Callan rolled his eyes dramatically, making the children giggle. “We’ll see what else we can find tomorrow.”
“Let’s stick to geese and fish,” she muttered into her mug.
Callan laughed. “Honestly, between us, we could take down a mountain, cook every beast that lived on it, and clean up afterward. Do you really believe we’re in any danger from a few wild animals?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it again, looking away. “Whatever.”
Callan sniggered and loaded another marshmallow onto Zander’s empty stick. “What would you like to do tomorrow, Enya?” he asked, offering her a freshly loaded stick as well.
“Dunno. Can we go up that mountain?” She pointed across the lake. The moon shone down on the snowy peak, illuminating it so beautifully Charlotte could have gone up there that instant.
“No,” Zander said quickly. “I don’t like mountains. Can we go somewhere else?”
Charlotte’s eyes flicked from Zander to Callan. “That’s okay, baby. We don’t have to. We’ll find something else to do,” she said softly, offering Enya an apologetic look.
“I’ll take you up,” Callan said to her. “You can do something else, okay, Zander?”
He nodded gloomily. “Can we go back into the forest, Mummy? I liked it in there.”
“Anything you like.”
Zander fell into sullen silence, frowning at the fire as he fought some internal battle. Charlotte watched him, not knowing if she should speak.
“Can I go to bed?” he asked after a few minutes.
Charlotte frowned at his uncharacteristic low mood. “Yeah, if you want to.”
He went into the cabin without another word. Enya gave her a questioning look, but she shook her head and watched Zander go.
“I’ll talk to him,” Callan said, passing Enya the bag of marshmallows and following him inside.
“What’s wrong, Mummy?” Enya whispered.
She closed her eyes and opened her arms. Enya moved to sit on her, cradled in her lap.
Can’t lie about this one.
“Do you remember when Zander was missing? When we came home and his head was cut?”
Enya nodded, frowning.
“Well, Miss Brown took him to a mountain and hid him there. When we found him, we brought him out and he made the mountain collapse so nobody else could be kept there. I think it upsets him to remember all that. Don’t worry about it. He’ll be okay. He just doesn’t want to go to another mountain.”
Enya nodded. “So I can go with Daddy?”
“If you want to, baby, yes,” she murmured into her hair as she kissed the top of Enya’s head. “I’ll take Zander looking for mountain lions or something equally dangerous. It’ll be fun.”
Enya giggled and cuddled in close.
“I love you,” she whispered, rocking Enya gently on her knee.
“Love you, Mama,” she whispered in return, stifling a yawn.
When Callan returned, he lifted and carried Enya inside. Charlotte helped herself to a marshmallow and looked back up at the peak.
I’ll never forgive them for what they’ve done to my kids. Evil bastards. I should have killed them myself. I wish I’d had the strength…
“He’s fine,” Callan said from behind her.
She shook her head sadly, but didn’t say anything. He sat on the pebbles beside her and followed her gaze. “He won’t always feel like that, Charlotte. It’s still a bit raw.”
“I know,” she sighed, leaning into him. “He shouldn’t be dealing with any of that at his age.”
“No, well, it’ll be over soon and he won’t have to deal with any of it again.”
“You’re still taking Enya up though?”
“If she wants to go, yes. There’s a family of otters near here. I saw them when I came to view the place. I’ll take you up there to watch them with Zander while we’re gone.”
“He’ll enjoy that. That’s definitely his sort of thing.”
Callan found a small outcrop of rocks on the eastern bank of the lake and left Charlotte and Zander there while he took Enya up the mountain. They hadn’t sat for long before they noticed small, black creatures swimming to the shore. They sat perfectly still, not wanting to frighten them away, and watched from the pebbled bank. Zander hardly took a breath as he gazed, wide-eyed.
The smallest of them looked their way and twitched its whiskers. Another joined it, both looking intently at Zander. Before Charlotte could react, Zander slowly climbed from their rock and settled on the pebbled ground. The little animals flinched back, but didn’t return to the water as a third, much larger, otter joined them. It sniffed the air, studying him for a few moments before advancing up the beach.
Charlotte froze, mesmerised by the odd behaviour of the wild animals, unsure if it would hurt him. It didn’t appear to fear him. If anything, it seemed curious; drawn to him. The otter paused, then looked back to its young, giving a strange, wheezing squeak. Zander giggled at the sound, drawing their full attention, and they moved closer.
They edged towards him until they were only a foot away; then the smaller two scuttled forwards and hopped into his lap.
Surprise gave way to awe as Charlotte watched Zander play with the baby otters. Their parent, ever watchful, remained a couple of feet away, but showed no sign of being afraid. Zander giggled and spoke to them softly as they nuzzled his arms and played in the loose fabric of his open jacket, squeaking and tumbling around him. Her eyes brimmed with tears as he turned to her, beaming with joy.
She wasn’t sure how long they sat watching the otters play, but eventually Callan returned a good way away from where they were and watched the spectacle, too. He quietly approached with Enya, leaving her on the ground to inch closer to her brother and his new friends. The older otter watched her as she joined them, assessing her.
Callan settled beside Charlotte, but dared not speak. She pushed a thought to him.
Is this the earth magic?
She looked to him, and he nodded.
This is incredible. Will all animals be like this with him?
He nodded again and smiled. Tipping his head, he invited her to share his thoughts.
All animals are drawn to an earth wielder, even inherently fierce ones. They know he’s one of them. He maintains the balance of their world, keeps their habitats safe, and they know he can be trusted. They’ll trust Enya by extension. He’s shown no fear of her and she’s small, not threatening, so she’s welcome to join them. We’re larger, less trustworthy, so we’re permitted to stay here. If we move, they’ll run.
She nodded her understanding and turned her attention back to the children and animals. After another few minutes, the older otter let out another squeak and retreated to the water. The babies ran to join him, giving one last glance back as Zander rose from the pebbled floor.
“That was awesome,” he whispered, his eyes bright and dancing with exhilaration. “Enya, they just came and sat with me!”
“You’re an earth wielder. That’s what you do,” Callan explained. “All animals will behave like that if you invite them.”
“Wow,” Enya whispered, glaring at her brother.
Charlotte smiled at Zander. “Yep, that’s pretty amazing!”
They watched the otters slink back into the lake and she asked, “Shall we go back for lunch?”
They made their way back around the lake to the cabin for lunch. Zander ran along the edge of the lake, the otters following him a few feet out where the water was deep enough to swim. Enya followed, giggling as they went.
“You didn’t say he’d be able to do that,” Charlotte said to Callan as they followed hand in hand.
“I hadn’t thought about it, to be honest. He’ll become more in tune with them as he gets older.”
“So he’s going to end up like Dr. Doolittle?” she joked.
“Something like that,” he said and chuckled. “The mountain was beautiful, by the way.”
She glanced over her s
houlder and sighed. “I’d have loved to have seen it. Maybe next time. What did you do up there?”
Callan rubbed the back of his neck and looked ahead. “Not much.”
“What did you do?” she demanded.
“May or may not have taken a sledge up,” he mumbled, wincing in anticipation of a punch in the arm.
She obliged. “Who goes sledging at that height!”
“We do! She loved it. Zander will, too; next time.”
She shook her head in exasperation, but didn’t say anything more.
This is where they get it from. Adrenalin junkies, the lot of them.
Later that evening they sat on the veranda, Charlotte snuggled on Callan’s lap, looking out over the moonlit lake.
“Thank you for bringing us here,” she murmured.
“Thank you for being here. I haven’t enjoyed being anywhere like this for years. Now you’re here, I can share them all with you.”
Smiling, she shifted slightly to look into his eyes. “I’ll always be here, Callan. I’ll always be with you to share these places. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
His kiss was gentle. Thankful. She smiled as she pulled away, resting her head back on his shoulder.
When it’s just us four, everything is perfect. Maybe we should stay here. Maybe we should hide ourselves away and let them handle everything.
We don’t owe them anything. We owe our children happy childhoods. We owe them experiences like they’ve had today.
I couldn’t live with myself though. They’d be hurt. Killed. Dane would be her first target, then Lukas. Markus would be easy to take down if she took his sons. The rest aren’t a match for her.
No. We must face her. We must fight. And when she’s gone, we’ll be able to have this.
Twenty-four.
The next few weeks passed quietly. The lack of news from Houska had Charlotte feeling nervous. She occupied herself with training. Callan insisted on going away for a few days to the cabin for Zander to spend time with the animals he’d befriended, and to help her handle her rising anxiety.
The final weekend in April had them all busy preparing for the Beltane celebrations. Caoimhe and Alayna set the children to work making decorations for the gardens while they helped with the catering.
While they ate lunch in the palace, Charlotte managed to pull Dagda to one side to ask after Ferne.
“Have you seen her?”
Dagda nodded and offered a weak smile. “I go over most evenings. Check on her. She’s gone back to work and seems much happier for having something to do.”
“Are you okay?”
“If she’s happy, I’m happy,” he said in a flat tone.
“Is that it then? You carry on like this until something changes?”
“Yeah, I think so,” he said. There was none of his usual jovial spirit; his eyes lacklustre and sad as he answered her questions.
“I feel terrible. I haven’t seen her for ages,” she admitted. “I’ve been so busy with everything else. Can you tell her I’ll see her at the celebration?”
“I won’t see her until Monday now. But I’ll tell her.”
“She isn’t coming up for Beltane?”
“No, she doesn’t want to. I’ve told her no one will ask any awkward questions, but she doesn’t want to face the family apparently.”
“Well that’s just—” she paused, an odd buzzing sound filling her ears. “What’s that?” she asked.
“Markus. I’ll have Ma watch the children and meet you there.”
You’re needed, Charlotte.
Callan glanced their way and said, “We have to go.”
In moments, they were in the main entrance hall of the palace, a Druid waiting to escort them on to Houska.
“What’s going on?” Callan asked, as the Druid nodded a greeting.
“A meeting,” the Druid said as Callan gripped his shoulder and whisked them away.
The study was set out as usual. Everyone but Klara, Dagda, and Taran were there; all sat in comfortable armchairs sipping drinks.
“Charlotte, Callan, thank you for coming so quickly,” Markus said, his voice grave. His eyes were dark, lips set in a firm line. “Sit. We have news.” With a nod to Dursek, he resumed his conversation. “How many?”
Dane sighed, cracking his knuckles. “Twenty-three families. Many were children. They were thorough.” His usual pale complexion had turned ashen, his eyes sad and dull.
“What’s gone on?” Charlotte asked quietly, looking away from Dane and sitting beside Callan on a sofa. The knot in her stomach, the unbearable pain in Dane’s eyes, suggested she already knew.
Taran and Dagda arrived before he could answer, immediately taking their seats.
Markus nodded to Dane to continue.
“A village has been attacked,” he said, his voice rough and threatening to crack. “Daeva. There’s nothing left. She must be close by, but is doing a good job of evading us.”
The room was silent, but for the soft sound of Dursek’s footsteps as he approached with drinks for the late arrivals. Charlotte gave him a wan smile of thanks before asking, “What do we do?”
Dane looked to Markus for an answer. “We continue to wait. Izak, Tyrin: move the Druids here. All of them.”
“Is there room, Father?”
“We make room,” he snapped, causing Dane to flinch and lower his head. “Lukas, Anton: have our fire wielders clear the snow. Dursek, could you ask Agáta to organise the kitchen staff? We will be housing a little over four hundred people and they will require food, hot water, and washing facilities. Klara is already tending the victims.”
Dursek bowed and left the room as Markus turned to Taran. “We’ll need those extra guards, my friend.”
Taran nodded. “I shall send provisions as well. The least we can do is help support them, Mark.”
The careworn king offered his friend a thin smile and drained his glass.
Izak and Tyrin rose from their seats. “Tyrin and I will take small teams of guards and deliver the families to the ballroom. Starting closest to the castle and work our way out?”
Markus nodded and pressed his clenched fist to his mouth as they left.
“Charlotte, would you and Alayna arrange for toys and clothing to be brought here from Avalon? I understand Alayna has a good relationship with several clothing boutiques and toy shops in the city. Dane. We need yurts. Large enough to house families; easily heated. Callan, Dagda, could you assist Dane?”
Rising from their seats, Taran took Charlotte’s hand. She took it back and placed it on Markus’ arm. “Do you need anything, Markus?”
He held her gaze, his eyes a little brighter. “For those people to be made safe, Charlotte. I am going out to liaise with Konrad. We will gather here at six o’clock to discuss.”
She smiled, lowering her hand, taking Taran’s and looked to Callan, Dane, and Dagda. “I’ll see you soon.”
Alayna had arranged for every suitable item to be delivered to the palace ballroom in under an hour. Charlotte gazed at the stacked crates in amazement. Palace staff, servants, and guards stood ready with their individual consignments, waiting for the Druids to arrive and escort them past Zander’s wards at Houska.
“How did you manage all of this in that short space of time?” Charlotte asked as she walked through the room with Alayna.
“It’s what I do: I organise things. I only hope Markus has a suitable room for the toys,” she said distracted.
“I’m sure he has. He wouldn’t have asked for them otherwise, I don’t think.”
Alayna stopped, shrugged, and turned to face her. “Those poor people, Charlotte. Why would she kill children?” Tears welling in her eyes, Alayna confessed, “Markus surprised me.”
“In what way? He’s a good man, Alayna. The odious front he puts on is a defence. I don’t know what from, but it is just a front. He loves his family and his people. I thought you were over that anyway?”
“Not entirely. I’m lea
rning that I’ve judged him harshly. I’m sorry for it,” she said sadly as dozens of Druids filed into the ballroom.
Charlotte gazed around the room. “Markus this is…wow.”
“It was the council chamber when my father ran things his way. It hasn’t been used for hundreds of years,” he explained, looking around the room in distaste. “It will serve as a class room and give the children a space to play.”
Guards began to deposit crates of toys around the room as Markus strode to a huge window at the rear. Charlotte joined him, looking out onto the grounds. The lawns had been cleared of snow, teams of faeries and Druids erecting massive, circular tents at regular intervals.
“This is amazing, Markus. The way you’ve stopped everything and gotten them all to safety.”
“They’re my people, Charlotte. This is what I’m here for: to keep them safe. I only hope she doesn’t turn her attention to the human population nearby. That would be catastrophic.”
She looked up at him, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat. “Can we stop her?”
Markus tensed. She saw the flex of his muscles beneath his suit jacket, the clench of his jaw, and knew that was one question he was unable to answer and be entirely truthful. He swallowed, focusing his gaze out of the window before he answered. “I hope so. But I couldn’t say at what cost.”
“I’m ready,” she said quietly, turning her attention back to the activities on the lawns. “I’m sure I know what the cost will be, Markus. I’m not stupid. I know what we’re up against and I know what I have to do.”
He turned to her, taking her hand. She looked into his eyes, searching them for a response. They were soft, kind, and shining; they held hers as he said, “You do not know, Charlotte. None of us do. We must do what we can with the skills we have, and hope that it is enough. Nyja is nothing more than a tyrant and we have dispatched a great number of them over the years. Tyranny cannot be allowed to prevail. I have every confidence in you and our people.”
“Thank you, Markus,” she murmured, leaning up to kiss his cheek.
Cupping her cheek, he replied, “Thank you, Charlotte. You’ve changed us, all of us, in your short time here. You’ve reminded us of who we should be, and I’m grateful for that. Despite the havoc you brought with you.”
Riftkeepers: Reckoning Page 20
