“Yes, love does make you do crazy things.” I said, holding her tight, as if that would keep her here with me.
She looked up at me, pinned me with her gaze. “Don’t let it make you do anything crazy, Quinn. You can’t change this. I know you love me, but this is the way it’s going to be.”
Ashling flinched as though she’d been hit. I frowned and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “What’s wrong?”
“I have to go.” She kissed me on the cheek. “Be brave, Quinn. She will try to trick you, will try to use me against you, just be brave and do what you must.”
Her image shimmered, and I was left alone in the tent. A hand on my shoulder brought me fully out of the dream. Bres leaned over me. “Everything’s ready. It’s time to go.”
15
Bres and I were alone behind a sand dune about a half mile from camp. The moon was overhead, the night clear of any cloud cover. “Do you think it went okay?” I asked for probably the tenth time.
He didn’t get upset, just took my hand and lifted it to his lips. “Luke is a fighter, he knows what he’s doing, Quinn.”
We lay on our bellies looking towards the camp. The fires were burning, which we could just see at this distance. Suddenly a great shout went up and I knew that Luke had released Nuadha and all those taken by Chaos’ mark.
The plan was that he would tell Nuadha that he’d never believed in me, not once did he see how weak I was. Both Bres and Luke thought the Tuatha leader would buy it, not seeing past his own arrogance.
There was a lot of movement in the camp, and then silence. The stillness was broken by a great crashing of symbols, and then we could hear someone shouting.
“That’s Nuadha,” Bres said. “But I can’t make out what he’s saying.”
I strained to catch a word, phrase, anything, but we were just too far away. “Should we get closer?”
Bres shook his head. “No. Luke said he would talk to Nuadha about bringing Ashling…Chaos here. We have ta be patient.”
A part of me wanted everything to just hurry up and get on with it. I had to face her. That wasn’t in doubt, but the waiting was killing me.
Suddenly there was a burst of flame and the clash of swords. I sat up and strained my eyes. “That’s Luke’s fire,” I said. “He shouldn’t be fighting. Not unless . . .”
“Shit,” Bres said, scrambling to his feet. “Nuadha didn’t fall for it.” He pointed to two figures battling across the night sands, out into the waves. I saw Nuadha lift his blade, saw him disarm Luke. No. I couldn’t let this happen!
I beckoned the water into a wave and it crashed into the two men. It saved Luke, but only for a moment. Seconds later a figure walked out into the water and plucked Luke up. Darcy held him up as if he were a wet rag doll. I heard her words as if she were standing next to me.
“She will not come for Chaos if we hold his life on the line. She loves him. He’s the perfect piece of blackmail.”
My heart clenched. What had we done?
Bres pulled me back down onto my belly. “Don’t do anything. They won’t kill him. We can figure this out.”
A soft scuffle of bush behind us spun us both around. Skulking towards us was the humped back shape of a Fomorii. With its head down, eyes towards the ground, it lifted its hands in supplication. “I mean no harm. I come in peace. Please, we need to be free of her. She is not Fomorii any longer. Bres, you know this.”
I’d pulled out Carnwennan and steadied myself on the sloping sand as the Fomorii spoke. “How do I know you tell me the truth? Why shouldn’t I make sure there is one less of you on the battle field?”
Now it did lift its head. Both eyes were clear of Chaos’ mark. “Your sister tells me that you speak of a past love of your mother, Wil. She said to tell you to trust me. I served her when she was still a little bit Fomorii.”
The Fomorii lowered its head again. I wavered. There was no way it could have known what Ashling and I spoke of without her telling it. Damn.
Carnwennan went back into the scabbard. “Alright. What do you propose?”
The Fomorii lifted its head, its tongue flicking out past the wicked sharp teeth its mouth barely contained. “I teach you, like I teach the other girl. You need help, I give it. One lesson only.”
Bres leaned in to me. I know Gormley. I trust her. She has some strange abilities, but I think she might have something to offer.
I lifted an eyebrow. “One lesson?”
Gormley ducked her head. She scratched a claw through the sand. “Yes, one lesson. Only one spell you need to know.”
She backed away from us and I shook my head. “No, I’m not going with you. Teach me here or not at all.”