Crescent Prophecy

by Nicole R. Taylor

  Setting down the cup and saucer, I resisted the urge to turn her into a toad with disgusting warts on her private parts.

  “Mum!”

  “You keep quiet, Mairead.”

  Gregory was silent, proving it was the women of the household who wore the pants.

  “If she won’t go back to Trinity, then I can’t have her under me roof!” Beth exclaimed. “I can’t have it!”

  I could just tell them what happened to their daughter, but it would make things worse. It would blow the lid off everything and unleash something far worse than Mairead dropping out of Trinity—which was news to me.

  “I’m not sitting here and taking this,” I said calmly, surprising myself at my restraint. That toad was still looking rather appealing. “Mairead is welcome to take her job back at Irish Moon anytime she wants. She also has a place to stay with me. No questions asked. Life is tough, but not as tough as growing up. She needs you, but if you don’t want her, then she’s welcome to come with me.”

  Snatching up my jacket, I nodded at Gregory and stormed out the front door, Mairead on my heels. I mightn’t have had Aileen growing up, but right about now, I was glad for my dad’s influence. Even when I was a complete ratbag, he’d never turfed me out onto the street. Beth was such a drag, but I reckon she knew I was going to pick up the slack…which made it even worse. Dumping your parental responsibility on a twenty-eight-year-old woman with zero child-rearing experience was real smooth.

  Poor Mairead.

  “I can’t believe Mum kicked me out,” she seethed as we walked down the lane.

  In the distance, I could see the spire of St. Brigid’s peeking over the treetops. The sky was gray, matching both our moods as we walked back toward Derrydun and Irish Moon.

  “Do you really want to drop out of university?” I asked.

  “I can’t go back there.”

  “I know you went through a horrible situation, but it’s not just about that. It’s also about your future.”

  She shrugged, rolling her eyes. It was a classic avoidance tactic and one I was well versed in, what with my past as a pouty teenager and all.

  “We can find a way to shield you from the fae,” I added. “Then you won’t have to worry about all of that. You might’ve missed a few classes, but you can pick it back up, right?”

  Mairead pouted. “So?”

  “So?” I scowled, getting the vibe something else was in play. “Mairead… Did something else happen?”

  She kicked the ground, scuffing the toe of her boot against a fence as we passed.

  “Mairead. You know my deepest, darkest secret.”

  “I hated it, okay!” she exclaimed, tears welling in her eyes. “I didn’t fit in, the professors picked on me, and I didn’t make one friend. Not one!”

  “I’m sorry.” My shoulders sank, and I reached out and pulled her into a hug.

  “I don’t want to go back. They don’t want me there.”

  “People suck, but you can’t let one asshole ruin everything for you. High school never ends, it just levels up.”

  She turned her head away and sniffed, then came out with the million-dollar question. “What’s wrong with me?”

  “Nothing,” I replied. “Nothing is wrong with you.”

  She sniffed again, dabbing gently at her tears and trying her best not to smear her eyeliner.

  “Sometimes, we just don’t fit, I suppose,” I went on. “It’s nothing to beat yourself up over. You’ve just got to find where you belong. Everyone goes through it.” I snorted and gestured to myself. “I’m still trying to figure it out.”

  “That doesn’t help.”

  “Oh, jeez,” I declared, rolling my eyes. “Cut me some slack. I’m not Yoda. That’s Boone’s area of expertise. I’m the hotheaded one who leaps into trouble headfirst and talks her way out of it with sass and pop culture references.”

  We continued walking toward Derrydun in silence.

  “Did you really mean it?” Mairead asked after a while.

  “Mean what?”

  “That I can stay with you?”

  She was looking at me hopefully, and I groaned. What had I gotten myself into?

  “I have one condition,” I said, waiting for her to acknowledge my demand.

  She nodded.

  “I reserve the right to ground you.”

  When we arrived at Irish Moon, it was five minutes to ten, and Lucy was waiting out the front.

  Luckily for me, I’d warned Mairead about the new hire the night before and gave her the heads up to keep Boone out of our witchy conversations. Still, the Goth girl glared and pouted as I introduced the two.

  “Mairead, Lucy. Lucy, Mairead.”

  “Ah, so you’re the famous author of the Irish Moon employee handbook,” Lucy declared, causing Mairead to falter.

  “Yeah, that’s me.”

  Snickering, I unlocked the door and let us in out of the cold.

  “Mairead’s had a little falling out with Trinity College,” I explained. “She’ll be back helping out around here for a while.”

  “Oh,” Lucy said. “Does that mean…”

  “You still have your job, don’t worry.”

  The witch smiled and looked rather pleased. All this hero worship was starting to go to my head.

  “And FYI, there was a slip…and an awkward moment where she found out about you know what.”

  Lucy’s mouth fell open, and she glanced at me, looking alarmed.

  “Ixnay on the witchy-stay.” I winked at Mairead and laughed.

  “It’s not a joke!” the witch declared.

  “And I trust Mairead implicitly.” I glared at her, pulling rank. “My turf, remember?”

  Lucy backed down immediately, but her distrust was clear as day.

  “Things are changing,” I went on, going for my tarot cards as Mairead switched on the heating. “I can feel something coming. Aileen was waiting for it, but she never got to see it. The more I learn, the more I envy her to be honest. I’m the last Crescent. There’s no one else to take the mantle, so it’s time. My time. We have to adapt…and that means a new work roster.”

  “That was an anticlimax,” Mairead said with a groan. “I was ready to go find a sword or somethin’ and dig a trench.”

  Opening the box of tarot cards, I laughed. “Got to make a joke sometimes. Otherwise, what a dreary bunch we would be.”

  Shuffling the deck, I kicked back and allowed my minions to open up the shop. Having two employees was rather liberating. I could laze about all day! What a stroke of cheeky luck.

  Setting the cards on the counter, I swept them to the side, fanning out the black and gold rectangles. Eyeing the Goth girl, I got an idea.

  “Hey, Mairead,” I said, gesturing her to come forward. “Pick a card. Any card.”

  “Um… I don’t really know about that,” she said, sheepishly eyeing the cards.

  “Didn’t Aileen ever draw one for you?”

  “Never.”

  “Then considering the change in climate, go for it.” I gestured to the spread. “Pick one that calls to you.”

  “That’s it?” she asked while Lucy watched on with a smile. “Just pick one?”

  “Yep.” I nodded. “It’s that simple.”

  Mairead held her hand out over the cards and moved it back and forth a few times before she plucked a card from the left-hand side of the spread. Turning it over, she scowled.

  “The Fool?” she exclaimed, sounding offended. “That’s the card I get?”

  “Calm your farm,” I said, swatting away her flailing arms. “It doesn’t mean you’re an idiot.”

  “Then what does it mean?”

  “The Fool is a card for new beginnings, which is rather apt, don’t you think?” I took the card from her and set it on the counter. Tapping it, I coaxed her to focus. “University, finding out about magic… Hmm?”

  Mairead nodded and started to calm down a little.

  “It means you’re ready to start a
new journey, one that is filled with possibility. It can sometimes mean there’s a choice you need to make, so think about what it could be. Maybe about going back to Trinity, or changing your career, or about you coming back to Derrydun. Right now, I would say it’s showing you the world is at your feet but to carefully consider your path. The Fool is telling you to trust yourself.”

  Mairead had fallen completely silent, and for the first time in her life, she was rendered speechless. She picked up the card and stared at it so intently I thought it might burst into flames. Glancing at Lucy, we exchanged a knowing smile.

  It was exactly what she’d needed to hear.

  After an eventful day at Irish Moon, Mairead and I walked back to the cottage, dead on our feet.

  Everyone was surprised to see the Goth girl back behind the counter. First, Mary Donnelly made a fuss asking all sorts of questions, and then we watched her through the window as she spoke to Mrs. Boyle, then accosted Maggie as she was opening Molly McCreedy’s. In T-minus five minutes, the whole village knew Mairead was back.

  I had no doubt in my mind that after a good talking to from Beth, the story would morph into that Skye Williams has been a negative influence on that young girl’s mind, and look out before she casts a spell on you! If only they knew the truth. I made a mental note to see what I could do about that toad spell or, at the least, warts on the nether region part. Imagine getting the local doctor to burn those off with dry ice.

  “So, what’s Boone?” Mairead asked, scowling when I put a steaming microwave meal in front of her. I was such a good parent.

  “Boone’s a shapeshifter,” I replied, handing her a knife and fork.

  “No way!”

  “Way.” I grimaced and stabbed at a soggy roast potato.

  “Like a werewolf?” she asked, chattering excitedly. “Or somethin’ else?”

  “He’s a tabby cat,” I said with a smirk.

  “Stop messin’ with me.”

  I waved my fork in the air. “Next time you see Father O’Donegal’s tabby cat, it mightn’t be the cat but someone else, is all I’m saying.”

  “Stop pullin’ me leg,” she complained. “That’s really lame. I bet he’s somethin’ way cooler.”

  “You’ll just have to ask him when he gets home,” I said with a cheeky smile, leaving out all the other shapes he was fond of on purpose. “But I’m not lying. He’s a tabby cat.”

  Mairead began to sulk as she ate her dinner, originally impressed her crush had turned out to be badass…until she found his shapeshifter shape was a house cat.

  “I’m going to have to work out a roster for Irish Moon,” I said. “I can’t leave Lucy without too much work. Nor can I kick her out just because you’re back. I’m not exactly made of money.”

  “Now I’m here, I can mind the shop while you learn how to use your powers,” she said, looking pleased with herself. “I don’t mind.”

  “I’m not a superhero, you know.”

  She shrugged and smiled sweetly.

  “It’s not fun and games,” I went on, my scowl deepening. “Or have you forgotten about the dudes looking for my blood to complete their creepy serial killer ritual?”

  Mairead paled and shook her head. “Of course, I haven’t forgotten. I was kidnapped and tied to a chair!”

  I groaned. “Sorry. There goes my mouth again.”

  “I know everythin’ now,” she said. “You may as well explain it to me. I could help. At least with the shop.”

  She was right. Maybe if she knew, then she would be able to protect herself or help in some way. I didn’t like her being messed up in this, but it was done now. No going back.

  “There’s someone who wants to get back into Ireland,” I explained. “She was kicked out a long time ago and is majorly pissed.”

  “Who?”

  “A witch named Carman.”

  Mairead made a face. “Carman from the myth?”

  “I suppose so.”

  “In Irish mythology, during the time of the Tuatha Dé Danann, Ireland was invaded by a Celtic Witch named Carman,” Mairead rattled off, signaling she’d learned something at university after all. “She was a Greek warrior who invaded with her three sons. They had destroyed all of Ireland’s crops before they were stopped. You’re talkin’ about that Carman?”

  “She had three sons?” I made a face and rolled my eyes. “Great. No one told me about the demon spawn.”

  “I dunno.” Mairead snorted. “It’s just a story. What does she want anyway?”

  “She’s stealing magic and saving it up so she can unlock the doorways to the fae realm,” I replied. “Probably so she can lay waste to Ireland again.”

  “The fae realm?”

  I nodded. “Sounds completely bonkers, but it’s the truth. The doors were shut a long time ago, and people from both sides were stuck. Fae were trapped here, and magical human types were trapped there. She’s stealing magic, but there are things here that need it to survive, too. Things that have become evil and twisted. That’s why we need to be careful using our magic. We’re being hunted on all sides.”

  “What happens if she opens the doors?” Mairead asked, her eyes wide.

  “That’s the fifty-million-billion-trillion-dollar question. Anything could happen. Armageddon or sunshine and rainbows. No one knows, but if that story is anything to go by”—I whistled—“lucky us.”

  “You don’t know much.”

  “The only thing I do know is Carman is pure evil, and the Crescent Witches—that’s me—were the only ones powerful enough to stand up to her. That’s why they need my blood, and I’m the only one in her way. There was a reason she was cursed out of Ireland, and there was a reason the fae realm was sealed from ours. Somehow, I don’t think it was to do with razing crops. The stories don’t seem to mention that part.”

  “What reason?”

  “You ask a lot of questions, you know that?”

  “That means you don’t know,” she said with a pout.

  “No, I don’t. I didn’t even know I was a witch until I saw—” I stopped dead in my tracks, not wanting to tell Mairead of all people about the time I found Boone naked on the end of my bed.

  “Saw what?”

  “Nothing.”

  She eyed me skeptically.

  “The myths say Carman died,” she declared. “And when she did, a festival was named after her. It was called Óenach Carmain. There’s a similar festival that’s still held now. Lughnasadh. There are tons of different myths about different goddesses and stuff. I guess it depends on who you’re talkin’ to.”

  “What’s that?” I asked, another Irish thing going straight over my head.

  “Lughnasadh is like a giant farmer’s market. There’s food, animals, craft markets, and stuff. It’s a Wiccan harvest festival.”

  “So you did learn something at university,” I declared. “Ha!”

  “Maybe…”

  Thinking of what Mairead said about the myth surrounding Carman, I began to wonder what her endgame was the first time around. She’d destroyed Ireland’s crops, taking out the food source and causing havoc until the Crescent Witches stopped her. But there was one flaw in the history books. Carman wasn’t dead.

  The door opened then slammed closed, and Boone appeared.

  Mairead smiled, instantly brightening at the sight of him.

  “Don’t get any ideas,” I said. “I haven’t forgotten the time when you conned him into giving you a kiss.”

  “Are you really a tabby cat?” she demanded.

  Boone glanced at me and chuckled. “You’ve been tellin’ her stories.”

  “I left out the good bits.”

  “What good bits?” Mairead wailed.

  Watching Boone as he filled the girl in on his abilities and his memory loss, a feeling of warmth spread through my chest. It felt good to be able to tell someone about all of this. Keeping a secret was hard work.

  Thinking about crazy Beth and her pushover of a husband, Gregory, I si
ghed. It had been a pain in my ass knowing the witches weren’t a fan, and it looked like humanity was jumping onto the bandwagon.

  And so, the existential question of the century kept coming around and around, haunting my every move. Why should I lift a finger to help? If only they knew what was waiting for them.

  Focusing on Boone and Mairead’s conversation, I knew I would fight, anyway. First, for them, and then time would tell if it would be for everyone else.

  Chapter 17

  “Skye.” A hand shook my shoulder. “Are you awake?”

  “It’s Saturday, Dad,” I said, moaning and swatting blindly. “Let me sleep in.”

  “Skye.”

  The shaking intensified, and my head snapped up. Mairead was crouched beside the bed, dressed in her nightie, her eyes wide.

  “What? What’s wrong?” I asked, reaching for the lamp.

  Warm light illuminated the room. Luckily, Boone had gone home, and we weren’t in the middle of sexy times. Otherwise, I would’ve been mortified.

  “I…” She glanced at the bed and shivered, her bare toes twitching.

  “Did you have a bad dream?”

  She nodded.

  “Get in.” Rolling over, I rubbed my eyes and patted the bed next to me.

  Mairead scrambled around the end of the bed and slid in next to me.

  “You want to talk about it?” I asked, facing her.

  “It was just about the… You know.” She buried under the covers, hiding her face.

  “I’m sorry… You’ve been handling things really well. Like a boss, actually.”

  “I feel better with you and Boone around.”

  I smiled, though I felt a pang stab me in the chest at another reminder of my responsibility. I wondered how Aileen had handled it.

  “I guess it just hit me,” she went on, her fingers worrying the edge of the quilt. “I could’ve died.” She sniffed, her eyes misting with tears.

  “It’s okay,” I murmured.

  “I thought about it, about what you have to do—and what Aileen was doin’ for us—and it must be hard. You’re riskin’ your life.”

  “Hey, don’t worry about me,” I said. “I’m working on it. Which makes me wonder about you.”