It was still quite a hike to get there. Rowan tripped a few times on fallen logs and one hidden foxhole, but she managed just fine. Devlin walked like the path was paved, never missing a stride.
Squirrels chirped and barked up the trees, scampering around with nuts in their mouths. Birds flew in and out of bushes. It smelled like old leaves, rich soil, and all those delightful smells of autumn. Rowan slowed her pace when Devlin stopped in his tracks. There, hidden and all but buried in leaves and fallen branches, were two mounds of mossy green stones.
Devlin leaned up against a tree, like all the wind had been knocked out of him when he saw them. Rowan squeezed his hand and then went over to the one on the left. She brushed away fallen leaves that were sprinkled over moss-covered rocks. She closed her eyes and said a prayer of peace and then went over to the next one.
While Rowan plucked off a large stick and tried to clear off some of the stones, a noise caught her attention. It wasn’t coming from behind her where Devlin was standing; it was in front of her. Rowan looked up and saw a small girl in a grey dress smiling at her.
“Hello, my lady,” she said while doing a little curtsy. The child was about seven years old, long sandy brown hair and lettuce green eyes. She was all the colors of spring, if spring could be made into a child. She had a dimple on her left cheek and dainty little hands.
“Hi sweetheart. What are you doing out here all alone?”
The girl looked from her to a space behind Rowan. “Waiting for my bother.”
“Who’s your brother, baby? Maybe we can help you find him.”
The child stretched her arm out and pointed straight at Devlin. Rowan froze.
Holy shit. This was Abaigael. Her apparition was so strong Rowan thought for sure she was made of flesh and blood. Rowan turned around to verify that the child was indeed pointing at where she thought. Devlin was looking at her with a face that said who are ye talking too, and why are ye looking at me like that?
The tiny girl walked past Rowan and up to Devlin with her hands on her tiny hips. “Why have ye no’ come? I’ve waited and waited and ye never came. I dinna ken why.” She stomped her foot at him like a baby sister would do, chin out, lips pouty. Her brogue was rich and thick. Much thicker than Devlin’s.
Rowan walked carefully up to the apparition and crouched down to be eye-level with her. “Sweetheart, he can’t hear you. And I don’t think he can see you either.” Honestly, the man was looking like a scared and nervous horse, ready to bolt.
“Then ye have to tell him. Tell him I’ve waited forever and he didna come. I’m verra mad abou’ it.”
Well this was going to be awkward. Rowan agreed to do as the child asked and tried to find a way to say it gently. Foot stomping wasn’t going to work for a grown woman. Well, not right now at least. Clearing her suddenly dry throat, she stood up and faced a very anxious looking Devlin.
“Please listen with an open mind to what I’m about to say. This isn’t a joke. You know I’d never do anything to cause you pain.” She was stalling. Deep breath, deep breath, go! “Your sister says she’s waited forever for you and now she’s mad at you for not coming to see her sooner.” There. She did it. Message received.
The child walked up to stand beside Rowan, hands crossed over her small chest, and nodded her head in affirmation.
Devlin’s face went white as a sheet. He looked at Rowan, and then to the empty space where Rowan had just talked to thin air. Guilty tears threatened to spill forth and he let out a shuddering breath. Dropping to his hands and knees he begged forgiveness. It was a heartbreaking sight.
The girl patted his head like he was a blubbering dog, and then said, “Ye’re here now, brother. Better late than never.” She kissed his head, smiled at Rowan, and then skipped over to a fallen log and had a seat.
Rowan grabbed Devlin’s shoulder and tried to look him in the eyes. “She says all is forgiven.”
He looked at Rowan and he stifled a sob. “Where is she, lass?”
“She’s sitting over there by that log.”
Devlin got up on shaky legs and cautiously walked over to the fallen tree. “I… I dinna ken what to say.” He raked his hands through his tangled hair. He let out a long breath again and sat down on the log looking over at the empty space beside him. He looked lost and uncomfortable. Rowan was going to have to mediate.
“Is Ruark and Byron with ye?” The child looked around searching.
“Who are Ruark and Byron?” Rowan looked in the same direction Abaigael was staring in when she asked.
“Och, my other brothers! They went off to fight a battle with Da. Did they come home?”
Rowan relayed the question to Devlin, feeling terrible for having done so when hearing his reply. No, they had never returned home. A flash of regret and mourning turned his eyes to the ground. Rowan realized Devlin must have had a lonely childhood with his family all gone. She silently said a prayer to the Gods, thankful for Adam having been there for him.
“I finally got a pet!” Abaigael burst out. Kids, they are so resilient in their moods.
“You got a pet?! What kind of a pet is it, sweetheart?” Rowan asked. Hopefully this would make Devlin less frustrated with the feeling of being blind and deaf with the child he loved so deeply.
“It’s a dog! He’s a big black one, he is.”
Well that sounded alright. “A dog! Well that is a lovely pet. Where is he now?” Rowan looked around waiting to see a mutt come running out of the trees, tail wagging and wanting to play.
“Och, he doesna stay wi’ me all the time. I call him Mungo, but I dinna ken he likes it all that much. He’s fun to ride on- big he is. I throw sticks for him to fetch too.”
Rowan relayed the message back to Devlin and he finally cracked a smile. “‘Tis good to know ye have a beast to keep as your own, lass.”
Abaigael beamed a smile at him while her legs swayed back and forth on the log bouncing on her heels on the bark. Thump-thump, thump-thump. “Aye ‘tis handy to have him around.” Her legs stopped moving and a worried looked swept away her smile. “He chases the bad ones away,” she whispered.
Now that got Ro’s attention. She relayed as much to Devlin and he was the one to ask, “What bad ones, lassie? What are ye speaking of?”
“They come through here sometimes. Soul snatchers. Shadows. They slip through the forests and moors to steal away any spirits that are about.” Rowan grabbed Devlin’s arm, hand shaking from nervous fear. Now it was her turn to grow pale.
“What is it? What did she say?” he urged.
It took Rowan a couple of heartbeats before she was able to relay the words Abaigael had said. Standing up, Devlin spun in a circle to evaluate his surroundings for weak points. “By Danu! We have to do something. How can we save her?” An overwhelming, and all too familiar feeling engulfed the Druid. Once again, his sister was in danger of something he could not control. It was maddening.
Sensing Devlin’s desperation, Rowan gathered her sensibilities and tried to think of a way to save the little girl and all the other souls in perilous danger. “What happens to the souls that are caught, Abaigael? Do they ever return?”
“Aye, some do. But they are nay the same as they once were, my lady.”
Upon asking further questions, Rowan was able to decipher that even if the souls come back, they were mindless, twisted balls of grief and hate. Their forms had faded to shadows and no longer recognized friends… they’d turned into some kind of demon.
This was bad. This was very, very bad.
“Can you not leave here?” Rowan asked. Maybe they can take her home, keep her safe at Devlin’s house or something. Put up extra wards? Rowan didn’t know what to do, but felt she had to do something.
“Nay, I canna leave this place. I was given a purpose. I canna leave without seeing my duties complete. I was charged with looking after something. ‘Tis why I’ve waited for my brother to return. ‘Tis a gift!” Abaigael hopped off
the log and skip-to-my-loued over to a big tree. Leaves clinging feebly to its branches, shimmering gold, it shined like a beacon. Rowan and Devlin followed in silence.
“Dig it up, Devlin,” the child ordered. “I love presents!” she added to Rowan, all eager herself.
Rowan gave her a sweet smile and then told Devlin he’d have to dig. He sunk his large hands into the earth and started scraping away the dirt and decomposed leaves. Digging, digging, digging, his hands sank further into brown and black earth. He finally touched something soft. Pulling it out, he held up a leather pouch.
Opening it carefully, for not knowing what was inside, Devlin tipped the opening towards his hand and a necklace slid into his palm. It shined bright as a star and was made of the purest silver. The magic in it seemed to have a heartbeat of its own and pulsed in his hands. Upon further examination, Devlin saw the thing was engraved with a picture of the Tree of Life – a Druid symbol, but this felt like much more. Branches and leaves swirled to the heavens and curling down to touch the ground, the bottom of the tree boasted twisted roots weaving and tangled together to stretch up towards the earth. A series of symbols snaked around the rim of the whole thing. Devlin didn’t know what they meant, but was going to ask Adam about it. These were Fae markings, powerful magic, and that usually meant it came with a price.
“Oh shiny! Put it on Devlin!” Abaigael clapped her hands and did a little jump of excitement. Devlin looked at Rowan, he’d heard a whisper, but couldn’t tell if it was coming from Rowan or the winds.
“She’s asking you to put it on,” Rowan confirmed.
Devlin stood and stared at the pulsing work of art. ‘Tis a gamble for sure, but he had to believe his sister would nay trick him. Or maybe someone had tricked her and this was all a trap? Nay, that can’t be. Shaking the thought away, he closed his eyes and hooked the necklace over his head. A new sense of magic fluttered inside him. Like wee birds in a cage. He opened his eyes, and stared at his baby sister.
“By Danu, I see ye! Oh my wee Abby, I see ye standing there!” Shock and amazement washed over his face and knocked him to his knees. “You’re as bonnie as ever, lass. Ye look so much like our mother, I’d nearly forgotten.” Regret filled his eyes but he’d not break away from her face. She was spring rain. A day at the beach. A rainbow after the storm.
“Yes! Yes! Ye see me!! Morrigan said ye would and she was right!” Doing a little jump of delight she bounced around over to where her body was once laid to rest. “I get to leave now,” excited little sprite she was, “I only had to stay long enough to see ye got the gift.”
She looked at Rowan, face a little somber, “Ye must free them, my lady. Free them all. Take care of my brother.” She hopped up onto the rocky crest and looked at Devlin, “Do ye think I’ll have another pet in heaven?”
Tears ran down the man’s face. “Aye lass. Ye’ll have more pets that ye can dream of. I’m sure of it.” He shot her his best smile, and she beamed a matching one back. “I’ll tell Mam about ye. Ye look well, brother. I believe ye found yer match!” She turned her face to the sky and was gone.
Rowan tried to pull herself together while she rubbed Devlin’s back- it was a humbling sight to see such a strong man go to pieces like that. This journey had become something more substantial than she’d ever thought – and not just the part of coming into these woods. Blowing out a puff of air, Rowan walked over to the two rocky graves and kissed them each goodbye.
Chapter 19
The ride back was not as rushed as the ride there had been. They didn’t speak much but that was okay. When they arrived at the stables, Devlin helped Rowan off of Cain and he took his time to give the horse a cool down. Proffering an extra bag of oats, two apples, and a bundle of carrots, Rowan laughed while he spoiled his horse. Cain nickered with glee and nudged Devlin his thanks.
“No end of begging?” Ro teased.
He laughed as he brushed the beast and cooed to the horse in Gaelic. Rowan wished she knew was he was saying. All the words he’d said to her in that language sounded beautiful and sweet, but she didn’t have a clue what they were. Devlin walked up to her smelling like horse, leather and woods. He was the earth made into man. Amazing.
“Thank ye, Rowan. Ye gave me more than I could’ve ever dreamed of.”
Well that was nice of him to say, but really she hadn’t done anything. Reading her mind, and the look on her face, he shook his head, “Ye gave me back something I thought was lost to me for good. Ye used your gift to help my baby sister when I couldna do a thing for her. She was able to complete her duty and move on, thanks to ye. That is a great gift, indeed.”
Rowan didn’t know what to say, so she said nothing. Going up on her tippy toes, she stretched up and gave the humble man a kiss and left it at that.
They decided to walk back to Adam’s if only to linger a little while longer in a world all their own. Halfway up the hill, a falcon screeched in a tree and dived down. The fierce bird swooped in front of Rowan and landed lightly on Devlin’s shoulder. He made a hissing noise as the falcon’s claws dug deep in his flesh for balance, causing it to sting but he didn’t looked too bothered by it. Tough and solid, that was Devlin.
Rowan froze as she took in the sight. “Oh wow. He’s gorgeous.” Looking at the two of them, she thought they looked like a fierce pair. Both sets of eyes locked on her.
Smiling, Devlin made a shrill of his own, and the bird pushed up into the air. Wings beating hard, the bird soared, dived, and zipped all around the obstacle of trees, branches, and Rowan. The Druid let out another screech and the falcon landed on a branch a few yards ahead, waited for the signal, and with a slight turn of its head, was off again soaring out of sight.
“That was amazing! Where did he go in such a hurry?”
“I thanked him for the performance and sent him to my yard for a wee treat.”
“No chicken this time, huh?”
That made him laugh, “Nay lass. I learned my lesson that day.”
They continued on up the hill and finally reached the garden gates of Adam’s house. There was a lot to discuss among them, but Rowan was a little worried about Brinley. “Devlin, stop.”
Halting at her command, he raised an eyebrow in question.
“I don’t want Brinley to have anything to do with this. We need to send her home.”
Devlin’s head tilted, looking much like the bird did minutes ago, and gave a grunt back in response. He continued through the garden gates and held the door for her to go inside the house.
Breakfast and lunch were over with and dinner would soon be on its way. Ava and Brinley were in the sunroom, Ava giving her a private lesson in how to read tarot cards, and Adam was hunched over a book at his desk as usual. Looking up at their arrival, he’d never been so grateful to have another male in the house in all his days. He clapped his friend’s back and nodded to Rowan. “Glad to see you’ve made up.”
“Aye,” Devlin gave his friend a big toothy smile.
“Och, was the making up that good? I know I’ve never seen a smile like that before on your ugly face.” Adam turned to go back towards his papers.
“Aye, ‘twas wonderful, but that’s not my only reason for smiling. I’ve seen Abby.”
Adam’s face turned to stone – a reflex the Sidhe had when hit with a surprise. “What do you mean?”
Devlin told Adam about taking Rowan to his family’s grave, how Abaigael had waited for him with a gift, and what that gift was. He pulled the necklace out from under his shirt and showed it to a troubled-looking Adam.
“By Danu!” Adam was shocked. The symbols on the necklace were Fae alright, but that didn’t make Adam feel any better about it. Fae can be tricky and corrupt – not much different than humans, but far more ruthless. “You say the Goddess Morrigan left it with her?”
“Aye,” Devlin said while palming the pendant.
“Do you have proof that it was Morrigan herself?” Adam was too suspicious. He knew
damn well what Fae were capable of. If something seems too good to be true, then it usually is.
Usually.
“Ye don’t think it’s a trick do ye?” Devlin had practically read Adam’s mind.
“It’s possible, but…” Adam studied the design intently.
Not to refute what the child had said, but how do they know it wasn’t all a terrible ruse? Adam’s pride was bruised thinking that the Goddess would not have left him in charge of such a rare relic. The gift of seeing spirits was not one given lightly. It comes with a terrible price if not used with respect, a price Rowan knew all about.
This was one more thing Adam will have to research more. The necklace had the markings of Fae, but there was something stronger in it too, he could feel it. Adam didn’t like not having all the answers. Being in the dark was not his way. He asked questions and insisted on truths.
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