My heartbeat sped up. I had seen this metal once before; the Drakaar had swords made of it.
“Did you know that there are mines full of this particular type of iron situated all over eastern Avalonia?” Andromeda went on. “And Morgana was kind enough to send me some—a gift from the Drakaar. Once forged with the right spells it is quite effective when it comes to suppressing fae power. She knew you would not go quietly.”
She turned to the guards. “Bring her,” she ordered and turned, walking down a dark passage, deeper into the catacombs.
The guards grabbed my arms, pulling me along behind her. Andromeda had the werewraiths there to keep me in check. And with the cuffs blocking my fae magic, I could not fight them.
Farther and farther we went into the hidden part of the catacombs. The werewraiths led the way, and they knew exactly where to go. They must have been scoping out these passages for a while under Andromeda’s orders. I knew where she was taking me.
We reached the cave under the mountain, and I followed Andromeda to the door. It was the same as I remembered it—with Illaria’s symbol etched into the stone.
“Illaria Lightbringer’s secret chamber,” Andromeda whispered reverently as she ran her hands over the symbol. “Finally.”
Andromeda put her hands on the symbol and spoke in an ancient language, her eyes glowing as she recited what she must have learned from the codex.
The massive stone door to Illaria’s chamber groaned and slowly opened inward. I stepped over the threshold, following Andromeda into an enormous chamber with a curved roof almost a hundred feet high. The fae guards spread out behind me, blocking the door, but the werewraiths refused to enter.
Andromeda held up her hand and a ball of fae light lit up the chamber. The walls were covered in a series of ancient symbols and scripts etched into the stone. At the far end of the huge room lay a flight of steps that led upward to what looked like a stone altar with a book propped on it.
The Book of Abraxas.
Andromeda turned to me. “The Fae Codex was very informative, I must say. No wonder the queen and the Elders hid it away. But I found it eventually. Did you know this place once belonged to Illaria Lightbringer? And according to the codex, she hid the last of her ancient magic in a powerful weapon and locked it in this very chamber.”
She knew about the Dawnstar! But the Alkana had said the Dawnstar was not in this chamber. Why would the codex say it was?
I looked around. “What weapon?” I needed her to keep talking while I figured a way out of this.
“Of course no one ever found what the codex calls the Dawnstar,” Andromeda continued. “The chamber was empty when the Elder Fae discovered it and built this castle on the ruins of Illaria’s fortress; I suppose the codex can be wrong on occasion. The Elders thought they were so clever, hiding the Book of Abraxas in a place that is supposed to hide something else.”
“If the Elders have given you access to this chamber,” I asked, “why did you need to steal the codex and kill all those priestesses?”
Andromeda turned her cold eyes on me. “I wasn’t sure if they would agree to give the book over to Morgana. Losing the codex made them realize Morgana could get to them at any time. They are cowards; without Izadora and Rhiannon, the Elder Council is weak. I simply made sure they had no choice.”
“You framed Penelope and tricked the Elders.”
Andromeda’s lips tightened. “Yes. Framing Penelope was unexpected but worked out nonetheless. She made it too easy, turning up in Elfi when she did.”
Andromeda walked up to the altar and picked up the Book of Abraxas, running her fingers over the symbol in the center. It was not a big book. Bound in brown leather, it looked so harmless. However, I had learned from experience that importance was merely in the eye of the beholder. Knowledge was the greatest weapon of all, and those who understood this were the ones who held all the power. Once Morgana fit the four magical keys that opened the book into the triangular symbol, all would be lost.
“Don’t do it, Andromeda. Morgana will destroy Elfi once she has the book.”
“No, she won’t,” Andromeda smirked. “Morgana is holding her place on her throne in Illiador and fighting a war on many fronts. She doesn’t have time to battle the fae. I will give Lucian the book, and he will withdraw his troops from Elfi. But I’ve decided not to play all my cards yet. I don’t want you around when I meet with Lucian; too many things could go wrong. Once I am crowned queen, I will keep the second part of my bargain and give you up to Morgana. Until then, I think I will keep you locked up here where there is no chance of you getting out.”
“No!” I gasped as I struggled to get a hold of my magic, but I couldn’t reach it. The black cuffs were powerful and their darkness clung to my spirit, willing it to break. I still had my mage magic and my hands were not tied together, so I shot a fire strike at Andromeda.
It sizzled as it struck skin, but Andromeda didn’t flinch. She turned her icy blue eyes on me. “How quaint.” Her grin was condescending. “Did you think your puny mage magic could hurt a High Fae?”
I had no weapons or fae magic, but I had to do something. I ran at Andromeda and tried to snatch the book away. She raised her hand, and her magic slammed into me with such force that I went flying across the room. I crashed into the wall, my head hitting the stone, and I slumped to the ground. I had no fae magic to heal myself, and the pain was excruciating.
“Soon I will be queen, and there
