Page 82 of Swords and Curses

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

It had been three days since Nimue had disappeared into the portal, and Merlin and Rosa had been drinking steadily ever since. Rosa could feel Eli trying to summon her, but she had stubbornly remained in the cottage grounds.

To keep himself preoccupied, Merlin had stepped up Rosa's lessons, forcing her to work more complex magic. She was happy to use it as an excuse to avoid Balthasar. Rosa knew he wouldn't bear the silence for long, and she wanted to be ready when he came to confront her. Deep down, she knew that he'd only been following orders, but she still felt the twinge of betrayal. She also knew that she definitely would've gone straight to Merlin.

"What are we going to do today?" Rosa asked, downing her hot coffee. If they were heading out into the weather, she wanted to be feeling warm inside. She ignored the dull ache in the pit of her stomach, instead focusing her attention on her broken cousin.

"Today, you are going to learn about meditation," he said reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small leather bag.

"I'm not into drugs," Rosa said defensively.

"It's not drugs. It's hazelnuts. Sit down; get comfortable." Merlin smiled wryly as he handed her a charred nut. "Shut your eyes, chew it, and listen closely…if you can."

Rosa couldn't help but sniff it before she put it into her mouth. The taste reminded her of baking failures. While she chewed, Merlin began to sing softly. Nimue had told her wistfully about the days when he used to sing for them every night, and she knew from Eli that it was Merlin's song that brought Nimue's soul back into her body.

Rosa knew he would be good, but even sleep deprived and heartbroken, Merlin's voice lifted every hair on her body. She didn't know what the words were or what language he was singing in, but her magic flared, and her heart started to race. Her senses heightened, and she could hear every pop and hiss of the fire, the way air sucked into her lungs and the fall of snow on the roof of the cottage.

Then she was not in the cottage at all.

Rosa could smell cold earth and ice around her. Somewhere, water was trickling off rocks in a dancing pattern. There was a booming through the earth like thunder or waves. She walked slowly, feeling her way through a stone passage. She could smell something vaguely spicy in the air, like crushed roses, myrrh, and sandalwood.

The cavern was lit by glowing trees, and Rosa could feel the magic that had made them.Merlin. Her eyes adjusted, and she saw the unsealed stone sarcophagus in the middle of the fake forest. Her legs shook as she looked inside.

Wrapped in a dark purple cloak, a man with curling hair the color of a red gold sunrise slept soundly. In one hand, he clasped a sword as if only resting and always on guard. Rosa touched the pommel and felt not only Merlin's power, but also Eli's. The hand beside her twitched, and she stumbled backward from the body and hurried back up the stairs.

Instead of coming back into the light, she came to the edge of a pit. Inside, Nimue shrieked on a bed of corpses.

Rosa turned from the vision, and she ran through the tunnels towards a faint light. She would recognize the smell of the place anywhere. She was back in the Aos Si. She hurried out of the burrow and into a war camp where thousands of Seelie warriors assembled, dressed in silver and bronze plate armor. Their eyes were blank as they stared into the distance, ready and waiting for their orders.

Rosa sank to her knees in horror as the Autumn Queen emerged from a tent, her ornate bronze breastplate and collar shining in the milky sunlight.

"Rosa! Rosa! Wake up, you nuisance of a girl," Merlin's voice was sharp with rebuke, and Rosa's eyes opened. His golden gaze was filled with relief as she focused on him.

"Stop shaking me, you jerk," she complained, sitting up.

"You were gone for hours. I was starting to worry," he said, collapsing backward on the carpet.

"Hours…" Rosa whispered as the details of her vision came flooding back to her. "Fuck, I need to see Eli. Now!" She stumbled to her feet, and Merlin didn't try to stop her as she pulled on her boots and ran out into the night.

Putting all of her Unseelie speed behind her, Rosa blasted through the back door of the house, throwing out her magic to pinpoint Eli. She found him in his office with Saul and the southern Gam leaders.

Not caring what any of them thought, she slammed into Eli's arms, shaking and afraid. She felt like she was ten years old and had a nightmare as Eli scooped her up and carried her over to the couches. She didn't care how angry she'd been at him; Eli was the only father she had, and at that moment, she needed to feel safe.

"Everyone, get out," Eli commanded, and they vanished without argument. "Talk to me, dear one. What happened?"

"I saw them, Eli. Oh, God!" Rosa clutched her head as she rocked.

"Saw who?"

"The queen is fucking killing Unseelie, and Nimue was there. There is a massive army. Not like the other raiders. These are knights!" she exclaimed.

"It's okay, darling. I have you," Eli soothed, stroking her hair. "May I touch your mind so that I may see?"

"Do it," Rosa said, looking up into his burning green eyes. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

Eli's power ran like hot honey over her mind, and she dropped every shield Merlin had helped her construct.God, she would have to tell Merlin about seeing Arthur. She had run out on him with no explanation. Eli's magic receded, and he collapsed back in the chair.

"My poor people," he whispered, eyes filled with tears. "It won't be long now. I must talk with Zalan."

---