appeared to be plucking words from the aether that Will could comprehend. Finally, with a nod, he settled on, 'I am the Court's equivalent to your Doctor Dee.'
'You know Dee?'
'Oh, yes.' Deortha gave a strange smile.
'A sorcerer, then. An alchemist. A wise man.'
Deortha's pale eyes twinkled in the moonlight. 'You have a request of us?'
'How do you know?'
'You would not be here otherwise.'
'What you are is anathema to humankind,' Will began. 'You are the madness in the night. The shadow on the family hearth. In the very nature of your being, you tell us that however much we order this world to make it sane, it is not, and will never be, and we are nothing. We have no control.'
Deortha nodded wryly.
'Some who come too close to you are burned to ashes, like moths approaching a lantern's flame.' Will watched Deortha's face closely for any hint of manipulation, or sign of an impending attack. He knew his own life hung in the balance the moment he set foot on the tor. 'My friend is one of those. His wits are gone. He could not cope with the secrets that lie behind your eyes.'
'Unlike you. You would revel in the knowledge of our secrets,' Deortha challenged.
Will ignored him. 'My own people cannot help him. You have at your disposal great things unknown to us ... charms ... potions ...' Will shrugged. 'Can you help him?'
A faint glint shone in Deortha's eyes, quickly gone. Will knew he had bared his throat for an attack.
'And why should we aid you?' Deortha asked.
'I killed several of your own. I helped bring about the death of Cavillex, one of your leaders. Help my friend regain his wits, and I will give myself to you for whatever punishment you see fit.'
'Are you sure you are prepared to lay yourself open to our attentions? Our punishments are fierce.'
'Nevertheless, that is my offer.'
'Even though you will never see your kind again? Even though you will plead for a death that will never come?'
'I am ready.'
Deortha was intrigued. 'If you are ready, then those punishments have no value.'
'Tell me about Dartmoor,' Will said.
CHAPTER 61
ive carriages trundled along the rutted, muddy ways in the last light of the sun. The gale had finally blown itself out. From the window of the second carriage, Walsingham watched the shadows pool over the bleak Dartmoor uplands, the sense of apprehension mounting with each second of the day that passed away.
'You are still convinced this is the correct course?' he asked.
On the opposite seat, Dee kneaded his hands together, an anxious tic that had begun to irritate Walsingham as the journey from Plymouth drew on. 'I am not convinced of anything in this world,' he replied. 'We fumble around, making what progress we can in the pitch dark of our existence, and hope for the best. '
'Hope for the best,' Walsingham repeated, with a crack of anger born of his uneasiness. 'How do we know they will not try to trap us?'
'We do not.'
'And we take the queen into this danger, regardless?'
'Elizabeth made the decision herself. There is too much at stake for England to let an opportunity like this slip by. She has courage. You cannot deny her that merely because she is a woman. ' Dee cast a critical eye over Walsingham.
'She could be dead by the time the sun rises. As could we all.'
'I hope ... I hope I have done enough to convince them of our intentions,' Dee said, now tugging at the hem of his cloak.
'I hope so too, Doctor. ' Walsingham had always considered himself a good captain steering a steady course through the turbulent seas of his life, but at that moment he could barely contain his fears.
Promising more rain, the lowering clouds brought the dark in too soon. The carriages came to a halt four miles east of Yelverton on the western edge of the moor, and the guards busied themselves lighting lanterns to guide the way.
Wrapped against the autumn chill, Elizabeth held her head defiantly erect as she climbed down from the carriage, though Walsingham could see the fear in her eyes.
'Is all ready?' she asked him.
Resisting the urge to express his own doubts, he nodded and bowed.
'Then let us be done with this business. I dream of a warm fire.' She strode out across the moor with the guards hurrying to keep up.
After ten minutes of steady walking, they came to the cairns and menhirs standing proudly against the darkening sky. Elizabeth cast a contemptuous look at the ancient monuments and said to Walsingham, 'This is the place?'
'It is. It was chosen carefully. The preparations have been made.'
'And now?'
'We wait. '
Darkness came down hard. Around the standing stones, the lanterns flickered in the harsh wind, offering little comfort. Finally, the moon broke through the clouds and they were there.
Walsingham almost cried out in shock, but the queen, to her credit, showed no sign of surprise. She rose to greet the arrivals. Forty of them stood on the edge of the circular indentation next to the standing stones, more than he had anticipated. His apprehension increased. Most of them had the look of armed guards, like the tight knot that surrounded Elizabeth, but two males carried themselves like aristocrats, heads held at a haughty angle, their clothes refined, though with a hint of decay. And at the front was the Faerie Queen. Her beauty was so potent it took his breath away. Brown hair tumbled in ringlets around her shoulders, and her flawless skin appeared to shine with a faint golden light. Her hazel eyes flashed with sexual magnetism. She wore a clinging gown of a green that appeared to reflect the night-dark grass all around. But beneath her appearance, something unsettling waited. Watching her, feeling the power she radiated, Walsingham dreaded what lay ahead.
'I am Elizabeth.' She strode forwards confidently to address her counterpart.
'I know you are.' The Faerie Queen smiled seductively, her voice mellifluous.
'We meet here as equals,' Elizabeth said firmly.
The Faerie Queen gave a slight bow, but did not show any sign of agreement.
'You have preyed on my people for a great many years,' Elizabeth continued.
'As you have preyed upon the animals of the field.' The Faerie Queen caught herself, and smiled slyly. 'We have been like shepherds, guiding you over the rough ground of your existence. At times you may have encountered ... difficulties. At times we were not as cautious in our dealings as we should have been. You yourself know this. Your encounters among your own kind have proved... turbulent.'
'England will no longer tolerate...' It was Elizabeth's turn to catch herself. 'The time for predators and victims is past,' she continued, choosing her words carefully.
'I come to you as one queen to another,' the Faerie Queen said. 'Our intermediaries have agreed on the terms of our meeting. Members of the High Family are here to observe. ' She indicated the two aristocratic males who both gave thin-lipped smiles in response. 'There is an opportunity for a new relationship between our two
