The Fallen Stars (A Star Child Novel) (34 page)

“I have to go now, don’t I?” I pushed my hands down into my pockets.

Grandda’s voice sounded thick again. “Yes, my boy. When I open the door, you’ll be on your own. You must get to the top of Cadillac Mountain. A portal there will take you back to Ireland. Lugh will be waiting.”

“Why can’t he just come here and get us?”

Grandda seemed to be taking on more transparency by the moment. “There’s a barrier around this entire area keeping Lugh and Brigid out.”

“Aren’t there other gods and goddess that could help? Aren’t there people in Greece or something?”

“That’s the problem with young people today. Nobody wants to get involved. They all keep to themselves,” Grandda scoffed.

“But can’t Arawn impact them as well?”

“They’ve all turned a blind eye. We’re on our own, lad.”

The time had come to ask the hard question. “So Arawn’s alive…He’s been the one trying to get to me all along, isn’t he?”

Grandda nodded. That was the only answer I needed. My knees grew weak at the prospect of seeing Arawn again, but I had to finish what I’d started.

He opened the door. Cautiously, looking around, I took one step outside of Grandda’s cottage, turned and looked at him.

“Don’t ever forget who you are, Kellen. Each of us lives our own life; our past is only one part of who we are. Never forget that you have a choice about who you want to be.”

As the door closed behind me, I watched the cottage fade away. Turning, I took my next step and found myself on the front porch of my father’s Tudor mansion in upstate New York.

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

CALI—
CLIMB

Oh, Kellen!

They all stood there staring at me. Hundreds of faeries, all staring at the goddess turned mortal. Was it possible that I had been a goddess only a few days ago? That I’d stood in my wedding dress, waiting to marry Kellen?

Now I stood on the road, alone. Just me. No one came to help. My body had become a weak and weary shell again. I could not see any way out. Not as a mortal against an army of immortals.

I reminded myself that Fire was on my side. Having Fire as a partner certainly increased my chances, but I couldn’t help but think about how much more useful it would have been if I could shape shift.

Shifters were much more difficult to figure out. There were so many different types; some inhabited Faerie and some did not. Either way, it would have been easier to reach my goal if I were an animal or a bird.

As a test, I called Fire with my mind, but only enough to warm my hands, wary of using my gift so close to the trees. If I were to set them alight, it would be disastrous and I couldn’t be responsible for that. Maybe if I made it to the top of the mountain, the trees would begin to thin out.

“So we meet again, my dear niece!” Cana stepped out from behind the army, taking confident steps into the space that separated us. “It’s a pity what happened to dear Walter, but it was his own fault.”

She threw something at me then. It landed only a few inches from my person. I refused to look down and tried to block out the peripheral image and the scent of the charred faerie. Only my inner strength kept me from vomiting. I would have no choice; I would have to kill to save Kellen.

“You’re a disgusting disgrace to our race, Cana.” My voice rose as I spoke.

“
Our
race? You know that I am no longer one of you. I am something so much more.” Cana’s voice reflected…what, false pride? She certainly didn’t seem happy with her lot if she’d been so focused on getting the amulet from Kellen to restore her looks.

Cana walked closer to me; her sly smile dripping like melted wax on her face. Taking a step further to meet her, I spat out: “You are
nothing
.”

Cana’s one eye widened in surprise, before reverting to cold blankness. Her voice sounded placid when she spoke next. “Kill her. This time, get it right.”

My heart pounded. There was only one option, for I needed a diversion. “I’m sorry, Cana. Truly.”

Her eyes registered shock for an instant before turning to horror as I raised my hands and used my gift of Fire to destroy her on the spot, fire shooting out of my hands with all of the power of a gift that had been restrained entirely too long. When I stopped, I’d done the same to her as she had to dear Walter.

Tears and soot clouded my vision as I looked up to the army flying toward me. Most halted in mid-air when they witnessed what I’d done to Cana. They fell sideways, stumbling into one another in an effort to avoid me.

For a heartbeat, we stared at one another and then many of the army, fled into the woods upon realizing Cana’s death. Scanning the group, I searched for a second-in-command, but only came up with Bob, who seemed shaken.
He probably didn’t want to be there any more than I did.
His eyes were bloodshot, and Walter came to mind. I’d live because Walter had given me a chance.

Maybe trying the same approach with this group would work. I hadn’t had much experience speaking to large groups, but I had to try. Clearing my throat, I addressed them. “Children of Danu, friends, you have been misled! My father is not the one responsible for trapping you. Arawn is. He’s the one that imprisoned you, with the power of an amulet, Danu’s amulet.”

There were whispers from the group, but I continued. “You’ve been told that Kellen St. James has the amulet. This is a lie. Willock has it and he is going to give it to Arawn, who lives. Unless you help me!”

There was a collective gasp across the group as many took this in. The local members of Faerie, who were not part of my family, seemed confused. They looked around to one another for an explanation.

“Remember The Call? He used the amulet to pull you back into Faerie. The amulet is the reason he’s been able to trap you, to maintain that much control over you. My uncle Dillion stole the amulet to protect all of you, but now Dillion is dead and Willock has it. When he returns it to Arawn, Arawn’s power will be restored and you will become his prisoners once more.”

Several outraged cries arose from the group. “Why should we believe you?” This came from a faerie that stood just behind Bob. He was short and squat, but that was the most that I could make out. I missed my goddess eyesight, which would have allowed me to see every characteristic in minute detail.

“You should believe me because I’m telling the truth.”

A small faerie, probably a member of the local tribe, stepped forward. He danced on the spot, his voice squeaky as he spoke. “My family would have helped you.”

“I’m afraid that we were unaware of your existence. We do tend to stay amongst our own kind, do we not?”

There were murmurs of agreement from the group again as they processed what I said. A taller faerie, at least four feet tall—a giant compared to the rest of them—moved out from the group to stand in front of me. “I don’t hold with the beliefs of the Children of Danu. We’ve been free for as long as I can remember. We’ve only been involved because of Cana’s threats.”

“Then stand with me and fight Arawn. I am only trying to protect my family too. If you align with me, I can help you. Against me, and you’re on your own.”

For a brief moment, I worried if anyone would believe me, if any of them cared. In the next instant, half of the group joined me, some of them walking but most of them flying over to stand behind me.

My heart soared.
Kellen!
I’ll find you, my love!
Though I still didn’t know if I could trust the army standing behind me, I realized that I had no choice. Turning back in their direction, I whispered, “Welcome, friends.”

Stepping forward from the opposing group walked a man I had never met before. He was tall, about Gabe’s height, and had long snow-white hair, much like Dillion’s in color. He was dressed in a white robe. Would he, too, be on my side? Then he spoke. His voice sounded smooth, elegant. “So now that the weak have chosen sides, it’s time that we go about killing you.”

Before I could speak or react in any way, paralysis gripped me. I couldn’t move a single muscle in my body. One thought slammed into my mind:
This was a trap.

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

KELLEN—
ALONE

Standing on the porch outside of Stephen’s house, my legs went numb with remembered fear. Try as I might to shake it off, the all-encompassing emotion soon overtook me. I searched for an escape.

The last time we’d met, I hadn’t known about what he’d done to my mother. On that day—incidentally, the day of my graduation—I’d thought of him only as a self-indulgent ass. Now he’d graduated to murderer. Being here and knowing how my mother died…It ripped open the wound again. It burned my heart, tore at it, a festering mass across my chest.

I didn’t want to go through the door and see him, for if I did, I was afraid I would kill him after what he’d done to my mother. If he even tried to mock my words, I would have to kill him and risk my life. There could be no choice.

Turning, I looked out across the lawns of Stephen’s estate. Maine had ceased to exist, at least for me. The cottage had only been a respite. It would seem that I’d truly ended up at Stephen’s. Though what Stephen had to do with all of this, I still didn’t understand.

Reaching up, I touched the pendant that my mother had given me, where it rested against my chest. It comforted me, though it held no power. Letting go, I turned toward the door and tried to move my hand forward. My body shook so much that I could barely move.

I just couldn’t bring myself to go in. Could I get anywhere walking? The short answer was probably not. Stephen’s house was a bit out there, and it would be a risky walk in the dark. My head hurt as I tried to plan my next move. Thoughts of Cali assaulted me.

As I walked down from the porch, I heard her name with each step.
Cali. Cali. Cali. Cali.
Ignoring the voice, I backed away and walked toward the garage, which stood off to one side. I noticed that the further I got from the house, the stronger I became, almost as if the house drew energy from me. I kept moving.

Reaching the garage, I opened the box that hung directly next to the door and took out the spare key to the garage that Stephen’s driver usually left there. Stephen, of course, had no idea. Otherwise he’d probably have had the man fired long ago for posing a security risk. Reaching into the box, my hand clasped around the door key and pulled it out.

Slipping the key into the lock, I opened the door and quietly moved inside, doing a scan of the interior. There didn’t seem to be anyone around. A low utility light in the corner illuminated several sets of keys which hung in orderly rows on the wall nearby. Stephen had several cars, though I couldn’t say that he particularly loved them. He never seemed to particularly love anything. Glancing at the cars in the garage, I searched for the least conspicuous vehicle there.

Snatching a set of keys to a grey Lexus, which I identified by the tidy label attached to it, I walked over to the car.
Cali. Cali. Cali. Cali.
My weary mind kept repeating her name over and over. Repressing my thoughts again, I slid behind the wheel, cringing as the garage door opened a little too loudly for my taste. Starting up the car, the engine turned over smoothly and I floored it, memory guiding me through the open gate and down the twisting, turning drive that would take me away from Stephen’s house. With every inch that I drove, the anxiety that had attacked me on the front steps gradually evaporated.

The final turn and then I’m out.
Then I’d be home free and could get on the highway. But where was I going?
Oh right,
Cali.
My heart pounded as I realized that for a moment I’d been on the verge of forgetting.

Who’s Cali?

The question entered my mind just as I turned the last corner and slammed on the brakes. My father stood at the exit, his arms extended out in front of him. The second set of gates was closed behind him.

The tires squealed as I forced the brakes, willing myself to stop. “No! Father!”

My father’s eyes widened in that final moment before the car slammed into the locked gates.

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

CALI—
BATTLE

Come on, Cali.
Forcing my eyes shut, I tried to move the muscles in my jaw, to do something, anything that would help us. Yet I found to my infinite distress that I couldn’t. Not a single muscle would respond to my mental command.

Not a single finger, not a single toe.
Kellen, will I die without seeing you again?
My mind replayed the last time we’d been together, the passion with which he’d kissed me, the heat that passed between us. To die never knowing what it would be like to be his wife, never knowing life as a fully-grown mortal woman. I would never be a partner, or a parent. My life would just…end.

Opening my eyes, I looked at my captor. He seemed to be assessing us all. This situation reminded me of the time when Kellen and I had been trapped by the Soul Snatchers in Faerie—the invisible creatures that paralyzed you with depression until you ended your own life, after which they claimed your soul.

The power of the one who stood before me seemed to be much like that of the Soul Snatchers. If they were the same sort of being, then I would be able to break free of the paralysis as soon as I recognized that its control only extended to my mind and not my body.