The Earl's Childe (34 page)

“The young prince is here?” I heard Calbraith say.

I think I heard the sound of metal clashing, but I was a bit preoccupied with my own situation. I managed to stab one red cap with my long dagger before the other grabbed my outstretched wrist and twisted. I felt the crack, and my hand released the dagger as I cried out. My weapon fell to the ground as the stabbed red cap gurgled, staggering back. The other kicked my knees from behind, and I fell as it grabbed my other wrist. Not wanting that broken, too, I stopped struggling as I knelt. Waves of pain throbbed all the way up my left arm.

“Stand down and show yourself, little prince. And you all…” Calbraith looked behind me, using that echoey effect again. “Any of you move, and Carna tears off one of the girl's ears.”

Joe appeared a few feet from Calbraith, his sword extended.

“You're precious. Now, drop your weapon at my feet and go join your little friends. Because I can have either of those two slice some part of Heather wide open before you can even strike. Do you understand me?”

“Leave her alone!” Max was back on his feet, hands clenched. He didn't attack. He met Joe's eyes briefly, though, before shifting to size up the daoine síth.

With a squeal and a thud, the red caps used my rope to get Stormy to the ground. Max's eyes grew wide.

“Don't worry, boy. I won't hurt your horse. His blood is rarer than yours. Now, focus. The two of you.” He nodded at the red caps holding me, and the one holding my broken wrist squeezed. I couldn't stifle the yelp in my throat. Max and Joe whipped their heads back to me, horrified. Point made, Calbraith continued, “You.” He pointed at Joe. “Weapon down and move.”

Joe clenched his teeth, but dropped his sword and walked back towards our friends. He was shaking head to toe and our eyes never left each other's. Twisting as much as the hold on my injured wrist would allow, I watched him walk all the way back to the rest of the group, who seemed so much farther behind than I'd thought. Almost twenty of the red caps (Had there been that many all along? Had more come?) surrounded the group, with most around Lily and Livy atop Dream.

“Now for you.” Calbraith's voice drew my attention back to him and Max. “I'll leave dear Heather, and all of them, alone. They can all go back to the castle in time for tea…”

In time for tea!
Dad was with Ermie and, if everything had gone all right, should be heading back home by now. Except the yew trees were on the other side of the castle. Farther from us than Ermie's stable was from the castle. If I tried, could I summon him? Why hadn't I thought of this before?

“…if you come with me, to where you belong.”

Max's face grew ghostly pale as he processed the ultimatum.

I had to try. And I had to not let Calbraith know I was trying.

I pictured a tunnel in my head, going right to Ermie. And I sent him the picture of what was going on right now.

“F-fine, I'll go with you. But…but I need proof that Heather and everyone will get back to the castle safely.”

“Max—Aay!” I called, but Carna squeezed my broken wrist again, and the name turned into a scream.

Calbraith grinned. “My boy has made his decision. And we'll assure him your travel to the castle is safe by going with you, so we can inform our hopefully reinstated earl that this little stunt means our deadline has been moved to teatime. I hear that's when you shall have an answer from the queen—” How did he know these things?! “—And you, Max, can continue breaking all the salt lines. Human blood has its advantages.”

“What are you talking about?” Max asked.

“Heather's family had the brilliant idea that laying down salt lines of protection would keep mean, nasty faery folk out of their lovely castle. Which is rather effective. You felt a bit of it, you remember? The sickness, the difficulty breathing, maybe a nosebleed or two? But your human blood is enough of a buffer that you're not blocked out entirely.” He patted Max's shoulders. “And since you and I had already connected when I gave you the Son of Storms, it only took a little patience on my part to work my way back into that handsome head of yours.” Max ducked away in disgust as Calbraith reached to ruffle his hair.

“Wait,” he said. “So you want me to clear the way so you can attack them later? No! That's not what I agreed to!”

“You agreed to join me if I got them all back to the castle safely. They will arrive at the castle safely. After that was not part of the negotiation.”

“No!”

“Are you breaking your word to me?”

“No.” Max looked at me. “I didn't say I'd given you my word. I was…clarifying the terms. When Heather made her deal about your scourge, she said, ‘I give you my word,' and I haven't said that yet.”

Calbraith sneered at him again, and then looked at me, his expression melting into his disturbing smile. “I suppose you're right. Well, I kept my end of the bargain with Heather, which said nothing about me taking my scourge out again after I put it away.”

He marched over to me and leaned in close, but spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. “You may not suffer iron poisoning, but your flesh tears just the same.”

He walked behind me. I saw Max run and get caught by two red caps. I heard my other friends, but the sound of Calbraith pulling his scourge from his belt sounded louder.

Then I heard hoofbeats.

With a yelp, I turned. So had Calbraith. Lily charged Dream over four red caps. I could see the terrified horse's beard of froth and the sheen of sweat covering his coat as he approached.

He didn't get far. Calbraith made a backhand motion and knocked Dream over. He rolled right over my sister and Livy. I tried to move, but the pain in my wrist and the monstrous strength of the two red caps kept me on my knees. Calling my sister's name became another yelp of pain.

“Hush, dear Heather,” Calbraith said. But he wasn't looking at me. He was looking at where Dream had scrambled to his feet. “I heard your sister call that beast's name… Dream, was it?”

I whimpered. The sweetness in his voice, and the new smile he wore, made me break into shivers.

“Dream,” he called. “Come here.”

Dream, or Dancing with the Dream King, was a “striking” horse, everyone said. His right half was almost solid black, and his left, almost solid white. He was a big draught that Mum had rescued from an abusive carriage owner. She'd owned Dream longer than I'd been alive. He was the first horse every single one of us had learned to ride on. Mum rode him when she and Dad came to save Lily and me from the kelpie.

No!
I thought.
Stay away, Dream! Run away!

With stilted, forced steps, shaking even more than I was, Dream came and stood in front of me. Sweat dripped down every inch of his body, his nostrils flared, and I could even see the blood vessels in the whites of his eyes.

Calbraith began to circle us. He casually shook his scourge in my direction before putting it back in his belt. “I will have time to enjoy this later. Now, I don't think you've been educated in exactly what one of my people can do.” Rather than continuing with that line, though, he turned his attention to the terrified Dream. “You know, I find it absolutely
fascinating
how you humans get so emotional over these dumb beasts. However, I suppose those of the Seelie Court have become about that enamored of your kind.” He shrugged. “Regardless, the compassion you all share can be useful.” He glanced at Max. “All
you
needed was for one of these beasts to trust me. Granted, I'm sure you knew your mother wanted some time without you and what you remind her of. What she lost. You're not that foolish a child, and I've been watching you for some time. And when I managed to get the paperwork about
this
place into her hands, an excuse to ship you off, it was perfect. Alas, you'd lost your own dear pet…so I had to supply you with one. So here you are, on the land that belongs to us, which my father should have had the right to years ago. I worked this all out…”

While he was focusing on yet another of his monologues, I tried reaching out to Ermie again.
Please!
As if from very far away, I felt…something. I couldn't tell what it was. It might have been my imagination. But I could hope?

“…but, back to your horse, Heather. Your dear Dream.”

I stared at Dream. Rasping squeals were slipping from his mouth. Beneath his skin, I saw, like, bubbles, ripples. He shook harder, but…it was as if he were pinned in place. “Those of us like myself have an amazing amount of power, Heather. You don't want to make us angry. Besides getting into your simple human minds, which you already know about, we can…affect physical things. I believe it's similar to what you humans call ‘telekinesis.' Only it's far more than humans can comprehend.”

Calbraith was circling me, leaning in so close his face was only inches from mine. But all I could see was Dream. Scared and dying Dream.

“Do you know what I'm doing to your dear beast?”

I shook my head. No, I didn't know. I didn't
want
to know! “Please! Please stop!”

“I'm boiling his blood. He's in incredible pain right now.”

“Stop it! Stop it! Please!” I begged. Tears blurred my vision. The pain in my heart was even more than that of my broken wrist. I remembered…I remembered this massive heat from Lady Fana's glare when I angered her once. Was this what she could have done to me?

Calbraith languidly waved his hand and Dream fell over. Dead.

I gasped in sobs. I had to think! I had to get us out of here!

“Max!” Calbraith called. “What's your decision? Mind you, I could do this to any one of them.” He gestured to us.

No!

Where was Ermie? Wait! I knew how to get him here regardless of where he was or how far away he was. Why didn't I think of this sooner?!

I knew his True Name. I'd made him tell it to me when I'd captured him.

I didn't know how to spell it, but I knew what it sounded like. I imagined it in a special box that no one else could see—in case Calbraith was trying to read my thoughts or something— and I played it in my head, willing him here.

I'm here
.

Ehrwnmyr's angry squeal behind me pierced the air through to my stomach. I felt his heat and the rush of air as he reared. The scent of sweat and brine filled the air. He landed his front feet with an earth-shaking thud. The two red caps released my arms and rushed him. They went flying. In my peripheral vision, I saw Calbraith run. Scooping my weapon with my off hand, pressing my broken wrist to my stomach, I went after him.

Because he was going after Max.

I'm quite sure all hell was breaking loose between my friends and the red caps, and now Ermie was in the mix, but I ran after Calbraith. I caught up quickly, swinging wildly at him with my weapon.

With just a step, he turned and whipped his scourge at me.

Bits of metal slashing across your arm and chin hurt way more than a broken wrist. I dropped my weapon again, but that didn't stop me. I threw my whole body at him. If I were on him, he'd have to hit himself with the whip to get me.

Having a millennium or so of experience was on his side, though. He stepped away from me with a laugh. I barely kept myself from falling with my own momentum. Max dove at him.

Crack!
He struck Max, who staggered and fell to the ground, bloody, bubbling welts across his forehead, cheek, and neck. For a fraction of a second, I saw the blur of the scourge coming at me again.

And then I saw a blur of black kelpie muscle.

There was no graceful sidestep for Calbraith this time. He dove and rolled away from Ermie's pummeling hooves.

Jump on!

One arm throbbed with pain, the other burned with it, but I didn't argue. I tried to grip his mane with the scourged hand, yet I couldn't even close my fingers.

Hurry!

“Here, I've got you. Just jump.” As I did so, Max caught my thigh with his uninjured arm and shoved me. Ermie's fur pulled me the rest of the way.

“You, too!” I said. “We're not leaving anyone behind!”
Including your son
, I added to the kelpie.

Ermie grunted an acknowledgement, and his fur helped Max up behind me.

“Get you, all the humans, half-humans, and Stormy out of here safely. That's a command,” I said softly.

A crack, and another horse scream tore through the air. “Kelpie, tell me, will your bond with the girl force you to leave this one, dumb as it is, to my mercies?” came Calbraith's voice with the echo effects thing again. We looked at him as he whipped his scourge across Stormy's neck.

Ermie didn't even pause. He ran for Calbraith and the red caps holding down his son. The red caps scattered. Calbraith moved quickly enough to avoid Ermie, swinging his scourge again. While part of the blow flayed lines on the kelpie's haunch, the bulk of them ripped into Stormy's belly as Ermie forced the red caps away. Stormy flailed his hooves, trying to stand, forcing us farther away from both him and Calbraith. The silver rope was still tight around a back hoof, and he'd rolled onto the rope, pinning himself. White froth bubbled from his mouth, and I could see the whites of his dark eyes. He was terrified. As Dream had been.