Adrift

by J F Rogers

  “Pepin!” I banged on the window. Why was he heading toward the woods?

  Stacy’s face lit up. We sprinted through the bedroom door, jostling each other in our haste. Decorative plates displayed in the hutch and on the walls rattled as we rushed to the kitchen. Breathless, we reached the door and fought to get out first.

  I won the battle and flung the door open. “Pepin!”

  My stomach sank. Where was he? He wouldn’t leave without coming to the house. Would he?

  I ran across the yard. Pepin stood on the path, a ginormous stone braced overhead. Thank God. I ran to the little man. “Pepin!”

  Startled, he stepped back, the rock tipped. Pepin righted the slab and sighted me. Recognition crinkled his face into a smile. Or a grimace? “Fallon.” His voice strained.

  “I see you grew your beard.” I rubbed my chin to illustrate my point.

  He grunted something resembling assent. Sweat moistened his sideburns. His typical ruddy complexion a bit redder than usual, almost matching his hair, he trudged forward with the monstrous rock. I followed him to two more. One lay on the ground, another planted on its end. So that’s what shook the house. Veins popping, he slammed the slab into the soil, standing it perpendicular to the first. Stacy and I splayed our arms to keep our balance as the world shook.

  Her eyes bulged. “How’d he do that?”

  “I told you, Stace. The pech are strong. They have abilities with stone I still don’t understand.”

  Pepin brushed his hands. Not that it did any good. Grime caked his stubby hands.

  “I remember. But wow.” She trailed her fingers over a planted rock, then nudged it. When it didn’t fall, she pushed harder.

  “Why are you building a megalith here?” I folded my arms across my chest, covering the BTS logo on my T-shirt. “What’s wrong with the one in the woods?”

  “Not safe. Need new.”

  “But it’s not far away. If it isn’t safe, how could this one be?”

  “Far enough. Move quick.”

  His response wasn’t right. “Stacy, do you understand him?”

  “Yeah. Shouldn’t I?”

  Gripping myself tighter, I faced Pepin. “You speak English?”

  A twinkle brightened his amber eyes. He pinched his plump fingers together. “Little.”

  “How?”

  “I travel. Remember?”

  “To my realm?” Hadn’t he said he traveled all over Ariboslia? He said nothing about visiting here.

  “Yes.” He planted his feet and picked up the last rock. Like a professional weightlifter, he grunted, his face distorted. He heaved the thing overhead and carried it toward the other two, sinking into the soil with each step. When he reached the others, he lowered the stone on their upright ends and left it balancing there, reminding me of faulty structures I’d created with blocks as a child. He pointed to the hole in its center. “Time. We go.”

  “Now? That’s so quick. Drochaid isn’t glowing.”

  He shrugged. “Sully sent. For you.”

  Sully. The seer? He sent Pepin? “Why you? Why not Cahal or…” Or Declan.

  He aimed a stubby thumb at himself. “Little pech. No one care.”

  So, this was how it would be.

  Why was I dragging my feet?

  ****

  I stood at the back door, my stomach twisted like a misused slinky. Last time I didn’t get to say goodbye. Perhaps it was better. Despite the scrapbook, Fiona and I weren’t close. Saying goodbye was odd, but not hard. Stacy. Stacy would be hard.

  The screen door slammed against the house as I strolled into the backyard. I adjusted the pack I’d been stuffing since my first paycheck and hoisted it over my shoulders. “I’m ready.”

  “How was Fiona?” Stacy stood and wiped her hands on her jeans.

  “She told me not to get lost.”

  She chuckled. “Gotta love her.”

  My old self wanted to rise and ask, “Do I?” But I knew the answer. Yes. I had to love her.

  I stared at the megalith. Rocks. A bizarre pile of rocks. Without Drochaid or another amulet that allowed travel through the realms, they were just rocks. But to me, they were more. A gateway to an alternate reality. I gazed into the center—the blank space that was my future.

  My last visit nearly killed me, physically and mentally. I wasn’t human. Not fully. I was half human and half gachen. A shape-shifter. I could turn into a falcon, for Pete’s sake. And my mother. She was still alive.

  But the fasgadair. This time, they’ll know me. If they discovered what my blood can do, I’ll be a human pincushion. Or they’ll kill me. Or use me as a pincushion then kill me. I dropped to my knees as the weight pressed on me. I’d had an entire school year to process all I’d learned, all I’d experienced. Wasn’t that enough? Was I ready to deal with whatever this trip might bring?

  God, help me.

  Stacy rushed to my side. “Are you okay?” She snugged an arm around me.

  I took a deep breath. This was more difficult than I expected. I forced a smile. “I’ll be okay.”

  “I’m going to miss you, Fal.” Tears streamed down her face. “At least this time, you’re not disappearing without a trace. We won’t think you ran away and get the police involved.” Tears dripped onto her shirt. She waved toward Pepin, his arms crossed, his foot tapping. “And now I know you’re not insane.”

  I choked out a laugh. “That’s a plus.” My eyes welled up as I hugged her. “I’m gonna miss you, Stace.” I squeaked out her name. My stomach dipped as if I’d taken a dive on a roller coaster. I gave her a weak hug. When she released me from her vice grip, I wiped the dirt from my jeans and zombie shuffled toward the megalith.

  “Where’s Wolf?” We couldn’t leave without him.

  “Other side. I check. Safe. You wait.”

  Pepin crawled under the rock. His head disappeared, then his torso. Only his bottom-half remained. Where his upper half should have poked through the other side was nothing but dirt, grass, and air. He shuffled forward and disappeared.

  Stacy gasped, her wet eyes wide, hands covering her gaping mouth.

  “How’d you think it worked?” I laughed.

  “It’s just so weird to see.”

  I knelt to follow when Pepin’s head nearly collided with mine. His furry eyebrows rose, then closed in as he backed up, bumping the stone above him. “I say wait. Why you no wait?”

  “Well, I—”

  “I say wait. You wait.” He pointed a chubby digit in my face as his caterpillar uni-brow danced across his forehead.

  “Okay, okay.” I pushed back onto my knees.

  “’Tis safe. Come.” His face disappeared, followed by his beckoning sausage fingers.

  “Bye, Stace. You are loved.” I gave a final wave, took a mental picture of her tear-streaked face, then crawled through the megalith to whatever lay on the other side.

  Chapter Three

  ◊◊◊

  LIGHT DAZZLED ME. I swatted away tears, but everything remained blurry. My contacts. I plucked them out, and my surroundings came into focus. Ah. No more contacts. One benefit of Ariboslia. And now, it was certain—I wasn’t crazy.

  I breathed in the sweet air and memories of my visit. As before, everything appeared brighter and sharper, even from a considerable distance—without corrective lenses. Sunlight bounced off a rippling lake. Multicolored small birds fluttered over its surface. Each snatched a water bug and landed on a bare tree nearby, twittering as they went, then repeated the process like a dancing rainbow.

  This was the Ariboslia view of my backyard? If I had my bearings, my house would be underwater. The first megalith should be in the woods to the left. There must be a clearing beyond the trees. In this realm, the first megalith was in a field.

  Rocks crashed behind me. I swung around. Pepin wiped his hands next to a pile of rocks that had once been the megalith. “Does that pile look like this in my realm too?”
/>
  He nodded. “The only constants between the realms are megaliths and time…that I know of.”

  “I hope Stacy wasn’t standing too close when they fell.” I imagined her face, wet with tears, staring at the felled rocks. “You should have warned her.”

  Pepin shrugged.

  The image of Stacy crying out, crushed under rocks chilled me. Knowing her, she might’ve tried crawling through. I shook it off. No. If she’d been too close, she would’ve jumped away when they moved. Right? Yes. She was fine. No sense worrying. I couldn’t do anything anyway. And she was quick.

  Beyond Pepin stood a forest of dead trees with spindly, bare branches. “It’s the beginning of summer. Why are the trees all dead?” So strange. In one direction, the place reminded me of heaven. On the other, Halloween.

  The birds’ playful twittering turned to alarmed squeaks. They banded together and darted off, disappearing into the horizon. Had I scared them, or had something else?

  “Lower your voice. Let’s not attract unwanted attention.”

  “But you…” I motioned to the rocks. Like knocking those over wouldn’t attract attention.

  He grabbed a satchel resting against the rocks. “They’re not dead. They’re fur trees.”

  “Fur trees?” He couldn’t mean fir trees.

  “Yes. Do you not have them in your realm?” He shifted the weight over his shoulder. “I don’t recall seeing any in my travels.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “They shed their fur in the summer when it gets hot. You should see them in the winter. Beautiful.”

  Yup. I was in Ariboslia. Time to stop trying to make sense of things.

  “You’re not speaking English anymore, are you?” So much for not bothering to seek understanding. That lasted one nanosecond.

  “No. You have Drochaid and Stacy is gone. There’s no need. This way.” He pointed to the right of the lake, toward the fur trees. “We must reach Kylemore before dark. Grab your pack.”

  I slipped my arm through one loop and fumbled with the other. Something flew at me and knocked me down. “Ow.”

  Wolf nudged my face with his muzzle.

  “Wolf!”

  “Shhh!” Pepin bulged his eyes as if to say, “Didn’t I tell you to be quiet?”

  I righted myself and threw my arms around Wolf, burying my face in his fur, savoring the moment.

  Pepin cleared his throat in a less-than-subtle manner. I released Wolf and scanned the woods. Without leaves, there wasn’t much privacy. “Do you need to change?”

  Wolf shook his head.

  “Don’t you have a lot to tell me? Plans? Where we’re going?”

  Wolf blew air out his nose and shook his head again. His shaggy mane billowed. He circled me, cinched my pack in his teeth, and tugged.

  I grasped the straps. “What are you doing?”

  He refused to release, so I did. “Fine.” My belongings thudded to the ground. “What do you want with it? Or do you want to wear my clothes?”

  Wolf drooped, his eyes half-lidded, unimpressed. He snorted and shifted his attention to the pack for a couple seconds, then tilted his head at Pepin.

  Pepin snatched my bag. “He wants me to carry it.”

  “Why?”

  “Ariboslia has changed. It’s more dangerous. Especially at night. We must reach Kylemore before sundown. We’ll take shelter there, then travel to Bandia. If I ride Wolf and you fly, we might make it. Be on the lookout for danger. Warn us before we meet it on the ground.”

  I gulped. That’s what we did when Ryann was killed.

  No. I couldn’t think that way. The past was the past. Everything happened for a reason. Time to move forward. “Which way?”

  “Southeast.” Pepin aimed through the dead forest. “Kylemore is a village in the trees. You won’t find it. Keep your eye on us and potential danger.”

  Tiny bubbles burst in my stomach, sending ripples throughout my body. Fear of getting caught shape-shifting in my world stopped me from doing it often. Here I hoped to have many opportunities. The mere thought of soaring above the tree line made my fingers and feet tingle.

  I changed. My wings flapped to disentangle myself from my clothing. Once I found an opening, I folded my wings and hopped to freedom. Pepin picked up the pile and shoved it into my bag. “How much did you pack?” He removed his own, more modest satchel and heaved my pack onto his back. Good thing he was strong. Otherwise, he might topple. He draped the strap of his own over his head, then settled upon Wolf’s back. Wolf’s legs buckled a second under the weight. Pepin, sandwiched between two packs, didn’t have wiggle room. Guess I shouldn’t have packed so much.

  Wolf gave me a quick nod and bolted into the dead forest. I took to the sky like a kid bounding downstairs on Christmas morning.

  It required fancy maneuvering to navigate the branches, and I was out of practice. But I made it to the blue sky. The wind rushed through my feathers. The creepy trees weren’t gloomy from these heights. It would be easier to spot danger and keep track of Wolf and Pepin without the foliage.

  How I had missed this! Peace filled my soul. In the sky, I felt closer to God. I cut through the air and breathed in the sweet fragrance of wildflowers. A cool breeze pushed my feathers, lifting me higher into the quiet sky where the sounds below failed to travel. So peaceful.

  The sky darkened in the distance. But nothing would sway my joy.

  I circled back for Pepin and Wolf. Had they fallen behind? I probably flew faster than Wolf could run carrying his load. Pepin seemed solid, like the rocks he so loved. He must weigh a ton.

  I located them and flew ahead again, circling like a buzzard who’d spotted roadkill.

  Evergreens infiltrated the fur trees. Wolf disappeared beneath their needles, then reemerged. The sky darkened as storm clouds advanced.

  A prickly sensation swept over me like someone was watching me. My eyesight was better in this form. I could track anything chipmunk-sized or larger moving on the ground …assuming it was unobscured by the greenery. A few rodents and a rabbit scrambled into hiding at Wolf’s approach. But that was all. Nothing suspicious.

  Was it following me? I couldn’t turn my head without flying in that direction, so I circled around. Nothing.

  But that feeling—that ice-cube-on-the-back-of-the-neck feeling—wouldn’t go away. Something was following us. Did Morrigan have spies? I flew ahead of my friends as if nothing was wrong, then tucked into a dive and spun in the air.

  A bird swooped behind a tall pine.

  Chapter Four

  ◊◊◊

  I FLEW TOWARD THE pine. A raindrop pelted me. More followed. The clouds let loose, pouring in sheets, soaking my feathers. I shivered.

  Seriously, God? Rain? Again? Don’t You want us to succeed?

  The pine blurred in the torrential downpour. I started through the storm clouds to rise above them, then stopped. What was I thinking? I wouldn’t see anything through the clouds. There’d be no way to keep an eye on Wolf and Pepin. I turned back to my friends. A gray mist blanketed the ground. My breath caught. Every nerve sent the same terrifying message—You’ll never find your friends in this. But getting separated wasn’t an option. Too bad I couldn’t text them. Ariboslia seriously needed cell service. I didn’t know where I was going. Why hadn’t they told me where Kylemore was, so I could meet them? Not that I’d find it on my own without a compass…or Drochaid.

  Oh no! Without Drochaid, I wouldn’t even be able to communicate with anyone. I had to find them. I. Had. To.

  Thick fog obscured my vision. I dropped altitude. I only saw a couple of feet in front of me. A tree emerged from the blur. I swooped to avoid it.

  God, help me!

  I banked left. A branch scraped my wing. I maneuvered between trees, above and below branches, with nothing but a few seconds to choose each course of action to avoid a collision. My heart raced with each near miss. This was no good. I’d kill myself fl
ying through these trees. And I’d never find Wolf and Pepin.

  I swooped down a few feet above the ground and transfigured. Too low. I fell on my knees in a puddle. Mud splashed me as I pitched forward, catching my fall with my palms.

  “Wolf!” I righted myself and spun. Rain matted my hair and washed away the mud. “Pepin!”

  I shivered and ran. “Wolf! Pepin!” The shower slowed somewhat. I still couldn’t see much. Or hear. The rain was too loud. I strained to listen, desperate for any evidence of my friends.

  My heart beat like an overly caffeinated drummer. I fought the urge to cry, clenched my fists, and screamed with all my lungpower, “Wooooooooolf!”

  I fell to my knees. But no sound rose above my heavy breathing and the pounding rain.

  Please help me find Wolf and Pepin.

  Something crunched to my right. I jolted.

  A low growl sounded. A furry face appeared, half obscured by a tree.

  “Wolf?” I backed away.

  The thing snarled and snapped its jaw.

  Not Wolf. A coyote.

  I ran, jumped with all my strength, and transfigured midair. My heavy wings fought to gain altitude. Teeth gnashing, the coyote leapt. My talon scratched something. His nose? He fell back to the ground as I retreated to the sky. The coyote snuffed, then took off running.

  I hadn’t become the coyote’s meal. My heartbeat returned to normal. But my situation hadn’t improved. If I didn’t find my friends, I wouldn’t have a way to communicate or protect myself. Or clothes.

  The rain was now a mist. The patchy fog had lessened. So, I circled. And circled. And circled.

  Please…please…please show me where they are.

  A smoke tendril spiraled, acting as a beacon through the trees. Hope escalated like a deep-sea diver running out of air. I flew toward the smoke, praying I’d find my friends at the other end and not something else.

  Chapter Five

  ◊◊◊

  I FLAPPED WITH ALL my strength. The smoke rose from under a felled tree. I landed on a nearby branch. Pepin bent over a pitiful fire, more smoke than flames. I wanted to cry, laugh, and yell as I hopped next to him, screeching. “Kak! Kak! Kak!”