Myrna was looking at him strangely. "Has something happened?" she asked. "I mean, besides what you told me?"
"Nothing," said Cohen. "I mean, I saw Niall again last night, but nothing bad happened." But something horrible might be happening right now.
"Hm." Myrna looked a little less than impressed. "I'm still not sure I trust that man."
"Oh, I trust him," said Cohen. "I just..." He thought about what Niall had said, that it was better if no one knew about the fact that they were together. He should change the subject. "I was wondering something."
"What's that?"
"It's just a hypothetical question," said Cohen nervously. "Like, for my writing."
"All right," said Myrna, "go on."
"Well it's about... morality, really. I mean, I know most people would sacrifice themselves to save other people, right? Especially if it were to save, like a lot of other people."
"Well yes," said Myrna. "It would be difficult to live with yourself otherwise, wouldn't it? Most people don't even feel they have a choice."
"Right," said Cohen. "That's easy. But what about when saving the lives of a bunch of people depends on you... killing someone else. I'm asking, basically, if you could live with killing one person in order to save the lives of many others. Would it be right?"
Myrna raised her eyebrows. "Your next book is going to be a bit different from your other ones then, I suppose?"
"Maybe a little," laughed Cohen, still nervous. "I am an adult now."
"Of course," said Myrna. "Well, the answer to that's not simple. It depends on the person. Of course I would do it. But," she shrugged. "I'm a police officer. It's part of our—or at least my—creed. We give up the luxury of a clear conscience, give up our own moral purity, as it were, for the well-being of other people. It's a sacrifice I chose to make when I joined the police force."
"I guess not everyone's cut out for that," said Cohen, thinking of Niall's reluctance. His softness, the way he was so kind and gentle still, after what had happened to him.
"Certainly not," Myrna agreed. "And it's best that way. It... breaks a lot of people, you see. That's why so many officers are corrupt. Having to do bad things for the sake of the greater good, it can..." she paused. "It can make you forget what the greater good is, turn good men into shadows of themselves. So many of the officers in the city were like that. It's one of the reasons I moved out here."
"When did you move?"
"After my husband died," said Myrna. She said it very matter-of-factly, but Cohen thought it was too much so. The lack of emotion in her voice gave it away. "He was a Garda too," she continued. "We worked together, and at one point we got in over our heads, involved in a drug conspiracy. He was killed, and I..." she sighed, and her eyes were distant. "I thought it might be better to bring the girls out here. Simpler. But I don't know now if I was just being selfish. I think Kelsie might need the city. Of course I can drive her into the doctor's there, but she's rather alone here. There's no one else like her."
"Well," Cohen swallowed. "I understand that, but I also understand wanting to get them out of that kind of environment."
"It was mostly for my sake, though," said Myrna, glancing at the door to the kitchen. "I thought it would be peaceful here, that I could heal, and that would be better for them. But of course it's turned out to be just as difficult here, what with the murders."
Cohen thought of Niall again and the lump in his throat was back.
"And now Kelsie's gone and gotten herself a boyfriend here," said Myrna with a small laugh, turning away from the kitchen to look at Cohen again. "So she'd kill me if I tried to move her now."
*~*~*
They had a nice dinner of potatoes and roast beef. It was a loud, chatty affair that reminded Cohen of being back home with his family. Kelsie talked about her boyfriend, and Noleen interjected occasionally to correct her on insignificant details. Noleen also told Cohen, a little shyly when pressed, that she wanted to be a writer when she grew up, and that she liked his books quite a bit.
Looking past Kelsie's chattiness and enthusiasm, Cohen thought that she was quite a bit like he had been at her age, minus the scene hair and interest in girls. And of course, Kelsie was out, and had seen a doctor and been put on hormone blockers.
"It's all because of you," she told Cohen sincerely. "You inspired me to come out with your video about it last year. I always loved you and your books, and when I saw that video I was so happy. I showed it to my mam and she said 'well, if that's how you feel, we'll see someone about it.'"
"I'm not sure I was that accepting at first," laughed Myrna through a bite of potatoes.
"You just explained it so well," said Kelsie. "I don't understand how anybody could be mad at you about it after that."
"Well, they still were," said Cohen. "But maybe they didn't watch the video. The newspapers were all on it, you know, and they said all sorts of terrible things." He sighed, feeling a bit depressed at the memory.
"Frankly, I don't see why they care so much," said Myrna with a slight scowl. "Didn't think authors were so much in the public eye."
"It's just me," sighed Cohen. "Everyone in Ireland loved me for getting my books on the international market, especially because I was so young. My dad used to tell me I was Ireland's favourite daughter." Kelsie frowned, and Cohen mimicked the expression. "They felt like they owned me, I suppose. Put a black mark on their image."
"What's a black mark?" asked Noleen.
"Something bad," said Myrna. "Well Cohen, I hope you don't let that get you down. You always seem very positive in your videos."
"I am positive." Cohen smiled again, so that Kelsie would as well. "I try to be, you know; what else can I do?"
"Well," said Kelsie, looking a bit nervous. "You know, you don't have to be, all the time. I saw your last video; I think it's good that you're taking some time for yourself. You shouldn't have to pretend to be happy all the time, just to make other people happy."
"Well no," said Cohen. He tilted his head and smiled at Kelsie. "But that's what makes me happy."
The rest of the evening was enjoyable and relaxing, but Cohen couldn't shake his nerves about Niall. He tried his best to be good company and engage in conversation though, and if Myrna noticed anything, she didn't say. Still, by the time the cuckoo clock above the fireplace announced it was nine o'clock, Noleen was ready for bed, and Cohen was anxious to leave.
He pulled over just before he left town, while there were still a few bars of service on his phone, and called Niall's home line, but there was no answer. He called his mobile next, but that one went straight to voicemail, which meant that Niall's phone was either turned off, or he was out of service.
Drumming his fingers nervously on the steering wheel, Cohen pulled back onto the road and began the drive home. The sun had just set, and there was still a dusty blue tinge to the horizon, although above, the stars glittered brightly, only obscured occasionally by wisps of clouds. The old car didn't like the ups and downs of the hilly countryside, and he had to fight to keep a steady pace, but rather than distract him, it only made his nerves more frayed. He'd begun to chew at his thumbnail again, wondering if he should bother going home, or just keep driving around until he found Niall, when there was a flash on the horizon, so quick that he almost missed it.
Cohen gripped the steering wheel once again and leaned over to peer out at the horizon. Lightning? But the sky was calm. Perhaps he was imagining things. Just when he was beginning to convince himself that he hadn't seen anything, there was another flash, this one longer, lighting up the entire sky, and he thought he saw a swirl of something in it, like bright white fire.
He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck tickling in a way that he was beginning to recognise. Magic. There was a turn-off to a smaller road that ducked behind a hill in the direction of the lights. Nerves buzzing, Cohen followed it a ways, then pulled over to the side of the road and stepped out of the car, peering over at the nearest hill to the east.
Was there anything over there? Myrna had said there were stone circles to the north, near his house, like Stonehenge. And Niall had said something about Druids...
He locked the car door hurriedly and shoved his lanyard into his pocket, pulling his coat around himself and stepping off the road into the ankle-high grass. It was wet with evening dew, and his shoes were soon soaked, but he didn't care. He knew that he should leave well enough alone, that this was dangerous, but if something bad was happening, he couldn't just drive on and ignore it. He walked a bit quicker, coming to a fence at the base of the hill, and managed to climb over it, landing heavily in a pile of mud.
"Uck," he muttered, wiping his shoes off on the grass. There was another flash of light, and this time a muffled boom as well, and then another flash; he almost felt a bit of tingling wind brush by his face, like an aftershock. He started up the hill and was breathing heavily by the time he came to the top. There was another dip and a smaller hill up ahead. He could see the lights clearly now, flashes and booms, and the occasional blinding flare that jumped up to the sky in a burst of searing white flame. Cohen took a deep breath. His heart was racing, and he could feel his sporadic pulse at the base of his throat.
Boom. Muted still, as if very far away, despite the closeness of the lights. He rushed forward and almost tripped over a pile of sticks and rocks. He turned to examine them, a row of carefully placed materials, and he recognised them instantly as similar to the wards that Niall had placed all over his house. His hand crept to the talisman still hanging from the string around his neck, and another shivering prickle ran up the back of his neck.
Boom. This one was much louder, with enough force to nearly knock Cohen off his feet. The searing light that shot up into the sky was right over the hill, and he could feel the heat and buzz, almost like electricity, radiating from it. Hurriedly, he rushed back over the line of wards and the lights were dimmed again, the sound strangely muted.
A ward. It was a ward to keep magic from getting out. The line of talismans must run in a circle all the way around, so any magic done inside the line couldn't be tracked. That made sense, right? Cohen gulped and jumped over the line again, rushing up the hill. This was so, so stupid. He was going to be killed and it was going to be entirely his fault. He should go back to his car and drive to the Coughton and stay there, where it was safe, until morning. But he couldn't.
He ran up the hill, nearly out of breath before he reached the crest, and stared at the scene ahead. There were standing stones, tall and black against the blue of the sky, but illuminated in blasts by the white light. Two figures stood amongst them, darting towards each other and away again, searing, sparkling white flames bursting towards each other. Mostly they dodged out of the way, but sometimes the flames would collide, and that would cause the deafening boom and the explosion of white fire towards the sky.
"Jacky!" he heard a voice yell, and with a lurch of his gut, he recognised it as Niall's. "Jacky, stop it!"
The other man was laughing, as if it were all great fun, even when the searing light he shot at Niall barely missed him and scorched the grass where Niall had been a moment before. Cohen could see the embers of the grass that remained, glowing and sizzling in the darkness. "You think I'm just going to let you ruin everything?" he called as Niall ducked behind one of the stones. "You think it'll all stop just because you tell me you love me? You don't love me anymore, I saw!"
Another blast, and this one connected with the upright stone. It crumbled and began to fall.
"Niall!" Cohen screamed before he could stop himself, and suddenly Niall was in front of him, his eyes wide.
"Cohen, what are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry, I saw flashes of light, so I—"
"You need to go," said Niall, and he all but shoved at Cohen. "Go, run, now!"
"Too late," said a voice. "Why don't you introduce me, Niall?" Jacky was suddenly next to them, and advancing on Cohen. Cohen couldn't see his face very well in the dark, only the long, matted hair and glinting eyes. "Is this your lover?"
Niall stepped forward, to come between Cohen and Jacky. "He's not," he said firmly.
"I'm not?" asked Cohen, fear making him stupid.
"Cohen," said Niall, still facing Jacky. "Shut up. Leave, right now."
Jacky peered around Niall, to grin at Cohen. "You are, aren't you?" he tilted his head to indicate Niall. "His mind is full of you. Cohen, isn't it? You will be so very useful to me." He took a step forward, and Niall moved between them again.
"Cohen," said Niall again. "When I say so, run."
"That's not happening—" began Jacky, but he was interrupted as Niall shot a swatch of crackling magic at him.
"Run!" Niall shouted as Jacky threw up his hands and retaliated. The light was so bright, and the noise so loud that for a moment, Cohen couldn't see or hear anything but the terrible boom and blinding light. Sparks of magic burst behind his eyes, and he could hardly tell up from down, but he could still hear Niall yelling, so he turned and ran.
He tripped; the hill was steeper than he had thought it was, and he landed heavily on his shoulder. Still disoriented, he began to roll. The grass was wet under his palms as he grasped at it, and he was hitting his shoulder over and over again as he fell, sending shots of pain through him until he thought he might be sick.
He stopped rolling finally, the wind taken out of him, but he could still see flashes of light, and could hear Niall yelling at him still. "Run, get out of the circle!" Cohen forced himself to get up, trying desperately to regain his balance, to figure out which way was which. He nearly fell, and assumed that was downwards, so he began to run again, his trainers slipping and squeaking on the wet grass.
He tripped again, over the line of sticks and rocks, and then Niall was there, holding onto him to keep him from falling. Safe. They were safe, right? He had just begun to get his wind back when there was another flash and Niall was shoving him again, just in time to get out of the way of a searing burst of magic.
"He can't use magic outside of the circle," gasped Niall. "Come on Cohen, run." He shoved at Cohen again, and Cohen ran, unsure of where he was getting the air to, since his lungs seemed to have stopped working. His throat was burning, his heart about to pound out of this chest. The wind whipped by his face, and he could hear footsteps behind him. Suddenly Niall's presence was gone from beside him, and he turned to see Niall standing between him and Jacky once again.
"You can't do anything now, Jacky," he was saying. "We're outside the circle, they'll track it."
Jacky was out of breath too, and laughing through gasps. He lifted a hand, and the last thing Cohen saw was a flash of light, burning as Niall screamed.
Cohen felt his body thump to the ground, his head whacking against the dirt. His temple began to thump angrily and he groaned. "Cohen!" Niall screamed, rushing to bend over him. He touched a hand to Cohen's chest and drew it back as if burnt. Cohen looked down just in time to see an orange glow dying down into a black scorch mark in the middle of his chest. He lifted a hand to his neck, where there was a strange burning, but felt only a crumbling warm dust. When he brought his fingers away, they were coated in black ash.
"The talisman," he whispered. Niall gave him a look of relief and then stood to face Jacky again.
"You idiot!" he yelled. "You did that outside your bloody circle, they'll know where we are now!"
Jacky grinned. Cohen could see his teeth, white in the darkness. "What's wrong with that?" he laughed. "You saw my mind, Niall, you know what I need. Father, child, sage, lover," he glanced at Cohen. "Witch. Ha!" He threw a hand in the air and a blinding white light erupted from it, crackling and swooping like a great bonfire. It shot into the air, dizzyingly high, and Cohen could feel the hairs all over his body standing up and tingling. Jacky took another step towards Niall. "I'm almost finished," he said. "So get out of my way."
Niall growled and turned towards Cohen, who was just beginning to stand up. He threw his arms around Cohen and grasped his h
ead, pulling it to his chest. "Hold still, darling," he whispered to Cohen. "I've never done this before."
A bright white light exploded around them, and for a moment Cohen felt like all the air had been sucked out of his lungs and he was suffocating. There was nothing beneath his feet, nothing in front of his eyes, only Niall's arms around him. Then they landed heavily, and Niall's arms loosened. Cohen nearly fell sideways, and Niall caught him.
"What the hell did you do that for?" he growled at Cohen, releasing him roughly once Cohen had caught his balance. Cohen pressed his hands to his eyes to try to stop the white lights flashing behind them. His head was pounding. "Come on, this way."
Cohen blinked, trying to clear the spots from behind his eyes, to see that they were back on the road. His car was nowhere in sight, but Niall's truck was close by. Niall was gesturing to him. "Come on, Cohen, in. They'll have tracked that, we have to get away from this location."
"How far away?" asked Cohen, stumbling towards the truck.
"We'll go to your house for now," said Niall. "They won't know to look there. Not right away, anyway."
"Okay." Cohen almost failed to pull himself up into the cab of the truck. His limbs were shaking, his hands unable to grasp anything properly. He thumped down onto the seat and felt sick again. His head was throbbing still from when he'd hit it on the ground, and he was beginning to feel a scorching pain on his neck and chest from where the necklace had incinerated.
He took several deep breaths, mentally surveying his body for injuries. Nothing was unbearably painful, so he didn't think there was any lasting damage, but he still felt like shit. His whole body began to ache as he settled into the seat, but it was all secondary to the intense throbbing in his head.
"I think I may have a concussion," he whined. "I hit my head when I fell."
"You're lucky that's all," said Niall softly.
Cohen cracked an eye open and peered at Niall, who was driving with his eyes forward and his jaw tight. Cohen closed his eyes again and leaned his head back, trying to think.
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