GAISCE (Call to Arms, Book 3, Part 1 in Baile Series)

Chapter 14 Comatose

Many hours later we finally arrived in Scotland, speeding up and down hills before parking at the top of a bluff.

The wind howled, fuelled angrily by sleet shooting down from the sky like shards of glass. This was clearly no natural weather event as the storm raged in only one circular area, with a clear sky and sunshine seen not too far in the distance.

"She must be down there!" Jack peered over the edge of the cliff, shouting to be heard over the wind and thunder.

I followed his eye before scaling my way down a precarious looking wooden staircase to the sand below. Water and sand were driven into my skin as the storm intensified, even lightning crackling overhead.

"Eliza!" I called, shielding my eyes.

"There's a cave up ahead!" Jack pointed out.

I ran to the cave, stepping inside to find a woman who bore little resemblance to the Eliza I knew. The transparent Banshee hovered over the ground, in a long, tattered dress and with white hair and eyes, her face sunken and weathered. She looked like an old woman, a dark Banshee. Eliza was loosing herself to her power; it was consuming her soul.

Before Eliza was a ghostly figure floating in the water running through the middle of the cave. I was deeply confused as to what she was doing.

"Eliza!" I called through the roaring storm. "Eliza it's me, Anna!" I gestured to myself.

Eliza met my eyes, baring yellow teeth at me before the spectre lying in the water began to gain a physical form.

It then became clear to me what she was doing; she was performing a resurrection.

"Stop!" I reached out only to be blown back by the force of lightning hitting the seawater, travelling down the centre of the cave and releasing a wave of black magic. I threw up a quick force field as I hit the hard ground, shielding my eyes from the blinding light.

I opened my eyes once the light subsided, turning around to see Eliza lying limp on the floor of the cave, the storm having dissipated. I crawled my way over to Eliza, resting her head on my lap.

"Eliza, can you hear me?" I brushed back her white locks from her face.

"I-It's what she wanted." She whispered. "I only wanted to..." Her voice faded out and her head lolled to the side.

I checked her pulse to feel her heart beating slowly but steadily.
"Anna."

I looked up to see Jack standing close to me.

"She's gone." I followed his gaze to the water to see that the spectre had disappeared.

I had no way to determine whether her spell had been successful or not, but I didn't have the time to think about it.

"We have bigger things to worry about." I stood with Eliza in my arms, surprised by her lightness.

"I'll carry her." I handed her over to Jack and we exited the cave. The outside world appeared largely unaffected by the sudden and severe storm that had battered its defenses only a few minutes ago, the waves gently lapping against jagged stones and the sun shining warmly from above.

I checked Eliza's vitals as Jack drove us to the Dunn household. She was severely dehydrated and also had several bruises lacing up her arms and legs. Eliza had not had her needs in interest when she attempted the darkest spells in the known universe. It was against any law in any realm to bring back the dead.

I felt immense guilt, I should have taught her the laws of magic.

"This isn't your fault." Jack gauged my expression from the front of the car.

"Of course it is, I was supposed to be keeping an eye on her."

"Watching someone doesn't guarantee safety." He reasoned.

I returned my eyes to Eliza's unconscious form, a terrible prospect forming in my mind in terms of her health.

"It doesn't matter what I didn't do, it might be too late anyway." I half said to myself.

Eliza's parents were waiting for us out the front of their beautiful stone home.

"She's alive, but she's not in a good way." I spoke grimly as they allowed me inside and to lie Eliza on the couch.

"What was she doin' out in the storm?" Her father asked in a quiet, deep voice.

"She created the storm casting a powerful ritual." I explained, carefully opening Eliza's eyelids.

"Created the storm?" Her mother repeated. "Is she really that powerful?"

"Yes, it appears she's inherited her powers early, which isn't uncommon for Banshees. Eliza is very powerful and I should have warned her earlier on the laws of magic." I checked her pulse again, counting her heartbeats.

Her mother shook her head. "My baby girl."

"I'm sorry, but Eliza is in a coma." I broke the news the best I could.

"Oh no." I gave her parents a moment to take in my words and be with their daughter before speaking again.

Jack stepped up to inform them that there were many hospitals run by healers that could give the best care possible for Eliza and try to wake her from her coma.

I wandered into from the living room, pacing down a high ceilinged corridor. My eyes came to rest on an oil painting of the red castle in Moscow. I suddenly remembered Riley telling me how Alick and his parents had visited relatives in Moscow when he was younger. Moscow, I thought to myself.

How had I not seen the connections?

I ran back to Jack, dragging him over to the painting. "We're going to Moscow."