Bridger

by Megan Curd

  “Not when Chris believes you are a Changeling and you kidnapped his real sister,” Liam said. “Remember my reaction to you?”

  I flinched, remembering the hate in Liam’s face that day. My hand instinctively reached up and rubbed the spot where Liam’s blade had dug into my shoulder. Liam saw the involuntary movement, and the corners of his mouth turned down. I knew he felt awful. Him hurting me had physically hurt him. He had a matching gouge in his shoulder as well. Eight stitches apiece. Any injury I incurred would in turn injure him as well, no matter what. He would bear my scars as a reminder of how he had failed to do his job properly. After finding that out, staying out of trouble as much as possible became a high priority. “Why would Chris believe that?”

  “Because that’s what Ankou told him and Jamie is backing him up, telling Chris she had been protecting him since she met you, that you were the danger all along,” Memaw said. “We didn’t tell Chris anything about us for the same reason we never told Liam. Ankou used that to his advantage, filling Chris in on things a bit differently than they actually happened.”

  Indignant, I punched the back of the seat Memaw where Memaw was seated. My knuckles cracked against the wood. It hurt, but it felt oddly satisfying to be doing something. Liam began to rub his knuckles on the other side of the kitchen. That was going to get old fast. There wasn’t even a way to vent frustration without hurting him. So much for being a Protector. “You said not to tell anyone! I didn’t even know what Mom knew until today. How am I supposed to keep a good façade going if I don’t even know who we’re trying to fool and who’s allowed to be in the loop? And how is Liam supposed to be my protector when all I do is hurt him? This is insane!” I was seeing red. I knew my eye color would match my frustration.

  Liam put his hand on my shoulder. “Ash, it’s okay. Emily, do you mind letting her process? Letting me process? Please?”

  Memaw puckered her lips in distaste. “I suppose it might help. We’ll talk in a few hours. If you leave the house, please be careful. This realm isn’t safe for you, Ashlyn. The only safe haven you have is Adaire.”

  I nodded. I turned and looked at Mom, who was still against the countertops. Her eyes were red, but she was done crying. She seemed to have accepted what was going on, although in a normal, mundane world, this would have sent us all to the psych ward post-haste. Gazing her way, there was no need to ask for what I wanted. She tossed the keys in the air and I caught them. “Don’t wreck the car, please.”

  Grabbing Liam’s hand, I practically dragged him to the garage. “Let’s go.”

  * * *

  We drove around Fairborn for what felt like forever. The town isn’t big, so we drove down Main Street and Broadway Avenue at least a dozen times apiece. I knew this place like the back of my hand. It was comforting to drive around, even in the middle of the catastrophe we found ourselves in.

  Liam looked at me out of the corner of his eye while we sat at the red light at Hebble and Broadway. This was the thirteenth time we’d been to this light. The ride had been fairly quiet. “You’re only human, Ash. It’s okay to be scared.”

  “That’s the thing, Liam. I’m not human. You are, but I’m not.”

  “Then what are you?”

  I punched the side of the steering wheel, trying to avoid the horn. It didn’t work. The little old lady in front of me turned and flipped us the bird. Nice. “I dunno, Liam, some kind of mutant? I’ve got a kidnapping faerie locked away in my body somewhere and freaky crap in my DNA from Memaw. I can shift into other people and change physical features at will. Does that sound remotely human to you?”

  He shrugged offhandedly, trying to make light of the situation. “Well, it’s different.”

  I laughed bitterly. “Yeah, different. Only a little.”

  He looked longingly at the Wendy’s to the right of us. “Ash, I know it’s not a great time, but Wendy’s is amazing. Can we please…” He trailed off hopefully.

  “Sure.”

  I pulled through the drive through and Liam ordered what seemed like one of everything on the menu. Dumping it onto his lap, he looked at me. “Can we go somewhere to talk and eat? Outside of the car?”

  I nodded. “There’s a good place not far from here.”

  We drove to a Baptist Church that sat on a hill nearby. I always loved sitting on the hill with friends when we were younger. We’d sit there and talk about life while looking at the stars. Even though I’d never attended a service at that church, the place felt safe, sacred. That was exactly what we needed at the moment.

  We sprawled out on the green grass that was wet from the light rain earlier in the day. We looked down on the town, watching the cars pass. The moment felt like it should belong to someone else. It was too normal, too boring. I loved it.

  Liam was obliterating the food. “You Americans have a wonderful ability to make everything deep-fried. It’s like an art form.”

  I snorted. “Yeah, have you seen ‘Super-Size Me’? Because that’s what happens to us.”

  He laughed and poked my side. “You look alright.”

  I shook my head and returned to watching the cars. Liam laid back in the grass, putting his hands behind his head. “You know, I’m glad we met.”

  “You’re glad you’re in constant mortal peril? I knew you weren’t all there. Tess must have dropped you on your head as a baby.”

  He smiled and closed his eyes. “No, I’m glad I have you in my life. It’s great to finally know what’s going on. It’s even more amazing to know you love me.”

  Love? Did he just spout off the ‘L’ word? Really? I said nothing. I didn’t know what to say.

  Liam sat up. “Or not?”

  I looked at him seriously. He didn’t look anything like what I had imagined an Irishman to look like. His deep blue eyes always caught me off guard. They didn’t belong with black hair. I had never seen the combination before him. He was incredible. Mysterious. I would probably never figure out why this quiet young man was interested in me. Maybe it was better that way. “Do you love me, Liam?”

  His eyes burned. “If I didn’t, do you think I would be sitting here right now?”

  “You haven’t said it.”

  He looked away, smiling. “You’re really going to make me say it first?”

  “Oh yeah.”

  “Then yes, Ashlyn. I do love you.”

  He pulled us closer together and gently lifted my head with his fingertips. Where he touched, it felt like electric sparks were connecting with my skin. He leaned in close and whispered it again. “I love you. I will protect you every day of forever.” His face burst into a huge smile – my smile – and he continued. “I’ll even one up that kiss of Reese’s he mentioned if you’ll let me.”

  I looked in his eyes. Opening my mouth to speak, it was suddenly very busy. His arms pulled me down onto the grass with him, wrapping me in a strong embrace. My fingers ran down his back, and I felt him sigh under my touch. His full lips melded into mine. There was no way to think of anything else but him. He was everything in that moment. He was right, this was as amazing as I could imagine.

  Pulling away from the kiss, his eyes were triumphant. “Was that okay?”

  “Definitely better than okay.”

  He pulled me closer to him, and I curled into the crook of his arm. My head rested against his chest, where I could feel his heart beat. He sighed. “I love you, Ashlyn. You’re more than I could have ever hoped for. I hope you’ll let me prove to you that I’ll never leave again.”

  I pushed off of his chest, leaning over him and smiling. “You could start by kissing me again.”

  He grinned as he ran his fingers across my cheek and down my neck. I leaned down into him to kiss him once more. This was Oscar-worthy. This was worth the wait. I knew this little hill and church were special.

  TWENTY-FIVE

  We got home a little while later. I was having trouble managing the freight train that had replaced my heart. It had to sound like it was going to explod
e from my chest. Liam looked exceptionally content in the passenger seat. Our hands were intertwined, his thumb lightly tracing patterns on my wrist. Before we walked into the house, Liam gave me another gentle kiss to my forehead, then one on my lips. So much for calming down. Even the simplest kiss from him sent shivers of excitement through my body.

  Memaw greeted us, grinning broadly. “Have a good time, kids?”

  Liam grinned so wide I wondered if we’d ever see his eyes again. “Yes ma’am, we did. I saw all of Fairborn. More than once.”

  Memaw laughed, then looked at me devilishly. “Did you see anything else?”

  I blushed the deepest shade of red imaginable. “No, he didn’t, Memaw! Jeeze!”

  Mom came in and was laughing as well. I shook my head, forcing myself to breathe evenly.

  Memaw noticed. “You’re doing well to control your shifts.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Your eyes are still as purple as they were when you first walked in. You’re controlling your emotions sub-consciously with much more ease.”

  Well, that was a surprise. “I feel like I’m going to explode.”

  “You may feel that way, but you’re controlling the impulse to shift because you’re not changing with your mood. That’s a good sign. You might be ready to learn more,” Memaw said, speculating over things she hadn’t voiced yet. She kept her eyes on Liam, seeming to think he might attack.

  He all but did.

  Liam pulled me behind him, shielding me from Memaw. He took a step toward her and began to yell. “You have got to be kidding! What is she, your granddaughter or your guinea pig?”

  Liam must have reacted exactly as she had assumed he would. She had her glorious, immortal, twenty-year-old hand on his chest faster than anyone could see it happen. From the tone of her voice, her eyes must have been black slits. Liam cringed away and leaned backward into me. I pushed him back toward Memaw. He started it, so he could finish it. Memaw put her hand on Liam’s shoulder. “Liam, she was meant for this. You’re her protector, but she needs to do what she was meant to do, too.”

  The turn of the conversation was compelling. “What are you talking about?”

  Memaw turned and walked away, the bloody hem of her skirt fanning out from the quick twirl. Although it was proof of her deadly abilities as an assassin, it was also reassuring to know that no one could ever match her in a fight. She was an unstoppable force and had been for centuries. I wondered what the other Glaistig were like; if any of them compared to her in beauty or lethal capabilities. If they did, I wasn’t sure why Ankou was still breathing, curse or not.

  I ducked under Liam’s arm bar and put my hand on Memaw, turning her around. Memaw eyed both of us as she spoke. “How opposed to having after school classes are you, Ashlyn? Liam, how would you feel about moving in here?”

  Liam’s eyes remained hard, although he made a joke. “That would be nice. Living with Reese hasn’t exactly been a stroll in the park.”

  I looked at Mom, waiting for her reaction to this proposal. She looked at me, resignation in her eyes. “Ashlyn, do what you need to do.”

  “I guess we have work to do, then,” Memaw said as she rubbed her hands together. The excited glint in her eye wasn’t particularly reassuring. Memaw was at her most dangerous when planning something.

  * * *

  Liam had gone to Reese’s house to pick up his belongings. Returning to the house, he found me flat on my back in the wooded area of our backyard, sweating from exertion. Memaw was towering over me, yelling like one of those second-rate personal trainers.

  “Ashlyn, you can do this! Get your weapon and fight!” She yelled as she walked away. She flipped the five-foot spear back toward me without even looking in my direction. I rolled to the right just in time to hear the head of the spear stick into the ground, right where my chest had just been seconds before.

  Liam rushed forward, indignant. “Emily, don’t you think you need to teach her what she’s supposed to be doing before you expect her to fight like you? Chucking lethal weapons at her while she’s on the ground isn’t going to do anything except give us both holes in our chests. Personally, I wouldn’t really care for that.”

  Memaw spun on a dime, in Liam’s face for the second time today. “Liam, sit down on that fallen tree over there and be a cheerleader. This doesn’t concern you in the slightest. You know I won’t harm my granddaughter, so leave us.” She walked away, dismissing him like a child. Memaw in warrior mode was a terror.

  I stood up, watching her turn back towards us. “Watch my hands.” She went into an intricate spinning cycle with her spear, rolling it between her fingers, over her hands and finally behind her back before jamming it into the ground. The mud squelched as it sucked the spear into its grip. “Did you see it all?”

  Surprisingly, I had. When completely focused, I had been able to see every twirl, every slight movement her fingers had made. It was as though the spear had been moving in slow motion. “Yeah, actually, I did.”

  “Good. Now take your spear and do it.”

  I pulled the spear out of the ground. Turning the weapon, it felt heavy and awkward in my hands. As I tried to spin it, my hand grazed the edge and was sliced open. “Shoot!” I exclaimed, dropping the spear to watch the subtle cut begin to bleed.

  “Can you please keep her in one piece? I’d like to have the least amount of scars possible, thanks,” Liam called, keeping the palm of his left hand closed tight. There was blood dripping from his fist. My cut had become his cut. This was crazy.

  “I’m so sorry, Liam!” I called, cutting the bottom of my ratty old t-shirt off with the blade of the spear. I wrapped my hand tightly in the makeshift bandage, tying it off in a knot. Liam had come prepared; he had brought bandages with him and was nursing his own wound. My wound. It was kind of messed up he was keeping a med kit ready for when I would cause him to sustain another injury. Wasn’t there any way around that?

  Memaw pulled my chin up so that our faces were inches apart. Gently, she pushed the hair that was stuck to the sides of my face behind my ears. “You can do this. Take the spear.” She handed hers to me and nodded, stepping away. “Focus on my hands, on what you saw.”

  I remembered perfectly what her magnificent hands had done. I felt my hands mimicking the motions, pretending to do what she had done. Except, when I looked down at them, they were doing what she had done.

  “For the love of all that’s holy…” Liam started. I glanced over at him, continuing Memaw’s routine without breaking my concentration. Liam walked up to stand by Memaw. They both watched in amazement at my sudden ability to weave the weapon in and out of visibility like a master seamstress, stitching the most beautiful dress.

  The spear was an extension of my body, not a foreign object. I knew it intimately. Eyes closed, I let my instincts take over, feel the spear for me. I wound the iron over and under my arms, behind the back, even throwing in a half cartwheel. I was dancing with this lethal appendage, making it look effortless.

  I came to a stop with a subtler ending, choosing to pull up short and hold it out in front with both hands, Jackie Chan style. Reese would be proud. Memaw was grinning from ear to ear, her eyes a rich gold color. Liam was opening and closing his mouth like a fish, eyes as wide as half-dollars.

  Relaxing, I held the spear at my side, completely astounded at what had just happened. Memaw bounded forward, embracing me in her arms. “I’m so proud of you, Ashlyn. You need to learn everything, then we need to go see the Glaistig for our next instructions.”

  I was still in shock at the sudden display of dexterity. “How did that happen? Did I seriously just do that?”

  Liam continued to mouth inaudible words. Finally finding his voice again, he half-heartedly attempted a joke. Maybe he was a little worried. “You both could kill me in my sleep. Can my mum do that, too?”

  Memaw laughed at us, choosing to answer Liam first, but also answering my question in the process. “No she can’t, Liam. Tess
has to practice and learn everything many, many years before she becomes a master. She’s truly human in that sense. Ashlyn, however, is more Glaistig than I imagined. Only Glaistigs are able to recall and retain what they have seen as though they have been learning the trade for eons.”

  As Memaw explained this, what had happened to that poor EMT when dad died began to make more sense. “That medic with Dad…”

  Memaw smiled and nodded. “You saw something and were focused on it. Then later on, you could mimic it perfectly. The Glaistigs will love this. I would be surprised if they don’t grant you immortality after seeing what you’re capable of.”

  I looked up at Memaw. “Immortality?”

  Memaw was beaming. “Yes, little one. You’re rare, gifted. One-of-a-kind. They won’t want your gifts to disappear after a single lifetime. You don’t even know half of what you’re capable of yet. You could be the most amazing faerie we’ve ever encountered.”

  I looked at Liam, who was determinedly not looking at us. I knew he must be looking at this from the perspective he would inevitably die, which was a cruel joke in light that everyone around him would live forever.

  “Is there any way that if I take immortality, Liam won’t die? Any way at all that he doesn’t have to be my Protector?”

  Liam’s head snapped up, eyes shining. “That doesn’t matter to me, Ashlyn. I swore to protect you. I knew the dangers involved before committing.” He shoved his now cut hand in his jeans as if to hide the evidence I bore on my own hand. I looked at my palm, knowing what was happening to him by his sworn allegiance to me.

  Memaw nodded at me, looking at Liam out of the corner of her eye. “We can discuss this later, Ashlyn.”

  Liam looked into my eyes fiercely. “Ashlyn, I want to protect you. It’s an honor to be your Protector. Don’t try to take my job away.”

  Looking intently into his eyes, I knew in that instant I would take his job away in the attempt to not take his life if the opportunity arose.