Bloodstone (33 page)

Finn grabbed his elbow. ‘Jed – ’

‘Forget it, Finn.’ He flung her off. ‘I’ll be back.’

Kate shook her head, smiling at him slightly.
~ Oh no, Cuilean. No you won’t.

He shot her a look of pure hatred before jerking his arm out of Cluaran’s grasp and marching ahead of him to the great archway at the entrance to the hall.

Finn was at his heels, running to keep up. ‘Jed,’ she begged in a low voice. ‘Please. She’ll let you stay if you ask to stay. Please.’

He couldn’t believe he was walking out of here without Rory, after all that had happened. He couldn’t believe Finn was on Kate’s side. And he could barely
believe it, but he didn’t actually care what Finn thought any more.

‘Look, Seth’s one of us and he doesn’t think she’s all bad. He’s in love with her.’

‘Why can’t you see things right?’ Jed shook his head, staring at her. ‘Seth
hates her
.’

Finn looked away, absolute confusion in her eyes. Jed had the feeling she was looking around for Seth, but he was nowhere in sight. Trust him, thought Jed bitterly: well out
of the way of a confrontation. Maybe his conscience couldn’t take it. If he had one.

Grabbing Jed’s arm again, Finn nodded towards Cluaran. ‘You think they can all be wrong? You think he’s wrong?’ she hissed. ‘Eili killed his
lover. They didn’t start this war, Jed. Conal did. I love Conal but maybe he’s just wrong, okay?’

‘You forget fast.’

‘And you’re so pigheaded,’ she snapped back. ‘He got my dad killed, didn’t he? Why do people have to die for Conal’s
beliefs?’

‘Yeah. Nothing’s worth dying for. That what you think?’

‘There’s nothing worth killing for, that’s what I know.’ She glared at him.

‘Anything worth living for, Finn?’

Her fists clenched and her face hardened. The silver light in her eyes was very cold. ‘Think about Rory, Jed.’

He paled. ‘Don’t ever try that line on me again.’ Turning on his heel he hesitated, his voice trembling. ‘Look after him, all right?’

‘We’ll all do that,’ said Cluaran.

Jed gave him a contemptuous look, then went on before him towards the daylight. He didn’t look at Finn again.

The sun was blinding as he stepped from the passageway, and only then did he realise how cold and encircling was the darkness in Kate’s stronghold. No windows. Just like
Kate, he thought suddenly. No windows, nothing but darkness, nothing to see. The lights are on but...

A chill shivered through him. Nothing behind her eyes, nothing between her eyes and her brain.
No soul.

A movement to his left caught his eye. Thin, half-translucent, and stripped to the waist, the Lammyr basked on a huge mossy boulder, absorbing sunlight like a pale lizard.
Despite the brilliance of the overhead sun it cast no shadow, as if its flesh was too pale and insubstantial.

Cluaran recoiled, his face twisting with disgust, but it ignored the man, curling upright at the sight of Jed like a slug eyeing a glassful of salt. Its pallid fingers
clutched the stem of a wineglass and as Jed stared, repulsed, it took a drink, eyes fixed on him. Jed could see the shadow of the dark red wine slipping down its throat, the stretched muscles
working beneath the skin. It set down the glass and grinned, and then it spoke.

It was the voice of authority, the firm and steady voice of a police officer. It was gruff, reassuring, and completely alien coming from those thin yellow lips. Jed felt for a
horrible moment he was back at the Fairy Loch, the water freezing, weed-clammy, ready to swallow him.

‘
Come on, laddie, it’s not worth it
.’ The Lammyr grinned. ‘
Calm down now. We want to help. We want to help you and the
baby
.’

Jed swallowed hard, wanting to be sick. ‘You killed my mother,’ he whispered.

‘Ingrate.’ The voice had changed altogether. It was like the rattle of bones but it was recognisably human, and he’d heard it before. It was the voice of his
mother’s dealer. ‘The killing of her was the making of you. And it wasn’t as easy as it looked.’

‘Good.’ Jed’s mouth twisted. Despite the bile in his throat and the horror in his heart, he took an impulsive step towards Skinshanks.

Cluaran’s hand fell on his shoulder and held him back. ‘Don’t. That’s what it wants.’

‘Ach, Cluaran. Don’t be such an old woman.’ Skinshanks drank again, Jed watching the wine go down with a horrible fascination. ‘I like the boy. I like
him a lot. I wish I’d had more time with you, Cuilean. See you again, hm?’

Cluaran growled threateningly and pulled Jed on, more gently this time. In the copse beyond the archway horses stood tethered, and Cluaran brought forward a bay mare with soft
silver-pricked eyes. ‘She’s a good girl, this one. She’ll take you where you choose to go. But listen, if I meet you again it’ll be as if I’ve never met you. Do you
understand?’

Jed nodded silently, taking the bay’s reins, unable to speak.

‘Don’t be afraid of her, Cuilean. She’s a horse, not a water demon.’ He gave Jed a swift boost onto the mare’s back. ‘All you have to do is
hold on. Now go. And remember what I said.’

He slapped the mare’s rump and she shook her head and moved off in an easy trot. She wasn’t a difficult ride. She guided herself through the forest while Jed held
the reins like someone in a trance, not seeing the green and golden light, not hearing the birdsong or smelling the resin of the pines, not even looking back until the mare paused, snorting, at the
foot of the hill, where the trees gave way to the moor where he’d run into Laszlo. That seemed like a century ago.

The low winter sun was lovely on the wind-cropped heather, and the mare’s nostrils flared with delight at the long uncluttered stretch of land. Coming to himself, Jed
looked briefly to the east and then towards the north west, silently trying to get his bearings after the timeless, directionless darkness of the caverns. Briefly he flailed with his mind,
searching, but the effort felt clumsy and amateurish, and besides, he felt as if he’d never connect with another human being as long as he lived.

The mare turned her head to look back at him, silver light sparking in her gentle dark eyes.

‘You’re not a dumb animal,’ Jed told the mare, past the choking misery in his throat. ‘You know where I want to go.’

Her ears flickered back and she watched him for a moment, blowing softly. Then she trotted forward again and broke into an easy, rhythmic canter before Jed had time to be
scared.

‘Oh, he can have
that
one back.’ Kate smiled at Laszlo. ‘I think you’ll find it’s worth it.’

The horses in the stabling cave moved restlessly, anticipating fresh air and action, silver sparks in their eyes. The twelve fastest were saddled and bridled, four of the
riders already mounted. Laszlo’s hand was on his chestnut’s neck, caressing its twitching muscles, but the other hand laced into Kate’s hair, turning her face to him for a long
kiss.

Wish Seth could see that
, thought Finn viciously.

She crouched in the corner of the feed store, nibbling her cuticles, waiting for them to go. Till an hour ago she’d planned to ask permission to go hunting; she was
starting to miss the sky. Since Jed’s enforced departure, she’d lost the urge.

Not in the mood for company, she’d cloaked her mind in the blackest block she could conjure. Not that she couldn’t see Kate’s point; it made complete sense
that Jed had to leave. It was only that questions had started to fog her mind again and she hated it, hated it. Damn Jed. He’d whacked her new certainties with a dirty great bludgeon, that
was all, and she needed a little time alone to get her balance back.

And Kate’s mood was so star-bright and bouncy, she didn’t think she could bear it.

Please go away...

They didn’t. Too busy flirting.

‘I don’t see the point,’ grumbled Laszlo. ‘I thought the whole idea was to break him.’

Huh
, thought Finn, glad that Kate was there to restrain the big thug.
Good luck breaking Jed the Ned, pal.

‘We will. Him, and Finn’s traitor mother.’ Kate slipped her arms round Laszlo’s waist. ‘Hardly needs Jed to do that.’

Finn frowned. Wiggled a finger in her ear to clear it.

‘Would’ve been better to kill the boy, though.’

‘You’re so crude,’ complained Kate.

‘Hasn’t bothered you before now.’ A big grin in his voice.

She slapped his stomach playfully. ‘You don’t kill a man’s soul with a blade or a bullet, you hopeless full-mortal. You do it with love.’

‘That’s why the girl’s still breathing, then?’

Not now, she wasn’t. Finn was very still in the darkness and shadow.

‘She will be as long as he is, dear. She won’t stop breathing till Cù Chaorach does.’

‘A dozen men and Skinshanks. That ought to do it.’ Kate and Laszlo had moved on into the main stabling cave so that Laszlo could mount. Finn had shut her eyes, but the stupidity of that was too much. She opened them, focused
on the slit of silver candlelight beyond the door of the feed store, and the dark block in her mind. Keep it there. Keep it there. Keep it there or die.

‘What shall I bring you?’ Laszlo had laughter in his voice.

‘Hmm. Let me see.’ Kate tutted softly, as if she was thinking hard. ‘A deer and a fox and a boar. As for the rest: feed the birds.’

‘That’ll be my pleasure.’ He kissed her again. ‘More my pleasure than you can imagine.’

‘Don’t be sure of that, my love. Happy hunting.’

In a dull clatter of hooves, the hunting party moved towards the tunnel that would take them out to the hillside. As the hoofbeats picked up speed they echoed and faded, till
only silence and a breath of wind filtered in from the outside world.

If Finn could have pushed herself back through the stone wall behind her, she would. As it was she crouched, very still, letting breath barely stir in and out of her lungs.
Kate had paused to murmur to her favourite mare, but at last the silk of her dress whispered as she turned, and Finn smelt her hazelnut scent. Her shoes clicked lightly on stone, and faded past her
hiding place, and then Finn did close her eyes, because the wave of happiness threatened to drown her.

It was seeping from Kate, but it was overwhelming Finn. For a moment the queen’s contentment and delight were hers, familiar and powerful. Finn ground her teeth, bit
hard on the inside of her lip. Useless.

Clutching at her throat, she seized the empty raven’s claw.
Faramach
, she thought:
why did he leave me?

Because I left everyone else...

She jerked the slender chain hard to snap it, and the claw fell into her hand. Finn tightened her fist, piercing her flesh with the jagged points of silver.

It hurt beautifully, so she pressed her other hand to it and forced it deeper. She couldn’t help gasping as the talons plunged deeper into her palm. For only a fraction
of a second she thought the pain might make her faint; then her vision focused, and her misty befuddled mind was as clear and sharp as the silver points of pain.

She stumbled out of the feed store, and ran.

She found Seth far sooner than she’d expected; halfway down a narrow passageway, an arm shot out and grabbed hers.

‘Ow!’ she yelled.