The Quicksilver Faire (31 page)

She wished she knew more about dragons. Remembering her dragon magic book, she reached into her jeans pocket. She opened the teeny-tiny book just as another claw erupted from the ground. The rumbling was becoming stronger. Sean stumbled over to her. He ripped a strip of material from his shirt. "I need to wrap your hand."

Keelie could read the dragon script, but it was super small. She finally saw that it seemed to be a spell to turn a dragon into its human form.

Herne snatched the book from her hand. "Clever girl, but you must leave this battle to me." He turned to Sean. "Go with her, elf, and make sure that she's safe."

The dragon's head emerged among the broken tree roots, dirt and boulders showering from its massive jaws. He roared, and a spray of flame illuminated Under-theHill, making it look even more hellish.

"Leave the battle? Really?" Sean was already drawing his sword.

Keelie agreed with the sentiment, but before she could look for a weapon, Knot snagged her leg and ripped his way up her body.

"Yeow leave!" His claws dug deeper and Keelie staggered toward one of the strange trees and grabbed its trunk.

The dragon lifted hellish dinosaur jaws and roared again, flaming the cavern roof. Flame arched back down and licked at Sean's hair.

"Come with us, Sean!" Keelie reached an arm toward him, but he only glanced at her, nodded to Knot, then turned back to face the dragon, sword lifted, arms in the air, blade dangling behind his back as he readied it for a mighty swing.

A strange look came over Sean's face. Next to him, Herne had the book open and was shouting the words on the page as streamers of magic poured from the fingers of his upthrust hand. The magic swirled around him, and as the body of the dragon rose from the pit, it transformed into a man. A tall, broad-shouldered man with long silver hair, in full armor. From the smoke rolling from his ears, he was ready to murder. He howled and ran toward them.

Sean stalked toward him, sword still raised, as Keelie felt the whoosh and Under-the-Hill disappeared.

Light exploded around her. For a half second, Keelie thought the dragon had flamed her, but then she realized it was the sun. She was on the street in Big Nugget, by the remains of the Crystal Cup. Her relief was short-lived, however. A goblin jumped onto an overturned car, followed by another. Three more came around the ruined building, and all had their eyes fixed on her. Knot hissed at them and grew taller, his claws out and a sword appearing at his side. He drew it.

"Knot, what's behind us? I'm afraid to look." The back of her neck itched.

Knot leaned forward, slashing his sword at the goblins. Keelie threw a quick glance behind them. Nothing. The goblins rushed.

"Run," Knot yowled.

Keelie backed away quickly, just as a rumble vibrated through the street. Exactly what she needed-an earthquake. She assessed the area for earthquake safety, ingrained in her from her California childhood. Except for the attacking goblins, the treeless spot where she stood was the safest. Too bad.

She turned and ran, then fell hard to her knees as the ground came up to slap her. Knot tripped over her and landed on her back. She wheezed and watched, amazed, as the street before her buckled and flattened like a tablecloth being shaken. The light poles that lined one side of the street fell over, glass exploding as it hit the hard ground.

"What's going on? Earthquakes don't last this long," Keelie yelled. The ground still shook. She lay flat, looking back toward the goblins who were also hugging the ground, eyes wide. One of them leered at her, then got to his feet and staggered toward her.

"Meow mask shop, hurry." Knot tugged her up, and something pulled at her hair-a bhata. Others flew ahead, and the air was suddenly bright with pinpoints of pixie light. The lights flew behind them, back toward the goblins.

Across the street, the mask shop door hung open, held there by a mound of sticks. The hhata had come to help them. The doorway would be a safe spot until the earthquake was over, and then they could barricade themselves inside until help came.

If help came. Keelie's feet bounced on the ground as she moved forward; it was like dancing on a trampoline with a mind of its own. The middle of the street ruptured, chunks of payment flying upwards then landing around.

The crack in the ground widened, and as Keelie grabbed the door frame, she wondered how Sean was. Everything was happening so fast. Knot pushed her inside and blocked the door, sword raised, but the goblins hung back, maybe still freaked out by the earthquake. The little bhata crowded inside with them.

A horn sounded from the hilltop and echoed from the buildings that still stood. Knot froze and lifted his face to sniff the air. He grinned, showing his fangs.

"Who is it? The good guys?"

He nodded, holding onto the door frame as another tremor shook the building. A panicked group of goblins sped by the door, barely glancing at them. At their heels, axes and pikes swinging before them, came the dwarves, armored and scary looking.

They pounded past, then down the street. Excited, the bhata followed them.

Keelie pushed Knot aside and went out. "That was weird. Come on, let's see how far the hole goes down. There must be a fault here."

Knot growled, but let her walk toward the edge of the crevasse that split the street down the middle for two blocks. A sound like the metal-on-metal of bad brakes filled the air. Keelie covered her ears and looked over the edge. Two goblins were holding on to rocks on the side of a deep pit, their claws scrabbling for purchase. Suddenly, one let go, and his scream faded as he vanished into the darkness below. The other one tried to pull himself up onto a boulder, then slipped. He, too, fell into the abyss.

A surge of magic hit Keelie from below. She fell back, her hand on her rose quartz to shield herself from the Earth magic that now filled the air. A sharp-nailed hand closed over her arm and hauled her to her feet.

"Avenir has torn open the rift and brought it with him to this world." Vania stood next to her, tall and queenly, her eyes flashing like jewels in the reflected aurora borealis light.

From behind a row of buildings, hunting horns sounded and the battle cry of the dwarves floated like banners over them. The goblins were on the run, but there were so many of them that Keelie was sure they hadn't seen the last of them.

A sulfurous stench rose from the abyss. Horrified, Keelie saw a giant, silver-taloned dragon paw clutch the edge of the remains of the town road. A wing tip taller than the surrounding buildings rose behind the paw, and then Avenir was among them.

He had grown huge on the rift's magic. "Ermentrude," he bellowed. Fire charred the remains of the maypole. Keelie tried to back away, but Vania held her fast.

"He will not harm us," the fairy queen said. "His battle is with Herne."

"Why Herne?" Shocked, Keelie struggled to free herself. "We have to help him."

Vania laughed. "He's a forest god. He can help himself. Do you think the magic can be drunk only by the dragon? Do you not feel it, Daughter of the Forest?"

Keelie looked down at her arms, which were covered in waves of colored light that seemed to be coming from inside of her. She glowed with power. But it was wild magic that she didn't know how to use.

A movement behind the dragon's massive leg drew her attention. It was Sean, dragging himself to his feet. Bloody, but still armed, he stabbed at the back of Avenir's knee, searching for a vulnerable spot.

Avenir roared and swatted at Sean, knocking him into one of the shop walls. He got back up, but Avenir's attention had turned to the huge stag that now faced him. Herne's deerlike body was huge, muscles rippling under the smooth reddish hide, and his antlers were broad and thick, ready for battle. His hooves trailed magic, and wherever he stepped, green life sprang up.

The dragon magic book flew out of the crevasses and slid to a stop at Keelie's feet. Vania shrieked, but Keelie reached down and snatched it up before she could take it from her. She tossed it to Knot, who sprang away with it in his furry arms.

Avenir roared again, spread his wings, and turned his long head to examine Herne. Big as he was, the forest god looked puny next to the Godzilla-sized dragon. The battle definitely looked uneven.

Elven war cries sounded, and Keelie hoped Dad knew she was alive. A flight of silver-tipped arrows hit the dragon, and some stuck, like sewing pins, in his hide. He screamed with fury and flamed the street in the direction of the pharmacy.

Keelie smelled burning wood and paper. If the humans ever returned, they would have to rebuild.

"Let's get someplace safe to watch the fun." Vania tried to drag Keelie away.

Sean had gotten to his feet and was bracing himself with one arm against the wall. He looked up at Avenir, then at Herne. He sheathed his sword, then took a deep breath and launched himself at the dragon's leg, crawling up swiftly, from scale to scale, until he reached his back.

Avenir was so huge, and his focus was so entirely on Herne, that he didn't seem to notice the elven knight between his shoulders. Keelie held her breath as Sean drew his sword and slashed downward, causing Avenir to scream and try to reach him, to no avail. Sean held tight to the sword and rode it, tearing, to the edge of the dragon's wing before being once more dashed to the ground.

Keelie fell back against Vania as Avenir's wings buffeted the air. His injured wing dragged, but finally the dragon was able to fly. Flapping painfully, he made his way toward the mountains.

Elven victory cries sounded from the other side of town.

Herne turned his majestic, antlered head and walked toward them, morphing with every step, becoming more human looking, until finally he stood before them, the forest god once more. He was breathtaking, and Keelie could see why her human ancestors had paid him homage.

"Unhand Keliel Heartwood, Queen Vania. She is not your enemy." Herne's voice was deep and resonant. A god's voice.

"You cannot command me. I am not the besotted fool my sister was." Vania lifted her head.

"How can I convince you of my innocence in her death?" Herne did not look at Keelie.

"You cannot. I have searched for the one thing that would prove the guilt of my sister's killer. On the day of Linsa's birth, our father forged a quicksilver heart in the fires of the Earth's core. Her birth gift, as mine was my scrying room. That heart could not have been taken from her in life, and when she died, it should have returned to me, yet it has never appeared.

"I know of the heart. Linsa showed it to me," Herne said. "It did not return to you because it was no longer hers to give. When we bound our true hearts together, she gave me a token of her unending love. I have Linsa's heart."

Keelie gasped when she saw the silver heart hanging from a chain around Herne's neck. He removed it and gently held the heart in the palm of his hand. Ribbons of light and magic flowed through the quicksilver. A slight fluttering from the center of the heart made it appear as if was alive and beating.

Vania reached out with trembling fingers. "Give it to me.

Another rumble from the ground, and the fairy queen almost lost her balance but steadied herself. Sean reached out for Keelie and stabilized her as she swayed to the left.

Herne protectively clasped Linsa's heart. "She gave it to me as a token of her undying love."

Vania scowled angrily. "That heart belongs to me."

He draped the chain back around his neck and hid it beneath his shirt. "It was freely given to me by the one I love."

Vania blasted Herne, pinning him to the ground with a mighty wave of magic. Keelie sprang back and watched, amazed and terrified. Pulling strands of wild magic from the air, Vania wove an invisible net that held Herne.

The clash of metal on metal signaled that another battle was taking place nearby. Keelie heard her father's voice call to her. "Dad!" she screamed. She saw the elven army turn the corner, her father at its head.

Above them, Avenir dove into view, a sinewy silver streak mirrored with the colors of the aurora borealis. He was beautiful, and his questing gaze fell on the Lord of the Forest. His wings swept back and he prepared to dive.