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

by D. S. Elstad

  “I know how echolocation works, man!” Quinn signed angrily. “It’s not as simple as closing your eyes and picturing yourself somewhere.”

  “I don’t close my eyes,” Bram answered, unfazed by another angry attack. He then sat on the couch and grabbed a handful of chips.

  “Quinn, come here,” I offered my hand. “Let’s try and do what Bram is saying. How about you think of someone…a person would be easier to focus on; what about Kelleigh?”

  She and Aaron had gone out to check some things at the library and get more food. We were eating the poor guy out of house and home.

  “Why would I want to think of her?” he grunted.

  “Because with her you’d be able to find out whether or not you actually saw her, meaning you could ask her when she gets back, ok? Now, just do it. It’s somewhere to start. Close your eyes and think of your sister. Not where she is or anything else like that, just think of her.” I pushed him down on the couch next to Bram. Quinn took a deep breath then let himself slump into the sofa.

  “I’m usually trying NOT to think of her…” he mumbled, then closed his eyes.

  I squeezed between him and Bram and tried not to stare at him. He fidgeted a few times but then finally grew still. I looked over and noticed that he was lost in thought. Bram had just munched another chip and Quinn hadn’t even responded to it. I nudged Bram and he looked over at Quinn and nodded approvingly. Something was happening with him, we could tell. Several minutes later Quinn shook his head and began laughing.

  “That was bloody marvelous!” he shouted, standing up and facing us.

  “What happened?” Bram urged.

  “I saw her! I saw Kell, or should I say, I felt her. Whichever, I’m not sure how to describe it. I was thinking of her, like you said, Willow, and then my mind went black. Next thing I knew I was shooting out something like arrows, dozens of them. They were white, shooting out of my vision into the darkness. I watched them go in different directions, up, down, straight ahead, then they became dim and it was like they disappeared. I was almost ready to quit trying to feel anything when out of the darkness I could make out the arrows. Only now they were red in color, not white. They were aiming right at me but I wasn’t worried or anything. I knew it was my ability at work. When the red arrows caught up to me, it was like they entered my body and my brain.

  “I immediately knew where Kelleigh was when that happened. I could feel it, like when you know someone is standing behind you; it was like that, as though the arrows mapped out her location and sent me the map. Only thing was, I didn’t see the map, I just felt it, the direction that is. I let myself go with the flow, and next thing I knew a picture of Kelleigh was in my head. It wasn’t like a normal picture, like that,” Quinn motioned to the painting above the fireplace. “It was more like an x-ray but instead of the black and white of an x-rays, this was red and white, no other colors. I was able to kind of zoom in and out with hardly any effort.

  “But it was Kelleigh, all right. She was in the grocery store standing in an aisle looking at ice cream. Leave it to her to be shopping for ice cream. It was wild; almost like I was looking at her through water. She was sort of moving, you know, like when you look into the water ripples of a pool. I just kept thinking of her and then next thing I knew I was watching her pick out ice cream!” He plopped back down on the couch running his hands through his hair.

  “She grabbed the strawberry; typical, she knows my favorite is chocolate.” Quinn rested his head on the back of the cushion. “That was amazing,” he mumbled, still thinking about his first experience with his ability.

  We decided to take a little break and go outside. Bram grabbed a football and tossed it to Quinn. The two of them threw the ball back and forth while running out for passes and then trying to tackle each other. I sat on the porch, laughing at their antics.

  I decided to show them how it’s done so I jumped up and intercepted a pass intended for Bram and quickly had the two of them on my tail. I crossed an imaginary end zone and spiked the ball to the ground. “That’s how you do it in the USA!” I teased, laughing at their breathless faces.

  Just then, Aaron and Kelleigh pulled up. Kelleigh jumped out of the car and rushed over to us. “Glad to see you’re out enjoying some of this lovely day. Now come on inside, we’ve got a treat for you,” she trilled, pulling a container out of the grocery bag, raising it high into the air. “Strawberry ice cream!”

  Bram, Quinn, and I looked at each other and cracked up laughing.

  I’m not sure if it was the strawberry ice cream or just that she had been able to get away from everything for a while, but Kelleigh was now flitting around the house like a hummingbird. She was talking to herself incessantly as she jumped from Aaron’s office to her tablet on the coffee table to the basement and back again.

  “Aarrrrron!” she called in a singsong voice.

  Aaron ran out from the kitchen and joined Bram, Quinn, and me as we stared at Kelleigh’s excited face.

  “Aaron!” She rushed up to him and held her tablet inches away from his nose. “I think I have it. Look here…I translated the final line of the poem. It says, Pilasters of crimson once lofty… reduced to earth…burial chamber of evil.”

  Aaron took hold of the tablet. He read the translation slowly out loud again, emphasizing each word. “Burial chamber of evil has to be referring to the Eye. He was known as Balor of the Evil Eye. I’m trying to think where there are pilasters of crimson, or should I say where there were pilasters… of crimson…” Aaron trailed off, handing the tablet to Kelleigh. “Excellent job, Kelleigh,” he said, smiling absentmindedly. He paced around the room trying to piece together the clues from the poem.

  Quinn grabbed the tablet and began studying the words. Bram and I joined him, each of us focused on the screen. Kelleigh swayed in place behind us, mumbling the words softly to herself.

  As everyone wrestled with the clues buried inside the poem I found myself thinking about ancient Rome for some reason. “Are there any ruins on the Northern coast, you know, like in Rome? I guess when I hear the word pilaster, I think of The Pantheon with its columns. I know it’s not in ruin but…”

  Aaron stared at me for a few minutes. “Hmm, columns…” he said as he rushed out of the room into his office. He came back holding several postcards. “Remember this, Bram?” he asked, spreading the postcards out in his hands and holding them up for Bram to see.

  “Sure, Da, that’s from a couple years ago when we went to County Antrim…” a smile crossed Bram’s face. “Of course, it’s so obvious.”

  “What’s so obvious?” Quinn asked as he grabbed hold of the postcards shuffling through them. I stood by his side and looked at the cards. They were snapshots of incredible seascapes with imposing columns that shot up into the sky.

  “Holy cow,” I said. “Where is that?”

  “It’s called the Giant’s Causeway,” Aaron began, “an environmental wonder. It’s an area made up of basalt columns, gorgeous bays, and cliffs, rich in history. The columns are a result of ancient volcanoes. They’re connected in intricate and extraordinary patterns. It’s quite magnificent.”

  Quinn began snickering as he signed to Bram.

  “What?” I asked.

  “You’d think they’d come up with a better place to hide the Eye. I mean, c’mon. Balor’s was a giant so they hid it in a place called the Giant’s Causeway?” Quinn said.

  “Quinn, Lugh hid the Eye long before we humans had ever seen or named the Causeway. There wasn’t even a record of it until 1693,” Aaron said as he stared at the postcards. ‘Pilasters of crimson, once lofty, reduced to earth;’ this clearly refers to the pilasters that have been broken down over time. What isn’t so clear is the reference to crimson. Kelleigh, bring your tablet here, please.”

  The two sat on the couch and proceeded to look up anything they could about the Causeway on the internet. After about fifteen minutes Aaron announced excitedly, “Ah ha, an explanation. It says here that the pila
sters are ‘subject to weathering which involves the decomposition of aluminium silicates; the extensive leaching of silica, magnesia, and calcium hydroxide, and the formation of residues rich in ferric oxide, aluminium hydroxide, and free silica. Complete decomposition results in a residual layer comprising iron and titanium oxides. However, along the Causeway Coast, incomplete decomposition has resulted in a mix of ferruginous, lateritic material that is predominantly red in colour and rich in iron and aluminium.’”

  “English please,” Quinn said with a smirk.

  Aaron stood up and removed his glasses. “The pilasters that have been subjected to decomposition have been reduced to earth and the ones along the Causeway Coast… the decomposition there is incomplete which gives what’s left of the pilasters a red, or crimson color. That’s our answer.”

  “Actually, Aaron, this is our answer,” Kelleigh chimed in as she rose and took her place next to Aaron showing him her tablet. “It says here that ‘within the Inter-Basaltic Bed it is possible to find in situ, rounded corestones of partially weathered basalt blocks, known locally as Giant’s Eyes.’” Kelleigh eyes grew large as she finished the sentence.

  Aaron rubbed his eyes, then put on his glasses and read the text from the tablet. A smile ran across his face. He looked at Kelleigh. “The mounds we see in the ancient documents aren’t the sidhe, they’re weathered basalt blocks. You’re quite a girl, Kelleigh Whelan, a future researcher to be sure.” He wrapped an arm over her shoulder and gave her a hug.

  “Awesome job, Kell,” Quinn added as he joined his sister, hitting her left arm.

  Kelleigh curtsied and bowed, “Happy to be of service.”

  I joined the others and hugged Kelleigh, “What would we do without you?”

  “I know, right?” she answered.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  It had been hours since I’d seen Dad, leaving him to deal with my transformation. My head was starting to hurt after all the practice and emotion of the day, so I was relieved to go back to the hotel and hopefully get some rest.

  We hadn’t spoken anymore about what Bram believed he saw. I knew it was weighing on his mind as we walked down the path to the hotel. The night air was crisp and calm with a hint of rain. The sky overhead was mostly clear and I stared at the sparkling stars, thankful for an uneventful day, knowing full well that this was the calm before the storm.

  Bram’s fingers were laced through mine. “Something tells me that tomorrow’s going to be a much different day,” I said, locking eyes with Bram, using mindspeak. He looked up at the night sky and nodded.

  “Right, we really needed today to try and get our act together.” He wrapped his arm over my shoulder, pulling me closer. Without a word we made our way into the lobby and waited for the elevator. As we drew closer to the room Bram turned to face me. “Can I say hi to your dad?” he asked cautiously.

  I explained that it would be better for me to go in alone and see him; after all, he’d had all day to think about what was going on and I was sure he’d need to talk. Bram agreed and stopped a few feet shy of our door, drawing me close. “I’m sorry again for what happened today, about your dad that is,” he whispered, touching his forehead to mine.

  “I know, it’s ok.” It amazed me how I could lose track of everything when we were close like that. All I wanted to do was rest my head on his shoulder and feel him close in tight around me. I let myself bask in the warmth of his arms before looking up into his eyes and leaning my head towards the door. He smiled lightly, then bent down and kissed me. The tenderness in his lips left me breathless and in no hurry to leave his side. After a few minutes he pulled away and gently stroked my hair.

  “It’s hard to go,” he said, tangling his fingers in my hair.

  I reached up and held onto his hand. “I know.”

  A hotel guest smiled and nodded as he walked past us. I hugged Bram, then opened the door to our room before looking back and kissing him one more time. I watched him return to the elevator and stared as he waited at the door. He was looking down, hands in his pockets, his brown hair tousled and wild. Then he turned, like he knew I was looking at him, smiled and waved, then entered the elevator. I smiled back and found myself aching at having to leave his side.

  Dad was lying in bed, asleep with the TV on. No doubt he was trying to stay awake until I got back. I went into the bathroom and got ready for bed. It felt so nice to put on my comfortable pajamas and to wash my face. I looked at myself in the mirror. “Who are you anymore, Willow Whelan?” I wondered aloud.

  I watched my father sleep. He was snoring so I knew he’d been out for a while. That’s the only time he snored, or when he was dead tired. I turned off the TV and sat down on the edge of my bed. Fatigue was taking over now and I found it hard to keep my eyes open. The minute I turned the light off I heard, “You back Wil?”

  I sighed under my breath. I’d really hoped to be able to get some sleep before we started talking. “Yeah, Dad.”

  I glanced over at his bed and saw him silhouetted in the darkness. He was sitting up now with his head lowered.

  “You ok Dad? Sorry if I woke you,” I said in the dark room.

  “It’s ok, I wanted to know when you got in. Everything go ok today?” he asked, raspiness in his voice.

  I sat up and leaned against the headboard, letting the back of my neck rest on the oak frame. “Yeah, it went well. We’re trying to get familiar with what we’re able to do. It’s pretty amazing, the abilities that have been passed down to the guardians.” I sat there, thinking about Grandma and wondering how she felt when she began using her powers. She was a wife and mother when she came upon her skills. It must have been difficult.

  “Did you ever notice Grandma using her powers?” I asked.

  A long silence filled the shadowy room until finally Dad let out an exhale.

  “Since you told me everything earlier today I’ve been thinking about her and trying to remember. The thing that sticks out in my mind was how she always seemed to know when I was up to no good. One time in particular I was sneaking out with my friends; we were going to get some beer. I crawled out my bedroom window after she and Dad had gone to bed and the minute I got to the end of the driveway, there she stood, in her robe and slippers. Scared the hell out of me; I thought she was a banshee. She didn’t say a word, just stared at me. I went back into the house and she never mentioned a word about it.”

  Dad leaned forward and turned on the lamp to the lowest setting. I covered my eyes and let them adjust to the light.

  “I never stood a chance, what with her super hearing and all,” he chuckled as he lay back down on his bed.

  I laughed, picturing the scene in my head. I looked over to my father and tried to imagine him as a teenager, going out, getting into trouble. The man was so responsible; it was hard to even think of him as anything but that. As we sat there, he told me more stories about Grandma and things he remembered. I loved hearing him talk like this. After having denied the very existence of my grandparents for so long, to finally have him share his memories meant so much.

  I watched his face fill with expressions of joy and sadness while he grew nostalgic. I was more convinced now than ever that Bram was mistaken about what he’d seen. It was dark, after all, and he was using his sight ability, something he had yet to master. There was no way that this man, my father, was the apparition he had seen in the sidhe. It just didn’t add up; how could Dad be there performing some rituals, and then here, reminiscing about his mother. No way.

  We sat and talked for about an hour when Dad noticed how hard I was trying to keep my eyes open.

  “You need to sleep, sweetheart,” he whispered as he kissed my forehead, “we’ll talk more in the morning.” He turned off the light and crawled back into his bed. In a matter of seconds he was once again snoring. I found the sound comforting. I closed my eyes and let the muffled noise transport me into slumber.

  The high-pitched scream of an emergency siren pierced the night. I jumped o
ut of bed, disoriented and unsure of where I even was. Dad quickly had hold of my shoulders and switched on the light. He had been startled awake as well.

  “What the…” he began, turning in circles, trying to orient himself to his surroundings. “That’s an emergency siren,” Dad exclaimed, racing to the balcony. He opened the door and a torrential flood of water came pouring in, drenching him as he stood on the threshold. He quickly closed the door. I ran to the bathroom and grabbed a towel, tossing it to him as I returned to the room.

  I scoured the room for the TV remote and found it lying on the floor by Dad’s bed. I switched on the TV and read the flashing banner running across the bottom of the screen… “Signal lost.”

  I grabbed my jeans, a sweater, and boots and went into the bathroom to get changed. My heart was racing. I knew the moment had arrived. The Fomorians were on the attack and, from the looks of it, were hitting hard. I looked at myself in the mirror and leaned in close. “You can do this, Willow,” I said to myself, and before I turned to leave I swear I saw my grandmothers face looking back at me through the mirror.

  When I came out of the bathroom Dad was already dressed and putting his coat on.

  “Where are you going?” I asked, grabbing my own coat.

  “With you,” he answered, reaching into his pocket and pulling out my phone. It was ringing.

  “Dad…” I started, but then stopped midsentence, grabbing my phone as he held it to me.

  It was Bram; his text read,

  “It’s begun, the car is dead, can’t pick you or Quinn up.”

  I rubbed my forehead, unsure of what to do. I needed to rattle myself back into thinking mode. I closed my eyes and flashed on my wolf self. When I opened them again, Dad was pressed back against the wall, looking very nervous.

  I felt the change and saw my transformed feet beneath me. I stretched my front legs ahead and then stretched out each of my rear legs. I felt strong and fierce and ready to move. I looked at Dad and tried to speak. Nothing came out. I tuned into my mindspeak.