“Well, welcome back… I should probably get home.”
He chuckled softly and it was only then that I realised he’d been steadily moving closer. His eyes were fixed intensely on me in a way that was almost cat like.
“Am I making you uncomfortable?” he asked, voice warm and smooth. There was nothing particularly threatening about the way he said it but the words sent chills down my spine.
“A mysterious stranger emerging from the darkness? What’s uncomfortable about that?”
Rhydian’s lip quirked into a slight smile and he moved to pass me, pausing when there was only an inch between us. He reached out and his finger lightly brushed my bloodstained throat.
“You should get that looked at… be seeing you, Blair.”
With that, he walked off across the valley, not heading towards the town but instead moving in the direction of the forest. I watched him disappear from view and glanced down at the dog. He seemed as on edge as I was, eyeing the path Rhydian had taken with clear distrust.
“That was… something. Right?” The dog barked and wagged his tail. “Agreed. Let’s get back to the house. I need some painkillers and a good night’s sleep.”
Slowly we made our way away from the lake and back towards home. In the warmth and light of the living room I checked the dog over and tended to my own scrapes, which were fortunately quite minor. The events of the evening had left me exhausted and when I fell into bed, sleep came quickly. The last thing I saw before I dozed off was Rhydian’s golden eyes and dark smile.
FAOLAN
I lay beside Blair, her fingers entwined in my pelt and her breath stirring my fur. I tried to relax but my mind was a blur of confused memories and distorted images. I whimpered and covered my head with one of my paws, trying to make sense of what I had seen. The events of the evening would have been difficult for a human to understand, but with my limited canine brain it made even less sense.
Focus. Concentrate on what you saw.
I had been seated on the rocks, watching her swim.
The boys had come up the hill. I had recognised them immediately and readied myself to strike. I was looking for an excuse to bite them after everything I had witnessed.
The smallest one had kicked me hard in the ribs. Blair had jumped out of the water.
One had knocked her down. She had had a rock in her hand…
No, that was not right. I had had a clear view of her hand and the rock. It had been out of her reach and then… it had not. But I did not recall seeing it move.
He had pushed her head into the water…
That was where things became strained in my mind. A ripple had spread across the lake, accompanied by a pale light just beneath the surface of the water. It had reached the banks and faded away like it was never there. The silver toned water seemed to darken, like a shadow had passed over it. A moment later a jet of water had burst up, like a geyser. Steam had risen off the water that moments before had been ice cold.
And then that man had been there. As familiar today as the first time I had seen him, all those years ago. Rhydian.
He wouldn’t have come for no reason…
Ailis… Ceara… Eachna…Niamh… Cliona… Rohan… of course your sweet Liadan and Sarai. Eight. But eight is not all. Is it?
I lifted my head and looked at Blair, sleeping peacefully. I had known there was another one out there, I had always known.
I leapt off the bed and paced across the carpet, trying to make sense of a situation that had no logic. My last kill had been fifteen years ago. After searching for almost half a century, I had found Cliona. I had hunted her for nearly twenty years before finally laying her to rest. During that time she had fallen pregnant twice, first with Rohan and then again a year before her death. The first time I had found her, Rhydian had been with her.
Blair did not look like her, except for the eyes… but the incident at the lake… The fae had many powers and I had been able to witness a great deal of them over the centuries since my curse was placed. Then again… the lake was a place of power in itself…
I was clutching at straws. I did not want it to be true… I knew what would happen, even if I did not want to hurt her, Maeve always found a way to manipulate me into doing so.
You killed the love of your life. You killed your child. I had only been with Blair for a week. What did she really mean to me?
Just one more obstacle. One more step. With her blood, the curse could be broken… after everything I had done in pursuit of that one goal, the centuries spent hunting, the deaths I had caused… what was one more?
BLAIR
When I woke up early the next morning, a sense of tremendous relief settled on me like a warm blanket. I probably should have been more stressed about the inevitable storm that was waiting for me at school, but I felt… stronger somehow. Whatever they tried to dish out, I could handle.
The dog was hiding under the bed and my attempts at coaxing him out proved futile so I decided to leave him and catch my bus. He was probably sleeping.
I let myself out of the house and jogged down the hill. Mr Murphy was out in the field, examining something. He had a rubbish bag in one hand and was picking things out of the grass, putting it in. Boss was lying in the grass nearby, head on his paws. He had a bandage on one side of his torso. I slowed down, pausing beside the fence.
“Hey Mr Murphy.” He looked up, his expression distracted.
“Hello Blair.”
“What’s going on?” He sighed and got to his feet.
“Something got onto the farm last night. It killed my horse.” I gasped. My mind instantly went to the dog, curled up so peacefully under my bed. He was docile with me certainly but… his size, his teeth… he was certainly capable of taking down a horse…
“Oh god… did you see what did it?” I was half hoping that he would know, that it wasn’t a dog attack. If it wasn’t, then there was nothing I could have done to stop it. If it was a dog, then I knew I’d feel guilty… even if it wasn’t the one I’d come to think of as mine…
“No. I have no idea.” My heart sank and I felt a sick feeling churning in my stomach. Was this my fault? Did I cause this by bringing him here? Could I have prevented this? Boss glared at me resentfully, as if reading my thoughts and blaming me too.
“Is Boss okay?” Mr Murphy glanced over at his dog and shook his head.
“Whatever it was that killed the horse got into a fight with him. He was in pretty bad shape when I found him but the vet said he’ll be fine. He just needs to rest and take some time to heal.” I bit my lip. My gut was twisting itself into knots as I was consumed with guilt. It was my fault. I’d never even considered that the dog could be dangerous.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“No. Just stay safe. Whatever did is still out there and I’d hate to see anyone get hurt.” I nodded. I wished that he’d let me help. It might have reduced my guilt.
“Okay. I’m really sorry about the horse.”
“He was old, he had a good life. That’s the best I could have hoped for.” I sighed and waved to him as I walked on.
I headed down the hill, my thoughts consumed by what had happened. I couldn’t believe that the sweet, gentle horse I’d fed apples to could be dead. I still felt like it was my fault and I was thankful that no one else had been hurt. It could have been a lot worse but that did little to comfort me.
I started to speed up, hoping that the run would calm me down and distract me. It took a little while but it helped. I kept running, barely feeling the strain in my legs as I pushed myself further and further forward. I barely registered the trees passing me by as I ran through the wooded area, only stopping when I reached the town. I paused to catch my breath, doubling over as my heart raced. My eyes swept the street, landing on the police station. Did I need to go there to report the dog? I wasn’t sure if it was really their responsibility… besides, I didn’t know it was my dog… it could have been another… completely random dog�
� or not a dog at all!
I tried to ignore the nagging thoughts and made my way to the bus stop. There was a small crowd of students waiting, Liam and Patrick amongst them. Liam noticed me and quickly ducked his head.
The bus pulled up and we all began to file on board. I took my normal seat by the window, expecting to be ignored as normal. I was surprised when someone took the seat beside me and even more so when I lifted my head to see that someone was Patrick.
“Hi Blair... do you mind if I sit here?”
“Umm…”
“I wanted to apologise. I never dreamed Connor would go that far…”
“And that makes it okay? If he hadn’t tried to drown me or pull a knife, you’d have been fine?”
“No, none of this was okay and I know that. I’m sorry for my part in everything… I get that that doesn’t undo it or make any of it better but… I really am sorry.”
I looked out the window at the passing scenery and considered what he had said. I wasn’t going to forgive him, at least not yet. Maybe in time but that was a long way off.
“Where is Connor?”
“His mum took him to hospital last night.”
“It was that bad?”
“Third degree burns.”
“Did he say what happened?”
“I don’t know… I don’t think so. I mean, it’s kind of difficult to explain to people who weren’t there. I was there and even I don’t fully understand what happened…” He shifted in his seat, looking a little uncomfortable. “You know… I don’t think this’ll be the end of it… Connor’s not exactly known for being rational.”
“I know…” I sighed softly. “I wish it wasn’t like that but… I’ll do what I need to do.”
“Oh…kay… well, I hope it works out…”
We both lapsed into silence, staring into space as the bus trundled along the roads towards the school. I was surprised by Patrick’s sudden change of heart and even more so by the knowledge that Connor was seriously hurt. But… that wasn’t my fault. I hadn’t done anything, not really… I wasn’t even sure how it had happened. Water didn’t spontaneously boil and I knew for certain that lake had been almost icy… nothing made sense.
When we reached the school, Patrick and I parted ways without another word. I went to the isolation room. My teachers had set work for the day and I flicked absently through the textbooks, looking for any description of natural water phenomenon that might explain what had happened. A geyser? Or a volcano buried underneath the lake?
I resisted the urge to slam my head against the desk in frustration. My brain was hurting just trying to think about what had happened.
It was all too much. The water. The animal attack. And… well, if I was honest, the over familiar stranger was certainly dwelling on my mind. It was like his eyes were burned into the back of my mind.
I shifted from my school work and fell to sketching instead.
It started slow at first but then I began to draw with a frenzied vigour, sketching the shape of a face and then a pair of warm but intense eyes. For some reason, my hands guided the pencil to draw a slit pupil, more like a cats than a human. I paused but it seemed right somehow. I deliberated, wondering whether or not to add colour to the features that were forming in front of me. I couldn’t decide and didn’t want to rush it, so I set it aside. Sometimes, when I got so fixated on a drawing, I couldn’t make the simplest of decisions and the best thing for me to do was take some time away to clear my mind for a little bit.
If only life could be so easily resolved.
*****
After school, I went to the pub. I knew I should go home and deal with the potentially dangerous situation presented by the dog in my room but I really didn’t want to deal with it just yet. The pub was still relatively quiet when I entered which wasn’t unusual. It usually didn’t get busy until early evening. Uncle Noah was behind the bar and he gave me a friendly smile.
“Hey sweetheart, what can I get you?”
“One bad day special?”
He nodded and began to mix me a drink. I knew I’d be okay to hang out there for at least a few hours. When it got crowded and rowdy he’d insist I leave but in the meantime, I could relax and try to shut off for a little while.
“Want to talk about it?”
“No. It’s too… weird.”
“Well if you change your mind, give me a shout.”
Uncle Noah moved to the other end of the bar to serve someone and I settled down with my drink. The gentle hum of activity in the pub was soothing and I was content to trace nonsense patterns on the slightly sticky wood of the counter. I enjoyed the intricate play of colours of the wood, dappled shades of honey, caramel and sienna.
“Isn’t this a pleasant surprise?”
I looked up, startled out of my introspection by the voice. Leaning against the bar beside me was Rhydian, smiling at me.
“Are you stalking me?”
“This is just a happy accident.”
“Happy for who?”
“You I assumed?” He grinned and took the stool beside me, resting his elbows on the bar. “Am I wrong?”
“I’m not super keen on strangers who act like they know me. I find it off putting.”
“So get to know me and I won’t be a stranger anymore.”
I raised an eyebrow, struggling for a moment to come up with a response. Rhydian took my silence as consent and gestured to Uncle Noah to order a drink. I glanced down at the bar, unsure what to do. I wasn’t exactly used to male attention… well… positive attention anyway.
“I get that some girls think the whole persistent, semi stalker angle you’re going with is charming but I am not one of them. I prefer a guy who understands the meaning of the word no.”
“You’ve not said no.” His jokey expression disappeared and he took on a more serious demeanour. “Okay, I’m sorry. I know I can be a bit… forward. How about we make a deal? You talk with me now and if at the end you still aren’t interested, I promise I’ll leave you alone.”
I rolled my eyes and let out an exaggerated groan.
“Fine. But only because I really can’t be bothered to move right now.”
His smile immediately returned.
“Great, thanks for the chance,” he said. “No swimming tonight then?”
“No not after… wait, how long were you there for?”
“Maybe a little while… I didn’t want to disturb you, you looked like you were having a good time. Until everything…”
“Huh. And this had nothing to do with spying on a naked girl?”
Uncle Noah had come over to take Rhydian’s order and his expression twisted as he caught the end of our conversation. My cheeks immediately coloured and I ducked my head, unwilling to meet his eye. Rhydian chuckled softly beside me. I refused to look up until I heard my uncle’s footsteps heading away from us.
“Maybe we should move to somewhere… less exposed?” Rhydian suggested, pointing to a booth in the corner. I nodded and hurried over, sliding along the padded bench. Rhydian sauntered over and seated himself beside me.
“What else do you enjoy doing? Besides swimming.”
“I run… and draw.”
“Can I see?” he asked, nodding at my school bag where the edge of my sketchpad was visible.
“They’re not great…”
“I won’t judge.”
I chewed my lip and hesitantly retrieved the pad, nudging it over to him. He began to look through, taking his time to examine each sketch in detail, turning the pages slowly and carefully.
“These are really good.”
“Thanks…”
“I mean it. I’m probably slightly more impressed than others might be because my drawing skills are limited to stick figures but they are still really good. You should show them off more.”
“Yeah… maybe…”
He lapsed into silence as I picked at a loose thread on the seat cushion. I was hyper-aware of everything around me, every little s
ound making me twitch. When I lifted my head, I was startled to see that he was watching me with a regarding look.
“Umm… is there something on my face?” I asked, shifting uncomfortably under his contemplative stare.
“Huh? Oh… apologies. I didn’t mean to stare. It’s not intentional I swear.”
“Hmm…” I decided to try to ignore his staring and change the subject. “You said you used to live here?”
“Yes. A long time ago.”
“Can’t have been that long. You’re only a few years older than me, right?”
“Maybe it felt longer than it really was. I wasn’t exactly off having fun.”
“Can I ask…?”
“What I was doing? I was… in prison.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t worry… nothing crazy or violent. It was more along the lines of activism? Civil disobedience… that kind of thing.” He looked me in the eye and seemed almost nervous. “Does that scare you off?”
I considered it for a moment. Honestly I wasn’t sure how to feel. He certainly seemed nicer than the boys I already knew. He hadn’t tried to drown me at least. And activism… that was normally just being passionate about a cause, wasn’t it?
“I’m… reserving judgement,” I settled on eventually. Yes I did have a firm vision in my head of what a former prisoner would act and behave like but I equally knew that it couldn’t apply to everyone. If I was being fair, I had to try not to judge. If he was out, he had clearly paid for whatever damage he’d done… and he was still young, he couldn’t have been in for very long.
“Thank you. A lot of people aren’t as open minded.”
“Especially in a place like this. Everyone’s in everyone else’s pocket and knows everyone’s business. It’s horrible…”
“How long have you lived here?”
“I’m kind of like you, I was born here and went away for a bit.”
“What did you get arrested for?”
“Nothing… although my uncle seems to think it’s just a matter of time. My brothers and I were born here. My mum travelled a lot before I was born, she was a researcher. Archaeology… anthropology… something like that. And she took my brothers with her but when I was born she stopped. I guess, because the boys were approaching school age or she thought it’d be too difficult with three kids. We lived here for five years and then she got a job as a professor, so we had to move.”
The Cuckoo's Eye Page 9
