Dark Fae (17 page)

There was shouting from Nuadha’s camp, and it was getting closer. “We’ve got to go
,”
Bres said again. “
Gormley
, you’d best hide yourself.”

She spun to face us. “Never again, boy.” Lifting one
age-
spotted hand, she waved to us. “If I die this night, I will die happy, and in my own body.”

I lifted my hand, waving to her as Bres half
-
dragged me down the beach. I re
ally was trying to move my legs, but they just didn’t seem to get the message.

A snort and a splash off to our side
made
us
spin
around. Raising my hand, I prepped a power bolt. Or at least
I
tried to.

There was nothing left for me to use
;
I’d drained my powers.
I looked anxiously for the source of the sound
then hissed,
“Bres, I can’t feel my power anymore!” I didn’t try to hide the panic that was filling me. How was I going
to face Chaos without any way to defend myself
?

“It happens to everyone, daughter.” Lir strode out of the water, the Aughisky at his side. “Only I suspect it is the first time for you. Breaking a curse that old and that powerful would have killed most.”

In two strides
,
he was at my side, helping Bres carry me out into the water. “Hurry, Chaos has sent her army
,
and we are not in the best of shape to take it on
,”
Lir said.

They helped me onto the back of the Aughisky that had brought me to the west coast. “Thank you
,”
I whispered.

He
grunted
, tossing his mane
. “If you can break one curse, maybe you can break another.” There was a glint in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. Hope.

Lir cleared his throat.“No time right now, we must hurry.” The Aughisky began to swim out into the ocean and within minutes
,
we were well
past
the breakers. Before I could protest, my legs were sucked hard against the Aughisky’s side
, like some sort of magnet had taken hold of them,
and he dove under the waves.

Bres’ words of warning whipped through my mind, but a light
brightened
beside me
and
I could see Bres on the other water horse
with
Lir swimming between us.
Lir wouldn’t let the Aughisky hurt
me
,
of that I had no doubt. My mind eased on that count
.
I peered around us, trying to see where we were going.

We dove deep, the waters around us black, strange shapes flickering through our scope of light here and there. The water was cold, but it felt good. We started to slow as we came to a rock formation that was more than a little familiar, one that I never thought I’d see again.

It see
med we were coming full circle. Bres dismounted from the Aughisky and I
slid from the back of my mount with ease
, floating in the water beside him
.

Thank you.
I mouthed. The water horse nodded
,
and butted his head against me.

Swimming was easier than walking
,
and I made my way to the Labyrinth
’
s entrance.
O
nce more
,
Bres
pulled me from the water and into the cavern that marked the beginning of the maze.

Holding me against his chest
,
he smiled down at me. “It seems we’ve been here before.”

I held him tight, feeling the strength of him steady me. “I’m not letting go this time.”

Lir cleared his throat. “We
don’t have
much time to make a plan.” He beckoned
to
us to follow him. The walls of the Labyrinth parted before him, the twists and turns
disappearing
as he walked. Bres took my hand, linking his fingers with mine. Neither of us said anything, the memories of our time in the Labyrinth
swirling around
us
, almost like flashes from an old movie reel
.

This was where it had all started for him and
me
, where I’d found out that Ashling was Balor’s daughter, where I’d faced my greatest fear. It seemed fitting to be back here now, at what I was sure was the end of the journey.

“Can I save her?” I asked, the words blurting out of me before I even thought to stop them.

Lir paused and waited for us to catch up. His eyes were sad when he looked down at me. “I don’t know, Quinn. I just don’t know.”

“I have
something
to tell you
,”
I said
then paused,
not sure exactly how to say that I
had
killed his son and stolen his powers. It turned out
that
I didn’t have to say anything.

“Card was no longer right in his head. If you hadn’t
have
killed him, he would have killed you, then me,
helping
Chaos reign. You did what you had to
,”
Lir said. His voice was a monotone, flat and emotionless.

“I tried not to
,”
I said, my voice soft. “I tried to get him to stand with me, against her.”

“I know.”

While the walls still dripped with moisture, there was no other sound
.
A
ll the booby traps and dangers
were
wiped clean
,
now that the Fomorii were gone.

The throne room was as I remembered it, minus the gaping pool of shark
-
infested water I’d had to swim across.
There was a throne with tables beside it set up on a dais, and a side alcove that held the tools and instruments for a scribe.
Dark, and full of
un
pleasant memories
, it was not a place I would stay if I had a choice. It was funny to think that I’d seen it all before, yet hadn’t really seen it. My focus had been Ashling.

“We have to find a way to get you close to Chaos
,”
Lir said. “I believe you can beat her,
that
you can end this destruction
—but
not if we can’t get her to engage you.”

Bres walked over to the one table in the room and pulled a map out of a cubbyhole I didn’t even know was there. The two men started to discuss strategy and possibilities
. They tried
to draw me in
to the conversation, but I avoided it
.
M
y mind was wandering and
,
with it, my feet. Something drew me across the room and I followed the call of whatever it was.

There, tossed in the corner was an obsidian carved box, the lid half hanging off its hinge. Kneeling, I reached out and gingerly lifted the box up. It was heavy, the weight of the stone making it sturdier than it looked at first. There were no carvings, no markings. Just a plain black box.

That was the box we put her in. It held Chaos for so many years.

I ran my finger over the lid.
Cora, please don’t leave me now. I need you.

I won’t leave you now, Quinn. This is the end game and I will stand with you.

Tears trickled down my face.
I think I can kill Chaos and save Ashling, but
...
I’m afraid.

Fear is a tool, one that often tells us that what we are doing is the right path. The easy path is the one of least resistance, the one that is all light and goodness.

I trusted my instincts, trusted that what I was going to do
. The
boys would forgive me. Rising,
with t
he box in one hand, I went to the scribe
’
s desk.
I sat down and
looked over at Bres and Lir,
they
bowed
their heads
as they tried to find a way to get me to Chaos.

What they didn’t know was that I already had a way.
If
I was brave enough to see it through.

Long into the next day, Bres, Lir and I discussed how we would get close to Chaos. I took part in the conversations
,
so they wouldn’t
guess
what I had in mind. I
f they knew what I was planning they would try to stop me—
and I couldn’t have that. Ashling’s life depended on it.

“I still say that we meet her head on in battle, hiding Quinn at the back
,”
Bres said
.
“We can move her forward as the battle progresses, rescue Luke and then both of us can flank her.”

Lir shook his head. “It won’t work, Chaos knows that we have to get close and she will keep Luke b
y her side, using him as her shield
.”

It was growing late and I faked a yawn. “I need to sleep. I trust you two to decide the best course.”

I kissed Bres goodnight, then hugged Lir. They went right back to their strategies. I watched them for a minute at the door, trying to take in everything they both were. Turning
,
I reached out for Cora.

Steady, Quinn. You are doing the right thing. They will understand one day.

As quietly as I could, I made my way back through the straightaway that had once been the Labyrinth. At the end of it
,
I slipped into the dark pool of water, feeling the cold settle into my bones. A head bobbed up beside me
and my Aughisky stared at me.

“Where are you going?” He asked.

“For a swim
,”
I whispered
.

He snorted. “Hmm. Need a ride?”

I smiled and nodded. “Thanks.”

Slipping onto his back, my legs snapped to his sides
once more
. I clung to hi
m
, grateful for the physical company
on
this last portion of my journey. Any tears I cried were swept away on the current
of the ocean
as I said my goodbyes in my heart. I’d left letters
behind,
in the black box that had once been Chaos’ prison, but I still needed to let my heart grieve.

Bres.

Ashling.

Luke.

Darcy and the three Smiths. Don, Fianna, and even
Gormley
. Each one had played a vital part in bringing me to this point.

Cora.

I am here. I will be here when it is your time to pass, Quinn. I will not leave you to
cross over
alone.

My heart clenched
, then
slowly the fear and pain faded. I’d made my decision
.
I knew that Ashling would be angry, but that was better than the alternative.

Quicker than I
had
thought possible, we were breaking the surface and nearing the shallows. Slipping from the Aughisky’s back
,
I put my hand on his nose. “Thank you. I’m glad you didn’t go back to the Smiths, that you are able to be free.”

He chuckled. “Until they come and find us. This isn’t the first time they’ve let us
‘
escape.
’
”

With a splash and a quick flip
,
the water horse
disappeared
under the waves and I was left alone treading water in the pre-dawn light. Swimming to shore, I went over my plan once more.

There was
still
one part that might not work, one vital part. But I had no other option.

As I stood in the shallows I pulled Carnwennan from the scabbard and spun it in my hand so that
the blue gem faced outwards, the
n I slid the sword back into the sheath
with care
.

The world around me fuzzed as if I were looking through a gauzy curtain. I started to walk, keeping my steps deep enough that I didn’t make
any
splash that would give me away.

Quinn, I did what I did
,
so that the prophecy would be
ful
filled. That is why your mother went along with bedding both Lir and Balor. She knew that you would need to be strong, so very strong
,
to face the evil that would rise.