“Beth finished her work. The Limerick Times carried a report of a grave desecration at the end of June this year. It was Jedidiah’s grave. Stolen heart,” Wayman said. “It’s under investigation right now because Jed’s body hadn’t decomposed, of course, yet his grave marker says he died in 1860. So now they think it’s a recent murder, so there’s some confusion down there at the moment.”
“Danner certainly was lucky he found Beth—living in the right time to help him and living in the same town as the last heir of the Browns,” Dean said.
Taline agreed. “So to answer Nathalie’s original question, when Beth came through, that’s when the other strange folk did as well. When magical stress started to form around Barrington it attracted them. Many were drawn to the building tension and conflict that Dannerlich and Willow had planned for the town. Some were pulled involuntarily, for a purpose, like Nettie, and some of us came deliberately, like me, Wayman, and the various other folk you saw.”
“So what about the rule of no interference?” Luke asked curiously. “Magical beings kept coming to Barrington, yet not one police officer from Limerick even stopped for a coffee!”
“Oh, that rule is for mortals and mortal things only, it turns out. Magical energy attracts magical things, and that didn’t change. I think the information on the “no interference rule” was not clearly explained to future generations by your forebears.”
“You think,” Luke mumbled.
“Danner thought he was pretty smart,” Nathalie commented.
“Not as smart as my Luke,” Sadie interjected in a far away voice.
Taline laughed. Standing close to the portal, she had started to glow. Her long silver hair shimmered and her blue eyes twinkled like sapphires. Wayman was staring at her, spellbound.
“Danner underestimated the power of love,” Taline said quietly. “It was brilliant to intoxicate the town with a drug mixed with a mild love potion.”
“Is that what that mysterious ingredient was?”
“Yep. Many adults were so distracted that Bethiah and Danner got away with a lot.” Taline laughed. “What no one took into consideration was the obsessive love of a teenage girl. The power of their hormones! The jealousy and rage…all for their sweethearts, as we saw with Sadie. In her rage, Sadie was so powerful she destroyed Willow, and his plan, in the blink of an eye.”
Taline looked at Luke. “You are one smart kid,” she said admiringly, “to have thought of capitalizing on that.”
“Genius, actually,” Luke said, and then smiled. “I know my girl,” he said jokingly, “and I could tell that she’d had enough,” but he did take a quick look at Sadie with a wild eye.
Wayman laughed and Dean looked at him suspiciously. “About your horse Pain, is he…smarter than most horses?”
“He is,” Wayman confirmed with a wink.
“You tell him I’m going to kick him in the ass the next time I see him.”
“Tell him yourself,” Wayman said, inclining his head towards the trotting horse heading to the portal.
“Whoa, boy,” Wayman shouted, and Pain halted, whinnying and pawing the ground. His white coat was glowing blue.
“You know, Pain doesn’t bite just anyone regularly,” Wayman laughed. “If he didn’t like you, he’d just ignore you. Humans don’t taste good.”
Dean grunted as Pain nudged him with his nose and then tried to bite him, again.
“Geez!” he shouted, moving his hand in the nick of time. Pain nuzzled him and stepped on his foot before he galloped off.
“Ooof,” Dean said in pain, but then he remembered his first ride with Nathalie. “I owe you one, buddy!” he yelled after the departing animal.
Just then a huge, black, snorting horse streaked through with a huge leather clad rider.
“That would be Clovis,” Wayman said with satisfaction.
Taline smiled, but sadly this time. “We have to go too.”
Nathalie hugged her tightly. She had learned so much from this confident, beautiful being. Nathalie started to cry.
Taline held her close. “Nathalie, you’re a great girl. If you ever need us, we’ll come.” Taline took a necklace from around her neck and put it around Nathalie’s. “This amulet is called a Summons. You invoke it by crushing it and calling our names. It acts like a mini portal. It’s powerful magic, but only to be used in great emergency. Okay?”
Nathalie nodded.
She held her hand out to Wayman, and he pulled her into a great bear hug. His arms were heavenly. Dean started to make harrumphing noises, and Wayman laughed as they clasped hands.
Everyone said their goodbyes. Sadie inclined her head to the two in respect. Taline and Wayman did the same and stepped through.
The portal closed by itself when the last stranger passed. Sadie’s power faded and she collapsed.
“Oh my God, Sadie!” Luke yelled as he rushed forward. He sounded panicked as he threw himself beside her.
“I’m fine, Luke.” Sadie said gingerly, sitting up. She rubbed her head. Sadie was a mess. She was full of Jedidiah’s blood and her hair was a tangled snarl from the wind. Thank God there’s no mirror around Luke thought fleetingly. Sadie was beautiful, but she hated being dirty and disheveled. Sadie calmly looked around her and then into Luke’s concerned blue eyes. She reached up and put her hands on each side of his face.
“I love you Luke Barrington,” she said softly, her face tightening with dismay as her eyes searched his beloved face. “I was so scared when Willow had me. I didn’t think I’d ever have the chance to tell you again. She was so strong and determined that I thought I was lost.” Sadie pulled Luke to her and kissed him, stroking his face. She broke the kiss and put her cheek to his and wrapped her arms around his neck and he hoisted her up.
Sadie turned to look at the leftover crowd. Everyone was milling about, bemused. No one could figure out how they had gotten to the clearing. The torches were still burning and the wavering glow made the scene eerie and confusing.
Sadie curled her fingers with Luke’s and turned to the crowd. She narrowed her eyes as she deliberated.
Tess looked at Sadie in astonishment. “What happened?” Tess exclaimed. She saw Nathalie. “You okay? I had a feeling you needed me.”
Nathalie hugged her pal. “I’m fine, thank you for coming. It was just…”
“A big party at The Rock,” Sadie suggested, glowing briefly as she sent the thought through the crowd.
Tess’ eyes widened. “Of course, and it was…” she looked around, slightly bewildered.
“Awesome. It was just awesome,” Sadie said confidently.
The word spread. The Halloween party at Kellar Rock was awesome.
“Where is Kellar Rock?” James asked curiously, looking around and then up, as if for help. “Are you sure we’re in the right clearing?”
“It’s dust,” Dean said loudly. “I saw it get hit by lightening.”
“Oh, that’s awesome,” James said, losing interest and drifting away.
The kids started to leave for home.
“Luke, make sure Xander writes a piece on The Rock for the next edition of The Bugle,” Nathalie said, “particularly since it’s on Barrington’s list of historic things to see in this ‘witch burning hexed’ town.”
Luke nodded distractedly. Blah, blah stupid rock. His eyes were fixed on Sadie hungrily. “Sadie, are we done? Can we go home?” Luke asked her quietly. The last few weeks had been murder. He missed her desperately and only wanted to hold her for the next hundred years.
Sadie laughed as Luke wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. He couldn’t stop touching her and they needed some time alone to reconnect.
“Can I sleep over at your place, Luke?” Sadie asked. “I really don’t want to go home tonight.”
Luke’s face lit up with his old goofy grin. “Sure, my mom always has a spare room ready,” he teased.
“I’ll probably just stay in your room with you, Luke.” Sadie said casually. “It h
as been a long month and a frightening night for both of us.”
“Absolutely,” he whispered. “You can wear my PJs and use my toothbrush.”
Sadie put her mouth to Luke’s ear and whispered back. “Neither of us is going to be wearing PJs tonight, Luke, but I’ll definitely take you up on the toothbrush offer,” she whispered.
Luke started to hyperventilate.
“Bend down and take deep breaths,” Dean yelled behind him as he and Nathalie left the clearing.
Suddenly there was a lot of noise in the woods as adults streamed in with flashlights and dogs. Pandemonium ensued as teens were stopped by their parents and questioned, dogs barked, and the torches were taken and extinguished.
“Doesn’t anyone realize how dangerous torches are in a forest?” Xander could be heard exclaiming. “I hope no kids were smoking! Oh, shit! Where’s The Rock!?”
John and Claire Barrington found Luke and Sadie. “What happened? We couldn’t find you…” John said, giving them both a rough hug.
“She’s gone,” Luke said wearily. “Sadie annihilated her,” he said with pride as his mother looked Sadie over and gave her a hug.
Sadie smiled in embarrassment.
“We could feel it,” Claire said quietly. “All that negative energy…gone.”
John Barrington was nodding. “Other than a giant party still going on at The Rotunda, everything is well…”
“Normal,” Claire said simply.
Luke nodded and yawned. He put his arm around Sadie and she sagged against him. “Sadie’s wiped out, dad. I’m taking her home.”
John was looking at the crater where the rock used to be. “Fine, son, we’ll debrief tomorrow,” he said, clapping his son on the shoulder and heading towards the Sheriff, who was shining his flashlight around the spot and whistling.
The Barrington Estate
They snuck up Barrington Manor’s central staircase to Luke’s room. His parents were out, but he didn’t want any nosey siblings intercepting them. Thankfully, all was quiet. Once they closed the door to his suite, there was only one moment of awkwardness as they stared at each other. Sadie dispelled it immediately by pulling her dress over her head and tossing it to the ground, her underclothes following as she headed to the bathroom.
“Come shower with me Luke. I don’t remember the last time I took a shower and I need to get this blood and dirt off of me right now,” she said as she disappeared into the washroom. Luke was right behind her.
The shower was hot and steamy and filled with a lot of groaning from Luke and gasping from Sadie as they kissed and soaped each other up. They stayed in there a long time, enjoying the hot water rolling over them. Eventually Luke pulled her pink, heat flushed body out of the shower and tried to dry her a little as they kissed and stumbled to his room. Sadie fell back onto Luke’s bed with him on top of her, holding her tight.
“Now,” she said frantically as his mouth covered hers and he obliged with a thrust of his hips. As he slid inside her, Luke melted at her heat. “Sadie,” he groaned against her mouth as he pumped his hips. She covered his mouth with hers and wrapped her legs around his body and moaned with pleasure. Within minutes she was writhing in ecstasy, and so was he.
Much later they were curled up together in Luke’s big four poster bed. He was kissing the damp curls at the back of Sadie’s neck. His arm was draped over her hip and he was rubbing circles with his hand on her flat stomach. She snuggled closer to Luke’s large, warm body as the wind howled outside, causing the branches from the huge maple tree to knock and scrape at the window. Luke tightened his grip around the frail girl he loved so much.
Sadie felt safe for the first time in her life. Her eyes were closing and her last thought was a happy one. Luke was hers, wholly and completely, first time and everything.
The Parker Residence
When Nathalie and Dean arrived at Nathalie’s house it was completely dark. They crept up to Nathalie’s room and locked the door. Dean held Nathalie tightly. She was shivering from shock. In a matter of hours, their worlds had utterly changed.
“Nathalie, you have to record this,” Dean told her softly. He gave her one tight squeeze and then pushed her towards her desk.
“It’s already like a memory, and fading quickly,” Nathalie said quietly, turning on her computer and seating herself in front of the screen.
“You can do it,” Dean said sleepily. He had no recollection of where he’d been the last two days. His only memory was being in the clearing with the wind whipping around him while Willow slit his wrists and poured his blood into a cylinder. “A life for a life,” she had whispered.
“It was really gross, and then I passed out,” he had told her.
She watched Dean as he snuggled in her bed. She wanted to join him. She had almost lost him tonight.
“Nettie says that recording is part of your heritage. We’ll do our best and talk through our memories tonight and get the bulk of it down. We’ll let Luke have his time with Sadie, poor guy. He was in hell being away from her for so long. He can read it tomorrow and fill in the missing parts.”
“Suppose he forgets too?” Nathalie said worriedly.
“I don’t think he can. He’s The Seer. With true sight, I don’t think his mind can be tricked to forget. He is a genius,” Dean mumbled…and started snoring.
And, I’m on my own…Nathalie thought as she stared at the bright screen. Unlike the rest of Barrington, Nathalie wasn’t sleepy. A nervous energy animated her. A need to finish this pushed her to start typing. In the end Nathalie didn’t have any problems recording the events of the summer or this past night as she looked back. The words flowed from her and her fingers flew over the keyboard. All the events and conversations came back to her. Even the times when her terror for Dean had distracted her, her mind seemed to have been recording events subconsciously.
When she was done it was almost dawn. Dean was out cold on her bed, snoring softly. He was still extremely pale. He’s going to Doc Peabody today if I have to knock him out myself, Nathalie thought.
Nathalie’s Journal – Entry for Friday, November 1
We did it. We all survived.
I wrote it all down, but no one will ever believe what’s written in my little book. It’s like fantasy. I wonder if Klaus Deitriche felt the same way when he wrote about his demon.
The good thing is that in the end, I didn’t have to “watch” shit! Sucks to be you, Willow Kellar.
Bitch!
Future
Friday, November 1 – All Saints Day
The Parker Residence
The next day Sadie and Luke dropped by Nathalie’s in the afternoon. They were holding hands and laughing as they walked up Nathalie’s street. Nathalie had called Luke and asked him and Sadie to come over and read her account. Dean and Nathalie were waiting for them on the front porch.
“She’s a different girl,” Nathalie said, looking at the radiant expression on Sadie’s face.
“She sure is,” Dean said, kissing Nathalie’s hand.
Nathalie’s mother popped her head out the front door. “I have snacks in the back and your dad’s barbequing,” Mrs. Parker announced. “So come and have something to eat!”
Nathalie’s father drifted by humming, spatula in hand, wearing his new apron that said “I’VE BARBEQUED IN HELL. COME AND GET IT!” in big, bold letters. Nathalie sighed. Soon the snow will come and the barbequing will end. She hoped.
Dean led the way and Sadie followed him through the front door to the back yard. Luke was following when Nathalie stopped him.
“Luke, how much do you remember of last night?” she asked him curiously.
“I remember everything. You?”
“Me too, the memories aren’t fading like I thought they would. Dean doesn’t remember much from the last couple of days.”
“Maybe that’s not a bad thing. He was almost murdered. Wayman touched him when he left. Maybe he left a forget spell. That’s why the faerie folk are considered myth
s—we can never remember encountering them.”
“I’m not sure that’s true.”
“Why do you say that?”
“My dad was telling my mother how Patrick O’Callaghan and Shaemus O’Malley are back in town. I think Shaemus left when he saw the first faerie at the festival.”
“Taline or Wayman?”
“Probably one of them. Anyway, he has some sort of sight…he went to Limerick and stayed hidden for over three months.”
Luke whistled. “At the risk of his business and everything. What made him come back now?”
“Halloween passed and the festival ended. Apparently he asked Sheriff Holt if ‘they’ were gone now that the festival was over. Sheriff Holt threw him in the clink to sober him up, according to Patrick.”
“Patrick left after Shaemus.”
“Right after seeing Venius and Clovis at the church. Wrote his article and bolted. I’m not sure, and he’s not saying. I think the Irish have a sixth sense about them.”
Luke nodded. It made a weird type of sense.
“What about Sadie? How’s she doing? She went through quite an ordeal. Being possessed, getting her power, blowing up The Rock, getting sprayed with TB…”
Luke blushed. “Oh, she’s great. She’s fine, physically and mentally, just extremely thin. Willow starved her, but that doesn’t bother her. She wasn’t abused in any way, thankfully. Even Clovis was terrified of Willow. Apparently she eventually gave him permission to grab Ella, but Sadie was so horrified she thinks she frowned at him briefly, so he didn’t do it.”
“Thank God,” Nathalie said with relief.
“Well, they took Dean instead,” Luke said wryly.
“It was hell, but I know he would prefer that than letting some beast put his hands on his sister,” Nathalie said quietly. “It becomes a choice between two evils.”
“The good thing is that Sadie can access her power at will, which is great, but she has no idea how she multiplied it exponentially by pulling all the energy from around her.”
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