Una held her chin up high. “Aye, I did. An’ I would do it again in a heartbeat. My spell was supposed to work. He was supposed to fall in love with me. And now, I hope Fanella Lyall suffers for the rest of her life.”
He bristled at the mention of Nellie. “Do you have her? If you harmed her in any way, I will—”
“She’s safely locked away, Adam. Worry not. As I’ve told her, I don’t want to kill her quickly. I want to make her suffer as long as possible, just like her mother. That Abigail Lyall may have been human, but her powers are much stronger than my own.”
“Powers?” Adam asked. “I doubt if she had any powers. Perhaps it was just love, and that her love overpowered your jealous rage.”
Una shrugged. “Well, they’re all dead now, right? Save for Nellie, who looks so much like her mother. I can’t stand it.”
“Why don’t you just kill me now, then? Take over my land… that will bring you a step closer to taking over Scotia and it would make Nellie suffer incredibly.”
“Oh, Adam, I would never kill you. I love you so much. I was hopin’ that maybe you would join my side.” She held up a hand in front of him.
“What are you doing?” he asked, then felt a wave of energy hit his body, causing him to tense.
She’s tryin’ to enchant me, he realized. He closed his eyes, trying to focus his mind’s eye on Nellie, and only on Nellie. God, he should’ve been given one of those acorns Bhreac had handed to the lass.
Adam fell to his knees as the force of energy broke away from him. “Perhaps love is stronger,” she remarked softly, almost to herself. “I know where she is, aye,” Una replied. Her eyes softened as she looked at Adam. “Let’s forget all of this. I will show you Nellie. I’ll get rid of the curse an’ you can both be happy.”
The change in tone rang like a warning bell to Adam. He knew not to trust her, but finding no other choice, he followed her out of the courtyard and through the postern door.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” She smiled at him. “Worry not, dear Adam.” She made a ball of light appear between her palms and used it to guide them through the dark moorlands.
“Why did you marry my father in the first place, if you did not love him?” Adam asked.
Una sighed. “I grew bored of the Unseelie Court. I just wanted to see what it would be like to marry a human,” she said.
“So, it was all a game to you?”
“Adam, it is in my nature. Just as humans have certain tendencies, so do leannan sith.”
“That does not excuse you for what you have done.”
“Perhaps not.”
When they stopped, Adam realized that they were standing in front of the standing stone. The sun began to rise over the hills around the land and Una dissipated the little ball of light she held. Nellie was nowhere to be seen.
“Why take me here?” he asked her.
Una waved her hand and Adam jumped back as a circle of light emitted itself from the ground, illuminating the perimeter of the standing stone. The runes on the standing stone began to glow a light blue color, then leaped around in random places on the surface.
“What in God’s name is happening?” he demanded.
“I’m opening the portal to the Unseelie Court, my home,” Una explained. “C’mon, Nellie is there waiting for you.”
“Do you take me for a fool?” Adam hissed as he took another step back. The portal opening was expanding at an alarming rate. “Why would Nellie be in the Unseelie Court?”
“I took her there,” Una explained. “Along with your sister, Tara. Don’t you want to meet Tara?”
Adam stared at the swirling pool of light. What if Una was telling the truth and Nellie was trapped in there? Did he have any other option but to go into the portal and save those he loved?
Chapter 27
When Tara set her free, Nellie stumbled up the stairs, trying to get as much distance from the girl as she could. She fell twice; the second time, she twisted her ankle, but continued on despite the pain. Gliding her hands across the wall, she noticed the postern door was swinging open and she took that as her escape route to outside.
“And where in the hell do you think you’re going, lassie?” Bearnard said from behind her before she reached the door.
This time, Nellie was prepared. She reached for her dagger strapped around her leg and unsheathed it. Before he could lay a hand on her, she hit him upside the head with her hilt. The impact shot a painful vibration down her arm, but it was enough for Bearnard to fall flat on his back and into unconsciousness.
She heard Tara running up the steps behind her, so she quickly took her escape through the postern door. The air was wet and cold and Nellie did not have time to change into warmer clothes or even grab her breacan before Bearnard and his men attacked Dunaid. Her bare feet were numb from the chill as she ran through the open field to where she hoped was the direction of the standing stone.
A few times, she stumbled and fell hard, her knees scraping against jagged rocks. The skirt of her dress clung to the bloody cuts on her legs as she continued to run. Morning was coming and the small amount of light that emitted itself was enough for Nellie to see a little bit clearer.
She turned her head back to Dunaid. Aye, she was heading in the right direction, she realized with relief.
She then stopped dead in her tracks as an unnatural beam of light appeared across the hillside, to where she knew the stone was standing. What was happening? Worried that she perhaps was too late, that Adam was already taken to the Unseelie Court, she quickened her pace until she finally reached the stone.
Two figures stood next to it as Nellie hid behind a tree. Pressing her back against the trunk, she craned her neck around. Because the light was so bright, she could differentiate Adam and Una. Una was trying to persuade Adam to step into the light, but Adam was refusing.
Thank God, he did not seem to be under any sort of spell. Her acorn was tucked safely in her dress pocket and she still held her dagger in a surprisingly steady hand.
I can take her out, Nellie thought. I can throw this dagger at her heart and end this once and for all.
Taking a few breaths, first to slow down her heartbeat and to keep her hand steady, she turned around to aim the blade towards the leannan sith’s heart.
But at that moment, Una turned and faced her. The acorn did not stop her body from freezing and her hand from going limp. The dagger dropped to the ground as Nellie’s world turned into complete darkness.
“Wretched girl,” she heard Una say. “You think you can kill me?”
“Una!” Adam shouted.
“Mother, stop!”
Tara?
Adam lunged at Una as she sauntered over to Nellie, but all that Una needed to do was to hold out her hand for Adam’s legs to stop working.
“Mother, stop!”
A young woman’s voice caused Una to falter. She turned her head. “Tara,” she said. “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you in Dunaid with Fanella like I requested?”
Tara? My sister.
Adam was torn with a torrent of emotions, not knowing whether to laugh, cry, or to run over and embrace the girl, if his legs still worked. This was his sister, his flesh and blood. As Una spoke to her, he noticed a brief glimpse of guilt in the girl’s eyes, but that quickly changed to anger.
Tara knelt down by Nellie and picked up the discarded dagger. “Please, mother. Stop this curse. Let Lady Lyall and Adam go in peace.”
The young woman was tall, and although she looked very much like Una, he saw the similarities in his own mannerisms: the way her brow furrowed when she spoke and the way she favored leaning on her right leg as she stood. Her eyes and hair were also the same as his, the same as their father’s.
This was his little sister.
“Tara?” he whispered. The woman turned toward him.
“Brother?”
“Aye, it is,” he said, smiling. She returned the smile and walked over t
o him.
“I’ve always wanted to meet you,” she said.
Una laughed. “Don’t be silly, Tara. Come here. We’ll both go to the Unseelie Court. Aren’t you curious to meet the rest of your family?”
“They are not my family.” She shook her head. “Why did you tell me my brother was a wicked man? I don’t see anything wicked about him.”
Una looked uneasily between the siblings. “Tara, dear. I can explain everything once we’ve stepped through the portal, I promise.”
Tara shook her head. “No, you don’t promise. You lied. You lied to me for my entire life.” She held the dagger up, the blade pressed against her throat. “Mother, stop the curse and leave these two alone, or I will not hesitate to kill myself.”
No! He wasn’t going to lose his sister as quickly as he found her.
“Oh Tara, don’t be so dramatic.” Una said laconically.
“I’ll do it, mother. I’m not afraid to.”
“Oh, fine.” Una relented. Adam stiffened as the leannan sith walked over to Nellie, still crouching on the ground. Although he knew it must’ve pained her, Nellie stood up on shaking legs and held her head up high, trying to focus her gaze to meet Una’s eyes.
The lass didn’t move as Una pressed her fingertips against her forehead and uttered something in a language Adam did not understand. Nellie’s eyes widened and Adam’s grip on his hilt tightened until Nellie began to laugh.
“I… I can see,” she exclaimed, looking around her like she’d seen trees and grass for the first time.
“Nellie!” Adam called out. She turned and smiled widely at him. But before he could relax, Una grabbed Nellie by the arm and pushed her towards the portal opening.
“NO!” he yelled, but it was too late. Both women had disappeared. With Una gone, he could move his legs. He immediately ran toward the portal to go after them, but Tara pushed him out of the way with a force unnatural for such a young girl. Without a word, Tara jumped in after Una and Nellie.
Adam watched in dismay as the portal closed. The once blinding light was now gone and the runes went back to their normal places on the stone.
The sky was turning into a pale blue as the sun continued to rise. Overhead, he heard a few birds chirp as they made their way to find their morning food. The day seemed to mock him in its normalcy.
“No,” Adam moaned. “No, no, no!”
He got down on his hands and knees and started digging at the earth. He clawed at it, not caring that his fingers bled as his fingernails tore away. He was going to find them. He had to. After all that had happened, he had to find them.
His tears mixed with the soil as he finally collapsed on his side, exhausted. What kind of God would allow Nellie—innocent, sweet Nellie—to suffer such a cruel fate? And his sister… his sister never stood a chance.
He lay there, staring at the sky for God knew how long. A few sheep walked passed him, looking at him curiously before continuing on to a different place to graze. The blood on his hands and fingers dried and all the cuts on his person throbbed dully with pain.
The warm afternoon sun caused a bead of sweat to drip uncomfortably down his face. He finally shifted his position, and as he did so, he thought he heard a moan coming from the other side of the stone. Thinking it was perhaps the bleating of a nearby sheep, he rolled over to his side and chose to ignore it. But when he heard it again, it sounded decidedly human. He got on his hands and knees and crawled to the other side.
He stared dumbly at the two women before realizing who he was looking at. Nellie and Tara lay side by side on the other side of the stone, their arms embraced, and they both were unconscious.
How long had they been here? he wondered as he forced himself to his feet. He slung both women over his shoulders and trekked to Lachina’s house.
Adam was about ready to collapse by the time he made it to her door. He kicked the door with his foot and Elspeth answered within moments.
“Laird Maxwell, what is it?” She then realized he was holding two women, one over each shoulder, and her eyes widened. “Come in quickly,” she ordered.
Lachina was by the fire, stirring something in a pot. “What in God’s name,” she began, standing up. “Who is this lass?”
“My half-sister,” Adam replied. “Elspeth, help me lower Tara down on the bed.”
“Nellie can be in my bed,” Lachina said as she scanned Tara. “There is not sign of injury,” she remarked.
“Nay, I shouldn’t think so,” Adam told her. “Una took them to the Unseelie Court.”
“The Unseelie Court!” Lachina exclaimed. “It looks like you have quite the tale to tell. Do you know how did they were able to return?”
“I haven’t the slightest notion. I just found them on the other side of the standing stone not too long ago.” He watched helplessly as Lachina and Elspeth placed a wet cloth infused with some herb on the foreheads of the two women.
With the women settled, Lachina focused her attention on him. “You look worse to wear,” she remarked. “What happened to your hands? Here, let me clean and bandage them.”
Adam swallowed and shook his head. “I thought they were gone. Forever,” he said.
“Well, you should be pleased to know that womenfolk are a lot stronger than that.”
When Lachina finished, Adam sat between the two women, waiting for them to show any sign of life. Tara stirred first. She blinked her eyes open. Now that it was light, Adam could see that indeed their eyes were similar, but there was something different about hers, a hint of the uncanny folk.
“Where am I?” she muttered turning her head to face him.
“You are at my healer’s house,” Adam replied. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” Tara said. “Did Nellie…?”
“Aye, she’s here, too.”
Tara sank back into the bed and relaxed. “Thank God. I thought she’d just gotten out of my reach.”
“Can you tell me what happened?”
Tara shivered. “Aye. We were in the Unseelie Court. There were fairies everywhere. Malevolent fairies. Dark fairies. They didn’t like the sight of a human in their court so they were comin’ after Nellie. I… I also saw my mother in her true form and it frightened me half to death. I grabbed Nellie an’ took her back. I don’t know how I did it. It was like I knew how to go back without thinkin’, if that makes sense....”
“Did you see Una after that?”
Tara shook her head. “No, I believe she’s still in the Unseelie Court. When I came back, I sealed the portal.” She wiped a tear that escaped from her eye. “I hope you can forgive me for holdin’ Nellie as a hostage. She is a kind woman. I feel terrible for ever fallin’ for my mother’s tricks.”
“We all fell victim to her,” he reassured her. “That’s what the leannan sith do best.”
“I’m partly leannan sith. Does that make me evil?”
“I know not what being half-fairy entails, but I do not believe you’re evil.”
Tara smiled. “Thank you,” she said tearfully.
Adam reached out and gave her hand a squeeze. “Ach, I don’t think I introduced myself to you completely. I’m Adam Maxwell, Laird of Dunaid Castle.”
“Tara Maxwell.”
“Well, Tara, you have a home at Dunaid if you choose.”
“Thank you,” she said, sounding relieved. “I did seal the portal when we left the Unseelie Court, but I think we should destroy the standing stone. Hopefully, that will also destroy the link my mother has between this world and hers.”
“Aye, I will see to that.”
“Adam?”
Nellie was awake and smiling at him drowsily.
“Nellie,” he spoke swiftly as he went over to her bed.
“I never thought I would see your face again,” she said.
“Oh, sorry you didn’t get your wish,” he said dryly, but couldn’t keep the grin from his face.
Nellie laughed in response, but then quickly sobered. “Is it over n
ow?” she asked quietly.
“I believe it is,” he replied. “Una is trapped in the Unseelie Court.”
Nellie shook her head “How did she not put a spell on you, to persuade you to join her? You didn’t have an acorn like I did…”
“Well,” Adam began, feeling slightly nervous. “It was because of love. I love you more than I ever loved Una, an’ because I cared about you more than her, she wasn’t able to enchant me. Her spell never worked. I think that’s why it didn’t work for your father, Malcolm.”
He took both of her hands in his and looked at her in directly in her eyes. “I love you, Nellie,” he told her.
“I love you, too, Adam.”
Chapter 28
Although they were close to being back on their feet, Lachina made Nellie and Tara stay in their beds for the remainder of the day, with Adam not leaving either of their sides. In the evening, however, Lachina declared them safe for travel and the three of them left for Dunaid.
“Did any of your men die?” Tara asked as they traversed back to the front entrance.
“I hope not,” Adam replied. “But it was too chaotic of a night to tell.” He then noticed his sister’s downcast eyes. “Tara, none of this is your fault, even if some of my men died.”
“Aye, I know that,” she said.
“Hey, Tara,” Nellie said. “Do you like to garden?”
Tara thought about it. “I’ve actually never gardened before,” she revealed. “But I do like walking through them. Bearnard had a garden in his castle, but it’s not very well taken care of.”
Nellie flashed him an amused look that Adam pretended like he couldn’t see. “Your brother is very much the same,” she said to Tara, laughing. “But we were able to fix up the courtyard just right. It looks beautiful now. I’ll have to show you when we get the chance.”
“Aye, I would love that.”
Alister was waiting for them at the entrance. “Adam,” he said as they walked through the entrance door. “Our uncle is in shackles in the dungeons. I found him unconscious in the western part of the castle. What I really want to do is to throw him into the sea.”
Lady Nellie Page 18
