Misfortune of Song: Druid's Brooch Series: #5

by Christy Nicholas

  At the mention of his Liadan, Maelan’s anger rose. When the Fae named his grandmother, though, the anger twisted into a knot of fear. His grandmother was many winters gone. Why would the Fae be searching for her?

  “Ah, you did not know? She still walks somewhere, Maelan. Perhaps you will find her yourself one day. If you should, do tell her we await her.”

  Mealan would do no such thing. He would never give his grandmother up to the Fae. Certainly not this one, with dried blood on his hands.

  The female glanced at her companion before she spoke. “Wise you are, Maelan, to be wary of Ammatán.”

  “Quiet, foolish creature! Maelan, my dear companion, Flidaisínn, was merely jesting. I’m no danger to you or yours.”

  Flidaisínn frowned. “You cannot speak a falsehood, Ammatán.”

  “I speak no falsehood. I am no danger to them if they should deal honorably with me, is it not true?”

  She nodded slowly. “This is true. What would you have of this warrior?”

  “As I mentioned before, I have news for him. News he would greatly like to know.” The creature smiled, showing his jagged teeth, and Maelan’s stout heart quailed at the terrifying sight. “News about his granddaughter.”

  Orlagh? They knew of Orlagh? Of course, they did. They obviously had information about his entire family. He had just left her the night before. What could have happened in so short a time?

  Ammatán laughed, the sound ripping across the night. “You humans. You think in such a linear fashion. It is not what has happened yet, but will happen soon. Soon in your terms, at least. She will not be so content as she is now.”

  Throwing caution to the wind, Maelan asked, “What? What will happen to her?”

  Flidaisínn held up one pale blue hand, delicate and impossibly thin. “Not quite yet, warrior. Do you consent to the bargain? We may only give you information in a fair exchange.”

  Caution made him wary. “Exchange for what?”

  Ammatán grinned again. “We cannot tell you quite yet, human. It will be a future forfeit.”

  He shook his head. This was an incredibly dangerous game. “I could never agree to such a bargain.”

  Both creatures raised their hands and shrugged. With one echoing voice, they said, “Then we cannot tell you our news, human.”

  They turned to walk away, but Maelan put a hand out. “Wait!”

  Both Fae halted, but neither turned. Maelan gulped. “What if I were to offer you something now? Would that be a fair bargain?”

  Flidaisínn turned and cocked her head. “It would depend entirely on what consideration you offered.”

  He grabbed his bag, rifling through his things. A few crumbling bits of old bread. Some moldy garlic. Honey? He pulled out the small stone jar. Ammatán spun around and was suddenly standing directly in front of Maelan. There had been no transition, no walking, he simply appeared. Maelan staggered back, still holding the honey jar.

  “I know that scent. That is honey. Give it to me.”

  “Not so fast, honored Fae lord. Will this be an acceptable exchange for your news?”

  Ammatán cupped his spindly fingers around the jar, not quite touching it. Sparks flew from his fingertips, and he cocked his head back and forth as if trying to see an angle in which he might extract the jar from Maelan’s hands. Finally, the Fae glanced at Flidaisínn. Her eyes narrowed. He turned back to Maelan. “Not quite enough, I’m afraid. But it will help.”

  Pissmires and spiders. What else did he have that he could offer? His hand brushed the piece of white silk which held his most precious possession, the brooch. Flidaisínn now appeared in front of him as instantly as the other Fae had.

  “And what have you there, warrior? That is something I wish to examine more closely. It seems somehow familiar.”

  Ammatán reached his hand out, almost touching Maelan’s bag. “Yes, take it out. It smells delicious! I want to taste it. Show us now!”

  Maelan didn’t move, but clutched the brooch tightly. “This is not something I can give you. It belongs to my family and me.”

  The two Fae circled him, hissing and reaching out, not quite touching him. Sparks showered his head and fought the urge to run away, far away, and never look back. Step by step, they moaned and crept, reaching out to almost caress his skin, his clothing, his hair. His skin crawled as they walked. “Give it to us! Bring it out! Show us!”

  “I will not! I am not yours to command.”

  Ammatán’s voice rose. “Do you want to hear our news or not, stubborn human?”

  “There must be something else I can do in exchange. You will have your honey.”

  They stopped talking and stepped away, exchanging a few whispers and chirps. They glanced at him several times, and Ammatán gestured with angry force. Finally, Flidaisínn said, “If you wish to have our news, you must accompany us.”

  Maelan narrowed his eyes. “Accompany you? To where?”

  The male Fae laughed, and the sound rattled Maelan’s bones. Once again, he fought the urge to flee. “To our home, of course. To Faerie.”

  Faerie, a place out of legend. To actually travel to the land of the Fae was one thing. To return, whole and sane, was something completely different. Was the news they hoarded worth such a dangerous gamble? It concerned his Orlagh, the grandchild from him and his lovely Liadan. How could he live with himself if he refused such an offer?

  “Very well. I will accompany you, but on several conditions.”

  Ammatán was suddenly nose-to-nose with Maelan. This time, he couldn’t help flinching and taking several steps back. “Conditions? There are no conditions. You will obey our commands in Faerie, or you will die. Those are the only conditions!”

  Maelan swallowed hard and held up one hand. “I will come to Faerie with you, but only if you vow to me I will return alive, sane, and within the same human hour I left this world. Can you promise me that?”

  Ammatán’s face turned dark, and he stepped forward to once again confront Maelan, but Flidaisínn placed her hand on her companion’s shoulder. The female Fae cocked her head, and bells tinkled. “The same human hour? For what reason?”

  “My companions. I’d not have them worry over much of my absence.”

  She smiled. “Have no fear. We will allay any concerns they may have. The terms are reasonable, brother. He is not so foolish as he appears.”

  Chapter 10

  With every step, Maelan became more certain he’d made a poor decision. Nevertheless, he’d made a bargain, and his honor would see him through his bargain, come what may. The cost mattered not if the result was information which would help his granddaughter.

  The two Fae creatures had led him on a merry path, through the stark landscape of the Boireann. They entered a dark wood, covered in gnarled old growth trees and rotting moss. Soon a small meadow appeared, with a stone tomb like a small rectangular house. The entrance lay low to the ground.

  Maelan shook his head. “I can’t fit into that.”

  Ammatán grinned. “Are you saying you will renege on our bargain?”

  “No, not at all! But I’m too big. I’ll never get inside. Can’t we use some other passage to Faerie?”

  “Not at this time, not close enough for a slow human like you to reach.”

  Maelan sighed and got on his knees. He decided he’d best go feet first, so he flipped over and slid in on his back. He shuffled forward until he was inside.

  No light shone inside the ancient tomb. He had no space to move, but he managed to inch forward for quite a distance. One brilliant flash and he lay in a pristine green field, surrounded by waving grasses and butterflies. No sun shone, but each object had an odd burnished glow as if everything gave its own illumination.

  He stood, surveying the landscape in this different world. No trees moved like humans in his world, nor were they shaded that color of blue. The branches looked like hands waving to a parting friend. The butterflies flashed in bright lights as they moved, zipping rather than flutter
ing. Two more bright flashes and his Fae companions stood next to him, somehow muted in this land of Faerie.

  Several forms came into view, all lit with their inner glow. They appeared human, but the sharp features proved them to be more Fae. Skin of differing hues, cat eyes with narrow pupils, some shining and some dull, hair in outrageous styles, only rivaled by impractical, bright clothing. Maelan was awash with confusing images and sounds. Their voices ranged from clanging bells to the softest whisper of a summer creek. Overwhelmed by the cacophony of sights and sounds, he closed his eyes and sat, his hands over his ears.

  Someone sat beside him. He cracked one eye open to find Flidaisínn with a wry grin on her face. “It is a bit much all at once, I am certain. Fear not, human. They will all leave soon. They wished to greet our return.”

  Maelan risked a glance up, and the knot of beings had moved some space away. Two stood taller than the others, standing with quiet dignity and menace. They both had elaborate crowns on their heads, delicate branching constructions.

  She frowned. “Those are the crown prince and his princess. They are special friends to Ammatán.”

  Some exchange took place, but the tall grasses impeded his view. A small person, perhaps a child, lay in Ammatán’s arms. The child’s skin appeared normal colored. Did he hold a human child? Maelan tried to stand for a better view, but Flidaisínn hissed and pulled him down to the ground. “You mustn’t interfere! It would be death for you. Our princess would brook no such insolence.”

  “Did he have a child? A human child?”

  “That is none of your concern!”

  A thin shriek rang across the field, promptly drowned by laughter and voices. Maelan struggled once again to rise.

  “I said to be still, human! You can do nothing. It is much too late.”

  She clutched his arm like iron. Still, he tried to pry her fingers from his arm, but to no avail. The last of the voices faded and Ammatán returned.

  Fresh red stains flecked his lips and claw-like fingernails.

  “Why did you stop him, Flidaisínn? I would have been greatly amused to witness him try to attack us. The princess, in particular, would be delighted to watch the spectacle, I’m certain. She loves a good game.”

  Maelan growled. “Did you kill that child, Ammatán? Was he human? Answer me!”

  The Fae smiled, showing that his teeth, too, were bloody. A chunk of gore fell from the side of his mouth. “That is information. Are you willing to pay the price I ask for such a… morsel?”

  Maelan gritted his teeth. If the child had been a human, he had surely died by now. Indebting himself for verification would serve no purpose. He didn’t need to, based on his own observations. He still had an overwhelming urge to rip Ammatán’s arms off and punch his smiling face until he left a bloody pulp.

  “Please, human, give in to your baser urges. I would be highly entertained, to say the least.”

  Flidaisínn stepped in front of Maelan. “Stop taunting him, Ammatán. We have a task for him, and he will never complete our task if you tease him into a fatal frenzy.”

  Ammatán caressed her blue cheek with one bloody nail, leaving a line of red on her face. Whether the red came from his nail or from blood on her pierced skin, Maelan couldn’t tell. “So tender of heart you are, sister mine. He will still do our bidding, never fear.”

  Maelan pulled Flidaisínn behind him. “If you are going to terrorize someone, terrorize me. Leave her be.”

  Ammatán laughed a raucous cry more like a bird of prey than a human. “Ever the gallant, human. You never disappoint.”

  Flidaisínn took his hand and drew him to a path. Unshed tears danced behind her sad smile. “Come, Maelan. You have an obligation to attend.”

  He resisted, but she smiled more sincerely, lighting his own heart. A glance back to Ammatán showed him glowering. Maelan found himself running, stumbling after Flidaisínn and firmly commanded himself to take control of the situation.

  “Where are we going? What task do you require of me?”

  She turned, her blue skin warmer in the non-light. “We require a small task, truly. There is a door which is closed. You must help us open the door.” She skipped along, pulling his hand.

  A door? Why would they need his help to open a door? Surely the Fae had greater strength than he in any purely physical manner. He sensed the power in the Fae girl’s hand as she pulled him along.

  The countryside, if he could call the landscape such, grew dimmer as they passed. The creatures and grasses no longer glowed as much, and he noticed overtones of brown and black, rather than red and yellow. Flidaisínn slowed to a walk, and Ammatán took her other hand, squeezing it visibly. “Not much longer, sister. It can be healed.”

  He must heal a door?

  A small green creature crossed in front of him, about the size of a cat. The creature reminded him of a cat he’d had as a child, a fine mouser with a crooked tail. He reached down, and the thing turned, hissing at him, with enormous teeth and tiny eyes. He backed up several steps, and the green thing chomped and slavered, trying to get to his hand. He kicked the thing away and shuddered. This is not my world. Take nothing for granted.

  Ammatán turned and hissed in a near approximation of the creature. “Stop dawdling. I detest humans who dawdle. Not content to steal our land, you must crawl over the hills like a pestilence. Useless creatures. I hate your souls. I hate your houses. I hate your humanity.”

  With a rueful glance at Flidaisínn, who merely lifted one eyebrow, Maelan glanced back at the hole in the grasses where he’d kicked the creature and kept walking with a shrug. The Fae thing might track him or attack again, but he had another foot.

  Darker and darker the land became. Sickly black ooze coated the trees here, and the smell of vegetable rot grew thick. The formerly musical wind soughed in discordant chimes. Something had gone incredibly wrong with this part of Faerie. Maelan had never been to this land before, but all the tales told of beauty and harmony, despite the dangerous inhabitants. This land had been devastated, stained with something horrible. Thinking of the beauty lost through this blight saddened him.

  For hours they walked through that blasted wasteland. Soon everything was barren, scarred rock and dead earth. The weight of the despair became a physical thing, pressing on his mind and soul. He yearned to scream, to run, to escape this maddening anguish. Everything glad was drained from his soul, all his happy memories, and dreams. He couldn’t even imagine joy again. Happiness simply no longer existed.

  Both Fae abruptly stopped, holding out their arms to keep him from walking farther. He stumbled but didn’t care. If he fell and hurt himself, who would worry? There was no point in preserving his body when his mind was so despondent.

  Dully, his gaze found something glinting in the black morass of blasted stone before him. Something rounded? The object looked like an old, rusted horseshoe, twisted and black from a fire. Beyond the black thing was a darkened cave, shaped like a shrieking mouth, complete with dripping chunks of rock for teeth. He shuddered at the image.

  Ammatán pointed. “Do you see that, human?”

  “See what? The horseshoe?”

  The creature hissed and backed away from Maelan several steps, his arms out in front as if warding evil away. “Yes, dull creature! The piece of iron which has diseased our land and stolen our bliss. That horseshoe.”

  Flidaisínn’s gaze flicked to the chunk of iron and back to Maelan. “Humans flung the cold iron through a doorway to Faerie, to shut the passage down. They succeeded, and this part of Faerie is dying as a result. We need you to remove the object from our realm, or the entire land will succumb to evil.”

  Maelan wanted to laugh, despite his despondence. For this, he was lured into Faerie? For a chunk of twisted metal? But he well knew Fae couldn’t abide the touch of iron. To have a piece of cold iron in their land would indeed cause a blight.

  “And if I remove the horseshoe?”

  Ammatán nodded. “Then you will get our inf
ormation about your granddaughter.”

  “You will return me to my world? With my wits and my health? The same hour in which I left?”

  Flidaisínn’s gaze flicked to Ammatán, and she bowed her head. “As we agreed.”

  “What happens to this doorway?”

  She spread her hand. “The door is once again open, and we may use the passage as we wish.”

  “To where does this lead?”

  Ammatán growled, pacing several times. “That information was not part of our bargain.”

  Maelan crossed his arms. “Nevertheless, if I’m to open this door to my world, I would know what area will be subject to your kind’s capricious whims.”

  Both Fae withdrew to discuss the matter with sharp gestures and furious whispers. Maelan liked to think Flidaisínn was arguing for his side, but he had no true way of knowing, other than Ammatán’s general hostility for him. She had at least shown some kindness and consideration to him so far. She was quite beautiful, despite the pointed teeth.

  With an unladylike roar in Ammatán’s face, Flidaisínn panted while staring down the other creature, standing her ground. Ammatán backed away, head bowed, and she walked to Maelan with a gleeful grin on her face. “We have agreed. You are to be told. The place this door will lead, when healed, is called An Cheathrú Mhór by your kind.”

  Maelan was familiar with the place. An Cheathrú Mhór lay southwest of Sligeach, near the Connacht coast. The enormous area with dozens of ancient tombs and stone circles, one of the most sacred spots in Hibernia. He’d visited on the return trip from a raid in the north many winters before, on a misty night full of terrors. He shuddered at the memory.

  If he opened this doorway, he would heal the land and earn the trust and favor of the Fae. That was no small thing, and well worth such little effort. On the other hand, he would be helping the Fae to access the surface world, in an especially powerful place. Was the place powerful because it was a gateway to Faerie, or was the area a gateway to Faerie because it was a powerful place, to begin with? Maelan had no idea. A Druid enjoyed such a puzzle, but not him.