The Solstice Cup (9 page)

For the third time in as many days, Mackenzie followed Nuala along the route that led outside to the courtyard. They passed a few other faeries and a number of hooded servants on their way, but the courtyard itself was vacant. In the gray light of morning, it looked abandoned. Where there had been tables and chairs just a few hours before, there were only crumbling boulders scattered across a mossy stone floor.

Mackenzie turned to Nuala, her eyes wide.

The faery waved her hand, dismissing the scene in front of them. “This isn't what I brought you to see. Come, over here.”

She took Mackenzie's elbow and steered her toward a flat boulder at the center of the courtyard. It was the only thing Mackenzie recognized from the banquet the night before: the flat stone that had held the solstice cup. Mackenzie hesitated at the sight of a shallow depression on top of the waist-high stone. It was filled with a pearly white liquid.

Nuala pulled her forward. “You're not afraid, are you?” she asked slyly. “After all, you drank from this pool last night.”

Mackenzie's face flamed. “I-I—”

“Don't worry,” the faery laughed. “I'm not going to force you to drink anything. Even though I know you were faking it last night, you naughty girl! Calm down,” she said when Mackenzie began to tremble. “I'm not going to hurt you. I just wanted to show you something.”

Nuala reached across the stone and stirred the small pool with her finger. “Solstice fire has many properties: light in the winter sky, liquid when we call it down. And it can reveal things. Are you curious?”

The shimmering liquid had become more transparent as the faery stirred it, until it was almost like water. “I guess so,” Mackenzie said uncertainly.

“Then look closely,” Nuala said as she withdrew her hand. “Do you see anyone you recognize?”

Mackenzie bent over the stone. A scene flickered into focus just beneath the surface of the small pool. Two pale shapes moved against a dark background. As she watched, the shapes resolved themselves into girls, and then the girls into younger versions of Mackenzie and Breanne.

“That's me, that's us,” Mackenzie said, looking up at Nuala in surprise. She looked down again quickly. “I think—I think that's the night…” Her voice dropped away.

“It seems you've been at the threshold of our world once before,” said the faery.

Mackenzie watched the two small girls climb the hill behind their aunt and uncle's farmhouse. It was as if someone had taken her memory of that evening five years before and projected it into the pool. The young Breanne was first up to the three ancient stones that formed a child-sized arch against the sky. She was always first back then, before her leg was injured. The young Mackenzie caught up with her sister a few seconds later. Breanne tagged her, and the two girls chased each other around the squat stones, first one way and then the other.

The sun was low in the sky as they finished their game and collapsed in the grass. Breanne turned her head toward the stones and scrambled suddenly to her feet. She'd seen something in the shadows, something that made her crouch next to the stones. When she stood up again, her fingers were curled around something shiny.

The young Mackenzie wanted to see the treasure Breanne had found, but Breanne turned away. Mackenzie pleaded and craned her neck to see over her sister's shoulder. Finally Breanne turned. There on her outstretched palm was a gold ring with a large purple stone. It was beautiful, more beautiful than anything Mackenzie had ever seen in their mother's jewelry box. She reached out to touch it, but Breanne drew her hand back quickly.

Then the young Mackenzie saw something move behind her sister in the shadow of the stones. It was an arm, long and thin, reaching out from the dark space beneath the arch. Mackenzie froze as a hand began to move over the ground at the base of the stones. Three long bony fingers and a thumb, patting the ground, feeling for something. The older Mackenzie, the one watching the scene from above, knew instantly what the hand was searching for. The younger Mackenzie did too. She sprang to life, lunging for the ring in her sister's hand. She wrestled it free and flung it into the shadows. Before her sister could react, the young Mackenzie grabbed Breanne's arm and dragged her down the hill.

Breanne fought back. They'd traveled just a few yards before she managed to wrench her arm free. The younger Mackenzie's attention was focused entirely on her sister. In her desperation to pull Breanne to safety, she didn't see the hideous creature crouched beneath the arch. The older Mackenzie saw it. She saw the Pooka raise a hollow bone to its lips. It puffed its leathery cheeks, and a tiny dart flew from the end of the bone. Breanne yelped and collapsed, clutching her ankle.

“I thought she'd stumbled, that she'd twisted her ankle as I was trying to get her down the hill,” the older Mackenzie whispered, her eyes still fixed on the scene reflected in the pool. “But then it never got better. We were best friends before that, but then—”

“All this time your sister has blamed you for her leg,” Nuala said. “But the truth is, you saved her. Look.”

Mackenzie watched her sister rock back and forth in pain. She watched the younger version of herself yank Breanne to her feet and half drag, half carry the moaning girl down the hill. The shadow cast by the stones behind them had gotten longer as the sun descended. The Pooka crept forward to the edge of the shadow and then stopped, as if it had reached an invisible barrier.

“You were lucky you got your sister away before the sun set,” said Nuala. “A few more minutes and that Pooka could have roamed anywhere in the dark.”

The pool turned opaque again. Mackenzie looked up.

“You poor thing,” Nuala said, patting Mackenzie's hand. “She hasn't been very grateful, has she? But I know you still love her,” she said with a resigned sigh, “which is why I have one more thing to show you.”

The faery reached into the folds of her skirt and withdrew a tiny brown bird. One of the bird's wings was broken, its feathers twisted and bloody.

“I know how cautious you are,” the faery said as she stroked the trembling bird. “I admire that, really. Human girls are usually so impulsive, like your sister. They never stop to think about the consequences of anything they do. But you're different, aren't you? For example, I couldn't just tell you that solstice fire has healing properties. You'd need to see it for yourself.”

“What do you mean?” Mackenzie asked.

“Listen,” said Nuala. “I know you were only trying to protect your sister when you knocked the cup from her hand two nights ago, and when you convinced her not to drink last night. But one sip and her leg would be right again. Don't you want that for her?”

Mackenzie stared at the bird, too nervous to meet the faery's eyes.

“Watch,” said Nuala patiently. She lifted the bird above the white pool. “See how its wing is broken?” The bird struggled as Nuala lowered it slowly into the opaque liquid. “Now look!”

The transformation was immediate. The bird shuddered, and its twisted feathers settled neatly into place. It spread its wings and tucked them in again by its side. The blood had vanished. Both wings were straight and undamaged.

The faery raised her hand, and the bird flew to her fingers. “There—you've seen for yourself what the solstice fire can do,” she said as she stroked the bird's feathers. “Any questions?”

Mackenzie shook her head. “I-I don't think so.”

“I knew you'd understand,” Nuala said, her eyes gleaming. “Now we just have to convince your sister.”

C
HAPTER
E
IGHT

B
reanne was sitting cross-legged on the bed when Nuala brought Mackenzie back from the courtyard.

“I have to leave you for a while,” Nuala said from the doorway. “I'll have some food sent in while I'm gone. Eat up while you can—there's no banquet tonight. Tonight we ride.”

“What is that supposed to mean, ‘Tonight we ride'?” Breanne asked after Nuala was gone. “And where were you?”

“Where were
you
?” said Mackenzie.

“Looking for a way out of here. Where did you think I was?” Breanne punched the pillow in her lap. “She's delusional if she thinks she can keep me in here forever.”

“We need to talk,” Mackenzie said.

“I'm serious, I'm not going to be anyone's prisoner.”

Mackenzie yanked her sister's pillow away. “Listen to me, Breanne!”

“What?” Breanne asked angrily.

Mackenzie took a breath. “I would never leave you behind,” she said through gritted teeth. “But you keep taking off on me, your sister, your
twin
sister.”

Breanne shrugged. “I don't know what you're getting so excited about. You were asleep. Besides, you're too chicken to go anywhere anyway.”

“What I'm getting excited about?” Mackenzie threw up her hands angrily. “Sisters are supposed to stick together, Breanne! That's why I'm here in the first place, because I came with you! Because I wouldn't let you go off by yourself and get lost!”

“So you shouldn't have followed me then,” Breanne said with contempt. “Your mistake.”

“My
mistake
? I fell into a river trying to save your
life
, Breanne! And it's not the first time.”

“Not the first time that you fell into a river?”

“That I saved your life, you moron!” Mackenzie stomped across the room and sat down hard on the canopy bed. “Remember that night at the stones five years ago? There
was
something there—a Pooka! It shot you with a dart, in the ankle. If I hadn't been there to drag you down the hill, it would have caught you for sure!”

“I was there,” said Breanne. “There was no
Pooka
. You're the one who wrecked my ankle when you yanked me so hard!”

“That's not what happened,” said Mackenzie. “Nuala showed me, in the pool.”

Breanne snorted. “What pool?”

“A pool of solstice fire—the stuff from the solstice cup. I saw everything that happened that night.”

“Oh, really?” Breanne said sarcastically.

“Yes, really! It was like watching a movie. Plus the solstice fire has healing properties. Nuala said if you drank it, your leg would be back to normal.”

Breanne's eyebrows disappeared under her bangs. “Are you kidding me? Last night we couldn't drink from the solstice cup because the piper guy said we'd turn into zombie slaves. Now Nuala says ‘drink up,' and suddenly you want to do what
she
says. Which is it, Mackenzie? Too bad we can't call Mom and ask her opinion, since you can't seem to think for yourself.”

“That's not fair,” Mackenzie said angrily. “I
saw
the bird get healed! It had a broken wing, and Nuala put it in the pool and the wing was fixed, just like that. There was no more blood or anything!”

“Just like that,” Breanne repeated in a mocking voice. “So what are you saying? You think we should drink a little ‘solstice fire' after all?”

Mackenzie crossed her arms. “I don't
know
! I'm just telling you what I saw. I was trying to help you!”

They were interrupted by the sound of footsteps outside the room. One of Nuala's attendants entered the doorway with a large platter of food.

Breanne got up from the bed. “Maybe you can settle this for us,” she said as the attendant set the tray down on a table. “What do you think, should we drink from the magic cup or not? My sister can't seem to make up her mind.”

The servant didn't even pause. Her expression remained blank as she turned to exit the room.

“Hello, anyone in there?” Breanne asked, waving her hand in front of the girl's face.

“Breanne, stop it!” said Mackenzie.

Breanne moved her body to block the doorway. “I just want an answer.”

“She
can't
answer you,” said Mackenzie. “Breanne, you're scaring her! Let her go!”

“It's a simple question,” said Breanne. “Did you drink from the solstice cup? Is that why you're the way you are?”

The attendant looked at her feet.

“Just shake your head, yes or no,” Breanne said impatiently.

There was still no response. “Come on, answer me!” Breanne said, taking hold of the girl's shoulders and shaking her. The hood slipped back from the girl's red hair.

Mackenzie was across the room in an instant. “What's wrong with you?” she said as she yanked her sister away.

“Stay out of my way!” Breanne shouted. She wrenched her arm free and slapped Mackenzie in the face. Mackenzie held her cheek, too stunned to speak.

“I was
trying
to get some information,” Breanne said when the attendant had fled. “How else are we supposed to know who to trust in this place?”

“Who to trust? Who to
trust
?” said Mackenzie. “The one person I should be able to count on is my own sister. But look at you, Breanne! You've totally lost it!”

“Just leave me alone,” Breanne said. She stomped back to the bed and turned to face the wall.