faedra replied, hope blooming once more. “Now we just have to think of a way to get the key without alerting the guard.”

  “Oh, that’s easy, luv. He may not be able to see me, but I’ve had me fair share of fun with him, nonetheless.” Molly snickered.

  Faedra narrowed her eyes, “Like what?”

  “Oh, you just wait and see. I’ll get him out of the way for you long enough so you can get the key.”

  Intrigued, Faedra took hold of Faen’s hand before following Molly back up the steps to the keep and then down the corridor to where the control room was.

  “Now, you two hide somewhere, while I go an’ work my magic with the fuse box.” Molly instructed, a devious grin developing with her words.

  “Faen, can you glamour us?” Faedra asked. In an instant they disappeared from view.

  “Oh, that’s clever,” Molly said. “I thought I was the only one who could do that around here. I’ll just be a few minutes; you’ll know when to move in.” She snickered again as she floated off down the corridor and around a corner.

  They didn’t have to wait long. A few moments later the whole place went black as all the lights went out and they were standing in a pitch-dark corridor.

  Faedra heard an expletive from behind the door they were standing beside. A second later, the door flew open and a beam from a flashlight made staggered patterns in the dark.

  “Bloody fuse box!” The guard griped as he stomped off down the corridor in the same direction that Molly had gone a few moments earlier. “That’s the third time this week. If I miss seeing a bloody goal, I’m not gonna be happy.”

  Faedra grinned as she watched the beam from the flashlight disappear around the corner. No sooner had he disappeared out of view, she had an energy orb lit and bobbing in the palm of her hand. They snuck into the office and found the board of keys above the desk. Molly was right, they were all labeled, but there were a lot of them. Faedra held the orb high and started at the top working her way from left to right. A few rows down, she saw it. ‘Well Gate’ was on the label below a sturdy looking key.

  “Gotcha,” she whispered while reaching up to grab the key from its hook. “Come on, Faen, let’s go.”

  Her excitement made her blood pound through her chest as she took the several sets of steps two at a time until she got back to her destination.

  The lights were still on down below the keep and she silently thanked Molly for leaving those alone. Relief filled her heart when the padlock ‘snicked’ and sprung open. She climbed up onto the rock wall and crouched to get through the small hole the open gate had created. A hand grabbed her arm. She turned to look at her Guardian, a confused expression forming across her face.

  “You are not going down there,” he stated, his face all business now.

  “What do you mean? Of course, I am. I have to get that egg.” Faedra argued.

  “I will go, it is too dangerous.”

  “You can’t, Faen, your wings won’t fit in that little hole.”

  Faedra could see Faen’s face go dark with anger. He knew she was right and she could see a battle waging war on his face. There hadn’t been a situation before now where his wings would be a limiting factor. He was now faced with having to let his charge go down a well, who knew how many hundreds of feet deep.

  She put a reassuring hand over his, “I’ll be fine, Faen.” She eased his hand off her arm and took hold of the chain that hung down the middle of the well. Before she had a chance to ease her body into the stone tube, Faen grabbed her again.

  “Wait.”

  “Faen, I’ll be fine,” she said, trying to bite back a spike of irritability.

  “Look.”

  She followed his gaze to something above her. A winch.

  “They must use that to bring the bucket up. If we bring the bucket up, you can stand on it and I will winch you down. It will be much safer.”

  “Good idea,” she admitted, relieved that she wouldn’t have to shimmy down a chain. She’d never shimmied down anything before and wasn’t a hundred percent happy about the idea.

  She let go of the chain and eased herself back to the floor. Faen pressed the button on the electric winch and the chain started to move. A few minutes later the bucket appeared, full of pennies and other coins. They pulled it through the opening in the grill and emptied it on the ground to lighten the load.

  After taking a deep breath, Faedra eased herself back into the stone tube of the well, hooking one leg over one side of the bucket handle and the other leg over the other side until she was sitting astride the handle. She sat still for a moment, testing the strength of the chain. Faen lowered her a few feet, making sure he could still reach her and tested the winch to see if it was strong enough to pull her up again. To his relief, it did so without too much grumbling.

  “Okay, it looks like it will work. In the name of Kernunnos, be careful,” Faen pleaded as he leaned in and planted a delicate kiss to her lips.

  Faedra closed her eyes at his touch. He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers.

  “I will, I promise.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Faedra hardly dared breathe as the bucket descended down the well. She had an orb in one hand and white knuckled the chain with the other, clinging on for dear life. She had no idea how deep the well was but was sure it must be a good hundred feet or more. Counting her blessings that she couldn’t actually see the bottom she tried a deep breath to calm her nerves. It didn’t work. The lower she got, the staler the air became. A green fuzz now covered the wall and her lungs were starting to revolt against the air that was cloying and dank.

  She coughed.

  “Are you all right?” Faen called from above.

  Faedra looked up to see the beautiful face of her Guardian looking down at her, a halo of light from above him making his blonde hair shimmer like gold.

  She did her best to clear her throat. “I’m fine,” she croaked.

  So far, she hadn’t seen any stones that looked like they’d been dislodged and she was hoping it wouldn’t be all the way to the bottom before she found what she was looking for. She looked up again to get a sense of how far down she was. Faen’s face was becoming a blur as the distance grew between them. A shudder ripped through her body. The light above was becoming smaller and smaller. She felt as though she was being wrapped in a damp dark blanket and she didn’t like that feeling at all. The color of her orb made the closeness of the stone tube even more oppressive, casting eerie shadows on the wall.

  Every few feet she pushed herself around in a circle using her feet on the wall, allowing her to scan all the stones with the light from her orb, then she would go back the other way so the chain didn’t get twisted. After what seemed like forever, she was doing the usual routine, moving herself around the wall when a stone moved beneath her foot.

  Her heart leapt to her throat when she heard the loose stone scraping against its neighbor as she wiggled it underfoot.

  “Stop the chain!” She shouted up to Faen.

  The chain stopped.

  With shaky hands, she leaned forward, locking the chain under her arm for safety; she still had to keep one hand free for her orb. She drew the light closer to the wall and could see the missing mortar around the loose stone. Grabbing hold of the stone, she wiggled it again. Loose dirt and dust fell from its resting place, undisturbed for hundreds of years. A few more wiggles and she eased the stone free. Faedra lifted it away from the wall and went to place it in the bucket so she could replace the stone after she’d retrieved whatever was hiding behind it.

  She let out a little shriek as the damp slimy stone slipped from her grip and plummeted down the well. One one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand, just how deep was this well? Her stomach knotted when she finally heard a soft splash as the stone hit the water below her and
realized that the flimsy metal bucket was the only thing between her and what would probably be a lethal fall. If she made the same mistake with the egg, she wouldn’t get a second chance.

  Faedra took a couple of deep calming breaths before she leaned in and felt around the inside of the hole with her free hand. After a few seconds of touching around, her heart missed a beat as fingers made contact with a smooth shell. They continued feeling around the egg trying to ascertain how big it was. Not too big, but would need two hands to hold safely.

  “I found it!” She shouted up to Faen.

  With fingertips clamped securely around the egg, she eased it towards her. This time she wasn’t going to make the same mistake she had with the stone. Although it terrified her to do so, she prepared herself for the sickening sensation that would ensue, and snuffed out her orb. Fighting her fear in the pitch black, she placed her other hand around the egg, caging it between her fingers and palms.

  After wiggling it out of its hiding place, she put the egg in the bucket with extreme care. She wasn’t about to risk it slipping from her grasp.

  “You can bring me up now, Faen.”

  The winch whirred into life again and relief washed over her. She looked up and watched Faen’s face get closer and closer. She was nearly home free, or so they both thought. A sharp jolt shot through the chain, her stomach lurched as she came to a sudden stop.

  “What happened? Why did it stop?” Faedra asked, anxious.

  “I do not know. I think the motor may have burned out.”

  Faen tried pushing buttons but nothing happened. A creak from the chain sparked concern.

  “Faedra, it is not working. You will have to climb up the chain. I do not think it will hold you much longer.” Was that a hint of panic in his voice? Faedra’s throat went dry.

  “I can’t climb up the chain. I’ve got nowhere to put the egg.”

  It was far too big for any of her pockets. Why hadn’t she brought her backpack? How stupid was that? What did she think she was going to carry the egg in once she found it? Truth was, she hadn’t been thinking. All she had was tunnel vision to get to the castle with no preparation for what she may encounter once there. She could kick herself for being so stupid.

  Another creak.

  “Throw the egg to me,” Faen called down.

  “What? No! Are you crazy?” Desperation was audible in her voice now.

  “Faedra, it is the only way. I will catch it, I promise.”

  She looked up, gauging the distance. She was only about ten feet below her Guardian. Tears of fear and anger welled in her eyes. Her heart was pounding. How could she be so stupid to have come this far and not have something to put the egg into to keep it safe?

  Faedra closed her eyes for a second before reaching into the bucket and picking up the egg. Now her stupidity could cost her the egg if her Guardian dropped it. Did she have that much faith in him? She was literally holding her father’s life in her hands and was about to toss it away. What if she didn’t throw it properly and it hit the wall and smashed; it was so narrow in the well.

  Another creak.

  “Faedra, you have to throw me the egg, the chain is getting weaker.” The urgency in Faen’s voice was not lost on her.

  “Please don’t drop it, please don’t drop it,” she repeated in a whisper as she held the egg and tried to figure out the best way to throw it straight up without having much elbowroom to maneuver.

  “Okay, I’m going to throw it on the count of three.”

  “I am ready.”

  “One.”

  Her heart pounded.

  “Two.”

  Waves of nausea took hold.

  “Three.”

  She threw the egg as accurately as she could and closed her eyes not daring to look.

  “Got it!”

  Her body relaxed and she felt her muscles uncoil.

  Another creak, louder this time.

  “Faedra, climb up the chain, now!” Faen yelled. Faen never yelled.

  Faedra eased herself up until she was standing on the top edge of the bucket, straddling either side of the handle. She had never shimmied up anything before and wasn’t quite sure the best way to do it. There was only about ten feet to go, less now that she was standing, but those ten feet felt like she was climbing a mountain.

  “Keep coming; you are nearly there,” Faen encouraged.

  Another jolt and the chain dropped a couple of feet. Faedra screamed and held on with every fiber of her being.

  “Oh, God, I’m not going to make it.”

  “Yes, you are, you just need to move a bit faster,” Faen replied, his calm voice masking his panic.

  A rush of adrenaline flowed through Faedra’s blood stream, coursing its way into her muscles, making her stronger for the precious few moments she needed to get herself to safety. She hauled herself up the chain, egging herself on as she did, telling herself she could do this, she would do this and make it out alive.

  She looked up, just a few more feet. Faen was hanging over the edge, his hands outstretched.

  Another foot, and another.

  “Grab my hand,” he instructed when Faedra got close enough.

  She wasn’t sure she could hang onto the chain with just one hand and hesitated.

  Another groan from the chain.

  “Grab it NOW!” Faen yelled again, his voice full of panic, shocking her into submission.

  She did. Faen clamped his hand around hers just as she heard a snap and the chain in her other hand went slack. She let go of it and could hear the bucket rebound off the walls for several long seconds before a splash at the bottom confirmed its arrival.

  It took a couple of seconds for her brain to comprehend the fact that she was dangling over a chasm more than a hundred feet deep and being held only by a hand, her Guardian’s hand. She glanced up and saw the strained look in his face and the fear in his eyes, which probably mirrored her own.

  “Don’t drop me,” she whimpered, a silly comment to make under the circumstances.

  “Give me your other hand,” Faen grunted.

  She did as he asked and felt immediately more secure.

  “I am going to pull you up, hang on.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m not intending to let go.” She shot him a pathetic smile, an attempt to ease her nerves. It didn’t work.

  The rough stone scraped at her clothing as Faen slowly pulled her up the side of the well. She felt the edge of the opening and saw Faen had now braced his feet against the outside of the wall. Another tug and she was pulled to safety. The force of her extrication made Faen fall flat on his back on the floor and she tumbled face down on top of him.

  Faen took her face in his hands and bore into her soul with his eyes. After seeing she was okay, he kissed her all over her face and then wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. That was quite all right with Faedra, she probably couldn’t stand at that moment anyway, sure her legs had turned to jelly.

  “Quite apart from the fact that you two should get a room, I was wondering, are you going to stay like that all night?”

  Faedra looked up to see Molly peering over them and gave the ghost her best ‘what are you talking about?’ expression.

  “The ghost again?” Faen asked.

  “Yes.”

  “It’s just that Joe makes ‘is rounds about now and I don’t think he’d be very ‘appy to see you two sprawled on the floor. Even less ‘appy to see you stole castle property, and busted the coin bucket. That’s gonna take some fixin’, that is.”

  Faedra pushed herself into a kneeling position and looked down at her Guardian. “Molly says the guard is doing his rounds, we need to get out of here.”

  Faen pushed himself up on his elbows and looked around, curious. “Why can I not see them?”

  “I don’t know, but we don’t have time to find out.” Faedra got up from the floor and grabbed the egg that Faen had placed to the side of the iron grille.

  “Thanks for all your help,
Molly, Oswulf,” Faedra said with a smile.

  “Been a pleasure, young ‘un.”

  Oswulf bowed his head. “I hope your quest is a success, M’lady.”

  They walked up the stairs that led back to the keep and started to cross the creaking floorboards.

  “Who’s there?” A gruff voice called just before a beam of light hit Faedra square in the face. She lifted her hand to shield her eyes. She looked around, Molly and Oswulf had disappeared.

  “Bloody kids, how’d you get in here? Oi, what you got in your hand? You’ve been stealing.” Faen had forgotten to glamour them. The security guard could see them both.

  Faedra wasn’t quite sure what or who guided her, but she took hold of Faen’s hand and made a dash for the staircase that led up from the keep.

  The security guard ran after them. “Won’t do you any good running up there, that leads to the battlements. There’s no escape from the battlements.”

  Faen and Faedra exchanged knowing glances and raced towards the door. The brisk night air slapped Faedra in the face as they pushed through the door. The lights of the city sparkled all around them.

  They could hear the security guard stomping up the steps close behind them.

  “Got you now! You’ve nowhere to run up there,” he said, a smug tone cutting through the darkness.

  Faen scooped Faedra up and continued running along the battlements.

  The security guard burst through the door just as Faen launched himself off the end of the battlements, cloaking them with glamour, leaving the security guard staring up into the darkness scratching his head.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  As Faen circled the castle, Faedra looked down at the security guard who stomped his foot before turning and heading back down the stairs to the keep. She giggled and felt Faen’s chest rumble with his own laughter, and clutched the egg to her chest feeling very satisfied with herself. She had a feeling Draconis was going to be happy to see her this time.

  She looked up at Faen who was concentrating on where he was going. When he felt her shift, he brought his eyes down to meet hers and smiled. Faedra’s heart did a little flip-flop; his smiles always had that effect on her.