2. Chapter 2
two
Later that afternoon, Silas and I woke to the sound of birds chirping outside our window and a fresh breeze snaking through Wisteria Cottage. It was a perfectly pleasant afternoon, a deliciously slow way to start a day…if only our days weren’t numbered.
Silas and I dressed, said hello to Millie, ate the fortifying soup and garden salad she’d prepared for us, then quickly set out.
We met Ranger X outside of the castle. He led us deeply into The Forest, and at one point, he opened a portal between two trees that apparently led to Ranger Headquarters.
I wouldn’t be able to find it again if my life depended on it, which was probably the point.
Ranger HQ was quite probably situated below ground, though I’d learned locations and time on this island could be somewhat fluid. The building looked more corporate than I would’ve guessed, with sleek corridors and bright lights and shiny black marble everywhere.
Ranger X guided us to the main lobby and introduced us to Elle. As we were introduced, I recalled that this was the woman who was supposedly part Fae. I studied the woman curiously, wondering if I’d be able to feel some sort of kinship with her based on our mutual ancestry.
As I laid eyes on Elle, I was shocked to discover she looked far, far more like a Fae Queen than I ever could. Long silvery hair, legs for miles, a neat dress that showcased the whole bombshell package. When Elle smiled, it could stop a man’s heart.
After I shook her hand, I asked, “Do you know anything about your ancestors? I heard rumors you might have Fae blood in your veins, and I was just curious…”
Elle gave me a kind smile before I could finish my question. “I’m afraid there’s not much to say, and especially not much that will be of help to you. It’s believed that I have Fae blood in my lineage, but I’m afraid I don’t know any real details about it.”
“Of course. I understand.”
Elle spread her hands apologetically. “I wish I could be of more help. However, my life is far more normal than most people would suspect. I wish I had more knowledge of my ancestors, of yours, of Fae Queens in general or in the way your magic might work, but I simply don’t.
Unfortunately, it’s a very understudied topic, especially in the last few centuries. ”
I gave her a sympathetic smile. “That’s what I’ve come to understand.”
Elle proceeded to check me into Ranger HQ, and once I was all set with passes and the proper credentials, Ranger X led me down hallways that crissed and crossed and zigged and zagged.
As we walked, I could see no evidence of windows or outside light. I wasn’t sure if it was just this hallway or the whole building, but it felt locked down tight and heavily guarded. Even the click of my shoes in the silent corridor gave off a sense of foreboding.
Eventually, X ushered us into a laboratory-like space where Rangers in white coats bustled about, foregoing their usual black attire.
I stood in awe, taking in the busy, sterile space.
Flames of every color danced in midair, beakers hovering over them.
Machines I had never seen before whirred, contraptions buzzed.
Liquids boiled and gurgled and spit. It was like visiting Lily’s storeroom, but on major scientific steroids.
I stopped short. I didn’t want to move too fast for fear I’d break something.
“This is where some of the scientists and engineers work,” Ranger X explained. “It’s where, for example, they’ve been dissecting the crimson lycanthrope and the kraken that attacked you. Where they identified the magically altered genes.”
“Have you made any progress in finding the person who created those creatures?”
“Some,” Ranger X said. “Nothing concrete yet, but we have a few tenuous leads. Only a handful of people can do work this advanced without a major laboratory, so it’s a small list to investigate.
It will just take a lot of manpower to follow up on that list as these people also do not make themselves easy to find. ”
“I wonder if, by chance,” I said, glancing between Silas and Ranger X, “the magic used to alter a lycanthrope might be the same sort of expertise involved in the Darkest Lord creating a spirit army that can cross realms?”
Ranger X and Silas exchanged a look over my head.
“We talked last night,” Silas told him. “I explained the grisly process of flesh-weaving to her. At least the idea of it.”
“Ah.” Ranger X nodded. “Yes. We believe it’s entirely possible. It’s within the same circle of dark magic. You could say the skill set would cross over. In a way, we are hopeful it’s the same person, as that way there’s only one person to find, and that person could lead us into the underworld.”
“Does the weaving happen up here?” I asked. “Or in the underworld?”
“I’m not sure,” Silas said. “My instinct is the underworld, but it could also be a spell that’s activated as well. I wouldn’t think the spirits could last long enough in our realm for them to be made here entirely.”
I considered this. “There’s really no way for someone to enter the underworld?”
Ranger X shook his head. “Not if they want to live.”
I glanced at Silas, sensing his answer might be more complicated.
“It’s highly not recommended,” Silas said with the slightest bit of hesitation. “Impossible? I don’t know how I feel about that word.”
Ranger X gave an exasperated harrumph and rubbed a hand over his forehead. But he didn’t argue with Silas’s words, merely looked very, very displeased at them.
“But it’s a very bad idea,” Silas tacked on, as if to appease Ranger X. “A very, very bad idea.”
“Hopefully things won’t come to that.” The best choice here seemed to be to let the subject drop, and possibly bring it up again with Silas under more private circumstances. “Going into the underworld would be a last-ditch option anyway.”
“Last-ditch option,” Ranger X agreed heartily. “Because it’s a death sentence.”
On that particularly gleeful note, Ranger X led us to a cramped corner office where a limp houseplant wilted on the desk.
A small man with gray hair that stood in wild disarray sat at the desk wearing two pairs of spectacles: one on the top of his head, one on the long bridge of his nose.
The man turned to me, his owlish eyes widening, and pumped my hand.
“You must be Alessia,” he chirped. “Or possibly ‘Your Highness’?”
“Alessia’s fine,” I said quickly. “Please.”
“This is Dr. Sterling Lewis,” Ranger X explained. “He isn’t an official Ranger, but he has honorary permissions that function as if he were. All the same clearances, et cetera. He volunteered to help with the ward repairs.”
“Call me Sterling, call me Doc. Call me whatever you want,” the man said, finally letting go of my hand. “I’m very happy to be of service here on The Isle. I normally work for MAGIC Inc. on the mainland, but when I heard the new Fae Queen was in need of assistance, I jumped at the opportunity.”
“Thank you,” I told him. “I appreciate it. We all do. I’m just here to help however I can as well.”
Dr. Lewis winked. “Aren’t we all? I’ve been briefed on everything, so feel free to speak openly. Would you like to get started now?”
“That would be preferred,” Ranger X said. “We don’t have a lot of time to waste. Please catch us up, especially Alessia, on what you’ve gotten so far.”
Dr. Lewis whipped a cloth off a glass case on his desk. Inside it sat a crystal sphere on a little stand, something that looked like it might be found in a psychic shop on the Vegas strip.
“What is it?” I asked at some length.
Judging by the way he peered at me through one set of his glasses, I was probably supposed to know the answer already. Indeed, he looked slightly crestfallen at my question.
“I’m trying to replicate the salt crystals that anchored the wards,” he said. “Let me guess…I’m a bit off.”
“A little,” I said gently, “but it may not need to look the same to work the same.”
“Those originals were placed eons ago.” Dr. Lewis scratched at his nose.
“After you destroyed them, there was no chance of recovering enough to make a more accurate replica. I had to use my imagination, which isn’t something I’m used to doing all that much.
I generally prefer to follow rules and procedures. ”
“Sorry about that.”
“No, you did the right thing. It just makes this step harder, but I’m sure with your help we can get there.”
I reached a hand out for the crystal, and when Dr. Lewis nodded, I laid my fingers on top of it gently. “I can describe how they looked and felt, but I don’t know their composition. What they are made of, how they’re constructed, all of that.”
“Sure you do,” Lewis said. “ You’re the composition—your magic is what powers these. Under normal circumstances, I’m sure you’re well aware that my interference in these matters wouldn’t be required and your wards would be complete all on their own, no crystals needed.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“I’m only here as a stopgap,” Dr. Lewis said.
“We all know that. I’m trying to help bolster your wards, Alessia, not replace them, in this time of great danger.
I guess what I’m saying is that these don’t need to be perfect; they don’t need to last forever.
They’re just a tool to buy us time as you perfect your own wards. ”
“Exactly,” Ranger X said. “It’s an extra level of protection, a precaution since we don’t know when or how the Darkest Lord will attack. If at any point you deem them unnecessary, we can very easily disable them.”
Silas frowned at Ranger X’s statement. It took me a beat to understand why, and then it hit me.
Ranger X was worried about what would happen if I didn’t make it, and Silas wasn’t happy with that line of thought.
But it was a valid question, especially from the head of security for this island.
If I died before the blood moon, or even after, it was entirely possible that my death could potentially leave the island totally exposed.