Danu

by T L Harty

  Shrugging, I coldly replied, “Because I said so.”

  I leaned down to share some parting words with Lorrah. “Don’t be a pesky bitch,” I warned. “I can find you. And isn’t it interesting that I know you’re pregnant, and the child is a boy?” Lorrah looked into my eyes with the correct amount of fear. I smirked. “You really don’t have a clue what I’m capable of. It’d be best for all concerned if you didn’t find out,” I finished.

  Standing back up, I asked Rick, “Did you want to give me a kiss goodbye?”

  He practically pushed the sobbing Lorrah off of their bench in the booth and grabbed me in his arms. He kissed me a little too passionately for my liking, but this was mostly for Lorrah’s benefit. I certainly wasn’t enjoying it.

  Macy and I walked out of the restaurant, and to our parked car. My shirt was sweaty from the jumping jacks, so it was changed once Macy started driving.

  My stomach started growling. “We never did eat,” I pointed out. “Can we stop and grab a bite?”

  “Sure,” Macy agreed.

  “So, are you going to rate how I did?” I wondered. “Man, did it feel good to be in control of the situation. Was I too soft on them by telling Rick to love Lorrah like me?”

  Macy didn’t respond to my questions. “How about that little diner up ahead?” she asked. “Is that a good place to stop? I’m hungry too.”

  “Diner food is fine by me,” I agreed. “The food at the castle is delicious, but a hamburger and fries will be a treat.”

  Once we ordered our food, Macy sipped her water, avoiding eye contact. She knew I was excited to talk about my meeting with Rick, but she wasn’t offering any feedback.

  “C’mon, Macy,” I pleaded. “Tell me how I did. Did you see purple?”

  Macy looked concerned. “You glowed of purple,” she said.

  “That’s gotta mean it went really well,” I beamed.

  “Actually, it’s a sign of overkill,” she informed.

  I smacked the top of the table with the palms of both my hands. Macy shot me a look, telling me not to draw attention to myself.

  “What do you people want from me?” I ranted. “Take care of this, but not too aggressively. Come here to train, but you’re not ready! Accept everything we’re telling you! Prepare, but we don’t have a specific reason to prepare! Bruce is the perfect man for you and we hope Deidra will marry one of his sons.” I leaned back against the bench seat of the booth, and asked, “Do you not see the difficulty I’m having with these scenarios?”

  “I understand your frustration,” Macy conceded. “I’m just a little concerned. We talked about using the sweat spell to get the documents signed, but I thought you would release him with Conchobar when you were done.”

  “Originally, that was the plan,” I shared, returning back to a calmer state. “But you must have also recognized the darkness around Lorrah at the restaurant. She is not a peaceful or lawful druidess.”

  This was the first time Macy got a little uncomfortable, adjusting herself in her seat. She furrowed her brows, trying to act as though she didn’t understand what I meant. “Why would you think I saw some sort of darkness?” she asked.

  “Because you are descended from the Donshe,” I replied.

  Macy tried to contain her reaction, but the smallest gasp escaped her being.

  “Your ancestors had to know that the person convicted was truly guilty,” I continued. “You couldn’t kill otherwise.”

  “Impressive,” Macy huffed. “You surprise me. When did you first know of my ancestry?”

  “My first day at the castle,” I answered, “when I asked what would happen if I didn’t answer the council’s questions. You said that you were a secret group for a reason. I saw a flash of the three-fold killing, with a noose, knife and drowning. Your words were not idle threats.”

  “I’ve never killed anyone like that,” Macy confessed.

  “No, not like that,” I agreed, while grinning at her, knowingly.

  The food was delivered to our table and we devoured our meals. I was so focused on my plate, that I had no idea what Macy ordered. And by the time my curiosity was peaked, she had already finished.

  “I just want you to know that I was very impressed with the way you handled yourself today,” Macy complimented. “I bet you’re not feeling vulnerable anymore.”

  “Not right now,” I admitted. “Can we go? I’d like to get back.”

  “Any particular reason,” Macy probed, “perhaps to return to a good-looking man?”

  “No,” I lied. Bruce was indeed the reason I wanted to hurry back.

  Depending on traffic, we would arrive at the castle around 6 p.m. or so. From what I understood, Bruce wanted me to meet him in his room. But, were we supposed to meet that early? He wasn’t very clear. I think he just said to meet him in his room. Going early might make me appear too eager, not to mention that someone may see me going into his room. I continued to overthink the situation the entire trip home.

  We arrived ahead of schedule, in plenty of time for dinner. I was still full from lunch, so I put my belongings away, and came down to the dining hall to visit. Deidra, Bruce, and Clio were all enjoying dessert, while chatting. It was surprising to see Clio already because Macy hadn’t even been here a week.

  “How was your trip, Mom?” Deidra asked.

  Everyone at the table, for different reasons, waited for my response. “It was…,” I paused, trying to find the right word, “…successful.”

  “Are you going to do anything to celebrate?” Bruce asked, hinting about his request for a visit.

  “Maybe later,” I answered. “Right now, I need to go take a shower. I’m ready to think about the future and put my past behind me.” Bruce was finding it hard to contain his smile.

  I kissed the top of Deidra’s head. “I think I’m just going to read a book and hit the hay early,” I told her. “Love you.”

  “Love you too, Mom,” Deidra said.

  Walking away, Clio remarked, “Why, it’s lovely to see you again, Muriel. And I’m well, thanks for asking.”

  She wouldn’t get a reaction from me. There was nothing to say.

  After my shower, I snuggled into bed. It was apparent that a nap couldn’t be avoided, so I set the alarm clock for 9 p.m. There were butterflies in my stomach when thinking about visiting Bruce. It would be naïve to think this was just a friendly visit. He was tired of waiting.

  When the alarm went off, there was much to do. Unfortunately, there was no lingerie in my suitcase. The last time this luggage was packed, it was for my grandparent’s memorial. I found my best bra and panty set which would be fine. Brushing my teeth and hair was a necessity, but I didn’t want to wear a lot of makeup. The button-down shirt-dress was perfect to wear while walking through the castle. It could almost pass as a nightgown, without the belt.

  After getting myself together, I walked to Bruce’s apartment on the other side of the castle. There were memories of him in practically every room, but none like the ones that would be made tonight. I stood in front of Bruce’s door, contemplating a loud knock or just a couple of taps that might go undetected. I chose a couple of taps, turning around to leave.

  “Oh, no you don’t,” Bruce said, as the door opened. “Get back here.”

  He took my hand, leading me into the apartment. He walked me over to the couch where I took a seat, while he planted himself in a nearby chair.

  “Thank you for coming,” he said. “I want to apologize for practically demanding that you meet me here tonight. I’m sorry. How did everything go today?”

  Confusion set in, leaving me to wonder what was supposed to happen this evening. Walking here, it was all so clear. We were going to make love. Did I interpret Bruce’s meaning all wrong? Initially, I was nervous about being with him, but now I was disappointed that the evening might go in a different direction.

  “It went fine,” I said, lacking all emotion. “Papers are signed.”

  “That’s good. Wo
uld you like a glass of wine?” he offered.

  “Yes, please,” I answered.

  He walked to the kitchen. It was hard to take my eyes off of him. Bruce returned with the glass of wine, handing it to me. I patted the couch beside me so he would sit closer.

  “Aren’t you having a glass of wine?” I questioned.

  “You’re about all the intoxication I can handle,” he replied.

  “Very smooth,” I complimented. “Then I won’t drink either.” I set my glass on the coffee table in front of the couch.

  “It wasn’t meant to be smooth,” he confessed.

  “Am I wrong, or are you hot and cold where I’m concerned?” I pressed.

  “Hmm, that is a tricky question,” he observed. “There is hardly a minute that goes by where you are not in my thoughts, so I’m never cold for you. If anything, I have fits of patience where I attempt to give you space or time. I’ve had a long time to contemplate us- you’ve had a couple of months. It’s not fair that I push.”

  The fact that he considered my feelings, just made him that much more desirable. We were definitely going upstairs this evening, if I had anything to say about it.

  “That’s very thoughtful of you,” I said. “What exactly are we doing here? I mean, what happens after my training is over?”

  “Once the council is complete,” he explained, “we will have a court here at Danu, just like in days of old. There are people that will pledge themselves as subjects from all over the world, having Toec or druid ties. And you and I will still be in love, married and ridiculously happy.”

  “And what will we do all day?” I wondered.

  “When you aren’t heading the council and I’ve completed my watchman duties for the day,” he answered, “we can do whatever we please.”

  “What’s a watchman?” I asked.

  “It’s the same thing as head of security,” Bruce answered. “A watchman is just the name used in a castle’s court system.”

  Becoming concerned, I asked, “Is it dangerous?”

  “There’s no reason to worry,” he assured me. “I’ve gone to an academy to learn the finer points of protecting and policing the castle. Besides, once we have a full court here, I will have people working under me as well.”

  “I had no idea,” I said. “What did you learn at the academy?”

  “We studied law and criminology,” he answered. “There are the standard activities like marksmanship, frisking, questioning, arrest procedures, and so on.” He smiled, and asked, “Am I boring you yet?”

  “No,” I replied. “So, about this frisking…is there a certain way you learn how to do it?” I knew if I could get him to put his hands on me, he was mine.

  “Yes, there is,” he said, seriously. “Macy thinks it would be a good idea to frisk people that come to the castle as a security measure.”

  “Show me,” I demanded.

  “No,” he resisted. “You’re not a threat.”

  I scrunched up my face a little. “You don’t really know that,” I contradicted. Looking down my shirt, I joked, “I could be packing heat.”

  “This is crazy,” he decided. “But, c’mon, I’ll show you how it’s done.”

  I followed him to the door, waiting for instructions.

  “You have to turn around and put your hands on the door,” he said, without a hint of authority.

  I put my hands up on the door, but as soon as he touched my back, I turned around.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “Resisting,” I answered.

  “Very funny,” he said. “Please put your hands back up on the door.”

  It took two more times of misbehaving before he spun me around himself, pushing me against the door with his body. He didn’t use too much force, but enough to show me who was boss. He grabbed my arms, placing them higher on the door.

  He patted me down, starting with my arms. His breathing got deeper as he travelled down my sides and legs, pausing at the top of each thigh. He stood up, pressing his body close to mine. His lips touched my ears. I lowered my arms, but he put them back up on the door. Bruce reached around to the front of my shirtdress, nimbly unbuttoning each button, while getting lower to the ground.

  Every time our skin touched, the suspense would make me shiver. I wanted to rip my own clothing off, but he was in charge. He rose back up, lowered my arms down to my sides and slipped the shirt dress off. He unhooked the latch on my bra, slipping that down my arms as well. When he leaned into me again, his t-shirt had been removed. Reaching around, his hands traveled passionately around my breasts, while he kissed my ear. It all made me inhale with pleasure.

  “Is this O.K.?” he whispered in my ear.

  I couldn’t speak. He ran one hand down behind my knees, and quickly lifted me up in a cradle position. He carried me to the bedroom.

  There may come a time where age will play tricks on my memory. But there are some things you hope will never be forgotten.

  Chapter 20- Aftermath

  After losing Jed, I lacked enthusiasm for most everything. The only activity that held my interest was my participation in sports. Basketball became even more of a contact sport and any volleyball or shuttlecock that came near me got blasted. My basketball performance got the attention of local papers and, by the end of the season; people were gunning for me.

  It seemed difficult to relate to my friends. Whether it was Jed’s death or my experience with love- I felt older now. And, if I was being truthful, seeing them enjoy themselves pissed me off. Slowly, I withdrew instead of hurting them with my rude or biting remarks.

  Dad was having a hard time with Jed’s loss, too. We didn’t speak of it though because that would have been a healthy way of dealing with it, and neither of us were quite there yet. Dad broke up with his girlfriend, and then started dating around…a lot. Brandi was upset about the relationship ending, so she would call or swing by to talk to Dad about it. Another woman was at the house when she decided to pop in one day. Needless to say, things got very uncomfortable.

  It wouldn’t be long before I went to my grandparent’s for spring break. It was only for ten days, but the memories of Jed in this house were starting to suffocate me. Watching Dad self-medicate with woman after woman was also becoming hard to tolerate.

  Going to my grandparent’s for spring break wasn’t the norm, but I had requested the visit this year. A change of scenery was needed if my sanity was to stay intact. There were memories of Jed there, too, but most of those were when he was young and incredibly annoying.

  More important than having a change of scenery, was trying to understand the vision of Jed’s death. There had been no real visions since leaving Ireland. Why this? Was there anything I could do to stop the visions completely? She needed to help me understand.

  When the time came for me to make the trip, Dad and Grammy argued over the travel arrangements. Usually, they both would drive one leg of the trip. Dad figured since Grammy and I had planned this visit, that she should be responsible for both. It was a petty argument, but Dad’s feelings were hurt that I wanted to go away so badly.

  Grammy agreed to picking me up and driving me home for spring break. She told Dad to get me a car for my summer break coming up because she wouldn’t drive either leg of that trip. Dad agreed to that because he appreciated the vacation from parenting during the summers, even though I wasn’t far from being an adult.

  Dad started noticing phone calls from other boys after Jed passed. He’d come to my games, observing boys cheering for me or trying to talk to me afterwards. There was nothing for him to worry about, but it didn’t stop him. Dad may not have liked the idea of me going away for spring break, but he preferred me being safely nestled away in the country, where the boy population was not as robust.

  When Grammy came to pick me up, she and Dad barely spoke. They were never the best of friends, but I wished they would pretend to like each other, if only for my sake. I said goodbye to Dad and told him to have a good East
er. He helped me out to the car, putting my bag in the trunk.

  “Thank you for picking her up, Muriel,” Dad said to Grammy.

  “Of course,” she replied. “It’s worth it if I can spend some quality time with my granddaughter.”

  Dad didn’t know how to take that last comment. I had shared with Grammy that Dad doesn’t spend much time with me. Between his work and women, there wasn’t much time left over. It was a mistake to tell her that because now she was using it as a dart to wound Dad. He squinted, trying to figure out any hidden meaning behind her words. Instead of pressing or retaliation, he just let it go.

  “She is a pretty amazing kid,” he said. “I hope you guys have a nice visit.” He waved as we left.

  We stopped at the end of the street where Grammy tapped my knee three times. “I’m glad we get to see each other again so soon,” she shared.

  “Me too, Grammy,” I agreed. “I have questions about visions, though. There are things I don’t understand.”

  “Well, there is no better time to talk about this stuff than while we’re driving,” she decided. “We have almost four hours and lots of privacy.”

  I cringed, thinking about the trip taking four hours. If anyone else was driving, it would be three and a half hours, tops- including stops. If there were any stops on Grammy’s route, the time would increase.

  “I saw Jed’s car accident shortly after it happened,” I announced. “While taking a shower, the events played in front of me like a horror movie.”

  “That’s strange,” Grammy remarked. “Usually visions are only of people who you have close, personal ties with. I wouldn’t think Jed would qualify.”

  “Um,” I started, questioning if I should explain our true connection. “We did spend summers together.”

  “From what I understand,” Grammy said, “it would have to be someone you love to see that type of vision.”

  “Well, Jed and I had been dating for a while,” I confessed. “He was enrolled at Jesper, right by my house so we could see each other.”

  Grammy was silent, hurt that she had no knowledge of our relationship. I waited for the yelling.