You don’t have that luxury. You have other things you must do. Luke understands that; he wouldn’t want you to put your life in danger for him.
I didn’t answer her. I just put Luke’s hands back on his chest, and then stood up. There was no longer any hesitation. I couldn’t be afraid, not when the people I cared about were dying around me.
“Let’s go to this place, Fianna.” I knew that this was only the first step. We still had to find the Three Smiths in the hope that they could make a new Excalibur, a weapon that would be the death of my sister. Suppressing that thought, I steeled my resolve. Save Luke first, get the sword after. Don’t think about the final step, not yet.
You are a fool, girl.
I nodded, but didn’t answer her. I didn’t need to. Fool or not, I was doing this my way.
2
As we prepared to leave, a willowy Banshee bolted into the Queen’s bower. She was shaking, and sweat dripped off the edge of her chin. Her eyes—a beautiful hazel—were huge and dilated. Fear radiated around her, infecting the other Banshees. The entire group began to shift, distancing themselves from the messenger. “Calling mirror,” she whispered, handing a silvered mirror over to Fianna. I recognized it; it was the one Aednat had brought me to Call Ashling on.
The thought of Aednat made me sick to my stomach. I’d killed her. Only a few short days ago I’d been like any other twenty six year old. How could it be that, in that time, I’d changed so much that not only was I capable of killing someone, but of killing Aednat, who reminded me so much of Ashling. Aednat had brought out the protective side of me, but I had still killed her, without hesitation. Me. I’d ended her life. Squinting my eyes shut, I took a deep breath, held it, and then let it out slowly. The world had spun on me, flipped my perception of it inside out, and I had to change in order to survive the shift. That didn’t mean I was happy with that fact.
Fianna accepted the mirror and swirled her hand around it. The silver-edged Calling mirror slipped from her hand but didn’t fall to the ground. Instead it hovered in mid air, shimmering and bending as it flexed its borders. The mirror stretched until it was about two feet wide and nearly six feet tall, large enough for a person to see her entire outfit. Or, in this case, it was large enough for Ashling to be completely visible.
“Ash!” I shouted, starting forward in excitement. She had perfect timing. I’d broken through the mirror once, which had allowed Ashling to heal me. Maybe she could do it again for Luke.
“No, Quinn, it isn’t her anymore.” Bres said, the urgency and fear that laced his voice stopping me. “Look at her, really look at her.”
The same strawberry blond curls, the same petite figure, the same eyes . . . no, that was the difference. Her eyes, once the colour of new spring grass had darkened to the green of mold and damp things. Things shuffled and shimmered in those now darkened irises. Her head remained half cocked to the right, as if she was listening to music only she could hear. She stepped forward, her joints jerking and popping as if she were a marionette. I couldn’t stop myself from stepping back. I knew that mirror could be passed through, I’d done it myself.
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” I said.
Ashling sneered at me. “You should listen to Balor’s weakest link. He is actually helping you stay alive, more than he could do for your little sister.” Her voice was heavy and thick, as though she were speaking underwater and I was only hearing the echo of it. She snickered. “For now. Soon this world will be mine as it should have been from the start. Chaos will reign.”
Ashling’s voice and words wreaked havoc on my heart. Lir had been right. He’d told me before he’d left that seeking out Ashling would end the only chance we had at stopping Chaos. Seeing her now, I knew in my heart that he was speaking the truth; Ashling was gone forever.
Fianna stepped up to the mirror. “Why have you called us Chaos?”
Ashling, Chaos now, began to pace in front of the mirror with that odd jerking movement. “I want you to do something for me, Banshee Queen.” Her eyes flickered over to mine, those dark shadows behind them made my skin crawl.
“What is that you would ask of us, but more important, what would you give us in return?” Fianna said, clasping her hands in front of her body.
Chaos flung one hand towards me and I flinched. “That one is prophesied to end my life. I doubt she has it in her to complete the task.” She laughed, her mouth opening so wide the skin at the edge of her lips stretched to the point of splitting.
My spine stiffened and I squared my shoulders. No point in denying that, at least, a portion of what she said was true. As soon as we got Luke healed, I refused to believe there was any other option. I was going after Chaos.
Fianna turned and lifted an eyebrow at me. “Yes, I can see that she has already decided to end your life.”
The air around us shifted, becoming far cooler than any summer air should be. Bres stepped up beside me and bent to my ear. “This is about to get bad.”
Chaos snapped her fingers and the entire screen filled with half her face, that strange shifting eye mesmerizing me. “You, Banshee Queen, will receive everything you always wanted if you do one small thing for me. You will rule this Dark Isle with no interference. I will leave you and your people in peace.”
The only sound was Fianna’s skirts, swishing as she walked towards the mirror. “For what task will I receive these honours?”
Chaos smiled, a half smile on the mirror, and a parody of Ashling’s beauty rippling her skin. “You will kill that one.” She dipped her head towards me. No surprise there. But what shocked me was that Fianna didn’t say she wouldn’t. My gut tightened and my muscles tensed. Chaos went on. “A little task, easy for you and your Banshees. Already one of her protectors is dying and the other, well, he could prove a fun aside for your . . . ladies.”
Bowing her head, chin to her chest, Fianna seemed to be thinking over the request.
“You can’t!” I burst out, unable to contain the words. “You can’t possibly trust this creature!” Even as the words escaped my mouth, I cringed. Creature. Was that all Ashling was to me now?
“SILENCE!” Fianna roared. Then, “Restrain her.”
Ah, shit.
The Banshees swarmed around us, before I could do more than draw my dagger, never mind cast a Barrier. Bres pushed me ahead of him and we started to run, barely making it out of the bower before Banshees surrounded us, far too many to fight and survive.
“Hold!” Fianna commanded and we all froze, outside the bower, away from the mirror. I could still see the single eye, a small speck in the corner of what had once been Ashling’s brilliant green orbs was all that was left. It was already hard to think of her as Ashling. This was what the prophecy was about: I wouldn’t truly be killing Ashling, I’d be killing Chaos, that is, if we were able to get out of this current bind.
Bres bumped up against me. “Call to Ashling.”
I tipped my head up to look at him. “What?”
“Call her, see if you can get her to respond. There’s a small chance she’s still in there.” He made a slight motion with one hand and the Banshees around us growled.
My heart thumped, pain coursing through it instead of blood, of that I was certain. “And if she can’t hear me?”
Bres lowered his head, a single tear dripping from one eye. “Then I’ll help you kill her.”
3
My throat tightened to the point of closing off the words that wanted to spill up and out. My fingers curled around mine and Bres tried to pull me into a half hug, but I jerked away.
“I tried to stop them, Quinn. But I wasn’t strong enough on my own.” Bres’ voice broke on the last word.
I didn’t bother to hide the tears that slid down my cheeks. He’d tried to protect her, even from me, and I couldn’t fault him for that, much as I wanted to. His actions towards me didn’t mean he didn’t love Ashling. Taking a deep breath, I nodded acknowledgement.
With the Banshees following in a loose semi-circle, we made our way back into the bower. Chaos had pulled back from the mirror. Hand on her hips, she tapped her foot while glowering at Fianna. “Answer me Banshee.”
Fianna lifted her head, but it was me who spoke first. “Ashling! If you’re still in there, you’ve got to fight with everything you have, you’ve got to fight!” I wanted to lay my hands on the mirror and pull her through, shake her ‘till Chaos was thrown out.
Adrenaline raced through me but there was nothing physical I could do. I couldn’t fight this part for her. I couldn’t even try to rescue her; I had no idea if it was even possible. “Ash, please, try.” I whispered. She was stronger than me, fearless in everything she did. I hoped that it would be enough, that the strength of Ashling’s heart would help her fight off Chaos.
Nothing happened. There was no change in Chaos’ eye, no glimmer of the little sister I’d tried to protect at all costs. I’d hoped that Bres had been right, that there was some small piece of Ashling left, that we could help her be free of the evil that had taken over her body.
Chaos threw back her head and laughed, the sound ripping through the air with a force that caused me to stumble to one knee. “You think to call your little sister? Ha, she buckled under me in minutes. But go ahead, call her.” She winked at me. I shook my head. There was nothing I could do or say to bring Ashling back, and it killed me to admit that even to myself. I dug my hands into the mossy ground, the cold damp earth grounding me.
It is all you can do, Quinn. You must let her go. Her soul will move on, when she finally gives up fighting Chaos. Cora’s words didn’t exactly soothe me.
Chaos snorted and waved at us. “Kill them or die yourself. If you do not do as I ask, I will sink this island, just like the last place that defied me, Queen.” She snarled the last word.
Fianna drew herself up. “I do not believe that you will honour what you say you will do. So, I will stand by the one who was chosen to defeat you long ago.” Relief coursed through me. At least we hadn’t lost our one ally.