Awakened (House of Night #8)(27)

I turned to the north. "Earth, come to me!" The grove came alive. The trees glowed with glee, and from their gnarled, ancient trunks emerged woodland beings that reminded me of things that should be in Rivendell with Tolkien's elves--or maybe even Avatar's 3-D jungle.

I pulled my attention to the center of my impromptu circle and called the final element, "Spirit, please come to me, too." This time Sgiach gasped. "I have never seen all five groups of sprites together like this. It is magnificent."

"Ohmygoddess! It's incredible!"

The air around me, already alive with gossamer beings, was filled with such radiance that it suddenly brought Nyx to mind, and the brilliance of her smile.

"Do you want to experience more?" Sgiach asked me.

"Of course," I said without hesitation.

"Come here, then. Give me your hand."

Surrounded by the ancient sprites that personified the elements, I approached Sgiach and held my hand out to her. She took my right hand in her left and turned it so that my palm faced up. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes. I trust you," I said.

"Good. It will only hurt for a moment."

With a blindingly fast motion, she slashed the hard, sharp nail of her right pointer finger across the meaty pad of my palm. I didn't flinch. Didn't move. But I did suck in a bunch of air. Though she was right--it hurt only for a moment.

Sgiach turned my palm over and the blood began dripping from my hand, but before it could touch the mossy ground beneath us, the queen caught the scarlet drops. Cupping them in her own palm, she let them pool and then, speaking words that I felt more than heard but did not understand at all, she flung the blood, scattering it in a circle around us.

Then something truly amazing happened. Each sprite that my blood drops touched, for an instant, became flesh. They were no longer ethereal elementals, only wisps and trails of air, fire, water, earth, and spirit. What my blood touched became reality--living, breathing birds and fairies, merfolk and forest nymphs. And they danced and celebrated. Their laughter painted the darkening sky with joy and magick.

"It is the ancient magick. You've touched things here that have been sleeping for ages. None other has awakened the fey. None other had the ability,"

Sgiach spoke and then slowly, majestically, she bowed her head in homage to me.

Absolutely engulfed in the wonder of the five elements, I took the Queen of Skye's hand, noticing that my blood had stopped running the instant she'd flung it around us. "Can I share this with other fledglings? If you allow them to come in, can I teach a new generation how to reach the old magick?"

She smiled at me through tears that I hoped were from happiness. "Yes, Zoey. Because if you can't bridge the gap between the ancient and the modern worlds, I don't know who can. But for now, take this moment. The reality your blood has created will soon fade. Dance with them, young queen. Let them know there is hope that today's world has not completely forgotten the past."

Her words worked on me like a goad and, in time to the sound of bells and pipes and cymbals that I suddenly heard, I began to dance with the creatures my blood had solidified.

Looking back on it, I should have paid more attention to the sharp profile of horns that I glimpsed as I twirled and jumped, arm in arm with the fey. I should have noticed the color of the bull's coat and the gleam in his eye. I should have mentioned his presence to Sgiach. A lot might have been avoided, or at least anticipated, had I known better. But that night I danced in innocence and the newness of ancient magick revealed, oblivious to any consequences more dire than me feeling tired and drained and needing a big dinner and a good eight hours of sleep.

*** "You were right. It didn't last very long," I said, breathing heavily as I plopped down next to Sgiach on her moss boulder. "Can't we do something to make them stay longer? They seemed so happy to be real."

"The fey are elusive beings. They only owe allegiance to their element, or those who wield it."

I blinked in surprise. "You mean they're loyal to me?"

"I believe they are, though I cannot tell you for certain as I have no true affinity to an element, though I am an ally to water and wind, as I am protector and queen of this island."

"Huh. So, can I call them to me, even if I leave Skye?"

Sgiach smiled. "And why would you ever want to do that?"

I laughed with her, at that moment not understanding why in the world I would ever want to leave this magickal, mystical island.

"Aye, if I followed the sound of wummen's chattering, I knew I'd be finding yous two."

Sgiach's smile grew and turned warm. Seoras joined us in the grove, moving to his queen's side. She touched him just for a moment on his strong forearm, but that touch was filled with several lifetimes of love and trust and intimacy.

"Hello, my Guardian. Did you bring the bow and arrows for her?"

Seoras's lips twisted. "Aye, of course I did." The old Warrior turned and I could see that he held an intricately carved bow made of dark wood. The matching leather quiver filled with red-feathered arrows was slung across his shoulder.

"Good." She smiled appreciation at him before turning her gaze to me. "Zoey, you've learned much today. Your Guardian needs a lesson in believing in magick and Goddess-given gifts, too." Sgiach took the bow and arrows from Seoras and held them out to me. "Take these to Stark. He has too long been without them." "You really think that's a good idea?" I asked Sgiach, glancing askance at the bow and arrows.