by Julia Crane
Hours passed and he wondered how much longer the concert would last. Just when he thought it was over, the band took encores. His whole body tensed. Keegan was picked up and passed around the crowd. What the hell are they doing? No one seemed bothered by this, if anything they seemed excited. Lauren and Anna laughed and screamed. Even her aunt seemed to think it was funny. Where were they taking her?
Rourk was now forcefully pushing his way through the crowd, but just when he came close they would send her in a different direction. He closed his eyes and pictured her face. She was smiling and yelling with excitement. This puzzled him. Why wasn’t anyone concerned? He scanned the crowd and saw others were being passed around in the same manner. Apparently, it was something that was not uncommon. He had never been to a concert before and wasn’t aware of what happened. Obviously he should have researched more.
He was frantically trying to get to her. Where did she go? Again he closed his eyes and he could see she was okay, but he could not get her exact location. There were too many people, and it was too dark.
Abruptly, he stopped. She was getting closer to the wall. Rourk moved horizontally which made it easier for him to push his way through the crowd. He closed his eyes again and did not like what he saw. Gone was the look of excitement, and on her face, a look of alarm. Rourk realized she was no longer being passed around. Four guys were holding onto her and carrying her to the side.
Time stood still. Rourk felt the rage building in his chest. He no longer heard the music, and it seemed as if people parted to make a path for him, even though they hadn’t. He pushed through as the four men who held Keegan wrestled her out of the crowd. They let her down, and the biggest of the men pushed Keegan toward the wall.
***
Keegan was terrified. Her eyes glanced frantically around trying to think a way out of this situation. How could this be happening, even with all her training? She was sure she could not defend herself against four guys. A drop of sweat fell from her face, and her heart was racing. The biggest one pushed her up against the wall. She could smell the alcohol on his breath.
“Well, aren’t you a fine piece of meat?”
Glaring at him, she said, “Get your hands off me.”
“A feisty one, eh?” he laughed.
Without thinking, she drove her knee into his groin. He groaned and doubled over. The others advanced, and the big one yelled, “She’s mine.”
She felt like she was going to throw up when his hands groped her chest. Please don’t do this, she thought. I belong to Rourk.
When she thought his name, it pierced through his heart. Nothing mattered to him except keeping her safe. How dare anyone else lay their hands on her. He wanted to make them pay.
Out of nowhere, Keegan felt her attacker be pulled off her. She looked up just as a flash of light went off, and what she saw made her heart drop; she felt as if she were in a free fall as she stared into the most beautiful face she’d ever seen. His grey eyes met hers and he tipped his head, giving her a slight nod.
Keegan whispered Rourk? It was only a matter of seconds, but it felt like a lifetime. He yelled over the crowd, “Go to the exit and text your friends to meet you.” His voice sounded like music to her ears; it was deep but not too deep and filled with authority.
As much as she hated to leave, she did not dare to ignore him. She walked away.
***
Rourk’s hand yanked back the guy’s head and he covered his mouth and chin so no one would hear him scream. He leaned down and whispered in his ear, “She is mine.” Without hesitation he violently wrenched his head to the right and forcefully back to the left snapping his neck before he let the guy fall to the ground.
Rourk wasn’t worried about being noticed. It was a perfect kill spot with all the noise and darkness. As he expected, the other three were nowhere to be found. Once they realized it was no longer them against a girl they scattered. Cowards. What kind of man attacks an innocent girl?
***
Keegan’s heart pounded. She couldn’t wrap her mind around what happened. Was that actually Rourk who saved her? Why was he here? She looked all over for him, but he was gone.
She felt dirty and wanted to go home and take a shower. The atmosphere of the concert: the mass of bodies and the noise, no longer felt fun but frightening.
Katrina and the girls found her and they headed out. Anna and Lauren went on and on about how awesome it was that she got to crowd surf. Keegan turned and said, “It was not as much fun as you would think. I’m probably going to be bruised tomorrow.” She wanted to tell them about what had happened, but then she would have to explain Rourk. They were humans and would never understand.
Katrina was unusually quiet on the drive home. After they dropped off Keegan’s friends at their homes, she pulled into a gas station parking lot.
Turning towards her with a look of concern on her face, she asked, “Are you okay?”
Knowing it was useless to lie to a mind reader, Keegan shook her head. “I have never been that scared in my life.”
Katrina looked as though she were about to cry. “I am so sorry; I shouldn’t have allowed that to happen. Your parents are going to be angry with me.”
“You know that’s ridiculous. There was nothing you could have done. It ended well thanks to the mysterious guy who saved me. Katrina, I really think it was Rourk.”
Katrina looked at Keegan and said nothing.
***
On his way home, Rourk called Richard and filled him in on what took place. He left out the part about breaking the guy’s neck. Richard asked if it was a creature of the dark that had attacked her. Rourk paused for a second and replied, “No, he was human.”
When Rourk knew Keegan was safe at home, he headed for home himself. When he walked through the door his father sat in the same spot as he had the day before.
“I killed a man today,” Rourk said.
His father stood up and walked towards Rourk. “Come into the kitchen and we’ll talk.”
His dad turned on the coffee, his movements methodical. The darkness outside the small kitchen window was absolute. Rourk sat at the table, resting his head in his hands.
“The first kill is always the hardest, but it gets easier,” he said quietly, turning to face his son.
Rourk met his father’s troubled eyes across the distance between them. “Father, the only thing that bothers me is that I felt nothing. No remorse. I always thought it’d be hard to take a life, that it would haunt me. I snapped his neck and walked away as if nothing happened. I felt calm. How could I feel calm about taking a life?”
As if he were trying to compose his thoughts before he spoke, his father, turned away to pour coffee in the mugs. “We know life’s sacred probably better than most because of the loss of your mother. However, since birth you’ve been trained to be a warrior. It’s who you are. It’s in your blood. Taking life is part of it. You have been so conditioned to accept your role that it’s desensitized you. There’s no shame in that. If anything, you are lucky. Nothing would make me happier than knowing you’re able to escape the nightmares that haunt some soldiers.”
They lapsed back into silence as his father placed Rourk’s coffee in front of him and sat across the table. It was the longest conversation they’d had in a very long time.
***
Thaddeus was relieved when his sister walked through the door. He looked at her closely; she seemed to be alright.
Noticing how he was observing her, she said, “You could have warned me.”
“Keegan, you know I couldn’t. Believe me, it’s much harder for me than you can imagine.”
She surprised him by saying, “Rourk saved me.”
“How do you know it was him?”
She had a stupid, dreamy look on her face and replied, “I just know.”
He was curious. “Did he talk to you?”
Thaddeus was aware Rourk was assigned to Keegan, so he knew it was him. He was surprised Keegan had recogniz
ed him. Would his father allow them to meet now? If they knew each other, it would make it much easier for Rourk to protect her.
“Only to tell me to leave,” Keegan responded, shaking off her reverie. “I’m really tired and need to get some sleep.”
Keegan took a long hot shower and then got in bed. She pictured his grey eyes and felt her pulse quicken. It had to have been Rourk. Sure she had found guys attractive, but never in her life had anyone else had that kind of effect on her. She would have followed him to the end of the world if he asked. One year and five months and she would be with him for the rest of her life. She hoped she didn’t have to wait that long to see him again. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep hoping she would see him in her dreams.
***
Thaddeus loved going to bed. It was the only time the visions didn’t haunt him. He always had vision-free, dreamless nights. It was like a reset switch for his brain and kept him from going crazy. He closed his eyes and let sleep take over.
Looking frantically around, he tried to figure out where he was. His body felt strange as if he were watching through someone else’s eyes. Fear raced through his veins. Never had he felt this scared. Lots of blood everywhere, body parts, screams, dear God where was he? Green, the land was so green, even though stained with blood. He looked up and saw a beautiful orange moon. It looked out of place with all the destruction.
Thaddeus woke, drenched in sweat. He looked at his clock; it felt as if the dream only lasted a few seconds, but two hours had passed. He removed the blanket with trembling fingers and got out of the bed, his feet unsteady. He didn’t know what to do, but he had to talk to his father. Thaddeus knew he would be sleeping, but it couldn’t wait.
He knocked on the door lightly. Richard heard the knock and slowly got out of bed, trying not to wake his wife. He glanced over at her and his heart felt full. Even after all these years she still had the same effect on him as she did the first day they met. Richard opened the door to see his son standing there and the fear that was etched on his face. He knew now was not the time to coddle him.
He strode out in front of his son knowing he would follow. Richard led him down the steps and, opening the front door, they went out on the porch.
“Have a seat, son.”
Taking a deep shaky breath, Thaddeus sat on the porch swing and said, “I had a dream. Well since I don’t dream it had to have been a vision.” Waiting patiently, his father slightly nodded his head to continue. “Father, it was horrible.”
Richard leaned forward, “Tell me exactly what you saw and don’t leave anything out. Close your eyes and picture the scene.”
Closing his eyes, Thaddeus saw the scene just like he had the first time. “There’s so much blood, body parts everywhere, and the noise.” Unconsciously, he covered his ears.
“Thaddeus, I need the details not your feelings. Use your breathing exercises.” As usual, his father was right. After a few deep breaths he felt better and could concentrate more.
“The land is green with rolling hills. So many dead bodies, even women and children.”
Richard gripped the arm of his chair. “I need more. What else do you see?”
Thaddeus glanced left then right, scanning over the bodies. The light from the moon somehow he knew that was important. “The moon is large and orange.” Opening his eyes he said, “That is all I see, I’m sorry.”
His father looked up at the sky and said, “Thank you Gods for this gift.” He reached over and grasped his son by the shoulders, “I could kiss you.”
Thaddeus said nothing.
His father got up and paced the porch. “This is brilliant. We know the time and place of the battle; we have the upper hand.”
Thaddeus raised an eyebrow, “Care to fill me in?”
He noticed his breathing had returned to normal, and he was no longer afraid.
“I believe this is a good omen. Fate always has its way. The battle will take place in Ireland during the harvest moon. Your mother and I got engaged on the night of a harvest moon. This year it falls on Keegan’s birthday. Your mother was named after Ireland, where her parents met, also known as the Emerald Isle. We have five months to prepare. Thaddeus, tomorrow we’ll hold a meeting, and you will have to speak. You are the most respected seer of our time. I need you to think like a warrior and only give out as much information as necessary. There’s no need to tell anything other than the time and place. Do you understand?”
Thaddeus grinned. “Law4 from The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Green. Always say less than necessary.”
CHAPTER 12
There were many preparations that needed to be made. Richard looked down at his watch. It was 0300. He picked up his iPhone and texted his brother-in-laws a simple message: CAMP NOW. He then hesitated before sending a text to Rourk: CAMP NOW, BRING YOUR FATHER.
Groggy from sleep, Rourk heard his phone go off. He flipped it open and saw the text, and was instantly awake. He threw on the clothes he wore the day before, unworried whether they were clean or not. Fully alert, he walked to his father’s room and didn’t bother to knock. “Richard needs us,” he called into the dark.
His father bolted out of bed. With haste, he got ready, and the two men left to make the drive to camp. They arrived just as the other men did.
Richard looked at Rourk, and told him, “You’ve been relieved of your duty.”
Rourk’s face did not change. His mind raced. Did he find out I killed that guy? He could think of nothing else he’d done that would cause his dismissal. He felt a dull ache in his heart at the thought of not seeing Keegan again.
“Thaddeus has had a vision,” Richard said. All eyes turned to Thaddeus where he sat with his hands clasped in his lap and his face serene.
“I have seen the place and date of the Great Battle,” Thaddeus said, his voice strong and sure. The men all looked slightly surprised, glancing around at each other in shock, and eager to learn more. “We have five months to prepare. September twelfth during the harvest moon, our battle will be raging.”
They all had questions, but knew it was pointless to ask.
Richard stepped forward, commanding the room. “This obviously gives us the upper hand. We must prepare our men. With this knowledge, I feel we will prevail.”
Drew, smiling, replied, “Save your pep talks for the soldiers.”
Richard grinned, “You’re right, force of habit.”
They all relaxed and sat down as equals to discuss the preparations. They were all powerful men, but the one who held the most power was the youngest—Thaddeus. Rourk was glad he was on their side.
Rourk was relieved to know Richard wasn’t angry with him and he was honored to be among the small group making preparations for the battle. Rourk also knew he had to push Keegan out of his thoughts for now. He needed to be 100% focused on what lay ahead. Of course, keeping Keegan off his mind was going to be extremely difficult. She’d been thinking about him almost constantly since the concert. Rourk knew if they didn’t win this battle he would never have the pleasure of getting to know her.
They had to win.
***
Keegan woke up knowing she’d had no dreams the night before. Usually she looked forward to it, but she didn’t want to go to school. Everyone paled in comparison to Rourk. She had to figure out a way to find him. He obviously didn’t live too far away if he was at the concert. She was still puzzled by the fact that he was there. Her mother would say that it was fate. Keegan thought it was a bit too much of a coincidence.
Keegan and her mother were still not talking after the jean incident. They both were so stubborn that sometimes they would stay angry for days. Keegan was anxious to tell her about Rourk. She came down the stairs to find her mother sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper over a mug of tea.
“Mom, I’m sorry.” She really didn’t know what she was apologizing for, but she knew it was the quickest way to get back in her good graces.
Her mother was silent a moment. “Pe
rhaps I overreacted. I just don’t want you to take things for granted.”
Keegan smiled and gave her a hug, then slid into the seat next to her. “You won’t believe what happened at the concert.”
“What happened?” Looking at her daughter, Emerald felt a rush of warmth mixed with relief. Of course, Katrina had already filled her in on what happened. She was just grateful that her daughter was unharmed. Katrina did not believe the boy was Rourk so when Keegan got to that part of the story, Emerald was surprised to hear her describe Rourk in detail.
“Mother, I know it was him, it had to be.”
Her mom looked thoughtful and answered slowly. “I hope it was him. Then you’ll have a wonderful story to tell your children at bedtime.”
Emerald dropped Keegan off at school and then called her husband. Richard was sitting over some paperwork at his desk with an intense headache when heard his phone ring. He was surprised to see it was his wife. She never called.
“Will you be coming home for lunch?”
He sighed, “You know I would love to, but I am very busy today.”
In a calm tone she said, “I think it would be a good idea if you made time to see me. If you would like I can come to your camp or we can meet somewhere.”
He knew he was in trouble. His wife had the quickest temper of anyone he had ever met, so he knew to be worried when she was eerily calm. “On second thought, of course I have time to come home and have lunch with my beautiful wife. I will be there before noon.”
She hung up the phone without saying goodbye.
Richard didn’t have time to dissect what his wife was angry about. He would deal with it when he got there. He knew he would never understand the way her mind worked. She had always been a mystery to him. He thought of a quote from one of his favorite books: Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong. ~Francisco d’Anconia.
