Wiklow

by Moira Murphy

  “Where are you going to go?” Tuck asked, as he followed Nathayre’s pace.

  “Away from here,” He stated.

  “There’s nowhere left.” Cami stayed at Tuck’s side.

  “Right—well,” Nathayre thought, he quickly looked at Cami. “Tell—tell me where the port is. Tell me!”

  “You aren’t leaving.” Tuck stated.

  Nathayre continued backward, clutching the knife to the boy’s throat. Tucker looked into the boy’s eyes, trying to comfort him. But, the sight of a drop of blood leaking down the boy’s neck sent him into a flashback of Benji. His face covered with a blue sheet under a dim kitchen light.

  “Just let me leave,” the king pleaded.

  “Let him go.” Tuck breathed heavily, Yankee’s games clouding his vision.

  “I will.” The king was begging at this point. “Just let me go… or… I’ll do it!” The boy fussed and struggled, causing another drop of blood to leak out from under the silver blade.

  “Let him go!” Tuck shouted. The king jumped at the sternness in his voice. He was on the patio now, close to the rail guarding the edge.

  “Nathayre, please.” Cami pleaded. “Let him go.”

  “Now.” Tuck’s eyes filled with hot liquid. He was not going to let another person die. The boy whimpered, the knife still digging into his throat. “NOW!”

  “How am I to trust that you’ll let me go?” the King asked, clutching the blade.

  Niko shut his eyes. He deafened his ears and exhaled.

  He thought of the King, and specifically focused on the king’s hand; holding the blade. It felt warm in his own hand, about the size of a permanent marker.

  He looked with the King’s eyes. Tuck holding a sword out at him. Cami glaring behind his shoulder.

  Suddenly, a loud stampede of feet came from behind the group; Lavocs. At least ten of them. They surrounded the group of humans, and shielded the King from harm. The King released the boy and the knife.

  Niko blinked, dropping the spell. The King came to, without the boy as leverage and with no Lavocs to help him.

  “W—what?” Nathayre looked at his hands, confused as to how he let go of the boy, and why he had thought Lavocs had come to save him. Niko smiled. He had successfully blinded Nathayre. It was just for a moment, but it worked.

  Tucker lunged his sword toward Nathayre, who quickly blocked it with the sword he had tucked into his belt from the Lavoc. He swiftly skipped his feet to the left and lunged again. Nathayre again blocked it, and retorted with an attempt to slice into Tucker’s shoulder. Tucker dodged it and slid the sword into the meat of Nathayre’s thigh. He wailed and furiously crashed his sword into Tucker’s sword. It went flying over the railing into the water.

  “Tuck!” Tessa shouted. “Niko, do something!”

  Niko shut his eyes.

  Nathayre stabbed the sword toward Tuck’s neck. Niko couldn’t focus. Tucker threw a right hook into Nathayre’s jaw as the sword cut through his ear. Nathayre’s head swung to the left, Tucker quickly kicked into his rib cage sending him to his knees. Nathayre swiftly retorted with swiping the sword wildly across Tucker’s chest. It made a small slit above his heart; harmless. Tucker rammed his foot into Nathayre’s chest, causing the King to drop his sword.

  “Niko!” Tessa shouted again.

  “I can’t!” Niko yelled helplessly.

  Tucker allowed Nathayre to stand; he wanted a proper fight, not an execution. He had been preparing for such a fight for years. Nathayre narrowed his eyes, unsure of Tucker’s intentions.

  “No weapons.” Tucker clarified. “We fight like men.”

  “With our fists? That’s how boys fight.” Nathayre laughed.

  “Then boys we are.” Tucker said, getting into position. His fists guarding his face, his legs slightly crouched.

  “I will not fight an unarmed man.” Nathayre smiled, maliciously.

  “I will not fight armed. We are—“ Tucker was cut short by Nathayre attempting to grab the sword. Cami quickly thwarted the attempt by chopping his arm off at the elbow, with the sword the king had previously lost.

  Nathayre’s eyes widened, his arm plopped to the ground. He could form no words, only guttural noises. No one jumped to aid him, no one made a sound. He took a step back; his legs weak and woozy with fear. Tucker threw his fist upward into Nathayre’s chin, sending his head backward. The handrail hit just below his waist, his feet swung over the edge.

  They ran to the rail, and saw a splash as Nathayre’s body entered the Ocean. He did not struggle. He calmly sunk beneath the surface. He drowned in what he had hoarded from so many in an effort to take what he couldn’t keep.

  Chapter 24

  The carriage ride to the wall was mostly silent. Bindy had earlier informed them they were needed with Palmer and Sullivan. The sky was dark and the night was quiet; from above the forest, fireflies could be seen among the trees.

  “Sully, doesn’t know you’re alive,” Niko said. He wanted the silence to be over.

  “Yeah.” Cami half heartedly chuckled.

  Another moment of silence.

  “I can’t wait to tell him you chopped a guy’s arm off.” Niko smiled.

  “Niko!” Tess shot him a glare

  “What?” Niko asked defensively.

  “Don’t you think it might be a little too soon for jokes?” she scolded.

  “Oh… maybe.” Niko looked down.

  Another moment of silence.

  “But she totally did!” Tucker swatted Niko on the shoulder. The two laughed obnoxiously. Tessa looked nervously at Cami, who was cracking a smile. They joined in; giggling. Bindy did not join in. Her thoughts were with her friend, Mooney.

  “You okay, Bindy?” Tessa leaned into her.

  “I’ll be fine….” she said quietly. “That was just… a lot.”

  “Mooney was a great man.” Cami affirmed her.

  “He was.” Bindy fiddled her fingers. “I have known him for years. He was my closest friend. Besides Cami.” Cami knelt before her purple haired friend.

  “And he was a great one.” She smiled. “Plus you have four more friends.” Bindy looked up and smiled at the other passengers of the carriage.

  “You all aren’t going to forget me?” She wiped her face with both hands.

  “Couldn’t if I tried,” Niko said.

  “Never,” Tucker agreed.

  “Absolutely not,” Tessa concurred.

  “I don’t think Sully will let you out of his sight either.” Tucker laughed.

  The remainder of the carriage ride was as quiet as the start. All were thinking about the two lives that had just been taken before their eyes. Cami couldn’t help but think of Nathayre. Had he always been so evil or had the power of Lavoc leader and king changed him? She recalled the first time they met at a ball thrown by the Queen. It was filled with music and laughter. Nathayre was not yet in command of the Lavocs; he was just a pawn. He saw Cami across the room; she stuck out because of her brown hair. He had no reserve in approaching her. He strutted right up to her and asked her to dance. Cami wondered if the fact that she was human had anything to do with his intentions at that point, or if it came later. If he was born evil or a result of the taste of power.

  “Tessa,” Cami began. “Why were you telling Niko to do something when Tuck and Nathayre were fighting?”

  “I wanted Niko to blind him.” Tessa stated, half asleep.

  “To what?” Cami asked. It was at that moment, they realized that Cami had not heard the story of June and Thornen, and their son.

  Niko smiled, “I told you I had something important to tell you.”

  ***

  When they reached the entrance to the wall, Theo was waving them in. He led the group about a half mile around the wall of water. A large blue door stood alone in the sand. A green vine leaned against the door waiting to be unlocked. Sully and Palmer squatted near it, backs to the group. They examined the vine, searching for a way to unlock it. They heard the o
ncoming footsteps and stood without turning,

  “Theo, we think it’s gotta be the king, don’t you?” He rubbed his chin, “He wouldn’t trust anyone but himself, right?” He turned, expecting to see only Theo. He was, instead, greeted by Tucker and Niko jumping on him. Tessa and Bindy laughed, intentionally blocking Cami from his view.

  “You’re alive!” Niko shouted in his face, “You’re alive!”

  “I’m alive.” Sully patted his back and wriggled out of the hug. He smiled at Bindy and noticed the third female that was joining them. “Cami?” his mouth fell open.

  “Sully?” She mimicked his tone.

  “Oh my—“ She wrapped her arms around him, cutting his sentence short. He returned the embrace in awe.

  “I’ve missed you the most,” she whispered, loudly.

  “Woah… woah…” Niko said.

  “Hey, what?” Tessa laughed.

  “I’m kidding. I’m kidding.” Cami broke the hug. “I’m so happy you’re here.”

  “Where’s Mooney?” Palmer looked around.

  There was no response.

  Bindy walked away; around the bend in the water. Sully looked at the others for explanation. Upon seeing their disappointed expressions, he chose to follow Bindy.

  “Where is Mooney?” Palmer repeated.

  “Palmer, I’m so sorry. He—he didn’t make it.” Cami walked toward him. Theo sucked in sharply, he then removed his hat and put it to his chest. Palmer swallowed.

  “How?” he asked.

  “Nathayre.” She answered. Palmer slowly nodded. “We took care of it,” she tried to comfort him.

  “I—I’m gonna take a minute.” He walked in the opposite direction of Bindy, away from the group. Cami turned around to look at the group.

  “I’m going to make sure he’s alright.” She jogged up to his side.

  Theo put his hat back on. “We should set up for da’ night,” he mumbled.

  “Yeah, that’s a good idea.” Tessa agreed. “Give us all a chance to deal with—to get some rest.”

  “I’ll find me men.” Theo quickly left.

  “Back to us three.” Niko smiled, “Unless…”

  “No, no.” Tess said. “Please don’t go. I want to be near my—everyone tonight.”

  “Alright?” Niko looked at Tucker.

  “Yeah, man. Stay.” Tucker nodded.

  Soon, the others returned. The large dry tree trunks Palmer had collected created a massive six foot high fire. It reflected off the water; flickers of light dotted the great wall like fire flies. Though the days were incredibly stifling, the nights could be quite cool. The fire provided a comforting heat. Palmer handed out bread that was particularly flat and dry. They gobbled it down. Theo had yet to return; to which they assumed he’d spend the night in the forest. The wood crackled and shifted in the fire; the only sounds of the quiet night.

  “Cam?” Niko started.

  “Yeah?” Cami swallowed the sticky bread.

  “How long have you been coming here?” he asked. The others ears perked up. They were all curious as to how she got here, how long she’d been coming, and where she had been for the last two months.

  “To Wiklow?” She rubbed her hands together. Dusting crumbs from them. “Well, I never stopped.”

  “What do you mean?” Tessa asked.

  “What do you mean?”Cami was confused. “We all came here together when we were kids… you do remember that, right?”

  “Vaguely.” Tessa nodded.

  “Really? Even after coming here?” Cami shook her head. “I knew before that you didn’t remember, but I thought being here… might… jog your memory.”

  “It did! It did. I don’t know… I just always thought those things… were… just…” Tessa paused and thought.

  “Kids being kids?” Sully finished her sentence.

  “Yeah.” Tessa agreed. “I just thought we made it all up. That it was just our imagination.”

  Cami became silent, suddenly weighed down again with the sadness that they had forgotten their entire childhood.

  “What happened? Why did we stop coming?” Sully asked.

  Cami took a deep breath. “I—I don’t know… one day you guys just didn’t want to come… you didn’t want to talk about it anymore.” She pulled her hair back into a ponytail. “I suggested we go to the Pointe after school, and you all just didn’t—didn’t want to.” She pulled a purple bandana from her pocket and wrapped it around her head. “It was like you all grew up… and left me behind.”

  “But, we—we were with you every day. How could we not notice?” Niko asked.

  “I don’t think any of you wanted to notice. You were all in such a hurry to—to grow up—to forget being a kid.” Cami shrugged. “I guess I never wanted that.”

  “And you’ve been coming ever since?” Sully solidified.

  “Yes. I mean I slowed down a bit in high school, but I always made it a point to get back here,” Cami looked at Bindy, “to visit Bindy.” Bindy smiled in return. “And then after graduation, I practically lived here, exploring everything I could walk to.”

  “And then?” Tessa encouraged her to continue.

  “And then—Nathayre happened. Since then, I’ve been hiding in the city… in friend’s cellars and closets; helping when I could. Until I found out you all were here.” Niko felt sick to his stomach. He was angry with himself for forgetting, for letting his sister do this alone, for becoming so self involved.

  “How did you know we’d come?” Sullivan asked.

  “I didn’t know… I hoped. When I went off by myself I knew you’d come searching. I left you clues that I hoped you could decipher, that no one else would understand or care about. I hoped you would find me.” Cami answered. “And you did.”

  “I’m sorry, Cami,” Niko said morosely.

  “Nothing to be sorry for.” Cami tried to swallow her feelings. “It happens… we grow up… we grow apart.”

  “Well, not again.” Tessa put her arm around Cami’s shoulders. “Never again.”

  “Scouts honor.” Niko held up four fingers and winked. Tucker rolled his eyes, leaned over, and put down Niko’s pinky.

  “Idiot.” Tucker huffed.

  ***

  “There’s no way to get around it.” Niko confirmed Sully’s speculation. “I mean, it’s not mechanical or structural, so… I—I don’t have an answer.” He shrugged. “I’m sorry.” He looked up from the blue door and the vine leaning on it. “I just don’t know.”

  “So, what now?” Cami asked. “How do we get the water out?”

  “I don’t know. This is the way to… stop whatever is holding it in.” Sully gestured to the door.

  “Can we break the barrier—physically, somehow?” Tuck offered.

  “I don’t think so.” Sully rejected the offer. “There’s so much of it… it would take a great force to break it.”

  “Like the wall falling?” Tessa asked.

  “I mean, yes, that might do it. But we would need something of a great force—again.” Sully answered. “And I’m not sure it would work.”

  “Carriages? What if we flew carriages into the wall?” Bindy suggested.

  “And kill ourselves in the process? There’s no way of knowing what will actually do it, and I don’t think we should risk our lives for a ‘maybe’.”

  “Lives are already at risk, unless we get this water out.” Cami was frustrated.

  “I know. I know.” Sully agreed. “But if we all die , who will help them then?”

  The morning was scorching, waves of heat emanated from the sand to their faces. Theo and the pirates still slept against the wall; hats guarding their faces. Palmer’s shoulder leaned against the door as he wiped sweat from his forehead.

  “The suns just came out, how can it be this hot already?” Niko complained.

  “I’m melting.” Tessa lay down in the shade of the water. She kicked off her boots and splayed her toes, praying for some relief. “That wall is blocking any pra
yer for a breeze,” she whined.

  “She’s right.” Tucker sighed.

  “Let’s take a break for awhile; to think, plan, something.” Palmer sat in the sand. His long black hair was pulled back. He balled up his poncho and used it as a pillow.

  “Deal,” Niko said exasperated. He, too, lay down in the shade and patted the sand next to himself, which Cami assumed was for her. So, she also sat down. Tucker kicked the sole of Tessa’s foot gently. When she looked up at him, he jutted his head to the left.

  “What?” she asked, irritated.

  He, again, nodded his head to the left.

  “What?” she asked, loudly.

  “Your boyfriend wants a moment with you,” Niko said without opening his eyes.

  “Thanks, Niko.” Tucker rolled his eyes.

  Niko clicked his tongue twice in reply. Cami smiled. Tessa, finally understanding the situation, stood up to join Tucker. She wasn’t sure, but she could have sworn she heard Cami say ‘finally’ under her breath.

  Outside the wall felt like paradise. While it was still hotter than an oven, the breeze was a savior to the skin. Tessa turned her back to it; allowing it to lick the back of her moistened neck.

  “That’s amazing.” She heaved a sigh. Tuck stood in front of her, letting the wind glide across his face. Tessa opened her eyes, “Do you think we will go home?”

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “ I don’t know. So much has happened these last few days. It feels comfortable. Stressful!” she made clear, “But comfortable.”

  “Do you want to go home?”

  She didn’t answer right away, she didn’t know the answer. She thought of Cami’s mom, how she didn’t have anyone left and she thought her daughter was dead. She should know the truth. She thought of Sully and Niko and how them seemed to have purpose here. She thought of Cami and how determined she was to save this place and its people. She thought of herself; how even though she hadn’t been here in years, memories of the cave never left her. This was an important place, a place she loved, but was it worth giving up home for?