Wings of Shadow (The Underground Trilogy) (10 page)

“You are safe within the village boundaries, but you would be vulnerable if you were to leave. Creating a charm from the trimmed hawthorn branches may help to decrease that risk.”

They moved inside the cottage. Selena showed her how to bind the cuttings into a circular amulet. They wove angelica, bay laurel, and heather into the hawthorn twigs for extra protection. Selena hung a tiny crystal from the top of the amulet, and then chanted words from what she called “The Old Language.”

When finished, Meghan looked at the pretty craft that smelled like Selena’s cottage. She was skeptical about whether the charm would work, but it would be a nice keepsake of her time in the village.

She carried it up to her bedside. After tucking the amulet away, she climbed down the ladder to find Selena still sitting at the table.

“We have time for one more lesson today,” Selena said. “You have been worrying far too much about Killian and his crew. I have an idea that will help.”

Meghan leaned forward and clasped her hands together. “Another spell to keep me safe?” The idea of Fae magic intrigued her. She knew they could tap the Earth’s power, but enchantments were rarely seen within the village.

“I’m afraid not. No, ‘tis a different power that we will be gleaning today.”

Selena bowed her head for a moment, then spoke. “When Kiernan brought you down to the Dark Fae’s city, what sort of feelings were you having?”

Meghan’s cheeks blazed. “I… I was excited to spend time with Kiernan, and…”

“Go on, my dear,” Selena encouraged.

“And there was a part of me that felt it was a bad idea to cross the tracks and follow him.”

“Yes.” Selena’s eyes gleamed. “But you followed, anyway.”

Meghan looked down at the table. “I thought I was just worrying too much. And I really wanted to spend time with Kiernan.”

“Meghan, ‘twas your intuition telling you to leave. By honing this, it will become your sixth sense, a guide as strong as your hearing and your sight.”

“By following my hunches and gut reactions, I can keep myself safe?” Selena’s advice seemed too easy.

“If you learn to listen to your intuition, ‘twill guide you right every single time.” Selena brought out several bunches of herbs, sharing how each helped with developing her perceptiveness.

They spent the next few hours on focusing exercises to clear Meghan’s thoughts and help her to listen within her mind. By the end of the afternoon, Meghan was feeling more confident about protecting herself.

“Look at the time! Why not clean up, my dear? Avery is sure to be here soon.” Selena put away the baskets of supplies.

Avery had come every single evening after they had finished their work. He had taken her to his favorite places around the village and introduced her to the other Fae. With each passing day, she found herself looking forward even more to his nightly visits.

Meghan’s last duty for the day was refreshing the water supply in the cottage. She made her way to the old stone well, which sat at the far end of the garden. She released the bucket, sending it tumbling down to the water. As she was about to haul it back, a hawk soared into the garden. The bird landed on the edge of the well, a finger’s reach from Meghan. She kept her body still and tried to quiet her breathing.

The hawk stretched its wings, red feathers blending into a tawny background. It cocked its head and screeched. Meghan flinched, but then peered closely. The hawk lifted a leg toward her. Yes, there was definitely something tied around its leg. She remembered the message Wish had sent and wished the bird were as tiny as the one he had chosen. The bird waited, leg held aloft.

Meghan hesitated. She lifted her hand, moving it closer to the bird. She hoped the hawk wouldn’t attack. She slowly reached underneath the razor-sharp beak, fingers scraping the tops of its knife-like talons, and freed the paper. Miraculously, she had retained all of her fingers. With a final screech, the bird lifted into the sky, soaring out of the garden.

“A Harris Hawk? They often act as messengers,” Avery said.

Meghan jumped. “Nope, no message, just a lucky sighting. I didn’t even know what kind of bird it was.”

She stuffed the paper in her pocket, not knowing why she was being secretive, and began to haul water from the well. Before she could turn the handle one full circle, Avery gently pushed away her hand. He wound the handle far faster than she could. He soon had a full bucket of water and headed for the cottage.

She followed him, still wondering why she hadn’t shown Avery the message. Before she could sift through her thoughts, they reached the door.

“I’m going to get cleaned up.” Meghan scrambled to the loft, eager to read the note in the privacy of her room. She unwound the small scroll and found a few lines of elegant handwriting.

Please join me

In the Forest Clearing

Tomorrow’s Eve

No signature. What should she do? So far, she had been open about everything with Avery. She wondered if she should share the message during dinner, but then realized that the letter presented a perfect way to practice honing her intuition.

Grabbing a handful of peppermint leaves from the stash of herbs she had been accumulating, Meghan sat on the mattress, focused her vision on her amulet, and opened up her mind. She crumpled the dried greens in her hand and breathed in the sharp, minty aroma. Keeping the letter private felt right and safe. She wished she knew who had sent it, but Selena’s advice was helpful. If she was going to be safe, she needed to listen to her intuition. Perhaps she could begin with the invitation.

The sounds of wooden plates clunking onto the table brought her back to reality. Meghan rushed down the ladder and went over to sit at the table.

Avery stared at her. “You look very, um… comfortable tonight.”

Meghan glanced down at herself. From the excitement of reading the letter, she had forgotten to clean or change. Her clothes were spotted with dirt from the garden, and her nails were black with grime. Avery reached over and pulled a stray hawthorn twig from her hair, then handed her an envelope.

Inside was an invitation on a single sheet of paper. Handmade, with flower petals throughout, the page was thinner and of a higher quality than any paper she had seen in the village.

Your presence is required

At this Eve’s Sundown Meal

Queen Alannah

“My presence is required? I have to attend?” Meghan questioned.

Selena looked at the invitation and nodded.

“But Queen Alannah hasn’t spoken to me since the night I arrived.” Meghan wondered about the coincidence of receiving two invitations in such a short time span. Could the queen know about the message from the hawk?

“You should wash, my dear. You would not want to keep the queen waiting.”

Meghan hurried up the ladder. She rushed to the hand basin and poured water over her hands. Using the lavender-infused bar of soap, she scrubbed her soiled hands and splashed water on her face. She fished out the one fancy dress she owned from the bottom of her backpack and smoothed it as best she could. She had a few minutes to think as she dragged a brush through the snarls in her hair.

She compared the two notes. Meghan had seen only handmade paper used in the village, but the scroll she took from the hawk was typical manufactured stock. The Fae kept reassuring her that Lord Killian would not come into the village, so that left two possible senders—Wish or…

“Hurry, Meghan! We are already late,” Avery called.

She hid the scroll under her pillow and quickly climbed down the ladder. Meghan followed Avery out the door, hoping dinner with the queen would be more pleasant than her meals with Lord Killian.

The moon was bright as they passed through the village. Avery led the way to a large cottage. The outside was rich with hand-carved details. The stone windowsills displayed etchings of beautiful flower gardens, the roof was one of the few made of limestone tiles, and the walls were perfectly laid, not a stone out of place. He knocked on the door, a thick slab of walnut displaying carved scenes of the village.

An older Fae with wings the hue of cornflowers opened the door. “Welcome to the queen’s abode.” He bowed and gestured for them to come inside. The house was much larger than the other homes she had visited. While most of the cottages were similar to Selena’s, with only one large room, this house was divided into separate chambers.

They entered a long narrow room. An oak table, large enough to seat fourteen, filled the majority of the dining hall, and three table settings had been placed on the far end of the table. Avery pulled out a chair for Meghan, and then sat across from her. A moment of awkward silence followed.

“So, you really live here?” Meghan asked. Avery seemed so down-to-earth. She couldn’t imagine him being raised in this palace of a cottage.

Avery nodded. “It is traditional for Fae to remain with their parents until they wed.”

“In my city, people move out when they finish high school.”

“The problem with the young moving out at so tender an age is that one never knows what sort of trouble they may get into.” Queen Alannah stepped into the room. Nodding to Avery and Meghan, she sat at the head of the table. “Have you thought about how your mother must be fretting, after not hearing from you all these weeks?”

“We agreed that I would have this time to build my independence. I called her when I first got to London, and she knew that I might be out of touch for a while.”

“And yet, she is oblivious to the horrors that have befallen you. Modern day parents, I just do not understand them.” The queen’s lips were pinched as she shook her head.

Meghan felt her heart quicken at the queen’s rebuke. “Th… thank you for the invitation—your majesty?” She was unsure what title to use.

Alannah snapped her fingers, and the blue-winged Fae served dinner. “Thank you for attending on such short notice.”

“I appreciate you having me and offering your hospitality.”

“Are you adjusting to life within Solas?” the queen inquired.

Meghan nodded. “I love it here! Selena has been so patient with teaching me, and I feel I am really getting the hang of the gardens. The other Fae have been so welcoming.”

“Intrigued by a human encounter, I would guess.” Alannah glanced at Avery.

Meghan looked down at her plate. Dinners with parents were always so uncomfortable!

Turning to Meghan, the queen said, “I will not apologize for my actions when you entered the village. Encounters are rare these days, thankfully, but we have to treat them with the utmost caution.”

“I wondered about that. Avery mentioned humans and faeries all got along in the past.” Meghan forced herself to take a bite of food. She wasn’t sure if asking about the “divide” was rude.

Queen Alannah glared at Avery. “Did he now?”

Avery wiped his mouth. “I told her the tale of Anya’s Wings. She has a different story about that group of stars.”

Alannah nodded. “The encounters placed all the Fae at risk. Some beloved members of the village even perished as a result.”

Meghan asked, “What happened after Anya’s sacrifice, after the faeries were released?”

“Discord and arguing filled Solas. It was the beginning of the separation of our people. The humans may have released the Fae, but their poison spread through the minds of some of the freed.” Pursing her lips, Queen Alannah signaled she was done speaking about the matter.

Meghan watched Avery take small bites of his food without further conversation. He was just as reserved around his mother as Kiernan was with Lord Killian.

“The reason I asked you here was to inquire about this strange ritual that Killian is supposedly participating in.”

Meghan froze. She was not going to ask about—

“Blood-drinking, I hear? Please tell me all about it.” Alannah leaned closer.

Avery stood. “Mother, this is too much. Meghan does not want to talk about the blood-drinking. It was traumatizing.”

“The village is doing a great service in providing her sanctuary. Surely, she is gracious enough to repay us through providing this valuable information.” Alannah motioned for Avery to sit.

“I… I don’t know very much, but I will share what I know.” Meghan took a deep breath before continuing. “It was unexpected. I thought we were going dancing at this secret club, deep underground.”

Alannah interrupted. “So Killian is living in secret chambers underneath London?”

“He has created a city of sorts, in abandoned tunnels of The Underground.” At Alannah’s confused expression, she explained further. “The tunnels were originally built for the underground trains that travel beneath the city.”

“How many Fae were living in this underground village?”

“I’m not sure. I saw hundreds of people, but I have no idea how many were Fae. I still don’t know what the blood-drinking was all about. Nobody has explained it to me.”

Queen Alannah wrinkled her nose. “Vile practice. I would like to say that no one has explained it due to the perversity of the act, but I must admit we are still figuring out what the blood-drinking means.”