The Shadowed Path

12. Reine

12

Reine

Ellerin roused us all early the next morning, and we had to eat our breakfasts on the go. Luckily the hotel, used to travelers with all kinds of needs and schedules, accommodated us with easy-to-carry vegetable and egg wraps. Still full from the feast the night before—and the dessert I'd finished while I journaled—I stuck mine in my backpack, intending to eat it later.

"Why are we up and going so early?" Kestrel sounded like a grumpy teenager, and she clutched the takeaway coffee cup in her hand like it held the fuel to life itself. I had to remind myself that although she was twenty and adult in appearance, human children had slow development, although not nearly as much as Fae did.

"Because I said so." Ellerin didn't sound super happy, either. I suspected he still felt the effects of the liqueur he'd been drinking while out with John, who, wisely didn't say anything to Ellerin or Kestrel. I guessed he knew his daughter's moods.

Instead, he dropped back to walk beside me. "Penny for your thoughts?"

I looked over at him. "Why?"

"Because you're the one familiar with this world. Has it changed much since you left?"

We walked through quiet city streets. The morning mist lit by the rising sun gave the mixed architecture a ghostly feel.

"As I told Kestrel, I'd not visited Cruaidh before, so I don't know. I suppose so, though." I thought back to the asylum and the goth-themed restaurant. "This may be different in Lorien, but it seems like the Fae have been more influenced by human culture. It's almost like you're the fairy tales, not us."

John chuckled. "That's an odd thought—us the fairy tales. Wasn't the purpose of those to scare children into good behavior?"

"I suppose so. Or give them a distraction."

"What do you think the purpose of the human tales would be, then?"

We'd reached the walls, and Ellerin motioned for us to be quiet. "I need silence so I can make the key to exit."

Kestrel's head snapped straight from her slumped posture. "You mean people, I mean, Fae, are trapped in here?"

"No, the dark Fae can exit as they please. It's harder for everyone else."

Another way to constrain the enemies of the Light Queen. I didn't voice the thought, but it made me ever more eager to escape this place, this trap within a trap. That was another change—the cooperation between the queens. Could Faerie be in danger from something outside of it? I couldn't think of anything else that could possibly make them work together.

Ellerin murmured a spell in the old Fae tongue, “Key to the heart of stone, unlock that which remains hidden and render safe passage for those who wander unfettered by land or loyalty on the Shadowed Path.” The crystal atop his staff glowed golden, and a rumbling sound came from within the wall. A dark crack appeared and expanded so it would be just wide enough for the largest of us to pass through.

"Here we are." Ellerin smiled, and the fact he seemed relieved made me question just how much control and power he had in the dark Fae lands. "Follow me."

As per usual, Ellerin led the way, and Sir Raleigh and I brought up the rear. Before I walked into the just-made entrance, I looked down at Sir Raleigh, who gazed back at me with big, green eyes.

"Is he okay?" I asked, inclining my head toward where Ellerin had disappeared.

Sir Raleigh looked to where I pointed, and his ears flattened, then straightened. A cat shrug?

"Well, might as well follow. We don't want them leaving us behind."

Sir Raleigh twitched his tail, then darted into the cave. I took a deep breath as though I was about to dive into water and followed.

The gloom inside the wall swallowed us all, and the sense of the tons of rock around us pressed in on me. I'd never been claustrophobic, but I'd also never walked through a city wall that emanated the desire to crush and devour me. Apparently, Cruaidh had more ways than one to intimidate those who dared breach its defenses.

We emerged into more mist, and I exhaled. The two humans looked around with uncertainty. The only thing we could see clearly was the wall at our backs, now a smooth pane of obsidian with no handholds or cracks to be seen. Otherwise, a thick fog pressed in on us, the trees ghostly shadows.

"Is this where we went in?" John asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

The crystal atop Ellerin's staff glowed golden with the mist a halo around it. "No, this is the other side."

"It's not like things stay consistent here."

I covered a chuckle at John's complaint. It made sense that his scientist sensibilities would be offended at a place where the normal laws didn't apply. Faerie did have its rules, but not ones that couldn't be broken. Hence, many Fae didn't understand the laws of physics that governed the human world. Even there, we could bend them, which made the Earth realm particularly dangerous for us. If anyone found out we could manipulate the very nature of matter…

Kestrel's voice also emerged hushed and anxious. "So we go into the fog?"

"Keep the light of my staff in sight. Don't get separated from me, or you'll be in grave peril."

I winked at Kestrel, and she moved to walk beside me with John in front of us. Sir Raleigh followed us.

"Should I be keeping a list of fantasy movie dialogue in my journal?"

I snickered. "Why not? It may inspire a story for you someday."

"Like all this hasn't already?"

The perceived presence of the wall receded as we walked, and I resisted the urge to go back and move along it. Another spell to make sure those who escaped stayed close? Maybe that's why I'd never visited Cruaidh. I might never have left, at least not without someone like Ellerin to guide me. Now, the trees we passed felt like they watched us without protecting us in the gloom.

The thoughts disturbed me, so I decided to distract myself and asked Kestrel, "What power are you feeling today?"

She wrinkled her nose, showing the freckles along her cheeks. "I'm not sure. There's an uneasiness inside, like a bunch of stuff is trying to come through."

"Is anything stronger than the others?"

"Maybe?" She shook her hands. "My fingers are tingling."

"Interesting. Try this." I held my hands out in front of me, palms up, and had a little flame dance along my fingertips.

"I don't know that I can do that and walk at the same time. That's harder than chewing gum."

I laughed. "Just try making a little flame then. Like this." Keeping my right hand facing up, I pressed my fingertips together, and a flame appeared.

Kestrel mimicked me, and her flame appeared, then shot into the sky with a whistle like a firework. It fizzled with a hiss somewhere in the trees above us.

Ellerin wheeled around. "Ladies! You do not know what lurks out here. If you continue the magic lessons, please be more subtle."

I'm sure that Kestrel and my faces had turned the same pink shade, and I murmured, "Sorry."

We had just started moving again when something snatched Sir Raleigh away from me. He yowled, and I wheeled around. "Raleigh!"

His yowl turned into a growl. A high-pitched yelp and gurgle followed.

"Raleigh!" I called again, and only Ellerin's strong hand around my wrist kept me from running toward the horrible noises.

"Wait." He tugged at me, so I turned to him. "Wait. You'll see."

Sir Raleigh emerged from the trees in his bat-winged panther form with blood dripping from his mouth. For a second, I thought he was injured. Then he spat something at our feet, a couple of vertebrae with flesh and gray skin with both fur and…scales?

"Oh, gods." Kestrel turned away, her hand over her mouth.

John rubbed her shoulder as she composed herself. "She's never been good with blood."

Fur and scales. "A water wolf?" I flared my nostrils. "I heard them swarming last night. Please tell me they're all abed now, and that was a straggler."

Ellerin snuffed the light on his crystal. "Let's hope. Now move along quietly. And no more magic in case others are having trouble sleeping."

We followed him without speaking. I'm sure we all strained our eyes to see through the gloom. Sir Raleigh again brought up the rear, and while I felt safer with him behind me in his full grimalkin form, I also knew the water wolves would go after the next weakest-appearing members of the party. That would be the humans. Consequently, we moved along in as tight a cluster as possible.

The path widened, bringing us to the shores of a glassy lake. The mist lay in broken clumps over the water, giving us tantalizing glimpses of the shore beyond.

Kestrel nudged me. "It's like the one on your journal, but without the moon."

"I know." And it still looked as sinister. "Ellerin, can we get around?"

"Unfortunately, we have to go across. Otherwise, we'll lose another day."

I removed my pack, and my wings appeared. Thankfully I'd thought to have the hotel tailor put slits in my T-shirt so I wouldn't ruin another one, and I wore a bra with straps that crossed in the back and hooked to the cups in the front, leaving room for wings and the ability to actually get the thing off if they were unfurled. Now I understood the appeal of overbust corsets.

I glanced at John and Kestrel, who huddled together and watched us. "I haven't flown in years, and I don't know if I can carry anyone."

"Hopefully you won't have to." Ellerin walked to the water's edge and planted his staff in the dark gray mud. This time the crystal glowed green, and a low-slung boat with a curved prow shaped like a wolf glided over the water through the mist. It didn't have anyone rowing or otherwise steering it. I thought I could see dim shapes inside, but every time I looked closely, they disappeared.

"Ellerin, do you see the shades in the boat? Are they a trick of the mist or something more sinister?"

He squinted at the boat. "We're not too far from the border of the Gray Zone. Don't trust your eyes, and stick to the path, at least as much as you can."

The boat bumped against the staff, and Ellerin caught it as it toppled. He frowned and didn't say anything. Did he and the boat have some sort of issue with each other? That's not what I needed right now.

A dark, ghostly whisper floated through the air. “I can take three of you.”

"That's ridiculous. There's plenty of room."

"Talk to the princess. She saw the shades. I'm almost full."

"Why are you full of shades?"

"There's a convention. I don't know. But only three."

Ellerin sighed and turned back to me. He rolled his eyes. "I'm guessing you heard all that."

"Boaty McWolfface has a sarcastic side. Shade convention my ass. Why won't they get off?"

He snorted. "That's a very good question. And only means we need to hasten our journey. If shades are avoiding the dark Fae capital…" Again, a worried expression flitted over his face, but it passed so quickly I missed the opportunity to ask about it. Or maybe I didn't want to. I needed Ellerin to be the rock, the one in charge. The one responsible.

"That's not very princess-y of you."

Dammit, I forgot that some magical beings could read thoughts. "Shut up, Boaty."

Ellerin handed his pack to me. "Here. You need the flying practice. Take the packs to the other side. The humans and I will get in the boat."

"Wait." John approached us. "You want us to get in that thing? Is it seaworthy?"

"Probably not, but it's lakeworthy, and that's all that needs to be true for that to happen. Hurry."

Kestrel wrinkled her nose and looked at the boat. "But it's full of dead things. Like zombies, but transparent."

"The girl sees more than she lets on."

Ellerin studied Kestrel. "Indeed. Your pack please."

Kestrel started to hand it to him, then hesitated. "Wait. Let me get something out so it won't be as heavy." She pulled the journal out and tucked it in the inside pocket of her jacket, then closed the backpack and gave it to Ellerin, who passed it to me.

John relinquished his pack. Now I held four of them—their two, Ellerin's, and mine.

"Uh, Ellerin, I haven't done this in ages. Give me a hint as to how I get started?"

"Why don't you ask that water slitherfin by your feet?"

"What?" I shot up in the air and hovered, looking down to where I'd been standing. There was no slitherfin, which would be a cross between a snake and a fish. I'd always hated how creepy they looked.

"You tricked me!"

He chuckled. "All's fair in love and Fae."

Kestrel snickered and got in the boat, but stayed close to the edge. John followed her, as did Ellerin. They spread out along the back bench, and the boat pulled out into the lake and turned around. With Sir Raleigh as my flying shadow, I followed its trajectory and tried to keep abreast of its slow pace, but I found myself getting worn out. I flew over to where I thought it would dock and hung the packs in trees, then circled back to find the boat had just reached the middle of the lake.

Bubbles popped along the surface of the water around them, and the water itself tossed the boat in small waves. Kestrel grimaced at something in front of her.

John patted her hand. "What is it, honey?"

"Apparently shades can get seasick."

"Um, Ellerin?" I called.

"What?"

"Can you come up here? Something doesn't look right."

He stood and took his cloak off, and his wings emerged. They were of black, gray, and white feathers—fitting for a traveler through many lands. With a gentle jump, he was airborne and came to hover beside me.

The water now foamed and frothed, and John and Kestrel clasped hands.

"Oh, that's not good."

"What is it?"

"Those shades weren't passengers. At least not in the traditional sense. They're the last people and Fae who rode in the boat."

"What happened to them?"

"Water wolves."

Now dark shapes swirled beneath the boat, and I didn't think they were slitherfish.

"Oh, Hades."