The Star Child (The Star Child Series) (17 page)

Oh, geez, I’ve got to believe
. It was a scene straight out of a movie. The thought struck and debilitated me all in a matter of seconds. Certainly, I’d seen many things since meeting Calienta that I never would have thought possible. However, if I didn’t find a way to believe now, I was in a lot of trouble.

“I believe,” I whispered.
What a lame attempt.
Listening, I closed my eyes for a moment and tried to absorb my surroundings.

With my eyes closed, the environment was entirely different. Magick was everywhere. I didn’t understand its source or whether it was good or bad, but there was no denying it.

Help me believe,
I thought to myself.
I want to believe. I need to believe.
Slowly, I opened my eyes. The air in front of me was hazy. It seemed to shift and bunch in the twilight. Determined, I continued to think
I believe
again and again. After a few moments of true effort, I finally saw it.

Directly in front of me stood a palace of generous proportions, though instead of looking like any palace I’d read about as a child, this place had the look of a timbered lodge. The structure seemed to consist of several massive oak trees on top of which the home itself had been built. Large open windows dotted the bows of the trees and I could see that immense bedrooms had been constructed in hollowed-out portions of the trees themselves.

Connecting the various parts of the home were a series of wooden bridges and spiral staircases that defied gravity, seeming to go straight up into the heavens. A large front door stood open and the faeries were practically running through its opening. Wanting to blend in, I started to do the same, but came to a halt once I crossed the threshold.

Here was the marble palace that I’d expected to see, complete with gilt-framed mirrors and a winding staircase. The faeries were everywhere, their little riding habits standing in stark contrast to their luxurious surroundings. Each faerie looked unique and beautiful, but there was a quality about every one of them that made them seem fierce. This did nothing to qualm my nerves.

“The feast is this way.” Dagné steered me by the elbow.

Thoughts of Calienta plagued me as I followed Dagné warily into the dining hall with its dark wood-paneled walls. I’m ashamed to say that all of my worries temporarily vanished when I glimpsed the food that covered the many long tables within the room. There were so many of my favorite foods and I couldn’t wait to try them all.

It was after I started to fill my plate that I remembered Calienta’s warning against eating or drinking. My stomach growled unbearably as I looked around. But that all changed when I stared down at a roast chicken only to have it suddenly change in front of my eyes from a piece of poultry to a pile of rocks.

Looking down the length of the table I saw, instead of tray after tray of luscious foods, plates and bowls filled with peat and rocks.
It’s an illusion
, I thought. None of it was real. It was all an illusion, like my disguise.

Disgusted, I replaced a serving spoon and lowered my plate to the table. As I did so, I noticed that the one faerie that had questioned me before was watching me. He hadn’t introduced himself, but I noticed now that his hair was even longer than I’d thought originally and flowed from beneath his hat. As I continued to stare at him, the vision shifted and he was suddenly an ugly little man with a wart on his nose.

Trying not to give away what I’d seen, I turned to Dagné, who was seated to my right. I suppose to some, Dagné would have seemed very beautiful with her dark hair and periwinkle eyes, but I only had eyes for another.

“Do you have a place where I could rest?”

She looked at me with concern on her face, but if she seemed surprised by my request, she didn’t let on. Instead, she nodded and beckoned me to follow her, which I did, out of the hall and up the grand staircase.

Together we walked in silence to a grand bedchamber. The bed hangings and covers were made of red silk and hung on a massive bed that was part of the tree. Branches grew down on either side and provided a convenient step for getting in and out of the bed.

A large window had been flung wide open and the air smelled of dirt and grass. A small chair made of rich fabrics sat in one corner and a table with a simple basin of water on it in another.

“Sleep well, Manuel.”

There wasn’t an opportunity to reply as she turned without another word and left the room, shutting the door roughly behind her. Carefully, I walked over to the window and looked down. It was easily one hundred feet or more to the ground. Shaking my head, I walked away from the window and turned to look at the bed.

Thinking longingly of food, I rummaged through my pockets for a Snickers candy bar. They were in there somewhere. After minutes of searching, I was reminded that my snacks were probably in my other pants. This was getting very inconvenient.

A scowl transformed my face as I lay down upon the bed, the sounds of the feast echoing dimly in the background. My heart was pounding, aching for Calienta. Her confessions at the pond had changed things again between us. It was one thing to say you loved someone, but it was another thing entirely to hear that they loved you.

Now that I’d found out exactly what I meant to Calienta, I didn’t want to lose her. Despite her powers, I wanted to protect her, and I’d done a rotten job so far. Against my will, my eyes closed within seconds. My own worries followed me straight into sleep and I dreamed almost instantly.

In the dream, Calienta wandered alone through the wood, searching for me. I could see no one around, but I had the intense feeling that she was in grave danger. She seemed to sense that she was not alone and her eyes scanned the area, searching. No matter where she went, she was unable to find what she was looking for. The feeling that she was being stalked remained throughout the dream.

When I awoke, I was sweating. I looked down at my clothes.

“Awesome. My own clothes for a change.” I shoved my hands in my pockets for my Snickers candy bars and a can of Pepsi from the jacket.

Although I was shaken by the dream, I couldn’t trust it. There were too many creatures in this place to influence my mind, my thoughts. I’d remember what I’d dreamed, but I’d have to remain calm if I were going to get out of here and find Calienta.

Suddenly, I noticed that the palace was eerily quiet. There was literally no sound, which stood in stark contrast to the sounds of music and merriment that I’d fallen asleep to earlier.

Cautiously, I walked to the door and opened it.

And found at least twenty-five faeries waiting on the other side, their faces menacing, their teeth bared. That was when the faerie with the golden hair spoke up.

“I placed a reveal charm on the bed so we could see him for what he is. He is not one of us.”

Great. Looks like Goldilocks sold me out.

“I can explain.” What was I going to say? That I was trying to make it through their world in secret to find a backdoor portal to the heavens and destroy the source of all evil? Hello, movie of the week.

“We want none of your lies.” The group started to press in on me, making me feel nervous.

Slowly, I checked to see that the knife that Calienta had given me was still in my jeans pocket. It was. I needed to get out and fast. I jammed my hands into my jacket pockets and hit the play button on my iPod, which queued up “The Hunter” by my favorite band, Everybody’s Mother. The sound traveled through the speakers embedded in the iPod case and the room was soon filled with the sound of the hunting horn that graced the song’s opening notes. The faeries immediately perked up, turned, and charged out in pursuit of the hunt.

Every one of them left. I stood in amazement for a moment, completely unable to believe that I’d cleared out a roomful of mythical faeries with garage metal. I turned to look for a way out. Who knew if they’d be coming back? Rather than wait around, I ran over to the window, pulled out my knife, and jumped out. I’d hoped that because I was in the Underworld there was no gravity, but I was wrong. Falling, the ground came at me faster and faster until suddenly my knife caught onto one of the large trees that supported the house.

Relief washed over me but it was short-lived as my knife began ripping the tree literally into two halves. The word “rip” was most appropriate, because it felt like I was cutting into a bed sheet with my knife, such was the consistency of the tree.

It was a prop, not real, merely a stand-in. Yet there was nothing more beyond it. Behind the tree, the rest of the house should have been visible, yet there was only a black void. The tree itself seemed blurred and insubstantial, like a watercolor painting that had gotten caught in the rain. It appeared as though my surroundings were nothing more than a colorful canvas that I’d ripped a hole into.

Once I reached the ground, I turned at the sound of the Trooping Faeries on horseback charging at me. Without thinking, I ran directly toward the black hole where the tree once stood and jumped in. And I was falling again.

The blackness seemed to have no beginning and no end. There were no points of light, only the darkness. Everything was blacked out. It was like being covered with a blanket. The fall seemed to go on endlessly and I began to fear that there was no end. Why did I choose this particular escape route?
Did I mention I’m afraid of heights?

Something was off. Plus I was even more lost than I was before. I tried to let myself feel calm, but that’s difficult when you’re plunging through a black void at forty miles per hour.

Finally, I could take it no longer. I wanted out of this place. “Stop!” In seconds the world went blacker than black.

***

After coming to, it took several moments for my eyes to adjust to the glaring sunlight, but once they did, I saw everything around me for what it truly was. The Trooping Faeries, the woods, the palace—it was all gone. Instead, I was in the middle of the desert. I was really and truly lost now. How would I ever find Calienta here?

At first, I was relieved to see the sun. I’d traveled through the blackness for so long that I began to despair of ever seeing light again. However, this way of thinking was short-lived. Within minutes, I became conscious of both the scorching sun and my thirst. My last drink was a can of Pepsi, and that wouldn’t hold me long.

Standing up, I brushed the sand off me. I didn’t know where I was going, but I had to keep moving. There was no other choice if I wanted to survive.

The landscape was barren, with seemingly mile after mile of sand dunes, but there was always a chance that this was an illusion too. There was very little vegetation and what did exist was mere ground cover. Nowhere was there a sign of shelter or a safe place to rest; the entire area was completely void of life.

After I’d walked for several miles, I started to hear a faint rumbling sound. It reminded me of thunder in the distance. It was worrisome to me because it kept increasing in volume. I kept turning to look around, to figure out where it was coming from.

Finally, when the vibrations were causing the very ground beneath my feet to shake, the cause of the noise appeared on the horizon. Then all of the air was sucked straight out of my body, rocking me.

A pack of enormous wild dogs pounded across the desert and headed straight for me. I started to search frantically for somewhere, anywhere, to take cover. There was nowhere. I was trapped again.

I didn’t see the bird until it was too late. It opened its large mouth to swallow me. My feet pounded on the hot sand as I tried to make my escape. Yet with each step, I sank deeper into the sand; I was getting nowhere fast. The large pelican swooped down out of the sky and scooped me up in its beak before taking off again.

The dogs howled below, their red eyes glowing hungrily after us. Realizing that I faced a new type of danger, I struggled in the bird’s beak. However, I was not as rough as I could have been, as it was a long way down.

“Hollonasec. Hollon,” said the bird.

“What? I didn’t understand a word you said.”

“Yourrin mymouf. Hollon.”

We flew a bit further. Then the bird landed, opening its beak so I could climb out. “Sorry. I cannot talk with me mouth full.”

Blinking, I took in the enormous bird. He was beautiful, with shining feathers of white and gray that seemed to sparkle in the sun. His eyes were large and kind, amber in color. The animal was roughly the same size as the Audi that Stephen had given me.

“Why do you not ’op on me back and we can speak easier. I cannot have much of a conversation with something in my mouth, ya know, boy-o?”

Looking around, I scanned the area for options. There were none.

“They’re coming for you, you know. You can’t be stayin’ here.”

After hesitating shortly, I ran forward and jumped onto the pelican’s large back. The feathers were soft and comfortable. They also seemed cooler than the desert around us, so I instantly felt better despite the strong smell of salt and fish that clung to them.

“See, I did not eat you, so you can trust me.” The pelican nodded as he spoke.

My arms wrapped around his large neck and he began to take off again. The ride was unsettling, and I feared that any sudden movement on my part would send me falling to the ground.

However, I soon got the hang of it and found the proper position for my legs and hands. Only then was I comfortable enough to talk. “Thanks, but you said they’re coming for me. Who’s coming for me?”

“Did ya not see the mighty great beasts that we flew over? Are ye blind?”

“Yes, but what are they?”

“The Cwn Annwn—the Hounds of Hell. You could say they keep the peace around here.”

“The Hounds of Hell were coming for me?”

“See, it is a bit hard to remain incognito when pretty much everyone already knows that you’re here.” The bird tilted his head back toward me and winked.

“Everyone knows we’re here?” I swallowed. I’d expected as much from what Calienta had said earlier, but to have it confirmed was unnerving. So much for maintaining a low profile.