“Do you perhaps know someone by the name of Aston?” she thought to ask Weyden.
He scratched his beard. “No.”
They collectively sighed.
“But I have heard the name. My neighbor was wailing it last night.”
Dyna blushed at the insinuation. “Oh, where can we find him?”
“Hem lives in the Gathering Tree.”
Keena flashed him a smile. “Thank you, Weyden.”
The bowyer nodded, and they went on their way. The Gathering Tree turned out to be the tree where Dyna had first woken. It was a gargantuan sequoia. A rope bridge spiraled around the massive red trunk. Each landing had thousands of doors and windows to several homes. Asking for Hem easily led them to a round yellow door about halfway up the tree. Below sprawled the entire court of the Moors. She knocked, and a young fae in rumpled clothing answered. His curly blond hair fell over his brown eyes, swollen red from crying.
“What?” he snapped.
She winced. “Sorry to bother you. I’m searching for Aston.”
A bitter smile crossed his face. “You’re too late, mortal. That conniving pile of muck already left for his court with the others.”
“Oh, uh, but I have his jacket. I’ve come to return it to him.”
Hem glanced at the silvery leaves in her arms, and his mouth quivered. “He loved that gaudy thing, probably more than me. Yet he didn’t care to leave it behind, either. Burn the jacket or toss it in the Lost Well for all I care. If you ever find him, toss him in there too.”
And the door slammed in her face.
Chapter 32
Dynalya
When Dyna entered Lucenna’s tent later that evening, she found the sorceress laying in her bed, staring at the ceiling with defeat. Losing the scale had really brought her down.
Dyna sat beside her. “Are you all right?”
Lucenna sighed and finally glanced at her. She arched an eyebrow at the sight of the silver jacket she wore. “I will be. I take it you had no luck finding the fae?”
“No. Aston returned home. With how valuable his jacket is, you would think he would have sought me out before leaving. It’s enchanted to protect the wearer.”
Lucenna sat, life sparking back to her face. “Is it? Enchanted clothing is quite rare. Well, if he cares nothing for it, perhaps we can use it to trade with the Druid.”
Dyna bit her lip as he played with the leaves. “Well, you may not need the Druid. I think I have the answer you’re searching for.” She reached in the jacket and pulled out the journal. “Can you cast another containment dome?”
Lucenna didn’t hesitate. She waved her hands in a circle, and a dome of gold light appeared around them.
“A long time ago, I ran away instead of fighting,” Dyna said, watching the softly glowing round walls. “I couldn’t protect my family then, but I swore to myself I wouldn’t let that happen again. That’s why we’re here. I’m on a mission to find the one thing that will protect those I love.” Her gaze flickered to Lucenna’s medallion. “I suspect it’s being held in the same place you also search for.”
Lucenna stilled.
Dyna traced the embossed shape of a crescent moon entwined with vines on the cover. Azeran had dedicated his life to helping those in need, and the journal was part of that legacy. In her heart, Dyna sensed it was right to share its secrets with Lucenna when she too was fighting to continue what Azeran started.
Dyna hovered a palm above the journal, emitting a green light, and the clasp came undone. The old yellow pages crinkled as she gently turned them to a blank section. She brought it to her lips and whispered,“Tellus, lunam, solis…”
Gold dust swirled on the page, mixing with a flare of purple tinted green with her own. Majestic black ink swirled across the surface, quickly forming the country of Urn. The last to take shape was the glowing beacon of the hidden island within the Leviathan Ocean.
Dyna smiled at Lucenna’s shocked face. “We’re also going to Mount Ida. Join us.”
She expected Lucenna to leap for joy, or cry again, or simply say yes to her offer. The sorceress didn’t do any of those things. Lucenna stayed unmoving as her gaze fell out of focus. Perhaps the revelation had been too much.
