Airy nodded. “I don’t get any of it.”
“Follow me,” he said leading the way across campus and into a park on the other side of the football field. After walking single file down a narrow path he came to a stop in the middle of the woods in a place where the trees had thinned out. Fehin glanced at her and then began moving his hands in patterns.
When a tiny perfect medieval village appeared on the ground in front of him she clapped her hands in delight. “I knew it!” she said, smiling. “You’re like me.”
Fehin grinned. “This is a typical European town from the mid 1200’s, the time period on the test. I thought it might help to visualize it.”
Airy stared in fascination at life going on below her. Carts filled with produce were being pulled along by miniscule horses. A high-pitched shout drew her attention to a small boy running away after stealing an apple. A man ran after him brandishing a club. There were soldiers marching across the drawbridge, their helmets shining in the sun. She turned to Fehin, her eyes bright. “You must be the one from the island—the boy I was supposed to meet. Corra said our destinies were connected.”
Fehin pushed his hair back with both hands, trying to focus on the over-excited girl. Gunnar would be furious that he’d revealed his magic. “I don’t know any Corra,” was all he could think to say as the tiny village disappeared in a puff of smoke. What he showed her was only the beginning of what he’d planned. He muttered a few words under his breath and then Airy lowered herself onto the ground and closed her eyes.
Fehin hurried away. He’d been a fool to trust her with this. What she’d said about destinies disturbed him considering the conversation he’d overheard between Gunnar and his parents before he left. Was she right about the two of them? Something was definitely drawing them together. And what about the butterflies and bees? This was no normal girl.
By the time he got back to campus he was late for his math class, slinking in to find a seat in the back. The professor ignored him, continuing to write numbers and undecipherable symbols on the blackboard. This was Fehin’s most confusing class. And today, with his mind on the girl asleep under that tree, he was even more distracted than usual. He’d probably caused her to miss her next class. He had to steer clear of her until he could determine who she really was.
12
Airy opened her eyes and gazed around, wondering why she was here. Where was Fehin? She looked down at the wristwatch her mother had forced on her and jumped up.
By the time she reached campus and looked at her watch again she decided to skip the class. There was no point in arriving five minutes before it ended. Turning her mind back to how she’d come to be in the woods made her feel light-headed. Fehin wouldn’t have just left her there. She must have imagined it. Was talking to trees and animals so unusual? Maybe she’d had her ‘powers’ all along and didn’t know it. The medieval village appeared in her mind, complete with cows and sheep and carts pulled by horses. It did help to visualize it, but she needed a lot more if she was to pass the test. And she knew in that moment that it wasn’t a dream.
She waited for Fehin outside the student union but he didn’t show up. Maybe he didn’t like her new look. Storm had assured her it was very ‘now’, especially with her newly pierced ears and the earrings she’d borrowed. But was it wise to take advice from a girl who dressed all in black day in and day out? She frowned. If this change in her appearance ruined her relationship with Fehin he was shallower than she thought. But then again, some of this new look didn’t even fit for her. Even so, she had to try it out.
When she reached into her back pocket her fingers curled around the small envelope from her grandparents. They had invited her to Halston for Thanksgiving and had even offered to come down and pick her up. She wondered if Fehin had any place to go for the holiday.
***
It was the week before Thanksgiving before she saw Fehin again. He’d skipped the World History class they shared and hadn’t shown up at the student union for several days. The only reason she noticed him this time was because of his plaid shirt. The bright reds and blues caught her eye as he hurried away from her. She took off after him, nearly falling in her haste to catch up. Heels were not meant for running.
“Are you avoiding me?” she asked, trying to catch her breath as she grabbed hold of his shirt.
When Fehin turned he stared right through her. “No. I’m just busy,” he answered.
“Fehin, what’s wrong? Is it my hair? It’ll grow back.”
“It’s not your hair, Airy. I just have to buckle down and study. I can’t spend my extra time talking to trees.”
Airy blanched. “The way you said that sounded like you don’t believe me.”
“Maybe I don’t.”
Airy frowned. “I thought you were my friend.”
“Do friends have to believe every crazy thing the other one says?” He moved away from her, continuing on his former route across campus.
“You are a horrible person!” she yelled, anger boiling up inside her. How could she have trusted such a jerk? A moment later clouds massed and roiled in the sky, and a jagged streak of lightning struck a pine tree less than two hundred yards away.
Fehin stopped in mid-stride and turned back, his eyes wide. A second later he was by her side, his fingers digging into her flesh. “What did you just do?”
“I…I didn’t do anything,” she said, wrenching away from him. “Why don’t you leave me alone!” she screamed. Above them the dark clouds opened, sending torrents of rain down and within seconds they were both drenched.
Fehin dragged her across the slippery flagstones and under an overhang. “You caused this storm,” he said, watching her. “What else can you do?”
Airy stared at him angrily. “ I certainly did not cause this storm. The only thing I can do is talk to trees, oh, and animals and birds and insects and frogs and snakes. Other than that I’m perfectly normal. Every single thing on the earth has a spirit, you know.”
“You are anything but normal, Airy. Maybe you were right about the destiny thing.”
“You mean on the day you pretended you weren’t even there?”
Fehin’s face turned beet red and he couldn’t meet her eyes. “I’m sorry about that. I thought you were…”
“You thought I was like any other girl here. Well, I’m not. I come from a long line of seers and apparently I have skills that I didn’t think of as skills. I lied when I said I lived in Europe. The truth is I come from a place called the Otherworld. I thought everybody could do what I do.”
“The Otherworld? That’s where you live?” Fehin looked about to cry as he reached out and touched her cheek. “I’m so sorry, Airy.” He reached for her and then she was in his arms and felt his heart beating fast under his plaid shirt. It felt so good until he pulled away. When she looked at him he seemed worried, his eyes clouded as he gazed at her.
“What does this mean?” he asked. “Are we supposed to be doing something together—some destiny that I don’t know anything about?”
She reached for his hand, not wanting to lose the connection. “I don’t know,” she said, twining her fingers through his. “All I know is that my destiny is linked with a boy from an island that only I can see and that somehow we are supposed to be a bridge—but a bridge to what I have no idea.”
“A bridge.” Fehin looked over her shoulder into the distance. He shook his head. “I come from the future. I live on an island that I conjured. And even though I haven’t been there, I know all about the Otherworld. I can do a lot of magical things. I can read minds. But building a bridge? I have no idea how to do that.”
Airy shushed him with her hand and then leaned close, placing her lips on his. She’d never kissed a boy before and when he kissed her back with his arms tight around her, she trembled. Once they pulled apart they stared into each other’s eyes for several long moments. Finally Airy broke the silence. “At least we like each other again. So tell me about this island you made. What
year do you come from?”
“2468,” he answered.
“2468? How is that possible?”
“How is talking to trees possible? My mother lived here in Milltown before I was born. If we look in the newspaper archives in the library I bet I can find an article about her.”
“Is she a witch?”
Fehin shook his head. “She’s psychic and she used to do readings at the Crystal Guide here in town.”
“Let’s look her up,” Airy said, pulling him by the hand. “And later maybe we can go to the Crystal Guide. I bet they have a book on herbal lore. There aren’t any classes and it’s what I’m most interested in.”
“You mean like healing herbs or teas?”
“Both, but mostly I make tinctures and potions. But I have a lot more to learn.” She pulled open the door of the library and led the way inside.
It took an hour to find the Milltown Gazette article dated June 13, 2011. It said:
Gertrude Besnick’s disappearance and presumed death at sea in the fall of 2010 has sparked the re-release of her last book, published after she vanished. The Tower has since become an international best seller and been at the top of the list for months.
Airy stared at Fehin. “The Tower is on the reading list for my Modern Lit class!”
Fehin looked surprised. “Wow. I haven’t even read it. She wrote another one earlier. It’s called The Hanged Man. Are you familiar with the Tarot?”
“Not really.”
At Airy’s puzzled expression, he continued. “I was born in the future but I was kidnapped by a sorceress when I was a year old. My mother searched for me and then gave up because she thought I was dead. That’s when she came back here. But in reality I was living with Loki.”
Airy’s confusion deepened. “Loki is…?”
“The Norse God of fire. He’s also known as the trickster god. He raised me until I was six.”
Airy watched Fehin’s eyes darken with the past. “You didn’t see your mother for five years?”
“Someone got a message into the past that gave her the idea that I might be alive. Mothers and their cubs.” He threw his hands into the air and then laughed.
“It’s not funny, Fehin. It sounds terrible for you and for her. How old were you when she came back?”
“I was six when she worked out a deal with Loki.”
“And when you conjured the island?”
“Seven. I’ve lived there ever since.”
“Only seven years old? Wow. I wasn’t supposed to come into my powers until this year.”
“But you told me you’ve been able to do these things your entire life.”
“I didn’t know they were special. I just had my sixteenth birthday so maybe I’ll discover other things I can do.”
“I did too.”
Airy heard Fehin say something but when she looked at him his mouth was closed. “Telepathic communication?” she asked, surprised.
Fehin smiled and looked down. “Just thought I’d try it out. And I thought you should know that my mother spent time in the Otherworld. It’s where she met my father and where I was conceived.”
Airy heard a noise behind them and looked toward the door. Someone had just entered the darkened room where they’d been perusing the microfiche archives. A second later something smashed into the back of her head. She heard Fehin’s scream just before she blacked out.
13
It was dark as pitch now that the machine had been hurled to the ground. Fehin was trying to locate Airy when he caught sight of the person who hit her. Unbelievably it was Wolf. “How in hell did you get here?” he asked his brother.
Wolf smiled, showing teeth that had a distinctively canine look to them. “Hell, indeed,” he said. “It was easy—I followed you.”
“But I was with Gunnar on the boat.”
“I guess you could say I stowed away.”
Fehin moved to Airy and picked up her limp hand. “Why in Loki’s name did you hit her?”
“She was getting on my nerves and I wanted to talk to you.”
Fehin put his fingers on Airy’s wrist feeling for a pulse. It was steady. “So what is it?” he asked, lifting Airy into a seated position.
“I need your help to get my powers back. My mother had good luck here in Milltown so I thought that I…”
“I can’t help you,” Fehin said, pulling Airy closer.
“Oh, I think you can. I’ve seen your handiwork.” Wolf stared at him, his eyes narrowing. “And if you don’t I’ll really hurt this girl you seem so fond of—maybe not today, but soon. You know I’m telling the truth.”
Fehin tried not to let the creeping revulsion overtake him. Yes, he did believe him but he wasn’t about to admit it. “Get out of here,” he said, focusing on Airy. He knew his brother was gone when the putrid air in the room cleared. And a moment later Airy opened her eyes. “What happened?” she asked, rubbing the back of her head.
Fehin helped her up and the two of them headed out of the library and then slowly made their way across campus toward the dorms. On the way he explained about his brother, trying to ignore the look of horror than came across her face as he talked about their common father and the past. He tried to make it as succinct as possible but who wouldn’t react badly to hearing about the man who orchestrated a war in the Otherworld? Airy’s mother knew Brandubh as well as anyone and if the woman had any idea that Fehin was involved with her daughter she’d be horrified as well.
By the time they reached the stairwell, Airy’s face was as white as the walls. “What are you going to do?” she asked in a small voice.
“I don’t know. All I know is I have to keep you safe.”
The plan they came up with was risky and required Storm’s cooperation. “How will you get her to agree?” he asked after they’d gone over all their options.
“I’ll think of something. You know if you get caught in my room you’ll be expelled.”
Her wide-open eyes looked huge in her small face, making him long to hold her, but now was not the right time. “Being expelled is the least of my problems. You and I are supposed to be on some sort of mission that neither of us can figure out, and now my vile brother has come on the scene. If you get hurt because of me I’ll never forgive myself.”
“It wouldn’t be your fault,” she said, laying a hand on his cheek.
“Yes, it would.” He kissed her gently on the lips and then pointed up the stairs. “Go talk it over with the pirate and let me know what she says.”
“The pirate?” Airy laughed. “That’s good, Fehin. I won’t tell you what she calls you.”
Back in his dorm room Fehin stared at the floor. Brent was out for the moment, probably in a bar downtown drinking with his buddies. He’d invited Fehin along a couple of times but the idea of spending a minute longer than he had to with the guy did not appeal. Fehin was tired of listening to his ear-splitting music and watching him masturbate to pictures of naked women on the Internet. Yes, he knew all about masturbation now, had even tried it a few times. But he didn’t do it in front of Brent or anyone else. The guy was a disgusting beast.
But Wolf was worse than that and dangerous as well. He would kill Airy without any remorse whatsoever. Thank the gods Wolf didn’t have powers. He had to figure out how to get rid of him. But after an hour of coming up with nothing he decided it was time to call on Gunnar.
***
Fehin was in the woods where he’d taken Airy, trying, unsuccessfully, to call on the druid. The forest stood silent around him, an aura of waiting permeating the atmosphere. He’d been at it for twenty minutes before he felt a change in pressure, signaling the druid’s arrival. “What took you so long?” he demanded.
“I’m not at your beck and call, Fehin. And I sincerely hope this is something important.”
“Is Wolf being here in Milltown important enough for you?”
Gunnar narrowed his eyes. “I suppose that comes under the category of compelling. So when did this happen?”
“He told me he stowed away, so he’s been here as long as I have—doing what, I have no idea.”
“Scoping things out, probably. What did he say he wanted?”
Fehin scoffed. “What do you think? He wants his powers back. But the worst of it is he’s threatened Airy.”
Gunnar raised his eyebrows. “Ah, so you’ve met.”
Fehin pressed his lips together. “If you know anything about whatever this is we’re supposed to be doing you’d better tell me. I’m really pissed that you didn’t say anything before.”
“Pissed? That’s a new word for you, isn’t it? I guess you’re learning the modern lingo.”
“Don’t change the subject. I mean it, Gunnar. If Wolf hurts her, I’ll…”
“You have powers and he doesn’t. How is he going to hurt her?”
“Have you seen him lately? He’s a fucking brute.”
“More language. You seem to be picking up all sorts of new words while you’re here.”
Fehin watched him without speaking and then probed his mind, getting a glimpse of something he hadn’t seen before. Gunnar knew Wolf was on that boat. But a second later the druid shut him out.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he yelled.
Gunnar grew serious. “He’s part of it, Fehin. Wolf is part of it.”
“And what is it, exactly?”
“I don’t know. If I did I’d tell you.”
“So I’m supposed to put up with Wolf and at the same time complete some destiny I don’t understand?”
“You can manage it. I’ve seen what you can do.”
“What about Airy? She’s at risk as long as my brother’s around.”
Gunnar sighed. “She’s not some sniveling weak-willed girl. She’s the daughter and great granddaughter of two very powerful women and coming into her own. Who knows what she can do?”
“She’s scared and so am I.”
“That’s the proper response to danger, Fehin. You two make a good team.”
Bridge of Mist and Fog Page 6
