Sovereign Stone (32 page)

“It has been many centuries since a fairy was permitted to bond with a mortal,” Clarissa said. “Queen Ilona is loath to lose one of her own.”

Marla and High Priest Callahadran shared a look of surprise.

Alexander frowned and looked over at Isabel to see worry on her face as well. “I’m afraid I don’t know much about the fairies. How does bonding to a mortal cause a fairy to be lost?”

High Priestess Clarissa nodded knowingly. “Fairies are immortal and so they view the world much differently than we do. They can, of course, be killed with violence, although it rarely happens. They are wary creatures, existing in the world of time and substance while at the same time existing in the aether. When danger presents itself, they typically move into the aether to escape the threat.

“The one thing that is a certain death sentence is to form a bond of love with a mortal. When the mortal dies, the fairy bonded to them will die of a broken heart.”

Alexander suddenly realized what price he was asking others to bear. But then he weighed the alternative. Phane couldn’t be permitted to retrieve the Sovereign Stone.

“Forgive me, High Priestess, I understand I’m asking a great deal. If there was any other way, I would try it.”

“Queen Ilona is very wise,” Clarissa said. “She will determine if your need warrants the sacrifice of one of her own. She will also look into your soul and determine if you are indeed worthy of the limitless love of a fairy. I must caution you, Alexander, she may place a very high price on what you seek.”

“What I ask for is priceless. I’ll pay the price she asks if it will give me hope for preserving the world.”

“Very well, we will depart just after dawn.” With that she rose and rang a small bell. Her acolyte entered a moment later and led them to guest quarters.

They spent the night in a suite of simple rooms that were comfortable yet sparsely furnished. The rooms were built of the same grey granite and the workmanship was masterful. The stones were cut so accurately and so cleanly that a blade couldn’t fit between them. The furnishings were purely functional yet built with care and attention to detail.

At dawn they were awakened by an acolyte with a platter of food. Once they’d eaten, the acolyte led them to High Priestess Clarissa. Alexander was surprised to see Marla there as well, packed and ready for travel.

“Marla, you don’t need to come with us,” Alexander said. “You’ve already done so much to help us that I consider any obligation you may feel toward us to be paid, and then some.”

“I’d like to come along if I may,” Marla said. “High Priestess Clarissa has consented, since I’ve been traveling with you.”

“Of course, you’re more than welcome.”

Clarissa led them to a small dock where a number of well-crafted boats were moored. She stepped aboard the largest one, which was manned with a captain and a team of oarsmen, and motioned for the others to follow. Once all were aboard, they set off, moving swiftly through the calm, deep blue water.

The mountains surrounding them looked like something out of a story, pristine white against the clear blue sky and shining brightly where the sunlight fell on them. Alexander felt calm wonderment settle over him as they glided gently across the water. He sat holding Isabel’s hand and focused his attention on the beauty all around.

Then he saw the fire.

“Marla, is that the warning fire you told the dock master to light if my enemies arrived?”

She nodded gravely. “It would seem they have gained some ground, although I doubt they will be able to follow us any farther. The Valley of the Fairy Queen is hidden and said to be impossible for outsiders to find.”

Alexander looked up and searched the sky for a moment before he saw the ravens circling overhead. He pointed with a grim expression. “Commander P’Tal won’t give up easily. He may well find his way into the valley.”

Clarissa frowned. “Queen Ilona will not take kindly to uninvited guests. If your enemies choose to trespass, they may discover why so few mortals ever return from such a journey.”

“High Priestess,” Alexander said gravely, “perhaps we should return to Highlake City and confront them there. I have no wish to bring danger to the fairies.”

“Your enemies may be very dangerous to mortals, but I doubt they pose much threat to the fairies. It would be best to stay on our current path, yet remain vigilant.”

Isabel opened her eyes, breaking her connection with Slyder. “Commander P’Tal and his men are aboard three boats and they’re headed straight for us.”

Clarissa frowned and squinted to see across the water. “You have better vision than I. At this distance I can just make out the silhouettes of their longboats.”

Isabel smiled proudly. “I have a forest hawk for a familiar. I can see through his eyes when I want to.”

Alexander gave her hand a squeeze. “She and Slyder have saved us untold trouble on our journey.”

Clarissa smiled warmly. “It gladdens my heart to learn such a thing. Queen Ilona will look favorably upon your bond with Slyder. Noble animals like hawks don’t bond with any but those of pure heart and sound character. As for your enemies, they will find our trail quite difficult to follow.”

“They’re relentless,” Alexander said. “Now that they have sight of us, they won’t let up until they catch us.”

Clarissa smiled. “The path is not clearly marked and there are many opportunities to become lost along the way. Chances are good that they will never find their way into the valley, and if they do, chances are even better that they will not be permitted to leave.”

“One of them is a battle mage of great power,” Alexander warned. “Even with the Thinblade, I’m not sure I can defeat him in single combat.”

“A battle mage is a terrifying enemy for a mortal,” Clarissa said, “but for a fairy such an enemy is of little consequence. They will simply avoid him, charm him, or send him away if he presents a threat.”

Alexander frowned. “I hope you’re right. He’s been trying to kill me for months.”

The boat pulled up next to a simple wooden dock near a little waterfall. The crew expertly guided the boat into position, leapt onto the dock with mooring lines, and tied it in place. Alexander gave his enemy one last look before stepping onto the dock. They were about an hour behind and coming fast.

Clarissa led them along a narrow, infrequently traveled path that wound behind the waterfall and into a cave. As she entered the darkness of the underground passage, she spoke a number of words in a lilting, arcane language and three orbs of light that looked like night wisps, only slightly brighter, came to life floating over her head. They provided ample illumination for the journey through the dark and damp passageway.

Once everyone was inside the cave entrance and the boat had disembarked for its return to Highlake City, she spoke another set of incantations and the stone of the entrance to the natural cave closed up behind them, forming a solid rock wall.

She smiled with satisfaction. “They will no doubt discover my artificial wall, but it will take them some time and then they’ll have to break it down, which will delay them further.”

Alexander smiled with wonder before turning to follow the High Priestess. She led them into a passage cut straight through the side of the caldera’s crater wall that gently gained altitude for a mile before opening into the sparse forest surrounding the ancient dormant volcano.

They followed a well-made trail for the better part of the day. A few trails branched off here and there, but the ravens were still overhead, so the enemy would have no trouble following them. However, Isabel reported that Commander P’Tal had lost nearly a day trying to find a way through the rock wall.

They emerged from the underground passage just before dusk. Alexander felt much better having greater distance from the enemy. He knew P’Tal would try to make up for lost time by pressing on until full dark so he resolved to do the same. They traveled even after nightfall for an hour or so by the light of the night-wisp dust and the glowing orbs of illumination that bobbled in a wide orbit around Clarissa’s head.

They made a hasty camp in a clearing off the side of the trail. Everyone was tired from the long day of travel, so they went to bed without much conversation. There were a number of things Alexander wanted to ask Clarissa, but he decided it would be better to wait until they reached the Valley of the Fairy Queen.

He fretted about the Nether Gate and the ominous warning Mage Atherton’s ghost had given but worried even more about the gleeful proclamation of Malachi Reishi’s ghost that Alexander had doomed the world. Of all the horror stories told about the Reishi War, tales of the shades evoked the greatest fear, mostly because they were so insidious and they couldn’t actually be killed.

Stories of the shades in battle were the worst. A shade would use its host to rush headlong into the fray with wild ferocity. Once its host was struck down, it would simply possess the nearest unsuspecting enemy soldier and continue its rampage. Whole armies broke and fled from the attack of a single shade.

More than anything, Alexander feared that the shades and Phane would somehow join forces to retrieve the Sovereign Stone and open the Nether Gate, resulting in a world terrorized by Phane’s naked ambition and the insatiable lust for suffering of the hordes from the darkness. He had to remind himself that his fears about the Nether Gate and its purpose were only speculation, yet his certainty was growing.

The next day began in the forest but quickly transitioned into a mountain wasteland that Clarissa called the maze. It was a barren and uneven field of giant boulders that seemed to stretch for miles. Clarissa said that the Valley of the Fairy Queen could only be reached through the maze and there was only one true path. Most of those who sought out the fairies became lost in the endless dead ends and the confusing jumble of twists and turns that the seemingly random field of scattered boulders created. The maze was devoid of life and in many places the ground was nothing but bare mountain granite.

Clarissa led the way with a confidence that Alexander found himself doubting after a while. Within an hour of entering the twisted place, he became so disoriented that he started to think he wouldn’t be able to find his way out without a guide.

Even Isabel with Slyder’s help was turned around and led astray. Alexander heard her muttering about the lack of sense the place made. She often stopped when Clarissa calmly took a turn that didn’t seem to be the right course and tried to orient herself to the new direction only to shake her head in confusion.

They traveled through the maze for the rest of the day and into the early hours of the night. Well after dusk, Clarissa stopped in a clearing large enough for them to make camp. They prepared a cold meal before laying out their bedrolls and going to sleep.

Alexander wondered if Commander P’Tal would have as much difficulty navigating through the maze as he knew he would have without the guidance of High Priestess Clarissa.

They would arrive at the home of the fairies tomorrow, and Alexander was starting to feel a bit nervous about their reaction to his request. He was asking a great deal of them and he knew it would cost him but he just didn’t know how much. He’d pledged to pay any price but as he got closer, he wondered what they would demand in exchange for helping him.

He slept fitfully and dreamt of danger swirling all around in the shadows. It was unformed, just outside of the range of his vision but he knew it was there waiting to strike. He woke several times in the night with a start, then calmed himself with the deep breathing techniques he’d learned in Glen Morillian, only to return to the darkness of his dreams.

He woke at dawn to see five ravens watching him from the rocks above. He knew at a glance that they were the enemy’s spies and wondered idly, as he slowly reached for his bow, if they’d been responsible for his nightmares. He usually slept soundly and his dreams were rarely dark or fretful, although he did have more weighing on him now than ever before.

With a fluid motion he rolled to his feet, nocked an arrow, drew his bow, took quick but careful aim and released his arrow at one of the ravens. All five leapt into the air the moment his intent became clear. His arrow grazed one bird on the side of its breast and passed straight through its wing. It squawked angrily as it spiraled to the ground.

The moment Alexander moved for his bow, Anatoly came up quickly with his axe, looking around for the threat. Abigail saw the target of her brother’s wrath and tried to get a shot off before the birds escaped, but she was a moment too late. They dodged behind the top of a boulder and vanished into the early morning.

Alexander stood over the injured raven as it squawked at them. Marla and Clarissa came up on either side of him and looked at the bird with a mixture of sorrow and curiosity.

“Why have you injured this bird, Alexander?” Clarissa asked.

“It has been spelled by one of the wizards tracking me. Five ravens have been following us for days. This is the first time they’ve been close enough to shoot at.”

“I’ve seen these birds as well, High Priestess,” Marla said. “They’re not common in the Pinnacles and these have been in the sky overhead since I met Alexander.”

“Perhaps I can break the spell controlling this bird and render your enemy blind to your course,” Clarissa said.

She began a soft and lilting chant. Her words were more like those of a song than those of a spell. She wove a beautiful melody that echoed around the sheer stone walls of the maze. At the culmination of her spell, the raven screeched as did the four others off in the distance. Alexander watched the colors of the bird change abruptly as the spell broke and faded away. A moment later, it was just a simple raven.