Into the Fire (14 page)

“C’mon,” said Jane, who had been staring into the corners of the room, probably trying to figure out where the security cameras were. “I want to look at the other side of the room.” Cedar followed her to the opposite side of the display. It hurt to be this close without being able to do anything about it. All she—or Finn or Felix or Eden—needed to do was touch it to see if it grew warm. If it did, they’d be able to go back to Tír na nÓg and start setting things right immediately. If not, well…

Felix came striding up to them just then, rubbing his hands together, a huge smile on his face.

“You look like you have good news,” Cedar said, her hopes rising.

Felix shrugged and winked at Finn. “I don’t think we’ll have too many problems,” he said. “But it would be best if we went to get ourselves a pint so that we can chat about it somewhere more private. Let’s go.”

An hour later they were ensconced in the White Bull, one of Edinburgh’s many tiny pubs. Eden was wolfing down a plate of sweet potato fries, accompanied by a Shirley Temple, while the rest of them drank their pints and listened to Felix. “It’s amazing what people will tell you when they think you’re a novelist,” he was saying. “The security’s heavy, for sure, but I don’t think it’s impossible.”

“But there are cameras
everywhere,
” Jane said. “Plus bulletproof glass—”

“Bullet-resistant, actually,” Felix corrected her. “There’s no such thing as completely bulletproof glass.”

“Whatever,” she said. “There’s bullet-
resistant
glass, steel blinds, the doors are reinforced with steel… and those are just the security features we know about. There are probably all kinds of
bells and whistles we can’t see. These are the most valuable artifacts in all of Scotland. Your little conversation with the guide hasn’t changed any of that.”

“Always the pessimist, aren’t you?” Felix said. “They’re expecting
humans
to try to steal the crown jewels. And we”—he indicated everyone at the table except for Jane—“are not human. We’re faster, we’re stronger, and we have a tricky little damsel right here who could get us into the queen’s bedroom if we asked her nicely enough. Not that I want to know what’s going on in there,” he added, and everyone except Jane laughed.

“So what’s your plan?” Cedar asked.

“First, we finish this lovely pint,” he said, raising his glass in a salute. “Then we go back to your place and cool our heels until the castle closes and it’s nice and dark. Later, Eden can open a sidh directly into the Crown Room. Finn will transform into something big and strong and decidedly nonhuman, bust open the case, grab the stone, and pop back into the sidh. Even if the cameras see him—which they no doubt will—and they lock the whole bloody island down, he’ll already be back in Halifax, which is, frankly, the last place they’d think to look for him even if they somehow managed to recognize him, which they won’t, because he’ll immediately transform back into the handsome fellow you see sitting before you.”

Cedar looked at Finn, who was smiling wryly at Felix. “Hardly sophisticated,” he said, “but it should work.”

“I like it,” Cedar said. “Let’s do it. But I don’t like the idea of just cooling our heels while we wait.” She checked the time on her phone. “We’ve got three hours before the castle closes, and probably another five or six before it’s really dark. I think we should look somewhere else in the meantime, in case you’re right and this isn’t the real Lia Fáil. How about Scone?”

“It’s a long shot,” Finn said, “The abbey that was in charge of the stone was destroyed centuries ago. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to do a little exploring.”

Jane pulled her tablet out of her bag and did a quick search. “Scone Palace has a replica of the Stone of Destiny, and it looks like they recently found some of the ruins of the abbey. Wouldn’t it be crazy if the real stone was built into the abbey? It could be part of the ruins.”

“That would make sense if they wanted to hide it from the English,” Cedar said, excitement in her voice. “Let’s go check it out.”

A few minutes later they were standing in a small grove of trees on the grounds of Scone Palace. The sun shone through the delicate green leaves so that the trees appeared to be dripping with jewels. They stepped out onto the pathway and looked around to get their bearings.

“The replica of the stone is up here,” Jane said, pointing to a stone chapel on top of a small hill. Cedar cast her eyes about as they walked up the hill. There were other tourists milling around the grounds, but no one had seemed to have noticed their unconventional arrival. Scone Palace loomed in front of them, opposite the chapel. The palace’s outer walls were draped in ivy, and a few leaves were beginning to redden in the late summer chill. “Here it is,” Jane said.

The replica was a good one; Cedar couldn’t tell the difference between the stone they had seen in Edinburgh Castle and the one that was supported by two pillars in front of the entrance to the chapel. It was the height of a bench, and Eden climbed up and sat down on it. Cedar placed her palm against the stone, which stayed cool to the touch. Finn and Felix followed suit, but both shook their heads. “Well, we
know
this one is a replica,” Cedar said, feeling foolish for being disappointed. “The question is whether the original is still around here or if they actually gave it to the English.” She shivered suddenly and told Eden to zip up her jacket.

“But I’m not cold,” Eden protested. Cedar felt goose bumps travel up and down her arms, and was going to ask Finn if he found
it unusually cold. She stopped when she noticed that he and Felix were staring straight ahead, looks of astonishment on their faces.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Oh, wow!” Eden exclaimed. “Cool! Look, Mum!” she said, pointing.

Cedar trained her eyes where Eden was pointing, but all she could see was an empty field. A group of Japanese tourists walked past them, chatting animatedly with one another. “I don’t see anything,” Cedar said.

“The church!” Eden said.

“What church? The church is behind us,” Cedar said, pointing at the small chapel that the Japanese tourists had just entered.

“I don’t see anything either,” said Jane.

“You probably can’t see it because you’re human,” Eden said in a matter-of-fact voice. “And because you’re kind of human, Mum.”

Finn turned to them. “You really can’t see it?”

Cedar squinted at the field again. “No,” she said. “All I see is a field. But it’s bitterly cold. Aren’t the rest of you cold?” They all shook their heads.

“Odd,” Finn said. “Your human ability won’t let you see them, but maybe you can still feel them.”

“Them? Who?”

“The ghosts,” Eden said in an awed voice. “Look! One is coming toward us!” She ducked behind Finn’s legs and peered out around them.

“What’s happening?” Cedar asked.

She felt Jane edge in closer to her. “Ghosts?” her friend whispered.

“Don’t be afraid,” Felix said, standing a bit taller. “You’re safe with us.”

“I’m not afraid,” Jane snapped. “I just can’t see a damn thing.”

“A figure is heading this way,” Felix explained. “And beyond him, I think it must be the old abbey. Jane, can you pull up the map of the grounds on your computer?”

Jane mumbled something about data charges, but pulled out her tablet and peered at the screen. “Yeah, according to the map, the abbey was located over there. What… what does it look like?”

“Like how you’d expect a ghost church would look, I suppose,” Finn said. “It’s not huge, maybe three hundred feet in length, Romanesque in design, I’d say. I think it was built in the 1100s. You can see through it, but it still looks solid enough to touch.” He held up his hand, and they all fell silent. Finn, Felix, and Eden were staring at the same spot in the air in front of them. Then Finn bowed slightly. “And to you, friend. We did not expect to see this place.”

There was another pause. Cedar could hear Jane whisper, “This is so bizarre…” beside her.

“Finn, who are you talking to?” she asked, unable to stay silent.

“Shh! It’s the ghost, Mum!” Eden said.

“Forgive me,” Finn said to the air. “But we have two humans among our party who cannot see or hear you. May I repeat your words to them?”

The ghost must have agreed, because Finn turned to Cedar and Jane and said, “This is James Abercrombie, who was the last abbot at Scone. He died in 1514. He recognizes us for who we are.” The corners of Finn’s mouth lifted up. “He says that death has a way of opening one’s mind to the supernatural in ways that life cannot. He is the caretaker of this ghostly place and its people. The spirits here had a strong connection to the abbey and they died without peace. Once they make their peace with themselves, they move on.”

“Move on where?” Jane asked.

“To whatever comes next,” Finn answered simply. Then he turned back to the ghost.

“We are looking for the true Lia Fáil, which our forefathers brought to this world from Falias and entrusted into the care of humans. We know that there was once a great stone here on which
many of your kings were crowned. They say it was taken by the English, but there are many who doubt that story. Do you know if such a stone still exists in these lands?”

Again, Cedar heard nothing but extended silence as the ghost abbot responded.

“He says there are more than a few ghosts from that dreadful time here in his abbey. Some betrayed their own people and country for English gold. Others failed to protect the innocent around them and sought to save their own lives instead. He says that if we go into the abbey, we’ll hear many stories about the Stone of Destiny.”

Finn, Felix, and Eden started walking across the field. Jane and Cedar looked at each other and then shrugged and started following the others. “How are we supposed to go into a church we can’t bloody see?” Jane whispered. After a few paces, they group stopped abruptly.

Everyone was silent for a long moment, but Cedar could tell that the ghost must be talking, because Finn was nodding at regular intervals. Finally, he turned to look at her. “We’re at the entrance to the abbey,” he said. “The abbot says that he’s willing to open your eyes so that you can see the spirit world inside these walls.”

Jane looked nervously at Cedar, and then nodded.

“Yes, we would like that,” Cedar said. She felt something cold pass through her, like she had been plunged into an ice bath and then quickly dried off. Suddenly, she was no longer standing in the middle of an empty field. A huge translucent stone structure loomed in front of her. She reached out to touch the wooden doors that were only a foot from her face. She expected her hand to pass right through it, but it stopped, and she could feel the grain of the wood beneath her fingers. When she withdrew her hand, the doors opened inward.

“Welcome,” said the ghostly abbot, whom she could now see, a clean-shaven, unremarkable man wearing a plain robe that fell to
his ankles. The only thing that stood out about him was the fact that he too appeared both solid and translucent. The top of his head was shaved bald. He smiled and bobbed at Cedar, and she smiled back. Feeling Eden grab for her hand, she knelt down to her daughter’s level.

“How are you doing, baby?” she asked. “Does this scare you?”

“A little,” Eden admitted. “But it’s also really cool!”

“Well, I think all the ghosts here are friendly,” Cedar said as they followed the abbot inside. The floor beneath them was stone, and Cedar wondered if the Lia Fáil could possibly be hiding here among the ghosts. There were many of them around, some standing in groups and talking, others kneeling on benches in prayer, some pacing and muttering.

They followed the abbot until he came to a stop at the doorway to a small chapel. “The man inside may be of help. His name is Thomas de Balmerino. He was abbot here when the English came. They imprisoned him for a time, but he returned to his position when he was released. I do not know what happened to him, only that the peace offered by our Lord has not been sufficient for him to move on. Perhaps you can help each other.”

He left them there at the entrance to the chapel. Cedar looked inside. It was tiny, with only room for a simple altar and three wooden benches. A man sat on one of them, his back toward them, his shoulders shaking. Cedar walked in slowly, but he didn’t seem to notice her. She cleared her throat, and he turned around and saw her, his tear-stained face creasing in confusion. Then he looked behind her and took in the others in the doorway and let out a gasp. He fell to his knees and crossed himself. “The gods of old,” he whispered. “Have you come to take me away for my sins?”

“No!” Cedar said quickly, with a horrified glance at Finn. “We’re just looking for something. The abbot—um, Abbot Abercrombie—said you might be able to help.”

Still on his knees, he drew back, as though afraid she might strike him. “I know what you’re looking for,” he said, his voice quavering. “It’s not here, it’s not here,” he moaned.

“It’s okay,” Cedar said, trying to sound soothing. “It’s Thomas, right? We just want to know where it is. The Stone of Destiny,” she added, in case he was referring to something else entirely. “Is it… hidden somewhere?”