The Choice

by Cindy Cipriano

  “Yes,” Warren said through gritted teeth.

  Donnelly made a wide gesture with his left hand. Warren seemed to awaken from a trance. He looked at them in wild bewilderment and ran for the open window.

  “That should do it,” said Donnelly. “Give me hand?”

  The three of them worked to clean up after the brawl. The screen floated gently back into place and the window slammed shut, locking itself with a loud click. All broken objects reassembled in mid-air, leaving no evidence of their previous destruction, then glided back to their proper places. Warren’s blood faded into nothingness on the white carpet without a trace of a stain.

  “Think it’ll work?” asked Hagen, as they exited the rear of the house.

  “No doubt,” said Donnelly. “I just don’t know how long it will take.” He yawned loudly then massaged the muscles in the side of his neck. “I’m looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight. That tree is about as comfortable as sleeping on a porcupine’s backside.”

  “What about Brownshire?” Calum asked anxiously.

  “The hospital has far too many witnesses for Brownshire to pop in unnoticed,” said Donnelly. “And I don’t think he’ll show his face around here until he’s sure someone’s home.” He looked at Calum. “Don’t worry. I’ll be here when the Werners get back tomorrow.”

  With the trap set and reassurances from Donnelly, Calum found he was able to sleep a little better over the next few nights. He gradually eased into his Christmas break, even spending several hours outside with Gus on a snowy Christmas Eve, building a snow fort.

  Kenzie brought out mugs of hot apple cider as the last brick of snow was put into place. The three sat inside the fort, discussing Calum’s upcoming trip to Tusatha for winter Sidhe School. When their cups were empty, they returned to the snowstorm and built a cube-shaped snowman. Calum liked the fact their snowmen always looked different than others on the street.

  Kenzie dashed inside for the snowman’s scarf and hat, and Wrecks bounded out past her. The dog barked and bit at the still falling snow. He bounced around madly, running in short bursts, until he suddenly stopped in the drifts, spraying snow in all directions.

  Wrecks had spotted the snowman.

  For reasons unknown to Calum and his family, their kind, gentle dog absolutely hated snowmen. Wrecks growled and charged at the figure. Snarling and snapping he proceeded to chew halfway through the bottom of the snowman before Calum pulled him off, laughing. He was able to con the dog into going back inside with the promise of treats.

  Exhausted from hours outside in the snow, Calum fell into a deep and dreamless sleep that evening. He awoke on Christmas morning thankful he’d been spared from the funeral nightmare. He hoped he’d experienced the last of that awful dream.

  Calum joined Kenzie and Gus in the living room for the traditional Ranson Christmas breakfast of soft-boiled eggs on thick toast. A fire crackled in the oversized hearth, the flames dancing in the mirrored reflection of the glass ornaments on their Douglas Fir Christmas tree. The tree was beautiful even though it was a little off balance. Wrecks had found the lower branches to be just the right height to scratch his back. He routinely rubbed against the bottom of the tree, knocking several ornaments to the floor.

  “Wrecks. No.” Kenzie replaced the ornaments for the third time that morning. “Give him his present, maybe he’ll stop doing that.”

  Calum gave the dog a three-foot-long rawhide bone. Wrecks nosily munched on the toy while Calum and his parents opened their gifts.

  “This one’s from me and Dad,” said Calum, passing a small, thin box to Kenzie.

  She opened the lid and lifted out a silver locket on a long slinky chain.

  “Look inside,” Gus prompted.

  Kenzie opened the locket and smiled. “Pictures of my two favorite fellas,” she said. “I love it.” She gave them both a hug before slipping the necklace over her head.

  The shrill ring of the telephone made Calum jump. “I’ll get it.” He snatched the ringing phone from the coffee table. “Hello.”

  There was no answer.

  “Hello?” he repeated. He heard the caller’s phone crash to the floor. There was the sound of a struggle, then a shout and a scream.

  “Calum,” Laurel said in a choked voice. “Get over here.” The phone clicked dead in his ear.

  Kenzie grabbed his hand and they were running out their front door, the telephone crashing to the floor.

  “Where’s Donnelly?” asked Calum, panting to keep up with her. “He’s supposed to be there.”

  “He heard the Hobayeth call this morning,” said Gus. “It was coming from Devil’s Peak. He said he was going to check it out but he should have returned by now.”

  They reached Laurel’s house and without breaking her stride, Kenzie cut the air with her right hand and the front door swung open to take them inside. Kenzie rushed up the stairs to the nursery, Gus and Calum two steps behind her. The sight that met them was one that Calum never expected to see.

  Inside the wooden crib was a beautiful baby girl, still sleeping, unaware of the chaos around her. Two bubbles surrounded her crib and trapped between them like a bug under pressed glass was Brownshire. He was mouthing, really screaming something no one could hear.

  Andrea stood in the far corner of the room, her face pale against the grass-green walls. Rob was trying to pull a struggling Daniel away from Brownshire while Laurel thrust the fireplace poker directly at the brownie.

  “What’s he doing here, Calum?” Laurel asked in a surprisingly even tone.

  Donnelly rushed into the room, Hagen right behind him. “He’s caught, but not by our trap.” Donnelly gave Laurel a suspicious look, then turning to Hagen he said, “Get Daniel under control.”

  Hagen helped Rob drag Daniel away from the crib. The movement seemed to awaken Andrea, and she screamed, “Get that thing away from my baby!”

  Kenzie crossed the room and wrapped her arm around Andrea. “Mary’s fine, see?” she said in a calm voice. She pointed to the sleeping infant. “She has no idea what’s going on. Just take a breath and we’ll sort this all out. Okay?”

  “I doubt it,” said Rob, pushing between Kenzie and Andrea. He pulled Andrea to him then turned on Donnelly. “Did you say you set this trap here? What did you hope to accomplish other than putting Mary at risk? All of you need to clear out of here, now.”

  “And then what?” Andrea whimpered. “We can’t take care of this by ourselves.” She gazed childlike into Kenzie’s face. “Please help us,” she pleaded.

  “We are,” said Kenzie, clasping her friend’s hand.

  “Laurel, any time you’re ready,” Donnelly said gently.

  “What?” asked Calum. “Laurel?”

  “She’s the one who did this. She’ll have to be the one to undo it,” said Donnelly.

  Laurel stared at him in disbelief. “I didn’t do anything.”

  “Yes, you did,” said Donnelly. “Think about what you were feeling when you came into the room.”

  “I saw Brownshire, and I wanted to squash him like a bug,” said Laurel, angrily shaking the fireplace poker in the brownie’s face. “And so I…” She trailed off mid-sentence.

  Donnelly rubbed his eyes. “Look, he’s not going to survive in there much longer. You need to turn him loose so we can find out where Finley is.”

  “I can’t,” blurted Laurel. “I don’t know how to let him out. I don’t even know how he got trapped in there.”

  “Yes, you do,” said Daniel, jerking free from Hagen’s grasp.

  Donnelly stepped between Daniel and Brownshire. “You’ve got to keep your temper,” he warned.

  Daniel raised his right hand. “I’m okay.”

  Calum stared at Laurel. Could it be? All those months ago The Ceremony of the Three Clans worked? We actually gave her the talents?

  No doubt, thought Hagen.

  Brownshire’s movements became more animated. He thrashed vainly against the bubble, trying to escap
e.

  “He’s losing air. There’s not much time left. Do it now,” Donnelly ordered. “Or he dies and we lose Finley forever.”

  Calum rushed to Laurel and put his hands on her shoulders. “Come, on. You’ve got this, I know it.”

  Laurel closed her eyes and took several slow breaths while everyone else in the room seemed to hold theirs. She cocked her head to the right and the outer bubble burst. Brownshire fell to his knees, gasping for air.

  “Plaga,” said Donnelly. Golden ropes sprang from the nursery floor and wrapped around Brownshire’s ankles like thick vines.

  “Let me go,” said the brownie, still sucking in deep breaths.

  “Not until you tell us where Finley is,” said Donnelly. “Do it now, before this really gets interesting.”

  “I cannot tell you,” Brownshire breathed deeply, “where he is.”

  “He’s wasting our time,” said Calum. He knew it would be quick work if Donnelly used his talents, but Calum rather hoped he’d use his fists.

  “Torin’s blocked him from telling anyone,” said Donnelly. “It’s a verse he uses to keep secrets from being told.” He stepped closer to Brownshire. “Rumpo devotio.”

  Brownshire’s hands flew to his neck. He cleared his throat and looked at Donnelly curiously.

  “Let’s try it again,” said Donnelly. “Where’s Finley?”

  “That Addition was more trouble than he was worth. It should have been him,” Brownshire said, pointing to Hagen.

  Donnelly gripped Brownshire by his throat and raised him off the floor, the vines still clinging tightly to the brownie’s legs. “I should put an end to you right now.”

  “Dad,” said Hagen, tugging on Donnelly’s sleeve.

  Donnelly threw the brownie to the floor. “Tell me where he is!”

  Brownshire sat up coughing and hacking. “I think you already know,” he spluttered and looked at Kenzie. “But some of you just don’t want to face the facts. Besides, I was really doing Finley a favor. He seemed to enjoy bringing strangers into our mound. First Daniel, then Laurel and Calum. So I gave him a new vocation. One that would allow him to bring strangers to their eternal home.”

  Kenzie flew across the room and landed a kick to Brownshire’s face. “You bring him back this second,” she screamed.

  “What are you talking about?” Calum asked.

  Brownshire wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his hand. “You see, dear brother, Finley is as good as gone. His world is completely backwards from ours. Finley’s lost in a place where he will never cross paths with a grasswalker.” The brownie chuckled and looked at Donnelly. “You already know what’s happened to him. Surely some of Torin’s intelligence managed to seep into that thick skull of yours.”

  Anger flashed in Donnelly’s eyes. “You did it to Finley. You will bring him back.”

  Calum prepared himself for the beating he knew Donnelly would deliver to the brownie. He wanted to turn away, but found it was impossible to do so. Just as Donnelly lifted Brownshire to his feet, the window flew open and a gust of hot wind blew into the room.

  “Everyone, get down,” Donnelly yelled, sharply tugging Hagen to the floor. “It’s one of Torin’s curses.”

  Calum felt himself being knocked down, Gus lying on top of him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Daniel dragging Laurel to the back of the room where Rob and Andrea stood. He grabbed them and pulled his family to the floor.

  Brownshire began to scream. Struggling against the vines wrapped around his ankles, he turned this way and that, trying to dodge a cloud of stinging sand. Calum watched in horror as the unyielding sand bit at Brownshire, piercing his skin with tiny holes that steadily grew larger until the brownie had completely disappeared. The sandstorm hurled itself out of the open window, leaving behind the shredded remains of the golden vines that had tied Brownshire to his death.

  N

  All night and through the next morning, Calum just knew he’d hear from Laurel. Surely her parents appreciated what Calum’s family had done, saving Mary Grace from the same fate that had fallen on Daniel so many years before. He imagined Rob walking Laurel over to thank him and his family for protecting the Werners.

  Calum wanted to hang out at home in case Laurel showed up, but Kenzie reminded him she needed his help for the after-Christmas sale at Siopa Leabhar. Calum begrudgingly walked with her to open the shop but was later glad he did. The rush of customers helped take his mind off Laurel.

  The bookstore stayed busy as regulars came in with fifty percent off coupons they’d received in their customer appreciation gift baskets. Kenzie had stocked the baskets with different varieties of her sassafras tea, which, combined with the coupons, would have any normal bookstore quickly selling out of new releases. However, Siopa Leabhar had a never-ending inventory of books in the storage room. Calum spent the morning refilling shelves as soon as they emptied.

  Hagen and Tullia arrived in time to help in the café during lunch. Several customers had to eat their meals in various seating areas around the bookstore as every booth and counter stayed occupied well past four o’clock.

  “We can finish up here,” said Kenzie, taking a cloth from Calum’s hand after he and Hagen had wiped down the vinyl seats of the end booth. “I’d like you guys to run an errand for me.”

  “Sure,” said Calum, feigning interest in the task. What he really wanted to do was go home and crash for a few hours. He couldn’t remember a busier day at Siopa.

  “An errand to The Four Corners,” Kenzie added with a grin.

  That perked him up. “Yes,” he said enthusiastically.

  “I need an agate pendant. Tell Rebeccah it’s for Andrea and the baby.”

  Calum looked worried. “I thought they were safe now.”

  “This is just in case,” Kenzie said reassuringly. She handed him her Bart. “Give this to Rebeccah to settle up my account, too. Okay?”

  Calum took the coin, then he and Hagen hurriedly pulled their coats from the hall tree by the entrance to the bookstore. “I’ll be back soon,” he said, going through the door with Hagen.

  A few minutes later, Calum regretted not taking the time to put on his gloves. His hands were freezing. He thrust them deeply into the coat of his jacket as they trudged through the snow. Calum really didn’t like the winter. The days were too short, and if it wasn’t already raining or snowing, the sky looked as if it might do one or the other at any minute.

  “Hey, what did Brownshire mean when he said Finley wouldn’t cross paths with a grasswalker? What’s a grasswalker?” Calum asked as they walked to the polder.

  “We are,” said Hagen. “Everyone is. That’s what we call Sidhe who are among the living. That’s why it doesn’t make sense. If Finley’s still alive, he’s a grasswalker too.”

  “He is still alive,” Calum said pointedly.

  “I know, I know,” said Hagen. “That’s what I mean. He’s a grasswalker, so why wouldn’t his path cross ours?”

  They left the sidewalk on the edge of town and walked into the woods. Calum couldn’t shake the feeling they were not alone. He turned to look over his shoulder a few times as they walked down the path to the polder, but he only saw two pairs of tracks in the snow. This was the long way to the polder, and it took a few minutes before he saw the slight indentation in the forest floor.

  A loud snap caused Calum to spin around. “Who’s there?”

  “It’s just me,” said Laurel, stepping out of the woods.

  “What are you doing here?” asked Calum. “Is Daniel with you?”

  “No, he’s at home, covering for me,” said Laurel. “I had to see you guys.”

  “And now you have,” Hagen said a little gruffly.

  “What’s your problem?” asked Laurel.

  “My problem is, we just saved your entire family and your dad’s still being a jerk,” said Hagen.

  Laurel punched him hard on his arm.

  “Ow!” said Hagen. “Cut it out, you know I don’t hit gi
rls.”

  “Knock it off, both of you,” said Calum. “What’s going on, Laurel?”

  “I had to see you because…” she hesitated, “because I think I really do have talents and I need to learn how to control them.”

  “Well, we’re kind of on our way out of town right now,” Hagen said coolly.

  Laurel looked down and kicked at the clumps of snow around her feet.

  Give her a break, Hagen. Can’t you see how hard this is for her? thought Calum.

  Hagen sighed loudly. “What’s your dad say about what happened last night?”

  “He still thinks one of you trapped Brownshire. He refuses to believe I did it,” said Laurel. “But I can tell he’s starting to change his mind. Especially since…”

  “Since when?” asked Calum.

  “Since Daniel accidentally stopped a plate from falling off the table during breakfast this morning.”

  “And by ‘accidently’ you mean he didn’t catch it with his hands, right?” asked Hagen.

  “Right,” said Laurel.

  “But how is that possible?” asked Calum. “We didn’t even have the chance to do the Ceremony of the Three Clans for Daniel.”

  “Maybe he was in Devil’s Peak long enough to get the talents after all,” said Hagen.

  I doubt it, thought Calum, remembering what Uilleam had said.

  “So will you help me?” asked Laurel.

  “Of course we will,” said Calum. Hagen rolled his eyes.

  “We’re just going on an errand. Can you meet us here in two hours?”

  “I should be able to sneak out. If it’s okay with you, Hagen,” she said tentatively.

  “Yeah. Just don’t punch me again,” said Hagen, rubbing his arm.

  “Thanks,” Laurel said in an almost breathless whisper. “It’s pretty scary to have these talents and not be able to control them.”

  “Hey, want to see something me and Calum learned how to do?” asked Hagen.

  “Sure,” said Laurel.