Page 103 of Laird of Twilight
He looked at her, a shining, gorgeous, ageless creature. “That has been the tradition in my family, but it is just a legend.”
“Legends are born from truth. That fairy blood is why you see us now. It is not the whisky alone. The drink is simply in harmony with your ancestry.”
He sought back in his mind again, wondering if all this was due to the wild Highland brew after all. Yet he knew, just knew, that this was real.
“Both of you, take my hands.” The queen reached out. “Do not be afraid.”
“We do not want to go into your land,” Elspeth said quickly.
“Since you want to go, we will show you the way out,” Niall said.
“The way out is through that opening that leads to the outer cave,” James said.
“It is dark and the mountain is dangerous,” the queen said. “We will show you another way.”
“I give you my word no harm will come to you,” Niall said. “No spell will touch you. We will take you through our world and bring you out again. My word on it.”
“A moment in there is a day here,” James said, remembering his grandmother’s writings. “A day is more than a year.”
“Only if we cast a glamourie over you. Only if you eat or drink or partake of anything in our world,” the queen said.
“Be careful, and you will be safe,” Niall said, “and you will see what few ever see. Come, daughter. And my son—my daughter’s husband.” He beckoned.
James felt the queen’s outstretched hand touch his, cool and light. Beside him, he tightened his arm around Elspeth in one arm, protectively.
When Riona reached out, Elspeth took her mother’s hand and began to move forward with them. James went too. The air went to mist and light, and he felt himself moving—and together they all stepped into and through the glittering, gem-studded wall of rock as if it were a shimmering curtain.
Looking around, stunned, he saw the golden-colored stone, like sandstone, carved into pillars and sweeping arches that stretched to vaulted ceilings, forming lining a long corridor. Walking beside Elspeth, following the three, he looked around at a wonderland of subterranean passages, gently and luminously lit, tunneling into the heart of the earth. Awestruck, he simply stared.
And realized then that he did not need a cane. He was not limping, and his step was strong and stable.
A moment later, the queen lifted a hand in simple, silent farewell, and slipped away into a room whose wide doors opened for her. Taking Elspeth’s hand, James followed Niall and his fairy wife along the sloping, curved corridor toward a blaze of light ahead. He heard carillons of laughter, the strumming of harps, a steady drumbeat, voices raised in song, and the skirl of pipes.
Niall turned. “Do not cross any threshold here. Follow us only. You will see food and drink, but do not partake. Speak to no one but us.” He waved them onward.
He saw many doors in the long, endless hallway, some open, and James peered inside as he passed. The interiors gleamed with light and crystal, with gorgeous fabrics and polished furnishings. He saw no other people—or the Fey—though he heard voices.
Small tables in the hallway held dishes filled with fruits, small cakes, bread, cheese. Wine trickled from golden fountains into crystal goblets. James felt intensely thirsty, wished he could drink. Hungry, he wanted to pluck grapes from a silver bowl. Remembering Niall’s warning, he moved on.
A dream, he told himself. Surely this was.
The tunnel split then into three corridors, each path a channel into the heart of the earth. To the right, he saw a lofty room filled with light, music, laughter. To the left, the corridor walls flickered with a reflection of fire, and he heard the sound of a hammer upon metal, as if from a forge. The center pathway was dim and went straight ahead. Niall led them along its course.
Now the tunnel walls glittered with the flash-fire colors of gems and crystals, like the pocket mine far behind them. He saw the tracery of veins of gold, silver, ruby, emerald, sapphire. He touched his hand to the wall as they passed, and his fingertips came away with sparkling dust.
“Do not,” Niall reminded him. They walked on.
The floor sloped upward, and they followed its ramp. Even after the strenuous day and this long walk, his leg did not hurt at all. He walked with ease.
He glanced at Elspeth, who set her arm about his waist as they walked. Ahead, he saw light, a cave-like opening, then trees and sky beyond.
Niall stopped. “Here we will leave you. Return to your world. We have no hold over you now. Instead, we are forever in your debt.”
“Father!” Elspeth went into Niall’s arms. He held her for a long moment. Then she turned to her mother, their delicate faces and shining dark hair so much alike. James swallowed hard, watching, realizing she might never see her parents again. Strange as all this seemed, he was beginning to accept it as reality.
Elspeth stepped back, cheeks wet with tears, and Niall turned to clasp James’s hand. “Take care of her. She is precious to us.”
“To me as well,” James replied.
