by Jana LaPelle
I cut him off, “King’s Island? Surely you don’t have a theme park by the same name as the one we have back home, do you?”
Colin looks confused for a moment but then shakes his head as he goes on to explain, “No lass, King’s Island is na a theme park but an actual island in Limerick. King John’s Castle and St. Mary’s Cathedral are some of the historical landmarks that I thought ya might like ta see. Are ya hungry? I thought ya might want breakfast in bed.”
He leans down to kiss me, and I pull him down to me and murmur against his lips, “I only want you, Colin.”
He deepens the kiss for a moment before pulling away and nuzzling into my neck and sighs, “Nessa is waiting for us. She’s convinced that I’m keeping ya from her. I’m afraid that we’ll have a teenage tag along today. Do ya mind?”
Laughing, I shake my head, “No, not at all. It’ll give me time to get to know your sister better. I really do like her a lot. She is so full of energy, she has spunk. I guess that I need to hurry and get ready for our day. What did you bring me for breakfast?”
Chapter 6
Before we leave out for King’s Island, which, by the way, promotes images of roller coasters, theme park rides, and cotton candy, we walk in on Gwen, Nessa, and Siobhan excitedly planning a binding ceremony. Not just any binding ceremony but mine and Colin’s. I can’t help the smile that tugs at my lips. Colin squeezes my hand and leans in to ask, “It does na bother ya that they have begun planning our binding ceremony?”
“Why should it? I would like nothing better than to bind myself to you in every way possible. After this morning, you’re never getting rid of me,” I whisper in his ear before kissing the corner of his mouth.
Suddenly, he pulls me into his arms and spins me in a circle before kissing me soundly and saying, “Well ye’re never getting rid of me, mo chroí,” He kisses me softly once more before putting me back down. His eyes are twinkling, and he reaches into his trouser pocket. I hear Nessa gasp behind me, I look over my shoulder to see her practically bouncing, and I cock my head giving her a quizzical look. Colin then gently grasps my chin and turns my head back to face him while taking a knee, “Joanna Claire Collins, would ya do me the very great honor of becoming me wife? Will ya enter into a binding with me and complete our soul mate bond? I promise that life with me will never be boring.” He clasps one of my hands in his own while the other is holding a little black box which he pops open to showcase the most beautiful engagement ring that I have ever seen.
The whole room stills while waiting for me to respond but the ring has taken center stage. I study it, and I can’t help but think that Colin picked the most perfect ring for me. I gingerly pluck it out of the black velvet case, the large emerald cut aquamarine stone is framed by tiny encrusted diamonds set in white gold. It’s utterly beautiful, and I look down into Colin’s eyes and cup his cheek with my right hand and say, “Well, how could I ever say no to you. I would be most honored to become your wife and complete our soulmate bond. God, I love you. More than I can express.” Colin stands, and with a smile takes the ring from my grasp and slides it on to the ring finger of my left hand. I throw my arms around this man of mine and pull him close, “I love you. Colin. Whatever comes our way, we can face it together.”
The room erupts with applause, and I turn to see that Keagan has joined us and is nodding and smiling at the two of us in silent acceptance, while the women in the family excitedly gather around us. Colin brings our interwoven hands up to gently kiss my knuckles before he steps away to join his father, his eyes never straying far from me. My heart feels as if it will burst with all the love I feel for my handsome Irishman. I realize that I have not heard anything that Gwen has said and I look down at her and say, “I’m sorry, with all the excitement my mind was a million miles away, what did you say?”
Gwen smiles up at me affectionately and says, “Not a million miles away, just about a dozen steps. Welcome to the family, Joanna. I already think of you as a daughter.” She pulls me into a hug and whispers in my ear, “I know that you are struggling to figure things out, we intend to help you and show you what majic is all about. All in due time.” Pulling away my future mother-in-law smiles up at me brightly and says, “Your connection to Colin will continue to grow. You will be amazed at how your relationship will evolve after we have the binding ceremony.”
Curiosity gets the better of me, and I ask, “Why do you call it a binding ceremony and not a marriage?”
“Because it is so much more than a typical human marriage, you will soon understand, my dear.”
Nessa is bouncing up and down beside me in her excitement, “I’m going to have a sister!” She squeals and claps her hands excitedly before throwing her arms around me and hugging me close.
“I think I’m going to like having a sister, Nessa. You have a gift, and that is to make me smile.” Nessa pulls me in again and gives me a huge hug, and I hug her back. For the first time ever in my life, I feel connected. Nothing against my parents.
Smiling, I take pictures of Nessa and her older brother. They’re so cute together as they pick on one another, as only siblings can. I can tell that Nessa has missed her brother, even though she would never ever openly admit it. She has reached that awkward age of being a child at heart but wanting to appear grown up, in her ever maturing body. In just a few short years she’s going to become an absolutely gorgeous young woman with all that fiery red hair, and those jade green eyes. Her complexion is one that will tan if out in the sun, and she has a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her perfect little nose. I’ve snapped quite a few pictures of her today and can’t wait to see them. Laughing at their antics, I turn away from the siblings to take in our surroundings. I use the viewfinder of my Nikon camera to zoom in on some of the ionic backdrops I find myself surrounded by. King John’s Castle has been a rather lovely distraction, not at all what I envisioned when Colin brought it up this morning. For a moment, I don’t see anything in front of me, but the image of Colin above me from this morning’s lovemaking session which seems to be permanently branded into my very being. I can’t help but smile at the memory. Since this morning, I feel oddly connected to Colin. I can’t really explain it but I like it, and I welcome this growing connection to my handsome Irishman.
I’m brought back to the present as I pan around this historical site with my camera to my eye, I’m caught off guard when I see a man who appears to be watching my every move. Casually, I continue to pan around our surroundings as if taking pictures. When I get back to where the mysterious man was standing, I see that he’s gone. For whatever reason, he really creeped me out, turning back toward Colin and Nessa, I see that they did not take notice of the creepy man. The strange thing is, he was very attractive, so I’m not really sure why I felt so uneasy when I noticed him. Maybe my lack of sleep last night and everything, in general, is getting to me.
Colin is at my side suddenly and asking, “What’s wrong? I sense that ya are unnerved. Tell me, mo chroí. Are ya alright?”
Nodding, I smile up at him, “Yeah, I don’t know… I guess it was nothing really. Come on, let’s go inside.” I reach up to caress his jawline and before I know it his lips meet mine.
I’m broken out of my thoughts when I hear Nessa calling to us, “Quit your snogging ya two. Come on, the tour is beginning. Ya two lovebirds are going to miss it.”
“We’re coming. Hey, Nessa, I want to get a picture of you right here,” I say as I swing my camera back up to catch Nessa. In the background, the guy I saw before is looking my way. As I snap the picture, I could swear that his eyes shade to solid black.
“What the hell…,” I stammer softly, completely unnerved.
“What’s going on with ya? Colin asks with concern, taking my hand and pulling me around to face him.
Shaking my head, I respond the best way I know how, “I don’t know, Colin. It may be nothing, but this guy has me unnerved. It was the weirdest thing, as I was taking a
picture of Nessa this creepy guy in the background took me off guard. I had to be imagining what I saw, but it looked as if his eyes turned completely black.”
Colin goes entirely still, and I could swear that the color has begun to drain from his face, “Joanna, where did you see this guy? What did he look like?”
Turning back to look at where this mysterious guy was standing, I don’t see him and say, “He’s not there now, but earlier, I got the impression that he was watching us. I want to see if I can take another picture of him if he is part of the tour and then I’ll point him out. I love that you’re taking me seriously because I have to wonder why I’m having such a strange reaction to such a good-looking stranger.”
Colin’s eyebrow quirks, “Ya found him attractive?”
The smile that tugs at my lips can’t be denied as I sense that he’s a little jealous, “In a seriously creepy sort of way. You should know by now that I have eyes only for you Colin Faolin Elan. Now, we need to find Nessa, we haven’t seen her in several minutes.” As we round the corner, I see Nessa talking to the creepy stranger from before, and I’m compelled to snap several photos of the two before I say to Colin, “That’s him, and the creepy vibe for me is way off the charts. Go get Nessa, and we need to leave. I want to find somewhere that will develop film in an hour or less.”
Colin quickly gains Nessa’s attention and herds her our way so that we can head out. Colin has been oddly quiet since our discussion. I can’t help but wonder if he is aggravated with me or the situation. We quickly leave the island and find a shop to drop my film to have it developed before we head back home. Everyone is quiet before Nessa speaks up, “Joanna, what’s going on? Colin said that ya were unnerved by someone, and that we needed ta leave.”
“It was more than that. I can’t explain it. I have never had a reaction to someone like that before. Like every cell in my body was screaming at me to get away as quickly as possible.” I look around the quaint pub that we chose to hang out in, while my film is being developed. I watch as the barmaid approaches with our draughts before continuing, “That guy that you were talking to right before Colin came and got you, well, there was something about him that had me wanting to run the other direction, literally. Then, there was a moment when I was taking a picture of you, and he was in the background, I could have sworn his eyes shaded to a solid black. It must have been some sort of shadow playing with my mind. I don’t know.” I take a sip of my ale and wait for Nessa and Colin to tell me that I’m losing my mind.
Nessa’s gaze shifts to Colin, “I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t either of us have picked up on a dark majic wielder in our midst?”
I look at Colin, “What is she talking about, Colin? I don’t understand. Who exactly was that man or maybe the better question is what was he?”
Colin takes my hand in his trying to soothe me and says, “I’m na sure, but I think he may have been one of Daerok’s disciples from his dark order. Do you remember when I told ya that me ancestor created a spell ta hide or cloak our line from Daerok? Well, there’s a downside ta the cloaking spell. It hides us from Daerok and his followers but does na allow us ta detect Daerok and his dark majic users either. It’s as if we completely overlook the other, both factions. Neither Nessa nor I would have paid this guy any attention. Joanna, once we have our binding ceremony and complete our binding, ya will, at that time, be interwoven into the spell, but na before, I believe that ya were instinctually repulsed by him. Mo chroí, you deny that ya have any majic, but I believe that ya do and that for whatever reason it is locked away. Ya practice yer majic in a way that I have never witnessed before. Yer innate knowledge of healing is driven by your majic. Ya embody all that is good and nurturing. When we encountered this being, ya reacted on pure instinct. We need ta get home so we can talk to Siobhan and Mum and Da.”
Chapter 7
We swing by to pick up my film and my developed pictures before heading back home to Colin’s family estate. I dread what I’m going to see in the images that rest in the envelope in my hands. So I wait until we arrive at his house before contemplating looking at the evidence in my grasp. I’m not sure what I fear I will see, but I instinctually know that it will not be good.
We clamor out of the car and make our way into the massive house to be greeted by Siobhan, Gwen, and Keagan. Siobhan takes me by the arm and guides me into the sitting room just outside of the kitchen, “Come, we’ve been expecting ya. Yes, I had a premonition that ya would run into a wee bit of trouble today. Now, Joanna, come with me, and we’ll look at da pictures ya have clasped in yer hands. Come now, child.”
I nod and look to Colin, and he gives me his best half smile. I clutch the photos to my chest, and Siobhan says, “We will sit here and look through yer photos, stop me when ya see something that catches yer eye.”
She quickly begins flipping through the photos. I can’t help the gasp that escapes me when I see what looks like an animated mummified male person staring back at me from the photograph that is now clasped in my trembling hand, “Oh my God, oh my God, what is that?!” I look to Siobhan, and she nods quietly, acknowledging that she sees what I see. I look around the room with wild eyes before screeching and pushing away from the table, “What is that?” I flail the picture in my hands at his family, “Where I come from we don’t see these kinds of anomalies. What the hell is this thing? He was the person that gave me the heebie-jeebies and why I felt the need to get as far away from him as possible.” I’m beginning to hyperventilate, and I take a seat next to Siobhan. Colin hands me a highball of Jameson whiskey neat, and I down it quickly, sputtering and coughing as the warm liquid scores a searing path down my throat.
“Is that better? Can I see? Ya were flapping that picture around so that we couldna see what ya were going on about.” Colin pulls me up wrapping me in his arms, and I feel instantly calmer. All the while he pulls the photo from my grasp.
“Oh sweet baby Jesus,” I whisper as I bury my face in Colin’s warm chest, “I’m not sure what to make of it, that thing is not human. What is it, Colin? Why did it look normal when it clearly is not?” I shudder again as I recall the image staring back at me from the photo. His face was hollowed out and looked almost skeletal, his hide was a deathly grey, and there were really no lips to cover his teeth, just strips or strings of flesh at the corners of his mouth. His mummified flesh was ghastly to look at, but it was the eyes that I find most unnerving, they were solid black except for where the pupil should be and there in the center of his eyes was a yellow-green putrid glow. Everything about the creature in the picture has rocked me to my very core.
Trembling, I pull back to see that Nessa is staring at another photo. The picture in her hands is of her and the undead man she was talking to back at the castle, her eyes are wide when she looks up, “I had no idea that I was standing so close ta a lich. I’m really not sure that I like this cloaking spell any longer. I’d much rather know what I’m dealing with than ta be caught dead having a conversation with something like that. Ta think I even thought he was kind of cute.” Her voice trembles as she realizes just how close she had been standing to a monster, but her words are those of someone much older than her fourteen years.
Pulling away from Colin, I look around the room, “What is a lich? And I’m still waiting for an explanation as to why that thing can walk around in broad daylight, and no one even knows that an undead creature is standing right next to them.” I pause looking around the room, and I can tell that I have garnered their attention.
Siobhan is the first to respond, her thick accent lends a whimsical feel to her tale, “Many, many years ago, Keagan and Colin’s forefather ‘twas tossed out of Faerie, tossed out of The Otherworld. Ya see he chose ta follow Daerok, the Druid’s Luminary at the time. Na unlike the aingels when they chose to follow Lucifer in the war in Heaven or The Overworld, as we refer to it, in doin’ so he damned himself and his children. Ya see Colin’s forefather did na realize until ‘twas too late that he
had been misled and the consequences were dire. Unlike the aingels he ‘twas na damned ta The Underworld but ta The Mortal Realm.
“Once the Druids banished Daerok and his many followers from The Otherworld ta the land of the mortals, Daerok expected complete compliance from his followers. They were much like the Fallen, ya see, but Faolan had decided that he could no longer go along with Daerok and his beliefs and his twisted dark majic. It became more and more apparent as the days went by that Daerok was deranged. Ya see, the dark and twisted path that Daerok was guiding his followers down ‘twas na one that Faolan could follow. He ‘twas young at the tender age of seventeen, the youngest of all the followers, he knew that he may have been damned by the Druids ta never again grace his homeland but he would na allow his descendants to follow dis dark, destructive path. So Faolan devised a plan ta escape his dark lord’s regime. Once he got away and years later met his kindred, they together, created the cloaking spell ta hide all those in their line. That spell came in handy today. Daerok’s minion was unable to determine who and where ya were, but Joanna, ya proved ta be a bit of a distraction. The lich was unable ta categorize ya, and ya piqued his curiosity him.”
“So, what are you saying? Will he come after me? How can I keep that from happening? And that still does not explain what a lich is.” I say, sounding desperate.
Siobhan smiles sadly, “Well, child, ya can complete your binding with Colin. That will keep Daerok’s minions at bay, but once the last born male descendant passes from this life ta The Overworld, the cloaking spell will dissipate, if na before.”
I shake my head trying to decipher her words, “What are you saying?” She shakes her head with a sad smile looking at a loss for words, before bowing her head and even though I know that she is holding back and that her admission will cost her I push on, “What do you mean, Siobhan?”