A Banshee's Tale

by Veronica Breville

  Incapable of moving or comprehending the words she spoke, Will, Zane, and I just stared at her in complete confusion. I turned over her remarks in my head. If Will were a Guide wouldn’t I know? He’d have the trademark eyes. If he were a Caomhnóir surely he’d have shown some sign of increased strength or a talent for fighting, right? Wasn’t it bad enough that she hid it from the entire family? She hoped the secret would die with her?

  Shaking off my questions I sensed a moment of weakness in Mrs. Sayer, and decided to speak up. “I’ll help him, Mrs. Sayer. I’ll stand by him and help him find what he needs. I know you don’t really like me but he’s my best friend. I could never leave him alone to deal with something that seems so important.”

  Her mouth turned down in a scowl and her brows furrowed together deeply. “As sincere as you may be, Catherine Dalry, I’m not sure you’re the kind of help he’ll need.” Her eyes flitted to Zane and back so quickly I feared I had been imagining things.

  “Is that because you don’t like me or because he’ll need help from someone with more specialized skills?”

  “Perhaps a bit of both, though in fairness to you it’s not that I’ve ever disliked you as a person. It was fear that’s been driving my actions in regards to your friendship with my grandson. I’ve always known that you had the power to send me away.”

  My eyes widened and I sucked in a quick breath. “You’ve always known what I was?”

  Her quick nod was all the confirmation I would receive. My hand moved to cover my mouth before a sob of frustration could escape. Closing my eyes I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts before speaking.

  “Well then, if you know who I am then you also know I could never force you to do anything. Finding your forever is up to you and you alone. I’m here to guide you when you’re ready.”

  Deep sadness pervaded the small room, bringing tears to my eyes. Will’s Gran looked at me, her eyes tired. “You are right, but that has never stopped the fear that you would talk William into it.” She turned to face Will, effectively dismissing me. “As loathe as I am to admit this, you’re right, it is time for me to follow my right and true path. Time for me to stop living in the shadows and feel the glow and warmth of love again, but I can’t leave you without the knowledge of who you are. Please retrieve a pen and paper and hand it to your friend Catherine.”

  Upon hearing my name I looked at Will only to see him shrug his shoulders and answer his grandmother. “Sure. What do you need it for, Gran?”

  “When it is time for you to know, you shall. Now, do as I asked, please.” She moved quickly back to my side and motioned for me to follow her to the opposite corner of the room.

  “I need you to write something down for me, word for word, and when I have crossed over, you can share it with William. Can you do that?” An expression of firm resolve was set on her face. As much as I’d have loved to turn her down and I knew I couldn’t. A secret that might affect Will’s life hung in the balance. I owed him too much to make this difficult.

  I nodded in response, taking the pen and paper from Will, who went to stand beside Zane, allowing Mrs. Sayer and I a moment of privacy. I stood as close as I could to hear the words she was hiding from Will.

  “Thank you, Catherine,” she whispered as I stood there holding the items she wanted. “I know this must be difficult for you, helping a woman who’s always made you uneasy. Where Willie is concerned I seem to have always gone about things the wrong way. I should be glad... no, joyful for the friend he has in you. The very thing I feared might well be the one thing to make this easier on him.” Her eyes, though dull and gray like the mist, looked content.

  “Um, you’re welcome.” My reply sounded more like a question than a response, and I knew I needed to thank her as well. “And I suppose I should thank you for taking such good care of my best friend. He truly is an amazing person with a heart and soul you just don’t find much these days.” I smiled.

  She glanced up to watch Will as he spoke with Zane and nodded. “That he is. Now, write this down word for word, remember? There is a book, an ancient book with a very large ‘S’ on the cover. All that Will needs to know is in it. I hid this book long ago but the directions are in my journal... the one I bequeathed to your mother. Look in it and find your true calling, William.” She hesitated, nodding to me and then to Will. “I am ready now, if you are still amenable to helping me.”

  Will, having heard his grandmother’s declaration, looked at up at her with love and compassion before telling her good-bye. “I love you, Gran, and that will never change, even when I can’t see you anymore.”

  I stood silently, feeling a bit like I was intruding, and watched the interaction. Warm arms around my shoulders disrupted my focus as Zane pulled me into a hug.

  “I will still watch over you, just from a higher perch, dear one. Take care of yourself and stay true to who you are,” she said, her words edged with the finality of what she was going to do.

  The whole scene sent a river of tears cascading down my cheeks and soaking the front of Zane’s shirt, though he didn’t seem to mind as he continued to stroke my arm. Their love for one another was truly amazing, and the pain mixed with hope they both felt flooded my heart and forced me to concentrate on the task I was here to accomplish: Gran’s next step.

  I would normally reach for a hand to soothe my Tourist, but she had no tangible hand to grab. Steeling myself and pulling away from Zane with a small smile, I walked back toward Mrs. Sayer and Will. “I believe the only way I can do this is for you to look into my eyes... deeply.”

  As she complied, I felt the familiar stirrings of weightlessness and pure joy fill me. The path ahead of us become whole and bright. The end was illuminated with a few figures standing just inside that brightness. We walked hand in hand until I felt the pull to return. Our eyes locked and I hoped she understood that I couldn’t go any further with her. I sent my thoughts, for lack of a better way to describe them, to her, urging her forward and promising to keep Will safe and help him discover his calling.

  Into the light she walked... into the joy of her true path... finally.

  With the bubbly feeling I always had afterward, I floated back to myself and smiled. Minutes passed as Will and Zane stared at me, neither sure of what to say. Finally, Will, having gathered his wits enough to formulate a question, broke the silence. “Is she gone? Did she make it?”

  “She did and she seemed so very happy,” I reassured him.

  “Good. I can’t believe that she stuck around here for so long just to protect me. I mean what the hell did she think she was protecting me from?”

  “Well, I think the message she whispered to me will give us our first clue.” I began reading the words to him and then handed the slightly tear-stained paper for his own perusal. He and Zane read it over and over again as I contemplated her statement silently.

  With a loud sigh Zane looked at me and then to Will. “Personally, I think your gran was hinting that you belong in our world somehow. Now, we know you can’t be a Guide because your eyes would give that away, according to Cat and her aunt. That really only leaves being a Caomhnóir or perhaps you have a tie to our world the way Millie does.” He looked Will up and down with a critical eye. “Have you ever made something happen just by thinking it, Will?”

  Will looked like he wanted to laugh and throw up at the same time. He shook his head. “Uh, no.” Blowing out a long breath, he sat up straighter and stood. “I suppose the only way to figure out her riddle is to start looking for her journal, huh.”

  I nodded but Zane spoke. “Gotta love a good treasure hunt. When do we get started?” Tilting my head, I regarded my Caomhnóir with fresh eyes. He looked positively giddy with anticipation, and I had to admit that it was the cutest thing I’d ever seen.

  “What are you doing, Zane?”

  Looking down at the mattress, h
e smiled. “It would appear as though I’m bouncing, Cat.” His admission brought on a round of very loud and much needed laughter that lightened the heaviness of the situation we were now in.

  Laughter turned into planning as we all discussed where to start with our quest for the Book of Sayer. Will was charged with locating his gran’s journal, which he promised to have in two days, and collectively we made plans to meet the following weekend to discuss how to proceed.

  Flopping on my bed after dinner that evening, I let out a loud breath and smiled. The last day of holiday break was officially over, leaving me exhausted, happy with what I’d accomplished, and excited to solve a new mystery. Having had plenty of experience with the world of riddles, I looked forward to the hunt for clues. The fact that I’d have the chance to uncover them with both Will and Zane only made the feeling of anticipation swell to the point of giddiness. It would also be the first time ever I would get to be Will’s safe harbor in the storm, his shoulder to lean on. It was both a humbling thought and one that filled me with a sense of purpose.

  My mind rolled over what we knew of the situation and several possibilities on how to recover the book, depending on where it was. I was personally hoping she had simply left it in a safe box at the bank but given her vehement position on keeping the information from her grandson, I’d guessed it was likely going to be much more difficult to find.

  I yawned and stretched before curling into a ball on my side of the bed. The last thought I had was that I’d just be happy if we didn’t have to break the law in any major way to retrieve the book.

  Wednesday morning brought with it fresh snow and howling winds. My first thought when my feet touched the frigid hardwood floor of my bedroom was I’d rather crawl back under the covers. I had pulled my feet back under the covers when a knock sounded at my door. I scowled, hoping beyond hope that whoever was on the other side would just go away but was rewarded with a louder knock followed by the morning roughened voice of my boyfriend.

  Moving with quick steps across the cold floor, I opened my door just enough to put my head through. “I have an alarm clock, Zane, but thanks for the wake up.” Smiling sweetly, I leaned my head on the doorframe.

  “You think you’re funny, don’t you?” He peered behind him in all directions before leaning in to give me a quick kiss. “I just wanted to remind you that I’ll be meeting you at Will’s tonight around five. I’m assuming he has the journal?”

  I nodded, a goofy smile plastered to my face. “He has and he thinks he might have already figured out where his family book is hidden.” Zane’s face fell.

  “I thought he’d wait for us to read her journal.”

  A round of small giggles took us both by surprise as Anna walked up to Zane and patted his cheek gently. “Who kicked your puppy this morning, Zane?”

  He mumbled something about ruining his fun before I answered. “It seems our Mr. Laroche has had the first step in his treasure hunting adventure taken away from him by an overzealous William.” Anna looked at me as though I’d grown horns and cocked her left brow. “Will didn’t wait for him to figure out a riddle, and Zane’s a little put out by it.”

  Another fit of giggles hit before she could voice a response, and this time I joined in.

  “You two know I don’t have to stand here and take this abuse, right?” Zane crossed his arms and furrowed his brow in what I could only assume was meant to be his most menacing expression. The look only made both Anna and I double over in laughter.

  “Bu... but you’re still standing there, Zane.” I calmed my breathing but couldn’t wipe the smile away as I continued. “So either you like the abuse or you have something else to say?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Just remember to bring your books and the extra bag of things we talked about.” The day before we had decided to make sure we were prepared in case we had to sneak into a public building or, worse, the cemetery.

  “I’ve got it all ready, and I’ll meet you at Will’s at five.”

  “Okay. Be careful on the road. It’s snowed a lot.” He smiled and winked at me, then turned to Anna. “Have a good day today, Anna.”

  “Oh, I’ve got a huge day planned! Reading, laundry, reading, more reading, helping Mom in the kitchen, reading again. You get the idea.” She shook her head. “I was wondering if you two could please talk to the adults in the house and convince them that I’m ready to start school. I’m so bored, and I really don’t like that TV contraption during the day. All the good stuff is on in the evening.” Throwing us both her best puppy dog eyes, I watched Zane shake his head.

  “That look is lethal, little one. If Cat’s fine with talking to them, then I’ll do my part as well. But, no promises.”

  A squeal echoed through the hallway and Anna jumped up to hug Zane’s neck with a strength no one would guess her having.

  “I’ll talk to them, Anna, but I’m going to repeat Zane’s warning. I make no promises. It will also have to wait until we’re done helping Will with the project he’s stuck on. Okay?”

  “Yes. Fine. I’ll wait, just thank you both for saying you’d do this for me.” Her smile was contagious and soon both Zane and I were mirroring it.

  “Anna, I’d do anything for you, little sister. Now, I need to get ready for school, so you two need to get lost.” Laughing, I shooed them both away and set about making myself presentable for school.

  My leg bounced in time to the music in the room while I sat on Will’s bed and waited for Zane to arrive.

  “Why won’t you tell me where you think it is?” I whined.

  Swiveling his desk chair he faced me with an exasperated look. “Because I promised Zane I wouldn’t do anything else without him here. If he didn’t sound so scary when he called this morning then I’d be half tempted to fill you in, but he threatened bodily harm and then mumbled something about usurping his fun.” He shook his head, turning back to the journal.

  Time was crawling by. A fact not helped by the two cups of coffee I’d had since school let out. No longer able to sit, I started pacing and chewing my nails. I was so deep in thought that I nearly missed Zane’s car door shutting outside.

  “He’s here.” With a bright smile, I made my way to the front door with Will. He let Zane in, and I literally jumped at him. “Took you long enough. Let’s get upstairs so William-the-Tight-Lipped can reveal what he’s found!” Grabbing Zane’s hand, I pulled him up the stairs and pushed him into Will’s room with a little too much force, which garnered me a raised eyebrow and small huff.

  Will, having followed us up the stairs at a much more leisurely pace, walked to his desk and picked up the journal he’d been stewing over since I had arrived. “Well, I’m a little annoyed to say I had already figured out where the general place she’d hidden the book before even reading this. I mean, I’d have thought Gran would have been more creative.” He scratched his neck and patted the side of his leg with the book before raising his eyes to look at us. “I might have even guessed the actual place if I’d remembered it was there.”

  He paced as he spoke and continued to hit his thigh with the book absentmindedly. My patience was wearing thin, and I was starting to get grumpy. My caffeine high was crashing hard, leaving me with an overwhelming urge to curl up and sleep, but not before I threw a pillow at my rambling friend.

  The pillow soared through the small space and hit him in the back of the head just before he turned around. “Get to the point already, Will.”

  “Real mature, Cat.” He blew out a long breath and leveled Zane and I with a stare. “It’s at Gran’s old house. In the cellar.”

  “Doesn’t someone live there now?” My fingers immediately went to my mouth. It seemed my hope for steering clear of legal mischief would go largely unanswered.

  “No. The previous owners lost it to the bank, so it’s currently empty. I know the bank won’t give me permission to s
earch the cellar for a piece of my family’s history; our only option is to break in.” With little more than a huff, he sat down in his desk chair and looked at us.

  “Well then, I suppose we ought to start planning our attack, so to speak,” Zane said this with a little too much enthusiasm.

  I looked over at him, his smile wide and his fingers tapping a rhythm-less tune on his knee. “You’re excited about breaking the law?”

  Not that I’d have believed it was possible, but his smile broadened and he nodded. “Oh come on, you two. It’s for a good cause and it’s only this once. Be a rebel.” He glared at me for a moment before continuing. “As long as I’m with you.”

  “Fine. I’ll be a rebel as long as I have my Caomhnóir by my side to protect me.” I looked at him and scrunched my nose. “That doesn’t really seem very rebellious, you know. I’ll be the least rebellious rebel ever.”

  “But you’ll be safe and that’s what really matters.” Zane smoothed a piece of my hair behind my ear. His accompanying smile was breathtaking, and for just a moment, I forgot we weren’t alone.

  A loud “thunk” on the desk brought us both out of our bubble abruptly. Blinking, I turned my head to see Will looking at us with a smirk. “Uh, you two think we can get back to the planning stages now.”

  Zane and I broke apart. “Sorry, Will.” I clapped my hands together, smiling as I rubbed them together. “Right, planning.”

  And plan we did. For two hours we planned everything from what we would wear to camouflage us to what tools we might need. The next few nights were supposed to be filled with snowstorms and bitter cold; it made sense to try to get this over with quickly and under the cover of bad weather. We would meet the following evening at nine to proceed with our treasure hunt.

  “Jeebus Mary! It should be illegal to be outside when it’s this cold.” My teeth chattered each time the brutal wind sliced through my winter parka. To my right was Zane, looking as comfortable as if he were on a beach in some exotic locale. To my left was Will, whose teeth were chattering so hard they might have been bouncing around in his head.