We stood united as the lesser Castes sifted in, and when they were all present, I turned to Danu who looked at the entire assembly in awe. Her eyes took us in with open pride.
"Is she here?" Madisyn asked, as she watched me.
"Yes," I replied and turned my eyes to see Madisyn as she searched the area by the Tree. "I'll be right back," I said to everyone, and moved closer to the Tree and Danu.
"There is more damage than when I checked on it yesterday," she said as I got closer.
"Can it be fixed?"
"Not by me," she admitted. "I'm not even sure you can do it," she continued. "This frost is meant to affect the Tree and anyone who touches it."
"You can't bless them and the land won't accept them without the Tree," I said barely above a whisper. "We have to save this Tree."
I turned my eyes to where Ryder's men now stood with my children as he walked in our direction. He saw the look in my eyes and for a brief moment, I saw his despair as he read my thoughts. I turned to walk and meet him, but the ground shifted. I had to struggle to keep my balance. Danu reached out and held me up, and then I felt it.
I blanched at what I felt, the raw untapped power of a Leyline. "Oh no," I whispered, thinking that the Mages were here, at the same time and place my babies were.
I turned to warn Ryder, but then I felt calmness fall over the glade. I looked at Danu as she watched something across the water as it approached. I gasped as the White Stag-the real one-walked out from the lush forest and moved to where we stood. He was a symbol for the world of Faery, and he spoke for the world in times of great need, or at least that is what my Fae history teachers had said.
It was a massive deer, but where a regular stag normally had horns or antlers; he had elaborate branches of wood that seemed to have been interlinked into an intricate design of Celtic knots. His hooves clicked against the rocks; it was the only sound that could be heard.
I looked to where he had left the forest, and watched in shock as hundreds of tiny Bramble Pixies followed in his wake. Other animals, as well as more Pixies, followed behind them. I stood side by side with Danu. I felt her fingers as she slipped them around mine in a show of solidarity.
"I've only seen this magnificent creature once before, and that was when I created this world," Danu whispered for my ears alone. "He draws his power from the Leyline under the Tree," she continued. "He knows what you are."
"How is that even possible? No one else knows, except for those who needed to."
"I feel you." A voice of deep timbre filled my mind. "I felt your birth, and you are tied to us. To these lands," the voice said, and as I watched, the White Stag approached.
"It's you," I whispered to the Stag.
"It is I, my Goddess," he continued to speak in my mind.
Okay, let's be honest. Carrying on a conversation with a Stag was weird.
"You're of the land, and we, your people, have come to pay our respects. We have power to feed the Goddess, and the bond we share called us to you."
I was at a loss for words, unable to think beyond the fact that I hadn't even known the White Stag actually existed.
"The Elder Tree's bark will melt the ice, my Goddess, and you can heal the Tree," he said softly as he bent his head with his massive horns scraping the ground. "That is why they've come."
I looked around at the trees, and smiled, and then frowned. "Won't it hurt them?"
I watched as one of the massive trees moved and the entire ground shook with the sheer force of it. I swallowed as the beautiful ancient tree reached for me with its branches, and lifted me up swiftly.
I saw the men preparing to move forward as Ryder stepped closer. "Stop them, Ryder. It's friend, not foe."
"Friend," the tree said loudly, its voice like a severe wind rattling through the leaves.
"Friend," I whispered as I tried to balance on the harsh branch. "Thank you for coming," I said and exhaled a shallow breath.
"My bark will melt the frost and ice. You can use it; it would be an honor if you did so. Elder Trees have the ability to banish or break spells. But it is only through death that the spell can be broken and rebirth can happen," he said through the same mental path as the Stag had.
"But it will hurt you," I said, knowing I would risk anything to save my children. I just wanted to make sure it was aware of the danger it faced.
"It will not hurt me," he said softly. "I will die for you, and for the children you must save and the others who will come after them. It is the way of life, and I am honored to make the sacrifice for you. I only ask that you allow my children into the safety of your gardens. That you protect them, and plant a seedling from my body to regrow and allow my children to watch over you and yours."
"Done," I whispered. "I don't have a garden yet, but I will create one for the seedling and your children. I can never express to you how much this means to the entire realm of Faery. Your sacrifice will be noted, and I will make sure that this story is told to generations after this one, so that everyone will know of the Elder Tree's sacrifice to save their world."
I felt depleted and elated in the same moment. I hated the unfairness of the entire situation, but I wouldn't turn the Elder Tree down. My children had to survive, and there was no denying that it was a selfish thing, but it wasn't only for my children; it was for the ones who would come after as well.
"I'm not sure how this will work," I whispered as the Elder Tree set me back gently on the ground, and Ryder approached silently. "I'm not willing to cause you any pain, but I accept the sacrifice that you have offered. Is there a painless way to proceed?" The ground trembled a little as if the Elder Tree was chuckling at me. I took that as a no.
"Synthia," Ryder whispered as his fingers grazed mine in silent support.
"The bark of this Elder Tree will break the spell, but I've made him a promise that I fully intend to keep," I said as I turned to look up at Ryder. "His children will be in the garden that we will create, and they will watch over us as we do the same for them. They are his children, and for his sacrifice to save ours, we will in turn protect his."
"Synthia, are you sure?" Ryder asked. "Elder Trees can be very dangerous," he amended.
"My children will be vigilant, and they will know of the sacrifice I make today."
We both turned to look at the Tree. "I've already agreed to it, and I will protect the trees."
"So be it," Ryder agreed.
"Once I have said my goodbyes, Goddess, I will give you the bark that is needed to save the Tree. You will need to bless the ground around the Tree, and the White Stag will show you how."
"Thank you. This world needs more creatures like you, who are willing to make sacrifices for the good of this world."
I looked up at Ryder as his words finished, and then back at the Elder Tree.
"We need the kind of rulers you two will be," the tree said. "Ones who can unite our people, our land, and bring peace to this world."
Chapter Thirty-Five.
We watched as the Elder Tree moved, and the entire ground shook with the subtle movement as it turned to the small copse of new trees. I turned to look at Danu, and she watched them with watery eyes. The Stag watched me, and I felt his calm and wondered if he was feeling my unease and had somehow managed to calm me.
"It is his choice, and his time was nearing his end, Goddess." His voice filled my mind, but with it came a calmness that filtered through me. I knew it wasn't my own. "Tell me child, what do you plan to do with the ones who harmed our world?"
"I plan to kill every last one of them," I replied back.
"Violence is not always the answer, little Goddess. They may just need a push in the right direction," he said.
"They are pure evil," I said softly aloud.
"Evil isn't born, it is created. Find the reason they became like this, and you could find their peace, as well as your own."
"They were going to cut me open and take my children. They've poisoned this land and are trying to kill my people. They've managed to create turmoil in the Human world as well. They are hell-bent on destroying us."
"And you feel they cannot be reached nor saved?"
"No," I replied honestly. "I think some who embrace evil cannot be found once they've become lost in it. They feel rejected by this world, and yet the Horde would have embraced them with welcoming arms. However, they target us because Ryder is the King, and he is the strongest leader. No, I fear they cannot be reached or saved because they don't want it. They want to decimate us, and I'm not even sure they know why anymore. They, unlike the Fae, are not immortal. Those who were wronged have long since found peace. The ones who fight have no valid reason to since they were never rejected. Some evil runs too deep to be changed or saved."
"You are wise, but healing the world is only the beginning and a war is not something I would wish for this world. We hide in the shadows ourselves to avoid it, and we are no longer able to do that. Think long and hard, Goddess, before you bring war upon this world."
"She is not alone in her reasons, White Stag. These men who fight my children, they have been led by a God who sought to crush my creations. I have thought of many ways to stop them, but Synthia is right in this. They will never stop. Even if we win the war, we will never kill them all. But we can push them back, and prevent them from harming this world," Danu added softly.
I hadn't known she was inside my head. I turned and looked at her with a sad smile. I hadn't considered it from her side. She was going to have to stand on the sidelines while we slaughtered a piece of her creation. She considered all of the Fae her children, so it would be a hard blow to her. These Mages were Changelings, children from Fae unions born with humans, or lesser Fae.
"They are all my children, Synthia, but sometimes even children cannot be saved. No matter how much you wish it was otherwise."
I was about to respond when a loud crashing noise sounded from the right of us. I turned and watched in horror as the Elder Tree hit the ground as if someone had cut it down. I swallowed the cry that formed in my throat and threatened to release. He had been true to his word, and where a once magnificent tree had stood, was now a pile of bark and wood.
"We must move him, and place his bark beside the rowan Tree," Danu said softly as she moved to the tree's remains. "Synthia, you must first bless the land."
"How do I do that?" I asked, and waited.
"Bleed for us," the Stag said. "Use the sacred dagger, and allow your blood to flow within the lands that you now rule. As the world accepts you, you will become more attuned to its needs. Its pain. Had you been in tune with it when the great rowan Tree became harmed, you'd have felt it. The land requires a sacrifice from you," he said softly, and I felt the calmness wash over me again.
"A sacrifice," I whispered and felt my heart flop. "Not my children," I said hastily. "Me," I whispered. "Not my children."
"You misunderstood me. You're a Goddess, and they seldom bleed. When they do, it's considered a sacrifice."
I held out my hand as Danu glamoured a dagger. I accepted it and moved closer to the frost and ice covered ground, and then sliced painfully deep into the palm of my hand. Danu accepted the blade back as I allowed the blood to drip down my fingers, and sink into the frozen ground.
"Say these words," Danu whispered. "I am your Goddess, and of this I ask."
I said it softly, following her lead as I repeated what she'd said.
"I beg of thee, to accept my will, to accept my sacrifice. I promise to protect you to the best of my ability, and to keep others from tarnishing what was once so pure."
I expelled a breath and continued.
"From this day forth, I become your Goddess, the Goddess of the lands of Faery. From this day forth, I become your protector and you become mine."
I waited and when she didn't say anymore, I asked it in my own way as well. "I promise to rid you of the disease the Mages have brought to you. I promise to protect you and always do what is best for you and the people who depend on you. Please heed my call, and accept the ones I love."
"Beautifully said," Ryder said as he narrowed his eyes on my hand.
"I sure hope so," I said as I kneeled and placed my bleeding palm flat against the frozen ground. I shuddered as I felt a ripple tear through me and then just as fast as it had started, it was gone.
"It's done," Danu said as she awarded me with a small smile.
I looked up at the damaged Tree, and prayed that the bark of the Elder Tree would work. It was no wonder that the Fae cherished the Elder trees. It was a beautiful ancient rowan, which I somehow knew had been the first thing to appear in this world. Danu had created that Tree, and then had created her people around it. The creatures that lived here before the Fae as well as the Fae themselves, which explains why we were linked to it and it to us.
"You know it because the lands have accepted you," the Stag said as it bowed its head once again. "Blessed be, Goddess. Call for me if you ever have need."
I paused as Ryder started to wrap my hand in a soft silk, which felt surprisingly nice against the damaged tissue. We walked together back to where our babies were, cradled in the arms of their uncles. When we reached them, Elijah moved closer to us, his eyes watching me with a mixture of wonder, and suspicion.
"That was a custom for the Gods, princess," he whispered.
I remained silent as did Ryder.
"Very few can claim to have seen the White Stag, much less have it appear during a time of need. Two miracles in one day," he said softly. "I wonder if it will be enough to save your babes as well."
"You should go help with the wood," Ryder said narrowing his eyes on his brother. "My grandfather, the first Horde King, was one of the few to ever lay eyes on the Stag. He saw it the night of the first Wild Hunt, and so it became a signal for the most sacred of animals." Ryder's eyes slid to me, and a small tug at his lips seemed to be connected to my heart, because it yanked on it.
"I have many secrets, Elijah, but some of them are meant to stay as such until I wish them to be public knowledge. Every advantage in this war is needed," I said softly, hoping he caught my message.
"You can trust that I will keep it," he said as he bowed low at his waist and then lifted his head with a smirk on his lips. "Growing up with Gods does have its own advantages."
We watched him walk away.
"You think he'll become a problem?" Ryder asked, and I turned my eyes to his.
"Let's hope not."
We watched in silent respect as the wood was brought over, and placed a short distance from the rowan Tree. When it had been piled high, Savlian tossed a torch on the pile and we watched in silent hope. It wasn't working at first, but as we watched, the ground began to thaw, and the moss returned to its lush, emerald-green color.
"It's working," I whispered past the tears that filled both my eyes and my throat. "Ryder, its working," I said a little louder.
Chapter Thirty-Six.
The fire illuminated the sky as night fell across the glade. We watched in silence as the Tree's icy cocoon began to melt and the frost vanished. The fairies returned to the Tree, dancing around the flames. Their glowing wings cast a glittering effect in the sky. We had waited as long as we dared, and Danu had admitted that it was finally time to bring the babes closer and place them upon the moss-covered floor.
I accepted Kahleena and Cade as Ryder carried Zander over to the foot of the Tree. After he had placed Zander on the ground, he accepted Kahleena as I laid Cade down beside Zander, making sure there was enough room for their sister between them.
She was so still that I had to stop myself from checking for her pulse. I'd felt it in her as I had carried her over. Once we had them on the ground, Danu instructed us to remove their clothes, and then we had to go. I hesitated as I stood to leave.
"I have them," she said softly. "Go stand with your people, and join hands. Instruct them to push the power they wish to give me, and I will accept it. You cannot be with the babes for this. It's my turn to help them. This I can do; this is also the least I can do for you, my daughter. I promise no harm will come to them."
I had no choice.
With my heart in my throat, I walked away from my babies, knowing that their lives rested in my mother's hands. When we once again stood with the crowd, Adam took my hand, as Ryder accepted my other one.
Ryder thankfully repeated Danu's instructions to the crowd, and the entire group started reaching for the closest person's hand until we all were together as one. I felt the hum of power as they began to send it to the Tree, and I hissed with the amount of it as I felt it touch the Tree.