They all stepped forward, then, into her.
It was disorienting, terrifying and beautiful at the same time; Faye heard Levantiana’s voice in the distance telling her to ‘accept, just accept this’.
‘We were always with you,’ they said, the mothers and grandmothers who had helped shape every single part of who Faye was. Whose breath was in her lungs, whose blood ran in her veins, whose weaknesses and strengths were hers. They surrounded her in circles, four or five deep and radiating out, outside of the chalice and into the walls of the castle. Faye had the sense that the mothers went on forever, and that from now on they would always be watching over her, loving her, supporting her so she would never feel lonely again.
She felt their embraces and closed her eyes, secure in the love of her grandmothers. It had always been there, waiting: Levantiana had merely shown her the way. And she was only dimly aware of Levantiana snapping her fingers, making the chalice shrink back to its ordinary size on the altar, returning Faye back to normal, standing beside her in the faerie castle.
31
‘In the middle of the four faerie kingdoms, over the four crystal bridges stands the Crystal Castle of the Moon. That is where She who is the Highest Power resides,’ Levantiana intoned, a week after the cup ritual.
Faye found herself with a foot firmly in both realms. By day she ran the shop, greeting customers, offering advice, and maintaining what normality she could with Annie and Aisha. She still hadn’t seen Rav, though. He’d been out of town again, and still hadn’t replied to her messages… Every week, in an evening, Faye would summon Levantiana and take up her lessons, and feel her power and knowledge deepen.
The faerie queen was patient with Faye, but there was a remoteness about her that had no conception of human niceties like small talk. As before, Faye had summoned her at the tideline, this time at the new moon, and Levantiana had transported her to Murias in a moment of swirling hyper-reality. Faye found the transition to Murias was much less exhausting when she was going willingly –instead of being spirited there by Finn –but the spell to summon Levantiana, with its spiralling, all-encompassing power still drained Faye of her energy.
Every night she had vivid dreams that were sometimes nightmares; more than one night she dreamed of Grainne Morgan at the stake. She had been grateful for the mundanities of the shop in the days in between her lessons in Murias; deliveries, customers, pricing and arranging the window display. It had made her feel almost normal.
Rav had finally replied to her texts, but his tone had been brief.
Glad you’re okay. I need some time to get over what happened. I haven’t ever witnessed anything like that before, he had written. Faye’s stomach had dropped when she’d read that; not that she expected anything else, but it was still hard to read.
Okay,she had replied.I would still like to see you again. When things are back to normal.
There had been no reply. She hadn’t explained much of what was going on: what could she say that Rav would understand?
‘The Crystal Castle is not a kingdom. It is the centre of our realms. Morgana Le Fae herself – Mistress of Magic, the Faerie Queen of the Silver Moon – lives there,’ Levantiana continued. Today her golden hair was loose and completely straight. She wore a silver circlet that dipped down in a point onto her forehead, and her gown was diaphanous and black, tethered only at the shoulders with clasps in the shape of crescent moons, jewelled with diamonds.
‘She’s…like an empress, then?’ Faye was confused.
‘No. She does not rule. She takes no side in war; our disagreements are nothing to her, and we do not involve her in our disputes. She is a neutral place of power. She is eternal.’
‘Aren’t you all…eternal?’ Faye asked. Finn had told her he was much older than he looked, but she didn’t know if that meant he was immortal.
‘We do not die in the same way as you, but we can be replaced.’
‘Wait…you say she’s neutral. But you said that I could assume power in the Crystal Castle and then use it to side with Murias.’ Faye frowned.
‘Just because things have always been one way does not mean they cannot turn another way,’ Levantiana said coldly. ‘This is the next magic you will learn. You will speak with Morgana Le Fae and bring back whatever wisdom she bestows on you.’
‘What will I do when I find her?’ Faye asked. ‘Howdo I find her?’
Levantiana walked behind the altar table and drew aside one of the long curtains that hung on the walls as in the other castle rooms. Behind the curtain Faye saw a tall door, enamelled with what looked like gleaming white shell. Levantiana unlocked the door and beckoned to Faye, who followed in wonder at what lay beyond.
‘As you are half fae, you can walk the crystal bridge.’ Levantiana pointed out a glistening, silvery-white crystal bridge that stretched across a deep ravine. Below, Faye could hear the sea but not see it. She shivered; the bridge was narrow and had no sides, and it was barely the width of her body. She realised that the faerie queen had not answered her first question.
The bridge was lit with the glow of a vast crystal castle that sat on its own island in the distance. Faye could see its pink-blue sheen reflected in the water.
‘That’s the…that’s where Morgana Le Fae is?’ she breathed, gazing across.
‘The birthplace of all magic,’ Levantiana answered. ‘I can teach you little else if you do not experience what awaits you there.’
Faye felt her resolve waver, but if this was her way to power, then she was going to take it. Her life, Rav’s life, depended on it.
She stepped onto the crystal bridge, concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, and didn’t look back.
The crossing was perilous. The bridge was so glassy that it was difficult to maintain a grip; more than once, Faye felt herself slip. She only managed to keep her balance by fixing her gaze on the castle and concentrating on her breath.
As she set foot on the island, she heard singing. Faye closed her eyes, and the strange rhythm of the song took her into a light trance; the tune was haunting, and yet it made Faye’s heart soar.
