“You are indeed brave, Queen Opal. The pixies were ever noble, in spite of their stature.”
Opal was prepared to let the stature remark pass, because she liked the sound of Queen Opal. Also, time was a-wasting. In less than an hour the sun would rise and the full moon would pass, and the chances of maintaining this little army for another day, even with the humans chasing their own tails, were pretty slim.
“Thank you, mighty Bruin. Now, the time has come for your answer.”
The warlock’s frown deepened. “I must consult. Are my Berserkers by your side?”
This was unforeseen. “Yes. Captain Oro is at my shoulder. He is in total agreement with me.”
“I would confer with him,” said the stone face.
This Bruin character was really pushing Opal’s buttons. A second ago it was all Queen Opal, and now he wanted to consult the help?
“Mighty Bruin, I don’t really think there is any need to consult with your soldiers. Time grows short.”
“I would confer with him!” thundered Bruin, and the scored grooves of his face glowed with a power that shook Opal to her core.
Not a problem, she thought. Oro is bonded to me. My will is his will.
Oro stepped forward. “Bruin, comrade. I had thought you gone to the next life.”
The stone face smiled, and he seemed to have sunlight instead of teeth. “Soon, Oro Shaydova. I liked your old face better than this young one, though I can see your soul beneath.”
“A soul that aches to be released, Bruin. The light calls to us all. Some of my warriors have lost their wits, or close to it. We were never meant to be this long in the ground.”
“That time of deliverance is at hand, my friend. Our work is almost done. So, tell me, are the People yet under threat?”
“We are. Queen Opal speaks the truth.”
Bruin’s eyes narrowed. “But you are bonded, I see.”
“Yes, Bruin. I am in thrall to the queen.”
Bruin’s eyes flashed white in the stone. “I release you from your bonds so that we may speak freely.”
Not good, thought Opal.
Oro’s shoulders slumped, and it seemed as though every one of his years was written on Beckett’s face.
“The humans have weapons now,” said Oro, and it was strange to see the words coming from a mouth full of milk teeth. “They seem miraculous to me. In this young one’s memory I have seen that, without us to hunt readily, they kill each other by the thousands. They destroy the earth and have annihilated several thousand species.”
The stone face grew troubled. “Have they not changed?”
“They are more efficient than we remember, that is all.”
“Should I open the second lock?”
Oro rubbed his eyes. “This I cannot answer for you. It is true that Queen Opal has sabotaged their efforts, but already they mass against us. The gate has been assaulted twice, with two of our own among the attackers. An elf and a dwarf, both cunning adversaries.”
The stone face sighed, and white light flowed from its mouth. “Always have there been traitors.”
“We cannot hold on much longer,” admitted Oro. “Some of my warriors have already been called to Danu’s side. The world is in chaos and, if the humans attack the gate tomorrow, there will be none to defend it. With their new weapons, perhaps they will find a way to dismantle the second lock.”
Opal was quietly delighted, and if she could have clapped her tiny hands without seeming unqueenly, she would have. Oro was convincing this craggy idiot better than she ever could.
“The People wither and die without sunlight,” she added with a poker face. “Soon we will disappear altogether. Suffering is our daily ritual. We must ascend.”
Oro could only agree with this. “Yes. We must ascend.”
Bruin ruminated for a long moment and his stony features grated as he thought.
“Very well,” he said, finally. “I shall open the lock, but yours is the final choice, Queen Opal. When the end is in sight, then you must choose. Your soul shall bear the consequences, as mine already does.”
Yes, yes, yes, thought Opal, barely concealing her delighted eagerness.
“I am prepared for this responsibility,” she said somberly. And though she could not see it, Oro rolled his eyes behind her, all too aware that Opal did not have the People’s interests at heart. But her motivations were of little importance as the end result, the extinction of humanity, would be the same.
Bruin’s features were suddenly submerged in a pool of bubbling magma that bled into the rock to reveal two sunken handprints. Opal’s original key, and a fresh one glowing a deep bloodred.
“Choose selflessly,” said Bruin’s voice from deep within the stone. “Prudence will close the gate entirely, releasing the souls and destroying the path forever. Desperation will summon the power of Danu and wipe the humans from the face of our land. Fairies shall walk the earth again.”
Handprint B it is, thought Opal happily. I have always found desperation a wonderful motivator.