Chapter 8: Matchmaker
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Reggie watched the proceedings as though in a trance. They were supposed to be dead? The hows, whys and what-fors of the information reeled through his mind. Aurelius had mentioned that Darkwind had come to complete an unfinished task. In his brief questioning of the Sprite, Aurelius had alluded to it being at someone else’s direction. But whose?
Reggie moved that question to the top of the list he was compiling. It occurred to him that the Queen was a member of the Unseelie Court—wouldn’t she be a prime suspect for getting rid of half the Seelie Court? Yet she appeared to be sincerely distressed she had not been told that they were alive.
Was it all a show? Reggie didn’t think so. It almost seemed as though she cared about them. Aurelius treated her as though she did. Why? Trust no one. The thought reverberated through his already aching brain.
Reggie tried to detach himself from the distressing thought, hoping to see it from a different perspective, but found he couldn’t. How do you succeed in not being emotional about the thought of someone wanting to kill you? It was beyond him.
Ryssa stared straight ahead, her mind so stunned she couldn’t think clearly. One moment she wanted to throw a temper tantrum, the next she felt like bursting into tears and running back to Debra. She felt sick to her stomach. It all seemed so unreal. She thought to pinch herself, to see if she was dreaming, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Still, if it was a dream, she could wake up. Her hand reached of its own accord toward the opposite arm. She closed her eyes and pinched.
Ouch! She quickly drew her hand back. Her eyes snapped open, only stare into those of the man in black and silver. He watched her intently, his face holding an expression of sadness.
Why sad? She wondered. Did he actually feel sorry for her or was he having remorse over trying to kill her? Great—now she was going to become one of those paranoid schizoids who thought everyone was out to get them. In this case, someone was, but it didn’t make her feel any better. Trust no one.
Something touched her and she jumped. Reggie had grabbed her hand in a reassuring squeeze. She relaxed, squeezing back and attempting a smile, but was sure it was more of a grimace. There wasn’t much smile in her right now.
One by one the other Houses brought the heartstones of their potentials to the stage. Ryssa watched with detachment as the Lia Fial flared with each stone dropped into the cauldron, with each name called out. The scene played like a slow, pulsing strobe light in Ryssa’s mind, each announcement punctuated by a flash of random thought, frozen in a moment of time.
“Bit Flamebringer.”
:Flash: Voices in the fog, whispering, calling out to them.
“Flicker Flamebringer.”
:Flash: Trust no one.
“Tallow Emberlight.”
:Flash: Our father was King of the Seelie Court.
“Taz Waverider.”
:Flash: Half the Seelie Court and all of the potentials were killed by the same wild elemental magic that killed our parents.
“Ruby Stoneheart.”
:Flash: Not everything is as it appears in Faery.
“Fields Landstrider.”
:Flash: The two of them wrapped in the loving embrace of Debra and Terry Chambly.
“Storm Cloudwalker.”
:Flash: Darkwind staring from the flames of a fireball.
“Whisper Windcall.”
:Flash: The first glimpse of New Faery City.
“Celeste Beastmaster.”
:Flash: Ryssa closed her eyes against the flare of light and oncoming memories. It didn’t help. The light flared through the darkness of her eyelids, dimmer, but still there.
“Boyd Feathernest.”
:Flash: Queen Medwyn staring at them with a look of hope, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
“Teardrop and Smiley Bonemender.”
:Flash: The man in black and silver, watching from his solitary seat.
“Gerome Lighthand.”
:Flash: Ryssa was breathing hard now. Sweat beaded on her forehead and ran down her face. The memories flashed once more through her mind, before fading into a dim sense of awareness. She opened her eyes, realizing the tightness of Reggie’s hand around hers. She yanked it from his grip.
Reggie stared at his twin, the shock evident in her eyes. They had shared those memories. What was going on? How was that possible?
Curious, Reggie reached out his hand to touch his twin again, but Ryssa recoiled in horror. She was having none of it. He drew back and both hands up to show he would keep them to himself. At least for now. He really wanted to see if it would happen again.
A buzz of voices rose around them as the final heartstones were dropped into the cauldron. Reggie noticed that the last woman who had put in heartstones was dressed in a pattern of black and orange. Unseelie Court. What was that last series of names? Lighthand. He tried to think on the one before that. Had the guy worn white and orange? Bonemender. They must have some kind of body magic, maybe Healing magic, he decided.
He wished he had paid more attention. He might have puzzled some of this out on his own. His thoughts turned to Ryssa. What had just happened between them? It felt kind of creepy, and yet it held a sense of warmth he had never experienced before. Ryssa shivered next to him. He could tell without asking that the same thoughts were going through her head, and she was sticking with creepy.
The tree chimes sounded throughout the Arena Court. Queen Medwyn waited for silence before she spoke.
“It is with both a joyous heart and a heavy heart that we come together today.”
The colors of the dome brightened as her words resonated around the arena. The Queen had no need to raise her voice in order to be heard by everyone in the room. The dome must act as some kind of amplifier, Ryssa decided and then blushed in embarrassment. That was how her words had carried to the Queen—and everyone else in the room. She would have to be more careful in the future, or at least until she learned some of the ins and outs of Faery and its magical ways.
“A joyous heart because we come together, united in a common goal—both Courts and all that they encompass—” Medwyn smiled with mild humor. “Now that’s not a common thing, so enjoy the standing truce while it lasts, children.”
Her smile faded.
“But also with a heavy heart, because without the loss of so many of our high ranking numbers, we would not be gathered for what is to come.”
Queen Medwyn paused, allowing reflection of that thought to linger in the minds of everyone present.
“Before we continue into the event that led us here today, I wish to make one thing perfectly clear. The Unseelie Court takes no pleasure from the great magnitude of losses of the Seelie Court. Without knowing the perpetrator of the heinous crime against all of Faery, I can only say that for the grace of a coin toss, it could well have been the Unseelie Court who suffered losses that day. Not only were so many of the Seelie Court lost, but along with them, the potentials, the sons and daughters of Faery as well. Children are our most precious and sacred gift and so rare among us, that this loss will affect us all in ways we have not yet begun to feel.
“My own sister, the Ard Ri, and her husband, the King of the Seelie Court, were among those losses—”
Sister? Reggie and Ryssa eyed each other with confusion. The Queen of the Unseelie Court was their aunt? Another piece of information to toss into the simmering pot with the others.
“—We had thought their line dead with the loss of their children, until today. The return of those children may well be a symbol of hope. Their survival should remind us of the determination of the Fey to survive, no matter what the winds of chance may blow our way.”
How had they survived when all others were lost? Reggie wondered.
The Queen’s tone grew dark and determined. “In the light of the continuing disappearances and deaths of the chosen children of Faery, before all of you gathered, I make this pledge: With every continued breath I take and wit
h every ounce of blood I possess, I will find the perpetrator of these crimes and bring him or her to justice—a Queen’s justice. There will be no mercy—as you show none for our people, or for our survival.”
The air grew heavy around the Arena Court, making it hard to breathe. Ryssa watched the cold fury etched on the Queen’s face and was frightened. The sensation suddenly lightened and passed. What had just happened? Ryssa realized it was the same strange feeling she had experienced at their birthday party. Had it really only been this morning that they had left home to come here? It already seemed like forever ago.
The Queen of the Unseelie Court smiled, although it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Now that the more serious business has been taken care of, let us get on with the matchmaking, shall we?”
Reggie choked. Had the Queen just made a powerful threat of retribution only to turn to all smiles and cheeriness? He shook his head. The woman changed moods faster than Ryssa did. It wasn’t a stretch to see those two were related. It made him wonder what his mother and father were like.
“It was our original intent to have thirteen teams of thirteen potentials each,” Medwyn continued. “Sadly, since the advent of the original choosing, we have lost over half of those numbers.”
Reggie did a quick calculation in his head. He tapped a couple of fingers on his leg to keep track of his adding. His brows came together. Ryssa nudged him with her elbow and gave him a questioning look. Reggie held up fingers on both hands to indicate the number he had calculated: Over eighty.
Ryssa looked as stunned as he felt. How could that many people turn up dead or missing without a clue as to what was happening—or who was doing it?
“Earlier this morning, the Counselors for each of the six teams were chosen. They were given very strict instructions on what would be required for preparing the potentials for the competition. Would the Counselors stand now and take your places at the banner for your team?”
Aurelius was one of the six adults from the various Houses to stand and walk to the center platform. Pyro was another. Reggie blinked. Aurelius stopped at a banner he was sure hadn’t been there before now. The banner was split down the middle, white on one side, black on the other, with a flaming bird depicted in the center. All six banners were designed in a similar manner, white and black, half and half, each with a different creature.
Pyro stood in front of a banner bearing a dragon. The other banners had creatures that, as far as Reggie could tell, included a ferocious-looking snake, a lizard, an insect that he felt confident was a firefly because its body seemed to blink under the lights, and a round, pudgy creature that looked to be a fat squirrel with a pointed nose, no tail, and porcupine fur.
Reggie tilted his head, trying to figure it out. Oh wait—a hedgehog. He vaguely remembered seeing a picture of one.
Two men stood in front of the lizard and the hedgehog banners, while two women took their places before those with the snake and firefly.
The Queen nodded her head and stepped back. The robed figures came forward. Each reached their hands into the cauldron and brought out a heartstone. One by one, they lined up by the banner where Aurelius stood.
“When you hear your name called,” the Queen prompted, “come down and retrieve your heartstone and wait with your team until the matchmaking is finished.”
Reggie’s heart thumped. As much as he wasn’t sure yet about his uncle, he was definitely certain of one thing—he did not want to be on Pyro’s dragon team.
“Team Phoenix,” the lead figure called out. “Aurelius Starborn—Counselor. First potential: Reginald Starborn.”
Reggie stood nervously. It would be easier if he weren’t the first one called. He could have at least watched someone else to see what he was supposed to do. He walked down and stood before the robed figure. The being put the heartstone in place around his neck. Reggie looked up into the hood to see a beautiful pair of amethyst-colored eyes stared down at him.
The woman smiled, and he could have sworn that she winked before turning away. Reggie took a hesitant step back and fell into line behind his uncle, waiting for the next name to be called.
“Maryssa Starborn,” the second robed Faery called out.
Reggie thought he could hear his sister’s sigh of relief as she scrambled out of her seat and came to join him. He couldn’t begrudge her enthusiasm. He would have been very unhappy if she had been put on a separate team.
“Moira Starborn.”
“Jet Starborn.”
As their names were called, Reggie felt elated that the other twins had been placed on the same team as he and Ryssa.
“Hammie Starborn.”
“Jade Stoneheart.”
The first name outside the Starborn House was called to the ranks of Team Phoenix.
“Pyro Flamebringer, Jr.”
Pyro, Sr.’s cry of anger echoed through the hall as murmurs made the rounds.
Pyro, Jr. walked slowly to retrieve his heartstone, his face pale and nervous.
“Loo Seacalm.”
Blue and black.
“Whisper Windcall.”
Purple and black.
Reggie tried to watch where the potentials came from so he could identify House names with colors.
“Gervais Beastmaster.”
Brown and white.
“Glinda Feathernest.”
Brown and black.
“Meek Lighthand.”
Orange and black.
The last boy called for Team Phoenix had messy black hair and a sullen, wary expression. Reggie recognized him as the boy who had pulled him out of the way at the dragonfly landing field. He smiled at him, but the boy scowled and looked down at the floor.
The brown-robed Faery went back to the cauldron and took out a second set of heartstones, returning to line up by the dragon banner. Pyro, Sr.’s eyes blaze with heat instead of coldness for a change. He obviously wasn’t happy that his son was on a Team other than his.
“Team Dragon,” the first robe intoned. “Pyro Flamebringer, Sr.—Counselor. Blaze Flamebringer. The list continued as Team Dragon was given a compliment of thirteen members.
When the robed figures returned to the cauldron, Reggie noticed that one refrained from taking a heartstone. Ah—the remaining Teams would each have only twelve members. He wondered whether or not it would make a difference. Obviously not, or the divisions would have been set up differently.
The first robe stayed by the cauldron while the others lined up by the woman who represented the snake banner.
“Team Serpent,” the robed figure at the cauldron called out. “Ocea Waverider—Counselor.”
“Bart Waverider,” the first robe at the head of the line called out.
Blue and white. Water? Seelie Court. Reggie thought he was getting the hang of it.
The next round started with the man at the lizard banner.
“Team Lizard—Tree Stoneheart—Counselor.”
“Flint Stoneheart.”
Green and white. Plants? More likely the element of Earth, Reggie corrected himself mentally. Seelie Court.
Then it was on to the woman at the head of the firefly banner.
“Team Firefly—Skye Windcall—Counselor.”
“Gale Cloudwalker.”
Purple and white. Weather? Air? Reggie wondered. Purple air? He shrugged. At least he knew for sure it was Seelie Court.
“Team Hedgehog—Sammiel Lighthand—Counselor.”
Hah! Reggie thought. I knew it was a hedgehog.
“Gerome Lighthand.”
Orange and black again. What does orange stand for? He would have to ask that kid—what was his name—? Meek. Maybe it would be a way to get to know him better.
When the last of the names were called, the robed Faery stepped to their places around the outer edge of the platform. Queen Medwyn returned to the center.
“The competition will take place four weeks hence, the location to be announced. Counselors, take your charges to their designated sleep
ing areas. Potentials—get a good night’s sleep. Your training begins tomorrow. I wish you all the best of luck, for the sake of Faery.”
Each of the Counselors took up the banner of their Team and led their charges off the bridges and up the stairs to exit the Arena Court amidst the cheers of the crowd. Before Team Phoenix hit the top of the stairs, Aurelius took a left turn into the uppermost level, just past the seating. He took a right turn up a shorter set of stairs and headed toward a small archway—one that didn’t lead outside. He set the Team banner into a bracket at the entrance to the archway and continued into a narrow, brightly lit tunnel that spiraled downward.
The bottom of the ramp opened into a large, domed room with three doors set into the walls. In the center of the room was a pillar that appeared to be carved from a single piece of wood raised from the floor. It was a perfect likeness of the tree above them, the dome of its branches forming the actual ceiling of the room.
Aurelius stopped and pointed. “Girls, your room is to the right. Boys, yours is to the left. The center door is my quarters for the duration of our stay. I have some work to do to prepare for tomorrow, so I will leave you to your own devices. Take some time to get to know each other, because regardless of your House background,” he raised an arched eyebrow at Pyro, Jr. who stared blandly back at him, “this is your new family for the next four weeks and maybe beyond. And believe me, if you are going to take this as seriously as you should to have any chance of staying in the competition, you will need to work together at the top performance of your abilities. Have a good night, children.”
The members of Team Phoenix watched as Aurelius headed to his quarters. Reggie expected him to turn back, to call to him and Ryssa and give them further encouragement—comfort—anything. But he didn’t. The door to his quarters closed, and Reggie felt a part of his heart close with it.
Trust no one.