PANDORA

by Rebecca Hamilton

  “No, when she first came here, her father showed up in a rage. She went back to TÍ r na n’Ó g before we had a chance to tell her,” Diarmuid said.

  Liam’s head swiveled in Diarmuid’s direction. “Deaghlan was here? Does he know what’s happened with Aoife?”

  Diarmuid and Tagdh both hesitated.

  “He does, Liam. Breanh told the King and Queen everything.”

  Liam smacked his palm on the table and muttered an oath under his breath. “Where is the fey globe now?”

  “Deaghlan demanded that Niamh give it to him.”

  Liam swore, louder this time. “We need to go, Allison. Deaghlan is Aoife and Niamh’s father. If he releases Aoife, she’ll go back to Breanh. Things could go very wrong if we don’t hurry.”

  Butterflies as big as helicopters filled my stomach. “Why would Deaghlan let Aoife out?” I stammered. “What about all the trouble she’s caused?”

  The muscles in Liam’s jaw popped under his skin. “Deaghlan doesn’t value human life. Humans are just playthings at his disposal. I’m fairly certain he doesn’t even think Aoife has done anything wrong.”

  I stared at Liam for a moment. It was like a nightmare, where no matter what you did things just got worse. How could I have lived my entire life without knowing these people existed? And now they held everything I cared about in the palms of their hands.

  “If Breanh has my mother, and Aoife goes there...” I couldn’t even finish that sentence.

  “Liam?” Diarmuid asked. “What will you do?”

  “We’re going to TÍ r na n’Ó g to get Allison’s mother before something terrible happens to her.”

  Diarmuid and Tagdh rose gracefully from their seats. “We’ve been given specific orders not to allow you to enter the portal.”

  “I don’t understand,” Liam said, looking between the two men. Both stared back blankly.

  My heart plummeted at their grave expressions, and I knew that we would not get past them without a fight. They were stronger and faster, and who knew what kind of magic they were capable of. It wouldn’t be a fair fight. And judging by Liam’s frown, he knew it, too.

  I stared down at the table, running my finger along the image of the Great Lakes. Why would Niamh forbid Liam to go through the portal? I’d been wary of her before, but I didn’t think she would purposely keep Liam from being able to help find my mother.

  “Maybe it’s best this way,” I said, pushing up from the table.

  At any other moment, I’d have paid money to see the incredulous look on Liam’s face. But the beginning of a plan had taken root in my mind. And in order for it to work we needed to hurry.

  I stood up and walked straight out the door without another word.

  Chapter 8

  I counted my steps as I walked away from Niamh’s house. Frustration and panic boiled inside me, but I needed to keep calm. I stopped walking when I realized Liam wasn’t with me.

  I was not going back in there. The Danaans were lovely to look at, but their behavior was not normal. It was as if they were made of stone, incapable of emotion.

  Minutes passed and Liam still hadn’t come out. I paced back and forth in the field, willing myself not to panic. When the front door slammed, I turned to see my father at my side in an instant, his expression wary.

  “You’re taking all of this too well,” he said, his brow furrowed.

  I sighed, knowing this would be a fight. “I’ve come up with a plan.”

  He stiffened. “Oh?”

  “You and I are going to go find this Aodhan guy and bring him back here,” I said, nodding toward the house. “I can tell those two are at least a little afraid of him. We need someone on our side.”

  “Absolutely not,” he said.

  “Niamh doesn’t care about my mother,” I said. “Who knows what she’s doing now? If you want to find my mom, you’ll come with me to ask this guy for help. Otherwise, I’ll go alone.”

  “You’ve only seen a handful of the Danaans, Allison. You don’t understand what you’re dealing with. Did you hear what Tagdh said in there? They’re draining the blood of humans. Aoife’s folk are involved in all sorts of forbidden magic.”

  “All I care about is getting my mother home safely. Are we supposed to just sit around until Niamh comes back before we do anything?” I put a hand on my hip, acting braver than I felt. “I get that Breanh isn’t someone I can face on my own. But maybe Aodhan will help us.” I paused. “I have to do something, and if this is all I can do, I’ve got to try.”

  Liam looked away from me, past the trees to the hills in the north. After a few minutes, he exhaled and looked back at me.

  “I suppose you’re right. We need to do something and waiting on the whims of Niamh is not looking like much of a plan now.”

  “I'm ready. Are we going to...run again?”

  “I guess that was more uncomfortable for you than I expected.” He took a couple steps toward me, put his hands on my shoulders, and looked into my eyes. I stared back, and then everything went black.

  ***

  A young woman with fire-truck red curls and multiple facial piercings clings tightly to a guy’s arm as they walk through a large, mirrored door. The guy is tall with black gelled spikes and tattoo-covered arms. She scans the darkness surrounding them while they walk toward an alley. He looks pleased at the way she is pressed tightly to his side.

  “Tori, look, there’s nothing there. It’s okay.”

  The woman pouts her full, black-painted lips and buries her face in his arm, making a low whimpering sound.

  “Seriously, how many of those drinks were for you, and how many did you give Val?” he asks her, laughing.

  “I’m not that drunk, Wes. I’m telling you I heard something.” She pulls away from him and smacks his arm before the heel of her black boot catches on a crack on the sidewalk, making her stumble. The guy kneels by her side as she examines the tear in her black fishnet stockings.

  Without either of them noticing, two tall shapes move out of the shadow of a striped awning, heading straight toward them.

  “Allison.” My eyelids fluttered open to Liam staring down at me in concern.

  I took a deep breath and blinked, trying to figure out where I was. I lay in the center of a double bed, in an unfamiliar room. A motel room?

  The walls were dingy white and the bedspread smelled like fabric refresher—chemicals covering unwanted body odor. There was one large window with its floral drape pulled closed. On the bedside table, a tiny lamp cast shadows on the wall, and the alarm clock flashed 12:00 in red.

  “We’re in a motel in Thunder Bay,” Liam said. He was sitting on the side of my bed, looking down at me.

  I sat up and stretched my arms over my head and yawned. “Did you cast a spell on me?” I asked, moving my fingers and toes, feeling a little groggy.

  “No, not exactly. Mind magic doesn’t really work like that. I was able to coerce you to go to sleep.”

  “All right,” I said slowly as I stood up. A horrible possibility occurred to me. “You could coerce me to do whatever you wanted?”

  He looked aghast. “I suppose I could, Allison, but I wouldn’t. I still have my humanity.”

  I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. Did he? I sure hoped so.

  “Before we left, though, I found out a little more about the situation up here,” Liam said, changing the subject.

  I raised my eyebrows as I waited for him to continue.

  “Aodhan is staying at a motel adjacent to a nearby crime scene.” He pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket and glanced up at me before continuing.

  “The entire area is on alert because of a suspected serial killer. There was a group of teenagers murdered on their way home from a concert Wednesday night. Then on Friday, a bartender and his girlfriend were found completely drained of blood not far from the spot where the teenagers’ bodies had been discovered.”

  I sucked in a breath. “That’s awful.” The memory of the dr
eam I'd had of the couple out walking played in my mind.

  “Yes. What they’re doing, this kind of magic, it taints them. Makes them wicked. And they don’t give a damn if they leave a mess behind.”

  “What do they actually use the blood for?” I asked, not positive I wanted to know the answer.

  “There are two kinds of magic the Danaans can use. One is mind magic. It is all about being able to control things with ones will. For instance, Eithne is a healer. She is able to use her mind to see what it is that ails you and reverse it. Niamh is able to use her mind to hear your thoughts and share hers.

  “The other is elemental magic. It involves using outside forces. Some aspects aren’t bad, but what it sounds like Aoife’s guards are doing has been forbidden by Saoirse for a very long time. They’re taking the blood of humans and harvesting the small levels of magic in it to increase their own abilities.”

  “So humans have magic in them too?”

  “That's right.”

  “Did Diarmuid and Tagdh tell you all this?”

  “After you walked out they told me that Tagdh’s brother, Niall, is one of the guards tracking Aodhan.”

  I nodded and went to get a cup of water from the tap. I took a sip and then glanced at myself in the mirror hanging by the bathroom. My hair was a disaster, and I had circles rimming my eyes. No surprise there.

  Once I pulled myself together, Liam took out his cell phone and opened the door. I watched him curiously but kept quiet as I followed him outside.

  The motel was like the dozens of others I’d seen in my life, with the lot butted up to a highway. We walked out to the sidewalk, and I looked around. Thunder Bay was a busy place. Cars were flying past and people rushed around, talking on cell phones or yelling to their friends. Across the street was a park littered with people playing Frisbee or walking their dogs. Beyond the park, I could see a marina that edged out into Lake Superior.

  Liam’s phone snapped shut, and I looked over at him. “That was Niall. He’s about three blocks away. Let’s go.”

  We walked past several businesses and apartment buildings until we came to a corner where one of the murders had taken place. Two buildings down, on the side-street, were three metal doors with mirrors on their surfaces. I looked at the reflective doors, and my jaw went slack.

  The doors from the dream I’d had on our way to Thunder Bay.

  A black sign above the door read Black Pirates Pub in curling, white letters.

  Liam stopped walking, not noticing my preoccupation. His lips curved into a little smile. Following his gaze to a bench, I saw a man with shoulder-length chestnut hair reading a newspaper. He put the paper down and turned. As soon as he recognized Liam, the man stood and walked over to greet us.

  “Liam,” he said, clapping him on the shoulder and glancing curiously at me.

  “Allison, this is Niall. Without his help I may have never escaped Aoife in the first place.”

  Niall smiled, clearly glad to see my father. “So, Liam, what news do you bring?”

  “I’m afraid I don’t bring good news. We’ve come to find Aodhan to seek aid.”

  “Good luck there, my friend,” Niall laughed.

  Liam made a face. “We must at least try.”

  “Have you found your lady, then?” Niall asked, looking at me.

  Liam cleared his throat. “Yes, but this is actually my...daughter.” The corner of his mouth lifted.

  Niall pursed his lips, as if trying not to laugh. “Indeed.”

  “Have you seen Aodhan today?” I asked, pushing down my embarrassment at Niall’s amused expression. We were running out of time.

  Niall shook his head, still surveying me. “He usually stays inside during the day. He’ll be coming out once it gets dark. Give him a couple hours.”

  “This is the pub where the couple had last been seen Friday night,” Liam cut in, looking up at the sign.

  “Yeah, I know,” I nodded.

  Liam’s eyebrow quirked up. “Did you just say ‘I know’?”

  “Well, yes. I had a dream about a couple walking out of there,” I said, gesturing toward the doors to the pub. I looked back at Niall as I walked toward the three metal doors at the entrance.

  “BlÁ ’s watching the back exit. We'll let you know when he comes out.” Niall said as he sat back down on the bench.

  “BlÁ ?” I asked Liam.

  “BlÁ ithÍ n is Niall’s partner. There are always at least two guards assigned to watch Aodhan,” Liam said with a sardonic grin.

  I paused before opening the door. “What?” I asked.

  Niall now wore the same wry expression as Liam. “Nothing,” he said, trying to hide his grin. “It’s just that Niamh wouldn’t risk losing track of Aodhan.”

  I huffed in exasperation. “If Aodhan isn't out yet, we should get something to eat, maybe ask a few questions—let’s go.”

  ***

  Inside, the Black Pirate was quiet. There were a few employees setting up tables, and at the end of the long, polished bar was an easel holding a blown-up photo. I recognized them as the couple from my dream. A wreath of flowers hung on the corner, and several teddy bears and bouquets were placed nearby.

  Liam and I sat at the far end of the bar. As we opened our menus, a man with a white button-down shirt approached from the other side of the mahogany.

  “Good afternoon. My name’s Jack. What can I do for you?”

  “I’ll just have a BLT,” I said, picking the first thing I saw on the menu. Liam ordered the same.

  “Are you two here on vacation, or just passing through?” Jack asked as he took our menus.

  “We’re just passing through, actually. Seems like a rough time around here, eh?” Liam said, gesturing to the easel by the bar.

  Jack’s face fell. “Oh, yeah. Such a tragedy. Wes was the bartender here a couple nights a week.”

  “Wow. What really happened?” Liam asked, looking hard into Jack’s eyes.

  “They’re saying serial killer. Must be a real psycho,” Jack said, launching into the story of all the bodies being found drained, six altogether.

  After we ate, we walked back outside, and Niall was gone.

  “I guess Aodhan’s on the move.”

  Liam opened his phone and typed a message. We sat on the bench and waited for Niall to respond.

  Minutes passed and still nothing.

  “Can we take a walk down to the water, just to look around?” I said, itching to do something.

  Liam looked at me for a couple seconds, considering. “Right, let’s do that.”

  We crossed over to the park and down to the marina. A light breeze blew off Lake Superior, rustling the leaves above our heads as we walked down the path. The only other sound was the occasional faint whir of traffic up on the street.

  Liam walked close by my side, his eyes constantly roaming the area.

  “I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me about Aodhan,” I said.

  Liam coughed, looking uncomfortable. “The situation with Aodhan is...complicated.”

  “Did you know him?”

  “I knew him briefly. When I first arrived in TÍ r na n’Ó g, he had just started asking about his family. He’d been there the equivalent of nearly three hundred years and had no idea. The time passes differently there, especially when you’re in thrall.”

  “In thrall?” I interrupted.

  “Well, yes. Aoife had me so deeply under her spell, I had no will of my own. All that mattered was her.”

  “Oh, okay. Go on.”

  He sighed but continued. “When I met him, he asked me about the war. As I told him, he looked at me like I was daft. The Ireland of 1602 was a far cry from the Ireland of 1888, I’m sure you can imagine.”

  The park was deserted, only the long shadows of the oak trees crisscrossed the path in front of us. “We should head back, see if we can find Niall.”

  I inhaled and we turned back up toward the street. “I wonder if—”

  B
efore I had the chance to finish, a shadow moved ahead of us.

  “Liam,” a tall figure said, pushing away from a tree just five yards away.

  I froze on the path as the man walked down to where we stood. As he got closer, I took in his gaunt features and sunken eyes filled with malevolence.

  “Stay back,” Liam hissed, pushing past me.

  “Has Aoife let you off of your leash?” the stranger asked.

  Something shifted in Liam’s stance, he stood straighter and tension rippled through his body.

  “This is all your doing, Aengus?” Liam gestured to the city.

  “How long is your mistress going to keep us locked out of TÍ r na n’Ó g?” Aengus asked, ignoring Liam’s question.

  “I don’t know anything about you being locked out. Things have been”—Liam hesitated—“out of sorts in TÍ r na n’Ó g. You can probably thank Breanh for keeping you out.”

  Liam looked back at me, but quickly realized his mistake when Aengus noticed me standing there. Before I could even try to move, Aengus appeared in front of me. He reached out and stroked my jaw with a long, bony finger.

  “Ahh, and who do we have here?” he asked, his warm breath blowing in my face as his eyes raked over my skin.

  Liam ran back to my side and grabbed Aengus’s hand to shove him away. I heard the metallic whoosh of a blade, and in a flash, Liam was on his knees. The color drained from his face, and I looked down to see the handle of a knife sticking out of Liam’s side.

  Before Aengus’s sneer had a chance to fully form, he was knocked to the ground by a blur of silver light. I quickly figured out that the silver blur was actually a gigantic man, dressed all in black with a closely-shaved head.

  Without hesitation, the man yanked Aengus’s head back by his hair and put a wicked-looking dagger to his throat. Aengus grimaced as the edge of the dagger drew a thin line across his neck.

  I rushed to Liam’s side as his body went limp, and I struggled to get him down to the ground without injuring him more. He tried to speak but all he could manage was a low gurgling sound.

  “Shhh,” I crooned, trying to calm him. I sat him in an upright position as I scrambled to figure out how to help him. I needed to put pressure on the wound, but the dagger was still sticking out. And I knew that if I pulled it out, it would increase the blood flow.