Kelpie Curse: A Feyland Urban Fantasy Tale (The Celtic Fey Book 2) (7 page)

"Don't worry, dear." Mother held up her purse. "I'll pay the entry fee for you, and meet you at the ring."

Feeling cornered again, Corinne politely smiled her thanks. But she
did
trust Ghost, and Mandy
had
made it sound enjoyable.
It'll be okay. We'll be okay.

T
WELVE
OF
THEM
were contesting the Chase-Me-Charlie—Corinne, Sonya and Mandy, the blonde girl and lanky guy from the Novice class, and a handful of others.

Corinne's heart sank when she saw that it was the
wall
they would be jumping.

But it started small—tiny, in fact; just one layer of blocks high, in between two tall pillars.

Circling around the outside of the ring, the riders approached the obstacle one at a time, and when it was their turn, Ghost trotted over it as if it wasn't even there.

A little higher, and a black and white pony was the first to stop in front of the jump, his rider's heels flailing uselessly against his side.

When the next layer of bricks was added, Mandy's horse, Jasper, hesitated briefly, but a quick tap with her whip convinced him to go over. Sonya's horse, Maestro, was as tidy and self-contained as his owner, popping over with his hooves tucked daintily underneath him.

The wall was still smaller than they'd jumped in the Novice class, so Corinne had no issues getting over it.

But another couple of entrants had refusals—a rather plump girl in a bright red jacket tumbling off as her pony swerved to the side rather than jump the obstacle.

When it got to one metre high, the wall looked about the height Corinne had already jumped. However, Mandy's Jasper decided that it was too high for him; skidding to a halt in front of it, leaving long muddy welts in the grass.

The blonde girl's roan pony was looking tired by this point, and although he jumped, his forefeet knocked the top layer of blocks out, making them one of four eliminated this round and leaving just six competitors in the ring.

Next time around, nobody had any faults, and they were all eyeing each other nervously as the organisers added another layer to the wall. It was starting to get close to the height of the pillars.

The lanky boy was first to go, and with a slap of his stick on his brown horse's shoulder, it sailed over. The next two stopped, and Corinne's heart was in her mouth as she pointed Ghost at the wall. This time it was
definitely
bigger than they'd jumped in the Novice.

A few strides out, she realised that their approach was wrong and they were either going to arrive too close or too far away. But Ghost must have worked this out as well, and cleverly put in a short half-stride just before they took off—still too close, but not impossibly so. Rather than arcing cleanly over the jump, this time he ascended almost vertically, flicked his heels in the air to clear the top, and then descended just as steeply. Corinne instinctively sat back and slipped the reins to give Ghost room to balance himself on landing.

As they cantered away from the jump, she looked over her shoulder. Somehow, all the blocks were still up! But her momentary exultation was quickly followed by the realisation that the jump would be even higher next round. Butterflies started twirling in her stomach.

Now it was Sonya's turn, spurs digging into her horse's side and whip flailing so that Maestro had no option but to jump.

The final competitor knocked bricks out, so it was just Corinne, Sonya and the lanky boy left.

The boy went clear again, and Corinne took a deep breath before urging Ghost towards the jump. Could she really jump that high? The butterflies were dancing polkas now, but Ghost didn't seem fazed. His eyes locked on to the jump and with a powerful spring, they were sailing through the air, that slow-motion thing happening again so she felt like she was riding Pegasus rather than an amazing grey horse.
Clear!

Sonya's spurs and whip weren't enough this time, and Maestro spun out, depositing her unceremoniously on the grass and cantering away with his tail in the air. Picking herself up, she stalked furiously after her horse, who had joined Mandy and Jasper near the entrance.

Corinne decided to ignore
that
drama, and concentrated instead on the next round and the wall, which was now the same height as the pillars. When they'd been flying over it last time, all her butterflies had suddenly disappeared. It was like Ghost had magically transmuted some of his confidence, and instead of trepidation, she felt only determination. Pushing her hat down, she checked the clip.
I'm not having it fall off again.

This time, the boy on the dark brown horse knocked a brick out of the wall. So if Ghost left it standing, they'd win.
No pressure,
she thought, as she turned Ghost towards the wall for the last time. Sitting quietly, she concentrated on moving
with
him, so as not to disturb his balance, and it seemed to work. He hung in the air even longer this time, but he went clear. After he landed, he flicked his heels in a jubilant buck, which made Corinne laugh as she slowed him back to a walk.

"A marvellous final jump for Corinne MacArthur and Ghost to win the Chase-Me-Charlie!" announced the loudspeakers, and a cheer went up from the crowd of spectators. Corinne's grin spread from ear to ear, and got even wider when she realised that they'd won not only a red rosette, but also a large silver trophy.

Mandy came running over as they left the ring, patting Ghost excitedly on the shoulder. "Well done!" she said, "He's amazing!"

"I know!" Corinne couldn't seem to stop smiling. Ghost really
was
wonderful. He couldn't replace Midnight—they were both very different—but he jumped so well and gave her such a feeling of confidence, she was sure they'd have an amazing future together.

"Congratulations, darling!" Mother came over, followed by Sonya's father, but there was no sign of Sonya.

Mandy seemed to realise that her friend's absence had been noted. "Sonya's taken our horses back to the lorry. But she says 'congratulations'."

Yeah, right,
thought Corinne. There may have been a temporary truce this morning, but she had a feeling that being beaten in the jumping would've ruffled the other girl's feathers. The drive back to the farm would be interesting.

-::-

Phemie sat awkwardly on the leather-cushioned bench seats in the 'living' part of Sonya's lorry, wishing she hadn't accepted Mr Tavish's offer of a lift back to the farm. It might be luxurious as far as horseboxes went, but with every pothole they went over or corner they turned, she was bounced around like a jack-in-the-box.
Sonya's father needs a lesson in how to drive with livestock in the back.
If he carried on like that, the horses would start refusing to load.

Perhaps she should speak to the Bank Manager about a loan to buy a lorry, and start offering transport to shows, like the English farmer Corinne had mentioned? There were bound to be other liveries as well as Corinne who would take the chance of an outing with their horse.

Across from her, Corinne clutched her silver trophy, her face wearing the remains of a delighted grin. But you could cut the atmosphere in the front of the lorry with a knife.

Sonya sat in the centre seat, silently fuming, grass-stained jodhpurs telling the story of her day. At either side of her, Mandy and her father stared wordlessly ahead. The couple of remarks Mandy had tried to make had provoked a furious reaction, and Mr Tavish obviously knew from long experience that silence was golden.

Phemie kept her voice low, so only Corinne would hear. "Eh, Corinne, I've been thinking. I might get a lorry like yon farmer in England. D'you think the liveries would pay for trips to shows? Or the beach?" she added as an afterthought.

Corinne's face lit up. "Yes! There's no point in me getting a trailer until I can drive—Dad's away with work all the time, and Mum has to go to the university at weekends for her experiments. I'm sure some of the others would go in your lorry as well." Her gaze drifted to the red-haired girl sitting by the lorry's door, visible via the cut-through opening to the lorry's cab. "Mandy might, too," she whispered.

"Hmmm." Mandy's show of friendliness today had rung hollow to Phemie, but she wasn't sure if Corinne was experienced enough to discern that. Being the newcomer from England, she was probably glad to see
any
friendly face, no matter how genuine.
Or otherwise.

Gripping the edges of the seat as they negotiated a particularly tight corner, Phemie contemplated the teenagers in the front of the lorry.
I'll need to keep an eye on those two.

H
IS
STEPS
HEAVY
, Elphin made his way down the mountain. Like an albino shadow, the red-eyed wolf followed two paces behind. After the events of yesterday, Cailleach had placed an enchanted crystal on its forehead, which would relay images back to her cave.
'Until I can trust you again'
, she had said.

Elphin used to enjoy his foraging trips, and the chance to escape for a few hours from the crone's malignant presence. But what little joy he had derived from his work would be tainted now, and any friends he met—from the tuneful birds to his beautiful Corinne—would be spied on by the blue witch.
I will have to be especially careful about what I do, and who I speak to,
he decided.

Today's first task was to retrieve his willow basket, which he had lost somewhere near Urisk's pool during yesterday's dramatic rescue. Then he needed to fill the container with nuts and berries, as their already-low supplies had been depleted even further by Cailleach's breakfast earlier this morning.

He did not dare let her go hungry.

The thin line he had been walking had stretched even thinner yesterday, and he feared her retribution if he angered her again. Or worse, she might vent her fury on his friends instead.

What if she does something to Corinne? What if Cailleach curses her too?
A block of ice trickled down his spine as he imagined Corinne's peachy skin turned to leather and her shiny hair turned to straw.

He would never forgive himself if that happened. Caution must be his watchword from now on.

-::-

Materialising into Feyland, Corinne settled her bow over her avatar's shoulder and looked around her. The wooded glade looked familiar. Red-capped amanita mushrooms circled around her feet. And was that a waterfall she could hear nearby? She started walking towards the sound of rushing water. Although there was no sign of the cape Elphin loaned her last time, it seemed like she'd arrived near Urisk's cave again. Then she frowned.
Does that mean I still have to complete the spinning quest?

But hadn't Elphin said he'd finish the task for her? Her skin went cold.
Has something happened to him?
She began to jog, then slipped the bow off her shoulder so it wouldn't catch on the branches, and started to run.
I hope he's okay.

Moments later, she burst through the undergrowth beside the blue pool, and pulled up short. Gathering mallow-root by the stepping stones was a male figure. But—
something's different
. His clothes, maybe?

"Uh—hello. Elphin?"

The roar of the waterfall must've masked her voice, as he didn't respond. Instead, he straightened, picked up his shallow basket, and turned to follow the stream downstream.

She gasped.
Not Elphin.
A stranger. But,
wow!
The new character looked like he belonged on a film set, not in a computer game. White-blond hair flopped over his forehead; long golden eyelashes framed eyes of the palest blue; a silver chain hung around his neck, and he had that triangle thing going on where wide shoulders sloped down to narrow hips and long, muscular legs. She swallowed, and followed him—at a discreet distance—down the narrow path beside the water.

The trees thinned after a couple of minutes, clumps of heather and scrubby gorse dotting the edges of the path, before it finally opened into a grassy meadow.

Here at the edge of the forest, the meadow had been cultivated. Rows of soil lay before her like grainy brown corduroy; green shoots burgeoning skywards in serried ranks, tended by a crouched figure.
Urisk.

The goat-man straightened as the handsome stranger approached, and took the receptacle of mallow roots from him with a nod.

Corinne stepped from the bushes. "Hello, Urisk."

The goat-man beamed at her, brown eyes glinting in the sunlight. "Good morrow, young Corinne." He inclined his head at his companion. "Have you met Colpach?"

"Uh, no."

Colpach strode forward, his hand extended. "You may call me Col, fair archer." His grip was warm, and rather sticky.
Perhaps he's more nervous than he looks.

"Thank you."

He said nothing else, but held her gaze, clasping her hand for a moment longer than was necessary.

At school, she was too quiet—and too new—to get much attention from the boys in her year, and spending all her spare time at the stables had meant that she didn't see much of them out of school either. Perhaps her avatar was better looking than she was in real life? She looked down at her costume, at the shapely figure encased in a green tunic and brown leather waistcoat.
That must be it.

She cleared her throat, trying to remember what she'd been going to say. "Uh, Urisk, I was looking for Elphin?"

The goat-man shook his head. "I have not seen him."

She made a face. "Did… did he finish the spinning for you?"

Glancing briefly at Col, Urisk inclined his head. "Just," he said, his mouth in a line. "I have Colpach to help me now."

That's a relief.
But she should find Elphin, and thank him. And she still needed to find the minstrel. "I'm pleased to hear that. Do you know where I might find Elphin? Or the minstrel that sings for the Bright King?"

The goat-man and Col exchanged a look again. "I believe you may find what you seek on the faerie mountain," Urisk replied carefully, then jerked his chin at his fair-haired companion. "Colpach will point you in the right direction."