Fehin gazed into the older man’s eyes, noticing the shadow of untruth that lay behind that statement. He sensed distrust and when he probed further he saw that Hank believed that Fehin was involved in his granddaughter’s abduction. Both Hank and Grace believed that he and Wolf had conspired together. How else could Fehin have found her so easily? There was no explaining what had come over him, the ability he had that put him inside his brother’s head.
Airy’s parents and grandparents had been on the phone for a long time after the ambulance whisked Airy away. And when Fehin left the room to go back upstairs he’d heard Hank mention Brandubh. Harold and Maeve were now on their way to Halston from the Otherworld, due to arrive at Boston airport this evening. He dreaded meeting them.
***
It was another hour before the doctor allowed them into Airy’s room. “She’s very weak,” he told them. “It was a compound break and with her severe dehydration and blood loss we were lucky we didn’t lose her. Please keep it short—she needs to rest.”
When they entered the room Airy was propped up on pillows, her eyes red-rimmed and shadowed. Her gaze went to Fehin first and she held out her hand. But when Fehin moved forward Hank muscled by him, taking her outstretched fingers in his. “Sweetheart, I can’t tell you how worried we’ve been. What a terrible ordeal you’ve been through.”
Airy tried to smile and then winced. Her leg was in traction waiting for the swelling to go down. Once it did the doctors would put on a cast. “I owe it all to Fehin,” she said, gazing at him over her grandfather’s shoulder.
“Yes, well…” Hank turned to his wife. “Grace and I love you very much, sweetheart. We feel terrible that this happened on our watch. Your parents are on their way. They should be in to see you tonight.”
Grace moved to the other side of the bed, taking Airy’s other hand in hers. “My dear, sweet Airy. You look so pale. I’m so glad you’re in one piece.”
“Time to go now,” the nurse called out from the doorway. “She needs her rest.”
“Of course she does,” Hank said, moving toward the door and gesturing to his wife.
When Fehin took a step toward the bed Hank grabbed his shoulder. “You heard what the nurse said.”
“Fehin,” Airy called out, but Fehin had already been dragged from the room.
***
“Don’t you need to get back to school?” Hank asked once they were in the car.
“I don’t want to leave her.”
“You can’t expect to stay with us while Harold and Maeve are here,” Grace added. “It would be better for all concerned if you go back before they arrive.”
Fehin was barely able to control his anger. He hadn’t had a chance to talk to Airy yet, and apparently he would not be granted that privilege.
“There’s a bus leaving in an hour. I think you should be on it,” Hank said as they drove into the driveway. “I’ll give you a lift down to Halston.”
“Thank you, sir,” Fehin answered through gritted teeth. In the house he went upstairs to collect his things.
22
“Where’s Fehin?” Airy asked, looking around.
Harold shook his head and then glanced at Maeve. “We haven’t seen him since we got here. He must have gone back to school.”
“But he didn’t even say goodbye!”
“I’m sure he was anxious to get back to Milltown and classes, Airy.”
Airy stared at her father’s impassive face. “He’s not like that. Do you realize that I’d be dead if it wasn’t for him?”
“About that,” Maeve began, darting a glance at Harold. “Your grandparents and we agree that there’s something very fishy about what happened to you. It wouldn’t surprise me if Fehin were involved. You do understand who his father is.”
“What?” When Airy leaned forward, pain shot through her calf and thigh. She fell back against the pillows trying to catch her breath. “There’s no way Fehin was involved in this. I told Grandma all about Wolf and what Fehin told me. Wolf hoped to get his powers back.”
“So why did he kidnap you and then not contact Fehin? We both think your trust in Fehin is commendable, sweetheart, but the facts are there. He found you when no one else could. Wolf doesn’t exist. You have to understand that this boy’s father is a sorcerer.”
“I don’t care who his father is. Wolf is the one who dragged me there and threw me in that pit. I saw him. I already told you that!”
“Maybe you were hallucinating after all the trauma. You said there was a resemblance.”
Airy shook her head and turned to stare out the window. Fehin was gone and she was stuck here until the cast came off--a good three months. And the doc had said she might need physical therapy after that. “When can I go home?”
Harold looked surprised. “You mean to the Otherworld? We aren’t taking you back with us, if that’s what you mean.”
Airy sighed heavily. “I meant to Grams.”
“The doc said in a couple of days.”
After her parents left Airy tried to contact Fehin telepathically, surprised when he answered her.
Are you all right? he asked.
I’m fine but I miss you. Can you come back up?
There was a long pause and she thought she’d lost the connection, but then she heard: I can’t, Airy. Everyone thinks I did this to you.
Airy wanted to tell him that wasn’t true but he was right. I’m sorry, she finally answered. There was no response after that.
Harold and Maeve spent three days in Halston and then said they had to get back. “I want you to promise that you will have nothing to do with this boy ever again,” her father said sternly. “I don’t want to worry about you when we get home.”
Airy had always trusted her father, had known that in a pinch he would take her side. What she saw on his face was a resoluteness that refused to be budged. “But, Da, he…”
“Airy, I’m serious. Your mother and I have been through a war caused by this boy’s father. You cannot expect to continue with this friendship.”
Airy nodded and looked down.
***
Christmas had come and gone, the New Year as well and Airy was still lying around the farmhouse in Halston and bored to tears. Her grandparents had set up a bed for her on the first floor so she could avoid the long climb upstairs. The cast was due to come off in another month but until then she had to find a way to catch up on homework. Now she needed to speak with her professors and find out what to do. The entire ordeal in the pit seemed fuzzy in her mind, as though she’d made it all up.
Over the course of these past months she’d heard nothing from Fehin, even though she’d reached out to him many times. On the phone her parents had gone on and on about Brandubh’s sorcery, relaying in graphic detail the horrible things he’d done in the Otherworld. He’d killed many and hurt many others with no remorse whatsoever. Her grandparents had backed up their position, rehashing her ordeal and how strange it all was. Fehin was not who he pretended to be.
What she remembered of that November day had softened around the edges, making her wonder if in her shock it really had been Fehin who put her in that pit. What did she really know about him other than what he’d shared, which was not much at all? Maybe there wasn’t a Wolf; maybe in her panic she’d made Fehin into a monster in her mind. The only other time she’d supposedly come into contact with him had been in the library and she hadn’t seen his face. In the darkness it could have been Fehin who hit her on the back of the head. Having someone you trust do such horrible things was enough to cause hallucinations. She’d read about this sort of scenario in her psych class.
***
“You’ve missed so much school now there’s probably no reason to go back,” her grandfather said in early February when she brought it up.
“I’m going back, Grandpa. I’ll repeat the classes if I have to. I can’t stay here forever.”
“Your grandmother and I have enjoyed having you here so much, Airy. We both wo
rry about Fehin being there. We don’t want you getting involved with him again and neither do your parents.”
Airy looked up. “I get it, Grandpa. You and Mum and Dad have finally convinced me. I plan to stay away from him.”
Her grandfather smiled. “I’m so glad to hear that, sweetheart.”
When he bent to kiss her she smelled his distinctive aftershave, basking in the familiar comfort of his arms around her.
For the next month she concentrated on the work her professors had provided her with, hoping she could pass the tests they gave her when she returned. The time went by more quickly now that she had studying to do, her grandfather’s computer allowing her to get the lengthy e-mails the college sent. Most of the textbooks and reading material for her literature and psychology classes she could access online. There were only two classes she knew she would fail. Math was one of them and the World History she shared with Fehin was another.
But at night alone in her bed her mind wandered down twisting paths that didn’t lead neatly to the conclusions she’d made. Many times she woke with tears on her face. If Fehin wasn’t the boy she was linked with, then who was it?
***
“Jesus, Mary and Joseph, it’s good to see you!” Storm cried when Airy walked into the dorm room in March. A second later Airy was crushed in her friend’s arms.
“I thought you didn’t hug,” she laughed when Storm released her.
Storm made a funny face, her mouth quirking. “Special circumstances,” she said. “I wondered if you’d be back at all. Fehin said…”
Airy stared. “You talked to him?”
“Yeah. When he got back he filled me in on the broken leg and all. The snow up there must have been treacherous for you to fall hard enough to do so much damage.”
Airy stared at her dorm mate. “Fehin was lying, Storm. It didn’t happen like that.”
“So how did it happen?”
“He tried to kill me.”
23
Fehin had tried several times to contact Airy since their one telepathic conversation but she had not responded. He didn’t know what to think. It was March now and he was sure the cast was off. She must be coming back to school soon. When he walked across campus he could hear birds singing for the first time in several months. The trees had catkins now. The down jacket he’d bought was too warm and he pulled it off and stuffed it into his pack. Without Airy his world had narrowed and dulled. He felt heavy and listless and his grades had suffered from his inability to concentrate.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of red and turned to see a willowy girl disappearing around the corner of the building ahead of him. Although the hair was longer now he was positive it was Airy. No one else he’d ever met had hair that particular shade between red and gold. He took off running, slipping in the mud as he rounded the corner. She was not far ahead and he noticed the uneven gait, a reminder of what he’d allowed to happen.
When he felt the magnetic pull he was positive. “Airy!” he called out.
She turned, her eyes going wide when she saw him. And then she limped away as though he was a leper.
“Wait!” he called but she’d already slipped inside the building. When he opened the door she’d disappeared.
Fehin was unable to move for at least a full minute, his heart contracting painfully. Had she decided to avoid him without even telling him why? Her parents must have finally convinced her that he couldn’t be trusted. When tears welled he angrily wiped them away. At this moment he wished he’d never met her.
It was later in the afternoon when he saw Storm coming out of a classroom next to his. As she walked by he stepped out in front her, nearly tripping her in the process.
“Jesus, Fehin. What do you want?”
“I need to talk to you.”
Storm shook her head and then looked around. “I can guess why,” she said. “If I were you I’d give up on her. She seems convinced that you’re a bad guy.”
“Do you agree?”
Storm seemed surprised by the question. “I…well, if you must know I think she’s wrong.”
“Did you tell her that?”
Storm laughed. “I told her you were too much of a goober to do anything like that.”
“Not sure what that word means but I have a good idea,” Fehin said, looking down. “I have to talk to her.”
Storm stared at him, her thickly lined eyes narrowing as she thought. “I don’t know what to tell you,” she finally said. “She’s stubborn.”
“I could sneak into your room. It’s the only place she can’t run away from me.”
“Don’t tell her I told you, but she’ll be in the library tonight between six and seven. Good luck,” she added before heading away down the hall.
Fehin walked into his next class feeling slightly more hopeful. He spent the rest of the day practicing what to say to her.
***
It was 6:30 when Fehin found Airy in a cubby, her head bent over a thick book she’d pulled from the shelves. He’d wandered through the library for nearly twenty minutes before discovering where she was. When he touched her shoulder she started, and when she saw who it was she pressed her body away from him as though he was about to hit her.
“Are you afraid of me?” He didn’t need to ask; he could see it in her eyes.
“Go away,” she hissed.
“Airy, at least have the courtesy to explain. The last time we were together we loved each other. How could things change so fast?”
“I never loved you, Fehin. I just thought I did. It was silly and childish. Now I know who you are.”
“And who am I?” he whispered.
Airy stared at him for a moment and then turned away. “You know who you are. Now please leave me alone.”
“I like your hair,” he said. “It’s grown.”
Airy ran her fingers through the chin length curls and for a moment he could see the hint of a smile but then she stiffened, her eyes going dark. “I don’t trust you, Fehin. We can’t be together. I seriously want you to stay away from me. If you don’t I’ll contact the school authorities and tell them you’re stalking me.”
The cold look she gave him after the harsh words was like an ice pick stabbing into his chest. He watched her for another moment and then turned and walked away. He fought the tears that welled as he headed toward the entrance but by the time he was outside again he had to stop to wipe them away. He shook his head, furious at his own weakness and also the expectations that had now been dashed for good.
24
Ary tried to stop the tears but there was nothing she could do. Her gaze followed Fehin as he walked toward the front of the library and then she put her head on the desk and gave over to her grief.
His face had been so full of pain, his eyes filling with tears when she told him she didn’t trust him. And while she was saying the hurtful words her insides were telling her something very different. She could feel the connection between them in her belly as though there was a bungee cord stretching more and more the further he moved away. Soon it would break altogether. The words in the book blurred when she tried to continue reading and so she gave up and replaced it on the shelf where she’d found it. She gathered her materials together and left the library.
“Did you tell him I’d be there?” she demanded, once she was back in her dorm room.
Surprised, Storm turned from where she’d been placing a disk in her CD player. “I might have. So what? You need to at least explain your position, Airy. It isn’t fair to just cut him loose like that.”
“He’s the one who hurt me, Storm! He nearly killed me!” Airy sat down heavily on her bed and pressed her fingers into her temples.
“And you think this, why?”
Airy wanted to scream but she held it back. She couldn’t reveal the true horror of what had happened and the background that went along with it. Wolf was a figment of my imagination, she told herself, rubbing her temples. “Because…because…”
“Because your parents and grandparents said so? I have a hard time seeing Fehin in this role. He’s a lot of things but cruel is definitely not one of them.”
The feeling was back in the pit of her stomach, the one that demanded attention. Her insides were not in agreement with her mind. “But he…he…”
Storm placed the CD player on the desk and then sat down on the bed next to Airy. “When I first talked to you on the phone after the incident you said it was some other creepy dude who kidnapped you. You even described him and what you described bore no resemblance to Fehin. What happened between that conversation and when you got back to college?”
Airy barely remembered talking to Storm. She must have still been under anesthesia. The question was a good one because right now she wasn’t sure of anything. “I don’t know,” she finally answered.
Airy slept badly that night, waking to the claustrophobia and abject terror of being gagged and stuck in that lightless pit. She remembered in detail the voice of her attacker, the grunts he made. His laugh. There was no way Fehin could duplicate that voice. She should have trusted herself. Her parents and grandparents were wrong.
***
Before her first class the next morning Airy called her grandparents in Scotland and when Finna answered she began to cry. “Nana, can you talk to my parents about Fehin? They think he’s some kind of monster.”
“Airy, we don’t see Harold and Maeve very often now. I can try and talk with them but the last time we spoke they seemed very convinced that he was not who he pretends to be. They mentioned what happened to you up in Halston. It sounded quite horrific. I can understand their worry.”
“It wasn’t him, Nana. It was his half-brother, Wolf. Ask MacCuill to talk to them. Corra told me that Fehin and I are linked. Well, she said a boy, but I know the boy is Fehin because of how I feel inside when I’m around him and also he’s the one from the island…I feel terrible because I believed them and now I’ve hurt him really badly and….”
Bridge of Mist and Fog Page 10