Wolfsbane: 3 (Rebel Angels) (47 page)

The black gap opened wider, and Sulaire felt a breath of cold dank air that made him shudder. He gripped his knives tighter, one in each hand. He had to leave himself enough time to drop his
block and alert the dun. Maybe it was time to do it.

‘
Don’t drop your block
.’

The gasping man who shoved through the gap didn’t seem to be armed, was Sulaire’s first thought. His second was that the man was temporarily blinded, his arm over his eyes with the
shock of the light, which gave him a moment’s breathing space to think about this.

Sulaire swallowed hard and raised the knives threateningly. If they could cut pig they could cut person, and Sulaire was no slouch at cutting pig. The intruder seemed to know that, because as he
lowered his arm, his watering eyes creased narrow, he stood very still. Blinking furiously, he extended his palms, placating.

Sulaire snarled. He could be up to nothing good, this bloody bearded man with the ripped t-shirt and jeans, half his face bruised purple, the other half hacked with slashes; his eye blackened
and a hideous barely-healed scar running from his temple to his jaw. Patches of blood had dried on his face and matted his hair into dreadlocks, despite the fact that he and his clothes were
soaking wet. Whatever had soaked his t-shirt certainly hadn’t been enough to wash out the great stain of Sithe lifeblood on it. Sulaire’s lip twisted in hatred and he drew back his
knives to disembowel the assassin.

‘Sulaire!’ the assassin hissed, just catching his right hand as it slashed down. ‘Don’t you dare!’ He blinked desperately, eyes streaming, his fingers locked round
Sulaire’s wrist, and the muscles of both their arms trembled with the strain. ‘I bought you those knives in the otherworld and they cost me a
fortune
.’

Flummoxed, Sulaire stared at the bloody apparition. And then another figure pushed between the man and the black gaping hole.

‘Rory Bhan?
Laochan?
’ Sulaire stared at the boy, and then at the redhead who appeared behind him. Rory and the girl were blinking too but they’d had longer to get used
to the light, and they looked more like human beings anyway. In disbelief Sulaire looked back at the assassin.

‘
Murlainn!
Oh, my god!’

‘“Oh, my Captain” will do fine,’ said Seth.

The knives clattered to the stone floor and Sulaire flung himself forward to hug Seth. ‘Oh, Murlainn, I’m sorry. I didn’t recognise – I’m sorry. Where’d you
– how did you–’

‘Later. Oh, please, Sulaire, later. Just get me Jed. I need to see Cuilean right now.’ An arm round his shoulder, Seth drew him to the door between the kitchens and the great hall
and shoved the door open. ‘But, laddie,
do not drop your block.
’

Sulaire turned to run, but he was too late, because Jed was already coming into the hall with five of the other captains. He was talking intently to them and for a moment he didn’t look
up, but Rory gasped at the sight of him. He was hacked and bloody and thin, and he had days of beard growth, but Rory didn’t care. He was alive, still alive, and Rory realised in that instant
how afraid he had been that he wouldn’t be.

At the sound of his gasp Jed’s head jerked up, and then he was running straight for them, not bothering to swerve round tables and chairs. He simply leaped them, knocking plates and cups
flying as he ran the length of the hall and grabbed Rory into his arms.

‘Rory,’ he mumbled into his filthy blond hair. Jed’s t-shirt was as ripped as Seth’s and Rory could see the ugly slash a sword had made across his ribcage, and the gouge
of an arrow that had narrowly missed its aim. Neither had been healed, not even roughly, and black blood crusted them. There was pus in the arrow wound, Rory noticed with alarm, and Jed winced as
Rory brushed it by mistake. Rory pulled away and looked up at his brother in alarm.

Jed turned to Seth before Rory could ask any awkward questions, and they clasped each other in a ferocious hug.

‘Seth. Oh, brother. I thought you were dead.’

‘In your dreams.’ Seth’s voice was choked.

‘Seth.
Rory
.’ Tears made pale thin channels through the blood and dirt on Jed’s bearded face. He let go of Seth to hug Rory again, then pushed him away, holding him
and staring at him. ‘You’ve grown, bruv. In a fortnight.’ He bit his lip. ‘Happy birthday.’

‘What?’ Rory’s eyes widened.

‘You turned fifteen while you were gone.’ Jed ruffled his hair. ‘Bloody Sithe never remember, do they? But I do.’

Rory grinned. ‘What day?’

Jed shut one eye and counted. ‘Wednesday.’

Rory glanced at Hannah, flushing slightly. Grinning back, she mouthed
Happy Birthday.

Jed watched them both, frowning. When he stepped back his face was thoughtful and a little sad. Shaking himself, he turned back to Seth. ‘So how did you… where…’

‘Later.’ Seth gripped his arms and gazed at him, grinning. The other captains were around them now, hugging them and slapping their backs, yelling with delight, and Hannah found
herself kissed by four burly men, and by the blonde woman with the long woven hair she’d first seen doing target practice from a horse in the arena. That had been just after she arrived. A
lifetime ago.

The blonde woman buried her face in Seth’s neck and wouldn’t let go, partly because tears were leaking helplessly from her eyes and she was trying to hide it. He was hugging her so
hard it looked as if they might fuse. When she finally pulled away she hit him, feebly, on the shoulder, and then again. And then, ignoring his wince, again.

‘You bastard. I thought you were
dead
.’

‘I love you too, Orach.’ He twisted her golden braid round one hand and reeled her back in to kiss her forehead. ‘Please stop hitting me.’

As they wriggled awkwardly apart, someone thrust a sheathed sword into Seth’s hand. He sighed with delight as he drew it from its scabbard and examined the blade. Then he blinked back at
Jed. ‘Did you say a
fortnight
?’

‘Aye, the warp couldn’t have worked better for her. I reckon if she’s held back, she’s only been waiting for her pal Alasdair. Doesn’t want him to miss the
fun.’ Jed’s face darkened, and the jubilant mood was snuffed out. He looked away, as if it pained him to look into Seth’s eyes. ‘They’ll be through in a few hours,
Murlainn. Twelve at the most.’

‘Alasdair won’t be joining in the fun.’ Seth spat. ‘And now?’

‘Right now, she’s withdrawn. I reckon she’s gathering her clann for a last assault. Probably doing her hair for the occasion.’

Seth muffled a snort. ‘And our clann?’

‘They’ve picked us off with arrows, they’ve made God knows how many assaults. Lost a lot of their own – we’ve made it expensive for them – but there’s
so many of them. So many, and they have plenty healers. Ours can’t keep up.’ Jed looked desolate. ‘We miss Eili.’

‘Sionnach?’ asked Seth, rather as if he didn’t want to know the answer.

‘Orach, you saw him last,’ said Jed.

‘Sionnach’s doing his best to get killed,’ said Orach. ‘But he’s taking so many of them with him, he hasn’t quite managed it yet.’

‘I’ll get to work, then,’ muttered Hannah.

Rory put an arm round her and returned their disbelieving stares with a touch of aggression. ‘She’s a healer,’ he said.

Seth kissed the top of her head, and pushed her towards the captains. ‘Yes, she is, and a good one. Take her to Grian.’

‘But this is better news!’ Orach beamed and put a slender arm round Hannah’s shoulder and pushed her hurriedly towards the door. ‘Come on, strawberry-blondie.’

‘I like you,’ said Hannah, and they were gone.

‘Was that all it would have taken?’ Seth shook his head in bewilderment. ‘I wish I’d never called her Ginger. Right, keep everybody blocking. Kate mustn’t know
I’m here. Get everybody to the hall as soon as you can. Leave as few as you can defending the walls, and get fires set round the whole place. Where’s Iolaire?’

‘On the wall above the gate, last time I saw him.’ Jed’s voice was empty and exhausted. ‘Though that was six hours ago.’

‘And, Jed?’ Seth hesitated. ‘Burn the dead.’ As Jed and the captains stared at him in shock, he added quietly: ‘Make pyres and burn them. Did you get the patrol
back?’

‘Only just. We concentrated on getting the living in first, so we only just had enough time to get Eorna’s patrol.’ Jed smiled without mirth. ‘Just as well we did. Kate
would not have let us retrieve the bodies. It isn’t like that any more, Murlainn. No civilities.’

‘Thought not. Right, pile them all in the lanes with the livestock. Slaughter any cattle that are left, and use the furniture for kindling. If there’s any god and he’s got a
shred of humanity he might forgive me, but I won’t let Kate desecrate their bodies. Sulaire? Check all the remaining supplies. Divide it up and destroy what we can’t carry. Uiseag, get
together all the ropes and torches you can find. I’ll be with you to help soon but…’

‘Understood,’ murmured Jed. ‘Go on, go to her.’ He held out the key to Seth’s rooms and lifted an eyebrow dryly. ‘She won’t speak well of me, Seth. She
was unconscious for three days and wanted to fight an hour after she woke up. I had to lock her in.’

Seth shook his head, laughing, and took the key. Then he was gone, taking the stone stairs three at a time.

The key would barely turn, his hand shook so badly. When he swung open the door, Finn was sitting on a long low bench beneath the window, hugging her knees and staring down at
the courtyard. She looked scarily thin. Her left hand hung down, scratching the throat of the black wolf that lay on the floor beside the bench. Branndair’s closed eyelids twitched in a
half-dream.

Seth tried to say something, but his voice stuck in his throat. Branndair lifted his head, sat up and made a tortured little growling sound, but he didn’t move from Finn’s side.

Finn’s hand froze in his fur and she turned her head very slowly. Her eyes were remote, dull with the gleam of old pain, but as they fixed on Seth’s face, they opened very wide.

She screamed.

He didn’t know what he’d expected, but it wasn’t this. Stunned, he reached out a hand, but Finn backed harder against the wall, trembling. She put her fists to her eyes and
ground them into the sockets.

‘
Get away from me!’
she yelled. ‘I DON’T SEE YOU.
GET AWAY FROM ME!’

He started towards her, got halfway across the room and came to a halt again. Gods, had she gone mad? She wrapped her arms over her face, blocking her vision and pulling her head tight to her
chest. ‘Not again, not again,’ she sobbed.
‘I don’t see you.’

And then he realised what was wrong. ‘Finn,’ he said softly. ‘Finn, it’s me.’

She wasn’t listening, refused to hear. Branndair wasn’t helping; he only lifted his black head and gazed at Seth with extreme reproach. That he didn’t need. For the first time
in his life Seth lost his temper with his own wolf.

‘
You
know it’s me!’ he yelled. ‘You might say hello, you hairy bad-tempered bastard!’

Branndair drew his lips scornfully back from his teeth as Finn’s breath stopped and she glanced up between splayed fingers. The wolf backed closer to Finn and gave a small cross growl.

‘All
right!
’ Seth shouted. ‘You can
LEAVE HER SIDE NOW!
’

The wolf bounded for him, leaping up and knocking him like a blade of grass to the floor. For long seconds Seth was incapable of coherent speech while Branndair kissed his face. Then somebody
was shoving the wolf aside and doing the same as the wolf, only at least she didn’t lick, and her breath was a lot nicer.

Finn drew away and knelt over him, grabbing his t-shirt. ‘You just stood there!’ she screamed. ‘You didn’t say anything!
I thought you were a fetch.
’

‘I’m sorry, Finn, sorry. I forgot all about that.’ Seth winced as she shook him, and she released him more gently, staring down in shock.

‘And you look like hell,’ she whispered. ‘Did you get hit by a truck?’

He shut one eye. ‘In a manner of speaking. Sort of a human truck. You should have seen me before the blood washed off in the tunnel.’

‘Not all of it, I can tell you.’ She looked him up and down. ‘I just hate to think.’

‘I’m fine. Really I am. Hey, you should see the other guy!’ At her scowl he sobered again. ‘Honestly, Finn, I’m sorry. I suppose I do look a bit, um…
half-dead. I just didn’t think.’

‘It’s okay, it’s okay. I panicked.’ She kissed him fanatically. ‘But don’t you dare be rude to that wolf.’

‘You’ve changed your tune.’ He grinned up at her.

‘Takes one to know one, anyway. Hairy bad-tempered bastards.’ She stroked the rough black stubble of his beard.

‘I’ll go and shave right now,’ he said.

‘No, you won’t. Don’t move. Stay there.’

‘Like I have an option?’ He cocked an eyebrow. ‘How long for?’

Finn buried her face in his neck. ‘Three days ought to do it. A week. No, two.’

His face softened as his arms went round her. ‘We don’t have that kind of time, Finn. It’s over, we’ve lost.’

‘I knew it!’ she yelled, jerking back. ‘If that swine Jed had… Seth, you don’t know what he’s been like, he…’

‘Jed has my eternal gratitude for locking you up, you heidbanger.’ He eyed her crossly. ‘And he carried you back to this dun. How many did he have to fight to do it?’

She averted her eyes, ashamed. ‘All right. I know. I’m sorry.’

Seth wriggled up to a sitting position and faced her. ‘’Scuse me.’ He opened her shirt gently and drew it aside to stare at the brutal scar just above her heart, then trailed a
fingertip across it. ‘That looks better.’ Tugging her shirt carefully down her shoulder, he turned her with a very light touch. ‘The exit wound too. Did Grian have a go at
those?’

‘Uh-huh.’ Finn made a wry face. ‘I didn’t think there was a healer rougher than Eili, bless him.’

‘Hurt, did it? Good.’ Seth’s voice cracked slightly. ‘That’ll teach you to be more careful.’

‘Poor Grian. He hasn’t slept more than a few minutes at a time for a week.’ She lifted his t-shirt where the bloodstain was and gasped. ‘What the
hell
happened
to you?’