Concentric Circles

by Aithne Jarretta

  This simple action brought her knife within reach. Shayla’s hand rested on her knee. Distrust enveloped her as she studied the petulant park ranger. The last time the man spoke to her, CIARAN did not warn her of his presence. Today, he did. There was something different in the ranger’s demeanor. She just couldn’t figure out the specifics.

  The ranger’s eyes narrowed. His hair seemed to bristle with anger. He huffed, and glared at Meekal. “Perhaps you should take him home.” He stepped forward in a menacing posture, eyeing Shayla. He continued in a disdainful tone, “Hasn’t anyone ever told you that black cats are bad luck?”

  She arched her brow and went into a defensive stance. Her foot hit the decking with a resounding thump. She stepped between Meekal and the ranger. “He’s special,” she said with determination, adding a lift of her chin.

  Meekal snickered, said, “Meow,” and then pranced past Shayla. Once clear of her protective body, he sat and blinked at the ranger, tail tip flicking in arrogance.

  The ranger moved closer.

  Shayla thought quickly about what would happen if she fought with a park ranger. Weren’t they the law? A flash of inspiration came to her. Stiffening upward to extend her full height, she said, “He’s my ‘familiar.’” Shayla emphasized the term on purpose. Hopefully, the ranger would back off from such a possibility.

  Rather than backing away, the ranger became rigid like a statue. Looking from Meekal to Shayla, he growled, “You’re a witch?” Ramrod straight, the muscles of his jaw clenched, while a peculiar looking red vee made an appearance on his forehead. He waited, projecting impatience and expecting an answer.

  Shayla tipped her head to the side, gave a nonchalant shrug and smiled sweetly.

  The ranger’s gaze raked her, mingled with both lust and anger. He snarled like an angry cougar and bared his teeth.

  Meekal yowled.

  “Shh,” Shayla said to him, still watching the ranger closely.

  A voice came over the ranger’s walkie-talkie. “Rick, you need to come to Mary’s Cave, right now.”

  Ranger Rick, still glaring at Shayla, reached for his walkie-talkie. “I’m busy, Jackson.”

  “Now, Rick.” The voice on the other end sounded stern. “We have a 10-15.”

  Ranger Rick grunted and pushed the button to silence the device. “Take him home. Now. Don’t bring him back to the park without a leash. If I see him loose again, I’ll call the animal shelter and ticket you.”

  Shayla held the ranger’s gaze silently. Finally, after several moments, she said. “Absolutely. I understand.”

  With one last fierce look at Meekal, he turned and began his climb up the stairs to the trail leading to Mary Campbell’s Cave.

  Meekal stretched his back into a high arch and yawned. “Well it’s about time the prat left.”

  Shayla shuddered. “Something’s not right.”

  “What do you mean?” Kal asked as he sauntered along the rail.

  “Well,” Shayla said, and glanced around furtively. “CIARAN, why did you warn me that he was coming?”

  “I SENSED HE WAS DIFFERENT,” he replied, vibrating slightly from his place in Shayla’s boot.

  “How?”

  “HIS SPIRIT WAS VILE TODAY. HE WAS SUSPICIOUS OF MEEKAL.”

  Shayla inhaled sharply. “I also thought something was different today.”

  “You’ve met him before?” Meekal asked, twitching the tip of his tail.

  “Yeah,” she replied, her eyes following the back of the ranger. “Last time I was here, he made me come down off the rocks. Frankly, I don’t like the way he always manages to just appear from nowhere when he crosses my path.”

  “Aye, well, I don’t like the way he looks at my girl.”

  Shayla huffed.

  He chuckled, moved closer and climbed into her arms.

  “If I didn’t know better,” she teased, “I’d say you were starved for attention.”

  Moving up, he licked her with his sandpapery tongue. Snuggling close, he whispered, “Maybe we should go home.”

  “SHAY, YE NEED TO GO TO THE CAVE,” CIARANLEXISS said from her boot.

  “Why?” She frowned, apprehensive.

  “YON RANGER IS ANGRY. SOMEONE IS HURT.”

  Shayla held Meekal close. She waited until a runner passed and began an energetic jog up the stairs. Looking around to be sure that no one observed, she spun around, arriving up the hill before Ranger Rick. Pausing behind a tree, she watched as a distressed mother fussed over her daughter. A spark of recognition went through Shayla. She knew them.

  Worry and distress resonated from Karen’s voice. “Cathee, you should not have been climbing.”

  Cathee whimpered, trying to bite back her tears.

  Ranger Rick arrived on the scene.

  “She’ll be alright, ma’am.” Ranger Jackson said, standing to face off with Rick. “Where were you? My phone is outta range here. We’ll have to use yours. Her wrist is broken.”

  Ranger Rick knelt next to Cathee. “You’ll be fine. What’s your name?”

  Cathee stiffened, tried to pull away and stuttered, “Ca—thee.”

  Something shifted along Shayla’s skin like an ill wind. “What is going on with him?” Rick’s voice was cool and steady, yet not comforting. “Kal,” she whispered.

  Meekal jumped down, transforming as his feet landed. Taking Shayla’s hand, he led her out of the undergrowth toward the distressed mother and child. There were simply too many questions about the ranger for Shayla to stay out of the situation.

  She knelt and smiled at Cathee. “Hi,” she murmured softly. She reached forward and brushed a lock of hair from her tearful face.

  “Who are you?” Ranger Jackson asked, kneeling opposite her.

  Shayla smiled at Cathee as she answered. “A friend.”

  “Shayla, thank God you are here.”

  “Hey, Karen, I was below when I heard there had been an accident.”

  Karen sighed. “I turned to my left and she climbed up on the plaque stone. It isn’t even that far to fall. I guess it’s the way she fell.”

  She listened, and then wiped a tear from Cathee’s scratched and smudged cheek. Humming softly, she closed her eyes briefly, and then reached into her boot, pulling out a scarf.

  Ranger Jackson frowned at her, confused.

  Ranger Rick growled angrily. “What’re you doing?” He did not attempt to hide his contempt.

  Karen scowled at Rick.

  Shayla merely murmured, “This will make her feel better until the paramedics get here.”

  “You aren’t officially allowed to do that.”

  “Easy mate,” Meekal drawled in his best Brit, and stepped between Rick and Shayla. “She isn’t going to hurt anyone.”

  Rick made an aggressive sound in his throat, nostrils flaring in belligerence.

  Shayla leaned closer, still humming and smiling at Cathee. “Ah, wee one. Did you think you were a faerie? Jumping about the rocks?”

  Cathee giggled through her tears.

  “You’ll be fine,” Shayla said softly, giving the scarf a pat when she finished wrapping Cathee’s small wrist. She completely ignored the argument between Meekal and Rick.

  * * * * * *

  During his argument with Meekal, Rick turned his contorted face to Shayla. His voice paused in surprise when he observed Shayla’s hand brushing the hair away from Cathee’s face.

  Meekal, alert to small nuances, noticed Rick’s change in demeanor. Moving his hand toward the distracted ranger’s arm, Meekal scanned his energy. With an instant decision, his other hand came up and swept behind Ranger Rick’s head.

  A vague distracted look washed down the ranger’s features, anger and distain swept away. His speech stopped abruptly.

  “Rick, what’s wrong?” Jackson returned with the paramedics following. He looked with suspicion between Meekal and Rick.

  Meekal shrugged, walking to Shayla’s side. “We need to go,” he whispered low. With a slight tip of his head,
he indicated the trail to their right.

  Shayla turned to hug Karen. “Take care of yourself and Cathee. I’ll stop by your house later and see you.”

  Karen hugged Shayla tightly. “Thanks for your help.” Smiling mischievously, she whispered something only Shayla could hear.

  Shayla giggled softly. “Thanks.”

  Meekal tilted his head again toward the path indicating they needed to leave.

  Shayla took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Let’s go. I’ll see you later, Karen.” She gave Cathee another smile and reached to squeeze her uninjured hand. “You’ve been very brave. I’ll see you later, too.”

  “Will you sign my cast, Shay?”

  Shayla laughed along with the paramedic. “You bet ‘cha.”

  Meekal pulled her hand, urging her to follow. Just before the trail turned, he glanced back at the rangers. He noticed that Ranger Rick still had a faraway look on his face.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Your buddy, Rick is a Cimmerian.”

  “What? Are you sure?”

  “Yes. He acted weird when he noticed your tattoo.” Meekal moved his thumb over the mark on her hand. “I scanned him. He has the rune on his left arm.”

  Shayla shook her head. “Pfft.”

  “What?”

  “Oh, I don’t know, it’s so, well like in a book, you know what I mean.”

  “Aye, I do. You need to realize that marking your clan, gang or whatever you want to refer it to, is something we humans have always done.”

  “I know, Kal.” Shayla became serious. “That’s why he seemed different today. CIARAN must have sensed it about him this time.” She paused. “He says that he did. Do you think he’ll be a problem? Ranger Rick, I mean.” She slowed down as they walked over a rough area of the trail. Water flowing above ground on its way to the river below had exposed tree roots resulting in the need to hike with caution.

  “The charm I used on him will remove the memory of the tattoo.” Meekal said. “There’s still the fact that he seems to really like you. That may pose a problem if he becomes persistent.”

  “It isn’t as though I’ve never handled an unwanted advance before.”

  “This might be different.”

  They walked along in companionable silence, enjoying the close communion with Mother Nature. A cardinal paused in his search for seeds to chastise them. Chipmunks and squirrels burrowed in the fallen leaves; looking for acorns they may have missed before.

  “This is a nice park.” Meekal smiled at Shayla. “I can see why you love it here.”

  She squeezed his hand, appreciating his presence. “Yeah. Barb and I used to spend hours and hours here when we were kids. She doesn’t come as often as I do since she started working at the courthouse.”

  Meekal looked up the length of a tall oak. “The rocks remind me of the highlands. The trees.” His voice trailed off, head still tilted back.

  “What about the trees?”

  “Well, trees are everywhere. For some reason, they remind me of Raven’s Gate.”

  “What’s Raven’s Gate?”

  Meekal gave her a sad smile. “Cliff note version, Raven’s Gate is where our family clan is from. I’ve been there several times. No one lives there right now.”

  “Not even Brenna?”

  “No. She doesn’t like to go back there. Too many memories.”

  “Okay. When will I meet her?”

  “When the time is right,” he answered and led her along the trail toward the high point.

  “Kal?”

  He turned to look at her. “What’s wrong?”

  Shayla sighed. “I can‘t get past this.”

  Taking her hand, he pulled her down toward the path. “Let’s walk,” he said gently.

  A chipmunk chattered at him angrily.

  Laughing, Meekal cat hissed at him.

  “Tsk, tsk,” Shayla joked. “You’re bigger than he is, you know.”

  Meekal grinned and shrugged. “You’re still worried about telling your mum.”

  They stepped to the side to allow a runner to pass.

  “Just tell her you have to go back for a while.” He paused, scrutinizing her closely. “You are going to come back. Right?”

  Shayla chewed her lower lip, stopped on the wooden footbridge and turned to look down the crevice that cut the Gorge’s hillside. Finally, releasing her lip, she answered. “Yes, I’m going back. I just don’t know how to tell her.”

  Meekal leaned out over the rail, watching the flow of water on its journey down hill. “How about, ‘Mum, I’m going back to England.’”

  “It’s not that simple, Kal.”

  “Why not?”

  “Well,” she sighed. “She was mad at me for going in the first place. You have to understand, she doesn’t have anyone else.”

  Meekal squeezed her hand. “She isn’t losing you. With magic, you can travel easily.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Shay, you don’t think I got on a plane and came here, do you?”

  Shayla growled, pulled her hand out of Meekal’s, and stomped up the path. She headed for the high rocks, gaining momentum until she was at a run. She loved the embracing energy of the rock’s crevice. Ignoring it, she climbed. The highest point of massive rock outcroppings became her goal, especially since she knew that Ranger Rick was busy filling out paperwork about Cathee’s accident.

  Speeding up, Meekal closed in. Once at the top, he reached for her. “Shay, I thought you were past fearfulness about wind-riding.”

  Shayla took a deep breath and looked out over the park’s steep slope. The sparkling water below called to her in soothing whispers. The rustling of bare oak branches on the fall breeze added to nature’s music. It caressed her hair. She exhaled, dropped her shoulders, and allowed the cleansing breath to calm her. “I’m okay over short distances, but long distance is another matter.”

  ”Okay. You’ll get used to it. We don’t have to do it in one leap.” Meekal stepped behind her and began massaging her shoulders.

  She leaned back, accepting his ministering hands. “There’s another hard part—telling Mom that I’m using magic. What about the other things I learned? She has a right to know.”

  “Magic is a part of you. It’s who you are, Shay. Yes, you should tell her. About Brinawell, I mean.” His voice disappeared into her hair.

  The timbre of his voice sent shivers through her. She leaned closer, melding with him.

  Meekal sent his hands around her, settling on Shayla’s stomach. “She loves you. It will be hard at first, but she’ll eventually accept the situation. I’m not sure what you should tell her about Syther, that’s up to you.”

  She pulled his arms tighter, closed her eyes and focused on the feel of him. “Kal?”

  “Humm?” He nibbled on her ear, too busy to speak.

  “Let’s go home.”

  Meekal’s arms tightened.

  They spun on a soft breeze.

  “You mean Shayla is out?”

  “Oops.” Shayla looked into her mother’s angry eyes. They arrived in Shayla’s bedroom, arms wrapped securely around each other.

  The sound of Claire Brinawell’s voice raked over them. “What was that?”

  Shayla winced. “Hi, Mom.”

  “Don’t ‘hi Mom’ me. What was that and who is this?” Claire’s angry gaze locked on Meekal.

  Shayla held his hand in a tight grip. “Mom this is Meekal Magdal-eder Chilkwell. We met in Glastonbury.”

  Claire huffed. She made a motion, pointing to where they had landed. “What was that?” she reiterated, this time glaring at Meekal.

  “Wind-riding,” he said calmly, extending his hand to shake hers. He turned on his sexiest Brit accent and smiled, showing off his dimple. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Brinawell.”

  Claire took his hand, shaking it abruptly. She returned her angry focus to Shayla, adding an arched brow of inquiry.

  “Mom, I know you’re angry.” She sighed, a
nd then tugged on Meekal’s hand, pulling him into the hall, and then kitchen.

  Barb and Claire followed.

  Shayla sat on a barstool. “Have a seat, Mom. We have a lot to talk about.”

  “Humph.”

  Shayla bit the inside of her cheek. “Mom, Meekal’s family is Guardians of the Chalice Well at Glastonbury.” Shayla decided to be short and to the point. “So are we.”

  Claire shifted her angry gaze between Shayla and Meekal. “That’s nonsense. There is no way you can make such a definitive statement. Does he know we have no family history? Even your father, whoever he really was, did a disappearing act after you were conceived.”

  “He knows that we didn’t know about our history.” Shayla paused, chewing her upper lip because the lower was sore. She reached for Meekal, seeking perseverance.

  Claire watched their interaction.

  Barb moved around the bar, opened the refrigerator and pulled out four cans of cola. Spreading them around to everyone, she then pulled out a bag of chips. Smiling at Meekal, she said, “I eat when I get into nervous situations. You have brought a load of stress.”

  “Barb,” Shayla said sternly.

  Barb shrugged, bit into a chip and offered the bag to Meekal.

  “No thanks.” He popped the tab on his cola and smiled at Claire again. “I do know of your history and the problems you encountered when you used magic as a child. Shay told me some of it. I hope you know not everyone has those experiences.”

  It was plain to see Shayla’s mother was not satisfied. Eyes round and expressive, she insisted, “What difference does that make? It’s my reality and I am adamant about protecting my daughter.”

  “Mom, we know that. But I don’t need your protection now.”

  “I’m your mother. That won’t change.”

  “If you’ll let me finish I can explain.”

  “Humph.”

  “I learned some things about us when I met Meekal, Mom. Here.” She stopped speaking and waved her hand over the countertop. A sheaf of papers appeared.

  Claire gasped.

  “This is just some of the notes I made,” Shayla said calmly. “Chaeli, Meekal’s mom, let me use some old journals she bought. I learned that Ayden Brinawell came to the US after WWII. He is your grandfather.”