by Judith Leger
She woke the next day, groggy and disoriented. Her sleep had been filled with strange dreams and images. A faceless woman had pursued her through a maze of hallways. When she finally reached the middle, she saw a blackthorn tree in bloom. Joy had filled her at the sight, but before she could reach the tree, it exploded in a burst of flames and cinders. Sorrow had gripped her. At that moment, the woman had found her and blackness filled her.
Was this dream a premonition, or with all the strange occurrences, was she losing her sanity? Exhausted, she rose and discovered a different dress placed over the back of the chair in front of the hearth. The burgundy velvet bordered with gold and silver inlay draped her body much as the dress from yesterday. Bell sleeves reminded her of drawings of medieval attire from her art history class. The golden band had disappeared and in its place, one of filigreed gold and silver waited for her on the dressing chest next to the mirror.
Shrugging, she placed the band on her brow. She gathered her materials and headed for the hall.
* * * *
Six days later, and no nearer to an answer, Caitlyn sat at the table. Frustration stayed with her and made the tension in her increase every day. She waited as an old man approach. Silver hair hung down his back to his knees. A thick, five-strand braid held his hair away from his face. His clothes glimmered with greens and reds as he walked toward her.
He bowed low and when he straightened, he cocked his head. Keen gray eyes seemed to bore into hers. “So, ye’ve not discovered the answer, have ye?”
Caitlyn winced. She felt hopeless enough without having someone voicing it out loud. “No. I haven’t. Do you know something that might help me?”
“Perhaps. I am Saurian, uncle to Shay. ’Tis a fine predicament you’re in, my lovely.” He pulled a chair out and sat across from her.
Surprised, she stared at Shay’s uncle. She didn’t know if she liked him or not. His eyes seemed to laugh at her. “And you find that funny?”
“Aye, indeed. Ye’re spending all this time and effort in asking about Shay, Gwyneth and what everyone else thinks the answer to the riddle is, but ye’ve never looked to your heart to solve it.”
His words froze Caitlyn. She studied him. Though his skin was smooth and his eyes bright, an aged wisdom radiated from him. He was probably older than Grazelda. She shook her head. “So, how do you suggest I do that?’
“Think of what you desire the most. Can you name it?” He leaned forward, spreading his hands on the table’s surface.
He allowed her only a few seconds to think about his question then he snapped, “Answer me, princess. Of all things you could desire, what is the most important? What have you wanted most in all your life?”
She locked gazes with him. Images of Shay filtered through her. No, that wasn’t realistic. They were daydreams, not real.
“I don’t know.” She took a deep breath. What did she want? “I guess a normal life. It’d be nice to have friends and family and...”
“And Shay? Do you want him, or do you wish only to free him?”
“I want to free him.”
“Do you? And for what purpose? Do you want him? What would you do if you had him? Think about these questions, my dear. Think long and hard, for you have only ’til midnight to solve the riddle. If you don’t, then you will lose all you hold dear, including your life.” With those words, Saurian rose and strode from the hall.
Caitlyn watched him leave, contemplating his questions. What did she want? To free Shay, of course. But what happened after that? She frowned and worried her bottom lip with her teeth. She didn’t know. How could she? All her goals and dreams of becoming a top reporter had ceased being important. Without that, what did she want?
She motioned for the next person to come forward. After several minutes of the same repetition of information she’d heard over the last few days, Caitlyn ended the interview. She told the youth to send the remaining clan members away. Compiling all the sheets of paper, she cleared off the table and wandered to her room. Saurian’s questions whirled through her thoughts. What did she want?
Shay.
Did she really want him? Did he want her? In the dreams she’d experienced, he’d shown he cared for her, but did he feel the same way out of the dream?
Should she take the chance and tell him how she felt? She rubbed her throbbing temple. She loved him, but what if he didn’t feel the same way? How could she open her heart to him and take the chance he might reject her? She stopped walking. The papers and pens she gripped dropped to the stone path.
Open her heart.
Blood pounded through her veins.
Open her heart.
She shot a glance toward the blackthorn. If she didn’t tell Shay how she felt, her heart would remain locked. Excitement and fear whipped through her. Was this the answer for the riddle? But what did this have to do with a peeling tree and roots? What were the two powers? Magical powers? Hers and Shay’s uniting? The pieces of the puzzle fell and locked into place. Only two were missing, and she hoped as she rushed toward the tree that they, too, would come to her.
Dark clouds formed in the sky. She frowned, throwing a glare over her shoulder. The weather had been perfect the entire time she was in the Sidhe. Now, today, her last if she didn’t solve the riddle, it looked as if the perfect weather was at an end. Thunder rumbled and a fork of light speared from the black clouds. The wind carried the scent of moisture to her. Rain would soon come.
Worried the weather would catch her, she sprinted the distance separating her from the tree.
“Shay?”
“You’re early today.”
“It’s my last day.”
“I know.”
Tears threatened to stop her. She swallowed, fighting the sentimental weakness. “I have to ask you a question. I need to know the truth.”
Silence came to her.
“Shay, please.”
Low laughter echoed across the garden. Caitlyn stiffened. The sound came from near the fountain. She shifted her gaze and searched for whoever was there. Thunder boomed, and she jumped. A malicious force radiated from the darkened area around the fountain. Lightning flashed and she saw the outline of a woman.
Caitlyn stepped back. She glanced over her shoulder toward the hall and the living quarters. Nothing stirred. Where was everyone? The guards? Rhys? Myrielle?
“Tell me, Caitlyn, what question do you wish to ask of Shay?”
The sweet lyrical words soothed her frazzled nerve endings. The voice sounded familiar, but she couldn’t recall where she’d heard it. Fear built in her.
“Who are you?” she whispered, facing the fountain once more.
“You know who I am,” the woman said. Shadows dispelled and she glided into the light.
Black spots appeared before Caitlyn’s eyes. Her heart raced, and she had trouble catching her breath. Never in all her imagination would she have believed the true identity of her enemy. Now the woman stood before her and there wasn’t any doubt.
When she spoke, the name came out sounding more like a croak. “Marcy?”
Ringing laughter prickled the hair on the back of her neck.
In low tones, Shay commanded her to flee. But fear rooted her feet to the ground, as secure as the blackthorn to the soil.
“And who else did you expect?” Marcy’s golden hair billowed about her head and shoulders. She wore faded jeans and an old t-shirt. Caitlyn blinked, struggling to catch her breath. Marcy’s favorite perfume reached her on the wind. Nausea roiled her stomach.
Her friend’s figure shimmered and reformed. Blake’s ruffled dark hair fell across his forehead. A deep-throated chuckle escaped him.
Caitlyn, surprised and frightened, shook her head. “How?”
He smirked. “I have a touch of faery blood in me. Very simple, really. Why do you think your precious Shay and your most haughty king couldn’t sense me?”
“Where are they? What have you done with them?” Caitlyn demanded. Fear for her own safety was
forgotten, replaced with concern for her friends.
The photographer’s body rippled and another figure came into focus. More beautiful than Marcy, hair longer, the woman wore a long scarlet gown. The front dipped, revealing a great amount of skin and the top curve of her breasts. When she glided nearer, Caitlyn noticed the skirt was split on each side to reveal the slender length of her legs. Gwyneth had revealed her true form.
“Oblivious to what is happening around them. Marcy’s lying in that traitor Dafydd’s arms, and Blake is sitting in front of the movie screen in the castle’s viewing room. It’s a replica spell. They are unaware I took their places when needed. And with enough thought replacement, they’d never know what happened to them. Don’t worry Caitlyn, they served their purpose and are now free from my spells. But please, don’t let me stop you. What did you wish to ask Shay?” Gwyneth smirked, a cold glint shining in her eyes.
“Why? How could you use my friends? I thought– You were– Why?” Caitlyn shook her head. This couldn’t be happening.
“You thought what? That I was your friend? I was. Wasn’t I there for you every time you needed someone? Didn’t I tell you how much help you needed to improve your looks? What about all the time I told you how hard it would be for you to ever find a man? But for you not to worry, because I was there for you?”
Gwyneth finished speaking and laughed. An insane note rang out with the laughter, and Caitlyn shivered. “I thought for sure when you were thrown from the car the other day you would die and this would all be over, but you didn’t.”
“Was that why you were so rattled after the accident? You were upset because I lived?” Anger lit in Caitlyn. The flame flickered then burst to a burning torch. “What did I ever do to you? Why are you doing this to me?”
“Not to you, Catey, dear,” Gwyneth said, cutting her gaze to the blackthorn. “This was never aimed solely at you. You are simply a stupid, innocent pawn.”
Chapter 34
“You’re trying to hurt Shay? Through me?” Caitlyn stared in horror at the blonde. “I guess you’re going to tell me that you love him and if you can’t have him, no one can?”
“Isn’t that the way of things? I’ve always wanted him, but he never desired me. I hoped every day he would have a change of heart. I even consulted the fountain. Normally, it will not show the future, but I have knowledge of how to make it reveal its secrets. I saw in the scrying fountain weeks before the night you stole his heart. I knew then I would never have him. So if he doesn’t want me, then why should he have you?”
Incredulous, Caitlyn shouted above the next rumble of thunder. “You’re nuts. What made you think that I would fall in love with him? I was only a baby.”
“Ah, but Shay has a wonderful way about him, doesn’t he? I knew it was just a matter of time, and you would be grown and he would court you. Now, what do I do with you? Have you figured out the riddle?” Gwyneth stopped a few feet from her. She tilted her head, studying Caitlyn.
“As a matter of fact, I have. Once I say the answer you won’t be able to hurt us anymore. Rhys will come any minute, and he’ll punish you for what you’ve done.”
Caitlyn stiffened her spine and raised her chin, gazing down the line of her nose at the woman before her. This person wasn’t her friend. The woman had used, lied and betrayed her. She didn’t care what Rhys did to the crazy woman.
Gwyneth laughed. “Your father is behind the shield I placed around the garden. He cannot enter and you cannot leave. Interesting, wouldn’t you say? I hold the power over you now, Caitlyn. Poor dear, all your hope is gone.”
She edged to the side, keeping an eye on Gwyneth but still able to see Shay. As she moved, she noticed movement from the tree. Unable to stop herself, she glanced in the direction and saw a thin layer of the bark peel from the top branch to the bottom of the trunk. The layer dissolved into sparkling dust. Her mouth fell open. “What happened? Shay, what was that?”
Shay had remained silent during her confrontation with Marcy, but now she heard his voice in the wind. “’Tis my skin. It sheds every so often. Quickly, Caitlyn, solve the riddle. Save yourself. Now, do not wait.”
Shocked by what she’d just seen, she took a deep breath and started to speak, but a flame burst at the foot of the tree. She gasped, fear escalating. Gwyneth cackled behind her.
“No,” Caitlyn cried.
She grabbed handfuls of soil and threw them on the fire. The flames licked higher up the sides of the trunk. Desperate, she tried covering the fire with the bottom of her skirt, hoping to smother it, but the blazing tongues only increased. The odor of singed velvet permeated the air.
Panic rose in billowing waves inside Caitlyn. From behind her, Shay spoke. His beloved voice rang out reciting a chant. The lyrical words rose on the wind. Rain began to pour from the black clouds.
“Oh, very good, Shay. I wondered if Rhys had completely shut off your powers. I suppose not. They won’t help you, though.” Gwyneth sneered and raised a hand. She brought it down toward Shay. Lightning struck midway on the left side of the trunk. The wood splintered. He screamed.
Caitlyn, thrown by the force of the strike, landed on her rear several feet away. She shouted his name as the tree tilted. Rain, mixed with her tears, streamed down her face.
Fury filled her. With a cry, she struggled to her feet. “Leave him alone.”
“And what will you do? Use your magic on me?” Tilting her head back, Gwyneth cackled. “Oh, I am so frightened.”
Without thinking, Caitlyn leapt toward her. Raising a fist, she swung with all her rage behind it. Gwyneth, not expecting a physical attack, went down under the hit. Breathing hard, Caitlyn loomed over her, waiting for Gwyneth to make another move.
Instead of cringing in fear, the fallen woman chuckled and swiped the back of her hand across her mouth. Blood smeared over her lips and cheek. In a fluid movement, she kicked out at Caitlyn’s right thigh. Numbness filled her muscle, and she went down to her knee.
Gwyneth rolled to her feet and stood several feet away from her. “Big mistake, Catey, dear. I’d hoped to finish this without too much blood and grief, but you have sealed your fate.”
Her eyes widened and she raised both hands. Caitlyn struggled to rise. When she gained her feet, she hopped and limped to stand in front of the tree. The air crackled and surged with an overabundance of power.
“No, you won’t harm him. I won’t let you.” She spread her arms out to the side. Her blood pounded, and she closed her eyes in concentration. She let go of her worldly viewpoints and attitudes, calling forth the abilities etched on her soul, whispering, “For Shay.”
A bolt came down from the left and Caitlyn, sensing it, opened her mouth. The words flowed out of her to redirect the current. She cracked open her eyes, and watched it sizzle across the garden before landing against a stone column. Dust and stones flew from the granite.
The witch howled and sent more lightning toward them, but as she shouted, she kept her focus on Gwyneth. Three jagged lances of electricity flashed toward Shay. Determined, Caitlyn didn’t stop. The lightning curved and struck Gwyneth with an explosion. A high pitched cry ended in a choking gurgle.
The ground shifted beneath Caitlyn’s feet, and she fell to the side. Gasping in the smoke-filled air, she stared at the burned body of the woman who had been determined to destroy her. She took a shallow breath, hoping to calm down, and turned toward the blackthorn. Tilting more to one side after the blast, the tree had come loose from the soaked ground.
The tree was falling. She bounded to her feet. She had to stop the tree. Shay. Ignoring the thorns digging into her skin, she wrapped her arms around the slender trunk and held on, but the weight jerked her to the ground.
Sobs tore through her.
“No,” she cried. “I haven’t told you yet. Don’t die on me, Shay Evers.”
Blinded by tears, she tried to cover the roots with dirt. She grasped the trunk closer to the branches and worked to upright the tree. Her hands and arms b
led from a thousand tiny cuts where the thorns pierced her skin.
Exhausted, she fell to her knees. Sobbing, hysterical, she smeared the mud over the roots, mixing her blood and tears.
Finally, giving up, she placed her cheek against the black wood and whispered, “I never told you how much I love you.”
A gentle hand touched her shoulder. She refused to look. Rhys spoke, ordering Gwyneth’s remains taken from the garden. Caitlyn didn’t care. Shay was gone, lost to her.
Rhys grasped her upper arms. She whimpered. “Caitlyn, come, love.”
She pulled away with a growl. “Leave me alone. Haven’t we suffered enough? Let me stay with him for a while.”
As she spoke, a low humming vibration came from the trunk. She frowned and stared. Lights flickered all around the tree.
Rhys gripped her under her arms and hauled her several feet away. She glanced up at him. Surprise lined his face. He met her gaze. “Watch, Caitlyn.”
The vibrations increased, as did the humming. The sound and movement raced across the ground and rushed over her body. A force tugged her toward the tree. Her father let go of her and she was pulled back to the tree. With barely two feet separating her from the wood, the blackthorn rose upright. Rays of light burst from the twisted bark. She gasped.
Heat gathered in her fingers. She glanced down to see the rays coming from her. The light intensified until it blinded her. Her chest grew tight around her heart as if the organ would explode. A second later it did. White hot beams blasted from between her breasts.
Knowledge filled her. She sensed every molecule of matter, to the tiniest atom. She was physically blinded by the light as her eyes opened wider. She saw with an inner sight.
Past images appeared of the Tylwyth Teg arriving on this planet. A younger, innocent Shay walked the pristine meadows and forests, striding beside a golden-haired youth. Her father, Rhys, sharing his hopes and dreams for the future.
In a flash of brilliance, the future appeared. A small boy raced ahead of her toward a meadow. The green grass and bright yellow flowers fluttered with a gentle breeze. When he turned and grinned, her heart stilled for a moment. He possessed Shay’s features, but looked at her with eyes of deep emerald green.
