by Ben Cass
“Could you sit down, please, Theonus, but keep your head up? There’s something I’ve always wanted to do.” The Wiler complied and Ellie turned around, situated herself, and then released her grip on his fur and slid down his back like she was riding a slide. “Whoo!” she exclaimed, arms in the air. “Who needs Clifford?”
When she hit the ground, she stood, brushing dirt off her butt, and headed to the logs. Ellie knelt down and fingered the severed rope, considering it. Looking back across the field, she measured the distance in her mind. Doyle had been hundreds of feet away, at an absolute minimum, when he shot it. How far away was the house? Five hundred feet?
Ellie thought about all the variables that had gone into making the shot. Given the distance, the breeze, the lack of lighting...the strength and accuracy was simply unbelievable and, quite frankly, bordering on impossible. Not to mention how quickly it had happened. Ellie wasn’t sure she’d had time to blink in the moment between Doyle grabbing the arrow and shooting it.
“No freaking way,” she muttered. “No ordinary person could have done this.”
Realization dawned in her brain a few seconds later. Ellie’s head snapped around, looking towards the house, then back at the logs. The arrow, the Wiler, appearing out of thin air, the icky green paste on his body...it all made sense now. “Of course!” she whispered, smacking her palm to her forehead. “Why didn’t I see it before? He told me!”
Kira and Jerry were already walking, so Theonus and Ellie started following behind them. They reached the porch several minutes later, having had to walk slowly while Jerry tried to get his legs to work properly. Doyle was still sitting there, Jen beside him, her face pale with confusion. Ellie hurried over to her sister. “Jen? Are you all right?”
Jen nodded faintly. Ellie glanced at Doyle, who smiled guiltily. “I told her everything I told you,” he said.
Ellie understood what her sister was thinking; it had all sounded ridiculous to her at first, but she had adapted to the idea rather quickly, much to her own surprise. Ellie motioned the Wiler to come closer, and he did so, creeping along in relatively small steps. His head was close to the ground and his ears were back. When he lowered himself to the ground, head on his paws, he looked more pathetic than something that size should. Jen actually laughed out loud.
“Oh, why not? Even if it’s just a fever dream, I might as well go with it.” She stood up and walked over to Theonus. Ellie noticed a strong tremble in her legs, but admired how well she was holding up. “So you’re Theonus.”
Yes.
Jen looked even more shocked than she had earlier. “You can talk?”
“You can hear him?” Doyle and Ellie blurted out the words at the same time.
All these years of only talking to Doyle, and now I’ve found two others who understand me! Theonus sounded quite excited. His stubby tail, which was about three feet long, began to wag. Jen did just as Ellie had done, reaching out to stroke his face, fingers trailing down to touch the gleaming fangs. She walked around his body, petting him as she went.
As she came back around to his front, her expression was one of both acceptance and awe. “You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen,” she complimented him. Theonus actually looked embarrassed, an amusing expression on the giant face.
Thank you.
Doyle stood up and walked over to Jerry, who was watching him carefully. “Jerry. Exactly what brings you here?” His voice was frosty.
Ellie now knew for certain she never wanted to see Doyle get angry with anybody else, ever again. Hearing about what he had done to Jen’s muggers had been crazy, but actually seeing what he was capable of was both awe-inspiring and a little terrifying. Knowing what she did, she now was completely certain they were safest with him. Ellie glanced around to make certain the bow and arrows were out of reach. She spotted them on the ground, a few feet away from Doyle.
Jerry took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. “It might have slipped your attention over the past several years, but whether you like it or not, I am married to your sister, Doyle, which makes you and I family. She said she was going to be here a while, so I came down to see what help I could offer, because that’s what families do for each other, you jackass.”
“Sorry for shooting at you,” Doyle said, not sounding particularly apologetic to Ellie. “I just have this nervous twitch in my hands when people sneak onto my property late at night. I can’t control it.”
Jerry suddenly lashed out, punching Doyle’s jaw. Doyle’s hand went to his face, and he threw a murderous look at Jerry, who just smiled and shrugged. “Sorry about that. I just have this nervous twitch in my arm when I’m around assholes. I can’t control it.”
“Why did you not tell me you were coming until you arrived here?” Kira asked, a slight smile on her face.
I think she liked Jerry punching her brother! Ellie thought.
Jerry looked at his wife. “I tried to call this morning, but I’m guessing you had your phone in your purse with the ringer off, like usual. I figured you might have your phone with you now, because you like to listen to music while you cook dinner, so I sent a text, hoping you’d hear the vibration. I swear, I’m going to glue that phone to your hand so you’ll have it with you.” There was no heat in his tone; he was clearly teasing her. When he looked at Doyle, though, Ellie could almost feel the anger pouring out of him. He wasn’t intimidated by Doyle at all, or if he was, there was no way he was going to show it. Ellie admired that.
Doyle, however, just glared at his brother-in-law. “Exactly what were you planning on helping with? Comic relief? And what are you thinking, bringing a gun onto my property? You could have killed somebody!”
Ellie opened her mouth to mention the bow and arrows, but immediately thought better of it, closing her mouth just as quickly as she had opened it. She didn’t think Doyle would appreciate the comparison, and given the look on his face, she didn’t think he’d be much for teasing right now, either.
“I thought you were one of them, man!” Jerry yelled angrily, pointing randomly into the night. “Who else would be sneaking around behind me? I figured if it was you, you’d have come right at me,” Jerry slapped Doyle’s chest hard with both hands, the sound loud in the still night air, “face to face, man to man, like you always have!” Jerry’s face was tense. “That’s why I shot at you, although I suppose we could call it preemptive payback if you want.”
Doyle wasn’t given a chance to respond. Kira glared at him, looking angrier than Ellie would have thought possible, and led her husband away, talking quietly to him. Jerry turned back around and raised both middle fingers to Doyle. Kira pulled his arms down, but Ellie saw a small smirk cross her lips again. They walked off across the property, probably to pick up the bags Jerry had dropped.
Doyle watched them go, his right hand clenching into a fist. Jen took the fist into her hands. “What was that all about?” she asked gently.
“Just a misunderstanding,” Doyle replied, his voice tense. “He thought I was a bad guy and shot at me, and I thought he was a bad guy and shot at him.”
“Yeah, I got that part,” Jen said calmly. “I meant with the punching and arguing.”
“He’s a jackass. It’s pretty simple.”
Ellie shook her head. “I don’t know, Doyle. He seems to think you’re the jackass.”
Doyle sighed. “We don’t like each other.”
“No shit,” Ellie snorted. Jen threw her a frown, and she shrugged in response.
“Jerry’s the wrong guy for Kira,” Doyle said. “She’s just too damn stubborn to admit it.” He shook his head and sighed. “Why don’t you two go back inside and get something to eat? Theonus and I will patrol the grounds for a while. I need to calm down, do some thinking.”
Doyle walked to where his bow and quiver lay on the ground and looped them over his shoulders. He nodded at Theonus, got a good running start, and vaulted to the black furry back, pushing his legs off the Wiler’s hind leg like a trampo
line as Theonus was standing up. The top of the Wiler was, at the moment, at least a good nine feet off the ground, if it was an inch, but Doyle cleared the distance easily, even with broken ribs. Doyle settled into place near Theonus’s neck, and the two of them tore off into the night.
Ellie felt another surge of satisfaction. “I told you I’d figure it out if you didn’t tell me,” she whispered.
Jen stared after them. “Did he just...?” She used her fingers to mime jumping motions on her palm.
Ellie nodded. “I have got to learn how he did that. Climbing up that animal is a chore.”
THE atmosphere inside felt somber to Jen. Jerry and Kira had retrieved his duffel bags, and he now sat at the table, drinking a glass of brownish liquid, which Jen took to be some kind of hard liquor. His hands were shaking, although whether from adrenaline or anger, Jen couldn’t tell. Maybe both. Ellie stood at the stove, reheating the pasta and shrimp.
Jen walked over and put a hand on Jerry’s shoulder. “It’s, um, nice to meet you, Jerry,” she said, feeling somewhat awkward. “Thank you for coming to help us.”
Jerry took a long pull on the glass, draining it, then set it on the table and stood to face Jen. He offered a hand, which Jen took. He clasped her hand in both of his.
“My pleasure, Miss Aston.”
“Jen, please.”
Jerry bowed his head slightly. “Jen. More than happy to help out. Doyle will never admit this where anybody can hear him, least of all me, but he’s neither omnipotent nor omniscient.” Jerry sighed. “He’s damned close to both, I sometimes think, but he’s not there yet. Like I told him, I’m just here to help however I can.” He glanced around Jen, looking at Ellie’s back, and leaning close to Jen’s ear, whispered, “And if somebody tries to burn this house down, I almost feel bad for them. Almost.” Jen barely heard him, his voice was so soft.
“Dinner’s ready,” Ellie announced, her voice momentarily shaky, sounding like she’d swallowed something that went down the wrong way. “Help yourselves.” She pulled off the apron she was wearing and pushed past Jen, heading to the backdoor. As she opened it, she turned and looked at them all.
“I’m not a child anymore, you know,” she snapped. “It’s not necessary to hide things from me. I can handle it.” With that, Ellie slammed the door shut behind her.
Jen’s shoulders slumped. She must have somehow overheard Jerry’s whisper. A glance at Kira and Jerry showed they had reached the same conclusion.
“I am so sorry,” Jerry began, but Jen waved him off.
“It’s all right. I should have told her. How she heard you, though...” Jen went to follow, but Kira touched her arm. When Jen looked up, Kira shook her head. Jen sighed, closing her eyes momentarily, trying to imagine what Ellie was feeling.
I’d want to be alone. Jen looked out the window and sighed. Hopefully Doyle would be there once again to help.
ELLIE stormed out into the night. Somebody had tried to burn their house down? Somebody had tried to kill them, like their parents?
Her brain suddenly made the connection: the attempted mugging, the crazy driver, the fire. They weren’t trying to kill the Aston sisters.
They were trying to kill Jen! And she had known about it? Why didn’t she say anything to me?
“Is it so damn hard to just TELL ME?” she screamed into the air. She stomped around the yard, not really looking around her, kicking an occasional rock. She barely noticed the galloping feet until they were nearly on her. Whirling around, she saw a black shape hurtling towards her: Theonus and Doyle. Doyle was riding the Wiler, but as she watched, he somehow leaped to his feet and stood on the broad back, arms out for balance, not the least bit bothered by the movement of the Wiler. He made a gesture with his hands, waving Ellie on: Jump on, he seemed to be saying.
Ellie found herself running towards them; she didn’t recall taking the first step, but she must have. Theonus and Doyle would be there in seconds.
Without even thinking about what she was doing, just doing what her body wanted, Ellie leaped up onto a tree stump and then jumped against the house’s wall, pushing off with her feet as soon as they touched the wall. Her hands grabbed a branch of another tree, and she somehow swung herself up and onto it in one smooth motion. She ran down and leaped off, arms spread wide.
Doyle caught her as he rode by and helped her balance before sitting down.
A part of her mind screamed What the hell did you just DO? The rest of her brain was still pissed off enough to not care.
She wrapped her arms around Doyle’s waist and buried her face against his back, although she did remember to not press or squeeze too hard. She didn’t want to aggravate his wounds. The bow and quiver shifted, giving her all the space she needed.
The Wiler galloped on, covering the vast acreage in a short amount of time. Back and forth and back and forth they ran, Theonus getting in his exercise, Doyle letting his anger cool, and Ellie crying in frustration.
Neither Theonus nor Doyle said anything to Ellie, letting her ride in silence with her tears. She lost track of time; had they been running for hours? At last, the galloping slowed to a trot, then a walk, and then all movement finally ceased. Ellie lifted her head and saw they were at the barn. The Wiler lowered himself to the ground. Doyle dropped down first and held out his arms, and Ellie let herself slide down into them.
Doyle easily caught her and swung her to her feet, holding her hand to help her balance.
Theonus turned and nudged her affectionately with his head, pausing momentarily to let his brown eyes look deeply into hers, and then walked into the barn. A light came on inside, although how, Ellie couldn’t imagine. Doyle propped the bow and quiver against the open doorway and then led her to an old bench just outside she hadn’t noticed before. He sat down, pulling her next to him, Ellie still crying.
“So... do you want to tell me what’s wrong, or do you just need a shoulder to cry on?” Doyle asked gently. “I’m good for either.” Ellie turned and buried her face into his broad chest, wrapping her arms around him and letting the tears flow even more. Doyle held her close and rested his chin against her head. He said nothing, but occasionally stroked her hair, even rocked her back and forth, like his sister had done.
“They...tried to...to kill us, Doyle! They...they tried....” Her voice trailed off, sobbing. “Somebody killed our parents, and now somebody is trying to kill my sister! Why does the world hate my family so much? What did we do? And why wouldn’t my sister tell me it was arson? She knew!”
In her head, she heard Theonus start humming a wordless song. It sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place it at the moment. It did help to soothe her, though. Her father had always sung to her when she was sad, and music always had a way of calming her.
She fell silent, waiting for Doyle to say something. After a few moments, he spoke softly, almost tenderly. “You didn’t do anything, Elowyn. Not you, not your sister, and not your parents. I promise you, though: you are safe with me. Even if somebody managed to get by me, they’d have to deal with Theonus. And if you think they can also get by him, well...”
A loud thud from the barn interrupted him. Peering inside, Ellie could see Theonus bobbing his head from side to side. He suddenly jumped, landed heavily on the ground, and continued humming.
“Wait...is he...” She paused, incredulously listening for a moment before continuing, “is he humming the 1812 Overture?” The Wiler jumped again, his landing synced almost perfectly with the cannon part of the song.
Doyle sighed. “Leave the television on for your pets, they said. I put it on PBS. Last time I make that mistake. At least I didn’t give him YouTube. I couldn’t handle those results.” Despite herself, Ellie giggled. She squeezed Doyle harder and his arms tightened around her.
“And don’t blame your sister,” he said. “It’s my fault. I only told her a few hours ago, although I found out when she was in the hospital. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry. I just wanted you to f
ocus on your sister. Obviously, I made the wrong decision. I apologize for keeping it from you.”
Ellie impulsively kissed his cheek. The stubble scraped her lips. “Forgiven.”
She was suddenly, acutely aware of what she’d just done. She started to pull away, her face burning hotter than ever, but he stopped her.
“Relax, kid. It’s no big deal, no matter how much you’ve fantasized about me, because nothing’s going to happen. You’re hardly the first teenage girl to have a crush on me.”
Ellie thought about what he’d said and got even hotter, if that was possible. “You knew?” Doyle gave a nod and a shrug.
“Wasn’t too hard to figure out, Elowyn. Not for somebody like me.”
Ellie took a deep breath and then plunged ahead into the opening he had, perhaps unknowingly, given her.
“A Tayamu, you mean. The lost Tayamu, I’m betting.” He looked at her. Irritatingly, he didn’t have the grace to appear even slightly surprised. Doesn’t anything faze him? The thought annoyed her.
“So you know.” He seemed somehow satisfied. Ellie gave a small smile in return.
“Wasn’t too hard to figure out, Doyle. Not for somebody nosy like me.” She laughed, thinking about the sheriff’s deputy. “I guess Jeff was right. Magical ninja.”
“Magical ninja. That’s a new one. How did you figure it out?” he asked.
“That arrow you shot at Jerry. I saw the sliced netting and the arrow nearby. No normal person could have made that shot, especially with only a split second to prepare and extra-especially in the dark and from such an incredible distance. You knew all along where to shoot.” She tilted her head. “You also popped out of thin air, which isn’t something a normal person can do. Oh, and Jen mentioned some plant food thing you mixed up to put on your back.”
Doyle blew out a sigh. “It was rumagna salve, not plant food.”
“Whatever. You said Tayamu knew the medicinal values of all the plants. Let’s not even mention how you can talk to a freaking telepathic dog who’s roughly the size of a small house, or how you made like Tigger and practically bounced onto him, or how you rode him without a saddle. Only one other person had done that besides me, you said. You did, just now. I mean...Doyle, you surfed on his back!” She slid off his lap and sat next to him on the bench, wiping her eyes some more. He kept his arm around her shoulder as she leaned against him, starting to relax.