Witch Tease

by Cindy Keen Reynders

  “But I need you,” she growled.

  “You can’na stop me from doing what must be done,” he insisted.

  “I’ll do it. I’ll be the offering,” she insisted.

  He shook his head. “You can’na do it. I contracted to help you save your clan. It’s my responsibility to do all I can to make that happen.”

  “You c-can’t leave me,” Lizzie cried.

  “You’re a strong, bonnie lass, and a witch, no less. You’ll make out fine.”

  “We just found each other again,” she pleaded.

  “And a good run it’s been,” he said, forcing his voice not to quaver. “The love we’ve shared canna be matched. But ’tis my duty to protect you and fulfill my contract.”

  “Kincaid!”

  “When you get Uaithne from Queen Dana, take Iolar back to Wysteria and rescue your clan.”

  “This isn’t—”

  Kincaid kissed Lizzie with every fiber of his being, barely letting her up for air.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  When Kincaid finally released Lizzie, she was silent a few moments. She realized she couldn’t change his mind, as much as it pained her.

  “No matter where you go, my love, through the veil of time and dimension, take my heart with you,” she told him, her voice trembling.

  “Aye, Lizzie girl. You know I will. And you must take mine.” He smiled, though it appeared strained. He reached inside his cloak and handed her the small box that contained his ship.

  “Do you remember the word I use to call forth Iolar?”

  “I do.”

  “Good. I’ve programmed it to return to the coast beside Wysteria, so all you need to do is push the green button to start the ship. Also, return this to King Aedh.”

  Kincaid handed over the golden compass. With trembling fingers, Lizzie tucked both the box and the compass into a blouse pocket. She bit her lower lip, still wanting all of this to end, still wishing she could stop Kincaid.

  That would be selfish, she realized, no matter how much she loved him. Her family and her clan, though they didn’t realize it, relied on her to save them. And Kincaid had made her swear to do as he asked.

  Goddess above, help me…

  Kincaid tucked a finger under her chin and lifted it up. “Go kick some banshee butt, lass. Do it for me. All right?”

  “I’ll turn ’em into toast,” she said, trying to keep her voice from cracking with emotion.

  Giving her another of his infectious smiles, he turned to the Faery queen. “I’m ready.”

  Tears blurred Lizzie’s vision and her heart squeezed with anguish. For the first time in her life, she couldn’t think straight. The man she loved stood in front of Queen Dana who sang in a high voice, enchanting him with her Faery magic. She hated what was happening, hated Queen Dana.

  He’s lost to me. Again.

  She wanted to grab Kincaid’s arm and run away with him. If she did, her clan would never be free. If she didn’t, Kincaid would be gone.

  Closing her eyes, she whispered to the Goddess, “Allow Kincaid’s spirit to rest with ease, with harm to none as I appease, keep him safe as he offers his life, with blessings from above and from his wife. So mote it be.”

  Queen Dana’s voice faded. She held up her hand and tossed green sprinkles onto Kincaid. He lowered his head and his body began to glow with golden light. His skin took on a yellow cast and he took on the features of a gold statue, just like the others in the cave.

  Lizzie nearly choked, seeing him like that. An ache wrapped around her, squeezing breath from her lungs. It just wasn’t right that she’d found Kincaid after all this time, only to lose him again. A part of her wanted to lash out at the queen, but she realized the old Faery had a difficult task and she couldn’t change the rules.

  An offering must be made in order for Queen Dana to release Uaithne. Unfortunately, that offering was Kincaid.

  Lizzie stepped beside Kincaid’s golden statue and touched his beloved face—his eyes, his cheeks and chin. A rogue tear rolled from her eye and splashed on her hand.

  Queen Dana’s features began to change. Smooth, creamy skin replaced her wrinkles. Her snowy white hair transformed into a corn silk shade and her wings filled with life, fluttering and bursting with an explosion of activity.

  Her simple dress turned into a fabulous, flowing gown with layers of sparkling material. Her beauty radiated throughout the room.

  Lizzie hated her.

  The young maiden who had replaced the crone placed a hand on her shoulder. “Life is cruel and we must remain strong to live through it. I, too, am alone, my love lost to the ravages of time. I am sorry for your loss, for I understand the devastation in your soul.”

  “I disliked Kincaid for the longest time, and now he’s sacrificed himself for me and for my clan,” Lizzie murmured. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”

  “Respect and love are more valuable than all the gold and precious jewels in the universe.” Queen Dana went to an alcove, opened a door and withdrew a small wooden harp. “You have been honored by this man. Return his honor by respecting his wishes. Here is Uaithne—use it to rid the Earthly Realm of Sorcha and free your people.”

  Lizzie studied the harp. “I thought it would be golden and encrusted with jewels. It looks so, so humble.”

  “Humbleness brings forth great chronicles,” Queen Dana said. “Great power resides in the unpretentious.”

  “Are there instructions with Uaithne? How do I use it?”

  “It will tell you.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “When the time comes for you to find out, it will share its secrets.”

  Lizzie nodded, still angry at Queen Dana, though it was pointless. The Faery had only done what she had to in order to unlock Uaithne. She wondered how the heck the harp could tell her how to send Sorcha packing. Kincaid had given his life for this, so the harp had better do the deed. Otherwise…

  Otherwise what?

  She really didn’t know. Not right now. She just knew she needed to get back to Wysteria as soon as possible. Glancing one more time at Kincaid’s golden statue, her heart squeezed, and she turned to leave.

  “Travel safely,” the queen told her, her voice now soft and lilting.

  “Wait, one more thing,” Lizzie said to Queen Dana. “How do I return Uaithne?”

  “Uaithne will come back to me once it has finished its task.”

  Once again, Lizzie wondered how, but she remained silent. She left the cave, her feet heavy, as if rocks were strapped to them. Sunlight glittered on the crust of newly fallen snow and the world seemed unchanged, but for Lizzie it most definitely was. Feeling as though her heart had been frozen, she prepared the tonafers to leave, tucking the compass and the harp into saddle pouches.

  Never in her life had she felt so helpless. A high witch of the Wysteria Hedge Haven Clan, she’d always been able to take care of herself and those she loved. But here, in the Land of the Fae, her powers were practically nonexistent. She’d failed. She hadn’t been able to save Kincaid.

  Heartbroken, she mounted her beast and settled into the saddle. After arranging her cloak around herself, she grasped the leather lead of Kincaid’s tonafer and began the return journey.

  She couldn’t stop thinking about Kincaid.

  And she knew she’d never stop loving him.

  ***

  The return trip to Doros Wood passed in a painful blur. Feeling as though she wasn’t really alive any more, Lizzie rested the tonafers a few times, ate a little of the food remaining in the packs, then continued toward the Faery village.

  When she arrived, the sun was sinking in the sky in a blaze of orange and red clouds. The day had come to an end, and she felt as though she had too, but she had much to do before she could truly rest.

  Muscles tight and aching from riding, she took the tonafers to the stable where she turned them over to one of the workers. Removing the leather pouch holding Iolar’s box and the compass, she walked up a
hill toward King Aedh’s castle. People spoke to her along the way. Pasting a smile on her face, she raised her hand in greeting, though her heart felt stone cold.

  At the castle, she knocked on a wooden door and Colin, one of King Aedh’s guards, allowed her entrance. “Please enter, Miss Lizzie of the Earthly Realm.”

  “Thank you,” she said, waiting in a wide hallway as he went to announce her arrival.

  When Colin returned, he said, “King Aedh and his daughter are at supper, but they have asked you to join them.”

  “I hate barging in,” Lizzie said.

  “You are invited,” Colin reminded her as he opened an arched door and stood aside.

  Lizzie entered the dining room with walls covered in rich tapestries and a polished stone floor. Torchlight flooded the area with bright light and flower arrangements rested atop several columns. Seated at a long wooden table, King Aedh and Princess Cait put down their utensils and waved her toward a chair.

  “Ho there, Lizzie,” King Aedh said. “How did the trip to the Hag’s Mountain go? And where is Kincaid?”

  The hollow pit in Lizzie’s stomach deepened as she took a seat. She breathed in the floral-scented air, hating what she was going to have to tell the king and his daughter.

  “Queen Dana of the Tuatha De Danann protects the tombs and the sacred items. In order to get Uaithne, we had to provide an offering.”

  King Aedh’s brows lifted. “I’ve never heard that before. Of course, I’ve never sought one of the magical items.”

  “What did you do?” Princess Cait asked in a demanding tone.

  “I begged him not to,” Lizzie said, “but Kincaid offered himself. Only then was Queen Dana able to unlock Uaithne.”

  She reached inside the leather pouch and pulled out the king’s golden compass, placing it on the table. Then she produced the small harp.

  Princess Cait pushed back her chair, stood, and pointed at Uaithne. “He died for that? For you?”

  “Please calm down, dear,” King Aedh said, patting his daughter’s hand.

  “Kincaid’s not dead, at least not in the way you’d think,” Lizzie said, taken aback by Cait’s accusing tone. “Queen Dana turned him into a golden statue. It’s more like he’s trapped or in prison.”

  Pressing a hand to the back of her mouth, Cait ran from the room.

  King Aedh shrugged. “What can I say? My daughter has always had a sweet spot for the boy.”

  “I’m a wreck about this,” Lizzie admitted as she stood up. “But we just couldn’t think of anything else to do. Kincaid insisted I return home so I could free my clan from Sorcha and her banshees.”

  King Aedh came around the table and hugged her. “Of course, he would offer himself. He had a mission to accomplish and you are a member of the clan he was rescuing, so he would send you home.”

  “That’s what he said.”

  “He also loved you and wanted to protect you.”

  Lizzie sobbed as he patted her back. It seemed that all of the anguish she’d suffered at losing Kincaid came pouring out.

  “Thank you,” she told King Aedh when the torrent of tears ended. “Sorry for being such a big boob.”

  He smiled. “Are you hungry? We’ve plenty of dinner to share.”

  She looked at the food and a wave of queasiness gripped her stomach. “No.”

  “You’re exhausted, emotionally and physically. Try to get a good rest tonight. On the morrow, you can return to the Earthly Realm and rid the world of Sorcha’s swarm.”

  Arm around Lizzie’s shoulders, King Aedh helped her up. Together, they walked from the room toward the bedchambers. He ushered her into the same room she and Kincaid had shared on their wedding night.

  Once King Aedh shut the door, Lizzie couldn’t prevent her tears from falling.

  ***

  Not wanting to wake anyone in the castle, Lizzie took Uaithne and slipped away in the early dawn. Violet light showered the landscape, which emitted a quiet hush. She’d found a piece of paper and a pen to write a thank you note to King Aedh for his hospitality. It didn’t seem right to leave without some sort of message.

  She hadn’t slept solidly last night, but she had rested. Thank the Goddess her mind had settled down enough to think rationally. When she’d left Hag’s Mountain, she’d been heartsick and angry at Queen Dana. She hadn’t reasoned beyond the fact that Kincaid had sacrificed himself for her and her clan. It had hurt too much.

  After some reflection about the way things had turned out, she’d formed a strategy. She would return to Wysteria and free her clan, then take Kincaid’s ship back to the Land of the Fae and rescue him. She hoped to be able to provide another offering in exchange for his life. Hopefully that would work. Regardless, she had decided nothing could stop her from returning.

  There had to be a way to bring him home.

  In the marshy ship graveyard where she and Kincaid had arrived, she placed Iolar in the water. Her heart thudded with anticipation as she stood back to watch.

  “Aboon,” she said.

  Creaking and churning sounds met her ears as pieces of metal flashed in the sunlight. In an amazing flurry of machine parts coming together, Iolar fashioned itself into the shining metal ship that had brought her and Kincaid here.

  “At least the slimy thugs are good for something,” Lizzie muttered when she remembered Kincaid telling her he’d gotten the ship from a troll.

  When a door opened, she boarded the craft and hurried toward the control panel to press the green start button. When the ship hummed into life, Lizzie nodded in satisfaction.

  “So far, so good,” she said as she closed the windshield panel.

  Lizzie walked over to Kincaid’s desk and placed Uaithne in front of her. She sifted through his paperwork, covered in his handwriting. His musky scent still lingered among his books. Bittersweet emotion poured over her, and she blinked back tears. Now was the time for action, not moping.

  Picking up a thick notebook and a pencil, she settled in his chair and began writing down her ideas about how to rescue her clan. Once she’d finished that, she wrote down more information about how to rescue Kincaid. She’d always found making lists therapeutic.

  Things rarely went according to plan, but considering different possibilities helped Lizzie think clearly. Goddess help her, it was better than doing nothing. People needed her help. And if she’d ever done anything good in her life, it had been taking care of those closest to her.

  Wondering exactly how Uaithne, a simple harp, was going to help her, she continued to consider various plans. Except for some turbulence and lights flickering, she barely noticed time passing as Iolar slipped from the Fae dimension into the Earthly Realm.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  When Iolar stopped moving, Lizzie hurried over to the control panel. Opening the windshield cover, she looked around.

  “Holy witch’s warts,” she muttered, amazed to see familiar landscape—the cliffs ranging above the Pacific Ocean and the crescent moon shaped beach below.

  This must be close to the spot where Kincaid and I jumped to escape that banshee hoard. In her mind, she envisioned the two of them falling toward the water. With a rush of anxiety, she recalled not trusting Kincaid. It seemed so long ago, yet now that she’d made it home, she realized it was mere moments ago.

  She glanced at the gold wedding band on her left hand. I’m coming back to you, my love. I promise.

  Holding firm in her belief that she would find a way to rescue him, she picked up her notebook and slid it into her leather pouch. She opened Iolar’s door and stepped out onto the deck. Ocean waves lapped rhythmically against the ship’s sides and salt air filled her nostrils.

  “Time to get to work, Vera,” she said as she patted her belt. “Those hellish banshees aren’t going to leave on their own.”

  Looping the pouch strap across her shoulder, she stepped into the water, waded to the beach and began climbing up the cliff, following a well-worn path that people had trodden while expl
oring the area. A breeze ruffled her hair, and she shook it out of her eyes.

  As she worked her way upward, the pouch grew heavier and warmer. What in the seven hells of Circe is going on? Frowning, Lizzie finally made her way to the top of the bluff where she opened the pouch and peered inside.

  The magical harp had grown larger and it glowed with an iridescent purple sheen. Careening past her face, it burst into the sky and spun around several times. Larger and larger it grew until it became about the size of a house. Hovering above Lizzie’s head, it cast dazzling color across the grassy landscape.

  Unsure of what to do, Lizzie asked, “Uaithne, are you ready to help me?”

  The instrument’s strings began to move, as though someone plucked them. Harp music played—soft at first, then louder and stronger.

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” she said, her enthusiasm mounting. A small part of her had been hesitant to believe she could defeat the banshees. Now, the possibilities seemed endless and most definitely in her favor.

  From where she stood, it was probably about a mile to the Royal Witch Arena where Sorcha held her clan hostage. She wanted to get there quickly, so she decided to call on her magic now that she was home. Hopefully, it was back to its normal, witchy levels.

  “Nature spirits, strong and sweet, help my powers be ready to defeat. Bring forth a mighty steed!” Holding her arms up toward the heavens, she said, “Equus ferus caballus celeritas.”

  Darkness blotted out the sun. Lightning burst across the sky, unleashing energy that prickled the hair on Lizzie’s arms. For a moment, she thought she saw a wolf’s head form in the layered mist. She blinked, certain her eyes played tricks on her.

  “Kincaid,” she whispered, awestruck. “You’re still with me.” A second later, the image faded.

  From somewhere in the mounded clouds, a loud whinny resounded. Bursting forth from the heavens, a large white horse galloped toward her, two graceful wings sprouting from its muscular shoulders.

  “Pegasus,” Lizzie said, her heart picking up its pace. “Medusa be damned, my powers are back!”