The Mirror Sliver (Legends of Green Isle Book 2) Page 4

  CHAPTER SIX

  The moonlight reflected dully in the dark blue waters of Half Moon Lake. A low mist swirled around the marsh grasses as the night waned. The rain from earlier had dissipated, leaving only the low murmuring of the toads in the midnight hour. Their song lamented death and the chorus ebbed among the marsh grasses in a haunting melody.

  A small yellowish light, a pinpoint in the deep blue of the water barely visible at first, made its way to the surface, rising slowly from within the recesses of the mere. Breaking the mirror-like appearance of the still waters, it hovered for a moment before growing bigger. It glided across the ripples, moving to the shoreline. When the orb stopped abruptly at the edge of the cattails, it shimmered brightly and then opened like a golden flower. Three cloaked and hooded forms emerged from the intense light and stood till it dissipated.

  The tallest and eldest of the blue Water Wraiths, Huathe, led her sisters up a worn path from the lake edge to a small hill crowned with a group of elder trees. There she made her way to a lifeless body that lie in the mud. The other two, Trinne and Saille, paused beside her. Taking the hoods from their heads, they regarded the dead unicorn in front of them.

  “This is very tragic, sisters,” Huathe stated.

  “You know what this means, don’t you?” Trinne, the middle sister, asked.

  “We knew it would happen.” Saille dabbed at her eyes with the corner of her blue cloak. “But, it knew it, too.”

  “What do you see?” Huathe asked the youngest sister. “Can you see who it was?”

  “She committed the murder,” Saille responded. Her eyes regarded the corpse without seeing it. “It was the princess from Murias Donn. The Druid child has forsaken good,” she stated with disbelief as she closed her eyes again. “She took the horn, too.”

  “What do we do now?” Trinne questioned. She bent down to run her hand over the body. Her brief motion caused the unicorn to slowly transform into water and run downhill to the lake.

  “We’ve a much bigger problem,” Saille said, her voice wavering.

  “What kind of problem could be bigger than this?” Huathe asked. “The horn was most likely requested by the Black Warlock. Which means the House of Murias Donn has joined in allegiance with him. He’s preparing the forgotten spell. The unicorn was the last defense of Green Isle. There are no other guardians left, except Morrigana.”

  “The boy’s been lost beneath the sea, along with the wand.”

  Trinne and Huathe looked at each in alarm and then at their sister. “Did you see this just now?” Trinne inquired. “Is this connected to what happened to the last unicorn?”

  “No. I just heard the Selkies cry out. They left his body earlier today floating in the shallow currents along the western parts of Black Isle. Azasha had them take him to the shore. He’s resting in the dark sand. His form frozen. Life’s light has been drained from him. But not completely.”

  “Then we’ve lost,” Trinne exclaimed.

  “There’s another way,” Saille stated excitedly. “Morrigana wants him left there. She says there’s a different path allotted for him. He’s to be reborn.”

  “What?” Trinne demanded. “Reborn? Sometimes that ancient spirit is puzzling.”

  “She won’t tell me anymore. She says that we’re to have faith. This is how it must be. Especially since his destiny was diverged from its original path by a higher force. It means Green Isle will bode better in this circumstance.” The three wraiths stood quietly for a moment as they contemplated the words Saille spoke.

  “Perhaps we should make the journey to Black Isle ourselves,” Huathe suggested. “The others won’t know about the boy. His loss may have splintered their resolve and they’ll need our assistance.” She pulled a small glass ball from the folds of her cloak. Throwing the ball toward the water, the glass expanded and in it, many pictures appeared. “See the memories of the past days show their challenges.”

  Suddenly the glass darkened and filled with smoke. The sisters drew back as an image of a horned man with red eyes appeared at the surface. The rage that he screamed at them cracked the glass and it shattered, turning to drops of water before hitting the surface of the lake. The three sisters looked at each other in horror.

  “We must find Keltrain and tell him,” Huathe whispered. “The warlock is getting stronger. He could project himself here. Against us. At Green Isle. He hasn’t been able to do that for the past three thousand years.”

  “Don’t you think that being in the land of shadows will surely erase all memory from the boy? Even his Earth?” Trinne looked at her two sisters. “Is that what Morrigana wants?”

  “Sister? Did you even note what just happened?” Huathe asked.

  “Yes. But I was also thinking of the boy. To be reborn means you are like an infant. There are no memories in an infant.”

  “If that’s true, then it means that he may not understand what to do with the wand, either,” Saille stated.

  “Yes, and that would be a great tragedy for Green Isle if he doesn’t understand its purpose.” Trinne began to make her way back to the lake.

  “Yes. A great tragedy indeed,” Saille whispered as the three enclosed themselves once again in their golden orb.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Urcias stood in watch as his men climbed aboard their hired ship. His brow furrowed in anger. The morning didn’t go as planned and chaos ensued as their vessel arrived earlier than expected. His gruffness seemed to come from a tension deep inside, although some of it was in part due to the poor communication about the location of the ship. How could they plan accordingly? The delay of the ship’s arrival Rufus conveyed to him the day before was miscalculated. Now, his men were forced to rush to collect the last remaining items needed for their journey. Certain supplies weren’t available until days from now. Would they have enough? He helped one of the sailors up the plank with a barrel of clean water and mentally went over the list of supplies.

  The ship’s captain made a quick appearance at the bottom of the walk-way. “See here, Sir…Sir…” The captain of the ship seemed tense and anxious. “I’m sorry I can’t remember yer name. All of this has made me lose my thoughts.”

  “Ferdaer. My name is Ferdaer.” Urcias didn’t want to give him his real name. Just in case the Senate decided to come after the group.

  “I’m sorry yer men is havin’ to rush ‘round to get supplies, Mr. Ferdaer. But I’d like to git on the water and make our wind as quick as can be. There’s somethin’ foul comin’ this way. See ‘em myself. Big tall floating islands of ice. Partholon is gone. All gone. Nothin’ but a ghost town. I had one of me men look through the glass and all he could see was death. Pure death.”

  “That city is on the opposite side of the island.”

  “Yeah. But the ice is comin’, I tell ya. Ya didn’t see what I seen.”

  Shaking his head in bewilderment, Urcias allowed the anger to rise. He turned to his lieutenant and threw several commands at him. “Rufus, make sure all animals have been secured below the deck. I want several men on detail. Have them counting. Make a list of our supplies. Double-check it. I need to know if we’ll have enough to last us until we get to Lismort and then for our journey home.”

  “Sir? The crew and men have been talking about the Nimyshor Sea and what the ship’s captain just said. It is stricken with ice and a curse. Traveling in its water is dangerous,” Rufus whispered.

  Urcias scowled. “That sea has always been warm. Its waters clear. I don’t know if I believe what the captain has said to be truth.”

  “The men of the ship, sir. They say the captain tried to get to the harbor city of Partholon a couple of days ago, but was stopped by a terrible storm. They said he had to turn back once they saw through the glass that the whole city is covered in ice. And skeletons. No lights could be seen at all from any of its buildings.” He leaned closer to Urcias. “Accordin’ to the sailors, the sea was black and dark. And there were sightings of dark things flying in the air through
the storm clouds.”

  “Then what the wizard said could be true. Bera must have cast a spell on the sea and the city. We still must go through with our plans, though. I gave the wizard my word that we would meet up with him and I don’t want to back out on that promise.”

  “What if we don’t make it there?” Rufus asked. His eyes reflected a hint of fear. “Are ya goin’ to put us to death before the battle even begins?”

  “We have to make it there. Our responsibility is to all those on Green Isle and to our queen. She handed us the task of keeping that demon contained. The kingdoms here are depending upon our success. Even if they don’t realize it now. If we fail, the horrors unleashed on the people will be great.”

  “Yes, sir. I understand. And I will do what I can to get the men ready.”

  “Thank you. If I may ask of you also? Keep the ship’s captain in line, will you? Don’t let him spread his tales to the rest of the men. We also can’t let the ship’s crew know our true destination until we are closer.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Work on that list. We’ve got to meet the tide.”

  Backing up, Urcias bumped into one of the men. He turned quickly and noticed the small frame of a haphazard-looking sailor trying to balance a basket of fruit. The top tipped and several pieces fell to the deck. Reacting quickly, Urcias caught the two apples rolling away and dropped them back into the basket. “Be more careful,” he stated. “We don’t want to lose what little we have.”

  “Aye, sir.” The small man coughed and ducked into the ship’s hold.

  Urcias watched the thin man balance the load and make his way below. Something about the way he walked reminded him of Adalay. He shook his head. Thoughts of her had to be put away for the moment. Making the tide became the most important task of the day.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Holding her crystal above the book, Adalay blew a small breath of warmth on its milky surface. It started to glow. The small light gently bathed the pages of her small journal with an orange energy. The antiquated writing was yellowed and aged, but still readable. She huddled against the side of the ship trying to remain out of sight as she searched the notes for the spell she needed.

  The past few days had been daunting. Keeping to herself, she avoided Urcias as much as possible. Somehow, she managed to create the illusion of a man. But holding the spell in place was becoming difficult. The crew of the ship addressed her as an infantry man and the soldiers called to her as the cabin boy. Her deception seemed to hold as they continued their course toward Lismort. Yet, she could feel its strength weakening. It must last a few more days. She flipped through another two pages.

  The distance to Black Isle was shortening. When the ship anchored at Lismort, she would escape to the wilds and shadow the men. Lismort. What had she read about it in the ancient writings? Before the second war, it was a well-traveled port. According to some maps, it appeared to be nestled in a hidden cove at the tip of the island, away from the old fortress of Crag Cairn. Good thing, she surmised as her finger followed the words on another page.

  No one traveled to the city anymore. Its grandeur had been erased by the wars and the land scarred from the demon soul imprisoned in the magic mirror King Angus constructed. She had heard the tales that circulated. Cursed woods, foul creatures, wulvers, and death to unwary travelers who happened to find themselves stranded there. The residents of Black Isle had either turned toward servitude to the witch who protected the mirror or they remained hidden, deformed by the dark magic that surrounded its shores.

  “It’s time for change,” she muttered to herself.

  She knew things were different. The sea was morphing. Its light blue color had shifted to a dark emerald, almost black, hue. The sailors were frightened once they realized the direction the ship was heading and tensions ran high as small icebergs could be seen in the distance.

  Adalay turned several more pages until she found the spell for protection. No one in her kingdom had been aware she was an enchantress, except for her deceased husband. The secret remained with him as they enclosed his body into the tombs of the Nuada Findi Kings. It was only by the light of the twin moons, the day after his funeral, that she ventured out and visited the resting place. With the magic of her clan, she called forth his spirit, saying goodbye in her own fashion. After the spell was over, she remained there for several hours, crying sorrowfully on the rock of his worldly prison. His death had been sudden. Too sudden.

  Fighting back tears that threatened to surface with the memory, she carefully said the words that were written on the yellowed pages. A soft glowing mist encased the ship and all who were aboard. The gentle power of the old mages was all she could offer. She remained still for a moment, looking down at the words. The further they moved from Green Isle, the more her power ebbed. There seemed to be another power overshadowing her own. It was strange and wild, and felt like that of the ancients, but she didn’t know where it was coming from. It seemed to parallel their journey toward Crag Cairn and the closer they got to Black Isle, the stronger it became. It frightened her.

  Trying to calm her fears, she recalled old memories. Her soul had felt empty after her husband’s death. It had helped in a small way, seeing the ghost of his face and hearing his voice one last time. At least she had that memory before he moved to the other side. She had placed a small piece of his essence within her crystal talisman, keeping it alive until it would be time for her to pass from this life.

  A step on the deck behind her made her jump. “What are you doin’ on deck, cabin boy?” a male voice boomed. “Didn’t you hear yer ship’s captain when he ordered all unnecessary hands below?”

  Before Adalay could collect her wits and move away, a large hand came down over her shoulder and grasped her roughly around the upper arm. The man forcefully brought her to her feet.

  “Get below before the sea turns angry and you’re lost overboard!” he commanded roughly. The man pushed her forward. In her fright and confusion, Adalay’s foot caught on a piece of rigging and she fell to her knees. The jolt allowed her wide brimmed hat to tumble from her head, spilling her long braid out around her neck and exposing her secret. Her book shot from her hand and landed a few feet in front of her. She grimaced when she saw the pages fluttering in the wind.

  “What the…?” The words abruptly ended as the man leaned down in surprise and picked Adalay off the deck. He quickly spun her around and she came face to face with Rufus.

  “My Queen? I didn’t know it was you,” he whispered. He dropped his hands from her shoulders and knelt. “Have ya been on the ship all this time? I should tell the captain. He’ll be surprised, I’m sure.”

  Collecting the hat from the deck, Adalay quickly donned her disguise once more. Scanning the faces of those who stood on duty, she made sure that the act hadn’t been witnessed by anyone else. When she was confident none of the other soldiers had seen the exchange, she bent to where Rufus still knelt on the deck.

  “You mustn’t tell anyone I’m on board. Especially Urcias. No one must know I’m here,” she commanded.

  “Why?”

  Adalay frowned. She remembered her confrontation with the Nuada Findi Senate. “The meeting with the Senators didn’t go well. They wanted me to relinquish my crown to them or marry someone they chose from the officials.”

  “Who did they choose?”

  “Unfortunately, Senator Bready.”

  “You’ll always be queen to Nuada Findi. It’s yer birthright. They can’t take that away from you,” Rufus stated.

  “Can you keep this in confidence for now?”

  “Yes, my Lady. But if the captain finds out that you’ve been on the ship, even by chance, I’m obligated to tell ‘im the truth.”

  “I understand. I’d never expect you to lie.”

  Seeing her book splayed on the deck, the pages moving in the breeze, Rufus picked it up. His eyes caught a glimpse of the words before he handed it to her. He looked at Adalay in puzzlement and she sh
ook her head. She hoped he understood what she wanted without uttering the demand. He nodded quickly and held out the aged journal. She took the book and hid it in her tunic.

  “No one must know.”

  “Yes, my Lady,” he replied. His hand gently covered hers in affirmation.

  CHAPTER NINE

  The air was colder than before. They were nearing the land of winter. Lug closed the top of his fur-lined coat and scanned the horizon. He moved to the spot he had occupied since Matt’s loss. The position against the railing allowed him to observe the dark waters and, at the same time, the large black line of Black Isle that loomed in the distance. His mind darted in many different directions this morning. It finally settled on his memories of home. His mother’s last words to him seemed like a far distant echo of comfort. He couldn’t help but cling to it.

  No one must know who you are. He understood most of all why she said that to him. Do not tell them your name.

  The name of Lug was not welcome. It was a common and dirty name that he despised. And it wasn’t his. Not his true name. Yet he knew that he could never think nor speak his true name. If he told them then they would know his secret, and the others would find him. They almost succeeded already. He shook his head. Matt suffered for what should have been his own death.

  His thoughts turned to the girl. Miranda. She was beautiful. His heart leaped when he first saw the four Earthlings because he had grown afraid that he would never see anyone else his own age before Partholon died completely. Even more so, when he saw Miranda, he saw his destiny.