The Castle of Water and Woe

by Steffanie Holmes

  “You did this?”

  “Of course I did this, dear,” Sheryl smoothed down the front of her dress, staring defiatenly between me and Corbin. “Someone had to ensure the fae king had the appropriate, unbaptised sacrifice. I know everything that goes on in this village, everyone’s little secrets and dirty laundry. And I knew that within that mob Dora brought to stop Connor’s baptism, at least fifteen of those so-called righteous people had never been baptised of the Lord. I expected them all to turn up today. And Maeve here was kind enough to provide me all the tools I needed to create a new doorway.”

  “But how?” And then I remembered. My purse. When Jane and I first went to speak to the Crookshollow vicar, I’d left it unguarded to take Kelly’s phone call, Sheryl must have scooped out all the objects she needed; Flynn’s medallion, Rowan’s twig, Corbin’s parchment, Arthur’s blade, and something of mine. Each object was imbued with the residue of our energies. She must’ve created the spell before she pretended to find my purse behind that pillar.

  I bet she ate my cookies, too. Bitch.

  “But why?”

  Sheryl laughed. “Why? Because the fae are Angels of God come to scour the evil from earth. Only the righteous will inherit the new Kingdom of Heaven. It is no place for witches and fornicators and people who don’t pay their Council tax.”

  “You think the fae are sent from God?” Flynn demanded. “Bloody hell, you’re mad, woman.”

  “Of course. They are the Angels of Justice sent to purge the earth of sinners, to bring the righteous to paradise and to make this broken land place where the spirits of the dead can dwell.”

  Anger surged inside me. At this woman, for being so stupid as to fall for fae tricks. But mostly, my rage was reserved for Daigh. That he could take this woman’s faith and twist it like this, that he could take a good person and get her to do this evil thing, that he could lay the deaths of others squarely upon her shoulders.

  “Their blood is on your hands now,” Corbin said. “Where does that leave you in the Kingdom of Heaven?”

  “Oh, I won’t be seeing God’s Kingdom,” Sheryl said. “God does not allow murderers such as I to dwell in his eternal glory. But I go to my doom in peace, knowing I have done God’s Will, and that I will soon see my husband again.”

  She lowered her head and broke into a run, heading straight for me. Corbin stepped in front of me, but I elbowed him aside. “No,” I cried. “She’s—”

  But it was too late. Sheryl Brownley leapt into the fissure, her skirt and petticoat flaring up around her as she topped into the inky black depths.

  FIFTY-ONE: MAEVE

  The earth rumbled, and the edges of the fissure pulled tight again. People screamed as the marble floor repaired itself over top of them. Inspector Davies tried to claw her way out of the void, but a sharp piece of marble sliced through her hand as it searched for purchase on the slick marble floor, and she was torn back into the crack once again. The tiles sank back into place, and it was as if the whole thing had never happened.

  “No. Give them back!” I pawed at the ground, trying to get to the fae. But it completely closed up into a smooth floor once again. The rumbling stopped.

  Jane still cowered against the altar. I rushed to her, wrapping her in my arms and gazing down at little Connor’s face. We kept him safe, but at a terrible cost.

  Flynn and Rowan picked themselves up from the back of the church and made their way toward us, stepping around buckled, broken marble and masonry. Corbin wiped green fae blood from his eyes. Arthur slid the dagger back into his belt, his eyes hollow. At the back of the church Blake stood with arms folded, his usually casual face pale and drawn.

  One by one, my boys shambled their way up to the altar and collapsed beside us, wrapping their arms around Jane and I, resting their heads against mine. Rowan’s face was streaked with tears. I couldn’t cry. I was too numb.

  We couldn’t save them. Now Daigh has everything he needs to raise the Slaugh. What can we even hope to do now?

  A few other people crawled out from behind pillars and under pews, their bodies bloody and broken. They huddled together at the back of the church. The vicar crept out from behind the vestibule. “Is it over?” he asked, his whole body trembling. “Have they gone?”

  “They’re gone, but it’s not over,” I croaked out. “Not even close.”

  My phone rung. I pulled away from our huddle and dragged it out of my pocket. Kelly’s picture flashed on the screen.

  I’ll always be there for you.

  In the midst of the broken church, I pulled the phone to my ear and managed to croak out a greeting. “Kelly? Is everything okay?”

  “Hey, sis. Yeah, I’m good. I’m great, in fact. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Is this a good time?”

  I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it. Corbin looked up in concern, but Arthur just squeezed me tighter. “Oh yeah. The best time. What’s up?”

  “I’ve had the best time hanging out with all these backpackers. I’ve decided that’s what I want to do. I’m not going back to school. Instead, I’m going to travel the world with my possessions in a backpack and do odd jobs when I need money and make friends everywhere I go.”

  “You … what?”

  “I’m going to be a world traveller! And, the best news is, I’ve decided to start from England.” Kelly’s voice rose with excitement. “I’ve already been to the immigration office today and got my youth visa sorted. A nice guy at the hostel helped me do it. I get on a plane in two days time. Isn’t this awesome? I’m going to come see you!”

  “But ... “

  “Come on, sis. I know you’ve got heaps of room for me in that big castle of yours. I want the bedroom right under yours so we can gossip about those hot tenants of yours all night. I can’t wait to meet them! And since you’re not doing much except hanging around reading boring astronomy books, I’ll take you to see all the sights – Big Ben, Hadrian’s Wall, Buckingham Palace, let’s do them all!”

  My head spun. Kelly had no idea I was really a witch. Now, she was coming to Briarwood, right in the middle of my messy relationship with the guys, and a full-on war against the fae.

  What the hell am I going to do?

  TO BE CONTINUED