by Laura Emmons
I looked at the blister-covered gnome in horror. Was my brother already guilty of torture? Should I let him become a killer as well? I looked frantically to Evan. “Isn’t there something else we can do? Can we wipe his memory, or put him in prison?”
Evan shook his head. “Only the Sidhe can alter memories, but Sidhe charms don’t work on gnomes and the clan has no facility for incarceration. Besides, as a shape shifter, he’d find a way to escape. I’m surprised he hasn’t found a way to escape yet.”
“I talked to Rock about all of this before I came to you. I asked him about prison, and about spells. There’s no other way to keep us safe. The only reason he’s still here is because Rock put this silver chain around his neck.”
I peered to where Corey pointed. The silver chain was barely visible. It seemed to have sunk into his skin. I shivered and took a step back.
“Yeah, it’s gross,” Corey explained. “Rock said magical creatures that have become evil, and defied the laws of nature, are allergic to silver. It’s like acid to them. Mooney has committed more than one pre-meditated murder. He can’t come back from that. The pain is keeping him from shifting, but it won’t work forever. I’m sorry, but I need your help.” My poor, sweet, exuberant brother had aged from eleven to forty-two overnight. Instead of a cute kid, I saw a weary soldier.
Evan look resolved as well.
I accepted their decision. “I’m here for you,” I took hold of Corey’s hand and squeezed it.
“I’ll do it, I mean, but when I do, I’ll get hurt.”
“I’ll heal you. It’s okay.”
“I need help getting rid of the body,” he looked pointedly at Evan.
“No problem,” Evan replied with steel in his voice.
Corey stood up and walked over to the now frantic gnome. I opened my Healer vision to know when the deed was done.
Then Corey said, “Sorry, dude.” He placed a hand on the gnome’s forehead and closed his eyes. Mooney slumped. His aura disappeared. Corey’s hand was blistered badly. I walked over and healed it quickly. The guys wrapped the corpse in a tarp and took it deep into the woods for disposal. I didn’t have the stomach to go with them.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Crystal Cave
I began to understand why Fiona had requested Evan and I be coveted. Apparently, during the week we had been under house arrest, several people in the clan had started to come to grips with the fact they might lose both their Great Seer and future Great Healer. They weren’t happy imagining what clan life would be like with the loss of so much magic.
I first noticed the furtive glances that turned into angry stares and the snide comments whispered behind my back at school. Moving from one class to the next became increasingly uncomfortable. My keen hearing meant I heard every nasty comment lodged my way. It didn’t seem to matter that the council had ruled us innocent. Obviously, the majority of clan members didn’t understand the distinction between marriage and ‘seeking comfort in each other’, as Fiona had put it. They thought any relationship between Evan and I must be bad for the clan.
It made me think about the advantages of clan life. Without magic, the small farms and rural community would probably have disappeared a long time ago, as victims of a slow economy, but with all of the professions working together, and help from gnomes, pixies and brownies, our tiny community prospered. The people angry at Evan and me were really just afraid their cozy, subdued way of life would be at risk. I couldn’t blame them.
Evan was less understanding. He blew up at lunch after hearing a particularly crude comment from a sophomore boy. “After all I’ve sacrificed for this clan by giving up everything at the age of fifteen when I became the Great Seer, you’d think there’d be a little indulgence for my private life. Maybe they could show a tiny bit of gratitude, but they’re just closed-minded and mean-spirited!”
“They’re scared, Evan. They can’t really help it.”
“Why are they afraid?”
“They’re afraid of losing you, of course. The seven professions work in balance together. They need you. Be patient with them. It’ll blow over when they realize we’re not going anywhere.”
He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “I hope so,” he sighed.
***
I had my own bout with self-restraint the next afternoon. After leaving the library, I was stopped on the street by a woman. After a quick aura scan, I determined she was a member of the clan, and probably from a Farmer family. She pushed a baby stroller along the street.
When she saw me, she walked right up to me and started shouting in my face. “How dare you put this community at risk because you can’t control yourself? Leave the Great Seer alone! What is it with the MacDougall women, that they are so selfish?”
I listened to her tirade quietly, mostly because I was in shock at both her near fanatic rage and her boldness in attacking me on a public street, but when she made a disparaging comment about my mother, I’d had enough.
Taking her hand in mind I willed soothing energy into her body from my own life force. She stopped screaming long enough for me to intervene.
“I am not going to take your Great Seer away. Instead, I am offering my gifts to the clan. Let me help you.” My scan showed that she suffered from an early form of carpal tunnel syndrome on her right hand and forearm. Taking her limb into my palm, I repaired the damage.
“Someday, I will be the Great Healer of this clan. I only want to help this community. Can you accept this?”
She nodded; still surprised to find relief from a pain she might not have realized she carried.
I reached down to look at the child in the stroller. He was a little colicky. Placing my hand over his chest and tiny tummy, and removed the discomfort. Then I took advantage of her stunned silence and said, “Neither Evan nor I have broken any clan laws; we don’t intend to in the future. Do you believe me?”
She just nodded.
I walked away with my head held high. It wasn’t until several blocks separated us that I allowed myself to shake with the overpowering emotions warring within me.
Three days later, I sat with Evan’s family in the dining room at the Country Inn, a top-end resort located in Berkeley Springs, when we were verbally attacked again. Apparently, the image of us sitting next to each other at the same table so incensed a couple of clan members, they felt the need to lash out during dinner. This time, I had to hold onto Evan at the same time I took the hand of the closest protestor, and feed calming energy into both of them.
After the situation had been diffused, Evan was still upset. “They won’t even leave us alone to enjoy my birthday dinner. I’m turning eighteen and the only celebration I get is ruined by a bunch of superstitious nuts!”
I took his hand again.
After a moment, he seemed to make a decision. “You know what,” he said, looking directly at me, “we need to get away from this nonsense for a day or so. Let’s go camping, you and me, just for one night…what do you say?”
“I suppose it would be okay,” I said slowly, mulling the idea over in my head.
He looked at Jenny. “Is it okay, Mom? Can we go camping this weekend?”
She replied dryly, “You’ll be eighteen on Monday Evan, we can’t stop you.” Her face softened as she took in the expression on his face. “Go…” she said finally. “Clear your heads and get a little peace and quiet. Have a good time.”
Evan barked a grim laugh, “I haven’t had a good time in weeks. How about you, Mags? Do you want to get some peace and quiet this weekend?”
“Sure, if Rose approves.”
***
Rose thought it was a great idea. Not only did she think Evan and I should get out of town, she made me pack condoms in my backpack along with the supplies Evan had ordered me to bring. I was too embarrassed to argue with her.
***
The next morning, Evan drove us to the parking lot which served all of the sacred sites on Fiona’s land, except for the turtl
e cave.
“I thought we’d camp at the top of Bald Mountain,” he explained and we got out and pulled on our backpacks.
“Isn’t it a bit dangerous at this time of year? It’s a strenuous hike in the summer, but what if there are patches of ice in the old-growth forest or on top of the mountain?”
“There might be ice or snow up top,” he agreed, “so I called in a couple of favors. It’ll be easier to come down the mountain, but it might be tricky to hike all the way to the top. Besides, I wanted to save my energy to set up camp.”
“So what’s your plan?”
“This,” he held up an ornate, hand-held silver mirror and I understood. We were catching a ride up the mountain. My assumption was confirmed when we were joined by two overly-large flying insects. They buzzed around my head.
“Hi Angus,” I greeted one of the fly-like creatures happily. “I haven’t seen you in a long time.”
He floated back, until he hovered several feet away from my face. Pop! The pixie transformed himself into his full size. Pixies stand about eighteen inches tall, but seem much taller since they float in mid-air. They’re blue with small faces, pointed noses, pointed ears and two antennae. They have skinny legs and bony-fingered hands attached to reed-thin arms. During flight, their huge wings beat so fast they are almost invisible. At rest, they are colored an opalescent swirl of blue and green much like the inside of an abalone shell but translucent and multi-veined like a fly’s. Normally, pixies are found tending livestock, since they have the ability to talk to animals, but obviously, Evan had requested their help today.
“Hello, young Healer Maggie! It’s good to see you, too. I’d like you to meet the missus. Her name’s Adele. She’ll be your flight attendant this morning.”
Pop! Another pixie floated next to Angus.
I acknowledged her with a nod and a smile. As Angus and I caught up with small talk, and Adele listened and laughed with us, Evan continued to use the mirror.
I remembered the enchanted mirror, which acted as a communication device for Sidhelas, or fairy lights. He looked at his reflection and said the magic incantation, “Trí na chéile a thógtar na cáisléain,” which loosely means ‘teamwork is required to complete great projects’. Five fairy lights, golf ball-sized, winged members of the Sidhe clan who emanated a glow of light from their bodies, zoomed out of the mirror. Extremely magical, their mucus could be used to make objects defy gravity. After greeting Evan, the five tiny Sidhe sneezed on us. Uncomfortable as it was being covered in miniscule snot seemed a small price to pay. Immediately, I began rising off the ground. Evan thanked the fairy lights and recited the incantation again. They zoomed back through the mirror.
Then Adele took hold of the belt loop on the back of my jeans and used it like a rudder to guide my weightless body along the trail leading to the top of the mountain. With the dense tree canopy of the forest surrounding us, we had no other choice but to skirt along the path until we reached the clearing. Once free from the trees, Adele steered me straight up, following the incline of the mountain. The journey, which normally would have taken Evan and me three-and-a-half to four hours by foot, took only a few breathtaking minutes as we soared through the chilly air to the pinnacle. The giant slab of granite which formed the top of Bald Mountain loomed ahead. Adele gently guided me to a soft landing on the bare rock. My feet touched down and I quickly regained my balance. Next to me Evan had also landed.
I profusely thanked them both for their efforts.
They grinned at us and Angus said, “Aye, lassie, it’s the least we can do for young lovebirds in the springtime. Enjoy your weekend!”
I didn’t get a chance to contradict them, because with a Pop! They camouflaged themselves as flies once more, and headed back to their farm.
The barren top of the mountain gave Bald Mountain its name. Yet its smoothness was marred by a crevice running vertically, about two feet wide at the base of the opening and at least as tall as Evan. The entrance to the sacred crystal cave waited.
Evan pulled a flashlight out of a side pocket on his backpack. We walked downhill into the mountain. After traversing a short, spiral path cut in the rock leading down into the cave, we entered an open space as big as a normal-sized living room. A fissure in the ceiling let in a small amount of sunlight.
He spoke, “I figured it would be warmer inside, since we’d be protected from the wind.”
“Will we have privacy?” I asked, nodding to the large vein of quartz which created a smooth surface on the wall about four feet wide and six feet tall. When the light landed properly, it looked like a tall mirror. I knew it to be another inter-dimensional portal used by the Sidhe to move between our world and theirs.
“I thought about that,” he said, dropping his backpack on the ground. He opened it and reached inside for a bundle of tubes and fabric. “I doubt anyone would want to use this portal at this time of the year, but just in case, Fiona said I could borrow this for the weekend.”
I recognized the privacy screen she used in her treatment room. We assembled and placed it in front of the crystal door.
“There,” he said standing back to look at his work. “We’ve got privacy.”
“Well, you thought of everything, didn’t you?” I smiled at him.
“I hope so,” he said. He reached back into the pack and pulled out a portable camping kerosene heater and placed it directly under the hole in the ceiling.
While he was setting it up and turning it on, I asked, “What can I do?”
“Pull the tent out of the pack. We’ll set that up next.” For a while we just worked together, building a comfortable campsite. The tent was one of those pop-up style structures, but it was spacious. It took up most of the cave.
Afterward, we made our first meal and took it outside to eat picnic style. On the other side of the cave opening, a flat ledge protruded from the granite, making a perfect spot for sitting and enjoying nature. Evan spread out a blanket and sat down leaning against the rock wall for support. I sat cross-legged next to him. At first, we barely talked as we ate our meal and enjoyed the scenery.
From our perch on the highest elevation point in Morgan County, we could see the place where the Cacapon flowed into the Potomac. We could see the church spirals of the little village of Great Cacapon. My mom rested somewhere in between the rivers and the churches. I sighed.
He glanced at me. “Are you okay?”
I sighed again. “Yeah, I’ve been under a lot of stress lately.”
He burst out laughing.
I stared at him.
“Ya’ think?” He was right. It was a pretty inane thing to say.
I laughed at myself.
“Come here.”
Gratefully, I nestled myself between his legs and leaned my back against his chest. Resting my head against his collarbone, I finally started to uncoil the muscles I didn’t even know were clenched. They’d probably been knotted for days, or perhaps for weeks.
We sat there for a long time, perhaps for hours. It was springtime in Cacapon and the trees were full of birds. A pair of hawks soared high above the trees. They’d spot prey and dive dramatically toward it. Then they’d soar up again. A backbeat of squirrel chatter, punctuated by woodpeckers, beat the tree trunks like drums. Song birds carried a melody over it all. I wasn’t surprised when Evan started to sing. He sang a love song I recognized because it had received a lot of air play on the local radio stations. I made up a harmony to accompany him. After we’d finished the song, the echoes of our voices still carried it. I turned sideways to be able to see his face while still leaning against him. He kissed the top of my head.
“We should go back inside the cave.”
I agreed. Sunset was still a couple of hours off, but the temperature was dropping fast. It was still cold at night.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Together
Once inside we stood still for a moment wondering what to do next. It was too early for dinner, but too cold to stay outsid
e.
Evan thought of it first. “Can you show me Tai Chi?”
I showed him a simple routine, and soon laughed hysterically as he tried to mimic my movements. I ran around him, readjusting his posture, his arms and his legs until he understood the forms. We moved through the routine in tandem, matching each other pose for pose. He learned fast. I liked that about him.
“I still don’t understand how you could use this to fight McCoy.”
“It’s not about fighting,” I explained passionately, “it’s about avoiding violence. I waited for an opportunity to flee. As long as I evaded his grasp, I had a chance. Then you arrived and decided to fight. That was stupid.”
“I wanted to protect you,” he argued, “besides; I’m not a 98-pound weakling.”
“You’re right, you’re not…you are strong, athletic and really muscular,” he wagged his eyebrows at me, but I continued, “...for a normal man. Steve’s physical attributes are all magically enhanced. You have no idea how preternaturally strong he is. Plus, with his Hunter’s enhanced reflexes, he’s super-fast. He could have killed you with his pinky standing on one foot. He’s trained in Krav Maga.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s the martial art Mossad uses to assassinate people without getting caught.”
He waved a hand dismissively. “I wasn’t thinking with my head at the time.”
“What were you thinking with?”
“Maybe I’ll tell you later,” he said mysteriously.
***
He made a tasty campfire dinner. Afterwards, he rested against the wall of the cave and I rubbed my temples with my eyes closed.
He spoke, so softly I almost didn’t hear him, “You know, I fell in love with you the very first time I looked at you.”
My eyes snapped open.
He shrugged and gave me a sheepish grin. “Think about it. Fiona had an emergency patient and couldn’t leave. She didn’t want you guys to be stranded, but Rose had already left for California, so she asked me to pick you up from the airport. Once I got there, I found your arrival gate no problem, but I had no idea what you guys looked like. What was I supposed to do?”
