The gatekeepers daughter, p.19
The Gatekeeper's Daughter, page 19
“We reclaim Falias in the name of the Seelie,” Olwen said as calmly as her sister, her voice solid in the sudden quiet. “You don’t have to make things worse for yourself.”
Without truly realising it, I felt like I skipped a minute as I blearily saw Neasa shift again and Olwen shout.
C h a p t e r
T w e n t y - N i n e
Muffled noises woke me again. Only it wasn’t just muffled. I was underwater, but the closeness wasn’t suffocating this time.
Arms looped mine, and the air was cold when we surfaced. The sleep I was on the edge of would be broken if I acknowledged the world and breathed. Was I still in the woods?
“Eoghan!” I heard a familiar voice splutter from next to me as the back of my legs hit the lakebed. “She’s not breathing! That looks like the same darkness that killed T’sol.”
I was laid down, the warmth of the chest I’d been against faded into the rock. I felt them check my pulse and the temperature of my skin. One gently opened my left eye, but I couldn’t focus. The outline was indistinct against the light that filled the space behind them.
“I should think the old magic would have sustained her,” the same voice said. Was that Drust?
“It has. She’s still alive, but the darkness has infected her,” Eoghan replied. “Was the stone still there? It’d be best to retrieve it for the time being, and break anything the Unseelie has arranged.” Then, after I heard the splash of water again. “Oh Morgan, these things are so unpredictable. I’m sorry, I don’t know of any other way. Things like this demand balance.”
The next thing I knew, stale air filled my lungs, my body desperate for oxygen. I coughed, head spinning, and turned to face the rock. A vile mixture of bile, black oil, and water sloshed out of me and hit the dirt below. My whole body ached, and the realness of the situation set my blood racing in panic. A short distance away, I recognised Freda’s features, though I hadn’t seen her since we were at the house. She was looking my way but stood with a group of guards who watched the hallway entrance. Had that been real? What had happened to Lunete?
My body swayed, weak. The carved arches and worn statues that cleared in my vision added a strange sense of relief though. They were all here. They had been able to travel somehow too. The faint scent of earth rose to meet me as what little energy I had left disappeared.
When I finally awoke, the bustle of voices and cries met my ears. Urgent requests and conversations from the reunited were occasionally lost in the expressions of pain. As I stirred, the musk of turmeric and marigold permeated the air heavily like a fog, and occasionally, busy helpers broke the air with something like tea tree. Cots and makeshift beds lined every wall, with the odd chair squeezed in the spaces between. Around me, the injured laid in every type of armour I’d seen so far. Soldiers from both courts, adversaries only days ago, were tended together with skilled hands and words of comfort. The animosity and selfishness momentarily forgotten in the shared understanding of pain.
I felt surprisingly refreshed. I knew there were things I should remember, but they felt intangible.
“Morgan? Are you with us?” Drust’s familiar figure came into focus, he sat forward in one of the chairs. His dark eyebrows were straight, rising in the centre and betraying his concern.
“Drust?” My voice was hoarse, and I had to use volume to break any sound through. “What happened? Is Áine with you?”
With my response, he closed whatever work he’d been doing, leaving it on the chair behind him, and helped me sit up. My limbs felt clumsy among the soft fabrics that had been collected and patchworked.
“We’ll explain what’s gone on. Áine’s safe at Pelthas. How do you feel?”
“Surprisingly clear, and lucky, given where we are.”
“That’s good.” He watched me as if he might catch something I was hiding. “What do you remember?”
As I cast my memory back, the reminder of certain events was enough to trigger the feeling that I’d witnessed something important.
“I remember accidentally finding the stone... it took me somewhere... I remember the darkness, and Neasa and... Lunete. Is she—”
Drust lowered his voice and briefly cast a look around the ward. “The Seelie Council are all alive and the Unseelie were subdued, but T’sol and the Unseelie woman were beyond helping. I believe that as T’sol was the wielder, the shadow’s life force was linked with his own.” He hesitated for a second before continuing. “Whatever you were able to do to restore the gates infected you too...”
“Where’s Eoghan?” I asked. “Surely there can’t be any doubt about his exile now?”
“I think you know by now that there are certain rules we have to follow and he... was determined to save you.” My heart grew heavy suddenly and pulled at my throat. Any warmth I still had gathered behind my eyes as Drust continued.
“It was too late by the time I got back to you. He wanted you to know that this is how your parents would’ve had it, and that he was proud of you.”
The same confusion and obscurity I’d felt during my time in Falias returned, and I didn’t know what to say when I felt like I barely knew him. I knew I would miss his presence though.
I felt a gentle warmth on my arm and found Drust there, bringing me back to the present. “Whatever you decide to do with your life will be enough. No one has any expectations, Morgan, only you can decide what will make your life worth living. The simple fact is not even Lunete knows for certain what will happen in the future. It could all shift again, but if it does, we can just change direction with it.” He watched me, uncertain of how I was taking the news. “I’ll be right back, okay? I need to let the physician know you’re awake.”
He waited a moment after standing, as if giving me a chance to speak, and made his way through the busy chamber. He scanned the aides, between families and beds in the same clothing, until he found an available one.
I looked around at the various states of suffering. There were limbs and heads wrapped in bleached bandages, and many also looked shell shocked. Were they coming out of their own fog? I knew certain events must have happened but, in my mind, they were dim and half-lived. For the first time, I thought about the stories those ancient ceilings could tell, and the secrets I might find buried in some of the rooms here. My life was open, and I didn’t know what I wanted it to look like, but that held its own freedom. I felt what their court could be— a mutual respect for every being’s needs.
My fingers wandered to my pocket. They met the outline of my van’s key, and instead of thinking of the escape she offered me, I felt the support instead. It was always there if I needed to go back to it. I checked my pocket again for the other brass key but found nothing. Hopefully there was a spare if it opened anything important.
Shortly after the physician had checked in and asked me to stay a few more hours to make sure, Drust spoke about Eoghan’s idea of confirming what had happened, and where I was, and how the council had reacted to Lunete’s subsequent abduction. They had mobilised soon after, and when the alerts had gone out to say the gates were active again, assailed to take back the city.
He spotted Olwen, Belenus, and a pair of guards soon after as they made their way through the ward. They gradually drew closer, Olwen doing her part as figurehead, offering words of strength and sympathies to those who called her. By the time they reached us, they seemed to relax. Belenus gave a great sigh, and though Olwen’s eyes were lined with weariness, there was an unwavering dedication in her set brow. Unbidden, the memory of her cry when Lunete was in danger rang through my head. At the same time, in my conscious state, I unexpectedly realised what T’sol had done in making our Pact and needed to make sure they were aware.
“You’re no doubt getting tired of this question,” Belenus said, “but the healer said you might be on the path to recovery?”
I nodded, sitting forward, “I feel better than I have in months, it’s still so foggy though.”
“We have reason to believe the Unseelie found a way to influence you whilst you were under our care. We owe you our apologies and gratitude,” Olwen said, lowering her voice slightly. “It can be difficult herding the minds of the council, and if they had acted any slower, I could have found myself without a sister as well.”
“I’m sorry I had no way of helping her. How is she? I didn’t know what I was agreeing to before it was too late.”
“Recovering but alive.” She paused, swallowing, before saying, “It’s not yet clear if she’ll be able to speak again. The Unseelie have much to answer for, but I know it’s not always that simple.” Her eyes flicked to Drust and I knew she wondered who else had been exploited.
“I don’t want to overstep, but I do think there was a part of T’sol that struggled against Neasa.” I hesitated, continuing only when Olwen tilted her head in interest. “Though I wasn’t able to help Lunete, once I’d found that place, I don’t think Neasa was able to interfere either. Maybe he was trying in his own way to atone?”
They took this in. Belenus scoffed as he said, “I really don’t think there can be amends for patricide.”
But Olwen glanced between us and looked thoughtful. “We’re still sorting through the rubble and organising what we can. We might find the Pact if there was one. We should see more people now, but we wanted to let you know there’ll be a memorial for everyone who fell. It’s in a couple of days.”
“I’ll be there.” They moved to go when I added, “Could I quickly ask if there’s any news about when the gates will be safe to use?”
Belenus nodded. “Probably not long after. It gives us time to make sure nothing else has changed. There are still groups of Unseelie who haven’t received the message, but there’s no need to keep the ones we retained locked. Even your father’s if you’re willing. There’s also the matter of the time discrepancy, now the rift has been restored. Even if you stayed until the end of the year, you’ll find that a couple of years will have passed.”
“What will happen to the gate if I don’t look after it?” I asked Drust after they moved on.
“You mean if Oona will let them?” He smirked and raised a brow in thought. “That one’s your family’s by right, but until you say otherwise, they’ll probably start to track down another gatekeeper heir to minimise travel disruption.”
“And Eoghan’s home? All his work?”
“Well, whomever he left it to. It’s not the Seelies’ to claim.”
C h a p t e r
T h i r t y
On the day of the memorial, I was reminded of the caverns on Ēostre. It had been about half a year since then. As we made our way through the crowds of people, Drust and I arrived at the largest city square I’d seen yet. He’d visited the places his parents might’ve sheltered and returned a little more impenetrable each time. The only way I could help was to gently remind him that it was a big city, someone would have seen something, and he hadn’t found any news yet.
At the sides and down back streets, I could still see the remnants of broken carts and boxes, ashy marks scarred the stonework, but it had been transformed into a remembrance. In my own way, whilst I’d helped clear away debris and wash down walls, I’d tried to keep up with the fragile conversations that emerged in the streets. I willed any news to surface— about his parents, about the one who’d given me small tokens, about Hazel’s family.
Whilst the afternoon was missing the laughter and children playing from before, people stood talking together, and others listened to hand-carved instruments on the side of the street. The foundations of a bonfire laid at the centre of spiralled paving. Tributes were added around the three-storey buildings that lined the perimeter of the square, surrounding the crowd that had already gathered. Different families of Aspects had left drawings, letters, food, and clothes of the lost.
As we stood in the hushed crowd gathered in the plaza, the weight of their struggles was unmistakable. The air was thick with grief but the faces around me carried it together. We had come together to remember and hope for a brighter future. Olwen, Lunete, Belenus, and Agrona stood on a raised platform to one side, clad in the same tough green leathers that guarded their perimeter. Lunete had a clean white dressing wrapped around her throat.
The council stepped forward. Olwen’s voice was strong and clear as she addressed the crowd. Her words carried the authority of those who’d guided the Seelie for generations and their hope that future generations would embrace what they made together.
"People of the Seelie Court, we gather here today not only to remember those who recently fell but to also acknowledge my family’s role in these events." A solemn hush fell over the crowd as her words sank in.
"There are so many yet unaccounted for, and we want to emphasise, if you’re looking for anyone, if there are shadows in your memories, please find a member of the Second Council. Those that have been identified, we honour now. Our fallen brothers and sisters endured the end, and we will not forget them."
As their names were recited, some faces were solemn, some were tearful, some had their eyes closed, and some recited the names after her. The silence that held us invoked a moment of shared sorrow, a collective grieving for what had been lost. When she spoke Eoghan’s name, his Master status had been restored.
When her speech continued, it was also a promise for a new path ahead. "We acknowledge the responsibility that lies upon us. Our brother's actions brought suffering and division, and we must confront this painful truth. In the wake of this devastating conflict, we recognise the need for a new Pact. With the spirit of peace, let us remember that the strength of Albios lies not in our differences, but in our ability to come together. May this new Pact be a testament to our resilience and create a world where understanding flourishes for all."
E p i l o g u e
Passing back through Pelthas, I saw Áine and the girls before they headed the other way. She was nervous but relieved to be able to settle with her sisters again. Drust had said he’d visit, but he had obligations in Falias first.
I had to call breakdown recovery for my van on the first roadside phone near the car park I’d left her in. The fact that it hadn’t been clamped or towed was just a testament to how hidden Pelthas was. I ignored my paranoia when the looks I received from the mechanic asked me different questions to the ones coming from their mouth. They asked what I thought the problem was, but their look asked how my van looked so run down in comparison to my freshened state. When they asked where I was heading, their eyes darted to the lean canine figure that sat primly a short distance away.
Oona had joined me shortly after I’d left the caverns. As entities of subjective loyalties, she and her pack hadn’t joined the final engagement, but she’d waited patiently for me on the other side. I chatted with her when we were back on the road, asking her if she was planning on staying with me. I peered at her in my rearview mirror, back to the bed covered in blankets at the back of my van. She laid in a crescent shape, eyes on mine over the little kitchenette, and moved her head from one paw to the other in response.
I travelled on to my father’s house shortly after, clouds as mottled as the day I’d first arrived. Despite Eoghan’s sacrifice for me, I could still feel the remnants of the darkness at the back of my mind. After hearing my account, Drust and Master Enid both thought the shadow couldn’t live without T’sol, but also couldn’t say if I’d feel like this the rest of my life. Before I left, Drust had said it was something he had to manage and learnt how to live with it.
The hours slipped by when I was on the road, but it was joined by the contentment it always gave me. When I arrived, fresh weeds reached between different paved stones that led to the familiar door, whilst layers of present and future foliage pressed into the path. Ivy and mildew still hadn’t touched the house, and now I knew they wouldn’t. At first, I knew I would go back and visit Olivia and Joanne and I meant to use the house as a rest stop, but as I pulled onto the street, it felt more homely to me now than the small, terrace house Mum and I had shared.
Don’t be a stranger, be safe!
Hope you get signal some time, missing you x
Happy birthday! Got cake and wine, if you don’t, why not? x
Is it too late to set up a backup plan? Let me know you’re okay x
When you get back, we’re setting up checkpoints and secret passwords if this is happening again.
Morgan, me and Joanne are thinking of contacting the police, we just want to know you’re alive. We’ll give you another day.
All right, happy? You’re a missing person, the police searched that town you were at and couldn’t find any evidence of where you went next. Please come home, it’s not the same without you.
When my phone connected and caught up, I felt sick as every notification laid a sense of accountability on my mind. It hadn’t been a whole year, but without a way to charge my phone, there hadn’t been any other way to check in.
I looked around, into my father’s office, where his books and papers were still piled on the sofa where we’d left them, and down the hall into the kitchen, where we’d begun to piece together what was happening around the breakfast bar. Oona nosed past me, and she reacquainted herself by fervently sniffing the empty rooms. As if I was on borrowed time before letting the world know I was still alive, before apologising profusely to Olivia and hoping she’d let me back in her life, I slowly walked over to the door that protected the gate. Whilst I knew Freda and a support team had stayed behind to make sure it was kept safe, and whilst I knew I wouldn’t be stalked any longer, the simple oak frame gave me pause.
Stepping forward, I raised my hand. The wood wasn’t cold and hummed in the same way the tunnel walls had. Like the feeling that struck me the first time or that of touching the stone, it was empowering to know I had control over the life and energy running through my veins. My fingers ran over the grain towards the lever handle and pushed it open.
