Moon Shimmers(26)
I waited for a moment, then told them what we were planning.
The Mistress of Flames bowed her head and stepped back. “I’m afraid my magic has no place in this battle. I could heat the water, but that would kill the fish.”
“And we could do that. Thank you.” I watched as she vanished and her screen faded.
“I can help, however.” The Lady of the Land smiled benevolently at me. At least, I liked to think it was benevolent. “I can shift the earth beneath the waves if need be.”
“And I as well. I cannot give you the power to breathe beneath the waves, but I can extend any spells you get to that effect.” The Lord of the Depths pressed against the screen. “If you need me to take action, I am here.”
Just then, his dolphins returned and he held up his hand, then turned to them as they started chattering at him. He joined their conversation with whistles and clicks, and then turned back to me, his look grave.
“K’thbar isn’t one of the Elder Fae. He’s one of the Primordial Fae—the beings from which the Elder Fae originated. They live in the depths of the waters, the earth, the fiery lava, and in the upper reaches of the atmosphere. They’re big. Very big. So big. And to them, the Elder Fae are as young as a newborn is to your own self. He will not understand you. Not because he’s stupid, but because he is as alien to your life and thoughts as you are to an ant or a bee. All he will see is you are stealing something of his. That you are a pest come in to swipe a pretty bauble.”
“Well, hell.” I thought over the news for a moment, but no spectacular idea sprang to mind. “What powers does he have? Did your dolphins know?”
The Lord of the Depths laughed. “They have heard tales that he can command the waters to rise up and lash against the land. To what extent, I do not know. Nor do they. K’thbar has slept for a thousand years. Last time he woke, I believe there was some form of massive landslide into the waters, but I can’t tell you more than that. The question is, Mistress Camille: is the spirit seal you seek truly important to him, or is it just a toy? I think that will decide how K’thbar reacts, should he wake when you arrive.”
And with that bit of sage but unhelpful advice, the room went black and I opened my eyes. I stared at the unicorn horn for a moment, then secreted it in my pocket. I feared very much that I’d have reason to use its powers, and not just to strengthen our ability to breathe underwater.
Chapter 5
I DASHED BACK to the others, who were waiting in the driveway.
“I brought the horn. I thought I’d better, plus I can extend our ability to breathe underwater with it.” Then, on a less cheery note, I told them about what the Lord of the Depths had said about K’thbar. “So, not Elder Fae. Something called a Primordial Fae, and far more dangerous, given that he exists outside of our frame of reference. Or rather, we exist outside of his frame of reference. I got the feeling that the Lord of the Depths was trying to politely say we’re pretty much the ants of K’thbar’s world.”
“Yeah, and when ants annoy you, you pour boiling water on the ant hill or get out the bug spray.” Trillian cleared his throat and leaned back against my Lexus. The sunlight had broken through a few lazy morning clouds, and was as good as blinding us. Life in the Pacific Northwest came at several prices, one which was the sun became a suspect ball of fire in the sky that none of us were too familiar with.
“Boiling water…I wonder if he can make the water boil?” Roz fumbled in his duster and brought out a couple of the ice bombs. “I decided to bring these along, along with the firebombs. If he can affect the water, then we might be able to mitigate the effects.”
“Primordial Fae are big. ‘They’re big. Very big. So big’ is an exact quote. And when a lord of the elements says that with awe in his voice, you know you have a problem.” I squinted, shading my eyes. “So, yeah, I’m bringing the horn.”
“We’d better make sure those gardening forks are sturdy.” Vanzir let out a hiccup. “Who’s driving? We can all fit in your Lexus, but not with wet suits and everything else.”
I glanced at Delilah. “You and I’ll drive. Morio, Trillian, Roz, you come with me. Shade and Vanzir can ride with Delilah. Where’s our first stop?”
“Shimmer called, asking if we can pick her up instead of her meeting us here. So off to the Fly By Night Agency, then head up to Fresia’s shop in Edmonds.” Vanzir consulted his notes. “There’s a scuba shop just down the street from there.”
With that, Delilah and I commandeered our cars. As I eased out of the driveway, Delilah following with her Jeep, I thought about just how many times we had done this. And how long the house and land had been part of my life. I was silent on the drive north, thinking about Raven Mother and the Primordial Fae and my life to come.