Carrier of the Mark

by Leigh Fallon

  “I’m not wasting my time. I’m doing this for us. Do you really think I want to be up here away from you?” His voice was getting louder. “What more can I do?”

  “Well, you could start telling me the truth,” I spat in an acid tone. Part of me knew I was being a bitch, but I felt like he was treating me like a child.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You know what I’m talking about. Áine told me everything,” I blurted out.

  “She told you?”

  I winced, knowing I had let her down, but I barreled ahead. “Somebody had to.”

  Adam was silent. I could tell by his heavy breathing that he was livid.

  “Look, Adam. You’re mad. I’m mad. We should talk about this later when we’ve both calmed down.”

  “Fine,” he snapped, and the line went dead.

  Ugh. What a crappy way to end a good day. I stomped home, feeling terrible about our fight. I tried several times to reach Adam, but his phone went straight to voice mail. Feeling utterly dejected, I opened the front door. Dad wasn’t home yet, so I headed to my room. All I could think about was locking myself away for a few hours and having a good cry.

  But as I turned the doorknob I got a funny feeling. I looked down at my arm and watched the goose bumps form slowly, working their way from my wrists up my arms. Then I heard a whisper at my ear, just like in the café with Caitlin.

  “Who’s there?” I gasped, spinning around. But I was alone.

  I pushed the door open slowly, but stayed in the hallway. Nothing looked out of place. I stepped into the room and cautiously looked around. I still didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, but something definitely didn’t feel right.

  I bit my lip. I wasn’t going to start calling Fionn or Áine now, especially if they were all pissed at me for disappearing today. I backed out of my room and went downstairs, then sat in the kitchen with the TV volume on high until my dad came home.

  I didn’t sleep that night. I kept imagining noises, and I was hyperaware of my Mark. I kept expecting Adam to call at some point to clear the air. But the call never came.

  Twenty

  STRANGER

  Áine was so mad the next day, she barely spoke to me.

  “You said you wouldn’t tell him,” she muttered on our way to class.

  “I know. I’m sorry. It just came out.”

  She grabbed me by the sleeve and pulled me into a deserted classroom. “What were you thinking? You have to get used to the idea that you are a Marked One now. You can’t just go off on your own and not tell anyone. Have you any idea how vulnerable you are?”

  “I guess not.”

  “Exactly. Adam, Rían, and I have all evoked. We are strong, and we can protect ourselves. We also live on protected lands that the Knox are blind to. You have only just started using your power, and yet you go swanning off on your own after I tell you there’s a potential threat in the area. Exactly what part of the warning didn’t you understand?”

  I shrugged. “I just didn’t think.”

  “Don’t you even care what you are doing to my brother?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Adam is tearing himself apart up in Dublin. He’s working night and day to find a solution to your problems. Let’s forget for the moment the fact that he’s missing out on loads of school, school that he’ll have to make up for when he gets back. And the fact that Fionn has to lie through his teeth to allow that to happen. Christ! Megan, you know that he pines for you when you’re apart; you’ve seen how it affects his power. He’s facing the struggle of a lifetime with his element and it’s all for you.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t believe I had never thought of it from Adam’s point of view. “I’m so sorry, Áine. When you put it like that…”

  Áine’s glare softened. “Yes, well, I didn’t mean to be so harsh. It’s just that he’s my brother and he’s hurting.”

  “He won’t answer my calls,” I said, feeling my eyes well up. “How can I apologize if he won’t talk to me?”

  “Leave him a message. He’ll call you back, I promise.”

  I nodded, swallowing hard.

  “Now, come here.” She pulled me in for a hug. “Let’s get to class. Take good notes. Adam’s going to need them when he gets back.”

  At lunch, I called Adam. As usual the call went to voice mail.

  “Adam, it’s me. I’m sorry for being so horrible yesterday. I don’t know what I was thinking. Please forgive me?”

  Ten minutes later my phone rang, and Áine glanced over and gave me an I-told-you-so look.

  I jumped up and ran off to answer the phone in private. “Adam, hi.”

  “Hi, Meg. I’m sorry.”

  “No, don’t be. It was my fault. I never stopped to think. And I was a total bitch.”

  He laughed. “You weren’t a total bitch. Anyway, you didn’t realize you were doing anything wrong.”

  “So am I forgiven?”

  “Well, am I?”

  Relief flooded through me. Everything was going to be okay.

  “Oh, Adam, I can’t wait for you to get home.”

  “I should be back Friday night.”

  “Oh.” I winced.

  “Is there a problem?”

  “No, it’s nothing. I was going to go to a movie with Caitlin and the girls, but I’ll cancel.”

  “No, don’t cancel. I won’t be down until late anyway.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course I’m sure.”

  “In that case … any chance Áine can borrow your car?” I smiled, knowing he’d be more likely to say yes to me than to his sister.

  “My car? Oh, I don’t know about that. Áine’s driving sucks.”

  “Oh, come on, Adam. Please? We’ll take really good care of it. I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”

  “Well, when you put it like that, how can I refuse? Roll on, Friday!”

  I hung up the phone and ran back to the gang feeling better than I had in a long time.

  “Well? Are we all friends again?” Áine asked sheepishly.

  I nodded. “He’ll be back on Friday.”

  “Aw, does that mean our movie night is canceled?” Caitlin whined.

  I sat down beside her. “Nope, in fact it just got a little better.”

  “What’s this about?” Áine inquired.

  I smiled at her. “Girls’ night out on Friday.”

  “Oh, can I come?” Áine asked, looking a little unsure.

  I laughed. “Of course! You’re driving.” Jennifer and Caitlin exchanged excited glances.

  “I am? In what?”

  “Adam said you could drive his car.”

  “Are you serious? He never lets me drive his car. Excellent. This can double as my birthday party.”

  “It’s your birthday on Friday? Adam never mentioned it.”

  “Oh, Adam doesn’t do birthdays, but I do. This is great. We’ll have so much fun.”

  That Friday after school, Jennifer, Caitlin, Áine, and I all packed into Adam’s car and drove to the movie theater singing along with the festive songs on the radio. By the time we got there we were hoarse from screaming along to Wham!’s “Last Christmas.” We fell out of the car laughing and got in line for tickets.

  Jennifer and Caitlin were chatting about whether to buy one popcorn or two, but I tuned them out as my happiness faded. My Mark was starting to sting a little. I scanned the foyer. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I was just coming back to focus on my friends when my eyes stopped on a man in the next line. There was something about him that felt wrong, weird. When he saw me looking at him, he swiftly turned away.

  The whispers were back. This time they swirled around my head, moving from one ear to the other. I shook my head to clear it and shifted closer to Áine, hooking my arm through hers.

  “You okay?” she asked, looking around the room automatically.

  I shook my head. “Something’s wrong. My Mark is sting
ing.”

  Áine paid for the tickets on autopilot and turned back to me. “I’m not sensing anything.”

  “Maybe it’s nothing. My Mark has stung before and it’s been nothing.”

  “I have a bad feeling about this, Megan. I think we should go home.”

  “No, not yet. Let’s stay for the movie. If it gets worse we’ll go. Please?”

  She nodded reluctantly. “Okay. But tell me right away if you feel anything else.”

  We walked toward the theater and joined Jennifer and Caitlin, who’d walked on ahead. It was a great movie, judging by Caitlin’s and Jennifer’s cackles all the way through it, but I couldn’t focus on the screen. My Mark was stinging nonstop and the whispers kept whirling around my head. I looked around the theater, but I couldn’t see anything in the darkness.

  Áine glanced at me. “Is it happening again?”

  I put my hand over my Mark and nodded. “I keep hearing whispers.”

  She stared at me, wide-eyed. “What are they saying?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t make them out.”

  “Oh, Christ. Why didn’t you tell me that? I’m going to have a look around.” She sat bolt upright, her eyes closed, and stayed like that for the rest of the movie. I wondered what animal’s or insect’s eyes she was looking through. What would be in here? A fly or a mouse maybe?

  When the movie finally ended and the lights came back up, I got up from my seat. Jennifer and Caitlin were looking at Áine strangely, and Caitlin reached over and shook her shoulder. “Áine, hello, it’s over. Were you asleep or something?”

  Áine’s eyes opened slowly. “Oh. I think I dropped off. Sorry, guys. Was the movie good?”

  Jennifer laughed. “It was great! I can’t believe you fell asleep.” She put her hand down to Áine and pulled her up out of the seat. “Come on; let’s go get some dinner. I’m starving.” Jennifer turned to Caitlin. “What do you fancy?”

  I looked nervously at Áine, but she said nothing. We made our way out and were heading in the direction of the restaurant next door when Áine suddenly turned and leaned against a wall.

  “Actually, guys, I’m really not feeling well.” She had a pained expression on her face. “Would you mind terribly if we just went home?”

  Jennifer’s face fell. “Oh, what’s wrong?”

  “I think I’m coming down with something. I feel weak.”

  Caitlin walked over to her, looking concerned. “Are you okay to drive?”

  “Oh, of course, I just need to sit down. Why don’t you guys go in and get some dinner to go and then meet me back here. That will give my stomach a chance to settle. Megan will look after me out here.”

  Caitlin looked torn. “Are you sure? We could just go now. I can wait till we get home.”

  Áine shook her head. “No, honestly, go on ahead.”

  “That sucks, Áine,” Jennifer said, reaching into her pocket. “We even had a special treat to go with your dessert.” She held up a box of pink candles and Áine gave her a weak smile.

  Caitlin turned back to me. “You want anything, Meg?”

  “No, I’m good.” I waved her off and they both headed into the restaurant.

  As soon as they were out of earshot, I spun back to Áine. “What is it?”

  “There was a man at the back of the theater who stared at you through the entire movie.”

  My heart started to pound. “I think I know who you’re talking about. I saw someone who gave me the creeps right before we went in. Small guy, right? Early forties, slightly bald?”

  “You noticed him and you didn’t say anything?”

  I shrugged, feeling stupid. “I didn’t think it was important.”

  She rolled her eyes. “How long have you been hearing the whispers?”

  “A few weeks. I thought I was imagining them at first, but tonight they were louder.”

  “Shite. I need to ring Fionn.”

  “What is it? Have you heard the whispers too?”

  “I used to hear them all the time. If there’s danger close by, the Sidhe warns us to guide us out of harm’s way.”

  “But you haven’t been hearing them recently?”

  “No. And I don’t know why. I stopped hearing them around the time my earth sight got fuzzy. It’s like what Randel’s been saying.”

  “What do you mean? What has Randel been saying?” I demanded.

  “He’s not seeing anything either. None of us are, but Randel has been uncomfortable, anxious. It’s like we’re being blocked somehow. We have to get home to the boys; they need to know about this.”

  Áine took out her phone and dialed. “Fionn, it’s Áine. Listen, I think someone might be snooping around. Megan noticed a man. Yeah, I know. Fionn, she’s been hearing the Sidhe warnings. No, I didn’t. I know; we’re coming home now. Okay, I’ll put her on.” She handed the phone to me.

  “Megan, are you okay?” Fionn said.

  “I’m fine. My Mark was stinging during the movie, though. Áine thinks there’s someone watching us.”

  “You heard the Sidhe warnings? What was he saying?”

  “I couldn’t make it out. I didn’t even realize they were warnings. I’m sorry I didn’t mention it sooner.”

  “Don’t worry about that now. Just stay close to Áine and get home as soon as you can. Oh, Adam wants to speak to you.”

  “Megan, are you all right?” Adam asked breathlessly.

  “I’m fine. Don’t worry. We’re going to leave now and head to your house.”

  “Rían and I will come; we’ll meet you guys halfway. Just watch out for us.”

  “You don’t need to meet us. We’ll be fine.” But he was gone already. I sighed and looked at Áine as I handed her back the phone. “He’s coming to get us. Rían’s going to give him a ride.”

  “To tell you the truth, I’ll be glad of his company,” Áine said, flicking her eyes around nervously.

  Jennifer and Caitlin arrived back with their bags of food. We all went to the car and climbed in.

  “Are you feeling any better?” Caitlin asked as Áine got into the driver’s seat.

  “Not really. Adam is coming to meet us to help drive home.” Áine looked around uneasily, quickly scanning the other cars. I did the same, though I was happy that my Mark was no longer stinging.

  We had only been driving for ten minutes when I saw Adam and Rían up ahead of us. Rían pulled the bike to the side of the road, and Áine pulled over in front of him. My heart fluttered as Adam handed his helmet to Rían and headed over to us.

  Jennifer sighed loudly from the backseat. “It’s just not fair that Megan gets to snog that. Really, Megan, you should share. Sharing is caring and all.”

  I smiled back at her.

  Áine made a gagging noise. “That’s my brother you’re talking about. Yuck.”

  Adam opened the driver’s door. “You okay?” he asked Áine. Then his eyes met mine.

  We both nodded.

  Adam sat in the driver’s seat, and Áine got in the backseat with Jennifer and Caitlin. Rían followed us, watching all around him. It felt silly being escorted home, but I had to admit it was nice to feel protected. Adam dropped Jennifer and Caitlin off at Jennifer’s house; then we headed back to the DeRíses’ place. This time, Rían drove ahead of us. As we pulled off, I noticed Randel flying alongside us.

  “Now, tell me exactly what happened,” Adam said.

  Áine told him the story. Once she was finished, he asked us to describe the man. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much we could say. As soon as we reached the house Adam and Áine jumped out of the car and Fionn came running out to meet us. “Is everyone okay?”

  “We’re fine,” I replied, stepping out of the car. “This could all be nothing.”

  Fionn gave me a stern look. “If you felt there was something wrong, you were more than likely right. You have to learn to trust your Mark.”

  We filed into the kitchen and sat down at the table, except for Adam, who was too tense to sit
. He stood behind me with his hands on my shoulders, and I melted into him, letting myself relax.

  Fionn stood at the head of the table. His face was calm, but he was gripping the wood so tightly it looked like the bones in his knuckles would break through the skin.

  “We have to stay close to home for a while. If you need to go out, I want you to travel in pairs.” He looked toward Áine. “Does Randel have anything for us?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing. There’s definitely something that’s not right, but he’s still not sure what.” She looked to the window, then back to Fionn. “There’s something else, though. I didn’t sense the man at the cinema. It was Megan’s tension that alerted me to him. Even when I went looking for him, I found it hard to locate him, like I was being blocked. I don’t understand.”

  Fionn’s forehead creased. “Well, we have to assume the Knox have someone sniffing about.” He looked around the table. “They can’t know about Megan; nobody else in the Order has been told. They must have been following the residual energies of Adam’s surges. If they were sure they had found us they could have just taken the girls tonight, but they didn’t. That makes me think they’re unsure.”

  “Do you really think it’s my fault?” Adam asked from behind me.

  “It’s most likely the case that they followed your residuals, Adam, but it’s not your fault. They’re following the same pattern as when they located us through Rían’s residuals, back in the U.K.”

  “How do they follow the energy? Does it leave a trail?” I asked.

  “They have the amber shard of the Amulet of Accaious. Remember when I told you about that? The amulet, even just a shard of it, is sensitive to the Marked energies. If the energy is strong enough, the Knox can track it. That’s why we’ve also been careful to confine our using the elements only within protected lands.” He paused and took a deep breath. “We can’t take anything for granted now. Áine, tell Randel to keep an eye on Megan’s house for the next few days. I want feedback on anyone who gets within a hundred feet of that house. I’d be a lot happier if she wasn’t alone at night either, so, Áine, you can arrange to stay over with her some nights, and I’ll keep watch on the nights you’re not there. So far, we have no evidence to suggest the Knox have been in Kinsale, so that gives us some breathing space.”