by M. D. Massey
Colin felt the impact all the way down the bat as the panther-like beast recoiled from the blow. It staggered back, shaking its head as though it’d run into a brick wall. The colt snorted in apparent amusement, then it pranced up to Colin and nudged him urgently with its forehead.
“Come now, we haven’t much time. The cat sidhe hunt in pairs and this one’s mate will not be far behind. Grab a handful of my mane and climb on so we can get you somewhere safer.”
“But I’ve never ridden a horse—I’ll fall off!”
The horse whinnied. “You’re obviously not familiar with the legends about my kind. Falling off is the least of your worries.” Then, the beast knelt down to allow him to easily climb on.
He took one glance at the huge black cat that was dizzily getting back to its feet and leapt up on the horse’s back, gathering its mane in one hand and hanging onto his bat in the other. No sooner had he seated himself had the horse leapt to its hooves and galloped off, with Colin hanging on for dear life.
Colin had soon determined that leaning up against the colt’s back was his best bet, since riding upright proved to be a painful lesson in avoiding tree limbs and stray branches. However, he also discovered that wherever his body came in contact with the creature’s back, it stuck to it like glue. He even tried to readjust his hand grip, but found that he couldn’t loosen his grip if he tried.
“Don’t worry, it’s not permanent. At least, not unless I want it to be. We’re almost there, so sit tight and I’ll release you once we reach the edge of the woods.”
“What are you?”
“A púca. I owed a favor to someone who knows you, and he sent me here to help.”
“Was it Brogan?”
The horse shook its head. “I don’t know any Brogan. Someone else.”
Colin was quiet for a few moments, but then boredom got the best of him and he blurted out a question in order to break the silence. “So, where do you live?”
The horse looked back at Colin like he was crazy. “In the bog.”
“Huh. So—what does a magic horse eat?”
The horse snorted, as if to express disapproval at the ridiculousness of the question. “Mostly, young men who ask too many questions.” When Colin failed to speak again, the púca tossed his head as if he’d heard a funny joke. “You have nothing to fear, for the moment. Normally I’d run into a swamp and drown you, then I’d feast on your carcass for several days. However, I’ve already eaten and haven’t room left for dessert.”
Colin started at that last bit of information, and the horse whinnied again. “Relax, boy, I’m no kelpie—I merely jest. In truth, I rarely take riders on my back. However, I do owe someone a favor, and that person seems to be looking out for your interests. Furthermore, after the blow you gave that cat with your shillelagh I’m not terribly inclined to cross you with that thing still in your hands.”
Despite the fact that it appeared the horse was merely having fun at his expense, Colin reflected that Brogan’s advice not to trust any of the aes sídhe was the best advice he’d heard all week.
As they reached the edge of the woods, the púca came to an abrupt stop, kicking up the rich brown soil of the forest floor with its hooves. Although the beast had been running at a breakneck pace it was barely breathing, a fact Colin decided was altogether creepier than the horse’s claims of eating people. He soon felt the strange magical stickiness of the horse’s body and mane release, and he clumsily climbed off the colt and onto solid ground.
“I’d advise you to avoid these woods from now on. That cat sidhe is not likely to forget the blow you dealt her, and she and her mate are sure to hunt you should you ever come this way again.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. By the way, what’s your name?”
The horse tossed its head and snorted in contempt. “Has the old man taught you nothing yet? Names aren’t freely given by the sidhe, boy, any fool knows that. For us, names are power, and it’d be the height of foolishness to give a human power over one of us.”
Colin nodded his head in reply. “I meant no offense, and I only wanted to remember the púca who’d been so helpful to me.”
The horse whinnied and pawed the ground with its forehooves. “Well spoken. Apparently, you have been learning a thing or two about the sidhe after all. I keep my true name a secret, but you may call me Blackwillow if you must.”
“Blackwillow, I’m Colin McCool. You’ve been a great help.”
The horse tilted its head again slightly as if in approval. “One last thing, boy—don’t ever accept a ride from others of my kind, no matter what they tell you. It’s sure to be your last if you do.”
Then, without another word, the colt turned and trotted quietly back into the woods. As Colin watched it disappear into the trees, he realized something the horse had said didn’t make sense.
He cupped his hands to his mouth and called after the pony. “Blackwillow, wait! What old man?”
A high-pitched whinny in the distance was the púca’s only reply.
“Well, the day keeps getting more mysterious as it goes along,” Colin mumbled to himself as he got his bearings. “If I really have an Obi-wan, it’d sure be nice to know about it.” Colin shook his head, then took off at a jog for the baseball field.
7
As Colin jogged to the top of the hill overlooking the field, he scanned the area for a sign of Jesse. The game had ended, but people still milled about the field and bleachers. As he approached he saw that the once bright yellow and white jerseys worn by his teammates were now threadbare rags that barely seemed serviceable. Trash and filth littered the bleachers, and the grass in the infield was almost as high as Colin’s knees.
He finally spotted Jesse with her family, walking to an old beat up station wagon that must’ve been the real-life version of their new car. Colin was pretty sure that her dad’s promotion and the money were all just a lie as well, like everything else in the town since the Avartagh had arrived. He knew she’d be devastated once he lifted the spell from her, but Colin desperately needed her help, and in all honesty he didn’t want to face the Avartagh alone.
“Jesse!” he shouted from across the lot. She turned and waved, then said something to her parents and jogged over.
“Hey, if isn’t our star player. What happened to you today? We could have used a few of your home runs. Anyway, I pitched a no-hitter so it’s all good.”
“Jesse, I really need to talk to you. It’s urgent! Think you can ditch your parents?”
She glanced down at her ball and glove as a look of slight disappointment crossed her face. “Man, Mom and Dad were going to take me out to celebrate our win. You can come along if you want—Dad’s treating, now that he’s back to work again.”
Colin didn’t have the heart to tell her it was all a lie, but he still needed to free her from the spell so they could save the town. Yet he wasn’t sure if that would make things better or worse than their current state. Despite the obvious poor condition of the town, everyone seemed to be much happier now than they were before. He wondered: would Brogan lie to him just so he’d break the spell and cause even more grief and sadness?
Jesse snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Earth to Colin? Helllooo! You’re doing that thing again, where you suck your thumb and try to make it look like you’re not.”
Colin shrugged off the thought and met Jesse’s gaze. “It’s nothing. Hey, do you think we could get a raincheck on burgers and shakes until later? I need your help with something and it just can’t wait.”
She sighed and punched Colin’s shoulder. “I suppose I could be persuaded to help you. But you’re going out with us tonight for sure. Deal?”
“Deal.”
“Lemme go tell my parents.”
Within a few moments, Jesse returned, and Colin led her over to the home team dugout. He grabbed her by the hand, and sat her down at one of the benches.
Jesse cocked her head and looked at him with a smirk on her face. “Colin, y
ou are not going to ask me out, are you? I mean, we talked about this. No complicating our friendship—that was the deal.”
This was a running joke between them, since everyone always assumed they were dating. On reflection, Colin concluded that it was kind of weird for a boy and girl to be best friends, but he really didn’t care much what people thought.
Still, he dropped her hand like a hot rock and leaned back quickly. “No—I mean, it’s not like that.” Colin ran his hands through his hair and rubbed his face in frustration, concerned with what he was about to do to his best friend. “Look, I have something to show you, and it’s in this bag right here—”
After Colin had lifted the spell on Jesse, she spent the next half-hour in a state of shock. At first she didn’t believe Colin’s story, so he challenged her to look outside the dugout. After she’d seen the sorry state of the baseball field and park, as well as the frightening appearance of the woods, Colin could tell she was beginning to accept the truth. However, what really convinced her was when he used the fairy stone Brogan had given him to show her a goblin scampering around in the trash.
They sat together in the bleachers while Jesse wiped tears away from her eyes. “So it was all a lie? I mean, my dad’s job and everything? He’s going to be so disappointed when he finds out.”
Colin rubbed her shoulder. “I know how hard it is, Jess. When I woke up from it earlier, I realized that for weeks I hadn’t thought about my dad much at all. I almost wish I could go back to the way it was, so I didn’t have to feel him gone all over again.”
She sniffled and wiped her nose on a threadbare sleeve. “It’s not just that—my mom and dad were having a lot of problems since Dad lost his job. They were fighting all the time, but things have been so good since Dad started working again. I’m worried it’ll all fall apart once they know.”
Colin rubbed his chin and shook his head. “Well, it’s not all lost yet. Maybe there’s a way to lift the spell and keep things the way they are—I mean, without all the trash and filth.”
Jesse laughed as she wiped her eyes. “Yeah, it is pretty gross around here.”
Colin waggled a finger at her. “You haven’t seen anything, believe me. Wait till you see downtown.”
Jesse got a serious look in her eye, and her face hardened for an instant. “All I know is, I want to find the sick puppy who did this to us, and make him pay.”
Colin nodded in agreement, and he was glad to see that Jesse hadn’t lost her knack for rolling with the punches. “I’m all for that. But just remember: Brogan says this dwarf is a scary guy. So, we’ll have to be careful, no matter what we do.”
Jess tilted her chin in the direction of town. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go kick some vampire dwarf butt.”
8
Instead of short-cutting through the woods, they decided to “borrow” some bikes from the park. It seemed that people were leaving their belongings all over the place at random, so they happened across two bicycles in fairly decent shape lying in the grass. Since no one was around to claim them, they agreed to return them later after things had been straightened out.
Jesse yelled at Colin as they pedaled back into town. “Hey, let’s stop off by your house and get something to eat—I’m starving.”
“I guess it couldn’t hurt to do this on a full stomach,” he replied. They pedaled on and turned down Colin’s street, and rolled up to the tall neglected grass of his front yard. As they got off their bikes, Colin noticed the front door was wide open. They heard a television blaring in the background.
“That’s weird—Mom never leaves the doors unlocked or the TV on when she leaves.” He grabbed his bat from the handlebars where he’d secured it and snuck into the front room of his house. Again, the neglect was apparent, as the floors were filthy and a horrible odor came from the kitchen.
Colin shut off the TV and called out to his mom. “Hey Mom, I’m home!” Silence.
Jesse stepped over some old pizza, and what looked like mildew in the carpet. “Dude, this place is gross. Now I know we’ve been under a spell, because your mom would never let your house get this nasty.” She looked around and shrugged. “Think she’s taking a nap?”
Colin glanced over at her and shook his head. “No, she never takes naps during the day. She says it’s a waste of good sunlight. Let’s check her studio and see if she’s out there.”
They walked through the kitchen, where the source of the smell became apparent. Trash and dirty dishes were stacked everywhere, and there were plates with old, maggoty food on the table. “Please tell me we weren’t eating that,” he mumbled to himself.
As they walked out the back door and crossed the driveway to the garage, they heard voices coming from that direction. Colin gestured to Jesse to stay hidden, and Jesse’s eyes narrowed as she scowled in reply. He raised his hands and mouthed “sorry,” creeping toward the garage. Jesse picked up a golf club from the driveway, holding it overhead like a samurai warrior as she followed him.
As they neared the garage door, the voices became more distinct, and there were sounds of things being thrown and moved around. Evil, high-pitched laughter alternated with mumbling and cursing, and there were three distinct voices amidst the ruckus.
The first voice they heard was deep and slow. “Hush! I think I hear someone coming.”
Another voice responded that sounded like Jason Statham’s evil older brother. “Nonsense, you plonker! ‘Sides, no ’un can see us. So, keep lookin’—if we don’t find what we came for, he’ll skin us and eat us for dinner.”
“Can we eat the woman? I’m tired of eating puppies and bunny rabbits—I want human meat!” This voice was whinier and more high-pitched than the other two. It reminded Colin of one of the Cobra Kai students from the original Karate Kid movie, the one who was always going, “Yeah, Johnny, yeah—sweep the leg!”
Evil Jason Statham responded. “Later, is what the Avartagh said. For now, we keep her safe until he says elsewise.”
Weasel boy whined back, “Can’t we just cut off some toes, or a hand for a snack? Just a bite?”
“Yeah,” Deep-voice replied. “I’m hungry, too.”
Colin and Jesse heard a loud smack and thwap, followed by the sounds of groaning.
“No!” Evil Jason Statham replied. “Do you really want to make him angry?” Huh, Colin thought. Guess we know who the leader is in this bunch.
Whiny-face sniffled a few times. “I guess not.”
“Then keep looking for it, before the boy gets back.”
Jesse tugged on Colin’s arm, motioning for him to follow her around the side of the garage. She pointed at her eyes with two fingers, then into the window on the side of the building. They peered over the sill into the studio, spying three little men with red caps carrying long knives, pilfering Mrs. McCool’s art supplies. The walls and floor were covered in paint, but Colin knew it was a leftover from his mom’s Jackson Pollock phase.
They ducked back down before being discovered and leaned back against the wall. “Do you think they’re talking about your mom? And what the heck are they looking for?”
Colin sucked the end of his thumb while clutching his bat tight. “I’m have no idea what they’re looking for, but I’m about to find out what they did with my mom.” He began to stand, but Jesse grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.
“Colin, stop! Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, there’s three of them that we can see, and only two of us. Besides, those things look pretty vicious. Maybe we can wait until they give up searching, and follow them back to where they’re keeping your mom.”
Colin sucked his thumb and took a deep breath. “You’re probably right. But I want a backup plan, just in case we have to fight these guys. You stay here and keep an eye on them, and I’m going to sneak into the house to get some stuff that might come in handy.”
Five minutes later, Colin returned with a backpack slung over his shoulder. He also threw some Twinkies to Jesse as he sat back down. �
��They last forever, thank goodness. Any movement in there?”
“I think they’re about to give up. They’ve torn the place apart several times, and still they haven’t found what they’re looking for. What do you think they want?”
Colin’s brow furrowed as he spoke. “I thought about it when I was inside, and I don’t have a clue.”
“Well, whatever it is, someone seems to want it pretty badly.” She paused and looked down at his bat. “You think that’s going to do much good against these things?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, but it seemed to come in handy back in the park. I think there must be something special about it that makes it hurt the aes sidhe.”
“The what?”
“The ‘ee-us-shee-thuh.’” He sounded out the words as if it would explain what it meant. “I can barely say it myself. Brogan said it’s an old Irish name for elves, sprites, leprechauns, and other fairy folk. He used the word to describe himself and the other creatures roaming around. From what Brogan told me, Irish fairies are sort of unpredictable. Some are downright evil, like those red caps in there, but even the nicer ones can’t always be trusted.”
Jesse squinted and pointed a finger in the air. “Uh, hello? That’s something to think about, considering all of this started with that leprechaun, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, the same thought crossed my mind. He owes me, though, and I don’t think he can break his word once he’s given it. So, until I get his gold back, I think we’ll be able to trust him.”
Jesse looked unconvinced, but shook her head and took another peek in the window. “Hey, I think they’re leaving.”
“Good. Let’s go get our bikes and see if we can trail them without being seen.”