The Stolen: An American Faerie Tale

by O'Connell, Bishop

  Brendan opened his mouth.

  “I’m not stupid. I know I can’t do it alone, but neither can you.” She looked Brendan hard in the eyes. “Besides, what if she needs medical attention? Or what if you do?”

  “Look here, love,” Brendan said. “I understand what it is you’re saying, but—­”

  “I know what the risks are,” Caitlin said. “I’m willing to take them. She’s my daughter, and losing her—­” Caitlin closed her eyes and shook as the thought of it passed through her. After a moment, she opened her eyes. “Well, that would kill me anyway.”

  “Is that so?” Brendan asked. “And who’ll take care of her if you get yourself killed, then? I can’t watch out for you the whole time, and it might take a while to find her. The Tír is a mighty big place.”

  “Eddy would.” Caitlin squeezed his hand then looked at him, knowing there was desperation in her eyes. “Wouldn’t you?”

  “Yes, of course.” Edward blinked. “But I’d prefer not to have to. Caitlin, this is way, way past what either one of us is prepared to deal with. It’s one thing for me to go, but you’re her mother. She needs you.”

  “I understand, love,” Brendan said. “More than you can know, but you’re not going. It’s going to be hard enough on me own.”

  Caitlin felt her tenuous hold on her anger slip, and her face flushed. Her hands shook, but her voice was calm and flat. “You are not going without me.”

  “Well, I’m not going with you,” Brendan said. “That’s it, nothing more to say, then. You can’t cross without me, and I’m not taking you. So it’s done.” He stood up.

  “No.” Caitlin said through gritted teeth.

  “What?” Brendan asked.

  “I said, no. You’re not leaving me here to go insane, waiting to find out if she’s okay.”

  “I told you—­”

  “No!” Caitlin stood up and glared at him.

  Brendan took a step back.

  “I’ll fight. If I have to tear the whole damn place down to get to her, I will. She needs me. She must be scared. She’s been with strangers for so long already.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “She doesn’t even have her teddy bear with her. I didn’t get to kiss her goodnight, or tuck her in.” She took a step closer to Brendan and pointed a finger at him. “No one, not God in heaven, not all the demons in hell, and certainly not you, will keep me from her. That’s not your decision to make. You understand that?”

  Brendan lowered his head and let out a breath.

  Edward stood between Caitlin and Brendan and put his hands on her shoulders. “I think we all could use some sleep.”

  She shrugged him off, stepped around Edward, and glared up at Brendan again. He wouldn’t meet her gaze. “I asked you a question.”

  “Caitlin,” Edward said. “What if Brendan agreed to not say no and to hear you out after some rest?”

  “Aye,” Brendan said. “I can do that.”

  Caitlin nodded once. “Fine.”

  “Good,” Edward said. “Now let’s all get some sleep. We’ll go over this again when we have clearer heads. It’s obvious I’m not the only one who’s tapped out.”

  “Good idea.” Dante’s pocket started ringing. He reached in and pulled out a phone. “Yes?” He listened and nodded. “Well done. Come back here and take up positions around the house. We’re going to get some rest. If you need to call in others to relieve you, do it.” He listened again. “That’s right. And tell the Cruinnigh what’s happened.” He ended the call and turned to Caitlin. “Your friend is home, safe and sound.”

  “Thank you.”

  Dante looked out the window. “Sun’s coming up. Edward, could you wake everyone by noon? That should give us time to rest, prepare, and then make the drive.”

  “Us?” Brendan asked.

  “I can’t cross,” Dante said, “but we don’t have to wait here.”

  “No, we don’t,” Edward said. He squeezed Caitlin’s hand and gave her a small smile. “And we won’t.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Caitlin felt numb; if asked, she wouldn’t be able to swear she was even awake anymore.

  Brendan and Dante vanished into their respective rooms, leaving Edward and Caitlin alone in the hallway. When Caitlin started for her room, Edward touched her shoulder. She turned and looked at him.

  “I know it won’t be easy,” Edward said, “but you really need to try and get some sleep.” He held out his hand. “I want you to take this.” A small pill was in his palm.

  “Eddy, I appreciate it, but I don’t need—­”

  “Yes, you do.” He put the pill in her hand. “You have trouble sleeping when your world isn’t upside down. Just take it, please.”

  Caitlin looked at the pill, back to Edward, and let out a breath. “Okay.”

  He smiled. “Look, don’t worry about Brendan, okay?”

  “I’m not. He’s not leaving me behind.”

  Edward opened his mouth to speak, but apparently thought better of it. “If you need anything,” he said, pointing to a door at the end of the hall, “that’s my room.”

  She hugged him, tight. “Thank you.” She held up the pill. “For this, too.”

  “Just get some rest.”

  Caitlin stepped into her room and closed the door. Light was beginning to fill the sky and pour in through the window. She thought back to her college years. She’d never been a big party girl, but she’d still been up for her share of sunrises. Like now, it had never really hit her until she’d seen the morning sun. Then it was as if her body realized how long it had been moving.

  She saw a bottle of water on the nightstand and laughed. That was Eddy, seeing to every detail, even as the world burned around him. When she picked it up, she thought of her lost little girl and sighed. Where was Fiona sleeping? Who, or what, was watching over her?

  Caitlin looked at the pill in her hand. She needed rest, but it just didn’t seem right. Of course, she wouldn’t be any good dead on her feet either. She swallowed the pill with a mouthful of water. When she pulled the curtains closed, darkness swallowed the room, and for a moment, she felt like a little kid herself. She opened the curtains a little to allow some light in before collapsing on the bed.

  Tears began to fall as she lay there waiting for the pill to knock her out. Her mind drifted back to the night Fiona was born, and she smiled despite herself. Edward had paced in the waiting room, and anyone observing would’ve thought he was the father, the way he’d smiled when he’d finally seen Fiona. In fact, hadn’t he been a father to her all these years? The only thing missing was the word, the title. In a slow progression of memories, Caitlin saw all he’d done for Fiona. She remembered Fiona’s first time trick-­or-­treating, when the little girl had tripped, skinning her knee and tearing her princess dress. Edward had reached Fiona first, wiping away her tears. Caitlin could still hear his words, telling Fiona that it would take more than a little dirt or a torn dress to keep her from being the most beautiful princess ever. Caitlin’s heart swelled, and she remembered when Edward gave Fiona Paddy Bear, her beloved stuffed animal. He was a good man, and if anything happened to her, he’d take good care of Fiona. She imagined Fiona safe in his arms and found it brought a mix of emotions, both comforting and heart wrenching.

  She held a pillow tight in her arms and tried not to think about how unnatural it felt to be in bed without having hugged or kissed Fiona goodnight, or read her “just one more” story. A shuddering sob gripped her as she imagined Fiona, scared, hungry, and surrounded by monsters, crying for her mommy.

  Burying her face in the pillow, Caitlin screamed and started punching the bed. It wasn’t right! It wasn’t supposed to be like this!

  At a faint knocking on her door, she looked up. As she stood, twinges of drowsiness began to settle in, but she walked across the room and opened the door.

  �
�Sorry, I didn’t—­” She stopped when she saw who it was.

  “I.” Brendan cleared his throat. “I’m sorry about earlier. I behaved—­ Well, I was an arse, wasn’t I? But there’s things here you don’t know, about me, I mean.”

  Caitlin thought he seemed smaller somehow. “It’s okay. We found out where she is. That’s what matters, right?”

  “All the same, I can be a bit of a hothead. I just want you to know, I’m not going to let any of that get in the way. I meant what I said. I’ll get her back.”

  Caitlin fought the growing heaviness in her eyes. “Thank you.” She realized this was the first time she’d actually said that to him. “I don’t know why you’re helping me, I’m just glad you are.”

  His blue eyes seemed much softer than they had before, almost as if they’d changed color, shifting from bright blue to a duller gray. Again there was something behind them, and it made her feel a sudden rush of warmth.

  “No need for all that, love.” He looked at his hand. “Oh, right. I also thought you might want this.” He lifted the blanket he’d brought back from Boston. “I thought you might sleep easier having it nearby. Not as good as the real thing, I know, but, well, in the madness, you left it downstairs.”

  Caitlin felt a lump in her throat as she took the blanket. How could she have forgotten it?

  “Thank you,” she said, and it came out much quieter than she’d intended. She lifted the blanket to her face, and Fiona’s smell filled her nose. A ­couple of tears broke loose, and she wiped them away. When she looked back up, Brendan was staring at her in a way that made her heart pound a little harder. Her thoughts returned to his arm around her down in the basement.

  After a long moment of silence, Brendan cleared his throat yet again and looked away. “All

  right, then.” He turned, looked over his shoulder, then shook his head. “Just get some rest, aye?” He took a step back and made for his room.

  “Brendan.”

  He stopped and turned around.

  “Thank you.” She kissed his cheek and felt rough stubble on her lips, then she hugged him, and his muscles tensed under her touch. Pulling back, she was unable to look him in the eyes and stared instead at his scars.

  “You’re welcome, love,” he said, his voice shaky. “Goodnight.” He returned to his room.

  Caitlin shut the door and collapsed on the bed. She rolled onto her side, drew her legs up, and buried her face in the blanket. Thankfully, in just a few minutes, sleep rose up and took her into darkness.

  Edward ground his teeth and balled his hands into fists as he stood behind his slightly open door and watched the scene unfolding in the hallway. When Caitlin closed her door, he shut his and began pacing.

  “Who the hell does he think he is?” He ground his teeth and kicked at the air.

  “He’s no one,” something inside him answered.

  “That’s right, no one!”

  “What does he really have anyway? Knives? Muscles? Scars?”

  “Exactly!”

  “He doesn’t have your power. He couldn’t even conceive of the power you wield.”

  “Tân,” Edward whispered. Fire answered his call and filled his hand.

  “You can control the elements, the very power of life! What are blades when you can bend the very forces of the universe to your will?”

  “Yes,” Edward whispered as exhilaration surged through him.

  “And you’ve barely touched your true power. Soon they will cower, and you can take her for yourself!”

  “Yes! That’s—­” Edward blinked, and the fire snuffed out. “What? No.” The room spun, and he stumbled toward his bed. He put his hands to his head and tried to get his suddenly racing heartbeat under control.

  What was that?

  He thought back over the night, to the scrying attempts, particularly the second one, and then the summoning. He thought of the way it felt to best Justin. A rush of adrenaline was still pumping through him. He’d felt connected to his magic tonight, more so than ever before. It was invigorating. True, Justin had escaped the circle, but in one night, he’d made more progress than he had in months. But that wasn’t all, was it? He’d touched something tonight, something dark.

  And it had touched him back.

  He saw in his mind burning red eyes and felt the cold touch of it reaching into him again.

  There’d been power in that darkness, huge power. It had made itself available to him. He’d felt it course through him, and he had to admit, it was amazing.

  “No.” He stood and paced. “What if it—­”

  He stopped and focused, desperate to get his jumbled thoughts in order. Could he control it? What if, just what if, he could? He could use that power against those who were working against them; he could turn it back onto itself. Was there even such a thing as dark power? A gun isn’t intrinsically evil. It’s how something is used that defines whether it’s good or not. It all made sense. He could do it. After all, he made his living helping others use for good the darkness that had come into their lives.

  He smiled as he lay down and closed his eyes.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Brendan woke and sat up with a yawn. He climbed out of bed and stretched, wincing when he went too far. He straightened and felt around his side. The ointment and bandages seemed to have done their job, or started to. In the mirror above the dresser, he saw that the bruises, scratches, and swelling in his face were all gone.

  He poked at the bandage on his shoulder, which was still a little tender. He rotated it and found he could move it with only a slight stiffness and pain. No doubt the elfin bandages had closed the bullet holes, but it would be more than a week before they fully healed the internal damage.

  “These ribs are going to be a problem,” he said to his reflection.

  He began to work out the stiffness in his muscles by gently stretching. He needed to find the limit to his range of motion. When he finished, he nodded. He wasn’t in too bad shape after all. He just had to be careful. The pain wasn’t the issue; he could push that aside. What he had to be mindful of was making the injuries worse. He couldn’t let that, or anything else, cause him to fail.

  He’d given his word to Caitlin, and in the end, that was all he had. He pushed the thought of her aside and gave his reflection a dirty look. As he pulled a clean shirt from his bag, a leather box fell to the floor. He picked it up, and slowly he opened it to stare at the shining claddagh ring. It didn’t take him long to make the decision.

  He closed the box and put it away, then looked out the window. The sunlight nearly blinded him, but he studied the trees, the clouds, and the sky. When the tears were about to break through, he chided himself, sucked in a breath, and turned to the nightstand.

  The clock said 10:53. He knew the others would be up soon. It was time to get moving. He pulled clean clothes out of his bag, opened the door, and stepped into the hallway.

  Caitlin woke with a start and sat up to find her head filled with lead. She hated sleeping pills, but at least she’d gotten some rest. Well, sleep anyway. As she rubbed her eyes, she heard something from the room next to hers—­Brendan’s room.

  Panic rose and her breathing became shallow. He’d promised not to go, right? Thinking back, she realized he’d never actually agreed to that, only not to say “no” about taking her. She pushed back the swelling fear, rolled out of bed, and stepped into the hallway.

  The door to his room opened, and Brendan stepped out, wearing only his kilt. He saw her and flinched, nearly dropping the bundle of clothes he clutched in his hand.

  “M’anam, cailín!” He said. “You scared the life out of me.”

  “Sorry.” She saw his bloodshot eyes and knew he probably hadn’t gotten much sleep.

  “I told you last night that I wasn’t going to leave without talking to you, didn’t I?”

&
nbsp; “You did, that’s right. I just heard you moving around and, I don’t know.”

  He pointed to the bathroom. “I understand, love, but the only place I’m going is to get me a shower.”

  “I’m going with you.”

  “What?”

  Caitlin’s eyes went wide, and she felt herself turn bright red. “To get Fiona back, I mean.”

  Brendan laughed, then sighed. “It’s going to be a violent and bloody event to get her. I can get her out. It isn’t going to be easy, even if I were on me own. With you there?” He shook his head.

  “I know, but I just can’t sit and wait anymore. I can’t let everyone else do it for me. I have to do more than just wonder what’s happening,” she said. “They took her from me. They literally pulled her from my arms. I don’t even know why.”

  “I know—­”

  “No,” she said. “I want my daughter back, that’s all. She’s everything to me.”

  Brendan opened his mouth.

  “Let me finish.”

  Brendan nodded.

  “I’m not ignorant.” She shook her head. “Well, okay, I am. All I have to go on are the stories Nana used to tell me, and they seem to have gotten at least as much wrong as they did right, but I understand the risk. I’m sorry it’ll make it harder for you.” She swallowed. “Do you have kids?”

  He stiffened and looked away. “No.”

  “I can’t explain it to you then, but I can help. Like I said, I’m a nurse—­”

  “Stop.” Brendan raised his free hand. “Just stop.”

  “But—­”

  “Bloody hell, woman. You can come, all right.” He looked at the ground and shook his head. “I told you what lies ahead. If you want to go, I’m not going to stop you.”

  “Thank you.” She felt, at long last, that she was taking an active role in this mess.

  “Show’s over,” Brendan said over his shoulder. “Come on out. You might as well go and knock up Edward.”

  Caitlin blinked and was about to ask what he meant, then she remembered the phrase from her visit to Ireland.