The Cuckoo's Eye

by Holly Campbell

  FAOLAN

  I had woken as if from a terrible dream with a pounding in my head and the taste of blood on my tongue. I had no idea what had happened or where I was.

  I cast around and my eyes landed on Rhydian, eyes closed and unmoving beside me. I could smell Blair and Maeve nearby and without thinking I ran towards the scent. The movement made me want to vomit but I tore through the trees. My heart pounded with a single certainty. Blair needed me.

  The two women came into view. Maeve was standing over Blair, a knife in her hand. I didn’t think, I just threw myself at her. There was a brief moment of pain on impact but I ignored it, knocking my full body weight into her. Let Blair get away. Let Blair get to safety. That was all that mattered.

  Maeve cursed and with a wave of her arm sent me flying. I yelped and crumpled. I lifted my head in time to see Maeve disappear. She was still after Blair. My job was not done. My head was swimming and there was a pain in my side like nothing I had ever felt before.

  I limped in the direction I thought Blair had gone, making my way to the edge of the forest. Above me lightning crackled. The rain lashed my fur. Every movement made the world spin.

  There was another flash of lightning and for a moment I saw them both, silhouetted. They were stood by the lake. Maeve had hold of Blair. I saw a glimmer of metal and Blair’s eyes seemed to meet mine. I realised what she planned to do. I realised a split second too late. I broke into a run, desperate to stop her.

  Blair threw herself into the water, dragging Maeve down with her. They disappeared beneath the waves and I threw myself after them.

  The world disappeared, overtaking by swirling murky water. I swam down after them. I could see blood spiralling up from somewhere below and I followed, hoping it would lead me to them.

  It didn’t take long for the fae to notice. Drawn to the blood like sharks they rose up to claim their prize. I saw the shape of creatures flitting past, I felt strong hands pulling at me. I tried to fight them off. I didn’t care if they took me. I just had to get Blair out.

  My eyes found hers. She was making no attempt to swim. Her face was peaceful, her dress billowed around her. I swam towards her. I had to get her out. Hands grabbed hold of her legs, dragging her away from me.

  No! You cannot have her!

  My teeth found cloth and gripped. I mustered up my very last ounce of strength and pulled her up, back to the surface.

  Take Maeve, take me, but not Blair.

  I heaved myself onto the shore, away from the snaring fingers of those below, and hauled Blair after me. Once I felt the ground beneath my feet, all my strength deserted me and I collapsed into the dirt beside Blair. The pain had faded. Everything was strangely quiet. Even the sound of the rain seemed far away.

  I stared up at the sky. The moon would be the last thing I saw.

  BLAIR

  My eyes opened. Rhydian was peering down at me, expression twisted with concern. There was a nasty gash on his head and a bruise were he had connected with the tree.

  “Your face…”

  Rhydian frowned and abruptly burst into relieved laughter. He pulled me against him, holding me tight.

  “You lunatic… I thought… I’m so glad you’re alive. Don’t you ever do something that stupid again!”

  I nodded weakly, slumping against him. Over his shoulder I could see the lake. The water was calm and still, despite the wind and the rain.

  “Did I do it? Did I get rid of her?”

  “I think so. How did you get her in the water?”

  “My necklace… you said that witches could get fairy abilities with their blood… I figured maybe they got their weaknesses too… it burned the gatekeeper when he grabbed it, I just hoped it would work on the witch… but how did I get out?”

  “Ahh…” Rhydian pulled back and gestured to a spot nearby. I looked and saw a bedraggled heap of fur lying a few feet from me.

  “No…” I crawled over to him and gently stroked his wet fur. There was something embedded in his side. The blade of my dagger, the handle completely snapped off. “No… this wasn’t meant to happen… this can’t happen. There had to be something I can do, something to save him.”

  “Blair…”

  I ignored Rhydian and tried to remove the dagger. My hands were trembling and slick with blood, I couldn’t get a grip on it. As I struggled, the jagged metal cut into my palms with every attempt. Rhydian took hold of my wrist, trying to stop me.

  “Blair you’re hurting yourself.”

  “I don’t care!” My voice was high pitched and hysterical. I could feel tears streaming down my cheeks. “I have to do something!”

  “He’s already dead Blair, there is nothing you can do.”

  I lashed out at him as he tried to restrain me, shoving him away with as much force as I could muster.

  “I have to try!”

  I kneeled beside Faolan and placed my hands over the injury. I tried to summon the power that was supposed to be inside of me. I tried to switch on whatever force had saved me from Connor and sent Rhydian flying. I could boil water with my mind and make street lights explode, I had to be able to bring Faolan back. I had to.

  I had to.

  My hands shook but nothing happened. A sound somewhere between a whimper and a sob escaped me. I clenched my hands into fists, breathing heavily.

  Help me. Help me.

  I sagged against Faolan’s body, my head resting against his fur. His eyes were open, staring up at the sky. I stroked him gently, burrowing my face against him like I used to. I prayed to hear a heartbeat, the smallest of breaths. Anything that would mean he was still there.

  Silence.

  The rainfall grew heavier but I didn’t care. I didn’t want to leave him.

  “Blair… we need to go.”

  “I’m not leaving him,” I mumbled against Faolan’s fur.

  “Blair, come on.” Rhydian touched my shoulder.

  “No! I won’t leave him!”

  Rhydian hesitated before coming to kneel beside me. He rubbed my back gently. Rhydian… Rhydian knew how to use his abilities… he could do something. I reared up and turned to look at him, eyes wide and hopeful.

  “Rhydian, you can help him.”

  “No… no Blair…”

  “You can! You know how to use your powers. Save him.”

  “I can’t do that... that’s way beyond anything I can do… if he was still alive, maybe but he’s dead… it’s too late.” He looked around us as though wondering if the answer would just fall from the sky. “I can’t bring him back… but I know where we should take him, where he would want to be. But you need to get up Blair.”

  “We won’t leave him behind?”

  “No. I promise. Please, get up.”

  I reluctantly released my hold on Faolan and got to my feet. Rhydian scooped the motionless form into his arms and began to lead me across the valley. I couldn’t feel my legs and my hands felt like ice. I stumbled with each step and the tears continued to run down my face.

  Rhydian took us to the ruins of a cottage. Rough stones marked out where the four walls had stood and a portion of roof still remained.

  “What is this?” My own words sounded distant to me.

  “This is where he used to live. I thought… this would be a good place to…”

  He didn’t finish his thought and instead looked around for a dry spot to place Faolan. The thought of leaving him out on the empty valley alone didn’t feel right. He deserved better.

  Rhydian lay Faolan out under the remaining patch of roof. I crouched down and smoothed his bedraggled fur. I began to tidy around him, wanting to make sure he was as comfortable as possible. I shifted a loose stone and a small bundle fell free. Not really registering what I was seeing, I unwrapped the bundle of cloth. Inside were glass vials, eight of them.

  “What’s that?” Rhydian asked.

  “I don’t know. It looks like blood.”

  Rhydian reached past me and took hold of one of the bottles.<
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  “I think these are the blood of the fae that he killed…”

  I turned a vial over in my hand.

  “Eight. And I make nine… eight who died for him… and one whose life he saved.”

  I wasn’t sure what compelled me but I dug off the seal on one of the vials and emptied the contents. The blood inside had thickened and darkened but was still liquid. It dripped onto Faolan’s fur, mixing with his own. I did the same with each vial in turn and placed my hand over his wound once more.

  “I hope that you get to see your Liadan again. I hope that… I hope that you are… that you’re at peace.” I kissed the top of his head. “Maybe now that all of us have bled, you’ll be human again in… whatever comes after.”

  I didn’t want to leave but I let Rhydian lift me up. He held me in his arms as though I weighed nothing and I didn’t resist. He carried me away from the lake and the forest. Away from Faolan. I didn’t know where he was taking me and I didn’t care. I just wanted everything to end.

  *****

  I woke up in my old bed in the attic. I didn’t remember coming home. Waking there it was like nothing had changed.

  I got up. I opened my wardrobe and stood in front of the mirror. I looked different. My body was even skinnier than before, bones visibly protruding in places. My hair was wild with a single streak of blonde running down one side. Five angry cuts ran across my face, starting above my left eye and ending beside the right corner of my mouth. There were more cuts on my wrists and a jagged bite on one arm. My eyes were rimmed with dark shadows and glowed a luminous silver, brighter than I had ever seen.

  I pulled on some baggy clothes and made my way out of the room. As I reached the upper landing, I heard voices coming from the floor below.

  “How did you sleep?”

  “Well, thank you. And thank you for letting me stay.”

  “We couldn’t turn you away after what you’ve done for us… bring her back… the pair of you look like you’ve been to hell.”

  “Near enough. On that subject, I have to ask you a favour. I know you’re both curious as to what happened and rightly so. I’m happy to answer your questions as best I can, I just… please don’t ask Blair. She’s not in the right frame of mind at the moment… I’m sure that in time she’ll tell you about what happened but…”

  “No, we understand. Seeing her last night… I don’t think I’ve ever been so afraid…”

  “She looked dead.”

  I continued across to the stairs and descended. In the living room, Rhydian was sat on the sofa, my brothers sitting opposite him. As I entered, Grayson jumped up and Elian quickly followed.

  “Hi…”

  As one, they crossed the room and wrapped their arms around me. For the first time in a while, I felt completely safe.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

  Neither of them spoke. Really they didn’t need to, their actions were enough. Elian squeezed me like he never wanted to let go. Grayson’s hand stroked my hair. Everything felt warm and familiar, it felt right.

  “We’re happy you’re home,” Grayson said finally.

  “We missed you,” Elian added.

  They guided me to a seat, their hands gentle and reassuring. Elian made Rhydian and I breakfast. We ate together, the four of us talking about nothing in particular. I didn’t contribute much, I was just happy to be near them. My eyes gazed out of the glass doors at the familiar view. I caught sight of Nan at the far edge of the garden, looking down at the town.

  “Will you three excuse me for a moment?” I asked. Elian followed my gaze and gave me a reassuring smile.

  I left my plate on the arm of the sofa and let myself out of the glass doors. Nan looked so peaceful. Her hair hung down her back and I could see as I approached that her eyes were closed. I walked slowly, coming over to stand beside her. She didn’t open her eyes or change her expression but her hand touched mine.

  “I’m glad you came back,” she told me.

  “This is my home. It always will be.”

  Nan looked at me. I could see the worry engrained in her face. She placed a hand on my cheek, her thumb rubbing against the skin.

  A soft chirrup came from behind us and we both turned. A large cat was stood a few feet away. It took me a moment but I recognised him. Nan smiled and went over to the animal, picking him up. There was a familiarity to her actions, a sense of friendship between her and the feline.

  “Nan… are you…?”

  “Yes?”

  “Never mind. Doesn’t matter.” I came to her side and scratched behind the cat’s ears. “Hey puss. Good to see you again.”

  Nan stroked the cat absently, looking back once more at the fields below.

  “You did a very brave thing Blair. I’m proud of you. And I’m sure that the rest of your family are to.”

  “Thank you Nan. I just… part of me wishes it didn’t end the way it did.”

  Cradling the cat in one arm, she reached out and wrapped her other arm around my shoulders. Together we stood, the two of us, gazing out at the countryside. The sun was warm, all traces of the rain the night before long gone. It was going to be a beautiful day.

  I sighed softly and rested my head on my arms. Nan murmured something into the cat’s ear before releasing it. It scampered off out of sight.

  “I’m going to go inside. Are you going to stay here?”

  “For a little bit, yes.”

  Nan placed a kiss on my forehead before leaving my side. I went and sat beneath the tree, toying with the grass around me. The sun felt good against my skin, the air was sweet and refreshing. I didn’t want to move, didn’t want to think. I just wanted to be.

  I knew that this wouldn’t be a permanent solution. Eventually the queen would find herself someone new to do her bidding. And if she didn’t, I was sure Lyr would eventually come after me with the intent of making me keep my promise. But, I didn’t care. I was home, I was safe. I had my family. It was almost perfect, not quite but enough.

  Across the lawn, I saw the shape of an animal approaching the gate. The cat, returning. It hopped onto the fence and looked back at the path it had taken. A second creature emerged, limping slightly.

  My heart skipped a beat. It couldn’t be.

  The cat jumped down from the fence and strolled proudly towards me. It sat before me, giving me a smug look. I got up slowly and walked towards the gate.

  There he was. Faolan. He looked almost as he had before, except for a single patch of discoloured fur on his side. He wagged his tail when he saw me. I couldn’t get the gate opened fast enough, fumbling at the latch, and instead I clambered over it. I threw my arms around his neck and buried my face into his fur.

  Perfect.

  I heard a door open behind me and felt the eyes of my family on me. Gravel crunched under foot and Rhydian’s hand squeezed my shoulder.

  I had everything I needed. Queen of my own little kingdom. Right where I belonged.