The Dagda's Cauldron

by M. C. Cairns

  "Trust me. You'd know. I can still feel hundreds of stings all over me and I was protected by my dragon scales when I was hit. I couldn't imagine being hit in faerie form." Mack winced at the thought and reached his hand out to help her up.

  She took his hand and pulled herself to her feet. "Yeah, that dragon is pretty cool. Might be the only cool thing about you." She suppressed a laugh and walked ahead of him. "We should catch up before we get lost."

  Mack jogged to her side. "I don't get lost. I know exactly where I am and where I'm going. Because I'm cool like that."

  Brianne couldn't hold back her laughter any longer. She tossed her head back and laughed so loud it echoed through the marble tunnel. She kept laughing until her laughter turned to tears and she was crying so hard she couldn't make out the shapes in front of her. She stopped and slumped against the wall, her hands on her knees, her body jerking and shaking with each sob.

  "What's wrong? What happened? Did you get hit after all?" Mack crouched down in front of her and tried to get her to look at him.

  She shook her head back and forth, still unable to breathe or answer out loud, and locked eyes with Alayna as she and Mab returned to them.

  "She isn't hurt." Alayna put her hand on Mack's shoulder. "Not physically anyway. She says her and Livvie used to get through the hard stuff by joking and making fun of each other, and everyone else. Your joking reminded her of those times. Her life, her death, and then the cause of her death. She's angry and sad and feels bad for being able to laugh."

  Brianne slid to the floor and covered her head with her arms. After a few breaths, she looked at Mack and said, "I'm sorry. I know it's not your fault. All of this is too much to take in all at once."

  "It has been an eventful couple of days, and much more taxing on you, Brianne, because you are still trying to catch up on information the rest of us already know." Mab's voice softened and she continued, "You haven't eaten anything for at least a day and you have exhausted yourself trying to use your magic. Let's get to the castle and get you cleaned up, fed, and rested. Then we will plan the rest of your quest." The queen broke her regal persona and stooped down to look in Brianne's eyes. "You were born to do this. But you must be at your best."

  For the remainder of the trip through the tunnels, Alayna and Brianne walked arm-in-arm with Mab in front of them and Mack behind, only letting go when they crossed the narrow threshold into the palace study. Brianne craned her neck to admire the vaulted ceiling, detailed with gold and crystal, then let her gaze travel down to the bookshelves that served as walls. They were filled with a rainbow of books, protected behind sliding glass so clean it was almost invisible. She was torn from her reverie when Alayna grabbed her hand and led her toward the massive double doors on the other side of the room.

  "Come on. We can rest in my room. Do you remember how to get there? I showed you the first time we linked." Alayna led her up the marble staircase.

  "It looks familiar," Brianne said. "Do we get to eat first? My stomach didn't realize it was empty until Mab reminded me. Now it won't stop growling."

  "They'll bring us something after we clean up. As much as the kitchen faeries used to love sneaking food to you, I am sure they will remember your favorites." Alayna dropped her hand, opened the door, and ran to her bed, flopping down on her comforter, a satin version of "Starry Night." Van Gogh was her favorite faerie artist. She yawned and rolled on her side. "You can shower first if you want. I’m beat. I need to sleep."

  "Uh, yeah, I need a shower, but can you take me to my room? Maybe being around my own stuff will trigger my memory." She twisted her toe on the carpet.

  Alayna rolled off the bed. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry. I didn't even think about that. Yeah. Definitely. It's just down the next hall." She grabbed Brianne's hand again and led her to the end of the hallway, made a left turn and stopped in front of a door identical to hers. "Here ya go. I'll let you go in alone." She disappeared around the corner.

  Left alone in the cold, dimly lit hallway, Brianne reached for the door. Instead of grabbing the knob, she ran her fingers over the design on the top half. It was a circle about the size of a bike wheel. Intricately carved flames decorated the top of the white marble circle and waves and water droplets adorned the bottom. She studied the curves and points in the flames, tracing every line. Finally, she shook her head and opened the door.

  She lingered in the doorway, taking stock of the room. It wasn't like Alayna's room, where everything had its place and was color coordinated. Brianne's room was more of an ordered chaos. To her left, recessed into the wall, was an alcove, housing a large, teal overstuffed chair. It was almost the size of a love seat in the human realm and sat atop a round crocheted rainbow rug. Instead of a four-poster bed like Alayna's, her bed had no posts and sat in the center of the room. It was raised up on a three-foot platform with built-in bookshelves on three sides and steps up to the bed on the fourth. Her bedspread was black with a silver musical score design. She stepped into the room and walked to a chrome desk littered with music-making equipment. She moved the sliders up and down on the mixer and adjusted the buttons on the amp. Spread out on the other side of the desk were several pieces of sheet music. She reached for them, but a knock at the door stopped her.

  "Brianne?" Mab's full, musical voice filled the room, even from the other side of the door. "May I come in?"

  Brianne hurried to the door and yanked it open. "Yeah. Sure. You can come in. I mean, it's your castle." She stepped back to let Mab, who was carrying a serving tray, into the room. "You brought me food? Don't you have servants to do that?"

  "First, they are not servants. They are family. Yes, we pay them to help us, but I would never consider them servants. Second, I chose to bring your food so we could have a private conversation." Mab placed the tray on the desk, next to the sheet music and Brianne eagerly removed the cover.

  "Yes! How did they know tacos are my favorite?" Brianne shoved the taco in her mouth, dropping cheese and sauce on her shirt. "Oh, yeah. Never mind. I'm the only one who can't remember anything." She plopped down in the rolling chair by the desk and rolled her eyes.

  "That is what I want to talk to you about. I have something of yours." Mab held out a silver box, that was about six inches long.

  Brianne wiped her hands on her jeans and took the box. Her name and a quote were engraved on the top: Brianne Nicole, Memories are the thread that weaves together the tapestry of our lives. "It's beautiful. But I don't understand what I am supposed to do with it."

  "Open it."

  She lifted the hinged lid and inside, on a bed of black velvet, was the most beautiful necklace Brianne had ever seen. The pendant was identical to the design carved into her bedroom door, but the fire was a mix of orange, yellow, and red and when the light hit it, the flames flickered and danced. The water on the bottom was a brilliant blue, with silver details splashed throughout. "What is this symbol?" Brianne asked as she lifted the necklace from the box.

  "That is a ring of duality. For you and Alayna, the duality is fire and water. Your other sisters have their own dualities, and when they are all put together, they form a complete elemental sigil. However, that is not why I am giving this to you. When you and your sisters were taken to the human world, your mother wanted all of your memories erased forever. She thought if you couldn't remember who you were then you would be unable to fulfill the prophecy. As your experiences have shown, her efforts to protect you have only brought more danger to you because you are unable to protect yourself. I dare say, if Alayna and Mack were not with you, you would not have survived for more than a few minutes. So, we lied. We told her it was done and you would never remember. Instead, we locked those memories in a deep part of your brain, identical to how we locked your mother's dark magic." Mab reached forward and removed the necklace from the box. "Each of you chose something important to you that would unlock the amnesia spell. This necklace is your key. Once you put it on, the spell will be broken and you will remember." She held t
he necklace out to Brianne.

  Brianne took it from her and placed it back in the box and lowered her eyes. "Will I remember my family? I mean, my human family?"

  Her grandmother placed her hand on Brianne's shoulder. "Of course you will. This will not take away any memories you have, but will add those that you have forgotten. You will know about both families."

  "Good. Why do you think Alayna was able to remember and I wasn't?" Brianne stood up and placed the box on the desk. She walked to the floor-to-ceiling window on the other side of the desk. "Maybe something inside me is trying to tell me not to bring back those memories. Maybe I should just go home and forget all about it."

  "You think because Alayna remembered before you that it's a sign you are not meant for this?" Mab closed the distance between them and placed her hands on Brianne’s shoulders. "You couldn't be further from the truth. The only reason she remembered before you was because she found her key first."

  Brianne turned and studied her grandmother. "I was there when she remembered. She didn't have a necklace like this. What do you mean she found her key?"

  Mab placed her hand on Brianne's cheek. "When you were told to choose something important to you as the key, Alayna chose something so dear to her that she did not want to remember if she could not have it with her."

  "What could be that important?" Brianne asked.

  "You, my dear. She chose you."

  24

  The Wings

  B

  RIANNE UNWRAPPED THE TOWEL FROM her head and climbed up to her bed. She grabbed her brush and started pulling it through her wet hair while she stared at the silver box sitting on top of the built-in bookshelf. Separating the top part of her hair into three sections, she weaved her hair expertly into a tight fishtail braid that ended about halfway down her back. Picking up the box with one hand, she traced the engraved words with the other. She opened it and lifted the duality necklace from its velvet bed, unclasped it, and brought it to her neck. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and began to clasp the ends together, but a sudden knock at the door caused her to jump and drop the necklace on the bed.

  "Yeah? Who is it?" She couldn't keep her voice from wavering.

  "It's me. Mack. Can I come in?"

  Brianne swept the box and the necklace under her pillow, jumped off the bed, bypassing the steps, slipped on her sweatpants and grabbed a book. Sprawling on the overstuffed chair, she opened the book about halfway and caught her breath. "Sure. Come on in."

  Mack walked over, sat on the arm of the chair, and glanced at the title of the book. "Wow. When did you learn to read elvish? Such a detailed language, don't you think?"

  Brianne furrowed her brow. "What?" When he pointed to the book, her eyes got big for a second and she stumbled over her words. "Oh. No. I mean, yes, it is a detailed language. Very, um, well, why are you here?" She closed the book and sat up straight in the chair.

  "Queen Mab sent me to tell you we are having a strategy meeting." He looked at his watch and stood up. "She wants us all in the study in twenty minutes."

  "Twenty minutes?" Brianne took hold of his elbow and dragged him to the door. "Okay, I’ll be there. Just have something to do first. Bye!"

  Mack stuck his foot between the door and the frame to stop her from closing it. "It's in the study!" She kicked his foot and forced the door shut. His muffled voice called from the other side, "You're welcome!"

  "Thank you!" Brianne called over her shoulder as she ran to the bed. Throwing the pillow to the side, she picked up the necklace and sat cross-legged on her bed. She took a deep breath and clasped the necklace around her neck.

  After waiting a full minute, she opened one eye, looked around, opened the other eye and threw her hands in the air. Why isn’t it working? Mab said if I put the necklace on I would remember everything. But it’s not working. Of course. That’s how it always— In an instant, images were flooding her mind. She grabbed her head with both hands and rocked back and forth. Whimpers escaped her lips as she tried to control the barrage of memories. Tears streamed down her face as Alayna barged into her room, ran to her bed, and wrapped her arms around her, holding her and rocking with her until her body went slack.

  "Are you okay?" Alayna pulled away enough to see Brianne's face.

  "I don't know. I think so. But that sucked." She laid her head on Alayna's shoulder. "Why was it so hard for me? It didn't happen like that for you."

  "It was easier for me because you were with me. And when I hit my head, something clicked that weakened the spell. That's how mom was able to get inside my dreams." She sat Brianne up and squeezed her hand. "Plus, the tragedies you endured in your human life caused you to put up massive walls in your brain, and you had to overcome those, which flooded you with emotions you chose not to deal with."

  Brianne wiped her eyes and breathed deeply a couple of times. She jumped off the bed and strode over to her closet. "Well, I have cried more in the last two days than in both my lifetimes combined and I am done crying. Now that I'm back to normal, it's time to get down to business. Grandmother wants us in the study in ten minutes and she doesn't like it when we are late." She walked out of the closet dressed in a pair of gray cargo pants, a black tank top, and a zip-up hoodie. With her combat boots in hand, she marched over to her chair and sat down.

  A big smile spread across Alayna's face and she hopped off the bed. "You're right. She doesn't."

  Brianne stuffed her foot into the boot and yanked on the strings. She looked up at Alayna and pointed at her with her head. "You're not wearing that are you?"

  Alayna looked down at her flannel pajamas and laughed. "Of course not. I better go get dressed. See ya down there." She disappeared into the hallway.

  After tying her other boot, Brianne picked up her backpack, dumped it on the bed, and took stock of the contents. Half a bottle of water. Two granola bar wrappers. Her extra set of clothes. Her phone and earbuds. She picked up the phone and pressed the button. It lit up and a low battery warning displayed on the screen. She unzipped the side pocket on her backpack, pulled out her mobile charger and plugged it into the phone before slipping it all in one of her cargo pockets. Nothing else was going to do her any good, so she left it all strewn on her bed and walked out the door.

  Alayna walked out of her bedroom before Brianne reached the door. Brianne noticed an identical duality necklace hanging from Alayna's neck. Without a word, they fell in step with each other and made their way back down the staircase to the study, where Mack and Mab were already discussing the plans.

  "... is a way we could duplicate it," Mack finished his sentence. He and Mab looked up as the girls entered.

  "Girls. I hope you rested well." Mab took notice of the necklace around Brianne's neck. "Did you find what you were after, Brianne?"

  "Yeah, I'm all good now." Brianne sat on the edge of the desk. "So, what's the plan?"

  Mab placed her hand on Brianne's back and gently pushed her off the desk. "Alayna believes her dream was your mother trying to get her a message and that the cauldron is hidden at Mayrianne's Meadow."

  "That makes sense. She loved that place. We all did. I could see why she would hide it there." Brianne nodded her head.

  "There are lots of secrets hidden there." Alayna grinned at Brianne. "Right?"

  "Yes. And they'll stay hidden, too." Brianne raised her eyebrows at her sister and turned back to Mab. "It sounds pretty simple. Go to the meadow. Find the cauldron. Take the cauldron back to the sacred spot. Shouldn't be a big deal."

  "Except for the fact that we can't lift the cauldron." Mack looked at her and shrugged. "It did belong to a god, so it's pretty big. Huge, actually, and really heavy."

  "How did mom move it?" Brianne asked.

  "We aren't really sure. We have two theories, but no proof of either." Mab said.

  "What are the theories?" Alayna prodded.

  "There is a possibility your mother had the help of the trolls. She was always friendly with the other creatures in the ki
ngdom and I am sure they would not hesitate to help her. The problem with that theory is that I do not believe she would drag any creature into such a dangerous plan. I know my daughter, and the one thing she would never do is put someone else in harm's way." Mab shook her head to emphasize her point.

  "Okay. What's the second theory?" Brianne flopped down in the leather chair in front of the desk.

  "That's what we were talking about when you got here," Mack said. "We think she used some kind of magic. We don't know what kind though, so we were trying to figure out what sort of spell would work and maybe, if we all work together, we could use it, too."

  The room was quiet while they considered the possibilities. Once or twice someone opened their mouth or held up their finger with an idea, but then they shook their head and started thinking again.

  Finally, Brianne spoke. "There is a stream that runs through the meadow. We used to swim in it when we were younger. Doesn't it run all the way to the Maiden's Mist? Maybe Alayna could find a way to move the cauldron with the water."

  Mab considered the idea for a moment. "It might be possible." She turned to Alayna. "If you form a protective bubble around it, it would float along the water. It wouldn't be easy to maintain a spell like that, though. You would have to travel with it to keep a hold on it. But it could be done."

  A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. "Come in," Mab instructed.

  A plump, gray-haired faerie poked her head around the door. "Pardon the interruption, your majesty, but we have news from the scouts to the west." She waited for Mab to nod before continuing. "They have spotted Lady Mayrianne and warriors of the Unseelie Court in the outlands. She is bound in the witch's magical bindings and they have her at knifepoint. I heard those bindings hurt. Poor girl, she must be scared out of her mind. I hope those dark faeries get what they deserve. And if they harm her — " Mab cleared her throat. " — oh, yes, yes. As I was saying, reports indicate three warriors with her and at least twenty heading toward the Maiden's Mist, m'lady."