Brin burst out laughing.
“What is so funny?” she demanded.
“Your wings would only be purple if you were male,” he said, once he'd calmed enough to do so.
“Well, whatever. You know what I mean.”
“What a pair we make.” His forehead crinkled and he frowned—in his way.
“Now what are you thinking?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“I will always want to know. Tell me.”
He turned away from her, unable to look at her when he spoke. “Someday, you will leave me. I will not die, not from natural causes, at any rate, but you…”
“Is that what is bothering you? There are no guarantees in life, Brin. Cifera is even now making plans. Should I not risk my heart because it may be broken by Cifera’s schemes? It comes down to this, would you have the time we are given, or none at all?”
He turned to look at her again, and she could see him struggling with it, but then his face relaxed, and he grinned. “I will take what Tolah gives. If we only have a season, it will be enough, more, in fact, than I dreamed of ever having. There will never be anyone else for me, but Siusan, are you sure this will be enough for you? Can you say with certainty that you will have no regrets?”
“No, I cannot promise that.”
Brin’s shoulders slumped.
“I am sure I will have regrets,” she continued. “I will regret that I did not tell you how I felt sooner. I will regret that we ever bothered worrying about what others would think. I will probably regret that I wasted even a single opportunity to kiss you, but I promise that I will not regret my choice to love you, for it was never a choice to begin with, but a rare privilege that I will cherish all of my days.”
Brin nuzzled the side of her face with his own, ever so gently. “And you will be able to put up with my more difficult traits?”
“I was not aware that you had any flaws,” she teased.
“Honestly, neither was I, but Dearra seems to think so, and I don’t like to argue with her. She can be just a touch abrasive when riled.”
“Well, I will have to have a chat with her about that someday. Set her straight, as it were.”
Brin grinned wickedly. The thought of that conversation clearly amused him.
They spent the rest of the day laughing, talking, and eating, until both the food and light had disappeared. When night came, Siusan curled beside Brin and watched as he slept, and while she watched, she smiled.
Chapter 21
Brint couldn’t even look at Holly. How could Logan have done it? Surely he'd seen her standing in the doorway. What would possess the man to say such a thing? Brint couldn’t imagine what Holly must be thinking, and he didn’t even want to try. What he wanted to do was to come up with a foolproof way to kill Logan and make it look like an accident. That last part was very important. Tabitha was likely to be displeased if she found out he was responsible, and that would never do. His sister could be inventive when she wanted to be. Maybe killing wasn’t such a good idea, as she was bound to figure it out eventually.
The thing of it was, for as long as he could remember, people thought he was disposed of an endless supply of patience. They thought him calm, wise, and in control. What a joke that was. His Breken half about tore him up inside. Maybe when he was a baby he was naturally easygoing, but as he grew, it had taken a lot of effort. The older he got, the harder it got. Now, people believed he was patient and calm, because he almost always took the time to think before he spoke. He thought maybe his father understood. Sometimes, Darius would see something or sense something in him, and he would nod almost imperceptibly, as if acknowledging the great effort it was costing Brint to hold his tongue.
Finally, Brint chanced a look around the room. No one was talking except Gabriel, who was singing to himself. Brint couldn’t catch all the words, but it was something about a lazy butterfly and a chipmunk drinking blueberry wine by the side of a river. It didn’t make a lot of sense, but that was consistent with everything else about Gabriel. Who was Gabriel? How had he come to live alone, so far out in the forest, in a house that looked as though it had just been built that very day? Even his name was not his name, simply one he had chosen on a whim.
Gabriel bustled happily about, pouring tea into a set of teacups. When Brint lifted his cup, he saw it appeared to be made of solid gold, and had sprays of flowers embedded in it, made up of tiny, perfect gems. The saucer beneath was the same, but instead of flowers, the jewels were arranged to look like vines and leaves. He almost couldn’t believe they were really gold, but they were so heavy! Who on earth had a gold and jewel tea set? By the looks on everyone else’s faces, he wasn’t the only one to take notice.
“Nice cups,” Logan said, lifting one to eye level to get a closer look.
Gabriel beamed. “Thank you! Thank you! Just one of my little treasures. I’m quite proud of it.”
Brint took a closer look at the man. Something in Gabriel’s voice had grabbed his attention, and when he looked at the man, there was something there, something…he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, and then it was gone, and he was just Gabriel once more, but there had been something there—he was sure of it.
“Everyone have their tea? Excellent, excellent! Now, on to business. You must all leave here. Today would probably be best. Yes, today I think. You must go to the fairies as fast as you can.”
“But, Gabriel,” Holly said, “we are trying to get away from the fairies. You said they were looking for us, and Aesri said we must leave.”
“No, no, no, not those fairies, my dear. The other fairies. Now, by other fairies, I don’t mean the other, other fairies. No, we need to steer clear of them as long as we are able. I mean the other fairies.”
Here we go again, Brint thought. The man was crazy, no doubt about it.
Tabitha set her cup down on the table and leaned toward Gabriel. She spoke very slowly, as one might speak to a small child. “Gabriel, who are the other fairies, and who are the other, other fairies? We don’t understand.”
“Hmm,” he said, scratching his chin.
Brint wondered why he'd never noticed how long the man’s fingernails were. They were at least an inch in length and filed to a vicious point.
Gabriel smiled suddenly, and his whole face lit up. “The other fairies are the ones who are not where you were, and the other, other fairies are the ones who are where you do not wish to go.”
Tabby smacked her forehead with the heel of her hand, “Oh, how stupid of me! It all makes perfect sense now.”
Logan set his hand on her shoulder, and Brint had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from speaking.
“Gabriel,” Logan said calmly. “Where are the other fairies, the ones we want to get to?”
“Good question! Excellent question! They are all the way on the other side. You must cross some pretty treacherous country between here and there, but it shouldn’t be too bad. Well, yes, it actually will be too bad, but that’s just too bad, because too bad is what you must do if you want to get to where you are not.”
Brint wondered if it was his imagination, or if Gabriel got crazier the longer they knew him. He saw a grin flitter across the man’s face, and he had his first inkling that maybe Gabriel was having a little fun with them. He decided to test the theory.
“Gabriel, I’ve had enough of your foolishness! Give us direct answers or we'll leave right now and take our chances. We will not be twisted in knots by you or anyone else!” Brint met and held Gabriel’s gaze. He almost wavered when Gabriel’s silver eyes flashed cold and menacing, but then the eyes softened, and Gabriel grinned at him once more.
“Not many people have gotten to speak to me that way and live to tell the tale, Darach Croi.”
The way Gabriel had said the words, Darach Croi, made them sound sarcastic, like he knew the truth of Brint’s heart, but when he looked at the others, no one else seemed to have noticed it.
“Fine, I will keep this
as simple as possible so that you may understand. The other fairies, are the fairies who left Etrafa a thousand years ago. They took the prophecy and hid it away until the appointed time. Minxa knew it would not be safe for long. People fear change. All people fear change, whether they be Maj, Etrafarian, Breken, Tamon, Orla or…whoever. It is the same everywhere, Minxa was at least smart enough to see that much. She told a small group of friends and elders, and they told a few more. In the beginning, there must have been about a couple of hundred who went away, but there are many fewer now. Oh, they prospered and grew in number for a while, but now, not so many babies are born, and each generation is diminished."
“But we were told that they were lost in a storm!” Logan said in surprise. “The story goes that a large group of Etrafarians took several ships and left Etrafa to go in search of a cure for the Great Tree. Teacher says it was all the more astonishing because of how many men went along. Reports came back to the island from some gulls and a passing whale that the ships had foundered in a terrible gale, and all were taken back to Rah.”
“Of course! You didn’t expect them to tell everyone what they were up to, did you? Wouldn’t have been terribly secret if they announced it to one and all. The gulls and the whale were in on it, you see, as a favor for some Etrafarian friends.”
“So,” Logan said, “these other fairies are the descendants of that group, and they are living on the far north side of the island?”
Gabriel was nodding. “It’s a big island, Logan, and your people don’t stray far, even when on a sojourn. No one goes anywhere near them.”
“But the trees would have said something, surely.”
“No, there is the rock desert. It isn’t a very wide band, but it divides the whole country, and no trees grow. The trees to the north and the trees to the south have no communication with one another as their roots are not connected, and now, of course, the trees do not speak at all.”
“Do you know why that is?” Holly asked anxiously. “I wondered if maybe I…well, if that was my fault too.”
Gabriel took her hands in his. “No, child. None of it is your fault. You were the catalyst, but this was all destined to happen long, long ago. Be easy in your mind on that.”
“I know I will probably regret asking, but who are the other, other fairies?” Logan said.
Gabriel took a long time to answer. He paced about the room, and at one point looked upward and mumbled something, as if in conversation with someone. He nodded, he shook his head, he paced some more. Then he sighed and looked at them again.
“The Dark Hearts.”
Brint remembered hearing the term before. The mermaids had mentioned Dark Hearts, but Aesri had slammed the door on the subject when he tried to ask about them, claiming they were only a myth.
“Dark Hearts?” Tabitha asked.
Now Logan was the one to stand and pace about the room. “Evil Etrafarians, Tabitha.”
“No, not evil, Logan,” Gabriel said quietly. “Call them misguided, but never evil.”
“I don’t understand,” Tabby tried again.
Logan looked at Gabriel and received a nod of encouragement. “You know about Auriel and Cifera? Well, when Rah banished Cifera from Etrafa, she did not go alone. You must remember she was much loved by many, many people. When she left, she promised power and knowledge to any who would follow and serve her. At least, that is the story. It was so long ago, many Etrafarians believe it is a story only. To even speak of the Dark Hearts is considered to be in incredibly bad taste. Like mentioning an abomination, it is best never spoken of, true or not.”
“They are real, I assure you,” Gabriel said. “Really real, and not at all evil. As I said, misguided. You people are all misguided in one way or another.”
“You people?” Brint lifted a brow in Gabriel’s direction. “You exclude yourself from any such flaw?”
“Most assuredly!” He stood taller and puffed out his chest, and for an instant, Brint thought he saw something again, but then it was gone once more.
“Enough talking. You have enough to be going on with.”
“You aren’t coming with us?” Tabitha asked him.
“No, no, no, my little part in this drama is at an end, at least for the time being. Rah must look after his children, and I must look after mine. My children, you see, are quite a handful, as well. I probably should have been firmer with them, but children will be children, you know, and they always think they know better than their parents.”
“You have children? I have not seen any. Where is your wife?” Logan asked with interest.
“I have many children, but alas, they are all grown now. Still, they need my guidance from time to time, and I must be back about the task. Prepare yourselves as best you can. I will make a nice luncheon before you go, and then you should head north. Do not stray or tarry, if you can help it. At a steady pace, you should reach the desert in another few weeks. This desert isn’t especially dry; it is only that the soil will not support life. You will not need to carry water with you for the crossing. Holly’s powers are not especially strong, but she should be able to provide for the three of you. Beyond the desert, you will come to a forest of very old growth. It isn’t malevolent, but let’s call it…moody. Yes, that is a good word for it. I simply adore a good word, don’t you? Mooooooody. Drips from the tongue like honey, am I right? Speaking of honey, we are out, so there will only be jam with luncheon.”
Brint rolled his eyes. Gabriel was falling back into his old ways.
“Gabriel, what happens when we get to the forest?”
“Hmm? Oh, yes, that is where you want to be. They, the other fairies I mean, will be expecting you.”
“Expecting us? Who told them we were coming?” Logan asked.
“No one that I know of.” Gabriel gave Logan a look that said he thought the boy was losing his grip.
“Then how—”
“They’ve been keeping the prophecy for a millennium. Don’t you think that if a couple fairies of mixed parentage and some half-Breken, half-Maj twins saunter in, they might pick up on the fact you are the ones they are waiting for? I mean, seriously.”
Brint couldn’t help his chuckle; the man had a point.
***
They were almost ready to leave, but there was no sign of Gabriel, and though he was a very odd sort of person, they did owe him. No one wanted to leave without saying goodbye.
“Here I am! Here I am!” Gabriel called out.
He was holding his robes up as he ran, and Tabitha noticed with some amusement that he didn’t appear to be wearing anything underneath. He was carrying something in his arms, but Tabby couldn’t tell what, as it had been wrapped in an old, frayed blanket.
“Here, now. You didn’t think I was going to let you go without a little gift to commemorate our first meeting. Ah, here, Tabitha: this is for you, and Logan: this one is for you.”
Logan let out a whistle of appreciation as he took the sword. It was beautiful, well balanced, and the hilt had been fashioned into a stylized representation of the Great Tree.
Tabitha held the sword that she'd been given and grimaced. She'd left her sword on Maj for a reason. She didn’t want anything to do with learning how to fight, and other than once or twice when she'd been forced to move it when she rearranged her room, she hadn’t even touched her sword in better than six years.
“Yes, I know. You think you don’t like swords,” Gabriel said in response to her unspoken thoughts. “Humor me. I think you’ll find that you…have a gift for them.” At this he chuckled to himself.
Tabitha thanked him, but resolved to get rid of it the very first chance she got.
Holly was looking on, and when Gabriel handed her a small box, the expectation was easy to read on her face. When she opened it, however, expectation turned to confusion. “I thought it would be a weapon, maybe a dagger, like my mother uses.” She lifted a fine chain from the box, and looked at the strange pendant that hung from it. It looked like…well
, it kind of looked like a leaf, but it was made of metal. It was very narrow, and perhaps four or five inches long. “It’s very pretty, thank you.”
“It’s better than a weapon, Holly.” Gabriel took the chain from her hands and slipped it around her neck. “Here! Brint, come here and try to take it off of her again.”
Poor Brint. Tabby thought her brother looked like he was going to swallow his own tongue. She watched him fight his own instincts for a moment before squaring his shoulders and stepping forward. He shifted Holly’s hair, so that it would not get caught when he went to take off the necklace, and grasped the chain gently on either side, but nothing happened. Tabby saw him adjust his grip, and it was at that point that she noticed the bands of muscle in his arms were pulled taught, straining against the chain, but it didn’t move at all. Finally, he stopped, and stepped away.
“It won’t budge,” he said, bewildered.
Logan stepped forward. “May I?” he asked.
Now it was Holly’s turn to be uncomfortable, and she flushed as he moved closer, but she nodded for him to continue.
It was the same thing all over again. No matter how hard he tried, the chain would not move.
“It’s a key,” Gabriel said, clapping his hands. It will fit any lock. Or, I should say, it has so far, but you never know. Holly is the only one who can take it off.”
As if to confirm his statement, Holly slipped the chain easily over her head and looked at it again. “Thank you, Gabriel.” She kissed his cheek lightly and returned the necklace to its place around her neck.
“Oh, well…it’s just a pretty bobble. I am glad it pleases you.”
Tabitha smiled at the two spots of color that bloomed on Gabriel’s cheeks.
“And, last but not least, for Brint. You already have a sword, and a very fine one, too. For you, I have this. Take good care of it. You will know the right time to use it.”
Prophecy (The Destiny Series Book 4) Page 17
