Nuala had said the day before that the fae do not lie, but they don’t always tell the whole truth…this could be a lot trickier and more dangerous than Darby had first thought.
For the moment she put this out of her mind and noticed her surroundings and she stepped upon the stoop of the little house. Though it needed some repairs, it was cute and the gardens were impeccable. Darby knocked on the door and was surprised how quickly Nuala opened it - almost as if she knew she was there before she knocked.
“Dia duit ar maidin,” Nuala said (which sounded like: “Dee-ah dwit air mod ging”). Darby could only assume it was a greeting of good morning and responded with a “Good morning to you too!”
“Ar mhaith leat tea?” Nuala asked (which sounded like: “Air wott lat tay?” She nodded her head towards a pot that was on the stove.
Darby responded after putting two and two together saying, “Oh - tea…yes, I’d love some.” Nuala smiled as she scurried around the tiny kitchen. Though it looked somewhat like a potting shed with swags, branches, and bunches of herbs and flowers hanging upside down from the ceiling drying, it actually was quaint and homey. The garden outside was everything to this woman and it showed on the inside as well. At first glance one might think it to be shabby or messy, but when one was to take a closer look, they would find how intricately the bunches were wound with colored twine, and Darby was sure that Nuala knew exactly where everything was without rummaging through cupboards looking at labels on a spice jar. The house was spick and span despite the leaking roof in the far corner where a large pot was set and from which a big grey and white cat was drinking. It was comfortable here and it personified Nuala like no other home could portray its inhabitant.
Nuala didn’t dawdle with her lessons and jumped right into teaching as soon as she had a wee bit of tea. Finally they would be talking about something to which Darby could make a contribution. Crystals. In the past Darby had done a lot of reading and experimenting with crystals. Her specialty was making pouches filled with specific herbs and crystals to attain what was needed, whether it be protection from something or someone, or just to get over a cold. But what Nuala brought to the table was years and years of practice and experience, something Darby did not have and wasn’t able to share with her previous relatives. Darby took it all in like a sponge, absorbing all the knowledge she wished she could have received from her grandparents, but Nuala was a great substitute. Though hard to understand sometimes, they worked well together.
After hours of excited banter between the two, Nuala told her that they were going to do some scrying. Since Darby had not done any scrying in the past, it would take some practice. She had Darby pick out a crystal that spoke to her. Though many did, she came back several times to the one she finally decided on. It was a polished, water clear quartz with six facets down its length. It was pointed on one end and blunted flat on the other. On the blunt end was a small stone of amethyst and one of rose quartz. A bent wire wrapped delicately embracing all three stones kept them in place and provided for an eyelet for a bit of silk thread to be tied. Darby knew that amethyst was an extremely powerful and protective stone. It is often the stone of meditation, spirituality, and contentment. It can often make a person feel less scattered and in control of their faculties. Rose quartz is known as the ‘love stone.’ It resonates warmth, joy, and unconditional love, but for Darby it always reminded her of the small rose quartz heart her father gave her when she was young, shy, and nervous, to soothe her anguish. When Darby decided on her stone, Nuala also gave her a simple white linen handkerchief and instructed her to do as she did.
Nuala laid the cloth out flat on the table in front of her and placed her crystal in the middle of it. She had found a hand drawn picture in one of her many tomes of what the bottle that held the last drop of the ‘Elixir of Life’ looked like, so that they could concentrate on it. She also smoothed out a portion of a map showing the lake in which the bottle had been tossed. With her eyes closed, she spoke softly in Gaelic, mostly to herself. Darby wasn’t sure if she should try and repeat the words or find her own, when she suddenly knew what to say:
Keepers of all things that are missing
Hear my pleas don’t be dismissing
Like good balances evil, the seasons too react
If summer dies and winter attacks, a war it will attract
An ancient bottle its contents pure
The summer queen it’s sure to cure
Tossed and drowned in Kilbarron Lake
Tons of bottles, a mountain they make
Please narrow our search of the lake bed floor
To a place on this map we do implore
Nuala winked at Darby and set her pendulum crystal aside, then took the handkerchief and tied a knot in it. Darby did the same and they walked out to the garden with their knotted hankies in one hand and their crystals in the other. Nuala got on her knees with a small spade and began digging a small hole. She handed Darby the spade when she was done and then she placed the handkerchief knot first in the ground, like she was planting a tulip bulb. Then she said;
Bound and binding
Binding, bound
I plant this knot within Earth’s ground
Hearing and seeing
Sight, sound
This knot will be untied when the object is found.
As they walked back into the tiny home, Nuala explained that the spell they had just done had originated in Greece and was very powerful. Having had their crystals in their hands all this time, they had warmed up and connected with their handlers. Nuala said, “Do as I do,” and Darby watched her like a hawk.
She wrapped the thread around her fingers and held her hand palm up. One word was spoken, “Yes.” When the word was said, her pendulum swayed back and forth. It took many times to get Darby’s to give a consistent reading of “Yes,” but after some concentration and some practice, she and her crystal got to know one another. Once Darby was getting a consistent reading, they attempted to hold the pendulums over the map. Nothing happened for either of them, but Nuala said that with a little more practice, she felt confident Darby would have it working.
Darby, however, was more concerned with how she was going to find the item under water; even if the scrying gave her a general place to look, how would her magic be strong enough to find it, let alone be under water for long amounts of time? Should she be taking scuba lessons too along with Faerie lessons from Nuala and the princesses? The task seemed more daunting with each step forward, and with every question that was answered, twenty new ones came to the surface.
*****
Back home, Darby found great comfort in the arms of Devon. They sat in silence for a long while lounging on the couch, listening to the crackle of the fire and holding one another.
Devon broke the silence with, “I’m going to get a beer; do you want one?”
“Yes, please,” Darby answered.
As he walked in to the kitchen he asked, “So how did it go today? Learn anything new?”
“So much I couldn’t possibly tell you all of it. It was like learning from Merlin or some great master of crystals. Of course there were some issues with the language barrier. Her accent is so thick; I really had to concentrate to understand what she was telling me. Not to mention her throwing in a little Gaelic every now and again, but somewhere down the line we seemed to get into sync with one another. It was really fascinating.”
He plopped down on the couch next to her with a grunt, and handed her an opened beer. “Well, that’s good, right?”
“Yeah, of course it is. Are you feeling okay?” Darby asked.
“Yeah…I think I’m just really tired. I feel a little dizzy and nauseous, but I don’t think it’s anything. So if you felt it went well, then why do you seem a little down in the dumps?” Devon asked.
“Well, I’ve been thinking. It’s one thing to scry and find an area to start looking for the bottle, but it is a totally different thing to actually pluck it from the bottom of
the lake. I don’t know about vampires, but I can’t hold my breath very long. Certainly not long enough to search through a mountain of bottles.
“And another thing, I’ve been wondering about this illness the Summer Queen has. Nobody has said anything or accused anyone but something in my gut tells me that this might be the work of the Unseelie Court. If so, they are not going to take kindly to me searching for the cure. Most likely they will try to intercede and prevent me from finding it,” Darby explained.
“Which means you think you might be in some kind of danger?” Devon surmised.
“Exactly.”
“What makes you think there may be something more sinister going on? Maybe the queen is just sick.”
“Could be, but over the last couple of days with Nuala, she said something that stuck with me and I can’t seem to cross it out of my mind,” Darby mentioned.
“What did she say?”
“She said the fae, NEVER lie,” Darby answered.
“Well, that’s a good thing, right?” Devon asked.
“It should be, but she also said that fae are notorious for not telling the WHOLE truth,” Darby added.
“Ah! I see what you are getting at. You think that there is maybe more to the story than they’ve told you,” Devon said.
“Right.”
“Like what?” he wondered.
“I don’t know; that’s what’s bugging me. I know from Nuala’s teachings that there is always tension between the courts. Sometimes it’s power, sometimes pranks, sometimes sibling rivalry, but it’s always there just below the surface. Nuala said that though the Seelie court is benevolent, they tend to be pranksters; maybe someone took things too far, or maybe something was misconstrued,” Darby explained.
“Well, that would be easy if the tension is what you described,” he replied.
“Yes. AND Nuala told me of this crazy event the Sidhe have every century called the Exaltation. It’s a series of games and competitions that go on for a thirteen day period that ends in the coronation of the winner.” “Another king or queen?”
“Exactly - the High King or High Queen. But to keep the powers of the courts equal, the queen or king that wins, must pick his/her partner on the throne from the opposite court,” she told him.
“So a Seelie High King must pick a High Queen from the Unseelie Court? That’s certainly not a marriage made in heaven,” Devon said.
“I know, right? With all this tension between the season queens, the strain of the different courts, and a High Court of opposites? It’s amazing the courts have survived without war,” Darby said.
“My guess is there have been wars; we just don’t know about them and maybe they happened so long ago, no one on this plane remembers,” Devon surmised.
“That’s a very good point.”
“I guess I can see your dilemma. There seems to be so many rules to abide by not to insult the fae and now when you aren’t exactly sure if they are telling you everything - how do you ask without making trouble yourself?”
“Right. I just wonder if they will tell me if I’m in danger in time for me to do something about it, you know? Or are they just out for their own interests? And how the heck am I supposed to find this bottle that’s under water?”
“I’m sure we will figure something out, but maybe I should look into getting us some dry suits…the water here is really, really cold,” Devon said.
“I knew you’d make me feel better. Thank you,” Darby said.
“Anytime. I think I’m going to head to bed. Coming?”
“Yeah. You sure you are feeling okay?” Darby asked again, a little worried.
“With you by my side? How can anything be bad?” he said, taking her hand and leading her up the stairs to bed.
Chapter Seventeen
Anton headed down to the basement and grabbed a bag of blood. He poured himself a glass of O-positive, his favorite, and headed back upstairs. With still no Bernard, the food supply in the house was getting to be pretty slim pickings. Thank God, they had recently received a shipment of blood.
With paper in one hand and glass in the other, he headed to the study and found Mark sitting at Dominic’s desk.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Didn’t know you were in here,” Anton apologized.
“Your dad called me last night and wanted me to look for some things in his desk. He’s not the most organized guy, is he?” Mark said.
“Actually he is, it’s just an organization that no one knows but him. Try reading his notes yet?” Anton asked.
“Yes. What language is that?” Mark joked.
“Chicken scratch Dominic style,” Anton joked. “Did you find what you need?”
“Yeah. Thankfully it had nothing to do with his notes. He had me pull this map of the tunnels under the castle again. I was going to compare it to the sketch I made about a week ago for him. He wanted exact measurements of everything. Thank God they are still undergoing restoration construction on the castle. It was pretty easy to get in undetected. It’s funny though, as creepy as those tunnels are, the altar room itself is quite peaceful and calming,” Mark admitted.
“It is, isn’t it? I felt the same way, that is until I ran into the Dark Angel,” Anton said as he took the last gulp of blood from his glass, and then realized what he was doing in front of Mark. “Oh, sorry. I hope that didn’t bother you. I forget sometimes.”
“I try to pretend it is tomato juice and try not to think about it too much,” Mark said with a squeamish face.
“Right. I’ll try to be more sensitive. I’ll leave you to your work,” Anton said as he grabbed his glass and started to head out of the room.
“Actually, wait. You’re just as involved with this as I am. I’d love to have your take on what I’ve found,” Mark said.
“Sure. What can I help with?” Anton said as he walked to the desk and viewed the map.
“This,” Mark said referring to the big map of the tunnels, “is the map we used when we were trying to get Lanie back from Dimitri. You can see how the altar room is shaped like a pentagram, right?” Mark pointed out.
“Right.”
“Since the map was hand drawn, I had to compare my measurements with the map’s measurements to figure out what scale it was in. It wasn’t exact but it’s close. Then I drew my sketch of the altar room on this vellum.” Mark held it up, showing it to Anton.
“Now like I said, it isn’t exactly to scale, but it is awful close. But if I lay my sketch over the map’s drawing of the room,” Mark said as he lined up the doorway of his drawing with the map’s outline of the room. “See…my sketch isn’t the same shape,” Mark said.
“You’re right. I don’t remember the room looking like a pentagram, but it’s hard to determine the shape when you are there with the rooms that are off to the sides.”
“And that’s why I checked my notes twice along with the measurements and the scale,” Mark told him.
“So what are you thinking?” Anton asked.
“I’m thinking it is a castle; maybe it’s a secret room or passage to another room,” Mark suggested.
“That is interesting,” Anton said.
“I know, right?”
“Have you told Dominic yet?” Anton wondered.
“No. I wanted to check my notes again before I told him.
“I think this calls for a field trip?” Anton suggested.
“Oh no. Your dad’s a vampire. If something happens to you, he’ll eat me.”
“You’re kidding right? Come on. You really think Dominic will kill you? I think over the past few months, you’ve come to know us better than that. Besides what makes you think I won’t kill you if you don’t go?” Anton joked.
Surprise and shock came over Mark’s face and he swallowed hard.
“I’m kidding, Mark. Geez,” Anton said.
Mark laughed dryly. “What if we run into trouble?”
“You mean like a vampire? Hello, I think I can take care of us if we meet one.”
“What if it’s that Dark Angel Vampire - last time you went there alone, you ran into it,” Mark argued.
“Well, I think crossing paths like that is highly unlikely, but I suppose it’s possible. I did have another one of those dreams and it was about the Dark Angel and the altar room, but that’s why I’m so curious. I’d like to see with my own eyes what the Dark Angel was looking for,” Anton said.
“I think we should wait and tell Dominic what we’ve uncovered and decide then,” Mark suggested.
“Mark. They’ve got their hands full with Blake. Don’t you think it would be better if we did some research on our own and then presented some good news to them instead of unsubstantiated guesses?”
“Even if we go there, it’s highly unlikely we find the room without the key that Dominic has,” Mark argued.
“Then that’s what you think the seal on the artifact is?”
“I do. Although I’m not sure it’s to what’s behind the wall, but definitely something associated with that room,” Mark said.
“Well let’s go find out,” Anton said.
“Fine, but if your father asks, I was the voice of reason here,” Mark interjected.
“Definitely.”
“And let me get some things from the cottage before we go,” Mark said.
“Like what?”
Mark didn’t answer, shaking his head as he headed out of the room and out the front door for the cottage.
*****
While Anton was rolling up the map and sticking it into a cardboard tube, he heard a knock at the door and then a, “Hello? Dominic?” Anton recognized the voice.
“In here, Doctor Rowe,” Anton answered.
The doctor walked in, setting his bag down on one of the big leather chairs. “Where’s Bernard?”
“Not sure. Haven’t seen him in days. He just kind of took off,” Anton said.
“Really? That’s not like him,” the doctor pointed out.
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