Seducer Fey

by Cullyn Royson

  “So Danny, where’s our first stop?” Cassidy asked. She ducked her head to give thanks for the meal.

  “Dollhorse University,” Danny replied with a piece of bacon hanging out of her mouth.

  “Pardon?”

  Danny swallowed the bacon. “Dalhousie University.”

  Ms. Reyes glanced at her Ogham. “We’re going to be late!” She snatched Danny by the collar and headed to the door.

  In the car, the company sat in silence. The mystery at hand was the only subject on Cassidy’s mind. I shouldn’t message with Danny about it on our Oghams because Ms. Reyes will get suspicious, Cassidy thought. I don’t even know what I’d say. Instead of focusing on the legal news read by her Ogham, she found herself doodling on her hand using her relearned knowledge of how pens functioned. She noticed Danny checking her Me-Site every few seconds and offered to watch a movie, to distract them both.

  “Are we there yet?” Danny asked.

  “Look out the window.”

  Sitting up, Danny saw a brick tower and realized her mother was looking for parking.

  “You have a tour scheduled in a few minutes,” Ms. Reyes said. “Message me an hour before you’d like to be picked up.”

  After carefully tucking her slacks into her boots, Cassidy tried to walk like a sophisticated upper-classman across the green. She thought about how great it would be if someone mistook her for a local student. Her concentration on poise was broken, as Danny sprinted past her. She sighed and tried to keep up with her friend.

  In her excitement, Danny overshot the building designated for tours. As she veered around a corner to rejoin Cassidy, she barreled over a university student, losing her glasses in the process. Danny pushed her head off his chest, mumbling apologies.

  “That’s quite the greeting for your tour guide,” he said in a cool voice she immediately recognized.

  “Taban?” She squinted from her position on top of him and brought the blur of gold and teal into focus. He sported a style of shirt she’d seen advertised recently. Comprised of two thick straps and many thin ones, Danny liked the wide variety of ways the Strap-Shirt could be worn. A special spray lotion or an undershirt could be used to protect against tan lines. Based on the sheen of his skin, Taban had elected to apply the former option. He had pulled the smaller straps over his shoulders and coiled the two large straps so tightly around his waist that his stomach didn’t move when he breathed.

  “Hi, Danny.” Taban brushed tangled hair out of her face to slide her thick glasses up her nose. She grinned at him. He returned with an equally broad smile.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I go here. Remember?”

  “Oh, right.”

  “Let’s go find our tour group,” Taban beckoned. “Shall we?”

  “I found our guide!” Danny shouted when she saw Cassidy.

  “She knocked your tour guide flat,” Taban corrected.

  “Is it just us, or am I in the wrong spot?” Cassidy’s eyes widened when she saw Taban. “Uh, hello, again?”

  “Morning,” Taban said. “Spring Break is usually busy, so there are a lot of students on staff, but I think most people are still sleeping in. The school will get really crowded later. I saw your names on the list for tours today and asked for you because I thought you’d like to see a familiar face.”

  “Uh …,” Cassidy said.

  “You didn’t want to see me again?” He blinked his wide, blue eyes seeming completely taken aback.

  “I don’t mind,” Cassidy assured him. “I was just surprised to see you again.”

  “Good.” Tracing her arm with his fingertips, he gave her hand a quick squeeze. The ink from her doodle smudged on his fingers, turning the ends black. “I wanted to give you the best college experience. There’s a guest speaker at the university this afternoon. The presentation was so popular I had to reserve spots. My best friend, Ea, pulled a few strings so we could bring guest students. Are you interested?” He tapped his Ogham and they leaned in to read.

  May Savali, Professor of Anthropology, presents: The Power of the Tuatha de Danann

  Cassidy tried to conceal her gasp with her hand. She jerked her head up in time to catch a knowing smirk on Taban’s face, before he hid it under a warm expression. While you’re pulling helpful things out of nowhere, I’d like a sandwich, Cassidy thought.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked.

  “Nothing, um, how is this pronounced?” Cassidy asked.

  “Tooua-De-Dhan-Un.”

  The young women exchanged a confirming glance. Afraid Danny would mention the event from the night before, Cassidy said, “Sure, we’d love to go.”

  “Wonderful.”

  They remained a couple strides behind Taban.

  “Should we ask him?” Danny mouthed.

  Cassidy gave her friend a blank look. She felt like her brain wasn’t functioning at full capacity around Taban, and worst of all, it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

  “A13: Message Mom: Cassidy and I are attending a featured lecture, could you pick us up at three?”

  After visiting the library, main office, and other points of interest they headed back toward the tower at which they’d started. As they walked across the campus green, a long-legged woman in bright running shorts hailed Taban.

  “This probably sounds weird, but were you in a commercial recently?” she asked.

  “I was,” Taban laughed. “If there were any parts of me they didn’t CGI. Honestly, I think they only used my voice.”

  “I work for the school media. Do you think you could do some commercials for the school?”

  “Sure. I’m giving two prospective students a tour right now, so I have to go.”

  “Wait, I don’t have your contact info,” she said, resting her hand on his arm. “I’m Michelle, by the way.”

  He touched his Ogham and quickly tapped it to hers.

  Cassidy grimaced. It took all of her self-control not to dislike the pretty athlete talking to Taban. She reminded herself that Michelle had given her no reason to despise her.

  He’s in commercials too! Cassidy wrote on her Ogham and showed to Danny. That explains all the pretty pictures I found when I searched him, she reasoned.

  “Well, he is charismatic.”

  “Thank you, Danny,” Taban said.

  “It’s true,” Danny shrugged.

  “Wait.” Michelle jogged up to Cassidy holding out Cassidy’s key necklace. “You dropped this. The chain is broken, but let me fix it.” Michelle took small pliers out of her utility belt, which she used to press the links together. “Here you go.”

  “Wow, thanks, so much,” Cassidy replied. Michelle waved and dashed off.

  An uncomfortable silence around them was shattered by a growl from Danny’s stomach. “I’m hungry! What’s for lunch?”

  “Good timing. We could meet Ea in the dining hall and then go to the lecture together.”

  “I think I smell food. Is the dining hall this way?”

  “You’re right. Lead the way,” Taban laughed.

  ***

  Cassidy opened the oak door that led to the dining hall, holding it for Danny and Taban. About two-dozen students sat in clusters around picnic-style tables, for eating, conversing, and or browsing tablets. Cassidy cautiously crept into the spacious hall, feeling that all eyes would be on her if she made a sound. Taban stumbled in his platform sandals, surprising Danny, who knocked over a basket of bagels, which tumbled to the floor, spilling its contents. All the students looked up to see the source of the commotion. A tall teenager, carrying a grey chinchilla, rushed over to help them. He too, sported platform sandals and a Strap-Shirt, but he’d used the wider straps to form a red v over his shoulders to downplay his lanky figure. Taban took the basket and headed toward the compost bin by the door.

  “Sorry,” Danny said.

  “Don’t you mind it.” The teen brushed a few purple strands of his face-framing hairstyle off his aquiline nose. “My name’s Sta
g.”

  For a moment, Danny contemplated his soothing American Southern accent. She guessed he hailed from Georgia.

  “I’m Danny and this is Cassidy. Can I pet your chinchilla?”

  “Of course. Her name’s Grenadine.”

  While Danny and Stag bonded over the rodent. Cassidy noticed a latte machine in the corner next to the table on which the bagels had been sitting, before they met their untimely demise.

  “Thanks for helping,” Cassidy said and offered Stag a latte she’d purchased.

  “You’re so kind. Thank you.”

  “Where’s Ea?” Taban asked stiffly. For the first time in their brief acquaintance, Cassidy didn’t see a pleasant expression on Taban’s face. It wasn’t directed at her, but at Stag, who didn’t look pleased to see Taban either.

  “Over there.” Stag pointed to the far end of the hall. “I need to let this little one rest,” he said, indicating the chinchilla. “Maybe I’ll see you at the lecture.” He carefully placed his rodent in a pet carrier that he’d left on a far table.

  Danny waved to Stag, while Cassidy purchased four more lattes. She kept one for herself, handed one to Danny, and gave two to Taban. “For your friend,” she explained.

  “You don’t need to … alright let me introduce you to Ea. This way.”

  Eadowen, wearing a pressed dress shirt and a green sweater vest, gave a delicate wave from his table. Freckles lined his even cheekbones and a Windsor adorned his throat. His chestnut bangs were cut with precise care just above high arched eyebrows. The same diligence seemed to apply to his unassuming smile. One feature distracted from his conscientious presentation: thin scars running from his left cheek, down his neck, and into his starched collar.

  As they approached, Danny detected a crisp floral fragrance, which evoked the memory she’d been trying to recall the night before. She couldn’t elicit any details, except for an image of her mother crying.

  Setting the lattes down, Taban strolled to the other side of the table. He draped his arms around Eadowen and rested his chin on his shoulder. Eadowen patted Taban’s arm in greeting. As he did this, Cassidy noticed a stone ring on his left hand resembling Taban’s. Complementing his crimson tie and hazel eyes, the ring seemed better suited to Eadowen than to Taban.

  “Sorry, I couldn’t make it over in time to help,” Eadowen said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Edana and Cassidy. My name is Eadowen Tolymie.” He shook their hands. “Please sit down we still have a few minutes before we leave for the lecture.”

  “How do you say your first name?” Cassidy asked as she held out a latte.

  “Thank you. And it’s ‘EE-doe-in,’ though Taban calls me ‘Ay-ah.’”

  The soft intonations of his voice immediately set even the socially anxious Cassidy at ease. He spoke with an accent Danny recognized as “mixed-national”. Usually students developed the accent from prestigious pre-university schools with impressive student diversity. She hadn’t noticed it in Taban’s voice before, but when he started speaking with Eadowen, she could identify similar inflections. Yet, their mixed accents were still different. Taban pronounced most words like Cassidy did. In contrast, Eadowen’s accent was infused with the long o’s of some Canadian speakers and a subtle Scottish burr.

  “Do you prefer Danny or Edana?”

  Danny thought for a moment. Eadowen pronounced her name, “eh-DON-a” instead of ED-anna. “I like the way you say Edana,” she decided.

  “Cassidy, do you have a nickname?”

  She shook her head.

  “And your preferred gender pronouns?” Eadowen continued.

  “She and her,” they answered in unison. Cassidy appreciated his attentiveness.

  “Mine are xie and hir,” Eadowen said.

  “By the way, thanks for getting us into the lecture,” Cassidy said.

  “You’re welcome. Edana, it’s very important that you attend it. Afterward we can probably explain everything, but if I try without any background you won’t believe me.”

  “Um,” Cassidy began, but she didn’t even know what kind of question to ask or whether it was a good idea to reveal the details of last night. Everyone waited patiently for her to respond, but she couldn’t come up with anything that wouldn’t draw suspicion.

  Discomforted by the lull in conversation, Danny blurted, “Eadowen, do you do commercials too?”

  “Hm. I never considered it.” He pushed on the table. Danny and Cassidy’s eyes widened as Eadowen rolled backward. Their reactions to his wheelchair caused Taban to start giggling next to Eadowen’s ear. Cringing, Eadowen pulled him, still laughing, into the seat next to him. He told Taban to compose himself and they finished the lattes Cassidy had provided.

  ***

  Eadowen settled into a spot at the back of the rapidly filling lecture hall. Leaning on the railing, he gestured for everyone to sit in the three empty seats next to him. Cassidy wanted to sit next to Taban so badly that it made her uneasy. Resolving to take the farthest seat from Eadowen, she pulled Danny into the seat next to her. Taban took the last seat available between Danny and Eadowen.

  One of the lower doors opened and a woman dressed in grey entered. Cassidy touched the acne on her cheeks when she noticed the woman’s flawless skin. Adjusting an amethyst pin in her hair, the woman in grey scanned the audience. Even though Cassidy sat in the back, she caught a twinkle in the woman’s chocolate eyes.

  “Good afternoon, students and faculty of Dalhousie University. My friend and colleague, Dr. May Savali, just contacted me and she is running a few minutes late. My name is Abigail Crane.” The audience cheered. “For those who do not know me, my research team and I are asking students with Celtic ancestors to volunteer their genomic records. Many of you had those records taken at birth to determine allergies and health risks, among other things. We have excellent privacy regulations, so rest assured …”

  “Dr. Abigail Crane is also known for writing the fastest genome sequencing software program to date,” interrupted another person from the doorway. Though the other person appeared composed in her sport coat, her black hair clung to her forehead from perspiration. The colleagues greeted each other with a friendly side hug, and then Crane ducked into a seat in the front row.

  “My apologies for my tardiness, my name is May Savali. I thank you all for your patience,” she began, in a voice accustomed to presentation. “Today, we will be discussing the history of the Tuatha de Danann.”

  The lights dimmed, Savali pressed a button on the podium and with a whirring noise the screen slowly lowered from the ceiling. The light of the projector from her tablet illuminated an image of Ireland and Scotland on the screen. At least the coastlines looked like Ireland and Scotland, but the names were unfamiliar. Cassidy could see the name “Caledonia”, in the Northern part of Scotland. She leaned over and whispered to Danny. “Caledonia? That looks like Scotland?”

  “It was the name the Romans used for Northern Scotland, when they started their conquest of the Gauls in the First Century BCE,” Eadowen answered quietly.

  “Thanks,” Cassidy whispered as Savali began:

  “The peoples of Ancient Ireland and Scotland relied on oral tradition, so much knowledge and culture has been lost. The Romans were the first to formally record the traditions of the Celtic people.” Savali tapped her tablet and the image changed to a caricature of a grinning leprechaun. A ripple of laughter echoed in the spacious hall.

  “When I say fairies you probably think of gold-hoarding, pop culture leprechauns, little girls in pretty dresses, and shoe-making elves. But today, we will discuss some of the ancient gods of the Celtic world. The two groups I will discuss today are the Tuatha De Danann and the Fomori.

  One particularly interesting aspect of Irish mythology is that the deities were not necessarily immortal. They had extended lifespans, much like some of the early myths about mermaids. The Tuatha De Danann are mentioned in all Celtic mythologies: however, only a few texts from the Celtic world survive. Existing before
humans in Ireland, the Tuatha De Danann were said to be the last race of deities to inhabit Caledonia. According to legend, the Danann battled and defeated the other races including the Fomori. The Tuatha De Danann had a formidable adversary in the Fomori, who were described as deities from the sea. Most accounts suggest the Fomori’s physical appearance was revolting to behold, though some retellings list attractive exceptions. When humans came to Ireland, it is said that Tuatha De Danann became the intermediaries between the other world and the human world.

  The afterlife of the Celtic mythos is different from the afterlives of other mythologies that you might be familiar with. They believed in reincarnation. The other world was merely a lovely place where one could reside before one’s next life began. It was said that a living human could stray into a residence of the Tuatha De Danann—the other world between life and death. Some legends feature a Tuatha De Danann producing offspring with a human during the human’s stay in their realm.”

  Wracking her brain for some connection between Danny and the Tuatha De Danann, Cassidy glanced at her friend, who looked just as baffled.

  “Wow, what a cute couple,” a student in front of Cassidy whispered to his friend.

  His friend looked and nodded.

  Cassidy followed the student’s gaze and saw Eadowen absent-mindedly stroking Taban’s cheek, while Taban napped on his friend’s shoulder. She knew many people who were affectionate with their friends, but there was something intimate about the way Eadowen touched him. She wondered why Taban had referred to Eadowen as a friend and not as a partner. Frustrated with herself for letting her thoughts stray to an irrelevant issue, Cassidy swallowed her disappointment. She forced her attention back to the lecture.

  “Interestingly enough, some people have theorized that the Tuatha De Danann and other ancient gods were not gods at all, but exaggerated heroes or even another race of humans. This is absolutely ridiculous, of course. The Tuatha De Danann are primarily an Irish myth; however, there are many entities with similar attributes across all Celtic mythology. For example, who knows what a Kelpie is? Yes, you in the front with the purple hair.”