Chalice of Life

by R. A. Rock

  Chapter 53

  Ethan had to stop a few times to get the scent again. But soon, he found the door and they went through, coming out next to an enormous wall. The afternoon sunlight was warm and surprising, considering it had been night when they left the Kettle Stones and in the second location they had visited.

  Tess wanted to bask in the sunlight—which seemed to be recharging her, dispelling the fatigue that had entered her bones—but they had to catch Nyall before he did whatever he was going to do.

  “What is that?” she said, gazing at the massive wall beside them while she waited impatiently for Finn’s phone to find the closest Faerie ring. They were on a fairly high point and she could see that it stretched away into the distance.

  “Well, if I’m not mistaken, it’s the Great Wall of China,” Ethan said. “I’ve been here before, a long time ago. It was the most amazing thing back in the day. Really, before all this technology, the Great Wall and the Incan runners were the only communication systems on Earth. And both required humans to work them. Pretty cool, actually. For something the humans did.”

  Tess was glowering at the phone, not paying attention to his nostalgic reminiscing about the Earthly Realm.

  “Is it slow?” Ethan said, coming over to look. “You’re lucky you’ve got signal here at all.” He leaned close and peered at the screen. “It says No Service, Tess. You can’t use the app without cell signal.”

  “What? What are we going to do then?”

  Ethan tapped his nose. “The Great Nose has you covered,” he said with a grin. “Try and keep up.”

  He ran alongside the wall, leaping over the scrubby brush that grew alongside it. Tess tore along behind him, barely able to keep pace with him. When he suddenly stopped and backtracked, she was glad of the break to catch her breath.

  “They went up,” he said, his eyes lit with mischief. “Come here, Stars.”

  Ethan beckoned and Tess went over to him, not liking how much she wanted to go to him. When she was close enough, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her tight against him. Then he jumped and she clung to him instinctively as they flew up into the air, landing on the wall, which was wide and could have fit two rock monsters side by side with room to spare.

  Tess gazed down the wall and spotted some figures running quite far away by now.

  “There they are,” she said. Ethan still kept her tight against him. “Let me go.”

  “I don’t know,” he said as if contemplating it. “I kind of like you here with me.”

  “Ethan.” Damn it. She was not getting involved with the hot rockstar. The immortal who loved women and left them. Tess was sure she’d enjoy the loving part. No doubt. But she definitely wasn’t interested in feeling as though she was the only woman he would ever want, just to be tossed aside a couple days later for the next flavor of the month.

  “Stars.” He mimicked her tone and then, with another heart-stopping grin, leapt up in the air, jumping over the watch tower and landing on the other side. He did this four times, and with each leap high into the air, she felt a wild excitement inside. And she wasn’t sure if it was from the flying or her proximity to Ethan.

  On the last jump, they landed quite close to Nyall and his team. This time, Ethan let go of her as soon as they landed, and they both took off after the Faeries and Jayde, bearing down on them quickly.

  Nyall looked back over his shoulder and urged them all faster. They all disappeared into a watch tower ahead, and by the time Ethan and Tess got there, they had already vanished.

  “Shadows take him,” Tess swore, stamping her foot she was so frustrated. Then she closed her eyes and they were back in the Passageways.

  They tracked Nyall to the next door and came out in the middle of a desert with a huge red rock in front of them. The sun was high in the sky and beat down on them relentlessly. Tess looked up and saw what she thought was a falcon flying in lazy circles above their heads. They could see the next faerie ring only steps away. And they jumped into it quickly, startling a lizard that scuttled away. A moment later, they were back in the sterile environs of one of the grey rooms of the Passageways.

  “Quick,” Ethan said and she darted to the door. They ran as fast as they could and saw which door Nyall and Jayde went through next. Tess ran through it so quickly she didn’t bother to read what the door was labeled.

  They came out on the edge of a cliff, a vast horseshoe-shaped waterfall all around them. It was night, and a large moon lit the black sky. As they appeared, she saw Nyall’s group disappear. Tess gasped and snagged Ethan’s arm, wrenching him back as he nearly took a tumble into the raging water she could barely make out in the darkness below.

  “Thanks,” he said. She nodded, breathing in great gulps of the damp air. There was a mist falling everywhere from the enormous waterfalls, making her shiver.

  “Just go back through,” Ethan said, his teeth chattering. “We can’t go anywhere from here. That’s probably what they did.”

  They popped back into the grey room. The next door led them out into a different sort of desert where the sun was just above the horizon, beginning its ascent.

  “The Pyramids?” Ethan frowned. “What is this? A tour of the great wonders of the modern world?”

  “The next Faerie ring is the pyramid,” Tess said, not bothering to check the app because they were close enough for her to sense the magic. They ran toward the pyramid until they were close enough for her to take them back to the Passageways.

  “We’re not getting anywhere,” Tess said in frustration. “What if Jayde drops the Chalice in all this chasing?”

  “What else can we do?” Ethan pointed out. “We don’t want to lose them. Why don’t you let me carry you?”

  Tess studied his face for any hint that he was joking. He wasn’t.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “If I carry you, I can go at my top speed.”

  “Which is very fast, I’m assuming?”

  “Very.”

  “I’m not the kind of woman who enjoys having a man carry her around,” Tess told him, ignoring the part of her that clamored to be carried around by Ethan.

  “That’s not what you’re doing,” he argued. “You’re using the resources you have to accomplish your mission.”

  Tessa sighed. “Okay, Prince Charming, pick me up,” she said, thinking he would pick her up under the knees and back.

  Instead, Ethan bent down to her middle and threw her over his shoulder. Then he began to run so fast that the walls and doors blurred. She could barely tell when they went through the door. And when he stopped and gently set her down, she had to swallow hard to keep from throwing up, the dizzy sensation was so strong—like the first time she had ridden in a car.

  “What’s with the big statues?” Tess said, staring at another one on a mountain top. This one was lit up and spreading its light over the nearby city. It was hot and humid, and they were in a forest that was of the kind the humans called a jungle. She was grateful for all the movies Finn had made her watch, in that it had given her a crash course on the Earthly Realm.

  The colossal statue of a man in robes standing on this mountaintop with his arms spread wide was lit up by what must be hundreds of lights. Tess stared up at it while she waited for the app to give them the next location. She kind of liked this guy. He looked like he wanted to give the world a hug, which Tess thought was a good idea.

  The next Faerie ring was up the mountain, and she allowed Ethan to pick her up again. He crashed through the shadowy jungle, whipping their arms with the leaves he passed by and startling a large number of birds from their perches as he went.

  When they stopped, Ethan grimaced at the blood from the cuts on their arms and legs. He put Tess down and then held his hands over her skin, healing it.

  “That’s enough,” she said, pushing his hands away once the cuts were closed. Ethan nodded, though he didn’t look pleased. “We’re kind of on the clock here, Hunter.”

  Sh
e closed her eyes and they were once more in one of the bland rooms of the Passageways.

  “This has to stop,” she said.

  “Not till we catch them. Come on, open the door. I’ll go faster.”

  “Faster?” Tessa’s stomach revolted at the thought.

  As soon as they were out the door, Ethan picked her up again, and this time, it felt like they were flying, though Ethan had said he couldn't really fly. He was going so fast she couldn’t see anything. A second later, he set her down on some grass. She wobbled and took deep breaths, glad she didn’t have anything in her stomach.

  “The Eiffel tower,” Ethan said, shaking his head. “I just saw them disappear underneath it. No use chasing them. Let’s just go back.”

  They repeated the process, arriving at the next place in less than a minute. When Ethan set her down, Tess stumbled a bit, holding her stomach.

  “What’s wrong?” he said.

  “I just…” She swallowed hard. I will not throw up. I will not throw up. I will not throw up. “I have a little motion sickness. That’s all.”

  Ethan surveyed the area and got a long-suffering look on his face.

  “What is it?” she asked, feeling recovered enough to speak.

  “The Taj Mahal,” Ethan said, gesturing. “Another wonder of the modern world.”

  A lovely white building that looked almost like a palace rose up from the perfectly manicured grounds surrounding it. Three domes topped it, like swirls of icing on a cake. The entire building was pure white and gave off a mystical air that hinted at something beyond this world.

  “It’s beautiful,” Tess said, enchanted.

  “It’s a very pretty grave,” Ethan clarified, making Tess wrinkle her nose in distaste.

  “It’s still beautiful,” she said, irritated that he had spoiled it for her. “Where to?”

  “Want me to carry you?” Ethan offered.

  “No way,” she said, giving him a black look. “I’ll run on my own feet this time, thank you very much.”

  There was a bling from Tessa’s phone and she opened it to check the notification, turning the brightness up and putting her hand around it to create more of a shadow. The hot sun, almost directly overhead, made it hard to see the screen. The notification was a friend request from Finn in the Faerie ring app. She approved it and pocketed the phone again.

  Ethan used his sharp eyes to catch sight of Nyall and Jayde and their posse heading toward the white wall that encircled the large dome-shaped building. A moment later, they were gone, leaving some very bewildered tourists staring at the spot.

  “Come on, we have to go around the side,” Tess said. “We can’t use the spot they did. The humans are already confused enough.”

  They popped back to the Passageways, and as soon as they hit the hallway, they saw Nyall and Jayde going through a nearby door. They were soon through and appearing in a quiet neighborhood in a small town.

  Tess spotted Nyall and took off running, and Ethan kept pace easily. They reached the street where he had gone and turned on to it. As they neared the location, though, four Light Court Fae stepped out from behind some trees.

  “Shit, light Court guards,” Tess said, her hands clenching into fists.

  “I got this, Tess,” Ethan said.

  He lifted his hands and blasted the warriors with magic, leaving the four of them unconscious on some poor family’s lawn.

  Then Tess and Ethan consulted the app and ran full out, reaching the playground where the next faerie ring was located. The ring of mushrooms was only big enough for one person at a time, really, and as they ran up, the last two of Nyall’s team disappeared, one after the other.

  “We almost caught them that time,” Tess said, stepping into the circle. To her surprise, Ethan stepped in too, pulling her close in a tight hug so they would both fit.

  This surprised her so much she caught her breath, staring up at him.

  “You want to catch them, don’t you?”

  Tess frowned and nodded. Then gave her head a little shake as if to clear it and Ethan grinned at her. They appeared in the Passageways and Tess gave him a push away from her.

  This time when they emerged into the hallway, they saw Nyall’s team running ahead of them. They didn’t need to track them. They just needed to chase them.

  Ethan pulled ahead of Tess—his long, powerful legs moving faster than she would have thought possible if she hadn’t seen how fast he could move on their previous trips. She put on the burn and managed to stay within sight of him. Meanwhile, as they all turned into a new hallway, she could see that he was almost catching up to Nyall, Jayde, and the two Fae he still had with him.

  Nyall suddenly darted into a door, yanking Jayde with him. The other Fae stayed outside to guard it. One of them began tossing a small stone and catching it.

  Ethan stopped immediately and came quickly back toward Tess.

  “They have one of Nyall’s interrogation spells. And I am not getting caught again by one of those. There’s no way we can follow them.”

  “What door is it?” Tess asked. “Did you see?”

  “I did,” he confirmed. “It said, Stonehenge.”

  “Damn it, I wish they’d all just fall in the Chasm,” Tess said, furious, as she and Ethan moved away from the two Light Fae, guarding the Stonehenge door. “We need a different door that comes out near there.”

  “Use the app again,” Ethan suggested, and Tess yanked it out of her pocket. Fumbling, she tried to open it. “Give it here.”

  He took the phone from her and quickly opened the app, searching for the nearest Faerie ring to Stonehenge.

  “Here,” he said, showing her the screen. “Durrington Walls. Should have known that. I visited there when they were building Stonehenge. The Faerie ring is just outside the village on the side closest to the stone circle. There were always Fae popping in and out as they built it, checking on the progress.”

  “Okay, enough history,” Tess said, grabbing a tablet from a shelf near them and entering the information. “Let’s go.”

  As the path to the door showed up on the screen, she began jogging the halls. She stopped dead when she arrived at a door marked, Durrington Walls, setting the tablet on a nearby shelf.

  Tess tore the door open and ran through. They came out in a field, the sun just peeking over the horizon. Right, it was morning in Europe. All the changes in time zones and time of day made her nearly as nauseated as when Ethan ran really fast.

  “It’s a couple kilometers that way,” Ethan said, taking off. “Should only take us five minutes if we run.”

  “Lead the way,” Tess said, falling in beside him. “If Nyall gets back to Ahlenerra with the Chalice…”

  “Yeah, I know,” Ethan said, his face grim. “Not good for ending the Severance. And who knows what he’ll do with Jayde?”

  Chapter 54

  They arrived at Stonehenge several minutes later, Ethan not even out of breath. Tess, on the other hand, was feeling the effects of being up all night and running through several time zones, which had messed with her in some way she didn’t understand. Her legs felt like lead and she was very glad to stop. The sun was up now and looking cheerful, which seemed out of sync with the dire situation they were in.

  To their surprise, they noticed some Fae digging in various places around Stonehenge. Tess looked at Ethan but he shrugged.

  “Who knows?” he said.

  Exactly. Nyall was becoming more and more of a loose cannon, it seemed. She hardly recognized him lately.

  They proceeded with caution into the stone circle from the side that was mostly intact. Tess felt dwarfed by the massive stone slabs.

  Once in, they could see Nyall and Jayde. One of the other Fae he had brought with him was holding Jayde from behind, a dagger at her throat. Jayde was gripping the Chalice tight against her chest and looking both scared and pissed off at the same time. The three stood next to a couple of gigantic upright stones with a slab lying across their top.


  Several other Fae were stationed around him with various weapons at the ready. Tess took stock and counted six swords and six with bows and arrows. The archers’ faces were menacing as they stood there with their arrows trained on her and Ethan. And Tess knew that if they had any skill at all, they were in more danger from the archers than from the all the others.

  “Oh good, you’re here,” Nyall said, looking unruffled despite the fact that he had done as much running as Tess had. This annoyed her, as did most things about her old friend these days. He picked an invisible piece of lint off his pants and flicked it away. Then he met Tessa’s eyes.

  “I’ll give you one last chance to turn yourselves in, Tessa,” Nyall said, the picture of kind benevolence. “It’s the only way of getting everyone out of this unharmed.”

  Suddenly Finn popped into the middle of the stone circle. An archer let fly one of her arrows. It would have hit Finn straight in the chest. But Ethan bolted in front of him and caught it, throwing it on the ground with disdain. Nyall gave him an annoyed look that morphed into a considering one.

  “Oops,” Finn said, giving a little wave. “Hi, everyone.”

  He and Ethan walked back to where Tess stood.

  “Good,” Nyall said, as if he had planned it this way. “Now everyone’s here, we can get started. I’ll explain what’s going to happen.”

  Tess clenched her jaw.

  “I’m going to take Tess and Finn into custody.”

  “No, you’re not,” Tess said.

  “Yes,” Nyall said. “I am. I led you on that merry chase through the Passageways looking for the amplifier, Tess. I heard in a story that there were places like that on the Earthly Realm, and you know, there’s more truth in those old stories than you might expect.”

  Tess and Finn exchanged a knowing glance.

  “And now that I have found it, I’ll be able to amplify the magic at Stonehenge and use it to invoke the spell in the bottle prison I brought.”