I began to feel eyes on me from every direction. On us. It was as if the whole freaky forest had suddenly sprung to life, but there was no telling just where that life was hiding. Or whether it even was hiding. Perhaps we were seeing the very creatures we were trying to hide from-within the roots of the trees and the giant hanging rocksicles.
We came to a fork in the road. Exhausted, I dropped to the ground.
“We have to rest.” I looked up at them. “Is there any chance we can get a little sleep?”
“That might be a good idea. Here, in the realm of Fae, time moves far differently. It’s impossible to tell how much time on the outside has passed, but probably far less than in here. Grieve and I are strong here. We can watch over the three of you while you sleep.” Chatter motioned to the side of the path. “You’ll have to curl up on the ground, but at least it’s not cold.”
Wearily, Kaylin, Rhiannon, and I settled ourselves on the softest patch of earth we could find. Grieve and Chatter took watch. As we drifted off to sleep, I wondered if I’d dream of this place.
As my eyes fluttered open, I wondered where I was, and then remembered. We were in the realm of Summer, looking for Lainule’s heartstone. As I slowly sat up and yawned, achy from sleeping on the ground, my head felt clearer and I didn’t feel nearly so out of it.
“Did you sleep well, my love?” Grieve was right where he’d been when I went to sleep, looking no worse for the wear. Chatter was sitting near Rhia, staring off into the distance. As I stood, he woke both my cousin and Kaylin.
“Yes, I think I’m good. How long were we out?”
“Who knows? Time passes differently here. You slept for a while, though.” Grieve kissed me gently, and-as Rhiannon and I headed behind some nearby boulders to take care of personal business, he and Chatter began to discuss the path ahead.
When we returned, I realized I felt much better. Rhiannon and Kaylin both looked refreshed, too.
“Which way do we go?” I asked.
“Right, I think.” Grieve motioned to the path and we turned and followed him, circling through rock and root, the scent of deep earth and mold thick in my nose. I had no clue where we were going, but instinct told me this was the way. The farther we traveled, the thicker the air became till it was oppressive and heavy on the lungs. The magic was steadily growing. I almost expected to see giant mushrooms and monster crabs like out of some old movie, but neither appeared.
Grieve looked at me and reached out his hand. I took it as we approached a narrowing of the path. The roots here were huge, so big I could only imagine the trees they belonged to. They truly were the rib bones of the world, running through the earth.
As we came to an opening into what looked like a cave within the cavern, where only one person could walk at a time, Grieve pulled me close and wrapped his arm around my waist. He leaned down and gave me a long kiss, then stepped in front of me, shielding me as he stepped into the opening.
“Wait till I call you.” He glanced back once, then was gone.
As I stood there, a million thoughts ran through my head. I could barely breathe, waiting to hear his voice.
A scream cut through the air. A woman’s scream. I plunged into the opening, followed by the others, and out into a lush inner sanctum. Under a golden green glow that emanated from the walls rippled a small pool, and on the pool, silver water lilies floated. Sparkling lights filled the air, clouding me with a strange perfume. I reeled and went down on my knees as the heady scent overwhelmed me. Rhia and Kaylin were down for the count, too. But Chatter stood tall, his gaze darting around the chamber.
I followed his lead. There, over by the edge of the pond, lay a lithe, nude woman. She looked ethereal, lovely, and yet feral, but she also looked very dead. Her throat had been ripped open, and blood poured down her neck. To her left, stood Grieve, looking distant and aloof. Blood coated his lips.
My stomach twisted. What the fuck had happened? Chatter dragged me to my feet, and slogging through the magical force field, I leaned on his shoulder as he half-carried, half-led me over to Grieve’s side.
Grieve looked up as we approached, grimacing as he wiped his mouth and stared at the blood smearing his fingers. Letting out a little snarl, he threw himself down at the water’s edge and began splashing water on his face.
“Grieve…” Chatter’s voice was hesitant. Grieve looked like he was in some form of shock.
My love stared at the water. “Her song was so compelling. I couldn’t resist her. And when I drew close, she began to change.”
Chatter crouched down beside the dead woman and examined her, brushing her long dark hair to the side. His fingers brushed her skin lightly and examined her fingernails, then stood. “Iron nails. She’s one of the Black Annis. One of the Wilding Fae, like the snow hag. Dangerous and deadly, with a taste for flesh. If you hadn’t killed her, she would have killed you. Most likely one of the guardians Lainule stationed here. But what was she guarding?”
Grieve winced. “I tore her throat open. She was so beautiful, and her voice so tender, and then she began to shift and I acted on instinct. I ripped her throat out and would have gorged on her blood if I hadn’t managed to force myself away from her. But when she died, the spell broke and I was able to stumble away.”
The anguish in his voice echoed in the chamber, but there was nothing any of us could do to make him feel better about savaging the Fae. So I decided the best bet was to let it be.
I glanced around, but we were alone. “She had to be guarding something, so what was it? Surely not the heartstone-she couldn’t be the only guardian they’d set over it. So what was she protecting?” The magic was still heavy, but the longer she was dead, the lighter the energy was getting. I was almost able to stand on my own.
Chatter nodded thoughtfully. “Makes sense to me.” He patted Grieve on the arm. “Come on, let’s have a look around and see what we can find.”
Grieve slowly stood, his face and fingers wet but clean. He rested his gaze on me, almost as if afraid of what he would see. I gave him a soft smile and blew him a kiss but didn’t go near. The Indigo Court side of him was near the surface and I didn’t want to set it off again. He seemed to understand.
Rhia and Kaylin struggled to their feet. The weight of the energy was still heavy, but we were all able to stand now. I sucked in a deep breath. The perfume in the air was clearing out. As I began to poke around, Grieve stared into the pool, his gaze fixated on something below the surface.
“Whatever she was protecting is in the pool.” He motioned and, following his direction, I could see something glimmering in the center of the shallow water. It appeared to be made of brass, or copper. As I wondered just how we were going to get it out and remain dry, Grieve began to stride into the water.
“No!”
He stopped and turned back to me. “What?”
“There might be something in the water that we can’t see.” I was getting paranoid of every move we made.
Grieve shrugged. “There might, but there’s no other way to find out what she was guarding and I think we will need whatever it is.” He turned back to the water and, focusing, steadied himself as he walked farther into the pond. When the level of the pool reached up to his chest, he sucked in a deep breath and dove beneath the water. I stiffened, waiting for something to erupt from below the surface, but nothing happened.
As Grieve broke through the glassy surface again, he held up a small brass box. It was intricately embossed with an oak leaf design, and was about the size of a box of checks, with a hinged lid. While there was no lock, it seemed tightly closed.
Grieve stared at it for a moment, then handed it to me. “Open it. I cannot.”