Oak & Mistletoe

by McCauley, J. Z. N.

  “If we all survive Conall’s plans then we’ll worry about that when the time comes,” he answered quietly.

  Within the hour the two surprised Bella at her front door, where she answered dressed in lounge clothes and bunny slippers with a pint of ice cream in one hand. Her short hair was pulled back in a large clip on the top of her head. She looked at them in shock.

  “Cathy?” Bella managed to say.

  “Bella, I don’t have time to explain, but we’ve been the best of friends and you’re the only one I can count on. I can’t give you an explanation now, but can I borrow your car again, for a time?”

  Bella wanted to answer but hesitated, her eyes filled with concern as she looked from Catherine to the shadowy tall figure of Bowen outside her doorway.

  “It’s for everyone’s safety, otherwise I would never! Please?” Catherine pleaded.

  “I can do without it for a while . . .” she answered looking back at Catherine.

  “Oh, thank you!” Catherine squeezed Bella into a hug.

  “Yeah, no problem, Cathy. Hey . . .” she kept Catherine from pulling away so she could say softly, “are you okay?” She shifted her eyes again to Bowen.

  Catherine realized what must be running through Bella’s mind. “Yes, I’m okay. There’s just some things going on, very strange and important things. You may even hear that I’m missing or dead, but please don’t say anything about this.” Catherine took the keys Bella handed her, “I promise I’ll explain everything to you later!” she said with two kisses for each cheek before she turned to leave, with Bowen following close behind.

  Bella was left dumbfounded at her doorstep, her pint of ice cream melting.

  With Catherine at the wheel, the two drove to a small pub where Danny was known to be in the evenings. Luckily he was already outside stretched out on a bench with Síne sitting as far away as possible from him. No one else seemed to be around.

  Danny immediately caught on to the urgency when he saw Catherine’s face. Pulling Síne by her arm, “Come on,” he said before getting in the backseat of the compact car. “What’s going on?” he asked his sister, alarmed.

  “I’ll explain on the way,” she answered.

  Bowen interrupted any possible questioning from Danny by saying “Go drive by your home.”

  “What? I thought you said that—”

  “I know what I said, just go.”

  When they reached the road that turned around the corner to Catherine’s home, Bowen urged her to stop the car at a distance and turned sideways in his seat. “Give me your phones,” Bowen demanded from Catherine, then Danny. With both in hand, he left the car.

  “What is he going to do with them?” Danny asked.

  “How should I know?” Catherine said half to herself as she watched him walking away. She could smell the heavy stench of smoke filtering into the car already.

  A few minutes passed and he returned. “We need to go now,” he remarked nonchalantly.

  Catherine began to drive. “Can we have our phones back now?”

  “No, I had to get rid of them.”

  “What!” Danny nearly shouted.

  “They needed to be burned with the rest of the house if they’re going to believe you’re dead . . .”

  Catherine hadn’t thought of that. Luckily she kept a small address book in her purse for emergencies, though she hadn’t imagined it would be needed for quite this reason. Danny was infuriated as Bowen explained what had happened. Catherine could see the huge flames as they passed her destroyed home. The warm sting of tears welled in her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. Catherine drove discreetly around the commotion of the fire and firefighters. The blaze of the fire quickly faded behind them in the rear view mirror as they sped away unnoticed. The home she had built for herself over the years was burning to the ground. It felt symbolic somehow. Catherine felt another pang of anger but forced herself to focus on the blank road laid out before her now.

  *

  By morning of the next day Catherine was exhausted. Danny was the first to fall asleep in the backseat, and one by one they nodded off. The four journeyed on, following Bowen’s directions to the mountain. Eventually they came to the point where the rest of the way had to be made on foot. Catherine and Danny were not exactly looking forward to this. Though they liked hiking on occasion, they did not much like the idea of searching an unmapped mountain.

  “Yes this was the mountain, it took days to get here from where I lived. We go across,” Bowen said pointing at the lengthy stretch of overgrown land as they exited the car. “Then at the foot of the mountain there should be a small forest. Once we get through that we can make our way up to the caves.”

  Catherine was especially unhappy at this announcement. She wasn’t prepared for any of this. The air was chilly, and her thin jacket wasn’t made for this kind of activity. All she could do was rely on the outdoor trek to keep her warm. Before leaving Bella’s car in the open, she looked through it to make sure no valuables were visible and surprisingly came upon a pair of hiking boots and a sleeping bag in the trunk. She quietly thanked Bella over and over again for the unforeseen help. Bella and Catherine’s shoe size was just about a match, and Catherine hugged them generously to her chest before putting them on and catching up with the others.

  “How long do you think it will take for us to get through the forest?” Catherine asked Bowen.

  “Probably late tonight. We should keep walking until we get to the foot of the mountain.”

  “Do you think Bella’s car will be all right there for a couple of days alone?” she asked.

  “It doesn’t look like a busy road. Any passerby will most likely think it needs a tow,” Bowen responded with a shrug.

  Catherine nodded.

  Bowen, with legs like a Viking, walked like a machine. Catherine and Danny fell behind rather quickly. Síne was ahead as well, but stayed a noticeable distance away from Bowen.

  Danny stayed close to Catherine. “Once we find this staff, Bowen can cast the curse, and we can go back home?” he asked.

  Catherine glanced at Síne, and only saw Conall looking back. She managed to push down the gnawing rage within her before speaking. “No, once we find the staff there’s more to do before the curse can be redone. But then yes, hopefully, we can return to our lives afterward,” Catherine replied. Though she wasn’t so sure if it would work out that way. She wasn’t exactly optimistic.

  “Hm,” Danny thought a moment, “What did Bella say about all of this when you borrowed the car?”

  “I didn’t tell her.”

  “You didn’t tell her?” he sounded disapproving.

  “I didn’t have time . . .” she paused to sidestep a couple of stones in the ground. “Plus, I didn’t think it was a good idea . . . all things considered.”

  Danny didn’t say anything. Catherine didn’t care if he agreed with her actions or not. She was doing the best she could do with what she had. Bella didn’t need to know all the details right then, for her safety and for theirs. They continued in silence as they walked. The sun didn’t emerge once, and it began to drizzle miserably, making Catherine hate the hike even more.

  Bowen occasionally looked back to check on the group, mainly Catherine. He saw her mood turn. The sleeping bag she was carrying slipped out of Catherine’s grasp just then, and Danny picked it up to carry for her the rest of the way. When the two siblings were talking a moment before, Bowen noticed Síne listening in, as though trying to understand a bird’s chirping. Her eyes would flash awareness when she heard Conall or Bowen’s name. Bowen kept a watchful eye on her, and Síne didn’t try to hide from him that she knew he was doing so.

  Some hours passed by the time they reached the thicket of green woods, now dripping from earlier rain. The mud was caked onto Catherine’s boots and it grew harder to walk over the forest soil. Where there was no mud, the rocks and rampant sticks stabbed at her legs. There hadn’t been a trail here for quite a long time, if ever. During thi
s time Catherine sent constant telepathic thank yous to Bella for the boots.

  Under the forest canopy, it was even more difficult to see where to step. Danny offered to help, but Catherine knew his clumsiness would only make it worse. Bowen looked over his shoulder and decided to walk back.

  “It’s not your usual hiking conditions is it?” he asked when he reached her, and offered his arm for support.

  Catherine took his arm without hesitation. Bowen was sturdy like a rock, and she had seen how he walked with careless ease ahead of her.

  “No, well, I don’t have as much outdoor experience as you do,” she replied.

  Bowen simply chuckled. “It’ll be nightfall shortly, and then not too much longer before we’ll reach the stopping point,” he remarked.

  Catherine looked up at Bowen from under her jacket hood, and even in the darkness of the forest she could tell how chiseled and handsome his features were. “Thank goodness.”

  The group soon reached the end of the forest, and here the drizzle stopped altogether. They made a small fire with some difficulty due to the dampness, and camped for the night. Síne was being heavily watched by Danny, and Bowen. Catherine wanted nothing to do with her, though she did eye her occasionally to make sure she wasn’t anywhere in her reach.

  Catherine’s wakefulness drifted while watching the fire figures dance across a black stage. She laid in Bella’s sleeping bag on the wet ground. Thankfully it was more rock than soil, so very little water seeped through. She let her mind wander, exhausted, and fell asleep quickly. She slept soundly only for a short time since her dreams were filled with nightmarish imaginings. Her eyes snapped open, and she woke a second later to see the fire low and some moonlight cascading down one side of the mountain causing a gloom amongst the previous pitch black that was the night around them. Her heart had been pumping harder in her chest, and she felt sweat cling to her neck and shirt. Relieved the dream world was closed to her now, she slowly sat up and saw Bowen sitting across from her behind the fire. Danny was still sleeping a few feet away, leaning against a standalone tree. Síne was somewhere in between them, sitting alone and showing them only her back. Holding her knees to her chest she rocked back and forth, gazing into the distance. Catherine found it curious, guessing it was a side effect of madness.

  “You should sleep more if you can. We have a hard climb up the mountain trail very soon,” Bowen said.

  Catherine pulled herself completely out of the sleeping bag. “I’ll be fine,” she replied, knowing that she and Bowen had very different ideas of what a trail was.

  “You really should try.”

  “I can’t sleep anymore; I’ll feel worse if I do. But thanks,” Catherine reassured him.

  Bowen nodded.

  “Did you sleep?”

  “Some.”

  “And her?” she jerked her head in Síne’s direction.

  He looked over at the gray balled up figure. “Some,” he repeated. “You and Danny aren’t used to this kind of living, you need more sleep than we ever needed in our life before.”

  “And now? It’s the same?”

  “A bit. Having not slept for centuries under the curse, it is strange to need to again.”

  “I see,” Catherine said, trying to imagine what that would be like. She quietly got up and stretched before rolling up her bag and smoothing her hair as best she could.

  “You could never not be beautiful,” he said softly when he noticed her fussing over it.

  Catherine stopped and looked at him in surprise. Just then, Danny stirred from sleep. “My back!” he complained, rolling on all fours in pain.

  “I told you not to sleep that way,” Bowen said, shaking his head. “Too soft,” he muttered.

  The group managed to ready themselves for the long haul, then began the journey up the mountain. Catherine left the sleeping bag behind, figuring it was best to have both hands free. Bowen led the way again, with Danny and Catherine taking up the end while they spoke.

  “Are you doing okay?” Danny asked.

  “Are you?” she turned to him.

  “Better than you, I think,” he said gently.

  “Probably so,” she sighed.

  A few minutes passed as they dodged sharp rock and brush. Danny took Catherine’s hand in his.

  “Did you ever find your lost earring, the one Kathleen was looking for?”

  “No,” Catherine replied, surprised by both Danny’s random show of affection, and at her own forgetfulness. “It doesn’t matter now, the other one’s burned up at the house any way . . .”

  Danny squeezed her hand, then let go to steady himself as they hiked on. Within ten minutes their calf muscles were screaming from the burn of the uphill walk. They both cursed under their breath at themselves for not being in better athletic shape. Bowen and Síne seemed to sprint up the mountain and were obviously holding back for their benefit. Hours passed, and it didn’t seem like much progress had been made. Out of breath and exhausted, they took frequent breaks. On one such break, Bowen announced it wouldn’t be too far now.

  “To the top?” Danny asked looking doubtfully at the length left up to the jagged peak.

  “No, to the caves. It’s buried inside the mountain,” Bowen called back.

  The wind grew harsher as they climbed higher, but Catherine welcomed it. She was sweating like an animal. Grateful for each cold slap of air against her skin, she continued on. The sky was overcast again, though the clouds did not threaten rain. From where they now stood they couldn’t see their campsite because of the rocky terrain and uneven layers of the mountain. Still, the view was fantastic. Catherine could just make out the trace of road where they had parked Bella’s car.

  As they sat down to rest on grassy area before the last long lengthy climb. Catherine massaged her feet. Bella’s hiking boots were apparently relatively new, and she was getting the grand honor of breaking them in.

  “It’s time,” Bowen announced to them.

  Catherine and Danny begrudgingly stood up, and moved around a boulder to continue a rocky path up the mountain side.

  “Where are you two going?” Bowen stopped them “It’s this way now,” he pointed to the left to a smaller path, more overgrown with shrubbery.

  “But that’s leading down . . .” Danny said, puzzled.

  They followed behind the two ancient Celts and found relief in the downward slope. As they rounded a bend, they stumbled onto another breathtaking view between tall leafy trees that lined the “path.” Rocks that had fallen over the centuries occasionally blocked the way, and they found they had to do some fancy maneuvering to get around them without falling over the steep drop off. Catherine glanced down once, and felt dizzy at the idea.

  Síne always stood apart from the rest of them, and would lean against something with a scowl when they were busy working as a team. Catherine preferred this anyway. The rest of the way became darker as the trees grew closer to the mountain wall and leaned over top of them. At one point they had to hunch over to duck through, and Catherine felt like Alice in Wonderland trying to make her way through giant flowers. Though these plants pricked her as she passed.

  Finally the group made it through the wild tunnel. They now stood at what appeared to the two siblings to be a dead end. But the two Celts showed no sign of worry. Catherine stopped short and looked curiously at Bowen. He glanced down at her and smiled.

  “It’s through here,” he said. He took her hand as they walked one step further and he turned his body sideways. Catherine followed suit, and the rock seemed by magic to open and reveal a few feet of a path that led to the gaping black mouth of a cave. The illusion of the dead end was astounding to Catherine, and she glanced back to see Danny following behind Síne with an equally amazed expression.

  “We’re not too far now. The staff should lay within a carving in the cave wall. And if we go deeper we will find the most recent remains of my people.”

  “Why did they do it that way?” Catherine asked, her inner ar
cheologist coming out.

  “To show respect to each one before burying the next,” he replied.

  “I see,” she nodded, fascinated.

  With his free hand Bowen leaned over and picked up a thick wooden stick amongst the overgrown shrubs.

  “I have a light,” Danny stepped forward, and as Bowen held the stick steady, he lit it ablaze with his lighter.

  Bowen tightened his hold on Catherine’s hand, and she did the same. They entered the darkness using the torch as a guide. To her surprise the passage felt airy and didn’t have a stuffy smell. It was also surprisingly dry. As her eyes adjusted, she could see that the ensuing cave room was very large and open; no holes or underground rivers to trap them here. Still, she had seen enough movies to be wary of where she stepped, and she followed Bowen very carefully.

  He led them through the chamber entrance, and Catherine could see what appeared to be marble lining. She couldn’t see the tall ceiling for it went high up past the light and into blackness. Catherine felt like a small insect, but as they continued the big passage turned into a very comfortable hallway, which then turned into a small passage where they crawled on their hands and knees. This suddenly opened into a large hall, and it was here that they saw the first remnants of a culture long gone.

  “Here,” Bowen uttered to himself with reverence in his voice. Indeed, the shrine emitted an aura that demanded respect. As though disobedience would incite the dead to strike vengeance. He glanced back at Síne who looked appalled at the remnants of her enemy as the group passed the possessions and bodily remains of generations of holy men. Danny simply stared at the objects on the ground, and the drawings on the wall as they passed. Catherine was in awe, knowing that she was the first set of human eyes to see all of this for perhaps thousands of years.

  Suddenly Catherine thought she heard a noise. She snapped her head back. It sounded like it came from behind Danny.

  “Did you kick something?” she asked in a hoarse whisper, stopping Bowen with a tug of her arm.