The Solstice Cup (5 page)

“What do you mean, you can't do it?” Breanne said. She was already on the fifth stair.

“I mean this is the stupidest thing you've ever done, and I'm not following you anymore.”

“Oh, whatever,” said Breanne. “I'm sick of listening to you whine.”

Mackenzie watched her sister drag her left leg after her right one up the stairs. Breanne hesitated for a second at the top and then disappeared.

“She didn't even turn around,” Mackenzie muttered in disbelief. She waited for a few moments, willing her sister to reappear at the top of the steps. When the stairs remained empty, she looked back toward the water. Maigret's shack wasn't visible in the dark. “I hate you sometimes, Breanne!”

Mackenzie took a deep breath and forced herself to start climbing. Her heart nearly stopped when a hand reached for her at the top of the stairs.

“It's only me,” Breanne whispered as she pulled Mackenzie into a dark alcove. “I can't believe it—look! It
is
Faeryland!”

Mackenzie stared openmouthed at the scene in front of them. Illuminated by flickering yellow torches, a procession of masked merrymakers leapt and spun down an avenue lined with leafless trees. The dancers seemed to grow and shrink and even change shape as they moved in and out of the shadows. Mackenzie caught glimpses of hooves, antlers and giant wings. Everything was in motion. She felt dizzy just watching the flickering scene.

Mackenzie stepped back against the stone wall behind her and tried to catch her breath. “All right, we've seen it—can we please go now?”

“We're not exactly dressed for this party, are we?” said Breanne, raising a hand to her wet hair.

“Not exactly,” Mackenzie said, her voice strained. She grabbed her sister's arm. “Come on, let's get out of here.”

“I was kidding,” Breanne said. “Who cares what we look like? We're never going to get another chance like this!”

Before Mackenzie could react, Breanne wrenched her arm away and launched herself into the teeming crowd. The dull fabric of her tunic disappeared almost instantly in the sea of exotic colors.

“Breanne!” Mackenzie called. Her voice was lost in the music and the clamor of the dancing throng. With no time to think, she leaped after her sister.

It was like falling back into the dark river that had swept them underground. The dancers surged forward, and Mackenzie was carried along with them, past the spot where she'd last seen Breanne. She heard a strange hissing, clicking chorus rise around her. Bony fingers poked and prodded her body. Terrified, she tried to fight her way back to the edge of the crowd.

A hand closed around her arm before she could escape. “You look lost,” a voice purred in her ear.

The world around her stopped spinning long enough for Mackenzie to turn and look into the face of a tall, slender young woman in a shimmering cloak. Her skin was so pale it was almost blue, and she had large silver eyes. Mackenzie was sure the woman was a faery.

Her arm tingled unpleasantly under the faery woman's fingers. She tried to pull away, but the faery's grasp was firm.

“Trust me, this is no place for a human child by herself,” she said. “I'm not going to hurt you. I'm taking you somewhere quiet where we can introduce ourselves properly.” She didn't wait for a reply. The current that had been too strong for Mackenzie didn't seem to exist for her. Mackenzie didn't protest as the faery dragged her through the throng.

“Much better,” the faery said when they had reached the edge of the crowd and turned onto a quieter path. “Now tell me your name, and you'll be under my protection.”

Mackenzie hesitated.

“Quickly!” the faery said impatiently, squeezing Mackenzie's arm. “I can't keep you safe without it. You're lucky I was the first to find you. There are Pookas around that would swallow your soul as soon as look at you.”

“My name—” Mackenzie swallowed. “My name is Mackenzie.”

“Is that it? Is that the whole thing?”

Mackenzie shook her head. “It's Mackenzie Brooke Howell.”

“Mackenzie Brooke Howell,” the faery repeated carefully, her eyes glittering. Her lips curled up in an almost feline smile of satisfaction. “You can call me Nuala, Mackenzie. We're going to have fun together, you and I! But you must be tired and hungry if you've just arrived.” Her gaze moved down to Mackenzie's tunic. “And you can't be comfortable in that ugly thing. Come with me. We'll find you something much nicer.”

Mackenzie looked over her shoulder anxiously. “But my sister—I lost her back there somewhere. I need to find her.”

“You have a sister here as well?” Nuala tilted her head, as if considering how to use this information. “A pity you didn't tell me right away,” she said with a shrug. “Someone else will have claimed her by now.” She tugged at Mackenzie's arm. “Come on, let's go.”

“But I can't go anywhere,” said Mackenzie, her voice climbing. “What if one of those things that swallows souls has Breanne? I need to find her… ouch!” Mackenzie stopped abruptly, startled by a sudden burning sensation where the faery's fingers held her arm. Her skin felt as if it had brushed against a stinging nettle plant.

Nuala's eyes had lost their shimmer. “There's no need to get hysterical. I'm sure your sister is fine. Now—you're tired and hungry, aren't you?” she asked calmly.

Mackenzie's heart was lodged in her throat. “A—a little,” she whispered.

“Good. Then follow me.”

The music and noise got fainter as Nuala led Mackenzie down a long, torch-lit path lined with leafless trees and thorn bushes. More than once Mackenzie was sure she heard someone following them, but when she turned her head she saw only shadows. Tiny bells on Nuala's slippers jangled with every step. The faery hummed softly as they walked, a melancholy tune that made Mackenzie feel even more uneasy.

“Through here,” the faery said at last.

They'd come to a tall stone archway at the end of the path. Beyond the arch, Mackenzie saw a low mound silhouetted against the night sky. A wide set of stone stairs descended into the ground at the base of the mound.

Mackenzie felt a prickling sensation run through her body as Nuala led her under the arch. Then they were on the stairs, going down into the earth. They passed under another stone arch and entered a corridor dimly lit by more torches. Mackenzie was surprised by the size of the corridor. It was wide enough for a dozen people to walk side by side, and long enough that she couldn't see where it ended. More passages branched off from both sides of the corridor.

Mackenzie tried to fix the route they took in her mind, but after the sixth or seventh turn she knew she was lost. In the flickering light, every passage looked the same. Nuala stopped several times to speak with other faeries along the way, conversing in the strange language of hisses and clicks that Maigret had used when she'd first told them her name. Mackenzie could feel the faeries' eyes on her as she turned her own gaze to the floor.

The passages got narrower as they continued on, deeper and deeper underground. Mackenzie started having trouble breathing at the thought of so much earth above her. Nuala finally stopped in front of an open doorway and motioned Mackenzie to enter.

“Go on—it's a guest chamber, not a dungeon,” the faery said when Mackenzie hesitated. “No need to look so petrified.”

Mackenzie's breath came more easily once she was through the door. Aside from the absence of windows, there was nothing cave-like or subterranean about the room. It was spacious and brighter than the passage outside, thanks to two large candle chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Floral tapestries covered the walls. Brightly colored rugs hid most of the polished stone floor. There was a canopy bed in one corner of the room, and a large tub just visible behind a screen in the other corner.

“See?” said Nuala, turning in the center of the room. “Isn't it nice? Once you've had a bath and changed into something pretty, I'm sure you'll feel more relaxed.”

As if on cue, two silent girls appeared in the doorway, their faces half hidden under the gray hoods of their robes. One of them motioned for Mackenzie to remove her tunic so she could bathe in the tub peeking out from behind the screen. Mackenzie moved behind the screen before disrobing, taking care to keep the bundle of food she'd brought from Maigret's shack hidden from view. The tub was already full of warm scented water, as if Mackenzie's arrival had been anticipated. When her bath was finished, one of the girls produced a white gown of gauzy fabric that seemed to float just above Mackenzie's skin when she slipped it on. As a finishing touch, the second girl wove tiny white flowers into her hair.

Mackenzie stood in the center of the room and waited while Nuala appraised her attendants' work. “Very good,” the faery said. She made a clicking noise with her tongue and waved her hand, and the girls curtsied and backed out of the room. “You look very pretty now that you've been cleaned up,” Nuala said when they were gone. She sounded pleased. “You may even be the prettiest guest at our banquet tonight.”

“Is there a chance my sister will be there?” Mackenzie asked hesitantly.

“Of course,” said the faery. “We always bring our guests to the solstice feasts. Our celebrations wouldn't be the same without you.”

Mackenzie held her breath as the faery moved closer. She tried not to flinch when Nuala raised a hand to touch one of the flowers in her hair. “You have beautiful skin,” Nuala said. “It's almost as pale as mine. Promise you'll stay close to me tonight. We wouldn't want anyone else to steal you away, now would we?”

The faery laughed at the color rising in Mackenzie's cheeks. “You're so young—I
am
going to have fun with you. But I need to leave you alone for a while,” she said, letting her hand fall again. “I have to get ready myself. I'll have some food sent in while I'm gone.”

“I-I'm not hungry,” Mackenzie lied, praying that her stomach would remain silent.

“Really?” The faery tilted her head. “I'm always hungry. But suit yourself. Just as long as you have an appetite tonight.”

Mackenzie listened as the bells on Nuala's slippers got fainter and finally faded away altogether. When she was sure it was safe, she retrieved the bundle of food she'd hidden behind the screen. She took a few sips from the water jug and crammed a handful of dried fish and bread into her mouth.

“I can't believe you're still eating that stuff.”

Mackenzie almost choked as she spun toward the doorway. “Breanne! Where have you been?” she demanded when she could speak again. “How could you just take off on me like that?”

Breanne undid the clasp of an iridescent cloak like the one Nuala had worn in the street, removing it from her shoulders as she entered the room. “Seriously— they must have better food on this side of the water. Why are you eating moldy fish?”

“Don't you remember the stories Mom used to read to us when we were little?” said Mackenzie. “It's dangerous to eat faery food. Besides, the fish isn't moldy.”

“Whatever,” Breanne said as she collapsed across the canopied bed.

“Where did you get that cape?” Mackenzie asked suspiciously.

“I found it,” said her sister.

“You found it? What, was it just lying in the street?”

“Don't get hysterical,” said Breanne. “Some faery chick was spinning it above her head, and when she let go, I caught it.”

“You caught it? You mean you stole it!”

“C'mon, I needed
something
to wear over this ugly potato sack. Besides, it's the perfect disguise. With the hood up, I can go anywhere. Which is how I was able to trail
you
without being noticed.”

Mackenzie took a deep breath to calm herself. “All right. You followed me, and you're here now—so I'll forgive you for taking off in the first place. Now let's get out of here!”

Breanne made herself more comfortable on the bed. “Why? You've got a good thing going here. A nice room, clean clothes, and didn't I hear something about a banquet tonight? Let's make this our base until the ‘ways open' or whatever's supposed to happen in a week. It sure beats that old woman's smelly shack.”

Mackenzie stared at her sister in disbelief. “We can't stay here—that's insane! It's way too dangerous!”

Breanne shrugged. “How dangerous can it be? It's not like you're locked up in here. You're a guest—free to come and go.”

“Oh, I'm a guest, am I?” Mackenzie rubbed her arm where Nuala had gripped her. “That faery
stung
me when I wanted to stay back and look for you! And then she said I'd better stick close to her at this banquet tonight so nobody tries to steal me away!”

“Whatever,” Breanne said. “If this really is Faeryland, all we have to do to stay out of trouble is be polite. As long we say please and thank you, we'll be fine. That's what all the old faery stories say.”