“I need you two to look within and search for the magic inside you,” Raza said to Tristan and Sarah. “Try and bring it forth, glamour yourselves to look like a normal dullahan.”
“Why would that help?” Sarah's gruesome dullahan smile was set in place firmly now and it kind of creeped me out a bit to see it on her when she was being so serious.
“Because then you can act like guards escorting some prisoners through town,” Tiernan caught the idea. “Now that your dullahan magic is enhanced, a small glamour should fool anyone into believing that you're pure bloods, even another dullahan.”
“Oh,” Tristan nodded. “Okay. Let me try.”
Within moments, Tristan looked like a full fledged dullahan, metal collar around his neck and everything. Sarah pulled back a little in horror, shaking her head in denial.
“It's just an illusion, Sarah,” I laid my hand on her arm and she flinched. “Dullahans are obviously good at illusion. You can do this and remember, Danu promised to change you back when we're done. This is only temporary.”
“Right,” she took a shaky breath. “Just an illusion. Temporary.”
Then she closed her eyes and concentrated. Just as with Tristan, a glamour settled over Sarah in a low shimmer, changing her into a full dullahan. She opened her darting dark eyes and grinned her dullahan grin, and I couldn't help giving a small shiver.
“Alright,” I looked over the visible raven mockers. “Can all of the parents with children who aren't able to glamour come here and stand with Sarah and Tristan?” I asked. “They'll be your make-believe guards,” I said to the children. “I need you to be brave for just a little bit longer and then we can get you home, okay?”
They looked scared but most gave me nods. The others were given pep talks by their parents, who then nodded to me. We were as ready as we could get.
“Let's go,” I said to Tiernan as I glamoured myself invisible. “Cat?” I felt her nudge my side.
We filed down the stairs; hundreds of invisible people and a group of twenty parents with their children, being led by two dullahans. I honestly didn't have high hopes for us and as we descended past the lower levels of the keep, I began to pray. I knew Danu said she'd be with us but it never hurt to make sure. Then a hand touched my cheek and I was sure. She was there, guiding us, and we were going to make it.
We passed by a few dullahans but they simply nodded to Tristan and Sarah, who nodded back. We kept walking out of the keep, going at a modest pace so we wouldn't attract too much attention. One dullahan approached us as we headed down the steps but Sarah said something to him about giving the children some fresh air and amazingly, he bought it.
My heart started to slow down to its normal beat when we made it out into the village. I had faith now. I trusted that Danu would see us out, and when we reached the happy little fountain in the middle of Dathadair, I started to smile. I looked back at Sarah and her group and saw that the raven mocker parents were starting to relax as well, hugging their children and whispering encouragement.
That's when the riders flooded the courtyard.
We all froze as they surrounded Sarah and Tristan's group, one of the riders approaching the witches. The rest of us eased towards the side and I felt the soft nudge of Cat leaning against my leg. She was panting in dismay, her body tensing in preparation for a fight. Then a hand gripped my upper arm and a face pressed against mine.
“Get my son out of here,” Raza whispered urgently. “I'll stay behind and make sure the rest of them get out safely.”
“No,” I started to protest but he shoved me into someone and I felt warm hands grip me, feathers brushing my skin. Cat gave a soft whine and one of the dullahan riders looked in our direction.
“Get out of this villagenow,” Raza hissed at us and I felt myself pushed along.
We all pressed together, silently shuffling away from the group of terrified parents and children, and it was all I could do to set one foot in front of the other. Raza was with them, I told myself. Danu was with them. If a goddess and a dragon couldn't save the mockers, than no one could. But every bone in my body rebelled against leaving people behind... leaving children behind.
A child's wail froze me for a second but we were nearly to the gate and I felt a hand slip into mine and pull me along urgently. I almost jerked away anyway but then a roar rumbled through the night, booming out like thunder to urge me on faster. And then the screams of grown men rose above those of the children.
My group ran out of the open gates of Dathadair and clambered up the hill into the concealing arms of the Unseelie Forest. At the apex, I turned back and dropped my glamour, looking anxiously toward the village. The sky was lightening and I could see the central square clearly, though most of it was blocked by the massive body of a dragon.
The dragon tossed its head and a dullahan went flying; head and body separating to land in two different places. The body got up and instantly started searching for its head. I might have laughed if things hadn't been so dire. But then I saw the fleeing mockers led through the streets by two dullahan impostors and I did laugh. I laughed in relief and thanked Danu as twilight coasted over Fairy and rushed through my veins.
“We're not safe yet,” Tiernan said as his glamour fell and I looked down to see lavender sparks dripping from our joined hands. “We've got a long way to go, even if most of us can fly.”
“Right,” I looked over my shoulder to the mass of mockers and witches, all staring at me solemnly, and wondered what the hell we'd been thinking when we made this plan.
“They're out of the village!” Raye rushed to the slope and started down it to meet the families halfway. He helped them up the hill, Sarah and Tristan bringing up the rear.
Just as they crested the ridge, Cat gave a little bark and I looked down at her where she had pressed in tight beside me. She ran off into the forest, weaving through the dense foliage as if she'd caught the scent of some small prey. I cursed and chased after her, the twilight energy still riding high in my blood. I found my feet leaving the ground as I ran, magic coating the soles of my boots.
“Cat, this is not the time,” I growled as I pushed aside obstacles with a wave of my fingers. I was leaving a glittering trail of lavender behind me but I didn't care. I needed to grab that stupid puka and get back to the others. “Damn it, Catriona, I'm leaving you at home next time. Now get your furry ass back here, we have people... we..”
I stopped in the middle of a dirt road and looked up into the molasses colored eyes of a very large horse. No, it was a puka in horse form. My heartbeat sped up and I started to lift my magic-filled fingers but then I realized that the trappings it wore bore the royal crest of Unseelie and it was hitched to three other pukas which were pulling a gleaming sin-black and silver coach.
Cat was running towards the door of the coach, yipping happily as it opened. I stepped back to watch one shiny, black boot hit the dusty road and then another. A head lifted above the barrier of the coach door but all I could see was a midnight velvet hood. Still, I knew who it was even before he spoke.
