An Immortal Descent

by Kari Edgren

  Short, fat fingers poked through the curtain. When the rest of her hands appeared, I pressed my palms upward.

  Mrs. Gibbon’s giggled with delight. “I feel it!” she squealed.

  Yawning, Ailish stretched out on the bench. “I see you’ve got it from here, Selah.” She snatched a pillow from the floor, tucked it under her head and pulled a blanket to her chin. “Wake me if’n you need any help.”

  Mrs. Gibbon’s voice cut across Ailish’s last words. “Blessed Brigid, patron saint o’ the Irish, please help an old woman. The rheumatism be a constant plague to me joints.”

  I sighed as power warmed my palms. Soft snores came from the bench, and I gave my head a quick shake to stay focused on Mrs. Gibbon’s joints rather than my own weariness.

  Minutes passed into hours. One by one, the more daring and desperate sipped from Calhoun’s bottle and then stepped onto the crate. Each time I did my utmost to conserve Brigid’s fire, while silently thanking Justine for insisting that I drink my fill from the spring yesterday.

  By the time the last pair of hands poked through the curtain, I had cured scores of illnesses, including chronic headaches, one dropsy, three more rheumatism, clotted arteries, the dry gripes, heartburn, baldness, ingrown toenails, rotten teeth, half a dozen cases of warts and boils, and the common cold. Though there was little to be done for one girl’s broken heart, I mended the numerous eruptions on her face and did my best to send her off with thoughts of finding a new beau.

  Ailish woke once during that time, grumbling something about nature’s call before rolling to her other side for more sleep. Not until the last coins had been pocketed, and Calhoun took his seat on the driver’s box did she wake for good.

  “Ouch!” she cried when her head smacked into the wall from the caravan’s sudden lurch forward.

  Already braced, I reached toward the curved ceiling to stretch the soreness from my back.

  Ailish sat up and mimicked my movement. “How’d you do?” she asked, half yawning the words.

  The horses picked up speed, and the bottles started a low rattle on the shelves.

  “He squeezed more than ten pounds out of those people.”

  She whistled under her breath. “Not bad for the first go. Calhoun never dared ask so much when I be on the other side of the curtain.” Her voice held an edge close to resentment.

  Well, let’s see. Perhaps because you’re descended from Cailleach and make people ill rather than heal them... I pushed the words aside, seeing no point in stating the obvious.

  “Where is he taking us now?” I asked.

  “Me best guess be Waterford. It’s a thriving port town and will bring in a hundred times what we made in Dunmore today. It’s also close to...” She stopped talking, as though catching herself just in time.

  “Close to what?” I pressed.

  “None o’ your concern.” She crossed her arms and looked away, a stubborn tilt to her chin.

  I had my suspicions, but decided to take a different approach to keep her talking. While healing the villagers, I’d realized the best chance of escape hinged on convincing Ailish that she’d be better off without me. In addition to our being mortal enemies, she had other reasons to wish me gone as my sudden appearance had led to her prompt expulsion from Calhoun’s show and what seemed an unwanted marriage. Certainly, with a little prodding, she would see the wisdom of parting ways.

  “Tell me,” I said, “what is your share of Calhoun’s takings?”

  This got her attention. She looked back at me, a sullen expression clouding her face. “A shilling from time to time.”

  “Is that all? I’d think as half of the business, you’d get a higher percentage.”

  She shrugged one shoulder. “Calhoun’s kept me fed and clothed since me da’s death, so I’ve never expected anything more.”

  He’d also kept her in bruises from what I could tell. Releasing a long breath, I let my gaze drift along the walls, purposefully looking everywhere but at her. “In the rowboat he mentioned a lad named Paddy.”

  “What of it?” she asked, the few words sounding more like a threat than a question.

  “Nothing. I just wondered who he is.”

  She considered the question for a moment. “Calhoun’s son.”

  I should have guessed. “Does he live near Waterford?”

  “Maybe. Why do you want to know?”

  It was my turn to shrug. “Just that Calhoun said something about a particular fancy the lad has for you.” I returned my gaze to her. “From the boat, I gathered you’re to be married.”

  The sullenness turned to a scowl. “Paddy can take his fancy to the devil,” Ailish muttered. “I’ll never marry that stupid bogger.”

  “It wasn’t my impression you had a choice.” I watched her closely, ready to push the point further. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe he said something about not needing your particular skills for a while and that Paddy could have you once you returned home.”

  She glowered at me. “And I said I won’t be having him.”

  The bruises on her face seemed to stand out even more, and I made a point of staring at each one. “How many beatings will it take before you finally consent?”

  “Don’t be worrying yourself for me sake. I can take care o’ Calhoun and Paddy.”

  “Really?” I scoffed, my anger getting the best of me. “And how exactly will you do that when it’s two grown men against one smallish girl?” The reality of her impending fate ran through my head. “Mark my words, once you’ve been beaten to an inch of your life, Paddy will rape you while Calhoun goes for the priest.”

  Fear flashed in her eyes, and I felt a pang of guilt for taking the detail so far. For the life of me, I’d meant to stop with the prospect of a beating, but the rest had just tumbled out of its own accord.

  “I’m sorry, Ailish. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “It’s not to happen.” She pulled up her knees and wrapped her arms around herself, as though forming a protective shield. “I won’t let it.”

  With another twinge of guilt, I pushed her distress to my best advantage. “Help me escape, and it won’t.”

  “How’s that? What’s to matter if’n you’re here or not?”

  “The answer’s so obvious, I’m surprised you can’t see it. Once I’m gone—”

  A wheel ran a rut, throwing us each off balance. My shoulder hit the wall with a jolt of pain, while Ailish just swayed from side to side like a roly-poly toy. Rubbing at the soreness, I straightened and returned my gaze. “Once I’m gone, Calhoun will have no choice but to keep you in his show.”

  She shook her head. “Paddy will just wait. Or he might decide to join us.” A shudder shook her small frame.

  “Does he live near Waterford?”

  “He does, about five miles north o’ the port.”

  “Without me in the way, you’ll have leverage with Calhoun. At a minimum, it will buy some time to find a more permanent solution.”

  This last bit appeared to have a better effect. “And where would you be going if’n I helped?”

  “To Wexford to meet up with my friends.” I crossed my fingers and offered a silent prayer. Please let them be there...

  She nodded, the slight motion nearly indiscernible. “I’ll think on your words.”

  I frowned, disappointed by the delay. “You realize time is of the essence, right? That every minute just brings us closer to Paddy?”

  “Don’t be getting your hopes up, Selah. I said I’d think on it, nothing more.”

  Well, that made two of us, as I needed to formulate another plan in case she refused to help me. Attacking Calhoun presented a series of dangers, the most grave of these being that if he really possessed Cailleach’s blood, then I might as well save the effort and just attack myself
. By the small chance we weren’t mortal enemies, once I dropped him, Ailish would no doubt incapacitate both of us again with a short trip to the Otherworld. And then it would be a matter of who gained consciousness first.

  These thoughts went round and round until my head was spinning from the various scenarios, all of which seemed to end with the three of us knocked senseless.

  There had to be another way. But how?

  I curled my hand around the memory of Henry’s last kiss and pressed it to my heart for courage. Even if I failed, I knew he wouldn’t stop until the wretch was dead and Nora returned safely to London. This assurance offered a glimmer of light in what seemed to be an ever-expanding darkness.

  A loud whistle mixed with the crack of a whip to hasten the horses. Ailish pulled her knees tighter, somehow making herself even smaller. A long while passed in this fashion, the grim silence interrupted only by the incessant rattling and creaking of the caravan. I began to tap my foot on the floor with growing impatience. She raised her head and gave me an odd look, which I answered by lifting a brow in question.

  Will you help me or not?

  Releasing her arms, she twisted around to rap on the wall behind the driver’s box.

  Calhoun put his mouth to the small slatted opening. “What do you want?” he growled over the cacophony of pounding hooves and wheels.

  Ailish turned to kneel on the bench, and stretched her neck to reach the opening. “I’ve got to make water,” she yelled.

  “Hold it, me lass. We’ve no time to be wasting.”

  One small hand tightened to a fist. “Stop the horses,” she said, “afore I piss on the floor.”

  I agreed with the sentiment and silently thanked her for the stubborn insistence.

  Calhoun didn’t say anything more, but after a minute the horses slowed to a stop. Grumbling, he jumped from the driver’s box and walked around to the door. It swung open, revealing a world awash with fog. Swaths of wild grass and thorny vines grew alongside the narrow dirt road. Just beyond, trees reached over the caravan from either side, their branches nearly touching overhead.

  Anxious to be out, I put a stocking-covered foot on the first step when Calhoun held up a hand to stop me. He then peered at Ailish, who was busy rummaging through the cabinets. “Tie a rope around her waist, will you,” he told her.

  I huffed a protest. “You’ve got to be jesting.”

  Something hard glinted in his good eye. “Not a wee bit, Miss Kilbrid. You’ll soon learn that I take care o’ what’s mine.”

  My chin tilted up a notch. “How fortunate that I don’t belong to you, nor anyone else for that matter.” I leaned farther on the step in challenge. “Please excuse me, I’ve nature’s call to attend.”

  He didn’t budge an inch. “Come, come, me lass. That’s no way to treat your new master.”

  The man truly thought he owned me. “A pox on your delusions, Calhoun. I’d rather die than be tied to a thieving scoundrel.”

  “You saucy brat,” he growled, raising a hand. “I’ll teach you to talk back.” I braced for the strike, but he just brushed a finger over the eyepatch.

  “Why you want her leashed?” Ailish asked innocently, though the answer was beyond obvious. “Worried she’ll try to run?”

  I gave him an expectant look that bordered on a smirk.

  Calhoun dropped his hand, and I heard the distinct sound of teeth grinding together. “The idea crossed me mind, you numbskull. Now do what I say or you can both piss in a pot for all I care.” He turned and stalked away to wait.

  Ailish tossed something on the floor near my feet. I glanced down to find a pair of walking boots. “Put those on.” She turned back to the cabinet to rummage some more.

  Retreating back inside, I leaned against one of the barrels for better balance and pushed my toes into the worn black leather. The fit was a bit snug but better than the alternative, as my boots and every other possession had been left behind on the Sea Witch.

  Ailish moved to my side, a coarse rope clenched in one hand. “Hold your arms up, Selah.”

  I eyed the rope, rather annoyed at the prospect of another trussing. “Is this really necessary?”

  “That all depends. Do you want out o’ the caravan or not?”

  “Fine,” I snapped, while thrusting my arms upward. “Just don’t make it too tight.” The ring of bruises still marred my skin from Julian’s stunt with the tree root, and I had no desire to aggravate the wound. Nor any of the other scrapes and bruises I’d manage to collect since leaving London, though in truth, none hurt so much as the burn on my neck.

  Oh, to be able to heal myself...

  A breath cut through my nose from the trail of ice that crept over my skin, just beneath Ailish’s hands. I shivered once before she completed the knot and scurried out the open door. Judging by the pink tinge to her cheeks, the close proximity had been equally distressing, and if nothing else, would serve as a reminder of the need to part ways sooner rather than later.

  Calhoun turned the moment our boots scuffed against the dirt. “Go that way.” He pointed to a section of woods directly across from the caravan. “And be quick about it, afore the bandits come out and strip us bare.” He swept a nervous look from side to side.

  Ailish moved with seemingly little care for any bandits. I grabbed my skirts and followed close in tow, shooting furtive glances through the heavy fog that grew thicker at each step. Calhoun remained on the road, his amber cloak standing out against the dark red caravan.

  We walked about five feet apart, Ailish leading the way over the thorny vines and past several thin tree trunks. I started to wonder at her destination when she stopped at a gigantic ash and patted the rough bark. “This should do.” Sparing no consideration for additional privacy, she squatted over the tree roots, her green woolen skirts bunched to the side.

  I looked over my shoulder, catching a glimpse of amber still near the caravan. “Have you thought of my offer?” I whispered.

  “That I have.” She glanced up at me, her face blank. “The pissing be easier down on your hunkers, you know.”

  “Save the instruction.” I lifted my own skirts to join her. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to know what to expect. Are you willing to let me escape unharmed?” Or must I devise another plan.

  Standing, she nodded. “I’ll not be stopping you.”

  Excitement leapt inside me. “When should we do it?” I stood and brushed out my gown.

  “Is it a tea party you be having in there?” Calhoun bellowed. “Hurry up, or I’ll thump you good and hard.”

  The rope tugged on my waist. “Come on,” Ailish said.

  I fell in line beside her. “Tell me when,” I hissed.

  She didn’t answer, just quickened her pace until I was trotting to keep up.

  “Ho, there you be,” Calhoun said when we reached the thorns and grass. “Damnable fog. I feel them bandits breathing down me neck already.”

  Ailish stopped in front of him. “Where you taking us first?”

  “Home to see Paddy. He’ll be mighty pleased to have you in his bed at last.”

  “You can’t make me marry him—”

  Calhoun struck fast, the back of his hand cracking against Ailish’s cheekbone. She fell to her knees, pulling me down beside her on the road. He bent over us, his face white with rage. “I can and I will, mind you.” He raised his hand again, ready to strike another blow.

  Power leapt to my palms. “Leave her alone,” I said, my voice low with menace.

  Calhoun straightened and glowered at me. “I’ve Cailleach’s blood, Miss Kilbrid. Touch me, and you’ll get the same in return.”

  I glowered back. Well, that answered my questions about his heritage. The power receded, chilled by his blatant reminder of the law that governed our different kind.

&nbs
p; Ailish hadn’t made a sound yet, not even a whimper when he’d struck her. She shifted and slowly pushed to her feet. I stood as well, brushing dirt and pebbles from my hands. “Don’t worry yourself, Eanin,” she said meekly. “Calhoun knows what be best.”

  I had to bite my tongue to keep from yelling. How could she just give in to him so easily? And why did I even care? They were the same blood. They deserved each other.

  Calhoun chuckled. “That I do, me lass. Now get inside and don’t let me hear another word. If’n we work the horses, we’ll be home by sundown.” He strode off toward the front of the caravan. “Paddy’ll be pleased as pie to see us...” The rest of his words trailed off as he climbed to the driver’s box.

  Ailish scrambled up the steps to the door. “Wait here,” she told me, ducking inside.

  I hardly had time to breathe before a saddlebag hit me square in the chest. “Take this.” My arms moved instinctively, and she jumped to the ground, holding two ratty mushroom-brown capes and a burlap sack.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, dumbfounded by the series of actions.

  “Running away.” She slammed the door closed, louder than necessary, and flipped the latch in place.

  My mouth fell open with surprise. “But...but—”

  “Hush up afore he hears us.”

  A whistle cut through the air, followed by the snap of a whip across the horses’ backs. The caravan rolled away, slow at first, then picking up speed. I didn’t move a muscle, just watched until it vanished into the fog.

  Chapter Ten

  The Barest Form of Life

  Another minute passed before the sound of pounding hooves and spinning wheels faded to nothing. Silence settled around me, and I blinked several times, hardly believing the sudden turn of events. Heavens above! I was free of that horrid man, free to find Henry and my friends, free to save Nora from Cailleach’s wretch...

  My thoughts slammed to a halt. “What were you thinking?” I demanded.