The Castle of Water and Woe

by Steffanie Holmes

  “So we have no idea why baptism is so important?” I asked. I wanted to steer the conversation away from Blake’s trustworthiness and back to the problem at hand.

  “For the moment.” Corbin held up a holy page of the grimoire. “I’m searching for an answer, but even with this new information it’s going to take some time. In the meantime, I think the most prudent thing we can do is try to protect the innocent babies of Crookshollow.”

  Jane looked disgusted. “If I want to protect Connor from this happening again, I have to get him baptised?”

  “I think it would be the best option,” Corbin said. “We believe we’ve got a few days before the spell on the gateway wears down. I suggest you organise the baptism before then, and if we can figure out who the other unbaptised children are, maybe we can convince their parents to undertake the ceremony. The rest of us have got to figure out a more permanent solution to holding the fae back, as well as what magic Daigh is trying to work.”

  “Can’t we just extend the protective ward around the castle to include the sidhe?” I asked. “That way, as soon as the fae tried to come through, BAM.”

  Corbin shook his head. “Those wards were put in place by an ancient coven, more powerful than us. Blake’s spell is only holding because it’s focused on such a small area, and even then it will only keep them back for a few days. When that time’s up, I have no idea what we’ll do.” Corbin looked over to Blake, but he shook his head.

  “Don’t expect me to have all the answers. Some of this you’re going to have to figure out yourselves.”

  “Don’t you mean ourselves?” I asked.

  Blake sneered. “You may be begging for my body, Princess, but your friends here aren’t exactly clamouring to offer me membership to your little club. I haven’t even got a curry yet, so I don’t 1see why I should help.”

  “I’m not begging for—” My face flushed. I stopped before I said anything that might give away what happened. Rowan looked at me with curious eyes.

  “Not that anyone listens to the Irishman, either. But for what it’s worth I think Blake’s all right.” Flynn picked up the giraffe rattle Connor tossed on the sofa and handed it back to him. “It was because of him that we got out of that dream world alive, and got wee Connor back.”

  Flynn glanced at me as he said that words, his blue eyes flashing with desire, and I knew he was thinking about what he and Blake did to me behind the sidhe. I’m with you, Flynn. I’d like Blake to stick around, too.

  “You’re absolutely right, Flynn,” Arthur said. “No one listens to you.”

  “Whether we trust him or not,” I said, fixing Corbin with what I hoped was a withering state. “I think we’re stuck with him. So let’s try not to be … what’s the word? Wankers. Let’s try not to be wankers.”

  “I love when you talk English, Einstein,” Flynn grinned, flipping a red curl out of his eyes.

  “I trust him,” Rowan whispered.

  Corbin grunted. I wasn’t naive enough to assume that was agreement.

  “As far as I’m concerned, if he helped get Connor back, I’ll put him forward for a knighthood,“ Jane added.

  “Give us a few days, mate.” Arthur said to Blake. “We didn’t expect to be sharing Briarwood and M—” he paused and cleared his throat. I wondered what he’d been about to say. Was he going to say ‘and Maeve’? A flash of one of my erotic dreams danced in front of my eyes, of all five of them surrounding me, their hands and mouths and cocks pleasuring me. I rubbed my bare arms, feeling the hairs stand on end, the tingles of my magic simmering under my skin. Goddammit, it’s getting hard to focus on anything with all this testosterone in my face all the time.

  “Speaking of that dream trip we took yesterday,” Arthur said. “I have some questions. Namely, how the hell did I end up with my sword?”

  “Mate, don’t question the Deus-ex-Maevina,” Flynn grinned.

  I snorted at his comment. “That’s hilarious, Flynn.”

  “I know.”

  “But seriously, I didn’t give Arthur the sword. I didn’t have anything to do with that. So how did it get there?” I glanced at Blake, who shrugged.

  “Don’t look at me, Princess. I’m not in the habit of doing favours for people who aren’t you. Best I could figure, when you drew these guys into the dream you somehow gave them the power to manipulate it.”

  “That would have been nice to know at the time,” Arthur said, touching his shoulder, where a fae had given him a long cut with a bone blade.

  “Tell me about it. I could have got one of you to bring me a curry.”

  “As interesting as this issue is, we have to put it aside for now. It’s not getting us any closer to stopping Daigh.”

  “But how do we stop him if we don’t know what he’s going to do?”

  “We know what he’s trying to do. He’s trying to raise the Slaugh. But our ancestors sent the fae into Tir Na Nog precisely so they could never raise the Slaugh again. It’s supposed to be impossible. So we need to know why Daigh suddenly thinks he can do it.”

  “He said he had a weapon the likes of which we cannot imagine,” I recalled with a shudder. I’d thought that was the Slaugh, but maybe it wasn’t Maybe it was the means of raising them.

  How could that fae possibly be my father? I hadn’t had a moment since we returned to really register that. But the man who gave me half my genes wanted to raise the spirits of the ead and wipe out the population of the earth. My stomach churned.

  “Fae say a lot of things that aren’t necessarily true. But there’s definitely something going on here we’ve never seen before. Here’s what we’re going to do,” Corbin sat up in his chair, thumbing through the grimoire. “Maeve, you and Jane go into the village and get her set up with that baptism. If possible, try and get out of the vicar the names of other babies who aren’t being or haven’t yet been baptised. It’s a small village. The vicar will know everyone. Take Arthur with you for protection.”

  “We don’t need protection,” I said, thinking of the fae safely behind Blake’s ward spell.

  “We might,” Jane said quietly. I glanced at her, noticing for the first time the colour had fled her cheeks. Is it something to do with her profession? Is there someone else out there who wants to hurt her?

  “Well, take him for eye candy, then. The rest of you are staying here and poring through these books. There’s got to be something here that will help us. I’ll give you all the ones in English, and I’ll work on the translations when I get back.“

  “I know Old Brythonic and Gaelic, if that’s helpful,” Blake said.

  “I’ll do the translations,” Corbin growled.

  “Fine by me,” Blake shrugged. If anything, his bored expression seemed to be making Corbin even angrier. It would’ve been hilarious if I wasn’t so worried about Corbin.

  “Where are you going?” Flynn asked.

  Corbin stood up. “I have to take a little trip, but I’ll probably be back within the day.”

  I glanced at Corbin in surprise. He’s leaving Briarwood now? Where on earth is he going?

  Arthur laughed. “Sure you are, mate. You wouldn’t even leave that library to go see your favourite band play down in Crooks Crossing. Why leave now, when we actually need you here?”

  “Trust me, I don’t want to go. But there’s a chance this might help.”

  “I could go instead. You’d be much more use here.”

  Corbin shook his head. “This is something only I can do.”

  “Care to elaborate there, oh mysterious one?”

  “No.” Corbin wiped a strand of dark hair out of his bloodshot eyes.

  “I’ll come with you,” Rowan said.

  Corbin shook his head. “No.’

  “Yes.” Rowan’s voice was surprisingly firm. “Corbin, let me help.”

  The air in the room cooled sharply. No one spoke. I glanced between Corbin and Rowan. A voiceless conversation played between them, a battle of wills over a border I didn’t even und
erstand. Wherever Corbin was going, Rowan knew, and he believed Corbin shouldn’t go alone. I’d never seen his body more rigid, his kind eyes more determined and fierce. There’s no way Corbin would refuse that face.

  But Corbin did. His shoulders squared, and he shook his head. “I need you in the library with the others. It’s probably a long shot anyway.”

  Rowan looked like he was ready to argue. Then the fire flickered out of his eyes, and he sagged back against the couch. Flynn made a sound that might have been a sigh.

  “Yo, Mussolini,” Blake piped up. “Isn’t Maeve actually supposed to be the high priestess of this coven? Shouldn’t she be the one barking out orders?”

  “Weren’t you living in a hollowed-out tree?” Arthur shot back. “How do you even know who Mussolini is?”

  “Oh, Daigh liked to regale us with tales of humans whose leadership skills he admired,” Blake said. He lifted the top off the globe in the corner, grinning as he uncovered a bottle of whisky and a collection of crystal glasses hidden within. He uncapped the bottle, splashing a generous amount into the bottom of a glass.

  “I was saving that for a special occasion,” Corbin said.

  “We’re celebrating.” Blake slammed the glass on the desk in front of Corbin’s face. He went back to the globe and poured another for himself. “We’re celebrating the fact that by some miracle we’re all still alive, and the fact that now Maeve knows how to harness her powers, this coven has a new leader.”

  Corbin looked at me, and on his face I read something. Corbin always expected me to choose him. To his mind, it made perfect sense for the good of the coven that he be my magister – a priest who helped me to unleash my magic. My power and his knowledge would make the most sensible match.

  I don’t think it had occurred to him until this moment that I hadn’t chosen anyone so far, and that I might not choose him. If I didn’t, he wouldn’t be responsible any more. And that thought terrified him. Corbin needed to take care of everyone. He didn’t know who he was without that responsibility. And there was something more to it, too – that dark pain he was hiding behind his eyes.

  No way could I take that away from him. And since the idea of choosing anyone for this magical sex partner role still freaked me out, that meant I needed to get out of this in any way I could.

  I shook my head. “I can’t be a leader. I’ve only just started to understand this power. I don’t know anything about magic or rituals or casting circles, and I’ve never once got a broomstick to fly.”

  “For a novice, you’re doing okay,” Flynn piped up. “You managed to transport the four of us into the fae realm, and bring us back. It was your magic that destroyed the fae and helped us place the ward around the gateway. And those dreams you gave all of us were certainly powerful. The broomstick thing comes with time, although I personally prefer a hoover. Blake, is that whiskey Irish?”

  Blake held up the bottle. “It’s says ‘Finest Scotch Whisky’.”

  “Well, fiddle-de-dee,” Flynn slumped back on the couch. “Maeve, as your first order of business as leader, you should order that all whiskey in this castle must be of the finest Irish variety.”

  “I’m not the leader. I’m not qualified. You don’t just make me the leader because some holy old book says so.”

  “Blake is right,” Corbin said slowly, his mouth twisting. I stared at him, but he wouldn’t meet my eyes. “Meave is our High Priestess. It’s her role to lead the coven, not mine. So ignore everything I said. Maeve, what’s our next step?”

  Dammit Corbin. You’re not supposed to agree with him!

  Six pairs of eyes stared at me, waiting to see what I’d say next. My whole body froze. This can’t be happening. I’m a science nerd. What the hell do I know about witchcraft?

  ELEVEN: CORBIN

  Maeve’s mouth hung open. Her pink fringe fell over her eyes.

  I gripped the edge of my desk to stop the trembling in my hands. This was not how I expected this to go.

  Who are you without them?

  “Okay,” Maeve said, slowly. “Here’s the thing. I want to make it clear that I still haven’t chosen anyone as a magister. I haven't not chosen anyone, either. I am, in fact, not into this whole choosing thing at all, especially not when there are magical forces acting on my body in ways I can’t understand.”

  “That’s why we made the agreement not to try anything with you,” I said. “We didn’t want to confuse you and influence your decision.”

  Maeve’s lips twisted. “Well, you’ve all thoroughly bollocksed that up.”

  Arthur’s eyebrows shot up, and he glanced at me. What? Did he not know about Maeve and I? About Rowan and Maeve? About what Flynn and I started with Maeve on the couch? And from the way Maeve kept biting her lip when she looked at Blake, I think something might’ve happened there, too. Not that I wanted to think about that.

  I guess it was possible Arthur didn’t know. He wasn’t in the room when Flynn and I were fooling around with Maeve, and if Maeve hadn’t told him about the other night, then I guess he wouldn’t have found out. Arthur and I usually hung out and talked all the time, although we hadn’t exactly done that since Maeve moved in and the fae took Connor, and now Blake was here and everything was totally bollocksed up.

  I tried to convey to Arthur through subtle movements of my eyebrows that I didn’t see it as a big deal. If we’d all done stuff with Maeve, so at least we were even. It was the same as if none of us had done anything.

  Besides, after the way she’d dug her nails into my back and writhed against the desk, I was pretty sure when the time came, she’d choose me.

  But now, I had to remember that she was in charge. Not me. Which was fucking weird, especially after all those things the fae king said to me.

  “One of the things a leader does is surround herself with good advisors,” Maeve said. “This is especially important when you don’t know what the hell you’re doing. In this instance I happen to agree with Corbin.”

  A wise course of action.

  “On all but one point.”

  Fuck.

  I know exactly what she’s going to say.

  “Rowan should go with you on your errand,” she said to me. “It’s important we take precautions.”

  We’re four minutes in and already I hate this not being in charge thing. Hate it.

  “I really, really don’t need him,” I said, my heart pounding. The last thing in the world I needed was Rowan to show himself where I’m going. Especially after that revelation he’d shared with me before the ritual, that he wished he’d been with Maeve and I. And that look in his eyes … a violent hunger, a deep, primal yearning. I’d never seen that in him before, but now every time I looked at him, there it was.

  Like right now. Instead of looking at his feet like usual, Rowan’s eyes were locked on mine, burning with an intensity that made me squirm. What is up with him? It must be Maeve’s presence. As far as I knew, Rowan hadn’t slept with anyone since he got sober. To go from a dry spell to Maeve would be enough to make any man act a little weird. If Rowan’s shag had been anything like mine, his brain had turned to mush.

  After all, I’d just given up leadership of the coven without an argument. All because of Maeve and her fucking magical pussy.

  But magical pussy or not, Rowan coming with me wasn’t an option. If only Maeve saw it that way.

  “No arguments, Corbin. It’s a direct order from your … high priestess.” Maeve gave a cute little laugh. “That’s such a weird thing to come out of my mouth.”

  “What if Arthur came instead?” Even Arthur would be a better choice than Rowan. “He’s more likely to be handy in a fight—”

  “Arthur is accompanying Jane and I to the village, per your instructions,” Maeve folded her arms. “Or are you reneging on your promise to step aside and let me take over my rightful duties?”

  “Fine,” I said, through gritted teeth.

  “Perhaps if you explained what it was you were doing, I could ma
ke a fairer assessment of the situation.”

  No way in hell was I doing that, especially not with that fae bastard around. “I said it’s fine.”

  Maeve fixed me with a withering stare. “You’re right. It is fine. Any other questions, or can we get to work?”

  Blake yawned. “My only concern is how do we get to the curry if we have to stay here all day?”

  Flynn clapped his hand on Blake’s shoulder. “Friend Blake, allow me to introduce you to one of the wonders of the human realm; food delivery.”

  The meeting fell apart as Flynn and Arthur started discussing their favourite curries, and Maeve went upstairs to grab her coat. I heaved my body up from my chair.