by Jamie Day
“What’s wrong, Rhiannon? Tell me what happened.”
“You’re in danger,” I said, coughing and choking. “They found me.”
“Who? Why are we in danger?”
I coughed again and fell to my knees.
“Ethan! Get your sister some water.” Father pointed past me, indicating my brother was returning. He grabbed my shoulders and rubbed them with his fingers. “Take a deep breath,” he told me. “What trouble found you?”
I glanced at the barn. “Cameron Barry,” I said, “and David Dunn, and—” I stopped speaking when Colin opened the door.
“Who?” Father shook me.
I sealed my mouth and watched Colin approach us.
“Is there trouble?” Colin asked. “Do you need help?”
I realized I was shaking. My hands, despite any effort, wouldn’t hold still as I stared at the Chief Elder and my father, searching for the words to say. I stopped trying to block my tears. “Someone’s trying to kill me. They found us and said they had ways to hurt you. I came to warn you, but they stopped me on the road. Where’s Leila?”
“You dear thing.” Colin’s voice was warm and caring. “Your sister is at the Faerie Temple. There’s a gathering tonight. They’re discussing replacements for Dylia.”
I whimpered and opened my eyes to look at him. “Leila is okay?”
“She’s with the Fae at the temple. There’s no place safer. No one can find it.”
“That’s good,” I told him. “But there are men coming. They chased me to Stone Meadow.”
“Who?” Colin looked serious.
“Cameron Barry,” I told him. I glanced at my father, who shook his head in warning. “And Cael Bauer. There are other men from the village, and some I’ve never seen. They tossed spears and threatened me.” I grabbed my dress and showed them the blood. “One of their arrows pierced me.”
Colin’s face turned paler than normal.
I took a needed breath of chilled air. Then I told Colin and my father what had happened. I started with the fire and described as much as I dared about my adventures out of Aisling. Colin asked many questions, digging for details that I couldn’t remember with certainty. I tried my best to tell him, and even told him about David Dunn, the Elder who was involved. I didn’t want any secrets. Colin was the Chief Elder and needed to know everything.
When I finished, Ethan handed me a wooden cup of water. I stared at it. It had been so long since I had tasted water from a cup. It seemed so simple, so easy. Just lift it to my lips and drink. I emptied the cup with a single swallow.
“Rhiannon, you’ve lived through too much pain,” said Colin. He reached around my shoulder and pulled me close. “We need to confront the danger and end your suffering.” He turned to my father. “Send the Dunn boy home. He’ll have no part in what will happen tonight.”
My father nodded and rushed into the barn. I heard him yell before Michael scrambled out the door and toward the forest. We watched him disappear into the darkness. When my father returned, he cradled Mother under one arm.
“Rhiannon,” she cried, leaving him when she was close enough to grab me.
Colin released his hold while I embraced my mother. I couldn’t remember the last time we had hugged. She carried the comforting smell of carrots and onions.
Colin studied the forest before speaking again. “I want you to spend the night in my home,” he said. “Go there now.”
My parents looked at each other, confused, but didn’t argue with Colin. They knew better. And Colin was right; we needed protection.
“What about Leila?” Mother pulled away from me enough to face him. “Will you send someone to watch for her?”
Colin nodded and looked at my father. “We need men at the entrance to the aspen grove. Get your brother and have him gather other willing men to make sure the Fae get an escort home. Then meet us back here.” He lifted my hand. “You will be safer with me.”
I didn’t understand and questioned him with my eyes.
“We will resolve this tonight. There’s no need to wait until morning.”
“Ethan, take your mother across the trail.” Father pulled up his pants and straightened his tunic. “We’ll join you later.”
Colin answered the questions in my mind. “Rhiannon and I will visit Cael, along with his employer. These men with him are most likely Owen’s hirelings. I think he can control them better than any of us.”
Colin was right again, but it didn’t help me feel better. I squeezed my mother again. Why did I have to go? More than anything, I wanted to hide in a room with walls and sleep the night in peace—though I knew it wasn’t possible.
“Rhiannon will confirm her story to Owen,” said Colin. He lifted my hand again. “She is the witness to the crimes, and we’ll confront the men with her story.”
I started shaking. I didn’t want to confront anyone. I wanted peace. I wanted danger to pass by me like a swift summer rain, and then leave me to discover the sun the following morning.
“It’s okay, Rhiannon.” Mother’s voice was as warm as her offering. “No one will hurt you.”
I refused to speak; I was terrified. The pressure behind my eyes burned the tears as a few escaped. This wasn’t a plan. This was a horrible, horrible nightmare. I wished it would end. Wake up, I told myself. Wake up and you won’t have to go. I closed my eyes and repeated the words in my head. When I opened my eyes, my family and Colin were still there.
“Face your enemies,” said Colin, leading me by the hand away from my family. “They won’t run from you, so you mustn’t hide from them.”
My feet didn’t want to go, either. “Goodbye,” I said, choking out the word to my family. I offered them a weak smile before quickly turning away. We only had a moment together and I didn’t want the moment to be like this.
I was still shaking when I entered the darkness of the main road.
“Can you see?” asked Colin, still leading the way. He didn’t have my hand, but guided me with his arms along the night trail.
“I’d rather not see what’s coming,” I told him, smiling at the gesture. It didn’t stop my stomach from twisting. “There’s comfort in not knowing. I’m starting to like the dark.”
Colin nodded. “You’re facing a fear tonight. There will be comfort from that.”
“I don’t want to face anything,” I admitted to him. “I want my life back. I want to be left alone.”
“You’re not alone with your fear,” said Colin. His tone didn’t change. “I’m helping you.”
I didn’t speak again and took twice as many glances as steps, watching the woods for a sign of Cameron, or David Dunn, or anyone. I didn’t know whom I could trust anymore. I didn’t want to trust Colin, and I was angry with him for making me do this. I had no choice in the matter. I was relieved that he didn’t speak either, though it didn’t make the walk through Aisling peaceful. My heart pounded, my fists dripped sweat, and my stomach continued its twisting grip on any chance of calm inside. My tongue felt numb and I could taste my own terror. It was dry.
Colin’s pounding on Owen Dorsey’s door shook me as much as the carved orange wood. Its noise echoed off the trees and sent back sharp reminders that we were disturbing the night. If Cael didn’t know we were coming, the pounding announced our imminent arrival.
Owen grumbled a curse through the door, but his face brightened when he saw us. He grinned at me and swung the wide door open. “Rhiannon, what happened to you? Please, come inside.” He bowed to Colin. “What brings you to my home?”
“Find your boots,” said Colin. “Then follow us.” His voice carried undeniable authority.
We waited in the courtyard while Owen scrambled to prepare himself. It wasn’t a cold evening, but you wouldn’t know it from the way he dressed. He entered the night wearing a long leather coat with a foxtail belt. He had tall boots and a scarf to match his tunic.
“Where is Cael Bauer?” asked Colin, when the door closed behind Owen.
&nb
sp; “Cael?” Owen stepped back onto his porch. “Is there trouble?”
“That’s what we’re here to discover,” answered Colin.
“He’s trying to kill me,” I said, refusing to soften my words. “There are men with him and they tried to take me captive.” As I spoke, I felt confident. I was glad that Colin made me come. The way he had spoken, made it seem as if I had conceived the story in my head.
Colin placed a hand on my shoulder, as if to silence me. “We need to see him, Owen. Will you take us to his home?”
Owen’s surprise and nervousness couldn’t have been more obvious. As he led us through the wooded acreage surrounding his home, he stopped three times to change direction. He stammered with his answers, while Colin was relentless with questions. By the time we could see the small flickering fire in front of the home I remembered, it seemed as if Owen were more nervous than I was. Men weren’t chasing him. I was the one whose life we were risking. Was he hiding something?
A bald little man in a hooded coat crouched between the fire and the old home. With the hood pulled back, reflections of the flames danced atop his head. He looked up at us and, before Colin finished a loud greeting, the man scrambled into the hut, closing the crooked door with a bang. As I watched him leave, his hobbling reminded me that I had seen him before.
“I don’t think we’re expected,” said Colin. “Owen, do you know that man?”
Owen didn’t answer and walked to the fire. He stabbed a slab of meat from a stone at its edge and held it into the air. The meat was crisp and black.
“These men eat worse than I do,” said Owen, tossing the meat into the flames and scowling. He yelled at the hut. “I am Owen Dorsey, owner of this land. We’ve come to speak with Cael Bauer.”
I wondered if he always spoke this way to the men who worked for him. I had never seen Nia’s father while working. His demeanor had changed from a lonely old man to a powerful tyrant. I was scared from his voice and stepped closer to Colin for comfort.
A dog barked from the forest. The little man didn’t respond.
Colin pulled a short stump near the fire and stretched his legs in front of him. “Have a seat, Rhiannon. I don’t think Cael is here. We may be waiting a while.”
I chose to sit on log the little man had left. The log was uneven and rolled awkwardly back and forth. I balanced for a moment before giving up and choosing a stump next to Colin. I tried watching the flames, but combined with then banging of my heart, all it did was invoke questions and anticipation. Where was Cael? Who was the little man? After losing a few breaths to my nerves, I searched the clearing around us for something else to ponder.
The place was filthy. Old bones and rotting meat, covered with buzzing flies, littered the small clearing. Broken boards lay in a pile near the hut with a bloody cloak flopped carelessly on top. I shuddered wondering whose blood it could be. Close to the trees, several long spears poked out of the ground at odd angles. Some had metal barbs while others were carved stakes with pointed ends.
Owen pulled a long pipe from his jacket and pressed it between his lips. Using a small stick from the fire, its end donning a tiny flame, he lit his indulgence and quickly puffed a few quick circles that quickly faded. “You may join us if you wish,” he yelled toward the hut. “We bring no ill with us.”
Certainly, the little man didn’t work for Owen. I couldn’t imagine a man hiding from his employer.
The man peered from inside one glassless window. When his eyes met mine, he disappeared. He was the man from Morgan. Jory. The drunken man who had guarded us. His presence confirmed my fears; Cael Bauer had been involved in my kidnapping. I gripped my fingers and missed a breath.
Colin stood, collected a few broken branches from near the trees, broke them on the ground, and then tossed them into the dying flames in front of us. Silence overtook the clearing. Except for the snapping of the new wood as it burned, there was nothing to hear—even the night seemed afraid of the moment.
Footsteps between the trees raised my heartbeat to a pounding drum. I straightened and turned to see who approached, but Colin waved a signal to relax.
“Cael,” said Colin, “I’ve brought visitors.”
My heart stopped.
A shadow moved behind the trees and Cael’s hooded face appeared in the firelight. He walked toward us and stopped. When he saw me, he pulled a short sword from the sheath around his waist. The metal blazed from firelight.
“There’s no need for that,” said Colin. How could he be so calm? “Rhiannon is here at my request. Have a seat.”
“What’s she told you?” Cael growled his words and glared as he stepped forward. He leaned low, attempting to balance on the rolled log. “You have no business here.”
I hadn’t looked at Cael in a long time. Even from earlier, he seemed older, more than just one season would allow. As he removed his hood, I saw one reason. His neck and ear carried a horrible white scar, visible even through his beard. The scar pulled the skin around his chin and cheek, twisting it. I winced from the memory of its cause. It happened the day Sean had been taken. I had even helped heal the wound. But the man in front of me wasn’t the Cael I remembered; the friend I had embraced in this courtyard; the one who was supposed to be helping me.
Colin stood and reached toward Cael. “Put away the blade.” He waited for Cael to honor his order before continuing—Cael never accepted his hand, though. “Thank you.” He offered a polite bow before sitting again. “You are correct. I have no business here—if your words are true.”
“And what’s your business here, Owen?” Cael spat into the fire. “There’s no trading after dark, unless you’ve come to sell me the girl.”
“You twisted little demon!” I kicked dirt across the fire and lunged forward.
Colin caught me with his arm and held me. “Sit down,” he whispered. “This is not how men talk.”
I glared at him, but obeyed, despite Cael’s mocking laugh. The shrill volume pierced me. I heaved a heavy breath behind Colin’s arm and watched the fire.
“Gentlemen, I appreciate the visit, but I’m not interested in a rejected faerie. She’s nothing but a runaway and a liar. I won’t dishonor my name and accept your offer.”
Colin knew me well. He grabbed my arm before I could lung again, and held me to my seat. He was stronger than he looked. I shot daggers with my eyes at Cael, but he seemed unfazed and mocked me with his smile. Stop smiling, you evil demon. I wanted to scream, but focused on fighting back tears and memories. Cael knew nothing of honor. He was nothing like his family.
“Cael, where’s Cameron Barry? What trouble have you caused today?” asked Colin.
“I’m not that man’s keeper,” answered Cael with a laugh. “I don’t know what he does away from work.”
Owen stood and spoke with a tone of a hundred men. “I’m your employer, Bauer. You’ll answer our questions now or never see payment again.”
Cael stopped smiling. “I don’t know where Cameron is?”
“Where’s David Dunn?” asked Colin.
“At home? I don’t know. If there’s village business, shouldn’t you hold a council or something?”
Colin ignored Cael’s insolence. “Tell us what happened on Taylor’s Ridge, today. Why did you attack Rhiannon?”
“Attack?” Cael jumped. “No one attacked the girl. We tried to protect her from the bandit.”
“No you didn’t.” I wrestled free from Colin’s grip. “You and your men tried to pull me from Maeia. You threw spears at me.”
“No. No, that’s not right.” Cael shook his head and stepped backward over the log. “There’s no need to protect the villain.” He turned to Owen. “We chased him. The man had Rhiannon. I’m sorry, sir, but the bandit escaped again.”
“You never saw Darian.” I was yelling now. I pulled my dress, showing the tear from the spear that hit me. “This was from you.” I pulled the fabric wide, exposing the cut underneath. “You and your men meant to hurt me. I’m lucky I escap
ed.”
“Lucky you are, child.” Cael nodded. “It’s a good thing you escaped. I’m sorry you were injured.” He turned to Colin and then to Owen. “When the bandit wouldn’t yield, we attacked. I’m sorry the child was hurt. I didn’t know. She wouldn’t come to our protection.”
“I’m not a child! Stop calling me that. And stop lying.” My breath was barely keeping up with my words. “That’s not what happened and you know it. Darian wasn’t even there. I was riding down the mountain to warn my family. Some of your men stole my horse last night. I heard them. They said they were going to hurt my sister.”
“Rhiannon, please calm down.” Colin grabbed my arm.
I shook it away. “No, I won’t calm down. Listen to me. He’s lying.” I pointed at Cael. “His friends bound me and took me across the lake to Morgan. They kept Ethan and me in a smokehouse as their captives. The bandit was there. I heard the men. I heard his friend Tristan. They said they were going to kill me.”
Cael raised his voice in return. “Listen, child, those words are dangerous. Accusations like that could lead our village to war. It’s your mouthy little voice that got my brother killed.”
I lunged again, this time both Owen and Colin held me from Cael.
“Don’t talk about Sean like that. You have no right. You told me you needed the scrolls to save him. I gave them to you. You were there with that man.” I pointed at the hut. “You lost them. You told me that Morgan held Sean captive. Guess what? When your men took me over the lake, I saw Sean’s carving in the wood where they kept me. I saw the symbols he drew. You’re the liar. You have a part in this.”
Colin released his grip on me and stepped toward Cael. “You knew Rhiannon took the Fae Scrolls?”
“The girl’s sick,” said Cael. “Don’t listen to her.”
“What do you know?” Owen’s words were more of an order than a question.
“Nothing,” Cael answered. “The liar’s nothing more than a rejected faerie. Her lips are poison.”
“Is that why you kissed them?” I retorted, aiming my words with hate. “The day after Sean was taken. You told me you were weak. You told me you knew who his captors were, and they demanded the Fae scrolls as ransom. You were the poison.” I kicked the dirt, sending rocks and soil across the fire at Cael. “Add monster to the title of dishonor you gave yourself.”
