by Mary Karlik
Ignoring the edge to Amelia’s voice, Layla sipped from her mug before speaking. “First, I need a little more information. Did you see its hands?”
Amelia shook her head. “Its back was to me.”
Andrew sat forward. “I saw. The thing was horrifying. They weren’t really hands at all. They were more like talons. When he smiled, he almost unhinged his jaw. And there was nothing but saw-like teeth.”
Layla closed her eyes and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. “It wasn’t a fairy. Fairies have wings.” She opened her eyes and looked at Andrew and Amelia. “What you described is a type of goblin. They are called the red caps because they dip their hats in the blood of the slain. It is said if the blood dries, they will die.”
Andrew dropped his gaze to the floor and took a couple of breaths. “When I was a lad, I studied everything I could find about mythical folklore. I nearly drove Ian mad asking for books about the subject. I read a wee bit about the red cap man, and I suspected that it was connected to the murder, but it was much easier to believe that it was a druggy.”
Jack looked at Layla. “If this goblin man had to keep his hat red, wouldn’t he have killed more often?”
“One would think so. But they are magical creatures. I don’t know how long it would take a cap to dry. I suspect they kill rabbits, or mice, or all sorts of creatures.”
Buzzard turned to Layla. “When was Fauth banished to this world?” His voice took on an excited tone.
“About the same time as Ian’s parents were murdered.” Layla’s pulse quickened. She had an idea where Buzzard was going with the questions. “There has to be a connection between the murder and Fauth coming to this world.”
Amelia raised her hands. “Back up. Who is Fauth?”
Layla twisted in the chair to face Amelia. “A dragon. After murdering my parents and scores of fairies, he was stripped of his magic, transformed into human form, and sent to this world. After that, the portals were closed.”
Buzzard scooted to the edge of the sofa. “Obviously someone wasn’t playing by the rules. He had to have had some magic to get the Dark Harvester here.”
Amelia rubbed her hands across her face. “And who is this Dark Harvester?”
Jack shook his head. “A horrible creature. He kidnapped fairies and brought them here to be sold for their magic.”
Andrew cleared his throat nervously. “I guess until now, the assumption was that it was happenstance for Ian and the team to get caught up in this.”
Amelia leaned forward. “The red cap murdered my parents here in Skye. Fauth was in Edinburgh. How could the red cap be tied to this whole fairy trafficking scheme?”
Layla answered. “Red caps are killers. Maybe he wasn’t brought here by accident.”
Jack’s eyes widened. “And he was here to kill—”
Andrew raised his gaze to his sister. “The gatekeeper.”
Amelia shot him a death stare. “It was silly musings of an old lady.”
Layla’s wings fluttered. “What musings? This could be important.”
“My nanna was not a gatekeeper.” Amelia’s jaw was so tight the words sounded as if they’d been flattened and forced out of her mouth.
Buzzard, Jack, and Layla all sucked in a breath. They stared at each other without saying a word, but a full conversation passed between them.
Layla’s chest tightened, or maybe it just felt that way because her heart was pounding so hard. “We can get Ian back. We can take the fairies home.”
Buzzard turned to Amelia. “We just have to figure out how to open the portal.”
“Maybe one of the fairies down in the barn would know more?” Jack’s voice was full of excitement.
Amelia cocked one eye at her brother. “Fairies in the barn? Is that what Theo’s doing?”
Andrew stood and held his hands up with his palms out as he began to edge toward the door. “It’s just temporary. The iron in the city was making them sick. We needed to get them out of the city. As soon as they’re well, we can move them.”
“As soon as they’re well?” Amelia grabbed her coveralls and stood. “Did it ever occur to you that your sister is a vet and might be able to help the poor creatures?” She zipped the front closed and shoved her feet in her boots. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
Buzzard stood too. “You’re not angry about the fairies?”
“I’m not happy, but I’ll no let them suffer. Let’s get down there.”
The air was wet and heavy with the smell of the sea as they made their way down the hill to the barn. Amelia stopped at the door and turned to Layla. “You go in first. I don't want to frighten them.”
Layla nodded and went through the door. “Theo? Esme?”
Theo’s head popped up from behind a round bale. “We’re just here.” He looked at Amelia with frightened eyes. “Hi, Amelia.” His voice was a little shaky as he moved toward the woman.
Amelia smiled at Theo and all of the harshness Layla had seen earlier disappeared from her face. “Don’t worry, man. I’m not going to bite your head off. I’ve come to check on the wee folk. Where are they?”
Theo motioned behind the hay. “I wanted to keep them out of sight, and it’s warmer back here.”
Layla fairy-sized and flew to the fey hidden in the corner of the barn. She’d hoped to see them recovered, but they didn’t look much different than when they’d helped them from the car.
Amelia cautiously knelt close to the fairies. “There are so many.” She looked up at Theo. “All of these creatures were held captive?”
“Aye, and if it weren’t for Ian and Layla, they’d still be suffering.”
Layla flew close to Amelia. “Can you help them?”
Theo added, “I think they may be suffering from carbon monoxide exposure from the car.”
Amelia looked around the barn. “Assuming their lungs work like humans, they need fresh air. They need oxygen. I wonder…” She stood. “I’ll be right back.”
She left the barn, and Andrew squatted next to Layla. “Do you have peat in your world?”
“Aye. It’s used for heating. Why?”
“I don't know what my sister has in mind, but we have blocks of cut peat just outside the barn. It holds oxygen. That’s what makes it burn efficiently. Is there a way the fairies could use it?”
Layla’s wings fluttered. “Maybe. I’ve heard it can be used for healing.”
Esme moved next to her sister and looked up at Andrew. “There was a group of Lily fairies who used to soak in pools of wet peat.”
Amelia returned carrying a green cylinder with a clear tube extending from the tip. “There is oxygen inside this tank. It might help, especially those who are most affected.”
Theo helped Layla sort the fairies so that the sickest were together. When they were ready, Amelia, Theo and Layla knelt in the hay in front of them.
Amelia sat the cannister on the ground and held the plastic tubing above the fairies. “I’m going to open a valve on this tank, and it will release the oxygen through this tube. It should make you feel better.”
As the fairies drew in deep breaths of the air, Amelia peered over the fey with a concerned eye. “It’s hard to imagine that all of these fairies were kidnapped.”
“Aye. And there are more we haven’t found.”
Amelia shifted her gaze to Layla. “And their magic was taken?”
“No. These hadn’t been sold.” A lump found its way to Layla’s throat, and tears welled in her eyes. “They gifted their magic to me. They willingly gave up all of their magic to give me the power to defeat Fauth.”
“Can’t you give it back?”
“No. If I can get them to the magic world, they will be safe.” The fairies wouldn’t have survived had they not given her their magic, but she couldn’t deny the feeling she’d failed them just the same. “I grew up without magic. I’m only half fairy. I couldn’t have defeated Fauth without their magic.”
Amelia turned back
to the fairies. “It seems like the least likely heroes are the ones who get the job done.”
Amelia’s tone was sharp, but Layla didn’t miss the sincerity in her words. “Thanks.”
“My brother is the same. He was a terrible mess when our parents were murdered.”
Layla nodded. “He mentioned that he was away at school when it happened. It must have been terrible to find them like that.”
Amelia sat back on her heels. “It was. But Ian harbored so much guilt. He had always doted on us. But after Mum and Dad were gone, he was obsessed with keeping us safe.”
“He’s proud of you both. When he told me about you and Andrew, his face fairly lit up.”
Amelia looked at Layla out of the corner of her eye. “Just how well did you know my brother?”
Layla’s heart dropped a little deeper in her chest. “I’m just part of the team. We’ll get him back. As soon as we figure out how to open the portal.”
Esme flew to Layla. “Many are feeling better, but I don't see any change in the sickest ones, and we can’t put them in the car to go to the fairy pools.”
Amelia shot a look at Theo. “Is that your big plan to protect them?”
“Aye. My mum swears fairies live there still.”
“I don't know how with tourists traipsing through the area.” She waved a hand at the fairies. “And these poor souls don’t have magic to protect themselves.”
Theo shrugged. “I thought they could hide in the hills not far off. But I suppose you’re right. Maybe one of the small islands like Eigg.”
Amelia nearly knocked over the oxygen canister. “They’ll not be leaving this croft until we know they’ll be safe. They’re fine here where I can keep an eye on them.”
“That’s very kind of you.” Esme wrung her hands. “Would it be okay if we used hay to keep warm?”
“No. I’ll make a proper warm place for you. The solarium on the back of my house doesn’t have much metal. Would that be safe?”
Esme nodded. “And Andrew said you have blocks of peat. It might help the fairies to soak in a peat bath.”
“Aye. We’ll work something out.” Amelia handed the tubing to Theo. “Keep this just above their heads.” She looked at Andrew. “Come with me.”
Layla followed Amelia and Andrew to the front of the barn. Buzzard and Jack stood just inside the doorway. Buzzard was hunched over, and at first, Layla thought he might be in pain. But then he turned toward her, and she saw an orange and white kitten perched on his shoulder. Across his forearm lay a huge version of the kitten.
Amelia took the kitten from its perch and shook her head at him. “You always were the soft one.”
Buzzard lowered the cat to the ground. It scowled at him for disturbing its sleep but then proceeded to walk to each of the men slamming its body against their legs.
Amelia rubbed the top of the kitten’s head against her chin and looked at Andrew. “Use that engineering mind of yours and rig up a peat bath for the wee ones. Between the three of you, you should be able to come up with something.”
Andrew bent to scratch the cat behind the ear. “Can we use your plant pots? It would mean destroying some of your flowers.”
“Do what you have to do.”
Andrew straightened. “Come on, lads. We have a job to do.”
Layla folded her arms and opened her wings. “We need to talk about your nanna being a gatekeeper.”
Amelia sat the kitten next to the cat and looked up at Layla. “There’s nothing to say.”
Layla stepped closer to Amelia. “Gatekeepers are always human. They are always female, and the trait is always passed from daughter to daughter. If your nanna was a gatekeeper, then so was your mum and so are you. If you’re serious about getting your brother back, then you need to brave up and tell me what you know.”
Chapter Nine
Pops of florescent blue flashed in black mist as it rolled down a grass-covered hill toward Ian and Finn. It stayed low to the ground as it slid over the bog and snaked around their legs. But what made Ian’s heart lurch into his throat was the figure on the other side of the swamp. It had the shape of a man but was at least three times as tall as Ian. Its legs were disproportionally long, and it was not quite solid. It was more like a ghost than a living, breathing being. “What is it?”
“Am Fear Liath Mòr. The Big Grey Man,” Finn whispered.
“Big Grey Man.” Ian blew out a relieved breath. “It’s in my world too, but it’s folklore. It was proven years ago that it’s just a weird shadow. It’s a trick of the light.”
The thing moved toward them like fog rolling across a loch.
Finn backed away, pulled his sword from the scabbard, and held it ready to strike. “Still think it’s a shadow?”
Ian kept his eyes trained on the Grey Man. “What does it do?”
Finn stumbled as they continued to move backward. “What do you mean?”
“It’s scary and big, but what does it do? Will it eat us?”
“I don't think anybody knows.”
“What?” Ian stopped retreating and looked at Finn. “You mean this thing could be perfectly harmless?”
“Look at it. Of course it’s not harmless. Don’t you feel the despair reeking from it?”
Ian studied the creature rolling its airy form toward them. “Aye, but maybe it’s not its fault. Maybe it’s not a bad guy.”
Finn shook his head. “Humans. Have you ever heard the saying ‘if it walks like a troll and smells like a troll, it’s a troll?’”
“Sort of. But he doesn’t look that threatening. He’s just big.”
The creature bent at the waist and stretched its neck toward them.
Ian relaxed his stance. “I think he’s curious about us.”
“Or about to eat us.” Finn raised his sword a wee bit higher.
As the man’s face neared, Ian saw that its features were almost indistinct, as if they had been partially erased—except for the eyes. An intricate web of black veins covered green eyes, and there was a vertical slit for a pupil. Something about the design of the black veins over the green drew Ian in. Then he saw—they were moving, forming a pattern. His sensible mind told him to look away, back away. But the black lines slowly slithering across the green eyes had captured him. He had to see what design would take shape.
Ian was aware that the Grey Man’s mouth gaped open. And he told himself he should be wary of the fangs that hung as long as his arm. Still, he didn’t move.
Cold consumed Ian’s body. It probed his mind until it found his darkest memory. Ian felt a pinch in his head, and images played in slow motion across his mind.
Terror crawled up his spine just as when he was called into the headmaster’s office. The feeling took hold as he remembered the desperate drive across Skye to his parents’ home. Then sorrow and agony filled every part of him as he recalled the fear and horror in Andrew and Amelia’s faces when he finally reached them. He felt the guilt that he hadn’t been there, and worse, the resentment that he’d had to come home.
Ian’s chest heaved with the misery that the memory brought. “Enough.” He cried but the visions kept coming. His parents’ wake and then funeral. His nanna wailing of self-blame and her horrible decline and death a few months later. Finally, the days of picking up the lives of what was left of his family.
He stared at the fangs hanging from the Grey Man’s mouth. “Do it then. Kill me and end this!” Then a moan escaped from him so deep and lonely he hardly recognized it as his own voice.
“Sguir!” A voice broke through the mist.
Finn ran to his side. “I’m sorry. I tried to help, but I was entranced by its gaze.” He offered his hand to help Ian to his feet.
Ian let Finn help him stand without a word. He couldn’t speak. His insides were still rattling from the emotions he’d just experienced.
“Look. Just there.” Finn pointed to a fairy fluttering about a meter from them.
A shimmering sensation covered Ian’s bod
y, making him jump sideways.
“We’ve been covered by a glamour,” Finn whispered.
The fairy grew toddler-size and neared them. He wore a grey cap with a floppy brim that shielded his eyes. Beneath his eyes, heavy bags hung almost to the end of his broad nose. A salt and pepper beard covered his face. His wings were the color and shape of a Monarch butterfly. He tilted his staff toward the Grey Man, and the being dissipated into the mist.
Finn pointed to the rose carving along the staff of the walking stick. “That staff. Are you Old Dorach?”
“Aye.” He turned toward the trees. “Follow.”
Ian and Finn ducked beneath low hanging branches, squeezed between hedgerows of broom brush, and contorted their bodies around gorse spikes while the fairy practically skipped up the path. When Ian’s feet had stepped on about the thousandth sharp object, the fairy stopped at a granite wall.
Without turning around, the fairy said, “The entry will be tight for your stature, but once we’re inside, you’ll find it more comfortable.” He tapped the staff, and an opening appeared.
The men ducked through the entryway into a cave with human-size furnishings. In the center of the room was a large, round table with six chairs perfectly spaced around it. Cinnamon scented candles flickered from a circular chandelier that hung above the table and was about half its diameter.
In front of one of the chairs were a tea service and biscuits. The old fairy tipped his staff toward the chairs. “Sit.”
Finn sat in front of the tea, and Ian sat two chairs away from him. The fairy hopped onto the chair across from Finn. “The tea should be ready. You may pour out.”
Finn poured his tea and slid the tray to the old fairy.
Ian didn’t know the culture of this world. He had to follow Finn’s lead, but he was anxious to get down to business.
Old Dorach raised his cup to his mouth with both hands and stretched his lips to slurp the first sip. His swallow was so loud, it almost echoed around the cave. With shaky hands, he sat the cup back on its saucer and blew out an exaggerated sigh.