Wolfsbane: 3 (Rebel Angels) (29 page)

I wanted to wrap my fingers round her white throat and squeeze. ‘Does Eili know what you did?’

‘Nah.’ She coughed blood. ‘Eili said, wolf’s no risk. Jed might’ve seen something in her head, but he doesn’t look, hm? Stupid f ’llmortal. But Liath,
she was stalking me. S’spicious animal.’

‘Liath showed me. She might not’ve understood it all, but she knew it was why she was dying. She showed
me.
’ Too late. My heart clenched, and I gritted, ‘Did you
do this for Kate?’

‘Nah. Was for. Was for...’ There was something like happiness in her eyes. ‘Feorag.’

I couldn’t think for the anger. Didn’t understand. ‘Who the hell’s Feorag?’

Sharp nails dug into my wrist, and Taghan slewed a grin at me.

‘This was meant to be you.’

We froze, only for an instant, our eyes locked. I couldn’t breathe.

And then the world spun briefly, violently, as something jolted through my fingertips and rippled into my blood. I gasped, and the world steadied, and she died.

As I staggered to my feet I had to wrench Taghan’s dead fingers off me. I took an unsteady pace back, rubbing my wrist, incapable of turning to watch the clash of fighters behind me. One
more step back, and someone snatched at me.

I spun round, growling, but it was only Hannah again, trembling and panting for breath. Fear and rage made my heart trip and slam inside my chest. ‘What have you
done
?’

‘It was – this wasn’t supposed to happen. It was meant – it was Taghan, only Taghan. She was meant to be here. Not those men. They were here. Hiding. They
knew we
were coming
.’

I raked my hair behind my ears; it was something to do with my hands that would stop me striking her. ‘You gave them Rory!’

‘No! No, he was only bait!’

‘
Bait
?’ I didn’t understand. ‘For Seth? For Kate?’

Some kind of reason came to her terrified face. She licked her lips, wrapped her arms round herself to control the shaking, and when she looked up at me again she was almost calm. ‘For
you.’

I stood up and shoved her away, but the shriek and smash of weapons had already faded to silence. Eili stumbled to her horse and freed it with a slash of her blade; Seth’s sword arm
dropped to his side as the last enemy fighter scrambled into his saddle and made off. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Iolaire change course as fast as a fish to intercept him, heard the collision
of horseflesh, but I didn’t watch.

Nor did Seth. He was staring at me and at Hannah; he was sprayed with Sithe blood from his thigh to his ear. He dropped to a crouch and splayed his free hand across his face, but his right hand
didn’t let go of his sword.

‘They had him. Oh, Finn, they had him.’

‘I know.’ If Hannah had been closer I’d have hit her.

‘Why? Why now?’ Seth raked his hand through his hair. He didn’t know that he was smearing himself with trails of blood; he didn’t know that Rory was watching the blood
trails, grey eyes wide with horror. Eili stood exhausted, panting, her eyes still glinting diamond-hard. Branndair lay panting on the coarse sand, his loathing gaze riveted on the lifeless Taghan.
Sionnach dismounted and began to examine the corpses, turning their faces to him, and in one case lifting a head by its hair. Jed only sat on his dun horse and stared emptily at Rory.

Seth seemed to focus on his son properly for the first time. He was breathing hard, but there was sick relief on his face as well as fury. ‘What
happened
?’

‘The kelpie. I wanted – I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry–’

‘The
kelpie
? Taghan’s dead!’

‘I didn’t know, I didn’t – want anyone to die.’ Rory made an agonised sound. ‘
I don’t want anyone to die over me
!’

A sound made us all turn, then. Iolaire was kneeling over a figure propped against the corpse of a horse, while his own horse limped oddly and badly behind him. Iolaire’s sword was pressed
to the throat of the man beneath him: a strongly built, shaven-headed man. There was a gold torque round his neck, visible at the open collar of his bloodstained khaki shirt. Staring up calmly at
Iolaire, he waited for death.

Rory took a breath. ‘No. Not another one.’

Iolaire’s fingers trembled slightly. Jed growled and drew his own sword for backup.

‘
Please,
Iolaire. He doesn’t have to die. He’s beaten.’

‘Stay out of this, Rory.’ There was an edge of fear to Seth’s anger.

At last Iolaire spoke. ‘I can’t kill you, Cluaran. If I kill you I lose myself anyway.’

Cluaran gazed up with narrowed eyes. ‘Careful, Iolaire. You’re playing with your own life as well as mine.’ His mouth twisted. ‘If you show me mercy now, I will not do
the same for you tomorrow. I’ll kill you when I catch you. Listen, you are young and beautiful and in love.’ His eyes slid briefly to Jed. ‘Your lover is young too, and he
won’t live as long as you. He won’t live long at all, so love him while you can. I am old and gnarled and my woman is already dead. Don’t gamble with your life, Iolaire. You know
what the rules are? They’re changing faster than you know, so play the game quickly.’

Iolaire’s eyes flickered to Rory and back. ‘It’s not a game.’

‘Are you worried about the boy?’ Cluaran laughed humourlessly. ‘We came to get him today, Iolaire. We’ll come again. We’ll keep trying until we get him, because
that’s what Kate wants and those are Laszlo’s orders.’ His tone gentled, so slightly as to be almost imperceptible. ‘Remember what they did to you, Iolaire? Murlainn was
right to kill us where he found us, and he’ll have to go on doing it. Perhaps it’ll go on and on, back and forth, till there’s none of us left and that’ll solve
everyone’s moral dilemmas.’

Iolaire held his hilt two-handed, the tip of the blade pressed to Cluaran’s throat at the narrow gap in the torque. A bead of blood welled. The gleam of the sword was reflected in the gold
torque, the torque in the silver blade, light bouncing between them. Iolaire’s face contorted with pain as if it was his skin the steel pierced.

‘Cluaran,’ he said hoarsely. ‘You brought me up from when I was a boy. I was younger than Rory when I was made your bondsman. You made me what I am, but I’m not you.
I’m not even like you.’ He lifted the blade. ‘Go.
Go
.’

Cluaran hesitated for a second.

‘You heard him. Go before I kill you instead.’ Seth’s voice was low and even. ‘Tell her she can’t have my son.’

Cluaran stumbled across the moor, and there was heavy silence till he was out of sight.

‘Iolaire,’ said Rory, ‘thank y–’

‘Rory,’ said Iolaire. ‘I’m dead. Don’t talk to me. You’ve talked enough.’

Seth jabbed a finger at Hannah. ‘You,’ he said. ‘You were a mistake. You’re going back to your aunt. And you,’ he snarled at Rory, ‘are confined to the
dun.’

‘What’s new?’ snapped Hannah, grabbing Rory’s arm protectively. Glaring at Seth, she jerked a thumb in my direction. ‘This was between us and her.
You
weren’t even supposed to show up.’

Seth’s throat jerked and he had trouble speaking for a moment. ‘What did you want with my lover?’

‘Eili and Taghan were getting rid of her. Sending her away forever, they told me. I didn’t know they were going to kill her. At least,’ she murmured, ‘I think I
didn’t.’

‘You.’ Seth came close to Rory, unable to keep the hurt off his face. ‘You were
part of this
?’

‘No, I–’

‘Is that why you’ve started to block me?
Is it
?’

Rory exploded. ‘I’m blocking
you?
That’s rich!’

Seth’s face was a mask of pain. ‘Do you hate me that much?’

Rory put his face in his hands, then looked up, eyes glittering. ‘I hate what you do in my name. I hate what we are. And her? Eili? I hate her most of all. For
what you’ve let
her do to you
.’

The wind whispered across the heather, sent early fallen leaves bounding and rustling. Otherwise, the only sound was Branndair’s low constant whimper of sorrow.

Seth said, ‘How did you–’

Eili’s lips twitched. She cocked her head at Hannah. ‘So you told him? You told Rory about me? Though you swore you wouldn’t?’

‘Oh yes. I lied to you,’ Hannah said, so coldly I shivered. ‘The way you lied to me.’

There was a dry brief laugh from Eili, and the smile she gave Hannah was almost admiring. ‘Clever girl.’

‘Rory, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,’ said Seth. The muscles of his face were taut. ‘I’m sorry, all right? Now you know. Does it make you feel better? Or do
you want to hurt me worse than Eili ever could?’

‘I’m not worth more than any other Sithe. Stop fighting over me!’

‘Rory.’ Seth rubbed his temples. ‘You know I don’t give a damn that you’re the Bloodstone. It matters less to me than a flea on Branndair’s neck.’

‘Why did those guys have to die instead of me?’

‘Because you’re mine, rot your thick hide!’ Seth shouted. ‘Because I love you! Because I was stronger and faster than they were. Because I didn’t start it,
they
did!’

‘Sometimes you do start it, though, don’t you?’

‘Yes, when I have cause! You want me to say you’re not worth more than them? All right, you’re not.’ Seth flung his sword to the ground. ‘Does it make you happy?
Does it?
You’re worth more
to me.
They tried to take you, Rory. You think I should have let them? They wouldn’t be dead if you hadn’t –’

~
Don’t say it!
I screamed in his head, and he shut his mouth in shock.

Breathing hard, Seth turned to Hannah and seized her jaw. She didn’t even flinch.

‘You know, I quite like you, Hannah. When did you get to hate me so much?’ Smiling sourly, Seth tilted his head and looked hard into her eyes.

There was an angry intake of breath from Eili. ‘Murlainn! You have no right.’

‘Oh, Eili,’ he murmured, ‘I think I have every right, in the circumstances.’ As his silver glare intensified, Hannah shivered once.

He dropped her jaw like a spent match and took a step back, his breath caught in his throat.

‘Jesus,’ he said. ‘Jesus.’

I couldn’t watch, and not know. I slipped my mind inside his, and my blood froze colder than nitrogen.

With a helpless shrug Seth turned back to Hannah. She was smiling.

~
Gotcha.

‘Do you hate the girl, Eili?’ Seth’s voice had no inflection at all. He might have been asking if she hated butter, or hunting, or the colour green.

Eili’s own smile was gone, making her look almost normal. ‘I hate it that she exists and that my child doesn’t. Can you understand that, Murlainn? But every time I look at her
face I see
him
. That might well break my heart, but how can I hate it?’

‘I didn’t see it,’ he whispered.

‘I didn’t let you see it.’

Iolaire stepped between them. ‘If I could, ah… it’s Laszlo.’ Iolaire glanced at Jed. ‘He’s coming.’

That got our attention. And Jed opened his mouth for the first time. ‘He’s
coming
?’

Iolaire touched his temple. ‘I can still feel Cluaran. I stayed with him a little.’ He flushed. ‘To make sure he was okay. And now he’s with Laszlo.’

Jed paled. ‘Cluaran didn’t have a horse.’

‘No. They’re close.’

Jed touched the hilt of his sword almost unconsciously. His face was hungry and lean, and dark with hate.

‘You.’ Seth stabbed a finger almost in Eili’s face. ‘Take the girl back to the dun.’

‘You’re sending
Eili?
’ I stared at him.

‘She’ll be safe with Eili. Oh, ever so safe, won’t she? Udhar?’

Eili’s mouth twisted.

‘And Finn? You take Rory. Stay together, the four of you. A patrol will meet you; get them to escort you in and wait for us. Don’t leave the dun and don’t let
Rory…’ he paused only briefly ‘…don’t let Rory or Hannah out of your sight.’

I opened my mouth to argue, then shut it again. Rory’s mind was a torrent of white noise, but none of it penetrated his father’s. Their gazes clashed like shields. Seth wasn’t
even Seeing his son, let alone hearing him.

‘Finn,’ said Seth. ‘Now or sooner?’

There was nothing I could do but nod, and go to my horse, and slip the bridle over its head.

There was no fear in Hannah’s face, only cool defiance. She looked contained, and terrifyingly self-reliant. I didn’t even try to get past her slick new block. The only two people I
cared about right now were Rory and Seth. Father and son, but I could feel nothing between them. Nothing.

I placed my mind gently between them, knew that each of them felt it, but in the direct line between Seth and Rory there was only a blank meaningless absence. It was as if they were blocking one
another completely, uncompromisingly, for the first time in their lives. The father’s eyes were lightless on his son, and Rory’s were entirely blank.

It wasn’t what he’d expected. Seth forced the blue roan to halt although the creature was sweating with the longing for a fight, its muscles jolting with tiny
excited tremors. He murmured to it absently, staring out from the mossy green shadows of the wood.

Despite the roan’s keenness he knew Laszlo hadn’t seen them. But the rest of Laszlo’s patrol had, five men and three women. Seth knew that fine. His eyes met Cluaran’s
across a hundred yards of open space and he knew, sickeningly, that anything Cluaran had given away to Iolaire had been deliberate. Perplexity made him hesitate even as Sionnach rode to his
side.

‘Where is Jed?’ Seth asked curtly.

‘Sharpening his blade.’ Sionnach looked at the small patrol across the dip of the moor. ‘They were behind a little. He shared his horse with Iolaire because we had to kill
Iolaire’s. What’s going on?’ He tensed. ‘Lammyr?’

Seth shook his head. ‘Kate’s had trouble with the Lammyr, that’s what I hear.’

‘Well.’ Sionnach gave him a droll glance. ‘Skinshanks was promised prey, Murlainn, not his head in tiny pieces.’

‘Yeah.’ Seth scanned the faces of Laszlo’s patrol. They all knew he was there. All but Laszlo, who was off his mount and had his back turned on Seth as he spoke to the young
scarlet-haired Sithe woman with the longbow in her left hand.