Shatter - Sins of the Sidhe (26 page)

“What do ye want me to tell ye?” His breath blew on her hair when he spoke and he kissed her head.

“No, I mean tell me something. Anything. Tell me a story about when you were a kid.”

Och, well there’s narrowing it down aye? He thought for a minute and then smiled with the memory of his younger sister. She would have liked Rowan. They were both bullheaded and brave.

“Once, my sister Abaigael wanted a pet. My mother didn’t want any more mouths to feed, so she’d said no. I took Abaigael out to the moor and called a hawk over. I had the gift of animal speak already and could talk with any animal that crossed my path.” He entwined his fingers with hers and continued while he gazed into the fire.

“She was so excited to see the creature and I was happy to show off my talents. I told the hawk to fly up in the air and do a dive. He did. Abaigael jumped and clapped, so I had the beast do another trick. After a grand display of its agility and speed, I promised the hawk a treat for his efforts. Noticing my mother out in the yard cooking over a fire on the side of the house, the bird swooped down and snatched the chicken she was about to boil right out of her wee hands! Och! The woman was fit to be tied. She screamed and chased after the hawk yelling for the beast to drop it, but he was strong - and hungry. He took off into the woods with our dinner and we were left with naught but potatoes and turnips for our supper. Got a thrashing for that, I did. But it was worth it to see the joy on Abaigael’s face.”

Reminiscing of his baby sister, he felt a pang of regret for her living such a short life. It was one more time that he was given the duty to protect, and failed. He may not have brought the plague to their home, but he didn’t have the power to prevent it either. For some reason, it just felt like he should have been able to stop it. And then what happened after... Well, they were suffering those consequences now.

“What happened to them? Your mom and Abaigael.”

Sighing, he looked out into the woods towards the direction their graves were dug so many centuries ago when they first arrived in Ireland. His smile vanished and eyes became distant with grief. “They died of the plague shortly after.”

Rowan remembered the vision she’d had of a young boy putting rocks on a grave and assumed it was theirs. “Will you take me to them?” It was a bold question, one that he had every right to refuse, but she wanted to see the stones of the people who meant so much to him.

“I’ve not gone there since the day I buried them, lass. ‘Tis too painful.”

It wasn’t a refusal, it was an excuse. She didn’t want to push the subject further, sensing his hesitation, but her body language said enough – she was disappointed. Thinking of everything that had happened the day before and his thoughts of having lost her for good, Devlin wanted to give her something, anything, to prove himself. This was not the way, but it may be a start. Denying her was not going to happen. Not with anything.

“Come. I’ll take ye to them.” He got up and started getting dressed.

“Really? Right now?”

Rowan couldn’t help the excitement in her voice. She knew that this was a hard step for him to take, and he was taking it nonetheless, because she’d asked him to. She threw on her clothes almost as fast and they’d come off and the two of them walked out to the stables. “We’re riding there?” Rowan was thinking they’d walk or take the car. Silly her.

“Aye lass, ye canna get to them in a car and it’s too long to walk. They’ve been gone a long time. Their stones are overrun with trees and Mother Nature now.”

Huh, Rowan wondered why their stones hadn’t been taken care of. Devlin didn’t seem like the kind of man who would let them go to pot. Maybe his grief was too great and he didn’t even let anyone else tend to their stones. He’d placed those rocks over their graves and never looked back. It made her feel sad for all of them.

While she was thinking about his past, Devlin was preparing Cain to ride. He saddled up, reached for her hand, and hoisted her up onto the huge horse. Rowan sat behind Devlin this time and held on tight to his wide torso. The pace Cain ran with before was nothing compared to the speed he flew with now. Devlin pushed his horse faster and faster. Devlin’s fear of backing out of this little journey made him urge the horse to move at lightning speed.

Over the moors, through the woods, and across a small stream, Rowan held on tight, legs braced on the sides of Cain, her arms clinging to hard muscles of the tense man in front of her. Crossing another stream, water splashed up, soaking part of Ro’s pants. The water was icy cold and the wind created from the steed’s speed made it colder still. After a while, Cain slowed down to a more reasonable pace.

Finally, they came up to a thick patch of woods. The place was a jungle of thorns, weeds and fallen trees. It looked like a great place for the Big Bad Wolf to hide and wait for Little Red Riding Hood. They hopped down and Devlin let his horse wander the grasses outside the wood’s entrance. Taking Ro’s hand, he took in a breath for bravery and tried to smile at Rowan, but it didn’t reach his whiskey eyes.

Rowan felt guilty for putting him through this. “Stop.” They halted. “Devlin, you don’t have to do this. I can see this is painful for you and I don’t want you to do something you’re not comfortable with.”

Bending down, he kissed her forehead. “Och, this coming from the woman who was in a similar situation only yesterday.”

Crows were cawing their invitations, or warnings, in the trees at the entrance of the woods. Devlin looked into the forest and then back at her. “Rowan, we’ve a purpose. Your bravery yesterday is testament that the Fates have chosen wisely. I dinna ken what they mean to do with ye, but I’ll not be leaving your side. Yesterday, I asked ye to go somewhere for me. And ye did. Today, I’ll go here for you. I ken it’s not quite the same, not by a long shot, but ‘tis all I have to offer ye for the now.”

Now
that
was chivalrous. She rewarded him with a kiss and poured all the love and admiration she could into it. “I love you.” Just like that. Those three words came out so matter-of-factly you’d think she’d been saying it forever. Like she’d known him through the ages and they were always and forever together. It didn’t make sense, but love often doesn’t.

Devlin’s breath caught when he heard her say those words, his face that was stone crumbled away to warmer emotions. He took her hands into his. “Rowan lass, I’ve loved ye. Loved ye my whole life. It’s taken me so long to find and hold ye in my arms. But know that I have loved ye for many lifetimes and will continue loving ye past the end of days.”

He held her face in his large hands and they kissed with all the affection they could muster. They were meant to be, she knew it, and he knew it. Rowan’s heart burst with joy and tears slid down her cheeks. He wiped them away with a smile that did reach his eyes this time. “Come, let me take ye to my family.”

It was still quite a hike to get there. Rowan tripped a few times on fallen logs and one hidden foxhole, but she managed just fine. Devlin walked like the path was paved, never missing a stride.

Squirrels chirped and barked up the trees, scampering around with nuts in their mouths. Birds flew in and out of bushes. It smelled like old leaves, rich soil, and all those delightful smells of autumn. Rowan slowed her pace when Devlin stopped in his tracks. There, hidden and all but buried in leaves and fallen branches, were two mounds of mossy green stones.

Devlin leaned up against a tree, like all the wind had been knocked out of him when he saw them. Rowan squeezed his hand and then went over to the one on the left. She brushed away fallen leaves that were sprinkled over moss-covered rocks. She closed her eyes and said a prayer of peace and then went over to the next one.

While Rowan plucked off a large stick and tried to clear off some of the stones, a noise caught her attention. It wasn’t coming from behind her where Devlin was standing; it was in front of her. Rowan looked up and saw a small girl in a grey dress smiling at her.

“Hello, my lady,” she said while doing a little curtsy. The child was about seven years old, long sandy brown hair and lettuce green eyes. She was all the colors of spring, if spring could be made into a child. She had a dimple on her left cheek and dainty little hands.

“Hi sweetheart. What are you doing out here all alone?”

The girl looked from her to a space behind Rowan. “Waiting for my bother.”

“Who’s your brother, baby? Maybe we can help you find him.”

The child stretched her arm out and pointed straight at Devlin. Rowan froze.

Holy shit. This was Abaigael. Her apparition was so strong Rowan thought for sure she was made of flesh and blood. Rowan turned around to verify that the child was indeed pointing at where she thought. Devlin was looking at her with a face that said
who are ye talking too, and why are ye looking at me like that?

The tiny girl walked past Rowan and up to Devlin with her hands on her tiny hips. “Why have ye no’ come? I’ve waited and waited and ye never came. I dinna ken why.” She stomped her foot at him like a baby sister would do, chin out, lips pouty. Her brogue was rich and thick. Much thicker than Devlin’s.

Rowan walked carefully up to the apparition and crouched down to be eye-level with her. “Sweetheart, he can’t hear you. And I don’t think he can see you either.” Honestly, the man was looking like a scared and nervous horse, ready to bolt.

“Then ye have to tell him. Tell him I’ve waited forever and he didna come. I’m verra mad abou’ it.”

Well this was going to be awkward. Rowan agreed to do as the child asked and tried to find a way to say it gently. Foot stomping wasn’t going to work for a grown woman. Well, not right now at least. Clearing her suddenly dry throat, she stood up and faced a very anxious looking Devlin.

“Please listen with an open mind to what I’m about to say. This isn’t a joke. You know I’d never do anything to cause you pain.” She was stalling. Deep breath, deep breath, go! “Your sister says she’s waited forever for you and now she’s mad at you for not coming to see her sooner.” There. She did it. Message received.

The child walked up to stand beside Rowan, hands crossed over her small chest, and nodded her head in affirmation.

Devlin’s face went white as a sheet. He looked at Rowan, and then to the empty space where Rowan had just talked to thin air. Guilty tears threatened to spill forth and he let out a shuddering breath. Dropping to his hands and knees he begged forgiveness. It was a heartbreaking sight.

The girl patted his head like he was a blubbering dog, and then said, “Ye’re here now, brother. Better late than never.” She kissed his head, smiled at Rowan, and then skipped over to a fallen log and had a seat.

Rowan grabbed Devlin’s shoulder and tried to look him in the eyes. “She says all is forgiven.”

He looked at Rowan and he stifled a sob. “Where is she, lass?”

“She’s sitting over there by that log.”

Devlin got up on shaky legs and cautiously walked over to the fallen tree. “I… I dinna ken what to say.” He raked his hands through his tangled hair. He let out a long breath again and sat down on the log looking over at the empty space beside him. He looked lost and uncomfortable. Rowan was going to have to mediate.

“Is Ruark and Byron with ye?” The child looked around searching.

“Who are Ruark and Byron?” Rowan looked in the same direction Abaigael was staring in when she asked.

“Och, my other brothers! They went off to fight a battle with Da. Did they come home?”

Rowan relayed the question to Devlin, feeling terrible for having done so when hearing his reply. No, they had never returned home. A flash of regret and mourning turned his eyes to the ground. Rowan realized Devlin must have had a lonely childhood with his family all gone. She silently said a prayer to the Gods, thankful for Adam having been there for him.

“I finally got a pet!” Abaigael burst out. Kids, they are so resilient in their moods.

“You got a pet?! What kind of a pet is it, sweetheart?” Rowan asked. Hopefully this would make Devlin less frustrated with the feeling of being blind and deaf with the child he loved so deeply.

“It’s a dog! He’s a big black one, he is.”

Well that sounded alright. “A dog! Well that is a lovely pet. Where is he now?” Rowan looked around waiting to see a mutt come running out of the trees, tail wagging and wanting to play.

“Och, he doesna stay wi’ me all the time. I call him Mungo, but I dinna ken he likes it all that much. He’s fun to ride on- big he is. I throw sticks for him to fetch too.”

Rowan relayed the message back to Devlin and he finally cracked a smile. “‘Tis good to know ye have a beast to keep as your own
,
lass.”

Abaigael beamed a smile at him while her legs swayed back and forth on the log bouncing on her heels on the bark.
Thump-thump, thump-thump
. “Aye ‘tis handy to have him around.” Her legs stopped moving and a worried looked swept away her smile. “He chases the bad ones away,” she whispered.

Now that got Ro’s attention. She relayed as much to Devlin and he was the one to ask, “What bad ones, lassie? What are ye speaking of?”

“They come through here sometimes. Soul snatchers. Shadows. They slip through the forests and moors to steal away any spirits that are about.” Rowan grabbed Devlin’s arm, hand shaking from nervous fear. Now it was her turn to grow pale.