Irish Magic

by Caitlin Ricci

  “Sh. I’ll remove my hand. But don’t scream. Please don’t scream. They won’t like it much if you do,” he whispered.

  Hannah glared at him, wondering again what part he had in all of this even as she registered the notes of fear in his voice. But she nodded, hoping he’d believe her. She wouldn’t yell, not yet at least. Not while Ippy was locked in a cage.

  “Why is a selkie helping them capture a werewolf?” she asked him as soon as he pulled his hand away. It was the first thing that came to mind and, though not the most important one like how the hell they could get out, it was a good start as far as she was concerned.

  Ippy moved onto his knees and held onto the bars of the cage as he watched them. Hannah wiggled her fingers, waving at him and letting him know that she was okay. Or, as much as she could be, she supposed. She wouldn’t be all better until they were back home in Pine Hollow.

  The selkie moved away, bringing his arms around himself as he sat down on the floor between her and Ippy. “How do you…” He licked his lips. “How do you know what I am? Are you one of them? Are you going to hurt me?”

  She narrowed her gaze at him. “One of who? And how the hell would I hurt you when I’m the one tied up and you helped cage up my best friend?”

  The selkie’s dark gaze moved to the closed door. “One of them. The hunters.” He whispered the word as if it was a curse, but it only made her roll her eyes.

  “Seriously? This crap again?” She sighed and looked up at the ceiling with its peeling paint. She’d heard that word for years now as the other members of the pack whispered it behind her back. Her dads told her it was only an old superstition, something the adults told the kids back in Europe where Daddy Liam was from when they wanted the kids not to go outside at night. “They aren’t real,” Hannah told him when the selkie hadn’t said anything more.

  He shook his head and brought his knees to his chest. “Yes they are. I know so.”

  Fine. She’d play along. “Really? How’s that work?” she snapped at him.

  “P is one,” the selkie said, his voice taking on a nervous hush.

  “P?” she asked, her brows lifting. Did he really just say that someone named P was a hunter?

  He nodded. “The man that spoke to you in the diner. He’s one. D isn’t, but P is. He’s the one that took me when I was…” He bit his bottom lip and lifted his hand a few feet off the ground. After appearing to consider the level, he lifted his hand again. “This tall.”

  Her expression softened. “You were just a child. But no, I’m not a hunter. I don’t even believe in them.” Her gaze went to Ippy, who had moved away from the bars and into the center of the cage. He’d gone silent, too, which was never a good sign when she could see that he was stressed. “Look, my friend doesn’t do well in confined spaces, and right now he’s suffering. He’s special. Let him out and I’ll be good.”

  The selkie looked at Ippy and frowned. “What’s wrong with him?”

  She bristled and her mouth pinched into a tight line. “Nothing. He’s autistic. And he doesn’t speak.”

  The selkie looked confused, but got up to move toward Ippy. She twisted her wrists in the ropes, hoping there was a way to get out of them, but they were still much too tight. “I can’t let him out. He might get away, and P wouldn’t like that at all.”

  She sighed and glared at his back. “Ippy won’t run. Not without me. And I’m tied up so let him out.”

  “But—”

  “Do it or I’ll start screaming,” she threatened him. She didn’t know what would happen then, but from his expression as he turned back to her she could tell it likely wouldn’t be good—for her or for him, she didn’t know, and really she didn’t much care either. Keeping Ippy safe was her priority, and she’d already screwed that up pretty well, so at the very least she could get him out of the cage. Or at least do her best.

  For a minute she thought maybe the selkie wouldn’t do like she said, but then he unlatched the cage.

  “Move out of the way,” Hannah called to him as she pulled herself up a bit. She was able to get to where she was sitting, sort of. Her torso was still twisted since her hands were bound to the headboard, but at least she was no longer lying down on a strange bed.

  “Why?” the selkie asked her, not moving from his seated spot in front of the cage.

  She wished she could growl at him like the wolves did. “Because he doesn’t let anyone touch him. So move.” Yeah, she was snapping at him, but really, why couldn’t this guy just take her word for some of this stuff? Ippy wasn’t going anywhere, not as long as she was tied up and since she couldn’t figure out how to get that to stop, they were stuck there for a minute.

  After a few moments the selkie pushed himself away from the front of the cage and Ippy took that opportunity to scramble out of it. She thought for a moment that he might have made a run for it, but then he turned toward her and moved onto the bed behind her, hiding himself, but not touching her. She could, however, feel his warm breath on the small of her back and she was happy to have him so close again.

  “We’re going to be okay, Ippy,” she told him while keeping her gaze on the selkie. When he stood up, getting to his full height and looming over her, she unflinchingly stared up at him. “What’s your name?” Hannah asked him.

  “Caelum.”

  Pretty name, and he wasn’t all that bad looking either. For an assistant kidnapper. “Well, Caelum, you’ve helped kidnap the most important child in a pack of werewolves. And her best friend. You think whatever P is going to do is bad? You don’t know anything. My dads will tear this place apart looking for me. And they’re never going to stop. You ever see a pack of angry wolves on TV? That’s not even the start of it.” Good, he looked scared, and in her anger she found strength. She might have been the one tied up, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to make him feel bad for helping to take them.

  He swallowed thickly and moved away from her.

  She wasn’t done yet, though. Now that Ippy was with her and no longer in some stupid cage, she felt much better about lashing out at him and saying everything she’d been thinking about. “I can’t believe I wanted to come over here and rescue you. How crazy is that?”

  Caelum looked surprised. He moved forward, but then stepped back, appearing uncertain. “Rescue me? Why? You don’t even know me. We’ve never met.”

  Hannah nodded. “Yeah. We haven’t. But when I was nine I saw you on a train platform and I knew what you were. I saw how hurt your fur was back then and its even worse now. I’ve spent the last six years trying to find your ungrateful butt. Only to be kidnapped by you!” She was seething now and really wishing he was close enough that she could kick out at him.

  Being mean.

  “He was mean first,” she told Ippy stubbornly.

  “Huh?”

  Hannah rolled her eyes and blew out an irritated breath. “Ippy talks telepathically to me. You wouldn’t understand, kidnapper.”

  “Caelum,” he softly told her as he took a seat not more than three feet from them. He was quiet for a few long minutes and she glared at him until he said, “You can see my fur?”

  She nodded. “It’s tattered and frayed. Last time it was only around your legs. Now I can’t even see it below your ribs, and even that looks like scraps. Why’s that?”

  He pulled his knees to his chest and started rocking. He wasn’t looking at her, but that was fine. Whatever, as long as he didn’t put Ippy back into the cage, he could do whatever he wanted to. “What do you know about selkies?”

  She shrugged. “Not much.”

  You thought he was a dragon once, too. And before that a unicorn. And a chimera.

  Hannah turned to look over her shoulder at Ippy. His eyes were closed and he was curled up as tightly as he could get, but she could tell he wasn’t sleeping because of his breathing. “Yeah. But at least I picked the right one. Eventually.”

  When she turned back she found C
aelum watching them.

  “What’s a pack like?”

  “A massive family,” she replied instantly. “Where are we? I know the town, but what is this room?”

  Caelum looked and she looked with him. It was small, maybe only half the size of her room at home, and she could see a bathroom through an open door against the wall. There was only one window, the one directly behind her head, and aside from the bed and the cage, there wasn’t much in the room at all. “Mine,” Caelum quietly replied as he turned his attention to his hands in front of him.

  Hannah’s expression tightened. “Were you kidnapped by them, too?”

  Caelum shrugged and lowered his head, appearing to pull further into himself.

  Ippy sat up beside her and she flicked her gaze to him before turning back to the guy on the floor in front of them. Talk to him for me. She nodded, whatever message he wanted to say, she’d do it for him. They did this often enough back home. Don’t have to keep us here. Could come with us. Hannah will get us out.

  Hannah only wished she was as confident in her ability to rescue them as Ippy seemed to be. But she promised him that she’d pass along the message and so she did, with a few minor changes. “Ippy says that you don’t have to stay here and you don’t have to keep us here with you. You could come with us. I need your help though.”

  Caelum shook his head.

  “Why not?” Hannah snapped at him, wondering what could possibly be so great that would keep him here.

  Caelum didn’t look up at as he said, “P promised to find my family. I can’t go until I know about them.”

  Hannah wanted to growl at him, but she was human and knew her growl was pretty pathetic overall. “You’ve been with him a long time right? At least six years, and probably a lot longer?”

  He slowly nodded and brought his gaze up to meet hers. Good, now she had his attention.

  “And he hasn’t found them yet. Maybe our family could do better,” Hannah softly offered him, hoping to convince him.

  “Or maybe not. Maybe P is my best chance of finding them again,” Caelum countered.

  Hannah’s mouth flattened as she got irritated with him. “I found you didn’t I? I got a message on a forum and found you. Can’t be that much harder to find your family. Come with us.”

  “I didn’t put a message.”

  Who did it didn’t really matter to her. “So, one of them did it. Do you really want to stay here?”

  “I have to.”

  Stop. He’s sad.

  She sighed and turned away from Caelum. At least Ippy wasn’t a kidnapping lunatic. “Alright. How are we going to get out of this?” she asked him.

  You don’t know?

  Hannah wished she did, but no, she didn’t have a plan. “Not while I’m tied up.”

  Caelum got up, but she ignored him. He wasn’t a threat to her anymore now that she knew his story. But then he sat down next to Ippy, scaring her best friend into moving behind her again and hiding.

  “Hey, careful. Don’t touch him. Don’t even get close enough to do it,” she snapped at him, moving so that her tied up ankles were no longer under her and being painful.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled, not looking at Ippy.

  Not okay. Don’t touch. I don’t like it.

  Hannah smiled. Ippy was in good spirits, at least, if he was able to sound grumpy inside her mind. “Hey, Caelum, think you could untie me?”

  He shook his head. “Can’t. P would be mad.”

  “Then how about just my feet? I’m in pain. P couldn’t have wanted that. Right?” She tried again.

  After a moment’s hesitation he did, freeing her legs. Too bad she no longer wanted to kick him. “Thanks.” He nodded and she turned back to Ippy. “Hey, you don’t have to of course, but would you mind holding my hand?”

  He went stiff. Why?

  She gave him a weak smile and wiggled her fingers in his direction. “Because it makes me feel better and I’m worried. Please?”

  It took him several long minutes to make a decision, but finally he did, placing the pads of his fingertips against her palm. This okay?

  Hannah nodded and moved her legs under herself, getting comfortable. “Yep. Thanks.” She wished that she could curl her fingers around his, but they were stiff and his were too far down for her to be able to reach them. It sucked, but she’d have to make do for the moment.

  “I asked you what you knew about selkies,” Caelum said again.

  Hannah remembered. “Yep. And I don’t know a whole lot.”

  Caelum lay down on the bed, looking like he was trying to get comfortable, and Hannah had the completely out of place thought that she’d never been in bed with a strange guy before. It was weird to think that, given their present situation, but it made her grin and she wished she could share the thought with Ippy because maybe he would laugh and that would be better than this awful mess she got them in. “Hey, Ippy, I’m sorry for bringing you with me. You should be in school right now. You should be safe. And because of me we’re now kidnapped and it’s all my fault and I’m sorry,” she softly told him.

  Yes.

  She had to laugh at that. Of course he wouldn’t try to make her feel better or act like it wasn’t all her fault they were even out here and that his parent’s car was wrecked. That was one of the amazing things about him. There were no lies with him, which made being around him completely safe. “Love you.”

  Caelum looked up at that. “You two are…together?”

  Her brows lifted. “Um. What now?”

  “Like on the TV? Dating?” Caelum continued.

  Hannah blushed deeply. “No. Not at all. He’s my best friend.”

  “Oh.” Caelum turned onto his back, his long legs hanging over the side of the bed as he looked up at the ceiling. “So do you want to know about selkies?”

  “Are you going to let us go?”

  He shook his head.

  “Then I suppose I want to know about selkies,” she replied bitterly as she settled against the back of the headboard behind her. It wasn’t comfortable in the least, but it was something to support her.

  Before he could even begin to explain, though, the door opened and Hannah found herself looking at a very angry old man.

  Chapter Five

  Hannah braced herself, for what she didn’t know, but when his strike did come it wasn’t at her or even Ippy. Instead it was Caelum who was flung to the floor with a heavy hand to his cheek. She watched, her mouth hanging open, as Caelum struggled to get back to his feet. The man was yelling at him, but she couldn’t hear any of it through her shock. She’d seen people get beat up on TV and in movies. But she’d never seen something like this and as the man moved forward to kick Caelum in the ribs before he could stand she had to turn away.

  He grabbed Ippy by the shirt and she yelled at him as Ippy’s screams filled the small room. Hannah’s screams were quickly silenced as a rag was shoved roughly into her mouth and from then she could only watch in silent horror as Ippy was shoved back into the cage and locked tightly into it. She’d thought they might leave Caelum alone after beating him, but he was tied up next, his hands bound beside hers on the bed as he was made to sit next to it. Ippy was shaking and Hannah wished she could do something to help him as a helpless feeling settled into the pit of her stomach. She hated that.

  As soon as the men left the little room she spit out the rag. “You okay?” she quietly asked Caelum.

  I’m not, Ippy told her from across the room. She nodded to him, knowing he wasn’t. But he hadn’t had his ribs kicked in, either, and his cheek wasn’t cut. Caelum shrugged and lowered his head. She could only see the back of his head and wished she could see his face. She’d barely caught a glimpse of his cheek before he’d been tied up.

  “This sucks,” she grumbled as she sighed and lay back against the pillows behind her.

  Plan?

  She bit her bottom lip. “Wish I had one, Ippy. Well, Ca
elum. You wanted to tell us about selkies. Let’s hear it. Why’d they get you?”

  He refused to answer her for several long minutes and she was starting to lose interest. This was supposed to be so easy. She’d thought it would be, at least. Go get her selkie and come back home. She’d show the adults that she could do this and that they didn’t have to worry about her and, more than that, that they should have listened to her. But instead she’d managed to get herself and Ippy kidnapped, and the selkie didn’t even want to be saved. It was totally screwed up, and it was all her fault. As tears started leaking from her eyes she wished she could wipe them away, but with her hands bound she couldn’t even do that as she silently cried on the bed.

  Ippy slowly sat up and began rocking himself in the cage. Don’t cry.

  She choked on a sob. “Wish I could…could stop.”

  Caelum leaned his head back toward her. “Try to not think about crying. If you think about it, you’ll cry more. That’s what my mom used to say.”

  She tried, but it really didn’t help. Still, she was glad he’d tried to help her. Even if he was a nasty assistant kidnapper.

  “I’m from Ireland,” Caelum softly said to them both. “I had a mom and a dad and cousins and a whole family.”

  “I bet they miss you,” Hannah said, her tears mostly subsiding.

  He shrugged. “We lived in the ocean. I loved it. Loved playing in the cold salt water, basking on the rocks. I was only three when they found me. My cousin was supposed to be watching me while my parents were out hunting for dinner. I was sitting on the shore.” His shoulders shook and she moved her hands closer to his, just barely being able to touch them in an attempt to comfort him in what little way she could. He moved his fingers towards hers as well and for a moment they were nearly holding hands until he pulled away.

  “What happened then?” she asked him, wishing he hadn’t moved his hands.

  Caelum lowered his head. “I don’t remember much. A net, a trunk.”

  “You were really young.” Hannah couldn’t imagine what that must have been like for him. She would have been pretty scared. Probably a lot more than she was right now. At least she had her best friend with her. Even if he was in some stupid cage.