Dark Fae(2)

He probably is sorry.

“He probably should be,” I said under my breath. The whisper of bushes parted and the low hum of voices pulled my attention around.

Fianna, the Banshee Queen, stood across from me, her long white hair floating on some unseen breeze, as her deep soulful brown eyes, as wide as any deer’s, looked us up and down. I pulled myself together and walked away from Bres.

“How is he?” I asked.

She shook her head. “He has a very short time. The poison is different than the Banshee poison you were infected with. Aednat was very old, very powerful. The toxin from her bite is beyond fierce.”

“Can’t we Call someone? Someone who can Heal? Ashling Healed me through the mirror, we could do the same for Luke,” I said, already wondering where the closest mirror might be.

“It is not so simple, Quinn.” She spread her hands out in front of her, the spider web woven skirt she wore billowing with the slight movement. “This poison that he carries within him, you cannot heal. We can only make him comfortable until the end.”

Her words didn’t really register. Not right away. Because it wasn’t possible that Luke wouldn’t get better. He was my friend and maybe even something more, something I was only just beginning to appreciate. He loved me more than I loved him, but I had been trying to catch up, had thought I would have time to, not to mention that I needed his help. Without him, how would we convince Nuadha and the Tuatha to help me? There was no way they’d trust Bres, and I was an interloper. Luke was the key to making that happen.

Bres’ hands rested on my shoulders from behind. I wanted to fling them off, but I suddenly had no strength in me.

“Fianna, I don’t understand. What do you mean we just make him comfortable until the end?” My mind refused to see what she was saying, balked at the truth they were trying to show me.

You know what she is saying, Luke is – I blocked Cora out, shut her down before those words slipped through my mind.

Fianna stepped forward. “You should go see him, before it is too late.”

Like in a dream, I stepped forward, the words settling on me like weights, wrapping around my neck, squeezing the air out of me. Everything around me slowed down: my movements, even the air.

My eyes focused on Luke, laying prone, his eyes closed. I waited for him to breathe, and counted the seconds. I started to panic when I got to thirty, then forty. I dropped to my knees, and it was as if the impact of my body hitting the ground reminded him to draw breath, a deep rattling, wet breath that smelled sour, like poorly fermented wine, and vomit.

I took his hands in mine, shocked at how cold they were. “Blankets, don’t you have any blankets for him?” I asked, looking up to see Fianna and Bres staring down at me.

She shook her head. “Feel his face.”

Laying his hands on his stomach, I slipped my hands up to his face, and quickly snatched them back. He was literally burning up, though he showed no signs of it anywhere else. His face was paler than before, without a hint of colour.

“There is nothing we can do now,” Fianna said. “Soon his ancestors will come and guide him home.”

“That’s not true,” Bres said. “What about ta Cauldron?”

Fianna spun to face him, her skirt swirling outwards, skimming across Luke’s face. I wondered if he could feel or hear anything, if he knew he was dying. This was all my fault.

I doubt it. Likely he floats as you did between old memories.

Fianna’s voice was sharp. “Do not fill her with false hope. It has been hidden away. No one has found it in years. Searching for it would be a waste of her time.”

Bres’ voice was tight, clipped. “I say that you are wrong. Ta Cauldron was always kept within the bounds of the Enchanted Forest. Mayhap you don’t want to be helping us, maybe you be on ta side of Chaos.”

Fianna and the Banshees around us gasped and, in the silence that followed, Luke drew another rattling breath, the sound filling the tense air. Looking over my shoulder, I eyed Bres as he locked eyes with the Banshee queen.

Standing there, Bres faced Fianna down. “Quinn needs Luke. He’s her future. We have to save him before we go after Chaos. There’s no telling what will happen if Quinn tries to face her alone, without Luke.” He paused. “Not to mention he’s ta only one that Nuadha will trust enough to follow into a battle with Chaos.” His words settled over me. Bres was fighting for me, though that meant I was going to be with someone else. A dull aching throb started deep in my heart, but I ignored it, doing my best to push it away. His words echoed my earlier thoughts. We needed Luke more than just my aching heart.