The Prince of Two Tribes (36 page)

“Wake up. Lugh’s already broken the rules. He and Pûkh want to kill you. They’re afraid of you.”

Brendan spared her a glance and a wry smile. “You think so? Wait until I beat this creep. They’ll really have something to be scared of.”

“Brendan … ” she pleaded, but he cut her off.

“No, Kim. I’ve got to show them that no matter what they do, they won’t beat me. If I lose, it doesn’t matter anymore.”

He saw Mâya’s eyes widen with hungry delight and stepped aside instinctively as Lugh lunged at him. The blade skittered with a flash of sparks across the barrier where Brendan had been standing the instant before. Lugh checked his momentum, spinning and crouching with the knife extended, his broken hand hanging limp at his side.

Brendan sidestepped lightly around the outer edge of the circle, keeping his opponent as far away as he could.

“You can’t run forever, Brendan Morn.”

“Come over and get me, Lugh. I’ll break your other hand for you,” Brendan said with a bravado he didn’t really feel. Lugh was still plenty dangerous, and the knife was an unwelcome addition.

Without warning, Lugh lunged at him. Feinting high, he came in with a sweeping slash that Brendan almost managed to avoid, willing himself to become as thin as possible. Despite his best efforts, the tip of the blade opened a long wound down the ribs of his left side. White fire sizzled in the wound. Lugh didn’t give him a respite, slashing back and forth swiftly. Brendan, his T-shirt quickly soaking through with his own blood, wove back and forth, finally leaping up, stepping onto Lugh’s shoulder, and pitching himself into a somersault. He landed easily on the floor in a crouch. Lugh spun to see Brendan waiting for him and sneered before renewing his assault.

Dmitri, Harold, Chester, and Delia huddled together and tried to watch the contest. It was impossible to follow. The movements of the combatants were blindingly fast, blurs of speed punctuated by moments of relative stillness as Brendan and Lugh sized each other up between attacks.

“I had no idea Brendan could do this stuff,” Dmitri said in awe.

“I wish I had my sketchbook,” Harold said wistfully.

“You guys!” Delia sneered. “This isn’t some school field trip. This creep is trying to kill Brendan!”

“What do you care?” Dmitri said quietly. “He isn’t really your brother.”

Delia glared at Dmitri. “That’s not fair.”

Chester shrugged. “Don’t worry. He’ll beat this dude.”

“How can you be sure?” Delia asked.

“He’s made the guy mad and anger makes you sloppy,” Chester explained. “Wait and see.”

Inside the circle, Brendan and Lugh were partners in an intricate dance. They improvised the steps as they went along. It was a strange sort of dance with the partners never touching, avoiding each other by the narrowest of margins. Lugh’s face was a mask of anger and frustration while Brendan’s held a blank calm, though the sweat was streaming down his face. The battle went on and on with neither gaining the upper hand. Both were suffering from their injuries but they didn’t let up. Brendan had lost his aversion to harming Lugh after the knife became part of the equation. Now it was a matter of survival.

In the end, Brendan’s injuries caught up with him. Blood from the wound on his ribs dripped down his side and onto the floor, making the footing slippery. The floor was one massive sheet of polished oak, nurtured and crafted by generations of Masters of the Green Arts. The surface was slick at the best of times, but with his smooth-soled running shoes and the blood on the floor, Brendan lost his balance and fell with a crash onto his back. In an instant, Lugh was on him, slamming a massive foot onto his chest and pinning him to the floor. Brendan strained against the weight, but the tall Faerie held him fast. Brendan ceased struggling and looked up into the face of his assailant.

“Well fought,” Lugh said with a leer. “Few could press me the way you have. You should be proud of yourself in the moment before I send you to the Far Lands.”

“Stop this!” Deirdre begged from outside the circle. “This is pointless.”

Pûkh shook his head in a show of great sorrow. “Alas, what can we do? The circle cannot be broken.”

BLT raced around and around the circle. “Do it, Brendan! Break the circle!”

Kim shrieked at Brendan. “Break it! Break it, Brendan! Show him!”

Brendan turned his head to Kim. “Don’t be afraid. It’s all right!” He turned back and smiled up at Lugh. “Do your worst.”

Lugh grinned savagely and raised the dagger above his head.

Brendan didn’t move. The fear he had felt when he’d stepped into the circle with Lugh was gone. He felt only calm. During the frenzy of the fight, he had found a quiet place in the centre of his heart. He recalled the song that his aunt had drawn from him during the Proving and let it fill his being, guide his movements. He recalled the conversation with Merddyn in the doughnut shop and had a moment of wonderful clarity. He saw the blade glinting in the light and the strings of tiny crystals that made up its structure. The words he had heard while trapped inside the stone came to him with sudden urgency.
All things are one.
As the deadly point of the dagger quivered, ready to seek his heart, Brendan saw what he had to do. The thought of it made him laugh.

Lugh paused, a puzzled expression on his dour face. “Why do you laugh?”

“All things are one!” Brendan said. He grinned like a fool and focused his mind, seeing the change he wished to make and willing it to occur.

Lugh’s weapon shimmered, quivered. Then the solid substance of the dagger began to flow into a new form.

The blade shortened and melted into an altogether new shape. Where there had once been a deadly blade in Lugh’s hand, there was now a ring of pastry with multicoloured sprinkles on top. Lugh stared in utter disbelief.

“What is this?” he roared.

“A doughnut,” Brendan replied placidly. “A Hawaiian doughnut, to be precise.” Brendan shot a glance at Merddyn, who was grinning with delight.

Lugh, infuriated, crushed the doughnut and flung it away. He bunched his good fist and prepared to drive it into Brendan’s skull. Suddenly, the wood beneath his feet changed state and became a sticky brown liquid. Lugh sank into the floor up to his ankles, and the wood became solid again. His eyes went wide with surprise. Brendan smiled grimly and swung his arm with all his strength, striking Lugh’s shin just above the floor. There was a loud crack. Lugh howled in agony and fell backwards. The floor flowed open beneath him as he landed and then washed back over him, hardening so that his entire torso was trapped in the wood. Of his head, only his face was exposed. Terror filled his eyes.

Brendan, exhausted from the effort, pushed himself to his feet. He stood over Lugh, who strained futilely to free himself from his woody prison.

“This fight is over,” Brendan said.

Lugh ceased to struggle. He glared up at his vanquisher, cold grey eyes filled with hatred. “It has only begun, Brendan Morn.”

Brendan turned to the circle and looked for a weakness in the chalk line. Seeing a slightly narrow section, he reached out with his toe and wiped away the chalk. The circle flared and died.

Instantly, a streak of light shot into the circle, driving into Lugh’s face. BLT kicked and punched his vulnerable, prominent nose with wild abandon. “That’s fer cheatin’, ya big wally!” she cried.

“Get off me, tiny demon!” Lugh protested.

Brendan laughed. She had obviously been unable to resist eating her caramel. For once, he didn’t mind.

RULES

Now that the danger had passed, Brendan was overwhelmed by a wave of exhaustion. He tried to walk to the judges but staggered. Kim was instantly at his side to catch him. He leaned on her as he made his way to where the judges awaited him. The crowd parted, oddly hushed and watchful. He had done things that were thought to be impossible, and now they felt trepidation at being too close to this young boy.

He squeezed Kim’s hand gratefully and nodded. She stepped back, within easy reach if he needed her support.

Pûkh rose to his feet and addressed Brendan with a warm smile. “Well done, Brendan. You have certainly Proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are your father’s son and a Prince of Ancient Lineage. Congratulations. You may now be accepted into a Clan as a fully fledged Faerie. I extend my invitation to join the Clan of Tír na nÓg! We can use someone with your gifts.

“There is no Clan with more power and influence than mine,” Pûkh continued. “You can be at my right hand. You have proven that you deserve the rank.” He cast a scathing glare at the helpless Lugh.

Brendan couldn’t tell if Pûkh’s sincerity was just a show or he really meant what he said. Lugh was Pûkh’s minion, and he’d tried to kill Brendan. The Lord of Tír na nÓg could not be trusted.

“I don’t care about your Clans. I won,” Brendan said brusquely. “Now let me and my friends and sister go.”

“Of course,” Ariel agreed. “They will be Compelled to silence and freed.”

“No,” Brendan said. “That isn’t going to happen.”

Ariel’s pale face went even paler. “Those were the conditions of the bargain. They will be upheld.”

“That bargain was finished when Lugh pulled the knife,” Brendan said coldly. “The rules have changed. It’s time for things to be different.” Brendan looked at the faces of Og, Deirdre, and Greenleaf, full of pride and relief at his survival. Merddyn winked, and Kitsune Kai’s dark eyes were watchful, expectant.

Brendan turned to address the silent throng.

“I’ve done all that’s been asked of me. I’ve tried to follow the rules. I’m not going to do that anymore. These people …” He indicated the little group huddled on the floor. “They are as important to me as any Fair Folk will ever be. I love my new family. Aunt Deirdre, Greenleaf, Og: they have been as kind as they could be, but my Human parents were there in all the hardest parts of my life. They thought of me as their son. They took me in when my real father put me aside. I owe them everything.” He smiled at Delia. “My sister has been … a sister. We’ve fought tooth and nail. We’ve shared our childhoods and grown up together.” He turned to Harold and Dmitri. “My friends were there for me when I thought I was alone in the world. They risked their lives to help me, and I repaid them by not trusting them enough to tell them my secret. Well, that’s going to change. There will be no secrets anymore.”

Outraged voices cried out in protest. Brendan waited until the shouts ran their course. “I know many of you will disagree with me. Many of you will feel threatened. I want you to understand that I don’t plan on going out into the world and revealing your existence. Humans aren’t ready for that. Many of you feel they’ll never be ready for that. I think you’re wrong.”

He looked to Merddyn. The old Faerie was watching him with bright eyes, eager to hear his words. He smiled encouragement.

“The truth is, the Human world needs us. The Pact was a mistake. It was born out of fear and mistrust. Our two tribes, the Humans and the Faeries, were never meant to be separated. We’re two sides of the same coin. Faeries say Humans are destroying the world with their progress and their pollution, but then Faeries turn around and copy their technology, ape their ways. It doesn’t make any sense. We sit back and despise the Humans when we should be helping them, guiding them.

“That’s why the Pact must change. Faeries were never meant to be alone. Humans were never meant to be alone. We were meant to share the world, to complement each other. Instead, we’ve both been going our own ways, and now the Earth is suffering for it.”

Brendan addressed Pûkh directly. “You, living alone in your fantasy world. You are the worst of all. You cut yourself off from what’s real and cling to the Old Ways. That’s absolutely the wrong thing to do. You can never return to the past.”

Pûkh sneered, his normally handsome face distorted by disdain. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. Humans can’t be trusted.”

“What? They’re less trustworthy than you? I doubt it.” Brendan laughed.

Mâya danced from foot to foot. “Let me kill him, my Lord! Let me!”

“Try,” Brendan said evenly. He didn’t want another fight, but he wasn’t afraid of it either.

Mâya stilled herself but her eyes beamed hatred at him. Brendan ignored her.

“I’m going to leave now. I am taking these Humans, my friends and family, with me.” He bent down and untied Delia as he spoke. When she was free, she worked on the others’ bonds. “You can do whatever you want. I’m going to live my life as I see fit. No Pact is going to rule me. I will judge each moment as it comes and do what I have to to survive and to be the person I want to be. My mum and dad are probably wondering where I am. I’m going home. It’s Christmastime and I’m going to celebrate with them. I don’t need a Clan. I have a family and I have friends.”

“Without a Clan,” Pûkh said flatly, “you will die.”

Brendan’s voice was equally cold. “I’ll take my chances.”

He swept his eyes over the group. Deirdre’s face was unreadable. Greenleaf’s held a gentle smile. Ariel’s face was cold and distant. Pûkh’s lip was curled in disdain. Merddyn smiled openly. Brendan looked for Charlie but caught only a glimpse of her as she disappeared in the excited crush of Faeries.

His eyes fell on Kim last. She smiled at him, an exasperated, eye-rolling smile that made him laugh in spite of the pain that racked his ribs.

Brendan turned to leave.

“Brendan!” Merddyn’s voice stopped him. The Ancient Faerie held the wrapped bundle that was his father’s sword out to him. Brendan hesitated. Did he really want it? Without it, he wondered if he’d ever be able to speak to his father again. Still, the sword scared him a little.

“Come,” Merddyn said softly. “It is yours. No one else here may touch it.”

What made him decide to take the sword was the annoyance on Pûkh’s face. If taking it would upset the King of the Everlasting Lands, he had to do it. Brendan took the sword, sensing its power and energy through the wrapping. He nodded to Merddyn. Without a word, he joined his companions and walked out of the Swan of Liir. He wondered if it would be for the last time. Then he decided he didn’t care. He was with those who mattered most to him. If others didn’t understand, so be it.