-Two-
Reunion
A week after Logan’s birthday party, the school year started. Normally, I would have dreaded the day, for I wasn’t the most popular kid in school, but at least I’d get a chance to escape my room. Mom had been right; I had become a recluse. And for some reason, I entertained the idea that the Morrigan and her ilk would avoid harassing me at school. I hoped I was still right.
Thomas picked Tully and me up at the end of our street in his family’s gold van. He had already been to Will’s house. I smiled at my friends as I climbed in.
“So, ready for our senior year?” Hey, might as well act cheerful, right?
“Yeah, sure, a whole year stressing about filling out college applications and waiting to hear back. So exciting.”
I brushed aside Will’s negativity. He was under a lot of pressure to get into a good college. He had spent most of his summer researching one university after another. At least he’d
been productive. What had I done? Oh yeah, I’d wasted my summer by hiding in my room and avoiding the outdoors as often as possible. But I had gone into the swamp to practice archery, something I thought I might be improving on. Finally.
“I’m ready for all the perks that come with being a senior,” Thomas added, answering my question.
I wouldn’t call exclusive lunch rights to the front lawn or the chance to take study hall for one of our class periods perks, but I shrugged anyway.
Thomas reached forward and changed the station before pulling out onto the next road.
We met Robyn in the parking lot, her usual Goth-inspired attire flawless. The teal streak in her hair had faded and appeared to be a little longer than the last time I’d seen her. I hadn’t spent much time with Robyn over the summer, only seeing her twice at Tully’s in the first few weeks after school let out. Despite her hair, she was just the same as always.
“Hey people! Ready to wreak havoc and cause mayhem? We’re seniors!”
I would have laughed, but Robyn would wreak havoc and cause mayhem, given the chance. I had enough chaos in my life without even trying, so I merely shook my head, giving her what I hoped was an impish grin.
A few minutes later the bell rang and our talk of the long-lost summer and what our big plans were for the year came to an end. Shrugging my backpack further up my shoulder, I headed down the hallway to find my first class.
I spotted Adam Peders, Josh Turner and Michaela West along the way. They all glared at me. I gritted my teeth, then paused. These were the people who had tormented me since middle school, but hadn’t I already been through a lot worse than what they’d ever been able to dish out? Hadn’t I survived an attack from the Morrigan, a powerful Otherworldly being? Hadn’t I recently learned I was Faelorehn, immortal, and potentially capable of unfathomable power?
I laughed out loud, startling the three lemmings that used to be the bane of my existence. Key word there; used to be. I lifted my chin, adopted the haughtiest look I could muster, and strolled right past them as if they were nothing more than snails on a wall. Michaela’s gasp of outrage was particularly enjoyable.
Oh yes Robyn, I thought, I am definitely ready to wreak havoc and cause mayhem.
* * *
That first week flew by and I found myself facing a weekend of homework. Okay, maybe being a senior wasn’t going to be that glorious after all. I spent a good portion of my Friday night getting my math done and working on an essay for my literature class. By ten, my eyes felt like they were caked with glue. I piled my books onto my desk and headed for bed. Sighing, I stared at my ceiling and did what I’d been trying to do since before the start of summer break: not think about Cade MacRoich.
Eventually I did get to sleep, but woke with a start several hours later. I blinked away the bleariness in my eyes. Had I been having another nightmare? I couldn’t tell. I rotated my head to look at my alarm clock. Four fifty one, in bright red, glowing letters, glared back at me. I groaned. Really? Why couldn’t my stupid dreams let me sleep until at least seven?
I tried to go back to sleep, but I just tossed and turned until it started to get light outside. Finally, I got up. In a haze, I walked into my bathroom and turned on the shower. Perhaps it would lift my spirits.
Once done with my morning routine, I threw on a comfortable pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt (a favorite ensemble of mine) and returned to my desk. Time to get some more homework done or waste a good hour or two on the internet.
A scratch at the sliding glass door drew my attention. I leaned back in my chair and glanced over. Ah, Fergus. He’d been a common sight at my door all summer, so I blew out a breath and hit the button to turn on my computer. When the scratching continued, followed by a whine then a sharp bark, I got up to go find out what the spirit guide wanted. He never seemed to want attention from me before, but there was always a first for that.
I unlocked the door and slid it open. “What’s up Fergus?”
He backed away from me, panting and doing a little dance. Weird . . . Only when he turned to head down the horse trail, pausing long enough to glance back at me with his big brown eyes, did I realize he wanted me to follow him. My heart jumped into my throat. Was Cade back?
I threw on a jacket and stepped into some shoes. The morning was chilly, but I knew by noon it would be hotter. Not that I needed it to be any warmer at the moment. My heart raced and I dashed after the wolfhound, my mind abuzz with a million thoughts. Could Cade truly be waiting down the trail for me? Would he be glad to see me? Would he be recovered from the encounter with the Morrigan? Would he leave right away after talking to me? Would he have news from the Otherworld? Would he kiss me again?
I shivered at my last thought. Although I had convinced myself the memory of Cade kissing me had simply been imagined due to the trauma of coming darn near close to death, I couldn’t help but wish it had been real. Almost every night, the scene replayed in my mind and I tried hard to remember the satisfaction of being held in his arms; the gentle touch of his lips pressed against mine, but the recollection of those sensations would not surface and I forced myself to accept them as semi-forgotten dreams.
I turned the corner and passed through the willow trees covering the land bridge over the swamp. A few more steps brought me through to the other side. And then I spotted him, standing dead center in a wide clearing, Fergus sitting and panting contentedly by his side. Cade MacRoich.
My knees buckled, bringing me to a dead stop. Stupid knees. He wore his trench coat, as usual, his arms crossed over his chest. As soon as he spotted me, however, he pulled down his hood and smiled. Oh, what that one action did to me . . . I took in his height, his posture, his face. He looked well, much better than the walking zombie he’d been when we last parted ways. His dark red hair almost glowed in the sunlight and his beautiful face no longer resembled a gaunt, white mask. But the light in his eyes proved he had finally recovered; dark green and sparking with life.
“Hello Meghan.”
I forgot about my knees. I forgot about my thundering heart. I even forgot to keep that safe distance I always placed carefully between us. Apparently, I forgot to think as well.
Letting out a small squeak of joy, I bolted from where I stood and threw my arms around him, trapping him in a full-body embrace. I was so glad to see him. Unfortunately, my mind hadn’t warned me about how foolish I appeared.
Fortunately, Cade hugged me back, making my imprudent behavior seem only a tiny bit ridiculous. Didn’t stop me from flushing beet red, though.
I let go and stepped away, but Cade kept his hands on my shoulders, holding me only a few feet in front of him. I turned my head. I blushed far too often in his presence, and looking him in the eye would only make it worse.
“Are you unwell?”
His voice was gentle, betraying a smidgen of concern. My heart swelled.
“Um, I worried while you were away,” I admitted.
Of course, I didn’t need to go into detail about how my concern was mor
e for him than myself.
“The faelah? You worried about them?” he asked.
I nodded. Chicken. Why was I so afraid to tell him how I felt? Like an idiot, I allowed myself to fall for him only to discover he had a goddess for a girlfriend (and then learning she wasn’t his girlfriend after all), right before he left me hanging for the entire summer, wondering if I’d ever see him again . . . Ugh. I guess you could say my emotions had been banged up a bit.
He used his index finger to lift my chin so that I looked him in the eye. Drat. His had darkened even more. Mine, I couldn’t say what color they took on at the moment, but if my nerves were any indication, I’d say they resembled a slide show gone berserk.
“Nothing attacked you, though, right?”
The hard tone of Cade’s voice sent prickles down my spine. Why must he be so appealing?
“No,” I finally managed.
He sighed and dropped his finger from my chin and released my other arm. He ran his hands through his hair and stepped away.
“Good,” he said.
“I did run across a few things, over the summer, but only some more of those gnome creatures and they didn’t bother me.” I thought it best to make practical conversation as I recovered from being so close to him. “Oh, and a Silkie just last week.”
Cade arched an eyebrow. “A Silkie?”
I nodded, wrapping my arms around my torso. A chill settled on my skin for some reason, as if leaving Cade’s embrace also took away all my warmth.
“Logan had his birthday party at the beach, and when we went to the tide pools I noticed a woman in the water with a seal skin draped over her shoulders. She caught me staring, then pulled the skin tighter and transformed back into a seal.”
Cade seemed to have stopped listening to me. He grew still and his face turned stony. “Logan?”
I blinked up at him, my mind blank. His height still astounded me. He stood a good eight or nine inches taller than me, and I was the tallest girl in my high school.
“Who is Logan?”
Uh . . . ? Had I never told him about my brothers? “My little brother.”
Could I have been imagining things, or did that information cause him to relax substantially? Had he been worried? Jealous? A tingle of joy pulsed through me, but I squashed the stupid sensation and told myself I was being delusional again.
I cleared my throat. “So, how have things been in the Otherworld?”
I know it was a lame thing to say, but moving the conversation, even in the small talk direction, was better than silence.
Cade arched a brow and cast me a sidelong glance. Okay, was he trying to make me blush? Or was I just that pathetic?
He shrugged and glanced away. Thank goodness. “I’ve managed to keep most of the faelah from trickling through the dolmarehn I’m responsible for, but if you’re wondering if I’ve redeemed myself for breaking my geis, I’m afraid I have to disappoint you.”
Oh. I hadn’t been wondering, at least not until he brought it up.
“I’m sorry Cade,” I confessed quietly, stepping even further away from him.
I couldn’t imagine what being punished for saving someone’s life felt like. Because of his actions on the day I almost got mauled to death in the Otherworld, he ended up breaking his geis, his taboo. Violating a geis came with a heavy price. True, I didn’t know what his particular punishment was, but such a thing couldn’t be pleasant.
Cade moved closer, following me. He spoke low, and curse it, his voice made me go weak in the knees again.
“Don’t be sorry Meghan. I would make the same choice again in a heartbeat.”
Oh, how I wanted those words to mean he liked me back. Perhaps they did, and perhaps he was about to say so, but unfortunately Fergus’s bark interrupted any further conversation.
Cade tensed, and then forced himself to relax once more. “I’ve got to go Meghan.”
I just managed to exercise a bit of restraint before wrapping myself around him again.
“When will you be back?” I wanted to know.
He smiled. “As soon as possible. In the meantime, keep up your archery practice and be sure to check the oak tree every once in a while.”
I grinned back, despite my forlorn state of mind. I watched as he disappeared down the trail leading to the dolmarehn, the same dolmarehn that had thrown me into the Otherworld a scant few months ago. The memory of the ordeal made me shudder, but I focused on watching Cade for as long as I could. He was leaving, yet he promised to come back, and he had insinuated he would be dropping off messages in the oak tree. Love letters? I grinned in self-chastisement. Silly Meghan! When are you going to stop daydreaming about him? Unfortunately, my common sense told me the truth: never.
-Three-
Surprise
I spent the rest of the weekend in a fog of housekeeping and studying. I’d put off tidying my room for weeks and I had grown tired of wading through stray laundry to get to my bed. Besides, cleaning was the one activity I could actually accomplish while my mind was still caught up in the memory of seeing Cade.
By Sunday morning, however, I told myself to snap out of my weird funk and get some homework done. Moping around the house like some forlorn ghost would do me no good, and letting my grades suffer might have dire consequences. I turned on a classical music CD and got to work. To my delight, I only thought about Cade twice for the rest of the day. Maybe three times.
On Monday morning I woke up before the alarm clock, so I decided to get up earlier than usual. I showered, got dressed and headed upstairs for breakfast. My brothers nearly knocked me over as they ran circles around Mom. I grinned and managed to capture a bagel amidst all the chaos. I called a goodbye to my dad as I headed out the front door. I had every intention of walking down the street and catching a ride with Tully. As I angled down the driveway however, a sharp bark stopped me in my tracks.
Fergus stood by the old barbed wire fence denoting the road’s stopping point and the beginning of the equestrian trail that led into the swamp. He wagged his tail and turned around, trotting into the woods. A goofy grin spread across my face and I took hold of my backpack straps and followed him. When he stopped at the oak tree, a small twang of disappointment snapped in my stomach. Oh, so he wasn’t taking me to Cade.
Sighing and trying not to show my frustration too much, I stepped up onto a tree root and pulled the note out of the knothole on the other side. Fergus stared at me, panting as usual, as I unrolled the paper and began to read.
Meghan,
I hope your weekend went well. I’m very sorry I couldn’t stay longer and catch up with you or even witness your progress with your bow, but I’m glad I was able to get away at all.
Unfortunately, I fear I’ll be held up in Eilé for the next month or so, and will only be corresponding by letter. In order to make up for my rude neglect of you, do me a favor and take the back way to school this morning.
Sincerely,
C.M.
Despite my intense regret at learning Cade would be gone for a month, I smiled softly. He sounded truly remorseful that he wouldn’t be able to visit me. I tucked the letter into a backpack pocket and made a mental note to set aside a shoebox for them before taking out my cell phone and texting Tully, telling her I was going to walk to school that morning. It was still early, so if I didn’t dawdle I should make it before the bell.
Coastal fog curled along the trail and in the deepest recesses of the swamp. On a normal day, I’d be terrified to come down here on my own when it still wasn’t fully light, but I had Fergus, trotting silently ahead of me. For the first time since the spirit guide had been left with me, I wondered if Cade was suffering because of it. I dashed that thought away before it culminated into a full blown, single-minded desire to go back to the Otherworld to check on him.
A small flash of color and a chirp that sounded similar to a cricket’s stopped me dead in my tracks. I sensed myself going white. Were there faelah around? Why would Cade tell me to walk to s
chool if he had somehow let faelah slip past him? Was the Morrigan trying to set me up again? But, wouldn’t Fergus know if it was dangerous?
I turned to go back the way I had come, but Fergus blocked me. “No Fergus, perhaps this isn’t such a good idea after all.”
I started to text Tully again as I tried to get by him, but the wolfhound wouldn’t budge. In the next breath, something the size of a swallowtail butterfly fluttered past my ear, making the soft chirping sound. I screamed and threw my arms up to protect my head, almost losing my cell phone.
Now I caught a glimpse of what had been creating the noise and my mouth dropped open. Was that a . . . fairy?! I shook my head and blinked my eyes clear. The creature’s body, humanoid in shape, measured about the length my thumb and its brilliantly colored wings were somewhat translucent. I simply stood there, gaping and following the creature with my eyes. After floating in the air for a few minutes, the fairy landed among a thicket of ferns. Fergus pulled away from me then and trotted alongside the fronds, brushing them with his legs. What followed completely transfixed me. As he moved down the line of ferns, hundreds of the little fairy creatures took to the sky, chirping in agitation and flashing their multicolored wings. A living, breathing rainbow.
I was dumbstruck, and a sense of pure joy filled me as the fairies fluttered all around me. Wait, not fairies. In Irish lore fairies were more like humans, but with supernatural powers. The term ‘fairy’ might even apply to the Faelorehn. These charming faelah were most likely pixies.
Taking a deep breath, I tore myself away and started back down the trail, grinning like I’d received a dozen roses from a secret admirer.
Cade’s gift probably meant I’d be late for school, but the delay had been worth it. Whether the delightful little creatures were pixies or some other form of faelah, I couldn’t say. What I did know, however, was that Cade had more than made up for his so-called neglect.
Dolmarehn - Book Two of the Otherworld Trilogy Page 2
