by JD MITCHELL
They chewed in silence. Ali wondered if Red was still looking for that descendant, or if something horrible happened. She suspected this question occupied the minds of everyone at the table.
“How many descendants is Red searching for?” Jessica asked.
“I gave him seven names. Four Lugh, two Bé Chuille and one Ollamain,” Aengus said. “All individuals have two things in common. Proximity to this palace, followed by assumed experience.” He explained the selection process in depth, but Ali tuned him out until he got to the Ollamain ancestor. “Older, sixties according to the records pulled. Male and mixed. He’s not a full blood Tuatha de Danann either, much like our Ali.”
A relative. The thought struck her like lightening. Was it her dad?
Aengus glanced her direction, his eyes enlarging. “My dear I must apologize. This man shares your ancestry, but at best is a distance cousin.”
A weight lifted off her chest. “That makes sense.”
Jessica swooped in and saved her from an explanation “Ali would prefer not to see her father.”
“He’s a lost soul these days,” Aengus agreed.
Ali choked on her salad, then cleared her throat. “You know him?”
There was a commotion under the table, and she wondered if Jessica kicked Aengus.
Aengus took a moment to compose his reply. “I’m acquainted with Galvyn.”
Galvyn. Hearing his name was odd. This was the third time she heard her father’s name spoken aloud. The first two times were when her mother reluctantly entertained her questions.
What did she do with this information? Ask about him? Or what he’s been doing all these years? Did she matter to him? It was one thing to stop looking; it was another when the information dropped into your lap. No. Don’t ask about him, you know better.
“Well, knowing him is more than Ali can say,” Jessica said.
Ali looked at her plate.
“I should have realized,” Aengus said. He gestured to a Fae woman, who was swift to reach the table. The salads where removed. Before her, the Fae set a plate of something that smelled of chicken, yellow veggies the looked similar to squash but spiker, and thankfully regular red potatoes.
Her food was suddenly unappetizing. She’d been starving earlier, but now she felt sick. Not wanting to draw attention, she took a bite of the maybe-chicken. The skin was crunchy, and the meat was juicy. In a word, perfect. Even so, she forced her mouth to chew it.
“So, at this rate, Red will be back in seven days?” Ali asked. She couldn’t bring herself to ask about her dad and wanted to avoid the topic. “I mean, once he finds others, what then? Are we on a timeline?”
Aengus’s eyes darkened. “As soon as Red returns, we’ll discuss what comes next.”
“Have you heard from any Tuatha de Danann?” Leah asked.
Ali remembered Leigh’s parents again. She wasn’t the only one with a dad on the brain.
Aengus wiped his mouth with a napkin.
“Don’t give up hope. Our Fae friends are trying to forge a passage using back channels. We’ll find a way through to the otherworld,” Aengus said.
Leigh nodded, but his mood now matched hers. So much for a light-hearted meal.
“Do you have a plan to confront the Sons?” Ali asked.
Aengus set his napkin over his plate and a Fae woman removed it. “First, we raise an army.”
Ali realized Aengus was far more prepared than expected. She wondered if his flamboyant demeanor was a show.
“Can we help?” Ali asked.
Aengus gestured to her and Leigh. “Yes. You two practice.” He then pointed to Jessica. “You rest.” He smiled. “In the evenings we dine and put the future on hold.”
It was the politest way anyone ever suggested she drop a line of questioning. So, she resigned herself for now.
Over the next four days, Ali and Leigh trained, Jessica studied, and Aengus was engrossed in organizing the search efforts. Occasionally Aengus shared morsels of information during extravagant meals, but Ali was confident he withheld much from them. At least her training improved with each day. Not enough to battle a Son of Carman, but she could push over a clay figure if it didn’t move.
It was during dinner on at the end of the fourth day that Red and Leanan stood in the dining hall battered and bruised, with five strangers standing behind them.
Fifteen
Aengus stood, his chair skittering backwards. “Redmond, Leanan, are you injured?”
Red hobbled into the room. “You and I should talk.”
“We will. First, do you need medical attention?” Aengus’s brows knitted.
Red gestured toward the strangers. There was a lanky boy about Ali’s age with a deep gash across his forehead. Blood caked his hairline, mingling with his wavy brown hair. A young girl, about five or six, clutched his leg. She had the same wavy hair, but her green eyes were lighter. Next to her was a man who looked older than Red. He was burly with reddish brown hair and blue eyes. If Ali had to guess, the boys were siblings, and the older lady next to them was their mother. The woman looked somewhere in her sixties. She was fit and lean, with gray hair and green eyes. A few feet behind the group was a small dark-skinned boy with short jet-black hair, stunning blue eyes, and freckles. His clothes were filthy, but otherwise he looked unhurt.
“Malvina, can you see to this young man?” Aengus asked, pointing to the teenager with the gash.
Ali hadn’t noticed Malvina was in the room. She appeared from behind a column wearing a black tee-shirt and black spandex pants, materializing from the shadows like a ghost. Sporting her usual scowl, she escorted the teenager from the room. Ali peered around the column expecting to see another guard, but the space was empty.
The burly man picked up the young girl, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Ali assumed he must be her father.
“What happened?” Aengus asked as the burly man, girl, and teenager disappeared behind Malvina.
“They ambushed us,” Red said in a hushed tone. He looked at the small boy standing in the back of the room. “We were looking for Sawyer’s father when it happened.”
Ali strained to hear better. She hoped Sawyer’s father wasn’t dead. The way the boy stared at his feet; she wasn’t sure.
The chair next to Ali scraped against the floor as Jessica pushed herself upright. She still had difficulties walking, however, the firm set of her mouth made it clear she was determined in her destination. Red’s eyes followed her, but Jessica’s focus was on Sawyer as she hobbled across the room.
“Hi honey. Are you hungry?”
Sawyer eyed the table but said nothing. With a frown, Jessica reached for his hand and walked him to an empty chair as a Fae set a plate of sausages and potatoes before him. Reluctant, Sawyer swayed on his feet before sitting.
Once Sawyer was situated, Jessica limped toward Aengus favoring her good leg. She said something inaudible to the silver-haired woman, who shook her head. Jessica gestured to the hallway. Aengus, Leanan, and the silver-haired woman immediately headed for the door while Red lingered. Ali expected to hear Jessica’s stern voice scold him, but he only gave her a solemn smile, then ambled into the hallway.
Jessica returned to her seat; her voice gentle as she addressed Sawyer. “I heard you put up a good fight in a tough situation.”
He shrugged; his eyes downcast.
“You should eat,” Leigh said gesturing to Sawyers plate.
Sawyer stared at a sausage, then forked a large piece into his mouth. He gulped it down before he thoroughly chewed it.
“Red killed two,” Sawyer said after a few mouthfuls of food.
Leigh’s eyes widened, then darted to the doorway where Red disappeared.
“Killed who?” Jessica asked, her voice forcefully light.
Sawyer poked at another slice of sausage. He moved it around his plate but didn’t commit to eating it. Shocked, Ali stared intently at him. Every second he delayed replying felt like an hour.
H
e shrugged again. “The redcaps.”
Leigh released a slow breath. Ali wasn’t sure if this news relieved or worried Leigh.
“What’s a redcap?” Jessica asked.
“Dwarfs with fanged teeth.” Sawyer looked at Jessica and imitated something resembling a vampire by barring his teeth and placing his pointer fingers on either side in a downward position. “You can’t outrun them, and they dip their hats in your blood.”
The description appalled Ali.
“Shit,” Leigh said in disbelief. “I can’t believe Red killed two.”
Sawyer stabbed a potato with his fork. “Dad doesn’t allow cursing.”
A lump formed in Ali’s throat at the mention of Sawyer’s father. She wondered if the redcap’s found him first.
“I assume the Sons are responsible for these redcaps?” Jessica asked, her attention on Leigh.
Leigh nodded. “They’re nasty creatures. Imagine a little old man with talons for fingers, eyes the color of fire, and grisly hair, chasing after you with a pikestaff. If one of them sets on you, it is kill or be killed.”
Ali shivered at the image Leigh described, the creature sounded horrific.
“A redcap killed a Fae,” Sawyer said.
Jessica’s gaze softened, and she studied the doorway. Ali knew Jessica must burn for detailed information.
Sawyer crammed a potato into his mouth. His cheeks puffing beneath his blue eyes accenting his freckles. For his sake, Ali got him off the topic of death.
“Are both of your parents TDD–I mean–Tuatha de Danann?” Ali asked.
“My Dad.” Chewed potato tumbled from his mouth onto the table. He cast his eyes away as his shoulders slumped. “Dad say’s mum was human, but she died when I was a baby.”
Nice going Ali.
“Red says Dad might be stuck in the otherworld for a while,” Sawyer whispered.
Ali breathed a sigh of relief. That could be good news depending on the situation in the otherworld.
“Who’s watching you?” Jessica asked.
“Mrs. Johnston...” His voice trailed off as tears streaked down his cheeks.
Jessica pulled him into a hug. “It’ll be all right.”
Ali didn’t know how to comfort Sawyer. He was old enough to comprehend the seriousness of the situation, but too young to question. She wanted to ask if the redcap’s killed Mrs. Johnston. The obvious answer was yes, and somehow it felt worse than the dragon or gancanagh attacking her. After the past week, the monster attacks seemed like ages ago. Back when homework was her biggest headache.
School.
“Shit,” Ali groaned.
“Language,” Jessica said. She nodded at Sawyer who was sniffling into the fabric of her floral print dress.
“We have a problem,” Ali said. “I forgot to have you call the school. I’ve missed like what? A week? My doctor’s note didn’t cover this far out.”
“Are you sure?” Jessica handed Sawyer a napkin from the table and he blew his nose. “I thought it extended until Friday.
Ali shook her head. “Last Friday.”
Jessica shoulders slumped. She gestured toward Leigh. “I’m sure Red forgot about you.”
“What’d I forget?” Red asked as he eased himself into a seat next to Sawyer. A bruise darkened his left eye, and the way he cradled his ribs suggested internal injuries. His hunger must have taken priority over healing.
“We forgot about school,” Leigh said with a shrug.
Jessica released her arm from around Sawyer. He hiccupped, wiping tears from his face.
“It was the last thing on my mind,” Jessica said. “I thought the doctor’s note covered Ali for a few more days.”
“You could call now,” Leigh suggested.
Red glanced at a leather watch on his wrist. “It’s a little after seven here. That’s what? Three–no two–Eastern?”
A Fae waiter set a plate heaped with sausages and potatoes in front of Red. He plunged a fork into the pile stabbing pieces of both.
“Do you have my cell?” Red asked Leigh between bites.
Leigh took a phone out of his pocket and tossed it to Red. Ali had seen the phone multiple times the last few days. It hadn’t left Leigh’s side on the off chance his parents called.
Red gave the phone to Jessica. “You call first.”
Jessica grasped the phone and stared at it. “What do I say? I know Ali has class, but we felt like a European vacation?”
“It’ll be fine,” Red said waiving her off.
Jessica’s complexion paled. She stared at the phone as though it had the power to ruin her. “I only have temporary custody of Ali.”
Ali’s heart sunk. It wasn’t something she wanted known.
Red regarded Jessica with a furrowed brow. “What?”
Jessica sucked in her breath. “Technically, since her father is alive, I’m not granted full guardianship.” Jessica looked at the ceiling and shook her head. “The state will only extend custody a year at a time.”
Ali couldn’t look at Leigh. She’d told no one about their situation. Even Cheryl and Tommy didn’t know Jessica had to provide a mountain of evidence proving she could support Ali.
“Jessica, I’m sixteen now. I can emancipate myself,” Ali said trying to play it off.
After their mother died, Ali constantly feared she’d be forced leave Jessica. It was the main reason Ali never searched for her father.
“Oh my god,” Jessica said, her voice laced with worry. “What if the school called CPS? Or filed a missing person’s report?”
Red set his fork down with a jarring clank. He extended his hand to Jessica. “I better handle this. Can you dial the number?”
“What are you going to do?” Jessica asked, gripping the phone like a lifeline.
“I’ve got this,” Red said. His voice softened like he was coaxing a scared animal. “Trust me.”
Jessica frowned, but keyed in the number and handed it to him. Red held the phone to his mouth, then covered the receiver with his palm. “Would the school have left a message for Leigh’s parents?”
Jessica nodded. “They call on the second day if a student misses school.”
Ali wasn’t aware of that policy. Apparently, she could skip a whole day before the school notified Jessica.
Red dropped his hand. “Ah yes, this is Scott Hart.” His voiced deepened, and he sounded concerned. “I’ve received multiple voicemails regarding my son, Leigh Hart.”
“Perfect imitation of dad,” Leigh whispered with a smile.
Jessica seemed less enthralled. She perched on the edge of her seat, covering her mouth with her hands.
“Yes, there seems to be confusion about his attendance.” Red paused. “Well, that stands to reason, my son is on a religious retreat. We had a meeting with the school over a month ago to discuss these plans.” Red paused again, nodding as the person on the other end of the line spoke. “Mmm-hmm. Another student is on the same mission trip, McMillan something. Yes, Ali sounds right.” Red winked at Jessica. “The paperwork was signed and approved. I’m sure if you pull Leigh’s file… I’ll wait…” Red scooped a piece of potato in his mouth and chewed slowly.
Jessica sat on the brink of her chair, staring wide-eyed.
Red covered the phone with his hand and whispered to Leigh. “Go find Aengus. I need him to do a memory tweak on the principal.”
Leigh snorted, then got up and left the table.
Ali stared after Leigh wondering if they’d done any memory tweaks on her. The idea made her stomach flip. How would she know?
“Oh! You found the paperwork?” Red said. “No-no, quite alright. Yes, it lasts another few weeks.” He fixated on Jessica. “Ali’s guardian? Yes, Jessica McMillan is a supervisor on the trip.”
Jessica chewed her bottom lip.
“Unfortunately, we’ve been difficult to reach. Lack of cell service and whatnot. I can have Ms. McMillan reach out to the Principal-” Red nodded a few times. “I’ll be happy to relay the m
essage. We can call back in an hour and speak with him directly. Thank you for your help. Have a good day.” Red ended the call and handed Jessica the phone. His grin reached his ears. “We’ll call back after Aengus adjusts the principal’s memory.”
Ali was floored. What in the heck did Red just do? Across the table, she thought Jessica might cry with relief.
“That brings back memories,” Jessica said with a nervous laugh. The corner of her mouth lifted. “Seriously, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Red’s smile twisted with amusement. “Although this presented more of a challenge than when we skipped class. I didn’t need to conjure paperwork out of thin air back then.”
Ali pointed an accusing finger at Jessica. “You ditched school with Red? The only time you’ve let me call off was last week!”
Jessica scratched her arm. “Don’t get any ideas.” She raised an accusatory eyebrow at Leigh. “You either.”
Leigh looked embarrassed, as though he was a traitor to teenage rebellion. “Honestly, it hadn’t occurred to me.”
Jessica’s warning bounced off Ali like a super ball on concrete. She’d absolutely abuse her new powers at the first opportunity. Once she learned how to imitate Jessica.
“I have primary tomorrow,” Sawyer said looking at Jessica with wide eyes. His mood seemed improved and his plate was empty. “Can I bunk off?”
Jessica’s head tilted to the side. “What is bunk off?”
“Skip class,” Sawyer said.
The comment struck a chord with Red and he snorted. After a moment he shook his head. “I’ll call in the morning.”
***
Red lost his humor toward the end of dinner. His gaze became distant when questioned about the past few days. He wouldn’t utter more than a few words.
Once the meal concluded, Jessica sent Sawyer with a Fae woman and snuck off with Red. Ali wanted to join but was told to go back to their room. So, she followed Leigh though the hallway like she did every night after dinner.
“Did Red seem normal to you?” Ali asked.
Leigh put his hands in his pockets.
“What do you think happened?” Ali persisted.
He shrugged. “I’ll ask Red in the morning.”
