"So I'm sacrifice to his whims." I stared at her hands as they held mine. "I made the bargain, I didn't think. I just was hoping . . ."
"I'm sorry, so sorry."
At that moment, the girl returned with a silver bowl. Lainule motioned for her to leave, then dipped it into the silent lake, filling it full with the warm water of summer. She waved her hand over it, whispering something, and leaned close. As I watched, she breathed on the water and then closed her eyes.
Her eyes flew open and she looked up at me. "Cicely, Kaylin is in danger. He's evolving on his path. His demon is trying to wake. Unless he receives the help he needs, he will slide forever into a dark hole in his mind and never regain consciousness. There is no time to waste. You must journey into the Court of Dreams and bring back the spell that will waken his demon." She placed her hands on my shoulders. "You must journey to the home of the Bat People. It is a long, dangerous path, but there is no choice. It's the only way if you want to save Kaylin."
Chapter 4
I stared at the Summer Queen. "The Court of Dreams? You seriously want me to go into another plane in search of the Bat People?"
Lainule gazed at me. "It's not what I want, child. The journey depends on whether you value your friend's life. I would not have you go, except Kaylin plays an important part in your future—that much I can tell you. If his demon does not wake, you will never recover him and this will change the course of the war against the Indigo Court. Whether for good or ill, I do not know, but I don't like playing with the future once it's told me its secrets."
A hummingbird, sparkling green with hints of blue, darted around my head, beating its wings furiously. The creature was beautiful, almost ephemeral. A gust of wind could knock it senseless. A year or two and it would probably be dead. And yet still it fed, and seemed happy, and took no notice of the future.
"To be so carefree," I whispered.
Lainule followed my gaze to the bird. "The hummingbird is no more carefree than you are. She must eat, and eat often. She must build her nest to lay her eggs and hope that predators stay away while she incubates them, and later, while she is off fetching food for the chicks. She must avoid flying into buildings or other stationary objects. She must avoid being caught by birds of prey and cats and anything else that might want to eat her. The world is her enemy and yet . . ." Lainule held out her hand and whistled, and the hummingbird dove for her, perching on her finger, fluttering its wings a few beats every second.
"And yet, she trusts in the way of things. She brings joy in her wake. What lessons can you take from her?" She reached out with her other hand and gently stroked the bird's head, then motioned for me to do the same.
I felt an odd instinct rise up, one I didn't like. A part of me—my owl self—wanted to dart forward and snatch up the hummingbird. It was food, prey . . . And yet I was able to control the predator within and, taking a deep breath, I reached out and ran my finger along the back of the bird, reveling in how small and yet how incredible it was.
"You just faced what will become one of your greatest lessons, I think. When we automatically attack those weaker, we lose incredible opportunities. This is a lesson most of the Cambyra Fae must learn—to hunt only when necessary. What else, child?"
Exhaling slowly, I thought for a moment. "To persevere, regardless of the odds. To take joy in what I can. To attempt what seems impossible. To soar, despite the effort it takes."
"Very good." She flicked her finger and the hummer raced off.
I followed it with my gaze as it soared into the distance.
A lazy breeze wafted past, and I reached out on the slipstream to listen. The sound of fading summer ran through the currents, along with the whispering of leaves on the edge of turning color. The faint thunder of winter's drums threatened in the distance. And then I understood. I turned to Lainule.
"Your Court is waning . . . Myst is sucking the life force out of your realm." My voice was hushed. The thought that the Mistress of Mayhem could destroy not only Lainule's people, but her very realm, was terrifying. The long winter had truly come, riding the coattails of Summer, with wolves baying.
Lainule's face—unlined and clear—fell into sadness, and I wanted to reach out, to wipe away the mourning in her eyes.
"Yes, child. She is slowly draining me. She has taken over the Golden Wood, and while I can set up Court elsewhere, the woodland contains the Alissanya—my heartstone. I did not have time to retrieve it when they routed us. There was so much terror that night. So many people screaming and so much blood. My guards fought valiantly, but the blood ran like a river through the throne room, through the halls. Even if we reclaim our rightful home, the scent of terror will never vacate the barrow, and the ghosts of my people will linger. I will forever remember their screams. And I could not stop her. Myst's people fed well."
Shivering, I tried to block out the images, but I could see them—it was as if I had connected into Lainule's memories. The Cambyra Fae, running, screaming, trying to escape as the Shadow Hunters broke through and began to rip them to shreds. The monsters raged that night.
Pushing aside my nausea, I asked, "Heartstone? I've never heard of it. What's a heartstone?"
Lainule reached out and tipped my chin up. "I tell you what few outside of my realm know, but since your father . . . since he's one of my people, I will tell you. And perhaps it will help you against Myst, though I do not want you running off half-cocked. Do you understand?"
I opened my mouth and then stopped. My tongue felt thick.
"I am placing you under a Binding Oath on this one, child. Whatever you promise to me on this matter will hold you to your word." Her voice was solemn, and I realized that my assent would, indeed, give her power over me.
"I promise, I won't do anything rash," I whispered.
"A heartstone is part of a Faerie Queen's heart. When we take the throne, a part of our heart emerges from our body during the ritual and is encapsulated in a gem. The gem is hidden within the depths of our realm. This keeps our land safe; it allows us to shift our lands in and out of the realm of mortals. It is what keeps my realm forever summer . . . it is what helps keep the realm of the Queen of Oceans forever submerged. All Faerie Queens have one."
All Faerie Queens? I knew there were several, but I had no clue how many. "Even Myst?"
Lainule shrugged. "That I do not know. I should think she has to, in order to bring her winter with her, but the ritual may have been tainted, for she did not take the throne until she had been changed by Geoffrey. She was not a Faerie Queen before he got to her."
"And if you lose your heartstone?"