Brightly decorated shop windows reflected the streetlights, and the people themselves were lit up with a contagious energy.
As if invigorated by it, she and Tierney laughed and picked up the pace, letting themselves be carried along in the vigor of beings with a limited shelf life. Her high-heeled shoes clicked against the sidewalk, keeping rhythm with the sounds of the city.
As they passed a window, she caught her reflection in the glass. She was wearing a dark, tailored coat that fell to her knees, one that fit in perfectly with the garments of the stylish young women they passed. Peeking out from underneath her matching cloche were strands of long blond hair.
Lucia, she thought. I am Lucia. She woke up with a start.
“No,” Abby said. She was alone in her room, but she said it out loud anyway, as if speaking the word would make it true, warding off the chance it wasn’t. “No. I’m not. I’m nothing like her.”
Abby and Eulalia were sitting across from each other in the small parlor of the queen’s chambers. The afternoon light was bright, streaming in through a window of leaded glass, which was opened slightly on its iron hinges. On the wall, tiny rainbows formed from the light filtering through the beveled glass. An ocean breeze wafted in, stirring the sweet-smelling blossoms sitting in a vase on the small table between the wooden chairs, which had scrolled arms and cushions upholstered in a rich damask that felt luxurious against Abby’s skin.
“Abby, I wanted to discuss your development as a cai aislingstraid. Is there anything you wish to tell me before your journey?” Eulalia asked. It was the last session they would have before Abby traveled with David to see the Southern Oracle.
Abby ran her fingers along the soft cerulean fabric of her chair. It was the same color as the sea outside. “Um, it’s going well, I guess.”
“You do not sound convinced of that.”
Abby looked up to see the queen studying her face with concern. “I’m just tired. I had another nightmare last night, and it was hard to get back to sleep,” she answered, rubbing her eyes.
Eulalia nodded. “I am sorry. I know that can be difficult.”
“No, it’s fine,” Abby said. “Maybe I’ll sleep better tonight. It’s just…can I ask you a question?”
Eulalia smiled. “Of course.”
“Okay. Is it possible to see something through someone else’s eyes? Like, you feel like you actually are that person, but you’re just seeing it from their perspective? And if that is possible, are you seeing what has happened, or what will happen?”
“It depends. It is possible to see through the eyes of another, but as to the second part of your question…it would help to know more specifically what you saw,” Eulalia said.
“I was afraid you would say that,” Abby replied.
“Why? There is no reason to be afraid.”
Abby frowned. “I’m not so sure about that.” She shared her latest dream with Eulalia, leaving out that she had felt attracted to Tierney. “Here’s the thing—it was easy when I just thought of him as evil. But if I really was seeing things through Lucia’s eyes, I guess I can kind of understand her, uh, motivation. Maybe there’s more to him than I first thought. I almost feel bad for him.”
Eulalia was silent. She rose from her seat and stared out the window at the sea.
Abby waited anxiously for Eulalia to respond. The fact that she didn’t was disconcerting. She let the seconds tick by, trying to be patient and allow Eulalia the time to process whatever it was she was thinking about.
Finally, after several frustrating minutes, Abby had no choice but to break the silence—if she didn’t get an answer soon, she thought she might go mad. “All right, so please, just tell me. Have I gone to the dark side?”
“No. Not yet,” Eulalia said softly.
“But I’m walking a dangerous line, you mean?”
Eulalia turned to face Abby. “I did not say that.”
“Okay. Well, tell me this. What Tierney said, about his survival being threatened and about us humans destroying everything…I mean, he kind of does have a valid point,” Abby said. “Doesn’t he?”
Eulalia returned to her chair and took Abby’s hands. “It is not that he does not have a valid point. And I do believe that, yes, it is possible you were seeing something that did happen, and that you saw it from my sister’s perspective. Certainly, if that is the case, it would make sense that you would have felt her emotions and that you would now possess a greater understanding of what appealed to her about him. But what Tierney said—valid as it may sound, is a half-truth. He speaks of the humans destroying themselves, but you must remember that he is also destructive. He is a predator, and what he says or does is not for the good of humanity. You must remember that everything he does is to serve his own interests first, even if there may be a benefit to others.”
“Okay, I see your point. But how do we know for sure what he thinks? Is it possible that he believes he is right and that, in his mind, his actions are justified?” Abby asked.
“I am certain he does feel justified. Most people who go to the ‘dark side,’ as you are fond of calling it, do not behave the way they do because they think they are wrong. I am sure Tierney does feel that his perspective is the right one, and that is why he is able to pursue his goals without the burden of guilt,” Eulalia explained. She stared into Abby’s eyes. “And that is why I fear for you, Abby. You cannot simply accept what I say as true. You must discover the truth for yourself or he will turn you to his side.”
“But I do believe you. And trust me, he will never turn me to his side,” Abby insisted.
Eulalia gave Abby a sad smile. “I know you think so, but you must also understand that Tierney is relentless. If he wants to turn you to his way of thinking, he will pursue you until you fall. My sister also faithfully served the Light, and even she fell.”
“I am not her.”
“No. You are not. But I say again: you must discover the truth for yourself; otherwise you will always have doubt. Promise me this—when you go to visit the Southern Oracle, ask him to take you to the Blood Altar,” Eulalia said.
“I promise—I will. But what will I find there?” Abby asked.
“You will see Tierney for what he truly is.”
Chapter Six
THE RAINFOREST
“Abby!” David called as she was leaving Eulalia’s chamber. He was jogging up the corridor.
“Hi,” she said, closing the door behind her.
“So you’re done with Eulalia?” he asked, taking her hand.
“Yep—we just finished our chat.” She hoped she sounded more positive than she felt.
David didn’t seem to notice. “Great—good timing then.” He laced his fingers through hers and kissed her forehead. “I was hoping to catch you. Cael and I finished prepping for our trip. He and the other two have gone to fill their packs and say their goodbyes. You and I should do the same. Cael wants to leave at first light.”
“So we should get to bed early tonight so we are well rested, I take it?” Abby asked.
David nodded. “Yes. The horses can take us to the edge of the rainforest, but after that, we’re on our own. It’s just too dense for them. We have a long walk ahead.”
“That we do. All right, I’ll go say goodbye to my family and finish packing.” Abby suddenly felt very tired, thinking about the trip. No, that wasn’t it exactly. She was emotionally exhausted from her conversation with Eulalia, and thinking about packing just added to that.
“I’ll come with you,” he said. He studied her face. “Abby, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she lied.
David looked up and down the empty hallway and then led Abby to an alcove of arched windows with a view of the Western Sea. “Abby,” he said. “Talk to me. Please.” His eyes were wide, pleading.
“What do you want me to say?”
David furrowed his brow in frustration. “I’m worried about you. Ever since you hit your head, you haven’t been yourself.
Does your head still ache?”
“No, I’m fine,” Abby repeated.
“Well, then, why does it feel like you’ve been so distant lately?” he asked. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No,” she said. “No, that’s not it at all.”
“Well, what is it then? Tell me,” David pleaded, placing his hand gently on her cheek.
Looking up at him, Abby could see that he was genuinely concerned about her—that he was trying hard to be helpful. She sighed. “I’m just really tired. I haven’t been sleeping well at all. Lots and lots of nightmares.”
It seemed like every time she closed her eyes she was haunted by either Tierney or the Kruorumbrae. She couldn’t help but feel a sense of doom about the journey to see the Southern Oracle. She hoped that was just the sleep deprivation talking, and not an actual premonition.
After her conversation with Eulalia, when she confessed that she could understand Tierney’s way of thinking, Abby felt frustrated, humiliated, and yes—she had to admit—frightened by Eulalia’s reaction. But she wasn’t about to make the same mistake with David. Besides, it would only hurt him, and that was the last thing she wanted to do.
He caressed her cheek, still staring intently at her. “All right, well, how about this: let me stay with you tonight. I’ll keep the bad stuff away.”
“I don’t know…”
“Abby, we’ll be camped out next to each other every night on this trip anyway. Are you worried about what your parents might think?” David asked.
Abby shook her head. “No. They’ve pretty much treated me like an adult since we got here. They’ve been surprisingly cool about me going on this trip.” She smiled. “Not that they’ve had much choice in the matter.”
“Yeah, we haven’t exactly asked their opinion, have we? But they’ve been nice to me—I think they might actually approve,” he grinned.
“They do. They think you’re great for me.”
“That’s a relief. Okay, then—if it’s not about your parents, what are you afraid of?” David questioned.
Abby looked down at her feet, unsure of how to answer him. For a second, she was tempted to tell David about her conversation with Eulalia.
I know what you’re afraid of, Rabbit. Tierney’s voice echoed in Abby’s mind. You’re afraid you’ll say my name in your sleep and he’ll find out about us.
Abby shivered. Get out of my head, she thought. She prayed that Tierney’s voice was only her imagination, and that he couldn’t actually read her mind. “There is no us,” she muttered.
“What?” David asked, startled.
“Sorry,” Abby said, frowning. There was no way she could tell David the truth about her dreams of Tierney. Not ever. “I was talking to myself, not you. Arguing with myself, actually. See—I’m so sleep deprived, I’ve lost my mind.” Making a decision, she forced herself to meet David’s concerned gaze. “Okay. Please stay with me tonight—if anyone can protect me from the bad stuff, it’s you.” She smiled at him.
“Always,” David vowed, pulling her close and kissing her. He stared into her eyes. “I will always keep the bad stuff away from you.”
“Is that a promise?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said. “It’s a promise. Nothing will ever hurt you as long as I’m around.”
David woke Abby with a soft kiss on her forehead. She’d slept peacefully once she was nestled against him—or so he hoped. “Mornin’, sunshine,” he whispered.
“Good morning,” she whispered back sleepily, kissing his cheek.
“Any bad dreams?” he asked.
“Not one, thanks to you. You’ve sold me on this being together thing. I don’t ever want to fall asleep without you again,” Abby said.
He smiled. “You will never have to. Like I said, I will always be here for you.”
She returned his smile. “Good. Because you’re stuck with me now.”
“Just how I like it. Ready for our little adventure?”
She yawned and then sat up and stretched. “Yeah. I think a change of scenery will do me good.”
“I think so too.” David looked toward the window. The dawn sky was suffused with pink and coral. “Let’s hurry—I’m sure Cael is already saddling his horse. Early riser.”
“Too early,” Abby groaned.
David laughed. “I know. Come on,” he said, and kissed her cheek.
After getting up and grabbing a bite to eat, Abby and David headed to the stables to join Cael, Jon, and Marisol. They quickly finished up their last-minute packing.
Abby noticed that she and Marisol had picked similar clothes for this adventure: tight-fitting pants and billowing shirts cinched with belts. Abby had been wearing dresses more often since coming to Cai Terenmare, but still felt more comfortable with pants when training or going out riding. Apparently Marisol did too.
Abby stroked her horse’s neck. She made one last check of her pack, grasped the saddle horn, and swung up into the saddle.
“Everyone ready?” Cael asked.
“Yep—let’s go,” Abby said, smiling brightly.
“You’re awfully chipper this morning,” Jon muttered, climbing up into his saddle. He tugged on his pack to make sure it was secure.
“I’m excited,” Abby replied. “Aren’t you?”
“I will be once I wake up. I’m so not a morning person,” Jon complained.
David chuckled as he, too, mounted his horse. “No whining, Reyes.”
“Yeah, come on, Grumplestiltskin,” Marisol teased, cocking her head to the side. Her long hair fell over her shoulder.
Cael looked around to make sure everyone was ready. With a nod, he nudged his horse to move out. David, Abby, Jon, and Marisol followed suit.
“Personally, I’m with Abby on this one,” Marisol said. “I can’t wait to see what’s in the jungle. Will we see any animals, Cael?”
“We might,” Cael said. “But remember, be careful not to touch them—some have a rather nasty bite. The same goes for the plant life.”
Marisol frowned. “Oh yeah, I forgot about that part. Well, that’s no fun.”
“Now who’s the grumpy one?” Jon asked. Grinning, he nudged his horse into a gallop.
Marisol laughed and hurried to catch up.
Abby started to follow, but then saw a dark shape pass over head. Brarn circled briefly before landing on her saddle horn. “Not this time, my friend,” she said, stroking his feathers. “If we encounter carnivorous plants, I don’t want you perching on them. Go home to Eulalia.”
The raven cocked his head at her. “Go on,” Abby said firmly. “I’ll see you when we get back.”
Brarn bobbed his head and took to the air, flying back toward the castle.
“You two have bonded,” David noted. “I think that bird may like you even more than he likes my mom.”
“I guess it must be because I rescued him from a Shadow cat once,” Abby explained.
“He is not one to forget a favor,” Cael said. “I daresay he would follow you to hell and back.”
“Let’s hope it never comes to that,” Abby said. “Come on, we’ll never catch those two if we don’t get a move on.” She nudged her horse into a trot, and Cael and David kept pace with her.
Abby shifted in her saddle, trying to stretch out her back and neck. They’d been riding for hours, and her thighs had started to ache.
“Anyone else have a sore butt?” Jon asked.
Cael gave him a look. “Best enjoy the ride while you can, Jon. Once we reach the tree stump called the Emerald Guardian, we go on foot.”
“Why is it called that?” Marisol asked. “Is it covered in jewels?”
“No—it is just very green,” Cael replied.
“It used to be a portal once,” Abby added, “a long time ago.”
Cael turned to look at her. “How do you know that?”
“I saw it in a dream,” Abby admitted. She realized the others were staring at her as well. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
“Y
es,” Cael said. “It was a portal. One favored by Tierney. Ardal closed it when he discovered that fact.”
“Ah. That part I didn’t know,” Abby lied. It may be best to keep these things to myself, she thought.
Cael stared at her for a second, then turned to the others. “It used to be that a journey to the outer edges of Cai Terenmare could happen in the blink of an eye. Now that the portals are closed, we have to use more conventional means, which is why we will soon be traveling on foot.”
“And there’s no way we can reopen the portals to speed things up?” Marisol asked.
“Oh, we can,” David interjected, “but we won’t. We can’t risk Tierney gaining access to them again.”
The group rode on in silence as the forest around them grew thicker and began to change from a landscape of ferns and moss-encrusted evergreens to a vine-covered wonderland. The horses began to tread carefully, stepping through the creeping foliage.
“We are almost there,” Cael announced. “See ahead?”
Rising from the vines and encased in moss and fungus was the carved tree stump Abby had seen in her dream.
“It’s a dude,” Jon said. “With a green beard.”
“Indeed.” Cael smiled, and then grew serious. “And this marks the boundary of our forest. From here, we must be on the alert at all times. The Southern Oracle’s rainforest is not a hospitable place. We are fortunate to be traveling during the dry season. Were we to enter the forest during the wet season, this journey would take us much longer, and I shudder to think what creatures we might encounter in the flooded undergrowth.”
Solemnly, the group dismounted, taking their packs.
“Will the horses stay here or go back?” Abby asked, patting her mare’s neck.
“They will stay. There is water nearby, and plenty for them to eat. They will be content here until we return,” Cael affirmed.
After gathering their supplies, they traveled on without their horses. The vines twisted and thickened into a tropical canopy of dark green that blocked out the sunlight. Then the sun started to set, and what little light there was began to rapidly fade.
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