Page 123 of The Iron Dagger
“What do you mean?”
“The fae realm will not be your last journey. You will go to your friends in the south and tell them all that has happened. They need to be warned, too.”
Hara stared at her mother. “Did you have a vision, or is this general advice?”
Her mother only smiled and pulled her in for a long embrace. “I will be safe waiting right here, when you have finished what needs to be done.”
“I’ll protect her,” said Alcmene, resting her hand over Desideria’s. “No harm shall come to her, my girl.”
“Thank you,” said Hara, embracing her tutor. Alcmene held her tightly, her grip surprisingly strong for one so short and stocky.
“What a woman you are. I would have dearly liked to watch you grow,” Alcmene said in a rough whisper, and tears sprang to Hara’s eyes to realize that her gruff teacher was crying. The weight of the years pressed down on her, driving home the realization that she had been without them for twice as long as she had them. Each moment she spent in their presence was more precious than gold.
Hara heard a sniffle, and she turned to see her mother wiping her eyes. Hara reached for her, and the three women held each other, quietly sobbing, but not entirely heartbroken.
“Where is the entrance to the fae realm?” asked Gideon. They stood in the woods not far from the cottage with Adira and Caelon, waiting as the sorcerers made their way down from the glacier camp. Hara knew the entrance was here on the mountain, but she knew little else about the secretive fae folk.
“It is simple. Find an arch, and walk backwards through it,” said Adira.
Gideon blinked and lifted a brow. “An arch?”
“A bough, a spiderweb, stone, ice. The two ends must be touching something, so the arch cannot be broken.”
Hara looked about them, and then she spotted a fallen sapling nearby that bent so that the top touched the ground. Adira saw where her eyes had gone and she smiled.
By this time all of the sorcerers had gathered in the clearing, and Adira clapped her hands once to gain their attention.
“Everything depends on my sister’s will. Fae are bound by magic to follow the Rexina in all things, whether they agree with her or not. If she heeds our warning and decides to move the court, they will follow,” said Adira. “I will speak for us all.”
“Once we enter the fae realm, you must heed our warning,” said Caelon. “Do not sample any food or drink, or else you will find yourself refusing to leave. And most importantly of all, do not join in any dances, no matter how tempting they seem. You will never be able to stop, and you will forget who you are and what you are there for.”
“My magic can provide you some protection, but it does not take away your free will,” said Adira. “If you do any of these things, on your own head be it.”
With that she went to stand before the arched sapling, and she turned so that she faced the rest of them. Then she began to walk backward, and as soon as she stepped under the arch, her form seemed to blink out of existence.
After a slight pause, sorcerers began to step forward to follow suit. Hara watched as one by one, they melted into the air, their nervous expressions swallowed up by unseen magic. Hara and Gideon were among the last to step through.
Hara walked backward, keeping her gaze on the bright blue patches that gleamed through the leaves above. As soon as she passed under the sapling, the sunny forest winked out almost instantly. Hara had to wait for her eyes to adjust, and details gradually emerged from the gloom.
Gnarled roots the width of barrels twisted and tangled above them, forming a corridor. Hara felt as tiny as a field mouse as she gazed at the hulking growth that wove around rock and earth like snakes. Here and there among the bends and twists,faint spots of light glowed as though someone had splashed diamond paint onto the roots.
Fairy lights, she realized with wonder.
The arched sapling was here in the tunnel, disguised among the roots, and Gideon emerged from it walking backward. Hara clasped his arms to steady him, and he turned to her with an anxious expression, looking around at the softly glimmering walls.
“She knows I am here,” said Adira. “Stay close to me, and remember not to eat, drink, or dance.”
She guided them down the corridor, and then Hara couldn’t help but gasp.
The passage opened into an enormous cavern, with soaring walls so high that it looked as though the peak of the mountain had been hollowed out. Golden shafts of sunlight poured from the open ceiling. At the far end of the cavern, a pool of light illuminated a circular space that heaved with fae, and Adira began to lead them along the narrow path that weaved among the rock.
Roots branched and swirled over the walls. Water trickled in pockets, thick with emerald moss and sparkling with dew drops. Delicate star flowers and moon flowers and other enchanted herbs grew in the nooks and crannies, their fresh fragrance cutting through the earth and the damp.
As they walked along the path, Hara saw miniature homes tucked away in these nooks, and tiny fairies with wings darted out of sight with a light fluttering sound as they saw the sorcerers approaching. Homes of all shapes and sizes were nestled between dripping stalagmites and stalactites, made of fungus, twisted branches, woven leaves, and moss. There were even lines of washing strung up and criss-crossing each other, minute shifts and hose swaying as they passed.
Forking paths and corridors branched out in a labyrinthine web from the main chamber, and Hara quickly became disoriented. She did not think she could find the tunnel where they’d entered if she tried.
Ahead, a waterfall of sparkling golden liquid splashed into a pool, with winking crystal glasses waiting on a stone ledge. Several of the sorcerers stared longingly at it before moving on.
