CHAPTER THREE #2
My eyes adjusted quickly, and unsurprisingly, I found myself in a cave.
But after we’d taken a few steps, the darkness fell away, driven back by weak sunlight coming in through another opening in the rocks that was on the other side of the cave, almost big enough for a boat to fit through.
There was no way to get to it, other than swimming—water glittered and lapped gently against the walls.
Slick rocks peeked out from the surface like sirens as we went down the stairs.
A minute later, my three companions halted at the edge of an uneven path we’d been walking along, so I did the same.
There was an air of expectancy around all of them, as if we were waiting for something.
I held my dress and my questions, and I was rewarded when a sound eventually reached my ears.
It was subtle, like a distant humming. I frowned, glancing at Laurie, but he kept his focus on the water.
I was about to speak when something came out of it.
I was so startled that I took an involuntary step backward. I quickly realized that it was just a machine rising slowly from the depths. It let out a hissing sound as it ground to a halt, water streaming down its sides. Seconds later, a pair of doors slid open and revealed an elevator, of sorts.
Two of the walls were made of metal, while the third was completely glass, allowing us to see the dark ocean beyond. Our group stepped into the confined space, and I felt my first flicker of true apprehension when the doors closed with a sound of finality. Guess there was no going back now.
The elevator descended smoothly. I stared into the dark water, half-expecting something to come rushing at us from the depths.
Something with sharp teeth and cold eyes.
But we plunged downward without event, and after a few seconds, the elevator came to another gradual stop.
I turned and waited for the doors to open at what was presumably the bottom of the cave, but then it shifted to the left and we were moving again.
I almost fell into Collith. A gentle, steadying hand touched my waist. I righted myself without taking my eyes off the doors, and the hand fell away, but I still felt the imprint of those cool fingertips like a wordless reassurance. I’ve got you.
Seconds later, the doors opened into a long, arched walkway.
“Stay close to us, please,” Collith murmured, his voice edged with tension. For once, I just nodded in agreement. We moved forward, and I looked around curiously, allowing my dress to fall to the floor.
Knowing the long history of the Order, I’d expected a meeting place that was as ancient as its founders.
But the structure was sleek and modern. These walls were also made of glass.
We started down the walkway, and bright lights filled the tunnel, making it feel like this was just a visit to SeaWorld.
Nervous laughter rose up inside me at the thought.
“The humans don’t bother us here,” Laurie said from behind.
Something in his tone made me turn, and I caught his glance toward the surface. The red circle, I thought. I would bet my favorite gun that a cruise ship has never gone down here.
“Let me guess. A faerie came up with that one,” I remarked. Laurie just smirked.
We entered a chamber that had been divided into three rooms, and it was immediately apparent we were the earliest arrivals.
The first room held a refreshment table and a bar, which was where Laurie stopped.
An attendant stood behind it. She looked human, but the fact that she was here made me think otherwise.
The second room was empty, with only a single document displayed on one of the walls.
I began moving toward it, but then I noticed how the other walls contained faint shapes, like watermarks, each of them different.
I traced the closest mark with my finger, frowning as I tried to discern its meaning.
Collith appeared at my side, and he touched the image in the same spot, our fingers brushing in a flare of warm attraction.
He spoke without looking at me, his hazel eyes moving over the lines on the stone.
“We couldn’t possibly fit every species at the table, of course, so these images depict how they’re all represented.
For instance, the water nymph monarch speaks for all creatures of the water.
The Queen of the Shapeshifters stands in for anything that can change its form, like dragons and weres—with the exception of the wolves and kitsunes, of course, stubborn creatures that they are—and the Vampire King is here for the parasites and predators, et cetera. ”
He gestured to each mark as he mentioned the representatives. I tried to commit the images to memory as best I could, since the knowledge could come in handy during this meeting. Maybe it would even be key to my survival, I thought grimly.
I noticed there wasn’t a representative for the goblins, but I kept this observation to myself.
Moments later, Laurie returned holding three drinks in his hands, which he somehow made look effortless. He handed me a glass of wine and said, “Honey left to fetch the next guest. Shall we?”
I just nodded, my nerves returning in a rush at those words. The next guest.
Once again, Collith and Laurie positioned themselves on either side of me, and we turned away from the marks. As we continued walking, I tried to keep a loose grip on my wine, knowing that every detail about me would be noticed and assessed.
Somehow, even without a crown or a throne, I’d found myself playing the game again.
The game that made me feel alive and terrible all at once, as if I were standing at the edge of a cliff with nothing but an abyss awaiting at the bottom.
There was a reason I had walked away from all of this, but no matter how hard I tried, it always seemed to pull me back again.
If I was going to survive this game, I needed to pay attention.
The third room, I saw as we approached, contained a strange table.
It was enormous and round, with narrow gaps that led into the wide opening where the rest of the table was supposed to be.
Dark water gleamed at the center of the opening.
Probably a fountain, I thought, or the world’s creepiest wading pool.
Most of the walls were more plates of glass, casting an otherworldly shimmer over everything.
Only one surface was made of stone, and just like the document in the second room, a single item had been mounted on its surface.
Since there was no one else here, I drew closer to the object, wanting to study it. This thing looked old.
Behind me, Laurie spoke in a bored tone, as if he were reciting from a textbook. “The Horn is one of the three holy items in this world, and it’s supposed to summon the Host of Heaven,” he said.
“The Host,” I repeated, eyebrows raised. “You mean …”
He nodded. “Angels, yes. Full-blooded, unbanished, all-powerful angels. The kind of fuckers you really don’t want to mess with.”
“What are the other two items?” I asked curiously. How had I never heard of this before?
Laurie held up his fingers as he listed them off. “The Holy Lance, which was supposedly the spear that pierced Christ during his crucifixion. And the Holy Sword, also known as Cortana or Excalibur.”
I studied the ancient instrument. “Seems kind of arrogant, doesn’t it? Displaying the Horn like this?”
“It’s completely useless to our kind. Only a true angel can blow the Horn.
Not even the Court elders were able to make it sound.
” Laurie tilted his head, his expression becoming thoughtful.
“But I think they hung it up because it looks like an enormous cock. These meetings are terribly dull, and we must have some way to get through it.”
“Laurelis Dondarte,” a voice said from the doorway. The speaker sounded tired. “Must you always treat this sacred union with such disrespect?”
Laurie spun on his heel, already wearing an exaggerated expression of contrition.
In a flash, he was across the room and standing before a frail-looking female in the doorway.
Honey stood beside her. As Laurie bowed smoothly at the waist, brushing a feather-light kiss across the back of the old woman’s hand, the envoy slipped away.
“Forgive me, Mother,” Laurie said ruefully. “I’m a scoundrel trying to change his ways, but you know as well as I how hard change can be. I’m grateful to have you to remind me when I slip back into old habits.”
The female scowled and snatched her hand away, flapping it at Laurie as though he were a gnat. “Oh, away with you. You don’t even make an effort when you’re lying.”
Laurie evaded her easily, his mouth stretching into a wide grin. “You look lovely as ever. Lady Sworn, may I introduce Wichonne Babdock, the Mother of Witches. Mother, this is Fortuna Sworn.”
“Well met,” I said, giving her a respectful nod.
The Mother of Witches regarded me with a shrewdness that I couldn’t help but admire. While her body might be deteriorating, it was clear that Wichonne Babdock’s mind was perfectly intact. “I have heard much about you,” she remarked.
“It’s probably all true,” I told her with a small shrug.
Amusement shone in the old witch’s eyes. “It would seem so.”
“I am many things, but I’m not a liar. Doesn’t your kind have a saying about that?” someone asked, appearing beside the Mother of Witches with a glass of wine in her hand.
Mercy Wardwell. I hid a faint surge of annoyance, and bit back a comment about being surprised she could actually show up to something. Why was she here?
She’d never been my favorite person, considering she had a habit of spouting dark prophecies and making me feel like shit about myself.
But the last time I’d spoken to Mercy, I’d called her for help, desperate to save Finn’s life.
The witch had practically hung up on me, then sent Savannah in her stead.