Burned

Chapter Twenty

Stark
Seoras led them to a black Range Rover that was parked around the corner and out of sight of the archway. Stark stopped beside the vehicle. His face must have shown his surprise because the Warrior laughed, and said, "Did yie expect a wee cart an' a Highland pony?"
"I don't know about him, but I did," Aphrodite said, climbing in the backseat beside Darius. "And for once I'm super glad to be wrong."
Seoras opened the front passenger's door for him, and Stark got in, holding Zoey carefully. The Warrior had started driving before Stark realized Sgiach wasn't with them.
"Hey, where's your queen?" Stark asked.
"Sgiach doesna need the motor tae be traveling her island."
Stark was trying to figure out how to ask his next question when Aphrodite spoke up.
"What the hell does that mean?"
"It means Sgiach's affinity isnae limited tae any element. Sgiach's affinity is with this island. She commands everyone and everything on it."
"Holy shit! Are you saying she can transport, like an undorky version of Star Trek ? Not that it's possible to be undorky about Star Trek ," Aphrodite said.
Stark started to consider ways to gag her without Darius freaking on him.
But the old Warrior was completely unruffled by Aphrodite. He simply shrugged, and said, "Aye, it will be as good an explanation as any."
"You know about Star Trek ?" came out of Stark's mouth before his brain could stop it.
Again, the Warrior shrugged. "We do have the satellite."
"And the Internet?" Aphrodite asked hopefully.
"And the Internetograph, too," Seoras agreed, straight-faced.
"So you do let in the outside world," Stark said.
Seoras glanced at him. "Aye, when it serves the queen's purposes."
"I'm not shocked. She's a queen. She likes to shop, ergo the Internet," Aphrodite said.
"She is a queen. She likes to be informed about the world and its goin's on," the Warrior said in a tone that didn't invite further questions.
They rode on in silence until Stark started to get worried about the lightening in the eastern sky. He was just about to tell Seoras what would happen to him if he wasn't inside and under cover at sunrise when the Warrior pointed ahead and to the left of the narrow road, saying, "The Craobh - the Sacred Grove.
The castle is just beyond on the shore."
Mesmerized, Stark gazed to the left of them at misshapen trunks of what must be deceptively spindly-looking trees because they held up an ocean of green. He only caught glimpses of what lay within the grove, layers of moss and shadow and clumps of more of the marble from which the archway had been made that appeared as splotches of sparkling light. And in front of all of it, like a beacon drawing travelers, was what looked like two trees twisted together to form one. From the branches of the strange joining, strips of brightly colored cloth were tied to it in a strange yet complementary contrast to its ancient, gnarled limbs.
The longer Stark stared at it, the odder it made him feel.
"I've never seen a tree like that, and why is all that cloth tied to it?" he asked.
Seoras braked, coming to a stop in the middle of the road. " 'Tis a hawthorn tree and a rowan tree, grown together to make a hangin' tree."
When that's all the explanation he gave, Stark shot him a frustrated look, saying, "A hanging tree?"
"Yer education is sadly lackin', laddie. Ach, well, 'thon tree is a tree of wishes. Each knot - each strip of cloth - represents a wish. Sometimes it's parents wishin' for the well-being of a wain. Sometimes it's friends remembering those passed on to the next life. But most often it's wishes of lovers, tying their lives together and wishin' fer happiness. They're trees grown by the Good People, roots fed by passin' on their well wishes from their world tae urs."
"The good people?" Stark looked exasperated.
"The Fey - Fairies tae you. Do yie no know that's where the sayin' 'Tie the knot' comes from?"
"That's romantic," Aphrodite said, her tone - for once - totally devoid of sarcasm.
"Aye, wumman, if it's truly romantic, then it must be Scottish," said the Warrior as he put the Range Rover into gear and pulled slowly away from the wish-laden tree.
Distracted by the thought of tying a wish with Zoey, Stark didn't notice the castle until Seoras stopped again. Then he looked up, and the blaze of light reflecting off rock and water filled his sight. The castle sat a couple hundred yards from the main road, down a single lane that was really a raised stone bridgeway over a boggy field. Torches, like those that lined the bridge from the mainland, lit the lane, only here they were easily three times in number, illuminating the pathway to the castle and the walls of the huge edifice itself.
And in between the torches were stakes, as thick around as a man's arm. On each stake was a head - leathered, mouth grimacing, eyes missing, the macabre things at first appeared to move and then Stark realized it was just the long, stringy hair from each shriveled scalp that floated, ghostlike in the cold breeze.
"Gross," Aphrodite whispered from the backseat.
"The Great Taker of Heads," Darius said, his voice hushed with awe.
"Aye, Sgiach," was all Seoras said, but his lips curved up in a smile that mirrored the pride in his voice.
Stark didn't speak. Instead, his eyes were drawn from the grisly entryway up and up. Sgiach's fortress perched on the very edge of a cliff that overlooked the ocean. Though he could only see the land side of the castle, it wasn't hard for Stark to imagine the sheer face that must present itself to the outer world - a world that would never gain access to her domain, even had the queen's protective spell not already repelled intruders. The castle was made of gray stone interspersed with the shimmering white marble that littered the island. In front of the thick, double wooden doors was an imposing archway that sat before the narrow, bridgelike entrance to the castle.
As he got out of the Range Rover, Stark heard a sound that drew his gaze even farther upward. Lit up by a circle of torches, a flag flew from the uppermost turret of the castle. It rippled in the cool, brisk breeze, but Stark clearly saw the bold shape of a powerful black bull with the image of a goddess, or perhaps a queen, painted within his muscular body.
Then the doors to the castle opened, and Warriors, male and female, poured from within, crossed the bridge, and jogged together toward them. Stark automatically stepped back as Darius moved up beside him in a defensive position.
"Dinnae look for trouble where nane is meant," Seoras said, making a calming motion with his callused hand. "They wish only to show proper respect to yer queen."
The Warriors, all dressed like Seoras, whether they were male or female, moved quickly, but without any sign of aggression, to Stark. They came in a column of two, holding a leather litter between them.
" 'Tis tradition, respect, laddie, for when one o' us falls. It is the responsibility of the Clan tae return him, or her, home tae Tir na nog, the land of our youth," Seoras said. "We never be leaving behind one of our own."
Stark hesitated. Meeting the Warrior's steady gaze, he said, "I don't think I can let her go."
"Och aye," Seoras said softly, nodding in understanding. "Yie dinnae have tae. You be takin' the foremost position. The Clan will do the rest."
When Stark stood there, unmoving, Seoras walked to him and held out his arms. He wasn't going to let Zoey go; he didn't think he could bear it. Then Stark saw the gold chieftain's torque glittering at Seoras's wrist. It was the torque that touched something inside him. With a jolt of surprise, he realized he trusted Seoras, and as he passed Zoey to the Warrior, he knew he wasn't giving her up but sharing her instead.
Seoras turned and carefully laid Zoey on the litter. The Warriors, six on each side, bowed their heads respectfully. Then the leader, a tall, raven-haired woman who held the foremost position of the litter, said to Stark, "Warrior, my place is yours."
Moving on instinct, Stark walked to the litter, and as the woman stepped away, he grasped the well-worn handhold. Seoras walked ahead of them. As one, Stark and the other Warriors followed him, carrying Zoey like a fallen queen into Sgiach's castle.
Stark
The interior of the castle was a major surprise, especially after the gruesome "decorations" on the exterior. At the very least, Stark had expected it to be a Warrior's castle - manly and Spartan and basically like a cross between a dungeon and a guys' locker room. He was seriously wrong.
The inside of the castle was gorgeous. The floor was smooth white marble veined in silver. The stone walls were covered with brightly colored tapestries that depicted everything from pretty island scenes, complete with shaggy-haired cows, to battlefield images that were as beautiful as they were bloody.
They'd passed through the foyer, walked down a long hallway, and come to immense double stone stairs when Seoras halted the column with a wave of his hand.
"You cannae be a Guardian of an Ace if you cannae make a decision. So yie need to decide, laddie. Do yie wish to take yur queen above and use some time tae rest and prepare, or do yie choose to begin yur quest now?"
Stark didn't hesitate. "I don't have time to rest, and I started preparing for this the day Zoey accepted my oath as her Warrior. My decision is to start my quest now."
Seoras nodded slightly. "Aye, then, it's to the Chamber of the Fi-anna Foil we will be going." The Warrior turned from the stairs and continued down the hallway. Close behind him, Stark and the others carried Zoey.
To Stark's complete irritation, Aphrodite quickened her step until she was almost even with him, and asked, "So, Seoras, what exactly did you mean when you called what Stark has to do a quest?"
Seoras didn't so much as glance over his shoulder at her when he said, "I didnae stutter, wumman. I named his task a quest, and that it is."
Aphrodite snorted.
"Shut up," Stark whispered to her.
As usual, Aphrodite ignored him. "Yeah, I got the word. I'm just not sure of the meaning."
Seoras came to a huge set of arched double doors. Stark thought they looked like they would take an army to open, but all the Warrior did was to say in a low, gentle voice, "Yur Guardian asks permission to enter, my Ace." With the sound of a lover's sigh, the doors opened by themselves, and Seoras led them into the most amazing room Stark had ever seen.
Sgiach sat on a white marble throne that was on a triple-tiered dais in the middle of the massive chamber. The throne was incredible, carved from top to bottom with intricate knots that seemed to tell a story, or portray a scene, but the stained-glass window behind Sgiach and her dais was already revealing dawn, and Stark staggered to a halt just outside its encroaching brightness, bringing the column to a standstill and drawing curious glances from all the warriors. He was squinting against the light and trying to make his brain work through the haze that the sunlight hours caused in him when Aphrodite stepped up, bowed quickly to Sgiach, and then told Seoras, "Stark's a red vam-pyre. He's different than you guys. He'll burn up in direct daylight."
"Cover the windows," Seoras ordered. Warriors immediately did his bidding, unfurling red velvet drapes Stark hadn't noticed before.
Stark's eyes instantly adapted to the darkness that blanketed the room, so even before more warriors lit wall torches and tree-sized candelabra, he clearly saw Seoras stride up the dais steps and take the place to the left of his queen's throne. He stood there with a confidence that was almost tangible. Stark knew, without any doubt, that nothing in this world, and perhaps not even the next, could get past Seoras to harm his queen, and for an instant Stark felt a terrible wave of envy. I want that! I want Zoey back so that I can be sure nothing ever hurts her again! Sgiach lifted her hand and caressed her Warrior's forearm briefly, but intimately. The queen didn't look up at Seoras, but Stark did. He was gazing down at her with an expression Stark understood completely. He's not just a Guardian, he's The Guardian.
And he loves her.
"Approach. Lay the young queen before me." As she spoke, Sgiach made a beckoning motion.
The column moved forward and gently laid Zoey's litter on the marble floor at the feet of the queen.
"You cannot bear sunlight. What else is different about you?" Sgiach said, as the last of the torches was lit, and the room took on the warm yellow glow of open flame.
The warriors faded into the chamber's shadowy corners. Stark faced the queen and her Guardian and answered her quickly, without any messing around or time-wasting preamble. "I usually sleep all during the day. I'm not one hundred percent as long as the sun is in the sky. I have more bloodlust than regular vampyres. I can't enter a private home without an invitation. There might be more differences, but I haven't been a red vampyre for very long, and that's all I've figured out so far."
"Is it true you died and were resurrected?" the queen asked.
"Yes." Stark said the word quickly, hoping she wouldn't question him more on that subject.
"Intriguing . . ." Sgiach murmured.
"Was it during daylight when your queen's soul shattered? Is that why yie failed tae protect her?" Seoras asked.
It felt like the Warrior had shot the questions through his heart, but Stark met his gaze steadily and spoke only the truth. "No. It wasn't daylight. I didn't fail her because of that. I failed her because I made a mistake."
"I'm sure the High Council, as well as the vampyres at your House of Night, have explained to you that a shattered soul is a death sentence for the High Priestess, and quite often for her Warrior as well. Why do you believe coming here will change that certainty?" Sgiach said.
"Because, like I said before: Zoey's not just a High Priestess. She's different. She's more. And because I'm not just going to be her Warrior; I want to be her Guardian."
"So yer willing tae die for her."
The Warrior didn't speak it as a question, but Stark nodded anyway. "Yes, I'd die for her."
"But he knows if he does, then he'll have no chance of getting her back into her body," Aphrodite said, as she and Darius stepped up beside him. "Because that's what other Warriors have tried, and none of them have been successful."
"He wants to use the bulls and the ancient way of the Warrior to find a door to the Otherworld while he's alive," Darius said.
Seoras laughed humorlessly. "You cannae be expectin' tae enter the Otherworld by chasing myths and rumors."
"You fly the flag of the black bull over this castle," Stark said.
"You speak of the tara, ancient symbolism long forgotten, like my island," Sgiach said.
Stark countered with: "We remembered your island."
"And the bulls aren't so forgotten in Tulsa," Aphrodite said. "Both of them manifested there last night."
There was a stretch of silence in which Sgiach's face showed utter shock, and her Warrior's expression flattened to a dangerous readiness.
"Tell us," Seoras said.
Quickly and with surprisingly little sarcasm, Aphrodite explained how Thanatos had told them about the bulls, how that had led Stevie Rae to evoking the aid of the wrong bull at the same time Damien and the rest of the kids were researching, which, in turn, had them discovering Stark's blood tie to the Guardians and Sgiach's island.
"Tell me again exactly what the white bull foretold," Sgiach said.
"The Warrior must look to his blood to discover the bridge to enter the Isle of Women, and then he must defeat himself to enter the arena. Only by acknowledging one before the other will he join his Priestess. After he joins her, it is her choice and not his whether she returns," Stark recited.
Sgiach looked up at her Warrior. "The bull has given him passage to the Otherworld."
Seoras nodded. "Aye, but only passage. The rest is his to be doing."
"Explain it to me!" Stark couldn't keep a handle on his frustration any longer. "What the hell do I have to do to get into the damn Otherworld?"
"A Warrior cannot enter the Otherworld alive," Sgiach said. "Only a High Priestess has that ability, and not many of them can actually gain access to that realm."
"I know that," Stark said through gritted teeth. "But, like you said, the bulls are letting me in."
"No," Seoras corrected. "They're allowing you passage to , nae entry. You cannae ever gain entry as a Warrior."
"But I am a Warrior! So how do I get in? What's the part about defeating myself mean?"
"That's where the old religion comes in. Long ago, male vampyres could serve the Goddess or the gods, in more than a Warrior's capacity," Sgiach said.
"Some of us were Shamans," Seoras said.
"Okay, so, I need to be a Shaman, too?" Stark asked, utterly confused.
"There is only one Warrior I've ever known who also became a Shaman." To convey her meaning, Sgiach rested her hand on Seoras's forearm.
"You're both," Aphrodite said excitedly. "So tell Stark how to do it! How he can become a Shaman along with being a Warrior."
The ancient Warrior's brows went up, and one corner of his mouth lifted in a sardonic smile. "Ach, 'tis quite simple really. The Warrior within must die tae give birth to the Shaman."
"Great. Either way I have to die," Stark said.
"Aye, so it would seem," Seoras said.
In his imagination, Stark could almost hear Zoey's "Ah hell!"