Page 81 of The Falconer

I stumble back, closing my eyes hard against the onslaught of light. A loud, reverberating crack startles me enough to risk opening them again. I watch as the tree trunk splinters right down the middle. Branches bow to the ground on either side, leaving a gaping hole in the heart of the tree. Roots pull out of the soil and curl around each other, shaping themselves into steps.

Between the two halves of the tree, a mirror forms and undulates like water. I see my reflection there, obscured by ceaseless ripples.

‘What is it?’ I whisper.

‘Theclomhsadh,’ Kiaran says. ‘Let me show you.’

A faery passage. My hand automatically reaches for the lightning pistol in its holster at my waist. Why would he bring me here, if not to fight? I meet his eyes then. I wish there was some indication of his intent there, no matter how small, but I find nothing.

With a shiver of anticipation running down my spine, I follow Kiaran up the rooted stairs. At the top, I pause to check my weapon once more before I step through the portal.

Beyond theclomhsadhis a loch. Kiaran and I are on a sandy beach surrounded by trees that tower so high they touch the thick clouds overhead. The loch itself is still as ice. Mist curls off the surface of the water to flow around my feet and up my legs and arms. The air here is electric, so alive I could swear I hear it whisper, but so softly that I can’t make out the words. I watch the soft, pulsing glow of the loch as the surface gleams and changes colour, from aqua, to dark crimson, to glittering gold.

The stars are visible between the clouds – God, I’ve never seen them so bright. They glitter in elaborate, alien constellations, swirling as though blown by a breeze.

The air is fragrant, floral, sharp and sweet at the same time. And the taste here – it’s like Kiaran’s, with the same wild fierceness of his power.

‘Where are we?’

Kiaran’s eyes are luminous, even more uncanny than usual, and his exquisite skin glows softly, as though kissed by moonlight. It’s as if I’m finally seeing him clearly, the way heshouldbe. He has never looked more beautiful, or more inhuman. ‘TheSìth-bhrùth.’

No wonder everything looks so different here. We’re in the faery realm. I draw my lightning pistol, expecting hostile fae at any moment. ‘Why would you bring me here?’ I ask, scanning the line of trees for any movement with my finger firm on the trigger.

‘There are several realms within theSìth-bhrùth, Kam,’ he says. ‘This one used to be neutral ground, the only place where conflict was never allowed.’ He looks out over the loch. ‘You can put the weapon away. We’re safe here.’

I’m not convinced. ‘I know how this works, MacKay,’ I say. ‘I’ve heard the stories. Faeries bring humans here for what feels like a few hours, but when they leave, years have gone by in the human world.’

Kiaran almost smiles. ‘I’ll keep track of the time – you’ll be home by morning.’

With a resigned sigh, I holster the pistol and step forward. My boots sink into the soft sand at the water’s edge. ‘Fine. So what’s beyond the loch?’

‘The two largest territories: Seelie and Unseelie. They’ve been abandoned for two thousand years.’ He frowns, as if he’s remembering something long forgotten. ‘After the war, the onlysìthicheanleft behind here were those from the smaller realms that had refused to fight. Most of them crossed into the human realm after the others were imprisoned.’

Those are the creatures I kill almost every night. With the strongest fae trapped, the weaker, solitary faeries had their pick of any humans they wanted. A veritable banquet. No wonder they didn’t want to stay in theSìth-bhrùth.

‘What will happen to this place?’

‘I imagine those in the mounds will return to their home realms if we’re unable to trap them beneath the city again.’

If we fail, he means. I can barely allow myself to contemplate it. If I do, the burden will become more than I can handle, a terrible crushing thing. Two against hundreds, with no way of evacuating the city. We are all that stands between the fae and complete destruction. The very thought makes me want to run and never look back.

‘Aren’t you worried?’ I ask. ‘Shouldn’t we be finding the seal or amassing weapons? We ought to be preparing, MacKay, not wasting precious hours in the human world by being here.’

Kiaran glances at me, detached as ever. ‘I’ve seen my share of battle, and I’ve faced worse than what we are about to. Do you know the most vital thing I’ve learned?’

‘What?’ I ask, exasperated.

He inclines his head towards the beautiful scene before us. ‘To take in all of this, every calm moment you can. Breathe in the sight so deeply that the memory becomes a fundamental part of you. Sometimes, it will be all that’s left to ground you. I brought you here to give you that.’

I wonder what memories ground Kiaran, that he’d want such a thing for me. He’s always been ruthless in our training, never once leading me to believe he held any reverence for serenity.

I almost enquire again about his past, about the woman he once loved. But as I watch him, I decide against it. He gazes pensively out over the loch, and there’s a sadness that in him speaks to my own grief. Sometimes the memories we cling hardest to are the ones that hurt us the most.

‘Why haven’t you gone back to your realm?’

Kiaran stiffens. ‘This beach is as close as I can go.’

‘The beach?’ I look at the inviting water, now glowing such a warm, vivid teal that it reminds me of descriptions of the Mediterranean. ‘What happens if you go further?’

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