Page 45 of The Rowan's Stone
Setting aside the small chest, we quickly get through the remaining chests. Standing at the back, I scan all the opened chests. I don’t know what I’m going to do with everything, but I know it should be shared with all witches. Everyone needs to know the history of the MacAllisters and their fate, even if it turns out the other witches were responsible for the massacre.
26
ARDEN
After finally eating dinner and sleeping for a few hours, we’re up at the crack of dawn to get the chests loaded and through the portal. Valerian wants us—or rather me—out of here as soon as possible, but when I wake, I know it’s not going to happen.
Once the chests are packed, I seal them with my blood so they can carry them through the portal one at a time. I hurry to get the backpacks and the cooler and set them in the cave for Fallon to grab, which he does while I do a final walk-through. Looking around the large chamber to make sure we haven’t missed anything, I spot a letter sitting on the bench. When I pick it up, I see it’s addressed to me and, remarkably, in my mother’s handwriting. Puzzled, I stare at it, trying to figure out how it got in here, when I hear my name.
Stuffing it in my jacket pocket, I head out of the cave. When I get to the entrance, I cast a simple spell to repel intruders. There’s no need for anything complex, since we’ve already removed the contents. Turning around, I find big men and bigger dragons waiting for me.
My eyes dart around to find the cadre. Relieved, I see them standing near the portal, weapons in their hands. None of them seem happy, but Valerian looks murderous. His normally amber eyes are gleaming with gold, telling me his control is thin and his dragon is close to the surface.
Pulling a sword, I saunter toward them. When a man steps in front of me, I point my sword at him. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I warn him loudly, wanting to be sure everyone hears me. “See this pointy thing? It’s not a decoration. I know how to use it, and if you take another step, I’ll use it on you.” I give the sword a few experts spins, just in case he’s more of a visual learner.
Of course, he doesn’t listen. I exhale loudly. Chuckling, he reaches forward and grabs my sword arm. Before he clamps down, I toss the sword to my left hand and run it through him. With a loud bellow, he falls to the ground. I lay the point of the sword under his chin and lift his head. “If you ever lay a hand on me again, you won’t live to regret it.” He’s still bellowing when I walk away, and he’s not the only one. All of sudden, everyone is shouting.
With a roar, Valerian shuts everyone up. “Enough! As your king, I demand an answer. Who’s given you the authority to detain me and my guests?” He narrows in on the guy in front, who I’m guessing is the leader of this little group.
“The council requests the presence of you and your guests,” the guy sneers, his tone making it obvious it’s not a request. “If you refuse, we’re authorized to forcibly detain all of you.”
Valerian’s anger intensifies, and I realize he’s about to lose control. The rest of the cadre isn’t doing any better. Every single one of them is poised to fight for their freedom. Normally, I’d be right there beside them, but I realized late last night my restless dreams from the last few weeks were not dreams after all—they were glimpses of the future. My seer powers are awakening, and in those visions, I see the same vision I received when I used the blood magic, then I see more.
“Valerian, sweetheart.” I almost snicker at the sweet sound of my voice calling his name, but I think it’s probably the only thing that will jolt him out of his rage. “It’s time.” The entire cadre stares at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“Time?” he says gravelly, his voice almost lost to his dragon.
“Yes, to go to the ceremonial chamber,” I reply sweetly.
His face pales. “What?” He starts shaking his head. “No!” His resounding no is repeated by each of the cadre.
“How the hell did you know where we were taking you?” the guy in front asks me.
“Hello, I’m a witch,” I remind him, sarcasm dripping from my tongue. Normally, I wouldn’t be so rude, but I don’t like his attitude toward Valerian, his king. I turn back to the cadre and Valerian. “Did everything get back safely?” Astor gives me a thumbs-up. His eyes are speculative, wondering what I’m doing. “How are we getting to this chamber?”
The guy in front steps forward. “You can ride with me. The rest can grab a ride with Valerian or walk.”
“Over your dead body,” Valerian snarls at him.
“I agree with your king,” I state firmly, emphasizing Valerian’s title. “We’ll take a portal. You can come with us or fly back, but we’re not going with you.” I hold my breath, waiting to see what he’ll do. If he’s smart, he’ll take my offer.
He confers with a few of the other men, and they move toward us. The cadre meets them head-on. Holding up his hands, he motions to me. “We’ll take your portal.”
“It will probably have to be someone else’s portal. I’ve never been to the chamber, and I don’t like to land somewhere blind,” I correct him. It’s not entirely true, but I don’t want to be the first one out of the portal, nor do I want someone I distrust at my back. Turning to the cadre, I raise an eyebrow.
With fierce frowns on their faces, they step forward and surround me. Astor creates a portal to the chamber, but before we can step through, the dragons insert themselves into our group. One tries to stand behind me, but Daire picks him up by the shoulders and throws him to the side. I step back, eliminating the space between Daire and me, and he wraps an arm around my waist. The dragon snarls and reinserts himself in front of me.
We all get through the portal without too much snarling and shoving and come out the other side to mass chaos. Everyone in the kingdom seems to be here.
Unlike the simple countryside we just left, we’re now in the heart of Valerian’s kingdom—the city where a majority of the population lives and home to the king and council. Eyes wide, I spin around, trying to capture a glimpse of everything around me. Unlike the city surrounding The Abbey, where everything is steel, glass, and concrete, these buildings are mostly stone. Newer, more modern buildings sit nestled amongst older buildings, but all of them are made from the same light stone. I wonder if it’s natural to the land here.
Someone bumps into me, and Daire pulls me closer to him. It’s hard to walk in this crowd, but we slowly make our way towards the large grey domed building in front of us. This must be the ceremonial chamber, but I won’t know for sure until I see the inside. Our escorts clear a path, and we’re finally able to get to the door.
Filing into the chamber, I wait for my eyes to adjust to the dark. I hear a lot of shouting and look to the back of the room to find the source. My eyes finally adjust and I see the raised platform in the back of the hall and shiver. It’s the same one from my dreams.
Several men are arguing loudly, but when Valerian steps up to the dais, they instantly shut up. I don’t blame them. Right now, Valerian looks like he’s going to kill anyone who steps in his way, and so do the three men following him. I’m not sure the dragons were thinking this through when they requested the presence of their royal guests. One would be bad enough, but to have to deal with an Elven, a Fae, and the demons? I shudder. Someone needs a class in political strategy.
I follow everyone up to the platform.This feels about right, I think. Glancing at the walls, I turn in a circle, making sure everything is the same. When my eyes land on the tapestry with Valerian’s coat of arms, I compare it with my vision and take a tiny step to the left.
