by Roz Marshall
Today's first task was to retrieve his willow basket, which he had lost somewhere near Urisk's pool during yesterday's dramatic rescue. Then he needed to fill the container with nuts and berries, as their already-low supplies had been depleted even further by Cailleach's breakfast earlier this morning.
He did not dare let her go hungry.
The thin line he had been walking had stretched even thinner yesterday, and he feared her retribution if he angered her again. Or worse, she might vent her fury on his friends instead.
What if she does something to Corinne? What if Cailleach curses her too? A block of ice trickled down his spine as he imagined Corinne's peachy skin turned to leather and her shiny hair turned to straw.
He would never forgive himself if that happened. Caution must be his watchword from now on.
-::-
Materialising into Feyland, Corinne settled her bow over her avatar's shoulder and looked around her. The wooded glade looked familiar. Red-capped amanita mushrooms circled around her feet. And was that a waterfall she could hear nearby? She started walking towards the sound of rushing water. Although there was no sign of the cape Elphin loaned her last time, it seemed like she'd arrived near Urisk's cave again. Then she frowned. Does that mean I still have to complete the spinning quest?
But hadn't Elphin said he'd finish the task for her? Her skin went cold. Has something happened to him? She began to jog, then slipped the bow off her shoulder so it wouldn't catch on the branches, and started to run. I hope he's okay.
Moments later, she burst through the undergrowth beside the blue pool, and pulled up short. Gathering mallow-root by the stepping stones was a male figure. But—something's different. His clothes, maybe?
"Uh—hello. Elphin?"
The roar of the waterfall must've masked her voice, as he didn't respond. Instead, he straightened, picked up his shallow basket, and turned to follow the stream downstream.
She gasped. Not Elphin. A stranger. But, wow! The new character looked like he belonged on a film set, not in a computer game. White-blond hair flopped over his forehead; long golden eyelashes framed eyes of the palest blue; a silver chain hung around his neck, and he had that triangle thing going on where wide shoulders sloped down to narrow hips and long, muscular legs. She swallowed, and followed him—at a discreet distance—down the narrow path beside the water.
The trees thinned after a couple of minutes, clumps of heather and scrubby gorse dotting the edges of the path, before it finally opened into a grassy meadow.
Here at the edge of the forest, the meadow had been cultivated. Rows of soil lay before her like grainy brown corduroy; green shoots burgeoning skywards in serried ranks, tended by a crouched figure. Urisk.
The goat-man straightened as the handsome stranger approached, and took the receptacle of mallow roots from him with a nod.
Corinne stepped from the bushes. "Hello, Urisk."
The goat-man beamed at her, brown eyes glinting in the sunlight. "Good morrow, young Corinne." He inclined his head at his companion. "Have you met Colpach?"
"Uh, no."
Colpach strode forward, his hand extended. "You may call me Col, fair archer." His grip was warm, and rather sticky. Perhaps he's more nervous than he looks.
"Thank you."
He said nothing else, but held her gaze, clasping her hand for a moment longer than was necessary.
At school, she was too quiet—and too new—to get much attention from the boys in her year, and spending all her spare time at the stables had meant that she didn't see much of them out of school either. Perhaps her avatar was better looking than she was in real life? She looked down at her costume, at the shapely figure encased in a green tunic and brown leather waistcoat. That must be it.
She cleared her throat, trying to remember what she'd been going to say. "Uh, Urisk, I was looking for Elphin?"
The goat-man shook his head. "I have not seen him."
She made a face. "Did… did he finish the spinning for you?"
Glancing briefly at Col, Urisk inclined his head. "Just," he said, his mouth in a line. "I have Colpach to help me now."
That's a relief. But she should find Elphin, and thank him. And she still needed to find the minstrel. "I'm pleased to hear that. Do you know where I might find Elphin? Or the minstrel that sings for the Bright King?"
The goat-man and Col exchanged a look again. "I believe you may find what you seek on the faerie mountain," Urisk replied carefully, then jerked his chin at his fair-haired companion. "Colpach will point you in the right direction."
-::-
From the shelter of the bushes bordering the meadow, Elphin watched as Corinne linked arms with Colpach and walked back towards the path.
It was hard not to feel the stirrings of jealousy, especially when Colpach pulled her close to his side as they walked down the narrow path beside the stream.
His magical cloak over his head, Elphin felt sure that they would not see him; and if he trod carefully, they should not hear him either. But he could not be so sure about the wolf who followed him like a white shadow. He would just have to hope that the wolf's natural cunning would govern his steps and not give away their whereabouts.
-::-
"Come this way, my lady," Colpach said, and held out the crook of his elbow.
Corinne took his arm, and he pulled her close, pinning her by his side and taking her left hand in his as they walked down the narrow path.
Clear water burbled and chattered over pebbles at the sides of the stream, but the water in the centre was deeper, and she could see now why there were stepping stones by Urisk's pool. She thought she caught sight of a freckled brown trout at one point—and it seemed that Col noticed it too. He twitched toward the stream for half a stride, before straightening and resuming their route.
Perhaps he's an angler. Was there a character who was a fisherman? She couldn't remember. Being so close to the handsome man was making it hard to think straight. "What character are you playing? Or are you a non-player character?" she asked.
"I'm Colpach. You may call me Col."
He already said that, didn't he?
Silence stretched between them. Think of something to say. Something clever. "Uh, I haven't seen you here before." Well, that was original! But at least she hadn't tried that old chestnut 'D'you come here often?'
"No."
Silence stretched again. Talkative, isn't he? "Have you known Urisk for long?"
They had reached the waterfall now, and the roar of the cascade pounding into the deep pool masked the fluttering of her heart. He stopped beside a ruined tree stump and turned her to face him, still holding her left hand.
"My lady, I would ask for your help." Blue eyes locked onto hers. "Urisk has me bound to him, enslaving me so that I will work his land and tend his house. But you could free me."
"How?"
He touched the silver chain around his neck. "Remove this for me."
CHAPTER 17
ELPHIN'S HEART FELL as he watched Colpach charm Corinne, holding her hand and looking deeply into her eyes. But there was nothing Elphin could do—he had no claim over her.
He looked on helplessly as the blond man dropped to one knee before Corinne. Stepping forward, she bent over and unclipped the heavy chain around his neck.
Elphin gasped as the chain turned into a silver bridle in her hand, and Colpach transformed into a magnificent white stallion, mane flowing and nostrils flaring. On his knees beside Corinne, the horse turned his head and touched his shoulder, as if enticing her to ride.
Too late, Elphin worked out the stranger's plan, and the mystery of Urisk's silver thread and the white creature he'd seen when he saved Corinne from drowning was solved. He is a kelpie! The mythical water-horse turned into a human when tamed with a silver bridle. But in its horse form, it would lure its prey to ride on its back, then drown them in pools and rivers, the magical properties of its coat sticking them to its skin and providing the kelpie with an easy meal.
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br /> Too late, Elphin threw off his cloak and burst from the undergrowth beside the pool. But Corinne had already clambered onto the kelpie's back, her face wreathed in smiles.
Too late, she must have realised the danger she was in as the kelpie spun around and lunged towards the water. Her face became a mask of fear, the colour draining from her cheeks.
Elphin's heart twisted even as he leapt onto the tree stump and threw himself onto Colpach's back behind her, keeping his hands high so they did not touch the evil beast's hide.
"I—I'm stuck!" Corinne cried as they flew through the air astride the kelpie, arcing towards the deep water in the centre of the pool.
"Deep breath," he shouted, grabbing the bow from her shoulder and an arrow from her quiver.
-::-
Hands and legs stuck fast to the kelpie's back and dropping like a stone towards the black water of Urisk's pool, Corinne was convinced she was going to die.
They said that in your last few seconds you saw your life flash before you. But all she could think about was, 'Who will look after Ghost?' and 'What will Mum say?'. Would mother even know what had happened to her if she died in a computer game?
Then she corrected herself. This is no game. This was fairyland.
If she died in the fey realm, would there be a body in real life? She shuddered. And what would her parents do if she never returned home?
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes as the kelpie dived into the pool and dragged them down into the inky depths.
-::-
They were under the surface and heading rapidly for the bottom of the pool before Elphin managed to nock the arrow. But where to aim? He would have no more than one chance to kill the evil creature before they ran out of air and drowned, stuck fast to its back.
From his position behind Corinne, a heart shot was impossible. So it would have to be an arrow through the brain. But its bony skull would deflect any arrow, unless… Unless I can shoot it through the eye.
He faltered at the thought. What were the odds of hitting a moving target no more than a hand's width wide, aiming through turbulent water which distorted his view?
But what are our chances if I do not?
Corinne turned her head and the terror in her brown eyes gave him fresh resolve.
Gritting his teeth, he pulled the bowstring with all of his strength, aimed carefully, and let the arrow fly.
CHAPTER 18
FOR THE SECOND time in as many days, Elphin helped Corinne out of the water and onto the banks of the pool. But this time, he was thankful to say, she was conscious and breathing.
Her breathing was ragged, though; tears coursing down her cheeks as she knelt on the short grass, hands on her sodden leggings.
"Wait a moment," he said, and ran to the bushes to retrieve his discarded cloak. Wrapping it around her shoulders, he knelt beside her and put a comforting arm around her back.
"I—I'm so sorry," she hiccuped, burying her face into his chest. "I nearly got us killed. Again."
"Think nothing of it," he murmured, pulling her closer.
For a moment, his mind went blank. It had been so long, such a very long time since he had been close to another human, since he had felt the comfort of another's touch. The cold, love-less years living in the witch's icy cave had…
The witch!
He had forgotten about Cailleach and her spying wolf! If the old crone found out about his feelings for Corinne, there was no telling the misery she might cause, and he would never forgive himself if something happened to his friend because of his inattention or misjudgement.
Releasing his hold on Corinne, he spun around, searching the undergrowth for a glimpse of those burning red eyes, dread rising in his gullet.
-::-
Elphin's sudden movement roused Corinne. "What's wrong?" she asked.
She'd been silently berating herself for being taken in by Colpach. She should've known that a creature as handsome as that could not be real, and that his good looks were only skin-deep. He couldn't even hold a decent conversation with me! The only time he really spoke to her was to trick her into releasing him back to his water horse form. She pursed her lips.
Elphin, however, had proved himself a good and true friend, and had saved her life at least twice now. But something was worrying him, she could tell. She put a hand on his arm and asked again, "What's wrong?"
He glanced back at her, worry etching even deeper lines in his leathery skin. "The wolf."
"Wolf?" she repeated, anxiety prickling down her spine.
"There was a wolf watching me, but I do not know where it has gone."
"Might it attack us?"
"No," he said, but silently picked up her longbow from where it lay discarded on the grass, and handed it to her.
"I'm beginning to think that Feyland is out to get me," she said, trying to make light of the situation. "First we get chased by the Wild Hunt, then I nearly drown, a kelpie tries to kill me, and now there's a wolf hunting us?"
He looked at her from under his eyebrows. "Not us. Me. Although…" He scanned the bushes around the pool again, then stood up and held out a hand to help her rise.
Scrambling to her feet, she gave him a questioning look.
"I think we should get you to a mushroom ring. It is time for you to return to your 'real life'. You will be safer there."
-::-
Elphin's skin crawled as they walked through the forest to the faerie ring. Every now and again, he would glimpse red eyes in the bushes, and it may have been his imagination, but he was sure he could hear a hint of the wolf's rasping breath following behind, always behind.
Corinne seemed to have picked up on the unsaid message in his words, and she carried her bow in her right hand, with an arrow loosely nocked and ready for use at a moment's notice.
But she had not released his hand after he helped her up from the grass, and a part of him took comfort in the feel of her soft, warm skin. At the same time, though, his cautious nature worried what Cailleach would make of this, when she saw the images from her magic crystal. Was Corinne now in danger too?
-::-
Something was bothering Elphin, Corinne could tell. And if she was honest, she was a little bothered herself, checking over her shoulder every few steps to look for bogeymen in the bushes. Feyland definitely wasn't just the simple game she'd thought it was when she'd first donned the gaming gloves and headset.
I should distract him. Stop us both worrying about something we can't even see. "Elphin, can I ask you something?"
He raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"I keep meaning to try and find a minstrel I saw at the Bright King's court the first day I came here. Urisk said that I'd find him on the faerie mountain, and that's where Col was supposed to be taking me, before he… Before…" She motioned with her bow back in the direction of the pool and bit her lip. "Do you know where it is? The mountain, I mean?"
While she was talking, they'd reached the ring of white-spotted scarlet mushrooms. Elphin dropped her hand as she stepped into it, shaking his head emphatically. "You should not go to the mountain. It is not safe."
"But— I saw him, in my dreams. He was in trouble. I wanted to help him."
"If you come to harm on the mountain, you will help nobody."
"Is he there? Do you know him?"
He hesitated, not meeting her gaze. Then he squared his shoulders, as if making a decision. "You will find the minstrel at the court of the Bright King once each day. That is all I know."
"Thank y—" She froze. Behind Elphin, a huge albino wolf was stalking towards them, hackles raised and lips curled back in a savage snarl.
At the look on her face, Elphin whirled round, but before he could do anything, the wolf pounced, flying through the air with a bloodcurdling howl. It knocked Elphin to the ground and sunk its yellow fangs into his neck.
An arrow was singing through the air before she had processed the thought, her arm reaching into the quiver for another before t
he first reached its target. But it had flown true, thumping into the wolf's brawny shoulder and making the beast release its victim with a yelp of surprise.
Red eyes surveyed her balefully for a moment, a white crystal glinting unnervingly on its forehead. Nocking the next arrow, she swung the bow to aim.
At this, the wolf obviously decided Elphin wasn't worth the risk, and limped off into the bushes, breaking into a jolting trot when her second arrow flew past its nose and struck the ground just ahead.
Elphin lay on the grass, unmoving.
Corinne rushed to his side, dreading what she might find. But as she bent over him, her vision crackled like a television that has lost its aerial and the scene around her turned to black and white, before disappearing altogether.
CHAPTER 19
ELPHIN FELT LIKE an ogre had slammed into him. All the breath had been knocked from his lungs, and his throat ached where the wolf had tried to rip out his larynx. Through half-shut eyelashes, he saw Corinne stoop over him, a look of concern on her face that would have made his heart leap in his chest—if his chest had not felt like a concrete block sat on top of it.
He felt decidedly unwell. And my eyesight is failing too. It seemed to him that Corinne flickered a couple of times, then disappeared.
Screwing his eyes tight shut, he counted to three then forced them properly open. But she really was gone. Back to her real life, he hoped, then gritted his teeth and pushed himself up onto an elbow.
With the other hand, he probed the wound on his neck. Blood. But not fresh red arterial blood. So not a life-threatening wound—unless the wolf's foul teeth harboured some deadly infection.
Or unless the witch takes retribution on me for the wolf's injury.
But what if she had seen that it was Corinne who shot the wolf? Would Corinne be in danger instead? Perhaps it is a blessing that she has gone home.
A wave of nausea threatened to engulf him, and he was about to lie down again when the patter of approaching feet put his senses on high alert. Pushing onto his knees, he reached for his cloak and pulled it over his head. He felt too sick to stand and run. Hiding was his only option.
