Dark Fae(33)

A snap of her teeth and a kick of her feet in the sand preceded some heavy muttering. “Just like the other girl. Stubborn.”

Lifting her head along with one claw, she acquiesced. “Fine. I teach you here, but she might hear and then we are dead.”

There was no need to say “her” name; we all knew Gormley meant Chaos. I would take that chance.

The Fomorii shuffled forward and I tensed as she lifted her claw-tipped hands into the air. “I need to be close to show you.”

It took everything I had not to bolt or strike out as she came within inches. One claw touched Carnwennan. I glared at her.

“This is sword of power, like Excalibur?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Then it has power to lift curse on the Fomorii,” she whispered, her voice full of awe.

I hadn’t thought of that. “I suppose it might.”

She chuckled, “You are not surprised. You know of the curse.”

It seemed best not to try to explain my near death experience and the past battles I’d seen. “Yes, I know of it.”

Gormley grunted. “Okay, I teach you one spell, one magic, and then you try to lift curse.”

Shrugging I agreed. “Trying is not the same as actually doing it.”

“Yes, yes,” she waved a claw in the air. “I understand. You are not Silver hand.”

“She means Nuadha,” Bres said. “The curse has been in force for so long, I didn’t even know that he could break it.” His violet eyes were drawn with worry.

What’s wrong?

He shook his head. Gormley is old. She was at the battle where the curse happened, and she hates Tuatha, more than anything. This is beyond out of character for her. Be on your guard.

I suppose desperate times call for desperate measures, I said.

Gormley lifted her hand again to touch Carnwennan. “So pretty.” She tapped the gem with one claw. “Soul gem. It will capture souls if you know how to use it. That is your lesson.”

I blinked. “That’s it?”

She sat back on her haunches. “Yes, lesson I teach is that there is a spell to trap souls. I don’t know it, but it’s there still the same. Now you try to break the curse.”

“Wait, give me a minute.” I stepped back and took Bres with me. “If I could trap Chaos’ soul, that would free Ashling, wouldn’t it?”

His eyes narrowed with thought. “I don’t know, but it’s a possibility.”

Gormley snapped her claws. “Is not possibility, is truth. Now try to lift curse.”

I shook my head, “That’s not a lesson, which isn’t a fair trade. You said you’d teach me something, not tell me something. That’s a big difference.”

The Fomorii growled. “Fine. I teach you first lesson. How to heal.”

Bres was shaking his head. “She can’t, it isn’t in her, not those abilities.”

She blew a messy raspberry at him, spittle flying through the air. “Stupid, you all are so stupid. There is always a way to heal, just what you are willing to give to make it happen.” Scuttling forward, she put her face into mine. It took everything I had not to flinch.

“You are like your grandfather. You can heal, but every time you do, it will take a piece of your power. When no more power to take, it will take your mind until even that is gone,” she said, her breath rank like old rotting compost.

“Back up, you stink,” I said. Her eyes widened, and then she started to laugh, right in my face. Before I could react, her claws had gripped my head and she put her forehead to mine.

“Here, see what you must do to heal.” A dark wave seemed to roll over me.

In my mind, I could see exactly how I would heal someone, drawing off the actual source of my power, giving that up in order to mend a body. Gormley let me go and I stumbled back, my legs tangling; I fell back onto my butt.

“That’s not what happens to Ashling, is it?” Gods, I hoped not. I’d had her heal me twice. What if I’d caused her to be weaker, to be more susceptible to Chaos?

Gormley snorted and shook her head. “No, the other girl is a natural, first in many, many years. She heals like you kill, with no effort.”

Her view of me, and my abilities, struck me hard. “I don’t want to kill.”

She shrugged. “But still, you do.” Her black eyes bored into me. “Now, lift the curse.”

I got to my feet and brushed off my pants. Cora, a little help here would be fabulous.

My mentor stirred within me. You intend to try and break a curse that is thousands of years old, one that Balor has tried to break thousands of times over and failed? Arrogance will kill you yet, Quinn.

“I’m not being arrogant,” I snapped. “I’m going to try because I said I would.”