**DAPHNE**
Our vessel sails easily beneath an ivory cavern of sparkling white rocks. My mouth falls open in awe. The mists of the forest behind us fall atop the river creating a quiver that appears like smoke over water.
“’Tis beautiful,” I whisper, leaning against the railing as our ship coasts to a stop against a pier built entirely from what appears to be opalescent sand.
A figure with no face stands dressed in a long white gossamer dress. Her body seems to be entirely composed of water. She bows as Ash leads me down the gangplank and onto the sturdy earth of the shoreline.
The moment my booted feet touch the ground, something inside me begins to tingle. My breath catches and I lean back against Ash’s hand.
Gazing around at six open archways. Five appear to lead toward waterways with the remaining one hosting a giant ivory staircase that must lead up into the palace. It’s so beautiful here. So peaceful.
My eyes fall closed for a moment and I sway on my feet as a breeze flutters past, carrying words upon the wind.
“Welcome child. We have been waiting for you.”
I gasp, my eyelids lifting as I study our surroundings for the source of the voice.
“What is it?” Ash asks, concerned.
I shake my head. “Did you hear that? The voice?”
He clenches his jaw, his gaze falling past me toward the staircase at my back. “No.”
My eyes go toward the woman before me in the white gossamer dress. Her liquid form bows and I smile in return. It was her. She spoke to me.
“Come child,” she says. "The others must wait here. For the water will only speak to those who can hear our song.”
“What is your name?” I ask her.
“Aquini,” she answers, ending on yet another bow.
“She is speaking to you?” Ash hisses in question. His eyes wide with wonder.
I nod, a bit nervously. “She says you must wait here.”
His hand clasps mine. “Absolutely not!” He turns his anger toward Aquini, his eyes lighting with fire and lightning trembling at his fingertips.
Aquini’s body quivers and her soft laughter floats past my ears. ”Tell the prince that he need not worry. For you are safer here than you would be anywhere else in all of Faery. Should he disagree, he will learn his magic will not find strike here. For this is a sacred place and the oldest of the realms.”
I nod in her direction then face Ash, leaning upward to kiss him full on the mouth. He moans against me, his arms going tight around my waist as I whisper, “Please, Ash. She has promised no harm will come to me here. Please, trust that you brought me here for a reason.”
He shakes his head no, his body shaking against mine. With fear or with anger? That I do not know.
“No. I need to be with you,” he whispers. “I need to know what you know.”
“Tell the prince that the answers you find here will be apparent upon your return from the fountain. For the story you return with will be one he knows well. ”
“She says you will know what I know when I return,” I chide him. I allow my eyes to plead with his as he continues to deny me, shaking his head no. “Please. Ash. Please.”
He grits his teeth, nodding finally. “Fine. But if you come back as one of her, I’ll burn this place to the ground.”
I giggle, not mentioning what Aquini said about his magic being of no use in this place. Once more I lean up and kiss him, my eyes finding Finn’s as we come apart and the look I see on his face is one of grotesque pleasure, his contemptuous gaze sending a shiver of unease down my spine.
“Do not fear the misgivings of the lesser Fae,” Aquini says. “That one shall serve his purpose before making a short journey into the Valley of Great Rest.”
I smile, despite myself. I don’t doubt her words at all.
“Come,” she says.
I nod and turn to follow her.
She guides me up the staircase and I glance back only once to see Klyesque and Ash, both appearing equally troubled by my unchaperoned exit.
“They are much dedicated to you,” Aquini says as we climb upward past floor to ceiling arched windows on each side. ”That is a good sign. It speaks to your strengths and purpose. But they search too deeply for answers that they already have.”
The light of the sun warms my face as we climb and I smile at the heat. “It’s terribly beautiful here,” I comment.
“As it should be,” she laughs.
A liquid hand reaches out from the sleeves of her dress and she bows as we crest the top of the stairway to find ourselves in a large, circular room. Five gigantic archways are evenly spaced about the walls leading toward the open sky. Two spiral staircases flank the chamber’s center. A simple circular pool that bubbles gently from underground, at the heart of the room. The structure of which appears to be sanded from white rock in a circle of steps. A glittering stone chalice rests as the centerpiece, gleaming with sunlight from every direction.
"Behold. The Fountain of Truth,” Aquini says. “Take the goblet and sip from the Waking Waters.”
I gasp, my eyes going wide with apprehension. Suddenly I’m not entirely sure I should be doing this. My hand goes over my stomach as if unconsciously soothing my babe. “Drink it?”
“The waters never hurt. There’s no need to worry for your child.”
I startle, my eyes frozen on the water mystic in the beautiful dress for a long moment. She nods again, in confirmation.
“Learn your truth, Daphne. See your past’s past and know what was and what is.”
My heart begins thumping erratically as I step toward the fountain. The chalice is warm against my palms as I lift it with two hands and kneel on the steps before the fountain. I dip the cup inside and am surprised at the crystalline shimmer of the water over my hands, the chill of it alone soothes my skin.
Lifting the goblet, I bring it toward my lips and drink.