The Tainted (The Tainted Series Book 1)

by Anna Hill

  Rebecca laughed, “Well I guess there are worse ways to live.”

  They came to the edge of the garden, where it blended right into the woods, but Etain didn’t stop walking. They were about a hundred meters into the pine trees before Rebecca saw a large boulder ahead, with what appeared to be someone sitting on top of it.

  As they approached the large rock, the figure on top tilted their head slightly but didn’t turn around to great them.

  “Anything interesting going on Faolan?” Etain asked, stopping a few feet back from the boulder.

  The girl on the rock answered without turning around, “There’s a pack of deer about three hundred yards to the east, with a couple foals in it. I also caught a whiff of a skunk not too long ago, so I’d warn the others not to leave any food outside the house tonight. Nothing worth worrying about though.”

  Rebecca sniffed around but couldn’t smell anything except the strong scent of pine needles, and as far as she could tell, there wasn’t a single sound in the forest besides a few birds chirping.

  “You’ve got someone with you. They step lighter than you Etain.” Faolan finally turned around on the rock and looked down at them. Her face was extremely striking, almost wolf-like in its appearance. It was long and lean, with sharp, high cheekbones, and eyes so crystal-blue they seemed to emit their own light. Her silvery blonde hair hung loose around her face, and her body, while long and lean, looked to be pure muscle.

  In a swift movement that only added to her lupin features, Faolan leapt off the rock and landed gracefully next to them. She was about Rebecca’s height, and for a brief moment they stared silently at each other. It wasn’t in a menacing way, in fact, something about the silence suddenly drew Rebecca to Faolan. Without being able to explain how, Rebecca knew instantly she could trust Faolan with her life.

  “It’s good to have someone new around here,” Faolan said finally, with a small tilt of her head.

  “Thanks. It’s nice to meet you Faolan, my name is Rebecca.”

  “I know, I read your file on Maverick’s desk.” Faolan turned and addressed Etain, “I won’t make it to training today. I’m headed out into the woods to make sure we haven’t got any unwanted visitors.”

  “Alright. Stay safe out there.”

  Faolan nodded at them both and then turned to head off into the forest. But Etain spoke again, stopping her.

  “You haven’t, by any chance, heard Trysten anywhere have you?”

  Faolan turned back around and, for the first time, a small smile parted her lips. “He’s been stalking you since you arrived,” and, without another word, she sped off into the woods at a blisteringly fast pace.

  Rebecca watched her disappear and then turned around to ask Etain what she’d meant by ‘heard Trysten,’ but stopped instantly when she caught sight of what Etain was doing. She was hunched low, slowly moving forward while swinging her arms wide, intensely searching for something. Rebecca stifled a laugh as she watched Etain’s strange behavior.

  “Ok Trysten, we know you’re here, now come on out and show yourself.” Etain continued to move around strangely, though Rebecca still couldn’t understand why.

  Suddenly, Etain’s hand somehow ran into something solid, even though the area she was now groping at appeared empty. Like a lightening bolt she pounced forward. If Rebecca had thought seeing her hunched over had looked odd, this was by far much weirder. Etain was clinging tightly to thin air, and struggling quite hard to do so. While continuing to grip tightly with one hand onto whatever she was holding, she brought her other hand down and began to tickle it.

  “Stop! Stop! That’s not fair!” laughed a voice that seemed to come from nowhere.

  A strange ripple coursed through the air around Etain and then, without warning, a young boy appeared, clasped in her arms.

  “Gotcha!” Etain laughed as she began to tickle the boy even more.

  He looked to be no more than ten years old, but was putting up a good fight. His shaggy, light brown hair was thrown about as he struggled against her grasp, slowly wriggling himself free.

  In one last swift push, he wrenched himself away from Etain, jolted to an upright position, and slammed hard into Rebecca as he made to run off.

  Unexpectedly stunned by his rough, sudden contact with her, the boy stepped back and looked up at Rebecca. As their gaze met, she found herself rendered speechless by the young boy’s eyes. They shone a bright yellow-gold, like the eyes of a hawk or eagle, so intense they seemed to pierce straight through her.

  Without a word, the boy smiled and winked at Rebecca. Then, as quickly as he’d appeared, he completely vanished, as if into thin air.

  Etain stood up and brushed the dead pine needles off herself. “A bit of a nuisance that one, but we love him anyway. You’ll get to actually meet him at dinner. He always shows up when Maverick’s around or when he knows there’s food. Come on, I’ll show you to your room.”

  As they made their way back through the garden and into the house, Etain explained a bit more about the crew and their pasts. She told Rebecca that about seven years ago, Maverick had begun looking for other Truaillithe. Etain had been the first one he’d found and approached. At first she’d brushed him off because he was younger and, she thought, possibly crazy, but when she’d tried her persuasion technique on him, it hadn’t worked. It had taken some time for her to trust him, but when he’d told her about where she’d come from and the truth behind her gift, she’d somehow known it was the truth.

  She’d left the foster family she was staying with, and headed out together with him to find others like themselves. There were many Truaillithe that they approached who had been able to find happy homes and families. Though they all wanted to know where they’d come from, many didn’t want to leave the lives they’d made. The others they found, who hadn’t been so lucky in life, now lived together in different safe houses at hidden locations.

  “So why did you choose certain people to stay with you both? Why have the crew?”

  Etain smiled at Rebecca, “All in good time.” Changing the subject, she pointed down the hallway in front of them, “Your room will be just up here.”

  Etain walked ahead down the second floor hallway. She stopped at the third door down and waited for Rebecca to catch up. “Maverick’s left your bag on the bed. Speaking of whom, I should probably go catch up with him. As silly as it is, I sure miss him when he’s gone.”

  There it was again, that sickening feeling of jealously tightening Rebecca’s chest. Etain and Maverick seemed so close, she just couldn’t tell how close they actually were and, for some reason, that really disturbed her.

  “Feel free to move in and make yourself at home. I’ll come get you when it’s time for training.”

  “Thanks,” Rebecca said as she turned and stared into the far-too-large room.

  “Hey, Rebecca,” she spun back to Etain who had a wide smile on her face, “I know it’s a lot to take in right now, trust me we’ve all been there. But you’ll get used to it, I promise. And if you need anything, anything at all, we’re all here to help.”

  Rebecca smiled back and nodded in thanks, then walked into her room as Etain headed back down the hallway.

  The room was so luxuriously decorated that royalty could have stayed there. A giant four-poster bed sat in the far corner next to an elegantly carved dresser and, on the other side of the room, two red velvet wingback chairs were placed on either side of a tall bookshelf filled with ancient-looking hardback books.

  It was all very beautiful, but it didn’t feel like home to Rebecca. Her bag sat waiting for her on the bed, but the thought of unpacking, the idea of moving into this place, frightened her. What had she gotten herself into? Was this really her life now? These people seemed nice, but she didn’t really know them. She didn’t even know exactly where she was.

  Feeling a slight panic beginning to build in her chest, Rebecca made her way over to the large bay window that projected out of the opposite wall. She sat down o
n the extended sill, pulling her knees to her chest as her racing thoughts took over.

  It had only been a day, but she already missed Emily so much. She wanted so badly to call her, to tell her about all the crazy things she’d found out, about all the strange people she’d met. Now, more than ever, Rebecca needed her best friend’s support. And then there were Ingrid and Thomas. Had they seen the note? Were they worried about her? She’d never wanted to cause them any pain, or scare them. They’d been so wonderful to her, shown her such kindness, and she’d left without saying a proper goodbye.

  Rebecca lifted a hand up to her necklace and delicately wrapped it around the silver leaf. Dropping her legs to a crossed position, she leaned forward and rested her head against the cool glass of the window. The cold temperature helped to somewhat slow her surging thoughts and pulse. She remained there for a long time, just sitting silently and staring out at the surrounding forest, trying to calm her nerves.

  “Mind if I come in?”

  The sudden voice shocked Rebecca back to reality, and she jumped away from the glass so quickly that she nearly fell off the ledge. Gaining control of herself, she turned to see Maverick standing in the doorway.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” he said as he walked over and sat down next to her. His usual, almost cocky, smile was gone from his face, replaced with a look of concern. “You doing ok?”

  “I’m fine,” Rebecca mumbled as she pulled her legs back up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees.

  “Really? Because you’ve been sitting, staring out that window for the better part of two hours now.” Maverick reached over and lightly patted the center of her forehead, “You’ve got a rather distinct red dot from it right here.”

  Rebecca reached up and rubbed her head, slightly embarrassed. “I didn’t realize it had been that long.” Shifting her weight, she turned and rested against the wall at the edge of the window and let her gaze drift back out over the woods.

  “It’s just a lot to take in, really quickly…” Rebecca’s voice drifted off. She didn’t want to admit to Maverick how scared and unsure she felt. Even with everything that had happened, with how much Maverick had shared with her and done for her, she was still afraid to let him in. There was something about him that affected her so differently than anyone she’d met before. Even having him here now made her self-conscious and slightly nervous, and yet she felt strangely drawn to him. A part of her wanted to lean over and just allow him to hold her tightly until all her fears were gone.

  Shaking away the thought, Rebecca dropped her gaze down. “I’ll be fine. I just need a little time to adjust.”

  Maverick reached over and grabbed tightly onto one of her hands, causing Rebecca to look up at him. “I’m here, if you need anything. I’ve been through exactly what you’re going through, we all have.”

  The intensity and sincerity in his gaze made Rebecca suddenly feel uneasy about their close proximity. She shifted herself, and quickly changed the subject. “I’ve been wondering something. It’s really not that important I guess, but I can’t help noticing that everyone has such unusual names. Is that a Truaillithe thing? And if it is, why is mine so common?”

  Maverick laughed, “Well, by that standard, if your name is common then so is mine. They’re old Irish names. The Aillil originate from what is now known as Ireland, and, though they haven’t lived there for centuries, they’ve kept certain aspects of the culture. When a Truaillithe child is taken, the Aillil parent is still allowed to name it. Most choose a name from their Irish heritage. But, every once in a while, a name is chosen for other reasons.”

  “Did you ever ask your dad why he chose Maverick?” Rebecca asked tentatively, unsure if she’d accidently crossed a line. But Maverick’s lips split into a soft smile.

  “He told me once. Apparently, even as a baby I had been a handful, so it was more that the name chose me.” He fell silent for a moment, his tense face a mixture of love and pain.

  Finally, he took a deep breath and allowed his usual smile to return to his face. “If you need anything, we’re all here to help, though Etain is usually the best one to go to if you have any questions.”

  Rebecca’s stomach dropped. She had no reason not to like Etain, she was nice and seemed fun, but Rebecca couldn’t help feeling slightly envious of her.

  “You and her seem very close,” Rebecca said cautiously.

  “Yeah, she’s a good girl that one,” Maverick stood up from the ledge as he spoke. “We’re going to start training in the back woods in just a bit, you’re more than welcome to join. You don’t have to participate, but I figure it would probably be good for you to at least come and watch some of it.”

  “What is training?” Rebecca looked back up at him.

  “Come on out and you’ll understand,” he said, as his usual mischievous smile returned and curled up his lips. With a quick wink, he turned and walked out of the room and down the hallway.

  Rebecca watched Maverick as he left. As much as she struggled to understand how she felt about him, it was even harder for her to get a read on how he felt about her.

  Breathing deeply, Rebecca took a moment to clear her thoughts. Maverick didn’t matter in the long run, and neither did the others. She’d come here for one reason, and one reason only: to find her parents. No matter what, Rebecca told herself, it would all be worth it if she was finally able to be with them.

  Rebecca stood up and walked over to the bed where her bag sat untouched. She wasn’t sure exactly what training entailed, but she figured she might as well dress in something a little bit more workout appropriate.

  Seven

  Rebecca could here the grunts and thuds as soon as she entered the garden. They were coming from somewhere in the woods, and, from the brutal noises, it sounded like someone was in trouble.

  Her heart jumped up in her throat. All she could think of was that the uniformed soldiers must have found them. She felt her pulse race and her skin tingle with fear.

  She took off at full speed toward the noises. She wasn’t sure how, or even if, she could help them, but she knew she had to do something.

  “Ouch! Not so hard!”

  Rebecca burst into a clearing amongst the trees and undergrowth. The whole crew was there, except Faolan. She looked around frantically, but not a single uniformed soldier was in sight.

  Everyone turned and looked over at her as she slowed to walk and struggled to catch her breath. “I heard noises out here…I thought you all were being attacked,” she explained between gasps for air.

  “No, just me,” said Aeden, who had to dodge a sudden right hook from Maverick.

  “You’re fighting each other?” Rebecca felt so confused, and a bit embarrassed for getting so scared over nothing.

  “Not fighting,” Etain said as she walked up next to Rebecca, “sparring.”

  Maverick, with his fists shielding his face, threw a quick combination of punches, which Aeden narrowly avoided by ducking and weaving. As he danced to the side of the last punch, however, Maverick kicked out with his right leg and Aeden dropped hard to the ground.

  “This is training?” Rebecca said with wide eyes.

  “Don’t worry,” Owen called down from his perch on a branch about ten feet up one of the nearby trees, “You won’t have to fight Maverick.”

  “Lucky,” Aeden mumbled as he pulled himself up off of the ground.

  Maverick walked over to her, smiling wide, “I’m glad you came.” He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it lightly.

  Rebecca could feel the heat coming off of his exerted body. Her heart began to race as she stared up at him and she felt her breath catch slightly in her throat. Realizing the others were watching, she quickly stepped away from Maverick, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

  “Maverick that’s disgusting,” Etain said as she came over and playfully pushed him even further away. “You’re going to get your nasty sweat all over her.”

  Maverick laughed and took
another step back, then bent forward in a small mock bow, “I’m ever so sorry m’ladies.”

  Etain rolled her eyes and addressed the whole group, “Ok boys, get back to training while I talk with Rebecca.”

  Owen jumped down from the tree and stood opposite Aeden, ready to spar, while Trysten ran over to Maverick and adopted the same stance. Rebecca watched for a moment, extremely worried by the idea of little Trysten fighting against giant Maverick. Her fears, however, were instantly quelled when, as the boys began, Trysten suddenly disappeared and Maverick ended up flat on his back only seconds later.

  “As crazy as it sounds, Trysten may be the best fighter we have,” Etain laughed, seeing the look of shock on Rebecca’s face. “That little boy has been through an awful lot for someone his age.”

  Rebecca was about to ask what exactly she meant, but Etain quickly changed the subject.

  “We train almost every afternoon, and most of that is sparring.”

  “But why, what’s the point of all this? It looks so brutal.” Rebecca winced as she saw Aden dropped to the ground yet again, this time from a vicious right hook from Owen.

  “To make sure we’re ready for the Aillil soldiers.”

  “Ready to fight them?” Shocked, Rebecca looked back at Etain.

  “Yes, but only in defense. Earlier, you asked me why Maverick and I decided to have the crew, remember?”

  Rebecca nodded and Etain continued. “Over the years, Maverick and I have set up different safe houses for the other abandoned Truaillithe. While each house has four to five older Truaillithe for protection and management, for the most part they’re made up of young children who can’t defend themselves. Every few months, when we move, we help the other houses move as well, so we can keep everyone relatively close by. It was simple work at first, but more and more of the Aillil began hunting us.”