Bloodstone

by Gillian Philip

  I swung her by the waist down from the horse and into Sionnach’s arms, and because he always was more human than me, he held onto her till the shaking stopped.

  Only that long, though. Releasing her, he seized her bleeding hand and turned it one way and the other. His own horse rolled its eyes and stamped at the scent of blood. ‘Don’t you know any better?’

  ‘No,’ she said, and stared at her mangled finger, the rip of her own bite. She’d got to the bone. She gave a tiny involuntary whimper of pain, but then pressed her lips together and shut her eyes tight. Her face had whitened and she swayed a little, but shook off Sionnach’s reassuring hand.

  He glared at the roan. ‘As for you....’

  ‘I’ll deal with it.’ I said quickly, and slapped its muzzle quite hard. ‘Naughty, naughty. Come when you’re called.’

  It snorted and gave a derisive toss of its black mane.

  ‘Never grown up,’ muttered Sionnach, unspecifically.

  Yet again I didn’t pursue it, because Finn had turned slowly to face me. The look on her face was part horror, part shock, and a large and recognisable part disgust. I didn’t know what to say, so for once in my life I had the sense to keep my mouth shut.

  ‘Well,’ she said at last, and her voice trembled only a little. ‘Isn’t there a lot you bastards haven’t told me.’

  Night had fallen completely by the time we were anywhere near the original rendezvous. We rode in an awkward silence, in the light of a blurred three-quarters moon. Finn and Jed, riding behind Sionnach and Torc respectively, could hardly chat, and I had no intention of explaining anything to Finn. It wasn’t my job; it wasn’t my fault; and it would have killed my mood – which despite everything was lighter than in ages. Branndair was back; the wolf had flung himself at me so hard, the pair of us had ended up in the mud. I had my horse back too; I was riding him through moorland and hills and wooded gullies and moon-frosted trees. Already I didn’t want to go back to the otherworld.

  There’s no countering the strength of belonging; there’s no fighting it. It’s a memory in your bones and it sucks at the marrow of them. You can fight it for as long as you like – and the gods know I did, and for a lot longer than that – but there’s no beating it. You can only keep your face above the water, trying to breathe, while belonging drags on your scalp.

  I’d been starting to drown. I knew that now.

  I was grinning as I dismounted and led the roan and Branndair into the copse of rowans between two hills. Me grinning was not a sight beloved of everyone, so I wasn’t too surprised when the flat of a blade tilted my chin up. Its quivering edge tickled my throat.

  ‘What’s so funny, Murlainn?’

  ‘Eili.’ I put a finger between the blade and my jugular and eased it away. ‘It’s nice to see you too.’

  ‘Well, you can’t expect me to recognise you. It’s been that long.’

  ‘Ha ha. Where’s Conal?’

  Sionnach had come to my side, silently, and with a reproachful sidelong glance at me, he took his sister’s hand and pressed it to his forehead. Formalities over, she hugged him, then extended the same hand to me. Absolutely impassive.

  Bloody hell. I greeted her properly, but with a very bad grace.

  Now she was smiling. Her dark red hair was still cropped short, and it still looked as if she cut it herself, in the dark, with one of the two swords on her back; but even in a filthy mood, she was as beautiful as she always was. She looked beyond us, to where Torc was holding the horses.

  Finn and Jed had dismounted with wildly different degrees of grace. Jed positively thudded to the ground, his knees nearly buckling. He wore a thuggishly murderous scowl: in other words, he looked terrified.

  ‘First things first,’ I said. ‘Do something about her hand, will you? I’m in enough trouble as it is.’

  Eili strode up to Finn, seized her wrist and examined the bloodily ripped hand. ‘You’re not kidding, Murlainn. Your horse had her, did it? Cù Chaorach’s going to love that.’

  Torc gave Finn a bewildered look. ‘You know her?’

  ‘I know who she is.’ Eili smiled, not very pleasantly. ‘I’ve had the pants bored off me looking at photographs.’

  ‘Oh no.’ Torc paled.

  Eili’s grip looked light, but I could see Finn trying and failing to wrench her hand away, panic starting to spark in her eyes. I was about to object – honestly I was – when Eili rubbed her thumb hard across the ugly half-congealed wound, splitting it open.

  Finn’s eyes widened as the blood flowed, but was clearly too shocked even to squeak – until Eili pinched the gaping rip hard with her fingertips. Then she gave a howl of pain.

  I winced in sympathy. True healing hurt, and Eili’s bedside manner did leave a lot to be desired.

  Finn recovered fast though, clamping her lips together, blinking back tears, staring at the sealed wound. ‘Thanks,’ she muttered shakily. ‘I think.’

  ‘Don’t mention it,’ said Eili. ‘That was easy enough. Well, Seth, I’ll leave you to explain this one to your brother. She’s your Finn.’

  ‘She bloody is not,’ I retorted automatically.

  I regretted my tactlessness, but ‘Too right I’m not,’ Finn snapped, snatching her hand out of Eili’s.

  ‘And don’t worry yourself sick about my fate at the hands of Cù Chaorach,’ I added spitefully. ‘I’m dead already.’

  Torc snorted a laugh; Eili gave a cold little smile. ‘Ah yes. ‘Stella’.’

  ‘She’ll understand,’ said Torc, still grinning.

  ‘She’ll understand,’ I said. ‘And then she’ll cut my throat.’

  ‘Good.’ Finn shot me a look of pure loathing.

  Eili folded her arms and nodded at Jed, who was goggling in disbelief at Finn’s hand. ‘What are we going to do with him?’

  ‘Take him along.’ Sionnach shrugged.

  ‘You bloody will not.’ Jed’s head snapped up, as if he’d woken for the first time since the Reids’ steading. He backed off a step, then two, shaking off Torc’s steadying hand. ‘What is this place? I need to go home. Show me how now.’

  ‘Not possible,’ I told him silkily. ‘Maybe later. If you’re good.’

  Even in the darkness I saw him pale with rage. ‘I saw that farm. I saw what was there!’

  ‘Your powers of observation slay me.’

  ‘Shut up, you snake.’ Protectively, Finn shoved forward to Jed’s side. ‘I was there too. There were bodies.’

  ‘Don’t worry, the horse wouldn’t have gone for those. He doesn’t like carrion.’

  ‘You sick bastard. Call the police!’

  I just laughed.

  She flushed red. ‘The authorities. Whoever. We’ll tell them if you don’t!’

  Sionnach said quietly, ‘The authorities did it.’

  She blinked at him, silenced. I had to learn that trick of his. Anyway, I had no business provoking the girl in these circumstances. Of course she was shocked.

  ‘Reid and his family are dead,’ Sionnach told Eili.

  ‘We know. Kate will pay for that, or her filthy patrol will. Where d’you think Cù Chaorach’s gone?’

  ‘Oh, don’t tell me.’ I shoved my hands through my hair, glad of a distraction from the quarrel with Finn. ‘He’s not at it already.’

  ‘What do you expect? They were his people. They’re only dead because they sheltered the three of us last night. I’d have gone out with him, but I had to babysit.’ She rolled her eyes.

  ‘I’d love you to say that to Leonora’s face.’ I grinned, and for the first time got a proper smile back.

  ‘And of course he had to look for the girl.’

  ‘My brother the sheepdog.’

  ‘What’s she doing here, anyway?’

  ‘Came through the watergate by accident. I warned them all. It was out of bounds but, hey—’

  ‘Not her. Not the girl. I mean Leonora.’

  I hesitated, frowning. There was a light of expectation in Eili’s eyes. ‘She
hasn’t said anything?’

  ‘She’s said plenty. Just not what she’s doing here.’ The expectation faded to fear, then transformed again to fragile hope. ‘You found it? The Stone?’

  I licked my lips. I hadn’t expected to have to explain this part. ‘Did we hell.’

  ‘Then what’s she...’

  Sionnach was staring at me too, now.

  ‘Is anyone going to tell me what’s going on?’ snapped Finn.

  ‘Likewise,’ retorted Eili, with a deadly look that silenced the girl.

  A cool voice said, ‘I’m going to have to tell you sooner or later, aren’t I?’

  Leonora. She stood in splintered moonlight and tree-shadows; her blue irises glittered, and so did the black marble eyes of the raven on her arm, fixed on Finn. Its screech of disapproval shattered the silence.

  The girl didn’t respond. She studied the bird intently; I could almost see the pieces of her whole life coming together in her head, and straight away dissolving in the acid of lies. I thought I saw tears glitter, briefly, on her lashes. Then, fiercely, she said, ‘Shut up, Faramach.’

  Somebody had to say something, and it might as well be me.

  ‘Leonora’s come back for good. It’s all over.’

  Eili stared at me, then at Leonora in naked disbelief. She licked her lips.

  ‘Leonora, no. Not now. We’ve given up too much.’

  ‘I know, Eili.’ Leonora touched her arm. ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘We did this for you! You!’

  Leonora didn’t answer straight away. She reached up to her coiled hair and unpinned it, letting the tawny mass of it fall to her shoulders. It had always been streaked with gold; now strands of it glinted silver.

  Ah. Thought so.

  Eili recovered her voice. ‘You have a few months,’ she gritted. ‘A few months may be all it takes. You could find the Stone tomorrow. You’ve no right to give up.’

  Finn’s confusion was obvious, because it was keeping her quiet. Jed had sidled closer to her, but he too said nothing. Smart boy.

  ‘I will not stay longer,’ said Leonora. ‘I will not.’

  ‘You have to! Give Conal a chance. Kate will invade the dun lands if you—’

  ‘I value my mind. Conal can’t keep me over there and I can’t stay, whatever they think. I want the Selkyr. I don’t have a choice.’

  Eili’s pupils were like grey ice. ‘You took him from us. You took him from me.’

  ‘Eili. You know how to fight, so go on fighting. If you lose, at least you tried your best. And,’ Leonora pointed out with a slight smile, ‘Kate doesn’t have the Stone either.’

  ‘Stones, Dorsal!’ No longer able to contain myself, I gave a high bitter laugh. ‘There’s a lot of them about! Ah, the things I saw, the things I did, all for the sake of some dead soothsayer your granny once knew! The inconsiderate old lunatic wasn’t even vaguely specific. A Stone!’ I jerked my thumb at Leonora. ‘And now this old lunatic’s cutting and running!’

  Leonora put a hand on Finn’s arm before she could slap me, and Faramach took a flapping jump onto her shoulder.

  ‘Seth, Seth.’ The old witch gave me a surprisingly affectionate smile. ‘You’ve spent too long on the other side. So much rage has seeped into you, you barely know where to aim it.’

  Her pity burned. I snarled, ‘That’s your doing. You’ve wasted our lives, and now you’re telling us to forget spells and prophecies and use our wits like we always should have. If my brother had any, he’d never have talked me into this!’

  ‘Don’t you dare!’ yelled Eili. ‘Conal gave up as much of his life for the Stone as you did.’ Her eyes blazed. ‘And so did I!’

  ‘Get over it, Eili.’

  ‘Shut up, the lot of you.’ Torc sounded disgusted, as well he might. A pissed-off Torc was such a rare beast, it did shut us up. Good for him. I felt I’d been shocked into momentary sanity.

  Finn was pale and contained, and I didn’t like it. I knew she was working things out in her head. I thought again of all those pieces falling into place, her life making a picture at last: one that she could recognize, one that finally made sense. Or not.

  She moved closer to Jed: closer than he liked, I reckoned, by the way he stiffened. Her voice was clear and filled with venom. ‘Jed? Watch what you think. Because they know.’

  ‘Know what?’

  ‘What you’re thinking. They see what’s in your head. All of them.’

  Leonora sighed, and closed her eyes to hide the remorse.

  The boy was blinking at Finn. He nearly laughed, but I watched the smile die on his lips. He stood up, met my gaze, then glanced sharply away into Eili’s.

  She made a face. ‘Don’t over-dramatise, Fionnuala. That’s not how we work.’

  Jed stepped back so fast he almost stumbled backwards over a log. ‘Get out. Get out.’

  He shook his head violently. Scratched, then tore at his scalp. So he felt it, did he?

  ‘Gods’ sake,’ snapped Eili. ‘It was only a moment’s check. You were panicking.’

  ‘I said don’t. Don’t do that again!’

  She shrugged. ‘Fine.’

  I found myself regretting what I’d done to him, but only because I resented the result. So I couldn’t help saying, ‘I wouldn’t worry, laddie. You’re impenetrable. Or is it dense?’

  ‘Shut up!’ yelled Finn. ‘Leave him alone!’ Her hand found Jed’s, and this time he didn’t flinch away.

  I shrugged, drew the sword off my back, and began to sharpen it.

  ‘Extraordinary,’ murmured Leonie, studying Jed like a sample on a slide. She turned to Finn, taking hold of something at her throat.

  I noticed it for the first time. It was the emerald chunk she’d used to vandalise my motorbike: set now in a crude silver talon with sharply-spiked claws. It was the pendant she’d made as her first silversmithing project, and it was crap, because she had no feel for metal. But it held that stone fine.

  Leonora turned the pendant in her fingers, ignoring Finn’s deadly stare. ‘I shouldn’t have given you a shield stone. Not that I knew what it was. Not then.’

  Just as well Jed had Finn’s hand, otherwise I think she’d have slapped the old woman’s away. ‘What is it?’

  ‘It protects your mind. It’s how you followed me to the loch without me knowing you were there.’ She gave Finn a cutting look. ‘Some things are private, Fionnuala.’

  Finn spoke through her teeth. ‘Private.’

  That seemed to shut up the old bat for a moment, but the raven gave Finn a raucous piece of his mind. I smiled to myself, focusing on my sword.

  Leonora shook the emerald crossly. ‘Deceitful rock. And your setting isn’t secure. It wiggles.’ She wiggled it to demonstrate, and the stone turned a millimetre in its setting.

  ‘I didn’t have long.’ Finn fiddled with the stone herself, frowning. ‘Rush job.’

  ‘Of course, of course. You sneaked into my workshop! You’re cunning, that’s good.’ She hugged Finn proudly. ‘Just like Seth!’

  Bitch, I thought, as Finn went rigid in Leonora’s embrace, eyes icing over.

  ‘You know,’ I murmured, as silence fell, ‘that child just got taken by my horse. She dealt with it well. She dealt with it like a Sithe, because that’s what she is.’ I met Finn’s frozen stare. ‘She’d have had that finger off within a minute. To hell with Reultan. You owe the girl an explanation.’

  Leonora curled her lip as if she wanted to kill me herself. Eili gave me a small smile. But most satisfying of all, Finn’s glacial hatred cracked, dazing her for a moment. I laughed inwardly.

  ‘She can get one later.’ Sionnach’s head jerked up. For long moments he listened to the night. ‘Something’s out there.’

  Sionnach’s antennae were second to none, so we weren’t about to ignore that. As Torc drew his sword with the rest of us, Jed dodged. ‘Watch where you’re putting that.’

  ‘He’ll put it in you if you don’t shut up,’ growled Eili, sniffing the wind.


  ‘How many?’ asked Torc.

  ‘Sionnach, go investigate,’ Eili told him. ‘And find Cù Chaorach, while you’re at it.’

  ‘Doesn’t matter how many there are.’ I shrugged as Sionnach and his horse melted into the darkness. ‘It’s not like we can get into any scraps. Not with the babies on board. Let’s go.’

  Jed, clearly longing to kick my head in, edged towards Torc. The big man only slapped him cheerfully between the shoulder blades, making him reel back towards me. ‘No, lad. Murlainn’ll take you.’

  I raised my eyes skywards as I scrambled onto the roan’s back. ‘Feckin’ nursemaid, me.’

  I leaned down and seized the boy. His legs flailed uselessly in mid-air, and before he had his limbs or his head organized, he was on the roan behind me. I didn’t give him time to get back off, or I’m sure he’d have tried. We broke out of the trees, and the horse sprang forward, and all he could do was shriek, and grab my waist, and hang on.

  The night was gusty and cold; outlined against starlight, black pines swayed and bannered in the chilling wind, blustering strands of hair across my eyes. As we slowed the others overtook us, Finn clinging to Eili’s back. Eili gave me a snarl for riding ahead, but I was preoccupied with the trees, with the slash of gullies and gathering darkness. I realised the boy behind me was shivering with the cold.

  ‘You okay?’

  ‘I’m fine.’

  Nice one. He’d barely got the words out for his chattering teeth.

  ‘You got...’ I hesitated ‘... people at home?’

  ‘Just my mum. And a little brother.’

  ‘Oh.’ I rode on in silence for a couple of hundred yards. ‘And this... mum. Will she be okay too?’

  He snorted. ‘She’s always okay. She can always get off her face. It’s my baby brother I’m worried about.’

  I tensed. ‘She’ll worry about you. Won’t she?’

  ‘She’ll think I’m sleeping rough. Probably won’t notice I’m not there.’

  His dismissive tone annoyed me, and it unnerved me too. The thing was, I knew he didn’t mean it. I hadn’t been a worm in his head for nothing. But if he told himself something often enough, he might start to believe it. That she should depend on him less. Love the baby more.