by Mary Swift
“Isn’t that what you wanted? Isn’t that why you cast the spell in Enchantment by Fire? So that I could use Firesea spells? I’m assuming you meant to control them through me. But I’ve already made it impossible for you to force me to use the pen.”
“That’s just one object. Firesea is filled with dozens of things I can make you use.”
“I’ll do what you want if you let Tom and the others go.”
Dante tipped his head back and laughed. “Nora, do you really think that I’m that stupid? My mother told me what she saw the day you came to see her. You will betray me, you’re already doing it.”
“I don’t owe you any loyalty but if you let Tom and the others go, and if you restore Lucy to her father then I promise I will help you do whatever you want, and I’ll stay with you.”
“I wish I could believe you Nora, I really do. But I have to think of what my mother told me.” Dante brushed his hair from his face. “Is it the girl you care about or her father?”
“Both, but Killian deserves someone a lot better than me.”
“That’s true.” Dante’s face twitched. “He has recently escaped from prison. He and another prisoner are on the loose. The other prisoner knows where Lucy is.”
“How?”
“He was the one who kidnapped her.”
“Killian is working with the man who kidnapped Lucy? Is it Finnegan Murphy?”
“Yes on both counts.”
“Is Lucy alive?”
“Of course she is. She’s at her grandfather’s house.”
Nora felt a wave of relief. Lucy was alive and safe. “The Monsignor thought she might have been taken there.”
“Well good for the Monsignor.” Dante snapped. “I suppose Finnegan will take Killian to grandfather’s house to pick up his precious daughter. I’ll take custody of them there.”
“Killian hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“He’s an escaped prisoner. He must be punished.”
“He came to Firesea to find his daughter.”
“Nora, I have no interest in this little girl, but her father is a whole different matter. Do you really think that you’ll do what I say if Lucy and her daddy are gone? You’ll be back to your defiant ways in no time. No, even though it’s a risk I’m going to keep him. It will be a good incentive to keep you in line.” Dante grabbed her arm and began dragging her to the door.
“What about the pen? Don’t you want it?”
“It’s of no use to me now.”
“So you’re just going to leave it here?”
“Why not? It’s not as though the mortals are going to care.” He pushed open the door and shoved Nora outside; she stumbled and landed on her knees, one of the beggars helped her up.
Dante closed the door and put his hand on it. Nora heard the lock click. She didn’t know how to get back in without the pen. Dante turned to her and smiled. “Now then, I’ll call off the search for Killian and Finnegan. We’ll go to Papa Cramer’s and wait for their arrival.”
Nora started walking. An old man in rags fell in beside her. “Do something. Help us. He’s got to be stopped.” he whispered before hurrying away.
Chapter 70
Lucy knocked on the door of Devin’s library. She heard him say something and she went inside. He was sitting at his desk looking at a map. “I was just tracing the journey of your father. Did you have a pleasant visit with that young man?”
“Yes.”
“You know Lucy, it’s not proper to receive an unmarried gentlemen without a chaperone.”
“Grandfather-”
“I’m not allowing you to marry him, not after what was done to him. He’s been disfigured you know.”
“No I didn’t.”
“Yes, he was tortured. They cut him with knives, he’s covered in scars.”
That was why Arden was pulling at his sleeve. She looked at the map on the desk. “I hope my father can meet you someday.”
Devin smiled. “I hope so too. We haven’t had much time to talk, perhaps tomorrow we can sit down and you can tell me all about him.”
Lucy nodded. She was afraid if she spoke she would give away her plans. “Goodnight.”
Devin stood up and kissed her on the forehead. “Goodnight Lucy. Sleep well.”
She hurried away. Her bedroom looked overlooked the backyard. She sat on the bed to wait for Arden’s signal. She could not think of her grandfather. He was about to lose his only connection to his missing son. When she returned to Wildbush she would talk to her father, perhaps they could come back someday.
Several hours passed. It was pitch black outside. Arden had explained that the moon was not visible inside of Firesea, but it would be bright and full once they were on the other side of the wall. Finally a glimmer of candlelight appeared over the back fence. Lucy took a deep breath and slipped quietly into the hallway. She was grateful for the outhouse; it gave her a reason to be outside in the middle of the night.
She crept by her grandfather’s door and down the stairs. The house was old and the floorboards creaked. She opened the backdoor and ran outside. The night air was cold. She hurried past the outhouse to where Arden was crouching in the dark.
They didn’t speak. They had discussed everything that afternoon. She took his hand and followed him along the low wood wall that circled the backyards of Devin and his neighbors. It wasn’t the Firesea wall, that loomed in the distance twenty feet high.
The backyard fence had a gap in it. Lucy and Arden slipped out. He had told her of a place near the back of circle wall that was vulnerable. It was possible to crawl under the wall. Arden said it was guarded but the men at the back gate were lazy and often drunk during the night shift.
They walked hand in hand. There was no one about. The silence was overwhelming. Lucy looked up and saw the protectors’ tower for the back gate, two men paced on it with their crossbows lowered. They were laughing.
Arden stopped and waited. One of the men swore. They waited another minute before continuing. Lucy’s leg hit something. She let out a cry as a cat howled. Arden put his hand over her mouth.
“What was that?” said one of the protectors above them.
“Huh?” the other one asked. “All I heard was a cat. They’re always screeching this time of night.”
Lucy and Arden waited several minutes before continuing. Suddenly he fell to his knees, she did the same. “It’s been filled in, we’ll have to dig.” he whispered in her ear.
She could feel the soft earth between her fingers. She pawed at the dirt along with Arden. They dug for several minutes. Lucy began to feel a gap between the bottom of the wall and the dirt below. Sensing she was close to freedom she dug faster. “You go first.” Arden whispered. “If I don’t make it, run as fast as you can. There’s a horse waiting by a tree two hundred yards away.”
Lucy scrambled under the wall. Dirt fell into her mouth, her back scraped against the bottom of the wall as she went underneath. She looked up and realized that she was directly under the protectors’ tower, from their perch it would be difficult if not impossible to see her.
Arden started to come through. In the moonlight she saw his face. “I’m stuck.” he whispered. She grabbed his shoulders and tried to help him. “Go.”
Lucy had no intention of leaving him.
“There’s someone down there.” she heard one of the protectors say. “Someone’s trying to leave.” Lucy got to her feet and pulled at Arden’s wrists. He cried out in pain. An arrow whizzed past her head.
Lucy struggled desperately. At last she could feel Arden moving, a second later he was through. She looked up and saw the protectors climbing down from the tower.
“Hey you!” one of them cried. “Stop!”
Arden took Lucy’s hand and they started to run. Behind them heavy footsteps followed. Lucy was suddenly jerked backwards; someone had her hair. “One’s a girl!” the protector shouted.
Lucy reached up and tried to pry his fingers away. Next to her Arden punch
ed him in the stomach. The protector let go of her and doubled over. Once again they ran into the night. Lucy could hear the arrows flying around them. A second later one hit her in the leg. She crumpled to the ground. Arden stopped. “We’re almost there Lucy.”
“I can’t.” she cried. The protectors were coming. She wondered if she would be sent to the island prison.
“I’m sorry I have to do this.” Arden grabbed the arrow and yanked it out of her calf. She cried out in agony. He pulled her to her feet and somehow she managed to walk the few feet to where the horse was waiting. Arden lifted her up and put her in the saddle. The protectors had arrived. She heard him fighting with them but she couldn’t see anything, her eyes were filled with tears.
She felt Arden mount the horse. He put his arm around her waist and held her as they rode into the night. She heard a few more arrows fly by them and then all was quiet. Her leg was throbbing and she couldn’t think anymore. She was glad when she slipped into unconsciousness.
Chapter 71
Killian woke up with a start. He slipped out of the tree branches and fell to the ground, scraping his arm on the bark as he did. He stood up. The sky was dark, stars twinkled at him, the moon hung in a silver disk. His stomach growled.
Something moved nearby. He held his breath. Finnegan strolled out from behind a bush. “Just taking care of some necessary business.”
“Thanks, I needed to know that.”
“I thought you’d never come down from your perch.”
“What time is it?”
“How should I know? You threw my watch into the toilet.”
“Oh yeah. I told you I’ll buy you a new one.” Killian said. “Should we go now?”
“Yeah, come on.”
He followed Finnegan to the edge of the forest. In the moonlight they could see two guards standing on the tower. The field between the trees and the wall was a hazy shade of gray. It was going to be hard to cross without being seen.
“They’ve been drinking for a while.” Finnegan whispered. “But they’re not drunk. I think we’ll have to crawl across.”
“Fine, whatever we have to do. I have to get to Lucy.”
“Don’t hurry. We don’t want to attract attention.”
“Let’s go.” Killian got down on his stomach. Finnegan did the same. From where they were he could see the protectors pacing. He waited until they had their backs to them before he ventured out a few feet, using his elbows to propel himself forward.
The protectors turned around, one of the men laughed. Killian and Finnegan flattened themselves to the ground and waited until the men looked the other way. The progress was painfully slow. They were about halfway across the field when suddenly one of the protectors shouted. Killian froze. He considered running back into the woods but Finnegan put a hand on his back.
“There’s someone down there!” The protectors began climbing down from the tower.
“Don’t move.” Finnegan whispered.
There was more shouting and the sound of a struggle.
“Now!” Finnegan cried. He grabbed Killian’s arm and they ran towards the Firesea wall. The protectors were running in the opposite direction. “Quickly!” Finnegan shouted. They ran past the tower and into the shadows. Finnegan was on his hands and knees. “Here it is.”
In the distance a woman cried out in pain. There were garbled voices and then the whinny of a horse. “Killian!” Finnegan hissed as he pulled him to the ground. Killian’s hands fell onto the soft earth. “Go under now.”
The crawl underneath the wall was tight. Killian’s face was frequently in the dirt and for a few seconds he thought he was stuck. Finally he made it through. Inside Firesea it was pitch black, the moon and stars were no longer visible. He felt for Finnegan’s arms and helped him through. Finnegan stood up and started running away from the wall. Killian followed him into an alley behind some buildings. They stopped to catch their breaths.
“We lucked out, someone was escaping.” Finnegan said.
Killian thought back to the woman’s voice. “Finn-” He stopped, he was being ridiculous. “Where’s my father’s house?”
“Come on, it’s this way.”
Chapter 72
Finnegan was confused. His childhood memories of Firesea’s backyards were letting him down. He couldn’t figure out where he was. The fact that it was dark and he was tired and hungry weren’t helping. He wasn’t anxious to let Killian know that he couldn’t find Devin’s house.
“You’re lost, aren’t you?” Killian whispered.
Finnegan didn’t answer him. He walked a few more feet and then suddenly he saw a small rusting garden statue of a gnome. He used to like to try and jump over it as kid.
“Here it is.” He climbed over the fence. Killian toppled over it and landed on his head. Finnegan stifled a laugh. He helped his brother up and together they went to the backdoor.
Finnegan’s stomach was in knots. Never in his life did he expect to be back in this place about to face his stepfather. He had no idea what sort of reaction Devin would have, but he doubted it would be a good one.
Finnegan started to knock on the door and then on a whim he tried the handle. It was unlocked. Strange. Everyone in Firesea locked their doors. He looked back at Killian. “Let me go up and talk to him first. He can wake up Lucy for us.”
“All right.” Killian answered. “Just hurry up.”
They stepped into the back hall. Finnegan shut the door quietly. “Stay here.” The back staircase was right next to the door. He groped his way through the dark to the second floor. There were four bedrooms upstairs. Devin and Finnegan’s mother used to have the front room overlooking the street.
Finnegan took a deep breath. He slowly pushed the door open. In the darkness he could hear someone breathing softly. He stepped into the room and saw the outline of a man with a beard lying on the bed. Devin snorted and shifted positions. Finnegan watched him for a few minutes while he worked up his courage, finally he shook Devin’s shoulders.
“Wake up.” Finnegan said. Devin moaned. “Mr. Cramer, Devin.”
Devin opened his eyes.
“Devin, it’s me, Finnegan Murphy.”
Devin sat up in bed. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here for two reasons-”
Devin pushed the covers off and stood up. “I heard you were back in Firesea, you wicked boy.” He struck a match on the nightstand and lit an oil lamp. They stared at each in the flickering light. Devin was thirty years older, he was no longer the young man Finnegan remembered, but his eyes still burned with anger towards his stepson. “How did you get in here? What do you want with me? Are you here to rob an old man of what little he has left? Haven’t you done enough already?”
“I’m not here to rob you. I’ve brought Killian. I’ve brought you your son.”
Chapter 73
Killian heard a commotion upstairs. Finnegan was arguing with someone. There was a loud hoarse cry and then footsteps above his head. An old man came down the stairs carrying an oil lamp, Finnegan was behind him. The man stopped at the bottom of the staircase and stared at Killian.
“Who is this?” He held the lamp up to Killian’s face, he suddenly looked at the top of his head. He turned Finnegan. “He’s not my son.”
“Yes he is.”
“He’s a redhead. This isn’t Killian.”
It always came down to his hair. “It’s a spell.” Killian said. “My hair was brown until I was eighteen.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Killian was too desperate to be hurt. “I don’t care what you think. I’m here for my daughter.”
The man shook his head. “Murphy, you and this scoundrel can get out. I’m not handing my granddaughter over to you.”
Chapter 74
They didn’t go directly to Devin Cramer’s home as Nora had expected. Instead Dante barged into the home of an older couple across the circle and commandeered their bedroom which gave him a perfect view of the fr
ont of Devin’s house. He ordered the couple to get them something to eat.
“Why don’t we just go in there?” Nora asked.
“What’s the rush Nora? Why not let father and son have a little reunion before we break it up?” He squinted as he looked at Devin’s house, the front windows were covered by shutters.
“Can you see in there?”
Dante smiled. “And people say you’re not clever Nora.”
“Is Lucy in there?”
“Maybe.”
“What about Killian?”
Dante looked at her and sneered. “You really have some kind of fixation on him don’t you?”
“No I don’t. I like him. He’s nice and kind and uncomplicated.”
“He’s more complicated than you can imagine. He has a destiny. My mother saw it.”
Nora didn’t say anything. She didn’t care what Dante’s mother had to say about anything. Several hours passed. Nora became sleepy. Dante convinced her to stretch out on the bed. Out of sheer exhaustion she fell asleep. When she woke up the room was dark. Dante was sitting in a chair looking out of the window. He was eating a dish of chocolate ice cream. “You missed some excitement.” he told her.
She sat up and rubbed her eyes. There was a light on at Devin’s.
Dante stood up. “Are you ready?”
“Are we going now?”
“Yes. It’s time.” Dante opened the bedroom door. The old couple were outside.
“Is there anything else Master?” the husband asked.
“No. I thank you for your loyalty. You’ll be richly rewarded, someday.” Dante grabbed Nora’s arm and pushed her downstairs. He started to open the front door and then paused. “I expect that Finnegan has told Killian who I really am, so you needn’t pretend to be some innocent victim, just keep your hysterics to a minimum.”