We were finally on our way. I sank down into my seat on the plane. O’Hare to Dublin. I knew it would be a long night. Jake and Fanny quickly fell asleep. They looked almost cute all curled up in their seats, leaning on each other. Suddenly they looked small to me. Still kids.
What are we doing? We’re just three fourteen-year-old kids. I felt guilty that I’d pulled Jake and Fanny into my wild goose chase. We were sure to get into ginormous trouble. They’d probably have the cops out looking for us three runaways. If they did respectable detective work, they’d figure out that we were the three fast-talking kids that got on the plane at O’Hare. Then they’d know where we were going. We might have the whole of Ireland looking for us before we even got there.
While Fanny and Jake slept, my mind became increasingly filled with doubts. Maybe we should call our parents when we get there and apologize. Jake and Fanny could blame me. That’d be okay. I’d take the heat. I owed them.
I was tired. More tired than I’d been my whole life, but I couldn’t sleep. In a way, if they rounded us up in Dublin and sent us home, it would be the best thing that could happen. The end of running. No responsibility for saving anything. I’d have to face Muriel the Mean but hey, I’d just whipped her butt without touching her. I thought she’d probably steer clear of me after that. Maybe even pack up her stuff and hit the road.
But it occurred to me that maybe they wouldn’t even look for me. Muriel might just decide to let me go. Why would she care? If she couldn’t torture me at will, what would be the point? And Zombie Man? I wasn’t sure he’d notice I was gone. It might take weeks for him to find my note. And when he did, would he care? Really, would he even care?
That thought made me cry. It sucks to have no parents.
I silently cried for a while but then found that I had no more tears to cry. If they didn’t come after us, it would make our job a lot easier. I’m on my own now. I’m free.
I leaned back, closed my eyes and finally slept. I saw beautiful hills of green. An old cemetery with large stone crosses. This is a weird dream. Then I saw the torc – beautiful and golden. In my dream, I stood in a landscape with rolling green hills and the torc hovered in front of me and glowed. That was my dream as I flew to an unknown future.
PART TWO
Training the Modern-Day Priestess
You never can tell what a thought will do
In bringing you hate or love –
For thoughts are things, and their airy wings
Are swifter than carrier doves.
They follow the law of the universe –
Each thing creates its kind,
And they speed o’er the track to bring you back
Whatever went out from your mind.
From “You Never Can Tell,” by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, 1850-1919
17. TO FAIR ÉRIE
Amazingly we all slept well that night. Maybe we were just exhausted and didn’t have a choice. Before we knew it, we touched down in Dublin.
Weary from the seven-hour plane ride, we practically stumbled down the steps and walkway to the custom’s agents. I sailed through without a problem, lying and telling the Irish customs guy that I was there on vacation.
“For how long then love?” he asked.
I hesitated because the truth was I didn’t know how long I’d be there. For all I knew, the Irish Garda would be waiting for us on the other side of customs and put us right back on a plane to the States. Or if we were successful we could be there indefinitely. Suddenly the words ‘two weeks’ popped into my head, and I realized that I was reading Jake’s mind.
“Two weeks,” I finally stammered out.
“’Ave a good holiday then,” the agent said. He stamped a 30-day visa into my passport and handed it back.
I stood on the other side of the wooden customs booth and waited for Jake and Fanny. They were taking a long time and I began to get worried that they weren’t being allowed through. But finally I saw them come out of the walkway together.
“I told you to let me do the talking,” Fanny said.
“I’m supposed to be your older brother. It doesn’t make sense that you would be the one talking for us.”
“It does if my older brother is a moron,” Fanny said. She smacked Jake lightly in the back of the head.
“Ow, stop hitting me.”
“Stop being a nub.”
I interrupted their gripping conversation. “You made it through. That’s all that matters. Come on. Let’s find a place to regroup.”
We found a free table near the baggage claim area where they had a few places to get food. We grabbed some coffee and bagels and promptly inhaled them like we’d never eaten before.
“What now?” Fanny asked.
“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m tired. We need to find a place to stay,” I said.
Jake pulled his laptop from his backpack, tapped into the Wi-Fi connection and began typing away. With the help of the Internet and some questions to a bored-looking but friendly currency exchange agent, we came up with a plan. We found an inexpensive youth hostel in Dublin, a short trip by Airbus from the airport. In the heart of the city, we’d be able to find some maps, rest a bit and come up with a plan.
Once we’d settled into our room, we all crashed for a while before heading out to find maps of Ireland. After our naps, we grabbed coffee in the self-catered kitchen and discussed our situation.
“What is it that Hindergog said?” Fanny asked.
“About what?” asked Jake.
“You know, about where to go. Didn’t he give us a clue,” Fan replied.
“I don’t know,” I said. “It seems so long ago that we talked to him. In fact, I’m not even sure we did. Doesn’t this all seem sort of like a dream to you guys?”
They both just stared at me. Could they see that I was losing my steam? Could they see, even without the ‘sight’ that I was close to bagging out?
“You’re not chickening out, are you?” asked Fanny.
“No, I’m not chickening. It’s just, you know, we don’t even know where we’re going. I mean, this is just stupid. We could end up sitting here in this frickin’ hostel for weeks without knowing where we’re supposed to go. We could run out of money before we find anything.”
“Calm down, Em,” said Jake. Other folks in the eating area were starting to look at us. “Hindergog was real. Well, at least as real as any hologram is. That little dude was there. We all saw him. We all heard him. You gotta’ get a grip so we can figure this out. We have to use our brains and our technology to figure out these clues,” said Jake.
We talked out the things that Hindergog had said. Jake wrote down our clues in his notebook but before long, he ignored our chatter and typed on his laptop.
“What are you looking for?” I asked.
“I’m searching for old churches and monasteries. That’s the best clue Hindergog gave us. Remember, he said that the torc was buried near a church.”
“Yeah, but there have to be tons of old churches here. It could take months to search them all,” said Fanny.
“I don’t think so. He also told us that Cathaír rode past the Slieve na Calleigh hills on his way to bury the torc. I found those on a map, so that narrows the list.
Jake read the list out loud and talked about the area where each was located. He pointed them out on the maps we had spread out on the table in front of us. I was only half listening, bored with Jake’s lesson in Irish geography and history. Yawn. And I couldn’t get what he was saying anyway because he was trying to pronounce the old Gaelic names and botched it badly.
Suddenly I had goose bumps going up and down my whole body. It was like something had jolted me out of my bored stupor.
“Wait,” I practically shouted.
“What?” said Jake.
“Read back what you just said. What was the name of the last one?” I asked.
“Monasterboice,” said Jake.
I got a chill down my spine when he said it. �
�That’s it!”
“How do you know?” asked Fan.
“I don’t know exactly, but when he said that, I got all goose bumpy and tingly. I’ve got chills going up and down my spine.”
Jake and Fanny looked at each other like maybe they weren’t sure whether I was off my nut or they should listen to me. But Jake turned his attention to his maps again and before we knew it, he figured out how to get there.
“We need to go north. County Louth,” he said at last. Jake examined the online bus schedule for a few minutes, then said, “Really not too far and won’t take long. We can hop on a bus here and be at a little town south of Monasterboice before you know it. There are small inns and a few hostels up there. We can find a place to stay when we get there.”
With that, he closed his laptop, packed up his maps and stood to leave. “Let’s get going,” he said. “There’s a bus in 45 minutes. Let’s be on it.”
I felt like I couldn’t move. I had complained about how long it could take to find answers, but the truth was I didn’t care if it took forever. It was moving too fast.
“Shouldn’t we spend the night here, you know, and start fresh tomorrow?”
Jake shot me a look that I swear felt like he knew exactly how scared I felt inside. Sometimes it feels like he’s the mind reader. But Fanny agreed with me. “I need my sleep,” she said. If Jake had known what was ahead, he would have thanked me for being chicken.
18 THE INN
Jake had been right. The train ride was fairly short. We got to Drogheda and called around for lodgings and found an inn to stay in. We decided it was best to go to Monasterboice at night seeing as how we might have to dig in the ground and all. The locals would likely frown on grave robbing.
The innkeeper was a friendly little guy who went by the name Paddy. He wore a tweed cap and he had red, round cheeks and beefy hands. He didn’t seem to question that there were three American kids wanting a room for the night. He did ask what we were about.
Jake thought quick and blurted out sightseeing. “We’re planning to go to Monasterboice first, you know, to take a look at those crosses.”
Like all the Irish we had met so far, Paddy was quick to offer his help along with a few stories and suggestions for other places to visit.
“You didn’t come all the way to Ireland just to see a few Celtic crosses, now did you lad?” he asked with a chuckle.
“No sir,” Jake replied. “But that’s first on our agenda anyway. Could you suggest how we might get there seeing as how we don’t have a car?”
“Oh, not a problem. It’s about eight to nine kilometers from here. My mate Mack O’Donohugh, he has a cab. He can take you there.”
“Eight kilometers? How many miles is that Jake?” I asked.
“It’s about five to six miles lass,” Paddy offered.
“Okay, thanks Paddy,” I said as Paddy walked us to our room. “If we need that ride, we’ll let you know.”
“Here you go youngsters,” Paddy said. He opened the door for us and showed us into a tidy room with one double bed and one twin bed. It had old red wallpaper and cream-colored carpet and walls. Paddy looked like he was going to stay and chat with us some more until Fanny faked a big yawn.
“Oh, you’re tired from your long journey. Some jet lag, huh? Well, you let me know if you need anything.” Paddy walked out and the door slammed shut behind him.
Fanny and I plopped ourselves onto the little beds to rest. I think we were both almost asleep when Jake yelled at us. “You can’t sleep. We have to get out there,” he whined.
“Sleep first,” Fanny said. She rolled over with her back to us.
“You don’t have time for sleep now,” said Jake. “Come on, we have to make a plan for how we’re going to get that torc.”
“Calm down nub,” said Fanny. “We’ve got time. Plan later. I need sleep.”
“Come on Fan, Jake’s right,” I said. I wanted to sleep too, but Jake had a point. We needed to plan first, sleep later.
“You two plan without me. You haven’t needed me so far. You don’t need me now,” Fan replied.
We’d been a trio since pre-school, and there’s usually an odd man out. As the only sister to four older brothers, Fanny was pretty used to being the center of attention when she wanted to be.
“Fan, you know we need you,” I said.
“No you don’t. Jake’s enormous melon brain will come up with all the plans you need and now that you’re like a warrior goddess or whatever … well, you don’t need my talents anymore.”
Ah, that was it. Fanny was used to being the muscle. She may be small, but Fanny is one of the strongest people I’ve ever seen. Ever since second grade when she kicked the crap out of this huge third-grader, Tommy, when he tried to take her lunch box from her. Well no one messed with Fanny again. The teachers had to come pull her off his chest, and she was still wailing on him. She was half his size and not a scratch on her but Tommy got led to the office with his nose bleeding buckets.
Between that fight and the fact that Fanny is the star player of every sport there is, everyone pretty much steers clear of her. She’s been like my bodyguard ever since the Greta incident that started it all for me. It doesn’t make her popular, but she stands by me to make sure no one messes with me.
I went and sat next to her. “Fanny, I need you. I’ll always need you,” I said.
“Em, you’re strong too. You can take care of yourself,” she said without turning over.
“Yeah, I’ve got some power building in me. But Fanny, you know I’m a big coward. I don’t have your courage. Your bravery makes me stronger. I can’t do this without you,” I said.
There was quiet for a while. I heard a few sniffles but didn’t say anything about it.
After a few minutes, Fan turned over, her eyes rimmed with red. “You know I’ll do anything to help you, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I know that,” I said as I hugged her. “And I’ll do anything for you. For both of you. We’re in this together.”
Drill sergeant Jake interrupted our beautiful moment.
“Are you two done with your Lifetime TV moment? We’ve got to make a plan, then get some sleep, then head out to find this thing … ”
Fanny and I both grabbed pillows and threw them at Jake, stopping him midsentence. Fanny threw hers so hard it knocked him over.
“See,” I said. “You’re still the biggest muscle here.”
We laughed and promised Jake we’d listen. He didn’t actually need us to come up with a plan. We mainly nodded as Jake outlined his strategy for the evening. Finally, we all decided to get a few hours of sleep before we set out. Soon we were going to be runaways and grave robbers. I doubt any of us will ever get into college. Good-bye scholarships.
19. THINGS GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT
We woke up around 10:00 that night, packed just the stuff we needed for our nighttime journey into one bag, and crept down the stairs. People were eating and drinking in the pub below. They didn’t seem to notice us as we left.
“Okay, we’re ready except for one thing,” Jake said.
“What’s that nub? A blankie,” joked Fanny.
“Cut it out Fan, I’ve had enough of your crap,” said Jake. He was tired and testy. “We need a shovel, okay? Unless you want to dig with your hands.”
“Where are we going to get a shovel?” I asked.
“They have to have a shovel here somewhere,” offered Jake. “Maybe there’s a shed or something out back. We can lift their shovel and return it when we get back.”
“Sounds like a plan,” said Fanny as we left the room.
We had one flashlight between the three of us so we pretty much had to stay clumped together to see anything in the pitch black. We crept around to the back of the large brick inn and found a small building. It looked promising until we noticed that it was locked with a padlock.
“Crap, it’s locked,” I said.
“You give up too easy,” said Fanny. “Padlocks are no pr
oblem. Jake, hand me the pack.”
Jake flung the pack off his back and onto the ground. Fanny took the flashlight and rummaged through the bag until she found what she was looking for.
“What ‘ya got?” asked Jake.
“A pair of tweezers.”
“What are you doing with a pair of tweezers in the pack?”
“You’re a guy. You wouldn’t understand.”
“Understand what? What use could you possibly have for those on this mission?”
“You never know when you’re going to need to tweeze, Jake,” Fanny said matter-of-factly. She got down on her knees and started working the lock. In a couple of minutes, we heard a click as the lock opened up.
“How do you know how to do that?” I asked.
“You don’t wanna’ know.” She flung open the door and began to walk into the shed with Jake and I on her heels.
It was black as the blackest night in there. There wasn’t a speck of light except for what was put out by the small flashlight. We were huddled together so tight if one of us tripped we were all going down.
“See anything?” I asked.
“So far all I’m seeing are old cans of paint and some crates of unknown origin,” said Jake.
We stood still in the center of the room as Fanny swept the flashlight from one side of the room to the other. After a few minutes of slowly sweeping the room, we saw something metal glint in the light.
“There,” said Jake. “Go back a bit. Back there, in the corner.”
Fanny did what Jake asked and as our eyes adjusted to the light we saw it. A garden shovel caked with dirt and grass. Perfect.
The Akasha Chronicles Trilogy Boxed Set: The Complete Emily Adams Series Page 8
