The Sign of Fear (12 page)

His lungs ached as he tried to pull in air. It burned going down his dry and aching throat.

I must breathe, he thought. I must have air.

Conn's fingers pressed tighter. Fieran's eyes bulged. His ears filled with a high-pitched hissing sound.

This is the end, he thought. I'm going to die here.

And then the ground around him began to moan.

F
ieran's whole body trembled. He felt the ground around him heave and buckle.

What is happening?

Conn cried out in fear. His grip on Fieran's neck loosened slightly. Fieran clawed at his throat.

He heard the moaning sound again. It is the stones, he realized.

“It's the power!” Conn yelled. “The power of the stones.”

The ancestors! Fieran thought. They have not deserted me! They have awakened the power of the stones!

With new strength, Fieran dug his fingernails into Conn's hands. Prying them away from his throat. He managed to draw in a shaky breath.

“The power of the stones is on my side, Conn,” he rasped out. “You are evil. Even our ancestors are against you.”

Fieran put his palm against Conn's chin and pushed back. Strength flowed through him. He pushed harder and harder. Then he heard the bones in Conn's neck begin to crack.

Conn's hands dropped away from his neck. Fieran sat up, coughing and choking.

He glanced over at Conn. He crouched inside the stone circle. His mouth hung open. Spit dribbled down his chin. He stared up at the nearest standing stone. His eyes wild.

The stone moaned and swayed.

He is absolutely terrified, Fieran realized.

“I'm being punished,” Conn cried out. “I have violated the holy place. Now the power of the stones will kill me.”

Fieran pushed himself to his feet and ran over to Conn.

“You
are
being punished,” Fieran shouted. “I asked the stones to punish you.”

Conn screamed—a high, shrill sound that sent a chill through Fieran. Fieran dragged him directly under the stone.

Conn fought Fieran like a wild thing. Fieran staggered back, away from Conn's clawing fingers.

Conn fell to his knees. He tried to crawl out of the circle. “I must get out! Away from the power of the stones,” he screamed.

CRACK!

The standing stone above Conn rocked on its foundation. Conn cried out—but he stared up at the stone without moving.

The stone gave a groan that seemed to come from the bowels of the earth.

Then plunged toward Conn.

Conn gave one great shout. Then the stone hit him.

Conn's voice cut off in mid-cry.

The earth gave one last heave, and then stopped trembling.

The eerie silence of the circle descended. Fieran felt his legs begin to tremble. Then they gave way beneath him and he fell to his knees.

Fieran used his last bit of strength to crawl over to the toppled stone. He could see one of Conn's hands sticking out from beneath it. The rest of Conn's body was buried by the stone.

Conn is dead, Fieran thought. My enemy is beaten. But the power of the stones left me alive.

Fieran knew he could no longer use Conn's blood for his sacrifice. He had not killed Conn.

He pulled out his knife and hacked Conn's hand off. Then he stood on legs that still trembled and walked to the center of the circle. He placed the hand on the ground.

“Thank you, my ancestors,” he called out. “Thank you for aiding me with the power of these stones.”

He heard a laugh.

A hooded figure stepped out from behind the stone in front of him.

“It wasn't the power of the stones. It was me, Fieran.” Brianna tossed back the hood.

“Brianna!” Fieran cried. “You . . . ?” He didn't understand. He couldn't think clearly. He felt sick and dizzy.

Brianna rushed to him. She fell down beside him on her knees.

“Oh, Fieran, I'm so glad you're all right,” she cried passionately. “I was worried my power wouldn't be strong enough. I was worried that I wouldn't be in time.”

Fieran struggled to concentrate. She betrayed me. I caught her with Conn. Kissing him. Laughing at me. At how they used
my
power to trick me.

What strange game is she playing now? “Are you saying you're the one who saved me?” he asked coldly. He stepped away from Brianna. She continued kneeling on the ground.

“But I know the truth about you, Brianna. Conn told me. I know that you loved him. I know that you helped him to become chief.”

“I don't love Conn, Fieran,” Brianna said intensely. She struggled to her feet. “I never loved him. I always loved you.”

“I saw you together!” he accused.

“Fieran, I swear to you, my love, it is true,” Brianna cried. “Conn surprised me at the ceremony. He pulled me into the fire with no warning.”

Brianna gazed up at him pleadingly. Her eyes bright with unshed tears. “I had to cast that spell, Fieran. Don't you see that?” Brianna begged. “He left me no choice. I would have died.”

She caught her breath and stepped even closer to him. “But perhaps that is what you want now. Is it, Fieran? Do you want me to die?”

Fieran could feel himself begin to weaken. He hated to see the tears glistening in Brianna's beautiful green eyes.

“What about later?” he said roughly. “Why didn't you expose him?”

Brianna bowed her head. “He threatened me, Fieran. He told me he would kill me if I didn't keep quiet. He told me—” Brianna's voice faltered and broke off.

“He told me he would kill
you.
You, Fieran. It was
bad enough that I cost you your dream. Bad enough that you could never be chief. I couldn't let him take your life, Fieran. I loved you too much. I still do.”

“And so you killed Conn today to prove it?”

“Yes!” Brianna whispered passionately. “Yes, Fieran. When I heard of your message, I guessed you wanted to challenge Conn. I followed him to the stone circle. I wanted to help you. When I saw him choking you, I thought my life was over. So I made the earth tremble. I made the stone fall on Conn.”

Fieran stared at her. Oh, Brianna, he thought. I want to believe you!

“But I saw the way you kissed him. The way he held you,” he said softly.

“Oh, Fieran,” Brianna moaned. “How this grieves me. I am so sorry you had to see that.”

She reached out and stroked his cheek. He jerked his head away.

“It was all an act,” she continued. “I had to do it. I had to make Conn believe I loved him. I didn't have a choice, Fieran. If Conn doubted me, he would have killed you. I had to pretend to love him. I had to keep you safe.”

Could he believe her? Was she trying to protect him all along?

“Kiss me, Fieran,” she whispered. “Then you will know I'm telling the truth. You will know you are the only one I could ever love.”

Fieran slowly lowered his lips to hers. Brianna's lips were soft and loving. Fieran felt all his fears evaporate. Surely she couldn't kiss him like this unless she truly loved him.

“I love you, Brianna. I'm sorry I doubted you,” Fieran murmured. His heart filled with a fierce joy.
They were together again. Nothing would ever separate them now.

“I want us to get married, Brianna,” he said. “I want everything to be right between us.”

“That would be wonderful,” Brianna responded. She nestled her head against his shoulder. “I want us to be married too.”

“We can go to the village,” Fieran said. “I'm sure the elders will marry us at once . . . when we tell them about Conn.”

“I will confess everything,” Brianna promised. “I don't care if they punish me. All I want is to marry you, Fieran.”

Fieran took Brianna's hand and led her from the circle of standing stones. He glanced back over his shoulder. This place will always be important to me, he thought. I defeated my lifelong enemy here. And I won back my true love.

♦ ♦ ♦

Fieran lay upon his sleeping pallet. Brianna curled in the circle of his arms.

The elders married them that afternoon. All the village witnessed the ceremony. They wanted to throw Brianna and him a feast, but Fieran said no.

All he wanted was to be alone with Brianna. Hold her in his arms and forget all the horrible things that had happened.

He gazed down at Brianna. At his wife. She slept so peacefully. The firelight glinting off her coppercolored hair.

Fieran felt his heart swell with happiness. Conn is defeated. Brianna is mine at last.

Brianna opened her eyes and yawned. “Are you happy, beloved?” he whispered.

Brianna smiled up at him. “I am very happy, Fieran. We will be together always now. No one can part us. Together we will be stronger than all the other people.”

Fear snaked through Fieran's veins. He had heard those words somewhere before. “Brianna,” he said, “I—”

But Brianna placed her fingers across his lips. “Hush now, Fieran. We are together, and we will be together always. I will stand by you until the day you die.”

Ice rushed through Fieran's body. He shivered as he stared down at Brianna.

Her face appeared to glow with happiness. With love.

But Fieran knew it was an act. She didn't love him. She didn't love anyone but herself.

Fieran had heard her speak those same words to Conn. Those exact words. And she sounded just as sincere. Just as loving.

The ice in his veins began to boil. He knew what he needed to do. He knew what would take away his pain.

Revenge!

The desire for revenge pushed all other thoughts from Fieran's mind.

I will have my revenge. And now it will be twice as sweet. She has betrayed herself, and she does not even realize it!

R
evenge!

Christina battled her way to wakefulness, her heart and mind filled with a single thought. Revenge.

No longer will I be a terrified victim. From now on I will take revenge on those who hurt me.

She stared at the silver pendant clutched in her hand. You put the desire for revenge into my heart, she thought. And you will help me keep it there. She slipped it over her neck and tucked it inside her dress.

Christina sprang to her feet. She stared in disgust around Emily Peterson's room. Then she strode over to the wooden bookcase. With a cry of rage, she grabbed it and rocked it from side to side.

The wood groaned and shrieked—then the bookcase slammed onto its side. The tiny vials flew everywhere. Christina stomped on them with her heavy shoes. Glass crunched beneath her feet.

The mirrors next, she decided. Christina yanked down all the mirrors she could reach, flinging them on the floor. She loved the sound they made when they shattered.

She raced over to the shelf above Emily's bed and pushed everything off with one sweep of her arm.

I will put an end to all the evil, she thought. That will be my revenge.

But it isn't just the Petersons who are evil, Christina thought. They aren't the ones who sold me.

I must do the thing I used to fear the most. I must go home. I must face Aunt Jane.

♦ ♦ ♦

It felt strange to be outside by herself. She had grown used to spending all her time in the dark Peterson farmhouse. Working and working.

Spring has arrived, Christina realized. She spotted blossoms on the trees. But she didn't have much time to enjoy the beautiful day. She wanted to reach Aunt Jane's house as quickly as possible. Her aunt had gotten away with treating Christina badly for much, much too long.

Christina's heart began to beat faster when Aunt Jane's house came into sight. She felt the silver pendant grow warm against her chest.

Silently, she crept around to the back. Aunt Jane bustled around the yard baking pies.

Perfect! She's all alone. Christina moved closer.