by Tara Maya, Elle Casey, J L Bryan, Anthea Sharp, Jenna Elizabeth Johnson, Alexia Purdy (epub)
“Where are Thomas and Will?”
“Band practice,” Robyn answered with a sniff.
I smiled and climbed in the back with Tully.
“What am I, your chauffeur?” Robyn asked as she twisted around to look at us.
I smiled. “Yup.”
“Whatever.”
Tully laughed as Robyn hit the gas. She always drove too fast. We never said anything to her about it because the last time we did she got mad and drove faster. If it hadn’t been for the speeding ticket she’d received five minutes later, I’m sure she would have forgiven us by the end of the day. Instead, she spent a whole week giving me and Tully the cold shoulder. It was a really calm week.
Robyn pulled onto Highway One and quickly bypassed the speed limit as we headed into town. She pushed a CD into her car stereo and soon we were listening to the shrill screech of the latest punk band she was into. Ten minutes later we pulled into the quiet dirt parking lot of the tiny post office. I stretched my back once I was out of the car and eyed the newest stained-glass peace sign hanging from the store’s window. I smiled. It would be nice to have a weekend jaunt with my two best friends that didn’t involve running from faelah or stressing over an identity crisis. Of course, the day was still young.
I looked back towards the store, seeking a distraction from my wayward thoughts. The post office itself was a minute, old Victorian home that had seen its share of wear and tear. It was painted brick red with a large wooden sign bearing its name written in a dated script perched above the door. A set of concrete steps stood in place of a wooden porch and a planter full of exuberant succulents spilled onto the walkway.
We shuffled our way to the front door, an elderly lady giving us a kind grin and mumbling something about ‘darling girls’ as she walked past. When she saw Robyn, however, she stopped and stared. Robyn, in her old army boots, black fishnet tights, tattered mini jean skirt and t-shirt featuring a skull and cross bones, only made a face and flashed a popular rock and roll hand gesture as the poor old woman gave her a wide berth.
“Robyn, do you have to be so crass?” Tully hissed as the tiny bells hanging above the door jingled.
“Oh come on!” Robyn snorted. “If you are going to shop at this store, then you shouldn’t be shocked to see a genuine pagan just outside of it!”
“You’re not a genuine pagan,” I said without thinking.
Both Robyn and Tully stopped and looked at me as if I had sprouted mushrooms all over my face. But I couldn’t blame them. Out of everyone in our small group of friends, the boys included, I was probably the one who was the least interested in Robyn’s ‘religion’. Sure, I went to her celebrations and took part, but everyone knew it was only for Robyn’s sake that I did it. Of course, that was all before I had met Cade, done my research on the Celts or learned that I was one of the Faelorehn . . .
Robyn crossed her arms and gave me her most condescending look. “Come again?”
I took a deep breath, getting a good sampling of the eighteen thousand types of incense the cashier had burning, and shrugged my shoulders. “I was just kidding. Jeesh, don’t be so sensitive.”
Robyn shrugged and headed to where the crystals were located, but Tully stuck by me. To my great relief, no one dug further into my bizarre remark.
We spent a good thirty minutes poking around the dusty little store. I made sure to look at everything, in case I found something my brothers might like. I didn’t think any of them would be interested in Tarot cards, glittering statues of fairies or books on how to find your inner Chi, but I did find a nice pair of amethyst earrings that my mom would love.
At some point in time Tully decided to join Robyn in the crystal section of the store and I wandered back over to the books. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, just wasting time until my friends were ready. As my eyes passed over the spines of the books, they froze on one title in particular: Irish Folktales.
Looking up to make sure Robyn and Tully were still distracted in the opposite corner, I slid the book out and flipped to the table of contents. A list of stories, all having names that looked impossible to pronounce, glared back at me. A few of the names I recognized from what Cade had told me and from what I had seen on my website search. I closed the book and looked at the cover. I almost dropped it as my heart leapt into my throat. A few months ago, I would have thought nothing of it. I would have admired the fine Celtic knot work before returning it to the shelf. But this image seemed too familiar to me. It was a stone carving of what looked like a wild man, and at his side was a wolfhound. Cade and Fergus came immediately to mind and I hurriedly flipped back to the copyright page to see who the image depicted.
Cuchulainn was all it said. Cuchulainn? That name didn’t look familiar. I would have to check those sites again and make a note to visit the library.
I closed the book and looked up to see what my friends were doing. Still distracted by the crystals. Good. As nonchalantly as possible, I slinked over to the cash register where a tall lady with fading strawberry blond hair looked up at me over her glasses.
“Hello there, all ready?”
“Sure,” I said as quietly as I could.
If Tully and Robyn saw me purchasing a book on Irish myth, I wouldn’t be able to brush them off so easily. I would have to explain to them why I would want such a book. I decided early on, when my life started barrel-rolling out of control, that they wouldn’t know about who, no, what, I was unless absolutely necessary.
The woman slipped the book and the amethyst earrings into a bag as I nervously drummed my fingers against the glass counter. When she gave me a questioning look, I smiled and forced my fingers to stop. Instead, I pretended to admire the knickknacks that sat locked away beneath the counter. I paid the lady, then stuffed my bag into my purse and walked over to Tully and Robyn.
“You guys done?”
“Yeah, I think I’ll wait on the crystals,” Robyn said.
Tully lifted up a stained-glass candle holder. “Think I’m going to get this.”
Before either of them could ask my opinion, I said, “Okay, I’ll just wait outside if it’s alright with you two.”
They shrugged and I headed straight for the door. A few minutes later they joined me in front of Robyn’s car.
“So did you find anything for your brothers?” Tully asked.
Drat. “Um, nope. But I found some nice earrings for my mom.”
“Oh really, can I see?”
Double drat. “Hang on.”
I turned away as I rifled through my purse. I slipped my hand into the bag and managed to remove the small box without removing the book with it.
“They’re amethyst,” I offered with a grin, relieved that my new book would remain a secret.
As my friends admired the earrings, I cast a glance at the old walnut trees growing in the vacant field next to the store. I half expected to see the raven again or some other creepy crawly, Otherworldly thing, but luckily the only thing I saw was a calico cat sitting patiently over a gopher hole.
Tully handed me my box and we piled back into Robyn’s car. I opted to sit in the front seat this time.
“I didn’t get any Christmas shopping done in there,” Robyn griped. “How about a trip into town?”
“Sounds good to me,” Tully offered.
Robyn arched a black eyebrow at me. I shrugged. “Hey, I have five brothers and the only thing they want for Christmas is candy, video games and toys. Can’t get any of those things at a local gift shop that caters to the spiritual crowd.”
“Okay, town it is.” Robyn grinned and pulled back out onto the road.
The rest of the day passed by in a whirlwind of store hopping, lunch at a local diner and an afternoon spent lazing in the park in Arroyo Grande’s old village square. The Village was probably one of the most popular hangouts for those who attended both the local public high school and Black Lake High. With its diverse collection of old vintage shops, a cafe, an old-fashioned ice cream parlo
r and plenty of mom and pop restaurants, it was the place to waste time on a nice winter afternoon.
When we’d had enough of lying around in the sun, Tully, Robyn and I crossed back over the Village’s famous swinging bridge to the side street where we had parked. The cables creaked in protest as we crossed over the small canyon the Arroyo Grande creek had carved out, and when I reached the middle of the bridge I paused to look over the edge. I had always had slight acrophobia, but I felt secure enough to lean against the edge of the bridge and peer over.
“C’mon Meg!” Robyn called out from the other end. “I promised my mom I’d babysit tonight!”
Letting loose a sigh of contentment, I moved to straighten from my bent position. Unfortunately, I never got as far as fully standing up. Three things happened at once. First, I heard Tully and Robyn screaming my name and telling me to watch out. Secondly, I remember hearing them and registering that they were concerned about something. And the final thing I remember before nearly being thrown over the side of the bridge was the presence of some great shadow just behind me.
The shadow slammed into me with a force equivalent to a football player intent on tackling me. Yet, it didn’t feel like it had made contact; it was more like the force of a shockwave spreading over me. It made my ears ring and I had definitely felt it, but it hadn’t been enough to throw me over the bridge. Tully and Robyn were screaming, my shoulder and the left side of my body felt like it had been beaten with a baseball bat, and my fingers hurt from clinging to the chain link railing of the safety fence of the swinging bridge. I felt dizzy, confused and terrified all at once. Only when I heard a low, angry grumble did I think to look up. Blinking away my fear, I just caught a glimpse of a huge black shape as it disappeared into the canopy of the trees lining the creek.
My stomach lurched. No, it couldn’t be . . . But another harsh, angry caw confirmed my suspicions. The raven. Had it just tried to kill me? Why? For what purpose?
The pounding of Robyn and Tully’s feet as they came running up to me sent all my questions scattering away. I would definitely be talking to Cade about this. That is, if I ever saw him again.
“What the hell was that?!” Robyn breathed as she tried to find the raven in the treetops.
“Come on Meg, let’s get off this bridge.” Tully was pulling on my arm, but my weak legs were having trouble moving.
“Was that a crow? A vulture? It was way too big . . .” Robyn was saying as she hurried along behind us.
“I don’t know,” I barely managed as I clutched my shoulder. It hurt where the raven had hit me, but already the pain was fading away.
We made it to the car in record time.
“Whatever it was, it looked like it was trying to knock you over the bridge,” Tully muttered.
I shrugged. I knew that was exactly what it had been trying to do. For weeks the bird had been spying on me and now that I knew Otherworldly beings, faelah, existed, I had no reason to second guess my first instincts. But there was no way I was going to tell my friends.
“Let’s just get home before we’re attacked by any other mutant birds.”
I nodded my agreement and soon we were heading back towards the Mesa, silent in thought the entire way.
That evening I made sure my sliding glass door was locked before I went to bed. As I tried to get myself to fall asleep, I sent up a secret prayer that Cade would come back soon and teach me how to defend myself against the supernatural creatures that for some reason or another, wanted me dead.
-Fourteen-
Smitten
The winter break came swiftly and as the weather grew cold and wet, I found myself spending much of my time indoors with my brothers, most often playing their video games or some of the board games we had stored away. Ever since that day in the Village, I had been reluctant to spend any time outside. Cade still hadn’t indicated he was back from his business in the Otherworld, and until I had someone who could show me how to avoid being annihilated by some demented, supernatural demon, I was going to stay out of their way.
When I wasn’t distracted with my brothers, I was down in my room, reading through the book I had found at the store in Halcyon. It turned out that Cuchulainn was some sort of godlike hero from ancient Ireland who was famous for outsmarting and outplaying his opponents during any challenge. He made me think of some sort of Celtic version of Hercules or Achilles. Although the book provided me with an interesting read, it wasn’t the best source for the information I sought. Even my few visits to the local library proved fruitless. It was time I got back to my internet searches.
I spent my mornings and sometimes my evenings reading everything I could find on the Celts, and especially the Otherworld. One site informed me that the people of Ireland considered caves, hills and lakes to be portals to the Otherworld. That got me thinking about the dolmarehn Cade had told me about. I scrolled through another few sites, all of them telling me the same things over and over again. I already knew the Celts were a tribal culture, that the druids acted as their priests and performed the pagan rituals; that they believed the barrier between our world and the Otherworld was more permeable on Samhain. I had already read all of this before. What I wanted to know was what was it like in the Otherworld? What sort of abilities did the Faelorehn possess? And most importantly, why did it seem like the faelah were after me and what could I do to defend myself?
Cursing silently, I closed the page I was on and crossed my arms in a huff. Research was leading me around in circles. I wasn’t going to learn anything new or relevant. What I needed was a nice long conversation with Cade. Where was he? What was taking him so long to get back to me? My frustration was growing worse by the day, and soon I was going to go crazy locked up inside the house, afraid to leave in case the faelah were waiting just outside the door.
The next morning, I woke up early and padded over to my sliding glass door. This had become a habit of mine, and every morning I hoped to see some sign of Cade’s return. The oak tree was just visible over the edge of our yard and as I traced the outline of its trunk in the gray light of pre-dawn, a shape stepped out from behind it. I nearly jumped through the glass in my surprise. Fergus!
I threw on a sweatshirt, unlocked my door and slid it open without a second thought of ravens or faelah waiting for me in the shadows. I slipped on some sandals and hurried down the slope that led to the tree.
Fergus released a small bark and pressed his front paws against the trunk of the oak tree. I felt like hugging him, but my eagerness at finding a note from Cade outweighed my joy at seeing his dog. His spirit guide.
I hurried over and pulled the parchment out of the knothole. With nervous fingers, I unrolled it.
Meghan,
Now that you’ve had adequate time to allow the truth of who and what you are to sink in, I feel you are ready to meet with me again. Please join me in the clearing tomorrow morning if you are able.
Sincerely,
C.M.
I read it again, twice, and then clutched the note to my chest. Fergus released a small whine and I looked down at him, blushing like an idiot. He eyed me curiously, that strange intelligence of his sparkling in those brown eyes. Could he somehow relate my behavior back to Cade? I hoped not. I folded the note and stuck it in my back pocket, whistling all the way back to my house.
* * *
There was a light rain the next morning, but I wasn’t going to let the gloomy weather keep me from my plans. Finally I was going to see Cade and finally I should get some more answers. After grabbing a quick breakfast and fending off my attention-seeking brothers, I told my parents I was going for a walk and headed out the door.
“Where are you going in this weather?” my dad asked.
I froze. “Um, just down into the swamp.”
Mom furrowed her brow and looked up at me over her magazine. “The swamp? Since when have you enjoyed going down there?”
I cringed. I never showed any true interest in it before, so her question was a legitimate
one. “Since I spotted some neat trails on my way home from school once,” I responded, cringing at my fabricated reasoning.
Both my parents looked at me as if I had gone crazy. Well, crazier.
“Hiking trails?” they both said together.
“Yeah,” I waved my hand around, the sleeve of my lime-green rain jacket flapping against my wrist, “it’s really nice down there. You should check it out sometime.”
My parents looked slightly baffled, but they both shrugged it off and got back to reading their magazines.
“Okay, well have fun honey and be careful,” Mom finally said.
Hardly believing I made it out of that one with my intelligence intact, I scurried through the front door and walked down to the road. I squeezed past the Dead End sign and began my descent into the swamp. I made sure I could feel the can of pepper spray in my pocket and kept my senses alert. Halfway to my destination it started raining again. Most of the moisture was caught and stopped by the eucalyptus trees above, but by the time I had the clearing in my sights, rain drops speckled my raincoat like chicken pox.
Cade was waiting for me, Fergus standing loyally beside him. My heart skipped a beat and I had to squash my sudden nervousness. What was wrong with me?
Cade had on the black trench coat I remembered from before, hood flipped up. He had what looked like two walking sticks in one hand and a couple of long pouches in the other. As I moved closer, I noticed that the pouches had feathery branches sticking out of them. No, not branches: arrows. I eyed the staves he was holding. A long string looped around the top of each of them and trailed loosely to the ground. Oh. Bows. I thought bows were supposed to be curved . . .
I’m sure the look I gave him held puzzlement, because he smiled. He had smiled at me before, that time at the beach when he told me what I was and a few times before that, but I had never noticed the small dimple before. Suddenly, my legs felt slightly weak and I forgot all about my irritation at his long absence or all those questions I was going to ask.
I cleared my throat and pointed at the bows, taking my eyes away from his. “Um, shouldn’t those be curved?”