Icefall (34 page)

‘Bollocks to that,' said Jed.

‘Ahhh!' Langfank grinned. ‘My brother liked you. I quite see why.'

‘And bollocks to that too.' Jed unbuckled his sword belt, drew his weapon and threw the belt aside. Three curved blades flew from Langfank's fingers, and met his swift deflecting sword, and then he and Langfank collided in a tangle of blade and body.

Rory wanted to shut his eyes and couldn't. The blue roan had its head pressed to his, and he could feel its hot breath on his neck. Branndair stood silent against his legs, and it felt as if the wolf was propping him up. They all seemed small in the huge threatening amphitheatre, watched by that idle circle of Lammyr perched like vultures on the rocks, but Jed looked smallest of all, penned in the inner ring of Sithe and Lammyr. Rory did not want to look at Iolaire. He didn't dare.

Langfank twisted in mid-air, its webbed foot lashing into Jed's belly, but Jed was already snaking his body back, lessening the impact. He grunted, but his blade flashed through Langfank's ear, sending a colourless spray spurting onto the water meadow. Grass where it fell crackled to yellow, but red blood spilt on top of it. Jed fell clumsily back, rasping in furious breaths, crouching. His blade raised in defensive warning, he reached to touch his shoulder blades, brought his hand back wet with blood. There was a long gash of red in his t-shirt, right across his back.

Iolaire gave a groan of fear. Langfank made a petulant face.

‘
Tiresome!'
it tutted. ‘How did that miss your spinal cord?'

‘You're pissing me off,' said Jed through gritted teeth.

He sprang at the Lammyr as it reached to its belt for another blade. Catching its arm, he twisted with it as it tried to writhe out of his grip. For hideous moments they were wrestling in mid-air, feet kicking and hooking, torsos wound together like lovers. Then they crashed to the ground.

Jed shoved Langfank's face sideways hard into the earth, twisted its scrawny arm up, pressed his sword to its throat. It strained to watch him with one eye. Thrashed its legs a couple of times. Gave up, and let the last blade fall from its fingers.

Rory heard Iolaire's pent breath sigh out of him, high-pitched with relief. The other Sithe stirred restlessly, but Seth didn't move.

‘A death, please, Cuilean.' Langfank spat out earth and grinned. ‘Soon as you please, slow as you like. And may I say how glad I am that it's you!'

Jed said nothing but he hesitated, his blade point pressing into its sinewy throat.

‘Because I like you. I really do!'

Something crossed Jed's face, a look of half-forgotten torment. He tightened his grip on the sword hilt, twisted the blade so it broke pale skin.

Langfank gave a tremulous sigh of contentment, closed its eyes, licked papery lips.

‘Oh, Cuilean, yes. My brother always liked you, and I do too!'

Jed went rigid, and his face emptied. He twisted, the knuckles of one hand digging into the peat, and his eyes met Seth's.

‘For my soul,' he said.

He wiped his sword on the stubbly grass, rose and spat on the ground by the Lammyr's face. Then he turned, and walked away.

‘Just you get back here!' Langfank rolled up to a crouch. ‘A death! Cuilean!'

‘Fuck you,' said Jed, and kept walking.

It snarled.

Rory only saw movement, swift and sleek. Langfank's discarded blade was back in its fingers. Livid, it screamed at Seth.

‘Murlainn! There are
rules,
you know!'

‘JED,' screamed Seth.

The flight of the blade was too fast to see. Rory only saw Jed jolt forward, his body bowing into a backwards curve, before he slumped to his knees, shock in his eyes. Only when he pitched forward with a sickening sound did Rory see the blade, sunk so deep in his brother's back only one glittering point was still visible.

Seth yelled with pain, clutched at his left hand as if the blade had pierced the scar on it. He recovered and ran, but by then Finn's knives were drawn, flying one after the other at Langfank. It didn't try to dodge, or perhaps didn't have the time or the concentration, too busy watching Jed with a joyful fascination. Finn's knives sank almost as one into its chest, and it swayed sideways. Grabbing the scrawny neck, Seth drew his sword, and plunged it into Langfank's throat. As it fell twitching at his feet, a sigh of rueful elation went round the ranks of the Lammyr, and there was a polite ripple of applause.

‘That's half,' called Langfank's lieutenant. ‘I'm sorry to interrupt but that's half…'

Seth hesitated for less than a second. His teeth clenched, he swung his blade at Glanadair, slicing his throat. He spun round before the spray of blood could even hit him, running for the river, and flung the blade into the shallow water.

Rory was stumbling to his brother, reaching him half a second ahead of Iolaire. Jed's eyes were open, but they were glazed as if with ice.

‘Grian!' screamed Iolaire, but the healer was already on his knees at Jed's side, his frantic fingers working at the sunken blade. Frothy blood bubbled from the wound as he tugged at it.

Jed's eyes met Rory's, and he moved his head very slightly sideways. More blood choked from his mouth.

‘Heart,' he murmured, and almost smiled. ‘My heart, bruv.'

‘No,' Rory shouted.

‘The blade's barbed,' muttered Grian.
‘Fuck!'

‘Yeah.' Jed coughed blood on Rory's hand. ‘Fucked.'

‘NO.' On his knees, Iolaire slipped his arms gently beneath Jed's head, cradling it. ‘Jed. You wait for me! You bloody wait!'

His body was juddering violently, but he gritted his teeth and tried to smile. ‘Iolaire. 'S'better. Really. Think about it.'

‘No! Don't you dare!'

‘Jed.' Rory stroked his face, kissed it, pressed his forehead to his rough cheek.

‘Iolaire, hold
still
!' yelled Grian. ‘Tip him. Finn, help, gods almighty. To the side. Left lung's flooding.
Tip him
.'

Rory was only vaguely aware of the people around him. His father. Finn. Grian, panicking now, his fingers digging desperately in Jed's back as the others tilted his body as best they could. But he was really aware only of himself, and Iolaire, and Jed. Leaning close as his brother was tugged onto his side, he heard his grunt of agony, felt a spray of blood on his face as Jed coughed. Rory caressed his face, whispered low. ‘Jed.'

The glazed eyes crinkled with pain.

~
Jed. Please. Now.

Jed smiled. His lips moved, and though Rory couldn't read them, he heard his answer. With that, the world tilted and pain tore into Rory's back, and he gave a cry that would only come out as a cough, and he felt grass and cold earth, and his head cradled tightly on Iolaire's lap, and the world was receding too fast, and

Long time no see, old girl …

the bay mare blew gently on his face, ears flickering. She was not locking him down to reality, not this time. There was nothing doing that. And never would again

Hoofbeats. Hoofbeats?

his eyes were blurred, but he knew that rider. Oh, the irony. Finally he was in a place he belonged, but the hold it had on him was loosening. He wanted to grip it tighter but there wasn't any strength in him. There was no longer a life much worth living …

‘JED!'

He blinked. Iolaire. Oh, no. Hell no, he didn't want to leave him. He didn't want to leave the others. No. But he didn't have a choice any more. He could feel it.

‘Jed, wait.' He could feel Iolaire's hot tears on his face. ‘If you won't wait for me, wait for Grian. Give him time.'

‘Iolaire.' His fingers gripped Iolaire's shirt till his knuckles were white. At least, he knew that was what his fingers were doing, but he couldn't feel them any more. He frowned in perplexity, then almost laughed. It was so silly. He hadn't expected to get old, anyway, so he hadn't put in any practice at doing it gracefully. Damn, but he'd make a lousy old guy. Iolaire young and beautiful, and him a bad-tempered old fart.
Iolaire, I never wanted you to look at me with pity. I wanted to stay beautiful like you. I wanted to stay beautiful for you.

No, it really was better this way. He could just about convince himself of that, except that it hurt. Oh, but it really hurt. He wondered how long it was going to last. Not long. Oh, please.
Too long already.

‘Don't go! Stay, Jed!'

arms went round him. Smelling the sleeve of a familiar woollen jumper, he managed a grin

~
Jed! I found her for you! She's waited. So long. Me too

he shut his eyes and opened them again, and smiled.

‘Mila,' he whispered. ‘Mila Cameron.'

Iolaire's fingers were stroking his bloody face. ‘Jed Cameron,' he whispered. ‘You are my Jed. My Jed Cameron. Please stay with me.'

But I can't. I would, and I want to, but I can't.

Feeling crept back into his heart, a spark of stirring happiness. It was belonging. Being wanted, and missed, and loved.

But mostly belonging.

‘Jed! DON'T GO.'

‘I love you. I love you.' But he didn't think the words were coming out. He couldn't even see any more, let alone speak.

‘Seth Rory Finn.' Tried to suck in more air but it wouldn't go. No place for it to go.
Iolaire oh Iolaire I love you

But at least it had stopped hurting.

‘Rory, NO!
Somebody. Get. Rory. Away.
'

His father's distant scream sliced into his mind and Rory felt a hand on the scruff of his neck: Fearna's hand, yanking him back with a frantic shout. Seth stumbled to Fearna's side and hauled with him. The opposing tug was strong, so strong, but Seth and Fearna, if not stronger, were more desperate. A gaping maw that was bigger than distance opened between Rory and his brother. With a single yelping scream, he was himself again.

Grian released Jed, who rolled onto his back, deadweight, staring at the sky.

~
The sky, Jed, look at the sky.

Rory heard someone say it. Who? Finn? He was almost angry. A waste of thought: how could Jed see that? A corpse on the cold ground.

Smearing Jed's face with his bloody hands, Grian drew his eyelids shut, and Iolaire pressed his face to his torn body and wept.

 

Hannah

‘You're an idiot,' said Sionnach, cradling me against his chest. ‘Honestly, you're an idiot.'

‘I know.' I huddled into him for warmth. The cell was freezing. ‘Shit, I could have been a fairy princess by now. And I always wanted—oh no, hang on. I didn't.'

He huffed a laugh. ‘That figures. But honestly. You could at least have been a
live
fairy princess.'

‘I look terrible in pink. Clashes with my hair.'

‘So does blood,' said Kate. ‘Take my word for that, dear.'

Sionnach lolled his head to the side and eyed her lazily as she walked in. The door had opened silently and only now did a light flare beyond the cell, so that Kate was fetchingly backlit. She'd done that deliberately, the bitch, to give us a fright. Good luck to her if she thought that was possible any more.

‘Hello, your Maj.' Sionnach managed to give three words all the amused contempt in the universe, and I admired him for it even as I wished he would shut his trap and stay alive a bit longer.

‘Look a little more cheerful, Sionnach. You'll be seeing your twin again soon.'

‘Can I just ask you something, Kate?' His fingers tightened a little more on my shoulder, protective. ‘You're going to live forever, right? What in the name of the gods is wrong with doing that here?'

‘Live forever here?' She trilled a laugh. ‘You've answered your own question, silly boy. I would die of boredom, except that I
can't
.'

Her face was frightening, but he didn't turn away. ‘And what about after? When you're in the otherworld. What happens when you're bored with it?'

Her mouth tightened. ‘Bridges to cross, dear. And that was quite the most pathetic delaying tactic I've ever witnessed.' She made a sharp gesture towards one of the guards. ‘Now. Out.'

He leaned down, grabbed my arm, and yanked me out of Sionnach's arms. I stumbled and he dragged me out of the cell, ignoring Sionnach's snarl and my cry of protest. The other guard stepped past him and hauled Sionnach to his feet.

My guard didn't take me far, though. Just outside the cell door he stopped and swung me to face Kate.

Kate walked calmly round me, then grasped a hank of my hair and tugged it hard. I winced, couldn't help it. She pulled me against her, swung me so my back was to her chest, then twisted my head back and drew a dirk.

I was facing Sionnach, so I saw him try to lunge for me, but his guard whacked a rabbit-punch into his wounded stomach. As Sionnach gasped and staggered to his knees, his arm was twisted up behind him and a blade pressed to his throat.

Don't, Sionnach
, I thought desperately.
Don't.

I heard Kate laugh. The blade tickled my throat, teased my earlobe, then she wrenched her handful of my hair so hard I cried out. I felt the slice of the dirk, the bite of it as it severed my hair at the roots and nicked my scalp. I felt the dampness of blood, too, but I didn't put my hand up to my head. I damn well wouldn't. The blood swelled and began to trickle down behind my ear.

Shoving me away, Kate held up the hank she'd cut. Making a little face of distaste, she shrugged and separated it into two strands. She reached to her own hair, and with one delicate slice, cut a single lock of her own shining hair. Then she began to braid the strands together.

Backing away, caught by the guard, I watched her fingers, quick and lithe and skilful. I could tell which strands of the braid were mine. Paler. Not so coppery. But the two strands were alike: so terribly alike.