“What ta hell is wrong with you?” he growled at me, violet eyes flashing.
“You know, if you’d just been doing your job I wouldn’t have had to face that Fomorii on my own. And where the hell were you when I really needed to be protected?” I asked, feeling my anger rise; far better than the fear that had been coursing through me.
“You did fine on your own Quinn, though Luke should have been here to help. I only just be relieving him of his watch,” Bres said.
I tried another route, still angry and not willing to give up on my anger just yet. “If you are truly on my side, why don’t you help me across the Barrier. You do have Fomorii blood in you if I remember correctly. You are Balor’s son, aren’t you?”
“Unfortunately yes, I am.” He stared at me and I could see him trying to figure out who’d told me. He let out a snort. “ No matter how you be baiting me Quinn, I won’t take you across ta Barrier,” he said, rubbing his jaw.
I scowled at him, angry that he wouldn’t help me.
“How do you be enjoying your integration into the world of the Tuatha and Fomorii? Hmm. Do you like ta sea monsters and ta powers that be wanting to control your life?” He bent to get a closer look at me, the proximity of those violet eyes reminding me fiercely of his father’s. “You’ve been Quickened. You understand what that means?”
I nodded.
He smiled down at me, white teeth flashing. “How do it feel to be one of ta elite?” He was too close and I pulled away, noting how his eyes narrowed, his lips tightened.
“It’s fine,” I said, not wanting to look him in the eyes.
Bres stepped up close to me, his body very close, very claustrophobic. “If you are going to be angry at anyone, I think it should be Luke. He’s ta one that be keeping secrets from you, not me.”
I lifted my eyes. “What do you mean?”
He smiled. “I’m not allowed to tell you Quinn, they be Luke’s secrets. I just do as I’m told.” He stepped back and bowed at me, his eyes laughing at me though his lips remained still.
“Then what good are you to me?” I asked, poking him in the chest.
“Command me, oh great one, leader of ta armies, battle queen of ta Tuatha. Tell me what you will and let me, ta lowly Fomorii half blood, grovel to do your will.” He winked, but I refused to be pulled into his game.
I put my hand on my hips. “Are you here to help me or are you just here to get in my way?”
“You can’t be going after her. It’s too dangerous and you mean too much to ta Tuatha. They will never risk you for her,” he said, his tone changing from mirth to sombre in a split second.
“She’s my sister. I won’t leave her there. And they have my mother too,” I said. He frowned and I frowned back at him, though I noted he was having far too much fun at my expense.
“I won’t let you go Quinn. It’s me job to protect you. Come, we have to leave now.” He reached out and grabbed my hand, all but yanking me to my feet.
“Hey!” I yelped and snatched my hand back from him. What was it with these men anyway? They seemed to be stuck in the past, when a woman could be bullied and pushed into doing what the men wanted.
I turned my back to him and strode the last ten feet to the Barrier. Bres was muttering behind me but I ignored him, ignored the fear that rose when I thought of what came after the Barrier came down. I grit my teeth; I was going to get Ashling back. Right now.
~~
13
Lifting the knife, I drove it forward with all my strength, the blade biting deep into the Barrier. The shockwave of the weapon hitting such a hard surface ricocheted up my arm and rattled my teeth, but I hung on. The shaking continued and I realized it was another earthquake, one that had me hanging from the blade, my body swinging like a pendulum, until both I and the knife were thrown clear of the Barrier. Timing was everything I suppose.
I hit the ground hard, the wind rushing out of me in a single whoosh.
Bres started to laugh and that only spurred me onward. I stood, dusted my clothes off and tried again. And again and again. Each time, the blade would bite into the Barrier and each time the Barrier seemed to force the blade out.
“Ah, give it up Quinn, I could have told you that it wouldn’t work,” Bres said, laughter filling his voice.
Lying on the ground for the fourth time, I fought with the tears that threatened to spill over. I had been so sure it would work; Cora had been sure it would work. No, that was wrong, she’d said possibly. I stared at the spot where my knife had entered the Barrier and couldn’t see anything. I ran my fingers over the Barrier, there wasn’t a single crack I could feel—not even a small depression. I hadn’t done a thing to it.
Bres’ face hovered over mine. “You aren’t going to get in there Quinn. So stop trying.”
I sat up and rubbed my arm. The pain was already fading, which was good. I shook my head at Bres. “I’m not giving up on her.”
He stared down at me and the air seemed to thicken between us. Bres was far too much like his father for my comfort. I pulled away from him, again seeing hurt in his eyes before he hid it with a laugh. “You pull away as if I be having a disease; being a Fomorii isn’t contagious.”
My face heated up and I pushed myself away from him. “That’s not why I pulled away.” I stood up and dusted my clothes off.
He chuckled. “No? Then what is it, my stunning good looks?”
I snorted, and decided to tell him the truth. No point in trying to spare his feelings. “You look like your father.”
Bres grabbed my upper arm and started to drag me towards the hotel. “Hey, let me go!” I yelped.
“You are not going to go anywhere. I’m taking you back to ta hotel and then I will arrange for a flight out of here,” he said, seemingly unconcerned with the fact that he was dragging me along. His jaw was twitching and I realized that I’d hit a sensitive spot when I’d compared him to his father. Too late to take it back now.
“You can’t do this!” I screeched, flinging my entire body away from him. Dark power—so like Balor’s—wrapped itself around me, stopping my attempts to free myself. Bres stared down at me. “Stop being a ninny. Unlike my father, I be trying to keep you alive.” That didn’t make me feel a whole lot better and since I couldn’t free myself, I tried a new tactic.
“Luke!”
An instant later Luke was standing in front of us, his eyes narrowed and his long sword once more bared to the world.
“Oh come now Luke, you know she’s safe with me, I would never hurt her,” Bres said.
“I don’t want to go with him, Luke,” I said.
Luke looked torn as his eyes went between me and Bres. “Let her go. We’re supposed to protect her, not control her.”
Bres’ hand tightened on my arm. “And when she’s killed because you love her so much you won’t do ta right thing? What then? You know she shouldn’t be anywhere near this Barrier, and yet you let her roam free. She should be locked in that damn room until we get this sorted out.”
Luke’s jaw tightened and he lowered the sword. “I will escort her to her room then while you make the necessary arrangements.”
“No!” I yelled as Bres handed me off to Luke like a naughty kid being sent to my room. I was nearly twenty six, not a child, and this was ridiculous.
At the front desk, John stood quietly while Bres spoke with him. The manager didn’t even notice as I was dragged up the stairs, kicking and screaming as much as I was able to against the bond Bres had wrapped around me.
Luke opened the door and all but threw me inside. “That’s enough Quinn. We are doing what we can to save you sister.”
I drew a shuddering breath and wobbled my way to the pine desk. “What?”
“The Council is negotiating with the Fomorii right now. They believe that they can get Ashling back, but . . .”
My head dropped. “Not my mother.”
“I’m sorry. You are the priority. Ashling they will try to save because she means so m
uch to you. Your mother is not even half Tuatha. She is just another human with a dash of Fae blood. It isn’t enough to risk Tuatha lives to save her,” he said, his eyes softening.
Cora slithered out from under the pillows. “The boys got in your way again, didn’t they?”
I said yes at the same time Luke said no.
She laughed.
“This isn’t a game Cora,” I said, slumping into a chair. “Lives are at stake.”
Wriggling into a loose bundle of coils she nodded. “Lives are always at stake Quinn, you just have to be strong enough to know when they can be saved, and when they can’t.”
The silence grew heavy in the room and I was about to speak when there was a knock at the door.
Luke motioned for me to stay where I was as he opened it. Of course it was just Bres. He had a basket full of fruits, cheese and crackers, cookies, pastries and two jars of champagne along with a lovely bouquet of wildflowers. I wrinkled my nose at the strong smell.
Bres put the basket on the table. “Eat up, we have a long flight back to Oyland.”
Frowning, I tried to decipher his accent. What was that? Where were we going?
I was reaching for an apple when the translation twigged; I froze. “What?” I felt the blood drain from my face; the room seemed to swirl and jump and I realized that it was another earthquake. It was over quickly; probably just an aftershock.
“Ireland. Whether you’re ready or not, you need the Council to back you. They won’t leave Tara, the seat of their power; we have to take you to them,” Luke said as he popped a handful of grapes into his mouth.
I lowered myself into a chair as the conversation went on around me.
“Did you get the helicopter?” Luke asked.
“Yes, it’ll be here in less than half a’ hour. Ta pilot knows we need to be at ta Comox airport; we’ll be flying out from there and hopscotch our way across ta continent. We be heading for Dublin by way of Chicago tomorrow morning.”
My ears shut down as I contemplated my options. They wanted me to leave—to run away and protect myself while I left Ashling, and my mom, with the Fomorii. If I was this chosen person they believed me to be, why weren’t they listening to me? Could I command them to do what I told them to?
“No, you couldn’t.” Cora slithered over to me and I picked her up and set her in my lap. Again she seemed to read my mind.
The Fomorii that had bit me in the water had spoken directly to my mind. I needed to talk to Cora without the boys listening in. It wouldn’t hurt to try. If nothing happened no one would even know that I’d made the effort. I concentrated just on Cora, blocking out any thought of the two men in the room.
IF I TALK IN MY HEAD LIKE THIS, CAN YOU HEAR ME? I asked her.
She gave a shiver. Not so loud. But yes, I can hear you.
I thought for a minute. Do you think the Council is truly trying to get Ashling out? Or are they just telling me what I want to hear.
Cora flicked her tongue in and out several time before answering. No, they won’t be trying to get Ashling out. There are too many other lives at stake to bother with one little girl.
My jaw tightened; I needed a plan. A good one that the boys couldn’t wreck. Cora, I need to get through that Barrier. How can I do that when I can’t get away from Luke and Bres? I tried not to think about the water aspect. One step at a time.
She went very still and for a moment I thought she hadn’t heard me. Perhaps I can help you there, but you must trust me completely.
I gave her a subtle nod. Yes, I trust you Cora. What do you need me to do?
I fed her a piece of my apple while she answered. The last such great Barrier was flat but tall, hundreds of feet tall. To make a dome would require far too much energy, more than Balor could have if he pulled on all of the Fomorian’s within his kingdom.
What did that have to do with anything? How would he have made the Barrier?
Cora shifted her body, getting more comfortable before answering. He would have drawn on the life forces of the Fomorii he rules. For a Barrier this size many of them would have lost their lives to give him this protection.
I shuddered and shook off the magic lesson.
You must be prepared to face your fear of the water. For when the moment comes that I help you breach the Barrier there will be no turning back. Luke will do all he can to stop you; he will try to protect you with everything he has. Do you understand?
I nodded and gave her a small, tight smile. The very thought of the water over my head, darkening my view—of things that would drag me to my death as I was eaten alive—all but stilled my heart with fear.
For Ashling and Mom, I knew that I had to try. I had to make every effort to fight my way to them, to free them from Balor and the Fomorii. Though I didn’t say it to Cora, my heart whispered the truth of it to me, as sweat began to pool in the hollow of my back.
I didn’t think I could do it.
~~
14
The helicopter picked us up and we were airborne within moments. I fidgeted with the wildflowers I gripped, waiting on Cora’s cue. She sat in Bres’ lap, his face a mask of concentration, occasionally nodding, then frowning. They were speaking, of that I was sure, and with the looks Bres kept sending my way I had no doubt of the subject matter.
I thought the time to make a go of tackling the Barrier would have come by now and each second that it took before she spoke the go word—snakeskin—I grew more agitated.
“Luke, you should fly us over the water where Quinn’s sister was taken. Let her say goodbye,” Cora said. How she was heard over the wind and the rotors I have no idea.
Luke’s eyes softened and he nodded, tapping the pilot on the shoulder and directing him to the surfing area. My mouth was suddenly dry. What the hell was Cora thinking? Surely not . . .
“How high up are we?” I asked into the headset, my voice shaking. I didn’t like heights anymore than I liked water.
The pilot answered. “About two hundred feet, give or take. You afraid of heights?”
I tried to build up some spit to answer him but had to settle for a nod. Bres came to stand beside me and Luke, his eyes narrowed as he stared down at me. Did he suspect that Cora and I had a plan?
We banked to the left and soon we were hovering over the spot where Ashling had been taken. I played with the bouquet. “Throw those flowers out to your sister,” Cora said, her eyes unfathomable. “She would like that I think. Luke, open the door for her.”
Please tell me you don’t want me to jump. She didn’t answer, just flicked her tongue out, tasting the air.
Luke pulled the door open and a blast of air swirled in. A gasp escaped me and I found myself clutching both Luke and Bres, the flowers scrunched up in one hand. I turned and caught Cora’s eye as she lay coiled on the bench seat. She nodded. You are doing the right thing Quinn. Your sister needs you. When the time comes, jump. Your body can handle the impact; you won’t run out of air. You are Tuatha de Daanan. Swim to the bottom of the ocean—there you will find the Fomorii Kingdom and in it your mother and sister.
I gave a tight nod, not even trusting the voice I could project mentally. It might have been the right thing to do but that didn’t mean I was going to be able to do it.
Luke held his hand out to me and I gripped his fingers, my knuckles turning white. “I won’t let you fall Quinn,” he said. I tried to swallow, couldn’t, and felt a gag coming on.
“Here, I’ll hold her; you make sure ta pilot holds this be-damned contraption steady,” Bres said, peeling my hands out of Luke’s. Bres’ hand settled in the small of my back and I found my fingers intertwined with his. He gave me a wink. Oh crap, he knew. This wasn’t going to work. A spurt of relief flushed through me followed closely by shame. Tears formed in my eyes.
Luke turned away, went to put a hand on the pilot.
Bres leaned into me, his mouth against my ear. “I know what you’re doing Quinn. Cora filled me in.”
I stared up at him
and his eyes twinkled down at me. “You are doing ta right thing. And, to prove it, I’m coming with you.”
“SNAKESKIN.” Cora yelled over the rushing wind. Bres gave me a jerk; I gripped the edge of the helicopter, my fingers biting into the metal. I loved my family but I couldn’t do this—I just couldn’t.
“Luke!” I screamed, knowing he would save me from this; he would stop this madness.
Luke spun in time to see me wrestling with Bres as he peeled my hands out of their death grip. “Time to go meet your destiny Quinn,” Bres said.
My last finger slid off the cold metal; Luke jumped towards us and Cora struck, her body coiling around Luke’s legs and dropping him to the corrugated floor with a clang.
“Bres, what are you doing?” Luke yelled.
Bres saluted Luke. “I be changing the world, Luke; changing destiny.” I struggled in his hands, jerking my body left and right, the helicopter dancing under the lurches.
“You guys settle down back there, I can’t keep her straight!” The pilot shouted back at us, totally unaware of what was going on.
With a final yank Bres pulled me to his chest, his arms snaking around me. “Hang on,” was all he said before he jumped off the edge, taking me with him
Behind me I heard Luke screaming; and then only the rush of air filled my ears. The helicopter veered away from us and for a brief moment it felt as if I was floating. Time slowed down as I stared out at the Pacific Ocean. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. I glanced at Bres, his violet eyes full of laughter and sorrow intermingled. Then I looked down.
The ocean rushed towards us; Bres tipped us into a diving position. Facing the water, he yanked our hands above our heads, my body still pressed tight against him. “Whatever you do, don’t let go of me,” he said as we picked up speed.
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