by M. C. Cairns
Exhausted from everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours, she cried herself to sleep, her head still on his chest, his hand still in hers. She awoke to him brushing her hair from her cheek and the sun shining through the canopy of trees. He flashed a beaming smile at her, "Good morning, sleepyhead."
"Mack! You're alive! How did you survive? I can't believe it!" She hugged him tightly and he winced in pain. "Oh, sorry! How is this possible? You were swiss cheese last night. I thought you were gone for good."
"Apparently the tree nymphs were so taken with my good looks that they couldn't let someone so handsome die." He laughed and grabbed his side. "Too bad they couldn't take away the pain, too."
"Oh, for Mab's sake," one of the trolls said while the other one rolled his eyes.
She lifted his shirt and ran her fingers over the scars dotting his side. “I’m serious, Mack. There was so much blood. You passed out, and I couldn’t help you. How are you healed today?”
"He's not lying about the tree nymphs," the troll said. "But their pity was on you. They are a bunch of sappy creatures and said they 'couldn't stand back and watch true love die,' so they healed him. It took six of them most of the night to do it. Works out for us because now we will still get paid."
"True love? What is that supposed to mean?" Brianne waved her hand in the air. "I mean, yes, I care about Mack, but he is my bud, you know. Not 'true love.' Crazy nymphs."
Mack grinned a goofy grin and said, "Well, I don't really care why they did it, I’m just glad I'm not dead. And that we’re in the light faerie kingdom again. We aren't far from the resting ground and this part of the trip is in friendly territory. We need to get going, though. Tonight’s a full moon and if the Dullahan’s going to reap Alayna, I’d bet that's when he’ll do it."
Brianne's face fell at the mention of Alayna and the Dullahan. "Yeah. Let's hurry. The sooner we figure this out, the better chance we have of saving her."
18
The Link
T
HE REST OF THE TRIP only took about half an hour. The trolls took their payment and disappeared into the forest. Brianne and Mack continued to journey through the majestic hills of the light faerie kingdom. Dogwood trees filled with blushing pink and soft white blooms lined the smooth dirt path they followed. Small bunches of lilac bushes emanated a heady scent that mingled with the sweet aroma of honeysuckle, wafted through the air, and crossed the soft, green fields, on a cool breeze.
"Wow," Brianne breathed. "You weren't kidding when you said this place was too beautiful to describe. I think I could stay here forever."
"Now you see what we’re asking you to help us protect," Mack said. "I know you don't want to get involved in this war. I'm not even sure why you’re here, but I'm glad you are, and even though I hope you join us, more than that, I hope you find what you are looking for."
Brianne walked in silence, her gaze straight ahead. When she spoke, it was so soft that Mack almost didn't hear her. "You want to know why I came?" she asked.
"Only if you want to tell me." Mack slowed down to walk beside her.
"Last year, my little sister Olivia was diagnosed with stage three osteosarcoma. That's cancer of the tissues and bones. She had it in her leg. Stage three means that it spread to other parts of her body, which, for her, was her lungs and brain. They told mom and dad that she only had three months to live, but Livvie was determined to fight. She went through aggressive chemo, radiation, surgery to remove the biggest tumors, and amputation of her leg. And she made it nine months. But there was nothing that could beat her enemy. No one could help her, least of all me. All I wanted was to find a way to save her. I would’ve given her any of my body parts if it would’ve done any good." A small smile played on her lips. "Livvie always told me she would rather have all of me by her side than part of me in it. I stayed with her every day. Every minute. I held her hair when she threw up. I helped her burn her hair when it all fell out. That was our own little way of proving cancer wouldn't get her down. The day before she died, she told mom to leave the room. She said she just wanted to be together and hold my hand. I snuggled up next to her on the bed and she rested her bald head on my shoulder. Then she said something I will never forget. She said, 'You don't know this, but we aren't blood sisters. I’ve known for a long time, but it didn't matter to me. A sister is the greatest gift I could’ve ever dreamed of and, even though we don’t share DNA, we are soul sisters. When I'm gone, promise me you’ll find another soul sister. Someone you can always depend on like I do you.'" Brianne's voice broke as she told the story.
She took a deep breath and continued. "Until the day I met you, I thought Livvie was the one who had been adopted. I never dreamed it was me. I realized then that Livvie had been the one who helped me. She held my hand when I was sad. She stayed strong for me when she saw how much it hurt me to lose her. Now I find out I have blood sisters and they are in danger, but I am able to help them. I thought I could be like Livvie, in a way, and maybe find my soul sister along the way. Imagine my surprise when Alayna told me about our twin souls. It was like Livvie knew all along and was trying to prepare me for my destiny. I came here intending to find a way out of this war. Instead, I found my reason to fight it."
Mack sniffed and quickly wiped away a tear that formed in the corner of his eye. "You were always overprotective when it came to your sisters. I remember how mad you got when you found out Finley was teasing Elly. Elly came home crying because Fin called her a 'harpy halfling.' Nobody even knew what that meant, including Fin, but he almost lost all his hair when you tossed that fireball at him. Do you remember the look on his face?" Mack laughed and nudged her arm. He cleared his throat when he saw the confused look on her face. "Oh. Sorry. I keep forgetting you don't remember anything."
"Actually, this is helping. I think I kind of remember that. It's vague, but a memory that I can almost reach." She shook her head, trying to break the memory loose. "Elly. That's one of my sisters?"
"Yeah. She's one of the middle sisters. Your mom always called you the 'older girls,' 'middle girls,' and 'little girls' when she talked about or to you. I don't know if it was because that's how you guys were paired up magically, or if it was easier to keep up with you that way."
"What are the other ones' names?" she asked. "Maybe if we talk about them it’ll help me remember."
Mack ticked them off on his fingers as he said their names, "Well, there's you, Alayna, Elinor, Leila, Meghan, and Corinne. I don't know the other girls as well as you and Alayna, except that they were always bugging us to let them tag along wherever we went."
"Meghan and Cori were young. They stayed with mom a lot and hadn't quite figured out their magic yet," Brianne said it more like a question than a statement. "Is that right?"
Mack did a little dance as he walked. "Yes! Yes! You remembered! They were very young faeries. When you first came to this realm, Mab had you all aged according to how long your human lives translated into faerie lives. Because faeries live so much longer than humans, you guys ended up very different ages. Then she had you transformed into human babies when you were hidden, spacing out your departure from here so you wouldn’t all be the same age. Basically, you’ve all lived three lives. I'm not surprised it's confusing."
Brianne stumbled forward, fell to her knees and caught herself with her hands. She breathed heavily as she jerked her hands from the dusty path, grabbed her chest and gasped, "What was that?"
Mack dropped down beside her and gripped her shoulders. "What was what? What's wrong?" he asked.
"The pain. It hurts so bad," she cried, doubling over at the waist. "Why does it hurt so much? And it's so cold." She laid down on the path and shivered, still clutching her chest.
Mack lifted her head onto his lap and brushed the loose hair from her face. "Try to concentrate, Bree. I think I know what's happening. When you remembered something about your past, it created an opening for Alayna to form a link with you. You're feeling what she is feeling. Try
to forget the pain. It's hers, not yours. Look around. What do you see? What do you hear?"
Brianne took a couple of deep breaths and closed her eyes. She moved her head from side to side, jumped and groaned, took another deep breath, and turned her head again. "I hear water rushing, but I can't see it. It's dark and damp. And the ground is cold and hard, like wet rocks. Wait! I see the white-haired faerie boy and his toad friend. And there's the puca. The faeries are yelling something at him, but I can't hear them.” She crossed her arms in front of her face and cowered. “No, no. Not the chains! Aaaaaugh! Owww...oh...wow...can't...breathe." She took several shallow breaths before continuing. "They are hurting Alayna. The faerie boys are using the puca to hit her with the iron chains. I can see light. It looks like they are in a cave, but not like the one we were in earlier. I can hear the rush of water and the light is flickering like it's shining through a filter or a prism. There is someone else there, too. She is being forced to watch them torture Alayna, but I can't see her..." Brianne froze.
"What's going on? Bree? Did you lose the link? What's happening?" Mack shook her gently, trying to get her attention.
"It's Mom. They want something from her and they are using Alayna against her. But Alayna keeps telling her not to tell them." She shuddered and threw her arms around Mack's neck. "We have to find them! Alayna’s in a lot of pain and whatever mom knows is dangerous. I could feel how important it was to Alayna that the dark faeries not find out what they wanted."
Mack tightened his arms around her waist. "Well figure it out. From your description, I think I know where they are. They aren't supposed to be able to be there, but with the treasure gone, I guess they can go anywhere they want. You opened your mind just in time. If we had walked in there without knowing they were there, we would've been prisoners, too," Mack rambled, walking in circles and rubbing his head.
Brianne grabbed his shoulders and made him look her in the eye. "Not supposed to be where?"
"The resting place of the Dagda's Cauldron," Mack replied. "Exactly where we're headed."
19
The Father
B
RIANNE SAT CROSS-LEGGED on a large, flat rock, elbows on her knees, head in her hands. "I know, I know. We’ve been through this twice already, but I want to go through it one more time to make sure nothing goes wrong." She looked up at Mack, who stood next to the rock, shaking his head.
"Okay," he sighed. "Let's start from the beginning." He pointed to a narrow, weathered, swinging bridge. "That's the bridge to The Maiden's Mist. It leads to the top of the falls. We’re going in that way. Then, I’ll fly down to do some recon while you climb down the rock steps on the right side of the falls. They’re hidden under thick trees, so you won't have to worry about being spotted. Once I’ve got an idea what we’re up against, I’ll join you. Got it so far?"
Brianne nodded her head and continued to listen.
"Then it gets a little complicated. You’ll need to try to reach Alayna's thoughts to let her know we are coming. Depending on how many guards they have outside the cave, we’ll either quietly disarm them and go in together, or I’ll distract them while you go in for Alayna." He tucked a finger under her chin and lifted her head. "Hey. Stay with me here. You can do this. We can do this. I’m in this one hundred percent and will be by your side and watch your back at all times."
"What about the puca? Neither of us can fight the iron chains. How are we supposed to get past him?" Brianne's eyes flitted back and forth, searching Mack's face for an answer.
"Leave that up to us," called a familiar voice. The trolls they traveled with the night before lumbered out of the woods. "Iron doesn't hurt us," the troll added, "so we can deal with the puca."
"Uh, we’d really like to take you up on that offer," Mack began, "but I don't have any more gold to give you. What I paid you this morning was all I had."
"We are not asking for payment," the other troll stepped forward and spoke. "The light faerie kingdom is a peaceful land and we like living here. We do this in service to the princesses." Both trolls dropped to one knee in front of Brianne and bowed their heads.
"Princesses?" Brianne questioned.
"Yeah, you." Mack smacked her arm with the back of his hand. "And your sisters. Did it never occur to you that you're a princess? Your mom is the daughter of the Queen, so that makes her a princess, and you are her daughter, so you are also a princess."
Brianne shook her head and turned to the trolls. "Get up! I am not a princess. Oh, Livvie would never let me live this one down!" She jumped off the rock and paced between two trees. "I may be the daughter of a princess, but I am no princess. I can't be."
Mack snorted and patted one of the troll’s elbow -- it would have been awkward to try to reach his shoulder. "We humbly accept your offer. Thank you. I think it's time we learned your names if we’re going to keep meeting this way."
The first troll chuckled, although it sounded more like rocks grinding against each other. "I'm Ekon, and this is Yetu."
Mack inclined his head at each of them and turned to Brianne. "Maybe now isn’t the time to worry about your title. Let's get through this situation first and then we’ll discuss what you are and what you aren't, okay?"
She stopped pacing, tied her flannel around her waist, and reached up to adjust her ponytail. "Right, right. Okay. Let's get going." As she walked toward the bridge, she turned to the trolls and added, "Yes, thank you for your help. We need all the help we can get."
The foursome made their way across the bridge. Brianne wavered and caught herself with the rope handrails every time the trolls took a step. Mack was the first to reach the other side. He turned and gave them all a thumbs up before becoming a brilliant emerald green bird with sapphire-tipped wings. He flew in a circle over their heads, then dipped under a tree limb and disappeared over the falls. Brianne motioned for the trolls to lead the way and followed close behind them in the direction of the staircase. They descended single file down the winding steps. About halfway down, Brianne looked up and spotted Mack swooping in and out of the trees, circling the ones with over-sized trunks. He flew toward them, but veered sharply to the right and landed on a low limb. A few minutes later, he left the limb and flew back to Brianne and the trolls, landing on the bottom step in faerie form.
"How many are there?" Brianne scanned the area and led them to a sheltered cove surrounded by honeysuckle and jasmine vines.
"All I could find were four dark faeries in the woods. If they have mercs helping them, they are hidden really well. I did get some good news. The tree nymphs here heard the story of their sisters healing me and want to help. They said they would take care of the dark faeries out here so we can get inside, as long as..." his voice trailed off as he looked at Brianne and blushed.
"As long as what?" Brianne asked.
"It's nothing, really. I just have to, um, pay them for their help," he mumbled.
"You said you don't have any gold left," Yetu accused.
"I know what I said. Don't remind me. You're not helping," Mack hissed at the troll.
"Then how are you going to pay them?" Brianne questioned.
Mack mumbled something none of them could hear or understand and they looked at each other with confused expressions. “What was that?” Ekon asked.
"I have to give them each a kiss!" he blurted. He turned away from their amused faces and changed the subject, "We need to find the best path into the cave. If we can get close enough to the mouth without being seen, we can figure out where everyone is and who needs to go in first." He turned to Brianne and asked, "Have you talked to Alayna yet?"
She jammed the toe of her shoe into the dirt. "No. I'm not sure how to form a link. I've been trying to think her name, reach for my magic, and even put my fingers on the sides of my head while yelling 'Alayna' in my head over and over. Nothing has worked so far."
Mack sighed. "When you guys first started using telepathy, I asked you how you did it and you couldn't give me a straight answer then
either. You just said it was a feeling you had."
Brianne walked to the other side of the cove, picked a honeysuckle flower, pinched the end, pulled out the center, and sucked the nectar from it. Twice more she repeated the process, not looking at the flowers as she did. She reached out to grab another, but paused midair before her hand reached the vine and whirled back toward Mack. "When Alayna formed the link earlier, it was because I remembered something from my past. Maybe she was trying to contact me before that, but I was only able to hear her when I opened up to who I am. That's what she told me when she left, 'You have to open your mind and regain your memory. It is the only way.' That's what she was talking about. The only way we can communicate with one another is if I remember my past as a faerie."
"Bree," Mack approached her cautiously, "You've been trying to remember this whole time. What makes you think you will be able to all of the sudden?"
"Ever since we crossed the bridge I have felt different. There's something about this place.” She raised her hands and looked around. “You brought me here because you said I would 'experience the magic of the gods.' If there is anywhere I could possibly regain my memory, this is the place."
"Yes, but I thought we would come here and spend some time lounging by the water and walking around smelling the flowers. I mean, I knew we were going to be fighting time, but I never dreamed we would be fighting for you and your sister's lives. We don't have time for that now," Mack insisted.
"We should just bust in and fight," Yetu complained.
"Yeah,” Ekon agreed. “I’m sure we can handle it without the princesses talking to each other.”
Brianne shot them a dirty look and turned back to Mack. "When you talked about asking me how Alayna and I use telepathy, I almost recalled that memory. I think if you tell me about a memory I’m a part of, I will be able to remember it.”