The Choice

by Cindy Cipriano

  “Still, I don’t like it,” said Calum. “That Hobayeth walked into Tusatha like she owns the place.”

  “I wonder why she came here,” said Hagen. “Just to stir up trouble?”

  Calum didn’t think that likely. “She was a distraction,” he said quietly.

  “A what?” asked Hagen.

  “A distraction. Just like before. That day at Devil’s Peak.”

  “A distraction from what?”

  “I don’t know,” said Calum. But a new spark told him otherwise. Deep inside he was afraid he did know, and he hoped with all his heart he was wrong.

  Chapter Six

  A Warning

  The spark was telling Calum something was wrong in Emerald Lake. Something was wrong with Laurel, very wrong. She needs me. He turned back to the polder, running as if Laurel’s life depended on it.

  Hagen was one step behind him. “What’s going on?” he yelled between gasps of air.

  Calum came to an abrupt stop when he reached the polder. The golden circle was still there, but obviously nearing its end. “This is going to sound weird and I can’t explain how I know this, but Laurel’s in trouble.”

  “If you go in the circle, you’ll be the one in trouble,” said Hagen.

  Calum walked around the golden light and found a gap between the circle and the polder. “I’m going back to Emerald Lake,” he said, stepping into the small space.

  “Not without me,” said Hagen. He arrived inside the Emerald Lake polder a few seconds after Calum. “Now what?”

  “Laurel’s house,” said Calum. “We’ve got to hurry.”

  They ran through the quiet neighborhood, the full moon illuminating their way. Calum paused on the brick walkway in the front yard, straining to hear any sound.

  “What are we waiting for?” asked Hagen, nearly bumping into him.

  Was I wrong? Calum questioned his decision to return to Emerald Lake the second before he heard the first scream.

  “The back of the house, Laurel’s room,” said Calum, heading around the Werner’s home. When he reached the backyard, he found the screen from Laurel’s bedroom window propped against the house. The window was open, but it was too high for Calum to climb inside.

  “Here,” said Hagen, shoving a garbage can beneath the window.

  Calum climbed on top of the can and peered inside. Where is she?

  Hagen jumped up beside him, looked into the window, and burst into laughter.

  Calum surveyed the scene. Daniel was standing inside Laurel’s bedroom doorway. Laurel was towering over…Brownshire? Calum’s blood pounded in his ears as he stared at the person responsible for Finley’s disappearance. If it were Brownshire, he had changed greatly since the last time Calum had seen him. The brownie was half man, half wiggling beast.

  Calum climbed through the window. “Laurel, are you all right? We heard someone scream.”

  “That wasn’t me,” said Laurel. “I was trying to get Brownshire to tell me what happened to Finley.” She jabbed the brownie with the end of a broom handle.

  “Argh!” yelled Brownshire. “I already told her I cannot say.”

  Calum was on Brownshire in seconds. He lifted him up by his filthy shirt, the brownie’s feet dragging on the ground. “You tell me where Finley is this second!”

  “No matter how many times you ask, or who does the asking, dear brother, I cannot say.” Brownshire stood, wobbling on his feet.

  “I-am-not-your-brother!” Calum swung the brownie around and flung him headfirst against the bedroom wall. Dazed, the brownie stumbled before collapsing onto the floor.

  Hagen grinned at Calum. “You sure you don’t have any Hobayeth blood in you?” He nudged Brownshire with the toe of his shoe. “He’s gonna be out a while.”

  “What happened?” Calum asked Daniel.

  “We were watching a movie in the living room and heard a noise. Laurel grabbed this from the closet,” said Daniel, slowly taking the broom from her hands. “When we opened the bedroom door, Brownshire was tumbling inside from the window. Laurel smashed him over the head, he screamed, you showed up.”

  “What’s he doing here?” asked Calum.

  “Coming for me, I guess,” said Daniel.

  “From the look of him, I’d say he hasn’t mastered shapeshifting,” said Hagen. “I don’t even know what he’s supposed to be.”

  “He didn’t try to use any verses against us,” said Laurel. “If he still has his powers, I don’t think they’re working right.”

  “We’ll take him back to Tusatha,” said Calum. “Uilleam will get it out of him.”

  Laurel collapsed onto her bed. “The Hobayeth. Devil’s Peak. Whoever they are now. They’re never going to leave us alone, are they?”

  “They will,” said Calum. He sat beside her.

  “Baby, baby,” grumbled Brownshire.

  “What did you say?” Daniel demanded, shaking the crumpled brownie. When there was no response, Daniel let the man drop back to the floor.

  “The baby?” Laurel asked in a trembling voice. “He’s here for the baby?”

  “A baby would make a better changeling than Daniel,” said Hagen. “Brownshire probably thought Torin would forgive him if he brought a replacement.”

  Daniel kicked Brownshire savagely. “You’re not getting my sister.”

  Hagen pulled Daniel away from the groaning brownie. “He can’t talk if he’s dead.” Daniel twisted out of Hagen’s grasp and stalked from the room.

  “Sister?” asked Calum.

  “Yeah,” said Laurel. “Mom found out last week.”

  “No twins, huh?” asked Hagen, sitting on her other side.

  Laurel smiled and shook her head. “Not this time.” They watched Brownshire in silence for a few minutes.

  “How are you?” asked Calum and Laurel at the same time. They all laughed.

  “We’re okay,” said Laurel. “Mom’s calmed down a lot since that day. I know she misses Kenzie. I keep thinking she’ll let us all get back together again. I miss you guys.”

  “You too,” said Calum, a little worried about the heat in his cheeks.

  Hagen rolled his eyes.

  “Where are Andrea and Rob?” asked Calum.

  “School board meeting,” said Laurel. “You guys better get going. They’ll be back soon and I don’t want them to find you here.”

  Daniel came charging into the room with a fireplace poker, holding it as if it were a spear. Calum leapt from the bed, tackling him seconds before the poker met Brownshire’s head.

  “Cut it out!” said Calum. Hagen joined him, pinning Daniel to the floor. Calum worked the fireplace poker out of Daniel’s hands and flung it across the room.

  “Let go of me,” screamed Daniel. “I’m going to kill him.”

  “You do, and we will never find Finley,” yelled Calum.

  Daniel’s screams turned into sobs. “He’ll come back here when she’s born. He’ll try to take our sister away. And I can’t go back there.”

  “Look at me, Daniel,” said Calum, still shaking from the attack.

  Daniel slowly raised his eyes to glare at him.

  “Brownshire will never hurt you or your family again. If I have to sit outside, all night, every night, I will. You will be safe from him. You got it?”

  “That goes for me too,” said Hagen. “We promise, you’ll never go back to them. Okay?”

  Daniel nodded.

  Calum stood and pulled him to his feet.

  “Come on, Calum. Let’s get Brownshire to Tusatha,” said Hagen.

  They grabbed the squat brownie under each arm and dragged him through the house to the front door.

  “Lock up behind us,” said Calum as he stood with Hagen on the porch.

  “Calum, wait,” said Laurel. She looked unsure and a little worried. “Do you think someone will come looking for Brownshire? I mean, a Sidhe?”

  “You mean Torin,” said Hagen.

  Laurel nodded.

  Calum knew they need
ed to clear out before Andrea and Rob returned, but he hated leaving Laurel and Daniel unprotected. Fennel. “Do you have any fennel?” he asked.

  “Probably, in the pantry,” said Laurel. “Why?”

  “Get some, and hurry,” said Calum.

  Laurel darted to the kitchen and returned with a small bottle. She handed the herb to Calum. Careful not to touch the fennel, Calum sprinkled a little on top of the door jam. “This will slow down any Sidhe who doesn’t live in the house.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Laurel.

  “Fennel keeps them out, but only with their first attempt. Each time they try, the fennel’s protection weakens.”

  “It’ll keep you out, too,” said Laurel.

  “Your parents are doing a good enough job of that.” Calum smiled. He tried to return the spice through the open doorway, but an invisible barrier prevented him. He placed the bottle on the ground. “Take it to the back door and do the same. And after that, sprinkle some on all the windowsills.”

  A car’s headlights shined from the far side of the street. “We’ve got to get out of here,” Hagen said urgently.

  Calum heaved Brownshire up and with Hagen’s help dragged the brownie into the woods beside Laurel’s house. They watched Andrea and Rob go up the steps. Rob hesitated at the doorway. Calum held his breath when Rob turned and scanned the area. He seemed to shake off his concerns and followed Andrea inside. Calum relaxed when he heard the lock click into place.

  Calum and Hagen hauled the still unconscious Brownshire to the polder. By the time they made it through the threshold and into Tusatha, the golden circle was gone.

  “As soon as we get him to Uilleam, we’ll be able to bring Finley home,” said Calum, satisfied they had done it.

  They had really done it.

  “Calum Ranson!” Kenzie stood fifty yards away from the polder looking angrier than Calum had ever thought possible. Gus was a few feet behind her, looking just as angry but a little more restrained. Donnelly was standing off to the side, shaking with…laughter? Tullia elbowed him in the ribs sharply before waving Hagen to her, pulling him from the line of fire.

  “Mom,” said Calum. “We’ve got him!”

  “The only thing you’ve got is yourself in more hot water than you can imagine,” said Kenzie. “You knew I didn’t want you going through that circle.”

  “I didn’t. We went through the polder to Emerald Lake and look who we found.” Calum bent to pull Brownshire to his feet. That’s when he realized the brownie was gone. They must have crossed the polder after the golden circle closed, blocking Brownshire from entering Tusatha mound. Hagen had been right. Tusatha was once again closed to dark visitors and would stay that way until the next Natali.

  “Why didn’t you tell us you were leaving?” asked Kenzie, her voice spiked with anger.

  “There wasn’t any time, Kenzie,” Hagen answered. “Calum said we had to leave right then.”

  Donnelly looked at Calum curiously. “How did you know Laurel needed help?”

  “I just thought with all the mounds open, someone might try to get to the Werners,” Calum stammered. Donnelly looked at him with an expression that clearly showed he did not believe him. Calum continued, “You know, to take Daniel back. There wasn’t any time to tell you we were leaving.”

  In a flash, Calum was standing inches from his mother. Kenzie had called him to her. “How long would you say that took?” she asked.

  Calum briefly wondered why he hadn’t thought to do the same. “I’m sorry, Kenzie. I should have called for you before we left.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Kenzie said in a much calmer voice. “There’s always time.”

  “They had him, cuz,” said Donnelly, running to join them. “Dead to rights, they had him.” He clapped Calum on the back. “Excellent work. Reminds me of the time me and Kenzie…”

  Kenzie shot her cousin a look so cold it could have easily turned all of Emerald Lake into an ice rink.

  Gus stepped between his wife and Donnelly. “Let’s hear what the boys have to say.”

  Calum and Hagen took turns telling of their encounter with and capture of Brownshire. They told them of Brownshire’s diminished powers and how Laurel had cornered the brownie, keeping him at bay with a broom. Calum thought it best to skip the part about Daniel nearly killing Brownshire with the fireplace poker. When Kenzie smiled at Calum for remembering about the fennel, he thought everything would be all right.

  “Jerk kept saying he couldn’t tell us what happened to Finley,” said Hagen. “Not that he wouldn’t tell us, but that he couldn’t.”

  “That might have been the truth,” said Donnelly. “One of Torin’s favorite verses causes Sidhe to ‘forget’ something if he wants it kept a secret. I’ll bet he cursed Brownshire as a precaution. That way if he were caught, he wouldn’t be able to tell anyone anything.”

  “But we had him,” said Calum.

  “And we’ll get him again because now we know what he’s after,” said Donnelly, a steely glint in his eyes. “I’ve had no luck finding another brownie to translate the curse. But if we can lure Brownshire back here…”

  “Not gonna happen,” said Kenzie. “We will not use the Werners as bait.”

  “I agree,” said Gus. “We’ll have to find another way.”

  “Suit yourselves,” said Donnelly. He playfully pulled Hagen to him. “I am so proud of you.”

  Kenzie looked down at Calum and gave him a gentle smile. “In spite of myself, I have to say the same. I’m glad you were there to help Laurel and Daniel, but that still doesn’t excuse how you went about doing it.”

  “Sorry, Kenzie,” said Calum.

  “No harm, no foul,” said Gus.

  “Except for Brownshire,” said Donnelly, laughing. “I would have loved to have seen Laurel beating him with that broom.”

  “Where were you tonight?” asked Hagen.

  “With all the mounds open, I was able to get back into the Hobayeth. Unfortunately, most of them decided to visit other clans,” said Donnelly.

  Calum and Hagen exchanged worried looks, Calum’s mind going to the Hobayeth girl.

  “This whole ordeal may be the thing that Andrea needs to convince her we aren’t all bad,” said Kenzie, throwing her arm around Calum as they walked back to Tusatha.

  “Knowing Andrea, she’ll be knocking on our door when we get home, asking for help,” said Donnelly. “She’s got to know she’s in over her head.”

  But Andrea didn’t know any of it because her children, protecting Calum and Hagen, decided it was best not to tell her.

  Chapter Seven

  Grade Seven

  Calum spent the next few days at Siopa Leabhar waiting for a visitor who never came. By the end of the week, he had to face the harsh truth: Laurel wasn’t coming back. He was thinking about this when Hagen walked into the bookstore with Tullia, Brytes, and Will.

  “Just snagged this from your mailbox.” Hagen tossed Calum a thin white envelope.

  “You do know that’s illegal, right?” asked Calum. “Going through someone else’s mail.”

  Kenzie laughed. “Thanks for bringing this by.”

  “No problem,” said Tullia.

  Calum turned the envelope over and read the return address. It was from Longwood Middle School. This had to be his seventh-grade class schedule. He wondered if he and Hagen had any classes together. He was about to ask if Hagen wanted to compare schedules when he noticed the envelope was already open.

  “You’ll be thrilled to know we do have many classes together. In fact, we have all of our classes together,” said Hagen.

  “It seems Rob wants the boys confined to one team so he can keep an eye on them,” said Tullia.

  “And I guess he’ll keep Laurel and Daniel confined to one of the other teams.” Kenzie took the rest of the mail from Hagen.

  “Perks of being one of the principals,” said Tullia.

  Calum looked at the schedule in his hands, feeling hopeless about
his situation.

  “Give the Werners some—” Seeing Calum’s gloomy expression, Tullia didn’t finish her sentence.

  “Time?” asked Calum. “How much?

  “It takes as long as it takes,” said Kenzie.

  “They’ll come around.”

  “Guess what?” asked Brytes, popping between them.

  “What’s up?” asked Calum, trying to act interested in what Hagen’s little sister had to say.

  “I’m in Mrs. Itig’s class,” she announced proudly.

  “Cool,” said Calum. “She’s great. But don’t tell her I said that.” He gave Brytes a wink and she giggled in return. Brytes giggling? I guess she really is a middle-school girl.

  “Come on, Calum,” said Hagen. He waved a yellow tennis ball that Wrecks followed up and down like he was a doggie bobble head. “Let’s go out back.”

  They took turns throwing the tennis ball to the bouncing dog in the courtyard. Calum knew from experience that Wrecks could do this for hours. It was a beautiful day, warm but with a hint of fall flowing in the breeze.

  “Donnelly says there hasn’t been any sign of Sidhe outside Laurel’s house,” said Hagen. “It seems the fennel did the trick.”

  Calum had thought as much. He hadn’t felt any sparks lately and that seemed to be a good thing.

  “Want to tell me about it?” asked Hagen.

  “What?”

  “Gotta shut your door better than that around me, Calum. What are the sparks? Is that how you knew we needed to be at Laurel’s house the night of the Natali? Is that how we got there just in time?”

  Calum bit his lower lip.

  “You can trust me.”

  “I know I can,” said Calum. “I just don’t understand them myself, and I don’t want you to think I’m weird.”

  “Too late,” said Hagen. “I already know you’re weird.” He glanced at Calum, who had a very serious look on his face. “Hey, I’m kidding. You can tell me. Really.”

  “When I get a better handle on them,” said Calum.