Dark Fae (5 page)

Leaping off the high ground, I sloshed my way towards the two gateways. The one filled with light almost vibrated with energy. It drew me, like
a
child to a shiny object. I found my hands reaching towards that gateway before I could stop myself.

Clenching my fingers I pulled back
,
and faced the dark gateway. There was nothing particularly evil about it, more an absence of light than anything.

“One last piece of advice, Quinn.”

I turned to look back at Fianna.

“Do not lie. Be honest not only with those you meet, but with yourself and your own heart.
Show them the respect they deserve.
”

As if it heard her words, m
y heart thumped painfully in my chest
.
I thought of Bres in there, fighting for me; fighting for Luke. He
and
Luke
did not like each other, barely tolerated one another when they were working together
,
with reason it seemed,
and yet for me
,
he would save his rival. Two quick strides
,
and I was standing directly in front of the darkened archway. The green leaves of the arbutus tree were incredibly vibrant against the black trunk.
With one finger
,
I traced the leaf closet to me, the foliage shuddering under my fingertip.

A rush of air pour
ed
out of the gateway, the smell of the ocean heavy within it. Clenching my hands at my sides
,
I stepped through the
arch
, and found myself plunged into a raging ocean, the black of night surrounding me.

5

I didn’t fight the waves, just let them pull me where they wanted and within minutes I was thrown by a huge wave up onto a
rock
-
strewn beach, my body hitting
it
hard. For a brief second
,
I struggled to get my wind back, and with a gasp, finally drew air.

Blinking,
I
took me a moment to see the dark shapes surrounding me. The helicopter pilot who’d died trying to fly us off the island, the Banshees I’d killed, the Fomorii I’d killed, and Aednat, her eyes narrowing as she stared at me. Slowly, I stood. None of them moved towards me and I didn’t really know what to do.

“Why are you all here?” I asked, fearing I might already know the answer.

Aednat laughed. “You killed us, so now you must face your deeds, dark Fae.”

My jaw clenched and I gave a nod. “As much as I wish it weren’t true, I’d do it all again, if I had to.”

The
rat
-
faced Banshee
,
who’d poisoned me and killed Cora, stepped forward. “Truly?”

“Yes.”

Each of them stepped forward, one at a time
,
and I had to face them. The wounds I’d inflicted were still on their bodies, the blood still dripped. The Fomorii were the most numerous, thirteen in all. I didn’t realize I’d ended so many lives.

Aednat tipped her chin up and looked down her nose at me. “You killed us all. Now feel the pain of our deaths as if
they
were your own.”

From the first Fomorii I’d killed, right on through to the Banshees and Aednat, my body was suddenly pulled in every direction. The shock of my limbs being sliced into,
my
body ripped out of the helicopter, lit on fire, gutted
,
and slammed into with bolts of power
,
hit me all at once.
Then the emotions hit. Fear of dying, shame of losing to a Tuatha, anger
and
sorrow for those left behind
,
and even remorse.
Those
were worse than the physical pain. Sobbing, I held my head in my hands, the emotions more than I could deal with, so I just let them pour out of me.

Combined, the pain in my body and in my heart left me feeling as
if I were being pulled apart an inch at a time. I didn’t fight
any of it
though
.
I’d done this to them, the leas
t I could do was
honour it, respect it.

As suddenly as the pain and emotions had started, they stopped. Laid flat out, the sand was gritty against my
tear-
soaked cheek. With great care, I pushed myself to my feet, wobbling as I stood.

The ones I’d killed, directly or indirectly
,
still held a loose circle around me.

The helicopter pilot stepped forward first. “I am satisfied.” A breeze blew in from the ocean and his image was dispersed as if it were made of smoke. One by one they stepped forward, stating the same thing until they’d all gone. Except for one.

Aednat.

“Aednat is not satisfied with your pain and suffering.”

A sharp crack of thunder and the bite of electricity sung through the air.

I spread my hands. “What would you have me do, Aednat? You threatened the life of my sister, you wanted to be Chaos’ host body, you fought against your sister who is a good Queen.”

She snapped her teeth at me. “
You ruined Aednat’s world she had made. You should die.”

It was so simple for her. As if she truly w
as
a child. I scrubbed my hands over my face. “One day, I will die, probably very soon as I’m going to face Chaos with no training. Is that not enough for you?”

She tipped her head and chewed her lower lip. “Perhaps. Aednat wishes to be there, when the fatal blow is struck you, she may see your death with her own eyes.”

“If it is possible to do that, then fine by me.” What did I care who watched me die? If it made it so that I could move towards Bres and the Cauldron
,
then so be it.

Aednat smile. “I am satisfied.”

Her image dispersed on the wind and I was left alone on the beach.

With a stumble, I struck out down the beach. “How the hell am I going to know which way to the Cauldron?”
I asked the sand and waves.

To my amazement, they responded.
The ground shifted, small pebbles began to form arrows, pointing back the way I’d come. Well
,
that seemed simple enough to follow.

Picking up speed, I began to run down the beach, the sand giving way with every other step, forcing me to slow my pace. “Bres, where are you?” I muttered.
This time the pebbles didn’t change.

It occurred to me
then
that Cora had been silent for some time.

“Cora, any ideas?”

A stirring within me, as if she were waking up
,
rippled across my mind.
I am here
. Follow the arrows
.
T
hat is what I would do.

I wiped at my face and looked up
.
A
familiar figure
was
striding down the beach.

“Bres!” I shouted, jumping to my feet and running towards him. His eyes barely had time to register shock before he caught me in his arms.

“Quinn, what are you doing here?” He whispered into my hair. For just a moment, I let myself feel him against me, our hearts beating against each other, the scent of him filling me up. Shaking my head
,
I pushed out of his arms. “You were taking too long. Did you get the Cauldron?”

“I’m sorry. Ta
Cauldron re
fused to come with me
,”
He said, looking away. “You shouldn’t have come here.”

Remembering what Fianna had said about the Cauldron having a life of its own
,
I nodded. “Do you think we could convince it?”

“I don’t know.
Quinn
.
Y
ou have to know I didn’t Charm you
;
I couldn’t Charm a mouse into eating cheese
.” He reached out and took my hand
,
his fingers curling around mine.

“I know, I’m sorry, but I had no reason believe Luke was lying
,”
I said.
Which begged the question, why
ha
d
Luke
lied?

Bres le
d me down the beach
, following the pebbles that continued to show us the way. “Ah, maybe I would have done ta same thing if I thought
I could
keep you all to myself.” He gave me a lazy wink. I blushed
,
feeling the heat start in my belly and swirl outwards. He was giving Luke an out, one that he didn’t have to
provide
.

“Did you have to face . . .” I couldn’t quite finish it. Bres gave me a sad smile. “Yes, though to be honest, I feel better now, knowing that they are all satisfied.”

“A lot of people?” I asked.

“Yes
. Far
too many.”

The pebbles led us
around a huge piece of driftwood that stood well over my head,
to the edge of a fire pit where a large bubbling pot hung over the open flames. The swirls of mist that spilled out of the pot were soft pink, the colour of a newborn
’
s skin, and the scent was one of apple pies and fresh spring air. I breathed in deep
, and
let the smells permeate my lungs before I spoke.

“How do you talk to a cauldron?”
I asked softly.

“You don’t. You talk to its Speaker.”
A
voice from the far side of the fire
said, then spat
.

Licking my lips
,
I sidestepped and peered around the large cauldron. A face peered back at me through the mist, an older gentleman in blue overalls
.
T
he Speaker looked suspiciously like . . .

“Don?” I asked.

Bres leaned close. “Who’s Don?”

“He gave us a ride, in his pickup truck to Cameron Lake
,
”
I said, not sure if what I was seeing was real or some strange twist of my own mind.

Don grunted. “Well, you can’t be the Speaker all the time nowadays.
Most people just think that the Cauldron is a legend and don’t even bother to look for it.
So I got myself a real job. But just because we met before doesn’t mean that you can just take the Cauldron.” He lifted a finger at me,
and
then glared at Bres.

I crouched down in front of him. “Please, do you remember what you said to me, right before I got out of your truck?”

His eyes softened. “Refresh my memory.”

“
You told me that l
ove
is precious
and that I shouldn’t
let it slip past
me
‘
cause
I was
looking for something perfect
,
”
I whispered. “That’s why we’re here. Luke is dying, and . . .” I glanced up at Bres, then back at Don
.
“I need him. I need Luke to stand with me. Just like I need Bres.
Without them both, I won’t be able to face what is coming. I know that now.
”
The words settled over me, filling me with the truth of them. I needed them both, without any doubt.

Don smiled, his grin splitting his face. “Now, that’s my girl. You let love rule your heart,
and
that is what will save us all.”

Reaching out
,
he took my hand and pulled it towards the Cauldron. “Stick your hand in there, you’ll be marked
, a brand as it were
.
T
hrough the mark you will be able to heal Luke, even if he’s crossed over. But only if it’s recent
.
”
A
gain
,
he lifted his finger to me. “If he’s been dead more than an hour, you can’t save him.”

Gritting my teeth,
I pl
unged my hand into the Cauldron
,
expecting the heat to be intense, the pain to be
all
-
consuming
,
b
ut
the mist
just
engulf
ed
my hand,
and
warmth spread up my arm as the pink
fog
clung to me
.
I swirled my hand about and
,
though I couldn’t see it, dipp
ing
my hand deep into the fluid with
in
the Cauldron.