“He deserves his epithet. Cunning Oberon, indeed! He asked me a great many questions designed to reveal any prejudice against Faerie. Finally I told him the only thing I held against Faerie was not being allowed to visit years ago.”
“I imagine he liked that,” said Eversleigh.
“Then I asked him some questions about obscure Faerie lore. I would kill for some of the books in his library, but he says they are not for mortals.” Lord Matlock held his hand out as if to admire it. “He gave me a ring.”
Eversleigh reached out to touch the silver band. “I should warn you that ring is bespelled.”
“I know it is,” said Lord Matlock with pride. “He put a blood spell on it so I could communicate with him if there should be a crisis. He has one for contacting me as well. He said my spell work was most satisfactory for a mortal.”
Definitely smug. At least he was not dancing with glee from having the Faerie king’s blood spell on his hand. “I assume he must have a reason to wish to communicate with you.”
Lord Matlock waved his hand. “It is nothing. A little plan we came up with to deal with the faerie ring problem. I cannot reveal the details.” He was clearly enjoying the mystery.
“I wish you good fortune,” said Eversleigh mildly, but there was something bleak in his eyes. “Do you still wish to see the Great Spell before we return?”
“I would not miss it! Our Great Spell tree was lost to the sea centuries ago.”
“It is but a short walk. The King’s Hall was built here to honor it.” Eversleigh led them down a stone path into the forest.
After a few minutes, the dense wood opened into a clearing. An enormous oak towered over the center. Its size was unnatural, at least twice as tall as the other trees in the forest. Standing under its branches was like walking into a great cathedral.
“Nearly two thousand years old,” breathed Lord Matlock. “Magnificent.”
“This is where the Sidhe Caerdic and his mortal brother Alber, may their names live in blessed memory, spilled their heart’s blood to split Faerie asunder,” said Eversleigh.
“Can their presence still be felt?” asked Lord Matlock.
“Yes. They will be there as long as the tree stands. They are vague and have forgotten who they were after all these centuries, but you canstill converse with them if you wish.”
“What would I have to do?” Lord Matlock’s excitement was palpable.
“Go to the tree and place your palms against the bark. You will understand what to do from there,” Eversleigh said.
“Have you done it?” asked Lord Matlock.
“Oh, yes. It is traditional for a child coming of age to ask their blessing. I did it when I returned here after university. Go ahead, if you wish.”
Lord Matlock hesitated. “The Great Spell,” he murmured. He walked forward and rested his hands on the tree.
Darcy asked quietly, “Do they give advice?”
“Not now,” said Eversleigh. “Oberon says his grandfather could converse with them for the first century or two. Now it is but a sense of their spirits that remains.”
Darcy gazed up into the branches. The giant tree made him feel very small. “Why did they want to split Faerie?”
“The same reason as the lost Great Spell in the mortal world, the one that broke England from Europe and drowned an invading army led by sorcerers. In Roman times, many fay were practicing dark magic. The Sidhe here are the descendants of those who had spent their lives fighting the evil fay. This spell was created to divide Faerie with the dark magicians on the other side. It also gave the Sidhe the ability to determine if someone is lying, which exposes most sorcery.”
“Were there other Great Spells?”
“The legends speak of one thousands of years ago, but nothing of it remains. During the Black Death, two mortal mages attempted a Great Spell to halt the illness, but it failed. Most likely it was because they were both mortal instead of having a Sidhe and a mortal, but I suppose they were desperate enough to try anything.”
“Then it is thanks to the Great Spells that England and EnglishFaerie are mostly free of sorcery. What happened to the other half of Faerie?”
“No one knows. The Great Spell also blocked anyone of our part of Faerie from traveling to the other side. Given that parts of Europe are strongholds of sorcery, I suspect the dark magicians in the other half of Faerie are still up to their old tricks.”
Lord Matlock dropped his hands and made his way back to Eversleigh and Darcy. “Astonishing,” he said reverently.
“Were you able to understand them?” asked Eversleigh.
