As I walk past the beds of herbs, I see a woman in a uniform with a clipboard standing beside one of the benches. Strange, Matt didn’t say anything about anyone coming through to the Underworld but I guess someone has to bring the food through.
I smile at her. ‘Can I help with anything?’
‘I’m Ulla.’ The woman smiles at me and looks at the information on her clipboard. ‘You could take this?’
‘Sure,’ I say and reach for the box she gestures towards. It’s a small box, but heavier than it looks.
‘We have a regular delivery scheduled here. It’s nice to get the chance for a wee day trip into the countryside. We all argue about who gets to come.’
I laugh. ‘I’d love to be heading back to the city if I’m honest.’
‘Why? Have you seen the guys who live here? Although…’ she looks around and then leans in closer to me. ‘Sometimes they’re a bit odd. Intense. You know?’
‘I…’ I break off, as a frisson of unease slithers down my spine.
‘There’s not a single one of them that I’d turn down for a… date, mind.’ She grins at me. ‘If you know what I mean?’
I nod and laugh, hoping it doesn’t sound as forced as it feels. ‘None of them are my type,’ I say. ‘So, don’t let me stand in your way.’
‘Oh, I won’t. Now, I’m off to get a signature and try my luck.’ She waggles her eyebrows at me, and indicates the box. ‘You should try one. Specialist apples Declan wants to experiment with for a cider. But I threw in a couple of extras we had. They’re delicious.’
‘Thanks,’ I say. ‘I will.’
She smiles a broad smile, and I brush off the uneasy feeling I got from her just a few minutes ago.
‘Of course, no problem. I’m Eve, by the way.’ I smile sweetly at her, hoping she’ll not suspect I’m being untruthful. But really, what does it matter? She’s just here to drop off a delivery. It’s not like I owe her anything.
‘Eve. Nice. Biblical, even. Oh, and appropriate,’ she says, gesturing to the box before heading towards the door to the brewery itself with a second box.
I take a moment to choose an apple. They all look delicious, huge and shiny, and the sight brings back a memory of my mum handing me an apple, one just like these, at our kitchen table. I smile as I remember her polishing it and handing me the large shiny red fruit. For once, I’m grateful for my robe as I polish the apple on my sleeve and stare at my face reflected in the mirror-like surface.
Above me, birds chirp in the trees, and several are hopping in and out of a stone birdbath at the centre of the planted beds. I wander closer to them, slowly so as not to scare them away. I can afford to take a break from chores to eat one apple. I’m safe here, aren’t I? Looking up at the cloudless blue sky, I lift the apple to my mouth and take a large bite.
I grimace. The taste is sickly-sweet, not the crisp freshness I expected, and when I go to swallow, the apple sticks in my throat. I cough, or at least try to, but I can’t dislodge it. I look at the apple and see a face staring back at me from the polished surface. It’s Ulla, and she’s laughing. Something is happening. It’s like… like that fateful night in Sussurri. I feel exactly the same. I fall to my knees, then crumple onto my side, my muscles frozen, although right now I can still see and hear. Whatever drug this is, it’s much faster-acting, and I’m already beyond being able to call for help.
‘Don’t worry, Niamh,’ Ulla says, coming into view. She’s kneeling beside me. ‘Oh, did you not understand? It’s only the walls of the monastery itself that count, not the garden ones. Shame. Now just relax and you won’t feel a thing. Close your eyes and fall asleep like a good little girl, and then everything in my world and Cillian’s world can go back to exactly the way it’s supposed to be.’
I’m not sure whether I’m hallucinating, until she leans forward lifting my necklace from around my neck. I try to stop her, but I can’t move a single muscle. My eyes are still open, so I watch her stare down at my necklace as her face and hair and body slowly morph into Vittoria’s. She lets out a blood-curdling scream and rips my necklace from me.No!I try to scream but nothing comes out, my voice trapped inside me.
‘Vittoria!’ I hear Matt calling to her as my eyes slowly close. I sense him rush up to me, kneeling down beside me and taking my hand in his. ‘What happened? What did she do?’
With my last breath, my fingers release, and the bright red apple falls to my side, a single bite mark visible.
Chapter26
Cillian
When I return to the human world, it’s been two days since I last set foot in my businesses, and I’m grateful that the teams that manage them are as competent as they are and can manage without me when I have other priorities, usually hunting, but this time at St Marnox.
An update from Sean informs me that Rose hasn’t left her flat since the incident, and I make a mental note to visit her as soon as I can.
As I drive into town, the Necropolis comes into view, perched on a hill just east of the city centre and next to Glasgow’s medieval cathedral. It’s a sacred spot for a great many people, including the Kinfolk, as it’s the site in the human world of The Unseelie Court.
A Court session hasn’t been called for many months– they’re becoming more and more infrequent as time passes, and I don’t like it. But until I become king, this won’t change. I close my eyes, knowing full well that my decision to choose Niamh over Vittoria may mean that never happens. Despite the challenges, however, I’m determined not to give up. My rightful place is on that throne– I can feel it– and I will stop at nothing to get what I want. After all, my sister is correct. The Unseelie Court, with Vittoria as its queen, cannot be anything but corrupt, even if I am king by her side.
Knowing the conversation I need to have, I call Vittoria.
‘Cillian? Where have you been? We’ve been concerned.’
