by Laura Howard
The ceiling creaked loudly, and I looked up, wondering what Gram was doing up there. It sounded like she was scurrying in and out of the bedrooms. A second later, she bustled down the stairs. Her face was flushed, and strands of white hair escaped from her bun.
The bread knife slipped from my fingers as she approached me, landing with a clatter on the cutting board.
Mom. Something was wrong.
“Gram?”
She blinked at me before hurrying over to the living room window. “Your mother isn’t in her bedroom,” she said as she turned away from the window.
“Tom,” she called as she walked toward the cellar stairs and opened the door. “Tom, have you seen Beth?”
“Coming, Jane,” I heard Pop holler from the bottom of the stairs. “What is it, dear?”
“I can’t find Elizabeth. She isn’t down there with you, is she?”
“No,” Pop said, wiping sawdust off his brow.
“Maybe she wandered out into the backyard again,” I said. Before anyone could respond, I threw open the screen slider and hurried outside. I ran around the entire house shouting her name, but there was no sign of her.
I climbed the porch steps two at a time and charged upstairs to my bedroom. My hands shook as I scrolled through the numbers on my cell phone, trying to find the one Liam had called from.
I heard him pick up but was speaking before he had a chance to say anything. “My mother,” I shouted. “She’s missing.”
After a moment of silence, he finally replied. “I’ll be there in just a moment, Allison. Stay put.”
I threw the phone down on my bed. Pacing back and forth, I tried to imagine how this could have happened. How could she have left the house without my grandparents even noticing? It just didn’t make sense.
Pop was on the phone when I came back downstairs, and Gram stood by the slider, wringing her hands, looking out into the darkening backyard. My grandfather hung up and walked over to where Gram stood. He wrapped his arm around her, and she leaned her head into his shoulder. I could see she was trembling.
“She can’t be far, Jane. I told the police about Beth’s condition—they’ll be here soon. They’ll find her.”
“I just don’t know how this could have happened,” Gram said in a shaky voice.
“Mom?” Aunt Jessie walked down the front hall and froze by the side table, looking back and forth between me and my grandparents.
Gram pulled away from my grandfather and pursed her lips. At Gram’s expression, Aunt Jessie rushed over to her.
“She’s just...gone,” Gram murmured into my aunt’s shoulder as they held each other for a moment.
The sound of car doors cut through the tension then, and we were out on the front porch in seconds. A police car was parked in front of the house.
While the officers spoke with my grandparents, I caught sight of Liam standing on the sidewalk a few yards away. He had his back to me, and it wasn’t until I was just a few feet from him that he turned around.
“What’s happened?” he asked.
I inhaled. “I don’t really know. My grandparents thought she was up in her room. But when Gram went to check on her, she wasn’t there.”
Liam nodded and turned toward the house. His eyes slid over the yard and the vehicles in the driveway.
“You got here so fast,” I whispered, barely even aware that I had spoken out loud.
“That’s one advantage of being a Danaan.” He cleared his throat and glanced over at me. “Speed.”
I wasn’t sure what that meant, but it wasn’t important right now. All that mattered was finding my mom.
I heard one of the officers tell my grandparents that due to her schizophrenia, they’d be able to file a missing persons report immediately. The second officer walked to his squad car to call into the station, while the other continued speaking to Gram and Pop.
Uncle Dave stood at Aunt Jessie’s side, rubbing her back as they listened to my grandfather describe my mother’s physical appearance.
A car door slammed, and I heard the clatter of heels on tar.
“Al?” Nicole said as she and Jeff walked to the sidewalk. She glanced at Liam and then at me. “Allison? What’s going on?”
“My mother,” I said, but my voice came out like a croak and I cleared my throat. “My mother’s missing.”
Nicole’s eyes widened in alarm. “Missing? Oh my God.” Her arms came up around my shoulders, squeezing me with all her strength.
Jeff spoke from behind Nicole. “Can we form a search party? What are the police doing?”
Nicole didn’t give me a chance to answer, she half pulled me toward the rest of our family. I looked over my shoulder at Liam, and he nodded, as though he knew just what to do.
I hurried down the cellar stairs and over to the map of Stoneville that hung above my grandfather’s workbench. Standing on my tiptoes, I reached for the pushpins that held it in place. My fingers just barely brushed the rounded heads of the pins, and I strained to get my fingernail underneath. The frantic energy buzzing through my body wouldn’t allow me to pop each pin off the board one at a time, and I ended up tearing the map from the wall, barely keeping it in one piece.
I sprinted back to the kitchen and spread the map across the table. My grandparents sat in two chairs pushed close together. Jeff and Nicole, Joanne and her husband Frank, plus half a dozen friends and neighbors had arrived to help look for my mother. Looking down at the street names, I jabbed my finger into the spot that I knew represented our property.
“Okay, we’re here. If we divide into groups of four, we can each spread out in all directions...” I looked up to see everyone was waiting for my instructions, as if I really knew what I was doing.
As I assigned paths for everyone to follow, the front door slammed and footsteps came down the hall. Ethan walked into the living room, carrying an armload of flashlights and lanterns. His mouth was set in a grim line and fear flickered in his eyes. I breathed deeply through my nose and looked back down at the map.
I felt each step he took as he came to my side. As I spoke to Ethan’s parents and Sean’s parent’s—the Connor’s—I heard the trembling in my own voice.
“You four can take the old cart road up behind the Connor’s house. Do you have flashlights?” I grabbed the lantern Ethan held out and passed it to Sean’s father, accepting the comfort he offered me with a tight smile.
Allison.
Niamh’s voice in my head caused a shudder to ripple across my shoulders. I looked toward the door, but she wasn’t anywhere I could see.
Ethan touched my elbow. “It’ll be okay, Al. We’ll find her.”
I looked up to see his brown eyes fixed on mine. He squeezed my arm in reassurance, and I pulled back. I needed to keep my head clear, and his touch was too much.
“Let’s go, Ethan. We’re going to look behind the old Miller farm,” Jeff said as he and Nicole walked over. Nicole’s eyebrows pulled down as she assessed the situation.
That’s when another familiar voice spoke behind me.
“Mr. and Mrs. O’Malley? I’ve heard about your daughter,” Liam said. “I’ll search the woods on the property. She’s sure to turn up soon.”
My grandparents barely responded, they just gave him watery smiles.
I closed my eyes and sighed. Liam—in my house, talking to my grandparents. About my mother. I had to hold my tongue and remind myself that this wasn’t his fault, that he was trying to help bring her home.
I felt Ethan watching my reaction to Liam. I didn’t know what was going through his mind, but I was sure any ideas he had about my relationship with Liam were completely off the mark.
My father turned toward the door. Each assigned search party was making its own plans now, so I followed him out onto the porch. Niamh stood on the sidewalk, and she held me in her gaze as I approached.
Follow me.
I didn’t want to, but without hesitating, I followed her to the path leading up to Liam’s propert
y. My feet felt like they were moving without my consent.
I gave my word to protect your mother, Allison. No harm will come to her.
I shook my head, not understanding how she could promise that. Or why she would even want to. I got the impression humans meant very little to the Danaans.
I swore to help your father. We will return your mother unharmed.
I sighed. This mind reading thing was already getting annoying.
Niamh smiled wryly. “I can speak aloud if you’d like.”
“Thanks,” I muttered as we walked farther up the path into the trees.
It was fully dark now, and the moon was waning. The flashlight helped a little, but I still managed to trip over a rock hidden under some leaves. I blew out a frustrated breath and felt someone grab my elbow to steady me. But when I looked over, no one was there.
“Allison, meet Tagdh.”
“What?” I asked, looking at Niamh.
“Tagdh is Niamh’s guardian,” Liam explained. “He’s wearing a glamour to stay hidden from human eyes.”
My eyebrows shot up. “What does that even mean?”
“A glamour is an enchantment,” Niamh said. “It’s like a cloak of magic that keeps your mind from registering his presence.”
I rolled my eyes, but nodded as if I heard this kind of thing all the time. “I see.”
The air shimmered in front of me, and a young man slowly came into focus. He bowed his head, raising his solemn eyes to meet mine. Their color reminded me of the bright green buds of early spring, and his auburn hair curled around his ears.
“Tagdh was able to use glamour to keep hidden.” Liam gestured for me to stop walking now that we were away from the others. “And we have news. The birds we’ve been seeing around your house are confirmed as Breanh’s spies.”
Liam watched for my reaction, but I was determined to keep a straight face. “Breanh is able to control the minds of all creatures, including humans.”
“Your mother could have easily been coerced to walk right out the front door,” Niamh said. “Your grandmother might have seen the whole thing and not remember a bit of it if Breanh wiped her memory.”
“So what are we looking for exactly then?”
“Right now, we’re keeping up appearances, for your family. Wherever your mother truly is, she’s far, far away from here.”
Time stopped, and my mouth dropped open. “Keeping up appearances?”
“Your family would think it was strange if you weren’t taking part in the search.” Niamh shrugged, the slightest pull of her shoulder upward.
“How can you be positive it was Breanh that took my mother? How do you know she didn’t just wander off?” I glared at Niamh, but she remained unaffected.
“The chances that she is still in this world are very small,” Liam began. “We will go to Tír na n’Óg and see Niamh’s mother, Saoirse. She is a Seer, able to see many paths into the future.”
I shook my head. “Okay,” I said, though I didn’t comprehend what that actually meant.
“You will stay here,” Niamh added. “Your father and I will go to my mother.”
I threw out my hands, breathing hard. “You expect me to sit around and wait?”
“Taking you would be too big of a risk,” Liam said.
I gritted my teeth and glared at him. “I need to find my mother.”
“I know you’re frustrated,” he said. “But what’s important is that we keep you and your mother safe.”
“Obviously our ideas of keeping her safe are very different,” I said, spinning on my heel and marching back down the path without sparing another glance at either of them.
I could hear Liam’s footsteps behind me as I walked up the sidewalk. I tried to ignore him for as long as possible, but when I stopped he came around to stand in front of me.
“What?” I snapped.
He chuckled a little under his breath as he shook his head. “I’ve never seen anyone talk to Niamh like that.”
I snorted. “Just wait ‘til she finds out that I’m going with you.”
“Absolutely not,” he said, his posture rigid. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t you see? Niamh doesn’t care about my mother—I don’t even understand why she’s helping you in the first place.” I walked around him, heading toward where the crowd still gathered in our front yard. “But if you care about her, you’ll take me with you,” I called over my shoulder.
Aunt Jessie was talking on the phone when I walked up. I looked around for Gram and saw her surrounded by a group of my mother’s old friends, including Joanne. I was grateful that they were there to reassure her.
When Gram saw me, she excused herself from the ladies and hurried over. “Oh sweetheart, how are you holding up?” she asked, placing her palm on my cheek.
“I’m fine. But what about you?”
“I’m terrified, Allie-girl. It’s not like your mother to wander off for this long,” Gram said, glancing over at Pop.
“We’ll find her Gram,” I said. I knew Liam could hear me from where he stood on the sidewalk. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”
My mother lies in a bed, swathed in gauzy fabric, her eyes closed in peaceful sleep. The room is quiet, and warm light comes from globes suspended in the air. A young woman with scarlet hair approaches her bedside, carrying a platter of fruit and a golden cup. Her blue gown looks straight out of the Middle Ages with floor-length, open sleeves and gilded embroidery on the hems. She bends to place the platter on a table by my mother’s head, her hair tumbling over her shoulder.
Another woman with mahogany curls and a similar mauve gown appears on my mother’s other side. She laughs as she smooths my mother’s hair back onto her silky pillow.
Suddenly, both women straighten up as another walks into the room. Her glistening blonde hair flows to the small of her back. She takes the golden cup in her hands and brings it to her curved mouth. After she takes a sip, she trickles a few drops of liquid onto my mother’s lips. As soon as it touches, my mother's eyes open. She stares dreamily at the women surrounding her. She doesn't look afraid—she looks content.
I opened my eyes, and rubbed my palms across my face before looking at the clock.
4:43 a.m.
I must have fallen asleep on the couch while waiting to hear from the police.
It took a minute to clear the cobwebs from my head. I could still almost smell the ripe fruit and hear the laughter from my dream. I reached over and patted the end table until I found my cell phone. I clicked it open and tapped a text message to Liam:
Where are you?
Not ten seconds later, my phone beeped with a message:
Right outside.
My eyebrows furrowed. Had he really waited for me?
I stood and walked to the window that looked out on the woods next to the house. A sliver of the moon still hung low in the sky, but it was too dark to see anything.
I sent another message:
What are you still doing here?
After a brief pause, my phone beeped again:
Niamh went without me.
I looked up from my phone and out into the trees. I squinted and saw a tiny bit of movement in the woods. Slipping on my flip flops, I hurried out the sliding door. The sky was streaked with the lavender and peach light of early morning as I walked toward the spot I’d seen the movement.
“Good morning.”
I jumped as Liam appeared out of nowhere beside me. “How did you do that?”
He chuckled, the sound so quiet I barely heard it. “I told you—we’re fast. Too fast for you to see.”
I closed my eyes and inhaled. Nothing should surprise me anymore.
“Why didn’t you go with Niamh? And why are you standing in the woods at this hour?” I asked, glancing up at him.
He looked toward the sky as he rubbed the back of his neck. “It didn’t feel right,” he began, his accent thick. “Leaving you here didn’t feel right.”
My eyes widened and I swallowed hard to hold back the biting comment that came to mind. “What about my mother?”
“Allison, this is all happening so fast and I know you’re frustrated.” He swallowed, shooting me a pleading look.
“You worried about what I might do, didn’t you?” I said, the realization striking me as I spoke.
He cleared his throat and shrugged. “You’re the first daughter I’ve ever had,” he said.
I rolled my eyes. “All right, fine. Does this mean you’re taking me to fairy land?”
Liam sighed. “I suppose it does.”
The screen door bounced a few times before it shut behind me as I walked back into the house. I smelled coffee brewing and heard dishes clanking in the sink. As I passed the den, I saw my mother’s violin sitting in its case, open on the coffee table. It looked like she had just been about to take it out before she’d disappeared, not up in her room at all.
Gram sat at the table, idly stirring a cup of coffee in front of her, while Pop gazed out the back window. Aunt Jessie stepped away from the sink where she was washing the dishes from the night before.
“You all couldn’t sleep either, I guess…. Any news?” I asked, as they all looked at me questioningly.
Aunt Jessie smoothed back my hair and smiled at me with pity in her eyes. “No, honey. Nothing yet. There were a couple calls during the night but”—she sighed—“they were all dead ends.”
It was all I could do to keep my mouth shut. I wanted to tell them they were all wasting their time, that I was going to find her and bring her home myself.
“I’m just going to grab some breakfast, and I’ll be heading back out,” I said instead.
Uncle David walked into the room holding up his phone. “Nic said she’ll come here first, and you can go out with them. They’re about to head to the mall to see if for some reason she wandered down there.”
I shook my head. “I’d rather split up for now, cover more ground.”
