Adrift

by J F Rogers

  By the third rescue, my body felt heavy, like I could sleep for a month. Why was traveling within our current time so exhausting?

  Pepin grew more annoyed. With each trip, the wrinkles on his forehead carved deeper.

  The final cell we cleared out appeared to be the last. We’d reached a dead end at the lowest level.

  “This must be it,” Kai said.

  Finally. I got us home and left the circle. I sat on the grass away from the crowds.

  My mother sat next to me. “Turas is remarkable. You and Pepin step in, the rocks spin, blocking you from view, and when they stop, the place is full of people. So strange. Yet amazing. God is amazing.”

  I nodded and slid away. How could she give up her sons? How could she never tell me about them? She had plenty of opportunity.

  Rowan hugged me. “Thank you for rescuing my father. I’m forever in your debt.”

  A man approached and grasped my arm. “Thank you.” He planted a kiss on my cheek. “May I ask the name of my rescuer?”

  “Uh.” I pointed to Kai talking to a small group of people. “That’s Kai. The tall one with the dimples.” Pepin sat beside me. “And this is Pepin.”

  “And your name?” he asked.

  “Uh. Fallon.” Why was I so uncomfortable?

  The man grasped my hand. “From the depths of my soul, I thank you.” He lifted my arm into the air. “All hail Fallon!”

  Choruses of “Hail Fallon!” rang out followed by more shouts and cheers.

  My face grew hot, and the stranger lowered my arm.

  “It was God who saved you,” I said. That should have been my first response. But it was too late. People swarmed me, grasping my hand, swearing their undying allegiance.

  What had I done? And what were we going to do with all these people?

  ****

  As expected, the excitement dwindled. People lounged about, wondering what would happen next.

  Kai kept viewing me askance. He seemed ready to end his conversation but had difficulty getting away. He put a finger up as if holding them off for a moment and headed my way.

  “So, what’s your plan?” I asked as he approached.

  “My plan?” he asked.

  “Of course. I understand you wanting to rescue them. How could we not? It was a great opportunity. But now what? We have no place for them. No food. No water. To your government, they’re wanted criminals. They can’t return to their homes. What do you intend to do?”

  He ran his fingers through his hair and grabbed a clump, giving me a longer glimpse at his unveiled forehead. “What am I supposed to do?”

  “We could use Turas to transport them to someplace else, but where? With the fasgadair, our homes aren’t safe, and with the selkie, these lands aren’t safe here either,” I said.

  “And everyone is hungry,” Cataleen added.

  “I suppose there’s no way to keep Turas’s secret after this.” Pepin wagged his head, his bushy eyebrows drooping.

  “Is that your biggest concern right now, Pepin?” I slammed my hands on my hips. “You could help us figure out how to care for these people.”

  “I may have an idea.”

  Chapter Forty

  ◊◊◊

  THE SUN TOOK ITS sweet time setting. I itched for Pepin’s return. Most everyone was grumbling about how hungry they were. Some even commented that they were better off in jail. At least they were fed, even if it was maggot infested. If I heard one more person gripe about food and want to return to their cell, I’d drag them back.

  One thing was for certain—the selkie-gachen magnetism was a lie.

  Did that mean what I felt for Kai—whatever that was—was real? Did he feel anything for me?

  I shook my head. I had to stop thinking like this. I couldn’t get attached. Besides, I had more important things to do. I couldn’t be like Cairbre and let someone keep me from fulfilling my mission.

  A figure emerged from the tree line. Pepin. He looked especially small from this distance. He ran a few steps, slowed, then picked up his pace again.

  I sprinted to meet him. “That was fast. We took two days to travel last time.”

  “The pech have underground lairs everywhere.” He caught his breath. Sweat beaded his forehead. He must’ve been running. “I sought help from pech on this side of the lake.”

  “So? What happened?” I glanced at the crowd. “The natives are getting restless, and I can’t take much more.”

  “The pech have agreed. If the refugees will promise to keep Turas’s ability and the underground lairs a secret, they will help.”

  “How long will they be able to help?” Kai stepped closer. “These people need a permanent residence. That might require overthrowing the government.”

  Pepin shook his head. “For now, they have a place to stay. I don’t think you’ll get their help in overthrowing the government. But we can discuss that later. For now, gather them up and have them follow me.”

  ****

  We followed Pepin for what felt like hours—hard to say, though, without the sun. I praised God that everyone was tired. It kept them quiet except for occasional grumbles. But it was slow going. They kept stumbling. Even Pepin was exhausted. A grimy elderly woman who reeked of body odor and death leaned on me. She was all I could handle. Kai and the rest of my friends supported some. But many prisoners had been locked up for too long. They tried to help each other, but their efforts were futile.

  By the time the sun made an appearance, pech ushered us underground. I waited to go in last. I couldn’t be too close to these people in those tunnels. And I felt better having no one behind me should I need to turn back.

  We stooped as we wove through pech ant-farm tunnels. Poor Cahal nearly bent in half. Pain masked his face, and he braced his back with his right hand. But he never complained.

  Standing on the promises…

  Pepin led us to a large room with a stone floor and ceiling where we could all stand without hitting our heads. Tables had been pushed aside with chairs stacked on top to make room for everyone. Dark pech swarmed in delivering blankets. Too small, but better than nothing. If people curled up, they provided protection from the floor and the cool air. With space limited, some people ended up under the tables, but they all fit.

  More pech entered with bowls of hot soup. Since there wasn’t much walking space, those closer to the entrance took bowls and passed them until everyone had been served.

  “Ahem.” Sully craned his neck to stand. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to say a prayer before we eat.”

  The crowd shuffled—some in agreement, others appeared uncomfortable—but none protested.

  “Father, Almighty God, thank You for rescuing me and my friends, both old and new, from imprisonment. Thank You for bringing us to this place and providing this meal. Thank You for the pech’s generosity, hospitality, and trust. And thank You for being with us. I know You will see us through these difficulties, and I thank You in advance for what You’re about to do. Please bless us all. Amen.”

  Sully sat, and all was quiet. Then chatter and slurping echoed in the cavern. One by one, bowls were tipped and emptied. We passed them back to the entryway where pech collected them.

  I tried not to think about what might happen in the event of a fire. Or if the roof collapsed. With us packed in like sardines, there was no escape. Was there even enough air in here for all of us? I couldn’t breathe. I gulped air as if it might be my last.

  Kai stared at me. “What’s wrong?”

  “Can’t.” I gulped air. My chest heaved. “Breathe.”

  “She’s afraid of confined spaces,” Wolf said. “She’s panicking.”

  Kai gathered me into him. My head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me. “You’re okay. Close your eyes. Imagine the view from my home. The water sparkling in the sunlight. The bright sky. Feel the breeze sweeping through.”

  I obeyed, listened to Kai’s heartbe
at, and tried to picture it.

  “You’re flying through the open air,” he continued, his voice through his chest soothing.

  My breathing slowed. I could almost feel the breeze. The dank air lightened. My heart slowed, syncing up with his.

  “Listen to the gulls.”

  Kai shifted. I could hear the seagulls in the distance. I flew, but in human form. My arms splayed, carried by the wind. Kai appeared beside me and grasped my hand. We flew together. He threw me his dimply smile, then morphed into a dolphin. I grabbed his fin, and the air transformed to water. We swam without getting wet. Kai brought me to the bottom. I stood on the grass and let go. He swam away. The water dissolved to air.

  I was back in the field of my typical dream with Declan in his place on the shore. The lights appeared, and the hazy image cleared, revealing a ship’s deck. A row of people stood at attention, facing the window. Their eyes. Fasgadair.

  “You’re a fasgadair,” I said to whoever’s mind I linked with, only half aware I’d spoken.

  “I suppose there’s no point in blocking the image.” He didn’t sound too bothered that I’d found out. He dismissed his fasgadair crew and headed below decks.

  “But who are you that you’re able to share a mind-link with me?”

  “I’d love to discuss that with you. Let’s meet.”

  “You’re on a ship. How are you going to meet me?” Oh no. Was he on his way here?

  “Indeed. That’s the plan. Why do you think I keep asking to meet you?”

  Could he read my mind?

  “I’m in your mind. Of course, I can read it.”

  I shivered. I’d have to keep any thoughts I wanted to protect hidden.

  “Good luck with that. But out of curiosity, what are you trying to keep hidden from me?”

  Nope. He wasn’t going to trick me. I had to take control of this. “Why did you want me to find out about my birth?”

  “Did you have a chat with your dear ol’ mum?”

  “I found out about Declan. But why would you care about that?”

  “That’s all? Just Declan?”

  “There was another. We’re triplets.”

  “And what of the third?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Perhaps you should ask her more about that.”

  Would my mother tell me? Or should I go back to Stonehenge?

  “Stonehenge?”

  Oh no. I turned toward the Declan, hoping he’d wake me.

  “What is Stonehenge?”

  Come on, Declan. Come on, Declan. Get me out of here.

  In a split second, with imperceptible movements, Declan charged.

  ****

  I woke to steady breathing and a heartbeat. I’d fallen asleep on Kai’s chest? My memory of the night before overwhelmed me. My panic attack. Heat warmed my face. I peeled myself away, careful not to rouse him. Too late. We locked eyes. He smiled. Inexplicable feelings coursed through me.

  I lowered my gaze, stretched like it was no big deal, and put more distance between us. A breeze rushed by.

  “How’d we get outside?”

  Kai sat up. “You passed out. I carried you.”

  It must’ve been tough to carry me through those tunnels. I wanted to hug him, but I kept my distance. “Thank you.”

  As if my panic attack and Kai’s rescue weren’t bad enough, there was also last night’s dream. I groaned. Fasgadair were on their way. How did a random fasgadair connect with my mind? Actually, I’d used the mind-link on him. How? I had no idea who this Freakshow was. I shook my head. However it happened, I messed up thinking about Stonehenge. I had to be more careful. I had to keep him from finding out about its power. Somehow, I’d have to block my thoughts.

  Then again, everyone around here called it Turas. Even if he asked, would anyone know what he was talking about?

  “Is something wrong?” Kai asked.

  “The fasgadair are on their way. I don’t when or how many, but they’re coming.”

  ****

  My friends and I sat in a dark room with nothing but a long low table—a stone slab. The pech present sat at one end on low stools. The rest of us on the ground. Even on the ground, Cahal kept banging the table with his legs.

  I kept my focus on the faces around the table, not on the smallness of the room.

  Hreidmar, the dark pech’s king, drilled us about the fasgadair. He pulled on the three braids dangling from his chin. “So, on your lands, the pech stayed out of the fight?”

  Pepin nodded. “But the threat started small and grew over centuries. The fasgadair were satisfied to control Diabalta at first. When Aodan came into power and organized them, they stole Ceas Croi from our people. The pech should have gotten involved then, but they abandoned their homes and escaped through the underground passages. Not one sword was drawn.”

  Hreidmar shook his head and clicked his tongue. A good sign. Perhaps he wouldn’t make the same mistake.

  “Aodan’s death last year fueled Morrigan’s anger. She brought Na’Rycha to power with the sole intent of capturing Fallon…and killing every—”

  Hreidmar jumped from his seat, toppling his stool and interrupting Pepin, and pointed a sausage finger at me. “She’s the reason this threat is headed for our shores?”

  “Does it matter?” Pepin spread his pudgy hands. “This threat was inevitable. And according to prophecy, Fallon’s part of the solution, not the problem.”

  Hreidmar righted his stool and threw me an accusatory look as he settled back down.

  Pepin cleared his throat. “Morrigan is the problem. She always has been. Through it all, the pech remained hidden. They’re willing to join the battle now. But they waited too long. The fasgadair army is too powerful. The pech can’t fight on their own. They no longer have the freedom to move around as you have.”

  “Hmph.” Hreidmar scoffed. “We’re not exactly roaming the lands freely.”

  “My people waited too long. Given our experience, I don’t believe it’s wise for you to stay out of the fight,” Pepin pressed his point.

  “I should have joined the fight when it was winnable,” confessed King Aleksander. “If I had, we might’ve stopped the infestation.”

  “But you don’t know how many fasgadair will reach our shores.” Hreidmar smacked the table.

  “True,” Abracham agreed. “Regardless of how many there are to start, they’ll increase their numbers by turning selkie into fasgadair. They’ll overtake the selkie lands in a matter of days. King Aleksander compared it to an infestation. He’s correct. The best time to eliminate an invasive species is when they first appear. Don’t wait until they spread.”

  “Right.” Pepin’s head bobbed, bouncing his braid. “The pech have numbers the selkie aren’t aware of.”

  “How do they spread?” Hreidmar asked.

  Abracham grimaced. “’Tis rather unpleasant. The fasgadair drinks their victim’s blood, then, if the victim drinks the fasgadair’s blood in return, they become a fasgadair. When the fasgadair want to grow their numbers, they can do so rather easily. I don’t know about selkie, but most gachen would prefer to live as a fasgadair than die. And sometimes they’re forced.”

  “Hmmm.” Frowning, Hreidmar tugged his braided beard.

  “But we’re not warriors. We’ve had peace for centuries,” another dark pech said.

  “Peace?” Wolf asked. “Or avoidance?”

  “It has served us well.” Hreidmar shrugged. “If the selkie are aware of our existence, they don’t know our whereabouts.”

  “They do now,” I said under my breath.

  Unimpressed looks came at me from those within earshot.

  “We should never have agreed to help,” the smallest pech whined.

  “We don’t stand a chance against the fasgadair,” another said.

  “Do you continue our ancestor’s traditions?” Pepin asked. “Do you still forge swords and knives? Do you compete in
the annual Turnering av Stryke?”

  The dark pech nodded.

  “Then you have skills,” Pepin said. “And weapons.”

  “In theory,” another dark pech said.

  I glanced at all my friends, wondering if we should pull the God card. Perhaps it was best not to say. That tended to make people abandon us.

  “We’re trusting God to come to our aid. He will help us,” Pepin said.

  Way to stand for your faith, Pepin. Let’s see how this plays out.

  The pech grumbled amongst themselves. Every few moments, they’d peer our way, then return to their conversation. They straightened and turned to us.

  “We are not familiar with this God you speak of, but we’ve seen what you’ve been capable of thus far. You made Turas function. Something we’ve failed to do. You credit your God with this work. If your beliefs are correct, your God used Turas to rescue a great number of people from imprisonment and lead you to us. Therefore, we will assist with weaponry and on the battlefield. We’ll see if this God of yours shows up.” Hreidmar stroked his braids and motioned to the others who nodded.

  Although I believed God was always with us, I, too, prayed for Him to show up and intervene on our behalf…somehow.

  I believe, God. Help my unbelief.

  ****

  “Good morning, refugees,” Hreidmar called.

  I rubbed my eyes and sat up on my mat. Hreidmar, bouncing on his toes, held his hands behind his back. My friends roused and sat up on their mats. I was grateful they’d agreed to sleep outside. I never wanted to go back in those tunnels if I could help it.

  “We’ve heard news of your escape but have no fear. The selkie will not organize a search for you or the escapees.” Hreidmar coughed. “They have a much bigger problem.” He surveyed the crowd. “Human-like creatures have reached our shores. Last night they attacked Taobh Na Mara, and they’re seizing the castle as we speak. These creatures are draining victims of their blood. These creatures, I assume, are the fasgadair you spoke of.”

  Let the battle begin…