Night Vision (16 page)

We were progressing through the winding hall now, and every wall, every panel and tile of ice in the castle seemed to glow from within with a rich, blue luminescence.

“I don’t remember the lights.”

“You created them. Drawing forth the heartstone has given life to the realm again. This place is part of the realm of Snow and Ice—it is far from your Barrow, but it is still part of your realm. You have given your lifeblood, your essence, to this place, and it renews itself. You’ve brought rejuvenation and renewal to the realm.”

She laughed again. “Oh, Cicely—there will be so many things for you to learn and to see, and to experience. Have you not noticed that you no longer feel the extreme cold?”

I nodded. “Is that part of…this transformation?”

“Yes. Just as Rhiannon no longer feels extreme heat. All full-blooded Fae can withstand the elements better than the yummanii or the magic-born, but you were not full-blooded. Now, though, that you have melded yourselves with the realms, you have the powers of the Queens. There will be more. But mark my words carefully.”

Here she stopped and turned to me, holding me by the shoulders. “You are not invincible. Queens can die. Queens can be murdered. Accidents can happen, even with the heartstones in a protected place. Do not let down your guard and do not be careless.”

I nodded, taking her words to heart. Seeing her almost fade and die had proved that point to me better than any warning could.

“What about hiding the heartstone?”

“That is your next task. The Ice Elementals will help you. They will be at your beck and call, and none can thwart their powers. If an enemy tries to turn them, if their
magic is so strong that it might succeed, the Elemental Guardian will simply crumble to shards. You will always have four Elemental Guardians that will do your every bidding. Others of their kind will hearken to you, but there will always be four bound to you. If one is destroyed, another will take its place.”

A thought struck me, and I almost panicked. “I’m a Wind Witch, not an Ice Witch. What about Ulean? She’ll still be with me, won’t she?” I loved Ulean and couldn’t bear the thought that I might have to give her up.

Of course I will be. You merge wind and ice now. Fret not, I am with you, my friend.
Ulean’s whisper came racing through the slipstream, and I almost jumped for joy.

Ulean! You’re here!

I served Lainule even though she was Queen of Summer. Elementals are not tied to strict rules unless they have been bound to one person, and we are bound. Although an Ice Elemental could not stand in the Court of Rivers and Rushes and survive. Just as a Fire Elemental would wisp away here and grow weak.

Relieved, I tried to stand on my own, but apparently I was still too shaky, and Lainule grabbed my elbow and wrapped her arm around my waist. It felt odd, the Queen herself being my support, but she simply smiled and I gratefully accepted her help.

As we entered the main hall of the castle, I gasped. The frozen tableau had come to life, and all the statues carved in ice were living, breathing members of the Court. Or at least, at first I thought they were, until I noticed they were translucent. But they bustled around in a silent hush of activity.

Not sure what to think, I glanced at Lainule. “Who are they?”

“Shades of the Court of Snow and Ice. They are the memories of those who grew so old they faded into time rather than retreat to the Golden Isle. Their memory still lives; they still go about their business but with no notice of what transpires today. They are the specters of your court.”

“Specters…what about those whom Myst murdered? Do they still haunt these halls? Do they still haunt the Marburry Barrow?” I gazed at the specters as they trekked through the hall, stopping, speaking to invisible companions, hurrying by on errands long, long taken care of.

Lainule’s expression darkened and her shoulders stiffened. “You may find, in the Barrow itself, that yes, there will be ghosts that walk the halls. If you do, then be wary. Hauntings—ghosts—are different than shades. Ghosts who walk because of violent deaths can be dangerous and, at times, envy the living to the point of attack. I will warn Rhiannon, too. So far, we have seen none since we moved back into Marburry, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there, skulking in shadows. If you do find ghosts, there are those in the Court who know how to deal with them. Strict will know who to ask.”

And then we were at the door.

Lainule turned to me. “Here I must leave you for the moment and go waken Rhiannon from her ordeal. The Elementals will help you hide your heartstone.”

“I’m still feeling weak—”

She held out a small cake. “Eat this, and all will be well.” And then she vanished—just disappeared from where we were standing.

The cake in my hand felt light, insubstantial, but I bit into it and a honey-rich flavor spread through my mouth, so delicate and sweet that I closed my eyes so nothing would distract me from the taste. As I swallowed, a warmth stole through my body, flushing me lightly, as it renewed and recharged me. A moment later, I felt like I’d eaten a full meal and was on the top of my game. Whatever those were, I needed the recipe!

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I turned to find the Ice Elementals standing near me. One held the silver box, now closed. But I could feel the beat of my heartstone within it, and as I gazed up into their impassive faces, it dawned on me that they were holding my life in their hands.

Two went ahead, motioning for me to walk behind
them. The other two—with the box—fell in at the rear. I wondered how we were to get over the bridge—it had shattered—but there, in a swath of brilliant gleaming ice, a walkway crossed the chasm. It was solid and this time, when I put my foot on it, it held fast, with no splintering.

We crossed the bridge and they turned to the left, leading me toward the horizon of trees. I expected to get tired, with all that had gone on, but my stamina stood steady, and whatever was in that little cake had given me plenty of energy. And—as I’d noticed when I first arrived—I was walking on top of the snow, not sinking in.

My thoughts were racing as we approached the tree line. I wondered what Rhiannon was doing. She was likely readying herself to hide her heartstone in the realm of Summer, and I imagined she was being led by Fire Elementals.

Ulean, are you here?
I asked into the slipstream, but there was no answer.

She cannot hear you.
One of the Ice Elementals turned his head to stare over his shoulder at me, startling me.

Why?

She is not bound to die for you should others attack. She cannot know the location of your heartstone and you must never tell her.

His words hit home. My heartstone…destroy it, you destroy me. And no one, not Grieve, not Luna or Kaylin or Peyton or Chatter…or Ulean…could know where it was hidden. My Ice Elementals and I would be the only ones who knew where it was, and they would die before giving up the information.

The ramifications of what we were doing were beginning to work their way into my brain. Even in the past day or two, I hadn’t really understood the magnitude of the transformations we were going through, but now I was beginning to grasp how much was at stake and just how far this was going to take us from everything we ever knew.

We walked in silence for what seemed like hours, but the cold did not chill me, and I did not tire. I was, however, getting a little bored. But then we came to the tree line, and
here the trees ceased being silhouettes and became towering sentinels, dark in their boughs, covered with frozen ice and snow. I reached out to touch one of the limbs, and the tree shuddered gently as a dusting of powder fell to the ground, taking one of the icicles with it. A howl echoed in the distance, and I whirled.

“Animals? There are animals here?”

Of course. They live in the frozen land. Elk and reindeer, the bear and the wolf and the fox, the owl and winter rabbit.

They led me into the wood, deep into the heart of the forest, and more time passed under the silence of the woodland. But as we progressed, here and there I heard the echoing call of a bird, the rustle of a bush with animals hiding behind it. Life began to make itself known, and I felt a deep unwinding inside, as if a knot had loosened that I hadn’t even realized was there.

And then we stopped at the foot of a tall fir tree. A pale glow from the snow told me that there was an entrance to a portal here—I’d seen this before when we went after Lainule’s heartstone. I stood back as one of the Elementals brushed away a layer of snow and opened a trapdoor. And then he turned to me, handing me the box.

You must go alone. When you have set the traps and wards, then follow the path out.

Traps? Wards? How am I supposed to do that?

You will understand when you are there. We cannot follow you in this part of the journey, but we will be waiting.

I took the box from him, cautiously so I didn’t accidentally open it, and then I knelt and peeked into the portal. Just as I’d figured, there was a vortex. It was spinning like a funnel cloud, only I was looking in from the top. The colors here—unlike those of the portal I’d passed through on my journey for Lainule—were blue and pink and frozen purple and white so bright it shone almost silver.

I had to go through it. And I had to take the box with me and not lose hold of it. I thought for a moment, then hiked my robe up to just above my knees. I laid the box in the
material, then folded it over and knotted it tightly, creating a pocket. Then, holding tight to the knot, I steeled my courage and leaped into the maelstrom.

Sudden chaos
…then, a deluge of wind and hail racing past…I’m in the center of the tornado and the whirl of colors threatens to blind. A dizzying array, a magnificent specter of winter to come, of winter past, as I spin, caught in the vacuum sucking me down…

A waft of air
…I’ve left my stomach behind in the rush of the fall, but now I whirl lazily, like leaves caught in autumn’s grasp, but this is not autumn and the boreal wind is biting even in its softer moments.

Buoying up
…caught on the currents, riding them down as the shadows flicker past, a cacophony of color blinds me as a phantasmagoria of whispers ride the slipstream, echoing in my head like shouts from a distant camp.

One last gasp
…and the colors vanish as I hurtle through a layer of mist to land, crouching, on the floor of a long, narrow tunnel.

Slowly, I unfolded myself, standing as I tested whether I’d broken anything, but I was unharmed. I stood, barefoot, on the floor of the tunnel, looking for some sort of illumination besides the light coming from the flashing vortex above me.

Faint twinkles of light sparkled from within the smooth walls. They were ice. At least, I thought they were, but when I actually went over to touch them, I discovered they were glass—clear tiles with swirls of color dappling them. The colors of winter. The colors of my realm. Unlike Lainule’s tunnel, the illumination was very faint from within them, but I was beginning to understand. The light must have faded when Tabera had been killed. Once my heartstone was in place, it would return to this shadowy realm, as would life.

I followed the corridor. There was nothing else here that
was living—that much was apparent. I hurried, wanting to be done with this, wanting contact with my friends again. It felt like I had been alone for a very long time, and even Lainule’s presence hadn’t done anything to dissuade that feeling.

There were passages off the main one, but I kept straight—something inside told me that I’d know when it was time to veer off, and true to my instinct, I finally came to a T in the path. I looked to the left, then the right. A spark of light caught my attention. As I stared at it, I knew that was the correct direction.

As I turned to the right, my feet urged me to go faster and I found myself running. It was as if there were a magnet on the other end, a force I couldn’t ignore. I raced down the hallway and suddenly skidded into a chamber filled with ice and snow and giant crystals—this time they really were crystals. Snow serpents coiled around the clear spires, eyeing me with their eyes, as black as the vampires’.

I paused. There was something I needed to do here. Something I needed to say. As I waited, striving to find some kernel of understanding, one of the serpents uncoiled itself and slithered over to me.

“You would set a guardian here, young Queen?”

I paused, looking around. The path to Lainule’s heartstone had been fraught with dangers and guardians. “Yes, but I’m not sure how.”

“Ask, and it shall be done.”

I gazed at the serpent and it flicked its tongue in and out, and then it rose, coiling up till it could look me in the eye. For a moment I feared it might strike me, and those great teeth would easily rip holes in my face, but then it tilted its head to the side and I reached out, not thinking, and lightly stroked its head.

“You are here to watch over my heartstone, aren’t you?”

“I am, if you would have me.”

“Please, guard the path, then. Do what you need to in order to keep my enemies from harming me.”