Dolmarehn - Book Two of the Otherworld Trilogy (35 page)

A pang of regret cut through me and when I reached the spot in the trail where a fallen tree blocked my way, I leaned heavily against the rough trunk and pulled a well-worn note out of my pocket.  The message wasn’t from Cade, but from his foster father, the Dagda.  I unfolded the edges and began reading.

Meghan,

Cade is improving every day, yet he is still very weak.  I know you wish to see him soon, but please give him a little more time and don’t cross into the Otherworld.  The Morrigan has been lying low; no one has seen her lately, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t lurking in the shadows, waiting to cast her net.  For now, you are safer where you are.  Cade will come and get you as soon as he is recovered.

-Dagda

The note should have made me happy, and it did when I first received it a week and a half ago, but I longed to visit Cade so badly I ached.  I needed to know he was safe and I needed to witness with my own eyes that he was healing.

I folded the worn paper into a perfect square and returned the note to my pocket, then climbed over the log and kept on walking.  Last May I’d been all set to go to prom with the guy of my dreams, Cade MacRoich, the gorgeous Faelorehn boy from Eilé who appeared one day like some guardian angel to save me from the Morrigan’s faelah and to tell me all about my strange heritage.  Unfortunately, on the day of the prom, we both got tricked into running headlong into the evil goddess’s trap.  Only, Cade wouldn’t let her have me, and right before he took on almost a dozen of her monsters, he told me he loved me.  And then he died.

I stopped for a moment and craned my head back and leaned on my longbow, soaking in the filtered sunlight trickling down between the leaves above.  I shut my eyes and tried to tell the knot of worry in my stomach to go away.  Cade had died, he died defending me and the trauma of such a terrible experience forced my power to surge forth, scaring the Morrigan away, at least for the time being.  The sudden rush of my glamour had soon faded and the reality of what had happened slammed into me like a train.  I was convinced my heart would tear itself asunder, for Cade had sacrificed too much.

Only after recovering from my hysterics did I remember Cade’s foster father, the Dagda, an ancient Celtic god-king, happened to own a magical cauldron with a reputation for reviving the dead.  A frantic horse ride against a driving storm later and I dropped like a fly at the Dagda’s door, a lifeless Cade in my arms.  I’d arrived just in time; Cade would recover.  But he never got to hear me tell him I loved him, too.

I had returned to the mortal world, an emotional and physical wreck, only to finally confess the truth to my family: I was an immortal from the Otherworld, the daughter of a Celtic goddess and the high queen of Eilé, and one day I’d be going back to the world of my origins.  Let’s just say after such an ordeal, I needed something to keep me distracted, to give me purpose so I wouldn’t lose my mind completely.  Thus, I had taken up hunting for the faelah on my own.  Heck, before the Morrigan’s attack, Cade constantly pestered me about practicing my archery and this way I could kill two, maybe three, birds with one stone.  I was getting some much-needed practice in, I was keeping the swamp clear of dangerous faelah, and I was keeping my mind occupied.  Yup, three birds.

I fingered the note in my pocket once more as I stepped onto the equestrian trail leading to my home.  I hoped the Dagda was right; that Cade was recovering.  I so desperately wanted to turn around and head for the dolmarehn in the heart of these woods, to travel back to the Dagda’s home and see Cade, but like the Dagda said, I’d be an easy target in the Otherworld.  And I agreed with the other thing he’d mentioned as well.  I had no doubt the Morrigan would be looking for me.

Gritting my teeth, I turned my mind away from those dark thoughts and picked up my pace.  By the time I reached the end of the path, I welcomed thoughts of a shower and a sit down with a good book and some hot chocolate.  Summer was in full swing, yes, but the coastal fog was already creeping in and the early evening would turn chilly.  I planned on crossing our backyard and slipping in through my sliding glass door, but a barrage of young boys accosted me before I could even step foot on the lawn.  Apparently my brothers had been waiting for my return.

“Meghan!” Logan whined as he rushed forward.  “We wanted to go with you this time!”

He crossed his arms, and yes, actually stomped his foot.

I blinked at him and my other brothers as they gathered around me, a small army of Elams.

“Huh?” Despite my claims that my hunting ventures helped purge my mind of everything Otherworldly except the faelah themselves, my wandering thoughts still found ways to wrestle free of the bonds I’d placed on them.  I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about.  I’d been too busy reminiscing.

“We want to help you hunt!” Bradley offered, thrusting out a fist which happened to be clutching a small bow.

Oh. 
That
.  I cleared my throat and took a breath.  When would they realize no meant no?  I was still getting used to the fact that my parents and brothers knew about my Faelorehn blood.  After keeping my identity a secret for so long, I found it easy to forget I had told them (and shown them) what my Otherworldly power could do.

I squatted down so I would appear less imposing to them.  Hah,
me
, imposing . . .

“I’m sorry guys,” I said, feeling only slightly guilty.  “But you can’t go faelah hunting with me.  It isn’t safe for you.”

“You go,” Bradley put in.

I rolled my eyes.  “I’m Faelorehn Bradley.  I have magic, remember?”

Not that it would make any difference.  Whatever power I managed to store up in Eilé during my last visit had most likely burned out after my battle with the Morrigan.  I was running on empty and it would take another extended stay in the Otherworld to get me back up to a level where I could do some real damage.  But they didn’t need to know that.

“And I’m glad you didn’t come with me,” I continued.  “I encountered something really creepy today.”

And just like that, their scowls were replaced with wide eyes.  “What?” Jack and Joey, the twins, whispered together.

I grinned, despite the fact that the encounter had been more ghastly than usual.

“Well, I’m calling the faelah I killed a pocora, but I’m not sure what it’s called in the Otherworld.”

They remained silent, waiting for me to continue.  “It looked like a cross between a rabbit, a possum and a coyote, and I think it might have been mummified.”

I had explained early on, right after telling my family the truth, that anything concerning Eilé would have to be kept top secret.  I made all my brothers double swear, spit and shake on it (tantamount to a blood oath, or in the Otherworldly sense, a geis).  They were not to repeat a single thing they saw or heard to their friends or classmates.  Having to keep this promise, and not being able to go on my hunting adventures with me, was practically killing them.  So, whenever I came back from one of my faelah target practices, I distracted their disappointment with a detailed description of whatever I happened to kill.  Worked every time.

“Did you shoot anything else?” Logan piped in, forgetting his previous irritation at being left behind while I got to have all the fun.

“No,” I said.

Their shoulders slumped, so I thought the conversation was over.  I started to stand back up and nearly fell over when Bradley blindsided me with a completely different question.

“So, when do we get to meet your boyfriend?”

After regaining my balance, I blinked down at him.  “What?”

“Your
boyfriend
,” he crooned, “the guy in the Otherworld you always talk about.  When do we get to meet him?  Or is he imaginary?”

I blushed and gritted my teeth.  I did
not
always talk about Cade.  Always thought about, yes, but I only ever talked about him with Mom, long after my brothers’ bedtime. 
Little, eavesdropping cretins
.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” I grumbled, glaring at Bradley.

Then I paused.  Or was he?  Before the Cúmorrig had overtaken him, Cade had told me he loved me, but the last several weeks had given me plenty of time to think about it.  Did he really mean it, or had he only said so because he realized he wouldn’t survive the fight?  Did it mean he might have acted rashly?  Of course, it didn’t change the fact that
I
loved
him
. . .

“Sure he isn’t,” Bradley snickered.

“I bet you let
him
go hunting with you,” Logan muttered.

I scowled at him again.  I’d have to try and analyze my scattered thoughts later.  “He’s my friend, and he’ll meet you guys when he’s better.  He’s very sick right now.”

That’s right, because being brought back to life and recovering from what had killed you in the first place could be considered a sickness . . . sure.

To my immense relief, my younger brothers decided not to hound me about Cade anymore.  We all headed back up towards the front of the house, but before we even got clear of the backyard, Meridian dropped from her perch in the eucalyptus trees above and came to rest on my shoulder.

The boys all started arguing and crowded in again, forcing me to stop so I wouldn’t trip over them.  They absolutely adored Meridian.  She used to use her powerful glamour to keep herself hidden from them, but now she understood it was safe to be seen and she no longer bothered with the disappearing act.  Besides, I think she was rather infatuated with my little brothers as well, and I often wondered if she thought of them as her own little merlin chicks.

Chase game
!  Meridian sent as she chittered excitedly, leaping off my shoulder and darting around the backyard as my crazy brothers ran after her.  She loved playing this game with them.  Even Aiden, all too often happy with simply watching from the sidelines, joined in.  My heart warmed at seeing him play like a normal boy, but a painful lump rose in my throat again.  This was all temporary.  I couldn’t stay with my mortal family forever.

Feeling rather morose, I reached into my pocket again and brushed my fingers against the thick paper of the Dagda’s note.

Be safe Cade and come back to me soon
, I thought.

I turned to sneak back into the house, but the sudden presence I detected near my leg made me pause and glance down.  Aiden.  Apparently he was done playing chase.  Yes, I would be leaving the family who took me in and raised me so I could live in Eilé, where I belonged.  In Aiden’s own quiet way, he was telling me how we all felt about it: none of us wanted to let go.  I wasn’t human, though; I needed the safety the Otherworld and its magic would grant me, especially now that my power had shown itself.  Moving to Eilé would be hard, and I think I would miss Aiden the most, but I had to be brave.

Fighting the well of pain in my chest, I removed Aiden’s hand from my shirt and curled my own fingers around his.  He looked up at me, his blue-green eyes trying to tell me something, but like always, his autism kept him from saying what he needed to say.  Luckily, I’d become rather good at reading his face.

Taking a deep breath, I stood with him as my other brothers kept at their game with my spirit guide.  I set my quiver down and leaned my bow against the house, then bent over and pulled Aiden into a rib-crushing hug.

“I know buddy, I know,” I whispered as he wrapped himself around me.  I managed to hold on a little longer before a tear escaped.  “I’ll miss you too.”