An Immortal Descent (36 page)

Henry narrowed his eyes at Julian. Then he leaned left a fraction of an inch, and I realized he was about to attack at an angle least likely to harm Marin.

Fear and anger solidified to iron in my veins. “Let me do it.” My voice pierced the air.

The knife stilled, and Henry settled back on his heel as everyone looked to me.

Julian tilted his head in question. “Do what, Selah?”

In silence, I moved beside Cate and placed a hand on her neck. As I planned, her power rushed into me, straight to my head where she met two words.

“Trust me...”

Her eyes widened ever so slightly. “What do you want?”

“Can’t you see what he’s offering us? Freedom from both the English and Brigid. Promise an oath to serve his cause, and he may let you live.” My tone hardened to a threat. “Otherwise you deserve to die.”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I will never join him.”

My expression turned grim. “Then I am sorry as well, Grandmother.”

“Do what you must...”
Her voice sounded in my head a split second before she reached for me, and I released a deluge of power.

I hated myself for bursting the handful of vessels that lined her mouth, nose and ears. With a scream, she fell to the ground. Blood flowed from her, pooling on the stone at her head.

The shocked silence turned to a heart-wrenching howl. “Catria...” Tom cried, her name cutting through the cavern like it had been ripped directly from his soul. In two strides he reached his wife, where he knelt on the bloodstained ground and scooped her lifeless form into his arms.

“How could you?” Henry asked, his steely voice just audible over Tom’s choked sobs.

Keeping tight control over every muscle, I turned to face him. “Were you not listening, my lord? I’m fed up with being Brigid’s slave. While she keeps us in hiding, humans have little choice but mistake us for devils. Yet despite the risk, I continue to serve day and night, and for what, so they can destroy each other with their petty squabbles? Or even better, hang me as a witch, when all I’m trying to do is help.” My voice rose with anger. “Lord Stroud...” I paused to consider my words. “
Díoltas
has found a way for us to finally come out of the shadows and be revered for what we really are. Only then can we save our people from the English.”

Henry flinched as though struck. “I don’t believe it.”

I fisted my hand until the bones creaked. “Then you are a fool, my lord, for I’ve made no secret of where my heart belongs.” Our eyes locked and the air seemed to thicken around us. “Once the curse is broken, I will rule Ireland at Julian’s side.”

“Selah, stop,” Nora cried. “You don’t mean it. This cavern, the witch’s power, it’s sickened your mind.”

Her frantic voice pulled at me, but I refused to meet her eyes. “When did a desire to be free become a sickness? If you truly believe that, then you are the one who’s deceived.” Conviction threaded my words, rightfully so as I spoke from my heart. But such freedoms would never come from Julian. Through his rule, I would become a monster, and the humans we ruled, trod beneath our feet.

Julian laughed. I looked at him and watched with a blank expression as he forced Marin to the ground. Releasing his grip on her hair, he patted her head. “Forgive me, Marin, but we can’t have you running off now, can we?” Her body turned stiff, frozen just like my brother’s.

He straightened and beckoned me forward. I closed the remaining distance, fire snapping on my fingertips. Henry made no move to stop me.

Tilting my chin up, I saw the wolfish grin on Julian’s mouth. “I’ve dreamt of this moment when you would finally stop fighting fate and accept your place at my side.”

“We are descended from gods and goddesses. Who else is better fit to rule?” Slowly, I reached up to brush my fingers over his cheek and send a shock of power straight through his heart. More fire rushed forward, and I shook with anticipation and suppressed rage.

“Dearest Selah,” he said, his voice a low hum that sickened me. “Would that I could trust you again so soon.”

“Of course you can,” I whispered. “We want the same thing.” A hairbreadth away from him, my hand stopped as though hitting an invisible barrier.

“But I’ve felt your power and know the pain of your treachery.” He ducked his head, until our lips almost touched, and I bit my cheek to keep from retching when his hot breath brushed over me. “Once the curse is broken, I’ll be at liberty to trust you without fear of betrayal.”

Damnation!
A scream gathered in my throat. I bit it back and lowered my arm. A muscle twitched in my cheek from the effort to keep a blank expression. “As you wish.”

Henry hadn’t made a peep during our interchange. Did he trust me? Or had my deception proved too convincing? I wanted to look at him, to plead for understanding. But the game had started and the risk too great.

Julian jerked his head toward Deri. “Take Nora to the throne and bleed her dry,” he ordered.

Deri shook her head till I thought it would snap free. Her mouth moved over a slew of words, though no sound emerged.

“Do it!” Julian bellowed.

She hissed again, ragged and feral.

“You’ll pay for this...” He took a step forward when Ailish cut a quick path to Deri’s side and grabbed her hand. Deri tried to pull free, but Ailish held fast. “It’s the only way,” she said. “Look in me head to see the truth.”

Deri curled her lip, exposing the top row of small sharp teeth.

“What do you want to stay in hiding for, huh? I’m sick to death of it, always pretending to be the same as humans.” Ailish nodded toward me without taking her eyes from Deri. “Selah’s got it figured out, joining with Julian like she did. Folks will come to know who we really are, and start treating us the way we deserve.”

My heart pounded a dozen painful beats before Deri finally gave the slightest nod, and I knew we’d just made a deal with a viper.

Ailish released her hand. “Compel her if’n you must, but do as your brother says.”

A moment later, a shudder passed through Nora’s body. She smiled at Deri, though her eyes lacked the glazed look from the theater. “Come, goody lady,” the wretch muttered. “I’ve to kill you now.”

Nora nodded and went without question.

Tom swayed to his feet. “You murderer,” he cried. Grabbing for his sword, he charged at me, his face consumed with hatred.

With a cry of alarm, Julian nearly tripped over his feet in an attempt to clear the path between Tom and me, his instincts stronger than his newfound power.

I closed my eyes, praying either for a quick death or that Tom had joined the scheme.

Steel clashed against steel. “Leave her be,” Henry growled.

“She killed my Catria.” Tom swung low. Sparks sprayed where the swords scraped against each other.

A soft wind hissed over my nape, there one moment, then gone. With a shiver, I glanced into the dark tunnel at my back. Nothing appeared or stirred, and I whipped back around at the sound of metal clashing. Having recovered, Julian returned to my side. My fingers itched to grab him, and I cursed myself for missing the opportunity presented when Tom first charged, and Julian’s barriers would have most likely been down.

The two men circled the throne, their yells echoing off the stones. Ailish cringed where I’d left her. Nora crouched on the dais, Deri at her side.

“I thought to slice Fitzalan’s throat,” Julian said, obviously enjoying the fight. “It’s no matter, so long as Lugh’s blood soaks the ground.”

Ailish hurried closer to us, her hands hidden from view, and a look of pure determination on her face. Julian ignored her, no doubt thinking she only wanted to escape the swords while I could see clear as day that she intended to gentle him away as she had done to me on the
Sea Witch
. I tried to shake my head without drawing his attention, to give her warning of the invisible guard. A small hand peeked from beneath her sleeve—

Power surged from him, and she flew back several feet to land on her buttocks. Julian barely moved despite having just tossed one of Cailleach’s descendants. He stalked forward to tower over her. “Do you really think I’d leave myself unprotected from any of the Tuatha Dé? My mother learned that lesson with her freedom.”

Ailish glared at him. “You’ve an evil heart—” Her gaze jerked over his shoulder to the tunnel. Raw fear filled her eyes. “No...” she said, scampering back on her behind.

I spun on my heels to find a young man standing near the tunnel entrance. A black patch covered one eye. “Well, Balor be a Fomorian,” he snarled.

As the young man reached for the patch, Ailish ducked her head. I slammed my eyelids closed a split second before Julian’s scream filled the cavern.

A hard shove knocked me aside. I fell to the ground, my eyes popping open on impact.

Julian rushed toward the man, a dagger drawn. “I’ll kill you!”

The man scrabbled for his own blade. Julian sprang forward, when his body jerked suddenly. The torches waned, the green light turning erratic as it danced over the spear lodged in his back. Henry stood just in front of the throne, Tom beside him. Cate pushed up and started to stand. Nora rushed over, her eyes darting over each of us, wanting to help but not sure what to do.

Julian’s breath came hard, and he stumbled a step. His body shook. A loud crack splintered through the walls, showering us with rock dust. The spear quivered. Then it slid from his back, and the long wooden shaft clattered on the floor. Slowly, Julian turned around. Rage seethed from him. Another crack splintered overhead, sending stone chunks crashing to the ground.

His fevered gaze landed on Nora. Dagger clamped in his hand, he stepped toward her. “Your blood. Now—”

My mind snapped, and I lunged at him, grabbing his legs. Brigid’s fire poured from me, not just from my hands, but from every pore. The ground shook as it seeped past the fissures in his weakened armor.

“Let go,” he snarled, trying to shake me off.

I tightened my hold when a childish chirrup wove a path inside my ears. “Blood on the stones, cracks in her bones.”

“Get out of my way, you halfwit!”

“Me mam be dead, yehr belly be fed.” Deri’s chirrup turned to a hiss as she wrapped bony arms around her brother’s waist. “Yeh’ll not have me goody lady.”

Our screams joined into one. Ice tore through me, turning my blood to frozen shards. Julian attacked with both Brigid’s fire and a dark power that clawed at my mind.

Fire and Ice. The world smoldered and frosted around me. War raged, and my body sagged, drained of all strength. Darkness moved closer. My fingers slipped, and the stone floor rushed up, slamming into my face.

Panicked voices clamored in every direction. Someone reached for me, wavered, then blurred to nothing. Sound dimmed. Pain soothed to numbness as I fell into blackness, farther and farther away.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Death’s Voice

Warmth bathed my face. Light brushed my eyelids. They fluttered open to reveal a frame of leaves around a perfect blue sky above. Something tickled my ear. I tilted my neck just enough to see a forest of lush green grass. Its softness cushioned my head, held my body with the same embrace as a feather mattress.

I sighed and stretched my legs to their full length. The grass felt velvety smooth against my bare calves and feet.
Blissful perfection.
Inhaling deeply, I savored the heavy sweetness that flooded my nose. Warmth and quiet calmed me. My eyelids drooped, and I drifted closer to the promise of oblivion—

“Welcome, Daughter.” A woman spoke, her melodic voice familiar.

My eyes blinked open, but only leaves and the sky appeared.

“Come sit with me.” She spoke again, just out of sight.

Pushing to my elbows, I turned to see Brigid at the spring, her knees bent to one side behind her. Long auburn hair fell over her sheath, silken fire against the whiteness.

She beckoned me to her. “Come, Daughter. Let us speak.”

Sleep continued to call. I nudged it aside and moved beside her on the grassy bank. Tucking my knees to my chest, I pulled my own sheath close and stared into the shimmering water. My reflection stared back, bemused as I felt.

I didn’t remember crossing over. With effort I tried to recall kneeling at the altar, the scent of burning herbs while I recited the Gaelic words. Nothing came to mind, much like it had never happened.

“How did I get here?”

“I summoned you.”

My head popped up at the revelation. “Why?”

“Because you were dying.” The answer was simple...and terrifying.

I looked down at my form, the curve of my knees and my bare feet surrounded by vibrant green. “Am I...” I swallowed hard. “Am I dead?”

She shook her head. “Your human body lives still. But not for long, and not unless you wish to stay in the mortal world.”

“What do you mean? What happened to me?” Blurry images pushed in from the sides.
Julian starting toward Nora...
He intended to kill her to further weaken the curse. I’d grabbed his legs to stop him, covering him with fire. A little had seeped through the cracks of his armor, but it was taking too long and he was almost to Nora. Then Deri...

My breath rushed from me, and I clamped my arms tighter around my knees to help contain the memory. “It hurt so much. I... I couldn’t stand it anymore.”

“You were fighting too many at once. The child attacked with power from Cailleach and the witch. Her brother fought back, using my fire and everything he had stolen from their mother. If you had not broken contact, you would have already died. Even so, your body is barely habitable.”

Yet she’d implied I had a choice to return. “What am I to do?”

Brigid rested a hand on my back, and the cavern burst to life in my mind. “Catria is rushing to you now, but she will be too late to save you in time. Ailish, Cailleach’s whelp, calls your name. Nora, daughter of Nuada, weeps for the friend she believes lost. Your Englishman, Lughson, holds you, begs you to return.”

I stared at her, too stunned by the image to speak. Each person was just as she described, though they appeared stuck in a sort of still life. I even saw Tom, his face twisted with rage and his broadsword leveled at a large stone. Sean and Marin hadn’t moved from where Julian had left them. A man with an eye patch huddled in the shadows.

“It is time to choose, Selah. You may leave your human form behind forever and cross with me now, or return, but at great cost.”

Her words crowded together in my head. In one hand, she offered me peace and the Otherworld. In the other, Henry and love. “What is the cost?”

Reaching beside her, she picked up a silver cup I hadn’t seen before. Liquid fire swirled inside, lapping at the edges. “You must accept my second gift to loosen the bands of mortality, otherwise you will not survive the process long enough to heal yourself.”

My mouth tensed with frustration. “I’ve not learned to do that yet.” Not even a bruise or a cracked nail. How was I supposed to heal wounds so severe to render a body near uninhabitable?

She smiled and brushed a slender finger along my cheek. “You would have with time.”

But that time had been stolen from me. “Is it too late then?”

“Not if you drink, then you will be able to heal yourself when you return.” Her finger moved under my chin, and she tilted my head up until I was staring at dark blue eyes that perfectly matched my own. “But be warned, as one of my strongest children, you will be taking a great risk remaining in the mortal world once you have been released from the spring. Others have tried and failed.” Her gaze held mine, and I felt a sudden pulse of heat. “Your heart is similar to Catria’s, though, and I believe you capable of avoiding corruption as she has done for so long.”

I gaped at her, just now grasping the full extent of the gift she offered me—an opportunity to defy death. While aboard the
Sea Witch
, I’d decided one life would be enough. But that was before I learned Henry carried Tuatha Dé blood.

“What about Lugh’s son? Can his life be extended as well?”

“Yes, so long as he chooses. Though the gift must come from his first father.”

My thoughts snagged on something Ailish had shared while riding from Deidre’s cottage. “The stories say that Lugh rarely visits the mortal world.”

“The stories speak true.”

Well, Henry and I didn’t have centuries to wait for the sun god to come around again. “Would you tell him that his son needs an audience?”

Her nod was barely perceptible. “Some things are too important to leave to chance.”

She released my chin, and my gaze returned to the cup. Could I remain true to my gift as Brigid believed? Or would I follow in Julian’s footsteps on a path to corruption? And what if I consented only to have Henry refuse the second gift, choosing instead to die at the end of a natural lifespan?

There were so many risks, I would have turned away from Brigid’s offer if not for my great-grandparents. From their example, I glimpsed the possibility of happiness and a future greater than anything I’d ever imagined before. The path forward became clear, and I set my shoulders, determined not to look back.

“I accept the gift.”

A faint smile curved on her lovely mouth. “You must act the moment you return. The pain will be difficult to overcome. Hesitate and you shall die. Are you ready?”

I nodded and she passed the cup to me. “Then drink, Daughter, that you may live.”

My fingers curled around the smooth silver. Lifting it to my mouth, I closed my eyes and allowed the liquid to flow into me.

Fire erupted, swelled to an inferno that pushed outward. My spirit expanded in its wake, pulsating against the invisible bands that bound me tighter than any stays I had ever worn. The pressure increased, heaved and strained in equal measure as my two sides warred, one for balance, the other for supremacy.

Human and divine.

Fed by Brigid’s second gift, my goddess blood would not be suppressed. The barrier collapsed, and a groan rose up through the fire, low and mournful at first, but growing to a gut-wrenching wail as mortality’s bands loosened from around me. The garden began to shift, green melding into brilliant blue. The sunlight faded, and the last thing I saw was Brigid’s face before I was pulled back into the blackness.

“Farewell, Selah, until we meet on the other side.”

In another moment, I slammed into something hard. At first, there was nothing, then the blood roared in my ears. My nerves shrieked as frozen and fiery nails tore at me.
No!
The scream shattered inside my skull.

It was too much, every part of me exploding and contracting at once. But I could make it stop. I could drift away, back to the blessed darkness where I didn’t have to feel anymore. It crept around me, a promise of peace, if I would just let go...

“Selah!”

My name drifted through the screaming pain, a sigh on a windstorm. Deep and familiar, it carried the promise of life, but not without effort. To stay, I had to fight, to wade through the torments of death.

“Selah!”

My name again, turned to a plea this time and laced with a different form of pain than what ravaged my body. No ice or fire, it was the pain of pure anguish, of a heart near breaking. My soul shuddered at the sound. More than escape, more even than the sweetness of oblivion, I had to answer, to let Henry know that I loved him and would never leave him.

I reached out. Sparks glimmered and the darkness trembled. Brigid’s fire roared to life. Rising from my core, it flowed like lava through my veins. Yet for the first time, it didn’t race along the worn path to my fingertips, ready to spill over to save another. It stayed and infused each layer of tissue, wrapped around bones and nerves, calming and healing.

As I had done with every patient before, I watched the fire move, to mend, stitch and restore. My heart came into view, strong and steady from the renewed blood that pumped through the intricate highway of vessels. Life returned, jumped at every pulse point. Air flowed into my lungs and, reborn, my eyes opened.

At first I thought the light had been extinguished. Then something rough scratched my nose, and I realized that I was staring at the wool of Henry’s greatcoat. He knelt on the stone floor, my torso held against him. Head bowed, his breath warmed my neck with each desperate word.

“Fight, Selah...fight for me.” His voice broke and tears fell onto my cheek. “Please don’t leave...”

Cradled in his arms, I tilted my face toward him until my lips found his skin. “I’m here, Henry.”

Surprise jolted through his arms. He jerked his head up to look at me, his expression shifting from anguish to wonder. “Selah...”

Once more my name left his lips, reverent as a prayer. His arms strengthened and he crushed me to him. “I thought you dead.” He inhaled a ragged breath. “I thought you had left me.”

“Never,” I whispered and buried my face into him.

“Julian and Deri are gone. You’re safe now.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “We’re all safe.”

The soft pad of footsteps approached. Expecting Cate, I turned to see Nora instead. Henry helped me up, and with a small cry, I threw myself at her. “Oh, Nora.” Tears ran down my face. “I’m sorry I let that monster take you. I’m sorry it took me so long to get here...” I sniffed, tripping over my words. “Please say you’re all right and that you forgive me.”

Nora’s arms went around me, familiar as a sister. “I will be with time, once I’ve come to terms with the past week.” She drew a breath, and I felt the tension in her body. “Did you...did you know about me before?”

I pulled back just enough to see her face. “Until an hour ago I had no knowledge of your Tuatha Dé blood.”

“All while we were growing up, I knew you were different somehow. Just not how different. I guess this truly makes us sisters.” Her chin quivered while she spoke.

Like Henry, the knowledge of her Tuatha Dé forebear had no doubt turned her world upside down. But while Henry first learned of this ancient race months ago, Nora had received everything at once, while under the control of an insane child.

“Henry told me that Deri’s gone.” My mouth clenched as I stared straight into her eyes. “I promise on Brigid’s mantle to bring her to justice.”

“You needn’t worry. Justice has already found her.”

“What do you mean?”

With one arm still on my waist, Nora turned and nodded toward a large boulder. “She’s there, Selah.”

It took a moment for my mind to catch up. The boulder appeared lopsided, one half taller than the other, as though two stones had been melded together. Green light flickered over the odd shape, illuminating what could have been a man, his towering form curved over a child who embraced him around his middle. I could only stare at the two of them, reduced to the most basic form of life, as Ailish believed.

Nora leaned her head on my shoulder. “Thank you for not abandoning me.”

“It was never a choice,” I said quietly.

Her arm tightened around me. “I remember most of what happened at the theater...what I said to you.” Her voice hitched and she paused a moment. “It tore me apart to think that we may never speak again with how we parted.”

“I knew you didn’t mean any of it.” I glared at the back of the wretch’s stony head, hatred curling in my gut. “Did she...did she muddle your mind much? Cate is the best healer in the human world and can repair any physical damage left behind.” I bit my tongue rather than admit that some wounds exceeded Cate’s ability.

“Before the play, Deri planted a compulsion for me to go with her to Wexford. I fought against it, but it was too strong.” A heavy sigh broke through, and she straightened her stance, though her arm remained on my waist. Turning toward her, I saw the frustration that rested on her face. Absentmindedly, she brushed a finger over the long scratch marks that still marred her neck from that night. Crusted with scabs, they served as a stark reminder of Deri’s sadistic power.

“She didn’t do anything else to me,” Nora continued. “I know Deri was evil, but there was a part in her that craved love, and could even love in return. From our association in London, I believe she came to see me as an elder sister. When we arrived here and found Carmen dead, she was desperate for me to take her mother’s place.” Another sigh. “In her own way, I think she might have loved me.”

My gaze moved from the scratches to Nora’s eyes, which burned with unshed tears. “I hate her for what she did to you.”

“I should hate her too, and part of me does. But mostly there’s just pity.”

Tom brushed a rough hand along what looked to be Julian’s arm. “You’re lucky to have fallen when you did, Selah, and let these two turn themselves to stone. Otherwise, you’d have joined them.”

I shuddered at the notion when Henry’s gaze found mine, his expression stark from how close we’d come to disaster. Without exchanging a word, I knew such a fate would have doomed us both to the barest form of life.

He picked up his sword and tapped the tip against Julian’s leg. “It pained me to watch you play up to this devil. While he was planning a future with you as his queen, all I could think about was tearing out his heart.”