Arric was notonly the head of the Cauld Ane council, but he was also an ancient Oracle onceknown as Ketill Feilan, the last knownHeimsgöngumaður.His body wascovered in prophetic markings burned into his flesh by the Fates themselves. Hewas very wise and very powerful. He was also a great hang and one hell of aping-pong player.
With Isla by hisside, Arric, now dressed in his full-dress cloak, stood up and delivered theancient words.
“Vinum okkarog vandamönnum, og öllum þeim sem við höfum misst, megi ævisögur þínar ætíðverða sagðar, megi eilífur logi þinn að eilífu skína skært og megi vindurinnfylla segl afkomenda þinna.”(To our friends and family, and to all thosewe’ve lost, may the stories of your life always be told, may your eternal flameshine forever bright, and may the wind fill the sails of your ancestors).
My fatherfollowed by raising his glass. “I promised Sam I’d make this brief, so let mesimply say,Skál!”
CHAPTER FIVE
Phineas
ANHOUR INTO the gala, I was growing agitated… and bored. I’m not entirely surehow it was possible to hold those two emotions in one’s body, but I was doingit in spectacular fashion.
I was alsotrying to hold down a conversation with my cousin, Isla. Arric and my fatherwere milling around the room, talking with our guests, basically enjoying theirextroverted selves, while Isla and I were in a corner in the library, me with aglass of whisky, her with a glass of bubbly apple cider, trying to hide fromthe world, when all of a sudden, the disorienting feeling I’d experienced inNew York returned… only this time it was much worse. I felt like I was standingon the deck of a ship during rough seas without the ability to balance andreorientate myself with the horizon.
“Are you okay?”Isla asked, but her words were nearly lost under what sounded like a voicecrying out underwater.
“Can you hearthat?” I asked.
Isla pointed inthe direction of the string quartet. “The music?”
“No.” I shook myhead, doing my best to smile. “Sorry. If you’ll excuse me. I’m suddenly notfeeling very well.”
“Do you want meto grab yer Da?”
I shook my headagain as Isla’s words trailed behind me. I made my way toward the royal dais insearch of my mother and was not surprised to see her already coming toward me.
“You feel ittoo?” she asked.
I nodded,pressing my hand to my chest. “What is it?”
“Whoisit?” she corrected. “I don’t know, but whoever it is isn’t happy. And we seemto be the only two that can feel their presence.”
… in danger.
“What’s thatsound?”
“What sound? Idon’t hear anything,” she replied.
“It sounds likesomeone’s drowning.”
“I don’t hearanything, but I do feel a presence.” My mother glanced around the room. “Andwhoever they are, they’re close and we need to find them.”
“You check thehouse and I’ll check outside, starting with the pond. We’ll meet back here inno more than twenty minutes.”
Without waitingfor my mother’s response, I headed for the castle’s rear exit and made my wayoutside. I sprinted to the pond to find it calm and unpopulated, so I headedeast, around toward the castle’s front gates, where the Hand of the Crossprotesters were assembled about one hundred meters away. There looked to beabout a dozen of them, carrying signs protesting the partnerships between theCauld Ane and the various world organizations and political factionsrepresented at tonight’s gala.
As I got closerto the group, the sound in my head grew louder and became clearer. It was awoman’s voice, and it sounded like she was trying to psychically send a warningto someone.
“If you can… me.The protesters… not… please… protect yourselves. I don’t know… coming… guns.You have to… safe. This is so stupid… I can’t believe I’m trying to—”
Someoneinterrupted her thoughts, but I could still hear through her ears, and thevoice I heard was all too familiar. It was Gavin Trask.
“Remember,”hesaid.“Wait for Stuart’s signal. Then, fire your flare gun directly at thecastle. Then, wait here until you get the ‘all clear’ call. You understand?”
“Yes, sir,”the woman said.
“That’s mygirl. Remember to stay here with the others no matter what. The last thing Ineed is to have to explain to your mama why you wandered off and got caught inthe shoulder by some friendly fire.”
