by T L Harty
“Deidra came to me in a vision. I was trying to see anything I could to help find her.”
“You were under water for close to fifteen minutes,” Clio said. “A couple minutes longer and you would’ve died.”
“Ridiculous,” I said. “My Grammy taught me the survival rule…three days without water, three weeks without food and three minutes without oxygen.”
“Look at the guards over there,” Macy said, pointing to the men. “Each one dove in to try to get you out of that lake. Clio and I have been out here for at least 7 or 8 minutes. It must be yet another hidden talent of yours, but you pushed it to the extreme today.”
“But I saw Deidra! Maybe you’re missing the point. I could see her!”
“It’s a Korrigan spell. A Korrigan is much like a siren, but they are descended from druidess lines. Deidra must have poured the spell in the lake and it’s been dormant, awakened by your touch,” Clio said.
An idea came to me and I went to the shore of the lake, placing my hands on the surface of the water. With all my might, I tried to concentrate on the word Korrigan, so I could see the potion being poured into the lake. The familiar outline appeared immediately. I walked back to the castle, while Liam dutifully followed.
After entering my quarters, I swung the door closed, but Liam stopped the momentum of the door with his hand. He shut the door and engaged the security posts. Not wanting to get the floors wet, I removed my shirt. Liam, being a gentleman, turned toward the door.
“You’re soaking wet, too. Once I get upstairs, I’ll throw down a towel and a pair of sweatpants.”
After tossing the items down, Liam turned around again, stripping down to nothing. My mouth hung agape at the sight of his beauty. His muscles moved under his tan skin with every turn and twist. He wiped himself down with the towel, while I fought the urge to tell him to turn around, like some sort of horny, college co-ed.
Liam had donned the sweatpants and I willed myself to back away from the railing, so I wouldn’t be caught gawking. Once I peeled off my remaining wet clothes, they were replaced with jeans and a simple shirt. It may not have been royal attire, but it signified a step up from the sweatpants and t-shirts I’d been wearing for days on end.
“What happened to the sweatpants?” I asked Liam, as my eyes tried to stay face-level.
In the time it had taken me to get downstairs, he had removed the sweatpants and stood there in a towel. I swallowed hard, trying to ignore my hormonal intrusion.
“They were much too small,” he answered.
“I’ll go get you some clothing,” I said, walking past, toward the door.
He reached out, stopping me from passing. “No, we can’t be separated during my shift, but thank you. When the next guard relieves me, I will get properly dressed.”
There was something unspoken between us. And, now, when he touched my arm to stop me, a shiver ran up my spine. He put his arm down, apologizing for his reaction, but I thought only of the towel.
“Let me go see who’s milling around downstairs. I’ll take a few steps outside my door to look around.”
Exiting my quarters, I could peer down onto the main thoroughfare of the castle, near the front entrance. People were moving about their day. I spotted one of the guards.
“You, there, in the blue t-shirt!”
He stopped, as did a couple of other people, who I waved away. Because of the morning’s events, the clothing request was reasonable and easily attended to. Once Liam covered up, my ability to concentrate returned.
Liam chaperoned me to the council meeting, and then stood guard outside the throne room. The meeting wouldn’t start for a half hour, but it offered a quiet, peaceful place to think. Everything on my mind fought for a voice and it quickly became overwhelming.
Clio arrived first, then Ann, Tina and Macy. We waited for Bridget for a while.
“Where is she?” I asked. “I want to ask her why she laced the lake with that Korrigan potion!”
Everyone furrowed their brow at me and Macy spoke first.
“What did you say?”
Macy rose to her feet, and then ran to the front door of the castle. She flung the door open in time for all of us to see Bridget’s car kicking up dust behind her, as she sped off the property.
“Damn it!” Macy said, as she slapped the door. “I told her a few minutes ago what happened this morning and that you put your hands on the lake to see Deidra with the potion.”
“I never said it was Deidra!”
“I know,” Macy sneered. “You never named anyone. You should have told me!”
“Maybe you shouldn’t assume things! Or maybe you should have kept your mouth shut!”
Macy moved toward me and, in an instant, Liam had pushed her to the side.
“You answer to me!” Macy yelled at Liam.
“He ultimately answers to me! Even you answer to me!” I yelled.
“You both need to stop this madness, right now!” Clio yelled.
She glared at us both, but the way she raised her voice, shrieked even, silenced the room.
“If you think for one minute that I’m going to let a piss prophet, like Bridget, ruin what we’re trying to accomplish, you both can join her and leave! I’ve had enough of your selfish power struggles and whining. Maybe if you both paid more attention, we’d have seen this coming. Now get out of my sight and we’ll reconvene later to plan our next move!”
I returned to my quarters and paced heatedly. The events of the last few weeks had evaporated my patience and waves of anger washed over me...until Liam touched my arm, stopping me in my tracks.
When the anger subsided, it was replaced with ugly, wet, loud crying that initially drenched Liam’s shirt as he held me. After a few minutes, my legs gave out in emotional surrender and he carried me to a couch where the tears continued. It must have lasted over an hour.
When the howling minimized to sniffling, I felt Liam stroking my hair as my head rested on his lap. The back of my head touched his stomach and my watery view included part of the room.
The crying had exhausted me and I fell asleep for a time. When I woke up, he still sat there, stroking my hair. My eyes were taut from the crying, swollen and tired, but I looked up at him anyway and grinned.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He grinned back.
A loud knock on the door sounded. It startled both of us. I stood and Liam went to the door, but didn’t answer it.
“Let us in,” Macy insisted.
Liam unlocked the door and Clio and Macy entered. It obviously wasn’t Macy’s idea to come here.
My anger had already melted in the sea of tears and before Macy could speak, I hugged her. She embraced me back and everything was forgiven and understood in that moment. Clio got a little choked up, but managed to maintain her stoic countenance.
The kitchen brought up dinner and the four of us dined. We talked and laughed, enjoying each other’s company. There is a comfort being in a room with people who hold your trust.
I talked Macy and Clio into the idea that having guards outside my quarters would be sufficient security. Liam joked that there would be quite a few disappointed guards. In the past couple of weeks, the number of the castle’s guard had grown to a total of twenty-five men, all of which pledged themselves completely.
“So, Liam,” Clio started, “tell us about this woman who owns your heart.”
Liam blushed. “It’s a long story.”
The question came from Clio and I tried to mask my excitement at finally knowing the truth.
Macy looked at the clock. “You have twenty minutes until shift change. I bet it’s not that long.”
Macy and Clio pressed him for more information, while I silently rooted them on.
“Well,” Liam began, “I’ve never met her, but I’ve dreamed of her since I was a boy and hope to find her one day. If I’m tied to the queen, I’m afraid I would give up on my search.”
“You’re heart belongs to someon
e you’ve never met?” I asked.
He nodded his head up and down.
“But, you’ve been with women before, right?!” Leave it to Macy to get down to business.
Liam almost spit out his water, wiping his mouth with his napkin.
“I’ve enjoyed the company of women, yes, thank you.”
“Believe it or not, I’ve never even seen her face. I know the feeling I have in my dreams…the complete connection and pure love. It sounds similar to what all your guards are experiencing.”
I raised my glass, toasting his search. “To Liam, may he find his true love.”
The replacement guard arrived early for shift change, which wasn’t unusual. Liam let him in, briefing him of the fact that all night-time security would now be posted outside my quarters.
“We’ll have our council meeting tomorrow night,” Clio said. “We now have to talk about Deidra, a possible move, your third ceremony and find a replacement for Bridget.”
I nodded my head in agreement, knowing those topics were all connected to my crying fit earlier. Clio and Macy spoke briefly, while I observed Liam, trying to figure out if his story left me intrigued or convinced that he was stark-raving mad.
Once the briefing completed, around 8pm, Liam said goodnight and wished us all a nice evening.
Macy addressed the new guard. “So, have you heard Liam’s story?”
“You mean about the girl in his dreams? Yeah, he talks about his search all the time. He thought he found her once, but that was years ago. He’s still looking. I doubt he’ll ever find her, though.”
“Well, that’s not very optimistic,” Clio told him.
He moved toward the door, getting in position to take his post.
“No, s’pose not. But, Scotia isn’t all that common of a name. If he’s been searchin’ this long, with no luck, I don’t ‘magine he’ll find what he’s after.”
I sipped my wine, as Macy’s words rang in my head: “You should have told me.”
Chapter 21- Stabbing Doubts
Rick arrived in San Jose two days after I left Vermont and we barely left our dorm for the next two days. One night, as we lay in bed, admiring our rings, we had a serious talk about our future together.
“I think we should get married right away,” Rick said.
“But, there’s so much to plan. Invitations, a venue…”
Rick cut me off. “I want to be your husband right now. Our families will never understand, so let’s go to the court house and tie the knot.”
“You haven’t met my grandparents. They’re a big part of my life and I’m not going to marry you until you’ve at least met them.”
“OK. Let’s go. Right now,” Rick proposed, getting out of bed.
“I have to go to class sometime this week. How about we visit them this weekend?”
“And then you’ll marry me?”
I scrunched up my face, like I’d need to think about it for a while, but we both knew that’s where we were headed.
“I bet your grandparents will love me.”
My grandparents wouldn’t love him, but I didn’t say anything because the truth might ruin his positive attitude or make the ride and visit less enjoyable. I called ahead to let them know we would be there around 7:30pm on Friday night. The excitement of the visit would keep them up long enough to greet us and show Rick where he’d be sleeping, likely on the couch or sharing the bedroom with Gramps.
Once the school week finished, I packed up for the long weekend and we drove to Grammy and Gramps house. Oh, how I’d missed them. Selfishly, I wished to go alone so I could have them all to myself. Far too much time had elapsed between visits.
Almost the whole ride, I leaned my head away from Rick, watching the blur of objects rush past the window. I appeared to sleep, but I’d never been more awake. Awake to the choices being made, the path being taken and the disappointment it would bring to many in my family.
In the deepest part of me, I knew that being with Rick was a mistake, but I’d convinced myself otherwise. I sometimes imagined what it would be like to be with another man, realizing that’s probably not how a woman in love behaves. He’d been my first and would be my last, but my curiosity seemed bigger than that. Whether the car ride or my thoughts were making me feel ill, I shut my eyes, crying for a few minutes.
We stopped about half-way to our destination to grab some food at a little diner off the highway. It was nothing fancy, but it got the job done. We spoke about our future together, complete with a white-picket fence. Rick said he’d like to have three or four kids, to which my eyebrows shot up on my forehead.
“What?! How many kids do you want?” He asked.
“I’m not sure I even want kids. Never really thought much about it. I’m nineteen. I don’t have to have everything figured out.”
“True, but at least we have us figured out.”
We smiled at each other while I wondered if there lurked similar doubts behind Rick’s smile.
The rest of the drive, Rick asked questions about my grandparents. He became worried, realizing the lack of commonalities. My grandfather hunted…his grandfather dined at 5-star restaurants. My Grammy nursed people back to health, while his mother’s family had board positions on hospital charities.
“The only thing your grandparents and I will have in common is you!” Rick decided, seeming a little concerned.
“Landmark!” I yelled when Rick turned the corner.
“What the…!”
“That old, grey barn means we’re here. Whoever sees it first, and says ‘landmark,’ wins.”
“But, I didn’t know that rule!”
“Better luck next time,” I smiled. “Second property on the right, after the little hill, is where you need to turn in.”
The gravel beneath the tires and the dogs barking whispered the melody of home. The stress of my studies and relationship questions melted away when I received hugs from my grandparents. It seemed as though their embrace had a magical ability to erase the woes of life.
Rick held out his hand, and introduced himself. Grammy and Gramps returned the gesture. Memories of Jed danced in my mind for a brief moment when Rick and I retrieved the bags from the trunk.
We all made our way to the house, as the dogs ran around, and I glanced over at the well, remembering how Douglas and I gazed at the stars. The small pool, long since gone, used to rest on the cement slab to the right of the back porch entrance. I splashed around in it, until the day I flipped it over, after learning about my lineage. So much of my history lay interwoven in this property.
“I made the bed up in Gramps’ room for Rick,” Grammy said, as we made it through the back porch and into the kitchen. “You should be comfortable in there, but don’t stay up too late, you two, because we’ll want to visit with you tomorrow. Goodnight!”
Grammy doubled back, giving me a kiss on the cheek. “You know where everything’s at. Offer him something to drink or eat.”
She patted Rick on his cheek and told him to make himself comfortable and that she was glad he could come for a visit. I secretly wondered if she meant it or if this gesture bore similarity to Gramps’ family coming into town.
“Would you like anything to drink?”
“I’d really like a beer,” Rick confessed.
“Ah, those can be found in my grandfather’s workshop and I know where the key is hidden. Follow me.”
I had the dogs follow us out, so there would be no barking once we returned. Gramps’ workshop attached to the back side of the garage. I checked the doorknob, but it remained locked securely against Grammy’s intrusions.
Rick slid his hand above the outside light, producing a key. He showed it to me, with a look of victory.
“That’s not it. That’s a key to make my Grammy think she knows where it is.”
Rick tried the key and it went in the keyhole, but wouldn’t open the door.
I didn’t bother to watch, peeking around the back of the workshop, spying the w
ood pile. After looking at all the wood carefully, I picked a piece off the top and opened it up, lengthwise. Inside the small log, a key nestled in a specially carved out spot.
“Your Gramps is James Bond,” Rick said, startling me.
“No, he just knows Grammy won’t go near the wood pile because snakes can be lurking. It’s his spare. He keeps his keys in his pocket.”
The key opened the door. I switched the light on and inhaled the smell of sawdust. When my Gramps didn’t smell of earth in the spring and summer, he smelled of sawdust in the fall and winter. Those were his seasons…garden and sawdust.
Gramps had upgraded a bit since my last visit to the workshop. Instead of a cooler that he had to constantly furnish with ice, he had a small, upright refrigerator in the corner. Upon closer inspection there were two things in the fridge- beer and fish. The fish were all stored in milk cartons because there were some methods that didn’t need to be upgraded.
I handed Rick a beer, as he looked around at the old tools and unfinished projects. Something caught my eye, hanging on the wall. The workshop was long, equal to the length of a large two-car garage, but only about twenty feet wide. Making my way around a large workbench in the middle of the room, I arrived at the wall, stroking the fishing nets, thinking about my dark purpose for them, a little over a year ago.
Rick came beside me, wrapping his arm around my waist.
“Did you go fishing with your Grandfather?”
I shook my head and took a sip of my beer.
“Last June, I tried to kill myself by filling these nets with rocks so I’d drown.”
The words were spoken with a callous, matter-of-fact tone.
“Well, I’m glad you weren’t successful.”
I walked to the workbench and hopped up to have a seat.
“Your grandfather has a lot of interesting things in here,” he said, as he walked slowly, inspecting the items hung on the back wall.
His nonchalant response about a suicide attempt was not what I expected. Had he shared something like that with me, so many questions and concerns would have followed.