The Brotherhood of the Snake (Return of the Ancients Book 2) (20 page)

“And now, Rafael…” Jareth’s voice took on a hint of challenge. “I’ve delivered the tethers. It’s time you shared just exactly how you’re going to get us anywhere near the Hall of Mirrors undetected. It’s not like we can just knock on the door and ask if they’ll let us in.”

“Have no doubt that I can take you there.” Rafael drew himself up taller. “You forget who I am, Jareth.”

Jareth’s dark eyes narrowed as he muttered, “I only wish I could.” Pivoting on his heel, he waved his hand in a broad gesture at the door. “Then let’s go, as the dragon has arrived. We’ll just have to put Rafael’s arrogance directly to the test.”

Setting off across the room, he stepped over Marquis and flung the front door wide open.

Over his shoulder, I could see it was growing dark outside. Rafael had mentioned that the crill came down from the pillars at night. I wondered if they’d already done so. I didn’t want to be accidentally chomped on by a tooth-edged bungee cord.

As Rafael headed after Jareth, I ran to catch up, asking, “Is it safe out there?”

“I’ll see you safe, Sydney,” Rafael promised, gathering my fingers in his and pulling me along.

I wasn’t sure if he should really be holding my hand or not, but I let him all the same. I liked it.

He didn’t even glance at Marquis as he passed by. Pausing on the threshold, he shaded his eyes and peered at the pillars. “They’re coming, but we have a few minutes before they arrive. Let’s hurry.”

The dragon was already waiting, but I was so busy watching the crill twist down the pillars above us—their chattering teeth sounding like legions of woodpeckers—that I was once again taken by surprise when Rafael tossed me back into the saddle.

He shot me a strange look, something that would have resembled amusement if our mood hadn’t been so somber, and then as the writhing mass of crill surged towards us in a massive wave, the dragon launched itself skywards.

I screamed as dozens of teeth snapped under us, but then we were safely out of their reach.

In a matter of moments, we’d left the crill behind.

It couldn’t have happened fast enough for me. I exhaled a long, loud sigh of relief when I finally saw the pillars disappear into the rapidly falling darkness.

Turning to Jareth lounging on the saddle next to me, I couldn’t help but ask him incredulously, “How can you live there?”

He shrugged. “They’re misunderstood,” was all he said.

We didn’t talk after that.

I settled back, watching the scenery pass by. We were at the lake, gliding low over the water’s dark surface, the bright reflection of the two moons giving the scene an even more mystical appearance.

I took several deep breaths, wondering if there would ever be a time when I could just stop and think, to process everything that was happening.

The dragon arched upwards, cresting the ridge to reveal the City of the Queens spreading across the horizon, sparkling like a sea of diamonds.

We zoomed over flat rooftops, wove through twisted, spiraling towers, and floated above large groves of the celery-stalk trees.

Ahead, I could see a complex purple, crystalline structure rising above the city. I didn’t have to be told that it was the castle of the Queens.

It wasn’t long before the dragon landed in a wide expanse of grass, a short distance away from the castle, and
 Rafael plucked me from the saddle to whirl me to the ground. For a brief moment, he held me close and my pulse leapt. In just that moment, my senses were heightened. I felt the hard muscles of his arm encircling me, and dimly noted how tall he really was. He stepped away, and I felt foolish, ordering my cheeks not to blush.

To my relief, I didn’t flame red. I suppose it was the sight of the Queens’ impenetrable-looking fortress looming over our heads that solidly grounded me in the seriousness of our situation.

As the dragon opened its wings to glide away, Rafael raised his hand and pointed to a winding footpath nearby.

We fell into step behind him as he navigated through pools of water surrounded by clumps of slender-trunked trees sprouting what looked like glowing bunches of fiber-optic cable as leaves. They changed colors as we passed by.

When we reached the edge of the park, I opened my mouth to ask about his plan, but I’d scarcely managed a word before he turned to place a long, elegant finger over my lips.

His touch was unexpectedly distracting, and it was a good thing he wanted me to be silent, because I immediately forgot what I’d wanted to say.

Gesturing us forward, we walked up a dark, narrow cobblestoned path that quickly broadened into a wide street lined with tall tower-like crystal structures of mostly purple shades, none of which had windows or doors.

The castle grew steadily closer, glowing with an inner light that made it seem alive.

Voices drifted our way, shouts mixed with laughter and the sound of flutes, and then we turned a corner and saw a large crowd milling in front of the castle’s massive gates.

The main gate was magnificent, carved with vines and flowers, and it stood in the center of a tall white wall ringing the entire castle. Two smaller, arched gates loomed on either side of the main one, and the arched gate on the left was open. Through it, I could see a twisting garden path meandering through a vast park and yet another inner wall circling the castle.

Round white globes of light the size of basketballs, hovered around us, and lit the entire area up as bright as day. I stared at them in fascination, wondering what was holding them up, but the Fae moving around me soon caught my attention instead.

Most of them were elaborately dressed in velvets and scarves, but some were clad in simple white, and I wondered if they were Rafael’s followers. The shouting around us had grown louder, and it was accompanied by singing. It was a strange combination. I could tell some of them were really angry, and I wondered what for.

I noted to myself that the angry Fae didn’t appear nearly as self-centered as the rest of the Fae appeared to be. Several times, I turned to find their interested eyes observing us closely.

Rafael apparently noticed too, because he suddenly pulled us sharply back into the shadow of a nearby tower and stayed there, as if waiting for something.

As the moments passed, Jareth began tapping his foot. I knew he’d start complaining soon, but we were probably spared the snarky comments in the interim because it was simply too hard to hear with all the shouting and singing.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Rafael lift a finger.

It didn’t look like much, and in fact, I never would have noticed it at all, if I hadn’t been staring at a brunette Fae female dressed in solid white standing a short distance away. I could’ve sworn she’d lifted a finger in response to Rafael, and that a look had passed between them.

But then the strange female whirled on her heel. But before she had disappeared into the crowd, I had seen an unusual symbol, a tattoo of sorts, briefly light up on the back of her hand. It was a strange pattern, composed of two rings, the outer being a complicated, almost Celtic design, and the inner ring, a simple solid circle.

The singing suddenly grew louder and Rafael nodded and urged us forward through the crowd.

Jareth opened his mouth several times, but his words were drowned out by a sudden roar near the main castle gate, and almost immediately, it began to open and guards began to pour out.

The shouting and singing stopped abruptly as the guards pushed forward.

Leaning forward with a grim smile, Rafael pointed at the small open arched gate that now appeared unguarded. “Do you know what that is?” he asked.

With a cynical twist of his lip, Jareth grunted, "Insanity?"

Rafael didn’t spare him a glance, pushing us forward. “Have a little faith in me. Now is our chance. Let’s not lose it.”

The crowd seemed to part before us as we dashed for the gate, and each time a guard looked our way, a white clad Fae would suddenly appear to break out into loud song, immediately diverting the guard’s attention.

I knew it wasn’t a coincidence. They were helping us. I was going to have to ask about it when I had the chance. And thinking about the strange symbol on the Fae woman’s hand, I figured I was going to have to find out about that as well.

Somehow we were ducking under the archway, veering sharply to the left and running down a garden path circling the castle’s inner wall.

It was darker here. There weren’t any floating balls of light to illuminate our way.

I couldn’t see any guards. But then, I supposed there was no need for them. The massive walls rising above us were clearly impenetrable.

Rafael took us halfway around the castle before Jareth began making noises, preparations to complain, when we stopped abruptly in front of a small waterfall feeding a pool filled with slender, golden reeds right next to the castle wall.

Leaving the path, Rafael headed straight for it.

We were only a few feet away from the wall when he lifted his hand and spoke a single, unintelligible word.

The stones melted back to form a large crack.

“What’s this?” I heard Jareth’s astounded voice behind me. “How do you know about this?”

Rafael didn’t answer. Instead, he grabbed my hand and pulled me into the crack and into a dark passageway.

Jareth followed, cursing.

“
Silence!” Rafael hissed.

Once we were inside, he waved his fingers again and murmured another word.

The fissure in the wall sealed shut, plunging us into darkness.

A moment later, a streak of purple light shot over our heads, and then the rocks above and below us lit with a soft, purple glow.

It was beautiful

I felt like I was in the center of a living crystal. A few steps ahead, I saw two lighted sets of stairs, one leading up and the other leading down.

Nodding to the latter, Rafael looped his fingers around my wrist and moved forward.

We descended several flights of steps before he held up a hand for us to pause. Tilting his head to the side, he held still, appearing to listen for something.

I held my breath and strained forward.

Muffled voices echoed around us, laughter mixed with someone barking crisp orders.

Grimacing, Rafael led us down another flight before pausing to listen yet again.

This time, he nodded in satisfaction.

“We’re here,” he whispered, squeezing my wrist.

“This is the illustrious Hall of Mirrors?” Jareth muttered sarcastically.

Rafael shot him a look of disdain. “Behind this wall lies a small alcove, the Queens’ private entrance to the Hall of Mirrors. It’s where we’ll modify the classification ciphers. Once we leave its safety, if we don’t hold the proper security clearance, every alarm you’ve ever dreamt of will trigger and we’ll be executed on sight.”

“And once we leave this alcove?” Jareth prompted darkly, folding his arms. “How far to the Hall of Mirrors?”

Rafael didn’t answer as he moved to the wall and waved his hand.

I gasped as a glowing 3D miniature model of the castle appeared before him, but Jareth didn’t seem surprised by it in the least.

Apparently, creating floating, glowing models of places with just the wave of a hand was nothing unusual.

“The alcove exits directly into a large courtyard, and in the center of this courtyard you’ll find the Hall of Mirrors,” Rafael was explaining, pointing to a large, ancient, white-stoned structure with only one door. “There are only two Protectors guarding the door. Additional guards patrol the courtyard’s perimeter. Once we change our classification, we’ll wait for the patrol to move to the other side of the building before disabling the guards at the door to gain entrance.”

The 3D model wavered and disappeared.

Jareth arched a suspicious brow. “How do you know so much?”

“You forget my family ruled Avalon for many ages,” Rafael replied arrogantly.

“But you’re knowledge seems startlingly up to date.” Jareth’s lip gave a mocking twist. “If you retain these kinds of connections, the Queens are right to fear you.”

Rafael’s black-lined eyes narrowed into slits. “I have no interest in the throne, Jareth. Let’s concentrate on the task at hand, shall we?” Turning to me, he reached down to grasp both of my hands in his. “I’ll need your help, Sydney. I can’t change the classification ciphers on my own. I’ll need you to access the blue strand that lies in the second dimension. It’ll be just like last time, only this time we’ll have to be quick. Are you certain you want to do this?”

I licked my suddenly dry lips but managed a nod.

“I’d advise you to get the tether ready.” Jareth nodded in the direction of my pocket.

With shaking fingers, I pulled the tether out. Staring at my trembling hand, I rolled my eyes a little. This was nothing like I thought it was going to be like. Action movies always made these kinds of things seem easy … and fun. We hadn’t even started yet, and I was already beginning to freak out.

I felt Rafael’s arm slide around my shoulders. Leaning close, he planted his face inches from mine and winked. “Have no fear, little pixie. I’ll keep you safe. Just stay close.”

He gave my nose a playful twist, and I suddenly wanted him to kiss me again, even as part of me was completely astounded I’d think of such things at a time like this.

Stepping back, he ordered, 
“Let’s go!”

Everything happened quickly after that.

I didn’t have time to think anymore. I just ran after them as they sprinted into a small, empty room covered from floor to ceiling with white marble. There was an elaborately carved archway to our left and to our right. Through one of them, I saw steps spiraling upwards to disappear around a corner, and through the other, I caught a glimpse of the night sky, a vast open courtyard, and a great white building with a strange egg-shaped dome.

I knew I was looking at the Hall of Mirrors.

“Soon, I’ll know how you knew how to get here and break in,” I could hear Jareth muttering sourly.

“Concentrate!” Rafael ordered harshly.

From the corner of my eye, I saw him pull a stone from his pocket. It was one of the stones he’d used before, when we’d altered the classifications to escape his quarters and then break the Glass Wall.