She hauled herself up, before she recovered and let her axe fly. It landed in her captor’s neck; blue liquid spurted from the wound and her legs buckled beneath her, eyes closing.
Ailsa saw Harris’s torch still aflame a few feet away. She grabbed it before advancing down the bank of the lagoon.
“Give him back, now,” she shouted. “Or I’ll take great pleasure in cracking every single one of your skulls open!”
The ceasg baulked at the light and backed away, towards the centre of the pool, hands flying up to cover their eyes. They left Angus where he was, drifting face-up in the mere.
Harris appeared beside her, chest heaving as he wiped thick gore from his hands.
“Quick, Ailsa, grab him. I can’t go in the water.”
She passed the torch and waded into the lagoon. Once she reached Angus, she found his skin surprisingly warm for having been in the cold for so long. She heaved him towards the bank where Harris bent to help.
“For now, you are safe,” called the leader as she backed away towards the shadowy reaches of the cavern. “If we find you again, selkie, we will have you.”
“Want. Want.” The others called, before they vanished beneath the surface.
Ailsa turned her attention from the ceasg to Angus’s prone body. Harris rubbed his arms up and down, to stimulate his circulation, but Angus still stared up at the roof, expressionless.
“Harris, what do we do?” Ailsa took one of Angus’s hands in her own and held it tightly.
“I don’t know!”
“He’s starting to get cold!”
They watched the rise and fall of Angus’s chest become slower and slower.
“Do something!”
“How does one wake a sleeping prince?” Harris whispered thoughtfully and gave a sheepish smile. He lowered his face to Angus’s and kissed him fully on the lips. With a start, the prince opened his eyes to find Harris still leaning over him.
“Our first kiss and I’m unconscious,” complained Angus, rubbing his temple with one hand.
“I can do it again if you like?”
Angus let out a snort. “No thanks, you’re not my type.”
Ailsa, still clutching Angus’s hand, gave him a little squeeze. “Are you okay?”
“Stop fussing, it’s not like you.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s not like I’m dying.”
“You could have,” she said weakly, looking away to hide the unshed tears in her eyes, but he captured her chin with his other hand.
His eyes were soft. “Not your fault.” Ailsa nodded and he let go.
Harris clapped Angus on the shoulder. “Can you stand?”
“Yes. Hold on.” Through a combined effort of pulling and pushing, they managed to get him on his feet, albeit swaying slightly.
Ailsa hooked his arm over her shoulders to better support his weight and gave the pool a worried glance. “Don’t tell me, we have to go back into the water?”
“For what?” Harris examined one of the ceasg’s corpses thoughtfully and then reached down to roll her over. Only when he applied a bit more pressure did her body move. She had transformed fully to marble; anyone who visited the cave in the future would truly find them as statues.
Ailsa sighed. “The Stone of Destiny…”
“The Stone isn’t hidden in the water, it’s up there.” He pointed up at the back corner of the cave. There, barely visible against the granite, a number of grooves had been carved deep into the rock. And at the bottom there was a single triangle surrounding a wave.
Chapter 51
Angus and Ailsa followed Harris at a distance, shuffling forward over the rough floor around the lake. As they approached, they saw a wider opening further up the wall. Someone had cut a ladder into the stone leading up to it.
“Do you think you can make it up there?” Harris asked Angus, who eyed the wall with foreboding.
Ailsa gripped his shoulder. “I’ll help you.”
With Harris in front, leading the way, Angus next and Ailsa last, they ascended the rock wall carefully. The foot and handholds were a little too spaced out for Ailsa, so she had to jump up in a few sections. About halfway, there was a whoop from above as Harris pulled himself over the lip of the biggest cavity.
“I found it! Hurry up!”
Ailsa huffed but pressed on up the makeshift ladder with Angus. Eventually, he heaved himself up over the edge as well, breathing heavily.
“You have to see this, Ailsa!”
“I’m coming!” She reached for the last hollow with her fingertips, but it was just out of her grasp. She braced one foot against the wall directly in front of her and pushed herself up. Then, just as she managed to hook two fingers over, her other foot slipped from its step and her body swung out and away from the rock wall.
Her stomach plummeted to the cave floor below as she dangled desperately by one hand. She tried to call out to the two men above, but her breath wouldn’t come.
Her fingers slid slowly over the rough stone, fighting to swing herself back up, but she couldn’t quite catch the handhold.
Blood pounding in her ears, she tried one last time.
And missed again.
Her fingers slipped from the rim.
But a hand closed tightly over her wrist.
She let out a faint squeak as Angus pulled her up into the cavern overhead; his face a mask of concern and pain.
“Are you okay?” he croaked, still recovering from his brush with the ceasg.
She lay on her back, panting and nodded her head.
There was a skylight in the small upper cavern, which made the granite walls sparkle. The room was perfectly square, with a dais in the middle, on which stood a modest chest of stained oak. Harris turned around, excitement lighting his features, his eyes twinkling like the treasured lagoon.
“Is that where they hid it?” asked Angus, still crouched beside Ailsa.
Harris nodded. “I can’t take it. Part of the protection is that only a human can retrieve it.”
Angus turned back to offer her his hand, “Ailsa, you do it—”
“No,” Harris said sharply. “You should stay there and rest. Angus, it’s for your family, you take it.”
Angus nodded and climbed the stairs, Harris behind him.
“When I was last here, it was the middle of the night. My aunt pulled that box from her pocket and it grew right in front of my eyes.” They watched as the prince reached out and felt the smooth wood. Ailsa rolled onto her side to watch as Angus lifted the lid reverently, then gasped. “It’s not there.”
“You didn’t think we would just leave the Stone in an unlocked box now, did you?” said Harris. He waved his hand over the lining, and Ailsa heard an audible click from her position on the floor. Angus’s jaw dropped as the selkie stood back from the chest.
From somewhere inside, a fountain of water sprang up, reaching a few feet high before arching to the floor of the platform with a splash. There, suspended inside the water, lay the Stone.
Angus reached his hand in slowly. The water did not change trajectory, instead it parted along his forearm. He hesitated, as if bracing himself for what he was about to do. Finally, taking a deep breath, he closed his fist around the object and pulled it out of the fountain.
“The Stone of Destiny,” Harris whispered. Angus held his palm out to Ailsa so that she could see.
The Stone was a lot smaller than she’d imagined, around the size of a strawberry. On one side, it was a dull, grey stone but when Angus flipped it over in his palm, the inside was revealed. It looked as if it had been halved in order to expose the vibrant, purple, crystalline interior. A ring of white crystals bordered the uneven violet quartz, like a night sky with bright galaxies. As light caught the little ridges, they glinted, winking and star-like.
“It’s exquisite,” Ailsa breathed. Angus nodded and curled his hand loosely around it.
They crouched together for a moment, in silence.
“We did it,” Angus whispered. Then, ag
ain, a little louder. “We did it!” A laugh bubbled up his throat, echoing around the cave.
Harris joined him in his exultation. Even Ailsa couldn’t hold back a bark of laughter.
We found the Stone!
Harris stood up, hands on his hips. A huge smile graced his face, even as he said, “We just have to make it back to Dunrigh now.”
That was enough to dull Ailsa’s relief. It had been a long journey and it would be a long way back.
Still, thought Ailsa, we did it. If it makes the people of Eilanmòr feel safer, then maybe it was worth it.
Harris held out his hand to her as Angus pocketed the Stone. “Come on, if I give you both a boost, we can get out through the hole in the ceiling.” He nudged his shoulder into the other man’s, as they walked. “Just think of home, Angus.” The prince’s face brightened a little and he stepped below the opening first.
She watched as the selkie held out his hands for Angus to step up on and felt a niggle of doubt.
“Harris,” she murmured as he lifted Angus up. “The ceasg said that Nicnevan knew where the Stone of Destiny was all along, but she was waiting to see if they would claim it.”
Harris laughed, elated to have completed their mission. “Well, they didn’t catch me, or anyone else, so her trap didn’t work.”
“So why didn’t Nicnevan just take it?” Something didn’t feel right.
“Maybe she knew we wouldn’t allow her to?” He shrugged. “Maybe she knew it would be protected by strong magic?”
“And now it’s in our possession, mostly unprotected.” Ailsa’s heart sank; she couldn’t help but feel they had walked right into a trap.
“Well, I wouldn’t say that.” He regarded her with a smirk. “Calm down. We’ll just need to be incredibly careful on the journey back. I’d say a speedy return is fairly important now.” He chuckled to himself and she cocked her head in question.
“Harris? Ailsa? You’ll never guess what I can see,” croaked Angus up above.
Harris held out his hands for Ailsa’s foot. He lifted her up quickly and her fingers found purchase on the mouth of the skylight. Angus’s hands hooked under her forearms, pulling her up through the gap. As she rose onto the grassy hill, her mouth fell open in wonder.
They were no longer on an island surrounded by sea, but on top of a hill overlooking a glen. Below them, a grey road snaked its way through the middle. To their right, they could see the miniscule ruin of a house squatting at the bottom of the jagged mountains which towered around them. Further on, patches of forest grew like clumps of hair.
Ailsa laughed out loud. There, to the left of where they stood, the road led to a series of larger hills, and there atop the highest, covered in splotches of bluebells, stood Dunrigh Castle, its flags fluttering merrily in the breeze. Angus gave a shout and fell to his knees on the grass.
“Hello?” called Harris. “Anyone going to help me up?” his voice echoing around the cavern below. Together, they reached back into the hole and pulled him through. Harris eyed the surroundings with a satisfied smirk playing around his mouth.
“You knew?” asked Ailsa “You knew the cave led back home?”
“It didn’t before, but that’s one of the supposed powers of the Stone of Destiny. When the bearer steps through a portal, wherever they are thinking of going, they suddenly find themselves there. It’s why I told you to think of home.”
“I guess it’s true,” muttered Angus in disbelief.
Ailsa grimaced. “You could have just told him, ‘Please think of being inside Dunrigh Castle, in front of a log fire.’ He must have been thinking about the Glen of Sorrow.”
Angus looked sheepish. “I was thinking how lovely Dunrigh looked as we left. Come on, Ailsa, it’s not that far. We’re almost at the top of the glen.”
“Plus, I’d rather we were able to appreciate the Hero’s Welcome!”
“Don’t be gloomy, Ailsa” said Angus. “I’ll make sure you get a large helping of black pudding when we get there.”
She watched the two men, stumble down the hill through the heather in a rush. Up ahead, the clouds were rolling over the sky, tumultuous in the heavy winds. Ailsa breathed in a sigh of fresh air and began the final march that would bring their journey to an end.
Chapter 52
An elegant, red-headed woman sat with her back to the glass as she read aloud to the figure in the bed beside her. The black rot had crept across more of his skin, but his eyes glowed bright as he watched the clouds roll by above. The glass house that was his sick room provided some heat for his weary body as he relived past adventures with the help of the soothing voice of the selkie beside him. His youth had been filled with heroic deeds, mythical monsters and epic romances.
Lady Iona was currently recounting his wedding day. He thought back to how dazzling his bride had been, how he had lifted the veil to reveal her flawless skin, large grey eyes and rosebud mouth. She had blushed when he had run a thumb across her jaw. She had been his light, his beacon, leading him out of the darkness.
The history book that the selkie beside him read left out many of the details. He remembered the day he had told his bride about the terrible mistakes of the past, how he had loved another before her but had been too blind to see the corruption in her soul. How he had had to leave her, only to have her return to tell him she was carrying his child. All of this, his fiancée had accepted with a gentle nod and a kiss to his cheek.
He had not known her, she’d said. She was glad he had escaped. Perhaps one day, they would be reunited with the baby and peace could come to the kingdom.
But then, after a few months of married bliss, he’d had to leave his pregnant wife when a great earthquake struck in the middle of the night. He knew, as he rushed through the corridors, that it was her. Knew he would have to end it, before she broke the country apart.
He rode throughout the night, until finally he came upon her home, tucked deep in the woods. She was frantic, weeping. The golden hair he’d fondly remembered was matted against her head as she screamed orders at the few faeries she kept around her. In front of her, a group of humans and some fair folk sat shivering as, one by one, they were called forward to answer her questions. He had watched from behind a tree as they wept, begging to be set free. She had grown tired of their protests and had ripped them apart like ragdolls.
He knew then, as he had watched the life flicker from a young faerie-girl’s eyes, that this was the end. He had to stop her.
He had sneaked up behind her, binding her to the willow tree that sat in the middle of her court, with an iron chain he had carried with him.
The look of betrayal on her face had been replaced by manic relief as she realised who it was that held her.
“Connall,” she had exclaimed. “I knew you would come.” Her face turned to anguish. “They took her. They took our daughter,” she had grabbed at his jacket then, pleading, “You must find her—you must get her back.”
“No!” One of the fae, a selkie, had pushed forward, tears still staining her face. “We took her away. She cannot be raised by this monster.” Nicnevan had screamed and thrashed, but the chains had held, limiting her power.
“Please, Your Majesty, she is hidden and safe. When she comes of age, we will find her and she will be the new faerie queen. Do not seek her, you cannot protect her.” The selkie had fallen to her knees. “Please, she is our only hope of peace.”
He had nodded and turned back to Nicnevan, ready to deliver the killing blow. But he remembered the gentle girl she had been, the one who he had fallen in love with. He’d left her there in the clearing, screaming for him to come back and help her. Since then, Eilanmòr had been at peace.
Now, as he floated in his memories, in the glass house attached to the castle, he wondered what had become of the faerie queen and the daughter he had never known. Did she even know who she was? Tears formed at the corners of his eyes as he thought of all the things he wished to say to her. He had thought he would see her eventu
ally, that she would meet her brothers and they would work together to fully establish peace, forever.
He thought of his wife, gone for thirteen years, He knew she watched over him and still waited for him, beyond death. When he finally let go, she would be there, waiting with open arms, ready to go together into the next world. He imagined how soft her pale skin would be as she held his hand. How her grey eyes would be calm and warm.
He closed his eyes against the sunlight and breathed deeply.
The woman beside him suddenly stopped her reading. He kept his eyes closed, but listened for the reason to her pause. The door to the glass house opened and he heard his eldest son, speaking softly so as not to disturb him.
“Our brothers and the girl are back. I think they have the Stone.”
Iona rose from her seat and followed Duncan out of the room. She turned to look at the King before she closed the door behind her and saw a wistful smile painted on his face. She wasn’t sure how, but she was struck by the surety that this would be the last time she saw him alive. She closed the door, leaving him his freedom to be at peace.
Chapter 53
The trio were pulled through the gate by waiting arms and passed between people—castle servants and nobles alike—who hugged and congratulated them. It seemed that their journey had not been as secret as they had hoped. Ailsa looked up to see Iona racing down the stairs, her red hair streaming out behind her. Prince Duncan jogged behind, propriety flying out of the window as they both tumbled towards them. Duncan threw his arms around Angus in a back-breaking hug as Iona pulled both Ailsa and Harris towards her.
Angus blinked in shock at his brother’s actions.
“Did you miss us that much?”
What a difference from when we left, thought Ailsa, allowing her mouth to pull into a half-smile.
“We all heard reports that something had happened to one of you, that someone had almost drowned,” explained Iona.
Ailsa supposed that the rumours had been about her, yet the two men had almost died at various other points too. She marvelled once again at how impossible it was that they’d made it back safe and sound.
The Stone of Destiny Page 21