Chapter Fourteen
My shoulders felt heavy as I trudged back to the camp. Someone was singing a song I didn’t know. It was a male voice, and I decided to investigate.
The voice led me to the base of the cliff that ran south of the camp. Embedded into the marbled side were shower stalls with thick wooden doors. Bastien scrubbed his head, lather running down his arms and the little bit of chest I could see. He belted out another chorus of the song.
When he’d finished his front, he turned to rinse his back and spotted me.
I clapped my hands enthusiastically. “Bravo!”
A smile tilted his lips as he stepped out of the water spraying from holes in the marble. Steam rose around him like a halo. “If I knew I’d have an audience, I would have worn something other than my birthday suit.” He grabbed a towel hanging over the door.
“I didn’t know you could sing like that,” I said, watching the muscles of his shoulders and biceps flex as he dried his hair with the towel. He pulled on a thick robe, pushed the door open, and headed over to me.
“You were gone when I woke up,” he said, tossing the towel over his shoulder.
“Lei was training me with the globes.” I met his steps. “And I stopped by to check on Carrig.”
“How is he doing?”
“The same,” I said.
He stared down at me, and I brushed a strand of wet hair from his face. As I lowered my hand, he caught it and pressed his lips against my palm. “I could get used to you being around often.”
“Yeah, it’s sort of nice.” Sort of? Really, Gia? Way to encourage things.
A laugh escaped him. “Only sort of? I believe you’re downplaying it.” He pulled me to him and leaned over to give me a kiss.
A siren blared from the village, and we instantly pulled apart.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“I’m not certain,” he said and took off for the camp, clutching my hand and taking me along with him. “Get in your gear. I’ll meet you at the path leading to the village.”
“Okay,” I said, panting. He let go when we reached the tents, and I sprinted to mine. I rushed around, putting the leather breastplate from the gear Lei had given me over my white linen tunic and strapping the sword and scabbard to my waist. There was a holster holding a dagger, and I snatched it up and belted it around my thigh.
Before leaving, I tucked the leather canister with the two vials and Gian’s instructions into my boot, since there were no pockets in the clothes I wore. With brisk steps, I weaved through the tents and up the hill.
Lei, Jaran, and Demos met me as I approached the pathway.
“Where’s Bastien?” Demos asked.
“Right here,” Bastien said, hiking up to us.
We followed him through the narrow footpaths snaking around huts and stucco buildings of various sizes. Through a break in a flowered hedge, I spotted a small Talpar woman. A litter of seven toddler pups ran around her legs. The mole-like feelers surrounding her nose moved frantically, like fingers grasping the air. Her eyes followed us as we passed, a frightened look on her face.
The Red towered over a group of his men. Beside him, I recognized Edgar. He had been a spy for the council. The last time I saw him, he’d become Uncle Philip’s personal bodyguard. His blond, stringy hair was gone, and he now sported a buzz cut that made his hair look darker. The usual look of doom sat on his face. He was thinner but still ripped. Though he was probably around twenty, his face looked aged and rugged with the many cuts and bruises marring his skin.
“The council has blocked the entry into Barmhilde,” Edgar was saying as we joined them. “They aren’t too happy with you, Red. It isn’t wise stealing Asile’s imports from the human world.”
The Red growled. “They left us with no other options. We must feed our own.”
“Their restrictions will only get worse.” Edgar’s eyes went to me. “Gia, it’s good to see you alive and well. But you should know there is a price on your head. You aren’t safe in the covens or havens. Why are you here? The human world is your best bet at hiding.”
“She’s under my protection,” The Red said, not giving me a chance to answer. “If anyone from Barmhilde tries to harm her or take her from here, I will have your head.” His eyes went around the group.
“A plant I have here in the village alerted me of Gia’s arrival in Barmhilde.” Edgar surveyed the crowd. “There could be other spies here, and you wouldn’t know them.”
My eyes followed where his were going. “Shouldn’t we speak somewhere more private?”
“I’m with Gia,” Bastien said. “We must take this someplace else.”
The Red nodded his agreement before speaking to the crowd. “It will get tougher the closer we come to war with the havens. We have plenty of supplies, thanks to Bastien Renard. We should be fine for several months, though we are on high alert. You all know what that means—prepare for an attack. Should you hear another alarm, get your children and your weak to the underground shelters.”
“I will place a ward over the entry,” Bastien said. “It should hold or at least delay an attack.”
“I’d appreciate it.” The Red lowered his voice, his eyes going to Bastien. “Come to the community fire pit in the camp after you place the ward. Gia and the Sentinels from Asile, follow me. Edgar, you may join us.”
We trailed The Red to a fire pit surrounded by large boulders. “Sit,” he said.
“Why aren’t you with Philip?” I asked Edgar, who sat on a rock beside me.
He scratched his scalp. “Have you not watched the Mystik box?”
I crossed my arms in front of my chest. “I don’t know what that is.”
“It’s like your human telly.” Lei adjusted her seat on the slanted boulder. “Except ours is holographic.”
Demos plopped down next to Jaran. “I actually prefer the human one.”
Bastien arrived and took the unoccupied boulder next to me. He rested his hand on my knee, and I leaned against him. This small talk was grinding on my nerves.
“Okay, so what about the Mystik box?” I asked.
Edgar dropped his hand from his head. “Philip has been arrested and is being held in the gallows under the Vatican. It’s been all over the news.”
“What?” It was as if a wave knocked me over and an undertow pulled me into deep water. I couldn’t breathe. “Why would they arrest a high wizard?”
“That’s unheard of,” Bastien added.
Edgar’s face held no expression. He was good at concealing his emotions, which he probably learned during spy training or something. “He’s been accused of assisting you and hiding you out in Ireland. They scryered him. Everything that was once hidden in his mind has been exposed.”
“The attack on our hideout was the council’s doing?” Anger burned over Lei’s words, and flames sparked in her eyes.
“I’m afraid so,” Edgar answered.
Demos shot to his feet. “They betrayed us.”
Jaran popped up and wrapped an arm around Demos. “Calm down. We have to think this through.”
“Why would they do such a thing?” The Red asked.
Edgar lowered his head. “With Philip out of the way, there is only one high wizard with a pure heart. He has been sickened by the Mystik disease, and his wife, Akua, oversees the Veilig haven in his stead.”
Oh my God. Of course. It was right there the whole time.
“That’s why they wanted to deliver the cure to the havens themselves,” I said. “They didn’t want the Fey handling it so that they could make sure Veilig’s high wizard would die from the disease. That way the council could put someone else in his place. Did they replace Uncle Philip?”
“Yes, they have,” Edgar said. “And the wizard believes in shutting off the covens from the havens, just as the rest do. The council has placed tighter restrictions on entering the havens.”
I turned to The Red. “I need some of the cure. Bastien and I have to go to all the havens to get what I need to destroy the Tetrad. We’ll start with Veilig and deliver the cure to them.”
“We can’t go to Asile now,” Lei said.
I squeezed her hand. “You can. Arik is there. They don’t know you were here with me. You just have to come up with an elaborate story about being kidnapped and escaping or something. Tell them you were on your way back to Asile. That you had a lapse in judgment—”
“She’s right,” Edgar interrupted. “Arik got off with just an infraction. He said that his judgment had been clouded. Lei and Jaran just have to say that Carrig persuaded them to go with him. And naturally, you followed your leaders.”
“That should work,” I said.
His judgment was clouded? Arik probably meant by me, but I never wanted any of this. Besides, it was his idea to go into hiding. I pushed down my anger. Staying calm and focused was important for getting through whatever was coming at us.
“Have you forgotten?” The corners of Jaran’s lips lowered, worry reflecting in his eyes. “The door to Barmhilde is blocked. We’re trapped here.”
Crap. That’s right. “Is there another way out?” I asked.
“There is,” The Red said. “But unfortunately, it leads to the same library that the Asile guards are in.”
A thought came to me. Kale had told me once that wherever a Talpar lived, they dug escape tunnels. It was their instinct to do it.
I looked to The Red. “I saw a woman Talpar in the village. Where there are Talpars, there are escape tunnels.”
“This isn’t my village,” he said. “We are guests, and I wasn’t aware of a Talpar living in Barmhilde. We shall pay a visit to this woman. The rest of you pack what you need. You’ll leave straightaway.”
…
Bastien and I went with The Red to the Talpars’ home. The woman eased the door open and peered through the crack. “What is it? I have pups to feed.”
The Red towered over her. “We need to use your secret tunnel.”
Examining The Red through thick glasses, she snapped, “Go away. I have no knowledge of this tunnel you speak of.”
“I know where it is, Mummy,” said a little boy pup attached to her leg. “We use it to visit Memaw.”
She shooed the pup away. “You know I’m not allowed to tell of its whereabouts.”
The Red growled before saying, “The survival of all Mystiks depends on it. Which means your life and those of your pups.”
She picked up the pup who’d found his way back to her leg, her eyes going from The Red to me, then to Bastien. “Oh my,” she said and clapped her flat, paddle-like hands. “You’re him. Son of Renard.”
“I am,” Bastien said.
“Because of you, we eat.” She put the pup down. “I will do what I can to help you. Come inside. My husband has maps. Possibly one of them can aid you.”
The three of us barely fit inside her small home; the ceiling was so low, The Red had to hunch over. In the middle of the stack of maps, we found one of the tunnel system. All the entrances were marked with a red cross and the tunnels labeled with the name of the connecting library.
The Red rolled up the map. “This will do. Let’s return to camp, eat something, then you can be on your way.”
After a quick meal of meat, potatoes, and bread, we followed the map to the entry into the Talpar tunnels. I slung over my shoulder the strap to a tiny leather pouch one of the curers gave me. It held a few prepared cures along with the recipe to make more. The curers had made batches of the liquid and administered it to the inhabitants of Barmhilde. All around the village, the sick were getting better.
The map brought us to a large boulder just outside the village. It took Bastien, Demos, and Jaran together to roll the massive rock over. Underneath it was a dark hole crudely dug into the ground.
I hugged Demos. “Stay safe. And thanks for Carrig. I mean, for staying here with him.”
“You worry about yourself,” he said, a little misty-eyed. “We’ll be fine here.”
The Red clapped Demos’s back. “I’ll keep him out of trouble.”
By the look on his face, I could tell Demos was holding his tongue about what The Red had said. Demos may be overly cocky, but he would never be careless. I smiled at him. “We’ll see you in a few days.”
“Until then.” Demos backed up, sliding a disdainful look at The Red.
One by one, we lowered ourselves into the tunnel—Edgar, Bastien, Lei, Jaran, and me. The walls were packed tight, and roots ran in and out of the cracks. Edgar studied the map while I held a light globe up behind him.
He nodded to one of the four entries into the crevice we were in. “This way.”
We had to duck-walk through the tunnels until we came to places where we could straighten. My thighs and back ached.
We came to a connecting tunnel, and Edgar stopped. “All right. This is the one. Lei and Jaran, just follow this tunnel to the end. It won’t be fancy like the haven tunnels. You most likely will have to move something manually. Like the boulder in Barmhilde, or possibly a bookcase.”
Bastien and I flattened against the wall for Lei and Jaran to pass. Jaran turned to me. “Don’t do anything careless,” he said. “I rather like you, most days.”
I smirked. “Yeah, I kind of like you, too.”
The pain of watching them disappear into the tunnel was almost too hard to bear. I hoped Arik wouldn’t suspect them. That the council wouldn’t do something to them for hiding out with me. But I told them to say Uncle Philip had ordered them into hiding, and a Sentinel never went against orders from their high wizard. Just like Arik, they had to follow them. No questions asked. Just do what they were told.
Bastien adjusted his backpack. “Come on,” he said, placing his hand on my back, his touch gentle and caring. He knew it was tough for me to part ways with Jaran and Lei—they’d become more than just friends. We’d fought battles together, counted on one another for survival.
They’d become my family.
I continued following Edgar while Bastien followed me. Though the tunnel was cool and damp, squat-walking exerted so much energy, sweat dampened my hairline and dripped down the back of my neck. It smelled like a cattle farm.
Our heavy breathing was the only noise, and my thoughts kept racing. Everyone I loved was in danger. Mistakes could cost lives.
And then it hit me.
My gasp caused Bastien to grab my hand. “What’s the matter?”
“If Uncle Philip was scryered, the council might know where Pop is hiding.”
“Keep moving,” he said, letting go of my hand. “When we get to Veilig, I’ll send the Couve Sentinels to move him.”
“That won’t work.” My thoughts went to how Arik had refused to disobey orders. “Helping us would go against the council.” The farther we went, the tunnel narrowed and the ceiling lowered, and I suddenly felt claustrophobic in the tight space.
“They are loyal to me because we share the same beliefs.” Bastien had to turn sideways to avoid rubbing his shoulders against the walls. “When Augustin replaced my father as High Wizard of Couve, it became clear the council’s agenda was shifting. Augustin has always been on the side that’s for separating the wizard havens from the Mystik covens. After the high wizards of the other havens died, their successors aligned themselves with Augustin.”
“Except Uncle Philip,” I added. “And now he’s in danger. What will the council do to him?”
“They will execute him after his trial,” Edgar answered my question, his words rough on my ears.
My world suddenly felt like a wet painting. All the different shades ran down the canvas, mixing together and becoming mucky. The fear of losing Uncle Philip took all the color out of me.
“When will they try him?” My voice cracked over the question, and Bastien grasped my hand.
Edgar stopped at the end of the tunnel and searched the area. “A few weeks. Possibly a month.”
“Above your head.” Bastien pointed to the ceiling.
“Ah, a hatch.” Edgar wiped the sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his shirt. He grabbed the rusty handle, eased it open, and peered through the crack before climbing into the library.
I hefted myself up after him. Bastien came out next and closed the hatch. I straightened, taking in the beautiful sight of the library. The walls were a sunny yellow with white molding edging them. Three-story galleys, holding bookcases behind railings of intricate patterns, surrounded us. There were many tall, magnificent stained-glass windows, along with a stunning stained-glass dome over the center of the library.
I stretched my back and cracked my neck, inhaling the familiar smell of old books and imagining what the library would look like in the light of day. It would be heaven to explore the shelves and discover what titles they held.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“The public library in Port Elizabeth,” Bastien said. “In South Africa.”
Edgar wasted no time and quickly crossed the carpet to a bookcase. He pulled books in and out, seemingly in a pattern. The case inched open, and he stepped inside.
It immediately started closing, so Bastien and I slipped through. The tunnel to the haven was beautiful. I stood there, my mouth gaping. There were veins of gold and silver shocking the sandstone walls. I could almost see my reflection in the polished ground.
Bastien slipped his hand into mine.
“It’s so beautiful,” I said.
“Stop gawking. We aren’t tourists,” Edgar growled, stomping down the tunnel. “We haven’t all the time in the world.”
“Someone’s grumpy,” Bastien whispered to me as we plodded after him.
Nearly an hour later, we came out of a sandstone building onto a beach. The sea was so blue it sparkled like glass under the sun. The tops of buildings peeked out of the water, waves smacking their roofs. It looked like there was an underwater city just beneath the surface.
“What is that?” I raised my voice to be heard over the crashing waves.
Bastien turned his head to see where I was pointing. “It’s the Aqualian city. The sea is named after them.” Just as he finished, a large whale-like animal with a long, flat nose and whip-thin tail jumped the waves. A bald man with blue skin and gills instead of ears rode its back, clutching a silver chain fastened to its neck. “That’s a wallow. There are many unusual, creatures in the Aqualian Sea, some dangerous. For safety, the inhabitants of Veilig only swim in the bays.”
“Oi,” Edgar yelled, waving his hands over his head. “This way.”
Just behind him, massive cliffs soared into the sky. On the very edge of the highest one was a fairy-tale castle constructed from sandstone, complete with turrets and spires, and a village of matching buildings spread out behind it. Edgar made it to the base and headed up the stone steps leading to the top.
“We’re climbing those?” I stopped and glanced around. “Isn’t there an elevator or bucket with a crane?”
Bastien laughed before ascending the steps.
I breathed out a long sigh and headed after him. “But it’s such a long way up.”
A gust of wind hit the back of my hair, so strong it whipped my ponytail across my face. Suddenly a claw wrapped around my waist and lifted me off the steps.
Bastien caught my leg. “Gia!” There was desperation in his voice.
My body jerked up, and his grip tore away. The huge bird that had snatched me flapped its golden wings, carrying me higher into the sky.
I grasped the claw and screamed.