Wings of Shadow (The Underground Trilogy) Read online

  She felt nervous as she grew closer to the cottage. She trusted him now, but she was anxious, thinking about the two of them alone for the entire night.

  She hesitated before opening the door and peeking inside. Meghan froze. The room was transformed. The table had been moved in front of the fire where the flames danced merrily. Lit candles were arranged in small groups, their collective light adding a warm, flickering glow to the room. Kiernan stood, waiting for her to enter.

  She looked at him. “How…?” Words escaped her.

  He pulled out a chair, and waited for her to sit. She stared at the plate in front of her. The many colors of the root vegetables, roasted perfectly over the fire, blended together in a rainbow of oranges, browns, ivories, and reds.

  “I’ve wondered about your vegetarian diet. Why not eat meat when you were already drinking blood?”

  “It is tradition for the Fae to eat only of the plant world, not to kill any living thing.”

  “That makes sense for the village Fae, but what about the Underground Fae?”

  “Father is still rather traditional when Mr. Darwin’s teachings do not apply. Eating animal flesh provides no evolutionary advantage, so it simply is not done.”

  She consciously took a bite and forced herself to chew.

  Kiernan scowled. “Are you still distressed that Avery left you behind?”

  Startled, Meghan stared at him. “No, that’s not it.”

  “What’s wrong? You look so uncomfortable.” He reached across the table for her hand.

  She felt warmth creep into her face. “I… I’m just nervous.”

  Kiernan rubbed her palm, waiting.

  “This is the first time that we’ve been alone, since…” She looked down again.

  “Since you decided I was not a blood-thirsty monster?”

  She shook her head. “Since I decided that you were worth having feelings for.” She could say no more. The feelings racing through her head and into her heart were too difficult to describe.

  Meghan watched Kiernan studying his plate. She finally had been brave enough to admit she was having feelings for him, and he wasn’t going to respond? She was so used to his casual flirtations that the silence took her by surprise.

  After several awkward minutes, which involved much rearranging of food on their plates and no conversation, Kiernan stood. “We do not want to miss the beginning of our movie.” He walked to the door.

  Meghan followed him, curiosity mounting, as he strolled down the path leading to the deserted garden. He led her to a little alcove, and they sat on the moss-softened ground.

  As her senses adjusted to the night, she became more conscious of the sights and sounds of the garden. Frogs, invisible to the eye, croaked a throaty lullaby, filling the garden with their song. The rogue flowers, which had survived their abandonment, released their fragrance, filling the night air with perfume. And little lights shone throughout the garden, creating an amazing light show. Looking closer, she saw tiny insects were creating the glimmer.

  “Look,” she exclaimed. “What are these bugs? They’re actually glowing!”

  Kiernan gently picked up one and brought it closer to her. “They are glow-worms. We are lucky it has remained so warm into October. Usually the glow season is finished by now.”

  Meghan looked around the garden, trying to absorb everything. She was witnessing a wonderland of sights, smells, and sounds. “I have always dreamed of seeing fireflies. They don’t live in Oregon, so they always seemed like something magical that you could only find in a storybook.”

  “Like faeries?” he teased.

  She lay back and gazed at the marvels around her. “This is my kind of garden. Glow-worms or fireflies, they are both amazing!”

  “What about the faerie?” Kiernan pouted.

  “The faerie is pretty amazing, as well.” Her voice wavered.

  He lay next to her. “So, you are enjoying the movie?”

  “It’s better than any blockbuster I’ve seen.” She smiled at him.

  The tension from dinner was gone, and Meghan was relieved. She wanted to enjoy the time that she had with him. Who knew what would happen tomorrow?

  As the night grew old, the glow-worms ceased their luminance, and the frogs quieted their songs. Kiernan rose and offered her a hand, which she held as they made their way back to the cottage.

  Inside, the fire had died, leaving only glowing embers. The candles burned low but still cast a dim glow around the room.

  She turned to Kiernan. “Thank you. That was perfect.”

  He squeezed her hand. “You should get some rest. We will need to leave early in the morning to make it to the bonfire ceremony in time.”

  He moved in the direction of the mossy pad he had been sleeping upon the past week.

  “Kiernan.” Her voice caught in her throat. Was she really brave enough to ask him? “You don’t have to sleep down there. Why don’t we share the big bed? It will be more comfortable.”

  He spun around, surprise in his eyes. Meghan climbed into the bed. He walked across the room and slowly joined her. They lay upon their sides, facing one another, with only their fingertips touching. She could feel sparks jumping from finger to finger. From the way Kiernan gazed at her, she guessed he was feeling the same electricity. For a while, she was content to look back shyly, enjoying the moment. Finally, she closed her eyes and drifted into sleep.

  The Ankh of Immortality

  ~ 18 ~

  While the sun slowly rose to its highest point, Kiernan and Meghan trudged across endless pastures, and up and down too many hills to count. As she hiked, she saw many villages in the distance, the cottages all made of the same stone blocks, roofs alternating between limestone tiles and thatch, and the streets cobble-stoned together. Meghan loved the peace of the English countryside, so different from the hustle and bustle of Portland.

  “How are you holding up?” She was worried about Kiernan. They had been walking for hours, and he was still adapting to his new blood-free diet.

  “Never better,” Kiernan huffed. Sweat trickled down his brow.

  She tried being discreet. “I’m exhausted. Is it all right if we stop for a break?”

  He flung himself onto the grass. Sitting atop a hill, they had a panoramic view of the meadow below them. The last of the wildflowers dotted the edges of the field.

  “Are you really feeling alright?” She couldn’t hide her concern.

  He sighed. “I don’t know. In some ways, I feel better than ever. Being here, in nature, away from all of the toxins, it feels right. The Fae were not made to survive in dirty cities.”

  “But …?” Meghan prompted, feeling he had more to say.

  “I’m weaker than I can ever remember being. That makes it harder to resist the cravings. It would be so easy to—”

  “Are the cravings…” She picked at the grass blades. “Are the cravings bad?”

  He shrugged. “Sometimes, but they seem to get a little better each day. And I want to overcome them. I am determined to conquer them. This is the first time in my life that I am able to choose my own actions. I need to make the right choices.”

  She noticed a red rash spreading underneath Kiernan’s silver necklace. “Your necklace!”

  “My tolerance for metals is waning. I know that I need to remove it.” He hesitated.

  “It’s important to you?”

  Kiernan scowled. “I don’t know why I care. It was a gift from Father. He enjoys watching the Underground Fae parade about in metal. All the metals and piercings serve as constant reminders that he has found a way to conquer the toxicity of the city.”

  “You care because it was a gift from your father. Leaving the Underground doesn’t mean you severed your love for him.”

  “It’s wasted love. There was no reciprocation.” He took off the necklace. Rising, he moved his arm back, ready to throw it.

  Meghan grasped his wrist. “Kiernan, you don’t need to toss it aside. You spent your whole ch
ildhood with him. It’s a reminder you’ve never lost the ability to love, no matter what was done to you.”

  “And you are the other reminder I never lost the ability to love. It is only fitting you should have it.”

  He reached around her neck and gently fastened the silver chain. Their eyes met. Meghan was stunned by his honest words. Had he really said what she thought? Had Kiernan used the words “love” and “you” in the same sentence?

  She stroked it. The metal was intricately welded into a cross, with a small oval at the top. “Does this symbol have a meaning?”

  “The ankh symbolizes immortality. Father is drawn to the idea of immortality. Not on a personal level, but on a societal level. He doesn’t wish to be immortal himself, but wants to create a society that is strong enough to survive through the ages.”

  They resumed their walk in silence. At times, she would glance at Kiernan, and he would already be watching her. Meghan wanted to say more, to tell him how she was feeling, but the words escaped her.

  *

  The sun sank, releasing a blaze of colors across the horizon. They were close enough that Meghan could see the boundary of the village. The disorientation spell had not affected her this time. She wondered if Solas’s glamour recognized her because she had spent so much time there. Kiernan had not been influenced, either. Was that due to his first three years in the village or his Fae blood?

  They carefully kept to the shadows of the hillside so they would not be spotted. She could see a large pile of brush and logs just inside the village boundary and realized the time for the bonfire ceremony was nearing.

  “I cannot wait to see you in your costume again,” Kiernan murmured, his breath tickling her ear.

  Meghan pointed in the direction of a small grove of trees. “How about I change over there?”

  “Good idea. We can go together.” He took a few steps toward the grove.

  She sighed. “Please, can I have some privacy?”

  “I promised Avery that I would keep you safe. I intend to honor my promise by not losing sight of you.”

  “What about all of the walks I took in the countryside?”

  “Our hide-away was so remote, it wasn’t an issue, especially with Wish’s protections. This is where Father would post his scouts. We have to be careful.” Kiernan’s forehead wrinkled as they approached the trees. He spent a few minutes examining the area, looking up into the treetops and in nearby bushes.

  Appearing satisfied, he leaned against a wide trunk. “Your changing room, my lady.”

  “Thank you, kind lord.”

  The lord-and-lady talk brought back the memory of that long-ago first date. So much had happened in the last two months. She had arrived in London, innocent and undecided about what to do in life. In one short week she would be leaving, stronger and more confident. And Meghan had finally figured out what she wanted to study next semester. Her stomach tightened, though, when she thought about leaving.

  Kiernan kept watch of the surrounding hills. “Not to hurry you, but—”

  She glared at him, not moving.

  With a long sigh of exasperation, he disappeared behind the thick trunk with his costume. “I will change over here. I promise not to peek, unless I see you peeking first!”

  She scrambled to pull on her “Summer” gown, wanting to be clothed before Kiernan was done dressing. The dress fit as magically as it had the first time she tried it on. She watched the butterflies dance through the fabric meadows and the ripple of waves on the life-like stream. How had Wish woven such magic into the cloth fibers of the dress? The gown closed with silken ribbons along the back. She struggled to tie them herself, but could not quite reach.

  She tensed as she felt his fingers running along her shoulders.

  “Let me help,” he whispered.

  Meghan nodded. She felt him slowly smooth each ribbon, his fingers tracing over the zigzag pattern, forming a bow with the remaining lengths of the ties. His fingers grazed her skin, causing goose bumps to rise and spread across her back.

  Warm breath touched the back of her neck. “Even prettier than I remembered.”

  Why did his touch affect her so much? Meghan turned to face him. His blond hair spilled over the edge of his mask. Seeing him, caped and costumed, unsettled her even more.

  Again, he studied the surrounding fields and knolls. Meghan couldn’t see anything in the advancing darkness. He watched the village boundary, seeming to wait for a time when they could slip in, unnoticed. Finally, Kiernan led her down the hill.

  The Green Man’s Mumblings

  ~ 19 ~

  The crowd grew, pressing in on them from all sides. Everyone was costumed. While the faeries took great care to cover their faces with masks, several were easily recognized by their uniquely colored wings. She hoped Wish’s costumes would hide their identities tonight.

  After looking around for Selena’s lavender-hued wings, Meghan noticed that she did not recognize many of the Fae. Wish had chosen a good time to return, for many visitors were in the village tonight.

  Queen Alannah stood atop a tall wooden platform behind the piled logs and brush. She wore a beautiful gown but had not yet donned a costume. “Tonight, we have come together to celebrate, to join together with other Fae during one of our most important ceremonies.”

  Selena appeared next to her, dressed entirely in luminescent white. Her lavender wings could barely be seen next to her glowing gown. “Welcome, Fae, both fellow villagers and friends from afar. We are gathered here tonight to celebrate: to pray for the Light, to honor great sacrifice, to remember the lost.”

  Pointing to the sky, she continued. “Once upon a long-ago Samhain, our village was invited to partake in a ceremony of peace and celebration—a ceremony that turned out to be a deceptive ruse for darkness to spread.”

  Meghan knew this story, the tale of Anya’s Wings. She wondered if Kiernan had grown up with the same tales as the village Fae.

  Selena wove pictures with her words, narrating the rest of the story. She then held her hands to the sky. “Anya gave a great sacrifice to save her people. In turn, we honor her. We honor the Light through this bonfire ceremony in which we will create our own source of Light, to dance and celebrate through the dark hours of night.”

  Despite the large number of faeries, the Fae waited in complete silence for Selena to continue.

  “Please, look up into the night to see the sparkling stars of the Light.”

  All eyes watched the star-dotted skies. Meghan spotted Anya’s Wings almost immediately. Kiernan studied the sky, but seemed lost as to where he should look.

  She headed off his scowl with whispered words. “I will show you when we are alone.”

  Selena’s words rang through the night air. “In the darkness, we remember the Light.”

  A long pause ensued. “Against the night, we shall always choose the Light.”

  The Fae continued to observe the sky, collectively silent, listening to Selena. “Anya, we thank you for your gift, for your sacrifice. May great wonders be bestowed on others who sacrifice themselves for their people.”

  Orin, wearing a robe as white as his hair and wings, stepped in front of the bonfire pile. He held a flint stone in one hand, a piece of shale in the other. Holding his hands high, he struck the flint across the shale, creating a single spark. The Fae waited soundlessly, but Meghan could feel the energy building within the crowd.

  “Let there be Light!” Orin lowered his hands to the brush and struck the flint again. Sparks leapt into the pile, becoming fingers of flame that caressed each log with their fiery touch.

  As the blaze rushed to reach the highest point of the pile, music suddenly filled the air. The silence of a moment ago was transformed into the harmonic sounds of harp and fiddle playing an ancient-sounding melody. The Fae whooped and shouted, directing their joy to the sky. They grabbed one another and began to dance, celebrating the Light.

  Meghan felt her arm being pulled toward the music, and then
she was twirling. Looking up, she blinked at the bright rainbow dancing in front of her, clothes aglow with the light of the fire. As the spinning stream of colors slowed, she looked into Wish’s smiling face.

  “My beautiful ‘Summer!’” He held out his arms, and she jumped into them for a long hug.

  Before she could say anything, he pulled her into a jig, skipping and hopping around the orange flames of the bonfire. Meghan tried to dance the intricate steps, but Wish moved too quickly for her. Laughing, she gave up, allowing him to pull and spin her to the beat of the music. All around her, the Fae danced merrily to the melody.

  She was tempted to ignore the possibility of danger, and allow herself to revel in the festivities. Watching the dancing and the laughter around her, she wished things were simpler.

  “How did the trip go? Was Avery allowed back into the village?” Meghan asked.

  “The queen was so happy to see her son safely home that she didn’t even question my accompaniment.” Wish spun while talking.

  “And Kiernan arriving?”

  He hopped from foot to foot. “The subject wasn’t even broached. Queen Alannah was furious that Lord Killian broke the treaty, even due to the Sky Tree technicality. She wouldn’t hear another word about the Dark Fae.”

  Meghan found herself being spun again. “So, the plan for tonight?”

  “Is to hope Selena’s sympathies and the wisdom of the Council are enough to protect you and Kiernan. Queen Alannah is determined to have more rigid boundaries than ever before.” Wish bowed as the dance ended, looking ridiculous as he solemnly performed this formal move in his rainbow-hued tutu.

  A group of Fae began playing music at the far end of the meadow on a stage erected from old logs. A wooden flute, fiddle, harp, mandolin, and something resembling bagpipes played a haunting melody that echoed through the clearing.