“Here.” The fae had returned, and he thrust a little wooden bowl at me, three small brown mushrooms resting inside. “Take these. You’ll find her.”
“Don’t come back here,” the brother snarled. “Don’t bring your mother’s guards to our doorstep.”
“I won’t,” I got out quickly, rising onto shaky legs. “I promise. I vow it. I—Th-thank you. Thank you.”
They shut the door without another word, but I knew they were watching me as I slowly turned to face the forest and lifted all three mushrooms to my mouth, shoving them in and chewing quickly, tasting the dirt on my fingers as well as their sour musk. My body still shook with the urge to carry out the Carlin’s order, but as I took a stumbling step forward it… lessened.
Then it faded entirely. The bowl slipped from my loose fingers. I wandered away from the sidhe, not sure where I was going. I jumped, my heart thudding hard when something darted between the trees in the dark. A voice whispered above my head, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
I was sweating already, the terror still lurking somewhere, though it was smothered by the disjointed sensation in my body. The fogginess in my head. My panic grew. I wasn’t in control. I’d never been in control, but at least my body had been my own most of the time. Now it felt foreign. My feet were walking and I couldn’t stop them, even as I stumbled over roots and leaves and rocks.
Something laughed nearby. An invisible hand caressed my chest through my shirt, lifting the acorn at my throat before letting it drop. Mushrooms sprouted before my eyes along the tree trunks, glowing green like fireflies before melting in fluorescent streams to the ground.
Was this what Ash had been feeling that day I’d found him looking for Ogma? This wasawful.
But he’d been smiling. He’d laughed, and said that he missed me, that he remembered me, even though he didn’t. He’d kissed me like he always used to.
“It will only get worse if you let your panic grow, Holly King.”
I jumped in fright when something sinuous and black slunk down from a tree in front of me. Glowing orange eyes appeared from the dark, followed by sharp yellow teeth in a mass of solid black.
“The Hunter King’s loyal wolf.” The face loomed closer. “Does he remember you yet?”
I panted wildly as I stared back at it, not wanting to answer it. But my feet were now glued to the ground. I wanted to reach for my blade but couldn’t.
“Calm your mind,” it said when I didn’t speak. “Or Ogma may not let you find her.”
No. No, that couldn’t happen. Panic streaked through me, making my breaths quicken even more.
“Calm, Death King,” the shadow face rasped. “She fears you, you know. Of all her sons, it is you who instils the terror in her marrow. She knows what you are really capable of. She knows things you don’t.”
“What things?” I demanded.
“Just things,” the face replied airily.
I jumped when the mass moved, circling me, its flowing black hair slipping over my shoulders and neck.
“It’s why she moulded you into her own weapon at such a tender age.” It appeared in front of me, mouth no longer smiling. “There’s a reason she didn’t kill you the moment you were born, boy. But she will still stop you fulfilling your purpose if you let her. You mustn’t.”
“I—” I finally found my voice, my mouth dry and sour as I licked my lips. “What purpose? H-how?”
“Ogma spurns the old gods for their weaknesses, but she is not infallible.” The face loomed closer, peering at me hard with its orange eyes. “She hungers for something herself. There is a chink in her armour that you can use to get what you need.”
“I don’t—I don’t know what I need, other than my second name,” I said weakly.
“You do. You’ll know when you see her. Exploit her weakness. Strike a bargain.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I croaked.
The eyes narrowed, sharp teeth flashing. “The Carlin has grown too greedy. She upsets the balance. It would be the end of us all. The power must be shared. You and your oak king will share it freely. We will flourish.”
“Wh-what?”
“Ogma is near.” The face retreated, slinking back up the tree. “Strike a bargain with her, Death King.”
I stumbled forward, eager to get away from the creature. It was pitch black, but I could still see until I realised… I couldn’t. I could see nothing. Sulphurous fumes made me cough weakly, burning my eyes until they watered.
I fell into the small grove, panting wildly. Curved trees ringed the clearing, pale in the moonlight that shone directly onto the tiny hut in the very centre.