Bloodstone (32 page)

The blood in Jed’s veins was cold. ‘
You
took Rory.’

‘But Conal never would have. Give up an innocent child? It would kill his soul. Cold iron, Cuilean: I don’t expect you to understand. The thing is, Finn’s
death would have done the same. You see? I didn’t have any kind of a choice. My brother will never forgive me for this, but he’ll remain himself. I’ve saved him, Cuilean, at the
expense of my own son. Oh, and possibly my own soul, but that was a goner anyway.’

Jed stared at him. His voice would barely come out, and when it did it was scratchy. ‘And Finn...’

Seth tilted his head back into the water, took a mouthful, then spat it out.

‘Ah yes. Imagine how I felt when I got here. When I saw her. When she told me.’

An unexpected pity wrung Jed’s guts, but Seth’s expression didn’t change.

‘It’s almost irrelevant, though. The child’s bewitched. Literally bewitched, I mean. Spell-bound tighter than a witch’s arse.’ He shrugged.
‘But at least she has her life, and Conal has his soul. It’s as much as I expected. And it’s as I say: Kate’s probably our only hope. I’ll get used to being her
henchman. I’ve been that before.’

‘You’re not even convincing yourself,’ said Jed, nuzzling Rory’s head. ‘She’ll destroy everything you love.’

Seth half-smiled. ‘There are few people who know of those things, Cuilean, and you ain’t one of them. I’m out of respectable choices: Kate’s my hope
now.’

Jed wanted to shake him, scream at him. ‘You only have to
look at her
. I used to think your pal Gocaman was a psycho. Now I’ve met Kate, I know what a
real one looks like.’

‘You’re a talented whelp, you really are. You’ve got instincts, I respect that, but you don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s more
to it than Kate’s personality.’

‘Yeah, right. Sure there is.’ Jed picked up Rory, but hesitated. ‘Tell me one thing. Why didn’t she just take him? She could have taken him any
time.’

‘Ah, no. No, she couldn’t, not if she wanted her blessed prophecy fulfilled. She wanted it done right, and his parents had to abandon him, of their own free
will.’ Seth smiled coldly. ‘Well, I did. And his mother would have done, long ago, if not for you. You were quite an obstacle for them, Cuilean. Take a little comfort from that if you
like.’ Under his breath he added, ‘I do.’

Jed shook his head and turned away. ‘Bye, Seth.’

From the corner of his eye he saw the man’s hand move towards them, but at the last instant Seth clenched his fist and drew his hand back to his side. Jed didn’t
look back, but he could feel Seth’s stare between his shoulder blades, and he felt it long after they were out of his sight.

If there was any uneasiness in Finn’s soul, it was balanced by her livening instincts. She’d known as soon as she was tugged through the
watergate that she belonged in this world, and she’d known by some ancestral memory how to free herself from a hungry kelpie. Her mother had become more real to her here than she was at
Tornashee, albeit a mother in dreams. And the knife Eili had given her that first night should have felt awkward and strange; instead it had felt like an extension of her hand, and one that she
could have used—

Though against whom, she couldn’t remember.

Now it was Kate’s stronghold that was rapidly growing familiar. The labyrinth might be contorted, but it felt warm and secure and like home, as if the tunnels had been
dug a long time ago through ancient ground where she’d first taken root. Kate had taken her in with no questions asked, she had welcomed her into her inner circle, she listened to her and
talked to her and—

Answered questions.

Finn rubbed her temple and paused to steady herself on the stone archway. The morning fuzziness – if it was morning; she wasn’t sure – had verged on a
headache for about an hour, and she was inclined to blame it on what she’d remembered. She was used to the truth now, that was all, and an unanswered question would fester, now that she
recalled it.

‘Kate?’

The woman looked round, smiling, dismissing a disgruntled captain with an idle wave. ‘Fionnuala. Come in; we’re finished for now. Is something
wrong?’

The candle flames in this chamber didn’t glow that unearthly silver they did in the great hall, but a subdued gold that sparked off precious stones and made silk and
velvet glow with inner light. God, Kate’s home was beautiful.

‘Wrong? Hardly,’ said Finn dryly. ‘No, I had a—I remembered I wanted to ask you something.’

‘You can ask me anything I know the answer to. Let’s get those nagging questions out of the way.’ Kate tutted, and murmured, ‘I don’t know what
your mother’s been thinking.’

‘So,’ Finn lowered her voice. ‘Kate, what’s a fetch?’

‘A fetch?’ Kate frowned. ‘It’s a doppelganger. Do you know what that is?’

‘Someone’s double. Yes?’

‘Yes. But a phantom double. Why do you ask?’

Finn hesitated, but the thick heaviness was back in her head and she wanted rid of it. ‘I saw one. In the forest. It looked like Conal.’

Kate took a step back. ‘You saw Cù Chaorach’s
fetch
?’

‘That’s what he said it was.’

‘You told him? You
told him
you’d seen his fetch?’

‘Yes. I didn’t know what it was.’ She was sorry she’d asked, now. ‘He seemed upset.’

‘I’m not surprised.’

‘What?’

‘Oh, the silly man, he loves to fight.’ Kate laughed. ‘You don’t have to worry any more, Finn.’

‘Meaning what? Is it bad?’

‘Oh, my dear young woman.’ Kate took her face in her hands. ‘It’s the best news I’ve had in weeks. A fetch is the best of all possible omens. It
means Conal is coming to a crossroads in his life, and I suspect that bodes well for peace talks.’

‘Peace talks.’

‘Yes. Because you’re right, of course, and we can’t go on like this. We’re Sithe and we shouldn’t fight one another; there aren’t enough of
us as it is. You’ve made my morning.’

‘Well. Good.’

Kate’s ivory-pale arm rested gently on her shoulders again. The coolness of her touch at least made Finn’s head feel lighter, and she found herself leaning into
the queen, and hoping vaguely that she wouldn’t be offended.

‘Oh, Finn thank you for this. Now there are things I have to do, but we shall talk later. We have so much to talk about, you and I.’

Jed hesitated where the passageway opened out to the green pillared space. It was vast, beautiful, ringing with laughter and music. Still, Jed found himself
nostalgic for the bare austerity of Kilchoran.

Kate was draped elegantly across a chaise, laughing at something Laszlo had said. His head was bent close to hers, his fingers resting confidently on her thigh. Finn sat
cross-legged on a cushion, watching two women play chess and concentrating on the board. One of the players, small and almost scarlet-haired, caught Finn’s eye, and a look of conspiracy
passed between them before she moved her knight.

‘Hey, Gealach, cut it out!’ laughed her opponent. ‘I can’t play two of you.’

Two men strode into the hall, both in combat trousers, khaki shirts and mud-spattered jerseys, swords on their backs and bows in their hands. The scarlet-haired woman,
forgetting her chess match, leaped to her feet and flung herself at one of them with a shriek of delight. As she clung onto him, legs and arms wrapped round his torso, he dropped his bow to grab
her, laughing.

The other swordsman, heavier-built, head close-shaved, and wearing a plain gold torque round his neck, did not smile. When Kate held out her hand to him he took it and pressed
it respectfully to his forehead. Drawing back, he exchanged a look with her and with Laszlo.

‘Uncouple yourself, Iolaire, and give us a report.’ Laszlo was all tolerant amusement as Iolaire detached his girlfriend and set her down, kissing her. Watching
from his alcove, Jed shivered for Iolaire. Laszlo’s easy geniality was nothing but a mask, and for all the snide remarks about faeries, it was Iolaire who looked like a real human
being.

Kate wasn’t looking at Iolaire any more, or the other fighters. Her golden eyes had sparked with pleasure. ‘Jed. There you are! Come out from there, dear
one.’

Beside the chessboard Finn stood up, smiling a rather awkward greeting. The small group around the chaise turned to look at him in surprise, and the hall fell
silent.

Reluctantly Jed eased out from his archway.

‘Oh, don’t look so cowed. I’ve been waiting for you. It’s time for you to go home, that’s all.’

Jed swallowed, frowned, forced himself to walk forward.

‘Me and Rory, you mean.’

‘Oh please, don’t tell me what I mean. I can’t bear that.’ Kate lifted her copper hair with one hand and tossed it back over her shoulder.
‘Heaven’s sake, boy. That was a joke!’ She stood and came down to him as the three fighters behind her exchanged glances.

‘Yes, but—’

‘You must be longing to get home.’ Gently she stroked his cheekbone, smiling. ‘But Rory? By no means.’

He jerked away from her touch, clutching Rory. ‘Hang on, you—’

‘Now, Jed.’ She took Rory carefully from arms that were suddenly too weak to keep their hold, passing the boy to Iolaire. ‘You’d give this child back
to barbarians. Killers. Would that be in his best interests?’

‘I wouldn’t go near them!’ Panic rose in his throat.

‘Yes, you would. Don’t be disingenuous, dear.’

‘I don’t trust them. I don’t trust any of you. I’d take him
home
.’

‘Don’t be silly. He is home.’

Jed stared up into the face of the swordsman Iolaire, who had looked so human. He had sea-blue eyes, and curling dark brown hair, and a gold ring soldered into his earlobe. He
had small scars on his left cheekbone and temple, a mouth with creases where he smiled a lot, a tiny thistle tattoo on his collarbone. He did look human. He looked unhappy, too, and sympathetic,
but he held the child firmly out of Jed’s reach.

‘You can’t do this!’ yelled Jed.

‘No, Cuilean. It’s you that can’t do as you please.’ The second swordsman stepped forward, blocking his view of Iolaire, and seized Jed’s arm.
Staring down at him, the man rubbed the palm of his hand distractedly across his shaved head. ‘Would you give your brother to them? What kind of people do you think they are? Cù
Chaorach’s woman killed mine, boy.’

Breathlessly Jed fought back panic as he wrestled his arm out of the man’s grip. ‘In a fair fight, I bet.’

‘A fair fight, yes, and one that had no reason to happen in the first place. Bandits.’ The swordsman spat. ‘Killers.’

‘All right, Cluaran. Hush, now. There’s no argument.’ Kate touched the man’s arm.

‘I only want to take him home!’ Jed screamed.

‘That’s enough, Jed. Leave now, and one day you’ll see Rory again.’ Kate nodded to Cluaran, who grasped Jed’s arm again. ‘Give him a horse,
Cluaran. A good horse, one that’ll take him where he wants to go.’ Her lips curled in a smile. ‘He mustn’t walk all that way.’

‘Kate, please let him stay.’ Finn pushed forward, almost knocking Cluaran over.

‘No, Finn,’ said Kate. ‘Jed’s unhappy here. He can’t stay if he isn’t happy.’

Jed was breathing hard through his nose. ‘I’m going. Don’t worry.’ He looked again at Rory, sleepy and puzzled in Iolaire’s arms. His heart was
in shards, but he had no choice.