Page 39 of Blood Skye (Skye Druids #6)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Song was one of the first Balladyn teleported to the cottage late that afternoon. Some of the others were driving. It wasn’t her first time teleporting, but she’d been barely conscious the first time. She couldn’t decide if it was the travel that made her stomach queasy or if it was returning to the cottage. It was probably a little of both.

She had worked with Callum to get the drawing of the tear just right. Now , they were about to see if he could mend it. Callum looked as unsettled as she felt. He walked away from the group to stand alone. She glanced at Carlyle , but he was in deep conversation with Finn . Song made her way to Callum .

“ You don’t have to do this,” she said.

“ If no’ me, then who?”

Her gaze was drawn to the tear. It was frightening, but she wasn’t scared like she had been as a child. Maybe it was because she was older, and her mind was better able to make sense of what she saw. Or she might just tell herself that in order to keep calm. “ We have no idea who caused it or how long it’s been here.”

“ I know what can come out of it. That’s reason enough for me to do this,” Callum said.

Song shrugged. “ True . But we don’t know what the tear means. I’ve seen two. How many more are out there? Maybe they’ve always been there. Perhaps they’re meant to be there.”

“ Are you saying you doona want it closed?” Callum asked.

She released a breath. “ I want to know why I can see them.”

“ You mean you think there’s a reason you have the ability when others do no’. That it must mean something. You think that if you learn what it is, everything else will make sense.”

She stared into his amber eyes, more gold in the fading light of day. “ I suppose you’re right.”

“ There are no answers,” he replied and focused his gaze across the landscape. “ Just more questions. A never-ending sea of them. Each one more tormenting than the last.”

“ Then find a safe harbor.”

He shook his head. “ There is no such thing.”

“ There is. I promise. Take it from someone who’s been tossed about on that sea for years.”

Callum turned to her. “ I’m happy you found that harbor. Carlyle is a good man.”

The conversation ended when Carlyle and Kirsi walked up. “ Is the tear still there?” Carlyle asked.

Song nodded. “ It is.”

“ We need to know where the house is. We don’t want anyone going back inside to get the dimensions. Can anyone see it?” Carlyle asked.

Callum shook his head. “ Not me.”

“ I can only see the tear,” Song answered.

Carlyle looked at Kirsi . “ Can you see it?”

She shifted uneasily, and Callum subtly moved closer to her. Song exchanged a look with Carlyle to see that he had noticed the movement, too.

“ Kirsi ?” Carlyle pressed.

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. She looked from Carlyle to Callum , then slid her gaze toward where they all knew the cottage stood. With her arms wrapped around herself, she nodded. “ I don’t know what that means.”

“ It doesna mean anything other than it helps us,” Callum replied.

Song smiled at Kirsi . “ That’s right. You’ll be able to guide us. It will be a huge help.”

“ That means no one has to go inside the house,” Carlyle said with a grin. “ I call that a win.”

Song kicked a rock. “ There are stones everywhere. Let’s use them to mark the corners of the house.”

Kirsi picked up two stones the size of her palm. “ This way.”

Callum hefted two more and trailed behind Kirsi as the two quickly set the stones at the corners.

“ Now what?” Kirsi asked when they returned.

Callum looked at Song . “ I need to know where the tear is.”

She walked to the nearest corner and looked up, trying to gauge the tear’s location. “ It’s above the house,” she finally answered. “ The best place to reach it is from the roof.”

Carlyle made a sound. “ I don’t like that.”

Song shrugged helplessly. “ Unless someone can fly, I don’t know of another way.”

“ It’s fine. I’ll feel my way up as I climb,” Callum said.

Kirsi grabbed his arm when he started to walk away. “ Not without me. I will guide you.”

“ I doona want you near the tear,” Callum argued.

Song came up on Kirsi’s other side. “ I can see the tear, and Kirsi can see the house. We both need to go with you.”

“ Looks like we’re all going, then,” Carlyle told them.

Song watched Carlyle walk to the others and let them know what had been decided. No one looked particularly pleased with the plan. She turned to the tear, but her gaze dropped to Callum and Kirsi . He appeared determined, if a bit wary. Kirsi , however, was pale and visibly shaken by the prospect of getting near the cottage. Song didn’t blame her. No one wanted to go near it.

The crunch of footsteps alerted her to Carlyle’s return before his hand touched her back. She looked into his eyes and saw the concern there, as well as the resolve. She leaned into him, hoping to take some of his worry.

“ Everyone else is fanning out to surround the house,” Carlyle told them. “ In case there is another attack.”

Callum released his hair and combed his fingers through the strands before tying it more securely. “ There’s a real possibility we’ll disappear from view the moment we touch the cottage.”

“ Everyone is aware of that. They’ll be able to hear us,” Carlyle said.

Song rubbed her hands together. “ Kirsi , can you give us a description of the roof? The pitch, the materials. Anything ?”

“ It’s a slate roof. Some of the tiles are split.” Kirsi licked her lips and swallowed. “ The pitch is about forty-five degrees. Two chimneys, one on either side.”

Callum’s brow furrowed. “ The slate will be slippery.”

“ We should get by as long as it doesn’t rain,” Song said.

Carlyle grunted. “ If the tiles are split, that means they’re likely weak. We’ll have to watch where we step.”

“ We’re losing light. Let’s get this over with, shall we?” Callum replied.

Kirsi’s pallor lightened. Song came up beside her as the men moved ahead. She caught Kirsi’s gaze. “ You aren’t alone. We’ll be with you.”

“ Everything about this place is wrong.”

“ Which is why we need to fix it. Callum needs us.”

Kirsi’s light green gaze landed on him. “ I know.”

Song watched Kirsi straighten her back. She reminded Song of her sister—or who she remembered, anyway. Song wasn’t giving up on Jai . If there was a way to pull her out, she would find it. Song wished Kirsi could sit this one out. Unfortunately , that wasn’t possible. But Song would protect Kirsi like she hadn’t been able to protect her sibling.

The four of them gathered at the right front corner of the cottage. All Song saw was the rock Callum had placed on the ground. Then Kirsi put her hand out. One moment, she was there. The next, she was gone.

“ I’m still here,” Kirsi said.

A muscle moved in Callum’s jaw. “ I’ll go next.”

“ Then Song ,” Carlyle said. “ I’ll bring up the rear.”

Song didn’t have time to respond as Callum moved forward and vanished from sight. Carlyle held out his hand to her. She grabbed it and blindly reached forward with her free hand. Fingers brushed hers before taking hold. The moment they did, the cottage came into view. As long as they either touched the house or someone who had a hold of the cottage, they could see it.

“ I’ll go first,” Callum said before climbing up the corner of the house.

Carlyle stepped in to help get him onto the roof. Then Kirsi began climbing. It took Carlyle hoisting Kirsi up so she could grab hold of the roof. One of the tiles broke off in her hand, and she started sliding. Song was shocked by the speed at which Callum moved to grab her. With Callum holding her arm and Carlyle her foot, the two steadied her before Callum pulled her up beside him.

“ Your turn,” Carlyle said.

Song looked from him to the roof. Something splashed onto her face. She wiped it away, only for another drop to land. Her gaze lifted to the sky. “ Oh , no.”

“ Up you go,” Carlyle said, his hands landing on her waist.

He lifted her, and the moment her head crested the tiles, Callum was there to assist. Once he had a hold of her arms, Carlyle’s hands braced her feet to lift her higher.

“ Put your knee here,” Callum directed her.

Song did as he asked and soon found herself on the roof. The slope hadn’t looked too bad from the ground, but now that she was on the roof, she realized how perilous things really were. She gripped the tiles with her fingers. They were slippery and really had nothing to grab hold of. Song gradually crawled to where Kirsi sat near a chimney. Another spurt of fat raindrops fell.

“ Not now,” Song whispered to the cloud hanging over them. “ Move off somewhere else.”

In response, rain began to pelt them at a steady pace. Song grimaced and checked on Carlyle to find him struggling to get up while Callum attempted to help him and not slide off in the process.

After several tense minutes, Carlyle joined them on the roof. His chest heaved as he gave her a nod once he was no longer dangling off the side. She flashed him a smile, but her heart had yet to stop pounding. She didn’t think it would until the tear was closed, and all four of them were back on the ground.

“ This way,” Song urged the men as she scooted on the peak away from the chimney to get beneath the nearest corner of the tear.

Each time Carlyle moved, Song’s heart was in her throat. His hand slipped once, and it nearly did her in. She didn’t know Kirsi had followed behind her until Callum lost his footing and she grabbed his wrist to keep him from tumbling off.

Inch by inch, the four of them moved into place while getting soaked. Carlyle remained on the slope, blinking through the rain. Kirsi straddled the peak and remained near Callum once Song directed him beneath the tear. Song also decided to perch atop the peak but beneath the far end of the tear. That way, Callum could see how wide it was. Then , it was a matter of waiting as Callum situated himself with one foot on either side of the apex and slowly stood. It was terrifying to watch. If his foot slipped, he would fall.

“ You won’t have to reach far,” Song instructed over the sound of the rain.

Callum’s gaze locked on her. “ How high is it above me?”

She tried to estimate the distance from where she sat. It didn’t take her long to realize that she couldn’t. Song didn’t have any choice but to stand. She carefully moved one leg over the side of the peak.

“ Don’t ,” Carlyle warned.

She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile, even when she felt anything but. “ I’m guiding Callum , and I can’t see properly from here.”

“ Just …be careful,” Carlyle bit out.

The rain made her precarious position even more dangerous. But they had begun this. There was no turning back now. It took Song several tries—and Callum’s help—before she figured out how to place her feet on the slate so they didn’t immediately slip. But standing was something else entirely.

She got her bum up in the air easily, but letting go of the roof took more time. And the longer they were atop the house, the more something could go wrong. Song centered herself and engaged her core before slowly standing upright.

She looked across at Callum and then at the tear. The sun was sinking. She had wasted too much time getting to her feet. “ Lift your hand carefully,” she directed Callum . “ The barbs are everywhere. I call them that because they look like it, but I don’t know if they’ll?—”

“ Shite ,” Callum muttered when his wrist grazed one of the spears and blood welled. The rain quickly swept it away. He swallowed and nodded. “ Keep guiding me.”

Song watched the fog tumble from the barbs onto Callum . If she looked up, she knew it would be cascading onto her, as well. Would it hurt them? She couldn’t think about it now. “ The spikes are everywhere.”

“ Can you guide me through the worst of them?”

Song stared at the corner of the tear. “ I can try.” She swallowed. “ Move your hand to the left. A bit too far.” She winced when Callum got pricked again. Several rivulets of blood ran down his arm. “ Go to the right. Stop ! Now , raise your arm upward about three inches.”

Callum’s hand touched the tear. “ I feel it.”

A crack rang out, wiping away her smile.