Katharine Corr - The Witch’s Blood

‘Did you sleep well enough?’

‘Yes. But you should have woken me. Have you been up all night?’

‘I’ve become used to not sleeping much, over the last few months. Although …’ Jack picked up a comb and began running it through Sorrel’s mane.

‘Although what?’ Merry prompted.

‘I may have slumbered a little while. I think I dreamt of you.’

‘Of me?’

‘It was dark. We were sitting on a blanket next to a lake, and I was wearing …’ Jack’s fingers moved to touch his shoulder, ‘a brooch of some strange design. And you had been weeping, because I could see the traces of tears still on your face. And then –’ he raised his hand as though he were about to brush imaginary tears from Merry’s cheek, before dropping his arm abruptly and turning away. ‘I don’t remember any more.’

Merry froze to the spot. What Jack was describing wasn’t a dream – it was a memory. She remembered the exact evening he was talking about. It was the first evening she’d spent at the Black Lake alone with him. It was the first time she and Jack had kissed. But this man standing in front of her now – this different Jack – hadn’t been caught by Gwydion or possessed by the King of Hearts. He hadn’t been forced to cut out people’s hearts for Gwydion to use in his dark magic. And he’d never held her in his arms as she’d cried about her life falling apart. So how could he be remembering it?

The anxiety was back, twisting her guts. She moved further away from Sorrel; horses made her nervous. ‘So, what’s the plan? Did you think of anyone who might be able to tell us where Ronan is, or who might have seen Leo?’

‘There is – or was – a large settlement a few hours’ ride from here. The local lord is a good warrior and has led ambushes against Ronan’s followers. I will go and see him. I hope he will have some news.’ His eyes narrowed as his gaze slid past Merry’s shoulder.

She turned to see Finn walking towards them.

‘What’s going on?’ He looked from Jack to her.

‘Jack’s going to find the local lord – he might know where Ronan is.’

‘OK. I just need a minute to repack my bag—’

‘No.’ Jack shook his head. ‘I can travel faster alone. Stay and rest; I’ll be back by tomorrow morning.’

Merry could see the muscles in the side of Finn’s jaw twitching. He obviously didn’t trust Jack. And she wasn’t entirely comfortable with just waiting around for Jack to return, either. This Jack seemed like a decent guy, but if there was a chance for him to save the king, his blood father, by turning her and Finn over to Ronan, was she absolutely certain he wouldn’t take it?

Perhaps Jack sensed her doubt. He clapped a hand on her shoulder before mounting his horse. ‘I promise, I will return. I owe you my life, remember? We South Saxons do not dishonour blood-debts.’ He unhooked a bag from the saddle and tossed it to Finn. ‘There is extra food in there. Merry, protect the cave, but do not use your power more than you must. Each spell twists and taints the air, or so I’m told, and I fear there are already watchful eyes drawn towards you.’ With a twitch of the reins Jack urged Sorrel into a trot; a minute later he emerged from the fold of land around the cave on to the higher ground of the surrounding plain, and disappeared from her sight.

Merry frowned up at the sky. There were black dots, high in the clear air. Birds, or something more sinister? She shivered and caught hold of Finn’s hand.

‘Come on. We should probably collect some more firewood before we get inside.’

Protecting the cave was straightforward enough. Merry decided to use the same spell she’d cast before to weave a shimmering, silver net of filaments across the entrance, strong enough to resist magical or physical attacks. She made one amendment, though, waving her hand to make the net transparent, just in case anyone (or anything) was spying on them. More of a problem was what exactly she and Finn should do with themselves for the next twenty-four hours. It was the most amount of time they’d ever spent together. And there were literally no external distractions. Even going for a walk seemed like a bad idea given Jack’s dire warnings. After a few attempts at conversation they slipped into an awkward silence, Merry hunched on the floor near the rebuilt fire, Finn leaning against the wall nearer the mouth of the cave, hands in his pockets, staring at the dreary landscape.

In the dim half-light it was difficult to keep any sense of time. As she listened to the crackling of the fire, Merry’s eyelids began to droop. Despite her efforts to stay awake, she drifted towards sleep, her head nodding.

‘Hey.’ Finn’s voice, loud in the stillness of the cave, made her jump. ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. But I think we should get some fresh air.’ He gestured at the pall of woodsmoke; the cave was large and high-ceilinged, but still it hung in the air like a cloudbank.

‘Oh, yeah.’ Merry waved a hand to extinguish the fire, then pushed herself up, coughing a little. They both walked towards the cave mouth. From the very slight shimmer she could tell that the net was still in place. It didn’t seem to be blocking the airflow, and it was pleasant to be able to see the outside world, even if it was just the gully outside the cave. Merry leant as close as she could to the net, peering upwards. ‘Looks like lunchtime.’

‘That’s what I thought.’ Finn had the bag of food and one of the blankets in his hands; spreading the blanket on the floor, he sat down and began rummaging around inside the bag, opening packets and wrinkling his nose at the contents. There were streaks of dirt on his neck and face, stark in contrast with his pale skin, dark circles under his eyes. His words at the Black Lake came back to her: how many people was she willing to risk for Leo’s sake? Finn had chosen to come here with her, but if he’d known what it might cost him …

He glanced up at her. ‘What?’ A smile ghosted across his features. ‘Checking me out again?’

Merry smiled in return. ‘Obviously. And …’ she hesitated, ‘I was thinking that maybe you should go back. That I should try to send you back.’

‘Send me back home?’ Finn sat up straighter, his knuckles tightening round the apple he was holding. ‘Why? Because I’ve lost my power I’m suddenly a – a liability?’

She recoiled from his burst of anger. ‘No, of course not. It’s just—’

‘Or maybe you don’t want me around now you’ve got Jack back again.’ His face hardened. ‘Is that it? You don’t want me getting in the way?’

‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ To her own irritation, Merry felt herself blush. ‘I’m worried about you, that’s all. Clearly, I shouldn’t be.’ She sat down, facing the cave mouth instead of Finn, wrapping her arms round her bent legs and hunching her shoulders. She was just trying to help him, and all he could do was snap and sulk – well, two could play at that game.

Silence.

Then, she heard Finn sigh.

‘Merry?’

‘Shut up. I’m not talking to you.’

‘Um … at the risk of being overly literal, you did just talk to me.’

Merry gritted her teeth, swinging round. ‘You are so bloody irritating sometimes.’

‘I know. But lovably irritating.’ There was an unspoken plea at the back of his grey eyes. ‘Right?’

‘Huh.’

Finn’s shoulders sagged. ‘I’m sorry. Honestly. It’s just …’ He dragged a hand through his hair. ‘I slept badly. And I need something to do. Waiting around like this, I can’t stop thinking about Cillian.’

Merry’s heart contracted in sympathy. Cillian, Finn’s poor, non-magical brother, had died only a few days ago, not long before Finn had followed her through the point of intersection at the Black Lake. But he’d been in a coma for nearly a year before that: either persuaded or compelled by Ronan, he’d swallowed some unidentified magical potion, and had never woken up. At least she still had a chance of getting Leo back.