Caelihn

by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson

  Devlin gave me a wicked grin. “Oh, it doesn’t bother me at all.”

  I patted Devlin on the arm and stepped forward as Meghan continued down the hallway.

  “You know,” I said under my breath as I caught up to her, “that room would be perfect for a little girl.”

  Meghan turned to glance at me, her eyes narrowed. “Are you going to pester me the entire time you and Devlin are here?”

  I beamed. She may be more immune to my suggestive comments now that she was a little older and wiser, but despite her daring exploits in the Otherworld, she was still Meghan beneath it all.

  “I’ll stop if you show me what’s in your private study,” I whispered as she came to a halt in front of another door.

  This time, her eyes flashed with annoyance. Before she could answer, Devlin caught up to us, making some remark on the impressive amount of light pouring in through the end of the hallway and the narrow windows along the edge of the ceiling. Damn. There went my chance of winning the bet.

  All talk of secret rooms and future children between my friend and her husband came to an end as Devlin moved within earshot. I wasn’t about to take the chance of prodding my friend in front of him again. Devlin would most certainly find a way to deter my efforts just as he had before. Instead, I trudged along silently as Meghan showed us two more bedrooms, one that I thought looked very much like a nursery, the other a copy of the first room, before quickly sweeping us back down the opposite side of the hall.

  “This is the master suite,” she said, pushing open the largest door in the hallway and then stepping into the room beyond it.

  My jaw dropped open as I followed her into the space. The four poster bed situated in the center of the room was enormous and draped with rich, cranberry red and gold fabric. On the western wall, a huge fireplace yawned, the wood piled within it unblemished and ready for the evening’s fire. Two large glass doors, flung open to let in the fresh, cool air of early spring, led out onto a terrace that overlooked the garden and valley to the south of the castle.

  “Meghan, this is beautiful!” I breathed, and all thoughts about finding ways to tease my friend or trick her into talking about her study vanished.

  I crossed the room, no longer interested in the vast space, but eager to check out the view from the balcony. Meghan followed me, leaving Devlin to explore on his own. A cool, magic-tinged Otherworldly breeze caressed my face as I stepped through the door, and I breathed it in as if my very life depended on it. Before me, the terrace spread a dozen feet or so, a stone column balustrade in place to keep me from falling off. To my right, the ledge was closed off by that same stone fence, but to my left, a staircase hugged the castle wall, leading down to another small patio. A second staircase led back up along the wall until it met up with a wide stone landing built into the hillside behind Luathara. More steps continued down into the garden as well as farther up the hill, where I could just glimpse the edge of an expansive patio that extended from the back end of the castle.

  “This terrace and the stairs are an addition,” Meghan said behind me, snapping me away from my visual exploration. “In the past few years, when we’ve been lucky enough to spend any time at Luathara, I often found myself rising early and wandering outside to find Birgit, so I could help her gather the fresh herbs and vegetables for that day’s meals. Cade wanted to make it easier for me, so he had the terrace updated, and the stairs leading down into the garden as well.”

  Meghan gave a light laugh that held a little too much sorrow for my liking. “More often than not, I’d wake up and find him down there before sunrise, strolling among the flower beds.”

  I tilted my head, so I could get a better look at my friend’s face. Something was troubling her, but I didn’t know what. And in my usual blunt fashion, I went right ahead and asked her about it.

  “So, what is it that keeps you from Luathara, and makes your husband pace like a caged lion?”

  This time, Meghan didn’t give me a terse look. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes, tilting her head back. For the first time since arriving earlier that day, my friend appeared older beyond her years. Not physically, that was impossible, since she was Faelorehn, but something about her, some way she held herself, smacked of hardship and weariness. And of course, she and Cade had to have been occupied these past few years with one harrowing task after another. If Devlin had been sent to the mortal world to deal with the backlash of the Morrigan’s destruction, what must it have been like here in Eile?

  As if reading my mind, Meghan said, “The Morrigan’s gone, but her glamour is not. Cade and I have been busy helping my mother and the other Tuatha De keep the peace in Eile, and it hasn’t been easy.”

  I opened my mouth to ask her more, then shut it just as quickly and nodded. Devlin and I had come to Luathara to visit with old friends, and to take a break from the real world for a change. We both needed it, after the past several months of dealing with the Daramorr, and I had a feeling that our journey to the Amsihr Mountains, and our time with the Amsihria, would be no walk in the park, either. And Meghan and Cade deserved a break, too.

  “What are you two talking about out here?” Devlin asked from the doorway, breaking into my thoughts.

  We both turned to face him as he joined us outside, but I was the one to answer. “Nothing much,” I said with a half shrug. “Just catching up. Meghan, would you be willing to take us through the garden?”

  Meghan smiled and hooked her elbow around mine. “Absolutely. It’s the best part of Luathara, after all.”

  We spent the rest of the afternoon walking along the pea gravel paths, Meghan pointing out all the vegetables and herbs I knew the names of, as well as some that were indigenous only to the Otherworld. I even spotted some foliage that looked suspiciously like the leaves on the flowers Devlin had given me those many weeks ago.

  Devlin trailed behind us, allowing Meghan and myself the room two old friends needed after not seeing one another in years. We didn’t reminisce all that much, however. I think much of that had to do with the fact that neither Meghan nor I knew where to start. So much had happened to the both of us since we’d last spent any time together, and it was hard to know what to share.

  Another reason for our mutual unwillingness to open up might have been due to the fact that the second I’d stepped onto the stone courtyard of Luathara Castle, Meghan and I fell immediately into the same friendly banter we’d taken part in during high school. It was as if we’d spent only two weeks apart from one another instead of two years. Either way, it felt nice just walking through the garden with my friend, commenting on small, frivolous details instead of delving too deeply into the darker aspects of our past experiences. We could get serious later. Right now, I was content to laugh and smile and simply enjoy myself.

  Eventually, Meghan led us to the far eastern end of the garden where the outer wall of the castle yard pressed into the hillside. The wide stone steps I had seen from the patio above began just ahead of us, and at first, I thought Meghan was going to take us up onto the patio. Instead, she veered right and followed the easternmost wall, the one that kept the hillside from swallowing the garden, until we came upon another archway. Meghan ducked under the arch and passed into a small, shaded gully whose floor had been paved with slabs of stone. After casting one inquisitive glance over my shoulder for Devlin’s sake, I followed after her. The outer wall continued on to our right, but on the left, the rocky edge of the hill rose straight up before angling off to continue upward. Ferns and mosses carpeted the natural wall, and a trickle of water streamed down the rocks, pooling in a fountain in the center of the space. Some of the water also gathered into shallow gutters along the edge of the stone patio and escaped through small holes at the base of the outer wall.

  Meghan invited us to sit on one of the benches at the end of the tiny alcove and I concurred, despite the damp moss covering them. Devlin came to rest next to me, as graceful as a cat on the hunt.

  For several minutes, we s
at there in silence, only the sound of the water seeping from the hillside and trickling into the fountain to keep us company. Finally, I couldn’t take it any longer.

  “Meghan, why-”

  “Shhh!” my friend hissed, raising a hand. “Just wait a few more moments, you’ll see.”

  I rolled my eyes and leaned against Devlin, wondering if it would be rude to take a nap and use him as a pillow. He was warm and oh so comfortable ... I yawned, my jaw cracking. Suddenly, I was very tired.

  “Look,” Meghan whispered, the awe in her soft voice pulling me away from my sleepiness.

  My eyes fluttered open, and I sat up straight. My friend was pointing toward the branches of a tree. Small, green nodules along the smooth bark hinted at flower buds waiting for spring’s warmth to draw them out, but I noticed nothing out of the ordinary; nothing to cause Meghan to sound so euphoric.

  I stared at the spot for a good thirty seconds more before casting my eyes on my friend again. And what exactly am I supposed to be looking for? I wanted to ask.

  Meghan must have read the thoughts on my face because she only smiled and gestured that I continue staring into the tree branches. Sighing, I turned my head again and nearly jumped out of my skin. Something moved atop the lattice of stems. Was it a stick insect? A creepy doll someone had fashioned out of branches? Some Otherworldly, demon thing about to pounce and jab our eyes out? The creature, or whatever it was, was about a foot tall and composed entirely of twigs. Humanoid in shape, it had huge eyes and crept along the branches like a predatory insect seeking out prey. And it was headed straight for us.

  I leaned in closer to Devlin, but he seemed far more transfixed by the oddity than I was.

  “Devlin!” I hissed. “What is that thing?!”

  I tried to be as quiet as possible. Didn’t want to draw its attention. For all I knew, a mouth full of needle sharp teeth hid under those creepy eyes.

  “It’s a twigrin,” Devlin answered, his voice quiet and full of wonderment.

  “A what?!” I breathed back.

  “Twigrin. A benevolent creature of the Weald.”

  He glanced down at me and seemed to finally notice my state of distress. He chuckled softly and gently removed himself from my death grip.

  “It won’t hurt us. They are completely harmless.”

  I was ready to believe him, honestly I was, but then the thing, the twigrin, paused and started making clicking noises that sent chills up my spine. I barely suppressed a scream and reattached myself to Devlin. Yes, I was being totally girly and pathetic, but I didn’t trust this twigrin beastie. And, it sounded angry.

  The branches above us brushed together, and I glanced up once more. Big mistake. More of the spindly creatures were crawling down from the heights like a horde of giant spiders. Most of them were smaller than the first one, but they still creeped the hell out of me.

  A sudden, cheerful laugh from Meghan distracted me from my cautious observation.

  “Oh my goodness!” she crooned. “There are more of you than the last time I visited!”

  She pulled out a fabric pouch from one of the pockets in her skirts and opened it up. Small pebbles ranging in color from white to dark brown, occupied the bag. I pulled away from Devlin just enough to give them a curious look.

  “Are those chocolate chips?” I asked, my tone incredulous.

  Meghan nodded, her face bright with a smile. “The twigrins love them. I bring some every time I visit, though now I think I might need to start bringing more.”

  She took a handful of the chocolate chips and held them out. The largest twigrin chattered enthusiastically and began climbing closer to where Meghan sat.

  I couldn’t believe it. She was feeding them treats! Perhaps they weren’t dangerous after all. Slowly, my initial fear drained away, and I started to relax a little. They still made me nervous, but logic was clearly on their side. Any creature that loved chocolate as much as I did couldn’t be all that bad.

  I pulled away from Devlin and scooted to the edge of the bench, so I could get a better look. Alright, I had to admit, the twigrins were cuter up close than they were far away. The first one to arrive, the biggest one, was made up of a dark, reddish brown wood, its arms and legs covered in small bumps. The dozen or so others, who had come out after hearing this one make those strange clicking sounds, varied more in size. Some were no taller than my pinkie, while others were nearly as big as the first one. Up close, I could see the twigrins were composed of a large central branch with long arms and legs segmented like a human’s. Some had pale, papery bark with black stripes like an aspen or birch, while others were dark and smooth like a cherry tree.

  For several minutes, I watched them gather around in the branches above Meghan. When she realized they weren’t going to move any closer, she stood up and climbed onto the bench, holding her hand even higher.

  “They’re shy,” she said as loudly as she dared in my and Devlin’s direction. “I can usually coax them down farther, but maybe they’re not so confident with you two here.”

  As soon as her hand was within reach of the twigrins, the large one stretched out a long, whip-thin arm. Several tiny fingers spread out from the tip and wrapped around a piece of chocolate that hadn’t melted in Meghan’s hand.

  The creature didn’t eat it immediately. Instead, he handed it back to the others, then reached for more. For the next several minutes, the twigrin plucked chocolate from Meghan’s hand and passed it on to its brethren. The smallest ones in the group had started eating, crouching down on a branch above, their woody knees akimbo like marionettes. They held the chocolate pieces in their tiny fingers and nibbled away at them like a squirrel eating an acorn. I narrowed my eyes, but I couldn’t quite see their teeth. A happy chirruping started up and traveled around the group. The two smallest ones finished their chocolate and then turned their huge, watery eyes on me. My heart melted. How could I have been afraid of these things? They were so cute.

  “Why do they look so sad?” I asked, unable to hide the concern in my voice.

  Meghan shrugged and stepped down from the bench. She pulled out a dishrag from the same pocket where the chocolate had come from and got it damp in the fountain.

  “That’s just how they look,” she answered, rubbing the chocolate stains from her hand. “You can tell how they feel by the sounds they make. Chattering is good, low humming is bad. It means something is distressing them. They also sing sometimes. They whistle like song birds.”

  I looked up at Devlin, and I’m sure my eyes were huge.

  He chortled and said, “Oh dear, I do believe Robyn has fallen in love.”

  Meghan laughed as well. “Yet, she was so terrified of them at first.”

  Devlin adopted a knowing grin and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me close. “She had the same reaction when she first met me. I think it’s a common character trait of hers.”

  I glared at him. “Ha ha, very funny.”

  Before my friend could add her own sarcastic comment, a masculine voice called out from the archway. “Ah, there you are! Birgit said you had been touring the garden. I should have known Meghan would want to show off the twigrins as soon as she got a chance.”

  Meghan’s face split in a huge smile, and she turned toward the source of the new arrival. I didn’t have to turn around to know who had discovered us. All I had to do was watch Meghan’s face. The color of her eyes shifted rapidly, and her skin took on an unnatural glow. Her glamour getting itself all worked up. I turned in Devlin’s arms, and my suspicions were proven true. Cade stood just inside the archway leading out into the main garden, his arms and ankles casually crossed as he leaned one massive shoulder against the stone entranceway. He looked very much the same as I remembered him: a tall, handsome Faelorehn man with dark chestnut red hair and green eyes. Well, they had been green a moment ago, now they were flickering to brown, no, grey.

  “Cade!” Meghan said, placing her hands on her hips. “You said you wouldn’t be back until
dark.”

  He let out a breath and shook his head. “Turns out our quarry had some sense after all. The faelah had dispersed by the time I arrived in Kellston.”

  Meghan’s smile disappeared, and her eyes took on a flinty color. “They’ll be back,” she grumbled.

  Cade only nodded as Devlin and I looked on in quiet interest.

  Meghan cleared her throat. “You know Devlin, of course, but do you remember Robyn?”

  Cade pushed away from the wall and gave me a quick look, his mouth curving in a small smile. “I do remember Robyn. It is good to see you again, and to know you are now a resident of Eile. Meghan has been bursting with enthusiasm since receiving your letter.”

  My eyebrows shot up, and I gave my friend a curious glance. Meghan only rolled her eyes and smirked. “Bursting with enthusiasm is a bit of an exaggeration,” she said. “But yes, I was very pleased to know you had come to live in the Otherworld. A much better fit for your old world ways.”

  Meghan wiggled her fingers at me, and I stuck my tongue out at her.

  Now that reintroductions were over, and once Cade and Devlin had clasped arms in the customary Otherworldly greeting between men, we headed out of the alcove to leave the twigrins to their peace.

  Meghan and I walked ahead of Cade and Devlin, the two men most likely discussing the faelah Cade had been tracking while I drilled Meghan about the twigrins. I discovered that they could be found throughout the Weald, though hard to spot because they camouflaged so well, and the bumps I’d seen on some of them were flower and leaf buds not yet open for spring. I stopped dead in my tracks and gaped at her.

  “They grow flowers?!”

  Meghan only laughed and nodded. “Yes, and their leaves turn gold and crimson in autumn, at least those that are of the deciduous variety.”

  I turned around and called out to Devlin, “We need to find out how to get twigrins to live in our garden.”

  He merely arched a dark blond brow and turned questioning eyes on his friend.

  Cade laughed and said, “All you need to do is create an environment they feel safe in. Lots of brush so they can hide, the higher up the better. And be sure to keep treats around. Meghan has discovered they are particularly fond of chocolate.”