by Helen Scott
Chapter 24
“Do I look all right?” Alec had to focus on keeping his voice steady. The nervous energy in his stomach made him feel like a kid again—something he hadn’t been for a very, very long time.
“You clean up good, brother.” Hal clapped him on the shoulder and smiled at him. There was a touch of sadness in his eyes. Alec knew it was because Hal was scared he was wrong, that he and Ellie weren’t soul mates.
“Then let’s go before I lose my nerve.”
They jumped out to an alley a block over from Ellie’s apartment. It wasn’t the nicest area of town, but Alec knew she didn’t make much money as an assistant manager. Hal led them out of the alley and over to the building in which Ellie’s apartment was located. The bricks were oddly shaped and had been covered in some kind of stucco at one point, but it was cracking and chipping away in places now. The black-framed windows all had their curtains drawn, presumably to block out, or offer some privacy from, the big supermarket that stood across the street.
Before they left the US, they had performed a locater spell, and Ellie had appeared to be in an apartment building, which they were assuming was her home. Alec said the words for the locator spell under his breath and felt the buzz of recognition in the direction of Ellie’s apartment, but it was extremely weak. It was showtime. He approached the door. Hal had backed off, almost dissolving into the shadows. His belly was filled with nervous energy. His heart was beating painfully in his chest, and his head was fuzzy—like he was picking up static on the radio.
His finger brushed the buzzer. Fear had turned his skin cold and frozen him in place. He knew he and Ellie were meant for each other, but what if she still rejected him? Hal coughed behind him, his way of gently calling him a chicken. Alec depressed the buzzer marked MacLeod before he could second-guess himself again. He immediately wanted to run and hide, but he also desperately wanted to see Ellie. The thought of seeing her had been the only thing keeping him going for most of the trip.
He got no response. Alec repeated the locater spell and got the same weak response as the pulse of recognition fizzled out after a couple of seconds.
“Something’s wrong.”
“Want me to try?” Hal piped up from behind him.
“Sure, but I don’t know that it’s right. I don’t think she’s here.”
“Maybe it’s focusing too much on her possessions and not the person. Mind if I tweak it.”
“Go for it.” Alec was willing to try anything to find her.
Hal altered the wording to focus on her body, avoiding any confusion with her belongings and assessed the vibrations he received.
“We need a map. She’s not nearby.”
They both jumped back to their rental home and swiftly splayed across the table the map of Scotland they purchased at the airport. Hal emptied a salt packet onto the map and began his own version of a tracking spell.
Alec watched as Hal’s face clouded in concentration. The slight scratching noise drew his attention back to the map, and he watched as the salt granules slid across the surface to the opposite side of the country, condensing on a pinpoint location. Alec pulled up the cross streets on his phone and found a few cottages in the area. He had no idea what Ellie was doing on the Isle of Skye, but he was going to find out.
Alec and Hal jumped to an area just down the road from the cottage where they had tracked Ellie’s location. The air here was the first thing Alec noticed; the salt from the sea seemed to lace every breath, much more so than when they were in Inverness. If it hadn’t been for the cool temperature and desolate location, he would have thought Ellie had gone on holiday.
The wind rushed over the moors, carrying the salty air into his lungs as they walked toward the cottage. They passed a large white building that was obviously not a recent addition to the area, and the word “Inn” was painted in large black letters on the side. Alec wanted to run and fly to Ellie, but he restrained himself and began going over what he would say to her in his head. After all, he had to convince her to let him sing, to let him prove to them both that they were, in fact, soul mates.
Hal walked side by side with his brother up the hill and around the corner to the cottage the tracking spell had indicated. They probably looked like quite the pair, sticking out like sore thumbs in this quiet little hamlet, but they were here for one reason, and he wasn’t about to let anything change that.
“Should we just knock?” Alec wasn’t sure what was going on. He had never had self-doubt like this before, but the truth was, when Ellie rejected him, he had lost a little faith in himself.
“It’s up to you, brother.” Hal shrugged.
There were no sounds coming from the cottage, no signs of life, as they made their way up the driveway. The hillside on which the cottage was perched was blanketed in green grass, making the red fence that ran down the other side of the property stand out even more. They walked up the stair pathway to the front of the squat stone building.
The first bay window they passed had the curtains drawn, and the front door was almost solid wood, with two narrow windows. The second bay window had the curtains open, and Alec couldn’t help but want to peek in before he knocked. He just needed to see Ellie first before he had to talk to her, just to quiet his nerves.
He glanced over his shoulder at Hal, who gave him a questioning look, and took the few steps to the other window. As he looked inside, he saw the furniture had been haphazardly shoved to one side, creating an empty area in the middle. Alec’s stomach turned icy with dread when he saw what looked like blood on the floor. It wasn’t a little bit of blood either.
“Ellie’s in trouble.” He jumped into the cottage, and Hal popped in a second after him. Alec turned and raised a finger to his lips, silencing the question on his brother’s lips. He could hear something. Someone was humming.
They crept around to the other side of the house, and since the curtains had been drawn, they had no idea what they were walking into. Alec’s heart was hammering in his chest. Ellie had to be okay. He couldn’t take it if she was hurt simply because he hadn’t been there to prevent it.
The blood on the floor trailed from the kitchenette that stood at the back of the room they had jumped into through to this side of the house. As they moved through the open doorway, Alec’s heart stopped in his chest. There, on the bed, was a battered and bloody form. He stood frozen for a split second before the sight of Hal rushing past him jarred him back to the present. Hal was already on the bed, checking for a pulse by the time he reached the body. It couldn’t be Ellie. It just couldn’t.
“Her pulse is weak, but she’s alive. I’m concerned about the amount of blood loss and the way she’s breathing.”
“Oh gods, Ellie!” Alec called to her, willing her to open her eyes. He wouldn’t let her die like this. He brushed the dark hair, now matted with blood, away from her face, careful to avoid the lacerations on her cheeks. “Ellie, baby, wake up for me.” Tears lodged in his throat as he watched, waiting for any kind of sign. When he received none, he almost screamed. Hal was taking inventory of her injuries while Alec rubbed her hand and called to her again.
“She won’t answer you.” Circe’s voice rang out from the other side of the room. Alec whipped around with his wings stretched out, protecting Ellie from the threat. “I’ve done what I came to do; in fact, you almost missed me. She’s probably got an hour or two left before she dies. Make the most of it.”
Alec flew toward her in a fury he had never experienced before, his despair and rage melting together to form an ice-cold core of anger that heightened his senses as he swung out to hit Circe. His fist connected with a wall of energy.
“You think I would announce my presence without taking precautions first?” She laughed at him. He might not be able to physically get through, but he might be able to control water through the barrier.
“Why?” He growled at Circe.
“She destroyed my plans. She made me look weak in front of Hades, and that is
something I will not abide. I was worried I wouldn’t get a chance since she lived in a city, but then she came out here. The opportunity presented itself, and I would have been a fool not to take it. Revenge is a powerful motivator.” As she was talking, Alec focused on the water in her body, the water in her very cells, and called to it. Demanding it come to him. “Now if you’ll excuse me—”
Circe’s voice cut off as her body slid forward by a fraction. Alec grinned and watched the color fade from Circe’s face. He had never been able to control water to heal like Hal or to create like Thad, but he had always been able to control it when it came to violence. He definitely wanted to be violent right now.
He could make the water in Circe’s body boil if he wanted, killing her from the inside out, or he could turn it into water vapor, reducing her to a dried husk of her former self. Right now he just wanted to pull her through that damn barrier and punch her in the face. He called the water to him again, and Circe shrieked as she unwillingly moved toward him, inch by inch.
“Alec, she doesn’t have much longer. We can go after Circe again, but you won’t get another chance to say good-bye,” Hal said softly from just behind his brother’s shoulder.
“Can’t you heal her?” he said through gritted teeth.
“I don’t know what kind of poison Circe used, but the blood won’t clot, and her body seems like it’s prematurely gone into rigor mortis. I can’t do anything except heal the superficial cuts, which won’t help her and may just cause her more pain in her final moments.”
Alec could have sworn his heart had turned to glass and shattered in his chest. The pain was excruciating, and his anger barely masked it. He released his hold on the water in Circe’s body and turned back to the bed.
“Have fun, boys. Toodles.” He knew Circe had jumped out.
“Ellie,” Alec whispered reverently as he sat down on the edge of the bed. “My sweet Ellie.” The tears were flowing like a river now. He couldn’t stop them, and he knew Hal wouldn’t begrudge him this moment to say good-bye. “I was going to sing for you. A song so sweet you would have hated every second of it.” He brushed his thumb over her lips as he struggled to breathe. “I love you, my sweet Fae girl.” He bent down and gently pressed his lips to hers and heard the sweetest music.
“Step away from her.” An unfamiliar voice spoke, sounding like bells ringing in the wind.
“Who the hell are you?” Hal said, drawing his dagger.
“I am an agent of the Morrígan. One of the Tuatha Dé Danann, or Aes Sídhe. You may know us better as the Fae or Fair Folk. The Fae child called to our queen before she fell unconscious. It takes a while to track an unconscious mind; otherwise, I would have arrived sooner.”
Alec had flared his wings again, preventing this intruder from seeing Ellie. The woman was stunning. A dark beauty clad in robes unlike any he had seen before. They looked sheer, yet he couldn’t see through them. Her hair was an unnatural shade of blackish blue and reminded him of the sea during one of the terrible night storms he had seen. Her sharp, angular face held eyes that reminded him of Ellie. There was a light in her eyes that was ten times what he saw in Ellie’s, which made it hard to hold eye contact with her.
“Why should we trust you?” He ground the words out, hating the distraction from his last moments with Ellie.
“Child, I am here to save her. Allow me to take her to Tír na nÓg, and she will be revived.”
“I’m old enough to be an ancient ancestor to you, and I’m certainly not your child. Ellie stays here. Heal her here.”
The woman moved then, almost like a dancer but more natural, more graceful. She appeared directly in front of Alec.
“You would do better to mind your manners when it comes to the Fair Folk, boy. I’m older than your entire civilization. You should know looks can be deceiving. You yourself are much older than you appear, and yet are still a child in comparison.”
Alec opened his mouth to tell her exactly where she could stick his manners, but she barreled on. “The child is a descendant of the Fae, and as such, she has the right to request our aid in the direst of circumstances. She had called to the Morrígan once before, alerting us to her presence, and when she called to us again, upon encountering the witch for a second time, the Morrígan sent me to bring her home. I cannot heal her here, because it is Tír na nÓg itself that will heal her, not me.”
Alec looked over at Hal. He had no idea what to make of this woman. Hal had been quietly studying her since she arrived and still wasn’t sure what to make of her. All he could offer his brother was a shrug in answer to his unspoken question. The one thing they both knew was if Ellie stayed here, she would definitely die.
“This would be our only shot at saving her,” Hal said quietly, voicing what they were both thinking.
“Do you have soul mates?” Alec asked, looking at the woman again.
“No, but we understand the concept. She is yours?” The woman’s eyebrows drew together, making her look slightly hawkish.
“Yes.” There was no point in saying he hadn’t confirmed it yet. “If you take her, will she come back to me?”
The woman cocked her head to the side, considering the question. “There may be a way, but it will depend on the healing. If you allow me to take her, then she will not return immediately. Time passes differently in Tír na nÓg.”
Alec glanced at Hal, who gave him a slight nod. Retracting his wings, he turned back to Ellie.
“I love you with all that I am,” Alec whispered, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “Come back to me.” He turned back to the Fae woman in front of him. “How can I reach you?”
“My name is Plur na mBan. Call to me, and I will answer if I can.” Her name was one of the strangest he’d ever heard. He rolled the syllables around in his mind, plor-na-man, and he knew he wouldn’t forget it.
Ellie made a ragged sound as though breathing had become even more challenging.
“I must take her now, or even Tír na nÓg will not be able to save her.”
“Take her.” Alec’s heart broke anew, but at the core there was a glimmer of hope. If the mythical realm of Tír na nÓg was able to heal her, then she would come back to him, provided the Fae allowed it. Those were two big ifs that both made him uncomfortable—yet they were better than the certainty of her death if she stayed.
The woman moved in bursts, like a bird fluttering from tree to tree or waves coming to the shore. She was fascinating to watch. As she moved to the other side of the bed, birds began appearing all around the cottage. Massive ebony ravens flapped their wings as they appeared on the dresser and windowsill, the spaces between filled in with crows that looked small in comparison. The birds made their way to the bed, surrounding Ellie.
“It is fortunate we are so close to the entrance to Tír na nÓg. It will aid in the transport across the sea. Good-bye, sirens.”
“Good-bye, Plur na mBan,” Alec said as Hal offered a slight bow.
The ravens suddenly covered Ellie. Alec’s heart squeezed painfully at the sight, knowing he may have just seen her for the very last time. Then they were gone. The ravens. The crows. The Fae woman. Ellie. All of them just vanished. Hal stood quietly for a moment, watching Alec, unsure what version of his brother he would get if he made the first move.
“I’m okay,” Alec said quietly. “I just feel kind of numb.”
“That’s understandable.”
“Let’s go home,” Alec whispered, his heart a block of cement in his chest.
Chapter 25
Ellie cracked her eyes open. Everything hurt, and yet she felt weightless. The light pierced her eyes, shocking her into closing them again. The last thing she remembered was Circe slicing her back with the knife. Was she still with Circe?
She didn’t hear Circe’s humming or any noise, for that matter, other than water. Had she been rescued? She didn’t want to risk opening her eyes again until she took stock of her body. The numbness she had felt in her limbs was gone, but she had li
ttle control over them. It felt a little like she was in water, but it was too viscous. It was almost like the water had started to freeze, but it wasn’t cold.
She tried to move her arms and felt resistance, like moving through slush or mud. It wasn’t impossible though. Next were her legs. Again she felt the resistance but was able to move them. She took a deep breath and felt a twinge of pain across her chest and around her back.
“You mustn’t move too much yet,” a voice said. It sounded like music and light. Ellie wasn’t scared of the voice, although she probably should be.
“You do not need to fear me,” the voice said with a slight chuckle, as though it plucked the thoughts from her head. “I am a healer, and you have been my ward for over a week now.”
Ellie risked opening her eyes. The light that pierced them before was dimmer now, allowing her to open them fully.
“Hello there. My name is Brigid.” Ellie turned her head to the voice and was amazed to find the most striking woman she had ever seen, looking down at her. Her eyes glowed with light. They were amber shot through with green, and their color only enhanced the effect. The woman’s face was framed with a braid that went all the way around her head like a crown, keeping her red hair contained yet giving her a regal air.
“He—” Ellie’s voice caught. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Hi, I’m Ellie.” She sounded like suddenly she’d become an old lady. Ignoring the grating sound of her own voice in comparison to Brigid’s, Ellie asked the question foremost on her mind. “Where am I?”