Heir of Earth (Forgotten Gods)

by Rosemary Clair

  Mary was there. Rose had insisted her best friend come along, thinking it might get her mind off Christine’s disappearance. I saw her staring at April and me from across the little group with an aching look in her eyes. Guilt punched me squarely in the gut. I managed a weak smile. Mary returned the sweetest smile, the same smile I had seen on Christine’s face the night she disappeared. Mary didn’t know it was my fault her daughter was gone, that I could have kept it from happening. I shook the thought away.

  April reached out for my hand, and the moment she touched me, my vision went black and white and the world ceased to exist around me. I stumbled over my own feet and crashed, face first, onto the dirt road.

  “Faye! Are you okay?” April’s voice seemed to be millions of miles away, though her hand still held my arm.

  My tunnel vision focused on April, sitting in a booth at the tavern, the sting of betrayal wrinkling her face. I knew I was the one who had hurt her.

  “What did I do?” I whispered, tears springing into my eyes, and my chest constricting with grief. I couldn’t imagine doing anything to April to hurt her so. But seeing her in that vision, I knew I would.

  “You tripped. Are you okay?” April’s hands hooked under my arms and hauled me to my feet, snapping me out of my vision. She stared at me, in full color, the light from Rose’s porch bouncing off her hair.

  I nodded my head, wiping at the tears that had fallen.

  “Are you hurt?” April asked, full of concern over my tears. I shook my head.

  “I’m fine. Just a little clumsy.” I answered, and linked my arm back with hers, scrambling to appear normal despite the vision wreaking havoc on my insides. I wasn’t sure what bothered me more—the fact that my visions had just found a way into my consciousness while I was awake, or that now I knew I would do something horrible enough to hurt my only friend. The thoughts consumed me all the way down the road. I held her arm tightly in the crook of my elbow, and promised myself that vision would never come true.

  When we arrived at the field below the cliffs the moonshine on the tall grass turned it from green to silver. It swayed in a gentle breeze, just begging for me to run through it. But my heart was too heavy for such things. April was beyond excited, practically levitating at my side, my elbow the only thing keeping her on the ground. Looking at her, I knew I’d never hurt her. So I pushed the vision away and smiled at her silliness. I had no experience with waking visions. It might never come true.

  Rose smiled, seeing how excited we both were and handed us lists with pictures attached.

  “These should be easy to find. This typically grows on the north face of a rock, and this one likes to be in the shade, so look under bushes,” she pointed to the list as she instructed.

  “Um, what about snakes?” I didn’t like the thought of poking my hand into dark places.

  “Hello? You’re in Ireland?! St. Patrick, remember? No snakes,” she shook her head.

  “Duh!” April couldn’t resist joining in.

  “Okay, okay. I believe you.” I threw up my hands in fake surrender and started off through the grass. St. Patrick, really? I wondered if the Abominable Snowman would be joining us tonight as well.

  Violets were first on my list. I found a patch growing near the base of an old tree trunk. The purple and white faces basked in the moonlight like sunbathers on a beach. They looked so lovely I hated to pick them. “Sorry guys,” I apologized before I dropped them in my basket.

  Comfrey was next on Rose’s hand-written list, the herb she said grew on rocks. I searched through the field trying to find a stony surface. Finally locating a small out cropping of stones, I began to search for something that looked like the picture. Lucas had been right. You could see just like the daytime.

  I was almost to the top of the hill when I spotted a nice big rock that looked like it would make a perfect resting spot. The moon danced in perfect harmony with Mother Nature all around me, as I took in the beauty of the night. The silhouettes of the women, bending and stooping to find their herbs dotted the field below. They called to one another, asking questions about the best way to clip chamomile and what color of violet made the best tea.

  A shout echoed from the other side of the cliff, and I knew it must be Lucas’ group. I turned my head and strained to see into the shadow of the cliff, but the moon’s light was far too bright for that.

  “Comfrey.” Rose appeared beside me, holding a simple looking little leaf. “Isn’t it beautiful out here?” She sat down and we looked at the silver field that swayed down the hill.

  “Yeah.” I took the little leaf, held it to my nose, and quickly pulled it away. It smelled like dirty socks. “So, which one is Banshee Pointe?”

  “That’s right. You’ve never seen it. Come on,” Rose grabbed my hand and began to lead me further up the hill.

  “So legend has it that many years ago, maybe even before Clonlea was built, a beautiful woman threw herself from these cliffs after she heard her lover had been killed at war.”

  “Which war?”

  “Doesn’t matter, it’s not an important part of the story,” Rose stepped delicately around the rocks at the top of the hill. “Her lover returned from the war, having been mistaken for his twin brother who was actually killed. When he learned that his fiancé had jumped over the cliffs, he would come here every night, begging for her to return to him. One full moon he disappeared, never to be seen again.”

  “Um, I think I’ve read that story somewhere else?”

  “No, it’s the Banshee story of Clonlea. Anyway, quit ruining it. I’m trying really hard to scare you right now and you are not cooperating,” Rose said with sarcastic annoyance. “Anyway, if you sit here on a full moon, you can hear the two lovers call to one another, crying out for their lost love,” she ended with a dramatic note. “Besides the story, it’s really beautiful on a full moon.”

  We stood silently against the ocean’s breeze when we crested the hill and met the breathtaking view. Banshee Pointe was actually a cliff, hundreds of feet above the sea. The waves crashed loudly onto the rocks below us, hidden in the cliff’s shadow to everyone who wasn’t brave enough to risk their life stepping out to the edge.

  In front of us, the ocean ran out as far as the eye could see, an ebony sheet racing out to meet an onyx sky. They merged together somewhere in the darkness, further away than I could see. The black of the sea was tipped with thousands of little white crests as the moon reflected on the waves bouncing back and forth along the tide. It looked like the stars had fallen from the sky and landed on the vast ocean surface, the waves blinking as they danced like millions of supernovas from far away galaxies. It was a glorious sight.

  I felt like I was standing on the edge of the world. From what I remembered of geography, there was nothing after Ireland but a vast expanse of ocean. Maybe I really was standing on the edge of the world. The wind whipped around me, blowing my hair in every direction. I held it back with my hand, not wanting to take my eyes off the beauty of the sea just yet.

  “Primrose!” Rose exclaimed beside me and she headed off to pick her prize.

  I stayed on the cliff, mesmerized by the view. I could see how a girl might give up, standing there. If her heart was broken and she had nothing to return to, she would be tempted to slip into the beckoning waves below. To lie back on the rolling tide, staring up at the big beautiful moon and just start swimming, as far as she could go, the friendly little waves carrying her along.

  The moon slipped behind a cloud, and suddenly the whole world went dark. I cautiously stepped backward from the cliff’s edge, my eyes straining in the darkness to readjust to the absence of light.

  “Rose?” I called out. No answer.

  I tried to calm myself and think. The cliff was right in front of me. I knew we had walked straight up the side of the hill to get to the cliff, so if I turned around and walked straight, I would be back at the bottom of the hill with everyone else. A low moan kicked up over the cliff and was answered in t
urn. My eyes grew even wider and the breeze prickled goose bumps down my spine. No way, I thought. That is the same sound the wind makes whistling by my window.

  I closed my eyes, trying to use my internal sense of direction to find my way. With one giant turn, I swiveled my body an exact 180 degrees. The ocean breeze sent my ponytail spilling over my shoulders, confirming my change of direction. I took a few tentative steps forward and the ground under my feet returned to the soft grass of the field.

  A wave of relief flowed over me, and I continued down the hill, carefully placing one foot directly in front of the other. Little bushes that I hadn’t remembered seeing on the walk up began tugging at my jeans. I reached my hand out in front of me and felt the rough bark of an unfamiliar tree. The cloud cover blew away for a second, and I saw I was in the forest. I looked around, not recognizing anything. I had been in a huge field full of people. Where had this forest come from?

  “Rose!” I screamed. Nothing.

  Walking forward again, I made a few steps before I tripped over a tree root. Luckily, I caught myself and pulled my knee way up to step over what I could not see. A few steps further, a tree limb scratched across my face and tangled in my hair. I yanked my hair out of the ponytail holder and shook the limb away. The sting of the branch still cut across my cheek. I was really starting to freak out, but I tried to keep calm.

  If you find yourself lost, stay where you are, and let help find you. The advice from my old Daisy Scout troop leader came back to me. I reached my arms out into the darkness. My fingertips brushed against the rough bark of another tree trunk. I pulled my body in its direction, feeling my way along, and turned so my back was against the tree before I slowly slid to the ground.

  “Rose! April! Help!” Still no answer. The sounds of the forest were amplified in the dark. With my sense of sight gone, my ears strained to pick up the tiniest of sounds over the pounding of my heart. Tree limbs creaked overhead as they blew in the breeze; a faraway knocking echoed through the darkness and the flutter of a moth’s wings buzzed my ear.

  All I could think about were the piercing ghostly eyes from my nightmares, but I shook my head to force those away. I couldn’t let my imagination run away with me.

  The sound of a twig snapping underfoot—the most dreaded sound to anyone lost in the woods—echoed all around me, much too close. Fear instantly made my hands tremble and my breath catch in my throat. Beads of sweat popped up on my forehead. My mouth went dry and my stomach felt like it had disappeared.

  Two black and white images flew into my mind— Christine’s missing poster and the photo of Phin’s first love. Both quickly followed by the cold aquamarine glower that now haunted my waking thoughts. I whimpered in the darkness, shaking my head again to make it all go away.

  A bright flash of white appeared in the distance. My heart swelled with relief—a flashlight! Had to be. Straining through the black expanse of night, I forced my eyes to find the light dancing with the trees again. Nothing.

  “Rose? Lucas? Who’s there?” I managed to get out, in a high-pitched, whiney voice. Nothing. If the light had been a flashlight, the person carrying it would have heard me from that distance. Hot fear flooded back into my depths.

  Tears washed down my cheeks in swollen rivers. I was terrified. I had never been lost before. I had lived a safe little life.

  My heart beat so loudly it deafened my ears to anything but the blood rushing like a racehorse through my veins. I closed my eyes, leaning back against the tree, balled as tightly as I could.

  Another twig snapped, this one much closer than the last. My feet instinctively backpedaled against the forest floor, but there was nowhere to go. The tree’s bark dug deeper into my back, and I could do nothing but let my body be racked by the sobs of fear bleating from my chest. Running was useless. I couldn’t see, and whatever stalked me obviously knew right where I was. I squeezed my knees into my chest and tucked my head down into the little space that was left. Resigned to the fact that whatever hunted me, was about to find my hiding place.

  I didn’t move a muscle, frozen there in the darkness, not even wanting to breathe for fear of being discovered by my hunter. My ears strained in the quiet, searching for any sound I could find.

  “This is certainly no place for a lady.”

  The deep breathy voice was no louder than a whisper, but to my ears it boomed like thunder and rattled around my eardrum. The exhale of his voice stirred the hairs on my neck. He was right beside me.

  An ear-bleeding scream burst from my lungs that could’ve been heard in Shannon.

  Faster than a strike of lightning, I bolted from the voice, the need for self-preservation overtaking me. I jumped from the ground and flung myself forward, not knowing where I was going but knowing I had to get away. I launched headlong into a branch, stumbled, but had my feet back under me in a second. A root caught my foot on the next step, and I was falling through the darkness.

  My fingers touched the mushy dampness of the forest floor first. For several steps I scraped and scrambled my way along, gathering decaying forest matter in my hands as I blindly grasped for anything that might help me regain my footing again. The jagged surface of a rock bit into the knuckles of one hand and I managed to push against it, forcing my body back up right.

  I got in a few good running strides before two hands closed around my waist and began pulling me back. I screamed, kicked and clawed at my attacker. I fought him with everything I had. I wasn’t going to make this easy for him.

  “Easy, Faye! It’s me.”

  The voice that purred through the black cloth covering us was somewhat familiar, stirring hope in my heart. My body stopped struggling but remained rigid as the arms hugged tighter around me, pinning my own arms down, stopping my assault. He must’ve heard me calling his name!

  “Lucas!” I shouted his name so loudly it bounced off the treetops. His arms relaxed. Though the black canvas of night made it impossible to see his face it had to be Lucas, coming to my rescue. I twisted in his grip and threw my arms around his neck.

  “Oh, Lucas.” There were so many emotions running through my body. I didn’t know what to do. Adrenaline rushed around in my veins and flowed out through my muscles. My quivering arms squeezed his neck, pulling him so close to me I could feel his heart beating in my own chest. My muscles ached from the grip I had on him, but I didn’t let go. I was afraid to lose contact with him, afraid he might slip away from me, and leave us both lost in the utter dark again.

  Cold, wet tears stained my cheeks, rubbing against whiskers on his chin. I never wanted to leave his arms. I felt so safe, so protected from the dangers of the night. He rubbed his hand soothingly along my back and whispered, “Shhhhh, Shhhhh.” My mind began to calm and I could think again, but I still stayed in the safety of his arms, but unable to see him.

  “Lucas, how did you find me?” His group had been over on the far side of the cliffs, I thought.

  He didn’t answer me. “Lucas?” I asked, wondering why he was being so quiet.

  “No.” The voice whispered in my ear.

  Fear gripped my body again, I tried to push away but the arms held close around me.

  “It’s Dayne.”

  Chapter 12

  You Don’t Know Me

  A different kind of panic seized me. Forgotten were the creepy things in a darkened forest that wanted to harm an innocent young girl. Now it was the giddy and uncertain fear of my crush on Dayne that snatched my stomach and hurled it down to my toes like a discarded toy. It was Dayne I held in my arms. Dayne’s own arms that held me to him—something I had dreamed about for weeks.

  Dayne was my white knight. Something I would have known immediately had I not been ravaged with the fear of my imminent death, and blinded by the black of night. The stubble scratching against my cheek was too thick to be Lucas. The shoulders my arms draped over were much too tall.

  A rich, woodsy scent filled my nostrils. I had heard his soothing, honeyed voice before, but never w
hen I was awake. I wondered for a moment if this was another dream.

  The realization it wasn’t flooded into my mind and everything else flowed out. My arms felt like strangers, hanging there around his shoulders. I was aware of my stomach, still pressed so firmly against his that our lungs fought for the space to breathe. It was like there was a magnet inside his body, and I was suddenly made of steel and completely unable to release myself from his grasp.

  The cloud passed from in front of the moon and a single beam of softly glowing light found its way through the branches overhead. It shone down on us like a spotlight on a darkened stage while an audience of trees blew in the breeze.

  Finally, I saw him. His head hung down and to the side, the mirror image of my own. My eyes flickered away from his for just a second and landed on his lips, which were so close I could smell the waxy sweetness of his chap stick.

  Still, he didn’t move. Still, I couldn’t move.

  His arms were wrapped tightly around my back, pulling at the loosened strands of hair just slightly. The ground quaked gently under my left foot. I ignored it. His tongue poked out between his lips, wetting them so they glowed in the dark. He bit at his bottom lip, gently releasing it in a slow wave of motion I studied in a spellbound way. Again the ground under my foot moved, more vigorously this time. I was standing on his foot.

  “Oh!” The gentle movement was enough to snap me back to reality and make me realize my mouth was hanging open as I stared up at him with a trance-like gaze. Reluctantly, hating every muscle that moved, I released my embrace. I stepped off of his toe, slid my arms from his shoulders and somehow managed to look away from his eyes.

  “Sorry,” I whispered, suddenly embarrassed by my behavior as reality began to find its way back to my brain. “What are you doing out here?” I asked, hoping to take the attention off of myself.

  “This is Ennishlough property. I should be asking you what you’re doing?” His hands lingered on my shoulders, offering support while I found my footing on the uneven forest floor.