Shades of Avalon (41 page)

After a few of these, she nudged me with her elbow. “Hey, I don’t mind the younger guys admiring.”

Before I had a chance to tell her that her brother might, Carmel gasped low, and Caleb threw his head back and laughed. We turned simultaneously in the direction they were looking. I almost choked on my next breath. Two tourists checking in with their baggage stepped out of the way as Merlin emerged from the elevator looking like a wizard from a kid’s fantasy movie. He dipped his head in acknowledgment as he passed the shocked couple with Archú by his side. Someone had paid a decent amount of money to the hotel for them to allow the giant beast past the door. Either that or someone had used some subtle manipulation of the manager.

The corner of Merlin’s lips turned up under his long nosed mask and gold cone-shaped hat. The metallic looking cone was inlaid with symbols of crescents, lines and swirls like the online images carved into the kerbstones at Knowth and the scars on his face. In place of a tuxedo, he wore purple robes draping to the floor. Rich embroidery covered the fabric, patterns of shimmering purple, gold, and green thread reflecting the symbols on the cone.

If Zeal had done this to irritate Merlin, to throw him off his game. It didn’t work. Merlin, with his cane in hand, strutted from the elevator with flare befitting his eye-catching outfit. He approached us, arms spread wide as though he planned to embrace us all.

“Come, come.” He ushered us toward the door. “We must not keep our host waiting.”

A caravan of sleek, black limousines parked along the side of the pavement at the end of a red carpet outside the main door of the hotel. The street was still busy with traffic, and several pedestrians paused to watch as the driver of each car stepped out to hold the door, and we took turns climbing in. Amanda, Emma, and I took the third car.

“For you.” Emma handed Amanda an extra quiver she had carried to the car.

“Thanks.” Amanda took the quiver and set it aside.

“This is bizarre,” Emma commented. She held up one of the individual bottles of champagne from the long bar opposite the sumptuous curved leather seats. “It’s like he really wants us to treat this as a party.”

I snatched the bottle from her hand and slipped it back into the cup chiller. “He wants us to lose focus.”

“That’d be difficult when I’m not even sure what we are focusing on.”

I sighed, unsure myself. “We need to keep an eye on him and wait for an opportunity to expose his plans. Zeal doesn’t care about any of these people standing by his side. All he cares about is power. We have to show them that.”

“And if we can’t?” she prompted.

“Then we burn down his house of cards right in front of him.”

Chapter 34

The Masks We Wear

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of the car, daylight diminished as we drove out of the city, first along the River Liffey and then south along the coast before rejoining a highway for a while. Eventually we turned off and traveled along tree-lined, winding roads where ivy crept over old stone walls. It almost seemed as if we’d journeyed back in time. I’d begun to wonder if we would drive around all night when we passed through the square of a small postcard-perfect country village. At the center of the village square, basins of flowers surrounded a clock tower. Farther out we passed whitewashed cottages and a traditional pub with a thatched roof before coming to a massive set of iron gates. I presumed this was our destination.

We turned onto a long avenue shrouded by tall ash trees on either side. The pale green, feathery leaves had begun to emerge, but the spindly branches against the navy blanket of the night sky still gave off a creepy vibe. Almost like gnarled fingers twisting over our heads, locking us inside the estate.

“They say if you sleep with an ash leaf beneath your pillow, you’ll dream of the future.” Emma peered up through the rolled down window, her fingertips curled over the smoky glass.

“That would come in handy right now,” Amanda mused, her jaw tight.

I stroked my fingers down her cheek and watched her relax with my touch. She tilted her head and kissed my fingers lightly. Her lips curved up, hinting at a smile.

“I don’t know that seeing the future is all it’s cracked up to be.” I leaned in to whisper. Now wasn’t the time to revisit the experience of losing my family, and yet I heard the giggles of the kids I would probably never know as they sat around the breakfast table.

“We’re here,” Emma said. “Why would he choose this place? We must be at least forty miles southeast of Knowth, possibly more.”

Amanda did a double take. “How did you do that?”

Emma shrugged. “I’ve always had excellent spatial awareness. I guess that’s why I’m good with targets.”

“He wants us as far away from Knowth as possible. He can get there faster than we can,” I said.

We each slipped on our masks before a jester in a short jacket with puffed up sleeves and striped tight pants opened the door. His small, almost weedy stature and slumped posture gave him away as human. He stood to the side as we climbed out into the cool night air. I refastened my sword belt, having removed it for the car ride. Both Emma and Amanda tied their quivers around their waists.

The house itself wasn’t what I expected. Glass and black metal lanterns hung from poles stabbed into the ground, and they cast an orange glow over the gray mansion. It appeared to consist of a main three-story house with smaller, two-story, annexed buildings on either side. Small Georgian sash windows fronted all three buildings, the smallest windows at the top floor. On the outer edge of the structure, arched wooden entrance gates remained closed.

A different masked jester ushered us along a red carpet as the next car pulled to the entrance.

“They’re all human,” Emma murmured as we passed yet more servers. These were female and scantily attired in sheer whispers of fabrics barely covering their modesty. Where their flesh was exposed, elaborate designs of swirling shapes and flames snaked over their skin. The painted patterns accentuated jewels pasted to their skin and dotted through their hair, mostly piled high in curls with tendrils falling loose down their bare backs. They wore plain gold masks covering their entire face.

Gooseflesh rose on my forearms. The overall effect was eerie, as though someone intended to strip them of their individual identities, leaving faceless, voiceless automatons in their place.

However, even uniform perfume couldn’t mask their distinctly human scent. It was different from Guardians when I paid attention. There was something more animal, a deeper musk in the natural scent of Guardians.

The red carpet continued through a large entrance hallway where stag heads adorned the four walls, their beady eyes studying us. The servants were leading us toward the lilting chords of string music floating from the back of the mansion. We followed the path set out for us under the low molded ceilings of the entrance hall through the center of three arched doorways to a second hall. This one was almost an exact reflection of the first, except instead of three wood doors, three floor to ceiling arched glass doorways opened into the garden.

Both Amanda and Emma caught their breath at the spectacle before us. At least two hundred people gathered on the terraces of a colorful Italian garden to the rear of the house. Masked guests mingled under lantern light with servant girls carrying trays of golden liquid in crystal flutes and delicate morsels of food. Stilt walkers, fire breathers, and jugglers entertained the gathering and ribbons tied around tall poles rippled in the light breeze. Sculptures and sloping steps led down to a huge fountain beyond a lawn with geometric flowerbeds. It was too early in the year for such a rainbow display. Had they been planted especially for the occasion? At the center of the fountain, Poseidon raised his trident in battle with a multi-headed sea serpent. Water sprayed from Poseidon’s mouth, shooting high into the air and splashing down on the serpent. The entire thing was illuminated by a blue light emerging from underwater.

The string orchestra had set up to the side of the top terrace, but the music seemed to emanate from every direction, though there were no obvious signs of speakers.

“He knows how to throw a party.” Emma’s voice was low and breathy, coming from her lips in barely visible puffs of vapor that quickly dissipated into the night.

“It’s a hall of mirrors,” Caleb responded from behind us. His expression remained guarded. Any of the people around us could be spies.

Lack of cloud cover meant the night grew colder quickly, and I understood the cloaks provided with our costumes. If the serving girls in their scanty outfits noticed, they didn’t make it obvious. I refrained from examining their exposed limbs for gooseflesh.

Our group separated but remained within seeing distance, and circulated with other guests. The atmosphere was electric, and I wondered how much these people knew of Zeal’s plans. Had they any idea this was only the calm before the storm, or did they believe this a kind of victory celebration? Did they really believe Triona, or any of us, were here to concede to Zeal?

A couple of hours later the atmosphere began to dull as our host had yet to put in an appearance. Emma’s expression lost the sense of hope that had been visible in her eyes even behind her mask. Her shoulders dropped a little more, minute by minute. Though she hadn’t said, I was sure she expected to see John by now.

“Stay here,” I instructed Amanda and Emma when I spotted Samuel making his way over. Amanda nodded while Emma’s astute eyes continued to observe everything going on around her.

“What are your thoughts?” Samuel inquired when I met him on the lower terrace under a sculpture of two cherubs sitting back to back. Both leaned their chubby cheeks on their fists with an expression of boredom.

“Do you think we misread?” I answered in a volume matching his. I scanned around us for anyone paying too much attention. “Maybe he’s keeping us here waiting for him while he’s off doing whatever he’s up to.”

Samuel shook his head and frowned. “No. Zeal is too pompous, convinced of his own invincibility despite everything. He won’t do anything at this point without an audience to pass on tales of his triumph.” He chuckled humorlessly.

“So, this is a game like everything else.”

Samuel nodded once, his eyes straying to Annice, situated by the fountain with Joshua. “The only question is when will he show?”

I checked the time. It was already past two in the morning. “Maybe we should do something. This standing around waiting is driving me crazy.”

“Look at how they watch her, Ben.” Samuel’s eyes darted around the garden where many of the gathered deliberately avoided the area where Triona stood, although they watched her, shifting their gaze when they thought no one paid attention. “We have no chance of gaining their trust if we make a move first. It will only serve to scare them more and further his cause.”

“I don’t know that he’s going to leave us any other choice.”

Murmurs rippled through the guests and escalated until it seemed like a thousand bees hummed in my ears. Anticipation coated the garden in the way molasses poured off a spoon. Without another word, Samuel left my side to rejoin Annice. I rushed back to Amanda and Emma without pause. My heart picked up speed, and my stomach muscles tensed.

“What is it?” Emma asked.

“I presume our host has finally decided to grace us.”

Chiming bells, like music from a church, rang out sounding ghostly and seeming to come from every direction at once. It had to be coming from the hidden sound system. All heads twisted toward the center of the main building and the arched entrance to the house. Some began to make their way farther up the terraces for a closer view.

Much to their collective disappointment, a man did appear through the doorway, but it wasn’t Zeal. Despite being masked, he was much too short to be the man in question. His posture and sloping shoulders, one slightly lower than the other, screamed human. He wore a similar costume to the jesters, although his was rich ruby and emerald green. Gold rimmed his mask, and he wore a cloak over one shoulder and tied with a cord.

“At the behest of your host, I cordially invite you to make your way to the grand ballroom where the festivities will continue.”

He bowed with a flourish, sweeping one hand in front of his chest, and disappeared back into the building. The crowd immediately began to follow like obedient dogs schlepping after their master’s voice.

Resigned to follow, I was about to lead Amanda and Emma forward when a muffled commotion to the left side of the top terrace caught my attention. Two figures were silhouetted against a backdrop of an intricate cast iron gate that broke a tall hedge running the length of the garden and twisting out of sight. At first it seemed they had found another way into the house. Then I realized they were arguing. Arthur combed his fingers though his hair and gestured wildly with his other hand. Guinevere scrubbed her face and shook her head, but they both managed to keep their voices so low it was impossible to discern anything much among the din.

Guinevere reached out for Arthur, attempting to circle her hands around his wrists. He surprised me by jerking out of her range and turning his back on her. The iridescent fabric of his long cloak shimmered silver and blue like undulating water. Zeal knew too much about our movements. The effect of his cloak was eerily similar to the tower of water that released Arthur from the Fáidh. I narrowed my eyes in an effort to focus on their expressions since neither gave anything away in words. Whatever the conversation, they appeared to have reached a conclusion…or an impasse.