“Hey, get a move on.”
Conor’s words snapped me out of the trance.
Grant let out a slow breath then pulled away and we followed.
I glanced back at where I’d stood and discovered a patch of green clover filled with tiny wildflowers, but most shocking was the small but visible crack in the earth, splitting the clover patch in two.
Grant began to turn around.
I urged him along, not wanting him to see what I’d just done, almost wishing I hadn’t seen it myself.
As we walked, a brook babbled steadily alongside us. Either the path of the water turned or we did, because it lay in front of us, crossed by a small wooden bridge. Conor and Grant halted, putting their hands out to stop us.
“What?” Lexie asked.
Conor motioned for her to be quiet. She whispered, “Please don’t tell me this is a troll bridge.”
“Worse,” he answered, pointing to a pile of clothes lying near the water.
“Um, skinny dippers?” I offered.
Grant’s shoulders shook with a light chuckle. “No. Merrows.”
“Do I even want to know what that is?” Lexie asked. This adventure might have become a bit too faerytale for my best friend.
“Probably not, considering they don’t like humans,” Grant whispered.
“Like is putting it nicely.” Conor added.
“Fan-freaking-tastic.” Lexie let out a sigh. “Okay, so what are they and what do we need to do?”
“They’re a type of fae, but different from the ones you’ve come in contact with. They can walk on land, hence the clothes, but they can also survive in the water.”
“Like a mermaid?” I questioned, fascinated by the prospect of meeting a real mermaid.
“I guess, but different because they can take on two forms.” Grant studied me. “You aren’t meeting a Disney princess, you know. These things are trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” I asked, unable to picture a mermaid as a threat.
“They can be hypnotic, which can be good or bad. They can offer a world of pleasure or pain and as we said, they don’t like humans. Or girls. But they like guys, a lot.”
“So you’re saying Lexie and I are going to be tortured while you two are being pleasured?” I leaned all my weight onto one foot and crossed my arms.
Lexie choked back a laugh.
Grant gave me a look and shook his head. “No, that’s not what I’m saying. If we do this quickly and quietly, I hope we won’t encounter any merrows.”
“Let’s get this over with.” Conor looked jumpy, which of course made me nervous. “Remember, quickly and quietly.”
With Grant’s hand in mine, I held my breath as we stepped onto the bridge. It creaked and groaned with our weight. The wood had grayed from age, and a few boards were missing, which is the reason I saw the merrow first.
Below the clear ripples of water, ice blue eyes stared at me. Had I never seen her, she might have stayed hidden, but the moment our gazes met, her expression changed. She exposed her sharp teeth as if in a silent hiss.
Grant swore under his breath, having either sensed her or seen her, and urged us along faster.
Lexie and Conor made it to the other side.
Grant and I were halfway across. He pushed me from behind but the aging bridge didn’t allow for quick movement. One wrong step and I could bust through. I wanted to reach the other side, but falling into the water terrified me.
The merrow swam back and forth, flipping her tail, splashing on one side of us then the other. One minute she swam on my left, but then water would splash from the right.
We made it off the bridge, and I exhaled, when a sweet voice caused me to jump. I faced the merrow, who lay on the bank in shallow water.
“What’s the rush?” Her sweet closed-mouth smile hid razor sharp teeth. Her long brown hair floated behind her. She flipped her tail, exposing opalescent scales.
“We have a long trip ahead of us and need to be on our way,” Conor said but didn’t make direct eye contact with the merrow.
“What are you doing with a human?”
“They’re our friends.” His tone implied a lot more than his words, giving her clear warning they would have no problem hurting her to protect us.
“What are you?” she asked, looking at me.
I froze.
Grant spoke for me. “She’s part fae.”
“And part human,” she said with a wicked smirk.
I wanted to get as far from her as possible, but considering her ability to come on land, wasn’t sure if making a run for it was an option.
Smiling, she began to hum. The beautiful, almost tortured melody floated from her. Melancholy blanketed me as a series of images flashed through my mind. Grant ripped away from me, finding an empty dungeon cell because I’d been too late, parting from him in the forest never to see him again. One after another, my hidden fears and insecurities surfaced. My heart ached, and though her smile didn’t look friendly, I couldn’t look away.
“Whoa,” Lexie said.
I shook my head, breaking the concentration.
Lexie had jumped in front of Conor.
He walked toward the water, transfixed on the merrow, never even blinking at Lexie.
“Shit. Grant, little help here. Grant?” Lexie glanced at him.
Grant stood motionless, staring at the beautiful creature.
“Stop!” I yelled at her. “What are you doing to them? Please, just stop,” I pleaded.
Her gaze never left mine. With a taunting smile, she shook her head.
“Lexie, what do we do?”
“I don’t know! Shit, I can’t hold him back. He’s too strong.” Lexie pressed her hands into Conor’s chest as she leaned into him. Her shoes slipped on the moist soil. She adjusted her stance and threw her weight into the effort.
Grant hadn’t moved but his vacant stare locked on the merrow and it was a matter of time before he stumbled toward the water.
Her song got louder as it went from a sweet hum to enchanting words, hauntingly beautiful.
“A touch of grace. I stroke your face.
“Eyes half-closed will lead you.”
“Stop!”
She ignored my plea and continued with a satisfied look on her face.
“But what you see will never be.
“It’s meant for him alone.”
We didn’t get this far to have some mermaid-wannabe ruin everything. I had worked too hard to let her come between Grant and me. Through gritted teeth, I said, “I asked you to stop.”
She sang louder.
“My gift to you, is not as true.
“Your pain will give me pleasure.”
“You had fair warning.”
I summoned nearby tree roots, which darted from the bank and cuffed her hands. I made sure they were extra tight too. With her trapped, I redirected ivy creeping around the base of a tree. It circled her head twice, covered her mouth and silenced her.
She fought against it, but could do nothing more than squirm.
I focused on the bank, poured my energy into the soil, until a tremor loosened a small boulder. It rolled through the shallow water, landed on top of her tail.
She let out an ear-piercing wail through her gag.
I hadn’t expected it to land so perfectly, but now looking at it, immobilizing her taunting tail was satisfying.
Lexie shook Conor, begging him to snap out of it.
I turned to Grant and called his name several times.
Water splashed with the thrashing of my captive. Like a fish out of water, she arched and bowed her torso, trying to free herself.
Her helplessness sent a pang of guilt through me. Maybe I’d been too vindictive, inflicted more pain than necessary. The boys’ attention remained locked on the girl in the water. Maybe the trance wouldn’t be broken until she swam away.
“Unlike you, I don’t hold people against their will. You’re free to go.” I released her from the roo
t shackles by reeling them in as I’d done with the puka.
Lexie stared at me as if I was crazy, but if this girl came out of the water, I’d put up one hell of a fight.
The merrow tore away the ivy covering her mouth then heaved the boulder off and tested her tail with a quick flip. Nothing seemed broken. She stared at me with large icy blue eyes, pale white skin, her jaw slack and her face unmoving. “What are you?” she whispered then pulled away from the bank and dove into the water with a splash.
At the same moment, Lexie slapped Conor.
“Son of a–” Conor rubbed his cheek, staring at Lexie.
“Shit. Sorry, you wouldn’t come out of it.”
“Out of what?” he asked, pressing his fingers into his jaw as he opened then closed his mouth.
“The merrow. She had you two in some sort of trance.”
Grant rubbed his head and blinked several times. “Sorry. I’d hoped that wouldn’t happen.”
“It’s okay. You can thank Kylie. She saved the day. Again.”
I sensed Grant watching me.
“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.” Conor let out an uneasy laugh. “We should get moving in case the merrow has any friends.”
Lexie and I rushed ahead, ready to get far away from that nightmare.
Once back on the trail, Grant looked at me.
I shook my head.
He nodded and interlaced his fingers with mine.
After we’d been walking down the narrow dirt path through the thick overgrowth of trees for what seemed like a long time, Lexie whined, “How much further?”
“You’re in luck. We’re there.” Conor pointed at a small cottage, almost hidden by the trees.
We continued walking with renewed energy, now seeing an end in sight, but we weren’t getting any closer.
“What’s the deal? We keep walking but the house is still so far away.” Lexie had asked what I’d been thinking.
“It’s an illusion. This house has a protection spell. Trust me, we’re getting closer,” Conor assured us.
“Real close,” Grant added.
We’d walked a short distance more, when my body hit an invisible barrier.
Lexie continued walking without hesitation.
I pushed on and passed through a Jell-o-like sensation. It sucked me in, compressed my arms and made my legs heavy as if treading water then spit me out on the other side. The cottage, which had seemed unreachable, stood twenty feet in front of me.
Lexie gasped. “What the…”
Grant explained, “We’ve crossed the spell’s perimeter and now we can see the cottage as it is. Which also means she knows we’re here.”
Right on cue, the door creaked open.
Chapter 13
When the door opened I’d expected to see someone else. Maybe an old woman with a crooked nose, large wart, and frizzy gray hair? Instead stood a normal looking elderly lady. Years of laughter etched lines around her mouth and eyes. She could be someone’s grandma, baking cookies and pinching cheeks, and it relieved me. The road here had been a rocky one and though prepared for just about anything, I welcomed this bit of normalcy.
She studied the four of us then snapped, “You’re late.”
Lexie looked at me with a “what the hell” expression.
I shrugged. We’d fought off a demonic mermaid. What did she expect?
“Don’t just stand there, get in here.”
We followed with Grant in the lead. The open windows allowed a cool breeze to circulate the smell of baked bread.
Our hostess rambled as she waited for everyone to get inside. I made out the words “food, cooking, gone to waste, and cold.” Conor, the last one in, closed the door. We stood, each looking to the other, trying to figure out what we were expected to do.
“Well, come on now. Don’t be shy,” she said. “You young people need to eat, keep your strength up. Lunch might be cold, but you have no one to blame but yourself.” She gestured to the table set for five. We sat, still unsure of the situation. “We don’t have all day. Start eating.” She ordered.
Conor reached across the table, grabbed a thick slice of fresh bread followed by a generous serving of stew. “You don’t have to ask me twice. I’m starved.”
We took turns filling our bowls. Unsure if Lexie should eat the food, I looked to Grant. He took a bite of stew then made a slight nod, giving us the okay to eat.
With my spoon I stirred, pretending to let it cool, while actually trying to figure out what ingredients floated in the brown broth filling my bowl. If I saw any meat, no way would I eat it. This far away from civilization, who knew what kind of animal it was?
In a much gentler voice than she had been using, the lady said, “It’s vegetable stew.”
I smiled, pretending I wasn’t totally creeped out eating mystery food at some crazy cottage in the middle of nowhere. I fished out what looked like a carrot and tasted it. To my surprise, it was delicious, and after the first bite, I realized how hungry I was. I hadn’t eaten anything in almost twenty-four hours.
The awkward silence around the table turned to nothing more than spoons clanging bowls, as we all scarfed down a much-needed meal. After satiating our hunger, we looked to the lady for further instruction.
Her focus remained fixed on me.
“Can I help you clear these dishes?” I asked.
“That would be helpful. Thank you. You can call me Myrna, by the way.”
Myrna stood with her bowl in one hand and the breadbasket in the other, and headed to the kitchen. I grabbed several bowls then made a face at the rest of my companions. Grant stood, but Conor remained slouched back in his chair while Lexie occupied herself by attempting to balance a spoon on the edge of her bowl. I cleared my throat and Lexie finally hopped up, followed by Conor.
After everything had been put in its proper place, our hostess guided us to the living room. Lexie and I sat on a small floral couch while the boys claimed two plush looking armchairs, one a deep blue, the other burgundy. Myrna sat across from the four of us in a padded rocker with a crocheted blanket draped over the back.
“Well, what is it you have come all this way to ask me?”
Something told me she already knew, but wasn’t going to make it easy for us. My friends shifted to me. Crap. How did I become the spokesperson?
I cleared my throat. “I’ve been told there might be an oracle about me.”
She nodded but offered nothing else.
“And you wrote it. My friend feels I should hear it. He sent me to you in hopes you’d tell me what it said.” I squirmed under her scrutiny. “And tell me if it’s even really about me.” I hoped she would answer, preventing me from rambling on like an idiot.
“Do you find it surprising an oracle about you may exist?” She tucked a strand of dark blond hair back into her loose bun.
“Honestly? Yes.”
She folded her hands in her lap. “Do you understand what an oracle is?”
“A prediction of the future or advice?”
“Why do you answer a question with a question? Find your confidence, Kyla. You are much stronger than you realize. Well, I think you do know, but you’re unwilling to accept it.”
How did she know my name, and everything else she knew about me? “Sorry,” I whispered.
“That’s going to need some work.” Myrna chuckled, as she tucked her white peasant blouse into her long brown skirt. “Oracles are as you described, but they are not fact. They are possibilities. Several factors come into play when it comes to their accuracy. Sometimes events need to line up for the oracle to come true. It’s guidance.”
“Do you remember the oracle I’m speaking of?”
“Yes. I believe so.” She stood, and walked over to a large bookshelf. “But to be sure I relay it exactly as written, let me find it for you.”
As she rummaged through several books, I stared at my friends, pleading for someone else to help me. I didn’t like being putting on the spot and I wasn’t the
best one to do all the talking. Conor shrugged as if to say, “I’m just along for the ride.”
“Ah, here we go.” She sat, with a large leather bound book. “Oh, before I read this, let me see. You are a puka, correct? What’s your name?”
“Conor.” He squirmed under her attention.
It didn’t last long because then she turned to Grant. “And your name?”
“Grant.”
“A lot of thought put into that one, calling a grant, Grant,” she mumbled. “And you, I’m not sure who you are.”
“I’m Lexie, and I’m nothing. Just a regular person.”
“No one is ‘nothing’. You have a strong spirit, that’s something.” She opened the large book.
A poof of dust filled the air. How old was this oracle? Technically, I was born less than three fae years ago. The dust-cloud furthered my belief this wasn’t about me. She squinted at the page, pulling it forward then back. Should she be the one doing the reading?
She cleared her throat.
“A powerful magic grows inside,
one which will never be denied.
Only one with the ability
to find this power, set it free.
Love consummated with her soul mate
will set in motion this girl’s fate.
True love will help this faery find wings
and the power to bring down kings.
To find this girl you needn’t look far
just seek out the one with the star
for it was plucked right from the night skies
and placed within this faery’s eyes.”
Bring down kings? Powerful magic? That couldn’t be about me. Everyone watched for my reaction. I shifted, hating the scrutiny. “May I read it?”
“Of course.”
Grant, who sat nearest her, handed the book to me.
With it in my lap, I reread the words, not wanting to be the subject of this oracle. Clearly Alastar wasn’t my favorite person, but I didn’t want to bring him down. Did I?
Lexie read over my shoulder. “Um, I barely passed high school English, so this whole poetry thing obviously isn’t my forte, but am I understanding correctly? Once Kylie gets the ol’ v-card punched, she’s going to be like some sort of super magical faery?”
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