The path grows more and more narrow along the side of the mountain, and I fear falling off, but I do not voice my concern. This doesn't seem the time to be worried about heights. Or death.
We arrive at the base of the waterfall. It is a small stream, more elegant than the waterfalls in Stonehill, and we walk around the torrent and into a small cavern. An old tree grows there, its vines climbing up the brown wet stone.
"You see," Rita says. "Tauren yet slumbers."
Varis walks up to the roots and lays his hands on them. He puts his ear against the wood and closes his eyes, stilling his breathing.
I know what he's doing and I do the same, practicing the techniques he's been teaching me. I quiet my mind and focus on my breathing to see if I can hear what he's listening for.
"Girl," Rita says, pointing at me and breaking my concentration. "You are the one they call the Midnight Star?"
I turn to face her. "Yes."
"You are false," she says, spitting at the ground in front of me. "Your blood did not awaken our spirit. He still waits for Yami."
I straighten my spine and glare at the woman. "Yami is with me." I say. The dragon stands and stretches on my shoulder, in response to his name.
"Then show me," she challenges.
I look at Yami, and he shakes his head and cowers behind my hair, scared of the woman and her cruel speech. My face hardens. "You have been disrespectful to me and to him. We will do nothing for you."
I walk to Varis, leaving her standing in shock, her jaw hanging open.
Varis stands and turns to us. "By the Spirits... "
He frowns. Something is very wrong.
"Does Tauren still slumber?" I ask.
"No," he says, his eyes scared for the first time since I've known him. "He does not slumber. He was never here at all."
Chapter 10
A FRIEND
"No need to throw yourself at me just yet. We'll have our time together soon enough."
—Asher
I return to Sky Castle and turn my attention to the Healing Tent. We no longer just treat those injured in the attack, but anyone with ailments. My Druid training is suspended for a few days, while Varis searches for Lianna and Tauren, so I keep busy here. Seri begins to use my help more and more often. Sometimes, she asks me to diagnose a patient. I am often wrong. But a few times I am right.
"You are improving, Your Grace," Seri says.
"Please, call me Ari."
"Ari, pass the water basin."
I do, and she cleans her hands, sighing. The moon is out, and it has been a hard day of work. Shadows loom under her eyes.
"You are very skilled in this," I say. "Seems you are more use here than being Keeper."
She laughs. "Thank you. All my life, I've trained to be a healer. You may not know, because I am Fae, but I am young. Around your age. My grandfather was Keeper, and my older sister trained under him. I did as I wished, and I wished to heal people. I lost my parents to disease, you see. So I practiced with the healers. About a month ago, my sister was wounded, an attack in Stonehill. She died, and all my healing could not help her. My grandfather could not handle the grief. A few days later he too passed. I was the only one left in my family, and so the duty of Keeper fell to me."
I touch her hand. "I'm sorry. I too lost someone in the attack."
She looks up, surprised. "We are complicated people, are we not, Princess? The vampires keep me slave. But the Fae killed my blood. Sometimes, I do not know who is right. Sometimes, I do not know where I stand."
We both share the same struggle. Torn between two worlds. "We will find our way," I say. "Dum spiro spero."
She blinks. "What does that mean?"
"While I breathe, I hope."
She nods, a new certainty on her face. "Yes. You're right, Princess. Dum spiro spero."
***
The next day, while eating breakfast, Asher informs me it is time to visit Earth. I beam with excitement. I miss my friends, and Es would have just had her gender reassignment surgery. She'll want my support.
But there's another reason I'm excited, and it has nothing to do with visiting Oregon. In order to get to my world, we have to travel through Fen's realm, to the mirror on the outskirts. Which means I get to see him again. It's been weeks, and my longing for him has only deepened.
I'm practically bursting with joy as we step onto Asher's boat to sail north on the winding canals. The sun is high. The breeze warm.
Asher frowns at me. "Excited to see someone, are we?"
I blush. "Well… Wait. Are you… Are you jealous? I know this is your month with me, and we haven't had much time together to... bond."
He chuckles. "No. I'm not jealous. That would be Levi's department, not mine. I just hope you make this choice with your head and not your heart. Nothing good comes from making decisions out of emotion, trust me."
I lay down on pillows, watching the land change before me. "Does this have anything to do with Varis? How you used to be friends?"
He looks away. "It's just a fact. Be smart. Be logical."
I sigh, rolling my eyes. But inside, his words tear at me. I must choose the next king of hell. I must choose, not only for myself, but for an entire kingdom. What if the best ruler is not the one I love?
The air grows cold, and we arrive in Fen's realm. His castle looms in the distance, a giant mass of stone carved into a snow-covered mountain. Baron stands on the shore, awaiting our arrival.