25. Chapter 25
CHAPTER 25
Dynalya
L eoake took a seat on a boulder and snapped his fingers. Azulo kneeled beside him like an obedient puppy, or better yet, a slave. It was at that moment, she noticed the geas on Azulo’s ankle. It was in the shape of a tree with interwoven branches.
What did Leoake have on him?
Dyna crossed her arms, waiting for what came next. Fair stayed by her side like her own guard.
“So we at last meet again, ye fair maid.”
She cut to the point. “What do you want?”
He laughed. “I want many things, but in this instance, I desire a key.”
She arched an eyebrow. “A key ?”
“Well, parts of a key.” With a twist and flick of his hand, Leoake conjured a cylindrical case about two feet long made of dark green leather. It was gilded with leafy designs on the ends, tied with gold twine. On it was a sigil she had not seen before. He handed it to her. “It’s a bronze key from the First Age. It was broken into two pieces a long time ago.”
Opening the cap, Dyna poured out the scroll. The parchment was very old. She unrolled the page and looked upon a faded drawing of an ancient elaborate key.
Leoake’s ringed finger traced the long stem of the key from the bow to the shoulder. “The shank is your priority.”
“Then you only want one piece?”
“No. You need both, but only one you will find.”
Dyna furrowed her brows at that odd explanation. “Then the geas will be removed?” she reiterated, leaving no chance to be tricked again. “I will owe you nothing after?”
He steepled his fingers, a sly smile on his lips. “That is our agreement. Retrieve the key, and our deal will be complete.”
Dyna exhaled a breath. Sounded easy enough. She had feared his demand would be much worse. May as well do this then, so she could be done with him.
“A broken key,” she mused, studying the page. “What is the point if the bit is also missing? Without both pieces, the key won’t be of any use.”
“The bit will be safely in your pocket by the time you retrieve the shank.”
She narrowed her eyes, because of course he must have planned out everything perfectly. It was a beautiful ornate key, yet otherwise unremarkable. But she wasn’t stupid enough to think it was worthless. “What does the key open, Leoake?”
“A lock,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Dyna clenched her jaw so she wouldn’t kick his shin. “What kind of lock?”
“A rusty one.”
She stifled a groan. Whatever. He wouldn’t tell her what the key would open. The tricksy fae could keep his secrets. For now. “All right, and where is this key piece I must find?”
Leoake’s smile grew, and Dyna knew she wouldn’t like the answer. “Red Highland. The Blood Keep, to be exact.”
“Are you mad?” she exclaimed. “The Blood Keep is a prison. It’s as guarded as the border, if not more. Entering the Vale of the Elves to steal from them is foolhardy, even I know that.”
He waved his hand with a chuckle. “Yes, well, that is beside the point.”
“Are you hearing yourself? You want me to sneak into a warring kingdom with a high chance of death to retrieve a broken piece of metal. How will I ever cross their borders?”
“Oh, ye of little faith.” The Druid pouted, clapping his hands together. “I am affronted you have so little trust in me.”
“I do not trust you at all,” Dyna growled.
He chuckled. “Worry not. All will be clear soon enough. Aye, to do this, you must put your life on the line, as you like to do. Nonetheless, I believe in you.”
“You mean you have seen it.”
He waved his hands in flamboyant display and bowed mockingly. “That is what Seers do, clever mortal. We see .”
Dyna rolled her eyes. “No one else could have done this for you?”
“You are the perfect one for the task.”
“How so?”
Leoake eerie gold eyes glowed as he grinned at her knowingly. “Teeth that bite and stem that binds, through love and hate, thus the key realigns.” She shuddered at the otherworldly tone his voice took. “The two pieces of the key can only be fused by one with a broken heart full of rage, my dear. Hatred and love go hand in hand, wouldn’t you agree?”
Dyna worked her jaw, feeling something spoil in her stomach. It shouldn’t surprise her that he knew Cassiel had left her, and the damage it wrought.
He had always known.
She almost laughed. “You didn’t request your favor in Willows Grove because you had to wait for me to be broken first.”
It was not a question. She knew it was true. More so confirmed by his cynical shrug. Instead of punching him like she wanted, Dyna returned the scroll to its case and tucked it into her satchel. The key must be more valuable than he let on.
“Hmm, I used to wonder...”
Leoake rose to his feet. “Pray tell?”
“On whether there was a worm-eaten heart beating in your chest. Now I’d wager there isn’t one in there at all.”
His head fell back as he cackled. “Oh, you have become quite cheeky. I like it.”
Dyna studied him a moment, trying to gauge his schemes. He was connected to Tarn, to her, and other things she hadn’t figured out yet, but she would. “Very well, dastardly Druid. I will retrieve your key.”
“Splendid.” He headed for the trees, apparently done with their conversation.
It was in the opposite direction of the city, no paths to be seen. Dyna already knew how he traveled, because Keena had mentioned it, and she had seen Azulo do it before. Fae traveled through the trees.
Leoake knew how to appear wherever he desired, and she too had places to be.
“But you will have to do something for me first,” she called after him. “Take me to Kelpway.”
Leoake chuckled. “Sorry, that is not how this works. A favor for a favor, we agreed. I already held up my part of the bargain.” He flashed her a grin over his shoulder. “And I have no intention of stepping foot in that port.”
Of course, he knew Tarn was looking for him. Did that mean he indeed had the other half of the Unending Scroll? Azulo rubbed against Dyna’s thigh then reluctantly followed his master.
“Well, once I have the key, I will call you through my mirror.”
“Best not,” He shooed the idea, pursing his mouth. “Don’t toy with enchanted mirrors, clever mortal. You never know who is listening.” He turned away. “I will come when it’s time. I until then.”
Leoake waltzed into the forest without looking back, whistling that same tune that always seemed to tug at something in the back of her mind. He would soon disappear.
She had seconds to catch up.
Dyna released Fair’s reigns. “Return to the others, Fair.” He whinnied in protest. “I must do this. If you can communicate with Rawn, tell him to meet me in the White Woods.”
Then she ran after Leoake.
Dyna kept her steps light, moving soundlessly as she had been trained. She slipped into the forest without disturbing the brush. It was dark inside, the moonlight struggling to peek past the canopy.
She ignored the darkness. Her only focus was the faint whistling in the distance. Moving swiftly, Dyna soon caught up to them. She slowed her steps, hiding behind a shrub as she peeked out. The Druid stopped before an oak tree. It was massive with low-hanging branches. With a glowing fingertip, he drew a rune on the bark.
It pulsed with golden light. Then the trunk split and snapped, reforming itself with a groan into a perfect circle. Leavy branches framed it like a crown. Then golden light spiraled in the center.
Azulo darted in, vanishing through the portal. Dyna gasped. Hands in his pockets, Leoake followed.
She sprang.
“Dyna, no!” a voice shouted behind her.
Her foot caught on a root, and she crashed into Leoake from behind. He yelped, toppling through the glowing opening with her. The world seemed to split and spin. Everything went downside up and right side down. Every strand of what made her unraveled as she was blown away like threads in the wind.
Then she was nothing at all.
Gasping for air, Dyna jerked awake. She smacked away the pouch of smelling salts held to her nose.
Golden eyes glared down at her. “How dare you come through my Door.”
Sharp nausea swept through her stomach. Dyna rolled to her knees and grabbed a pretty clay pot in the corner as all the contents in stomach were expelled out of her.
“Oh, that’s simply perfect. That pot is now ruined.” Leoake gaged as she continued to heave. “Do you know what I had to trade to get it?”
“Sorry,” she croaked before vomiting again.
“Deal with this before I toss them to the Void!” Leoake snapped, storming away.
Her blurred vision struggled to take in her surroundings and her head ached terribly. At first it looked like a cave, but she realized they were in a den carved out of a tree. It had round wooden walls covered in vines and a stone hearth built into the corner. There was a small bed of moss on one end and a desk with all sorts of trinkets, including a blowing blue rose in a crystal vase.
But Dyna’s eyes fixed on the round door, or rather what Leoake called his Door.
It was painted green with a brass knob in the center. Carved with the design of a tree formed in a perfect circle. Ancient runes had been carved in the frame. She couldn’t read them except one.
Raido.
The rune for journey.
“It’s enchanted, isn’t it?”
A cool cloth pressed on Dyna’s forehead. “Yes, Mistress.”
She weakly smiled at Azulo, now in his human form. “Magic not meant for mortals I suppose.”
He nodded. “Your stomach will settle in a bit. Though your horse is handling it much better.”
“What?” Dyna snapped her head up and gapped at the white stallion standing in the middle of Leoake’s house. “Oh, gods. No, Fair. You were supposed to stay!”
He nuzzled her clammy cheek.
Dyna moaned, slumping against the wall. “Send him back.”
“If I could, I would send you both back,” Leoake said coolly. He sat in a chair at his messy table and glared at her. “My Door can only be used twice in one day. Once to cross and once to return. That allowance is met.”
Groaning, Dyna pressed on her aching head. She vanished with Rawn’s horse. He will be terribly worried.
But someone saw her jump into the portal.
Who had called her name? Her mind was still too groggy to place the voice. She didn’t even remember if it had been female or male. It may have been Zev. Someone had gone in search of her when she didn’t come back.
Whoever it was, they would logically guess where she was headed. Tomorrow was the sixth day. Tarn wouldn’t wait for her anymore. She had to find him, but she prayed her Guardians wouldn’t come after her. It was too unsafe for Rawn and Lucenna.
“I must arrive in Kelpway by dawn,” Dyna told Leoake. “Geas or not, I will not retrieve your key until I stop there first.”
His golden eyes churned with anger. “Actions have consequences, clever mortal. Remember that when you find yourself standing alone in the rain.”
Leoake wasn’t much of a host. He commanded her not to touch anything or eat anything. Then he left, putting Fair outside in whatever forest they had landed in.
It gave Dyna time to study the Door.
A series of rope levers hung above it from the ceiling. Each one was braided with different colored sashes and decorative beads: Red, green, blue, and black. She stared at it all night, until dawn broke the sky through the window.
“What are the levers for?” Dyna murmured to herself.
“They determine where the Door opens,” Azulo replied in a groggy tone. He rose from the moss bed with a yawn. “Did you sleep?”
“I’m not tired.” She scooted closer to him. “What do the colors mean?”
“Blue for Azure, black for Arthal, green for Home, and red for the In Between.” Azulo studied them warily. “The first three will only open in one place. The In Between will open anywhere there is an Elder Tree.”
“What is an Elder Tree?”
Azulo motioned to the drawing carved on the door. “ That is an Elder Tree. It happens to a tree whose roots grew within the lines of magic that run deep within the earth. Their magic can be used as gateways to travel certain distances. But Leoake can turn any tree into Elder Tree. He manipulated this tree to function without limits. From it, he created a door that can cross continents and appear at any point he wishes by traveling through the In Between.” Azulo shuddered and Dyna stared at him, her mind whirling. “But it is dangerous. There are creatures that lurk there. They protect the bridges between worlds created by the Spatial God. Master can avoid their attention but only as long as he does not cross more than twice.”
A sudden thought whipped through her sharply and her eyes widened. “Are you speaking of portals?”
“Gateways .” Azulo clarified. “The In Between is the world between worlds.”
Worlds.
As in more than one …
It left Dyna’s mind reeling. “Then can it take us to Mount Ida?”
He shook his head. “That is the one place the Door will not open.”
Dyna gaped at him. “Why?”
Azulo glanced at the window then dropped his voice to a whisper. “Many dire things rest there. The gods wish it to remain hidden. If they knew Master could freely travel the In Between… he would be punished.”
Dyna could hardly fathom all of this. “That’s why he was so angry that I came through his door?”
“Because he didn’t see that coming.” Azulo fidgeted with his claws, suddenly nervous. “His most prized possession are his eyes, but even those are flawed. The Druid can see all fates but his own.”
“Why?”
“The God of Time does not permit it…”
Dyna pondered on that and what else Azulo could tell her. “Azulo … what does the key open?”
An anxious expression flitted across his features. He opened his mouth, but he couldn’t answer. Not that he didn’t want to, but he couldn’t. He must be under some sort of spell to protect his Master’s secrecy,
“You have the scroll,” Azulo blurted and sweat sprouted on his skin as if it cost him to say even that.
Dyna took out the green leather case, then the key’s scroll. She looked back at him, but he only gave her a look. Then glanced at the fire. Hesitantly, she held the page over the fire and letters slowly appeared on the page.
Seek a key and make your claim but beware the door untamed.
Cross into realms of old, in the loom its secrets unfold.
Once a bridge of finder’s luck, now a curse to madness struck.
What did that mean? Azulo’s wide aquamarine eyes flickered to the window again and he rapidly shifted back into a fox. Dyna put away the scroll as the den’s green door opened.
Leoake stepped through, letting Fair in. “It’s time. Here, take this.” He shoved something in her hand. “To keep you from retching again.”
“Thank you…” Though Dyna was sure it wasn’t done because he cared. She studied the glass vile with a translucent pink liquid. “What is it?” She stared at it incredulously.
“Water.”
“What kind of a potion?”
He shrugged. “Think of it as a remedy. A powerful cure.”
“Why? Am I ill?”
“The In Between was not made for humans to use. The air is poisonous to you.” The Druid shut the door and drew the curtain over the windows. Then he yanked on the red lever. A crackle of dark energy crawled over her skin. Dyna quickly drank the potion. It tased of sweetened water. Whatever was in it seemed to settle her stomach.
“Let’s get on with it then,” Leoake grumbled as he reached for the doorknob, and she clutched Fair’s reins.
Normally, he was so nonchalant. Cynical. But only in the situations, she realized, when he knew what was going to happen. That meant he could not see everything. Catching him off guard irritated him because she had deviated his little game.
“Leoake.”
He paused.
“What are you scheming?”
A smirk played on his lips. “Chaos in order and madness in reason.”
She frowned. “Do you always speak in riddles?”
“Only on special occasions.”
“You want something on the island, don’t you?”
Leoake flicked away the accusation like swatting a fly. “I care nothing for gold and jewels.”
Of course not. His fingers were bedecked in fine rings and a pink pearl glinted on his pointed ear. With such lavish clothing, it was clear he had no need for wealth when he already had it. Many have paid well for his services.
“And yet I did not ask if you wanted gold.”
His expression danced with amusement. The fae could speak no lies but they found ways to twist truths. He pulled open the door, revealing a spiral of golden light. “Ladies first.”
Now that Dyna would get what she wanted, she hesitated. Every warning that her Guardians gave her, every time Cassiel accused her of recklessness, surfaced in her mind. She was headed straight for the most dangerous man alive.
Why did she expect to survive this?
“You have seen my future…” Dyna said. “Tell me the truth. If I go after him, will I die?”
Smiling sharply, the Druid leaned in close and murmured in her ear, “Not today.”
She shuddered at the icy feeling that swept down her spine. There was no point in considering what that could mean. He was only teasing her.
Even if he wasn’t, everyone would meet their end one day. But this was her life and only she would decide how it would end.
Taking a deep breath, Dyna stepped through the Door.