Page 75 of A Legacy of the Light

Quicker than lightning, something swings at me from my left, the swoosh of the blade my only warning. I duck down low and block the sword before rolling out of the way. I stand on my feet and take a steadying breath. I cannot let fear get the better of me. Not if I am to live.

Magic burns through the fabric of my pocket against my thigh. I dip my hand into my pocket and clasp a familiar pendant. The Craobh Beatha. I know putting it on is my best chance at getting out of here, but if I do, I risk the enemy taking it. That would mean the end of the realm as we know it.

Keeping my breathing soft, I ready myself for another attack. It comes quickly. I barely have time to dodge the sword striking the wall behind me, right where my head had just been.

The time between blows gets shorter, and I manage to block the one that comes straight ahead. The next swipe comes quickly from my right, and the blade makes a small slice into my ribs. Shadows skitter into the wound and I grit my teeth to stop the shout of pain as the darkness dances across my bleeding skin.

My rage makes me move faster and I block more and more of the attacks, not able to make an attack of my own. The sounds around me quieten until it’s only me and this demon fighting.

“I will end you,” the voice whispers, much too close for comfort.

Before I can go on the offensive, my wrists are bound in shadow, forcing me to drop my sword and pushing me against the stone wall behind me. I’m lifted from the ground and I feel the cold, dark power wrap around my ankles and up my legs. I try to scream, to call for help, but my mouth will not obey me.

Slowly coming into view before me, a pair of glowing dark hazel eyes appear, floating in the shadows, tilted up at the corners as if the demon is smiling.

“Where is it?” it asks me.

I smile. Blood trickles down my lip as the shadows tighten their hold around my torso.

“You’ll never have it.” My voice is strained and gargled.

“Then you shall die.” The shadows constrict my throat, cutting off the little air I had been able to get into my lungs.

A burst of magic fills me, not from my chest, but from my hip, where the Craobh sits.

A static energy radiates all over my body, and the shadows recoil so quickly my knees slam into the stone floor. The static pulses out, forming an invisible shield around me, creating a path through the unending gloom to my left. I seize the opportunity and run, grabbing my fallen sword on the way.

As I run with everything I have, the demon growls, “I will find you. No matter where you hide. Your life is mine.”

Chapter 20

The dream doesn’t chase me from sleep like the previous one, but it was just as terrifying. And more revealing.

Why am I dreaming about Màiri? Does it have something to do with the Craobh? Was she the last Seelie to possess it before it came to my family? Are they dreams? Or are they insights into her final moments? So many questions and not enough answers. I need to ask Finneus about it, see if he has heard of this happening before. He’s been round long enough.

I run my fingers through my hair, pulling it away from my temples where it had stuck to the lingering sweat on my forehead.

Terrifying dreams aside, my sleep was actually quite restful. I feel more refreshed than I have done in the last three nights.

After a quick shower, not bothering to wash my hair, I pull the top half of my hair into a braid and get dressed for the day. I choose a think pair of black pants, black knee-high boots and a white shirt. In the drawers I find a navy sweater to wear over the shirt and take a long-line blue coat from the wardrobe to shield me from the chill while we ride. Excitement makes me giddy as I head into the living room. It’s been a long time since I have been horse riding.

Tavish didn’t tell me what time we would be going to the stables, so I’m ready by eight, just in case. I make a cup of coffee and some toast, and sit at the small table looking at the view.

The quiet of my surroundings fills me with a tranquility while I enjoy my breakfast. The morning is overcast, and it looks like it could rain at any moment, but the mountains still look breathtaking. I consider what they would look like in the fall, my favorite season, when the trees on their slopes are full of reds, oranges, browns and yellows. I bet Elfayne looks spectacular.

With one arm through the sweater, a knock sounds at the door.

“Ready, Elsie?” Tavish’s calls out.

I go to the door to greet him, grabbing the coat I had thrown over the back of the sofa on my way and making sure the Craobh Beatha is safely tucked underneath my layers.

Tavish breaks into a wide smile when he sees me. It’s the least guarded I’ve seen him since I arrived. It stops me for a minute before an answering grin spreads across my own face.

“Good morning,” I greet him, and close my door behind me.

“How did you sleep?” he asks as we head down the hall.

“I passed out. I must have been really tired. I can’t imagine what it was like for you.”