“Aye, that’s a swagger,” Gwen called after him.
His laugh, raspy enough to sound unused, flitted back to her on the wind – then he was gone, leaving a thousand questions in his wake.
Chapter Nine
Gwen grabbed the bag of bread – miraculously still intact – and raced the rest of the way up the street. She burst through the front door of her gran’s house, her chest heaving as she struggled for air.
“Why, whatever is the rush, my dear? You certainly came in all in a tizzy,” Gran said, poking her head out from the kitchen at the back of the little house. A row house, attached to others on either side, the cozy home was set up like a square with a sitting room and a dining room in front, the kitchen in back, and three small bedrooms and one bath upstairs. Gwen supposed it wasn’t anything grand, but it had always been home to her and one of her favorite places in the world. She had fond memories of growing up dancing down the streets with the children next door and playing games in the small garden out back.
“Gwen who dances with fairies. That’s a true story, isn’t it? Not just a fairytale?” Gwen asked. Her heart seemed to stop beating in her chest as a moment of silence stretched between them.
Gran said nothing for a moment, but the truth was in her eyes.
Gwen held up a hand, stopping any words that might come out. “I can see it’s the truth,” she said, trying to wrap her head around the story.
“Oh, Gwen, I’m so sorry.” Her pint-sized Gran moved to stand in front of her, her tiny frame trembling with angst as she twisted the dishtowel between her fingers. “I should have told you – but how could I? Even I know it sounds crazy. And I wanted to keep you so badly – I loved you so much.”
Suddenly realizing that her gran was terrified she would be upset, Gwen snapped out of her thoughts.
“Are you kidding me? This is amazing!” Gwen swept her gran into a jig and danced her down the hallway, the older woman still light on her feet after all these years, and laughed. “Seriously, don’t you know how cool this is? I’ve always thought I was a bit boring, but I’m not at all! I have magick!”
Gran laughed as Gwen released her, but Gwen caught the shimmer of tears in her eyes.
“Don’t cry, please don’t. I’m not mad at you. I always figured there was more to the story about my parents, but since it seemed like such a painful subject to you, I just tucked it away. It wouldn’t and still doesn’t change what is – my love for you. You’re my family and that’s that,” Gwen said. She hugged her gran as tears ran in rivulets down the old woman’s still-pretty face.
“Oh, I’ve been so worried about this day. I should have known, I really should have known better. You have such a lightness in you – such a beautiful gift of optimism and seeing the best in everyone and every situation. I should have known you wouldn’t begrudge me this. But I was so worried I would lose you or you’d hate me.” Gran went back to the stove and stood there for a beat, taking a deep breath before filling the kettle with water. A time-honored tradition, making tea, in good times and bad, and the comfort of the routine seemed to calm Gran.
“I know you love me. You don’t have a mean bone in your body. There’s no way you would have tried to hide this from me unless you were worried it would hurt me. I know you, Gran. Trust me when I say this – I don’t feel betrayed. It’s just so exciting to think about all the fae legends and things I don’t know about. I mean, I’ve read about some of this stuff, but I have so much to learn,” Gwen said, dropping into a chair as the endless possibilities washed over her.
“Aye, fairies are very real, my child,” Gran said, smiling gently as she brought the tea to the table, arranging the cups just so and allowing the pot of tea to steep as she dropped into the chair across from Gwen.
“So, am I a fairy then? I mean… I guess I am, right? What can you tell me?” Gwen asked, reaching into the bag for the cookies. Now was a time for cookies if ever there was one.
“Aye, you’re fae. Or part-fae. I’m not entirely sure on the details of that,” Gran admitted, taking a cookie and biting into it. Gwen waited while the sugar did its work, then, when her gran looked a bit less tense, gestured for her to go on. “Well, as you know, I always told you the story of you dancing with fairies – that part was true.”
“I danced with fairies?” Gwen all but bounced in her seat at the thought.
“You did. I always wondered how I stumbled on you that day – it was as though I’d stepped through a wall into a new world,” Gran mused, her eyes going a bit dreamy as she thought back.
“What were you doing?” Gwen asked, taking another cookie from the plate. Calories be damned – she needed her energy.
“I’d gone for a drive that day and then a hike. I’m not sure what drew me down the coast, but I felt compelled to go. Oh, I’d been having one of my days – where I was feeling melancholy, missing Henry, and I suppose just out of sorts with life. You know I’m not one to fuss much over things, but everyone has their days.”
Gwen reached out to squeeze Gran’s hand. Henry had been her husband; he’d been lost in a fishing accident when a storm had rolled in and he’d hit his head, being tossed overboard. They’d never had children, so Gran had been on her own since then. Though Gwen knew that part of the story, she’d always assumed she was an orphan, and that perhaps she was just destined to be with Gran to keep her from being lonely. Since she’d had a happy childhood and loved her life, Gwen had never delved too deeply into the question of her parents. It hadn’t mattered – family was family.
“Anyway, I was fussing a bit and went for a drive down the coast, and ended up parking by some abandoned hills that were quite overgrown. I can’t quite remember ever having a yen to explore them before, but something drew me to them that day. At the time I thought perhaps I just needed a good walk to work off the head of mad I had going on. Now I know it was to find you.”
“I wonder if I should go back to those hills. Was it a fae village?”
“It was… like nothing I’ve ever really seen before. As I said, it was like I’d stepped through a veil into another world – perhaps another time. One second I was hiking up the hill, huffing out my mad, and the next I’d stepped into a field decorated for a party. I realize now it was a going-away party for you.”
“Oh… oh, just wow,” Gwen said, holding her hand to her heart. Why was this affecting her so?
“There were poles wound in flowers – almost like those maypoles, you know? And strands of streamers, flowers, and crystals – just hanging in the air, not attached to anything. Everything was alight and shimmering. And the fae... oh, they were such beautiful people – much like yourself – and they glimmered and shone as they danced and danced.”
Gwen brushed off her gran’s compliment. After all, she’d told Gwen all her life that she was beautiful. Seeing as how none of the men in the village seemed to second that sentiment, Gwen chalked it up to Gran’s love for her clouding her judgment.
“And in the middle, there you were. Oh, but not even a year old, just toddling for the first time, your steps uncertain, yet you laughed and laughed. You were this beautiful chubby baby that was all joy. All around you the fae laughed and smiled back, singing their magickal songs. I couldn’t not walk forward. It was as though I was being pulled to you – I had to go pick you up. I don’t know, perhaps compelled is the word? I wasn’t even scared or anything, though I certainly should have been. I just walked right into the middle of the circle and scooped you up – my dancing and laughing Gwen – and hugged you so tightly.”
“What happened then?” Gwen could barely breathe. She’d heard this story, but never through the lens of it being real. All of a sudden, every detail mattered.
“Everything disappeared. It was like a light switch had been flipped and all the flowers and dancing fae just…” Gran snapped her fingers. “…disappeared. It was the craziest thing. And there I was, in the middle of the hills holding a toddler I knew nothing about. And you know what you did?�
��
“I do, but tell me anyway,” Gwen said, smiling at her gran.
“You turned and put your chubby little hands on my face and kissed me. You were nothing but pure joy, and you’ve been nothing but joy my whole life. A gift is what you are, my beautiful Gwen,” Gran said, her heart in her eyes.
“I think you’re the gift, Gran. You’ve been the best thing for me – both mother and father – letting me be me. I have had an interesting, lively, and beautiful upbringing. I couldn’t have asked for more,” Gwen said, smiling at her gran over her cup of tea.
“You wouldn’t have, you know. You wouldn’t have asked for more. You never do. You’ve always been happy with your lot in life and whenever something bad has happened, you’ve flipped it in your mind until it’s good. It’s a blessing you’ve been to me, my Gwen. And I do have something for you. There’s part of the story you’ve yet to hear,” Gran said, rising and squeezing Gwen’s shoulder as she walked down the hall to the sitting room. Gwen heard her opening a drawer in her desk, but she zoned out as her mind skidded through all the knowledge she held now. Imagine a childhood fairy story turning out to be real! It was almost too much excitement for Gwen to bear, and she bounced in her seat yet again.
“After the fae disappeared, one lingered. I’ve not told you this, but she gave me a gift for you. One for when the time was right, she said.” Gran held out a small box, coated in crystals and jewels, with a paper rolled and tied with a bow.
“This is stunning,” Gwen breathed, placing the box gently in front of her, marveling at how the light bounced off every gem at once, making it seem like a disco ball of a box. It was odd, but she could feel the energy pulse from it, as though what lay within was meant for her. Gwen shook her head at her foolishness.
“As was the woman. I swear she was different than the other fae.” Gran laughed at herself. “Listen to me, talking like I know all about the fae. But she was different, I swear it. She had this glow around her and when she spoke it was like angels singing or flowers blooming… just this beautiful tone that almost resonated through you. Perhaps I only heard it in my mind, maybe she never even spoke out loud. But all she said is that you were meant for me and that, when the time was right, I should give you this gift. I asked how I would tell when the right moment came, and she promised I would know. In seconds she disappeared and I was left holding a laughing baby and this beautiful jeweled box.”
“What did you tell people when you got back?”
“I made up a story that a long-lost relative had died and left you an orphan, and I was next of kin. Surprisingly, no one ever really questioned me on it. I think the fae helped that along,” Gran admitted, sitting back to smile at Gwen. “Well? Are you going to open it?”
“Of course!” Gwen exclaimed. She first picked up the scroll, carefully untying the ribbon that held it closed. Unrolling the paper, she tilted her head in confusion at the line on the paper.
“Well? Oh, look at me, I’m all aflutter,” Gran laughed.
“It says, ‘Fire and Ice, Song by Song, Day by Night, One follows along.’”
“That… I don’t know what to say to that. I’m not sure what that would mean,” Gran said.
Gwen just smiled at her. “I’m certain there will be a lot that doesn’t make sense. We’ll figure it out, I just can feel it. In my comic books, there is always some clue and then a quest. I’m sure there’s more to the story here,” Gwen said, then gasped as she opened the hinged lid of the box.
“Oh, these are perfect… just completely me. They are meant for me,” Gwen said. She was unsure how she knew that, but she had no doubt.
Two cuff bracelets lay nestled on purple satin. The metal was gold, but antiqued gold, hammered out and etched with symbols unknown to Gwen. In the center of one was a stone of icy blue, almost white, and in the other, a stone of the deepest red.
“Fire and ice,” Gwen breathed, pulling them out to show her gran.
“Oh… oh my.” Gran’s hands hovered over the cuffs, but then she pulled back. “I feel as though I shouldn’t touch them. They’re meant for you. You’re right about that.”
Gwen nodded, not questioning Gran, and slid the first one – the ice – onto her right wrist. The metal twisted, morphing, and became a closed circle on her wrist – no longer a cuff.
“Did you see that?!” Gwen exclaimed, holding her wrist up in awe. “It’s a bracelet now. I don’t think it is meant to come off.”
“Thank goodness you like them, then,” Gran said, causing Gwen to laugh.
“Thank goodness indeed,” Gwen said, repeating the movement with the other arm, laughing again when the cuff became a solid bracelet.
“They really are stunning. And they just suit you. I wonder what they’re meant for? Or if they mean something – maybe you’re a princess!” Gran exclaimed, then covered her face with her hands. “Listen to me… I’m getting just as caught up as you.”
“It’s not a bad thought to have. Maybe I am a princess. Wouldn’t that be something?” Gwen chuckled, lifting her wrists to admire the way the light caught the bracelets. They weren’t heavy at all; in fact, if it weren’t for the power coursing through them, she probably wouldn’t notice she was wearing them at all.
“Do you think they would have done the same if you had switched what wrist you wore them on?” Gran asked.
“Fire was meant for my left… my heart,” Gwen said automatically, then paused. How did she know that?
“Hmm. I wonder if fire means passion. Oh… like love! Maybe you’ll find love?” Gran asked, excitement lacing her voice.
Gwen picked up a cookie and shoved it in her mouth before she could say anything. For the first thing that had entered her mind when Gran had brought up love was none other than an insufferable god of a man – Lochlain himself. And even she knew that fairytales didn’t work with princesses like herself. Loch was not meant for her.
Chapter Ten
“So this is our Protector?” Bianca asked, raising an eyebrow at the sulking man who lounged in the corner of the all but empty pub, his boots propped on a chair, his eyes cast out the window. The few people who did enter the pub were wise enough to give the leather-clad man a wide berth, and Bianca didn’t blame them. Who wanted to talk to a cranky, overly-muscled man?
Well, apparently some girls found the attitude attractive. Bianca sniffed as a blonde approached Loch, but he quickly shrugged her hand off his arm and dismissed her.
“Aye, he’s the one,” Seamus said, taking a sip of his pint.
“At least he’s not a man-whore,” Bianca said, watching him fend off another woman who dared to approach him. “What’s with these women anyway? Can’t they see he looks like an absolute pain in the arse to deal with?”
“I think it’s exactly his arse they’re thinking of, my love,” Seamus said, patting her leg.
“No brains in any of them, then,” Bianca said, dismissing the women and smiling up at Seamus.
“You can’t be telling me you don’t think he’s attractive?” Seamus asked, tilting his head at her in question.
Bianca looked over at Loch once again, studying his build, his moody eyes, and angular face.
“Aye, I can see the appeal, if that’s your type. He’s not hard on the eyes, I suppose. But all that muscle and attitude? No, thank you. I like my men all lean muscle and whip-smart brains. I’ve never been one for the brawny romance novel types.”
“I can romance the heck out of you, woman,” Seamus growled, burying his face in her neck and making her giggle as he dropped a kiss at the sensitive spot on her collarbone.
“Aye, you can at that,” Bianca agreed. “I’ve eyes only for you, my love.”
“Good, then you won’t force me to prove my manhood against the Hulk over there.” Seamus smiled again and took another sip from his pint, nodding his thanks to the waitress as she dropped a plate of fish and chips in front of him.
“Tell me about the Seeker,” Bianca said, biting a chip and then glaring do
wn at it before realizing she hadn’t doused it in vinegar yet. Grabbing the bottle, she poured a generous portion and waited for Seamus to speak.
“I think we’re going to like this one,” Seamus said, then filled Bianca in on the ice incident until she was doubled over in laughter.
“Must you tell everyone?” A shadow fell over her and Bianca straightened to see Loch glowering down at them.
“Not everyone. Just the love of my life. Bianca, this is Lochlain, a highly esteemed fae sorcerer. His magick is mighty, though his attitude be sour,” Seamus said, biting back a smile as Loch’s glare deepened.
“It’s pleased I am to be making your acquaintance,” Bianca said sweetly, dimpling up at him until the lines in his face eased a bit. Charm usually worked well for her.
“I don’t quite see why it is you’re both following me,” Loch said, his voice raspy, his eyes always scanning the room.
“Oh, you know, the fate of the world and all that,” Bianca said, taking another chip from the plate. “And because the Goddess Danu asked us to.”
“You’ve met her?” Loch said, showing actual interest for the first time.
“Aye, a couple times now. It’s quite a sight each time. I have to admit I do get a little fan-girl when I see her. It’s just… wow, you know?” Bianca thumped her ample chest and laughed. “Just kind of hits you in the chest and you can’t really breathe, but you don’t want to breathe or speak or miss a minute of it.”
“She’s a powerful presence, that’s the truth of it,” Seamus agreed.
“She’s not my favorite at the moment,” Loch said, and both Seamus and Bianca paused.
“Erm… why would that be?” Bianca raised her chin.
“That’s my business and not yours. I’ll deal with Danu when I finish this silly quest. For now, let’s find the Seeker and get on the way. There’s no point in sitting here and waiting for more Domnua,” Loch said, staring at their food pointedly.
Spear Song Page 4
