Grail of the Summer Stars (Aetherial Tales) (31 page)

At last she managed to speak. “Where’s Mist?”

Rosie placed a steady hand on her arm. Sam and the woman withdrew to murmur in a corner. “We’re not sure. Try not to worry.”

“Not sure? What happened? I—I don’t feel right.”

“The first time in the Spiral can be very weird,” said Lucas. “I should have warned you, Stevie. It affects some people more strongly than others.”

“Did the Initiators come after us?”

Lucas shook his head. “No, we didn’t see hide nor scale of them, for a change.”

“So where’s Mist gone?”

A pause. Rosie answered, “We don’t know. I’m sorry. Entering Elysion seemed to affect him strongly too. You didn’t notice?”

“I saw movement … I was too confused to understand what was happening.”

“Mist seemed to panic a bit,” said Rosie. “He stared to change physically, like he was taking on an Otherworld form. That could be what spooked him. He just ran, like a horse bolting. When we spend a long time in the human world, our Aetherial aspects can come as a huge shock. Terrifying, even.”

She glanced at Sam, who added, “Not many of us are privileged to be all-powerful or all-wise, unfortunately. We muddle along as best we can.”

“Is it a long time since Mist was in the Spiral?” Lucas asked.

“I’m not sure.” Stevie tried to recall what he’d told her. “He spent some years trapped in a corner of the Otherworld, but he was human at the time, or believed himself to be. Before that, he was in elemental form for centuries. And before that, he was mostly on Earth, I think. I really don’t know. It’s complicated.”

“Perhaps I should have chained us all together.” Lucas sat on another mound, facing her. “The last thing I expected was for Mist to plunge into the forest and vanish.”

Stevie recalled a shadow fleeing, voices calling after him. Caught in a whirl of dizziness and double vision, there was nothing she could have done to stop him.

“Oh my god,” she gasped.

“Try to stay calm.” Rosie pressed her arm. “Sam was going to follow him, but we decided it was more important to get you here safely first and worry about Mist afterwards.”

“I’m sure he can look after himself,” Sam put in. “By the way, this is my mother, Virginia. Mum, our new friend Stevie.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said the woman, shaking Stevie’s hand with a quick warm grip and kissing her cheek. She smelled like the forest itself; of herbs and rich resins, like incense. Sam’s resemblance to her was obvious in their strong bone structure and striking eyes. Virginia had an air of cool power that was reassuring without being overfriendly. She gave Stevie a long, appraising look. Stevie averted her gaze as if to shield herself. It seemed everyone she met felt the need to stare at her, as if she were some bizarre specimen that defied explanation.

“Sam’s told me a little of what happened.” Virginia moved to a side table, poured liquid into a blue stoneware goblet and brought it to her. “You’re obviously in shock. The Spiral will do that to newcomers. Just sit and rest for a while.”

Stevie took a sip. Sweet, fragrant fruit juice moistened her tongue. “We have to find Mist. He wouldn’t disappear for no reason. A creature attacked both of us on Earth, and it might still be hunting us.”

“We’ll go and search,” said Sam, looking at Rosie. The two of them went straight out, leaving Stevie alone with Lucas and Virginia. She felt numb, almost inert, not knowing how to react to anything.

“Are you hungry?” asked Virginia.

“No, thank you. I couldn’t eat.”

“Try something light.” She brought a plate of round white cakes to the table. “You’ll feel better, I promise.”

Stevie took a cake and nibbled the edge. A delicate taste like rice milk and rosewater melted in her mouth. It took no effort to eat after all, and Virginia was right. The grounding effect of food and drink was magical.

Lucas said, “Where’s Lawrence?”

“Not here, I’m afraid.” Virginia sat down on the hearth, crossing one bare foot neatly over the over, the hem of her plum dress falling across her ankles. “He went to Tyrynaia a few nightfalls ago.”

“Is he coming back?” Lucas sounded startled.

“Well, I surely hope so. However, it’s a journey that takes time and I’m not expecting him home in a hurry.” Turning to Stevie, she said, “It’s a kind of pilgrimage, you might say. Tyrynaia’s the oldest Aetherial city, and can be found only if it wants you to find it. The deeper into the Spiral we travel, the harder it can be to come back. Lawrence didn’t share his reasons for going, and I didn’t ask; it’s a very personal matter to each Aetherial.”

“He must come home,” Lucas said fervently.

Virginia smiled. “Don’t look so worried, Luc. You seem to think you still need his guidance, but it’s obvious you’re managing perfectly well on your own.”

“I was thinking about you, Mrs. Wilder.” He gave a wry smile, and again Stevie thought how much he reminded her of Mist. It must be an Aetherial trait, that alluring dark-and-pale beauty. “Still, you’re right; I do rely on him too much. I try not to come here more than a twice a year, but still…”

“Perhaps that’s part of the reason he went. He trained you. Now it’s time to trust your own instincts.”

“And I do,” Lucas said softly. “But it’s reassuring to know that you’re here.”

Stevie remembered Mist’s fight with the shadowy attacker. Chills feathered her skin. Was it still following, lurking in its own dimension? Paranoid, she looked around, but the room remained steady, golden, safe.

“Do you feel ready to talk?” Virginia asked Stevie. “No rush.”

“No, I’m all right.” After a couple of deep breaths, she explained, in as few words as possible, how she’d met Mist and who he claimed to be. Virginia listened with wide eyes and parted lips.

“And you had an artifact from the time of the
Felynx
?” she said as Stevie finished. “I wish Lawrence could have seen it. So old, it must have been mined in Naamon itself. Even among Aelyr, the Felynx were thought to be mythical. Certainly extinct.”

“Mist seems to think that he and Rufus are the only survivors. Now he’s certain that Rufus is on the loose and planning something appalling.”

“The Felynx. Creatures of fire,” Virginia said softly. “Well … it’s possible that if Rufus feels he’s not answerable to the Spiral Court’s authority, he might embark on a drastic rampage of some kind.”

“How d’you mean?” Lucas sounded alarmed.

“He might want revenge on Albin. Fire against ice, anarchy against restriction. It’s about balance. Brawth rose…” Virginia paused. “You know our creation story, don’t you, Stevie?”

She gave a small shrug. “Mist told me a bit. I’m happier with science than myth. Qesoth was a vast fire elemental and Brawth was her shadow, her adversary?”

“No one knows if those tales are factual or symbolic, because the paradox of the Spiral is that, sometimes, we make things real by imagining them,” said Virginia. “Even humans can do that, to an extent. However, as ideas and as energies, Qesoth and Brawth are absolutely real.”

Stevie pulled her jacket around her shoulders. “Because Aelyr
imagine
them to be?”

“In a sense. Energy is real, after all. Storms and torrents. The sun’s radiation. Winter and summer. We call Brawth the shadow giant from the beginning and end of time. Not so long ago, Brawth rose—or an
idea
of him rose, with the same devastating effect—and very nearly brought an end to the Spiral and Vaeth itself.”

“That was a fun evening,” Lucas said dryly.

“The Earth nearly ended?” Stevie’s eyebrows rose. “And I didn’t notice?”

“It was early May, only a few years ago,” said Lucas. “You might remember massive thunderstorms, power cuts, trees all over the road … that sort of thing?”

“Oh … but weather happens. Everyone got up the next day. The world didn’t end, did it?”

“No. Brawth was made dormant again, thanks to the bravery of certain individuals.” Virginia gave Lucas a warm, meaningful look. “My concern is that an opposite force might rise in response, in the sort of automatic way that a pendulum swings. Qesoth might well rise in her turn. The Felynx were said to be closely aligned to her, being creatures of fire and sun. So, if Rufus is planning mischief, he might find a heavyweight power on his side.”

“I don’t think Mist has even thought of that,” Stevie said uncertainly.

“We should warn them,” said Lucas. He’d gone nearly grey.

“Warn who?” Stevie asked.

“Everyone. All Vaethyr and Aelyr. Tell the Spiral Court…”

Virginia was shaking her head. “Tell them what? Luc, I’m only speculating.”

“But if there’s a rising threat, I need to know. Am I expected to defeat it on my own? I can’t do it. I’m not Lawrence!”

“Lucas,” Virginia said firmly, “Lawrence didn’t act alone. You know that. No one expects you to take sole responsibility. You’re an employee of the Spiral Court.”

“But I’m the Gatekeeper.” His breathing quickened. He looked so concerned that Stevie wished she knew him well enough to put her arm around him.

“Yes, just that. Not Lord Protector of the entire Otherworld. We have to consider various possibilities without scaring ourselves to death.”

“I know.” He took a long breath. “But how can I think of everything? Even Iola can’t be everywhere at once. No wonder Lawrence…”

He stopped, but Virginia finished for him, “Went a little mad?”

“In any case,” Stevie put in, “warning people about things that haven’t happened yet could be dangerous. Daniel was taken because his paintings were supposed to be leaking secrets. Which means
someone
must be able to interpret the hidden messages he was channeling.”

“Channeling from where, though?” Virginia said, frowning.

“Allegedly, from me.” Stevie sighed. “I don’t know how, because I’m the ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,’ like that film where they got their memories wiped.”

She was quiet, remembering the previous night when they’d all looked at Daniel’s paintings on her laptop screen. Mist had barely spoken, only stared with moist eyes at images of his parents and their Felynx courtiers, lined up like stylized angels. He and Rufus—feline, not quite human, but still recognizable—had appeared in some of the paintings.
But
, Stevie thought again,
why were there so many of Aurata? Why was she so prominent, much more so than her brothers or parents? And what the hell was her “Promise”?

After an hour or so, Sam and Rosie returned, looking grim and disheveled. “No sign,” said Sam. “We’ll try again when it gets light.”

Rosie touched Stevie’s shoulder. “Try not to worry about him. Easier said than done, I know.”

“He might find his way here, anyway,” said Virginia. “Come on, make yourselves at home. Sam will help me get a meal ready, won’t you, love? You’ll stay the night, I hope. We’ll talk things over until the picture seems clearer.”

Stevie stood up, restless. “No. I mean—please, stay and eat and talk, whatever. But I can’t just sit here. I need to find Mist.”

*   *   *

She let herself out of the cottage, crossed a lush garden and entered a meadow beyond. The landscape was soaked in deep ultramarine twilight, the sky ablaze with constellations she’d never seen before. Every detail felt heightened, more intense than on Earth. Elysion’s beauty was surreal and intoxicating. Stevie found herself on the bank of a wide, shallow stream that gushed noisily along the valley floor. In front and curving to her right, cliffs protected Virginia’s domain.

She called Mist’s name, but heard no answer. She turned and walked upstream until she came to a waterfall that plunged down a high rock wall.

Stevie stood on the large smooth stones that edged the waterfall basin and stared into the churning water. The sight disturbed her, yet she couldn’t move away. Water equally scared her and fascinated her. She remembered nightmare times in her foster homes, when she’d filled bathtubs to overflowing and climbed in to see how it might feel to drown … without the faintest idea why she’d felt the need to do so.

Her
fylgia
stood at her feet, one paw raised and its muzzle aimed at the pool, like a pointer dog. Cool spray chilled her face. The sheer energy of cascading water electrified her. She stared and stared into the pool, hypnotized.

Someone moved softly alongside her. “Stevie?” Virginia said from the gloom. “It’s all right, the others stayed inside. You really shouldn’t be alone.”

“I don’t know what to do.” Stevie watched the roiling water. “My dear friend Daniel’s in danger. I have a gaping hole in my identity. I’ve lost my job, the only thing that kept me sane. Now I’ve lost Mist, too. I’ve no idea what’s going on or what I’m supposed to do about any of it.”

“Let’s start with what I see.”

Her matter-of-fact tone arrested Stevie. “Okay, go on.”

“You’re Aetherial. It’s a gracefulness, a glow, a look in your eyes as if you’re harboring unearthly secrets…”

Stevie laughed. “I wish.”

“My dear, you’re not the first person I’ve met who’s Aelyr and yet absolutely unaware of it.” Virginia sat down, tugging Stevie’s arm so she sat with her. Spray sifted over them. “I chose to live here in Elysion, but as time passed, I started to forget I’d ever lived on Earth among mortals. I had a vague memory of a husband and sons, but it became distant … as if it happened to someone else. Imagine, forgetting my own family! But this can happen, and it’s disturbing, if not downright terrifying.”

Stevie had a sudden memory of Nanny Peg, looking up with clouded eyes to ask, “Are you one of the nurses, dear?” Tears stung her eyes.

“Your memory came back, though?” she said. “Like being reborn?”

“You could say that. We’re lucky to get chances that mortals rarely get. Second, third, fourth chances … Are you all right?”

Stevie wrapped her arms around her bent knees. Her hair slid forward to shroud her. “I’m trying to stay calm, but I’m scared to death.”

“I know. That’s the flip side of being semi-mortal. It’s as if we can’t keep up with ourselves. We’re constantly being dangled over the void of the unknown.”

“It’s the water.” Stevie looked up, and let her gaze drop with the torrent into the foaming basin beneath. The depths appeared bottomless, glowing deep green as if lit from below, all too welcoming. “I’ve always had a thing about water, like a phobia, except I can’t tear myself away from it.”