A Banshee's Tale

by Veronica Breville

  “How are ya? My name’s Millie Erwyn, here to help if ya be need’n it.” She paused before adding sweetly, “What’s yer friend’s name, boyo?”

  “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I’m alone.” He surveyed the wall and case of ancient weapons, mostly crossbows and broadswords with a few antique guns thrown into the mix. “I was wondering if all of these weapons you have on display are for sale?”

  “Hmm, yes they’re for sale. But...” she pointed toward me, “I’m afraid ya do have a friend with ya. She’s hovering particularly close to my collection of rare crystal figures in the corner. I can banish her for ya.” Ms. Erwyn nodded slowly while narrowing her eyes as though she were conjuring her own powers to do just that when Zane put his hand on her arm and nearly screamed for her to stop.

  “No!” He pulled his hand away and ran it through his hair as he looked between the two women. “Ahem, I mean, no thank you. I wasn’t aware anyone else could see her but me. Are you psychic?” He recovered but still seemed shaken.

  “I’ve a bit o’ fae blood coursing through me. Will ya be need’n these to help her or is she the cause of yer pain?”

  “Pain?” Zane’s eyebrows drew together before his mouth turned up into a small smirk. “I suppose I could respond yes to both, but she’s not the kind of pain I assume you are meaning.” He stole a glance at me and then leaned in to whisper, “She’s got a mind like a steel wall and runs headlong into things without thinking first. Puts herself in the way of some pretty nasty types.” He winked. “So you’re part fairy?”

  “Ah, like a slab o’ granite, she is. Well then, if you’re off to protect her, I should be help’n ya to decide on what ya need to buy, not chatting yer lovely ear off. But since you’ve asked so kindly, yes. I’m part fairy, if ya will. No wings or dust that makes me fly.” She laughed at her own humorous remark. “It’s not an altogether large portion but enough to imbue me wit a bit o’ their magic.”

  They both turned their heads in the direction of the back wall and began debating on what weapons would be beneficial. Zane filled her in on the situation, even though I could tell he thought she was a bit off her rocker, and she set about grabbing several pieces and setting them in front of him.

  While they were occupied, I took time to assess the strange woman who had befriended us and our cause. She didn’t give off the same feeling that a normal human did, there was something electric about her. Perhaps her claim to be part fairy was true and that was why it was so easy for her to understand our predicament. Her face, in particular her eyes, were kind and emitted a grandmotherly glow. All around she was comforting to be near. That was enough for me to know she could be trusted.

  Looking her over once more, I wondered if she could hear me. I hadn’t bothered to speak since we entered as Zane was focusing on what he would need even though he truly had no idea what lay ahead. Floating a little closer I turned my back to her and spoke. “Ms. Erwyn?” At the sound of my voice she jumped and walked around to be able to look me in the eye.

  “I see ya do have a voice, and a grand one at that. Now, this handsome devil here’s been tell’n me all about yer situation. It’s a right mess you’re in, lass.” She looked at me and made a small tsking noise before continuing. “I was just explaining that there’s some extra protection I can add to yer purchases, see’n as how you’ll be up against some altogether awful sorts. If you’ll both follow me, I’ll fix ya up and send ya on yer way.” She motioned for us both to follow her to the far corner of the shop. Zane grabbed the two daggers, a sword, and belts made for carrying it all and brought them back with us.

  As we reached the register, Millie asked, “Zane was it?” Her smile was contagious. Zane responded with an equally brilliant one of his own before nodding.

  “It is, ma’am.”

  “Now, none of that ma’am business, young man. Would ya be a doll and flip me open sign to closed... this might take just a bit.”

  As he left to do as she asked, she looked at me. “Well now, love, that is a fine piece ya have hangin’ around your neck. If I’m not mistaken, it’s the sign of a Banshee.”

  “Guide, actually. We don’t like to refer to ourselves as Banshees anymore... the name has warped into something horrible over the centuries,” I replied, hoping I hadn’t come off as snippy.

  “Ah, yes, people are always afraid of what they don’t understand and fear breeds nasty things. May I touch it?” She cocked her head to the side looking at me with affectionate eyes.

  “I’m not sure you can touch it. There’s nothing solid about me right now, but you can try.”

  She reached forward without a moment’s hesitation and did indeed touch my necklace. The feel of her warm leathery hands reached the skin that should be there at my throat. As she wrapped her tiny fingers around my pendant, I felt a wave of warmth come over me. The feeling was like the Kansas sun in late summer, completely enveloping and soothing.

  “There now, ya have the protection of yer lovely fella and the fae folk. Anytime you’re need’n me just touch yer necklace, and I’ll be there through yer thoughts.” I could hear the satisfaction in her voice as she released my necklace and stood back to view my reaction.

  “Who are you?” I asked bewildered and a bit afraid.

  “A friend. I know the history of my people. The Guides are part of that same history, although we do still refer to ya as the Banshee. You’re special even by our standards, and I feel the connection we have, lass. I’m meant to be help’n ya and yer man. I just knew today was a good day the minute I opened me eyes. The fae magic’s been crackling in the air since the sun came up.”

  “You feel it, too? That’s a relief. I swear something was pulling me in this direction all day.” Her answering smile told me she understood what I was saying. “While I’m letting you in on all my deepest secrets, let me clarify who Zane is. He’s my Guardian. I suppose you could say he’s part of the same history, or so I understand. His job is to protect me... nothing more, nothing less,” I finished stubbornly, not completely believing the words that cascaded from my mouth.

  “So he’s a Caomhnóir, is he? Well, time will tell if that is all the Fates have lined up for the two of you.” She laughed.

  If I’d been more than a spirit, both Millie and Zane would have seen the high blush on my cheeks, so for once I was thankful for being nothing but vapor. “I’m not sure I know what you mean, Ms. Erwyn, but I hope the Fates have designs for our lives past the next few days.” I smiled kindly and waved as I made my way through the store and out the door to the car. I could hear Millie chatting away with Zane as they settled his bill and took care of the weapons he had purchased.

  Lost in thought, I didn’t hear him open the door and shove the irregular packages in the back seat. He hmph’ed as he closed his door and started the engine shocking me back into the present.

  “Before we go too far you might want to get out the map that I had you mark,” I noted, pointing to the map in the console.

  “Right.” He reached into the console and grabbed the map we had worked on before leaving this morning. “So we need to head south and then west. It looks like this puts us somewhere in Wicklow Mountain National Park. This could take a while, the roads are narrow and driving around here is all about patience.”

  “I have all kinds of time... I think. Anyway, time means little to me like this. Drive on.”

  There was little in the way of chatter between the two of us, nothing out of the norm. The real difference was the tension. Usually the tension between Zane and I would be caused by our bickering, but this time it was the uncertainty of our futures that held our tongues and made the anxiety palpable. I couldn’t help but replay the words Millie spoke about fate having more in store for Zane and I. Looking at him from the corner of my eye, I wondered what exactly she had meant. We were both laboring under the impression that even if there was an attra
ction we couldn’t act on it. Add that the fact that he saw me as a child and Millie seemed crazier and crazier in my head. Perhaps she was talking of something other than a personal connection. For the time being, it didn’t matter. I needed to refocus and stay on track. Without a physical body, it wouldn’t matter what the Fates had up their tattered sleeves.

  Hours passed, I was sure, before we arrived at the spot we would need to leave the car. Bringing along a tent had been a necessity to give Zane time to rest before we tried to enter the earthen home my body resided in. He walked while I floated for a few more hours before we decided to make camp. The park we were in was a true wonder and it made me long for a more peaceful time so I could enjoy the splendor of it all. When the tent was set up, we went inside and Zane made himself as comfortable as he could. I decided I could be of more use scouting the area for the dwelling we were looking for; I told Zane as much and promised to be careful. Zane stressed the need for me to return before the sun fell to assure that I wouldn’t be detected. I agreed, begrudgingly.

  Making my way around the landscape was both exhilarating and dreadful. I was having no luck remembering the physical markers around the mound. One hill began to look just like the next, and before I realized it, the sun was beginning to set so I made my way back to camp, arriving just as the last ray of light left the terrain. Appearing in the tent, I noticed the serious set of Zane’s jaw.

  “Jeez, Cat! Could you cut it any closer?” he hissed.

  “Sorry, I got a little lost. You’d think being in this form would have its advantages, but I was just as lost as I would have been in my normal form. No luck in finding the house, either.”

  “Millie gave me some pointers when you left to mope in the car. I think together we’ll be able to find it tomorrow. For now, I need to rest. We’ll set out at first light.”

  That was that, the commander had spoken.

  As it had since I became a ghost, sleep evaded me. I suppose without an actual body to recharge I didn’t really need it. Instead, I hovered above the tent to watch the sun rise over the horizon. It was breathtaking, and for the first time I realized why my father had always loved getting up before the sun. Watching the orange, red, and yellow of the first rays breaking the surface of the morning was a truly religious experience. Unfortunately, Zane had other plans and they didn’t include reverently regarding the sunrise.

  “Cat, there will be another sunrise tomorrow; I suggest you stop with the dreamy eyes so we can get this show on the road.” He was strapping a broadsword to his back as he spoke.

  Turning to face him, I put my hands on my hips and arched my brow. “You are so not a morning person, are you?”

  Instead of answering, he simply started walking in the direction he had surmised would work best and left me to trail behind. It occurred to me that in this form I could make the most out of my Banshee status and start wailing, just to fulfill the archetype of so many people out there. Unfortunately, the effort would have been wasted on the cranky pants ahead of me, and I’d likely get into trouble. Not to mention alerting the Badbeh of my proximity. All my internal giggling and plotting had kept me so busy that I didn’t realize where we were.

  With every step Zane took, I felt more and more uneasy. We were close, I was sure, but what awaited us? Before I had much time to contemplate the horrors in front of us, Zane stopped.

  “I think we’ve found it. Millie said the door would likely be hidden but you might be able to see it with your mind’s eye.”

  I concentrated was able to see it clear as day. Guiding Zane to the exact spot, I watched as he reached through the grass covering to grab the doorknob, turning slightly to smile at me before opening it as quietly as possible. It struck me then that I could have probably just floated right through it. I would be so glad to be reunited with my body, this floating-appearing-phasing thing just never got easier.

  Once inside Zane could stand upright but had very little space on either side of him. The door opened to a long corridor that kept twisting and turning for ages. It reminded me of my brother’s ant farms, the kind sandwiched between glass; only I couldn’t tell if we were going straight or down. It was all very confusing and only added to my feeling of apprehension. Eventually we began passing small wooden doors, but I could sense nothing on the other side of them so we continued down the path we were on. I was thankful for the first time I was without a body because claustrophobia would have set in long ago. I hoped I would be able to keep the panic at bay long enough to get out once I put myself together again.

  As we turned a corner, I saw a small creature bent and covered in long reddish hair. His body was ornamented haphazardly with mud and sticks and viewing his profile he made me think of a little old man with a hooked nose. He wasn’t frightening in the least. As a matter of fact, there was something almost charming about the way he waddled down the corridor. Following quietly, I noticed he was going into a room and knew it was the place. I stopped, still fairly far away and motioned to Zane to follow it, and I hovered behind as he crept closer to the door. Waiting to see if it came out of the room, we became impatient and entered as quietly as possible, but not quiet enough.

  “So, I see you decided to join us, did you?” The hairy little man stood at a table near the center of the room facing us.

  We stood frozen just inside the door, me in midair and Zane next to me, shocked to be found out and because there was more than one human inhabiting the room. A young girl with hair the color of corn silk was dressed in an antique pale blue dress, stood protecting my lifeless form on the bed, her eyes fierce until they met mine.

  “It’s her. She needs her body back, Batty,” she exclaimed in a whisper.

  The creature she referred to as Batty flicked his finger toward the door, effectively closing it. “Please don’t be afraid, dearies. I may work for the masters, but I don’t like it. I’m a... what do you call it? Slave, yeah that’s the one. I can’t help you much, but I won’t raise the alarm. I only need you to promise me to take young Anna with you. She’s been here too long and needs to be with her own.” The tenderness in his voice was unmistakable.

  The girl he called Anna looked at him with the same tenderness. “But, Batty, we can’t possibly leave you behind.”

  Batty made a purring noise and smiled. The action caused the skin around his eyes to wrinkle in a grandfatherly way. “No, lass. I have to stay here and do my duty to the beasts, but if I find a way out, I’ll come to find you. That I can promise. Now, I want you to go with these two kind folk, and they’ll protect you.”

  Anna nodded sadly and looked to Zane and me.

  I immediately wondered if Batty was trying to outsmart us but realized because of his overwhelming concern for the young girl that he was sincere.

  “So, you’ll let us go if we take her, too?” Zane asked incredulously.

  “Yes, sir, that’s what I said. You might want to tie me up before escaping just to be sure I don’t get into too much trouble.”

  Zane motioned to me to put my body and spirit back together while he carefully tied Batty to one of the small chairs in the room. He took care to make it look like he meant to keep the little creature from interfering, but I was sure he wasn’t making the rope too tight. I floated past Anna, and as soon as I was within touching distance of my body, there was a tremendous surge, like a riptide that pulled me into myself and made me whole again.

  Ow! Headache!

  Before I could sit up in bed Zane was at my side. His hands reverently touched my cheek as a small smile graced his face. He reached out and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “How do you feel, Cat?”

  “Like I’ve had an elephant sitting on me.” I smiled back and leaned into his hand that was now cupping my cheek. “Having a body is really strange after all the floating I’ve been doing.” I wiggled my feet and frowned. “And everything feels prickly like my whole bo
dy fell asleep.”

  “I think we can handle the prickly feeling, though I hope it passes soon. You need to be able to get out of here quickly when the time comes.” His next action stole my breath and made my heart feel as though it was going to beat out of my chest. He hugged me. Not just any hug, but a hug that transformed the prickly feeling in my body into a warm tingle. My attraction to him was an undeniable fact now.

  Wrapping my arms around him in a similar fashion, I squeezed him tight and sighed. “Thank you, Zane.”

  His chuckle made my face heat and he pulled back to look at me. “Not only is it my job to do all of this, but I think I might actually like hanging out with the flesh and bone you, Catherine Dalry. Now,” he pulled out of our embrace and held his hand out for me, “I think it’s time we get going before Batty’s masters come looking for us.”

  Taking Zane’s hand I stared at the girl, Anna, and was suddenly hit with the knowledge of who she was.

  “Zane,” I tilted my head and continued looking at Anna, “it’s her.”

  “Her who, Cat?”

  “The girl from my dreams.” I glanced at him and felt a tear roll down my cheek. “The missing Guide. Anna is the missing Guide.”

  “Are you sure?” His whispered words were those of a man unable to believe he could reunite his own Guide’s body and soul as well as find a child that had been missing for one hundred years.

  “Absolutely.” I stood from the bed and moved to Anna. “Anna, we are going to take you with us to a place where you can be safe, but you have been here for a very long time and the world outside is much different than it was when you were taken.”

  “Will you take me to my parents?” she asked, tears glistening in her eyes like little diamonds. How could I break this news to her? Everyone she had known in the short time she was among the mortals had died. She would know no one. How would she reconcile her lack of physical change knowing all of this?