by Kate Keir
Pen looked at the others. “What do you think?”
Lyall spoke first. “If he truly gave his life for Flora instead of betraying her, then we owe it to him to try and bring him back.”
Freya was studying her bare feet. I knew she was thinking about everything she had witnessed Artair go through over the last few weeks, but when Lyall finished speaking she looked up. “I think we should try.”
“Well I suppose that’s settled then. But we still need to collect Enid, and there will be a replacement for Finlay before long.” Pen seemed relieved we were in agreement.
Lyall spoke. “I can go to London and bring Enid back.”
“I’m still going with you,” I said.
“Are you sure, Flora. After everything?” Pen sounded concerned.
I thought it through. I couldn’t help Pen here. Once I had shown her the ritual to stop Finlay from losing his memories, she’d be on her own while she worked it out. I, on the other hand, had new found abilities which could help to protect Lyall and Enid. Add to that, my desire to escape and become a wolf for a while until I could face up to the agony of everything that had happened. I had no choice but to go.
“I’m sure.”
Chapter Six
Before she left my room, Pen pulled me into an embrace and whispered into my ear. “I will find a way to make this work, Flora. I failed him by believing he had betrayed us. I won’t fail him again.”
I nodded. “There’s something else I need from you, Pen.”
“Of course, what is it?”
My eyes darkened. “There was a human woman in the Endwood. Her name was Doctor Laurel Cambridge. Can you find out who she is?”
“I will do my best as long as you promise not to do anything foolish.” Pen was firm.
I returned her hug and whispered my thanks into her ear before she left with Freya. They were trying to decide on the best way to approach the subject of Finlay’s potential return with Artair as they closed the door behind them. I wasn’t envious of their task. Artair wouldn’t forgive easily. Regardless of Finlay’s intentions, Mara had died because of him.
I became aware of Lyall staring intently at me. In the dim light from my bedside lamp, his eyes flickered with their familiar amber fire.
“What?” I asked softly.
“You’re handling this too well, Flora. I’m waiting for the point where you fall apart.” His voice and face were filled with concern.
I sat on the bed and clasped my hands in my lap. “I’m not going to fall apart, Lyall. I almost did. I wanted to when it happened, but there’s hope for Finlay. We might be able to get him back in some way.”
He sat down on the patchwork bedcover next to me, his leg barely touching mine. “And if we can’t get him back? What then, love?”
“Lyall, I have known him all of my life. When I thought Finlay had betrayed me, it was as though everything was turned upside-down. I had no way to deal with the pain. I could barely breathe. I felt as though my heart had been ripped out through my chest. I’ve always loved him. I know that we would never have been more than friends. I didn’t see him that way. He was like a brother to me. But when I believed he didn’t love me back I wanted to die.”
Lyall’s eyes lit with understanding. “Knowing he didn’t abandon you means you’re able to cope.”
I nodded. “I know it sounds weird, like I’m okay with him being dead, and for the record I’m not okay with it. But there’s hope that we can bring him back, Lyall. There wasn’t any hope when I believed he handed me over to Sluag to die.”
“I get it. That makes total sense. I think even I can forgive the idiot now too.” He laughed softly.
“Thank you for understanding.” I tilted my head sideways and brought it to rest on his shoulder.
“If it doesn’t work, and you do want to fall apart, I’ll be there okay, love.” He rested his own head against mine.
“It has to work. I’m not ready to let him go. I’m also not ready to let Sluag win, which is why you and I have to go and help Enid and let Pen do her thing here. I’m done letting that monster take things from me.”
“Talking of which, we need to get some rest before we start our little trip tomorrow.” He lifted his head and placed a gentle kiss against my hair.
Sleepily, I lifted my head from the warmth and security of his shoulder. “I have something I need to do first.”
Lyall stood and gestured to the bedroom door. “I know you do, love. Go and see him. Just be careful in the Everwood. Sluag will be anticipating your visit, I imagine.”
I stood up and pulled on my gym shoes—they went better with the grey jogging pants and white vest I had worn to bed tonight, than my trusty tan boots would. I crossed the room, and placed a kiss on Lyall’s cheek. “Thank you so much for everything you do for me.”
He swept into a gallant and theatrical bow. “Anything for you, Flora Bast.”
I smiled gratefully at him as I slipped out the door and hurried outside. I needed to see Finlay.
When I arrived in the Everwood, I was relieved to find the snow had melted completely, and no more was falling. Since I’d forgotten to bring a coat, I was pleased to find the moderate temperature I usually experienced here had returned.
I stood among the ancient trees, wondering what to do next. I’d never requested the attendance of a soul before. They usually chose to come to me. I suddenly realised it could take me hours to find Finlay.
I noticed a few tiny lights hovering between the trees, but they didn’t come too close. I felt a stab of guilt when I understood they were pure souls, and they kept their distance because they were afraid of me. I slowly knelt in the luscious grass of the woodland floor, hoping I would seem less threatening if I was kneeling.
I wasn’t entirely sure if the souls were still upset by the way I’d scattered them on the night Finlay led me to the Endwood, or if they were scared by the way I’d crushed the rogue soul here earlier today. Did all of that really only happen today? It felt like a lifetime ago.
Taking a deep breath, I centred my mind and started to cast a mental net out through the Everwood. My aim was to try and pull every single pure soul into the net so I could communicate with them as a single entity. It was time to apologise.
I could see the silver strands extending farther and farther through the trees, and I could sense each individual soul as it was gently pulled into my snare. Eventually, I sensed I had captured every little pure orb in the Everwood, and so I used my mind to send my apology to them all.
I’m so sorry. I have been broken and tormented by grief and loss, but that gave me no right to act in the way I did. Nothing like that will ever happen again. Please, can you forgive me?
For a heart-breaking moment, the souls hovered at a distance, making me believe they could not or would not forgive my transgression. Just as I had begun to give up all hope of forgiveness, a small blue orb separated from the group in the trees. It sailed through the air until it reached the net, where it bounced gently back from the silver strands.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I whispered as I dropped the net and freed the thousand tiny captives.
The little blue light approached me and didn’t stop until it was nestled against my cheek. I could feel the relief and adoration emanating from its core as it replied on the behalf of all of its companions.
We forgive you, Flora.
Tears shone in my eyes as I released a breath I hadn’t even realised I had been holding. Thank you. Thank you so much. I will never let any of you down again.
I caught a movement from the corner of my eye and turned to see an orb hovering at a short distance from me. The light was so white and bright it reminded me of a science lesson in school when my teacher had lit a strip of magnesium on fire. The orb began to approach me, and I knew—I just knew it was him.
“Finlay?”
Hey, Flor.
I smiled and closed my eyes in relief at the sound of his voice in my head. “I was so afraid you wouldn�
��t be here.”
The white light settled in the air in front of my face. Where else would I be, Flor? You’ve got a pretty good grip on this Soul Keeper stuff now. You knew I’d be here.
“Finlay, how can I ever let you know how truly sorry I am for doubting you?”
Err, that was kind of the point. It had to look real, and if you knew it wasn’t…
The white light bobbed in the air, and I knew if he still had human form, he would have just shrugged his shoulders.
I sighed. “I can’t believe you did it, Finlay. I asked you never to give your life for me. You knew he’d kill you.”
Of course, I knew. Apart from having no further use for me, he wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to hurt you a bit more. The little white light floated down and landed lightly on my knee.
“Then why did you do it?”
Because I didn’t want you to die. Especially not within the year. I had to stop the prophecy.
I watched the tiny orb resting against my leg and wondered if I should be truthful. “Pen thinks the prophecy might not be broken. She said it’s not always that easy to fool fate.”
There was a part of me which knew that was always a possibility, Flor. But I was trying to save you, and dying was worth it, if there’s even a chance for you to be safe now.
“I’m not letting you stay dead. Pen is working on a ritual I found when I was researching. We’re going to stop you from losing your memories.”
Flora, I’m not sure I can cope with being a tiny ball of light for the rest of eternity. I know you love these souls, but staying like this would be a pretty horrific existence for anyone. The little white light burned fiercely bright.
“You’re not going to stay like this. Once we can stop you forgetting who you are, we’ll find a way to put you into another body. Kind of like a Draugur.”
The tiny orb flew into the air and hovered inches in front of my face.
Flora, you and the other Dion have way too much to deal with right now. You don’t have time to waste trying to do that. It’s okay. I’m okay with it.
The soul edged closer and closer until it pressed gently against my cheek. I closed my eyes and tried to pretend my best friend was in front of me, and for just a moment, I was able to see him smiling at me inside my mind.
“All you have to do is just keep fighting the memory loss. I have to go and collect the new animal Soul Keeper, but Pen will keep working on fixing things for you.” When I mentioned Mara’s replacement, I noticed the brightness of the light flicker out for a moment.
The light backed away from me a little. Flor, you need to know what they’re planning on using my blood for.
My face paled. I had hoped Pen’s suspicion was wrong—that Sluag had no evil use for Finlay’s blood. But why else would he have so carefully collected it in the silver basin.
“What will they use it for?”
The reason he brought Laurel Cambridge on board is because he needed someone with access to the mortal world. From what I’ve overheard them say, she’s an ex-military scientist, and she’s made a deal with Sluag. He will give her an immortal place by his side if she uses my blood to create a kind of super Draugur.
“How do they create super Draugur?” I didn’t really want to know the answer.
By killing a human in the mortal world and getting my blood into them before their soul can make it to the Everwood. The tiny light bobbed and dipped into a loop-the-loop before me. Sluag and Laurel seem to believe that these Draugur will be practically unstoppable.
“Brilliant,” was all I could manage.
Chapter Seven
Leaving Finlay was hard, but I knew there was nothing else I could do for him. I had to rely on Pen to find a way to preserve his memories. I was also acutely aware of how exhausted I was, and I needed to tell Pen about the new threat from the super Draugur before we left for London.
I’d managed about five hours of sleep before Lyall and I met Pen on the steps of Castle Dion to say goodbye.
“Everything is in place to help you on your way. Be careful, both of you.” Pen embraced first Lyall and then me.
Pen had booked hotels for us along the way, in the eventuality we would need to hide out of sight at any point. She’d also made sure we had money, clothes, and food available at those locations.
While Lyall and I were going to remain in wolf form for the journey south, we had all agreed the only way we could return to Scotland would be in human shape. It was too much to tell Enid about our shape-shifting abilities only hours after discovering that she was a Dion, and she wouldn’t be able to shift yet anyway. We would have to keep our human form, and Pen would book us plane tickets home as soon as we had our new charge in hand.
“Keep us updated on your progress, Pen?” I asked as I returned her hug.
“You mean my research into preventing Finlay from losing his memories, acquiring more information on Laurel Cambridge, and working out how a super Draugur can be killed? I should be done in a day or so.” She smiled ruefully.
I frowned. “I know we ask too much of you, but I don’t know who else would be able to do it. Freya’s place is with Artair right now, and ours is with Enid. I’m sorry it all falls on you, Pen.”
“Once we’re back, both of us will be able to help you. We’ll be as fast as we can,” Lyall offered.
“Just stay safe and bring Enid to us. You will both be busy when you return. She’ll need a mentor for shifting and a mentor to help her understand her affinity with animal souls.” Pen gestured at each of us in turn as she spoke.
I swallowed hard. It hadn’t occurred to me I would be teaching Enid about being a Soul Keeper. I still felt far too new to this life to be a mentor for anyone.
Lyall nodded at Pen before facing me. “We should go.”
“Okay.”
We both said a final goodbye to Pen before we focussed on pushing our bodies through the pain of changing into a completely different shape. I still didn’t find shifting easy, but I was improving with every try. When we were done, I stood facing a huge, shaggy, black wolf. Staring into his amber eyes—they never changed even when he did—I saw my own reflection in the black of his pupils.
I took in the thick snow-white fur surrounding my long snout. As a wolf, just as when I was human, I was much smaller than Lyall—both in height and build. My green eyes stood out against the colour of my coat, and they sparkled in delight as I spent a second relishing being in my wolf form once more. My tail twitched in happiness as I shot a wolfy grin toward my companion.
The massive, black beast next to me returned the grin before I heard him speak inside my mind.
You look pretty comfortable as a wolf these days, love.
I inhaled and exhaled slowly through my long nose, taking in the heightened scents from the castle garden. I’ve missed this. I feel as though I could run and run for miles.
Good to hear, because that’s exactly what we’re gonna do. I just hope you can keep up.
He winked at me before springing forward and crossing the castle gardens in three gigantic leaps and bounds. When he reached a fence at the boundary of the castle grounds, he didn’t hesitate before clearing it in a jump that looked as though it cost him no effort at all. Within seconds, he was tearing across the open countryside at breakneck speed.
Flora? His voice inside my head startled me.
Are you going to stand there staring all day? Or are you coming with me?
My laugh came out as a short barking sound as I leapt forward and began running him down. I loved how I never got out of breath as a wolf, even when I was pushing myself to my limit, trying to catch up with Lyall.
My heavy paws thudded against the ground as I cleared the same part of the fence Lyall had jumped seconds before me. Then lowering my head with a snarl of determination, I chased after him at full pelt.
Come on, love, you can do better than that, he mocked inside my head.
You might be bigger and faster than me, but I can run for
longer. It’s only a matter of time before I catch you, love. I mimicked his teasing tone, adding the word love.
Without slowing his pace, Lyall threw back his head and howled at the sky. He was laughing at me, but he was also laughing with me. I sensed he was relishing the freedom of our trip equally as much as me, and my heart soared with delight.
In the distance, Lyall reached a line of trees that marked the start of the first woodland we had chosen to keep us undercover during our journey. He didn’t hesitate as he plunged into the foliage and disappeared from view. I felt a flicker of unease at our temporary separation, and I stepped up my speed in an attempt to close the gap between us.
Lyall, wait for me.
Silence.
I reached the trees and bounded into the forest without pausing. Once I was beneath the leafy canopy, I stopped and listened hard for any sound that would give away Lyall’s location, but there was nothing. Panic was starting to bubble up inside me.
Lyall?
My voice was a shout inside my head; I was certain he must be able to hear me. There was no way he could have gotten so far away that our telepathic link had been broken. I padded farther into the woods, scanning the tree line from left to right and back again. Looking for a flicker of movement that would give his position away.
A sudden rustle behind me had me whirling around with a snarl. But I only came face to face with thin air. My heart was racing as I stood my ground and wondered what I should do next. I was saved the decision when I felt the gentle pressure of teeth on my tail at the same time as I heard his voice inside my head.
Boo.
Snarling, I spun around, and without a thought launched myself at Lyall, bowling him over and sending us both rolling down a mossy bank.
What the hell was that? I snarled internally.
As we reached the bottom of the hill and came to a stop at the edge of a bubbling river, I snapped at his black tail in retaliation. I wasn’t as gentle as he had been, and he yelped in surprise.
