The Stolen: An American Faerie Tale

by O'Connell, Bishop

  Her baby had been taken by faeries. Now Caitlin found herself in a world of darkness she’d never imagined could exist. A world she was unprepared to face.

  “Find the courage! Find the strength! This is your child!” she told herself silently.

  Disgust welled in her. Not at Justin, or the creatures who’d taken Fiona. Her revulsion was reserved for herself and her utter failure as a mother. Her heart began to beat more erratically. She reached out for strength, for hope, for courage, for any kind of comforting thought. Her baby needed her now, more so than ever before. But she couldn’t get to her.

  The room appeared frozen in time, and she was outside herself. Brendan was against the wall, his hand and knife buried in the cloud of darkness that had been Justin. Dante knelt over Edward. She sat against the wall in a fetal position as tears poured down her face.

  A warrior, a wizard, and an elf had all failed. What could she possibly do? She tried desperately to cling to hope, even to the hope there was hope, but it was empty and hollow. She looked down at her small, pathetic form. Never before had she felt so minuscule, so insignificant, and so useless.

  Everyone, everything in her life, even before this moment, had turned to ash. Her grandparents had cared for her when her parents had died, but she’d still taken the weight of that pain all on herself. She’d loved her grandparents, but she hadn’t trusted them to stay. How could she? Her parents had died and left her. If they could be taken away, anyone could.

  James had seduced her and then disappeared. Cold washed over her as she remembered waking up in that small bed and breakfast, seeing his bag in the corner but his clothes and shoes gone.

  He’d left, just like Mom and Dad.

  Again her grandparents had tried to help when she’d found herself pregnant, but they’d died and left her too, never even having had the chance to see their great-­grandchild. And now Kris, caught in a dangerous situation, might end up being the latest casualty of Caitlin’s cursed life. All of them suffering tragedy for nothing more than trying to help her.

  She looked at Edward, limp in Dante’s arms. Her heart began to crack. She knew the childhood he’d had. A skinny, awkward, and bookish child, for most of his life he’d been an easy and constant target for bullies. And yet after each blow that knocked him down, he got back up again. She thought of the failed spell. He’d seen, or maybe even been touched by, something terrible. And still, he’d put aside his doubts, his fears, and faced it all, for her and for Fiona. He’d always been there for her, perhaps even when he shouldn’t have been, when she hadn’t really deserved it.

  Something flashed in the corner of her eye, and when she turned to look, a tiny light, no larger than a spark, hung unmoving in the air. It was hope, but it was so small.

  Caitlin closed her hand around it. Heat radiated from it, and she wondered if this was all real or just a hallucination.

  There was no way she could do this, not by herself. She held the hope and looked from one face to another. When she looked at Edward, she saw his chest slowly rise and fall. He was still here. He was still alive.

  She wasn’t alone.

  The hope in her hand grew warmer, and light leaked from between her fingers. That thought should’ve been obvious, but she only really understood it now. She needed others, to trust in them. She looked at Dante, then at Brendan. Strangers to her, but both putting their lives on the line, Brendan quite literally. They were all still fighting, all of them.

  The light in her hand was blazing, casting streaks of white across the floor and walls. The consequences of their failure raced through her mind, and she gripped the hope as the weight of it all tried to pull her down.

  That was it then; there really was no choice to make. She knew how this could end, but it didn’t matter. Whatever the cost to herself, or even those around her, she’d find a way to live with it. Nothing else mattered, and everyone in this room knew that. They were willing to fight, and so was she. She could live with anything but losing Fiona. But there was always hope, however small.

  She blinked and was back in her body, viewing the chaos around her. The light was gone, but the hope it represented remained.

  Then her vision went black.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Caitlin had the vague sensation of being lifted from the ground and carried up the stairs. She felt hardly any sense of motion, and even her mind was quiet. Her body, however, continued to gasp between sobs so hard her stomach convulsed.

  “Easy there, love,” Brendan said. “Breathe. It’s going to be all right, I promise.”

  “Please, help me,” she whispered.

  She felt soft cushions around her and tried to open her eyes but couldn’t. Everything was dark and still.

  “You all right, lad?” Brendan’s voice asked.

  “I’m sorry,” Edward’s voice said. It was shaking. “I couldn’t hold him. It’s my fault, I wasn’t good enough.”

  “Your skill had nothing to do with it,” Dante said.

  There was the sound of pacing footsteps.

  “Aye,” Brendan said. “He’s right. Don’t blame yourself, mate. We told you the risk and you rose to meet it. You did fine, it was nicely done. We’ve both had our challenges tonight.”

  “How’s—­”

  “Stay where you are,” Dante said. “Caitlin’s fine, she just fainted. All things considered, I’m surprised she held out this long.” The sound of footsteps moved away, the fridge door opened then closed, and the footsteps returned. “Here, drink this.”

  “Thanks, I’ll be okay,” Edward said. “I just need a moment to get my head back on straight.”

  There was a sigh and weight on the couch near her.

  “At least we know where the girseach is,” Brendan said.

  “Yes, but we still don’t know what part the other wizard is playing in all this,” Dante said. “Aside from breaking through one extraordinary protective circle and freeing Justin, I mean.”

  “Why’d the other wizard just release him?” Edward asked. “I mean, why didn’t he return Justin to wherever I’d summoned him from? Why leave Justin here? The wizard had to know Brendan would kill him, right?”

  The voices were silent.

  “That’s a very good question,” Dante said.

  “We should get this one clear,” Brendan said. “Have one of your boys take her home. Use some hair to get her inside—­”

  “Are you mad?” Dante said.

  “Well, it’s not like she can invite them in,” Brendan said. “Dar fia, you’re only setting right an earlier violation.”

  “Can’t you use her hair without cutting it off?” Edward asked.

  “Oh aye,” Brendan said. “But like as not she’d be a bit upset waking up bald.”

  “The hair is consumed in the charm,” Dante said. “So you cut some off to separate it—­”

  “Water,” Caitlin managed to say. “Please.” Her voice was dry and her mouth felt like it was full of cotton. With some effort, her eyes opened. Blurry shapes of various colors moved like ghosts in front of her.

  “Here you go, love,” Brendan said.

  A cold bottle was pressed into her hand and a strong arm against her back helped her sit up. She put the bottle to her mouth and drank the icy water, relishing the sensation of it pouring down her throat.

  “Take your time. Get your breath back,” Brendan said as he eased her back against the cushions.

  “You had a panic attack,” Edward said.

  Caitlin’s vision came into focus and the images became clear. She was lying down, and Brendan was sitting over her. She lifted her head and felt a flood of relief when she saw Edward collapsed in the chair. He looked pale and exhausted, but he was alive and unhurt. Dante was pacing. Caitlin’s head pounded, but each gasp of air seemed to ease it a little.

  “It was a bad one.” Edward forc
ed a smile. “But you just hyperventilated and passed out. That’s all.”

  No, that wasn’t all, she thought.

  Caitlin’s head fell back to the cushion. She was exhausted, but there was more to do. “Please, you have to get Kris out of this,” she said.

  Dante let out a breath and nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”

  “Promise me she’ll come to no harm,” Caitlin said.

  “I swear to you,” Dante said. “She’ll arrive home safe. My marshals will protect her.”

  Caitlin nodded. “Now, twice more please.”

  Dante, Brendan, and Edward looked at each other.

  “Thrice promised, right?” she asked.

  “And bound,” Dante said with a nod and approving smile.

  “I figured everything happening in sets of three meant it was true.”

  “It is,” Dante said. “And you have my promise she’ll arrive home safe. On my honor, no harm will come to her while in my charge.”

  Caitlin told Dante Kris’s address as Edward removed the wards. Dante summoned a marshal inside, and the two whispered before the marshal relented, picked up Kris, and headed for the door.

  “Wait a minute.” Brendan went into his bag and came out with a cell phone. “Here you go.” He tucked it into the elf’s pocket.

  “Don’t waste time, Kevan,” Dante said.

  When the door shut and Edward raised the wards, Caitlin felt a slight sense of relief knowing Kris was out of this at least.

  No one said anything for a long moment. Caitlin noticed her hand was still clenched into a tight fist. She was still holding on to that small hope that Kris wouldn’t be the only one to walk away from this. She looked at Edward and couldn’t help but smile. His color was returning, slowly. He still had hope too, and that made hers a little brighter and warmer.

  “I’m sorry if this is a stupid question,” Edward said. “But I keep coming back to something that doesn’t make sense.”

  Everyone looked at him.

  “What did Justin mean?” Edward asked. “I thought he had to answer the question.”

  “He did,” Dante said. “Unfortunately.”

  “Fiona is in Tír na nÓg,” Caitlin said, then sucked in a breath and tried to sit up.

  “Aye.” Brendan helped her.

  The room started to spin, but slower this time. Caitlin put a hand to her head, closed her eyes, and struggled to keep her breathing even.

  “So, what do we do now?” Edward asked.

  Caitlin had to push the taunting sound of Justin’s last words from her head.

  “And what do you think we do, then?” Brendan let out a breath. “Only one thing to be done, isn’t there? I’m going to go and get her back.”

  Caitlin looked at Brendan and could see the steely resolve in his eyes. She drew on the strength and surety he was radiating. But there was something more beneath that. Emotions roiled inside her, but she said nothing. She just swallowed.

  “Don’t you worry, love.” Brendan smiled. Caitlin noticed for the first time that his scars caused it to fall a little unevenly. “I’ll get her back to you. I promise you that, and I keep me promises.”

  Dante cleared his throat. “Brendan? A word, if you please,” Dante said, then turned and walked out of view.

  “Aye, keep your knickers on.” Brendan stood. “I can guess what that word is.” He nodded at Edward. “Keep an eye on her, lad. I’ll be back as soon as Dante is done with me bollocking.”

  Brendan walked away and a door closed.

  Edward sat down next to Caitlin, put his arm around her shoulder, and took her hand in his. She felt weak in every sense of the word, but she squeezed his hand. The faint sound of voices came through the door.

  “Do you hear that?” she asked.

  “No, I can’t hear anything,” Edward said. “You can hear them?”

  “I think so.”

  The voices were muffled, and she strained to make sense of them.

  “I know that, don’t I?” Brendan asked. “But maybe by doing the right thing I can tip the scales—­”

  Dante cut him off, but she couldn’t make out his words.

  “What are they saying?” Edward asked.

  Caitlin struggled, but she couldn’t decipher anything else. “I don’t know.” Her head felt like it weighed a ton. She looked at Edward and squeezed his hand again. “Thanks, for everything.”

  “You don’t have to thank me.”

  “Yes, I do.” She drew in a breath. “It seems apropos I’m saying this to a psychiatrist.”

  Edward looked at her the way he always did, without judgment. “What?”

  “I’ve got trust issues, especially where Fiona is involved.”

  “Well, gee, I wonder—­”

  “Please, let me finish,” she said. “I know I can’t do this alone.”

  Edward turned to face her fully. “You never need to ask for help from me.”

  She swallowed and looked at the closed door of the study. “I know, but I need their help, too.”

  Edward’s smile faltered a little for just a fraction of a second, but then recovered. “I told you, I’ll do whatever it takes.” He looked over his shoulder at the closed door. “I’ll make sure they do, too.”

  She closed her eyes and her head fell back against the couch. The sound of Justin’s screams and the image of him disintegrating into darkness filled her head.

  “What is it?” Edward asked.

  “I think I enjoyed watching him die,” she said. “In fact, I wanted to do it myself.”

  “He wasn’t human,” Edward said. “He was a faerie, and part of the group that took your daughter. Caitlin, he taunted you.” He put her hand between both of his. “Things like that can cause ­people to . . . well . . . break. To grossly oversimplify a complicated psychological condition, feeling and acting screwed up during a screwed-­up situation does not make you screwed up. Even if he didn’t have it coming, which he did, no one can blame you for feeling the way you do. She’s your daughter.”

  In Edward’s eyes, Caitlin saw just how much he loved both her and Fiona.

  “Don’t you dare lose a moment of sleep over it,” he said. “You understand—­”

  “Damn it, Dante!” Brendan’s voice came through the door, causing both Edward and Caitlin to look up.

  “I did hear that,” Edward said.

  The door opened and Brendan stormed out.

  “Stop your talking. It’s settled. I’m not going to just leave that girl at their mercy.” He rounded on Dante and pointed a finger at himself. “I know what kind of mercy they got, don’t I? This time, I’m finishing it. I’ll do it meself. No one else need be involved.”

  Dante followed, but he didn’t speak until Brendan sat in the chair. “You’re not in any shape to go. You may not feel it, but you got your—­”

  “I’ll be fine,” Brendan said, not looking at Dante. “I just need me a few hours sleep is all.” He turned to Edward. “You got a spare bed in this place I can use, then?”

  “I do,” Edward said. “Of course you’re all welcome to stay, if you’d like.”

  “Míle buíochas.” Brendan looked at Dante. “I appreciate your concern, but what else can we do? You can’t tell me you’re fine with the notion of just leaving her there.”

  Dante sat on the arm of the couch that Edward and Caitlin were sharing and shook his head. “You know I can’t go with you.”

  “I know,” Brendan said. “I know you want to, but this one I need to do on me own.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I can’t cross till after nightfall. That’ll give me a chance to rest and your handiwork time to heal me a bit. There’s a gateway not far from here, in Vermont, that I can use. It’s no more than a handful of hours away.”

  “I know it.” Dante bowed his head.
“Okay. I’ve said my piece.”

  When she lifted her head, Caitlin saw something in Brendan’s eyes. She looked from Brendan to Dante then back again. In that glimpse, she understood what Brendan was saying. Moreover, she didn’t have a choice but to let him.

  Edward cleared his throat. “I’ll go with you,” he said, eyes focused on his shoes.

  Caitlin’s head snapped to Edward. “I—­”

  “Not bloody likely,” Brendan said with a chuckle. “I appreciate the sentiment, lad, I do. But this is well beyond what you can manage.”

  “I know,” Edward said, “but you can’t go alone. You’ll need someone to watch your back, as it were.” He glanced first at Caitlin, then at Brendan. “I know I’m not the ideal choice. My skill may be lacking, but if Dante can’t go, I should. I’ll be able to help, even if it’s just—­” He swallowed. “Just to give you a chance to get out with Fiona.”

  Caitlin’s heart caught in her throat. She knew this was what asking for help meant, but it didn’t make it any easier.

  “It’s not like that,” Dante said. “That’s not what Brendan meant.”

  “I have to give you credit.” Brendan smiled with genuine pride. “You’ve got a warrior’s heart in you, mate. But you’d do me no good.”

  “He means your magic won’t work there,” Dante said. “You’d just be a normal mortal. That has all kinds of consequences in Tír na nÓg. It pains me to say it, but Brendan would move faster and have a better chance on his own.”

  “It’s nothing against you,” Brendan said. “But I can’t be looking after you and trying to get the wee one back at the same time.”

  Relief poured through Caitlin, followed by an absolute certainty. “I’m going.”

  Six wide eyes below lifted brows stared at her.

  “Don’t take this wrong, love,” Brendan said. “Not just no, but hell no. No bloody way, no. Did you not hear what I just said?”

  “I heard you.” Caitlin didn’t look up. “I’m not going to sit here while others go after my daughter. I’m her mother, and she needs me.”