Michael Belmont and the Tomb of Anubis (The Adventures of Michael Belmont) (26 page)

"Perhaps you will.
 
From this day forward, I name you both friends of the fair folk.
 
Go in peace."
 
She kissed each of them on the forehead, and although they had admired her beauty before, the kiss worked some kind of enchantment over each of them, and she now seemed even lovelier.
 
From that moment until the day they died, they would love her.
 
They would never speak of this love to one another, or anyone else, and although they would someday find true love and happiness in others, a small part of their hearts would always belong to Titania.

Puck led the boys back to the side of the campfire where they had first woken up.

"I have something for you," he said.
 
"This should help keep you safe as you travel through the barrows on your way back home."

Liam winced.
 
"So there
is
something out there?"

"Oh yes," Puck grinned.
 
"You were wise to seek our people during the twilight hour, but that was a foolish time to travel through the barrows.
 
I wouldn't recommend doing so again."

Michael shuffled uncomfortably.
 
"Why not?"

"The twilight hour is a time when the
barrier
, for lack of a better word, between the material world and the spirit world is at it's weakest.
 
This made it easier for you to gain access to our kingdom, but it also put you at risk from those spirits which reside down in the Fianna Barrows."

Michael looked down at the gift Puck had just handed him.
 
It was a small lantern, about three inches tall, dangling on the end of a silver chain.
 
It looked like an intricate toy, and emanated a dim blue light.

"Thanks," Michael said gratefully.
 
"Um, what exactly is it?"

"It's a faery lantern," Puck told him.
 
"It doesn't look very bright right now, but when you need it the most, it has a knack for showing you the way.
 
Oh, and if you need to find our people, either here or anywhere else, these lights will help you."

Liam examined his own lantern, which looked just like Michael's.
 
He looked a bit unsure.
 
"Thanks very much.
 
It's just, er, what I've always wanted."

"Don't mention it.
 
Good luck now."
 
He gave them a quick wave before turning around and starting off down the path.
 
The boys were left with a dozen or so faeries buzzing about around them.

"Well," came the voice of Isla as she zipped up in front of them, "you two did well.
 
I'm glad we didn't kill you."

"Thanks," Michael laughed nervously.
 
"I'm glad you didn't kill us too."

"Just follow this trail out of the forest.
 
I wouldn't recommend getting sidetracked off the path.
 
And make sure you don't eat any of the berries or nuts you come across on your way."

"Why not?" Liam asked.
 
He rarely found a piece of food he could say no to.

"If you do," Isla responded, "you'll never be able to leave our realm.
 
The food isn't meant for humans."

Liam scowled at her.
 
"That would've been good to know when we arrived several hours ago."

They finished their goodbyes and turned back to the path leading out toward the barrows.
 
As he stepped past the first tree, Michael wondered how far they'd been brought into the forest.

"OUCH," Liam yelled as he grabbed his backside.
 
They turned to catch a final glimpse of Isla, and heard her giggling as she disappeared into the trees.

The boys resumed their walk, and soon decided that the faery lanterns were quite amazing.
 
They illuminated the night remarkably well, and in those sections where the trail became overgrown or unclear, the lights would indicate the true path by making it shine more brightly.
 
It made finding the way out quite easy.
 
Before long, they were out of the forest, and found themselves looking down once again into the fog-covered barrows.

Liam glanced back toward the woods, and with a gasp, took hold of Michael's shoulder.

"What's the matter?" Michael blurted, frightened by his friend's reaction.

"I…I'm sorry, I…" Liam stuttered.

"What's wrong?"

"For a moment, I…I thought I saw my mother standing there just inside the forest."

Michael scanned the trees, but he couldn't see anything.
 
"Do you want to go take a look?"

"No," Liam said, still gaping at the forest.
 
"It's stupid.
 
I just imagined it."

Michael thought he must have seen
something
to react like that.
 
"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, let's just get out of here.
 
Those faeries freak me out."

Michael looked back toward the barrows and squinted his eyes, trying to make out the grass-covered mounds that he knew waited below, but all he could see was the heavy blanket of mist.

"Well, there's nothing for it," Liam said, starting down the hill.
 
Michael followed.

When they reached the fog, they began to move more cautiously, holding out the lanterns in front of them.
 
At first it didn't seem like the lights were doing much good, but then the mounds appeared, even those that were still a great distance away.

Michael felt the same cold chill surround them that had been there while coming across, but the lanterns seemed to give off a bit of warmth that made it more bearable.

He felt Liam touch his arm, and watched him point up ahead.
 
"Look," he whispered.
 

Michael followed his eyes to one of the barrows, and gasped to see a man sitting on top of the grass covered mound with his legs crossed in front of him.
 
He was dressed in ancient Celtic armor, and the lantern light gave him a blue, translucent glow.
 
He followed them with his hollow, ghostly face as they went past.

Michael noticed more of these warriors standing off in the distance, nearby or on top of their mounds.
 
Some watched attentively as they walked by, but others seemed to take no notice of them.
 
They all looked lost and sad.

"Do you think they'll try to hurt us?" Liam muttered nervously.

"They don't look like they mean us any harm, but Puck seemed to think they were dangerous."

"Maybe they are, or maybe Puck was just trying to scare us again.
 
Remember what Titania said about him being a joker?"

"These things are creepy enough without any help from him," Michael whispered.
 
"Even if he'd said they were harmless, I'd still be scared."

"Just try to look, uh…natural," Liam told him.

Michael rolled his eyes.
 
What could be more unnatural than two boys traipsing through an ancient graveyard holding out faery lanterns in front of them?
 
"Bonehead," he mumbled beneath his breath.

The spirits continued to watch them from a distance as they made their way back to the other side of the valley.
 
The fog let up a bit as they found their way through the hedge maze, and both boys breathed a sigh of relief as they finally entered the safety of McGinty Castle.

Abigail sat on her bed, fidgeting with her hair as she waited for Michael and Liam.
 
They were going to return to the night corridor once again.
 
This time, if everything turned out for the best, they would find clues to help lead them to the Staff of Anubis.
 
Earlier that morning, Michael had explained to her that he had a plan, but she hadn't been able to talk to him or Liam about it as they'd went off on a chore with Finnegan, and had been gone most of the day.

She found herself full of hope, but waiting without knowing what her brother was up to was agonizing.
 
He really seemed to think he had
something
figured out.
 
She thought of her parents.
 
She missed them so much, and had cried herself to sleep almost every night since they'd vanished.
 
Was it really possible that she might get to see them soon?

As all of these things were going through her head, she heard the boys coming down the hallway outside of her room.
 
She jumped up and ran out to meet them.

Michael saw her and smiled.
 
"Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," she said, "and I grabbed flashlights for you, too."

"Keep it down," Liam whispered.
 
"If you wake up Elizabeth she'll throw a fit about us being out of bed at this time of night."

Michael started off toward the corridor, and motioned with his hand for them to follow him.

"So what's the big plan?" Abigail asked.

"Well, it has to do with what we learned at our visit to the faery grove yesterday evening," Michael told her.

Abigail looked like she was ready to pop.
 
"So you actually
saw
faeries?"

Michael nodded.
 
"They're not what you'd expect though, they are actually, kind of, well…"

"Kind of nasty little
blighters
?" Liam broke in.

Michael chuckled.
 
"Well, I wouldn't go that far, but they definitely aren't the sweet little things you've seen on TV, Abby."

She put her hands on her hips.
 
"Well, maybe it's the two of
you
who have a bad effect on people, did you ever think of
that
?"

Liam just shrugged his shoulders and grinned at Michael.
 
"She may have a point there!"

"Okay, here we are," Michael said when they got to the corridor.
 
"Keep your fingers crossed.
 
If this doesn't work we're back at square one."

"If
what
doesn't work?" Abigail demanded.
 
"You still haven't told me what the plan is."

"It's right down here, come on and you'll find out soon enough."
 
He broke off into a jog, hopping along as quietly as he could so as not to disturb Elizabeth.

The others followed, and within a few moments they were standing in front of the portrait of the wolfish man, who was holding the Staff of Anubis.

Michael looked at the others excitedly.
 
"This has to be Conan MacFarlane, the founder of the werewolf tribe that Fenris told us about."

Abigail glared up at the man and tears began to well up in her eyes.
 
Michael hugged her tightly.

"It's okay," he said.
 
"We're safe from them now."

Turning to the tapestry on the opposite wall, he lifted it up at the edge and looked behind.
 
"I KNEW IT," he yelled.
 
"Liam, help me take this disgusting thing down."

Looking at the tapestry, Abigail found the helpless young girl under attack by the werewolves, and wondered how many like her had fallen victim to the evil ceremony.
 
She wondered if anyone else had ever been lucky enough to escape.

Michael and Liam pulled the tapestry down and cast it aside.
 
A large wooden board was leaned up against the wall.
 
They each took an end and slid it away.
 
Before them was a stained glass window, which bore the intricate image of a full moon and white clouds.
 
It was quite beautiful, and similar to the carving on the door across the hall.

"Okay, now what?" Liam asked as they stood there before it.

Michael sat down against the wall near the door, looking up at the stained glass window.
 
"Now, we wait."

He wasn't sure exactly how long they would have to wait, but he hoped it wouldn't be too long; he was impatient to see if his suspicions about the door were correct.

Liam started to walk off down the hall toward the corridors entrance.

"Hey," Michael called after him, "where are you going?"

"I don't want to sit on the floor like a dog, don't you recall seeing a bench down this way just a bit?"

Michael did remember seeing it.
 
The bench was big enough for all three of them and it wasn't too far away.
 
"Hold on and I'll help you bring it over.
 
Abby, you stay here and keep an eye on this window."

She gave him a look of disgust and rushed after him.
 
"You're crazy if you think I'm staying here by myself."
 
She was usually a very brave girl, but Michael couldn't blame her for feeling spooked after their run-in with the werewolves.

When they got to the bench and tried to pick it up, they found it was much heavier than it looked.
 
After struggling and straining themselves, they ended up getting it down the hall by pushing and pulling it across the floor.
 
Abigail helped as well, and they placed it back up against the wall about ten feet from the door.

"Care to tell me exactly what it is we're waiting for?" Liam huffed as they all climbed onto the bench.

"Come on," Michael retorted.
 
"You had it figured out the moment you saw the window."

"Moonwood?"

"That's what I'm hoping," Michael grinned.

"What's moonwood?" Abigail demanded weakly.

Michael had just opened his mouth to tell her when he noticed that the stained glass window was beginning to shine.
 
"Hey, look at that."
 
He jumped to his feet and moved in to get a better look.