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Chapter Four – Freya

My plan to “borrow” the magical goblet was likely unwise, but desperate as I was, I was willing to take a risk. I was counting on my friends either to come up with a new strategy with me or risk getting themselves into trouble by aiding me. It was a big thing to ask of them, but again, I was desperate. I strode as fast as I could through the thick crowd of people on the beach, with Katreine, Elena, and Murieall on my heels. I was the tallest of our group, so I had a natural lead.

“Freya!” Elena huffed as we reached the edge of the woods that touched one side of my home. These were the woods that led to the Dark Forest, that led to Morgana’s home, that led to the glowing goblet that had to save me from wedding Donald. “Freya!” Elena bit out again, but this time, her loud voice caused several people to turn their attention our way.

I whipped around to face my friends, and Elena, who was the closest behind me, stopped just in time not to barrel into me. “I promise I’ll explain as soon as we’re out of earshot,” I said, pitching my voice low.

All three of them nodded, much to my relief. If I had been them, and one of them had abruptly said, “follow me” right after the Summer Walker had told us of the magical goblet, and then they had charged off without any explanation, I would have demanded one before leaving all the festivities behind that I had traveled so far to come to. Then again, I thought, as I turned around and doubled my pace toward the woods, maybe I wouldn’t have. Maybe, I would have followed any of them without question, just as they were doing for me. That’s what years of true friendship brought—unwavering loyalty.

When I got to the edge of the woods, I finally felt like I could stop, like I could breathe. Donald had likely gone straight to my da to complain about my rudeness, so I needed to seek out the goblet before my da sought me out. If I was to be punished by being confined to my room, the chance to “borrow” Morgana’s goblet would be gone. It wasn’t as if I could show up at the ban-druidh’s home and ask to use the goblet to get my wish. I’d heard what Morgana had said to the man with the crooked spine before he had produced the ring given to his mama. I had no such favor to leverage, and I had no doubt she’d be unwilling to grant me my wish.

“All right, Freya,” Elena, the most outspoken of us, said, “clearly something has occurred since last we saw ye at the king’s court.”

I turned toward my friends and told them quickly of all that had transpired with Yennifer and my da. When I was done, they looked almost comical to me with their gaping mouths.

“Vanora is just as foolish as my sisters!” Katreine cried out.

“Aye,” I agreed.

“And Yennifer surely convinced yer da to wed ye off and use Vanora to manipulate you,” Elena added.

“Yer da has been bewitched!” Murieall added.

Gratitude for their support warmed me, and I started to nod, but I paused as an unwanted truth invaded my head. “ I’m positive it was Yennifer’s idea to ask Vanora to wed Donald if I would nae,” I said, my thoughts turning. “She knows I would die for my sister.” My friends nodded. “The problem is,” I said, forcing myself to face the truth, “my da would nae have asked me to wed Donald if he were nae desperate to protect the clan. He must make an alliance to win the war against the MacDonalds. He must take back Eilean Donnan, so they do nae cut off the sea passage to us.”

“Surely, there is a way to win the war without yer having to wed Donald,” Katreine said.

I nodded as hope made my pulse tick up. “I might have thought of a way.”

“What are ye going to do?” Murieall asked. She was the most cautious of us, so if anyone was going to object to my plan, it would be her.

I took a deep breath, prepared to beg for her help, unless one of them had a better idea. “I’m going into the Dark Woods—”

Murieall’s eyes grew wide with her dismay. “There are all sorts of ruffians in the Dark Woods,” she said. “I do nae see how—”

“God’s blood, Murieall!” Katreine, who didn’t have a trace of caution in her body, protested. “Let Freya speak. I imagine she is going to tell us what she’s intending us to do.”

“Us?” Murieall squeaked.

“Aye,” I said. “I need yer aid.”

“What do ye need, Freya?” Elena asked.

“Well, ye all heard the Summer Walker’s tale about the goblet.”

“Ye’re going to steal the goblet!” Katreine exclaimed.

“Nae steal,” I protested. “I’m going to borrow it. I’ll return it after I drink from it and get my wish.”

“Morgana will turn ye to stone if she catches ye!” Murieall cried out.

I scowled at her. “Morgana will nae catch us, if we hurry. She’s here at the castle.”

“Why do ye keep saying us?” Murieall’s hand clasped her neck, as if she were imagining it in a noose, likely from getting in trouble for going into the Dark Woods with me. They were forbidden to us all, so it made sense. Thieves and worse dwelled in those woods and had been known to pillage and plunder, but I didn’t plan to linger. The Fairy Pools and Twisted Tree of Life were on the edge of the woods.

“I need ye to keep a lookout for Morgana, and if her mother is at their home, I’ll need someone to draw her out if need be, so I can borrow the goblet.”

“Ye want us to trick a ban-druidh!” Murieall exclaimed.

“Stop blabbering like a bairn!” Elena said, her tone gruff. “I’ll gladly aid ye, Freya.”

I smiled gratefully and gave her a quick hug. “Thank ye.”

She nodded. “I’ve my own wish I’d like to make.”

“Ye do?” I asked, surprised.

“Aye. I wish to have the power to destroy the clan that killed my family,” she said, her tone hard and unforgiving. A pang of pity went through me. I reached out and squeezed her hand.

“Ye mean we could also drink from the magical goblet if we aid ye?” Murieall asked.

I hadn’t thought about that possibility until this moment, but I didn’t see why not. “Aye. We should all get a wish. What’s yers?” I asked Murieall.

“My mother has the lung disease,” she whispered, tears filling her eyes. “I want to wish for her life to be spared.”

“Oh, Murieall!” I cried out, my heart twisting. I pulled her into a hug. “Ye’ll get the first wish. Why did I nae ken this?”

“She took ill after I saw ye at court.”

“Katreine, will ye go with us?” I asked.

“Well, I’m nae going to be left back here at the festival to make excuses for the lot of ye. I’m a horrid liar, and if anyone came looking for ye, I’d certainly get ye in trouble. And I, well, I do have a wish,” she said, color flooding her cheeks.

“What is it?” Elena asked.

“I wish I were older than Millisandre.”

I frowned. “Why do ye wish to be older than yer sister?”

“Because she is to wed Alec.”

“Ye still think ye love Alec Buchanan?” Elena asked.

“I do love Alec, and the only reason he’s chosen Millisandre as his future wife and nae me is because, as the eldest, my sister, will inherit our home when Da passes. ’Tis nae fair. If I was the eldest, I would inherit the castle, and then Alec would have chosen me as his wife.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but Elena gave me a shake of her head. She was probably right. Even if I had the time to try to convince Katreine that if Alec really loved her then whether she inherited a castle or not would not matter, I doubted I could convince her of that. “Then ye shall drink from the goblet as well,” I said. “But we must make haste. I do nae ken how long Morgana is going to linger in the garden, though she did say she searched for herbs hiding from her.”

“Then, let us go,” Elena said.

The woods from my home to the Dark Woods was not dense and the late afternoon light filtered in. The ground was flat and easy to traverse, and the temperature was not too cold, yet still I had a foreboding. “Is this foolish?” I asked, as I led the way hand and hand with Elena along the winding trail.

“Most definitely,” Elena said, “but I would do just about anything to destroy the Campbells, and if I had the ability to read minds—”

“Oh, I would nae want the power to read minds,” Katreine said, her tone ominous.

“Well, I’d nae want to get older,” Elena snapped.

“I only want to get two summers older,” Katreine shot back. “I’m going to be verra specific when I wish.”

“Do ye really think we’ll get these wishes?” Murieall asked, the hope in her voice so keen that I paused and turned to smile at her.

“I do. The crooked man got his.” Above us, a large flock of birds suddenly burst into flight, their wings flapping in a frenzy, abandoning the canopy of trees like they were chased by some unseen force. A ghostly presence seemed to haunt the forest, and the idea that this creature might already be prowling, while we were all weaponless, urged me to quicken my pace. “Hurry,” I bade the group, and we rushed to the bridge that led from my clan’s land to the unclaimed expanse of the Dark Woods. We raced across the rickety, weathered bridge, each step louder than the last, and entered the tangled, eerie brush of the woods. Overhead trees loomed thick and oppressive, sucking away the light and swallowing us in shadows. All I could see were ghostly outlines, the skeletal shapes of the trees, and the faint figures of my friends swallowed in a sudden mist. The temperature plummeted, and biting cold cut through the air, a chill that rattled me. Silence descended on the woods like an unseen fog, a silence that spoke of absences—as if creatures dare not exist here, as if life itself was banished.

“I’m scared,” Katreine whispered, grabbing at the back of my gown. I glanced over my shoulder to find her and Murieall huddled together with Murieall holding onto the back of Elena’s gown.

“Do any of ye have a weapon?” I asked, cursing myself for the foolishness of not bringing one.

“I’ve my dagger,” Elena said. She stopped, tugged up her skirts, and unsheathed the dagger that I knew her older brother had given her. She gripped it, holding it high as we continued to walk along the trail which grew narrow, steep, and winding.

“Freya, do ye ken the way?” Katreine asked from behind me.

“Oh, aye,” I said, trying to sound braver than I was currently feeling. “My da takes us through the Dark Woods on the way to the king’s court.” Of course, Da always traveled with at least three dozen armed warriors, so we’d never met trouble, but I kept that tidbit of information to myself.

The trees lining the edges of the narrow path grew increasingly thick and dense, walling us in with their dark trunks, creating a nearly impenetrable barrier on either side. Branches laced themselves overhead, twisting and tangling, forming a canopy that dipped low enough to scrape at us as we passed. They seemed insidious in purpose, almost as though they wished to halt our progress and trap us here. I could tell by the clenched, painful grip of Elena’s hand in mine that I was not the only one who felt this, and her quickened breath had the timbre of unease. The ground beneath our feet changed treacherously, too. What had been a smooth trail turned rough and uncertain, becoming a network of gnarled and twisted vines that snaked back and forth, looping over the path like treacherous serpents eager to trip us. Thick roots jutted up from the earth, ripping open the ground with raw force and adding to the entanglement.

I stumbled over them, barely catching myself, and then a moment later, Elena, too, tripped, my grasp on her hand the only thing that kept her from falling. The cold bit deeper with every step, and our breath came raggedly. Our hands, twined together, grew cold as stone, the chill seeping deep into our bones until we could barely feel each other’s touch. Shadows deepened around us, and I felt a hollow stirring in my chest, a flicker of something like fear. Elena’s voice came in a whisper, almost swallowed by the darkening air.

“I do nae like this place,” she said, her words tinged with worry and a shivering disbelief. White mist curled from her lips in perfect circles, swirling into the night air like tiny ghosts. I had never seen anything quite like it, and my breath froze in astonishment.

“I thought the Fairy Pools were supposed to be a place of beauty near yer home,” Katreine said.

“Aye, they are,” I answered. “That’s the main fae pool where all the fae now live. This fae pool, near the ban-druhids Twisted Tree of Fate, was home to the first fae our clan ever knew of.”

“What happened to her?” Elena asked.

“Well, according to legend, she fell in love with the first laird of our clan and her da, the fae king, was powerfully vexed, because it was a forbidden love. Eventually, she convinced her da to allow her to wed the MacLeod laird, but permission was only granted on the condition that she had to return to the land of the fairies after twenty years with her human husband. When twenty years came and she had to go, she gave a flag to her husband. ”

“My mama told me this legend,” Murieall said. “Ye all call it the Fairy Flag.”

“Aye,” I said, climbing the hill that led to Morgana’s cave. “The fae told our laird that if a great time of desperate need came to our clan, if he waved the flag, help would arrive—but thrice could he do this. She warned that on the third waving, either the clan would have total victory over their enemies or would be destroyed.”

“How many times has the flag been waved?” Elena asked.

“Nae any yet,” I answered, then looking down the trail, I realized we’d come to the cave. Beyond it, was the fairy pool where we would dip the goblet. “We’ve arrived,” I said, my heart pounding. “Katreine and Murieall, ye two stay here and stand guard. If ye see anyone approaching, give a loud whistle. Ye can whistle, aye?”

“Aye,” said Murieall.

I nodded, wiping my suddenly damp palms against my skirts. “If we do nae come back—”

“Do nae say such a thing,” Katreine hissed.

“Well, if we do nae, tell my da where we went. I hate to ask it of ye—”

“We’ll do it, but ye are coming back,” Katreine said.

A moment later, Elena and I approached the cave as quietly as we possibly could, barefoot, trying to not even stir a leaf or crack a stick. We’d worked so hard to get this far, and I knew if we were caught now, it was over; I’d never get this chance again. We sneaked upon the entrance, and I dropped to my hands and knees to peer inside. I could see straight into the cave where that witch Morgana and her mama lived, where we’d heard they kept the one thing I needed to change my life. I squinted my eyes to be sure it was true. I could hardly believe our luck. The cave was completely empty. I waved Elena forward and we both ducked inside. In the center of the cave was a small table cluttered with all manner of tiny bottles, herbs, twine, roots—too many things for my mind to sort through, but the one thing I did immediately fix my gaze upon was the golden goblet. That had to be it, though this goblet was not glowing as I’d been told it would.

“Do ye see it?” I asked Elena.

“Aye,” she whispered as I had. “Do ye think it’s a trick?”

It felt like one. I’d been certain we’d encounter obstacles, but we had not. I looked around the small cave. How could two witches possibly live here? There were no beds that I could see, no chairs to sit upon, no wardrobes for clothes, nothing that made a place a home. There was a fire on the far side of the cave that appeared to be built into the actual stone, and as I took the scene in, I realized there were a set of bloody footprints on the floor of the cave. That foreboding I’d felt earlier stirred again sending shafts of ice through my veins to my heart. “Something seems amiss,” I whispered, motioning toward the floor and the bloody footprints.

“Let us make haste,” Elena returned, the fear in her tone matching the unease coursing through my body. I made a dash for the table, grabbed the goblet, and gasped as it immediately began to glow.

“Elena!” I said, excitement now running stronger through me than fear.

“I see!” Elena answered, gripped me by the hand and dragged me toward the cave exit. I was entranced by the glowing goblet and the possibility of changing the course of my life. “We’ve got it!” I shouted, forgetting the need to be quiet.

Elena shushed me, but it was too late. I’d unleashed noise. Birds squawked overhead. An owl hooted from somewhere, and Katreine bellowed, “Coming!” Within a breath, she and Murieall appeared, racing down the trail, skirts in fists, glancing behind them as they ran. They stopped in front of Elena and me, both gawking openmouthed at the goblet.

“There’s bloody footprints inside the cave,” Elena said, and the words broke through whatever momentary trance gaining the goblet had cast upon me.

“Come on!” I rushed out, swiveling toward the trail that led to the fairy pool and taking off without waiting for a reply. We had come this far, and I did not intend to lose my chance to make my wish. I ran up the trail, which twisted to the right then spiraled to the left before straightening out to climb steeply upward. On either side of the path, the normal trees of the forest gave way to thick thorn bushes that ripped and clawed at the wool of my skirts as I ran. The roots and vines underfoot rose from the ground with ancient fingers and caused me to trip several times, but I was not the only one. Behind me came declarations of dismay, but I did not stop. I could not.

As I ran, the rough ground beneath my feet grated against the soles of my shoes, wooden branches and tangled roots poking and prodding. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and fresh rain, the musty smell of old tree bark and the sharp scent of crushed thorns from the bushes. I pushed myself faster and harder until my side pinched sickeningly from my pace and my blood pounded in my heart, my neck and my head. Finally, I reached the end of the trail, and the woods parted to a rolling glen where bright moonlight shone down in a dazzling shimmering display. I blinked in shock. We had been travelling longer than I’d realized. The breeze carried a mist toward me to dampen my face and rushing water buzzed in my ears. I’d seen the fairy pool once before, but as I ran toward it, I was awed all over again by how high it was. The waterfall that dumped into the pool seemed to be coming from the heavens themselves.

I didn’t stop, until I stood in front of the bottom of the fall at the pool. Dropping to my knees, I dipped the glowing goblet into the frigid waters, filled it up, and started to bring it to my lips when I remembered my promise to Murieall to allow her to drink first. “Here,” I said, starting to extend it toward her, but she pushed the goblet back to me.

“Ye drink first,” she said, nibbling on her lip.

Ah, she was scared and wanted to see what might happen to me. I didn’t take offense. I raised the goblet to my lips and concentrated on the wish that I’d been crafting while we walked to the witch’s cave. I wished to see my future, so I could manipulate it to be able to marry for love and know the man I wed loved me in return. Liquid filled my mouth as I made my wish. I swallowed it down, coldness numbing my tongue, coating my throat, and making an icy path to my belly. When I was done, I passed the goblet to Elena who did exactly as I had. Katreine came next and finally Murieall. Just as Murieall lowered the empty goblet from her lips, sun shone down upon us, and we all gasped in unison as we looked toward the sky.

“How can it be daytime?” I whispered. Da would surely be looking for me. And my friends’ das would be looking for them.

“The goblet must cast magic that made us lose track of time,” Elena answered.

“Aye,” came a rage filled tone from behind us.

The three of us swiveled around, our eyes wide with disbelief. There stood Morgana, holding a limp woman draped over her arms, whose long, flowing silver hair perfectly matched Morgana’s. Dread rumbled painfully in the pit of my stomach and twisted it into tight, hard knots. The woman had to be Morgana’s mama. My hands began to tremble, my fingers twitching at my sides.

Morgana’s eyes started to glow and blaze. Their fiery gleam lit up the forest, and suddenly she released her mama, who floated gently as if made of air. My mouth parted in shock, and I was rooted to the spot, paralyzed as Morgana raised her hand carefully to her midriff, palm face down, and slowly lowered her hand to her side. She seemed to pull her mama to the ground by an invisible string. The woman lay unmoving on the ground, eyes wide, mouth open, and the bottoms of her feet were bloody and ragged. Her stare was empty, distant. I had no doubt she was dead.

“The four of ye have killed my mama.” Morgana’s jagged tone sent a ripple of fear through me, causing a pain as if I’d been cut deeply with a serrated dagger. I clutched at my side as she glanced from her mama to us, sweeping her gaze over us, then locking it on me. “Ye are thieves,” she said, her attention staying fixed upon me. Her voice thundered through the forest. Did she know taking the goblet had been my idea? It was my plan, my fault. My foolishness.

The others said nothing, all of them overwhelmed by Morgana’s ferocity. Words tried to form on my lips but died there, withering in my throat with the terror of my guilt. It washed over me, pouring relentlessly, in waves.

I took a deep breath to explain, but Morgana’s hand cut through the air, and she opened her index finger and thumb before pressing them together. My lips immediately came together of their own volition. Terror spread like a vine through me, and I attempted to raise my hands to my lips to try and pry them open. Once again, Morgana raised her hand to her midriff, and when she lowered it, my own hand was driven down by my side. I cut my eyes to either side of me, my fears confirmed. Elena and Katreine were in the same predicament, but Murieall had only one hand at her side. The other was stuck at her midriff still gripping the glowing goblet.

“Ye are intruders,” Morgana hissed, her voice cold and exact. “Ye took what was nae yers to take and in so doing, ye took my mama’s life.”

“We only wanted—” Murieall began.

“I ken what ye wanted,” Morgana thundered, the words assaulting my eardrums and making me whimper. Her breath slivered white from her mouth like a serpent about to strike us from the depths of her soul. She came to stand in front of me, so close I could see the flair of her nostrils, and the heat of her breath fanned my face.

“Ye want magic?” she demanded.

I could not speak or move to answer, though my blood rushed through me like a raging river. “I’ll give ye magic!” she said, her voice holding an ominous quality. Her eyes lit silver round the rims, but the center, the center danced with flames. “Drink from the goblet, Freya, and taste the magic.” The goblet flew from Murieall’s hand into mine, my hand jerked upward to my mouth, and water appeared in the goblet. Suddenly, I was swallowing and coughing as the liquid slid down my throat, until the goblet was empty once more.

Her eyes impaled me, and a cruel smile twisted her lips. She raised a long bony fingers to my cheek and ran the tip of her nail down the right side of my face, leaving a stinging path as she did. “Freya MacLeod, ye wished to see yer future, so ye could manipulate it to be able to marry for love and ken the man ye wed loved ye in return.”

My eyes grew wide with shock. She knew exactly what I had been thinking when I’d drank from the goblet.

“I give to ye the gift of sight,” she whispered, white smoke swirling from her lips to mine. My lips parted and smoke filled my mouth with a sweet bitter taste. My thoughts swirled, banging into each other, making me dizzy. I was choking. I was going to die. “Ye will see things afore they occur. And ye will have the power to manipulate futures. But nae yer own. Yer greatest wish will be yer greatest misfortune.”

I was dizzy with fear, but I did not fall. I was locked in place, and there I stood, as one by one, Morgana took each of our wishes and twisted them to curse us.