Crimson Secrets

by Garnet Davenport

  I cut her off this time. “Aodhan O’Dorcha.” She said it quietly as I said it aloud.

  She panicked and turned as if she heard something. “I am so sorry, my dear. If I could change anything about this, it would be your brother. We had no idea that was the purpose.”

  I looked up at her with a scowl. “That doesn’t change anything. You took the life of a loyal man, my brother, which was enough sacrifice. There doesn’t need to be anymore.”

  She looked at me for the first time with worry. “It’s time to come back.”

  I looked at her in confusion. “Come back?”

  She shook her head and she started to become blurry. “It’s time to come back.”

  I started to get lightheaded and I felt like my eyes rolled back into my head, and then my body was grabbed and thrusted through the air miles away. “Come back.”

  I kept hearing those words as my body jerked back and forth. “Come back.” The voice started to change and become more masculine. “Come back.” I felt my heart racing, and there was pain through my toes. “Come back.” I knew that voice.

  ***

  “Declan.” I jolted up from the bed in a panic, gasping for air as I looked for him.

  My skin was sweaty and flushed. “Are you okay?”

  I looked around and saw Alex backing up while everyone came closer. “Yeah.”

  I questioned myself as I was saying it. “I’m going to go get in the shower.” I stood and walked past everyone.

  I can’t tell them. I won’t risk their safety for mine. I turned on the water and looked into the mirror while I leaned onto the sink. I noticed that my hair was darker, redder and longer now, and there was redness to my eye color. I blinked several times and shook my head thinking that it might just be my imagination. The new feature in my eyes started to fade, and I turned to get into the shower. I was so distracted by Declan and Duncan being held that I couldn’t concentrate on the conversation just outside the showers.

  I would not give in, but I would not let them be harmed for me. The Morrígan wants me and I would give her what she wants to save them. I had made the decision and quickly hurried up, walking out of the showers to the dorm area in my towel.

  I looked around as they watched me walk back in. I would not let them know anything was wrong.

  “Hey. Are you sure you’re okay?” Fancy asked as I walked to my bag to get clothes. Today had to be completely normal so I can get away during breakfast.

  “Yeah, I just slept hard.” I smiled at them in a fake smile and continued to get dressed. “What’s for breakfast?” I looked over at Striker.

  He looked at me. “I’ll go get it started.” He got up and walked out of the room. I only had Fancy and Gauge to get out of the way. I didn’t see Alex. I guessed he walked outside.

  I turned to them as they watched me. “I’m fine. You guys go, I’ll be right behind you. I’m starving.”

  They looked at each other and then back to me. “Are you sure?”

  I looked at them while I put my shirt into the duffle bag. “I’m fine.”

  They looked at each other and stood. “Okay.” They walked out of the dorm room.

  Here’s my moment. I had to get home. I picked up my bags and walked out the door. I was as quiet as I could be walking out, nobody heard me. They were all talking and laughing in the kitchen. I heard everyone in there, even Alex. I had no one to hide from. I walked out the door as I looked back through the warehouse at the crease of light and the laughing from inside. I turned and walked out the door. I looked off to the side of the warehouse for Tommy’s truck. I ran to it and hopped in to start it, throwing it into reverse and then flooring it. The dirt cloud came up behind the truck as I drove off. I looked in the rearview mirror at the warehouse that I was sad to leave. Then I looked back at the dirt road and continued driving as I left the property line of The Farm.

  I kept driving until I had found a gas station that looked like it was from the 1950s. I got out and started to pump some gas while I went inside to pay and ask for directions. I walked in through the door and looked toward the man behind the counter.

  “Can I help you find anything?”

  I shook my head. “Well, I need to get to Kenosha County, Wisconsin. And I need to pay for the fuel.”

  He looked out at the truck and then down at a machine. “Well you’re still filling up, but Kenosha County. Hum, I’ve got some state maps down here.” He pointed over the counter at a small metal rack. “See if I’ve got something you’re looking for.”

  I looked through and found a Wisconsin map. “This is it.”

  He looked back at the machine and started to ring me up. “That will be $45.63. Can I get you anything else?”

  I looked up from my book bag as I pulled out three twenty dollar bills. “No, I’m good.” He took the money and handed me back the change, which I threw into the bag and zipped it up. I walked back to the truck with the map in my hand. I put the pump nozzle back and closed the fuel cap tight, taking in a deep breath, and then hopped back into the truck and kept driving for hours. I was headed north, I hit all the interchanges that I needed to and kept on the right path. The wind started to pick up and the sky looked like it was about to rain. I had pulled over on the side of the road and looked up at the sky from the windshield.

  There were crows flying overhead circling. I now knew what the implications were with the crows. I had all the information that Edness Callamore had told me flying through my head. It was the Morrígan. She was following me or was I following her? I already knew that I was trading myself for the safety of Declan and Duncan. What else could she want from me? I decided to keep driving as the rain poured down in a rhythmic tone. I forced myself to keep going as it started to get harder and harder to see. I continued to drive through it, as I thought back to that first moment with Duncan in the woods just outside his home. This all happened when I tripped over that stupid rock in the middle of the woods. Why did Duncan have to find me out there? Shouldn’t he have been in school? I missed the day because I wasn’t feeling well. He just didn’t go. I was thinking about every moment that led me to right now as I drove down the road. I was heading back to my home—all the places in the last couple of months that I have been able to call my home. I will have to see my parents and where Tommy was consecrated. I didn’t care as long as no harm comes to Declan and Duncan. I made a chuckle aloud in the truck as I thought about them. I still had miles to drive and I needed to stop and stretch my legs for a moment.

  I saw a sign for a gas station and decided that’s where I could stop. I turned off to it and pulled in the parking lot. I grabbed a twenty out of my bag and went inside going to the restrooms first. It was a small dirty restroom, pretty typical of what you find out in the middle of nowhere. It had dirt in the grout of the tile and stains all over the floor, the small mirror over the sink had black discoloration around the edges and a crack through the middle. I looked at myself in that mirror that was exactly how I felt—broken. I looked around at the space and realized this is one of those times when you wish that you could pee standing up. “I’d rather pee in the woods.” I walked out to grab some on the road snacks and a drink. I didn’t have the taste for anything but water anymore, so that’s probably a good thing. But I searched for some beef jerky and Pringles. I loved Pringles as a kid and I think they’ve changed over the years, but let’s face it, they’re still Pringles and they have cheesy ones. I found everything I needed and went to the counter. There was a young boy behind the register. “Did you find everything okay?”

  I looked up at him and then out to my truck. “Yeah.”

  He looked at me weird. “Are you okay?”

  I turned from the truck to him when he asked. “Yeah of course. I just have to get back on the road.”

  He nodded his head. “Okay. Your total is $9.85.” I handed him the twenty and he put my stuff in a black plastic bag and handed me the change and receipt with the bag.

  I turned to him. “Thank
you.” I took a step and then turned back around. “By the way, the restrooms are disgusting.” I turned and continued to walk out. I was smirking as I walked back to the truck.

  I opened the door and hopped in. I put the key in the ignition and started to turn when I smelled a cinnamon in the air then heard a man’s voice. “Shay.”

  I jumped out of my skin when I heard him as I turned with one hand gripping the steering wheel and the other on the edge of the seat. “Aodhan O’Dorcha.”

  He smiled at me. “Let’s drive. We’ve got a lot to speak about.” I adjusted myself in the seat and turned the key looking at him out of the corner of my eye.

  “We just might.” I put the truck in drive and started back on my journey home. I looked over at him on and off for the first couple of minutes. He wore a dark gray suit with a black dress shirt and tie. With that same black wool coat with crimson paisley scarf he detailed his coat with. He had his staff that I didn’t really think he needs setting against the dash of the truck. I could see more intricacies in the gold handle of the staff and then it continued into the blackened wood with engraved detail. He had always been very stylish when he approached me.

  “I’m sure you are aware of the circumstances by now.”

  I looked over at him briefly while continuing to drive. “How could you let this happen?”

  He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a small ring. It was tarnished silver and had an oval white colored stone in the setting. As he tilted it, I could see a glint of blue within the stone.

  I had to ask. “What kind of stone is that?”

  He didn’t look up at me just at the ring itself. “This is a moon stone.” He paused. “I was in love once.” I looked at his face. He was full of sorrow. “She was the most beautiful creature I had ever lay eyes on. Her hair was a dark auburn, her eyes were a beautiful green color, and her skin was porcelain with light colored freckles. You actually remind me much of her when we were young. She was beautiful as she sat in the field just outside our village and picked wildflowers.” He scoffed. “Sometimes her eyes almost looked honey brown.” He paused again. “She was more than just a beauty. She set the precedent for all standards. We were married when the age to be married came, and then a child. Our daughter, Macha—my life was complete. Macha started to develop abilities when she was just two. My strong little girl that looked so much like her mother. I tried to teach her how to control what was happening. Her mother wanted her to hide from them. She asked me to take her abilities away from her and give them to her for safekeeping until she could use them properly.” He sighed the biggest heartfelt sigh. “I did as she wanted. Macha’s abilities were taken from her until her twelfth birthday. It was amazing watching my little girl grow and become such a strong woman. But Macha was stolen from us shortly after her eleventh birthday by men from another village north. My little light was lost from me. There were distance and resentment between my wife and I, until one day she left herself. I was then alone while she found another and then she came to me when her daughter also developed abilities and she asked me to remove hers as well.” He paused and looked down shaking his head. “This was the true start to the end, but I did as she wanted. Then this continued for her next lover and their daughter. I never fell out of love with her; however, she changed with the power of her daughter’s abilities. It wasn’t until you came about that we knew our daughter had a child.” He looked at the ring in his hand and then at his wedding band on his finger. “I love her still, and this will never change. But you are my blood.” He sniffed and quickly put the ring back into his suit pocket. “Morrígan has too much power in her abilities now. She has devastated her bloodlines for centuries. I do not know how to stop her from this path.”

  I shook my head. “Seriously? That’s all you can tell me?”

  We looked at each other. “I am sorry that your life will be filled with war and loss. This is why you cannot choose between Declan and Duncan.”

  I took in a deep breath. “Why?”

  He leaned in and placed his hand on my shoulder whispering into my ear. “Because you are destined to die.” My eyes started to water when I realized that he was telling me the truth.

  “Is there any way to change the destiny for Declan and Duncan?” I said.

  He looked surprised. “You care more about these two men that have bound themselves to you than your own life?”

  I nodded my head. “Yes.”

  He kept looking at me for a moment. “If I am able to give them chances for love later on in their lives would that make you happy?”

  “Of course,” I said.

  He nodded his head. “I will do this for you.”

  I turned away from the road to him. “Thank you.”

  He smiled at me. “You remind me so much of Macha. There is a fire in you that doesn’t just go out. I want you to know this—the person you are right now is not the person you will be.” He reached over and grabbed my hand. “I wish upon you a godsend.” I turned to look at him after he said that and there was no one there, all that I saw was an airy fog as it started to vanish. He disappeared quicker than I could process. I did not have an opportunity to ask him about the possibility of another brother and I wish that I had.

  ➢29 Sacrifice

  It had started snowing as I drove north and the day passed on. The road had started to look more familiar, just outside my hometown, and I had been driving for hours at this point and I was getting tired. It was hard to stay awake when you can hear the snow hit the windshield in a rhythmic manner. I rubbed my eyes and sat up straighter as I squinted to see through the snow that had started to fall harder now. I tried so hard to see out of the windshield; the wiper blades were going as fast as they would go. The sun started to go down and it became even harder to see. There was no one on the road. But then I started to see a silhouette in the distance. I couldn’t tell what it was so I slowed down until it was clear enough to see what was ahead of me. I could see that I was just outside the Callamores’ property. I knew it well at this point, I looked forward through the windshield again and panicked, slamming on the brakes and hearing the tires slide and the brakes grind across the snow-packed road.

  I came to a complete stop, seeing the Morrígan standing in front of the truck. My vision went red as I stared into her red glowing eyes. The wind let up at that moment as if she controlled it herself and I saw Declan with her. I panicked as my eyes went directly to him, and I saw that she had him bound by a chain attached to silver metal-like cuffs around his wrists. He only had jeans on in the cold weather. I could see new wounds and some dry blood on his chest. He looked like he had been tortured during his time with the Morrígan. My heart beat harder for that instant as I sat in Tommy’s truck and with Declan held as her prisoner.

  My mind went to Duncan for a second, wondering if he was alive. Then she pulled the chain, kicked in at his knee, and Declan lost his balance, going down to his knees. I opened the door to the truck and got out. I felt as if there was no option. Declan looked up at me with fear in his eyes as he saw me get out. I shut the door to the truck and put my hands up and took my first step toward my final sacrifice.

  I took a deep breath as I made myself take another step; you could see my breath in the brisk air, and I stood just at the edge of the front of Tommy’s truck beside the headlight.

  “You are brave to come alone.” She smirked with content at her wit.

  I looked at her and took a breath, blowing it through my nostrils in anger. “And you for taking the people I care for.”

  She stared back at me, angry for the comment. She jerked the chain again, kicking him forward, and Declan was pulled down onto his chest in front of her feet. He turned his face to me as his head hit the snow, and his eyes closed for a moment as he hit hard. I could see that he didn’t have any shoes on either. There were red marks on his biceps and across his back that looked like it came from being bound. It looked like he could have been tied like that for days.

  S
o far what Edness Callamore had told me looked to be the truth. I wonder just how much she had told me about the Morrígan’s past had been the truth. What had the Morrígan told her to convince her that this was the only option for our kind? I needed to know more, but I was not going to get the information I need from the Morrígan tonight.

  “What do you want?” I forced myself to speak.

  She tightened a rope that was around Declan’s neck so much that he had to hold his head up in an awkward position so that he would not be choked. “Isn’t it obvious now?”

  I shook my head no, even though I knew what she wanted in the end.

  “Shay, now is not the time to be naive. If you want both of your pathetic boys returned unharmed you will give yourself up willingly.”

  I didn’t move, my hands still up close by my shoulders, and I tried not to move much. “I am here, aren’t I?” I asked as if I wanted this banter to continue on. Maybe she would slip up and give away the grand plan for the winter solstice ritual. If not, I would have to be direct with Aodhan O’Dorcha and get the truth without him circling around the facts.

  I started to hear footsteps from all around; I turned my head slightly and saw her hunters dressed in black, only one with bow and arrow, but most with sniper rifles and other artillery. Which made me think that these hunters had no idea who they were really fighting for. I had heard that only true hunters carried the bow and that it was not a sport for pleasure, but for honor. I could at least have respect for that, but these hunters only showed pleasure for it.

  “You are. Start walking.” She demanded in a firm voice.

  “Let Declan and Duncan go.”

  She shook her head. “No. You must give yourself up first.”

  I shook my head. “We must be in a standoff. I am unarmed and asking for the release of unarmed men.” She stood there for some time waiting to see if anything would change. I could see the pain on Declan’s face and he worked hard to keep himself just a couple of inches off the ground. I could tell he didn’t want me to be there. In fact, I was sure in that moment that he would give his life for mine.