Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Harper
A aran practically dragged me away from the ballroom, but it was his happiness that persuaded me more than his request. He leads me through the garden and past a gate at the far northern corner. “Where are we going?”
“I told you there are many springs that feed the lake. I want to show you my favorite place to think and get away from things in the house.” He holds my hand and walks fast, as if the spring might disappear.
We traveled for so long, I’m a little worried about where he’s dragging me. At least the rain has stopped, and the sun is trying to break through. “Is it far?”
He scoops me into his arms. “No.”
Gripping his neck, I’m struck by all the joy welling inside him. “What did you and your mother talk about?”
“You, of course.” It’s a winding path to the caves. He’s careful to duck under a low-hanging branch. “It’s wonderful to have you in my home.”
“You never mentioned you grew up in a castle. You also never told me you will be king one day. Though, I suppose, I easily figured that out on my own.” I rest my cheek on his shoulder and listen to the thumping of his heart.
“It didn’t matter when we met, and then it mattered too much to risk you pulling away.” His eyes flash with fear, and then his smile is back in place, and he lifts me a bit higher and runs down the path.
Unable to relax until he slows, I hang on for my life. “Why are we running?”
“I am running. You are a passenger.” He slows and presses his lips to the top of my head. Putting me on my feet, he points to a bush as if I should be seeing something.
“What?”
Reaching out, he pushes aside the greenery, and sunlight streams through the canopy of trees and reflects like diamonds on a bubbling pool. “This is my favorite place in Tús Nua.”
Yellow flowers bloom along the ground like a carpet. I immediately remove my shoes and feel the soft tickle of their petals on my feet. “This is beautiful.”
“I’ve never shared this place with anyone.” He sits on the grass and flowered carpet and lies back, staring up at the leaves.
Lying beside him, I thread my fingers through his. “I love it. Thank you.” His thoughts stray, and I catch a hint of worry. “I wonder where you brothers are.”
“They’ll find a way, just as we did.”
“I hope their way is easier than ours was.”
“If that were the case, they would have arrived already. My brothers are resourceful. They will get here.”
“Of course they will,” I say with more confidence than I feel. “Can we go into this spring?”
“Yes.” He pulls me to my feet, and we sit at the edge of the water.
I trail my fingers along the surface, and the water is warm. Venora’s sour magic hits me like the snap of a whip. I pull my hand back and grab Aaran’s arm. “She’s here.”
“Who?” He looks around but lets me pull him away from the water.
The bubbling stills and reveals Venora’s beautiful, terrible face, now with a thin red scar on her left cheek. The water distorts her, but her glamor is in place. Though it cannot hide the scar I gave her. Her black hair flies in all directions, as if taken by the pool. Her hazel eyes glow with evil. “I see you, little human. Where are you though? You thought you could get away from me? I am all-powerful. Nothing you can do will stop me. Take my slaves, and I’ll capture twice their number and make them suffer for your crimes. Now, where are you?” She squints as if trying to recognize some landmark.
I want to scream for her to go away and leave this place, but I hold my tongue. I might say something that gives her information. Right now, all she knows is that I’m near this pool of water.
“If you step in, I will make your end easy. There will be no more worry or suffering. I might even spare the Riordan’s firstborn. Is he there with you? Aaran, push the human into the water, and I will spare your life. I will leave your brothers alive as well. One little worthless human for three strong elven men. It’s more than fair.” She laughs, but it’s the most grating sound.
Instinct has me linking my hand with Aaran’s. I pray Venora will never sully this place again.
Aaran’s strong pure magic flows through me.
We step closer.
“That’s right. I feel you now, human. Just step in and let me take away all the pain and torture these elves have put you through.” Another cackle.
The magic builds, and I draw a long breath, then break free of Aaran and slam my hand into the pool.
He screams. “No!”
There’s a moment of knowing surprise on Venora’s reflected face before she and her magic disappear from the pool.
Scrambling away like a crab, I make it ten feet, then lean on my elbows to catch my breath.
With a growl, Aaran pulls me into his arms. “You shouldn’t risk yourself that way, mo chroi. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”
“We couldn’t just leave her floating in your spring. She had to go.” Venora in the water, magic in the damp ground, magic on the flats. The fire demon. “That’s how she followed us. When she has her strength, she can sense me through the water.”
He stares for a long moment until the realization hits him too. “We have to go back to the house.”
“Castle,” I correct. “We need to tell your mother what we’ve learned. I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but it’s knowledge.”
“I think we need to see the oracle sooner than planned.” He hauls me to my feet, and we run back down the path.
W ithin the hour, we’re riding to see the oracle. The countryside is awash with every color of green, and flowers bloom as if painted on the landscape. At this speed, it’s all going by like a blur, but I try to take in some of the beauty of Domhan.
I don’t know what to expect. But my imagination has run amok with notions of a withered old woman wrapped up like a nun in black. Tucked in front of Aaran on his horse, there’s nothing for me to do but worry. I should learn to ride again. When we get back to the castle, I’m questioning Rían about his assessment of Cormac and four others whose magic’s return revealed loyalty to Venora. I’ll visit the prison and judge for myself. Staying in Domhan would mean giving up an entire life. However, it also means gaining a new one. I’d make a terrible queen.
Aaran leans close to my ear. “Stop. You’ll make me go the wrong way if you keep thinking a dozen things at once. Besides, Rían is preparing to leave, as you commanded, to find those taken in the marshes.”
“I commanded.” I laugh, though I’m pleased that the captain is going and a rescue is nearly underway. “I merely asked if he was going.” I should remember that he hears my thoughts if I’m broadcasting. While I could block him, we’re beyond that now.
“I know you worry over Tal. I can’t stop thinking about how she put her trust in us. I failed her and the others. Rían will find them and bring them home if he can.”
I don’t need our connection to feel his guilt and sorrow. Pushing away the darker thoughts, I say. “You’re following your parents. I hardly think you can make a wrong turn. How far is it?”
“The oracle is near the mountains.”
“That’s more than a day’s ride.” My gut twists, and my poor ass will not make it that long in a saddle.
“Don’t worry. There’s a shorter way.” He guides the horse into a trot, then a walk, as we turn left and stop at the mouth of a cave. Once dismounted, he helps me down before tying the reins to a tree.
Elspeth and Brion secure their mounts before entering the cave.
It’s dark and damp within. I can’t see anything and stumble on the uneven ground.
Gripping my arm firmly, Aaran whispers something in elvish, and the cave illuminates, though I see no light source. I’m almost used to this whole magic to do everything business.
Gray ground, gray walls, and a musty smell leave me wondering why in the world we’ve come to this empty cave. “Are we waiting for something?”
Warm and loving, Aaran wraps an arm around my shoulder. “Mother must summon the bell, and hopefully the oracle will agree to see us.”
“Agrees? What do you mean? She might tell us to go away?” The idea that anyone in this world would turn me away after what I’ve been through to get here sends indignation rushing from my brain. I open my mouth.
Aaran gently lays a finger over my lips. “Patience, mo chroi .”
Brion gives me a sharp look, but he can’t hide his amusement and his lips twitch, ruining the effect. “It’s unlikely the oracle will refuse to see us.”
I keep my they-better-not response to myself.
Elspeth steps to a plain wall, and her magic skitters over my skin, powerful and warm. It’s the strongest magic I’ve felt, other than Venora’s, and it makes me wonder how the witch queen ever gained the upper hand.
Part of the stone shimmers, revealing a one-foot-square opening in the cave wall. A patina brass bell hangs in the alcove.
Elspeth pushes the bell, and it chimes deep, then in a higher pitch. It sounds as if there are several bells all ringing at the same time rather than just the one old one, which reminds me of an old cowbell.
As suddenly as it first rang, the sound stops.
My heart drops as nothing changes in the cave.
Aaran grips my shoulder tighter, either in warning or from anticipation.
The back wall of the cave spins and glows a white-blue.
Elspeth says, “The oracle will see us.” She looks at me and smiles. “Try not to speak unless asked a direct question. I find these encounters go better if we let their wisdom come to us unhindered by a lot of questions.”
Despite thinking that she might as well ask me to stop breathing, I nod. I have questions that need answers.
I brace for the pain of a portal and follow Elspeth through. It isn’t terrible, painful, and nauseating. There is no harsh jarring or feeling of my flesh being ripped away. This is more like floating through a thick atmosphere. Then we step onto soft ground, and two women dressed in formal blue silk robes stand before a white castle built into the side of a mountain. The door is twice as tall as a man and equally as wide.
Elspeth covers her left fist with her right hand and lowers her chin. “Forgive our early arrival. Our first prophesied human has arrived and made a rather discouraging discovery.”
Brion and Aaran make the same gesture with their hands, and we all follow as the heavy wood doors open with no sign of anyone pushing or pulling. The walls are all white and unadorned. Through another door, ten elves sit behind a high desk that wraps the circular room. There is one opening to the center, and we walk through while the two who brought us in find their places. All ten, men and women, are dressed in the same blue of Elspeth’s flag. With hair and skins of all shades, they all look peaceful, as if nothing is amiss. Sconces burn all around the chamber.
The intimidation of the oracle is awe-inspiring. I’ve never seen anything so serene be so terrifying. It’s pretty clever how they’ve set this up to put visitors on edge. It’s working on me, and Elspeth’s advice seems sound. I keep my mouth shut while Elspeth recounts what I told her about Venora using water and fire to reach the Siar Fàilte continent.
In the center, a woman who might be thirty or a hundred and thirty stares at me. Her long white hair is unbound, and she wears a ringlet around her head with a round sapphire in the center of her forehead. “Harper Craig, step forward.”
My legs shake, which pisses me off. I lift my chin and do as she asks.
A flash, and she’s on my side of the desk, a foot from me.
It takes all my will not to back up. “Nice trick.”
Her lips twitch. “The oracle deciphered a tablet that brought us to you and two more of your kind. You must defeat the witch queen or Domhan will perish. Do you understand?”
Is she kidding? “I nearly died more than once to get here. Of course, I understand.”
Aaran’s voice is in my head. Gently, Harper.
The oracle turns her attention to him. “You are bonded.” She closes her eyes, as do the other nine.
I get the impression a conversation is happening that we’re not invited to.
After several uncomfortable minutes, she opens her eyes. “The oracle will protect the water. We have no sway in the fires of Coire. It is hoped your sisters and brothers will not encounter Bolcán or anything like it.”
“I don’t even want to tell you how many times I’ve been told we’re safely out of range of Venora, or how each time, the information was wrong. Are you certain that the witch queen can’t reach us here unless she goes through hell to get here?” In the back of my mind, Aaran advises me to ease up on the questions and sarcasm, but I push him away.
Staring into my eyes as if she can read everything in my mind, the oracle says, “No. She is resourceful and wants what we possess. She will always try to find a way.”
Since I’m getting honesty from her, I ask, “What is behind the Watcher’s Gate?”
“That is beyond our knowing. The gate was sealed by the old gods when your human world and Domhan parted ways. That is before any who live as the oracle were born. In your world, we’re stories passed down from mother to daughter, father to son. Myths and legends of no import. Those stories made it possible to bring you here. No magic could have worked if the hope of reunion didn’t remain inside your soul. You must come to us for training to gain control of the strong magic the oracle senses.” She closes her eyes again and the others follow.
Several minutes pass, and I begin to wonder if we’re meant to leave now.
When the oracle’s eyes open, they’re brighter, as if lit from behind. “Do you wish a union with the Riordan?”
“Oh. Okay. Change of subject. Um, is that relevant?” I have to make the leap that the Riordan is Aaran, and I feel like this might fall under the none of your business column. I’m sure I appear braver than I feel. I just can’t stand a bully, and this intimidation thing is annoying me.
She steps close, touches my shoulder, then we’re standing on a wide stone veranda that looks out over the land below.
I take a moment to regain my balance. The castle looks very small but brilliant white in the sunshine. Rolling hills, the river, and lakes shine in the distance. It’s too far to see, but I imagine the ocean beyond.
Aaran stands beside me, and his parents as well.
All the members of the oracle stand in a half circle around us. She says, “The oracle seeks meaning to the prophecy. It alludes to a merging of worlds.”
“The human world is not ready for elves and dwarves or any other beings to start walking the streets of our cities. They would see it as an invasion.” The thought of it is horrifying. Humanity can’t even get along with each other, let alone other species of sentient beings.
“We are aware. But there are some, like the fisherman and you, who think differently.”
I nod in agreement. “If we survive the gate and the war, I would consider staying to be with Aaran.” My cheeks are so hot that I have to force myself not to fan at them. “I would need to be able to see my mother from time to time. There are a lot of details to work out.”
Aaran slips his fingers through mine. “If living in Domhan cannot make Harper happy, I will live in the human world to remain with her.”
“What?” Brion raises his voice beyond what feels acceptable. “You can’t leave here.”
Turning to his father, he says, “Once Domhan is safe, I will do whatever is necessary so that Harper and I can be together, Father.”
Brion’s jaw ticks. “We will discuss it.”
“No. We won’t.” Aaran turns back to the oracle. “My duty is to Domhan, but also to the woman I love. If we were not meant, I would not love her, nor she me.”
The oracle’s voice sounds like many again. “Look out over this world and what you risk your lives for. Do what must be done. Give hope where none exists, then live in your love with our blessing. Hope is all we have until the other two Riordans bring forth the prophesized. There must be six.”
If Aaran’s brothers fail, all of this could have been for nothing. She said six, so it’s not just three human women, the brothers have to survive as well. If they go through half of what we did to get here, there are no guarantees any of Domhan will survive.
Beyond the veranda, the scene brightens as if all the world were put into Photoshop and the colors enhanced. The image stays with me as everything goes black and the four of us are suddenly standing at the gateway, back at the base of the mountains.
S tanding in front of a full-length mirror in my bedroom, I stare at my reflection and wonder who that woman is. Hair curled and left loose, eyes bright with both excitement and exhaustion, and in a pale-green gown made of silk.
An hour ago, I stood in the dungeon and talked to Cormac and the others. They are comfortable and well treated. They don’t deny that they serve the witch queen, but they also claim they gave her no aid in finding us during the journey.
Now I look like some kind of princess in a gown. The borrowed necklace dips almost as low as the gown’s scooping neckline. Touching the dark emeralds and gold, I pray I don’t lose the thing.
I feel Aaran before the door opens. It’s gratifying when he stares agape at me.
“You’re even more beautiful, which seems impossible.” He kisses my cheek.
I brush the deep blue of his lapel. “You look very handsome. Is this formal dining a nightly thing?”
“Tonight is a celebration of our return.” He leans in and presses his lips to the curve of my neck. He breathes deep as if I’m a rose in bloom. “Most nights are family dinners, and we do generally dress for them, but not in gowns and suits.”
“Can we just eat in the kitchen and not dress for dinner?” The idea of it every single night sounds as if it will get old very quickly.
Looking into my eyes, he runs his knuckles along my jaw. “We can break every tradition, as long as you promise to be by my side, mo chroi. ”
“The firstborn son of Riordan is going to break the rules?” Arms on his shoulders, I step close and thread my fingers through his hair.
“You don’t even know how many I’ve broken already. My father would have brought you here directly and not given those slaves a second thought. My brother Liam might have done the same. They’re soldiers. They only care about the mission.” His expression dims as some internal battle rages.
Staring until I capture his gaze again, I say, “I don’t think that’s true. Your father spent most of the day healing those freed elves, which I’m guessing is not in his normal job description. Perhaps you are just being hard on yourself.” I kiss his chin, along his jaw, and let my breath tickle his ear.
“If you keep doing that, we’ll break another rule tonight and be late for our own party.” He grabs my ass and drags me against his growing shaft.
“I like the sound of that. Do that magic thing where you vanish all our clothes.”
Longing and duty war in his bright blue eyes.
With a sigh, I save him. “We’ll go to the party and leave far earlier than is customary. Then you can do all the things to make up for making me wait.” It’s not even right how naughty this idea feels.
His smile and sexy thoughts slide through me. “It’s going to be a long night.”
Hand in hand, we turn toward the door. I say, “It’s going to be fun teasing you all night until you bring me back here.”
He growls and bites my neck hard enough to leave a mark under my hair. Good thing I didn’t go with an up-do. “Be careful, love. I can give as good as I get.”
A victim of my own teasing, I ache in all the best places. “Don’t I know it.”
Thank you for reading Light and Shadow . I hope you love Harper and Aaran as much as I do.
Read Stars and Sea next. It’s a short FREE prequel about how Nainsi and Bert met.
Wind and Water is the second book in the Reign of the Witch Queen series. Liam is a soldier and Wren is a jewelry maker. I think you’ll adore them.
WIND AND WATER
Liam
I’m a soldier, not a diplomat. The Oracle sent my brothers and me to the human world to find the women destined to destroy the Witch Queen. I expected a fierce warrior, but Wren is as delicate as the bird she’s named for. At least, that’s what I thought—until she knocked the wind out of me with a single kick and walked away.
Turns out, she’s no pushover. And oddly, I like her more with every moment.
Wren
My great-grandmother used to tell stories about the fairy people—men with bright eyes and pointed ears who could steal a girl’s heart with a glance. I thought they were just tales. Then Liam walked into my life and tried stealing me from a dentist’s office.
Sure, he’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen, but I’m not about to join a war. I’m barely five-two and make jewelry for a living. Fighting witches and dragons? Not exactly my skill set.
But when Liam reveals the magic hidden inside me—and my mom insists I have a destiny to fulfill—I reluctantly agree to help save his world.
On the way to the portal, we’re attacked by a dragon. Separated and thrown back in time, I’m left with one goal: get to the elven world.
No dragon, witch, or fate itself is going to stop me.