Sub Rosa

Chapter 22 – The Dragon Road

Wands held high to light the darkness, Kathryn and Harry led the way down the steps. They were the same gray-veined white marble of the altar and they were as new and fresh as though they were the first people to ever walk down them. The ceiling arched high above them almost vanishing in the darkness and the steps were wide enough for five to march abreast.

There were brackets on the walls at regular intervals, made of some twisting silver wire that seemed to echo the shapes of dragons in some abstract manner but there were no torches in the brackets. Ginny leaned close to one and touched it lightly; there was a crackling sound and the brackets lit with a blue light that cast sharp-edged shadows across every surface.

“Nox.” Kathryn muttered and the light from her wand was extinguished. The others followed suit and Kathryn looked over to where Ginny was standing, wide-eyed and pale, staring at the light fixtures. “Try not to touch anything, Miss Weasley.” The irony was thick in her voice and Ginny flushed and looked down.

“What are those?” Harry was staring at one of the sconces in interest.

“These aragoragon Lights. I read about them in a book on Ancient Magical History. The dragons created them to light their caves.” Hermione’s voice was thoughtful, but unafraid.

“Dragons? But they’re stupid animals, they can’t create anything!” Ron sputtered.

“Greater Dragons, Mr. Weasley, are as unlike the Lesser Dragons as we are unlike chimpanzees.” Kathryn replied. She was starting to feel somewhat anxious about this journey. “When Wizards and Muggles began to take over the world, spreading roads and cities everywhere, the Fey, the Greater Dragons and many of the Elders retreated from this world; they crossed through the World Gates and closed the doors behind them.”

“So there were smart dragons?” Neville was looking around in wonderment.

“They were supposed to be great craftsmen and very wise.” Hermione announced in full lecture mode. “They forged swords and armor and fought terrible wars.”

“Father says there are still greater dragons in the world but they disguise themselves as humans.” Luna was gazing at the sconces dreamily. The other kids looked dubious, Hermione rolling her eyes in disdain. Kathryn merely nodded to the girl.

“The ones we know about left a long time ago; who knows if they all really left or not.” She shrugged, unwilling to state a certainty about something so few people had any knowledge of.

Luna smiled at her, her pale blonde hair blue-tinted in the light and her eyes curiously focused. Kathryn wondered how much of Luna’s mistiness was an act and how much was real. The girl was quite the riddle.
They continued their journey down the stairs, the soft blue glow of the lights giving everything an almost underwater look.
ter ter hours of walking, when they were starting to wonder if there was an end to the passageway, it opened up into a huge cavern. Stalactites and stalagmites thrust up from the floor and dripped from the ceiling and every inch was sparkling and glittering with mica and precious metals.

“Wow.” Harry whispered; they all echoed his sentiment.

It was a jewel of a cavern. Light poured in from some opening so high up it was lost in the twisting flows of rock. There was a path winding its way past mushroom-looking growths and frozen waterfalls of stone.

The light was falling on a raised dais set in the center of the cavern. Done in an almost Roman style, a sarcophagus sat in solitary splendor on this dais. On top of it rested the body of man. He was short and dark haired, with rough home-spun clothing from the Celtic days of English history. He lay perfectly still, as though asleep, and clutched in his hands was a Roman gladius, short and wicked looking. He was very young and his face in sleep was both wise and sad.

Kathryn felt as though her lungs were being squeezed tight, for she knew where they were.

“Professor? Who’s that?” Lavender was pointing at the coffin with her eyes gone huge and round.

“Arturus, Britannia Rex, The Sleeping King.” She answered, her voice so soft she wasn’t sure they could hear her. Yet, somehow the cavern echoed her words and it seemed to magnify; the children’s indrawn breaths were like a small wind rising as they recoiled in shock. “We should leave. We have no right to be here.” She added.

“Correct on both counts.” Came a voice from the depths of the cavern. The children looked around wildly but Kathryn stayed still. They were in very serious trouble and she only hoped that her greater knowledge would keep them safe.

“Kids, keep silent no matter what is said, do you understand?” She hissed back at them and they nodded, suddenly frightened.

A woman stepped from behind a large formation of rock. She was slender and tall with wild eyes of slate gray and hair that sparkled like the stone around her. She seemed more rock than woman and her delicately pointed ears and the catlike shape of her eyes spoke of her Faerie origins. She was painted across her face in swirls of blue woade; ancient symbols that Kathryn interpreted with a feeling of dread.

“Guardian of the King’s Rest, we apologize for our error in treading here. Let us leave in peace and we will seal up the passage behind us and never return again.” Kathryn kept her voice both respectful and strong. Behind her, the children were edging closer together. Even the Muggle-born children had heard stories of the powers of the Old Ones and knew to be afraid.

“Why came you here, daughter of Magi?” The Faerie woman spoke, her voice like rock and stone.

“I came seeking the answer as to why the stones have begun to shake with such vigor, Lady. I sought to search the passageways of the Earth to find its cause.” She answered with absolute truth, knowing that no lie would ever get past the wisdom of the creature before her.

“You seek the soul of the rock then, daughter of Magi. What of the warriors you have brought with you?” She gestured to the children. So far, she had shown no hostility towards them, but Kathryn did not relax at this; the Fey were volatile.

“These are my students, Lady. I sought the opportunity to teach them.” She stood perfectly still, watching as the Faerie drifted closer to them. There was no sound as she moved and the closer she came the more inhuman she seemed. There was no expression on her face -- she seemed carved from stone, yet in her eyes there was something wild and angry. Around her neck was a silver torque in the shape of a snake and she wore a gray gown cut in an ancient Celtic style but made from some soft fine material Kathryn could not name.

“What do you teach them, Child of the Half-blood?” Kathryn froze; apparently her ancestry was known to this woman, not that she should have thought otherwise. Sweat beaded on her forehead as the creature, so beautiful she was almost painful to look at, stood before her close enough to smell the metallic tang of her breath.

“I teach them to defend themselves from the Dark, Lady.” She replied, still standing straight before the Faerie. Stories told to her in the dark by her beloved Grandmother swirled through her head and she prayed to her ancestress for the wisdom to get these children out of here alive.

“To defend themselves from the Dark, that is a perilous task.” The Faerie stepped around her and began to study each of the students in turn. The children remained silent, as ordered, merely returning the Faerie woman’s gaze. She stepped before Harry and reached out to touch his check lightly. He shivered at her icy touch, but made no sound nor did he flinch. “You teach them well, they show manners and bravery.” She said finally as she turned and swept away.

Even at that, Kathryn did not relax. There was always a catch when dealing with the Old Ones. She did not thank the Faerie woman; instead she merely inclined her head in acknowledgement. One did not indebt the Fey through gratitude.

“You share blood with my burden, but you come here uninvited.” Kathryn held her breath, waiting for the Faerie to speak. “You cannot return the way you came.” Kathryn merely nodded again. She had not thought it would be that easy to get out. Behind her there was a slight ripple of movement as the kids became agitated. She made a sharp gesture with her hand and they quieted.

From the corner of her eyes, she saw Ron clasp Hermione’s hand.

“That way is blocked now ‘til the day my Guardianship is needed no more.” Kathryn made no move, waiting for the Faerie woman to finish. “If I help you to find what you seek, will you grant me a boon?” There was a shift in the granite face, a moment’s expression gone fleetingly, but just enough of a change that Kathryn noted it.

“What boon would you ask of us, Lady?” Kathryn was cautiously optimistic; a boon meant bargaining rather than instant execution.

“I have heard no other voice than my own for many hundreds of years. I know nothing of what has passed above. Tell me of the world above. Tell me the tale of history and I will guide you from here and set you on the path to your answer.” There was a wistful tone to her voice, something lonely and sad and ancient and Kathryn was moved to compassion.

“We would be honored, Lady, to tell this to you.” Kathryn answered with a small bow.

The granite face brightened and with a graceful gesture she waved them past the crypt of the sleeping King of Britain and into a smaller chamber.

The bower of the Faerie woman was made all of stone and metal, the cavern twisted into decorative shapes by minds and hands of great skill. A table rose from the floor with stools twisting up beside it, like the rock had grown that way. There were ledges and a pool of softly glowing water off to one side and the children waited for Kathryn’s gesture before settling themselves.

“Miss Granger, would you begin with the First Wars of the Dark please.” Kathryn said in her best schoolteacher voice. Hermione straightened and began to speak. She had a lovely voice and she began to recite the Lay of the Dark in measured tones, her eyes closed as she visualized the text before her.

Kathryn was pleased. The girl was sharp as a tack; she knew better than to tell some dull series of facts to the ancient being before her.

When she was done, she next had Dean tell of the Second wars. His recitation was less flowing, but he got into the battles and described them with flair.

Next Justin was tapped to talk of the Long Dark, which he did with enthusiasm and had the sense to modulate his usual exuberance to something more respectful.

She turned to Neville to tell the tales of the Founders of Hogwarts and the founding of the school. His voice at first was unsure but he was quickly swept up into the stories and became vibrant and alive in the telling.

Then she had Parvati tell the stories of the Burning Times, which she did with great skill, emotion rippling through every syllable, bringing alive the fear and pain of the times.

Lavender told of the Great Pact, wherein the Wizarding world went into hiding and Seamus told of the Muggle world’s history while Ron spoke of the Wizarding side.

Finally Harry was tapped to tell of Grindelwald’s rise and defeat and the coming of Voldemort.

When they were finished the Faerie woman simply nodded and rose.

“Your tales have pleased me; I shall take you on your way.” Kathryn put a hand to Parvati’s lips before she could thank their hostess and the girl blushed as she closed her mouth.

“Sorry, Professor.” She muttered.

The Faerie woman had watched all this with some amusement. She stepped over to Parvati and stroked her cheek with a gray tinged finger. There was a pale spot on her face where the finger had burned coldly against the flesh, but the girl didn’t flinch, following Harry’s example.

“You are warm, child, and your heart burns brightly; you would be welcome to stay with me here. There is much I could teach you, jewels I could gift you with.” The loneliness in the woman’s voice was heart-rending but there was something so alien about her, something chilling and Parvati froze in fear.

“Lady, she is under my care. Should I return without her, her clan would seek vengeance upon me.” Kathryn spoke softly, afraid to anger the woman but unsure how well Parvati could answer the Faerie.

“You are very generous, Lady, but I have to go.” Parvati was shaking slightly, but still stood straight. Dean slipped his hand in hers and squeezed it and she clutched his in return.

“Ah, I see your future is already given to another.” The Guardian sighed as she took in the clasped hands of the two students. Seamus moved closer to Lavender, almost protectively, but with no disrespect in it. The Faerie woman nodded and her eyes drifted to Ron and Hermione who also stood with hands clasped. Neville and Ginny stood together, Neville looking, in that moment, strangely heroic. Justin looked at Luna and took her hand quickly, leaving Harry standing alone before the Faerie.

“As for you, through Love does not bind you, Fate does and I cannot keep you safe from it.” Harry nodded and reached out to the woman, taking her hand.

“You are very beautiful, Lady. I hope when you are done being a guardian you find what you need.” His own hand was turning blue with the chill of her skin, but the Lady was looking at him with such an expression of wonder that Kathryn doubted he noticed.

“You gift me without a thought of reward.” Her voice was soft and her eyes were tender on the boy’s face.
Kathryn stood perfectly still, her heart filled with both fear and awe. Harry’s impulsive compassion was beautiful to see but it could also be horribly dangerous and she was torn between pride and anger at him. “I will gift you in return, Child of Prophecy. Let it not be said that I do not pay my debts.” The woman released his hand and spun away from him, walking briskly from the bower.

They trailed after her, Kathryn casting a quick warming charm on Harry’s hand as they went. He shot her a look that was both gratitude and trepidation and she returned him one of her wry smiles. She would beat him later, she decided, after she had hugged him.

They followed the swiftly moving Faerie as she glided to a second tunnel that twisted deep into the mountain. The same sconces decorated the walls and she brushed one lightly with her stony fingers, bathing them with the blue glow again.

They descended deep into the bowels of the earth and finally emerged into another huge cavern. This one was so immense that they could not see the edges of it. Darkness ancient and undisturbed reined here, the soft glow of the sconces behind them hardly penetrating the thick gloom.

But this room was not empty for everywhere about them on the floor lay piles of ancient treasure and the children gasped in awe.

“For your gift to me child, I return a gift, and for your wish a wish for you as well.” The Faerie woman reached out and drew Harry to the horde. “Put out your hand, child.” She instructed, Harry looked at Kathryn and she nodded. Whatever was going to happen, it was too late to stop it. Refusing the gift would only enrage the Fey woman.

Harry reached out and the pile of treasure, items haphazardly strewn about the floor, began to shift. A gleaming object jerked itself from the pile and flew into Harry’s outstretched hand. He turned and Kathryn saw a short sword, ancient in design and decorated with the same abstract swirling filigree that decorated the wall sconces.

“Ah, the little one comes to you. You are favored, child.” The shifting of her face settled into a look of distant interest, as though she was drifting away from them. Her eyes went unfocused and she spoke again. “Though love has not claimed you yet, it shall and when it does you shall love truly and eternally, child.” Her face turned back to Harry and something passed between them. Harry looked at the woman and simply nodded, accepting.

Turning now to Kathryn she let the weight of her gaze fall and Kathryn was hard pressed to remain standing. The power in this woman was incredible; it was heavy and thick and it rolled over Kathryn like the granite boulders from the landslide. Kathryn drew on the blood of her ancestress and stood firm, locking her knees and ignoring the agony of her wounded leg.

“The road to the Earth is closed from midsummer to midwinter; there is no passage there now. When it is open again, walk into the hills from whence came your danger and seek the rill of clean water that flows there. Follow it and you shall find your answer, Daughter of the Half-blood.” The Faerie woman turned from them and gestured to the passage they had just exited. “Follow that to its end and you will find yourself at home again.”

Kathryn bowed and the children mimicked her. Again, she was careful not to thank the Lady, merely to acknowledge the bargain fulfilled. Silently, they crept away. Their last sight of her was that of a tall lonely figure surrounded by glittering treasure and darkness.