The Rabbit and the Raven: Book Two in the Solas Beir Trilogy (17 page)

“Okay. Well, tell me this. What Tierney said, about his survival being threatened and about us humans destroying everything…I mean, he kind of does have a valid point,” Abby said. “Doesn’t he?”

Eulalia returned to her chair and took Abby’s hands. “It is not that he does not have a valid point. And I do believe that, yes, it is possible you were seeing something that did happen, and that you saw it from my sister’s perspective. Certainly, if that is the case, it would make sense that you would have felt her emotions and that you would now possess a greater understanding of what appealed to her about him. But what Tierney said—valid as it may sound, is a half-truth. He speaks of the humans destroying themselves, but you must remember that he is also destructive. He is a predator, and what he says or does is not for the good of humanity. You must remember that everything he does is to serve his own interests first, even if there may be a benefit to others.”

“Okay, I see your point. But how do we know for sure what he thinks? Is it possible that he believes he is right and that, in his mind, his actions are justified?” Abby asked.

“I am certain he
does
feel justified. Most people who go to the ‘dark side,’ as you are fond of calling it, do not behave the way they do because they think they are wrong. I am sure Tierney does feel that his perspective is the right one, and that is why he is able to pursue his goals without the burden of guilt,” Eulalia explained. She stared into Abby’s eyes. “And that is why I fear for you, Abby. You cannot simply accept what I say as true. You must discover the truth for yourself or he
will
turn you to his side.”

“But I do believe you. And trust me, he will
never
turn me to his side,” Abby insisted.

Eulalia gave Abby a sad smile. “I know you think so, but you must also understand that Tierney is relentless. If he wants to turn you to his way of thinking, he will pursue you until you fall. My sister also faithfully served the Light, and even she fell.”

“I am not her.”

“No. You are not. But
I say again: you must discover the truth for yourself; otherwise you will always have doubt. Promise me this—when you go to visit the Southern Oracle, ask him to take you to the Blood Altar,” Eulalia said.

“I promise—I will. But what will I find there?” Abby asked.

“You will see Tierney for what he truly is.”

Chapter Six

THE RAINFOREST

“
A
bby!” David called as she was leaving Eulalia’s chamber. He was jogging up the corridor.

“Hi,” she said, closing the door behind her.

“So you’re done with Eulalia?” he asked, taking her hand.

“Yep—we just finished our chat.” She hoped she sounded more positive than she felt.

David didn’t seem to notice. “Great—good timing then.” He laced his fingers through hers and kissed her forehead. “I was hoping to catch you. Cael and I finished prepping for our trip. He and the other two have gone to fill their packs and say their goodbyes. You and I should do the same. Cael wants to leave at first light.”

“So we should get to bed early tonight so we are well rested, I take it?” Abby asked.

David nodded. “Yes. The horses can take us to the edge of the rainforest, but after that, we’re on our own. It’s just too dense for them. We have a long walk ahead.”

“That we do. All right, I’ll go say goodbye to my family and finish packing.” Abby suddenly felt very tired
, thinking about the trip. No, that wasn’t it exactly. She was emotionally exhausted from her conversation with Eulalia, and thinking about packing just added to that.

“I’ll come with you,” he said. He studied her face. “Abby, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she lied.

David looked up and down the empty hallway and then led Abby to an alcove of arched windows with a view of the Western Sea. “Abby,” he said. “Talk to me. Please.” His eyes were wide, pleading.

“What do you want me to say?”

David furrowed his brow in frustration. “I’m worried about you. Ever since you hit your head, you haven’t been yourself. Does your head still ache?”

“No, I’m fine,” Abby repeated.

“Well, then, why does it feel like you’ve been so distant lately?” he asked. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No,” she said. “No, that’s not it at all.”

“Well, what is it then? Tell me,” David
pleaded, placing his hand gently on her cheek.

Looking up at him, Abby could see that he was genuinely concerned about her—that he was trying hard to be helpful. She sighed. “I’m just really tired. I haven’t been sleeping well at all. Lots and lots of nightmares.”

It seemed like every time she closed her eyes she was haunted by either Tierney or the Kruorumbrae. She couldn’t help but feel a sense of doom about the journey to see the Southern Oracle. She hoped that was just the sleep deprivation talking, and not an actual premonition.

After her conversation with Eulalia, when she confessed that she could understand Tierney’s way of thinking, Abby felt frustrated, humiliated, and yes—she had to admit—
frightened
by Eulalia’s reaction. But she wasn’t about to make the same mistake with David. Besides, it would only hurt him, and that was the last thing she wanted to do.

He caressed her cheek, still staring intently at her. “All right, well, how about this: let me stay with you tonight. I’ll keep the bad stuff away.”

“I don’t know…”

“Abby, we’ll be camped out next to each other every night on this trip anyway. Are you worried about what your parents might think?” David asked.

Abby shook her head. “No. They’ve pretty much treated me like an adult since we got here. They’ve been surprisingly cool about me going on this trip.” She smiled. “Not that they’ve had much choice in the matter.”

“Yeah, we haven’t exactly asked their opinion, have we? But they’ve been nice to me—I think they might actually approve,” he grinned.

“They do. They think you’re great for me.”

“That’s a relief. Okay, then—if it’s not about your parents, what are you afraid of?” David questioned.

Abby looked down at her feet, unsure of how to answer him. For a second, she was tempted to tell David about her conversation with Eulalia.

I know what you’re afraid of, Rabbit.
Tierney’s voice echoed in Abby’s mind.
You’re afraid you’ll say my name in your sleep and he’ll find out about us.

Abby shivered.
Get out of my head,
she thought. She prayed that Tierney’s voice was only her imagination, and that he couldn’t actually read her mind. “There is no
us
,” she muttered.

“What?” David asked, startled.

“Sorry,” Abby said, frowning. There was no way she could tell David the truth about her dreams of Tierney. Not ever. “I was talking to myself, not you. Arguing with myself, actually. See—I’m so sleep deprived, I’ve lost my mind.” Making a decision, she forced herself to meet David’s concerned gaze. “Okay. Please stay with me tonight—if anyone can protect me from the bad stuff, it’s you.” She smiled at him.

“Always,” David vowed, pulling her close and kissing her. He stared into her eyes. “I will
always
keep the bad stuff away from you.”

“Is that a promise?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said. “It’s a promise. Nothing will ever hurt you as long as I’m around.”

David woke Abby with a soft kiss on her forehead. She’d slept peacefully once she was nestled against him—or so he hoped. “Mornin’, sunshine,” he whispered.

“Good morning,” she whispered back sleepily, kissing his cheek.

“Any bad dreams?” he asked.

“Not one, thanks to you. You’ve sold me on this being together thing. I don’t ever want to fall asleep without you again,” Abby said.

He smiled. “You will never have to. Like I said, I will always be here for you.”

She returned his smile.
“Good. Because you’re stuck with me now.”

“Just how I like it. Ready for our little adventure?”

She yawned and then sat up and stretched. “Yeah. I think a change of scenery will do me good.”

“I think so too.” David looked toward the window. The dawn sky was suffused with pink and coral. “Let’s hurry—I’m sure Cael is already saddling his horse. Early riser.”

“Too early,” Abby groaned.

David laughed. “I know. Come on,” he said, and kissed her cheek.

After getting up and grabbing a bite to eat, Abby and David headed to the stables to join Cael, Jon, and Marisol. They quickly finished up their last-minute packing.

Abby noticed that she and Marisol had picked similar clothes for this adventure: tight-fitting pants and billowing shirts cinched with belts. Abby had been wearing dresses more often since coming to Cai Terenmare, but still felt more comfortable with pants when training or going out riding. Apparently Marisol did too.

Abby stroked her horse’s neck. She made one last check of her pack, grasped the saddle horn, and swung up into the saddle.

“Everyone ready?” Cael asked.

“Yep—let’s go,” Abby said, smiling brightly.

“You’re awfully chipper this morning,” Jon muttered, climbing up into his saddle. He tugged on his pack to make sure it was secure.

“I’m excited,” Abby replied. “Aren’t you?”

“I will be once I wake up. I’m so not a morning person,” Jon complained.

David chuckled as he, too, mounted his horse. “No whining, Reyes.”

“Yeah, come on, Grumplestiltskin,” Marisol
teased, cocking her head to the side. Her long hair fell over her shoulder.

Cael looked around to
make sure everyone was ready. With a nod, he nudged his horse to move out. David, Abby, Jon, and Marisol followed suit.

“
Personally, I’m with Abby on this one,” Marisol said. “I can’t wait to see what’s in the jungle. Will we see any animals, Cael?”

“We might,” Cael said. “But remember, be careful not to touch them—some have a rather nasty bite. The same goes for the plant life.”

Marisol frowned. “Oh yeah, I forgot about that part. Well, that’s no fun.”

“Now who’s the grumpy one?” Jon asked. Grinning, he nudged his horse into a gallop.

Marisol laughed and hurried to catch up.

Abby started to follow, but then saw a dark shape pass over head. Brarn circled briefly before landing on her saddle horn. “Not this time, my friend,” she said, stroking his feathers. “If we encounter carnivorous plants, I don’t want you perching on them. Go home to Eulalia.”

The raven cocked his head at her. “Go on,” Abby said firmly. “I’ll see you when we get back.”

Brarn bobbed his head and took to the air, flying back toward the castle.

“You two have bonded,” David noted. “I think that bird may like you even more than he likes my mom.”

“I guess it must be because I rescued him from a Shadow cat once,” Abby explained.

“He is not one to forget a favor,” Cael said. “I daresay he would follow you to hell and back.”

“Let’s hope it never comes to that,” Abby said. “Come on, we’ll never catch those two if we don’t get a move on.” She nudged her horse into a trot, and Cael and David kept pace with her.

Abby shifted in her saddle, trying to stretch out her back and neck. They’d been riding for hours, and her thighs had started to ache.

“Anyone else have a sore butt?” Jon asked.

Cael gave him a look. “Best enjoy the ride while you can, Jon. Once we reach the
tree stump called the Emerald Guardian, we go on foot.”

“Why is it called that?” Marisol asked. “Is it covered in jewels?”

“No—it is just very green,” Cael replied.

“It used to be a portal once,” Abby added, “a long time ago.”

Cael turned to look at her. “How do you know that?”

“I saw it in a dream,” Abby admitted. She realized the others were staring at her as well. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Yes,” Cael said. “It was a portal. One favored by Tierney. Ardal closed it when he discovered that fact.”

“Ah. That part I didn’t know,” Abby lied.
It may be best to keep these things to myself,
she thought.

Cael stared at her for a second, then turned to the others. “It used to be that a journey to the outer edges of Cai Terenmare could happen in the blink of an eye. Now that the portals are closed, we have to use more conventional means, which is why we will soon be traveling on foot.”

“And there’s no way we can reopen the portals to speed things up?” Marisol asked.

“Oh, we can,” David interjected, “but we won’t. We can’t risk Tierney gaining access to them again.”