by Anna Hill
Chapter Twenty-Three
They hadn’t spoken a word for nearly seven hours, nor even bothered to look in the other’s direction. Both Liam and Maverick were entirely too preoccupied with their own guilt and fear to truly come to grips with the dire situation they were now facing. The palpable tension was only broken by the fuzzy, indistinct ramblings of the lone radio station that filtered in through the stereo.
Since the moment they’d sped out of the driveway the night before, they’d only stopped twice, to fill up gas. They were running out of time to find Rebecca, and they knew it. With every passing hour, she grew further away from them and any chance of saving her became more unattainable.
Liam sighed heavily and rested the side of his head against the passenger window, staring out at the blurry trees flying by the glass. How had he allowed this to happen? It had been his job to protect Rebecca, to ensure her safety, to show her how to gain control over herself. And yet, instead of helping her, he’d pushed her away. He’d allowed his wounded heart to take precedence over what truly mattered. He’d allowed his petty feelings to blind him from what was happening to her, from the torment that she was going through--alone. He’d promised to help Rebecca, he’d promised to save her, and he’d failed. How could he ever forgive himself?
“She deserved better than us,” Liam whispered, watching his breath fog up the glass beside his face.
“What are you talking about?” Maverick murmured, his focus never faltering from the road. Just because he was forced to take this road trip from hell with the aggravating Aillil, didn’t mean they’d suddenly become friends.
“Rebecca,” Liam answered, sitting up straight in his chair and leaning his head back, dejectedly, on the headrest. “She deserved better than us. She needed our help and we let her down.”
“We?” Maverick scoffed, shooting a sideways glance at Liam. “Last I checked, it was you who promised to teach her how to control her Feiceann side.”
Liam nodded slowly, conceding. “I did, and I failed her there. But I was not responsible for pulling her away from the happy life she knew and tossing her into our troubled world. There, you must agree, you bear the blame.”
Maverick fell silent, unable to answer. He wanted to yell at Liam and tell him he was wrong. He wanted to kick the bastard out of the car and never have to deal with his irritating presence again. But, as enraged as he was by Liam’s words, Maverick knew there was truth in them. He had pulled Rebecca from her stable life. He had shown her the truth of her Aillil past and introduced her to her Feiceann side. He had taken her from the life and the people she loved and thrown her into the tumultuous world that was on the brink of destroying her. And all the while, he’d pushed her to love him, to feel the way he felt toward her, even when it was clear that her unstable mind couldn’t handle it.
Maverick cleared his throat and squared his shoulders, not wanting Liam to see how much of an effect his words had made. “There’s one thing I don’t understand,” he said, changing the subject. “Why would Rebecca tell you where she was going? As far as I knew, you two weren’t speaking and, at that point, she didn’t even know she was going to leave.”
“She’d had a nightmare. It frightened her and she needed someone to comfort her,” Liam answered frankly.
Maverick bridled in his seat, jealousy flaring in his chest. There it was again, the Aillil asserting that he was somehow closer to Rebecca. That she trusted him more. Swallowing his resentment, Maverick pressed on, “That doesn’t answer my question. How do you know where she’s going? She explained it to you? She told you the exact location of where she was headed?”
“No, not exactly,” Liam countered. “She told me that, in her dream, she went to a circle in the forest made of tall stones.” Maverick went rigid in his seat, his eyes growing wide and his hands clenching around the wheel. Liam shot a suspicious glance at Maverick but, after a second of scrutiny, chose to ignore his strange reaction. “She said she’d walked to the center and found a large flat stone with an engraving on it. Rebecca said that as soon as she looked at it, she’d known exactly where it was and how to get there. She kept saying that she had to go there, that her dream was telling her she needed to visit the circle. I tried to dissuade her, but she wouldn’t listen. I believe she’s going to this circle to find out what her dream was trying to tell her.”
“But how do you know where this circle is?” Maverick asked, almost too nonchalantly.
“These stone circles were made by the Feiceann. There are actually eight circles--”
“Nine,” Maverick blurted out, then immediately bit down on his lip.
“No,” Liam glared skeptically at Maverick, “I’m certain there are only eight…unless there’s something you want to tell me?”
“No,” Maverick replied quickly. “No, not at all. Just thought eight seemed like a strange number.”
“And nine sounded better?” Liam continued to stare questioningly at Maverick, disturbed by his overtly nervous behavior. Maverick was undoubtedly hiding something but, since this was neither the time nor the place to get it out of him, Liam made a mental note to pursue the subject later. “As I was saying,” Liam began again, turning his attention away from Maverick, “there are eight circles, but only one has a flat stone containing just the Feiceann mark. All the others have the ancient words engraved below it. I’d asked Rebecca if she’d seen words beneath the symbol, but she said she hadn’t. I know where this circle is and, as soon as we collect her friend, I’ll lead you to its location.”
Maverick nodded, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. Self-important, pompous Aillil, acting as if he knows everything. If Maverick had known that was where Rebecca was headed, he never would have agreed to bring Liam along. He knew exactly where that stone circle was, but now he was going to have to act oblivious the entire trip so that Liam didn’t become suspicious of what he knew…or what he had.
Maverick turned the wheel abruptly and pulled the SUV into a large gravel parking lot adjacent to the two-lane road. Surprised by the sharp turn and the suddenly volatile ride, Liam quickly grabbed onto the roof handle and worked to steady himself in his seat.
Maverick suppressed a satisfied smile as he parked the vehicle near the front entrance of the large, wooden building at the far end of the lot. “We’re here.”
Liam pushed open his door and straightened his wrinkled, button-up shirt, making sure it was properly tucked into his jeans. Upon raising his gaze, a look of disdain fell over his face. “The Last Resort,” he read off the faded, wooden sign that hung on the dated, weatherworn Inn and Restaurant. “Appropriate naming.”
Ignoring him, Maverick headed to the front door and walked inside, immediately scanning the large restaurant for the little blonde he hoped would be inside. The edges of the room were lined with aged, red vinyl booths with well-worn wooden tables set between, and matching equally shabby table sets scattered throughout the middle. Outdated, red checkered curtains were pulled back around the dusty windows, and rustic, wooden frames displaying random wildlife paintings were hung arbitrarily along the walls.
“Why are we here?” Liam queried as he stood beside Maverick. “We don’t have time to waste right now. Aren’t we supposed to be searching for Emily?”
“That’s exactly what I’m doing,” Maverick snapped under his breath, not even bothering to look over at Liam. “Rebecca once told me that Emily works here on weekends.”
“Can I help you gentlemen?” Maverick looked down to see a small, squat woman who appeared to be just about as ancient as the building they were standing in. She smiled up brightly at them as she wiped her hands on the oversized apron wrapped around her sizeable midsection.
“Yes, we’re looking for Emily. Is she working this morning?” Maverick asked quickly.
“Come, I’ll grab you a table right by the window,” the old woman responded, already snatching two menus from the front stand. “Going to be a busy day today. You’ll want to get a seat while you still can.
” She waddled into the restaurant without even looking back at the boys.
Liam scanned the absolutely deserted restaurant and shot Maverick a quizzical glance, but received only a confused shrug in response.
“We’ve got fresh baked biscuits coming out of the oven any minute. And the Logger’s Scramble is on special today,” she said as she set the menus on their table and waited for the two boys to slide into the booth.
After he’d hesitantly scooted into his seat, Liam turned back to the elderly woman. “Thank you, but we--”
“Your waitress will be out to help you shortly.” Then, without waiting for Liam to finish his sentence, she turned and waddled back toward the kitchen.
“What just happened?” Liam asked, utterly stunned.
“I’m not entirely sure,” Maverick replied as he tentatively lifted his menu. “But I think we’re ordering breakfast here?”
“That’s one tall drink of water I never thought I’d see again.”
The abrupt voice shocked Maverick and he spun in his seat to find just the blonde he’d been searching for. “Emily!”
“Well, hello there Maverick. And who is this handsome new friend of yours?” she shifted her bright blue eyes to Liam, giving him a playful wink.
He smiled and bowed his head slightly, “My name is Liam. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Emily.”
“The pleasure is all mine, trust me,” Emily chuckled. Then her smile faded as she focused back on Maverick. “Now, what has brought the two of you all the way out here to the middle of nowhere?” she probed as she curiously examined them. “I’m guessing, no matter how much my crazy boss wishes, that you two aren’t here for the food.”
“No, we’re not,” Maverick answered, placing his menu back on the table. “Actually, we--”
“You know, I should be kicking you out of here,” Emily cut him off, irritably placing her hands on her hips. “Because of you, I’ve had the most miserable year of my life. Senior year is supposed to be the pinnacle of your high school career and instead I’ve spent the entire time depressed and alone.” Though Emily tried to maintain her normal light, teasing tone, there was no mistaking the sadness in her eyes. She missed Rebecca, painfully so, and seeing Maverick again was bringing back all the sorrow and loneliness she’d fought to suppress for the last six months.
“I’m really sorry, Emily,” Maverick answered earnestly. “I never meant to hurt you. I was only trying to do what was best for Rebecca.”
Emily flinched at the sound of her best friend’s name. For the first few months, she’d maintained the hope that Rebecca would return and everything would go back to normal. And when she’d received the mysterious letter from Rebecca, she’d been certain that her best friend was returning soon. But as time went by, with no sign or word from her best friend, Emily had begun to lose hope. Since the day she’d met Rebecca, she’d known they would be friends for life. Facing the fact that she’d almost certainly never see Rebecca again had been the hardest realization of her life.
“We’ve come to find you because of Rebecca,” Liam interceded. “Something’s happened and we need your help.”
Anxiety immediately spread across Emily’s face, “Something’s wrong with Rebecca, isn’t it?” she demanded, taking a quick step toward their table. “That’s why you’re both here! Is she in trouble? Is she hurt? I trusted her with you, Maverick!”
“Calm down! Calm down!” Maverick practically leapt out of the booth, grasping Emily’s shoulders in an effort to pacify her.
The group swiftly fell silent as the small, elderly woman poked her head out through the kitchen door and anxiously scanned the restaurant.
“It’s OK, Margaret,” Emily called to her, straining to keep her voice level. “I’ll be back with their order soon.”
Nodding approval, Margaret slipped back through the kitchen door, leaving the three of them alone.
“I trusted her with you,” Emily hissed again at Maverick. “When she left, she promised me that you were going to keep her safe.”
“I did. I mean, I am,” Maverick let go of Emily and took a step back, dropping his voice to a whisper. “There’s something about Rebecca that you don’t know, but I can’t tell you here.”
“What are you talking about?” Frustrated, Emily threw her hands in the air, confused and uncertain of how to react to what Maverick was saying.
“Emily, we need you to come with us,” Liam stood up from the table and adopted Maverick’s hushed tone. “We apologize for the secrecy, but we have no time to waste and you might be our only hope for saving Rebecca.”
“Saving her?” Emily’s voice spiked again, but she lowered it as a loud crash came from the kitchen. “What do you mean by saving her? What have you done?”
“Emily, please come with us?” Maverick pleaded. “We can explain everything to you while we drive. We need you. Rebecca needs you.”
Emily shook her head, sighing heavily as she squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples. “I can’t believe how weird this senior year has been.” Reopening her eyes, she focused an intense glare on Maverick. “I’ll come with you, but not to help you. I’m coming for Rebecca.” Broadening her attention to encompass Liam, she lifted a reproachful finger and began pointing it heatedly up at both of them. “If I feel for one second that you are in any way a threat to Rebecca or to me, I’m taking her back and you’ll never be allowed to contact us again. Understood?”
A bit stunned by the sudden fierceness emitted from such a small person, Liam and Maverick stood straight, with eyes wide, readily nodding in agreement.
“Good,” she said as she lowered her finger, though she kept her fierce gaze pinned on them. “And don’t you think I don’t mean it!”
“You have our word. Now, we really have to leave as quickly as possible,” Maverick said, ushering Emily toward the door.
Shaking her head again, Emily pulled off her apron and left it on the front hostess stand. “I always wanted an excuse to quit this boring job. I mean, I literally work at The Last Resort. But I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined this was how it would happen.”
“We can take you to your house first so you can gather some things, but then we need to get on the road right away.” As they approached the SUV, Maverick opened the side door for Emily and then climbed into the driver’s seat.
“I’ll have to at least call my mom before we leave.” Emily clambered into the vehicle, shifting over to the middle seat so she could address both boys. “I can’t just up and disappear like Rebecca did. My parents have to know I’m OK.”
“I’m sorry,” Liam closed his door and turned around in the passenger seat to face Emily, “but you can’t tell anyone where you’re going.”
“How can I tell my parents where I’m going if I don’t even know?” Exasperated, Emily rolled her eyes. “Listen, it’s spring break. I’ll tell my mom I went to visit Rebecca for the next week. OK?”
“We might be gone for long--”
“That’s fine,” Maverick snapped, cutting off Liam and shooting him an angry glare.
Emily shook her head again as Maverick turned on the SUV and reversed out of the parking lot. “When I said I wanted more adventure in my life, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.” Grabbing her seatbelt, Emily secured herself into the middle seat and then irritably crossed her arms over her chest. “Now, it’s about time you told me what the hell is going on with my best friend.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
His head snapped upwards, eyes wide with alarm. He’d dozed off yet again.
With a heavy sigh, the Aillil soldier pushed himself away from the large rock he’d been leaning against and attempted to shake off his drowsiness. Ten days. Ten days left utterly alone in the middle of nowhere, with no explanation for why he was stuck here or for how much longer.
The last few weeks had already been baffling enough. When he’d received word that their low-ranking team was to be sent on a mission with the Commander, he’d been flabbergast
ed. He’d only been a soldier for three months and this was his first real assignment. For it to be with the Commander herself was both flattering and troubling.
The Aillil began pacing between the two closest stones, trying to wake himself up and get the blood flowing in his legs.
As soon as they’d left on their strange mission, he’d realized that something wasn’t right. He hadn’t expected the Commander to be friendly, by any means, but he definitely hadn’t been prepared for her ceaseless, vengeful wrath and paranoia. She was constantly sending soldiers back to retrace the team’s steps and ensure they’d left no tracks, or to search for something, though what she was hoping to find was never specified. And with every stone circle they visited, her anger and anxiety only worsened.
Something was wrong, something had happened, but she refused to tell anyone, even his general, what was truly going on.
When he’d been ordered to stay behind at the stone circle, while the team continued on, he’d almost been expecting it. Three other soldiers had already been left, one at each stone circle they’d inspected. He’d asked his general for clarification on the order, but received none. His only instruction was to guard the circle and report if anything suspicious occurred.
Exasperated, the soldier threw his hands up in the air. Report? To who? Where? He had no idea where his team had headed next, no idea how or even if he would be able to find them again. It was ridiculous! The whole mission was utterly pointless and ridic--
The soldier froze, his alert eyes pinned on the trees to his right, his ears searching for any noise. Someone was there, watching him. He was sure of it.