Dark Waters (Celtic Legacy Book 1) (17 page)

“
There’s a trick to mazes,” she said. “Like always take the left hand turn, no matter what. Or go back the way you came and you’ll find where you need to go.”

I smiled and let out a snort. “I think you read too much. This isn’t a fairytale Ashling. I would love it to be that simple, but I don’t think it is. I’ve tried going back the way Bres and I came in; it didn’t work.”

She shook her head. “No, I mean what if we went back to where one of the dangers was? What if the way out was just on the other side of them?”

“
We still have to find Bres,” I said.

Ashling went still and her eyes got a faraway look. Thirty seconds passed and then she shook herself out of it.

“
They have him.”

My blood seemed to freeze even as it flowed out of my wounds. “Who has him?” I knew the answer, but had to ask anyway.

She answered me slowly. “The Fomorii.”

~~

20

“
Then we have to go to the Fomorii to get him back,” I said. I stood, wobbled and slumped back against the wall as the room spun and bucked, my vision dimming and along with my blue orb.

“
Quinn, I can help you,” Ashling said. I blinked up at her, not really seeing her anymore in the poor light.

She kept talking as she rubbed her hands together. “We all have different talents Quinn; yours are strengths I’ll never have, but I can heal you.”

She put her hands on either side of my face and a blast of heat ripped through me, followed by the frigid cold of the arctic. I gasped as the two elements warred within me, sealing shut the wounds, filling me with energy and life that had been slipping away drop by drop.

Ashling’s hands slid from my face and she let out a little sigh. “That wasn’t so bad was it?”

My mouth dropped open. “That was not the most comfortable of feelings, but you are amazing Ashling!” I pulled her to me and hugged her tight.

“
Now we can go get Bres,” I said, standing on firm legs that no longer buckled beneath me.

Ashling smiled and I took her hand. But when I went to lead the way she stopped me. “I can lead us back to Balor’s anti-chamber.”

“
You can?” I asked, surprised.

She nodded, the light dimming in her eyes. “Yes, I can always find my way to the one who Quickened me. It is the same for you too.” We started out back the way we’d come, Ashling stopping every now and then to stare off into the distance, shadows dancing over her face. It was more than a little unsettling. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. I thought of Grandpa and found that indeed, there was a sense of direction, a pull to the left that I knew if I followed would take me to him.

There were no more monsters, no trap doors and no more surprises between when Ashling healed me and when she led us to the anti-chamber.

The door was huge, well over twelve feet high, wrought iron that had rusted so badly it looked like dried blood. I leaned in to get a closer look. Strike that—it
was
dried blood. Ashling waved her hand at the door and it slid open.

A familiar laugh echoed around us as we stepped through the doorway. The iron door slammed behind us and I pulled out my knife; as small as it was, it had seen me through a lot.

“
So, my beautiful girl has returned. And you brought me a pet Ashling, how nice. Quinn, I thought you understood that you had to leave. That you were trespassing on my lands. Perhaps I did not make that clear enough. I could consider this an attack on me. In fact, I think I will.”

Balor stepped forward, emerging from the shadows. He clapped his hands; light flooded the room revealing the Fomorii that surrounded us.

“
Shit.” Was all I managed before the Fomorii launched at us. I did the only thing I could think of—I threw my hands into the air and thought of the Barrier that kept me from the beach.

Safety. That was all I was thinking. Keep me and Ashling safe for a few minutes, long enough to get Bres, find our mom and get out of here. The Fomorii hit hard, bouncing off its slick surface, snarling and clawing at it until blood ran from their lips and fingers.

“
Impressive. I wouldn’t have thought you’d learn so quickly; perhaps you are the one the Tuatha are waiting for. From what Ashling has told me of your fear of heights and water, I had begun to doubt it,” Balor said. I saw Ashling blush out the corner of my eye, as he continued. “I mean, really, it does seem a bit much for a scared little girl like you.”

Balor lifted his hand and the mob backed off, giving him room to pace around the sanctuary I’d created. “And do you plan to stay in there forever?” He trailed his fingers along it and I felt his touch in my soul as if it was me and not the Barrier I’d created under his fingers.

“
I want Bres,” I said.

“
I’m very aware that you want him; we could feel your desire all the way from the Labyrinth.” He smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “You Lorcan women are such teases.” His violet eyes grew hard and I saw a hurt there I didn’t want to see. I didn’t want to think about him trying to seduce Ashling, or what she might have had to do to survive.

“
Where is he?” I asked, stepping forward. The Barrier moved with me and Balor’s eyes widened, the Fomorii sucking in a collective breath.

Balor stepped aside with a flourish. Behind him on the floor was Bres, blood pooling around his body. Far too much blood. I glanced at Ashling, directed my thoughts at her as I had done with Cora.

Can you heal him?

Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. I repeated the question. She pursed her lips and gave a tight nod.
If his heart is still beating I can.

“
You can’t protect both of them; your little Barrier will not be strong enough to contain all three of you,” Balor said.

“
Just watch me,” I said. I took Ashling’s hand and walked forward, pushing the Barrier along the floor until we reached Bres, bringing him inside the Barrier. He lay so still I couldn’t tell if he was even breathing. Ashling bent to him right away, laying her hands on his face.

I thought that he couldn’t be killed, that we couldn’t be either?

Ashling squeezed my hand.
Grandpa should have told you his stories.

I didn’t really know what to do next, so I took hold of Bres’ arms and started dragging him back towards the door. I could see from Balor’s expression that he didn’t expect me to make it out. His Fomorii were gathered as close to the Barrier as they could get, their teeth snapping, claws scrapping across the Barrier, like nails on a chalkboard. I forced myself to focus on the Barrier and put all my strength into one thought: keep out the Fomorii.

But as soon as I thought about keeping the Fomorii out, Ashling and Bres were thrown from the protection of the Barrier. Balor began to laugh, the noise erupting from him in a torrent that set the room on fire with mirth. The cackling and snickering filled the anti-chamber as I stared at Ashling, my mind frustrated with what I was slowly beginning to understand.

Tears streamed down her cheeks and she wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“
You didn’t know? You came all the way through the Labyrinth to fetch your sister, who is one of us, and you didn’t know? Ha, that is a wicked twist of fate isn’t it?” Balor guffawed then grabbed Ashling and pulled her to his side.

“
I would no more hurt this beautiful creature than I would cut off my own arm. I even bestowed upon her the honour of being Quickened by me,” he said. He stared down at her with a look of fatherly love, and I knew then what my mind had been trying to tell me; what I didn’t want to accept.

Balor was Ashling’s father. For a brief second I wondered if Balor was my father too. No; he’d known my father, thought him a fool, had even said I favoured him in looks.

It made a twisted sort of sense. My mother had always spoken highly of the man we had known to be our father, though she would never tell us his name, because there had been two men.

“
You hate me because of who my father is? Because it reminds you that Darcy didn’t love you best?” I said, the realization popping out of my mouth before I thought better of it.

The room went so silent the distant drip of water down the walls could be heard. Not a single breath was taken as Balor stared at me, hatred filling his eyes with an intensity that made me very glad I still had the Barrier up.

Balor pushed Ashling behind him and rushed me, his sword bared, a battle cry on his lips. I crouched inside the Barrier and grit my teeth. This was going to get messy.

His sword whistled through the air; I felt it strike the Barrier, the echo of it rattling my bones. His blade bit deep and he pried it through.

“
You aren’t strong enough to keep me out Tuatha!” he roared.

“
Father, no!” Ashling cried out, reaching for him. He backhanded her and she stumbled away from him. Rage filled me—how dare he strike her?

I dropped the Barrier and Balor lurched forward as I Called my knife to my hand, slashing upwards, catching the side of his neck as he fell towards me. His momentum and my strike made for an impressive wound, one that sprayed blood everywhere.

The melee that ensued was complete and total chaos. Bodies and weapons, blood and screams filled the anti chamber. At one point I was face down on the slick floor. I rolled to my back only to see a horde of Fomorii circle around me; the bone handle of my knife in my hand was a small comfort. At least I wouldn’t die defenceless.

Rather than wait for them to rush me, I attacked, letting my body run on whatever instinct I had. Slashing and stabbing, I dispatched three of them within a minute and the others backed off.

“
Ashling!” I yelled, over the grunting and snarling Fomorii. I could keep them at bay with my knife, but I couldn’t advance. Damn it, I needed a break—something, anything. Because no matter what anyone else thought, no matter what blood ran through her veins, I wasn’t leaving without my sister.

~~

21

“
STOP!” Balor roared above the snarling and growling of his people. It was if a switch had been flipped off. They stopped exactly where they all were, like statues frozen in time. It would have been comical if the situation wasn’t so dire. He grabbed the Fomorii closest to him by the neck, holding it tight.

Panting, covered in Fomorii blood with the stench of rotting meat and mold filling my nostrils, I struggled to breath. Then I stopped breathing altogether as Balor drew the life out of his vassal, the Fomorii going limp and then shrivelling up before my eyes. The knife wound I’d given Balor healed in seconds. He dropped the husk of a body and stared hard at me, a grim look on his face.

Shifting my weight, I slid around several Fomorii and made my way to Ashling’s side. Bres was sitting up, his eyes foggy with pain. He might have been hurting still, but he was alive; that was what mattered.

Balor circled the three of us, his eyes never leaving mine. I glared at him and tried to throw a Barrier around the three of us. My head throbbed and my vision blurred.

“
If you use your powers all up, and then try to continue using them lovey, you will kill yourself,” Bres said.

Balor paused and stroked his chin with his fingertips. “You two.” He pointed at Bres and Ashling. “Get over here. I will not have my children side with the Tuatha.”

Ashling pulled at Bres who slowly stood and leaned on her; the two of them hobbled to Balor’s side. I swallowed down tears. I would not succumb to hopelessness; this wasn’t over yet.