The Rabbit and the Raven: Book Two in the Solas Beir Trilogy (13 page)

“Yeah, that wasn’t too fun, was it? I think we need to go have a chat with my mom, and with Cael too. I need some answers about those Daughters of Mercy.”

After finding the queen and sharing their dreams separately, David and Abby went with Eulalia to speak with Cael in the armory.

“You are right, David,” Eulalia said as they walked. “You and Abby made a clear connection this time. You seem to be making progress.”

“What we saw in the dream—is that going to happen?” Abby asked.

“Perhaps not exactly, but there seem to be noteworthy elements. The figure you saw in the sky does bear a striking
resemblance to a Daughter,” Eulalia said.

“What are they?” David qu
eried.

“I can answer that question,” Cael interrupted, stepping out from the armory. “But not here. Come with me to the library. There is something you need to see.”

He turned down a hallway and led them to a large room with floor-to-ceiling shelves laden with scrolls and books. They followed him to the area that housed maps and Cael selected one, unrolling it on a large table.

“This is a map of Cai Terenmare,” Cael began. “Here you see the castle in which we stand, the forest that surrounds Caislucis, and the Great Plains on the western edge of the Barren. To the north of the desert is a stronghold used long ago in the war against the Kruorumbrae, and further north still, lies the Northern Oracle’s territory.

“The Southern Oracle’s territory, as you might guess, is south of us, in the center of a rainforest. Here, on the eastern border of the desert is the city of the Eastern Oracle. There have been rumors of late that the Blood Shadows have been gathering near the city. Here,” he pointed to a spot inside the boundaries of the Barren, not far from the city, “is the Eye of the Needle. It is a rock formation resembling a tower. At the top is a cave that forms the Eye. That is where the Daughters of Mercy reside.

“
Now, as to what they are…they look like beautiful winged women, but they are not women. They are predatory in nature, but pride themselves on being just, preying on those who have committed some wrong. Like some of the oracles, they have a history of remaining neutral in the battle between the Light and the Shadows. However, over the years, they have begun to reveal a darker side and are no longer preying only on the unjust.”

“Is Erela one of them?” David asked. He thought about the way Erela had behaved during training—his intuition about her predatory nature had been spot-on.

“She used to be,” Cael answered. “She dissented when the choice of prey began to change, and was cast out.”

“Do you believe they were responsible for the attack on the village?” David asked.

“Yes, I do,” Cael stated. “But, until now, they have remained on the eastern side of the Barren. The question is, why have they attacked a village on our side of the desert, and what have they done with those they have taken?”

“How do we find the answers to those questions?” Abby asked. “Can’t we just have Erela talk with them and find out what’s going on?”

Cael looked at Abby. “I am afraid it is not that simple. Were Erela to return to the Eye of the Needle, the Daughters would surely tear her apart,” he explained.

“Oh. So that won’t work,” Abby said.

“No, it will not,” Cael agreed. “The Daughters of Mercy are
not
known for compassion, whatever they may call themselves. However, the oracles may have the answers we seek. If we can win them to our cause, we may also convince the Daughters of Mercy to join us. Perhaps then they will release the villagers.”

“
If
the villagers are still alive at that point,” David noted. “Seems like we’re risking their lives in seeking out the oracles first—they may not have the luxury of time.”

“Nor do we,” Cael said. “But I see no other options. I do have good news, however. I received word from Nerine this morning. She accepted the nomination to be the new Western Oracle and is coming with a small cohort of her kinsfolk for the induction to the post. Her messenger said they will arrive tomorrow, soon after our training exercise.”

“That’s great,” David said, smiling. “One down, three to go. Well, two, assuming the Northern Oracle is still with us.”

“Excellent,” Eulalia exclaimed. “We must make preparations for tomorrow’s ceremony. I must also speak to you further about your latest dream. David, now that you have dreamed about changing to your animal form, are you ready to try the transformation?”

“I suppose so. Fergal makes it look so easy, but honestly, I don’t know where to start,” David admitted.

“Well,” Cael said dryly, “the library is certainly not the place to begin. I imagine Gorman would object to you running amok in here.”

Stunned, David and Abby exchanged a look. They both stared at Cael for a moment and then burst out laughing.

“Did you just make a joke, darling?” Eulalia asked, hiding a smile.

“Yes, I believe I did.” Cael seemed a little surprised himself.

“You
are
working your magic on him, Eulalia,” Abby quipped.

Cael grinned—another rarity for him. “Oh, come on then—out to the training lawn.” He grabbed Eulalia’s hand and led the way.

As they walked together, David and Abby continued their discussion of dreamwalking with Eulalia.

“So in the dreams, I can’t really change the outcome, can I?” Abby asked. “I’ve heard about lucid dreaming, and that’s the idea there, that you take control...but this is different, isn’t it? I can’t make the Shadows I see disappear, much as I’d like to.”

“Yes,” Eulalia confirmed. “Your goal is not to control the dream, but rather to observe so you can see what the future might hold. However, you
can
connect with another dreamer, and push that person with your mind as you communicate in the dream. In that sense, you do have control, and you may in some way affect the future.”

“What do you mean, ‘push them?’” Abby queried.

“When you are awake and someone is experiencing a strong emotion, you feel it, do you not?” Eulalia asked.

“Yes. Like certain times when I interacted with Lucia, or the way I could sense the Kruorumbrae’s desire to feed. It was physically draining,” Abby said.

Eulalia nodded. “Exactly—you feel the emotion and you absorb it. There is a physical effect. But you can also push back, influencing the other person. If, for example, the person was angry and you wanted to calm them, you would first discipline yourself to be calm. Then you would project that emotion onto your target, pushing them in the same way their anger pushed you.”

“Oh man, it’s like a Jedi mind trick,” Abby said, passing under the archway that led to the training lawn.

“It totally is,” David smiled. He stopped walking and waved his hand in front of Abby. “These are not the androids you’re looking for…”

Abby laughed. “Wish I’d known about this before. I could have bent all kinds of people to my will.”

“Abigail Brown, sociopathic mastermind,” David grinned. “I suspected as much.”

“Yeah, you have no idea,” Abby laughed, elbowing him. “I’ll be trying that evil little trick on
you
when you least expect it.”

“Hmph.” David crossed his arms and pretended to be annoyed. “We’ll see about that, Master. Now, if we’re done focusing on you?”

“But of course, my liege. Proceed,” Abby said, bowing.

“Finally. Sheesh,” David added, sighing dramatically.

He turned to see Eulalia and Cael exchange knowing smiles as they watched the banter between him and Abby. He wondered if they ever had conversations like that. They seemed so serious sometimes, but maybe things had been different before they became responsible for an entire kingdom. He hoped that he and Abby would never lose that sense of playfulness, even in the face of an oncoming war.

Chapter Five

TRANSFORMATION

W
hen they made it to the training lawn, David took a deep breath. “All right then. How do I start?”

“Focus as you do when you use your power at other times, and think about becoming the lion. Let the feeling of that flow through you,” Eulalia said.

“Okay, got it. Become the lion—simple enough.” David closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment. Then he opened one eye again. “Wait—same process for changing back, right?”

“Correct.”

David opened both eyes and looked at her seriously. “And when I change back, I’m not going to be standing here naked, am I?”

Eulalia laughed. “No—not at all. This is not a physical transformation—it is spiritually based, with an outward manifestation that is physical. It is as if the animal form surrounds you.”

Abby put her hands on her hips. “Quit stalling, Corbin.”

“Okay. Just checking.” David squeezed both eyes closed again and concentrated. He expected to feel the usual warmth radiating throughout his body, but he felt nothing. He squeezed his eyes tighter, waiting for something to happen. After a few moments, he opened them again. “Nope. Nada.”

“Try again,” Eulalia encouraged.

David closed his eyes and focused, but nothing happened. “Sorry—I don’t think this is working. Maybe I’m not a lion after all. Maybe I’m destined to be that ferret.”

“It was a weasel, actually,” Abby grinned.

David narrowed his eyes at her. “Thanks. That’s very helpful.”

“Weasel?” Eulalia asked.

David shook his head. “Never mind—it’s just an Abby thing, created for the sole purpose of tormenting me. I’ll try again, but maybe if I saw one of you do it first? Cael, do you mind?”

“Happy to oblige,” Cael nodded. In an instant, he transformed into a beautiful wolf.

“A wolf,” David grinned. “Of course he’s a wolf—I guess I could have seen that one coming. And he makes it looks so easy, doesn’t he?”

Cael transformed back. “But, I am not a white wolf—just a common grey one.”

Eulalia took his hand. “You are anything but common, love.”

Cael smiled and held her hand to his lips, kissing it gently. “Thank you, my sweet.”

“I have a thought,” Abby uttered hesitantly.

David looked at her, raising his eyebrows. “A helpful one this time?”

Abby rolled her eyes
dramatically and then smiled. “Yes, dear. A helpful one. Whenever you changed forms in my dreams, it was in reaction to me being in danger. Maybe that’s what’s missing. You don’t have the same incentive.”

“Okay, so what do you suggest?” David asked. “Should we have Cael wave a sword at you?”

Abby shook her head. “No—I was just thinking that you could focus on that thought and channel how you might feel if I were in a dangerous situation.”

“I remember how I felt when I thought Calder was going to kill you after I went through the mirror. I certainly felt like I could do some damage then,” David said.

“Yes—see, that’s good. Use that.”

“All right.” David closed his eyes once more. He relaxed his breathing and focused on an image of Calder springing up from his muscular hind legs, vicious claws and teeth going for Abby.

David could feel the air around him change, rippling against his skin as if he were standing in a column of hot vapor. Then he opened his eyes and looked down to find that his hands had been replaced by large white paws. He stretched, testing his muscles, and then sprang into motion, bounding down the length of the training lawn.

At the far end of the field, Jon and Marisol were sparring. They heard a loud roar and turned to see an enormous lion bearing down on them. Marisol deftly leapt clear, but Jon had an episode of deer-in-the-headlights syndrome, freezing in place.

The
white lion pulled up short, inches from Jon’s face. To his credit, Jon didn’t scream. To his dismay, his reaction was not exactly awe-inspiring. The sound coming from him was a toneless “Nyaaaaaaaa,” accompanied by a half raised hand that flopped about like a dying fish.

The lion transformed back into David,
and then he looked at Jon quizzically. “Nyaaaa?”

Jon narrowed his eyes. “Don’t say it. I am
well
aware that my fight or flight response needs a little tweaking.”

“A little?” David asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jon nodded. “Yes. Just a smidge.”

David laughed. “Sorry for exposing a chink in your armor—I guess I got a little carried away with the lion thing.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Jon said, looking at Marisol, who was trying to hide a smile. “I think she found it endearing.”

Marisol grinned. “I did, actually. You are completely adorable.”

“Thanks,” Jon said. “That’s what I was aiming for.”

“Oh, you are
always
adorable, Reyes,” David chimed in, elbowing Jon.

“Aw, thanks, Corbin. Because, you know, it’s your opinion I
really
care about,” said Jon, punching David in the arm.