by Linsey Hall
“Jerk!” I called, but couldn’t help my grin.
He made some kind of strange wheezing sound that I took to be a laugh.
By the time I turned back around, Stan was stepping off the bridge onto the other side. My muscles turned to jelly as the adrenaline faded.
“Give me demons any day.” I maneuvered my mount to join Lachlan, who was ahead of me by about a dozen feet.
“Which way?” he asked.
I studied the terrain ahead of us. More field, as before, but there was a dark speck in the distance. A forest? I pointed toward it. “That way.”
Lachlan nodded and gave his horse a nudge. She picked up the pace and my horse followed suit.
As we neared the spot that I’d spied earlier, I realized it wasn’t a forest. “It’s giant hedges.” I squinted at them, noticing a dark gap right in the middle. “With an entrance. The black stain cuts right through it.”
Muffin appeared at my side, galloping along to keep up with Stan. It’s a maze shaped like a Celtic knot.
I looked down at him. “How do you know that?”
He shot me an incredulous look. Cat Sìth, remember? These are my stomping grounds.
“Do you know the way through the maze?”
I haven’t stomped that way before. He disappeared, as if he didn’t want to hear my laughter.
We slowed our mounts as we neared the hedges. Stan went right through the entrance of the maze, confident as you please, then stopped dead.
I sighed. Too good to be true that my horse would know the way. And the black stain cut right through the maze, going into the hedges. It hadn’t burned the wall of foliage away, though, so if we wanted to make it through, we had to do it the old-fashioned way.
There were four options for our forward progress, and my druid sense didn’t immediately ignite.
I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath, calling upon my magic from deep within me. It glowed faintly. I used Lachlan’s trick of thinking about why I needed this magic.
It flared to life within me, bright and strong. I gripped the reins to steady myself and called it forward. Power swelled within my chest, ready to break free.
My arms began to burn, the tattoos dampening my magic.
I winced. Fates, this sucked.
But I got a faint idea of which way to go. The same vague sense that I’d gotten before we’d entered the maze. It pulled left. I turned toward the two paths on the left, catching sight of two spectral white wolves standing at the end of one path.
They were as tall as my waist when I was standing, each with a shaggy coat and glowing eyes.
Muffin appeared next to me, hissing. The Cŵn Annwn.
“What are they?” My magic—what little I could feel of it, with the tattoo interfering—tugged me toward them.
The spectral hours of Annwn, the Welch Celtic Otherworld.
“I’m going to follow them.”
Muffin hissed again but didn’t disagree.
“This way.” I nudged Stan so that he’d follow the hounds. Lachlan’s horse fell into step behind me, and we started deeper into the maze. The walls rose tall on either side of us, soaring thirty feet overhead. The foliage was thick and green, creating an impenetrable wall. Even the sun was blocked from in here, making it increasingly difficult to navigate.
The hounds led us through the maze, racing ahead on swift paws. Occasionally, I’d spot the stain on the ground as it cut through the maze. As long as I occasionally saw that, I knew we were going the right way.
When we entered a clearing, Stan halted. I nearly flew over his head, saving myself at the last minute by tightening my legs around him and gripping the saddle’s pommel.
In the middle of the clearing, a woman sat at a well. She wore a long green dress embroidered with golden thread. The same thread had been woven through her red hair, making it glint like gold. Her magic rolled toward me, strong and fierce. It poked inside my mind. I winced, trying to shut off my thoughts.
Lachlan stopped next to me, his horse pawing the ground apprehensively.
The woman looked up, her blue eyes shining in the low light of the clearing. “Ah, Warrior Druid. Here at last.”
I nudged Stan, and he approached with a slow gait.
I looked between her and the well upon which she sat. It was a simple stone affair, but the water within beckoned to me. I could just imagine it, fresh and pure.
“I’m Ana Blackwood.” I inclined my head.
“I am Cebhfhionn, and I preside over the Well of Knowledge.”
That’s why the well called to me so much. I dragged my gaze from it and looked at her. “You’re a goddess.”
“One of many. My gifts are healing, knowledge, and a bit of power over the mind.”
Would I get any of those? I didn’t know how to politely ask if she was one of the goddesses who would donate a bit of her magic to me. As I understood it from Bree, some Norse gods had agreed to give her a bit of their gifts, and others hadn’t.
I decided to just spit it out. “I’m trying to pass through the maze to get to the sacred grove. Do you have any advice?”
“Straight to the point, then.” She smiled. “You are our chosen one, Ana. But are you worthy of it?”
Oh fates, the million-dollar question. “I’m trying to be.”
“Not a bad answer. I’m sure that you can see that I cherish intelligence and cleverness.”
I nodded.
“A riddle, then. And you may drink from the Well of Knowledge. Just a sip. Just enough to help you find your way from this place.”
Oh, hell. Riddles.
“Which rock is as light as a feather?” she asked.
I frowned, my mind spinning. Pumice was a lightweight rock, wasn’t it? But it still wasn’t light as a feather. That would have to be something thin and tiny. A small amount of any rock?
No, she’d never take that. She hadn’t said how much rock is as light as a feather.
I stared at the ground, my gaze catching on the clovers that littered the grass. Understanding pierced me. My head popped up. “A shamrock!”
She smiled and nodded. “Well done.”
The Cŵn Annwn hounds circled the clearing, their eyes on me. Anxious energy seemed to vibrate from them. They didn’t like the goddess. Somehow, I was sure of it.
Cebhfhionn gestured me closer. “Come, I’ll give you a drink from the well.”
I dismounted and approached. Had it really been this easy?
Muffin appeared next to the goddess, hissing at her. He arched his back and glared.
“Muffin! Be polite!”
Don’t be a moron.
I frowned, slowing my approach. Up close, the well seemed to shimmer slightly. I blinked, and it looked solid and normal again.
Cebhfhionn gestured for me to come near, her gaze dropping to the sleeve of my jacket. “You have a stain there. Give it here and I’ll wash it.”
Muffin hissed again. I don’t like this. All is not as it seems.
The well seemed to shimmer. I blinked.
Something was wrong. That riddle had been so easy. And what was up with the well?
“Give it here!” Cebhfhionn made a grabby hand gesture that looked a bit too aggressive for helping me with my clothes.
Back up, moron.
I did as Muffin commanded, walking backward toward Stan.
“Don’t you want your drink from the well?” Cebhfhionn asked. “And your jacket needs tending to.”
“Um, no thanks.” Alarm bells were going off in my head like mad.
Cebhfhionn rose, her brow creased.
I jumped onto Stan’s back as the air around her began to shimmer. She shifted from a red-haired woman into an old crone. The well disappeared, leaving a stream in its place.
The Bean Nighe! Muffin arched his back and hissed.
“The Bean Nighe,” Lachlan said, as if he’d heard the cat, though he couldn’t have. He nudged his mount into a trot. “Come on.”
The hair on my
arms stood on end as the old woman glared at me with dark eyes. “You’ll regret this!”
“I don’t know what this is, but I’m not regretting it.” I directed my horse around her, and Stan jumped over the stream with ease.
Muffin joined me, trotting at my side. She washes the clothes of those about to die.
I turned back to look at the woman. “You were trying to kill me by washing my clothes?”
Hatred puckered her face as she stared at me.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Dullahan!” she shrieked. “Come forth!”
Muffin hissed. Oh crap!
“What is it?” I demanded.
Run! Go horse, go! Muffin shrieked at Stan, who picked up speed.
I clung to him, hanging on for dear life. Lachlan’s horse began to gallop, racing through the maze. The spectral hounds kept pace ahead of us, sprinting as fast as their long legs could carry them. Even they seemed frightened.
A galloping sounded from behind us, a horse’s hooves kicking up the ground.
I turned to catch sight of it.
A shadowy, headless man pursued us, riding an enormous black horse. The figure carried his head in his hands. A grin stretched across his face, going from ear to ear.
A chill raced down my spine.
This creature was what the Bean Nighe had called for when she’d shrieked “Dullahan”.
The Dullahan leaned forward on its mount and spurred it on, charging after us.
Go! Muffin meowed. You can’t defeat the Dullahan. He just needs to touch you to kill. There’s no fighting back.
Oh, hell.
My heart thundered as Stan galloped away from the Dullahan, sprinting through the maze. I bounced like I was riding a mechanical bull, barely managing to hold on.
Ahead of me, Lachlan rode like a freaking equestrian. As if he’d been born in a saddle. Stan followed the Cŵn Annwn, turning left and right and looping back around the curves of the knot.
Around me, the hedges began to shift, magic swelling. Faces appeared, but we went so fast that I could hardly make out details.
“Get to the water,” they whispered. Branches pointed like arms.
Stan neighed, charging onward.
We burst from the maze, out into an open field. Stan bucked, then darted forward so fast that I lost my seat, tumbling off. A curse sounded from up ahead as I slammed into the ground, pain shooting through me.
Lachlan had fallen off, too.
The horses had ditched us.
4
They’d taken us as far as they could, and now they were getting the heck out of Dodge, the Dullahan scaring them off.
I scrambled to my feet and whirled around.
The Dullahan burst out of the hedges, headed straight for us. The Cats of Catastrophe chased him, heads low and strides determined. Princess Snowflake III leapt, her white fur whipping in the wind, and landed on the horse’s haunches, digging in with her claws.
The horse neighed and bucked, buying us precious seconds.
I turned back to Lachlan, who’d already shifted into his black lion form. His black fur glinted in the sunlight, and he roared.
The message was clear. I sprinted toward him, then leaped onto his back and clung tightly to his mane. He took off, racing across the grass, away from the Dullahan.
My heart thundered, deafening, and I crouched low, the wind whipping at my hair, as Lachlan charged away. In the distance, a river snaked through the field.
Get to the water. That was what the spirits in the hedges had said.
Lachlan raced for the river, leaping over rocks and shrubs. The Cats of Catastrophe joined us, sprinting alongside.
“We need to cross!” I screamed.
He veered for the thinnest part of the river, crouching low and leaping over in one smooth glide. He landed on the other side with a hard thud. The cats followed, jumping unnaturally far. I turned, heart in my throat.
The Dullahan had skidded to a stop, a grimace stretched across the head that he carried in his arms. Magic swirled in the river, sparkling and bright.
A massive black stallion leapt out of the glittering water. The horse charged the Dullahan, whose own mount gave a terrified shriek and whirled on its hind legs, spinning and racing back toward the maze.
The black stallion gave chase, galloping after the Dullahan.
Panting, I sagged on Lachlan’s back. “What the heck was that?”
Muffin meowed. Kelpie. A water spirit.
“And the natural enemy of the Dullahan, it seems.” I climbed off Lachlan’s back.
He shifted back to human and scrubbed his hand over his face. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure I’d get us out of that.”
My heart was still slowing from the adrenaline. My muscles felt like pudding. Without him, I wouldn’t have stood a chance at outrunning the Dullahan. “But you did. Thanks.”
The sound of galloping hooves sounded from behind, and I turned, heart leaping into my throat.
The Kelpie cantered toward us, his black coat gleaming in the light. He slowed as he neared. A sparkling green light swirled around him, and he shifted into the form of a young man with dark eyes. His long hair was threaded with water weeds, and he was as pale as a lifelong IT specialist.
Princess Snowflake III sauntered up to him, inspecting him. Bojangles followed, along with Muffin.
Did he smell like fish?
I sniffed subtly, but only got a whiff of the scent of a fresh river.
“Thank you for driving off the Dullahan,” Lachlan said.
“Is there anything we can do for you?” I asked. It was good form to return kindness with kindness, after all. And I could use all the allies I could get in this crazy realm.
The Kelpie inspected us. Well, me, mostly. His gaze traveled over me as if I were a workhorse he was thinking of buying. Then he nodded, seeming to have made up his mind.
“You must stop the invaders,” he said. “The old tales say that one such as you will stop a force that poisons Otherworld. Do this, and I am repaid.”
“There are tales about me?”
“Aye, if you are who I think you are. But you must succeed. Otherworld depends on you.”
“Who is invading?” I pointed to the black scar on the land that we were following. It had come out of the maze along with us.
“I didn’t see them. I was underwater and the Dullahan approved of their presence, so he didn’t gallop after them and wake me. But I felt something, even underneath my river. A darkness. You’ll have to be strong and cunning to defeat them, for they possess immense strength.”
I nodded. “I’ll do it.”
“Go, then. And if you meet the fae, do not partake of the food in their realm or you may never escape.” With that, he turned and walked off.
The cats looked at him longingly but didn’t chase after.
My druid sense pulled me away from the river, so I turned and set off. Lachlan joined me, and we walked in silence. Thoughts raced through my mind. Who was invading Otherworld? What did they want?
Muffin meowed. Are we there yet?
I glanced down at him. “I have no idea, but you sound like a kid in the back of a minivan.”
I wouldn’t turn down a Happy Meal.
“Or a bite of the Kelpie?”
He looked tasty. Yummy fishy horse man. He started to purr. But really, how far are we?
“I don’t know. My druid sense is pulling me along, but it’s vague.” I rubbed my arms, disliking the new tattoos. The premonition magic had already been wonky, but these made it even harder to use.
Fortunately, I liked a challenge.
As long as it didn’t kill me.
And Otherworld seemed determined to kill me.
We walked for over an hour before the terrain changed, going from rolling green field to forest. Oak trees loomed around us, shading us from the midday sun. The black scar on the land cut through the forest, forming a path that we followed.
We were about a
quarter mile into the forest when Lachlan grabbed my arm. I stopped abruptly.
Lachlan pointed ahead.
I squinted through the forest, barely catching sight of a flash of white. I leaned left to peer around some trees and spotted it. “There are ruins there.”
“Aye.”
We crept forward on silent feet, alert and wary. The black streak that scarred the land cut straight toward the white marble ruins. If our target had stopped here, it would be a great place from which to launch an attack. There was plenty of cover.
I drew a dagger from the ether. Even the cats slunk along, their backs low to the ground as they prowled.
As we neared, I caught the smell of water. The white structure was larger than I expected, and they weren’t ruins at all. The white marble pillars had made me think they were, since that was how places like this normally appeared on earth.
But it was in great shape.
The pillars and low walls surrounded a central pool that was filled with milky blue water. The stain crept into the pool, dyeing part of it black. Heavy magic hung on the air, something powerful and dangerous. It made my skin crawl and heart race.
Lachlan and I ducked behind a tree and peered at the pillars that could hide enemies. The cats crouched next to us, ready to pounce.
“Those are baths,” I whispered. “Like the Roman baths, or the one at Pompeii. But they’re here.”
“It can’t be a coincidence,” Lachlan said.
“No, it can’t. The Celts and the Romans had been linked for centuries. Two great cultures at war.” The quick search I’d done on the Celts hadn’t provided much research, but a few sources had made a big deal about the Romans. “Their religions even mixed in some areas. After years of living together and fighting, they shared aspects of culture. Especially in England.”
“Like the Roman baths in Bath,” Lachlan said.
“Exactly.”
I shivered. So, this probably wasn’t a coincidence, but I wasn’t sure exactly what it meant.
A light flashed, golden and bright, and a figure appeared by the pool. She wore long white robes and glowed like a beacon.
There was something familiar about her. Like I’d seen her before. I didn’t recognize her serene features, but her magic…
