“Have you been able to sense anything?”
She nodded. “There are ghosts within the ones we have looked at. The dead walk in there, they aren’t sleeping, and they sure as hell aren’t resting. I have the feeling that they were entombed here for a reason and not allowed to move on to the Land of the Silver Falls. They make me feel uncomfortably nervous, just like the sword did that Daniel found. The one with Einar in it.”
I groaned. The last thing we needed to face was a Viking ghost who was out for trouble. Fighting one had been problematic enough. But it helped that if they hadn’t been dead, she wouldn’t have been able to sense them. Which meant that, most likely, none of the Barrow Mounds that Delilah had looked at was the one I was searching for. If, indeed, the Fae Lord was entombed within one of them.
“Well, that gives us something to go on. I suppose we should get back to the search. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can go eat lunch.” My stomach was rumbling.
Delilah pulled out two candy bars, handing one to me. “I thought we might get hungry.”
I bit into the Snickers bar, smiling as the chocolate and caramel melted in my mouth.
“Bless you, and remind me never to complain about your sweet tooth again.”
After we finished eating, we split up again, and headed toward the seventh and eighth Barrow Mounds. We were about three yards away from the mound when a sudden headache hit me, so blinding that I stumbled, falling to my knees. It felt like someone had taken up a sledgehammer and was pounding on my skull.
“Camille, love, are you all right?” Smoky knelt beside me, wrapping his arm around me.
I fought through the throbbing pain, trying to speak.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure what happened, but my head hurts so bad all of a sudden I can barely think.” I pulled away from him, resting on my knees with my forehead pressed against the earth. My head was awash in a haze of confusion, and my stomach lurched, queasy from the pain.
As I crouched on the ground, a rush of anger swept out from the Barrow Mound in front of me, shrouding me like a blanket. By this point I couldn’t even open my eyes. I felt as though I had tumbled into a deep pit, freefalling at a rapid drop. I let out a cry, and the next thing I knew, Smoky had picked me up, carrying me in his arms.
I tried to open my eyes, but couldn’t manage. I pressed my head against his shoulder, trying to shake off the attack. It felt as though there were waves of pain, lashes of anger aimed directly at me, coming from every direction. I tried to get the words out—to tell them what was happening, but my mouth wouldn’t work right.
“I have to get her out of here,” I heard Smoky say.
Myrddin said something in response but I couldn’t understand what it was. And then I heard Smoky speak again, but it was a jumble of words that made no sense. I grabbed his jacket in my fists, holding on for dear life as my world spun around me.
The next moment, everything came to an abrupt stop. I felt like the rug had been yanked out from under my feet. I tried to catch my breath, but Smoky held me tight against him, and when I opened my eyes, I saw we were surrounded by a haze of mist and cloud. Everything felt odd, as though our world had shrunk to a narrow bubble enclosing Smoky and me. Then I realized what had happened. He had shifted us over into the Ionyc Sea.
I clung to his neck, not trying to speak, just grateful that the pain was gone and the confusion was subsiding. I’m not sure how long we stayed there, but it was long enough that I started to get sleepy. I yawned, resting my head back against his shoulder. As I relaxed, once again we shifted. I blinked as the sunlight blazed on my face again, and realized we were back in the Barrow Mounds, standing just outside the place where I had been hit.
“What the hell happened to you?” Delilah ran over.
Smoky carefully set me down, and I steadied myself on his arm.
“I believe we found what were looking for,” I said, pointing toward the Barrow Mound. I told them what had happened. “Even if he is in stasis, the anger against Erastel is still there, and I believe it’s acting like a guardian force. I don’t know if I can get close enough to go in.”
“You can’t go in,” Myrddin said. “We can’t risk losing you. Let the dragons take this on.” He looked directly at Smoky. “You and Shade have to destroy the Fae Lord. And try to prevent him from getting out of the Barrow. I should take Camille back to Erastel’s End. If the Fae Lord gets free, it doesn’t matter where she is. He’ll hunt her down and try to kill her.”
“Gee, you’re so incredibly comforting,” I said, sticking my tongue out at Myrddin. “Well, we have to deal with him before I start the ritual tonight. I’m not budging. I’d rather make my stand at the top of this Barrow.”
Myrddin tried to cow me with his gaze, but I stared him down.
“Infernal woman, how on earth have you stayed alive all this time?”
“Through an incredible amount of luck, help from my friends, and pure stubbornness. I’ve never backed down from a fight and I’m not about to start now. It doesn’t matter whether I’m over at the fire or here, if he comes out of that Barrow looking for me, he’ll be able to find me. But I’ve got something he won’t expect.” Slowly, I reached within my cloak and pulled out the unicorn horn.
Delilah blinked. “I didn’t know you brought the horn with you.”
“This is probably one of the most important missions I’ve been on. I wasn’t about to come here unprepared. Given we have three dragons with us and one of the ancient Druids, along with all my knights and my guards, I figured I’d be safe enough from anybody trying to pilfer it.”
I held it out, closing my eyes. Within the unicorn horn lived a jindasel—a creature similar to a djinn but who was an avatar of the horn itself—and four of the prime elementals. They were there, waiting to do my bidding. I dropped into trance, and within the blink of an eye, found myself inside the horn.
ERISKEL WAS WAITING for me. He was in his usual form, that of a man with brown skin, wearing large hoop earrings to die for. He was handsome, but I knew that he was, in reality, an energy being. He was sitting at the table in the center of the room. To each direction was a large monitor on each wall, like a massive TV screen. I slowly walked up to the table and pulled out a chair, sitting down and resting my hands on the table.
“Lady Camille, welcome. What can I do for you?” Eriskel had quite a sense of humor, but he seemed to sense that today wasn’t the day for jokes.
“We’re about to take on what I believe is one of our bigger enemies. One of the ancient Fae Lords from the Great Divide is lying in stasis out there, waiting for me to begin the ritual to complete the Keraastar Knights. If I begin that ritual, he’ll wake and tried to stop me. We mean to put a stop to him before he tries to put a stop to me.”
“That’s a large order,” Eriskel said. “What do you need?”
“I’m not sure what the Elementals can do for me, but they need to be ready. Especially the Master of the Winds. I may need his lightning. Remember when you shot the lightning bolt at me?” At one point, when he was testing me, Eriskel had nearly fried me with a lightning bolt sizzling with over one hundred million volts.
Eriskel laughed. “Indeed I do, and I remember how quickly you dissipated that lightning.”
“Don’t remind me. Anyway, I need a bolt like that ready for my use. I doubt if one of the ancient Fae Lords could survive being skewered with that.”
I paused, realizing how casually I was sitting here, discussing destroying another person. But said person was out to get me, and out to stop something that would help save the world from the demons. I couldn’t allow myself to have any mercy or compassion, it was only the end finish that mattered at this point.
“We will be ready, Mistress Camille.” Eriskel gave me a gentle bow, and I opened my eyes to find myself standing back by Smoky’s side. I motioned to Delilah.
“I’m ready. Let’s head up to the top of the next mound so we can prepare ourselv
es if he should escape. Smoky, Shade, go on in and don’t let him kill you, whatever you do.”
As they headed toward a dark spot on the Barrow that could only be a door, Delilah and I prepared ourselves. Myrddin was whispering under his breath and suddenly Áine showed up, swirling around him. I sensed that she, too, was preparing herself for battle.
Chapter 7
SMOKY AND SHADE entered the Barrow. As we waited, I did my best to avoid linking into Smoky’s energy, not wanting to get hit again with the backlash of anger. It felt like we were there an interminable time, standing on that hilltop. Delilah reached for my hand and I squeezed her fingers, but then quickly let go, wanting to be fully prepared for whatever might happen next.
A storm was coming in from the east, the thick bank of dark thunderheads traveling swiftly. The horn began to vibrate, and my hand tingled as I sensed the lightning approach. Then, as it began to jump from cloud to cloud, the storm approached, massive clouds billowing toward us as it overtook the area.
Nervous, I realized just how prominent targets we were for the crackling forks that broke through the sky. We were living lightning rods, and as the thunder began to rumble, Delilah lowered her dagger, looking around nervously. Áine was shifting around Myrddin, spiraling quickly as she glanced at the sky.
A movement caught my eye from down near the edge of the Barrow. Smoky and Shade came running out, separating as Smoky ran to the left and Shade ran to the right. They turned to face each other as they transformed into their dragon selves, filling the space between the Barrows with their size and form. Smoky let out a loud roar, his head weaving back toward the sky. Shade’s skeletal wings extended, and he took flight, hovering over the Barrow Mound.
I caught my breath, focusing on the space from which they had exited. There was a hole there, door shaped, and as I watched a figure emerged. He was glowing, a faint bluish color surrounding him like a nimbus. From here it was hard to make out his features, but the immensity of his power hit me full force and the pain came knifing back into my forehead. I struggled to drive it away. At that moment, he looked up, directly at me. The ancient Fae Lord lifted his hands, as if to cast something my direction, but at that moment, Smoky lashed against him, slamming the Fae Lord broadside with his giant head. As the Fae Lord stumbled back, my pain subsided and I brought up the unicorn horn. But Smoky was in the way and I couldn’t take direct aim. I wasn’t about to chance hitting him with a lightning bolt.
Smoky raked at him, trying to grab hold of him with one of his giant claws, but the Fae Lord managed to dodge to the side, rolling on the ground to come up on his feet once more. He held out his hand again and this time, he let loose with a massive energy bolt. It was hurtling my way. Delilah must have seen it, too, because she grabbed me and rolled, pushing us both to the ground. The orb of energy sailed over our heads, missing us by inches.
I pushed myself to a sitting position, once again fighting through a haze of pain. But I managed to fumble for my unicorn horn. I brought it to bear, aiming down at the Fae Lord. Once again, though, Smoky was in my way.
Again, he tried to grasp the man in his claws, to carry him aloft like an eagle might carry a rabbit, but once again the Fae Lord eluded him. As Smoky soared up to circle around, Shade darted in, gnashing his skeletal teeth. But our opponent was nimble, and his slumber seemed to have left him well rested. He dodged Shade’s attack, laughing, and his laughter echoed through the mountains.
“I can’t attack him from up here,” I said. “I have to get closer. Otherwise, I’ll hit either Smoky or Shade.”
Delilah frowned, then grabbed my hand and began dragging me down the side of the Barrow, her sword out in front of her. We were halfway down when the Fae Lord sent another attack our way, this time a ball of fire. Once again, Delilah pulled me down and we landed face first on the ground. I still had hold of the unicorn horn, though, and I managed to rise up on my knees. Shaking, I held it out as the Fae Lord began to head in my direction.
“Attack me and you kill us all.” His words echoed through the air, as charged as my unicorn horn was. “Stop what you’re doing. Don’t go through with it. Don’t destroy our work.”
I was panting with both fear and exertion.
“If I don’t carry through with my task, the demons will break through the worlds. Can’t you understand? This is a different age, a different time, and what you began with the Great Divide no longer works. Everything’s breaking down.”
“I can’t believe that. Our plan was infallible. Erastel was a traitor.”
“You don’t understand. You’ve been asleep for thousands of years. The world has evolved, and so have the portals.” I kept talking, mostly to give myself time to aim at him. He hadn’t seemed to notice the unicorn horn, and I wanted it to stay that way.
“I tell you, you cannot do this and expect the world to survive!” He paused, suddenly focusing on my hand and the horn. “What’s that?”
It dawned on me. The Black Beast was a creature of Otherworld, not of Earthside. The Fae Lords may never have heard of him, nor heard of the unicorn horns.
A shiver of doubt raced through me, but then I steadied myself. I had to believe that we were doing the right thing. I had to believe in what Grandmother Coyote had told me, and the work Queen Asteria had done on our behalf. Mostly, I had to believe that my part of the prophecy was integral to the world’s survival.
I focused, steadying my hand. Smoky and Shade were holding off, backing away so that I could do what I needed to do. The Fae Lord was continuing to march up the Barrow Mound, and the closer he got, the worse my headache became.
I sucked in a deep breath. Then, slowly exhaling, I whispered to Eriskel. “Now! Call down the lightning.”
A lightning bolt of incredible proportions sailed out of the unicorn horn. It rocked the meadow, lighting up the sky as it pierced the Fae Lord’s chest. The light was so intense that it blinded me, the reverberation ricocheting through me like that of a gunshot. I dropped the horn, my arm blazing with fire. As I crouched forward, caught in a dark haze of pain, I prayed that it had been enough to stop the Fae Lord in his tracks.
“CAMILLE? CAMILLE, ARE you all right?” Delilah was by my side, gingerly lifting me into a sitting position.
I glanced at my right arm. The pain echoed through my skin and muscle, and the flesh was a blistering red. I looked like a lobster ready for the melted butter. Blinking, I choked back the tears. It was worse than the most severe sunburn I had ever had in my life. I moaned, blinking.
“Where is he?”
“There’s not much left except a pile of ashes,” Delilah said. “The lightning struck him in the chest, and he practically exploded into dust. Reminded me a lot of a vampire, actually, even though I know he wasn’t.”
“Motherfucking pain.” I groaned and instinctively reached for my arm, shrieking as I touched the reddened skin. My cloak was behind me—somehow, it’d been blown off my body. And my sleeve was nowhere to be seen. It was as though it had melted away. The unicorn horn was on the ground and I picked it up in my left hand, calling for Eriskel.
“Eriskel? Are you there?”
A faint echo sounded in my mind, and I could hear him whisper that he was there, but the horn was so drained he couldn’t reach out to talk to me. The horn fell silent again. I would have to charge it come the new moon.
I sat back, tears stinging my eyes as the burn on my arm deepened. Delilah shouted for Smoky and Shade, and they quickly turned back into their human shapes and raced up the Barrow Mound. Smoky took one look at my arm and blew on it, an icy chill from his breath calming the heat.
Myrddin dropped to his knees. “Well, that went better than I thought it would. But I suppose not much can survive a couple million volts of electricity. Good thing you brought that along, or we would have had a much worse fight on our hands.” He examined my arm.
“I can’t fully healed this up, but I can take away some of the worst of the pain so that you
can focus. Once you get home, you need to have it looked at.”
He began a low chant as I held out my arm. As he traced his fingers through my aura, the pain began to subside, moving from a searing burn to a dull ache. The redness faded into a pale crimson, and finally I was able to breathe.
“Thank you,” I said. “If I hadn’t had the unicorn horn with me, I’d probably be dead.”
“Trust me, before that would have happened, I would have bit him in half or devoured him whole. Whatever it took to save you.” Smoky stroked my face. “Love, are you all right?”
I nodded, thinking about what the Fae Lord had said. “I wonder if there’s any truth to what he was saying.” Quickly, though, I dismissed it. “I can’t let myself doubt. If I let myself doubt, then we’ll never get anywhere. We have to take the chance.”
“I wouldn’t worry too much.” Myrddin helped me up to my feet. “The Great Fae Lords didn’t want any competition. And there are things about the Spirit Seal that they themselves never knew, even though they were the ones who created it. Sometimes a creation outstrips its master, and I believe that’s what happened here. I suggest that you rest until evening. You’ve just been through a major shock and you still have a long ritual to face.”
Smoky carried me back to the camp. The knights glanced my way, but went back to their meditation. My guards, of course, were upset, but Myrddin calmed their fears as Delilah spread out my blankets. Smoky lay me down on them. As I curled up in the bedroll, before I could even begin to process what had happened, I drifted into a deep sleep.
DELILAH WOKE ME in time to eat a light dinner, and as we huddled around the campfire I realized it was far colder tonight than it had been the night before. I glanced up looking for the Moon Mother. She was in her shadow phase, new and riddled with secrets, which meant my power was at its peak. Although I was still tired from earlier, I felt an odd sense of alertness. I looked over at the ruins. They were glowing.