Finn's Choice

by Darby Karchut

  “Move! This thing’s burning me!” Rafe pushed past, carrying a steaming casserole dish wrapped in a hand towel. Juggling the dish, he rushed into the kitchen.

  “Mom baked a welcome-to-the-neighborhood apple cobbler.” Savannah stepped inside and closed the door, her eyes wide with curiosity. “Looks like you don’t need us after all.” She laid a hand on Finn’s arm and leaned around him. “I didn’t see a car in the driveway. Are they here?” she whispered.

  Both the feel of her slender hand and the scent of whatever girls wear that always makes them smell like…well…girls made Finn’s brain cease to function.

  “Is who here?” he whispered back, hoping she’d keep her hand on his arm.

  “Them. The Knight. And her apprentice.”

  “Well, yeah.” He inhaled, getting another whiff of flowers. Or was it vanilla?

  “Cool. I’ve been wanting to meet them.”

  “Why?”

  “To get fashion tips.” At Finn’s look of confusion, she rolled her eyes. “To get some fighting advice, doofus.” Punching him lightly on the arm, she stepped around him and continued on to the kitchen. Finn followed as if on a leash.

  The kitchen was packed. Rafe and Lochlan were standing in the corner, heads close together and talking, glancing now and again at Tara, who was helping her master at the counter with the salad.

  “Kel O’Shea, Tara.” Finn led Savannah over to them. “This is Savannah Steel.”

  “Hello, Savannah. Nice to finally meet you.” Kel O’Shea smiled at her.

  “Me too. I’ve been wanting to meet you both since Finn got back from the Festival.” She grinned at Tara, who grinned back.

  Why do I feel outnumbered? Finn thought.

  “Please tell your mother thank you for the cobbler,” Kel O’Shea continued. “And I hope you and Rafe will join us—we’ve plenty. By the way, I’ve heard you’re quite the shield maiden. And that you even bagged an Amandán this past summer.”

  “Whoa!” Tara’s eyes widened. “Really?”

  “Luck more than anything. It was more like the goblin stepped in front of my knife after I had thrown it.” She shrugged away the incident. “Finn told me you’re really good with the bow and arrow, Tara.”

  “He did?” Tara blinked up at Finn. A strange look flitted across her face.

  “Yeah,” Savannah continued. “I’ve always wanted to learn. Do you think I could watch you practice sometime?”

  “Only if you promise to try it out.”

  “Now you’re just toying with me.”

  Tara laughed. “Do you want to see mine?”

  “Your bow?” Savannah’s eyes lit up. “Yeah!”

  “Come on.”

  Finn watched open-mouthed as they disappeared. He noticed Gideon gazing at him. “Should I be nervous?”

  “Extremely.”

  Grabbing a bread stick, Finn took a bite—a perfect blend of hot bread and garlic butter—and joined Rafe and Lochlan. All three stood gazing through the archway.

  “Tara seems cool,” Rafe said in a nonchalant voice that was anything but.

  “Not as cool as Savannah,” Lochlan said. “Or should I say hot.”

  “Hey!” Rafe thumped Lochlan on the back of the head. “Watch it, O’Neill. That’s my sister you’re talking about.”

  Finn shushed them as the girls returned. They were walking with their heads together, Tara nodding while Savannah said something in a low voice. He tensed when they glanced his way.

  “Right.” Kel O’Shea plopped the salad bowl in the center of the table between boxes of pizza. “Help yourselves.”

  Everyone packed around the table, crowding each other as they tried to fill their plates. After the second time Rafe dropped his pizza slice into the salad because Lochlan kept jostling him, Kel O’Shea gave a sharp whistle for attention. Even Gideon and Mac Roth froze and looked at her.

  “Okay, listen up. Those of you who are fourteen and under,” she announced, “have one minute to fill their plate, then get to the living room. And do not spill anything on the carpet.”

  Four

  Scrambling like mad as the Knight counted off the seconds, the five of them piled food on their plates, grabbed cans of soda, then fled to the living room with their booty. Outside the windows, the first flakes began to fall from the storm clouds that had been teasing them all morning.

  The teens formed a loose circle. Lochlan and Savannah sat side by side on a couple of unpacked boxes, while Rafe plopped down on the end of the sofa. Finn scooted an ottoman closer to the group. Next to him, Tara lowered herself into a cross-legged position on the floor, balancing her plate and can.

  Finn hesitated, then rose from the ottoman. “Here. Take my seat.” She scowled and opened her mouth. “And, no,” he said wearily, before she could speak. “This has nothing to do with you being a girl. It has everything to do with—” he cocked his head toward the kitchen, “—me avoiding death by Gideon. He would kill me if he came in here and saw you on the floor and me on a seat. So move.” He nudged her knee with the toe of his shoe.

  “I’m good. But thanks.”

  Finn hesitated for a moment. Then, placing his own lunch on the floor, he joined her.

  “Afraid, MacCullen?” Lochlan threw a pepperoni at him.

  Catching it in mid-air, Finn popped it in his mouth. “Not afraid. Just practicing avoidance.”

  “Your master’s pretty strict?” Tara asked.

  Finn thought for a moment as he removed the green peppers from his pizza slice. “Kind of, but not in a mean way. He’s fair and all that. We get along pretty good. And he wants me to be the best Knight I can.” The memory of something Gideon had said at the Festival echoed in his head.

  “And ye would be willing to lay aside yer Knighthood for the boyo?” Toryn Mull, the local chieftain of their people, had asked.

  Gideon had given a mirthless bark. “Why, Toryn Mull. I’d be willing to lay aside my life for the boyo.”

  Finn knew he would never forget those words as long as he lived.

  “So, Finn.” Tara pointed her fork at him. “Do you know what the first trial’s going to be?”

  “Yeah.” Finn swallowed, then nodded. “I just found out yesterday evening. From the Scáthach herself.”

  Lochlan choked. “Did she really show up? Here?”

  “Well, in our back yard.” Finn shuddered. “Man, she’s creepy.” He launched into the story. Afterwards, the other four sat in silence for a long minute, then they all started talking at once.

  Tara suggested just winging it. Lochlan thought they should use Iona. Rafe wanted to know why he couldn’t simply refuse to go with her. Savannah said nothing. She gazed at him, worry etched on her face. Her concern made him warm all over. He started to speak when Rafe’s cell phone pinged.

  Tara sighed. “Wish I had a phone.”

  “You don’t have one?” Finn asked.

  “Kel O’Shea won’t let me. She doesn’t want me ‘to become dependent on a device that causes humans to walk into poles.’ Her words.”

  “I don’t have one, either.” Finn didn’t say why and was grateful when she didn’t ask.

  Still chewing, Rafe fished his phone out of his pocket and answered it. “Hey, Mom.” He listened for a few minutes. “But you said we could stay and help. And we’d be safer here until Dad gets home.” Listening, he mouthed the word hospital at Savannah, who rolled her eyes. “Fine. We’ll be right there.” Scowling, he ended the call. “We gotta go. Mom’s got an emergency call and she wants us back home.” He hesitated, then looked over his shoulder at the kitchen.

  “What’s wrong?” Finn asked.

  “She wants Gideon or Mac Roth to walk us home. You know. Because of the Amandán.”

  “Wouldn’t you guys be safer here with us?” Lochlan said.

  “That’s what I told her, but she said Dad got done early with meetings and just pulled into the driveway.” Rafe stood up and shoved his phone in his pocket. “Parents. They’re never
where you want them to be. Or they show up when you don’t want them to.”

  “Masters, too,” Lochlan added.

  They carried their plates into the kitchen. After Rafe relayed Mrs. Steel’s wishes to the Knights, Gideon nodded, wiping his mouth on a napkin.

  “My pleasure.” He rose. “Kel? Tara? Why don’t you accompany me as well? ’Twould give you a chance to meet the Steels, and I wish to speak with Rufus Steel about fortifying his home.”

  “We’ll all go,” Mac Roth announced, dusting crumbs from his beard and tugging his shirt smooth. Finn grinned secretly at the giant’s innocent crush on Mrs. Steel. His grin dimmed when he noticed Lochlan had threaded an arm through Savannah’s and was whispering something in her ear.

  To Finn’s relief, Savannah snorted and pushed him away. “I told you before—no, not in that way.” She fell in beside Tara. They trailed the Knights to the front door.

  Lochlan’s face reddened. Wondering what Savannah had meant, Finn walked over and joined his friend. “What was that all about?”

  “Nothing.” Lips pressed tight, Lochlan stomped away.

  With a shrug, Finn followed and joined the others outside. He gasped in surprise.

  Sleet stung his face as autumn decided to let loose with the first real storm of the season. Already, a layer of white was decorating the landscape in a style that was more Yule than Samhain. Hurrying across the street, with Gideon in the lead and Mac Roth taking up the rear, the group made a dash for the Steels’ house. The cold air bit at the tips of his ears.

  Rufus Steel stood inside the open garage door, waving them in. While brushing snow from their heads and stomping feet clean, they exchanged introductions. A few moments later, after thanking Kel O’Shea for guarding her family, and promising to stop by for a longer visit, Susanna Steel sped away.

  “Is it safe for her?” Mac Roth asked as he watched the Volvo’s red tail lights disappear into the gloom. As if on cue, the wind howled and sent snow swirling into the garage. “What with the storm and all.”

  “You try stopping my wife when a patient needs her,” Rufus replied with a trace of pride. “That said, I keep my phone handy—it has an app that allows me to track her location. It was her idea. Peace of mind for me. More so now, with our current goblin problem.” He reached in his pocket, searched for a moment, then called to Rafe. “Son. Go get my cell, would you? Kitchen counter.”

  “I’ll get it.” Savannah headed to the door leading to the kitchen, then paused and looked back. “Finn? Come with me?”

  Finn glanced back at Lochlan. The other apprentice was passing a basketball back and forth with Rafe and making an obvious show of ignoring him. With a shrug, he followed Savannah inside and closed the door behind him.

  She was standing by the center island, spinning her father’s cell phone around on the polished marble. She kept her eyes on the device. “I, um, I wanted to talk with you about something. Alone.”

  “What?” Finn didn’t like her expression. Not one bit. “Is something wrong?”

  “No, not at all. There’s just something you should know.”

  “Something I should know? Is it about Lochlan?” I knew it! She likes him. As in likes him. A voice in his head screamed in aggravation. It’s not fair! I met her first. And I’m…I’m… He wasn’t sure what he was.

  “In a way.” She sent the phone spinning in the other direction. “But mostly, it’s about you. And…and how I feel about you.”

  That shut up the voice in his head. He could almost hear its tiny jaws snap together. “How you feel about me?” He wished he’d stop repeating her statements.

  She nodded. “You know I like you, very, very much. You’re my friend. One of my best friends. You saved my life and Rafe’s life this summer. More than once.”

  “You saved mine, too.”

  Her dimples danced as she grinned at him. “I did, didn’t I?” She stopped playing with the phone and reached out and took his hand, causing a vise to squeeze all the air out of his lungs. “And I hope we’ll always be friends. For the rest of our lives. But just friends. You know what I mean?”

  “Because of Lochlan?” Finn could barely get the words out through lips stiff with hurt.

  She snorted. “Not hardly. He’s not my type. I mean, we joke around and he tries to flirt with me, but he knows I’m not interested in being more than friends.” Her matter-of-fact tone helped soothe the pain. Just a little.

  “Then, why? Is it because I’m white?” Even as he said it, he knew it wasn’t true. Wasn’t Savannah. Never had been. Never would be.

  Her eyebrows shot up. “You know me better than that.”

  He did. Remorse now stood arm-in-arm with hurt. He glanced away. “Sorry.”

  “Hey. Look at me.” She waited until he dragged his gaze back around. “It’s because I’m human and you, Finnegan MacCullen, are Tuatha De Danaan. And I’ve read enough fantasy books to know these things just don’t work out.”

  Bitterness welled up, almost choking him. He barked a mirthless laugh. “Wow. That’s just great. My people don’t like me because of my human blood. And you don’t want to be my girlfriend because of my Fey blood. Terrific.”

  He started for the door, but Savannah caught his arm. Taking both of his hands in hers, she gazed up at him, her eyes shiny with tears.

  “I know you’re hurt. But I want to tell you one more thing.”

  “What?”

  “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For showing me that there’s more to this world than just… this.” She glanced around the kitchen. “That there’s a secret, magical otherworld, full of heroes and monsters, going on side-by-side with our world. I mean, us humans’ world. Which is pretty awesome. It gives my boring, everyday life a kind of…” She frowned as she tried to explain. “A kind of glow. And maybe Tolkien and Rowling and Le Guin and the other authors knew it, too. But they couldn’t tell the truth, because people would think they’re crazy. So they told it through stories. Does that make sense?”

  “Kind of.” He tightened his fingers around hers. As the jagged pain settled into a dull one he could live with, he sighed. “Do you know how to say ‘my friend’ in Gaelic?”

  “No, how?”

  “Mo chara.”

  “Mo chara,” she repeated. “I like the sound of it.”

  Me, too.

  Hand in hand, they walked to the door. He opened it. Then, standing aside to allow her to step through first, Finn let her go.

  Five

  “But, Dad,” Rafe’s voice rose in frustration as Finn trailed Savannah into the garage. “That’s when Finn has his first trial. Isn’t that more important?” Father and son were standing off to one side, while the Knights and their apprentices waited nearby. Snow was now blowing horizontally. Through the still-open garage door, Finn could barely make out Gideon’s house.

  “Son, I told you and your sister about the trip two months ago,” Rufus said. “And we’re not exactly in a position to help much. Gideon said we need to keep our heads down for now.”

  “Oh, man.” Savannah groaned. “I forgot all about that trip.”

  “What trip? What’s going on?” Finn asked.

  Rufus Steel spoke before Rafe could explain. “Susanna has a four-day medical conference in San Diego the weekend of the twenty-fourth through the twenty-seventh. We had decided to take the twins and make a mini family vacation out of it. It was planned six months ago.” He looked over at Gideon. “Unless you need us here.”

  “While I appreciate the offer, Rufus Steel, ’twould ease my mind to know you and your family are far away when the goddess returns. Things might become a wee bit rough. Speaking of rough, time for us to make a dash for home.” Gideon shook hands with the man.

  With the last two days’ events rattling around inside of his skull, Finn hurried through the storm with the others back to Kel O’Shea’s house. He noticed Lochlan dragging behind. Slowing down, he waited for him in the middle of the desert
ed street.

  “If it’ll make you feel any better,” Finn said, jogging in place and his hands shoved in his pockets for warmth, “she just wants to be friends with me, too.”

  “Good.” Relief flooded Lochlan’s face. It was followed by remorse. “Sorry, Finn. I didn’t mean—”

  “I know what you meant. C’mon. I’m freezing out here.”

  They ran the rest of the way. After stomping snow off their shoes, they joined the others in the kitchen. While Kel O’Shea sat at the table with the other two Knights, Tara was bustling about, making tea with water still hot from lunch.

  “Gideon, I want to check out the woods behind our house as soon as possible,” Kel O’Shea said. “Get a feel for the terrain and where the Amandán’s den is located. You said it’s a fairly aggressive pack?”

  “Aye. And with Finn and me concentrating on preparing him for the trials, it takes a load from my shoulders knowing you will be both guarding the Steels and keeping the beasties under control.”

  “And I might get my torc sooner than later,” Tara said as she carried over steaming mugs and placed them in front of the Knights.

  “Thank you, miss.” Gideon took a sip as he peered out the kitchen window. “Tomorrow, then? The storm, most likely, will have blown itself out by then. These autumn tempests are quick to arrive and just as quick to depart.”

  “We’ll join you,” Mac Roth said. “A fine chance for these ones,” he nodded at the apprentices, “to practice tracking.” He drained his mug and rose. “Come, Lochlan. ’Tis time we head back home.”

  “We as well.” Gideon stood and carried his cup to the sink.

  As Mac Roth’s red Jeep drove away, Gideon and Finn hurried back to their own house, heads down and shoulders hunched. The wind beat at the large pines that flanked the porch. The trees punched back, flailing their branches in retaliation.

  “First big storm of the season,” Gideon remarked, toeing off his boots by the front door and pushing them to one side. Finn did as well, throwing his shoes inside the wooden crate they kept there to hold rags and a metal bucket he used to collect sláinte nettle leaves. “It will make Kel’s job harder.”