CHAPTER 24
The sharp clip of Kaelyn’s shoes echoed off the corridor walls, in counterpoint to Saar’s heavy boots. She curled her hand into a fist, her nails digging into her palm. The battle at Mauree’s hideout had garnered good news and bad. Mauree didn’t have Anlon, which was good, but he was still missing, and that was bad. In addition, they’d lost two warriors in the skirmish before retreating to the Keep.
“You’re agitated, warrior queen. Planning our next steps?” Saar rubbed his hand down her back, easing some of the tension.
She peered at him, noting how the dimple in his unblemished cheek formed as he smiled. Respect and love radiated from his eyes. She gripped his hand, intertwining her fingers with his. “Absolutely. I want revenge, but Anlon and Gaetan are still out there. I fear they could be—”
“Don’t say it. I’m as worried about them as you are. Scouts searched until dawn and will resume the quest at nightfall. Until then, we must wait.”
Kaelyn exhaled. “We need to get to the Hall of Scriptures to see if Tanen had any more luck than we had. We could use a break in this war.”
Light from the doorway cast shadows onto the corridor walls. The sunstones embedded in the rock glittered in the soft glow.
“Tanen’s done an outstanding job of cleaning up the Hall of Scriptures. Perhaps he’s discovered something about the new Dren and the strange symbol in their palms.” At the room’s entrance, Saar stepped back, letting her enter first. As she passed, he gave her bottom a gentle pinch.
“Hey, watch what you’re doing.” She batted away his hand, but couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her lip.
A bit of golden amber flashed through his eyes. “I watched every detail.”
She leaned into him and whispered, “If you like details, I have something I can show you later, close up.” Before drawing away, she nipped his ear.
The rumble in his chest was his only reply.
“Saar, Kaelyn, so good to see you.” Tanen placed his hands on one of the tables and rose from his chair. The legs scraped against the stone floor, the screech echoing down the long stacks of books. He wore a jacket, but his collar was unbuttoned and his hair was mussed, as if he’d run his fingers through the locks multiple times. Lines rimmed his tired eyes.
Close to Tanen, Sheri stood near a rack of books. She gave them both a comforting smile.
Demir and Aramie sat at the adjacent table, several old tomes spread across the surface. Aramie’s red barrette was tilted at an odd angle. A few stray hairs protruded from between the clasp. Demir’s long, dark hair hung around his ears, and the diamond stud in his nose glinted in the light. Both had weary smiles for their queen.
Kaelyn gave each of them a quick nod. “I’d ask if you’ve had any luck, but by the look on your faces, I’d say the answer is ‘no.’ ”
Tanen sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “Not yet. We’ve been through so many texts—”
“But not the right one.” Ginnia’s soft voice filtered through the doorway. She peeked around the corner then disappeared from sight.
Startled gasps rose from the group.
Tanen closed his book with a loud slap. “What is she doing out of her cell?”
“Good question. Let me handle this.” Saar took a few cautious steps toward the entrance. “Muzzie, is that you?”
“No.” Her emphatic word echoed into the room.
Kaelyn stifled a laugh. She should be worried, upset that the seer was loose, but she never believed for a moment that Ginnia was harmful to anyone.
“Come now, Muzzie. You can’t hide from me. Might as well join us.” Saar peeked through the doorway.
Ginnia giggled and ran into his arms. The love between the two warmed Kaelyn’s heart, bringing hot tears to her eyes.
Saar released Ginnia and smiled. “Muzzie, what are you doing here? How did you get out of your cell?”
Gaetan’s sister gaped at the others in the room then hid behind Saar. “Nikki needed to go after Gaetan, so I helped her.”
Kaelyn’s pulse quickened. She took a tentative step toward Ginnia, not wanting to scare her off. “What do you mean ‘you helped her.’ Don’t worry, hun, you’re not in trouble.”
She peeked from behind Saar, bits of brown hair sticking out from her head. “She needs to help Gaetan get better. I took her to see Rin, but he wasn’t there, so I played with the sunstones and sent her to search for Gaetan.”
“You did what?” Tanen drew closer, his brow furrowed.
Ginnia retreated behind Saar once again.
Kaelyn held out her hand, stopping Tanen. “It’s okay. Let’s hear what she has to say. Ginnia, please, tell us more.”
“No.” Ginnia voice quivered.
Saar drew her into his embrace. “It’s okay, Muzzie. Just tell us what you know.”
She glanced between them. “I heard you talking. I know where the book is that you’re looking for.”
Kaelyn’s pulse spiked.
Tanen inhaled.
Sheri gripped his arm.
The scraping of chair legs against the stone floor echoed through the room. Demir cleared his throat. “You mean you’ve known all this time?” His brows arched over his chocolate eyes and his mouth curled. “Would’ve been nice to know that sooner.”
Ginnia thrust out her bottom lip. “It wasn’t time yet.”
Kaelyn placed her hands over the seer’s and gave her a gentle squeeze. “If you know where it is, please show us.”
Saar led her toward the stacks. “Go ahead, Muzzie.”
She placed her finger to her lips and a small grin formed. Happiness and energy radiated from her. She skipped over to the youth’s section, rummaged behind some of the books, and withdrew a thick tome. “Here it is!”
Tanen gasped. “No way. We never bothered to look in the youth’s area. Since we have no newbs in the Keep except for… Well, I just never thought it possible.” He held out his hand. “Ginnia, may I?”
She brought the book to him and placed it in his palms.
His hands trembled. He glanced from Demir and Aramie to Saar before turning to Kaelyn. “I’ll get right on this.” He sat down and opened the tome, squinting at the small text. Aramie and Demir crowded around him, peering over his shoulder.
“Are you going to send me back to my cell?” Ginnia’s mouth quivered and her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
Saar’s gaze met Kaelyn’s. Her heart ached for Gaetan’s sister. As king, Noeh had imprisoned Ginnia for releasing Mauree. Noeh is no longer here… “Ginnia, I don’t want to put you back in that cell, believe me, but as queen, I need your sincerest promise that you will behave yourself and abide by my rules. Can you give me your word?”
Ginnia scrunched her brow.
Saar trailed his finger under her chin. “Be good, Muzzie. That’s what Gaetan would want you to do.”
A smile blossomed on her face. “Oh, all right. I’ll do it for my brother.”
He drew her into his arms. “Good girl, Muzzie.”
“Hey, I found something. This is unreal.” Excitement laced Tanen’s words.
Kaelyn approached Tanen, Saar and Ginnia, close at her heels. “What is it?”
Tanen cleared his throat. “It says here that there was a hidden chamber underneath Blue Pool—”
“Yes, I was there. That’s where I found the blue sunstone,” Aramie said.
Tanen shot her an impatient glance. “Bet you didn’t know that there was another room at the far end of the chamber.”
Her brows rose. “Another chamber?”
A lick of impatience slid through Kaelyn’s veins. “Tanen, please continue.”
Tanen focused on the large book. “Roan says he discovered several old tomes there and that’s where he came up with much of the lore in his books. The more fascinating item, though, is that he claims Earth was first discovered by another god named Mitan. He’d had characters here, trying to figure out how to send water back to Lemuria.”
“Just like Alora,” Saar whispered.
“Roan indicates the entries stopped, mid-way, and he thinks something may have happened to Mitan. In any case, Roan discovered that some of Mitan’s descendants mated with humans and some received a symbol in their hands, the letter ‘M.’ Roan believed it represented Mitan.”
“Fascinating.” Demir stroked his goatee. “How does this help us win the war?”
Tanen let out an exasperated breath. “I wish I knew—”
“But it explains why I, Nikki, and Melissa have the mark in our palms.” Sheri held up her hand. The faint outline of the “M” was visible on her skin.
Ginnia stomped her foot. “Tell them the good part, Tanen, about what they are supposed to do.”
A chill raced over Kaelyn’s arms. “What do you mean, Ginnia?”
Everyone’s attention drew to the seer.
She crossed her arms and pouted. “The part where the four elements destroy an enemy’s army and send water back to Lemuria, silly.”
“Uh…Ginnia. Do you know where that part is?” Kaelyn asked.
She nodded and glanced at the floor.
Tanen slid the book across the table, closer to Gaetan’s sister. “Will you show us?”
Ginnia scooted a pebble across the floor with the tip of her worn brown shoes. “I won’t get in trouble, will I?”
Kaelyn placed her hand on Ginnia’s shoulder. “Of course not. You’re helping us. A lot.”
Ginnia peered at Kaelyn, her eyes searching, as if trying to decide if she could trust her. At long last, she took a hesitant step forward.
The pages in the old textbook fluttered, but there was no breeze.
Ginnia giggled, the sound reverberating in the space between them. “The textbook remembers me.”
The chill that had raced over Kaelyn’s arms returned full force, goosebumps forming in its wake.
Demir’s shoulders tensed. “You read this before and didn’t say anything to us about its contents?”
Ginnia met his gaze. “You didn’t ask.”
A slight growl eased from him. “Out of the mouth of babes…”
Kaelyn brushed her fingers over Ginnia’s shoulder. “Please, continue.”
“All right. I do that for you, Kaelyn, because I like you and you make Saar happy.” She raised her hands over the book. As if the book understood what she wanted, the pages flipped, turning at a rapid pace. As quickly as it started, the pages stilled. Ginnia tapped her finger against the gilded-edge paper and slid the book to Tanen.
He gripped the binding and cleared his throat. “Four magical elements—earth, water, air, fire—will ignite the portal within Roan’s rock sending energy to Lemuria. If anyone opposes the one who holds the blue sunstone, their army shall be vanquished.” He scrunched his brow. “Says here that Roan tried to ignite the portal, but it didn’t work. He said they didn’t have the ‘magical’ elements.”
Kaelyn’s mind whirred. “I don’t understand. Does this make sense to anyone?”
Sheri cleared her throat. “I think I might have a clue.”
Kaelyn touched Sheri’s arm. “Please, share.”
Sheri ran her fingers over the gilded text. “I saw Nikki bubble the water in Coop’s bowl, so she has the ability to control water. Through the use of her shield, Melissa could control air. My power is electricity, so that’s fire. They’re not the elements themselves, but manifestations, so…magical.”
Silence filled the room.
“And the blue sunstone is earth. I think I understand.” Tanen rose from his chair and paced the room. “These three females contain the magic. When all three of their elements converge on Roan’s Rock, it will ignite the portal, destroy our enemy, and send water to Lemuria. We must get them all there to—”
Demir raised his hand. “Does no one but me see the problem here?”
“Nikki is missing and Melissa is gone,” Aramie whispered.
He smirked. “Precisely, as well as Anlon.”
Frustration beat against Kaelyn’s temple. “What about the other Dren? Would one of them have the powers we need?”
Demir shook his head, the pointed tip of one of his fangs glinting in the light. “No. All the other Dren have telekinetic powers, not elemental.”
Sheri waved her hand. “There’s another problem. I saw Gaetan put the blue sunstone in his pocket, and he’s gone as well.”
Aramie growled. “Recommendations?”
Ginnia scraped the toe of her shoe over a loose rock, the grating noise loud in the silence. She peered from behind several loose strands of hair. “There’s something else in Roan’s book you should know.”
Kaelyn straightened her shoulders. “There is? What do you know?”
“Let me show you.” Ginnia approached Tanen and held her hand over the book’s open pages. She closed her eyes, her mouth pursing into a determined line. The sheets in the book fluttered for a few moments before coming to rest on a new page. Ginnia opened her eyes and smiled. “You’ll like this, Kaelyn, I promise.”
“What does it say, Tanen?” Kaelyn whispered.
Tanen traced his finger over the words and read from the ancient text. “One of the gods’ best kept secrets I discovered from Mitan’s journal is the concept of ‘free will.’ Although we are selected to battle for a specific god in the war, free will allows us to choose sides. All we have to do is renounce our god and claim the free will rule.”
Kaelyn held her breath as her mind raced with possibilities. “That means the Ursus can switch sides. I can convince them, I know I can.”
Ginnia smiled. “I knew you’d be happy.”
Demir tsked. “That’s helpful to a point, but it doesn’t change the fact we don’t have the four elements.”
Kaelyn’s enthusiasm deflated. “You’re right. What do we do now?”
Ginnia twirled the end of her hair between her fingers. “We wait.”
The hair at Kaelyn’s nape stood on end. “Wait for what?”
“There’s a surprise coming. I think we’re about to find out.” Ginnia’s soft laugh, along with dread’s cool fingers, skittered along Kaelyn’s nerves.