The Star Child (The Star Child Series) (22 page)

BOOK: The Star Child (The Star Child Series)
3.5Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

I ate until I could eat no more and then crawled into the massive bed, exhausted beyond belief. Intending to close my eyes for only a few seconds, my eyelids soon shut and wouldn’t open, and I slowly fell asleep.

***

The dream seemed to begin at once and I found myself on a grassy plain. I’d never dreamed of such a place before and I looked around, trying to figure out where I was. At the other end of the field there stood a young man. Cabhan. In his hand was a sword, which he waved in front of himself, taking a few practice swings as he approached.

When he got close enough he spoke up. “Your journey will prove futile, Kellen. You can’t save my father and you can’t protect my sister. There is nothing that you can do to beat me.”

Then I remembered what I held in my hand. I glanced down to see a sword resting against my palm. Raising it in front of me, I stared at it closely. It was light, easily wielded, which was unexpected for its size.

Looking back at my nemesis, I spoke: “It’s not up to you to decide the outcome, Cabhan. There’s more at stake here than the two of us.” My voice sounded almost bored, my calm exterior seeming to come from someone else.

“You speak of the prophecy.”

“Among other things.” I looked at the sword again once more before I woke up.

***

When I looked out the window, it was dark outside; I had no idea how long I’d been asleep. Then I remembered what Dillion had told me and it hit me that I was spending my time eating and sleeping when Calienta’s family needed my help. Launching myself out of the bed, I looked around, panicked.

“Ssshhh.” Calienta got up from a nearby chair and came over to me, taking my hand in her own. She curled her fingers around the hair at the base of my neck and gently squeezed my fingers, filling me with warmth.

The physical response that I had to her was intense, but I tried to be cool about it. Slowly, I placed my hands on either side of her face and drew her lips to mine. I was hot, practically sweating all of a sudden, and overcome with an intense desire to get as close to her as possible.

Don’t get me wrong, this had been with us all along, through years of searching, but there hadn’t been a sense of urgency then. Now that we’d lost, our closeness was a reprieve and escape from the pain and disappointment.

“Calienta.” I sat down on the bed and pulled her onto my lap, kissing her roughly, fisting a hand in her hair. No longer was this a young love; ours was one of desperation and I clung to her, wanting nothing but her forever.

“I love you. I want to marry you, even if it’s too late. We can figure out what to do about it together.” Wow, I’d done it. I’d proposed. True, I didn’t have a ring and I wasn’t exactly sure of what I was proposing, but there we were. I was scared, but this was so right, a joke that everyone got but me and I’d only now caught on.

Which was probably why my worst fears came true when Calienta started screaming and sobbing at the same time. “Dillion. Dillion! What did you do to him?”

Dillion came bustling into the room, clearly out of breath. His chest heaved as he made his way over to Calienta.

She jumped up and pointed a finger at the little man. “Did you kill him?”

Dillion waved his arms in front of him in protest. “No, of course not. It is a spell.” He continued to take large breaths, catching up from his sprint into the bedroom.

“He looks pretty transparent to me.” Calienta was furious and I was enjoying it. Hey, I was a guy after all. Then I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

“Things really keep getting worse for me, don’t they?” I looked down at the floor and realized that I was hovering above my own body. “What’s with your family changing me into different forms? That is an abuse of power.”

Dillion stared Calienta down, ignoring my words. “And you want to get him through the Upside-Down Ocean how, exactly? A human would never survive. We can hide you but we cannot hide him. His only hope is to blend in.”

“Blend in?” She looked at me, one eyebrow raised.

Dillion studied Calienta with concern creeping into his eyes. “I guess you have a point there.”

The little man scratched his head and scrutinized me as if I might have another persona stashed somewhere. “Could you do anything to look, well, more unpleasant?” There was a hopeful note in his tone. Both he and Calienta looked at me expectantly.

Thinking about every bad cliché of a horror movie, I let out a low growl. I thought it was impressive.

“We don’t stand any chance. That will certainly not convince anyone.” There was a frustrated note to Calienta’s voice.

I caught her eye and raised my eyebrows questioningly. She tried for a weak smile but it came out as more of a grimace.

“Hey, I’m the great Manuel. Have a little faith. Surely a little confidence in me wouldn’t be that hard to drum up.”

Dillion shook his head. “It will have to do. That is all there is to it. Just do me a favor and at least try to look unforgiving.”

I sighed. “Thanks, that really narrows it down. So, what’s the plan?”

Dillion grimaced. “It will not be easy.”

When our eyes met, I read his concern and doubt there. “Like any of this has been easy so far?” When he shrugged, he was close to caving, so I pushed. “You have to help us. We can’t figure this thing out without your expertise.”

“There is this one thing. Just a small one…”

“What thing, Uncle?” asked Calienta.

“I do not know how to get through the Ellipse. There is something that you have to say, but I do not remember what it is. Without the words, you cannot get in.”

Calienta blew out a puff of air and sat down.

I wasn’t sure I believed Dillion. “Don’t you have any information at all on the Ellipse?”

“I do, I do. No instructions, though; just a picture in a book.”

I turned and walked back toward the library that I’d passed on my way to the kitchen. It was rather extensive, loaded with books of every size, shape, and color. The walls were made of smooth stone, the books sitting within carved bookcases that were built into the wall.

Dillion came up behind me and I looked down at him, resting my hand on the doorframe. “Where’s the book?”

“Oh, all right already. But I want you to know a poor idea this is indeed. You will not be coming back to me, that’s for sure.” He seemed too confident in my eminent demise. It was simultaneously upsetting and annoying.

Dillion bustled into the library and raised his hands into the air. A stack of books flew off of the shelves from random places and landed in neat stacks on the floor. There were about fifty in total, so we sat on the hard floor and started grabbing books, looking through them for more information.

When my fingers passed through the first book, ghostly, unable to grab hold, I looked at Dillion, a single eyebrow raised. He caught my eye and in a snap changed me back from ghost to mortal. Without hesitating, I reached for the tattered green book that rested on top of the stack.

After about the twentieth book, I started to feel discouraged. I doubted that anything I was doing was helping. Suddenly, page thirty-nine of “The Darker Times” caught my eye. “Dillion, what’s this?” I held up the page.

“That is it, the picture that I was telling you about. Does it have any more information?”

I simply stared at the image on the page. “I know this picture.”

“Kellen?” Calienta came to stand beside me.

“This picture is in Stephen’s study.” I’d never forget it because it had frightened me as a child. So much so that I ended up looking at the floor whenever I passed it.

The image itself was disturbing and there were times that I thought it was whispering to me, although I always rationalized later that it was my imagination. There was silence for a moment while everyone digested these details.

“There are words that appeared in the original painting. It is a shame that you do not remember the words.”

Dillion’s assumption was incorrect. “Actually, I
do
remember them, but I don’t know what they mean. Do you have something that I can write with?” I glanced at Dillion.

He was staring at me, clearly taken aback that I’d remember such an obscure piece of information. After a moment, he went to retrieve something I could use to capture the words, returning with a quill, inkbottle, and a piece of parchment.
This ought to be good
, I thought as I started writing the words down on the page from memory.

The words were written in Gaelic or at least a derivation of it. When I finished transcribing the words from memory, I turned to Dillion. “Can you translate this for me?”

After only a brief hesitation, the little man started to translate the words out loud.

Through the forest ye shall go

To the sea where no soul rests

Have caution, ye who seek the light

For the path is barred with terrible things

Let the beam of light be your compass

Should you cross the sea and still have breath

Then the doorway waits on the island’s end

Unlock the door with a piece of the past

From the ones who have lost all.

Dillion spoke the words and I transcribed them. After I’d captured the last line, I looked up to find him staring at me.

“Your father had this?” His eyes were questioning.

“Kellen’s father is…interesting,” Calienta said gently.

“But you know that the other half of the prophecy—”

Calienta cut him off. “Uncle, he collects things.”

Glancing from Calienta to Dillion, I felt an unusual desire to defend Stephen. “He was an academic. He had a very large book and art collection. This was on the wall in his study and is still there, I believe.”

Dillion didn’t comment any further, though I could tell that there was more that he wanted to say. Yet it was Calienta that I wanted to ask, not Dillion.

The latter stroked his long white beard for a moment. “You cannot go on your own. You will need help.”

“Who’d help us here?” I didn’t think I could trust anyone in Faerie again, despite the trust I’d placed in Dillion.

“There is one other that you can rely on, but he will not be easy to find.”

Calienta and I shared a glance. This was obviously news to her. “Uncle, how do we find him?”

Dillion took a fortifying breath. “You will proceed through my fields to the forest. It is there that you will seek the white stag. The journey will not be an easy one and you may become trapped during your search yet again.

“When you find him, you must fall to your knees and beseech the beast to grant you the power to make things right. If your gift is granted, you must run over the bridge made of wood and down the hill to the Upside-Down Ocean. You must travel straight through to the other side until you come to the Ellipse.”

“What happens if he doesn’t grant our request?” Naturally I had to point out the obvious.

Dillion’s face was a picture of desolation. “He will take your life. The stag brings life as well as death. You must ask sincerely and with kindness in your heart.” He gestured to the back of the house. “Come, my friends. The last part of your journey begins.”

We’d be leaving immediately. I was already mourning this warm and cozy house, knowing that I’d never return to it. We reached the back door when panic hit me. This was really it and we could both die.

“Dillion, will the Hounds of Hell know where we are once we go outside?”

“My spells will hold, but only until you reach the border of my property. I will keep you in my thoughts, girl.” He touched Calienta’s cheek.

She nodded in response and took my hand firmly. With my heart in my throat, we set out on what would be the final leg of our journey, chasing a portal that might be fictional, with love and courage our only weapons.

And I didn’t even have a Snickers candy bar to carry me through.

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

WHITE STAG

 

In seconds, we said our goodbyes and were walking out into the dark night. The air had grown cold and I found myself already missing the warmth of Dillion’s country kitchen. It reminded me of Gran’s kitchen, a safe place. The woods that we were walking toward were anything but, and I wondered if I’d ever feel that way again.

Wanting one more look, I glanced back at the farm, but it was gone. “The house—where did it go? Where’s Dillion?” I continued to try to look behind me.

“Dillion’s home is only a haven for those he invites in. Should we want to return to it, he’d welcome us again.” I caught Calienta’s sadness in her words. “But it’s time to move on now. If it is meant to be, we will meet him again. And I know that we will. I can feel it.”

Her loose gown flowed around her in the wind. The moon shone hazily through the dense clouds, giving her skin an almost angelic glow.

“Where’s this forest we have to look for? It seems like we couldn’t move any slower if we tried.”

“I don’t know. We need to keep moving in this direction. I think it’s time we started speeding things up.” She performed another one of her quick changes, but this time we both ended up in a new ensemble. I touched my hand tentatively to the fleece outerwear that I was now garbed in.

She grabbed for my hand and before I could speak, we were in the air and I understood the reason for the fleece. The wind chilled me, but the excitement of flying with her again outweighed my discomfort. I wouldn’t look down and instead chose to look at my pilot.

“What happened to maintaining a low profile?”

She turned to me, a look of mischief in her eye. “We’ve spent enough time lurking around here and it’s not done us any good. What’s the point in hiding? We might as well move a little more quickly.”

“Are you saying my mortal pace is slowing us down?”

She laughed out loud, which was refreshing given our circumstances. I expected her to deny my statement, to stroke my ego a bit. “Yes. We don’t have all day.”

Other books

High Country Bride by Jillian Hart
Romancing the Fashionista by K. M. Jackson
Cherringham--Final Cut by Neil Richards
Amber Eyes by Mariana Reuter
Sleep Keeper by Wilcox, April
Love Nest by Julia Llewellyn
Round-the-Clock Temptation by Michelle Celmer