The Forest of Aisling: Dream of the Shapeshifter (The Willow Series Book 1)

by D. S. Elstad

“Oh, you’re thinking as a human thinks. Fomorians aren’t human. They’re vicious killers. What better way to go after Shannah then to take away her children. Their plan was to not only take out Shannah but to put an end to the O’Brian line. Your grandmother figured that their main goal was to get rid of the remaining families, which would ensure their return without any guardians left to stop them. Their primary task is to destroy the families picked by Lugh before others replace them.

  “Lucy is the end of the Grady line. Poor Lucy. She saw firsthand the evil of the Fomorians. She watched them destroy her grandfather. He was weak and very sick when Lucy saw the haze overtake and kill him. That happened just months before Jack and Joseph’s sixth birthday. Lucy told your grandma that she’d never wear the Triquetra or change to a sea creature. She saw what it had done to her grandfather and didn’t want any part of it.

  “The Fomorians took advantage of the opening that created. So when they went after our boys, they did so without any fight from the guardians. With Lucy weakened, they hoped to destroy Shannah with the death of her children. It might have worked, but when Jacky survived it gave your Grandmother a new sense of purpose. She was more determined than ever to see to it that the Fomorians never rose again and that no one would hurt her remaining child. She convinced Lucy to hold on, to do her part. She told her that once she did, the Triquetra would be whole and there’d be no more danger from the Fomorians.” Grandpa laid his head back on the pillow and looked over to the window.

  I reached up and placed my hand on his shoulder. “Grandpa, why then did Lucy leave and go to Italy?”

  He turned to face me and with a shaky hand rubbed his chin. “Lucy had just found out that she had the beginning of Alzheimer’s disease. And when Aaron O’Neill’s father got sick, she panicked. He was the air guardian. Well, when that happened, she feared ending up like her grandfather so she decided to give everything up and move away. Shannah tried hard to convince her to find a replacement but Lucy said no, she wouldn’t do that to anyone.”

  Grandpa was becoming tired. Relaying the story and all the emotion that went with it was taking its toll on him. I hesitated asking more questions, but he had so much important information for us that I had to press on.

  “One more thing, Grandpa…why did you and Grandma allow Dad to move away to the US?” I positioned my head towards the door once again, trying to hear if anyone was coming or if there was any more news about the storm. Short of talk about the patients, nothing was being said, so I continued. “Wasn’t that like setting him up with the Fomorians?”

  “No, at that time, they were back under control. There were no new guardians in the Triquetra. Plus Shannah thought that Jacky might be safer in the US than here. Things were fairly quiet. That is, except for Jacky and me. I never forgave myself for not being able to save both my sons, and unfortunately I looked to the bottle for comfort. That was a dark period in my life and one I’m not proud of.” Grandpa grew pale and began trembling. I took hold of his hands and was shocked at how cold they were. I grabbed another blanket from the closet and covered him. He smiled and thanked me.

  I began to wonder where Dad was and started to become anxious. The talk of the Fomorians and their penchant for finding a loose spot in the Triquetra made me want to get to Bram as soon as possible.

  I looked back to Grandpa, who had closed his eyes. The chill of his hands and the coolness of the room made me think that the temperature was not holding steady in the hospital. I looked at the thermostat on the wall and quickly converted the Celsius reading to Fahrenheit …fifty-eight degrees.

  With an ear to the door I was able to finally locate Dad’s voice in the basement. He was discussing the generator with another man and together they were trying to figure out why it was failing. It should have been providing comfortable heat to the building, as well as all the electrical needs for the hospital. The two of them were getting ready to lock into a second generator in hopes of transferring all of its energy to the heating system, thereby freeing up the main generator for the hospitals light’s and medical equipment. Hearing Dad’s calm voice relaxed me and left me feeling like he had the situation under control…at least that part of the situation.

  I stepped back over to Grandpa’s bed and touched his shoulder lightly to see if he was asleep. He didn’t respond. I felt his hand and was relieved to see that it had warmed up a little. I grabbed the last blanket from the closet and put it over Grandpa’s weakened body. I pulled it up over his hands to his shoulders and then walked out of the room.

  I found a door in a darkened corner at the end of the hall. I figured unnecessary lights were being turned off to conserve energy. Opening the door I entered a small waiting room. The only light came from the window with closed shades. I opened them and allowed the light from the stormy night to fill the room. Looking out of the window I saw snowflakes flitting here and there. The surrounding buildings were all dark and brought an ominous feel to the whole area.

  I sat on the sofa, took out my phone, and tried to text Bram. No signal. I needed to talk to him, to see what was going on. The storm had all of Killarney boxed in and that scared me. If we were unable to communicate, how could we possibly prevent the Fomorians from rising? I had no clue as to what I should be doing to stop them. And Quinn hadn’t even shifted yet.

  I lay my head back against the cushion and closed my eyes, imagining Bram. Once I had a clear picture of him in my mind I called his name telepathically. I did this for about ten minutes and was just about ready to give up when I heard the faintest, “Yes, Willow,” in my head.

  “Bram, are you there, can you hear me?” I sent the thought his way.

  “Yes, I can, where are you?” came his voice, growing stronger.

  “I’m at the hospital with Dad. We came to see Grandpa. The power’s out here.”

  “It’s out everywhere, Willow. Are you ok?” His voice echoed.

  “I’m fine. What should we do Bram? Grandpa knows about everything. He says the storm is the Fomorians.” I then stopped and wondered what my voice sounded like to him since he’d never heard it before.

  “Yes, I know, Da says we need to get hold of Quinn. Can you try and reach him?”

  “Quinn?”

  “Yes, tell him we’ll pick him up in twenty minutes. Then we’ll swing by and pick you up at the hospital,” Bram said, his voice breaking in and out inside of my head.

  I wanted to talk to him more and tell him about everything I had just discovered. But I knew we had to get moving on a plan to try and get Quinn to shift, and then decide the best course of action.

  I pictured Quinn in my head just as I had done with Bram. Much more quickly this time, I got a response from Quinn.

  “Willow, bloody hell, how are you doing this?” His voice reverberated like it was bouncing off the walls of my skull.

  “No time to explain now. Just be ready to leave with Bram and Aaron in twenty minutes, ok?”

  “Ok, don’t know how I’m going to get my parents to let me out on a night like this, what with the power out all over town. But don’t worry, I’ll figure something out.”

  “Get Kelleigh to help you,” I offered.

  I heard the faint sound of Quinn’s voice but was unable to make out what he said. It didn’t really matter though; I got the message to him and felt confident he’d be able to meet with Bram and Aaron. I wasn’t as confident about how I was going to slip away. I played it out in my head…going to Dad and telling him that I needed to run out into the night with Bram and his father for no particular reason. Right…like he’d go for that.

  I went back to check on Grandpa and found the nurse in his room. She was making her rounds and smiled warmly at me while she adjusted his oxygen and fluffed his pillow. The room was starting to feel warmer so I checked the thermostat and was happy to see it read sixty-four degrees. Dad’s plan was working.

  “It looks like you grandfather is out for the night,” she whispered as she stepped over to join me. She touched m
y arm lightly and told me that the chair in the corner could be pulled out into a very comfortable recliner if I wanted to relax. “I don’t think you’ll be leaving for a while; your father’s really taken charge. It’s a blessing that he was here to help Michael sort out the generator. The poor lad’s only worked here a month and I don’t think he could have figured out how to hook up two generators as quickly as your father did.”

  She then told me where I could get something to eat and drink and left a spare blanket on the chair. After she left, I looked at Grandpa’s face. The room was dimly lit with an overhead light focused directly on his upper body. He looked peaceful. I was thankful that I’d had the chance to speak with him and get so much brought out into the open.

  Standing there in his room, I debated just how I was going to get myself out of the hospital. I thought about going and finding Dad and telling him I needed to leave, but I just couldn’t come up with a good explanation why. I looked at the wall clock and realized I needed to get downstairs and fast.

  With no other option available to me I grabbed a pencil and the tablet from the built-in bookshelf that held all of Grandpa’s paper work and get-well cards. I scribbled a quick note, letting Dad know that I needed to go somewhere with Bram and Aaron and that I’d explain it all as soon as I saw him and to please not be angry but to trust me. I p.s.’d it with a Grandpa seems to be doing much better…I love you, Wil. I folded the note and placed it on the tray that sat adjacent to Grandpa’s bed, where I was sure Dad would see it.

  I waited until there was no one in the hallway, then made my way to the stairs. I opened the door and flew down the stairs, hoping to avoid Dad returning. Once I reached the main level I went to the lobby and out the front door. Sitting there waiting in Aaron’s car, just like he said they’d be, were Bram, Aaron, and Quinn. I jumped in back and noticed how bitterly cold it really had become.

  “Glad you could make it,” Quinn said, sliding over to the other side of the seat. “You really gotta teach me that mind reading trick,” he added enthusiastically. He seemed pumped up, as though he was going out for an evening of fun with the boys. I hated to burst his bubble.

  Bram looked back and began signing to Quinn. When he finished he reached his hand to me. I grabbed hold and held on tight. His hand was nice and warm, in direct contrast to the wintery conditions swirling around us outside. “You ok?” he asked.

  I was now; just being there with him made it all ok. I was fully aware of the fact that we were just about to embark on something none of us could ever be prepared for, yet I could face it – because Bram was there, I could face it.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “What did you tell your parents?” I wondered, looking over to Quinn.

  Quinn snickered and shook his head. “Nothing, I didn’t have to. The minute I got Kelleigh involved in it, she took over. She told the folks that I was sick. Then she ordered me to get bundled up and crawl out my bedroom window when Bram pulled up. She told Mom that she’d take care of me, like that wouldn’t throw up a red flag, right?” he laughed, shaking his head.

  Suddenly, the car began skidding and swerving on the icy road. Aaron quickly shifted into low gear and slowed down the skid, but it didn’t keep us from hitting a concrete road barrier. The front passenger side of the car slammed into the barrier in slow motion. The sound of crunching metal filled the otherwise silent night. Bram was jolted to the side. Aaron quickly put the car in park and made sure Bram was ok.

  Quinn and I were fine, other than needing to remind each other to breathe again. Aaron was out of the car in a flash, surveying the damage; then, just as quickly, he jumped inside.

  “Was that an accident… or something else?” Bram questioned looking at Aaron.

  “Not sure, but I’m not going to sit around here and find out,” Aaron said worriedly. He started the engine and quickly got back on the road. For a guy who’d just spun out of control a minute ago, he wasn’t letting that slow him down now. In fact, if anything, he was driving even faster.

  Quinn and I looked at each other. I shared my worried thoughts with him. “How are we going to save the world if we die in a car accident?” Quinn snickered, then in a squeaky voice uttered, “Um, Aaron?”

  “Yes, Quinn?”

  “In all the excitement, I forgot to ask… where are we going?” he stuttered.

  After a sharp turn onto a dirt road Quinn was practically sitting on my lap, smashing me up against the door. Aaron was driving like a maniac.

  “Aaron, where are we going?” I asked this time, louder and with a definite edge to my voice.

  In a matter-of-fact voice he answered, “To the lake.”

  The lake was a completely different place now than it had been hours earlier. The gray clouds felt low and imposing. They were moving swiftly and changing shape as they raced overhead. A faint trace of the moon could be seen every now and then when a mass of the clouds had thinned out and moved on: only to be replaced by another formation.

  I stared into the menacing sky and felt a strange surging inside of myself. Looking over at Bram, it seemed as though he was feeling the same thing. Our eyes locked.

  “Are you feeling this?” I sent the question to him telepathically.

  “Yes,” he answered out loud.

  Quinn and Aaron looked over. “Yes what, Bram?” Quinn signed.

  “Willow asked me if I felt this sensation…it’s weird, like a charge of electricity, running through me. She feels it too.” Bram explained.

  Aaron came over and grabbed hold of mine and Bram’s hands. “I can feel it as well, a low current, coursing through both of you. This must have something to do with the Triquetra,” Aaron theorized. “Come along, Quinn, we need to get going.” Aaron reached out his hand to Quinn.

  “Um, ok, where are we going?” Quinn stammered, stepping up to where Aaron stood.

  “Why, into the water, of course,” Aaron answered, urgency building in his voice. He was growing impatient, which made me feel even more nervous. Aaron had been our rock, our calming influence, the source of all information and encouragement. To now see him anxious made me feel that way too.

  “Into the water? Ok, yes, I know I agreed to this whole thing but I hadn’t planned my first trip ‘into the water’ would be when the temperature was at a record-breaking low and that it would be in the dead of night!” he exclaimed, visibly shaking, trying to continue his interpreting for Bram.

  Bram walked over to Quinn and rested his hand on his shoulder. “I know, mate. We didn’t plan on it being this way either, but as you can see…” Bram waved his hand toward the sky and lake, “things are changing quickly and if we don’t get moving, it may be too late.”

  Quinn looked down to the ground unhappily. I felt bad for him. It had to be toughest on him to be thrust in the middle of all this so unexpectedly. At least Bram and I were sort of eased into it. And our shifting was under much better circumstances. Not right in the middle of the very upheaval we were trying to stop.

  Quinn looked up at Bram and nodded, “Ok, so tell me, what kind of sea creature will I be shifting to? A shark or a swordfish or a…ooh yeah, a marlin,” he speculated excitedly, bobbing and dodging his head like a fish in water. “Something awesome like that?”

  “Uh, well, actually, you’ll be shifting into a…a whale,” Bram mumbled, choking on his words.

  Quinn stood motionless, staring at Bram, then Aaron, then me. This was the first I’d heard of what the water guardian would shift to so I just shrugged when Quinn narrowed his eyes my way.

  “A whale?” he repeated, moving closer to Bram. He raised his arms in motion. I didn’t need to be proficient in sign language to read the sign whale coming off his hands and arms. He repeated it several times, right in Bram’s face. Bram just nodded yes.

  “You’re an eagle,” he pointed out to Bram, his hands acting out the motion of the fantastic bird, “and Willow’s a wolf,” he continued signing, moving up into Bram’s face. And I’m a…” He stepped awa
y from Bram and did an exaggerated whale sign once more, “a whhhhale.” He stretched the word out emphasizing each letter.

  “Well, thank you very much,” Quinn grumbled as he took a bow.

  I wasn’t clear on why Quinn was so offended at the thought of shifting into a whale – but he was. I guess he would have preferred his animal to be something a bit more sleek or “awesome,” as he’d said. I personally loved whales and thought how great it’d be to shift to one. Watching him now, I felt like he was clearly overreacting.

  “Please tell me that at least it’s an orca?” he pleaded.

  “Quinn, it’s not an orca and it’s not just a whale. It’s a long-finned pilot whale. Do you remember seeing them on the coast a few years back? They’re really magnificent creatures,” Aaron explained. “They’re actually dolphins, like the orca.”

  Quinn began kicking the pebbles lying around, all the while mumbling now about being a dolphin. He then ranted on about it being the perfect job for Kelleigh after all. “She loves dolphins,” he chortled, “used to have them all over her room when she was little. I’ll be the perfect little dolphin boy, all pretty and perky.” He was really whining now and it was starting to tick me off.

  “Come on, Quinn, get over it, you’re acting like a baby!” I scolded, my voice screeching more than I’d planned for it to.

  He stopped immediately and looked me over. “Oh, ok, this all coming from the wolf girl. Seriously, how cool is that, a wolf. Or an eagle, but no, I’m a precious little dolphin whale.”

  “No, what you are, is an idiot,” snapped Bram. He stood next to Quinn and let his six-foot-three frame tower over him. “This isn’t about you getting to play wild animal, it’s about you being a part of the Triquetra. That means fulfilling a pledge made long ago, doing your part to help keep this world as safe as we can keep it! But, you know what, if you think you’re just too cool to shift into something as beneath you as a pilot whale, then, I guess we better start looking for a replacement. Right, Da?” Bram was pretty intimidating and I liked seeing that side of him.