104 Returning Home

Aurora stretched in bed as light beamed in the window only to realize that there were arms wrapped firmly around her. The room she was in was not her own, and a brief panic overcame her as she tried to remember how she had gotten to this point. The memories came all at once, and the proof that it was not just a beautiful dream lay beside her. She cuddled back under the covers for a time, but eventually the thoughts of the day overpowered her calm. Stretching again to relieve the tension in her back, she got up to prepare to leave.

As she exited the bath and got dressed, Devrim came in groggily. "I had no idea you were such an early riser." Travelling on the road had been rough and sleep patterns had been tentative at best.

"Get used to it, dear husband," she said with affection. "We have a big day ahead of us. It is time to return home."

The others met them in the common area between the male and female quarters. They all had their packs and were ready to go. "How did you sleep?" Alvar asked with a smirk. The rest of the group knew better than to ask such a question, but Alvar had no qualms about teasing the newlyweds. Aurora blushed and Devrim looked like a cat that ate a canary. His smile said it all.

"We are well-rested, thank you," Aurora managed at last before changing the subject. "Does anyone know where we can find Hanna? I hope she can tell us how to get down so we can be on our way."

"And perhaps provide us with some sustenance before we go?" Junayd asked, his stomach rumbling.

"Yes, that too," The Empress agreed.

"Did I hear my name?" Hanna appeared with Asha and large platters of food. "Let us go to the ladies' balcony for breakfast."

As they ate, Hanna had Asha bring the groups already-filled water skins, and a few dried snacks for their packs. "I don't suppose we could trouble you for more substantial food to take on our journey, could we?" Aurora inquired.

"You will not need it." Hanna responded bluntly. She carefully selected a single blueberry and popped it in her mouth.

"But we have a long journey!" the Empress insisted.

"Not as long as you think. Things in Valiant have begun to happen rapidly, and you need to be home today." Hanna's voice was very serious. The group could sense that something was very wrong.

"What is wrong?" Aurora held her breath.

"Cafer is announcing your death this afternoon. You need to be there before he successfully turns you into only a memory in the minds of your people. Cafer means to set up young Alaron as a puppet ruler."

Devrim clenched his fists. He loved the twins and hated the thought of Cafer using one of them for his own gain. "But how can we get home today? Will you wisk us there?" The Fates could appear anywhere they liked. It would be a much faster trip with their aid.

"I am not permitted to take you myself, so I have provided another route. Asha will see you to the Castle Valiant as soon as you are ready."

With her words, the group ate quickly and assembled, ready to follow Hanna and Asha. Brinn was surprised to see Alvar join them. "Aren't you heading home now that you have delivered your message and seen that I am ok?"

Alvar shook his head and made a negative gesture. "No way. The theatrical dramas that are performed in the elven court are nothing compared to this. I have to see how it ends!"

Brinn punched him in the arm. "Alvar! Admit it, you like these humans. You want to help them as much as I do, you big softy."

"I am only soft where you are concerned." Alvar responded. "And yes, I want to help all of you succeed."

"And what about you, Gandr? You do not have to come." Zan told the gnome.

"I have to make sure Cafer is stopped. Count me in." Gandr balled his fists with conviction.

Hanna clapped her hands, "Well now that everything is settled, follow me." The eight mortals wound their way down to the intake chamber through which they had entered. Asha had portaled ahead and was waiting there for them.

"I thought you were taking us straight to the Castle Valiant," Aurora asked, confused. "This is the way we came in from the land of magic."

"So it is," Hanna agreed, "but it is the only exit back to the land of mortals except for a steep drop, and I hope you do not wish to take that path. Once you have left the Mystic Spires, Asha will escort you home."

The white palace platform was filling the hole in the floor, and all of the mortals including Asha piled onto it.

"Honor to the Fates," Zan said and the others repeated. They all made a circular motion in the air which the Guardian had taught them. It mirrored the symbol on the ground. Hanna waved and the platform began to move.

"Goodbye, dearies. And good luck. I will be watching you." Hanna called after them as she quickly faded from view.

The ride to the ground seemed faster than the trip upward. Once the platform was back on the stone monument, the group relaxed for a moment. "What now?" Devrim spoke to Asha.

The fairy smiled mysteriously, an affectation she seemed to have learned from Hanna. "We keep going down."

Alvar was quick to object. "But we searched the ground below. There is nothing at the base of the hill."

Asha pointed. "I said down, not to the ground. Did none of you wonder why this stone structure is so tall?"

Gandr closed his eyes and sensed the ground. "It is hollow!" he announced.

The fairy smiled at him as her wings fluttered. "The gnome is quite clever. This is actually a building, a place you may recognize, Your Majesty." Asha held out a necklace that closely resembled Aurora's, only this one was glowing a shade of silver-blue. Although the Empress hadn't noticed it before, her own necklace was glowing. Both pieces of jewelry were humming soft music.

Asha nodded at the woman's recognition. "These keys were forged here atop the Storehouse. They cannot help but sing." The fairy walked from the castle platform and approached another of the runes on the floor. As she stepped on it, stairs appeared below her feet. "Hurry up, all of you; you must be near me to enter."

They all followed the fairy down the stairs into the Storehouse, using the light of Aurora's and Asha's necklace. "How do you have a key?" Aurora asked.

"I was lent the Fates's key by Hanna; I shall return it once we are through. Your key belongs to the human world, which is why we could not use it for this entrance." Asha explained as she continued to lead them downward.

"How many keys and doors are there?" Devrim asked.

The fairy thought for a moment, "More than a few and less than many, but the gnome's entrance was sealed long ago. They misused the power."

Gandr tried not to meet anyone's gaze, hoping they would not lump him in with the rest of his kind. "Do the elves have an entrance?" Brinn asked.

"They do." Asha confirmed. This was interesting news! Brinn made a mental note to ask her parents and brother about the Storehouse later.

Finally they reach the bottom of the stair, and the lights from both necklaces split into a hundred tiny stars, perching on waiting sconces. Aurora knew immediately where they were. "The Vault!"

Asha smiled, "What you call the Vault, we call the Storehouse, for it holds the knowledge and wisdom of ages past." The fairy regarded the sconces on the wall and observed blue and green lights intermingling, "I have always wondered what happens when two keys are present," she mused. Then her mind snapped back to the present. "Do not touch anything! The Storehouse has a mind all its own and it will generally only allow the keeper of a key to touch its relics."

Junayd had been about to grab a gold leafed volume on a nearby shelf when he snapped his hand to his side. Nurlan shot him a dirty look. "Have you been here before, Your Majesty," Zan asked.

"This is where I got the map and the book on magical creatures. This is my mysterious 'friend.'" Aurora smiled as the Guardian nodded at her words.

Devrim looked around for the door which would take them home when it dawned on him. "You mean we could have just come here and completely missed all the danger we faced getting to the Fates?"

Asha countered his question with her own, "Which is more important, the destination or the journey? I would posit that both have their value."

Devrim closed his mouth. Without the long trip and courage he gained, he would likely still be silently pining for the Empress and never have married her. "Fair enough," he agreed.

They walked through multiple chambers before reaching the one that they could exit. The Vault, or Storehouse, was much larger inside than its outside would suggest. "Thank you for your help," Aurora said to Asha. "We will be on our way."

"Where exactly will we come out?" Junayd asked as the tunnel appeared in front of them.

The lights of Aurora's necklace returned to her as she stepped into the corridor. "Inside the Castle Valiant," she said lightly.

"What if Cafer is waiting for us on the other side, ready to capture us?" Nurlan said taking a step in front of her with his hand on his sword.

The Empress put her hand on his arm gently. "Trust me, Nurlan. Cafer will never see us coming."