Bloodstone (39 page)

She shook her head.

‘Finn.’ He sounded gentler than she’d ever heard him. ‘I didn’t mean that, about you being a coward. I was hurt and I wanted to hurt you.
Again.’ He reached out briefly, not quite touching her arm before he snatched his hand back. ‘You can still go back. Sionnach will take you to a watergate. Rory’s not your
responsibility.’

‘Jed is.’

‘Huh! You care about him, don’t you? Should I be playing the chaperone?’

Well, since he’d brought it up... ‘Seth?’ She rubbed the bay mare’s muzzle.

‘Uh-huh.’

‘You’re not my uncle and it always seems like you’re closer to my age and you’re—’

‘The bane of your life.’ He put his forefinger to his temple and shut one eye. ‘What else? The demon relative. The stroppy adolescent. The family werewolf,
for crying out loud.’

‘Oh.’ She flushed. ‘You knew I said all that. Only, Seth? Conal said we were going to need each other, but we’ve never got on. Have we?
I—’

‘That’s right.’ He made an exasperated sound through his teeth. ‘So, no. Don’t look to me as a substitute.’

‘Okay.’ With one finger she scratched the star of hair between the mare’s eyes, embarrassed and furious that she’d even tried to like him, tried to
connect. ‘I wasn’t going to.’

‘A godfather’s a godfather.’

‘Too right.’ As if she’d want any paternal concern from him. Friends, she’d thought, maybe, but hell’s teeth, not if it was any kind of an
effort
.

It hurt, though. Even though she was angry as hell at him, it did hurt.

Awkwardly he rubbed his neck. ‘I’m not good at it, okay? That kind of—’

‘Yeah. You can shut up now if you like.’ Glaring into the mare’s brown eye, she saw Seth’s reflection distort and grow larger as he sighed and stepped
close. Gathering her hair in one hand, he pulled her head awkwardly under his chin and hugged her hard.

‘It isn’t the time,’ he growled as her chest heaved against him, his thumb wiping tears ruthlessly from her eyes. ‘Not now. Grieve at his wake, if you
live to enjoy the luxury.’

‘Sorry.’ She pulled away, digging her fingernails into her wounded palm.

‘And stop apologising. Let’s go.’ He paused and shut his eyes. ‘Finn. I’ll do my best. I will, I truly will. But don’t believe in anything
from now on, okay? Or anyone.’

She nodded, bewildered, as he drew his sword. Then he grabbed her by the shoulder and thrust her, stumbling forward, across the clearing. His hand went to the back of
Jed’s neck and forced him on too, into the darkness of the granite mouth and the first silver glow of candlelight.

‘Murlainn,’ said Kate silkily. ‘You have some explaining to do.’

She stood up as the laughter and celebration in the hall faded and fell into silence. Seth shoved Finn forward, and flung Jed at Kate’s feet.

‘Hi, gorgeous,’ he greeted her cheerfully. ‘Do you want the whelp or not? He went straight back to my brother and his bandits.’

Finn’s neck throbbed. She didn’t dare look at him for fear of what she’d see.

‘I know that well,’ Kate said, frowning. ‘Where are the six men I had left?’

He made a disparaging sound. ‘I killed them all but one, and he’s walking home. Lus-nan-Leac, it was.’

A sigh like a single breath went round the hall, and one woman let out a gasping scream, one a stricken cry. A man stepped forward, staring at Seth’s indigo shirt with
its patch of darker darkness over the heart. ‘Feorag,’ he said, his voice raw. ‘Feorag.’

Kate raised her hand. Silence fell, broken by a single helpless sob. ‘You may pay for that, Murlainn.’

‘It’s already paid for.’ His voice darkened with bitterness, and Finn felt a little reassured, because she hadn’t liked that easy lightness in his
tone. Not one bit. ‘Five seems a fair price for my brother, Kate. Butchered by Laszlo despite your assurances.’

‘Murlainn. I’m sorry.’ She turned to Laszlo where he stood in shadow behind her, and shook her head sadly. ‘Did I ask you to kill his brother,
Nils?’

Laszlo’s mouth tightened, but his satisfied smile stayed in place.

Kate gave Finn a sly glance. ‘I seem to have misinformed you, Fionnuala. Not so much a crossroads for poor Cù Chaorach: more of a dead end. But I liked your
uncle,’ she murmured, a little hungrily. ‘He was such a challenge.’

If Kate was chocolate, Finn thought, she’d melt before she could eat herself. Maybe her vanity really was her big weakness. Maybe they even had a chance, or a ghost of
one.

Seth spat on the rug at Kate’s feet. ‘A challenge you never met. Never will now.’

‘Ah.’ She sighed almost apologetically. ‘That’s a matter of perspective, isn’t it? Honestly, Nils, that was clumsy of you. I had high hopes for
Murlainn and Cù Chaorach both. Well, I hear the brainless boar Torc got what was coming to him. What about the twins?’

‘Your men killed them as I arrived.’ Seth laughed contemptuously, and Finn realised with unease that, in fact, Seth could lie very well indeed. ‘What a
panic. Was it you that taught Laszlo to abandon the field before his men?’

‘I thought it was all over.’ Laszlo took an aggressive step forward.

Seth arched an ironic eyebrow. ‘It is now.’

‘You’re blocking me, Murlainn.’ Kate put her fingers to her temple. ‘Why?’

‘What, when Conal... when he’s still...’ He took a shaky breath. ‘You’ve no business in my head,’ he said at last. He went to Kate, putting
a hand on the back of her neck as she smiled provocatively at him. ‘Not right now. Not in my head.’ He gripped her hair and kissed her with a passion that was close to
violence.

There was something disturbing about Seth’s kiss, Finn thought. It was just too good to be an act, his pulse leaping in his throat, his fingers white-knuckled where they
gripped Kate’s shining hair, his eyes open and tormented with lust. Beyond them Laszlo’s face had warped into a mask of hatred, and the warmth was gone from his burnt-sugar
stare.

‘Of course. You’re upset. I understand that.’ Drawing away, Kate caressed Seth’s cropped skull. ‘I like the new look.’

Even in his obvious pain he looked bemused. ‘You know fine there’s a reason for it.’

‘I’ve told you I’m sorry. I would never want to hurt you, Murlainn.’ Gazing at him with open adoration, she drew her fingertips idly down his
stomach.

Stroking her neck, he met her eyes. There was such fanatic desire in his face, Finn wondered if he could even remember all the others she’d promised not to hurt.
Kate’s attention, though, was not all on Seth. Finn could sense the woman’s mind reaching past him, past them all, far beyond the caverns. Kate looked at Seth as if she was looking
through glass.

‘Seth!’ gasped Finn, but Kate had already taken a sudden step back from him, her eyes narrowing to slits of gold.

‘The twins are not dead,’ she whispered.

Seth’s fingers slid into the silver chain that hung round her neck, and tightened it. Pulling her hard against him, he flicked his hunting knife against her throat and
held it there. Jed scrambled to his feet, tugging Finn after him.

‘How dare you, Seth,’ Kate hissed, her tongue flickering like a snake’s. ‘How
dare you.
’

Seth pressed his face to hers. ‘I know the position of everyone in this hall.’ His voice rang quiet but clear. ‘If anyone tries to help her they’ll be
killing her.’

‘The nerve – the insolence – the heresy of you!’ Kate was spitting and choking on her rage, her eyes glowing. ‘You’ll die for this. Choose
how. Choose by what you do next.’

‘Shall I take you with me, though?’ There was a bead of sweat on his temple.

‘Get your hands off me, you
cur
.’

‘That’s a new one, babes, coming from you.’ Seth brushed her cheekbone with his lips, as if he couldn’t help himself. ‘I will kill you. You know
it. Tell them.’

‘He wouldn’t dare,’ shouted a voice. Gealach. ‘We’d rip him in quarters.’

‘And still be too late.’ Seth smiled thinly, his gaze still locked on Kate. ‘My brother was gralloched by her man today and left alive to the birds. Torc was
slaughtered by her pet Lammyr just to trap the healer and her twin. You all think we deserved it. But you know I’d dare. I saw the state of my brother and I was in his head and I
guarantee I would
.’ He was breathing hard. ‘How much do you love your witch queen? Bring me the infant.’ When no-one moved, he pressed his blade into Kate’s flesh,
drawing a thin trickle of blood.

‘Bring me my son!’ he yelled.

There was movement at the entrance to one of the passageways, the press of bodies divided, and Rory tottered forward.

Jed gasped, and would have run straight for him had Seth not jabbed his blade tighter against Kate’s throat, provoking a shriek of thwarted rage.

‘Get rid of that,’ he said viciously. ‘What is it, a cat? A piglet?’

‘Ah.’ Kate’s sigh was almost fond. ‘You’re strong, Murlainn.’

‘Me and Cù Chaorach. He is in my heart and my head and you have us both to deal with. Now bring me my son. Another changeling and you’ll lose an
ear.’

Where Rory had been, there was nothing now, but distantly, from one of the passageways, echoed the rowling shriek of an offended cat.

‘Bring the brat,’ snarled Kate to Laszlo. ‘We can always get him back.’

‘Over my dead body,’ growled Jed.

‘Quite,’ said Laszlo, and he walked to a group of the women, lifting a child from reluctant arms. Grey eyes sparked in the infant’s tear-blotched face and he
stretched his arms to Jed.

‘Ed!’ he sobbed, as if he’d been abandoned for a month.

Jed swept him up and nodded at Finn. She swallowed, her throat dry as dust. Now would come the hardest part: getting Rory out of here. She had no idea how they were going to
do it, and she hoped against hope that Seth did. ‘Seth,’ she said. ‘It’s him. It’s Rory.’

‘Good,’ said Seth. ‘Now go.’

Jed and Finn looked at one another, then back at Seth. In unison they said: ‘What?’

‘Go!’ he roared. ‘Or do you think they’ll let us live just for chess partners?’

They didn’t need a third telling. Finn looked back at Seth once, standing at bay with his arm round Kate’s neck and his knife still pressed almost lovingly to her
jugular. His glance was so swift she only just managed to catch it, then his focus was all on his faery lover once again.

The crowd parted reluctantly as they edged out with Rory. In the tunnel beyond the hall they took to their heels, and reached the bay mare running. She whickered fondly to
Jed, and struck the ground with a hoof.

‘Do we just leave him?’ said Finn desperately as she hauled herself into the saddle.

Jed handed Rory up, but he didn’t meet her eyes. ‘We have to.’

As she pulled Jed awkwardly up behind her, they saw the two wolves stalk forward towards the archway. Then the bay mare was off at the gallop, and they saw no more.

I backed slowly towards the cavern mouth, feeling the inches with my mind. It was harder now. She was inside it and it hurt, and she wasn’t alone, an insidious pressure
building from the combined malevolence of everyone in the hall, not least the ones whose lovers and sons were newly dead.

‘Ah, Seth,’ Kate murmured hoarsely against the chain that bit hard into her neck. ‘Never to see your son again, after all your efforts!’