by M. C. Cairns
Brianne's face turned scarlet if she could’ve used her magic, smoke would’ve literally rolled from her ears. "You will not hurt my sisters."
The Dullahan laughed. It sounded like tormented souls screaming from the underworld. "That is not up to you, annoying little bug." He turned and looked at Mack. "It's up to you. Which of these two should become the martyr for their kingdom? You must choose one, or you all three of you will die."
Carman slowly clapped her hands and sashayed her way to the headless creature. "Quite impressive. You almost had me convinced that this was your show. Really, you did. But I will take over as ringmaster now. Thank you so much for all of your help."
"Show? You think this is a game, witch?" The hell steed pawed at the ground, lowered his head, and flicked his ears as he waved his head side to side. "You have been in hiding too long if you think you have any power here."
Carman stepped forward and laid her hand on the hell steed's head. His ears stopped moving and fell to the side. He nuzzled the witch's hand and stopped pawing at the ground. "Don't forget that your beloved mount was first mine. He is as easily taken away as he was given to you. It is time to take a step back, friend." The last word was forced out of her mouth against its will.
The Dullahan looked as if he were going to fight her. Instead, he reached his right hand forward and ran it through the flaming mane of his horse and backed away.
"Wonderful. Now, where were we?" Carman stepped over the muddy ground stirred up by the steed. "Ah, yes. You were about to decide which of your companions has reached the end of their sad little lives." She circled Mack and stopped directly in front of him, inches from his face. "So? What'll it be, loverboy? The girl you’ve pined after for years, awaiting her return so you can tell her how you feel? Or her sister? Who you know is the only reason your little girlfriend came here in the first place -- to protect her."
"I...I won't make a choice." Mack stood up straight and looked Carman square in the eye. "You’re not going to put this on me. I choose neither. You’ll be solely responsible for your actions."
Carman smirked at him. "I thought you might say that. Very well, then. The empath is much more of a threat to our plan. She will be the one who dies. And you can spend the rest of your life, however short it may be, trying to make up for her death, which makes it that much sweeter."
"No!" Brianne stepped forward. "Kill me. I am stronger and the oldest. If you really want to get back at the Seelie Court, you should kill their oldest princess, the heir to the crown, not the second in line, who is too timid to fight a war on her own." She glanced desperately at Alayna but looked away quickly.
"Hmm. You make a good point, but her powers make her a bigger threat." Carman turned her back on them.
Brianne took another step forward. "Or a better weapon. You could use her to get inside information."
The witch turned and considered Brianne for a moment. "You are quite persuasive, Brianne Nicole. Which puts me in a position I am not comfortable with. You have convinced me that your sister would be a great asset to our cause. However, your powers of persuasion could also be a great asset. Now, I could let you both live, but that would change my entire plan."
Mack's head snapped up. "Yes! Let them both live. They work better together anyway."
"And are you offering yourself in their place?" Carman asked.
"Yes."
The witch's melodious laughter spread through the grove. "Oh, dear little faerie. You are of no use to me. The only reason you are to live is so I can watch you suffer. It should be thoroughly entertaining." She faced the Dullahan. "I have made my decision. The oldest will make the best sacrifice. Kill her."
"No!" Alayna shrieked, running toward Brianne. She froze mid-step, unable to move, before she could reach her. "What's happening?"
"I couldn't bear to see another sappy self-sacrifice, so I stopped you. Say goodbye, our time has run out." Carman waved her hand in the air and nodded at the Dullahan.
"Alayna," Brianne spoke gently, "it's going to be okay. Find a way out. Find our sisters. Protect them. I need you to do that, okay?"
Tears streamed down Alayna's face as she nodded. "Okay.”
The Dullahan began to speak, his voice reverberating in their bones. "Brianne...."
Brianne turned to Mack. "Take care of her. Help her find them. Promise me."
Mack's voice cracked and a tear left a track on his cheek. "I promise."
"...Nicole..." the Dullahan continued.
Taking a deep breath, Brianne shot her sister one last smile and winked. "I'll save you a seat at the cool table on the other side."
"Jame...."
"Stop." The voice filled the air like a thick fog, coming from everywhere all at once.
Everyone looked around, searching for the source of the powerful voice. Everyone except Carman. Her shoulders sagged and she sighed. "Every. Time. You step in my way every time things are going well. Show yourself, Mab."
A blinding light appeared behind the Dullahan and slowly dulled until they could see the Queen. She glided toward Carman, her long, white hair dancing in the nonexistent wind. Her crown glistened like ice atop her head, in direct contrast with the fire in her eyes. "Did you really think you would get away with this?"
"I wasn't looking to get away with it, Your Majesty," Carman injected the last two words with an overdose of poison. "I wanted you and your sister to know that it was I who dealt the deadly blow. You need to feel the extent of my power."
"It is not your power that is killing her." Mab reached her nearly translucent hand toward the Dullahan. "It is his. And he will pay for his alliance with you."
"I could easily have killed them all myself! I have had centuries to strengthen my powers." Carman took a couple steps back from Mab. "But I needed allies, so I agreed to let him take her when the time was right."
"I will not allow any of you to harm my granddaughters," Mab said. "Until they have chosen which path to take, they are not to be touched."
"But they are not your granddaughters." Another voice, equally as powerful as Queen Mab's, filled the air.
They all turned to the opening of the grove where a second blinding light appeared. The figure that emerged was in complete contrast with Mab. A cascade of thick, curly, black hair fell to her waist and accentuated her piercing blue eyes. The crown she wore was encrusted with brilliant onyx gems that matched her warm brown skin.
"Sister," Mab spoke the word without emotion.
"Sister." Mora returned the greeting in the same manner.
22
The Escape
“E
NLIGHTEN ME, MORA. How are these faelings not my granddaughters?" Mab situated herself between Brianne and Alayna.
"You stole their mother from my kingdom when she was a baby. She wasn't yours to take. She is not your blood, and their disgusting human father is not your blood, so they are not your blood." Mora's voice got louder and angrier with each sentence.
Mab placed her hands on the girls’ shoulders. "Blood does not define family. Family consists of those who love you through the good times and the bad. Those who will always be there for you, no matter how dismal the situation may be. Those who will not turn their backs on you when everyone else does. Mayrianne is my family. My daughter. I did not steal her. I rescued her from that filthy demon and her tramp of a mother. She would be squatting in the Seam if I hadn't saved her."
"Do not call her a tramp!" Mora lost her cool for only a moment; she paused for half a beat and composed herself. "You claim to always be there for your so-called daughter, yet, you do not know where she is now. You have not come to help her in a dark and dismal situation. You have let her endure the torture of my most loyal subjects. She is about to break. And when she does, we will retrieve The Dagda's Cauldron from wherever she hid it, and I will destroy it. Your kingdom will never be safe again." Mora raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms over her chest.
Without a word, Mab turned her back on her sister and
reached out for Brianne and Alayna's wrists. With a light touch, the bindings fell away and both girls gasped as their magic flowed back into their bodies. Alayna fell to her knees and reached out for their grandmother.
"Mother? Oh! You found them. Thank you!" Alayna's voice was not her own. Instead, it was deeper and more confident.
"Hello, Mayrianne. So nice to see you are still hanging on, my dear." Syrup practically dripped from Mora’s lips.
Alayna turned and stared at her. "Mora. Actually, it’s good that you are here. Saves me the trouble of getting a message to you. I want you to know that you may have won a few minor skirmishes, but you will never win the war. Family bonds are much too strong to be broken by the likes of you."
"Oh, dear child, I am counting on the family bond to propel us to victory." Mora smiled a brilliant, conniving smile.
Turning away from the dark queen, Alayna addressed Mab. "Do not let your evil sister confuse you. I am of sound mind and will never tell them where the cauldron is hidden, no matter the amount of torture they subject me to." She grabbed Brianne's hands. "Bree, you and Allie have been trained for this. I know you don't remember, but you will. Trust your sister. She is your other half and would never lead you astray. I love you, darling."
Brianne looked back and forth between Alayna and Mab. "Is that...?" She didn't finish the question.
"Yes, your mother is channeling through your sister." Mab placed her hands on either side of Alayna's face. "I trust you May. Stay strong. We will be together again soon."
Turning back to Mora, Mayrianne spoke again. "If you do not allow my daughters and my mother to leave in peace, I will make sure you never discover the location of the cauldron. I am the only one who knows where it is hidden, and if I die, which I promise will happen if you harm or imprison any of them, the spell is set to return it to its original resting ground, protecting the Seelie Court from you and your people."
Alayna crumpled to the ground and Brianne rushed to her side and held her head in her hands. "Is she okay?"
"Yes, she will be fine. It is an exhausting thing to have your body used as a medium, and especially from so far away." Mab turned back to Mora. "It is time for my granddaughters and me to leave this gods-forsaken land. I assume there will not be a problem with that?"
Mora pursed her lips, but her voice remained cool and calm. "Of course not, sister. After all, we are family." She moved to the side and indicated the exit with a flourish of her hand, adding, "But don't think for a second that this changes anything."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Mab responded as she led the girls and Mack through the opening.
They walked in silence, looking over their shoulders every few seconds, until the grove was out of their sight. Mack was the first to speak. "So, um, Your Majesty?"
Mab did not turn around and kept walking. "Yes, Mackinley?"
"If, you know, it's okay with you, and you want to, um, could you maybe take these off?" He held his still-bound wrists in front of him.
Turning, Mab graciously reached out and touched the magical tethers and they fell from his arms. "I want to thank you for remaining with the princesses during this quest. I believe you have been of great assistance to them thus far. Now, if I could ask you to scout ahead and confirm our safety, please." She asked him politely, even though she could have simply ordered him to do so.
"Yes, m'lady." Mack bowed before her and took flight as the jewel-toned bird from before.
When he was out of sight, the queen turned to the girls and opened her arms, inviting them into a hug. Alayna ran forward and threw herself into her grandmother's arms, but Brianne didn't move, sinking the toe of her Converse into the mud. Mab acknowledged her decision with a small nod and wrapped both her arms around Alayna.
"I have missed you both so much." Her words were just as strong as before, even though her face was nuzzled in Alayna's disheveled hair. "We have so much to catch up on, but first, we must deal with the current situation. There are things you don't know."
"You can say that again," Brianne mumbled.
Alayna laughed despite the tears in her eyes. Mab grinned and said, "Yes, we will address your memories, or lack thereof, when we are back at the castle. However, I was referring to the cauldron's whereabouts and your mother."
"Oh. Yeah, about that, our mother took the cauldron? Doesn't that make her the traitor?" Brianne asked.
"Actually, no." Alayna stepped away from her grandmother. "Mom has been talking to me when she can. She refuses to link when they are torturing her, and usually for quite a while after she is not strong enough to keep a connection. We've only held fragmented conversations, but she has made it clear that she did not turn against us."
Brianne shook her head. "Then why would she steal the cauldron and put everyone at risk?"
"One of Mora's meatheads grabbed her in the Seam. He told her he knew where you were, Brianne. Said he saw you at some concert last year. He told her if she didn't cooperate, he and his friends would destroy your life. She thought they were bluffing and blew them off until they came to her and showed her what they did. They were the ones who filled Olivia's body with cancer. Mom kept tabs on us and our human families, so she knew they were telling the truth and she was livid. She tried everything she could to save her, and when she couldn't, she went to grandmother," Alayna grabbed Mab's hand, "and begged her to save your sister. Together they tried. All those times Olivia was in remission were because of their magic. But nothing would heal her forever. She would have died within weeks without their efforts." Alayna reached out and wiped a tear from Brianne's cheek.
Brianne wiped the other side of her face. "The damage was already done. Why take the cauldron after that?"
Alayna sighed and wrapped Brianne in her arms. "They threatened to do the same thing to your human mom. Mayrianne couldn't bear to see you lose anyone else, so she removed the cauldron from it sacred spot. But she didn't give it to her tormentors. She hid it. And when they came after her, she sent me telepathic messages, hoping to get us here to save her and return the cauldron to where it belongs."
"But you," Brianne turned to Mab, "sent Ian after us, tipping them off that we were coming back. And that's how they were able to grab Alayna. And then I tried to save her and put me, and Mack, in the middle of it all. Right?"
Mab nodded her head. "That is correct. And our time is running out quickly. Even if your mother doesn't break, the border is unprotected and the longer it remains vulnerable, the more likely it is the warriors of the Unseelie Court will cross into our lands. War within our kingdom would mean the loss of many of my subjects and family and I cannot let that happen."
"None of us wants that to happen, grandmother. We must find that cauldron. At least I know where to look now," Alayna said.
"The place in your painting?" Brianne's eyes tracked Mack flying back overhead as she spoke.
"Yes. It's near the palace. But still a great distance from here." Alayna jumped as Mack transformed mid-air and landed on his faerie feet. "What did you see?" she asked him.
Instead of addressing Alayna, he turned and addressed the queen. "The way ahead is clear. Not a creature in sight."
"Very well. Let's go, my dears." Mab faced Brianne. "I have some things at the palace that will help you with your dilemma."
"How far away is the castle?" Brianne adjusted her beat up backpack and scraped the mud from the toe of her shoes.
"It's actually quite far," Mack answered her. "But there is a hidden entrance to a secret portal that will get us there faster." His twinkling eyes widened under his wiggly, raised eyebrows.
A loud laugh exploded from Brianne. "Seriously? Hidden and secret? After I have spent the last two days with faeries, trolls, a puca, a headless horseman, a witch, nymphs, and the two queens of the faerie realm, you think throwing words like hidden and secret at me are going to get me excited? Yeah, no." She chuckled again as she walked beside her grandmother and sister, along the path Mack had scouted.
They had
n't gone far, only about a hundred yards, when Mack whistled from behind them. It was a four-note tune that caught the attention of every bird in the area. Several of them repeated it and it spread through the trees like wildfire. The sound was beautiful, yet deafening. Even Brianne had to cover her ears. She glanced at Alayna and Mab. Alayna covered her ears, but Mab had her eyes closed and was saying something that couldn’t be heard over the ruckus the birds created. A few seconds later, a bright light appeared to the right of the path. The whistling and mimicking stopped all at once and the birds dispersed.
"This portal will take us to the tunnels under the palace." Queen Mab pointed to the shimmering hole suspended in the air. "We have everything you need to carry out the rest of this quest. Follow me."
She stepped through the portal, her white hair the last thing to be seen. Alayna was next, then Mack. Brianne stepped into the portal with one foot, but the squish, squish, suck of footsteps stopped her from entering. She heard the whistle of the ice bullets rifling toward her before she saw them and she jumped with her whole body into the hole.
23
The Key
B
RIANNE GRUNTED WHEN SHE HIT THE unforgiving floor on the other side of the portal. She jerked her head around and watched the portal collapse inward, preventing the dark faeries from follow her. Her head dropped to the cold marble and her torso expanded with a deep breath.
Mack squatted down next to her. "You know, you didn't have to jump. We wouldn't have closed it on you."
"Yeah, right," she joked back. "I don't believe that for a second, but it's not why I jumped. Dugal and Doyle were behind us and Dugal was launching ice pellets at my back." She pushed herself up to her knees and adjusted her backpack. "Guess we should have been watching our backs instead of scouting ahead."
"You didn't get hit, did you?" Mack walked around her and looked for injuries, but all he found were a couple of holes in the pack.
"I don't think so."