Once Upon A Curse: 17 Dark Faerie Tales Read online

  "Oh, no. I don't want to cause a problem. Is that the door out?"

  "Yes."

  Tam smiled and stepped out of the room. The main station was empty, so he ducked inside the closest empty room and called the shillelagh. What the hell is Dian playing at? He locked me in his library, and now I find Áine's across town on life support in Massachusetts General Hospital?

  Feeling a bit more confident about his traveling abilities, he thought of the coordinates Dian had made him memorize and honed in on there—

  "Taistealaí," he said, but didn't shout it this time.

  Again, the floor dropped out from beneath him, and he landed on soft, grassy ground. Sun sifted through a thick canopy of trees overhead as he rolled on the ground. He smelled the earth and felt dampness caress his cheek. This was the place in his dream. The three trees surrounding a center well. He moved to his hands and knees and looked at the water, at the reflection of the swaying green leaves overhead.

  Tam pushed up to just his knees and looked around. A forest surrounded the well, and as far as he could tell, there was no one for miles. He needed to test the water before he brought Áine here, but he didn't have an injury he could use.

  "You're early," came a deep, sultry voice overhead. "Remind me to kill that son of a bitch Dian next time I see him."

  He jumped back and brandished the shillelagh. A note echoed in the forest, and to his surprise the trees answered in harmony. Tam looked around for the voice, but he didn't see anyone, or anything.

  A single crow's feather swayed in the breeze as it fell at his feet.

  He jumped back as something very large, and very black, landed close to where he'd been beside the well.

  It was a woman. A tall, blond woman with large black eyes and enormous black-feathered wings. She spread them out behind her, obscuring the well from his view. Her lips were as black as her eyes and her teeth white as snow. "So you are Tam Lin."

  "And you're the Morrigan."

  "You don't have to use the honorific. Morrigan will do." She smiled at him, and Tam felt…oily. "You were supposed to bring me a Clurichaun."

  "Bring you?" He kept the shillelagh between them. "I was supposed to dip her in the water."

  "Yes. I know. It was my plan. We figured if I could get inside that witch's head, I could get closer to you. Interesting how Dian neglected to tell me you'd already found your shillelagh."

  "Dian made a deal with you."

  "That's what we do, boy. We're a people of promise dealers."

  Tam licked his lips. "So you were going to use my Clurichaun to control me."

  "No, to prod you to find your shillelagh. Seems I'm too late. But no matter, it's just one more piece of wood to add to my garden." She moved away and tucked her wings against her back. "Now you can be a good little Leprechaun and behave. Give me your shiny toy, and I'll let you save the life of your Clurichaun. Or," she paused and faced him, "I can take you now and let your little witch die. Either way, you become mine and your shillelagh is added to my collection."

  Collection?

  Morrigan held up her hand and a torque appeared. This one was different than the one Magnus had. This was more elaborate. Thicker. The skin around his neck prickled at the memory of the iron's burn. He kept his eyes locked on her, unwilling to let her get behind him. He wasn't going to let her do what Magnus did.

  His mind continued to race ahead. Tam was told how the Morrigan stole all the shillelaghs in Faery and put torques on their owners. If that was true, and if his uncle didn't have a shillelagh, then had he worn a torque as well? Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Bogs's neck, and before recently, he hadn't seen Bogs in nearly a decade.

  "This is where you put the shillelaghs. You bring them here and put them in the water, and they become part of their original trees. Why?"

  Morrigan laughed. "A shillelagh is not only the will of a Leprechaun, but a part of their soul. It also has the power of prophecy for their owners. Combined, I can see the futures for all the people of my kingdom when I surrender myself to the water."

  "That's how you knew about me."

  "Of course. And that's how I know you will submit to me, just like all the other good little Unseelie have. I am the Mother."

  And then she was gone. No lift of a wing, not even a stirring in the air. Holding out the shillelagh, he spun around looking for her. She laughed behind him.

  Too late.

  His muscles locked and he found himself staring at the three trees, unable to speak or to will his shillelagh away.

  "Pretty," Morrigan said as she brushed her talons along his cheek. "So very handsome. It's amazing how the world paints your kind as tiny bearded creatures. When in truth, you have always been the most pleasing to the eye." She pressed her hands down on his shoulders. "You will be mine now, Tam Lin. My aid. My right hand as I search the world for more Unseelie and bring them under my wings."

  He scoured everything he'd learned in the past week, everything Bogs, Dian, and even Áine had said. Bogs's words, though they might be said under the guise of Morrigan, felt the most true. When he talked about his shillelagh, he spoke with emotion, revelation, and honest envy. He missed his power.

  He missed his tie to the Earth.

  The shillelagh was a Leprechaun's will. If this is my will, then I will myself a way to break her gaze.

  Think…the way Áine had done it was to distract Magnus. But Tam had no one here to distract Morrigan. He'd told no one he was going. So if he had to have a distraction, he'd have to make it himself. And if so…could he? Was it possible?

  The gaze might trap his body, but it didn't trap his mind. He stared straight ahead and thought of Áine. Her body, her shape, her hair, but he thought of her dancing. Step dancing in a line of people, arms at her sides. He heard the music, the beat of the bodhrán. He focused everything on that image, and then projected it into the trees.

  To his surprise, a grayish image of Áine appeared, dancing, and on the breeze he heard the beat of a drum as it struck an old familiar rhythm.

  "Who's there!" Morrigan said.

  Her gaze broke. Tam could move.

  He flipped the shillelagh around, turned with a yell, and shoved the small end into Morrigan's belly. "I have a will of my own, and my path is not yours to control!" He continued shoving until he skewered her, mirroring what Magnus had done to Áine.

  Morrigan screamed, and the place where he pierced her lit up like a roman candle. She exploded in a flurry of crows that flew at him, scratched at his face, and then disappeared into the trees.

  Tam went down on his knees, his face stinging and his arms and shoulders burning. His shillelagh was covered in some kind of black ocher. With a smile and a numbing feeling in his gut, he dipped it into the well. The water glowed blue and as he pulled it out, it was pristine again. It looked like it had a few more carvings on it.

  When he cradled it to him, he felt it vibrate and thought he heard a laugh. "Just a few more things to fix"—he smiled—"and then we both can rest."

  Chapter 8

  Getting back to Áine was easier the second time. Getting her untangled from the wires and tubes—that was a whole different matter. He knew if he unhooked the heart monitor, the nurses would be in the room and all over him. So he decided to wing it with his hand on her arm and traveled back to the well.

  He felt lucky that just Áine came with him and not the entire hospital apparatus. But the moment she wasn't on life support, she gasped for air. Tam dismissed the shillelagh as he lifted her in his arms, and then holding her, slipped himself into the well.

  The water bubbled, and felt a lot like a mineral spring he'd once visited. He held Áine close to him and smiled as he felt her body shift and change against him, until finally her eyes opened wide as she gasped one last time for air and then she moved on her own. In fact, she scrambled away from him and fought to climb out of the well.

  "Hey, relax," Tam said as he put his hand on hers. "I'm not trying anything. I promise. I just w
anted to make sure you wouldn't drown."

  "You…you can't drown in a healing well," she muttered as she continued to climb out. "And…I'm barely dressed."

  That much was true. The thin hospital gown with no back did nothing to cover her body, and Tam had to admit it was a nice body. He turned away and waited until she was out before he climbed free and offered her his soaked jacket.

  They sat to the side of the well for a few minutes, enjoying the warm breeze and the sound of birds. Tam listened to the whispers of the shillelaghs. "They're here, you know."

  "Yeah…I got that from you. So, how do you get them out? The shillelaghs?"

  "I don't know. And even if I could, where would they go? Their owners are still under Morrigan's control."

  "She isn't dead?"

  Tam shook his head. He was pretty certain a simple stab to the gut for someone like her wasn't fatal. He was sure he'd wounded her, though. "She'll be back. Freeing the shillelaghs has to come after we free the Unseelie. What good would it do to release their wills when they were being controlled by iron?"

  "We?"

  "Or me. This isn't your fight."

  "It's not yours either. You have a chance to lead a normal life."

  Tam frowned at her. "Seriously? Áine, I have pointed ears, I can summon a magic stick, and I have a legendary monster after me. Where in there is normal?"

  She smiled at him and shrugged. "Conceded. So…what about this place? You want to take it from her?"

  "There's no need. I proved to her that the prophecies of the shillelaghs are just shadows of the future. We can change that future if we will it. That's what she stole." He leaned his head to the right and smacked his left ear as he tried to dislodge water out of his right. "Keeping the shillelaghs alive like this does give hope for the future. The trees know this. That's why they grow here. And no matter how many baths that bitch takes in this water? She'll never be able to bend the future to make it hers."

  "So…we just leave it? Under her control?"

  Tam stood and offered her his hand. "That's the secret, Áine. It's never been under her control. That's a lie, one she chooses to believe. Let her continue to believe it." Once Áine was on her feet, he summoned his shillelagh. Looking at it, he thought, I'm getting pretty good at this. "There is one shillelagh I can sense, louder than the rest."

  Áine's lips pulled into a thin line. "Your uncle's?"

  "Yeah. The Morrigan admitted she struck a deal with Dian. There's something about Dian, something Bogs has on him. I agree with her that we're a race of promise dealers. My uncle in particular. I think he's got something up his sleeve with Dian, otherwise why make himself a player in whatever game Dian's got going? I just can't make sense of the idea that he wants to destroy this well." Tam narrowed his eyes at her. "That was you I heard, right? Before? In the library?"

  "I didn't know you were in a library. I was in a dark place, but now and then I could see, and hear, you. I think it has something to do with my duty to you and your family."

  "About that…who sent you to protect me?"

  She smiled. "Your mother."

  Tam took several steps toward her. "You…you know my mother? She's alive? Where is she? Why did she leave? Does she know my dad died of a broken heart—"

  Áine's strength returned as she summoned a knife and held it out between them. "Stop right there, Prince. I can't answer those questions. I shouldn't have told you as much as I have. But…I thought you should at least know that if your uncle is dirty, and Dian's the ass we suspect he is, you do have someone on your side."

  On my side. Tam was pretty sure he wasn't going get any more out of her, at least not right then. But if he played his cards right, he might be able to wear her down over time. He smiled to himself as he waved at her knife. "Put that away. I'd never attack you."

  "Not now. But who knows what the future brings." The knife disappeared. "The Morrigan's not going to stop coming after you. She's probably more pissed than ever."

  "Yeah. I figured."

  "Your house has been cleaned, and Dian set up new wards. I'd like to take those down and set up some of my own."

  "Sure, sure." Tam looked around at the woods as a breeze moved the hair over his forehead. "I don't know whether to confront Bogs and Dian now, or just wait. I'm sure Dian's going to be pissed as well, seeing as how I did this without letting him destroy it."

  "And I don't think he can get here without you." Áine took a step forward. "We carry on as usual?"

  "For now. So it's been a week?"

  "Yes."

  "And I'm currently listed as a missing person?"

  "Yes."

  "I think I should start by assuring everyone I'm not missing. Then I have to resort some priorities."

  Áine shifted into her horse form. A beautiful red mare. Yes. And I'll be watching you like a hawk in step dancing. Might even make you my partner.

  Tam laughed as he jumped up on her back and held on to her mane. "Go right ahead, if you want some broken toes."

  I might. You ready to head home?

  "No. Wanna go for a run?"

  I thought you'd never ask.

  ***

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  Alice - Julia Crane

  Tick. Tock. Time. Time. Time. It was moving much too fast.

  With the Red Queen always breathing down her back, pushing the issue, Alice was going to have to act soon.

  In an attempt to soothe her frayed nerves, Alice rocked back and forth. It was going to have to be something drastic. But what? Could she really kill her own flesh and blood?

  A prophecy was a prophecy. Wasn’t it?

  It wasn’t fair! Why couldn’t she have been the only one?

  Needing something to keep her hands occupied, Alice grabbed one of the glass figurines off the mantel. As she walked in circles, her mind raced with potential solutions. Why wasn’t a good alternative coming to her? There must be a way…

  In frustration, Alice flung the statue across the room, shattering it against the wall in a thousand pieces.

  One of the maids scurried in, head down, avoiding eye contact. Attempting to avoid her wrath.

  Curiously, Alice watched as the woman dropped to her knees, efficiently brushing up the mess with movements mastered from years of practice. Alice was widely known for her temper tantrums. They’d only gotten worse as she’d gotten older. In many ways, she took after her mother, the Red Queen.

  Too bad her mother hated her guts. She saw Alice as a disgrace. No matter what she did, it was never good enough to please her wretched mother. All Alice had ever wanted was her approval, but her hope was in vain.

  And in less than three months, she would be forced to marry some fool from Wonderhills in a show of solidarity for the dimensions. Ridiculous. Her mother was insane if she thought she was going to go through with this madness. There was only one person Alice would ever dream of marrying, and he wanted nothing to do with her. In fact, he thought she was cold, ruthless and disturbed. Why did everyone she care about hate her?

  “Get out!” Alice screeched.

  The maid rushed out of the room. The door shut softly behind her. Alice dropped into one of the chairs, staring off into the emptiness, seeking an answer to her dilemma.

  Suddenly, she jumped to her feet. Maybe the old crone could help her.

  Closing her eyes, Alice called forth a portal. She jumped through the dimensions, emerging into another realm. This realm wasn’t much different than her own; the main difference was the darkness. It was dreary, where hers was bright. But for some reason, Alice felt more at home here than in her own dimension.

  She continued down a dark, wooded pathway, until she reached her destination, the shabby cottage. Without bothering to knock, Alice pushed through the front door. The old woman, s
eated at a table at the center of the cottage, glanced up. “Nice of you to drop by,” she said sarcastically.

  The Oracle was the only one who dared speak to Alice without deference. And for that, Alice respected her. “You knew I was coming before I even made up my mind.”

  The woman smiled, flashing her crooked teeth. “Of course. But I can be of no help. I’ve seen no change in the prophecy. I told you I would contact you if any new information became available.”

  Alice dug her nails into her palm. “Tell me what to do.”

  The woman set down her spoon, giving Alice her full attention. “You know I cannot play with fate in such a way. Do not ask me to do so. I will die before I disregard the rules of the realm. I’m the last Oracle of our time, and I refuse to be forced into anything that does not align with my divinity.”

  A deep sigh escaped Alice. She wasn’t about to kill the Oracle, and the woman knew it. But the woman had foreseen the outcome of her future, a fate Alice was desperate to know.

  The Oracle held up her hand before Alice even got her words out. “You’re wrong. I do not know your future. I see possibilities. That is all. The ultimate decision is up to you.”

  “But I don’t know what to do!” Alice cried. She’d never admit such a thing to anyone else.

  “Then let it run its course. When the time comes, you will know how to act. Child, I know you have a heart buried under all that darkness. Someone will have to make a sacrifice; it’s the only way.”

  Annoyed, Alice crossed her arms over her chest. That was not what she wanted to hear. She was the one that had endured Wonderland her whole life, and she had no intention of further sacrifice.

  “You’re of no help,” Alice spat.

  The woman picked her spoon back up and continued to eat her soup. “I will give you one kernel of insight.”

  Alice raised an eyebrow, waiting.

  “The one your heart longs for is not as far out of reach as you think. I will say no more. The rest is up to you.”

  It took all of her self-control not to throttle the old woman, but despite herself, Alice felt a stirring of hope. Could it be true? Did she have a chance with Landon after all?