Page 16 of Secrets of the Lore Keepers
Tap. Tap. Tap.
I struck a match against flight, and his face glowed in the darkness. I tossed it into the fireplace and blew on the wood. It caught slowly while Kian picked up a bow and strung an arrow inside. “I’m going out to see what it is,” he told me. “I’ll return but don’t open the door until you hear my voice.”
“Please don’t,” I begged, my imagination going wild at the very idea.
“Rae,” his tone was gentle, “I live in the enchanted wildwood, there’s not much that frightens me.”
Without another word, he slipped out the door, and the tapping ceased.
I bolted the door behind him and waited for what seemed like an eternity, pacing back and forth, all the while wondering what had become of him. While I waited, my eyes were drawn repeatedly to the book on the table. I returned to it and flipped through, admiring the colorful illustrations on the pages.
Words caught my eyes, and I stared at them. Mulling them over.
The location of the buried goddess shall never be written, for should our enemies return to wake her, they will rend the truth from the lips of the Lore Keepers. But deep inside, we know the truth, and if we follow our hearts, one already knows where to look. For sometimes the most secret truths hide in plain sight.
It was the last four words that caught my eye:hide in plain sight.
I flipped back a few pages to the layout of the land set forth by the original Lore Keepers. It was much the same. The house, the barn, the chicken coop, and other buildings that had been added throughout the years, but a dark terror sat inside me as I stared at the illustration. The four things that were still in the same place were the garden, the barn, the house and the small orchard. Which meant the grave could be in any of those locations.
I wished for daylight, for I had to go walk the land and be sure of myself. The house had been rebuilt since then, and so had the barn. We tilled the garden each year in preparation for the planting season. If there was anything buried there, we’d know, wouldn’t we? And the orchard. I’d always looked above when I went, climbing trees or swinging up a ladder. It must be the most likely place.
Excitement thudded through my veins and I dashed to the foot of the staircase, book in hand. Maraini would want to know the news as soon as possible and would likely forgive me for waking her up in the middle of the night. Although the moment I set foot on the bottom stair, my reason came back to me. She’d spent the previous night awake and needed her sleep. We both did, for what was to come. And if the tapping hadn’t woken her up, it only meant she needed to sleep. Indecision gave me pause. I wanted to share my revelation with her, but there was also Kian. The first man I’d felt a strong attraction to, likely because he was a handsome elf. I saw no reason I shouldn’t share my findings with him, since he’d proven himself nothing but trustworthy.
Speaking of, where was he?
No sooner had the thought left my mind, there came a light knock on the door, followed by. “Rae? It’s me.”
A wave of relief washed over me and, leaving Maraini to sleep in peace, I unbolted the door and opened it. “What was it?” I asked.
“Nothing to worry about.” Kian’s eyes were alight with relief and the soft halo of flickering fire cast light on his elegant features.
My heart quaked as I examined his pointed ears, the fall of his blue hair and the crooked smile he offered me. I hugged the book to myself. “Oh?”
“It was falcon,” he told me, resting the bow against the wall and replacing the quiver. “He found me at last and came to deliver a message from the wildwood. I sent one back with him. My tribe is secure, but they expect retaliation soon. They asked that I stay where I am until they can send an escort to guard me home.”
Home. The words rang in my head as though someone had struck a gong. Of course. He had a home to return to. His presence in my land was naught but a mere blimp in time, an anomaly that would be fixed as soon as we found the goddess and used the spelled knife to put her to rest. Disappointment edged around my eyes and I returned to the table, suddenly wanting nothing more than a cup of lavender and peppermint tea. Clarity. That’s what I needed, and to stop being so impulsive.
“Good,” I told him, turning away. “Now they know you’re safe.”
“Nothing else stirs tonight,” Kian went on, “but I can’t shake the feeling that someone or something is watching.”
“Do you believe we are in danger?” I rested the book on the table and put the kettle over the fire.
“Not tonight. Like you said earlier, midsummer’s eve or midsummer itself should be the night you should expect unwanted visitors.” His eyes fell to my movements. “Are you staying up?”
“I can’t sleep right now,” I admitted. “I’m making tea to soothe my dreams and then I’ll attempt to sleep.” Taking a seat at the table, I brushed my fingers over the book.
“If you’ll have me, I’ll join you,” he offered. A tingle went through my body at his words. “It is odd sleeping indoors; we have caves and all but it’s much different from what I am used to. I keep waking. If the tea will help. . .”
“It will.” I beckoned him closer, then paused as he sat across from me. “To be honest. I think I might know where the goddess is buried.”
A sharp hiss left his mouth, and he leaned over the table, searching my eyes. “Where?”
The question was fraught with worry, panic and a hint of relief. I studied him, considering if I should reveal what the book said to him. Even though I found him attractive and easy to converse with, the secrets of the book belonged to the Lore Keepers. By all rights, Maraini should be the second to know. But Kian had come to assist us, not just for selfish reasons, because he understood the perilousness of the situation. If we allowed the ancient goddess to rise, she might set her sights on more than just the enchanted wildwood. And the enchanted wildwood sat at the core of the world itself. It was vast and immeasurable, and many kingdoms and races dwelled near to its border. In fact, the farthest anyone could go from the wildwood would be a two-week journey. Then they’d reach the edge of the world. Nay, if a dark queen took over the wildwood, stole the magic, and used it for her own purposes, life as we knew it would cease to exist. I needed all the help I could get.
I told him what I’d discovered about the four locations. Opening the book and showing him the original layout of the land. He studied it, his lips moving as though he were speaking to himself.
I tapped my foot on the floor. “Well? What do you think?”
