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"And you are Uwilahsidhe . . . of the owls." Kaylin stared at the spiders. "Should we try to kill them? Is it too late?"
"I think the question is, can we kill them?" I looked at him, and we read each other's eyes. He slowly shook his head. I gave him an affirmative nod. "No. We leave them. I have a nasty feeling that we'd be playing Russian roulette."
You are right, they are far stronger than you can believe. But they will stay in their webs. Fire will not hurt them, so your cousin should put away her flame. Just watch where you walk. There are others in the forest.
I whirled around to see Rhiannon bringing out one of the Molotov cocktails. "Stop." I motioned for her to put the bottle away. "Ulean just told me that fire won't hurt them--their magic is too strong. But they stay in their webs. Just be cautious as we continue, not to stumble into a stray web because there are, apparently, more of them."
And so we continued on our way to the Barrow, but now Myst surely knew we were coming. And we'd killed one of her people. I knew that the Mistress of Mayhem would be waiting with open arms and ready teeth.
Chapter 24
We came to the circle of mushrooms and cautiously skirted it, taking extra care since the path was now obliterated by snow. A few footprints here and there showed someone had been through here recently. As we turned to head toward the Twin Oaks, I heard a noise from off to the side. Before I could raise my fan in readiness, Chatter stepped out of the trees.
"Chatter!"
He rushed over to us. "Something has happened--Grieve is sick. Indigo Fae all over are ill. The light is making them sick and they can't come out, but even staying in the dark doesn't help too much."
Rhiannon reached out and gently slid her hand down his arm, which seemed to calm him down. "It was unwitting. Cicely was--"
"Rhia--stop." I couldn't tell Chatter what had happened, nor Grieve. Lainule would have my head if I spilled secrets. "Chatter, how is Grieve? I thought he might be sick, my wolf tattoo has been upset all morning." A twist here, a little lie there, it added up but my life was no longer mine and I'd do what I had to in order to protect my family and friends.
Chatter looked at Rhiannon, confused for a moment, then turned back to me. "He's not in the main Barrow. We seldom stay there and Myst seems not to mind. I can take you to him, but it's still dangerous."
"We'll go with you but Chatter, if I have to I'll kill any of the Indigo Court that threaten us. You must understand that right now." I looked into his eyes, holding his gaze. "I can't have you turning on me if something goes down."
He shook his head. "No, I won't. And if you take out a few of them, I won't stand in the way. The Shadow Hunters live to kill and to hurt." His eyes glazed over for a moment, then he wiped the fog away and led us off the main path. "Follow me. You don't want to go toward the main entrance of the Barrow. It's too dangerous. Myst has guards out in full--they're in pain due to the light, but she doesn't care. That's part of their job. But it makes them worse."
We were breaking through the undergrowth now, heading into thick forest. Navigating it in good weather would be tough, but with the winter holding us hostage, it was harder. The snow was piling up--a good foot now, and I sunk deep with every step, having to slog through the heavy, wet drifts.
Within minutes we could no longer see the path and I wondered if we'd be able to find our way back, but Chatter gave me a shake of the head when I opened my mouth and I fell silent, trusting him. If he said we should be quiet, I'd be quiet. We wound around through cedar and fir, over fallen tree trunks, under heavy arching branches filled with snow that silently showered us in the sparkling, harsh land that the forest had become.
At one point, Chatter held up his hand and we stopped.
A small crossing in front of us loomed, and there, making its way slowly through the clearing to the other side, was a creature forged of ice. It was hard to make out the shape, though it was vaguely bipedal, and it gleamed with streaks of blue and purple frozen within its gleaming crystal shell.
I gasped, but kept silent. Ulean stirred at my shoulder.
Ice Elemental--very rare around here. Usually they're found on glaciers, or at the Poles. They're dying out, you know, as the glaciers melt. They will be a casualty as the world warms, unless another ice age is sparked off again.
It was so beautiful that I wanted to creep forward, to run my hand down the creature's sparkling side, but I restrained myself. I glanced at Leo, Kaylin, and Rhiannon, who stood just as rapt as I was.
It's beautiful . . . does it know we're here?
I cannot tell. Ice Elementals are far, far from the world of warm-bloods. They live outside of time, coming to life during the winter and fading during the summer unless they live in the lands of the long nights.
As it vanished into the undergrowth on the other side, Chatter waited for a moment, then motioned us on. We followed him deeper into the forest. For an hour, we followed the Fae, stopping now and then as he checked the slipstream for any Shadow Hunters.
Finally, up ahead I saw the entrance to a cave leading into the hillside. Chatter pointed to it and we headed toward the dark opening. As he stood back, waiting for me to enter, I sucked in a deep breath and paused.
Is it safe, Ulean?
No place in this woodland is safe, Cicely, but I don't sense danger at fingertip's length.
I entered, followed by the others. Chatter brought up the rear. He stopped, turned to the entrance, and in a low voice chanted a few words. A sparkling light filtered over the opening, cloaking it, and I realized he'd just made it harder to see from the outside.
The chamber was pitch-black, but after a moment, little Faerie lights began to light the inside and I found myself staring at a cozy living room. Several seats carved from oak were placed around a center pit, over which a rotisserie had been placed. A small stalagmite rose from the ground, a bowl chipped out on the top. Fresh water bubbled into the bowl, continuously cycling.
Chatter let out a long sigh. "We should be safe enough for a little while. I have to check on Grieve." He motioned to the benches. "Sit down, please." With a wave of the hand, he lit the stones beneath the rotisserie on fire and they blazed a merry warmth. "Warm yourselves while I'm gone."
