When he felt a presence behind him he turned, his gaze meeting the green-gold eyes of the dragon. Aki seemed restless. “Are you trying to tell me it’s time to go?” Fehin grabbed hold of the bony protuberance on the dragon’s back and pulled himself up. But when the dragon took off it was not in the direction of Thule.
When they landed in the bailey of Loki’s castle Fehin wasn’t surprised. Aki’s parents and sister lived here. His glance toward the entrance to the castle revealed a scowling bigger than life god heading quickly toward him. Meanwhile Aki had disappeared and there was the sound of dragons bellowing in the distance.
“Are you aware that Wolf has escaped?” Loki shouted. It took him another long stride to reach Fehin and then he was glowering down on him.
Fehin had lived here with this god from the time he was two until nearly seven years old and was not cowed by the bulging eyes and the wiry red hair that stood away from his head like angry tangled snakes. “I just ran into him in Fell.”
Loki let out a sound between a grunt and a roar. “That exile was supposed to be permanent.”
“If it makes you feel any better I don’t think he has powers.”
“Then how did he get out?”
Loki’s voice boomed like a cannon going off. Fehin resisted the impulse to plug his ears. “He didn’t tell me. Do you have any idea why he’d want to travel to the Otherworld?”
Loki’s wide eyes widened even further. “The Otherworld is four-hundred years in the past!”
“Wolf asked me to sail him there on Skidbladnir.”
“I trust you said no.”
“I told him it isn’t my boat.”
Loki pushed his massive hands through his hair. “He must expect to regain his powers there. But how he figured that out and what he hopes to accomplish is something for the Norns to decide. I would like to get my hands on whoever let him out.”
“Do you want me to go there and speak with my father? He might know.”
Loki shook his head. “Too dangerous and Brandubh is probably dead by now.”
A pang of sadness moved through Fehin at the thought of his father being no more. Despite his past deeds Brandubh still held a place in his heart. “The Norns are seers?” he asked, trying to put his mind on something else.
“The Norns control the destinies of gods and men, Fehin. It was, Skuld, one of their own, who meted out his punishment and it is she I must call upon now.”
Fehin had a slightly ill feeling as he thought about the past. Far Isle had been free of Wolf for many years and the idea of the terror and killing returning was something he didn’t want to contemplate. He and many of the former residents were now safe on Thule but anyone who had come here since would be prey to Wolf’s evil if he were to regain his powers. “If his powers can be restored in the Otherworld, will he have them when he comes back here?”
“Not if I can help it.” Loki turned away and headed toward the castle, his right hand held up in a cursory wave of farewell. Fehin watched him go, his gaze taking in the dark exterior walls of the enormous castle that housed the god and all his servants and guards as well as a few goddesses now and then. Loki was not one to go without female company for long.
You would never know from the stark exterior the opulence of what lay inside. Somehow the deep gold and brilliant reds of the furnishings against the pale marble floors and walls brought light into a space that should have been dark. Fehin thought of the goddesses who moved freely along those halls dressed in gossamer clothing that barely hid what lay beneath the transparent layers of silk. He was fascinated with them when he lived here and tried hard to hear and understand their whispered conversations. Freyja, the goddess of love and beauty, had taken the place of his mother during those years of exile and when Gertrude reappeared and took him away he remembered feeling sad for a time. But those were the memories of a seven-year-old boy and hardly worth thinking about now.
Fehin turned away and called for Aki in his dragon-master voice and when the dragon appeared he climbed on his back and mentally gave the order to return to Thule. The dragon ran, his huge wings displacing air with a swooshing sound before lifting straight up. As they banked over Fell’s beach Fehin caught sight of Wolf standing alone. His half-brother looked up as they flew by and the anger and hostility in his dark eyes gave Fehin a chill. The dragon flew from there out to sea, making a few evasive maneuvers in case Wolf was watching.
Once they reached open water another vision of the mysterious girl came into Fehin’s mind and this time it felt like she was calling to him.
***
“What do you really think Wolf is up to?” Fehin’s mother asked as they walked along the trail into the mountains. It was herb-gathering day and the two of them were seeking out the wild yarrow, mountain mint and arnica that grew along the cliffs.
“He didn’t say and I couldn’t pick up anything when we were together. Mostly I was trying to keep thoughts of Thule out of my mind. If he found this place…”
Gertrude stopped and turned, her dark eyes meeting his. “He won’t find it.”
Fehin hoped she was right as he scanned across the expanse of palms and tropical fruit trees, the strange pink feathery trees that Fehin made up when he was seven that grew odd-shaped delicious fruits, and the wooden houses nestled beneath them here and there. The sound of children’s laughter could be heard echoing in the distance and then the deeper richer lilt of adult voices as they went about their daily business. It was his magic that had created this safe haven. Since the time of the conjuring the island had taken on a life of its own, producing everything they needed for a full and abundant life.
Many of the residents were in their sixties and seventies but had appeared to age backward. It was rare for someone to get sick and when it happened it was nearly always due to a mental process that had gone unchecked. A woman had come down with what at first had been deemed a terrible infection but when she entered the sacred space built for such things and sweated in the heat from the fire she was shown the real reason behind her malaise. She was jealous of another woman in the community and had shut herself off from this person, even hiding her feelings from herself.
It was the way of things here to talk things out, to sweat things out and to keep minds clear through meditation and exercise. If they didn’t do so the island manifested whatever they suppressed. Fehin thought back to the spear-wielding, half-naked men who had attacked the village causing mass pandemonium and actually killing a few people before someone realized why it was happening. After setting up weekly meetings to discuss grievances and let go of emotions that would otherwise fester, there had been no more sign of them.
His mother seemed pensive on the way home and when Kafir, his surrogate father, joined them by the fire with a pot of tea, Fehin sensed that something was up.
After passing Fehin a cup, Gertrude glanced briefly at Kafir whose slight nod gave Fehin a distinct prickly feeling along his arms. Whatever was coming had been discussed without him.
“Fehin,” Gertrude began, ”Kafir and I have been talking about your future. You’re sixteen now and this is the only place you’ve ever lived.”
“I lived with Loki for a few years.”
“Yes, that’s true, but it hardly qualifies. Kafir and I think you need some time away from Thule, away from Far Isle and also away from Loki. It’s time for you to be with people your own age.” She waved her hand around indicating the island. “The children here are all younger than you are.”
“I know. They were all born after we came here.”
Kafir leveled his unusual turquoise eyes on Fehin, rubbing a hand across his rough beard. “Your mother and I have been discussing sending you to college.”
Fehin instinctively knew they weren’t being honest and wondered why not. “College? Where?”
“In Milltown where I lived before I came to the future,” his mother answered. “You’ve been there and met my friend Carla. She can help you get settled.”
F
ehin remembered Carla from his one trip to Milltown when he was seven years old. She was nice enough but many years had gone by since then. He’d heard about colleges from listening to conversations between his mother and Kafir as well as discussions from others living on the island, but had never considered going to one. “Don’t you need to take a test?”
“Gunnar can get you in.”
That name set up a red flag. Gunnar was a time-traveling druid who moved from one era to another with ease. If he was involved there was magic afoot for sure. “I’ve read tons of books. Why do I need college? You told me a year ago that I seemed brighter than many adults you’ve known.”
“You are extremely bright but that doesn’t mean you’re educated. You’ve read all the books I brought with me so at least you’ve experienced the classics. But there’s so much more.” Gertrude moved closer and put her hand on his arm. “I have no way of getting more books for you, Fehin. We don’t have electricity here, so we have no cars, no computers, no cell phones, no electronics of any kind. You haven’t studied math or science, you’ve never been in an airplane, and you haven’t even ridden in a car. There are so many things in the world you know nothing about. ”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t include all that when I set this place up. I could only conjure what I could imagine.”
“Sweetheart, I’m not complaining, I’m just saying that it would be good for you to understand more of life.”
“I like things simple.”
Gertrude scoffed. “You can’t know that unless you’ve experienced another way. Computers are a part of everyday life in Milltown. It’s like having a library at your fingertips. You’re smart, Fehin. Who knows what you could accomplish with a little education?”
“Have you actually spoken to Gunnar?”
“Yes, they have,” Gunnar said, appearing out of the ether like a resurrected ghost. “And as you know, neither your mother nor Kafir are able to travel into the past.”
“So the decision has been made without me.” Fehin turned away to hide his sudden tears. Wasn’t conjuring an island and everything on it enough? Did they want him to go away and learn about electronics so he could add those to the island? And what good would a car do here? He shook his head and wiped his face with his sleeve.
“We had lives before we came here,” his mother continued. “We traveled and had careers. For all of us Thule is a dream come true. But that’s because we have something to compare it with.” Gertrude watched him worriedly. “What is it, Fehin? You look upset.”
“What’s the real reason you’re sending me away?”
Gertrude slanted a glance at Kafir. “College will give you a broader understanding of the world, Fehin. It might even increase your magic.”
“I don’t care about any of that. Where did you get the idea that I did?”
His mother looked flustered for a moment. “I…I thought you’d be pleased.”
There was uncomfortable silence before Gunnar chimed in. “I spoke to your mother and Kafir about this several days ago. You’re sixteen now, Fehin. There are no girls, or for that matter, boys, in your age group here.”
“So this is your way of finding me a mate?”
“No, Fehin,” his mother answered. “This is about opening your eyes to a wider world. You’ll understand once you see it.”
Fehin stared from one to the other and then rose from the log and headed to the deserted part of the beach where he could think all this through. Why had college suddenly come up? It felt like Wolf’s appearance in Fell had been a bad omen all around.
4
The Otherworld, 2021
“Airy, please! This is for your own good!”
“But what if I don’t want to leave? What can I possibly get out of going to college that MacCuill can’t teach me?”
“MacCuill can’t teach you about the outside world or what it’s like to have friends.”
“I have lots of friends here, Mama.”
Maeve frowned and then looked away. Her voice when she spoke again had taken on a decidedly superior tone that Airy didn’t like at all. “You need to meet people more like yourself, Airy.”
When Harold walked into the room Airy turned to him. “What do you think, Papa? Do I need to be sent away from here?”
Her father looked dumbfounded for a moment, his confused gaze going to Maeve. “I thought we were going to discuss this issue before you mentioned it to her.”
“I’m sorry Harold, it just came out. We can’t go on pretending about Airy’s future. Today is her sixteenth birthday.”
“Thank you so much for this horrible present!” Airy yelled, trying not to cry. “Do you think the people here are beneath us or do you just want to get rid of me?”
When Maeve took a step toward her Airy backed away.
“I’m not trying to get rid of you, sweetheart, I want you to have the education you deserve. Your father and I didn’t come into the Otherworld until we were in our twenties. We had both gone to college and worked for several years before that. We decided to remain here because we loved it, not because we hadn’t seen the rest of the world. You’ve lived here all your sixteen years with only a couple of trips to visit your grandparents in Massachusetts. You need to experience another way of life.”
Airy hated the expression on her mother’s face, the look that said she knew best. “I hate you both right now!” she screamed before turning to run through the open door. She ran down the hill toward the copse of beech and oak trees on the far side of the meadow. Once she reached the comforting shadows beneath the trees she stopped to catch her breath. She wiped her tears away and then sat down next to an ancient beech. “What should I do?” she wailed, looking up into the wide branches.
“Do about what?” a boy’s voice answered, eclipsing the tree’s response.
Airy turned to see Evan, a friend of hers, walking toward her from under the canopy. He had a smile on his open face, freckles standing out against his pale skin.
“Oh, Evan, they want to send me away. They think I’m too good for the likes of you or any of my other friends. I hate them right now, especially my mother.”
Evan crouched down next her. “You are too good for us, Airy. Your Ma saved this place. She’s a legend in her own time. Everyone here whispers her name. And your Da…well, he’s the reincarnated first king of Scotland! You’re lucky to have such fine parents.”
“But I’m not her, Evan. I’m just a girl with no powers.”
Evan put his hand on her shoulder. “Not for long.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I’ll miss you, Airy, but I think you should do what your Ma thinks best. You should respect her and your Da like the rest of us do.”
Airy shook her head and wiped at the tears that refused to stop. A voice called and for a moment Airy thought it was her mother but then Evan stood up.
“I have to go. Hope to see you before you leave but if I don’t, know that I’ll be wishin’ you all the best.”
“Thanks, Ev,” Airy mumbled, feeling suddenly bereft. “Bye!” she called as he disappeared from view.
Maybe it would do her good to get out of here for a while. Following in her mother’s footsteps was an impossible task and she was sick of feeling like she couldn’t live up to Maeve’s accomplishments. She was tired of everyone talking about her mother as though she was some kind of goddess.
Maybe this was part of the destiny Corra had mentioned. Maybe she and this boy would meet in another place. She walked out from under the trees, her gaze going toward the horizon. The island was still there and when she focused on it she felt like a magnet in the middle of her body was pulling her toward it. She placed her hands there trying to center her thoughts on the future but the feeling didn’t go away.
When she came up the path toward the house she heard her parents raised voices and paused to listen.
“MacCuill thinks Airy has a destiny that’s already been written.”
“Where does he get
these ideas?” Harold answered, chuckling.
“Don’t make fun, Harold. Think about what happened to the two of us. And besides, he’s a druid. He knows things that we aren’t privy to. And did you hear what Corra said about the island?”
“No, I missed that.”
“The goddess of prophecy said that Airy’s future is mixed up with someone who lives there.”
Harold laughed again. “Mixed up? That doesn’t sound very goddess-like.”
“Stop it, Harold! Those weren’t her exact words. If you don’t believe me you should talk with MacCuill before we go. And there was something else—something about Airy and this other person being a bridge…do you realize what that could mean? MacCuill told me just the other day about…”
“Aren’t you making more of this than you should? Are you really serious?” Harold interrupted.
“Yes, I’m serious. What did you think? School starts in a little over a month and she needs to be prepped. She’s never even seen a computer.”
Airy heard her father sigh. “I didn’t want to lose her so soon.”
“We’re not losing her. We can visit whenever we want. This is what she’s meant to do and where she’s meant to be. ”
“You know what I mean.” A long silence followed this statement and when Airy walked through the door her parents were holding each other tightly.
“So when do I go?”
***
Airy tried to listen to what her mother was saying but her mind kept wandering. She couldn’t believe she would be leaving here in less than a week. So far she’d had a crash course on what her mother referred to as ‘electronic gadgets’, none of which made much sense, and warnings about the many cars and buses, trains and planes, not to mention a ton of other things she couldn’t remember. Her few short trips to her grandparent’s house had not prepared her for the culture of this modern world.
“I can’t take in any more information,” she finally said, holding her hands over her ears. “I don’t get anything you’re telling me.”
Her mother glanced over at her father who was sitting in the chair across from them reading a book. “Can’t you help, Harold?”
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