The Immortal Realm (11 page)

The Healer stood at her head, leaning over her, his hand spread out above her, his eyes closed as though in deep concentration.

“Her aura is in confusion,” Hollin said at last, opening his arms and gesturing to the man who still held the fur bundle. “Prepare the stones, Brother Aum.”

The man opened the bundle on the bedspread and once again Tania saw the collection of glittering
and shining gemstones.

“Do you know what those stones do?” Tania whispered to Sancha.

“I have read ancient texts that speak of people who use crystals and gems as divining tools,” Sancha whispered back. “But it was a practice I thought long abandoned. It is most remarkable to witness a Lithomancer at work.” Her voice lowered so that Tania could only just hear it. “But I cannot truly believe this will aid Cordelia.”

Tania looked sharply at her. “Why do you say that?”

“Hush!” murmured Sancha. “Watch!”

The Healer had picked a handful of stones from the hide and began to take them one by one from his palm and place them on Cordelia's body.

“Quartz crystal for the head, aventurine because she is a princess,” he intoned in a light, lilting voice, laying the first stone on her forehead and the second against her lips. “Garnet for strength and rose quartz for love.” A stone on her throat and above her heart. “Moonstone and tiger's-eye for her mother and father; mobled marble for death and black onyx for the Dark One.” Four more stones were placed on her stomach. “Amethyst for temperance and carnelian for mercy. And thus are the metaphysical properties and attributes laid out that the healing may commence.”

A low humming arose from the Healer's acolytes, and he stepped back, touching the fingers of his right hand against the blue jewel on his forehead.

The Healer's voice rose in pitch and volume. “Show yourselves, spirits of malevolence and mischief, the symphonious stones compel your discord to depart!” he shouted. “Leave this woman. Get you gone. Trouble her no more.”

Tania felt a tugging at her sleeve. It was Sancha, her face disturbed, as she pulled Tania from the room. She brought her mouth close to Tania's ear.

“I do not think these spells and incantations will speak to the spirits,” she whispered. “Mayhap I am wrong, but to my mind this is no way to compel the spirits' friendship.”

“Are you sure?” asked Tania.

“Nay, sister, I am not—or I would denounce him,” replied Sancha. “But I will not remain here and wait for the outcome. I will return to my books and continue to search their pages. I have more faith in the old texts than in this man's pretty stones.”

Sancha swept from the room. Tania looked guardedly at the faces inside—all of them anxious, all of them tinged with hope and expectation.

What if Sancha is right? What if this so-called Healer is just a fake?

Tania went back into the bedchamber. The low, melodious humming of the Healer's followers had not changed. But neither had anything else.

Tania stepped forward, quietly circling the bed and coming up close to Hollin.

“Can you tell me what's going to happen now?” she asked softly.

“The power of the stones will call on the spirits to draw the malady out of this woman's body,” murmured the Healer. “She will be cured.”

Tania looked uneasily at Cordelia. She had no control over the Mystic Arts, but she had been close by on many occasions when Oberon or Eden had wielded them. There was always a frisson in the air when the spirits were called on—a tingling that felt like nothing else.

Tania did not feel it now. “How quickly will it work?” she asked.

“The spirits gather apace.”

Tania looked into the Healer's face. “Actually, I don't think they do,” she said. “I don't think anything's happening at all.”

Hollin turned toward her like a wild thing, his eyes blazing with anger, his face twisting into a grimace. He drew back, spreading his hands out toward her. “Think you that I know you not?” he shouted. “Your aura is cracked; you are riven from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet. You hang upon a wheel of fire, and your soul is burned through to the quick!”

As he shouted this at her, the humming of his followers changed to a terrible wailing, and they pulled away from her, wielding their staves as if defending themselves from her.

“What is this coil?” roared Lord Aldritch's voice. “What chaos reigns here?” He was standing in the doorway, his eyes blazing.

Hollin pointed at Tania. “She will ruin all!” he howled. There was terror now in his face, or something that looked very like terror. “Take her from this place. Take her to a high point and throw her into the sea. Cleanse us of her decay. The evil comes from her—I see it coiling through her veins; I see it staring at me through her eyes!” He cowered away from her, his hands up to cover his face. “See—it stares at me and I am undone! She is a cockatrice. Strike her down. Destroy the thing that feeds upon her sundered soul.”

“This is crazy!” shouted Tania. She glared at the Healer. “Stop it. Stop doing this. You know it's not true!”

But the Healer stumbled backward, his voice rising to an uncontrolled shriek. “Take her from me; her words burn me. Her eyes! Her terrible eyes would eat my soul!”

“Wardens, ho,” shouted Aldritch above the wailing of the Healer's followers. “Come to me. Make haste.”

Tania saw more faces at the door: the other lords and ladies come to discover what had happened.

The acolytes were all around Tania now, their staves pointing at her, their mouths gaping as they screamed.

“No!” shouted Rathina. “You shall not harm her!” She ran toward Tania, but three of the Acolytes turned and held her off with their staves.

Two wardens came into the room. Lord Aldritch pointed at Tania. “Escort the Princess Tania to her
chambers. Keep close watch over her. She is not to leave her rooms.”

“What has she done wrong?” asked Lord Brython. “By the deep spirits of love, what has happened here?”

Aldritch gestured to where the Healer sat huddled in a corner, his arms covering his head. “See what she has done!” He turned to Tania. “I counseled your father to send you from this world, but he did not heed me!” His voice rose so that everyone could hear him. “See now what this half-thing has done! She seeks to destroy our one hope of salvation!”

“This is insane!” Tania shouted. “I haven't done anything.”

“Take your poisoned fangs from out my throat!” moaned Hollin. He pointed a shaking finger at Tania. “She is the source of evil in this land; it is she who has brought this sickness down upon you.”

“What madness is this, my lord?” Cornelius demanded, shouldering his way into the bedchamber. “How does this man dare to speak so of the King's daughter?”

Lord Aldritch turned to him. “Think you he speaks falsehoods, my lord earl?” He gestured to Hollin. “Look you upon him: The man is in the very throes of terror.”

Cornelius looked searchingly at Tania. “Are you the cause of this man's distress, my lady?” he asked.

“No, of course not!” Tania said.

“And yet behold—he is prostrate,” said Marchioness
Lucina, standing alongside her husband, the earl marshal. “Why should he behave so if nothing assails him?”

“Could it be she puts her evil upon him without intent?” asked Fleance. “I have heard of such things! They say there are monsters in the far north: basilisks that can turn a man's wits with the power of their eyes alone!”

“I'm not standing here listening to this!” Tania shouted. “Can't you see what's happening? I told him I didn't think his mumbo jumbo was working, and he freaked out. He's faking it!”

Lord Aldritch looked at the earl marshal. “Will you have her taken from here, or will you risk the death of this man who has come to help us?” He pointed toward Cordelia, still lying unmoving on the bed. “And would you have this half-thing cause the death of our fair princess?”

Tania could see the uncertainty in the earl marshal's eyes. She turned from face to face: The same uneasy look was reflected over and over.

“You can't be serious!” she cried.

Rathina stepped close to her. “Sister dearest,” she said, “I think you should go with the wardens. No good can be done by your staying here.”

Tania glared at Rathina.

“Can you put your hand on your heart and give your oath that you did not bring the plague into Faerie?” Rathina asked, looking deep into Tania's eyes, sending her a message.

The angry retort faded on Tania's lips as she
realized that her sister was only trying to calm the dangerous situation. “No,” she said, “I can't.” She looked at Aldritch. “Okay, I'll go—but you're wrong. You're all wrong. That man and his troop of performing monkeys aren't going to help us at all!”

As Tania allowed the wardens to lead her from the bedchamber, she cast a final look back at Cordelia. Her pale sister was slumbering still, the Healer's stones lying uselessly on her face and body. Doing nothing.
Nothing!

Anxious, fearful faces watched her as she left.

But could they be right to fear her?

Aldritch's words rang in her head.
See now what this half-thing has done! She seeks to destroy our one hope of salvation!

“Step aside. I would speak with my sister.”

It was Eden, outside the closed doors of Tania's apartments.

“The Lord Aldritch instructed that none may pass,” came the muffled voice of one of the wardens. Tania got to her feet and walked to the doors.

“Since when is the Lord of Weir master in this place?” demanded Eden. “When last I heard, Oberon Aurealis ruled in this Realm. Get out of my way, or it will be the worst for you.”

The voice now was deferential. “Aye, my lady.”

The doors opened and Eden stepped inside. Tania opened her mouth to speak, but Eden hushed her with a gesture and turned to firmly close the doors at her back. Her face was anxious and disturbed.

“How is the earl?” Tania asked quietly. “Why aren't you with him?”

“He is neither worse nor better,” Eden replied. “I have now had the time to bind about him such
glamours as I am able. Wherever I go, my soul will remain to watch over him and protect him from further harm.” She frowned. “And so he rests in Gildensleep until a cure may be found. Or until our Father's power fails. But I have come here to speak of other things, Tania.”

Eden strode to where Tania was standing and drew her out through the open doors onto the balcony. “Things do not go well,” she said in an urgent undertone. “Aldritch called the Conclave of Earls to debate your immediate banishment.”

“What? Because of what happened in Cordelia's room?” Tania shook her head in disbelief. “I didn't do anything, Eden.”

“I do not doubt that,” Eden replied. “But not all are convinced of your innocence. Aldritch is spinning a cunning web. He says that he does not believe you harm us with a purpose of malice. He says the very fabric of your being exudes the poison of plague as a toad produces venom.”

“Oh,
charming
! So I'm a toad now, am I? What
is
it with him? Why does he hate me so much?”

“Perhaps his fear of you is genuine,” said Eden. “Or it may be he has some darker motive. I know not. But do you not see the craft of it, Tania? He attacks your very nature: the fact that you are half Faerie and half Mortal. He has swayed several members of the Conclave of Earls. Lord Brython and Lady Kernow and the earl marshal and the marchioness are staunch in your defense, but Aldritch has won over Lady
Mornamere and Lord Herne and also Lord Tristan of Udwold. Fleance is young, and Aldritch works hard on his fears; I believe he will turn against you. We have adjourned to consider our positions, but Aldritch will call a vote when we reconvene. The King and Queen have no vote in the Conclave—and if Fleance sides with Aldritch, the earls will be equally divided.”

“Which means what?”

“Which means that the Protocol of Prydein will be enforced.”

“Eden! I have no idea what that means!”

“It means a ruby and a sapphire will be placed into a goblet and covered with a cloth,” Eden told her. “Then our mother will put her hand blindly into the goblet and pick one of the gemstones. The ruby will condemn you; the sapphire will save you.”

“And if I'm condemned?”

“Banishment—for all time.”

A cold anger ran through Tania. “Fine,” she said. “Perhaps that's exactly what should happen. If everyone here is so scared of me, maybe I should just go home!”

Eden studied her face. “You would abandon us?”

“That's not it at all. But Eden…what if Aldritch is right? What if I am…
dangerous
—without meaning to be? My dad brought this illness into Faerie, but I brought
him
, didn't I? Which means this is all down to me.”

Eden nodded. “Indeed,” she said. “That is true.”

Tania looked at her in surprise. She'd been
expecting her sister to say the opposite—that it wasn't her fault, that she shouldn't blame herself.

“Then you agree that I should go away,” Tania said quietly.

“Yes, I do, and that right quickly, before this day is over and the earls of Faerie close the portals between the worlds. But I do not suggest you should go into
banishment
. Choose what Lord Aldritch may say, I do not believe that the Healer Hollin has any powers to cure the spread of the disease. Lithomancy is a poor way of attracting the attention of the spirits; he will not succeed.”

“Sancha said the same thing. So what do you think I should do?”

“Seek a cure,” Eden said simply.

“How? Where? I don't know anything about medicine. If Hopie can't come up with anything, how do you expect me to find a cure?”

Eden looked steadily at her. “It is a Mortal disease,” she said. “Find a Mortal remedy. Do Mortals not use medicines? Are there no Healers in the Mortal World?”

Tania stared at her. “Yes, of course there are, but even if…” Something suddenly hit her, something so obvious that she couldn't believe it had never occurred to her before. She had been floundering around for days now, wanting to help but not knowing how—and all the time the answer had been right in front of her!

“Connor!” she gasped. “Connor could help.”

“Who is Connor?”

“He's the son of friends of my mum and dad: Connor Estabrook. He's a first-year medical student. He could tell me what antibiotics I should use; he might even be able to get them for me.” She was thinking hard now. “I'd have to come up with a plausible explanation, of course. But it is possible.” She got up, throwing her arms around her sister. “Eden! I'm so stupid. I could have done this ages ago. Why didn't you suggest it before now?”

“I had hopes that a cure might be found in Faerie,” said Eden. “In truth, Tania, who can say what the effects of Mortal medicines might be on Faerie folk? They may have no effect—or they may do greater harm.”

“Don't say that!”

“Keep in mind, too, that medicine alone may not be enough,” said Eden. “Despite the dangers that Mortals pose to our world, you may need to bring a Mortal Healer to Faerie to administer the medicine.”

“I can't do that,” said Tania. “You know how my gift works: I can only take people from world to world if I love them. It works fine with Edric and with my mum and dad and with you and Hopie and the others, but I can't bring Connor Estabrook through. I don't love him. I had a kind of silly crush on him when I was ten and he was thirteen, but these days I see him only about twice a year.”

“I have something that may aid you,” Eden said. She felt inside her gown and drew out a slender white crystal bracelet. “This bracelet is made of yearnstone,” she said. “It has a property that guides it always to the
place where it was formed.”

Tania took the delicate bracelet. It felt warm, almost alive against her skin.

“If a Mortal were to wear this bracelet and if you were to take their hand and step through into Faerie, then because of the powers of yearnstone, that Mortal would be drawn through with you. And while the bracelet is tight about the Mortal's wrist, you will be able to lead him back and forth between the Realms many times—so long as he holds fast to you. But beware: If your hand should lose its grip during the passage, the Mortal will be trapped between the worlds.”

“Thank you,” Tania said. “I understand.” She gazed at the bracelet. “I should go
now
,” she said. “Our father said he would close off Faerie from the Mortal World at dawn tomorrow. That gives me only a few hours.”

“It is so,” said Eden. “But you must depart in secrecy—and I would not have you travel alone into the Mortal World. As the Faerie part of your spirit has grown, so you have become vulnerable to the curse of Isenmort, and I have no black amber to protect you from its poison.”

Tania remembered the time when she had first noticed her sensitivity to metal—the way it had made her fingers tingle when she touched it. The odd allergy had grown gradually more fierce until she had become as allergic to metal as any other man, woman, or child in Faerie. The bite of Isenmort was poison to her—and Eden was right: The Mortal World teemed with metal objects.

“Rathina is immune to metal,” said Tania. “She would go with me. She's fascinated by the idea of the Mortal World. But I can't get to her. There are guards on the door. They'd never let me pass.”

Eden smiled gently. “Not all the ways of the palace are visible to the wardens of Faerie,” she said. “Come. I shall show you one of the delights of your childhood.”

Puzzled, Tania followed her into the bedchamber. Eden stood by the nightstand, facing the wall with one hand raised. She spoke softly.

The nightstand began to shudder and to move jerkily forward, pivoting on one back corner.

“What's happening?” Tania asked.

Moments later she saw a low section of the wall open inward, pushing the nightstand forward. Tania found herself gazing into a small dark entranceway festooned with cobwebs.

“What is that?” Tania asked, crouching to look into the narrow passageway revealed through the hole.

“Do you not remember?” Eden asked. “I created these passageways for you and your sisters when you were little so that you could move from room to room in secret. You, Rathina, Zara, and Cordelia thought it a great game—and all the passages led to—”

“The Well Room!” said Tania. “We used to meet there. I remember! Oh, Eden! I remember!”

Eden picked up a candle from the nightstand. She passed her hand over it and a small leaf of flame sprang up. “Go to Rathina,” she said. “Follow the passage to the left. You will soon see the entrance to her
rooms. Go with her to the Well Room and enter the Mortal World together.”

“I will,” said Tania. “But I need a few things first.” If she sidestepped into the Mortal World from Veraglad Palace, she would be miles from home. She'd need some money—or a means of easily getting her hands on money.

Her old canvas shoulder bag was lying by the side of the bed. She had used it to transport things back and forth between the worlds when she had been revealing a few of the lesser secrets of London life to her sisters. She rummaged quickly in the bag. Yes! The plastic wallet that had her ID pass and her bank debit card in it, along with a donor card and a few other bits and pieces. She'd been squirreling part of her allowance away into her bank account for months. A handy ATM and she'd have money on demand.

Tania hooked the bag over her shoulder. “There's one other thing before I go,” she said. “I had a strange dream last night—I think it might mean something. Something important.”

“Tell me.”

Tania explained her dream to Eden, trying her best to get the details right. She could remember only a few broken fragments of the song, but she was able to describe the sadness and melancholy of it. And she remembered vividly Cordelia's last words.
If you would cure us all, seek the Lost Caer…

“The Song of the Lost Caer,” mused Eden. “I have never heard of such a lyric. And yet it is clear that the
dream had weight and purpose; it did not come idly to you in this place and at this time.” Her brows knitted. “The Faerie Almanac may hold the answer.”

“What's that?”

“A book. It recounts the history of this Realm,” said Eden. “It lies in Sancha's library in the Royal Palace. Its narrative reaches back to the Great Awakening. Perhaps it will contain some overlooked or unregarded text that will lead me to knowledge of this Lost Caer—and thus to a cure for the plague.”

“Will you be allowed to go?” Tania asked dubiously.

“None shall know of my departure,” said Eden. “I shall use an Altier Glamour: I shall take on the form of a swallow and skim unseen the warm airs northward.” She looked keenly at Tania. “And let us pray I find what I seek. But now, get you gone, Tania, and my blessings upon you. Go!”

Tania took the candle from Eden, giving her white-haired sister a final look before she ducked and pushed into the narrow passageway.

 

Holding the candle out ahead of her, Tania followed the cramped passageway until she came to a wooden panel set deep in the stonework. The panel sprang open at a touch into a sunlit bedchamber.

Rathina was sitting bolt upright on her bed, her hands folded on her knees, staring straight at Tania with a wry smile on her face.

“I am ready!” Rathina said, jumping up. “The
Mortal Realm, ho!”

“You knew I was coming?”

“Indeed,” Rathina said with a smile. “Eden sent her voice to whisper your plan in my mind but a few moments ago. Come, make way. We must go, you and I. Into the Mortal World to seek a cure for the plague before all the pathways between the worlds are closed.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” asked Tania.

“Who better?” said Rathina, her eyes shining. “I have no fear of the touch of Isenmort. And if it comes to it, I can fight as well as any man. Who else would you have with you?” A fierce light burned in her eyes. “And I would see the Mortal World, Tania; I would learn its secrets. Come! We must go somewhere where it is safe for you to step between the worlds.”

Rathina took the candle and led the way through the passages until they came to a flight of steep rough-hewn stone steps that led down in a tight spiral. Tania's shoulders brushed the walls as she descended in Rathina's wake.

“These ways were intended for small children,” Rathina said. “Are you able to pass through?”

“Just about.”

Down and down plunged the winding stairway. Tania traced her hands along the cold stones of the wall as she went—the rough, uneven surfaces bringing back memories of nocturnal adventures with her sisters.

They came at last into a small circular room, into
which led more stairways and corridors.

Rathina turned, lifting the candle and looking to Tania's face. “Alas, we are without weapons,” she said. “I had no opportunity to secure swords or knives.”