by Cathi Shaw
****
Their arrival in Séreméla caused a lot of excitement. Brijit cried openly, admitting for the first time that she had believed that they were lost forever. Mina and Thia embraced, both of them stunned and relieved that the other was alive and well.
Later when they were alone in Mina’s bedchamber and Thia told her sisters what had happened since they'd been parted.
"So there’s a whole other kind of people living below ground," Kiara said in disbelief after Thia finished her story.
"Yes, I know it sounds crazy but it’s true.”
“Trust me, I’ve seen enough outrageous things in the last few months to believe you.” Kiara said.
Thia went on, “But they don't want their presence widely know. They are peaceful and retreated from this world so they could be left alone. I promised we would keep their existence a secret. You must promise, too."
“Of course,” Mina agreed. "But, Thia, do you think the Elders know of their existence?" she asked carefully.
Thia nodded. "Yes, in ancient times they were of the same race. I’m sure they must know of them. Celeste suggested that some Elders still knew her." She paused and thought of Celeste with her flat dark eyes and white luminescent locks. "But they are very different now. They have lived underground for a long, long time."
"There is no need to speak of them to the Elders – at least not at present," Kiara said slowly. "It’s odd that the Elders did not mention them to us though, isn’t it?" she asked Mina with an edge in her voice.
Thia wondered what had happened to make her sister sound so distrustful.
"But what about you and Teague? You’re Halflings of a kind, really?" Mina asked.
Thia nodded. "I know it's hard to believe at first but I do believe it now after spending so much time there." She paused searching for the right words. "In some ways, it was like finding my true home."
"But you became too ill to stay?"
"Yes, I have no doubt that both of us would have died if we had stayed. They have found other Halflings over the years but all died when they tried to live below ground. Teague and I survived the longest and in the end they were forced to send us above ground for fear we would also die."
“Did the other Halflings have the Mark?” Kiara asked suddenly.
Thia frowned. She hadn’t thought to ask Celeste that question. “I don’t know,” she admitted.
Mina shrugged. “It’s okay. But we do know that there are other Marked Ones. Many more than we’d ever imagined. Kiara, tell her about the children you and Brijit saw.”
Kiara shared what she knew.
“And Meldiron and at least one of his kinsmen are Marked as well.”
Thia shook her head. “Why would Brijit let us believe we were the only ones?” she asked in confusion.
Kiara and Mina exchanged a troubled look. Kiara finally answered grimly, “I don’t know but we must be careful now. We don’t know who our enemy is.”
****
The next morning the five of them were exploring Séreméla when Meldiron found them.
"Teague, the Elder Council wishes to speak to you," he announced, his eyes troubled.
Teague paled visibly. But he nodded in agreement. Thia knew he was dreading going before the Elder Council. They had talked of it while he was recovering. Thia hadn’t understood why he had to answer to the Elder council but Teague had explained that the Draíodóir were accountable to the Elders and other leaders of the Five Corners. He feared that when the Draíodóir clan learned of his time Underground, he would have much to answer for. The Elder council would inevitably summon the Heads of the Draíodóir clans. And based on the spell that had claimed Teague for so long, he surmised that at least some of them had wanted him dead.
Teague! Thia called silently.
I must go to them, Thia; we knew they would summon me. Too much has happened.
But what will they do to you? She sent the full tide of her worry to him with the words.
Teague looked grim. I don't know.
Caedmon moved to accompany his brother but Meldiron shook his head. "The council requested that he come alone."
Caedmon stood looking menacingly at Meldiron. "The council will change their minds or they won't speak to my brother."
Meldiron bowed his head in acquiescence, and motioned for Caedmon to follow.
Thia turned to her sisters, worry clear on her face. "This is not good."
Mina looked in the direction the three men had disappeared. "Meldiron will take care of him, don't worry," she reassured her sister, "He is the prince after all."
Mina was right, of course. Meldiron would make sure no harm came to Teague. And yet, Thia couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had fallen over her.
****
When they returned later in the afternoon, the news was not good. Meldiron's position didn’t help Teague as much as Mina had suggested it would.
The council had ordered Teague's to take them back to the underground entrance so they could find The People.
“You told them about The People?” Thia exclaimed. “Teague, how could you?”
“They didn’t give him any room to keep it from them. The Draíodóir are connected on various mental levels, with that many in the room working on Teague he wasn’t likely to resist them,” Caedmon explained bitterly.
“It’s becoming clear that even while in Séreméla we are in danger now,” he added grimly.
Teague, you can't take them to The People! Thia protested.
"I know I can't," Teague said miserably for all to hear, "I just don’t know how I can resist.”
"We need to leave," Caedmon said seriously.
Mina shook her head. "It's impossible to leave Séreméla unobserved."
Meldiron nodded and explained the warding system to them.
Suddenly there was a shadow at their door. Kiara and Caedmon both jumped to their feet. But the shadow did not retreat; instead it stepped into the room. It was Bellasiel.
"I don’t think I have to tell you that you are all in great danger. Staying here is not helping you it’s only delaying the inevitable."
“And what do you mean by that?” Caedmon asked aggressively.
Bellasiel’s face was grim. "There is much you don't know and it's time you were told." She bowed slightly to Meldiron. "I apologize, Prince Meldiron, for keeping this from you but I was under strict orders."
“Orders from who?” Mina asked.
Bellasiel looked around nervously. She motioned with her head. "Come with me and I'll explain."
"How do we know we can trust her?" Kiara demanded.
Meldiron stood up. "I trust her," he said quietly, and led the way out of the room. They all followed.
Bellasiel took them to her private offices which were located underground. Once they were all there she said, “You need to know what is happening and in order for me to show you I need you to trust me.”
She looked at each of them closely. When they had each nodded in agreement, she asked them to join hands. Linked in a circle she began to softly chant. At first nothing happened but slowly, Thia saw a strange fog begin to rise from the floor. It collected in the middle of the circle. Kiara looked at it suspiciously but Meldiron did not look surprised. Teague and Caedmon both looked miffed.
“This is what I wanted to show you,” Bellasiel said as her chanting died away.
In the middle of the fog was the clear image of an Elder child, obviously dead. Her throat had been violently slashed.
Kiara gasped. “Like the children Brijit and I saw in the Lowlands.”
In silence Bellasiel nodded. As they watched half a dozen similar images appeared in the fog. Elder children of various ages. All of them dead.
They stood in silence as the images disappeared and the fog slowly dissipated.
"Why?" Meldiron asked, his voice raw.
"They were all Marked." She paused and looked at the group.
"Hold it," Mina said slowly. "Are you saying that
Marked Elder children are also being killed?"
Bellasiel nodded. "I first became aware of it when the Elder children's bodies were brought to me." She shook her head, pain flashing across her features. "Then they began taking me to view bodies of other children in the Five Corners."
"Why?" Thia asked in shock. "Why would they take a healer to see murdered children?"
Bellasiel raised her eyes. "They wanted me to ..." she swallowed painfully and then carried on, "Dissect their bodies to see if I could discover anything useful about them."
"Did you?" Meldiron asked.
Bellasiel shook her head. "No, upon examination all the children appeared normal. The only extraordinary thing about them was that they all had the Mark."
Just like the six of them. No one spoke the words aloud but the knowledge was thick in the air.
"Why?" Kiara asked savagely. "Why would they kill innocent children?"
Bellasiel closed her eyes. "You have to understand this is part of the Prophecy." She paused. "You have only seen the smallest fragment of the text. But the Prophecy is long and foretells the coming of a new age ruled by the Marked Ones. There are those who aren't keen for this kind of era to begin."
Mina spoke, “There is a longer copy of the Prophecy in the library here. Eöl Ar-Feiniel showed it to me but we left the studying of it until I was more proficient in the Ancient tongue.”
Bellasiel nodded. “Eöl Ar-Feiniel is working with us. You are not alone. There are a number of us who wish to help the Marked Ones. We believe you are the saviors of the world, as we know it. Eöl Ar-Feiniel’s job was to educate Princess Minathrial in the ways of the Elder people and to help her interpret the Prophecy.”
“That’s why you let me go to the library,” Mina said suddenly.
“Yes and it is also why I forbade you to go out of doors. We knew time would be short and we wanted you to use what time you had collecting knowledge that would help you. Unfortunately, Eöl Ar-Feiniel’s work has been interrupted multiple times.”
“Why was I not shown this scroll or informed of the plans for Mina?” Meldiron asked.
“For several reasons,” Bellasiel answered. “Forgive me, my prince, but we did not know if you could be trusted. You have been raised to lead us and the most influential Elders have molded the way you look at things in the Valley. We did not know if they had been successful in corrupting you. Now we know they have not. They realized the same thing and they tried to have you killed.”
“Do you know where that scroll is now?” Meldiron asked Mina.
Mina nodded. “It’s on my desk with the other readings Eöl Ar-Feiniel gave to me.” She looked guilty. “It’s kind of buried under a bunch of stuff.”
“Hidden in plain sight.” Meldiron hugged her. “Perfect, Mina!”
Bellasiel looked grim. “It may have been a brilliant plan but we need that scroll. It is one of the only copies of the complete Prophecy.”
“I’ll go get it,” Mina offered. “I know exactly where it is.”
“I’ll come with you,” Meldiron said.
They hurried through the Sanctuary to the library. But they hadn’t made it to Mina’s alcove before something stopped Meldiron.
“What’s wrong?” Mina asked, turning to her brother.
Meldiron was standing still, listening. “The birds,” he said, his face puzzled. Mina paused and realized that all the birds in the library were silent. It was something that had never happened – at least not since she’d arrived.
Suddenly there was a loud Caw and a coal black crow swooped from the upper branches of the tree, circled above their heads and flew through the window.
“Someone is dead,” Meldiron said.
Mina looked at him, thinking he was kidding but his face was white. They stood still for another few seconds and then Meldiron began running toward Mina’s alcove. Mina followed him. He came to a sudden halt as he reached her desk.
Mina looked past Meldiron and let out a cry. Slumped over her desk was Eöl Ar-Feiniel, his white head stained a gruesome mixture of red and black, blood and ink intermingled in a pool beneath his head. Mina reached out with trembling hands and set right an overturned inkbottle. The books and papers were scattered everywhere.
“But who would do this?” Anguish ripped through her. Eöl Ar-Feiniel was her friend and mentor. Why would anyone kill him?
“Obviously, someone who knew what he was doing,” Meldiron said quietly. “Where is the scroll?”
Mina looked at the mess on top of the desk. She sifted through the remaining papers, trying not to touch Eöl Ar-Feiniel. She sniffled as tears burned her eyes.
“Meldiron,” she whispered, “It’s gone.”
****
After they found the archivist dead and the scroll missing it was clear that their departure could not be delayed.
“How could he have been killed if the warding system is in place?” Kiara asked.
Bellasiel had looked grim. “The warding system must have been interrupted somehow.” She paused. “And if Eöl Ar-Feiniel is dead then we must assume that our resistance has been discovered. I suggest you make preparations to leave immediately.”
Kiara had returned to her chambers with Mina and Thia. She watched silently as Mina and Thia prepared their supplies for the journey. Despite the horror of Eöl Ar-Feiniel’s death, her sisters were trying to stay positive. They had both changed over the last six months, she thought. They all had, she supposed, but both her sisters now knew a little bit about their beginnings. Of course, there were still gaps in that knowledge but Mina knew she was an Elder child and Thia had met The People and recognized a piece of herself in them. Kiara, on the other hand, still had no idea where she had come from.
It had never bothered her before but now that her sisters had a bit of knowledge, she couldn’t help wondering about her origins. The manach had given her no hints. And she doubted that there would be any magical revealing of her birth parents. No one seemed to know where she’d come from.
Kiara paused. Except – a thought occurred to her. Brijit had known that Mina was an Elder child when she saw her. Could she possibly know where Kiara had come from? Kiara straightened from her preparations. If they were to leave the Valley, she might never see her adopted mother again. This was her one chance to ask Brijit about her origins. She had to see her one more time.
“I’ll be back in a little while,” she told her sisters vaguely.
Kiara hurried down the hall to Brijit’s chambers. It was early evening and her mother typically retired to her room after the evening meal. Weylon didn’t usually join her until late at night. This would be a good time to get Brijit alone.
Kiara knocked on the door, wondering what her mother would be able to tell her, if anything at all. When there was no answer to her knock she pushed the door open and called “Brijit?”
There was only silence in the chamber. Kiara’s brow furrowed. She didn’t like the feel of this. She looked up and down the hallway and saw no one. Then she slipped inside the room.
“Brijit?” she called again.
Her mother was not in the sitting room. Kiara wondered if she was ill – it was too early to retire for the night. She walked through to the bedchamber and then froze.
Brijit lay crumpled on the ground, blood oozing from a gash on her head.
Kiara let out a cry and hurried to her mother’s side. “Brijit,” she whispered as she lifted her mother’s head into her lap.
Brijit opened her eyes and slowly focused on Kiara’s face.
“Who did this?” Kiara asked.
Brijit swallowed. “You are in danger,” she said, her voice thin and weak. “Take your sisters and run. They will kill you all.”
“Brijit! Who did this to you?” she asked again sternly.
Brijit closed her eyes.
“Mama.” Kiara called, a sob on her lips.
The corners of Brijit’s lips turned up in a small smile. Then she sighed and breathed no more.
Kiara felt tears streaming down her cheeks. She couldn’t stop staring at the blood that was still weeping from the back of Brijit’s crushed skull, soaking her leggings. Then she heard the sound of the outer door opening and she froze, her eyes darting to the window. But she immediately discounted that as a route of escape. It was simply too far of a drop.
“Well, I see you found your mother.”
She turned and met Weylon’s hard gaze, the cruelty that had always lurked in his features now on full display.
“You?” she asked in disbelief.
“Why are you so surprised, Kiara? You recognized what I was from the beginning, didn’t you?”
Kiara ignored his words. She thought fast. She was a strong fighter but she felt that she would have a challenge with Weylon.
“Why would you kill Brijit? She was your wife.”
He laughed bitterly. “She had not been my wife in years. She’d forgotten her loyalties. Brijit had decided to warn you girls, that you were more important to her than was her duty. The council decided that she would have to be dealt with before she could do any damage. I was happy to volunteer to get rid of her.”
Kiara stared at him in horror. How could he pretend to love Brijit and then turn on her like this?
“And now it’s time to deal with you.” Weylon reached into his belt and pulled out a dagger with a curved blade. “I’m actually happy I get to finish you –you after all are the most dangerous of them, aren’t you?”
“What do you mean?” Kiara asked.
“You’re the one who has mated. And a more dangerous mating I couldn’t imagine.” Disgust tinged with fear dripped from his words. “A child by you and Caedmon would be more deadly than anything we had feared.”
Kiara stared at him. What was he talking about? Her and Caedmon had been careful to hide their relationship from others. How had Weylon discovered them?
“The others will have to die, too, of course. But you need to be dealt with sooner,” Weylon said as he stepped toward her.
Kiara reached to her waist for her own dagger but found it was missing. She’d left it in her room with her travelling things. There was no need to carry weapons in Séreméla. Kiara glanced around the room looking for something she could use against Weylon but there was nothing.
