Chapter 34
ECLIPSE
The sound of many booted feet thud along the grounds heading in our direction. Agatha appears with several warriors, each one carrying a torch.
Her voice carries out across the grounds to our group, “I figured I’d find you and your court here.” She hands out torches to Evander and Tane. “If you’re insistent on returning to that snake hole, you’ll need to be dressed for battle, my queen. Follow me.”
The land is as black as night, but there’s not a star in sight. Night-blooming jasmine floats along the breeze. The darkness blankets us as we follow Agatha and her troop back to the castle. Shadows slither along the path as the wind picks up, whipping the torch flames around.
Eclipses are a normal celestial occurrence in the human realm, but here, it certainly feels like one of the more sinister omens. Lachlan’s expression is grim from the slight glimpses I catch in the flickering light.
The weight of my gaze has him turning to face me, pulling us to a stop.
“I dinna think ye realize the weight of this decision.”
His posture is rigid, and his grip on my hand is strong. I flex my fingers, and he loosens his hold immediately, shooting me an apologetic look.
“I don’t want to go back there either, but I have to try.
” His jaw flexes at my words, but I continue.
“We could very well be wrong about Odin being trapped somewhere, and he’s just busy gathering the rest of his forces from the other realms. But Elowen said her vision meant soon.
And now it’s happening, just like she said. ”
I try to make my voice light, joking even, but fail miserably.
“I canna lose you,” he announces, his eyes glittering in the fading torchlight.
I cup his face with my palm, the stubble of his beard grazing my fingers. “And you won’t,” I breathe.
He dips his head lower and rests his forehead against mine. I tilt my chin up until our lips touch. Our kiss is light, gentle in a way that eases the burn.
The world around me disappears until it’s only me and him.
There’s no war, no impending battle for my throne.
Just us two and the serenity of this moment.
Someone politely clears their throat, the sound plunging us back into the present. Lachlan wraps his hand around mine, and we walk side by side towards the castle.
Our friends stand just outside the door, having not gone too far without us.
That small gesture of loyalty has some of the tension leaving my shoulders.
I’ve surrounded myself with an entire group of friends.
A group who became my advisors, too, and I seek out their wisdom with each new challenge we face together.
In the face of so much chaos, it’s kind of funny that my journey led me to something I had wanted all my life: friends.
Darkness gives way.
Losing its battle to the light as the sun slips out from behind the moon’s shadow.
The land is now an ashen gray as we enter the back doors of the castle. The silence that greets us is unsettling, in contrast to the usual liveliness of these halls.
A shiver walks its way down my spine. The castle is entirely hushed, and people are lined up at the windows, mouths firmly shut in mute horror as they observe the eclipse slowly fading away.
There’s been a flurry of activity in this place since the moment we arrived, but right now, time has stopped.
Our boots thudding across the floor are louder than any beating drum.
A looming sense of dread hangs over my head like the proverbial sword about to fall, and I breathe through the rising sense of panic.
I can do this.
I can face Odessa and Julius and convince them to see the reality of this situation. Or I will defeat them. Hopefully, the eclipse will help them see reason and that their intentions are not as insidious as we had begun to suspect.
Agatha makes a right at the top of the second-floor landing and enters the library. Silver light spills in from the lancet windows, and we make our way to the back of the room, pausing in front of a painting I’ve admired before—of a Valkyrie.
A golden crown of feathers rests upon her brow, her copper hair flowing out around her, as she sits astride a soaring white stallion.
Her muscular arm is outstretched as she clutches a golden spear in one hand and an ax, identical to mine, in the other.
The hilt made of flying ravens is held firmly by her chest. The first time I saw it, her wings reminded me of the Winged Victory statue in the Louvre.
Agatha gazes at the painting, her eyes sparkling. “This is the Goddess Victoria, the mother of Valkyries.”
She strokes the golden frame of the painting, and a click sounds before the painting springs forward on a hidden hinge. The warriors beside Agatha fan out on either side of the hidden pathway, guarding our backs as we duck under the sparkling amethyst archway and inside.
“What is this place?” I whisper, following close on her heels.
The air in the hallway isn’t damp or musty like one would expect from a hidden tunnel, but light and floral. The air shimmers as breaks of light pierce across the dark path, and fresh air wafts through the open grates on either side.
“We had to hide your family jewels somewhere, dinna we?” She chuckles at my startled expression.
Family jewels? My family?
Torches spring to life as we pass, lighting our way as our footfalls reverberate on the stone floor and walls around us.
“How is this possible?” I ask, as another torch springs to life. “I thought magic was waning in our realm? I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
I definitely would’ve recalled magically lit torches instead of the memories of seeing servants carry torches to light the candles around the castle.
“This place has always had a certain way about it.” She grins.
“I’ve noticed it becoming awakening more since the Midsommar festival, but I figured it had something to do with you finally being home. ”
I marvel at each torch we pass, and Lachlan chuckles at my obvious amusement. I glance back to see Tane also looking bewildered, while Mathilda rolls her eyes at his childlike wonder.
Agatha stops at the end of the hall where it opens up into a circular room, and I almost slam into her, still gawking at the large iron chandelier with at least a hundred candles flaring to life above us.
Candlelight is reflected in tiny rainbows from the cases all around us. Lining the stone chamber are at least twenty glass cases, all bursting with thousands of jewels. My gasp is echoed between the women while the men let out low whistles.
“This,” Agatha whirls in place, “is all yours.”
My jaw drops.
Lachlan chuckles and presses a kiss to my temple before murmuring, “Whoops, another surprise.”
I close my eyes briefly, savoring the feel of his lips against my skin before I’m brought back to the present.
Turning in place and taking in the spectacle of my family’s wealth, my eyes bulge. How is this possible? There must be thousands of jewels in this room. Where did it all come from?
I spin around, and my eyes land at the back of the room.
Tucked away in a small corner is a wrought iron stand supporting dazzling, webbed chain-mail armor attached to a silver chest plate and shoulder guards, the silhouette obviously designed for a woman.
A silver helmet crowned with golden wings is perched on top of the stand, and a shield emblazoned with poppies is propped up next to it.
My mother is the reason I’m here, the reason any of this is here. My eyes begin to water as I realize Agatha’s intentions in bringing me here.
She gestures to the stand. “This was your mother’s,” she pauses, looking back at me, “and I know she would be honored for you to wear them.”
I feel a pang in my chest at yet another moment my parents will not get to see.
But the emotionally tense moment is abruptly shattered by Tane loudly asking, “Oi,” his accent heavy, “did you even see the swords?”
Followed by what I swear is him prancing in front of a glass case wedged full of swords, daggers, throwing knives, and even a broad sword. I chuckle while walking over to the glass case full of weapons that he’s still pointing at.
All of them are works of art, with engravings and jewels on their intricate hilts. Evander mirrors Tane’s excitement with a whistle, his eyes growing wide while pointing out a particularly stunning dagger that has black jewels encrusted on the hilt.
But a small dagger with sapphires set into carved waves draws my attention. The waves are extremely detailed and remind me of the ones I surfed with my dad in California. I close my eyes, wishing for just one more afternoon in the ocean with him.
Mathilda peruses the jewelry and gasps when she points out a necklace that has a ruby the size of her fist surrounded by diamonds. “I can’t believe I didn’t even know about this place.”
She shoots a look at Lachlan, who holds up his hands with an innocent gesture.
“Hey, I’m just a guard.”
His blatant lie garners eye rolls and chuckles from the group. Studying the armor in front of me, I run my hand the length of the shield.
I’m flooded with memories of my mom. It’s not unfathomable to imagine her carrying this shield now that I know what a force of nature she was here in this place.
Pieces of my memory stitch together with who I knew her to be in the human realm and with who she was here, creating a complete picture of the woman she was.
It makes sense as she was always otherworldly to me.
It’s nice to know my assumptions were correct all along.
My necklace pulses slightly, the warmth chasing away the chill in the room.
But Lachlan breaks my train of thought. “I hate to rush ye, but we need to hurry back. It’s going to take a while to get the group ready to leave, and I assume ye want to have this confrontation with your aunt sooner rather than later?”
I nod.
Agatha begins dismantling the stand and handing me the armor.
Once in my hand, I marvel at how light it actually is, and up close, I can see that there’s a pattern engraved into the chest and shoulder plates, poppies, of course.
I look up at Agatha. Her face is serious yet kind, and she places the helmet crown on my head.
Time slows to a stop.
I hold my breath, and everyone freezes in place.
The weight of the crown is heavy on my brow, not just from the metal, but from the weight of my new responsibilities. It’s as if they’re tangible in the metal. It’s not unbearable, but it definitely makes itself the foremost priority in reorienting my balance.
I can feel the ripples of this moment race outward, and despite myself, I wonder if Odessa can feel the impact all the way in the capital.
Agatha clears her throat. “There’s one more thing.” She walks up to a case that was hidden in the shadows. “This was your father’s.”
She pulls a single item from the darkness, a sword that mirrors the sapphire dagger. It is long but lean, and the weight is comparable to the sword I’ve been using alongside the ax.
The blade is made up of layered steel, and distinct markings ripple along its surface. I meet Agatha’s eyes, and her mouth parts as if there’s more she’s about to say, but she shuts it quickly, nodding before turning on her heel and leading us from the vault.