She held up the card so I could see it. “A manipulator may be in play, or it may be your ego that’s doing the manipulating. Be careful your power doesn’t intoxicate you…for good or bad.”
Instantly, I thought about the fox. A manipulator and a magician fond of illusions. Even more of a reason to believe I’d made the right decision.
“So I better be careful adding to my menagerie,” I said. “Noted.”
“Better hold back on the house cat for a while.”
She smiled weakly and returned the card to the deck. I got the distinct impression something was bothering her, and it wasn’t entirely to do with The Tower.
“I’m worried about you, Aileen,” I said, watching her pack away the deck. “The cards have you rattled.”
“Never you mind about me,” she replied. “I can deal with the messages the cards have thrown at me. I’ve been doing it for almost thirty years.”
“I don’t doubt it, but…”
She turned to face me, cocking her eyebrow. “But?”
“There’s something bothering you… Something more than the cards.”
She was silent, her eyes drilling into mine like she was using her magic to read my intentions. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was.
“I can help you protect Derrydun,” I went on. “I’m ready.”
“Perhaps you’re right,” she said carefully.
Warmth tickled my skin, and the awareness of magic pulled at the edges of my being. Aileen’s smiled faded, and I knew it wasn’t coming from her.
“Aileen?” I asked as the temperature grew.
“Shh,” she said, holding up her hand. Her expression took on a dreamy state, and her eyes appeared to focus on something far away.
Warmth turned into a prickling sensation, my skin zapping as if it were charged with static electricity. The tingling flowed through my entire body, and for a moment, I almost believed I was about to change against my will, but the feeling ceased as abruptly as it began. Focusing my mind, I was pulled toward the west side of the village…toward the hawthorn where I’d encountered the craglorn.
My heart sank, and I knew…
“The hawthorn…” I began uneasily.
Aileen sighed and didn’t move. Not even an inch.
“You’re not going to do anything?” I asked, turning to look in the direction of the tree.
Aileen shook her head. “There’s nothing to be done. It’s gone.”
Then as soon as it had begun, the tingling ceased, and it was like it had never been there at all. With one last burst of magic, the hawthorn had died.
“I had a delivery last night,” Aileen said. “Would you help me unpack it?”
“Aileen,” I said with irritation.
The witch turned and glared at me. “Boone, listen to me. The hawthorn has died, and that is that. There is no saving or replacing it. It’s gone. Life goes on. It must.”
The tree was gone, and with it, my world had shrunk by a third. All the more reason to protect Derrydun and its two remaining hawthorns.
“But—”
“You either have to stay within the boundary of what remains or gather the courage to face what’s waiting on the other side,” Aileen said, preempting my complaint. “It’s that simple.”
My expression fell, and the excitement I’d felt that morning seemed to have come from a lifetime I hardly remembered. Leave Derrydun? I wasn’t sure it was an option. Anyone and anything could be out there waiting, and who knew what they would do to me if I were caught.
Aileen placed her hand on my arm. “When you’re ready, you’ll know what to do.”
Chapter 12
There was nothing I could do about the hawthorn and the loss of its protection, so like Aileen, I went on with life as usual.
It was what it was. My world had shrunk, and short of planting a new tree, I was trapped as I’d always been. One day, I would cross the border and find what, or who, was waiting for me, but I wasn’t ready for that confrontation.
Closing up the kitchen at Molly McCreedy’s for the night, I ventured out into the pub to find Sean in the same place I’d left him a half hour ago. It had worn on close to midnight, and the farmer was still here, his ass welded to his favorite barstool. I’d lost count of how many times I’d escorted him home, but I still humored him.
“You still here?” I asked, leaning against the bar.
“Still tryin’ to get another beer,” he grumbled, “but Hannah won’t serve me anymore.” He pouted at her and declared, “I thought we had somethin’.”
“We’ve never had anything,” she said, not even glancing up from the last of her cleaning duties. “You’re past the point of drunk, and it’s my call. Besides, it’s closing, and I want to go home.”
“You’re no fun, Hannah,” Sean complained. “One more! Just one.”
“You’ve been having ‘just one more’ all night,” she said, waggling her finger at the farmer. “Off with you, Sean McKinnon, before I hose you out the door.”
“She’ll do it, you know,” I said with a chuckle.
“And what are ye still doin’ here?” he complained. “Kitchen closed an hour ago.”
“What kind of man would I be if I left Hannah here to close up on her lonesome with a fool like you crowing for just one more beer?” I winked and laughed as he shoved my shoulder.
“You’re too smart for ye own good,” he said trying to hide his own smile. “Ahh, I best be off.”
“You’ll make it, I trust?” I asked him, and he flipped me his middle finger before shuffling out into the night. I suppose his answer was a resounding yes.
“Thanks for that,” Hannah said as the door swung shut with a bang.
“He’s harmless,” I replied. “He just needs a little encouragement.”
“I know. It’s just wearing thin, is all.”
“He’ll come to terms with it one day,” I muttered. “It’s coming up to three years since his wife passed.”
“Exactly.”
“Hannah,” I scolded her.
“Sorry, sorry,” she muttered, reaching behind the bar and retrieving her bag. “I know I should be kinder, but the man’s a borderline alcoholic. I worry.”
“It’s difficult, that’s for sure,” I mused, thinking of the friendship Sean and I had. “But we look out for one another in Derrydun. He loved her more than we could ever understand. I never met her, but it’s not hard to tell how he felt. That kind of loss must cut deep. I can’t begin to wonder what it feels like. Cut him some slack, all right? I’ll watch out for him.”
We crossed the pub, and I flicked off the lights as we went. Outside, Hannah fumbled in her bag for the keys as I waited. The only light came from the orange streetlamps, and in the distance, the green glow from the single set of traffic lights. The street was empty, and all the shops were dark, but I knew strange and wonderful things still lingered out there, and not everyone was aware of the eyes that watched.
“You’re a wise man. Anyone ever tell you that?” Hannah declared, turning the key in the lock. The mechanism clicked, and she glanced at me, raising an eyebrow.
I snorted and rolled my eyes. “I’m more like an animal behaviorist than a wise man.”
Hannah laughed, her face lighting up. “And our Sean is a rare animal indeed.”
“Careful,” I said playfully.
“Would you walk with me?” she asked, nodding toward the forest. “It’s so pretty on a night like this, and I know you like to wander there, too.”
I frowned, not realizing she knew I ventured into the wilderness at all hours past midnight.
Hannah laughed again. “C’mon, Boone. It’s a small village. People talk…and they see more than you might realize.”
Hesitating, I began to fret she’d seen me walk into the trees as a man and fly out as a gyrfalcon. Or worse still, seen me change, bare ass and all.
She raised an eyebrow. “You’re not hiding any dead bodies out there are you? Is that why you left wher
ever it was you came from to live here? The Guard was getting too close to finding out you were a serial killer?”
Her lips quirked, signaling she was taking the piss, and I rolled my eyes. “Hardly.”
“Then let’s walk. Since you’re not an axe murderer, what harm could it do?”
Sighing, I lowered my head, my hair falling into my eyes. “Lead the way, then.”
She smiled brightly and nodded toward the path that ran between Molly McCreedy’s and the handcrafts store next door.
The track ran behind the shops, along the side of the stream that ran through the parkland by the coach bay, past the church and its ancient graveyard, and then into a stretch of the forest I’d become familiar with in my nighttime wanderings as a fox.
The hawthorn that sat in the middle of the road protected this part of the village, and the air felt cooler as a result. The safety net was thinner here, so it was a place I didn’t venture to often. Still, I wasn’t worried walking the path with Hannah. I knew she lived a little further along and well within the limits of where I was able to wander.
We followed the stream for a while, the bubbling water calming in the silence. Our feet crunched on the earth below, the scent of the wilderness floating all around. The damp smells of dirt, the sweetness of the fuchsia, and the crispness of the unpolluted air…it was beautiful. I felt at home among all of it. To nature, I was insignificant, its ancient power eclipsing anything I’d ever been or would be. I was a blip on its surface while it would go on living long after my bones rotted away.
Stepping out into a glade, silver light poured over us, and I turned my face upward.
“Oh, the stars are so pretty,” Hannah said breathlessly, her face tilted up toward the sky. “Don’t you think, Boone?”
I peered at the thousands of tiny silver pricks of light and nodded. “Aye. To be sure.”
Signaling she was far from done with me and her evening walk, she sat gracefully in the middle of the glade, her eyes trained upward. Reluctantly, I sat beside her, respectfully keeping my distance. This was becoming more and more like a romantic date, and it put me on edge. Hannah was lovely, but…
“Why don’t you talk about where you were before?” she asked abruptly. “Was it that bad?”
“It’s not worth mentioning,” I replied with a shrug. “It doesn’t seem to matter all that much anymore.”
She tilted her head to the side, her fiery curls brushing against her cheek. “What about your family? They don’t matter?”
“Honestly, I don’t remember them.”
“Really?” She frowned, her eyebrows knitting together. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen mine, but I remember everything about them.”
“Why haven’t you seen them?” I asked, turning her questioning around.
“Distance, mainly. It’s not that I don’t want to, but sometimes, circumstances just make it impossible.”
“I’m sorry. It sounds like you miss them.”
Hannah shrugged, glancing back up at the stars. “A rock and a hard place… What can you do? Sometimes, things are the way they are just because it's the way they turned out.”
I could relate to that in more ways than she would ever realize.
“Boone…”
I turned to face her, the uncertainty in her voice unsettling.
“There’s really no chance for us?” she asked, lowering her gaze. “I’d very much like to… Well, you know.”
“Hannah…” Bowing my head, I grimaced. “I just… You’re beautiful and sweet… I just don’t see you that way.”
Silence stretched between us, and I fidgeted nervously, pulling at the grass by my feet. If I were cruel, I would lead her on and take the comfort she offered for a night or two, but I wasn’t like that. Breaking her heart was never something that would appeal. It wasn’t in me to take when I wasn’t able to give.
“I think it’s time to reveal myself to you,” she mused, standing before me.
Perplexed, I watched as she began unbuttoning her blouse. Oh, no. When she said reveal, she meant…
“Hannah, what are you doing? I can’t…”
She smiled and allowed her blouse to fall to the forest floor. Then her bra followed, and her skirt, and the rest of her underthings.
“Hannah, I think you shouldn’t—”
“Shhh,” she murmured. “You’ll see soon enough.”
All at once, I sensed magic in the air, and then there was the sound of snapping bones as she began to shrink and sprout red fur.
I rose to my feet, my eyes wide with shock. She was changing and not into just any creature. She was changing into a fox.
“You’re the fox from the field,” I said, shaking my head. “You were the one who came…”
“Come,” she said, her voice husky as her face elongated, her nose turned black, and her freckled cheeks sprouted whiskers. “Come and see…”
For a long time, I stood and watched her. She’d completed her transformation and contentedly sat and waited for me to make up my mind. I wasn’t surprised considering she’d tried for four days to get my attention.
Weighing up my options, I knew there were two ways this could go. I could find a companion in Hannah as a shapeshifter, or she could be leading me to my doom. The doom part sounded rather bad, but the temptation of not hiding my true nature was more alluring than anything I’d ever felt.
Loneliness was something I’d struggled with since learning I had to keep my magic a secret, and belonging was all I’d ever wanted. There were others out there like me, but I was alone in my plight. Aileen was a witch, and we had that connection, but as a shapeshifter, I had no one.
I was a part of Derrydun, but I was still separate.
If Hannah was revealing herself to me, then with her, I might have a chance at being understood. Besides, she might know others like us and had been attempting to lead me to them all this time. More importantly, she might have the answers I’d been searching for since my new life began. Who was I?
That was why I began to change. Call it a leap of faith, but I had to know one way or another. The call in my blood was too strong not to.
Hannah didn’t make a sound as I transformed, waiting patiently as my flesh and bones snapped, twisted, and reformed into the first shape I’d ever been. The fox. Running…
I sat on my haunches and licked my paws, easing into the last intricacies of my fox shape. When I was done, I glanced at Hannah and bowed my head. I was ready.
Turning, she trotted off through the forest, leading me toward an unknown destination, and this time…I followed.
Chapter 13
The darkness came alive with shade and depth when I was in my fox form.
My eyesight was sharper, my hearing attuned to the undercurrents of nature, and my sense of smell was heightened. Ahead, I could see the outline of Hannah’s fox form as she led me through the forest. Her tail hung low, and her footsteps were lithe as she leapt over fallen logs and weaved through trees, taking me to an unknown destination.
Whatever she wanted to show me was still a mystery, but she’d become desperate enough to reveal her true form in order to get me there.
The closer we ventured toward the edges of my known world, the more uneasy I became. I wanted to trust Hannah, but her reluctance to confide had me on edge. Was she the sweet barmaid I’d always known, or was she something more sinister?
I felt the boundary of the hawthorns before me, and I stopped, my snout brushing up against the invisible veil. I could feel the hum of magic before me, and beyond that, nothing. One more step and I would be exposed.
Hannah sensed my uneasiness and turned, her gaze meeting mine. Seeing I’d halted, she sat on her haunches and waited for me to make my decision.
Before me, there was untold danger, but there were also answers. Behind, there was Derrydun and safety. Did I want to know the truth of who I was badly enough to brush with death? I’d come to terms with the life I led now. I was Boone, but it was only a s
mall part of who I was…of who I’d been.
That was why I stepped across the boundary.
Hannah led me on, weaving her way through parts of the countryside I was unfamiliar with. The air seemed colder outside the influence of the hawthorns, but in the distance, I could feel the presence of another. It seemed there were many places of sanctuary for me across Ireland, and I was grateful to know it.
Finally, we came to a halt in the middle of a clearing. Above, the stars shone through the bows that hung overhead, their leaves rustling in the breeze. There was nothing here, and I wondered what she would gain from bringing me to this place.
Hannah stopped, sniffed the air, and began to change. It was strange to watch another shapeshifter morph into a human form. The elongating of her limbs, the shedding of her fur, the growth of her russet-colored hair… I wondered if I looked just as strange. Not wanting to dwell on it, I initiated my own transformation, turning my back to give her some semblance of modesty.
“I knew you would come,” Hannah said behind me as I stood on two feet once more.
Turning, I met her gaze. She stood across the clearing, naked and shimmering, her hair wild and fluttering around her delicate face as if she were alight with an unearthly fire. There was something about her that didn’t quite make sense, and my head began to throb the harder I tried to unravel the mystery.
“You’re a shapeshifter?” I asked, attempting to keep my gaze from falling to her nakedness. “Like me?”
“I can change my shape, but I’m nothing like you,” she replied, her lips curving into a wicked smile as her eyes raked greedily over my body. It seemed she liked what she saw.
“Then what are you?”
She prowled across the clearing, her feet making no sound on the litter on the forest floor, and stood before me. Without uttering a word, she placed her palms on my chest and caressed my skin, her teeth tugging at her bottom lip.
“Hannah…” I murmured.
“You’re no fun,” she complained, letting her head fall back. “She said you were the most cunning…and loyal.”
“Who?” I asked, grasping her wrists. “Who said that to you?”
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