by Roz Marshall
When the approaching creature appeared from behind a gnarled pine tree, he breathed a sigh of relief. Urisk.
The goat-man stopped, sniffing the air and surveying the clearing through narrowed eyes.
Elphin let the cloak drop and spoke up. "Hello, Urisk."
Urisk jumped. "Where—" Then his gaze darted to Elphin's neck. "You are injured, young man."
"It is nothing. Just a wolf bite."
The goat-man hopped closer and examined the wound. "This is not nothing. You need treatment. Come." He held out a hand and helped Elphin to his feet. "I have medicines back at my cave."
-::-
Sitting on the soft furs in Urisk's cave while the goat-man fussed around him, Elphin's vision began to waver and blur.
"Lie down," Urisk commanded, and Elphin was only too glad to obey.
His eyes closed, he winced as something warm and damp was placed onto his neck.
"A poultice of moss and herbs. To draw the poisons from the wound."
Cool hands behind his neck wrapped a soft cloth bandage over the injury. "Thank you," Elphin mumbled, feeling the blissful tendrils of sleep reaching out for him.
Urisk smacked his lips appreciatively. "That is better. Now," he laid a hand on Elphin's arm, "perhaps you can tell me where my manservant Colpach has gone?"
As if someone had thrown a bucket of ice water over him, Elphin's senses sprang to full alert. Opening his eyes, he examined Urisk's face, which held a look of concern, rather than malice. Elphin relaxed somewhat.
"He tricked Corinne into taking off his silver chain," Elphin said, "and turned into his water horse form. Then he enticed her to ride him, and tried to drown her." He set his jaw. "In order to save her, I had to shoot the kelpie." At the look on Urisk's face, he added, "I am sorry."
Urisk sucked air through his teeth. "Your actions have left me without my manservant. I am trying to build up stocks of healing herbs. He was helping me to cultivate the meadow."
"I am sorry," Elphin repeated. "But he was going to kill my friend."
The goat-man slowly shook his head. "There is only one answer. You should make retribution for murdering my servant. You will work for me instead."
"But—"
Elphin's protests were cut short by the strident voice he feared the most. Cailleach.
Standing in the entrance to the cave, she was flanked by her two wolves, the injured one standing on three legs. "No!" she roared. "He is my cup-bearer. He returns to the mountain with me!"
Urisk drew himself to his full height to address the witch. "My lady, he killed my servant. He must work for me to make retribution!"
Propping himself on an elbow, Elphin shook his head to clear the fog in his brain. He needed to intervene here, or he would end up back at Schiehallion with the witch. Taking a deep breath, he tried to make his voice stronger than he felt. "This is a decision for the King. We need to go and seek judgement at the Bright Court."
CHAPTER 20
A GRACEFUL FOREFINGER tapped contemplatively against the Bright King's lower lip. Then he stilled, and his sapphire-blue eyes alighted on Elphin. "And you, young minstrel, what would you have me do?"
Standing on the daisy-covered grass in front of the Bright King's throne, Elphin was flanked by Urisk on one side, and Cailleach on the other. A small crowd of fey surrounded them, those who were curious—or bored—enough to listen to the king's decrees. Others were setting out the silver table in preparation for the evening meal, and on the far side of the clearing a tall elf plucked on a pearly harp, the delicate music lilting high over the ethereal throng and their murmured conversations.
Elphin's would-be masters had both made representation to the faerie king; Cailleach making much of her advanced years and her requirement for a servant to attend to her day-to-day needs; Urisk stressing the necessity of help with the never-ending work in his herb garden, which would leave him available to treat the ills and ailments of the King's subjects.
Elphin's heart hammered in his chest as he inclined his head in deference. Could this be his chance to escape the Realm of Faerie? He clenched his fists. "My lord, I would ask to be returned home, to my mortal life."
The King regarded him for a moment. "But you are under an enchantment, are you not?"
Elphin risked a glance at the King. "Yes."
"And you have not fulfilled the conditions to be released from the spell?"
His shoulders sagged. Would he never be free of the witch and her malicious sorcery? "No."
"Then I decree that, until that day, or until one year from now—whichever comes first—you are to work for Urisk, tending his herbs and helping with his medicine. And then you shall be returned to Cailleach, to continue as her cup-bearer until your enchantment is lifted."
With a howl of frustration, Cailleach spun on her heel and stomped angrily back into the forest, her two wolves trailing behind her. At the edge of the clearing, she turned suddenly and pointed a bony finger at Elphin. "You have not heard the last of this, Elphin Irving, mark my words!"
Urisk touched his elbow. "Ignore her," he said. "She is not a graceful loser." He jerked his head at the magical buffet from which mouth-watering aromas were drifting across the glade. "Let us eat our fill, and then return to my cave. She cannot hurt you now."
He is right. She cannot hurt me now. Or at least not for another year.
Hope blossomed in Elphin's chest and brought a smile to his lips. He had a year to enjoy the warmth and sunlight of the forest, rather than the bleak icy slopes of Cailleach's mountain. A year to enjoy the simple company of the goat-man, and the rewarding work in his garden. And a year to make Corinne fall in love with me.
With Cailleach out of his life, anything seemed possible now. Even his dreams might come true. He grinned, and followed Urisk across the clearing to the silver table.
EPILOGUE
CORINNE PULLED OFF the gaming headset, her skin prickling. She was not alone in the darkened VR booth.
There's someone else here.
Her senses still on high alert after the wolf attack, she reached into her quiver for an arrow and nocked it to her bow, aiming at the intruder.
"W—woah!"
Someone flicked the light switch and she threw up a hand to shield her eyes.
At the entrance stood a greasy-haired youth in a vintage Def Leppard t-shirt, his palms raised in front of his chest. The sim café attendant. Behind him, Mother's concerned face peered over his shoulder.
"Don't shoot!" The attendant's face was even whiter than his usual geek pallor.
Logging out of Feyland always left her disorientated. Coming out suddenly and unexpectedly, like she just had, she was having a hard time getting to grips with reality.
She looked down at her hands. A willowy arrow with a sharp bronze arrowhead was nocked onto a magnificent maplewood bow whose inlaid silver scrollwork looked totally out of place in this modern setting. Especially since she was still wearing her gamer gloves.
"S—sorry," she said, and dropped her arm.
"Corinne!" Mother pushed past the attendant. "What's wrong?"
"Uh, I don't know. I was playing my game, and then I got kicked out or something." Corinne turned to the attendant. "Did I run out of credit?"
He shook his head, eyes still fixed on her longbow. "Dude, you're, like, not supposed to have weapons in here." Jerking his chin at a faded notice pinned to the wall, he added, "It's the rules."
"Oh, I'm really sorry." Reality was starting to come into focus now. But why had she been logged out, just as Elphin had been killed by the wolf? And how did she have her bow, here in real life? What's going on?
The attendant was still staring at her, as if expecting a better answer.
Think of an excuse. Quick. "Uh, I'm looking after it for someone. Sorry."
Mother hustled across the booth and grabbed Corinne's elbow. "We're just leaving. Sorry for any inconvenience, and thank you for putting me in touch with my daughter. But I need to get her home."
"Mum, I need to get back to Feyland. It's important. Someone's life is at stake."
Shaking her head, mother bit her lip. "This is important too. I got a phone call earlier from the National Animal Protection Charity. They've had a complaint. They're coming to take the horse away!"
Take Ghost? Corinne's insides turned to ice. "They can't take Ghost! How can they do that?"
"Someone said you weren't looking after him properly."
"What! How could they say that? Did they say who complained?"
But as the words came out of her mouth, she put two and two together. She knew who it would be. Sonya.
Setting her jaw, she looked down at the ornate longbow she still held.
In Feyland, she was an Amazonian warrior who'd faced unearthly foes and cheated death. She squared her shoulders. A spiteful fifteen-year-old bully in real life held no fear for her now.
It was time to stop being pushed around; time to start sticking up for herself. And time to get her horse back.
"Come on," she said, hurrying towards their parked car. "I won't give him up without a fight!"
-::-
What happens next? Find out by reading 'Faerie Mountain':
Corinne and Elphin's adventures continue in 'Faerie Mountain':
Scots teenager Corinne MacArthur is desperate to save her friend Elphin after he's savaged by a fiendish wolf in the virtual reality game Feyland. But she's dragged back to the mortal world when a rivalry turns nasty, and juggling her real-life dilemma and her online persona becomes a balancing act that needs all the skills she's learned in the game—until she learns the truth about Elphin.
It's a truth that shatters her illusions about the world she's grown up in and sends her racing back to Feyland on a life-or-death rescue mission. But Feyland is a game where trickery is an art form and magic is the currency. A game which can deceive the unwary and trap the naïve. A game where legends come to life and shadowy figures haunt your dreams.
And Corinne's dreams are coming true. But not in a good way. They're more like waking nightmares, and it will take all her ingenuity—and more—to escape the otherwordly creatures who've invaded her life. A life which is about to become even more complicated…
Faerie Mountain will be published on 28th July 2016
A note from the author
Thank you for reading, and I really hope you enjoyed the story. If so, please take a moment to leave a review and tell a friend!
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About the author
Roz lives in Scotland with her husband and the obligatory dog and cat. Her writing experience includes screenwriting, songwriting, web pages and even sentiments for greeting cards!
Books: www.rozmarshall.co.uk/books
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rozmarshallauthor
Acknowledgements
Thank you to Ailidh, Maia and Shae, my beta-reading and editing team, who added extra polish and value to my scribblings.
Thank you also to Anthea Sharp, without whom this story in her world of Feyland would never have happened. Check out her books at http://antheasharp.com/the-feyland-series/.
