Carrier of the Mark

by Leigh Fallon

  “After you.” He indicated the hole in the ground.

  He had to be kidding. I wasn’t going down there. But the others started off without hesitating. Adam, sensing my reluctance, went before me, stepping down onto old stone stairs that were very narrow and curved around, so that you couldn’t see the bottom of them. They were lit only with very dim wall lights. Adam was already nearly out of sight, so I scurried to catch up with him and grabbed his hand. There was no way I was letting go of it down here.

  Hugh, who was behind me, gasped. I glanced over my shoulder at him and saw his smile had disappeared and his brow was furrowed. Weird.

  The farther down we went, the smaller the steps got. They eventually led into a tunnel with an arched stone ceiling. At the end of this tunnel was a big wooden door. Hugh walked past us and knocked on it twice. We heard the sound of a huge metal bolt being pulled back, and the door swung open. It was bright inside and my eyes struggled to adjust to the light.

  “Welcome, welcome! Come in,” a voice from inside called to us.

  Adam turned and smiled at me. “You ready?”

  I was still a bit dubious, but I squeezed his hand. “I think so.”

  A tall man with a gray beard walked toward us.

  “Fionn, good to see you again so soon.” He shook his hand firmly. “How is my favorite family?”

  He smiled around at Adam, Áine, and Rían. He hugged them all individually, stopping to talk briefly with Áine. I looked over for Hugh and noticed that he was standing behind a desk speaking in hushed tones to a rotund man. They each looked from me to Adam. I held Adam’s hand tighter and tried to tuck myself in behind him.

  Adam looked at me. “What’s up?”

  I pulled him closer so I could speak into his ear. “That Hugh guy keeps looking at me weird.”

  Adam glanced over to where Hugh stood, but just then the tall man approached me from the other side.

  “And you must be Megan. It is wonderful to meet you. I have so much to ask you.”

  Fionn came over. “M.J., I think Megan is a little overwhelmed. You can ask her all the questions you like, but let’s have lunch first and give her a chance to get to know you.”

  M.J. was obviously reluctant to wait until after lunch. “I’m sorry, Megan; it’s just that we have so much to learn from you.” M.J. looked over to where Hugh was still talking to the other man. “Will, come over here and meet Megan.”

  The fat man with the half-moon glasses stood up. “I’m on my way.” He shuffled over, eyeing Adam’s hand in mine before greeting us. He led us to a huge mahogany table in the center of the room. “Why don’t you all make yourselves comfortable here. We will be ready to go in a few minutes.” With that, he rushed back to Hugh.

  The table had ten high-backed chairs around it, made of the same shiny dark wood. We all sat down and M.J. immediately started talking with Fionn. I looked around, drinking in the room.

  It was like nothing I had seen before. The arched ceilings were supported by vast stone pillars. The walls on all four sides had floor-to-ceiling bookshelves made of the same dark, glossy wood with ornate carvings. Some of the shelves were behind locked metal grilles. There were six huge chandeliers hanging from the central point of each of the arches. In the back of the room two large desks with green leather tops had been pushed together. Brass lamps with green glass shades illuminated piles of books.

  “What is this place?” I whispered to Adam.

  “This is the crypt,” he answered.

  I looked around nervously. “Does that mean there are bodies buried here?”

  “No, no, nothing like that,” he assured me. “It was built as a storage facility and meeting place for the Order of the Mark. This used to be a monastery called All Hallows. It was built on echoed land given by the Order to the All Hallows monks. They protected the crypt and its contents until the monastery fell into disrepair. Then in 1592, when Trinity was founded, the monastery lands were given to the college, but All Hallows ensured that the crypt would be secure. When building commenced on the site, the crypt and sections of the old monastery were hidden beneath the college foundations. The crypt’s existence was wiped from all records. Over the centuries there have been many different keepers of the crypt, all working here in Trinity. Very few people know of its existence, so now you’re part of a privileged group.” He beamed down at me. “Welcome to the club.”

  Will and Hugh were leafing through their books on the big desks. Hugh glanced up at me nervously again, but looked away quickly when he saw I was looking at him. He and Will were still in the middle of a heated discussion under their breath.

  I leaned into Adam. “Adam, I get the distinct impression that Hugh doesn’t like me.”

  He looked up at them suspiciously. “M.J.,” Adam interrupted M.J. and Fionn’s conversation. “What’s up with Will and Hugh? Is there a problem or something?”

  M.J. looked over to the two men at the desk. “What are you two fussing about over there? Everyone’s hungry. Let’s go have lunch. We have reservations,” he reminded them.

  I couldn’t just sit at the table any longer, so I got up and walked over to a bronze statue that was mounted on a marble pedestal. It was a nude of a rather voluptuous woman.

  Adam came up behind me. “It’s funny that you’re drawn to her.” I turned to face him. “That’s Danu, mother of the original Tuatha de Danann.”

  I looked back at the bronze and studied her features. “She’s very beautiful. What an amazing history your family has.”

  He put his arms around my waist and kissed the top of my head. He leaned his chin on my hair and rested it there. “It’s your history now too.”

  “Can we get out of here?”

  “Sure. The others can follow us.” Adam took my hand and we started toward the door we had come in through.

  Hugh, Will, and M.J. were standing in our way, staring at us.

  Adam half smiled at them. “What’s going on?”

  Hugh walked to the door and locked it. He turned to face us. “Adam. We need to talk.”

  Sixteen

  REVELATIONS

  Fionn stepped up beside us. “Is there a problem?” The three men looked uncomfortable. Hugh’s pink face was now a bright red. He took a step forward with his hands in the air. “We just noticed, er, that Adam seems to have developed a personal interest in Megan.” He cleared his throat and pulled at the collar of his shirt. “And it appears the feelings are reciprocated.”

  “And?” Fionn inquired impatiently.

  Hugh trembled a little. “I’m so sorry, but this cannot be allowed to continue.”

  Adam snorted incredulously. “What! What does my relationship with Megan have to do with any of you?”

  Will moved beside Hugh, his skin visibly paling. “How long has it been going on?”

  Adam laughed. “That is none of your business.”

  Hugh peered at Fionn. “Have they been intimate?”

  “How would I know?” Fionn said. “What is all this about, M.J.? You had better explain yourself before I take my family and drive out of your lives forever.”

  M.J. pointed at Adam and me. “They cannot be together. A physical union between two Marked Ones is completely forbidden. The result of it could be apocalyptic.”

  Fionn looked at him scathingly. “So you’re telling me Megan and Adam can’t be together, ever?”

  Hugh was visibly worked up. “Don’t underestimate this, Fionn! A physical union between two Marked Ones is unforgivable—the results of such a union are terrifying. Who knows what events—or creatures, for that matter—would follow?”

  “Creatures?” Áine’s voice piped up from behind us.

  “Yes, creatures. If Adam and Megan were to produce a child, it could spell the end of the world. The strength and power of two such parents would produce something of immense force that could not be controlled.”

  A flush of embarrassment passed through me. I couldn’t believe that three strange old men were ta
lking openly about my nonexistent sex life. I’d only known Adam for six weeks—we’d only been together for two! And they were talking about some monster baby that I was destined to produce. Wanting the shadows to swallow me, I tried to hide myself behind Adam.

  “I can’t believe you’re spouting this crap!” Adam snorted. “We’re seventeen, for Christ’s sake! Even if any of this rubbish turned out to be true, children aren’t exactly on the agenda right now.”

  “Adam, just you two being together when fully evoked will trigger the imbalance,” M.J. said.

  “How do you know that?” Adam asked.

  “It’s in the Druid Scribes. Transcriptions tell clearly of a fire element and a water element who ignored—”

  “Stop right there.” Anger seemed to flare up in Adam. “This is rubbish. Everyone knows the Druid Scribes are full of crap; they’re all fairy stories and folklore.”

  “What are the Druid Scribes?” I asked. As mortified as I was, if there was something that held information about my relationship with Adam, I wanted to see it.

  “It’s a testament of the Marked history. It’s been passed down through the generations of the Order, with each one adding entries of significance. It’s here, in the crypt,” M.J. said.

  “Can I read it?”

  “Most of it is written in a druid script, which can only be deciphered with a key. And even the knowledge of that has been lost. It’s only been partially transcribed,” Adam said.

  “How was the knowledge of the key lost?” I gasped.

  “Anú. When she wiped out half the Order she took out the senior transcriber,” Adam explained, rolling his eyes impatiently.

  “I need to see it.” I looked back at Adam.

  Adam’s eyes narrowed. “You can’t listen to them! This is all rubbish.”

  “Adam, even the partially transcribed sections give us enough to know the consequences.” M.J. said, glancing from Adam to me.

  “What consequences? What happened?” I asked.

  M.J. went to his desk and picked up a vast leather-bound book and flicked through pages until he found what he was looking for. He put the book down on the huge table and tapped wildly at the page. “It was recorded here, in 1303. A male fire element called Áed fell in love with his cousin Bébinn, a water element. The results were dire. Their powers combined—they fed off each other. The Order tried to separate them, but their elements took over. The seas of Northern Europe froze over as the elements played havoc with the climate, and an ice age struck. Áed and Bébinn would not listen—they couldn’t be stopped. The entries recording the phenomenon are difficult to translate, but we’ve been able to capture snapshots.”

  I stared at the pages of strange script that looked more like hieroglyphics than any language I’d ever seen.

  “In 1315 there was rain that fell for more than one hundred days, and crops failed all over Europe,” M.J. continued. “By 1319 there were epidemics and even reports of cannibalism. Then in 1322 Bébinn became pregnant and Áed died within days. The scribes tell of a twenty-five-year pregnancy, which devoured Bébinn as the creature within absorbed her element and every drop of life she had in her. Then it launched itself on the world in the form of a plague—a plague that wiped out half of Europe.”

  “Crap, crap, and more crap,” Adam spat. “Those are your interpretations of the entries. They’re just legends written to explain historical events. What about the entry about the other Marked pair? The one that came after Áed and Bébinn? You can’t pick your tale to suit your agenda.”

  “Neither can you, Adam,” Hugh replied, stepping forward. “The record of another couple only proves the point that the elements attract each other so much that serious considerations like consequence and obligation get ignored. The second pairing wasn’t even named, and their relationship hasn’t been translated.”

  “Which proves there wasn’t anything worth translating!” Adam shouted in irritation.

  “Adam, there’s also the Fifth Prophecy to consider,” Hugh added, putting his hand on Adam’s shoulder. “You know that. The Order revolves around keeping the bloodlines clean to avoid such a situation.”

  Adam shrugged Hugh’s hand off. “Of course I’ve considered the Fifth Prophecy. It would be reckless not to! But the Druid Scribes, ugh. Don’t even go there,” Adam warned through gritted teeth.

  I wanted to ask about the Fifth Prophecy, but I suddenly realized that Adam was dangerously close to a meltdown. He was shaking, and beads of perspiration had formed around his hairline.

  “Megan, step away from Adam,” Fionn urged.

  “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “Just come over to me.” Fionn stretched out his arm and stepped forward.

  “Adam, what…” I looked up at him, then froze. Adam stared forward. His eyes had darkened into huge blackened pupils surrounded by a swirling vivid blue.

  “Megan, listen to Fionn. Come over to us.” Rían beckoned me toward him.

  “What’s happening to him? What’s wrong with his eyes?”

  Rían slowly moved closer to me. “His element is taking over; you need to—”

  Adam pulled me closer and glared at Rían. “I need to get out of here,” he said in a gasp.

  “Adam, don’t do this,” M.J. said. “Look at yourself! Your element is overreacting to the potential separation from Megan and her element. The dependence has already begun. I know the elemental pull is strong, but don’t confuse this with real human emotion, because it’s not and it’s dangerous.”

  “I’m not talking about this now!” Adam shot M.J. a murderous glare. “I need to think. Now open the door.”

  None of them moved.

  “If you don’t open the door, I’m sure Rían will,” Adam growled.

  “I’m right here for you.” Rían stepped forward with two balls of flames in his hands.

  Hugh moved to the door nervously. “Please calm down, everyone; I’m opening the door.”

  Adam stalked out, pulling me with him.

  Before we could get out, though, Hugh grabbed Adam’s sleeve. “Adam, please think about what you’re doing. This is only going to get worse.”

  “Let go of me,” Adam said in a hiss.

  We walked back out to the great cobbled square, followed closely by Rían, Áine, and Fionn.

  Fionn ran to catch up with Adam and me. “Adam, try to control it. Take deep breaths.”

  Adam kept on walking.

  “Adam, hold up. You need to listen to me. We have to get back to the hotel and talk.”

  Adam spun around to Fionn in a fury. “My relationship with Megan is not open for discussion!”

  Fionn looked at him sympathetically. “I’m not saying I agree with them. But for now you need to control yourself.”

  “Adam, you’ve got to focus, man. You nearly lost it in there,” Rían added. He put his hands on Adam’s shoulders and steadied him, forcing Adam to meet his eyes. “Bro, are you listening to me? We can work this out, but you need to keep it under control, for Megan’s sake.” He looked at me, then back to Adam. Above us ominous gray clouds were gathering at a ferocious speed, darkening the sky and blocking out the sun. “Quick, talk to him, Megan; he’ll listen to you.”

  I put my arms around Adam’s waist. “Adam, look at me, please.” I reached up and put a hand on either side of his face and tilted his head toward me. “Look at me.” The black and swirling blue of his unfamiliar eyes focused on my face. Suddenly I felt aware of an icy sensation in my chest. It pulsated, reacting to the darkness in Adam’s eyes. Hiding my anxiety, I smiled at him. “You should listen to Rían and Fionn. I don’t like this either, but they’re on our side; they will help us.”

  His eyes flickered green for a moment as he fought for control.

  “Adam, you’re stronger than this. You control the element—it doesn’t control you.”

  Large splatters of rain started falling around us. Everyone in the courtyard was running for cover.

  “Come back to me,” I
pleaded.

  “You’re right,” he said, exhaling a big breath. “Of course you’re right.” The cloud that hovered angrily above us shuddered a little before falling in a torrent. His soaked hair clung to his skin where the rain ran down his pale face in rivulets. Slowly, his pupils contracted and his irises returned to their usual green. “I’m sorry,” he said, shaking a little. “That’s never happened to me before.” He slumped into my arms and I held him. “What I feel is real; I just know it is,” he whispered. “Please believe me?”

  “I believe you,” I whispered back to him. The pulsating iciness in my chest dulled, but I was still conscious of its presence.

  “Adam, let’s get you out of here,” Fionn said, approaching us slowly.

  Adam nodded. “I’m sorry, Fionn. I lost control.” He looked down at his shaking hands.

  We got back to the car and all climbed in. The tension was unbearable. As Fionn started the engine, the news blared out from the radio:

  “Despite Met Éireann’s forecast of clear skies today, sudden torrential rain in the past few minutes has stopped play at the Republic of Ireland’s friendly with New Zealand. Spectators claimed that—”

  Rían flicked off the radio and we rode the rest of the way in silence. We parked the car and collected our bags, then waited for Fionn to check us in. Áine looked particularly upset. I’d have liked to say something to make her feel better, but I was just trying my best to keep it together for Adam’s sake. He still looked dangerously close to snapping. My hand ached where he held it tightly, apparently unwilling to let it go.

  Fionn walked toward us. “Right, Áine and Megan, you’re sharing.” He gave us our key card and room number.

  “Adam, you’re with Rían.” He held out the key card to Rían. “I’m in two oh five. Go up and get yourselves settled and meet in my room in ten minutes, okay? Adam, you come with me; we need to talk.”

  We walked to the elevator in silence. When we got out on the second floor and walked up the carpeted corridor, Áine stopped. “This is us.”