Blood Faerie (20 page)

Although Eilidh did not like having to wait, her mind buzzed with all the things she’d learned. She needed some fresh air and time to sort things out in her mind. Her heart was suddenly full of worry for Munro. If the blood faerie was killing only true druids, then Munro was in danger, and she needed to warn him. It shocked her that she cared so much, after knowing him only a short time. She knew her concern didn’t just come from learning that he could enhance her power. She was curious, true. She felt a tingling hope she had never experienced before, that she might not just be some magically malformed aberration to be shunned and hated. But more than that, he was her friend, and perhaps their relationship could grow even further, although she barely let herself think that way. She would never forgive herself if something happened to him that she could have stopped.

***

Cridhe stared at his human minions. “Are you certain he is gifted with stone?” He glanced from Douglas to Rory and then Phil, finally letting his gaze settle on Frankie, Munro’s cousin. “Absolutely certain?”

The three other druids looked at Frankie for confirmation, and he nodded.

Interesting.
Cridhe thought he would have to put his plans on hold indefinitely since the disaster with Craig Laughlin. He wasn’t sure why the ritual failed, only that it had done so in a spectacular way. He’d taken the heart the same way he’d done with Robert Dewar and as Dudlach had with Jon. But as soon as Cridhe got two feet away from Craig’s body, the beating heart, the magically bound organ, began to quiver and shake in Cridhe’s hand. The druid’s essence had been encapsulated in his heart, but Cridhe could not get it to stay there, and it had burst out of its delicate fleshy cage.

Dudlach had been quite angry at Cridhe’s failure. He’d stood over his son, screaming with rage. Cridhe bore the insults with grinding teeth. His father was dead. Why wouldn’t he leave him alone?

Cridhe had no choice but to wait until they found another stone druid. The instructions on the slab had been most specific. But even without them, Cridhe could tell by the resonance of the flows that only stone magic would do. Now one had been delivered to them. It couldn’t have been more perfect. Finally, Dudlach was silent.

The four druids sitting in front of Cridhe all had talents in the water element, the most common. So he knew he could take any of them at any time. Dudlach wanted him to choose the most powerful of each sphere they could find, thinking it might make a difference to the success of the ritual. But Cridhe didn’t think it would matter. Balance was the thing. It would be better to have four druids of equal talent, rather than one or two who outshone the other sacrifices. Without balance, one flow might overpower the others, causing the result to be uneven and therefore less powerful. The last thing they wanted was an unpredictable result of something of this magnitude.

It rankled him still that he’d had to sacrifice Jon, whom he missed every day. They had been the most potent combination, and everything seemed easier for Cridhe when Jon was around. Dudlach said that was nonsense, but Cridhe knew what he felt, and he would not be denied his revenge. He had to tolerate Dudlach for now, but that would not remain true forever. Once he had Eilidh by his side, his first order of business would be to find a way to rid himself of his father’s influence, no matter the cost.

Everything they had planned would come together, and all of his dreams would be within his grasp as soon as he had the druid Munro. With his gifts of stone, Munro was destined to be a sacrifice. For the first time, Cridhe contemplated believing in the Great Mother. His father had taught him to respect and fear the Father and Mother, but Cridhe thought them part of the alien kingdom ways. But Cridhe knew those ways enough to see the kingdom had something he wanted, something that would be his very soon, thanks to Munro.

“Master, my cousin said his powers unlocked spontaneously. You told us that was impossible. He claims it happened at the church.” Frankie paused, as though not certain he wanted to continue.

“Church?” Cridhe said absentmindedly.

“St Paul’s,” he said, and then continued when Cridhe did not answer. “Where Robert…”

“Where he what?” Cridhe snapped.

“Well, sir. Munro is a cop. He found Robert’s body. Could that have caused his abilities to come out? I mean, I keep wondering exactly how it might have happened.”

Cridhe froze. He sat in perfect stillness as though time had stopped, and all the pieces of the puzzle slid into place.
Eilidh
. Was Munro the human he saw with her the night he killed Craig Laughlin? The night
she
chased
him
? How delightful that had been. If he hadn’t so distracted by his failure with harvesting Craig Laughlin’s heart that night, he would have been tempted to play with her.

“Master?”

Eilidh must have found Munro and nurtured his talents the same way he had nurtured Jon’s. Suddenly, everything felt perfect and right. “Bring him to me. I’d like to meet this Munro.”

Eilidh and Saor had barely talked since they returned to Beniss’ house. Eilidh had too much on her mind. Her thoughts flooded with possibilities she had never allowed herself to even dream about. Saor, on the other hand, stalked around like a man trapped. Finally, when no word had come from the higher conclave for some time, Saor stopped pacing directly in front of Eilidh. He put a hand on her shoulders and peered into her eyes. “It’s not too late to put this all behind you,” he said. “Nothing has changed.”

Eilidh stared at him for a moment, disbelieving. “Everything has changed, Saor. How can you not see that?”

“What would you do? Are you prepared to take the druid, make yourself the most powerful faerie the kingdom has ever seen, and challenge the throne yourself?”

She stepped back from his touch. “How can you say such a thing? Are you truly so blinded by jealousy that you refuse to understand the truth when it’s laid out for you? Does it so destroy the image you have of me to think I could be something other than a magical cripple? What claim do you have to be jealous anyway?”

“You were meant for me. You were made for me.”

“There was a time I would have given anything to hear you say that.”

Saor gave a bitter laugh. “But no longer. You have been infected with humanity.”

Eilidh did not answer. She looked at Saor and did not recognise him. He would still ask her to go back to the kingdom and have her talents severed so she could never touch magic again. That realisation was particularly bitter, for since coming to the Isle of Skye, he knew what it felt like to have his connection with the Ways stifled. And now that she was beginning to see what might open up for her in the Path of the Azure, she didn’t want to give it up with her eyes closed.

For the first time since she’d found the body beneath the church tower, she felt hope. If she learned how to bind Munro to her, she might stand a chance against the blood faerie that threatened her home. Yes, she realised it now, the human city had become her home. She thought about Munro and wondered what it might be like if she didn’t turn him away. She did not know what would happen, but she knew that, unlike Saor, Munro would never ask her to give up herself to please him.

Beniss’ voice interrupted from the doorway. “I know this must be difficult for both of you.”

Saor said nothing.

Eilidh turned to their host. “What did the conclave say?”

“Come,” Beniss said. “Let us sit.” She led them into the room where they’d talked the first night. They made themselves comfortable, and Beniss began to speak. “There is a ritual. One of my granddaughters heard of it in her travels.” Beniss smiled with pride. “She is a scholarly, intelligent faerie. As far as I know, this ritual has never been successfully performed, but if someone were to unlock the potential within it…” Beniss shuddered and looked away.

Eilidh waited patiently for Beniss to continue. Saor, on the other hand, was uncharacteristically distracted and uninterested.

“It is known in the texts as the Krostach Ritual. We cannot be certain this is the rite the blood faerie wishes to complete. I pray to the Great Mother we’re wrong.”

“What does the ritual do?” Eilidh asked.

“It is dark, dark magic, and none since its creator have had the talent to cast it successfully. It is surprising that any record of how to fulfil its requirements still exists. Genoa, my granddaughter, found only the most obscure references to it. She is not certain exactly what would be involved, but there is clear reference to harvesting the hearts of four true druids, capturing their essence and with it, their power. When an azuri faerie is bonded with a true druid, the faerie gains access to the Ways of Earth, but would still have to study and learn, as any child would.”

“Are you saying the blood faerie is trying to replicate that? If that were so, why would he not simply bond with one of the druids himself?” Eilidh asked.

“Let me finish. First, we’re not talking about the power of one druid, but four. Even if all he wanted was to bond with four, although unnatural, that would not be as dire as what he may actually be trying to accomplish. No, it is much worse than that. The Krostach Ritual would enable him to take their very essence within himself. Any blood faerie who took part in this ritual would not only have the capacity for the Ways of Earth, but would gain command of it. The earth would be at his feet. Every spell, every enchantment, every slight manipulation. He would know it all. Even if the faerie were acting alone, the results would be disastrous for any who tried to challenge him.”

Saor sat forward and listened for the first time. “The power…”

Eilidh’s mind raced as she considered the dreadful possibilities. “There would be no stopping him.”

Beniss gave Saor a penetrating stare. “It is an ancient magic requiring a specific source stone. When unlocked, it grants the power to hold and preserve the hearts. It is extremely dangerous to the one trying to control it. Genoa said she read many warnings about the price to the faerie trying to complete the ritual. It would cost him much of his soul, even if it worked perfectly. The slightest misstep could cause a descent into madness. My only guess is that the blood faerie acquired the stone and with it, the instructions for completing the ritual. Even with the price paid, he could challenge the kingdom. With his own blood power enhanced to four times the strength of an azuri faerie bonded with a druid, plus the knowledge and mastery of every earth spell and incantation, who could stand against him? Even a hundred of your warriors could not defeat one so powerful.”

Horror dawned on Saor’s face. “Powerful and mad. The conclave must be warned.”

Eilidh decided not to mention she had tried that already. There had never been much chance they would listen to her. But Saor was right. The ritual must be stopped. “Munro is gifted with stone,” Eilidh said. “It is an uncommon gift. He could be in great danger.” Munro was not the only human who could be in danger. If kingdom faeries were indifferent to humans, the blood faerie seemed to show even less regard for them than he might an insect buzzing around his head. One so powerful and corrupt would devastate the human population.

“I should hurry for
Munro
?”

Eilidh was shocked at the bitterness in his voice. “The death of any true druid is a tragedy, and bonding with him may be my only hope of stopping the ritual. If he will consent, we may stand a chance. Otherwise, I’m not sure how much I can do.”

Saor looked at Beniss. “What of the higher conclave? How far are they willing to go to stop this from happening?”

“We’re not without sympathy, but it is not safe for those gifted with the forbidden talents to travel through the kingdom lands, as you well know. Every one of us would forfeit our lives. Until we have some assurance that our children and grandchildren would not be at risk, we will not leave Skye.”

Saor’s eyes flashed with anger. “If the kingdom falls, do you think you would find a place in the new regime with the blood faerie?”

Beniss ignored his insults and did not answer him.

Eilidh understood, but it pained her that Saor could not. The kingdom rejected her kind, so what loyalty did any who followed the Path of the Azure owe them? It was unlikely the fae here were in any danger from the blood faerie. If she was going to stop this faerie, and she had every intention of doing so, it was not to save the kingdom, their society, or even the Faerie Queen herself. Eilidh would stop him because what he was doing was wrong. He took lives he had no right to, and he threatened those she loved. As she’d said to Imire, evil must be challenged.

Saor snorted at Eilidh. “You too would turn your back on your people?”

How could he be so blind to what they all faced?

“You have forgotten who you are,” he said.

“No, Saor.
You
, my friend, have forgotten who I am.” Eilidh reached out and placed her hand gently over his. “My gift is in the Path of the Azure. It always has been, from the moment I was born. This is not what I chose, but what I am. You would ask me to give it up, to become less, so you could maintain the fantasy that I am what you had hoped I would be. There was never a reality in that dream.”