“The extinguisher’s under the sink,” she shouted, phone pressed to her ear.
He had no earthly clue what she was speaking of, but covered his face with a bit of his plaid and ducked down, opening the cabinet under the sink. The fire had consumed the table cloth and was working its way down the rickety legs of the table. He felt the hair on his arms singeing away and yelled once again for Mia to get out.
She shook her head and pointed to the red cylinder under the sink. “Pull the pin and spray it on the flames,” she said.
“I will. Now go!”
Thankfully she listened this time. He pulled the pin and aimed at the nearest flames. Nothing happened, then he saw the trigger-like handle and squeezed. White foam doused the nearest small blaze and he quickly turned the miraculous stuff on the inferno trying to eat the walls. Smoke filled his eyes and nose and he dropped to his knees, crawling to the window to spray the last of the fire that had consumed the curtains and now licked at the back door.
Coughing and gagging at the combined smoke and strange smell of the extinguisher foam, he still felt victorious. There was only a bit of fire left now. The extinguisher fizzled and stopped spraying and he tossed it aside, horrified at how quickly the fire bloomed again once he was no longer spraying it with the foam.
Tearing off his kilt, he managed a guttural battle cry despite his raw throat and flung it at the wall. Beating the flames underneath with his hands, he ignored the burning. Some of his friends had burned at Culloden and he’d been grateful he’d been spared that at least. Now he didn’t care.
Smoke billowed out from under the plaid and he feared he would need to abandon his last attempt to save Mia’s house. In the distance he heard a wailing sound— perhaps it was what awaited him on the other side? His eyes watered and his lungs were about to give up.
He almost laughed that wee Soni wouldn’t get her chance to claim him since he was about to die all over again. He prayed he could become a ghost once more and keep an eye on Mia and the lad.
Chapter 9
Conall leaned forward against the ruined wall, no more strength in his arms, no more breath in his body. Thundering feet behind him vaguely got his attention and then he was deluged with cold water. As soon as the blast knocked him three feet across the room, it stopped.
“Huh, looks like ye got it all before we could get here,” a strange man’s voice said. “Sorry to knock ye about like that.”
The man was dressed in yellow and had a mask over his face. He offered Conall a hand, but Conall shook his head.
“I’ll do here for the moment, thanks,” he rasped.
A woman hurried in with another mask and put it over his mouth. “Try to breathe in the oxygen, sir. We should get ye out of here, there’s still too much smoke.”
“Is he all right?” Mia ran into the kitchen from the ruined back door, skidding in the water and foam residue. She landed at his side and helped to hold his mask in place. “Oh, thank God.” Then she hit him in the arm of all things. “Why did you have to be such a hero?” she demanded. “The second you thought it was too much, you should have got out.”
“I think the only reason I’m here is to be a hero,” he said, trying for a rakish smile.
She smacked him again, much lighter this time, and threw her arms around him, making happy noises into his neck.
“We really need for ye both to vacate the premises,” the woman said irritably. “It’s not good for any of us to be breathing this in.”
He nodded to the woman and let Mia help him to his feet. She looked him over and then around the room, leaning over to pick up the sodden, burnt remains of his plaid.
“Your poor kilt.”
He looked down at his shirt. It went to his knees but was barely proper it was so wet. He was too worn out to blush. She took off, returning a few seconds later with a blanket, throwing it over his shoulders.
“We’ll have a new one made,” she said. “Come on, the constable’s here. He’ll want a statement.”
“The constable?” he croaked. “Where’s Kevin? He’s all right?”
“He’s fine. A little shaken, but they’ve got him in the fire truck, trying to distract him with all the gadgets. Keep him from seeing …” She trailed off and pointed.
Out in the front there was a big truck with hoses attached — the source of the deluge— and a car with flashing lights parked behind it. To his amazement, the wee scoundrel ex-husband was standing by the car, his hands behind his back. Mia’s nosy neighbor was talking animatedly to a man who must have been the constable. She waved when she saw them and hurried over.
“We were out enjoying the stars,” she said, tripping in her haste to get to them. “Sam and I. We saw some shadowy figure climb over your back fence so Sam took pictures with his phone for evidence and I called the constable. Of course when he threw the blazing bottle through your window we stopped taking pictures and called the fire department.” She paused to take a breath, looking apologetic. “Sam accidentally cut up our hose with the lawn mower so we were trying to fill buckets and at least help that way, but then the firefighters got here, which is surprising since they have a bit of a reputation for being slow.”
The woman who’d given him the mask scowled at Evie. Mia thanked her for taking the pictures and gave her a look that sent her away. Mia nodded toward her ex-husband, who was trying to gesticulate but his hands were firmly bound behind his back.
“It’s good to see him in handcuffs,” she said. “He’s deserved it more than once but always managed to slime himself out of any justice. But he went too far this time. He’ll at least get a little jail time for arson.”
“It should be attempted murder,” he said, appalled that the filthy devil would do such a thing with his child in the house.
She shrugged. “He’s got good lawyers. But, we’ll see. We’re safe and that’s all that matters.” She put her arms around his waist and held on. “You saved us again. Again.”
Just then time seemed to stop. No, it actually did stop. The nosy neighbor had her hands in the air, the fire fighter woman was poised in leaning over to show Kevin something on the truck. The constable’s finger was frozen inches from the ex-husband’s nose and the ex-husband’s face was contorted in a sneer.
A green mist swirled up in front of him and to his surprise Mia and Kevin could still move, could see the mist as well. Kevin stopped marveling at all the human statues around him and raced over to them.
“No,” he cried.
“I’m afraid so, lad,” he said. The tightness in his throat had little to do with the smoke he’d breathed in. “It’s time for me to go.”
“You must be Soni,” Mia said in a cold voice.
He looked up to see his witch stepping out of the mist, a plaintive smile on her face.
“Indeed,” she said. “Soncerae is my name. And Conall’s right. It’s time for him to go.”
“Can’t you let him stay?” Mia begged. “Any amount of time. Another day. A week would be better. A year? Is that too much to ask? Couldn’t I please have a lifetime?”
Tears poured down her cheeks and Kevin began to wail. Soni put her hand gently on his head to comfort him but he jerked away from her touch.
“Come now, lad. Ye must be a man about this. Conall knows it’s his time. Ye must be a very clever child if ye can see me. It means ye know and believe that Conall here is a ghost. Which means he’s already died, aye? He needs to move on.”
“Bugger that,” he hollered, thrashing out at her.
His eyes went round as saucers when Soni drifted backwards, avoiding his strike and continuing to hover slightly above the ground. Wee show-off.
“Isn’t there anything— any way to let him stay?” Mia asked, not bothering to wipe the tears away. “I’ll do anything.”
“Ah weel, would ye then?” Soni raised a brow. “Of course ye could make the ultimate sacrifice and go with him. Forever’s forever, aye? Ye’d be together still.”
Conall wante
d to dash Soni to the ground. “How could ye suggest such a thing? She’s a mother.” He turned to glare at Mia. “Dinna consider it, lass. I’m grateful we had what little time I was allowed.”
Mia put her face in her hands and sobbed. Of course she couldn’t leave Kevin. He’d never expect her to. He’d hate her if she tried. But this meant goodbye.
He closed the space between them and pulled her into his arms. She went limp, crying into his shirt. He wished he could look a bit more dignified in their final moments together, not wrapped in a blanket, sopping wet and covered in soot.
“I love ye,” he whispered. “Ye know I’d stay if I could. If it’s possible to leave wherever I may end up, ye must know I’ll find a way to do it.”
“I love you, too,” she sniffled, finally looking up at him. “Kiss me one last time so I can remember.”
She tipped her chin and he lowered his head, connecting for the last time. He breathed her in, aching in every bone and joint. Gasping, she finally broke free, staring at him with heartbroken eyes.
“I dinna care about the Bonnie Prince,” he said, desperately grasping at what might be his last chance. “I forgive him. I no longer want revenge. There. Is that what ye wanted all along? Now can ye let me stay?”
Soni smiled sadly and shook her head. “If ye’re being honest I’m glad of it. It’s better to go into the afterlife without any hate in your heart. But ye still have to go.”
He looked at Mia again and she nodded, backing away. “I love you,” she said again.
“Mum, don’t let him go,” Kevin said, grabbing his hand and digging in his heels. “Don’t go, Conall,” he begged.
He didn’t think it could have hurt worse, but the pain grew as he knelt in front of the lad.
“I’m sorry. Truly, Kevin,” he said. “Mind your mother, aye? Keep your fine imagination, but dinna do everything it tells ye. Keep practicing your knots.” His voice broke and he stood. “Let’s go,” he said roughly to Soni.
The green mist swirled higher, encasing them, blocking his last view of Mia and Kevin.
“No!” Kevin shouted, jumping through the mist.
The last thing he heard was Mia’s anguished scream. The mist completely surrounded them now, cutting off all the sights and sounds of the mortal world.
It was only him, Soni, and the lad.
Chapter 10
Kevin knew he wasn’t supposed to say bad words so he kept his mouth squeezed shut while Conall and the witch stared at him in horror. He was beginning to feel a bit horrified himself, surrounded by eerie silence and green mist. Just as Conall was about to berate him for the supposedly foolhardy thing he’d done, he held up his hand and turned to the witch.
“I guess you got your sacrifice,” he said. She raised a brow and continued to gape at him.
“Send him back, Soni,” Conall demanded. “Please,” he added more softly. “He’s only a wee child, doesna know what he’s done.”
That snapped his resolve. “I know exactly what I’ve done,” he said. He rounded on the witch. “If you don’t send him back to be with us, then I’m bloody well going with him.”
“Mind your tongue,” he said as if by habit.
That was one of the many things he liked about Conall. His ability to tell him off without being scary about it. It wasn’t like getting told off at all, really. It was more like being reminded to be good. And it made Kevin want to remember to be good.
“What about your ma, lad?” Conall continued.
Kevin shrugged, fighting tears as he tried to see past the mist. “She’ll come. She won’t stay behind if I’m here.”
Soni shook her head and sighed. “She canna follow. Once ye made your sacrifice, she was left behind in the mortal world.”
He stamped his foot, not ready to give up. All his storybook heroes never gave up. “Then send us back.”
“Why should I?” she asked.
Her tone was so reasonable that he wanted to lunge at her. Adults always thought they knew better and in his opinion they hardly ever did.
“Did you see the man getting arrested?” Kevin asked, ready to give her some reasons. “That was my father. He used to hit my mum and me too, when she wasn’t looking. Then he slipped up and I had to go to hospital so it wasn’t a secret anymore. When he lost us as punching bags he tried to set our house on fire, tried to kill us. My dad, who’s supposed to love me, did that. And Conall, who’s not my dad, risked his life to save us. I want to do a trade.”
“That’s a sad tale, lad,” Soni said. “But I’ve no power to do such a thing. I can only deliver what I’ve promised to deliver.” She paused and nodded over at Conall, then sighed. “Since your mother will surely be bereft without ye, I’ll send ye back. But Conall will have to come with me as planned.”
He knew it was babyish, knew he was six now and clever for his age so people expected him to act older. But he didn’t care. He threw himself to the rocky ground and grabbed onto Conall’s legs.
“No,” he shouted, since he was under the roiling mist now and wanted to make sure she heard. “You sent him to us for his quest. You can’t take him back. It’s not fair. The second I find out what a real dad’s supposed to be like and then I lose him. It’s just not fair.” He lifted his head above the mist, still clinging to Conall’s legs. “And you said you loved my mum. I heard you! And she said it back. That’s a family. A real family.”
Flinging himself away from Conall, he knelt in front of Soni. “I don’t think his quest was to save me from that pig or give Mum money or even put out the fire. I think you wanted me to have a dad.”
She chuckled and reached down to pull him up by his armpits. “So ye’d leave your mother who’s loved ye and cared for ye all these years for a stranger who was kind to ye for a few days?”
“It’s more than that and you know it,” he bellowed, stamping his feet again. “Let’s just bloody be on with it, then. If you’re so — so stubborn. I can be stubborn, too.”
“Soni, send the lad back. No more of this.” Conall looked furious and determined.
Kevin hadn’t had a full blown tantrum in two years. Let them both see what fury and determination looked like. He opened his mouth to let out a howl to end all howls. Before he could utter the slightest squeak, he was back at his mother’s side. She grabbed him up into a boa constrictor hug.
The mist was gone. Conall was gone. He had failed.
***
Mia stood alone amidst the living statues of her neighbors, her scream falling on deaf ears. She thought her heart would break when Conall turned to follow Soni. When her baby flung himself after him and disappeared into the mist, she felt like it was being ripped out. She chased after him but he was gone. They were both gone.
She stood there, shaking, wondering when time would start again. Wondering when she would die from the pain of losing everything in one fell swoop. A blink later and Kevin was back. It may as well have been an eternity. She grabbed him up and held on.
“You’re back,” she gasped. “Thank God you’re back.”
She finally released him and shook his thin shoulders. His face was streaked with tears and she felt the heartache of losing Conall all over again. Her boy felt it too. They were both robbed of something wonderful. But Kevin was safe and alive. Her house wasn’t a pile of ashes. She had to be grateful for what Conall had done and cherish him in her memories.
“Ah, ye made it back all right, then,” a gruff voice said from behind her. “Bloody wee menace, ye nearly stopped my heart with your antics.”
Kevin shoved her aside and raced into Conall’s outstretched arms, knocking him onto his backside.
“Mind your tongue, sir,” he said through joyful tears. “But how did you get away?”
Mia fell to her knees and wormed her way into the embrace. “Are you really back?” She patted his chest and arms. He felt solid.
He leaned back and beamed at them. “It was the lad’s brave and foolish sacrifice. I suppose Soni couldn’t resis
t him.”
“I was about to do my wild elephant holler, Mum,” he said proudly. “I wouldn’t have stopped until she gave in.”
“You get to stay?” she asked, breathless with hope.
“Aye. All I needed to do was relinquish my right to time alone with the prince.”
She hugged him again and kissed his cheek. “But you really wanted that time.”
He nodded, pulling them both back into his arms. He patted Kevin on the back and kissed Mia fervently.
“Aye, that I did. But I wanted ye more. Both of ye.”
Everyone around them started moving again and it was as if the minutes of frozen time had never happened. Her foul ex-husband got stuffed in the back of the constable’s car and driven away. The firefighters cleaned up what they could and also left. Through it all they clung to each other, not willing to let go.
Evie came over and waved at the still smoking house. “It’ll be crowded and I can’t guarantee baby Marigold won’t wake you up at three in the morning with her crying, but you’re welcome to camp out at ours tonight.”
“Yes, camping!” Kevin said, pumping his fist. “I’ve never been camping.”
“Come along and help me set up, then,” Evie said, smiling at them as she led Kevin away.
“We’ve got so much to do,” Conall said, a tinge of anxiety in his voice. “If the lad’s never been camping, I should take him out to those daft historical reenactor’s place in the woods. Show him how a man lived in my time. And he’ll need a lot more lessons on the back of a horse, that’s for certain. Do ye think he’s still too young to learn knife throwing?”
She felt her eyes getting wider at every new thing he mentioned. For a split second she felt a bit jealous of her six-year-old son.
“He’s most definitely too young for anything to do with knives,” she said.
He pulled her closer with a grin on his face. “And we’ll have to go to that fine restaurant in the village, just you and me. And the cinema. Maybe the films will be better if they’re on a bigger screen. And the kirk. Of course the kirk, that’s a given. We should do that with all haste.”
Alexander: A Highlander Romance (The Ghosts of Culloden Moor Book 36) Page 9