by Tom Mohan
“I’m not safe anywhere else. This is all I have, safe or not. I cannot leave.”
Liza felt the urge to scream. All she’d heard from this family since arriving was how things were changing, how all of their ancient assumptions were proving to be wrong, and yet Brianna still held to her ways. Why couldn’t she see that her comfortable little world was crumbling around her?
“Okay, what do we do now?”
Brianna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I still feel Tír na nÓg, not as strong as I should, nor do I feel your world as I once did, but it is still there. I must seek my parents in the Mist. At the moment, that is all I can do.”
“And me?”
Brianna looked down at her hands clasped in her lap, her customary confidence gone. “I don’t know.”
Liza felt a tinge of guilt as she left Brianna’s house. She hated leaving the woman alone but was afraid of staying.
Part of her wanted to know what was behind that door. She had a strong feeling it wasn’t what Brianna thought. She wasn’t sure where that feeling came from, but she was sure it was right. Brianna’s Great Nothing of legend was something else entirely.
Outside, night had fallen. Liza found it incredible how long dusk lasted in this part of the country. In Los Angeles, one could watch the sun drop below the horizon as the sky went from pink to dark in minutes. Here in Halden’s Mill, the sun disappeared behind the trees but the light of dusk held on until she wondered if it was ever going to get dark. Around Brianna’s well-kept yard, a few fireflies flickered their welcome to the night. The air smelled of greenness and life, and again, she felt a strange attraction to this quiet, rural place.
“Everything okay?” Jacob asked from beside the truck.
Liza wrapped her arms around herself. “Brianna’s spooked. Things are changing for her just like everyone else, and she doesn’t know how to handle it.” She didn’t mention the knocking. If Jacob had never been in the house, it wouldn’t mean anything to him. The place already made him nervous. No sense adding to it.
“I don’t understand any of this,” Jacob said. “The Finns and the Old Ones have always been the center of the Mill. That someone could be killing off the Old Ones and harming the Finns is unthinkable.”
“And yet it’s happening.” Liza gazed up at the stars that filled the sky. So beautiful and, like Halden’s Mill, so much more than they appeared. Her stomach rumbled. “I’m starving. Is there any place to get something to eat this time of night?”
Jacob smiled. “I hear the Roundup has pretty good food. I’ve never tried it myself.”
“What’s the Roundup?”
Jacob laughed. “The local bar. I may have strayed from the Amish fold of my grandfather, but I haven’t gone so far as to hang out in bars. Want to give it a try?”
“I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. I can get something at the farm.” She didn’t really want to go back there yet, though. She wanted to go someplace where life felt normal. Bars were not her thing, either, but it sounded good right then. It sounded real.
Jacob shrugged. “I’m fine with it. A greasy burger sounds good.”
The Roundup was less than half a mile away. It wasn’t much to look at on the outside. Wedged between a closed-down movie theater and an auto parts store, the bar’s brick front had a tired feeling about it. Only a block away sat the main town square that Liza had found so quaint and Norman Rockwell-ish, but the block on which the bar was located looked like it came from a different place entirely. Cars were parked diagonally in the middle of the street, which was something she’d never seen before. Country music and the sound of voices rumbled from within the building. Jacob took her hand and led her through the door.
The inside of the Roundup was much as Liza had expected—a rough wood floor, a long bar on the left with backed stools, and pool tables in the back. There were pub tables in the center of the floor and some booths along the right wall. The music came from a jukebox made to look old, but Liza guessed it was fairly modern. Jacob led her to an empty booth, and they slid in across the table from one another.
“First time in a bar?” Liza asked.
Jacob smiled. “I’m not that clean and squeaky. First time in a bar in the Mill, though. I’ve been in a few in Columbia. Never figured it was worth the hassle of someone telling Tobias they saw me in here.”
“I think that would be the hardest part of living in a place like this. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s a wonderful town and all, I just…”
“Don’t know if you could handle everyone knowing your business? Yeah, I get what you mean.” The twist of Jacob’s mouth showed how well he understood. He looked around the bar. “Is there a waitress or something around here?”
Liza laughed. “We probably have to go to the bar to order. I’ll do it.” She stood up, but Jacob grabbed her arm.
“You wait here. I’ll order the food. Burger and beer?”
Liza nodded. “Sounds good.”
While Jacob went to order, Liza looked around the bar. People watching had always been a sort of hobby, and since coming to Halden’s Mill she’d seen a very different type of person than she was used to. In LA, she’d seen tourists from all over the world, including Midwest America, but they always looked like tourists. No matter how they dressed or talked, she could always tell when someone didn’t belong. It felt strange seeing those same people in their own environment where they were the locals and she the stranger. They seemed more real, more human.
Laughter from one of the pool tables drew her attention. Two men a bit older than herself were throwing darts at a board on the back wall. As she looked in that direction, the room tilted, and she pressed down on the table to steady herself. At the same time, a wave of fear washed over her. Sweat broke out under her arms, and it was suddenly difficult to breathe. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. The feeling abated some but didn’t go away.
“Liza, are you okay?”
She heard Jacob’s voice but wasn’t ready to respond. She nodded, but that only made the dizziness worse.
Panic attack?
She felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Liza?”
She recognized the feeling. It was the same as the night she was attacked in her house, the same as in the hotel in Kansas City. She had to get out of there. Had to run. Escape.
“What’s wrong? Talk to me.”
Liza struggled to calm herself. The feeling was as tangible as the table she clung to like a life ring. She felt Jacob sit beside her and put an arm around her shoulders and his other hand on her arm. She took in deep breaths, almost tasting the beer and greasy food that permeated the air. The sensation nauseated her. The scratch on her leg burned and, though it was still on the outside of her blouse, she knew the pendant would burn as well if it touched her flesh. She forced her eyes open. The room seemed darker, more foreboding. She heard the sound of the pool balls clacking together. The music and conversation blended into a harsh buzzing in her ears. Around her, people moved in slow motion.
Her eyes locked onto the pool players and then on something beyond. In the shadowed corner of the room, at a table she hadn’t noticed before, sat a lone figure. She could make out little detail, though she was certain it was a man. She could feel his gaze on her like a physical touch.
Liza was on her feet before she knew what she was doing. Someone touched her, and she pushed the person away. She could feel the room closing in and had to get out. She spun and stumbled toward the door, knocking into people along the way. Voices floated around her, some harsh, others amused. Making it to the door, she staggered out onto the sidewalk. She wanted to run, to get as far away as possible, but the unfamiliar streets confused her panicked mind.
Liza lurched into the street and fell to her knees. Harsh sobs forced their way out of her, and she buried her face in her hands.
“Liza?”
Jacob’s voice. Gentle hands on her shoulders.
“Liza? What’s wrong?”
She could only shake her head. What was wrong? She felt like she was going insane.
“Hey buddy, why don’t you get your hands off the lady?”
The voice came from behind them. Liza felt Jacob turn, but his hands remained on her arms.
“Leave us alone,” Jacob said. “She’s had a rough few days. She’ll be all right.”
“Hey Jackie, he’s one of them Amish I was telling you about. You don’t have them out in Colorado?” A different voice, slightly slurred.
“Nope,” Jackie said, his eyes never leaving Liza.
Liza wiped her eyes and opened them. She should get out of the street. She allowed Jacob to help her to her feet. They turned toward the sidewalk where the two men stood. Liza recognized the pool players from inside.
“He doesn’t look Amish,” said the one Liza took to be Jackie. He was tall and pale with dark hair and eyes that belonged to someone who enjoyed inflicting pain. His friend was another of those Halden’s Mill contrasts. Short and stocky, he wore dirty jeans and a t-shirt and a dirtier John Deere cap. He had the tanned skin of one who spent a lot of time outdoors.
“I think they kicked him out or something,” the friend said. “Probably ‘cause he hangs out with the Finns. She’s been hanging out with them, too. Don’t get many like her around here.”
Liza knew he was referring to her dark skin. Many of the people in Halden’s Mill were tan from being outside, but she suspected these men thought her complexion exotic.
“I think she’s pretty,” Jackie said. “Bet you think she’s pretty, too, don’t you, Amish?”
“Come on, guys, let us be.”
Liza could hear the tension in Jacob’s voice. She wondered if he’d had problems with the locals before. A few other men and a couple women came out of the bar. None of them said anything. Though her earlier panic was still dissipating, this situation felt more threatening. She had the feeling there was some kind of design to the night’s events, like it was choreographed.
Jackie stepped off the curb into the street. His friend stayed where he was but looked ready to jump in if necessary. “I think I’ll take her home,” Jackie said. “You wouldn’t mind that, would you, Amish?”
Jacob turned toward the two men. “Actually, I would…” That was as far as he got before Jackie lashed out with his fist and caught Jacob in the abdomen. Jacob gasped and bent over double. The next fist slammed into his temple, and he went down in the street moaning and clutching his midsection.
“Jacob!” Liza rushed to him, but Jackie grabbed her arm and yanked her against him. She felt panic rising again, this time accompanied by a surge of anger. How dare this man put his hands on her. How dare he hurt her friend. “Let go of me!”
The burning cold of the pendant seeped through the material of her blouse to her skin. Somewhere deep in her mind, a part of her welcomed it, embraced it. As she struggled against the man who held her, another part of her grew calm. She could feel the power in the air. The power of the forest, the power of Tír na nÓg. It was all there for the taking. She didn’t know how she knew this, but there was no doubt.
She inhaled a deep breath, smelling the scent of life all around her.
Almost without thought, Liza took hold of the hand that grasped her. She squeezed and was rewarded by a gasp of pain from Jackie. She twisted her body and spun toward him, wrenching his wrist and arm in the same motion. The strength that flowed through her was like nothing she’d felt before. The cut in her leg burned, pulsing with the cold of the pendant.
Kill him.
Yes, she thought, it would be so easy. She had him dancing in a circle now as she held his wrist. It would be so easy to grab him by the hair with her free hand and snap his worthless neck. So easy. As though watching herself in a dream, she reached out and grasped a handful of his hair and jerked his head back.
Kill him.
This lowlife had hurt her friend, put his commoner hands on her. He deserved to die. For a moment, she looked up at the people around her. Some pointed and laughed. A few appeared shocked. The shadowy figure from the back of the bar stood in the doorway. Instead of fear and panic, she now felt a deep-seated hatred. She knew that this thing was manipulating the man she was so close to killing. She also knew its power was growing with the death of each Old One. The pathetic human whose life she held in her hands was not the one who should die this night.
With a scream of fury, Liza released Jackie’s wrist and hair and kicked him in the backside hard enough to send him tumbling. She felt a sense of rage and surprise from the thing in the doorway, and then the sense of it was gone altogether. The strength drained from her as the icy cold of the pendant faded. She stumbled to where Jacob now sat in the street and fell to her knees beside him.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” He paused, staring at her. “Where’d you learn to do that?”
Liza was so tired she thought she might lie down in the street and go to sleep. “I have no idea.”
Cullen Finn gasped for breath as he sprinted through the trees. The laughter of the wraiths grew louder as they gained ground on him. He had to find Ana. She was somewhere out there, alone as he was. He’d given up trying to figure out what had happened. There was no way to know from this side. What he did know was that something had gone terribly wrong on the other side. He had to find Ana and get back.
Cullen had wracked his brain for any clue as to what he might do to survive. He had no power here. Any time a need arose in the Mist, the Twins went into the woods and dealt with it, but the Twins were as separate as he and Ana now were.
The thought of Ana caused his heart to ache. He had let her down. When he had brought her into the Finn family, he had sworn to take care of her and protect her from any threat that arose. She had agreed with no hesitation, of course. Being one of the Finns was as much her destiny as his. Still, he’d always felt responsible for her wellbeing. She had not grown up with the knowledge of the mysteries as he had. Now she was lost and helpless in the Mist.
He almost smiled at that. His Ana was never helpless. She was probably better suited to get out of this than he was. She was always thinking, always moving, always one step ahead of everyone else, while he had always been more inclined to live life as it came at him. She was like an explosion waiting to happen. People often forgot he was even in the room. What was it Liza had said about contrasts? She was right; they were everywhere.
The screeching of the wraiths grew louder. Cullen was not certain what would happen when they caught up to him, as they no doubt would. In the Mist, he and Ana were safe from all of the creatures of Tír na nÓg. However, he was no longer in the Mist, nor was he in the land of the fae proper. He was somewhere between, and he was not sure of the rules. To his knowledge, nothing like this had ever happened. Nothing should have been allowed to happen to their physical bodies with Ruth and Jacob to watch over them—unless something had happened to them.
He shuddered and forced the thought from his mind. Dwelling on such fears would not help him now.
He tripped over a root and went down hard, the air knocked from his lungs. He crawled to his knees and felt the evil of the wraiths as they closed in on him. Darkness surrounded him as he gazed upon the creatures.
They appeared much as he thought they would. Their form was that of an emaciated human. Whether male or female was impossible to tell, though he knew that both genders of wraith existed. They were smoky gray in color, not the black he’d assumed, and their red eyes were more bloodshot than illuminated. They moved inches above the ground. Their clothing was thin and wispy, the color of their flesh. They surrounded him in a tight circle, mewling and laughing, but did not attack. Cullen wondered if they even knew what he was.
Then, they all went silent, and the only sound was that of Cullen’s breathing. He rose from his kneeling position and stood in the center of the wraiths, their hungry eyes upon him.
Why don’t they attack?
Cullen’s s
kin prickled. The hairs on his arms rose as though electricity were building in the air. The wraiths became agitated, milling about and mewling once again. There was no laughter in their sound now. It was more like anticipation. A burst of energy surged upon the scene, and for a moment, the gray of the landscape flashed with brilliant color and light. The wraiths shrank from the sheer beauty that surrounded them. They muttered and wailed as the light shone bright and warm. Within their cries, one word resonated.
Princess. Princess. Princess.
Cullen gasped. Could it be true? Could the legend have finally become reality? Whether from the light or fear or excitement, the wraiths took off as one. He stood, stunned as the light and color faded and the world went back to shadowy gray. His mind refused to accept what he already knew to be true. The Princess had awakened. If the Prince found her, no power on earth could stop them.
• • • • • • •
CONALL FINN ALSO felt the power as it lit Tír na nÓg. The Prince stirred within him, and Conall shuddered at what he knew was to come. He put down the raw deer leg on which he’d been gnawing and stood.
He should have killed her when he’d had the chance. Now it was too late. Nothing could stop the Prince from taking his bride and securing his rightful place in the universe. The small part of Conall’s mind that was still his screamed at the injustice of what was happening. Everything the generations of his family had lived to protect was lost because of him. He was the traitor that legend spoke of.
Go to her. Take me to my bride.
Conall struggled to maintain control, but he knew it was pointless. The Prince would not be denied. He tossed the deer leg to the ground and loped off in the direction of Halden’s Mill, one thought coursing through what was left of his rational mind.
I should have killed her when I had the chance.
Liza rubbed her arms in the frigid air. She stood in a long corridor that led into darkness both in front and behind her. For some reason, she was wearing a white gown with flowers sewn across the bodice. An icy wind tugged at the gown, almost as if it wished to tear it from her. Her bare feet were freezing on the cold, polished floor. Though she was alone, she could feel eyes on her, watching her every move.
