Hearne's expression grew hard, his gaze full of fury.
And Deirdre, where her heart had seemed so heavy, felt all of her fear and worry lift from her.
For she recognized in the cry of the amulet Egann's name. The talisman sought to reach out, to find Egann, the rightful King and the only one truly meant to wear the silver chain and glowing gemstones.
And she knew Hearne perceived this too.
Such a song could only mean one thing – Egann was near. Her heart leapt. Somehow, he had found her. She closed her eyes and muttered a quick prayer of thanks to the Goddess.
* * *
Running with Egann, the small cat darted in front of him, tangling herself in his legs and causing him to slow his run to merely a walk. As he drew close to the roaring fire, Egann realized that he heard no screams of terror, saw no struggling between the people that gathered around the leaping flames. He slowed his pace and, still unnoticed, kept to the flickering shadows, one eye on the crowd.
Though some wore the black hooded robes of the Maccus, they did not appear to worship, nor hold some arcane ceremony in honor of their red and angry god. Indeed, and he squinted through the smoky haze, Shadow Dancers mingled freely with Maccus. Small groups of them clustered in conversation, others appeared intent on the leaping flames, taking great gulps of the heavy smoke.
Something felt… wrong, though none of those gathered in the cavern seemed to notice, or care. Perhaps he suffered this way because he experienced the sensation that the weight of the entire earth pressed heavy above and around him. It seemed unnatural, to travel so deep within the bowels of the world.
Then he heard it – the cry of the Amulet of Gwymyrr. At once the gathering thong went silent, their voices stilled by the eerie notes of the song.
He felt a tug of recognition. In the joyful call of welcome, he quite plainly heard his name.
Heedless of the watching crowd, he moved forward. Never so greatly had he wished he might wield a sword, or any weapon for that matter, the way a human warrior could. But he had his magic to protect him and, if indeed he faced the Maccus here, the opponents were of his own race. There were no stipulations against battling ones such as they.
The amulet's song increased in volume and strength, causing many of the people he passed to drop to their knees, faces contorted in agony. He found it odd that such an exquisite sound could cause them pain, when to him it was a haunting song of beauty.
They fell back as he moved among them, unerringly following the musical notes. Deeper into the earth he went, leaving behind the bonfire and the crowd. Here flickering torches burned to light the path, and he saw there were no guards to bar his way.
Now he felt the pulse of the amulet, the same throbbing beat that he had felt before. Its voice seemed to urge him along, though he did not detect any warning of danger in the splendor of the echoing cry.
The amulet! Finally, `twould appear the precious talisman was within reach.
Gradually, he became conscious of his surroundings. The slippery path he trod now became a stone bridge, linking the cavern he had left with another. Over a deep precipice he strode, Cinnie a few paces ahead of him on the narrow ledge.
He took great care with his steps, glancing down only once, and seeing nothing but a bottomless darkness.
The amulet fell silent. The quiet seemed absolute, except for the muted sound of his careful footfalls. Finally stepping off the bridge onto the other side, he rounded a jagged corner and saw – Deirdre! She met his gaze and he saw joy and fear and sorrow in her magnificent eyes.
She was not alone. Next to her stood Ula and another man, a massive warrior who, his golden hair swirling around his shoulders, wore the stolen Amulet of Gwymyrr around his thick neck.
At last. The Amulet of Gwymyrr.
Deirdre made a sound, a choked laugh – or cry – he wasn't sure which. Though the sparkling amulet seemed to beckon to him, Egann went to Deirdre first, letting his gaze roam over her until he was satisfied that she had come to no harm.
"My name is Hearne." The other man stepped forward, placing himself in the path between Egann and the Ula. "I am the savior of her people."
Gaze never leaving Egann's, Deirdre gave a slow shake of her head. "He claims that he gathers Shadow Dancers here, in the darkest bowels of the earth, to give them a chance at a new life." Her mocking tone showed exactly how little she believed this tale.
"You do not gather them here to destroy them, as has always been the way of the Maccus?" This question Egann directed at Hearne.
The other man wore a smug smile as he fingered the glittering amulet. "`Tis none of your concern,
Fae."
He made the word sound like a curse.
"Aye, but it is my concern. You wear that which is mine by right." Egann low tone was, to those who knew him, deadly.
"I would known how you found us."
Cinnie mewed, drawing their attention. With a soft cry, Deirdre scooped the kitten up and cuddled her.
"`Twas the cat who led them to us," Ula hissed, stepping out from behind her leader. "For it could not have been his magic."
Egann did not comment on her statement. Now that he knew Deirdre was in no immediate danger, he focused on the amulet. "Give me that which belongs to me," he ordered. He would allow this Hearne a choice, to surrender peacefully or suffer the consequences. Maccus against Fae.
Hearne's smile grew broader. "Magic does not work down here. I do not know the reason. Only the power of this talisman-" he lifted the heavy pendant as if to examine it, then let it drop back on to his chest, as though taunting Egann with his casual handling, "allows me to control my own power."
Clenching his hands into fists, Egann took a step forward. "The Amulet of Gwymyrr is mine."
A low growl, like the rumble of far-away thunder, came from Hearne. He moved his hands, the motions quick, and muttered words too low for Egann to hear.
A spell. Without his magic, he could not know what kind, or which words he might speak to counteract it.
The torches sputtered, then flared bright.
Deirdre screamed. Cinnie jumped from her arms with a frightened yowl.
The fabric of the air around them shifted, whirled.
Egann stepped forward.
And Deirdre no longer stood beside him. Instead, she dangled from the edge of the bridge, her hands clawing for purchase on the crumbling stone, her legs swinging over the bottomless precipice.
"She will die if she falls," Hearne said softly, almost conversationally, once again turning the amulet and admiring its sparkle. Then he lifted the heavy chain from around his neck, holding the sparking pendant before him like a lure. "You must choose, prince of Rune. The amulet or the woman."
Egann spoke a spell of his own, a summoning spell that should have raised Deirdre up from the rock edge to safety.
Nothing happened. No movement, no shimmering. Nothing.
One of Deirdre's hands lost purchase, the unstable rock giving way. Immediately she clutched at another stone, scrabbling to keep a grip. A low moan sounded from deep within her throat as her terror-filled gaze met Egann's.
In three strides he reached her, taking hold of her wrist and pulling her to safety. She collapsed against him, her shuddering breath coming in gasps. Wrapping his arms around her, Egann held her, heedless of possible danger, relieved by the solid, soft feel of her, taking in her sweet scent.
Again the air altered, parted. Egann did not need to turn to know that the other man had gone, and with it the Amulet of Gwymyrr. But turn he did, keeping Deirdre close to him, simply to verify that his suspicions had proven correct.
Only Ula stood where before there had been two.
"Rodan's teeth," Egann swore. So close he could almost reach out and touch it, the amulet had once again disappeared.
"I should have taken the dratted thing." Deirdre moved restlessly against him, lifting her head to give him a troubled look.
"We will find it again." Egann dipped his head and kissed her parted lips. As always, she went soft and pliant at his touch. "You are safe, that matters most."
Her eyes went wide and he saw that they had changed color again. Now a rich, dark mahogany, he saw in them absolute trust mingled with desire.
He wanted to drink her in, absorb her, inhale her. Only by concentrating on the missing amulet was he able to keep from doing so.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
"I think so." With a hesitant smile she looked beyond him, to the place where Ula waited alone and silent. "And you?"
"The amulet was within my reach." In his own voice he heard bitterness mingled with his rage. "Once again, I have let it slip away."
"This Hearne has discovered how to use it?"
Deirdre's question, though a good one, only increased his confusion. "Apparently so," he said. "And he has drawn upon its power to keep him hidden by magical means. I cannot follow him that way, for it seems my magic deserts me in this dark place."
"I am sorry." She stepped away from him, slipping from his arms and making him feel a momentary sense of loss. "`Twas my fault that you lost the talisman yet again."
"Do not take this burden upon yourself." The fierceness of his tone surprised even him. "Instead, tell me what you know of this one called Hearne."
"Wait." Ula moved forward, fierce resolve showing in her lined face. "You must know that Hearne would never have hurt you," this remark she directed at Deirdre, her gaze bright and full of an awful and ardent belief. "It was merely a test."
"A test." The grim set of Deirdre's mouth matched her clipped, hard words. "Tell me this Ula, since you seem to love this Hearne and know him well. Where did he go?"
With a lift of her shoulders, the older woman held out her hands palms up, to indicate that she did not know. "He travels where he pleases, out into the bright light of day where I can not go."
Egann sensed Deirdre's mounting anger. "We must leave this place." He took a deep breath, trying to ignore the acrid scent of the foul air. "I like it not. Come, Deirdre. Let us find another path from here up to the world above."
Immediately Deirdre moved to his side and took his hand. "We have already stayed here overlong."
At that Ula let out a screech. "You fool," she spat. "You would leave the one place where you can be normal?"
"Normal?" Deirdre looked around them, and Egann knew she took in the flickering torches, the slick dampness of the stone walls, and the rank, stale air that they breathed. "How can you say this is normal? You cannot even see the velvet night of the sky, nor scent the seasons on the breeze."
If she heard the logic in Deirdre's words, Ula gave no sign. "Go then," she said. "Leave us. We want no unbelievers here. Your kind is destined to die in the flames, as a sacrifice to the god of the Maccus."
Cinnie hissed, drawing their attention. She took a few steps down another passage, then sat and waited.
"Your pet has found the way out," Egann said. "`Twas she who led me to you when I could not find you. Gladly will I follow her." Moving together, Egann and Deirdre moved past Ula.
They saw none of the others in this new passage the led up. No one stepped forward to challenge them.
Climbing steadily, it did not take long before they reached the original passage that connected to the large cave inside the cliff where Egann had first made entrance. The salt scent of the sea came stronger, seeming to refresh Deirdre, who had begun to droop with fatigue. Cinnie wound herself around her legs, purring softly as Deirdre reached down to scratch her.
"Tell me, Deirdre asked, "why did Cinnie change into a kitten again? I though she would stay a horse with Weylyn."