by Amy Miles
At the base of the falls, I saw two massive-looking men dressed in warrior leather come towards me. They had marks like Taryn’s covering their limbs and carried the same type of weapons I’d seen Aed use.
I took off back down the cliff I had just climbed, tripping over myself as I did. If there were reapers there, the veil couldn’t be far behind. While I knew they could see me, I couldn’t let on I could see them. I tried my hardest not to look at them when I fumbled to the bottom. I dug out my mobile to force my attention elsewhere until they passed me.
“They can’t put those things down, can they?” one of the Reapers said as they came closer.
“He’s gonna get himself killed if he doesn’t pay attention to his footing. He’ll walk himself right into the water,” said the other.
“Well, if he does, it won’t be our job to ferry his sorry soul.”
The other reaper laughed, and then they passed by me, talking to each other as though I hadn’t been able to hear a thing. That was for the best. If they had any idea I could see them, I don’t doubt they would pull a weapon on me. While I was good with my fists, they seemed the sort to stab first and ask questions later.
Once they disappeared farther into the woods, I spun around where they had been. I somehow imagined there would be a clear sign of the veil. Like it would magically become visible now that I was able to see banshees. All that greeted me was the same similar river that disappeared over the edge of the cliff. There was no portal-looking circle like you saw in movies. Nor was there any smoke-lined curtain I’d always imagined it would be. It looked as it always did.
“Bugger.”
That’s when a banshee appeared from nowhere. One second it was a normal river scene. The next, there was a banshee walking along the riverbank. She glanced down at a slip of paper, and then looked around as though to gather her bearings. Ignoring me, she headed off in the opposite direction.
The veil.
Rushing, I went to the exact spot where she had appeared but nothing happened. I walked around in circles where she had emerged, thinking I must have missed it somehow. Desperate, I tried going in the river. My feet got drenched as I splashed through the knee-deep waters.
“Let me through!” I shouted at the air, punching at it wildly as though I’d hit something that would trigger an entrance point.
“You humans are so funny. Always thinkin’ with your fists instead of your head.” A voice came from somewhere in front of me.
A moment later a girl, emerged from out of nothingness on the dry land beside me. She stood in front of me, frowning.
“Tris?” I stared at her for a few seconds as though to make sure she was real and not wishful thinking on my part. “How did you? Where did you—”
She smiled and put her hands on her thin hips, which made the cloak she was wearing part in the middle.
“I came through the veil, ya daft fool.” She gave me a curious look. “What in the bloody hell are ya doin’ out in the middle of the woods at this early hour?”
“I was just…” I couldn’t finish my sentence. I was too stunned she was here.
“Oh, Devlin, you weren’t lookin’ for the veil, were ya?” The quick glance I gave her confirmed I had been. “Get out of the water, you daft fool.”
Obeying, I pulled myself onto the bank. She was still frowning at me.
“I told Seamus ya couldn’t cross it. Not without a guide from our world. That’s what keeps us safe from you lot.”
“I had to find Taryn. I had to make sure she was safe.”
At that, Tris’s face brightened. “That’s what I’ve risked life and limb to come to tell ya. Taryn was pardoned by the king!”
My heart began to pound with relief. “Pardoned? How? Why?” Not that I was complaining, but Prince Aed had made her death seem imminent.
“Aye. It’s a long story and a dreadful one at that. When Aed and I returned after droppin’ Seamus off, the king had already had Taryn dragged out for a public beheading.” She looked over her shoulder and then tugged me aside by a large boulder to speak away from prying eyes. “I’d never seen the likes of it before, Devlin. Everyone in the village came to watch her head roll. Even those who believed her to be innocent.” Tris shook her head. “I think they wanted to see it happen. Beheadings are rare, ya see, so people were morbidly curious.” She shivered. “It was barbaric to see so many people want to see her die.” Tris rubbed her own neck.
“So why did he pardon her then if the entire town wanted to see it done?”
Tris smiled. “Because the king didn’t have a choice in the matter. He had to pardon her after Aed announced he was takin’ Taryn as his bride.”
“His bride?” My hands curled into fists. “No. She would never agree to marry Aed.”
Tris’s hand touched my arm. “Devlin, she had to say yes. It was the only way to save her kin. The king was goin’ to send them over the Wall into Hollow Earth. Ain’t a soul able to survive that place for long. That’s where they cage the lorcan. Marrying the prince meant their lives were spared.”
“The king would have fed Taryn’s parents to the lorcan because she held a blade to his son’s neck?”
Tris nodded. “The king is a cruel man, Devlin. Taryn disobeyed a direct edict that no citizen should threaten the royal family. He wanted to make an example out of her.”
“So, she agreed to marry a man she doesn’t love?” I shouted. “And you don’t think Aed had anything to do with that plan?” I was fuming. Aed didn’t love her. He only wanted to keep her away from me. He was jealous of our connection.
Tris looked up at me with worried eyes. I knew I was yelling, but there was no one around for miles to hear me. Well, no humans, that is.
“Hold your tongue, Devlin. There are gossipy banshees about and reapers who would rip your head off if they heard ya speak ill of their prince. Human or not.”
That cooled my rage for a moment while Tris went on.
“I’m sure she would have turned the prince down if it were her own life on the line, but she had to think of them.” She watched my reaction as I took it all in. I considered what she was saying. Could I blame her for making the choice to protect her family? If mine, Ma’s, or Da’s lives were in the same position, there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do to get them out of it.
“Don’t take it personally, Devlin. Royals don’t get the luxury of marryin’ for love. They marry for good standin’ and money. Two things Taryn doesn’t have. You can imagine neither the king, nor queen, are too happy about that arrangement.”
“When?” I croaked. “When is she marrying him?” My jaw hardened thinking about Aed’s hands on Taryn. I had to close my eyes to push away the thoughts.
“Oh, I suspect it won’t be for months, yet. They’re still on the Grand Tour,” she said as though that explained everything. When I gave her nothing but a blank stare indicating I had no idea what a Grand Tour was, she went on. “Well, Aed marryin’ a commoner is not high on the royals’ wish list. The queen insisted that Prince Aed consider other candidates. I’m sure she’s convinced herself that once Aed meets the other, more qualified and richer princesses, he’ll see the light and dump Taryn like a sack of rotten potatoes.”
“And would he?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“No!” She tilted her head to the side. “At least, I dunna think so…”
“So, she’s not safe at all!” I shouted. My voice bounced off the rocks around the river. “When his attention wavers and he leaves Taryn in the dust, she’ll be right back where she started. With her head on the chopping block.”
“Aye, it would…but that’s not goin’ to happen,” Tris said after a moment. “Aed isn’t stupid. He knows when he’s bein’ controlled by his parents. He will snub his nose at anyone they pick for him. He’ll choose Taryn out of spite. He’s likely only goin’ along with the tour because they’ve given him no choice in the matter.” Tris’s eyes closed and she smiled. “She is so lucky. She gets to wear such lovely
gowns. I’d give anythin’ to trade places with her right now.”
“Oh, really?” I asked. “You’d rather be with that womanizing prince than with Seamus?”
That knocked the smile off her face.
“Of course not. That’s not what I said at all.” Her voice was soft. Her eyes fell to her feet.
“Well, while you’ve been in Netherworld thinking about playing dress-up, Seamus has been here, getting sicker and sicker,” I shouted. I don’t know why I was yelling at her. She wasn’t the person I was mad at; it was that conniving prince who’d gotten under my skin. He was stealing Taryn from me and there was nothing I could do about it.
“He’s gotten worse?” Tris asked, her eyes on mine, searching for the truth.
I nodded. “The fever is back. The poison is spreading, Tris. It’s reached his collarbone. That’s why I was trying to find the veil. I needed to find you…or Taryn. He needs your help, Tris. Please, tell me you can help him.”
She opened her cloak and dug around in a small leather satchel. “Aye. I have a wee bit here that can sort out the fever, but, Devlin, if the poison is spreadin’...” Tris swallowed hard. “Take me to him. We haven’t got much time.”
“It’s about a twenty-minute walk this way,” I said, gesturing down the hill.
She raised her arm. “That’s too long. Grab hold of my arm. Where are you now? Give me an exact address.”
I rattled off the address of our flat and took hold of her arm as instructed.
“Are we going to fly there or something?” I asked, half-joking. Suddenly, I was surrounded by fog. It was so thick I couldn’t see my own hand in front of my face. My hold on her arm grew tighter as she moved forward.
“We’re not flyin’. We’re movin’ through space faster than you can go. The ferryman drops us off close to where our assignments are, but it isn’t an exact science, so we have…shortcuts.”
Tris kept tugging on me, so I held on tight, afraid I might lose her if I let go.
“I’ll have you know it was no easy task gettin’ back to Moneyglass,” she yelled at me as we walked. “I had to do my fair sharin’ of bribin’ to get a new assignment card. Salia always loved my bracelets…” She trailed off with a forlorn expression as she rubbed her bare wrists. “I kept gettin’ placed in bloody Belfast, ya see. I’d wager Prince Aed didn’t want me runnin’ back to Seamus, so my assignments were never close enough to check on him.”
“Would you have?” I asked for Seamus’s benefit.
“Aye. In a heartbeat. Blasted Aed kept his word about the guard, though. It took me forever to shake this last one. Had to slip him somethin’ in his water flask so he wouldn’t see me get off here!” The tone of her exasperation was clear.
“Wait.” Something wasn’t making sense. “How did ya know where to find me?” I asked, still unable to see a damn thing.
“I didn’t. I was goin’ to retrace my steps and search for your art studio that Taryn once told me about. I almost had a heart attack when I saw ya from the other side of the veil.”
I was about to ask her a follow-up question when the fog lifted around us and we were a few blocks away from the shop.
“How the…” I spun around, not understanding how we got here so fast. Tris shrugged out of my hold and was walking towards our makeshift flat.
“Oy, wait up!” I shouted, running after her.
“If you’re in such a hurry, why didn’t you drop us off in front of the door?”
Tris glared at me over her shoulder but kept walking.
“It’s not as easy to travel like this as your sci-fi movies would have ya believe. We use water as portal points. For the record, I don’t exactly enjoy arrivin’ in fountains.” She turned up her nose at the wetness of her dress.
“Aye. Good point.”
“Here’s another good point. Humans canna see me, so ya look a wee bit mental talkin’ to yourself and soppin’ wet from the waist down.”
It wouldn’t be the first time someone had seen me talking to myself. I shook my head and caught up with her.
“It’s right up ahead,” I said, pointing towards the door leading upstairs to our flat. The red paint on the door was flaking off, much like the white walls surrounding it, but Tris didn’t seem to care. She made a beeline for the door, leaving me to chase after her.
When I finally caught up, I found Tris kneeling beside Seamus, her hand on his forehead. He was smiling at her, though he was clearly pained.
“Bloody hell, Devlin. Why didn’t ya tell me he was this ill sooner?” She glared at me.
“And how was I supposed to do that, then? It’s not as though I can ring ya up, is it?”
The anger that was on her face washed away and was replaced by the real emotion behind it: worry. And for good reason. Seamus had gotten way worse than when I’d left him this morning.
“Aye. You’re right. If only I would’ve found a way back to you sooner.” She looked at Seamus and pulled her bag over her shoulder to rummage through it.
“Tris? Are you really here?” Seamus’s voice strained as he opened his eyes.
“Shh, it’s okay. I’m here. I’m goin’ to make ya feel better. Do ya understand?”
He caressed the side of her face. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Tris’s eyes glassed over with tears as she allowed Seamus to pull her into a chaste kiss. I had to look away. Not because I was a prude, but because my own heart ached to feel Taryn’s lips on mine again.
“I need clean bandages,” Tris said after she was able to compose herself. “And some boilin’ water.”
Nodding, I went downstairs to break into a new pack of rags. I waited for the kettle in the break room to finish its cycle. Tris was here. She’d make things better for Seamus. She’d help me find Taryn. It was going to be okay.
When I came back with her supplies a few minutes later, Seamus was without his shirt. I noticed his black scars had grown even more. The small veins branching off the larger scars had surpassed the collarbone now and were working their way down his chest.
Tris was hard at work, mashing green herbs with a small mortar and pestle into a paste.
“Pour some of the water in,” she told me, still mashing away her herbs. “Not too much now, just enough to thin it out a bit.”
I did as she instructed and hovered beside her as she mashed.
“Tris, it’s spreading,” I whispered, wondering how much time he had left.
“It’s okay,” Seamus said weakly. “Tris will fix me up. Won’t you, baby?” Seamus was smiling, but his eyes were half-closed. It was clear he was struggling to stay awake for her.
“I will. I will,” she repeated to herself as she worked. Glancing over her shoulder, she whispered to me, “He’ll be needin’ a healthy dose of Palmira herb. I can get it easily enough along our shores, but I’ve given ’im all I’ve got on me. His fever will drop a few degrees, but it canna stop the poison from spreadin’ alone. He needs further herbs and healin’ in Netherworld. I was fearin’ this might happen,” she hissed. “Blasted aftershocks.”
“Aftershocks?” I asked.
Tris nodded as she put the last of the herbs on his shoulder. Seamus winced under the heat of the water but didn’t make any movement away from her touch.
“Our blood is different than yours,” she explained. “We heal faster than you do. Must have somethin’ to do with our longer lifespan. But humans...well, ya are mortal and this poison is quicker to take ya than it is with our lot. I told Prince Aed as much. That he was sendin’ Seamus home too soon, but he didn’t listen.”
“But you’re here now. He’ll be okay. You’ll bring him back, fix him up, and he will be okay, right?”
Tris bit her lip.
“I canna do that.”
“Why not? You did it before.”
“I told ya already. It’s forbidden for your kind to come to Netherworld. Do ya have any idea how much danger I put myself in when Taryn made me bring him back? They would have killed m
e if they found out.”
“Tris, he’ll die if you don’t.” I knelt down beside her as tears streaked down her cheeks.
“I know. I don’t know how to do this, Devlin. I’m not a planner like Taryn is. She figured out the details. She got us through. She sweet-talked the ferryman last time. I’m not her, Devlin. He’ll see right through me. We’ll be caught!”
“So, you’re going to let him die, then?” I spat back. I refused to believe there was nothing we could do.
“Of course not!” She rubbed her temples. “I need time to think.”
“Can you go back to Netherworld and bring him the herbs?”
Tris shook her head. “It’s not the herbs that heal the lorcan poison. They take care of the pain and fever to be sure. Without those, you’ll die of the pain before the poison takes ya down. It’s the air in Netherworld that is the key to riddin’ the poison from yer system. If the fevers can be kept at bay, then the mists from our oceans can repair what the herbs cannot. He needs to exist in Netherworld for several months, Devlin. Months! How can I make that happen?”
“We have to do something, Tris. We have to save him.”
Tris looked down at Seamus and then back at me. I could tell in that moment, a plan was formulating in her mind. “How good are ya at playin’ dead?”
Chapter 6
Aed
“How dare you embarrass me in front of Lord Connor and an entire room of guests?” my mother raged. “The gossips will have more than enough to spread tomorrow about your appalling behavior.”
She’d been going strong for several hours and showed no signs of slowing. Her circular ranting had worn my nerves thin.
“As I have already said several times, my actions with Taryn were noble. Upon noticing that she had disappeared from the ball, I felt it prudent to check on her well-being. Surely even you can’t fault me for being a gentleman, Mother.”
