The Forest of Aisling: Dream of the Shapeshifter (The Willow Series Book 1) (23 page)

A surge of pride swept through me as I looked at
the ancient symbol passed down from generation to generation, representative of
my ancestry.  Of course this was my family’s shield.  Just staring at
it helped me understand the connection that I felt to the forest as well as the
bond to my wolf self.  It was something born in me.

“What’s with the bear though, Da?”  Bram asked. 
“Don’t the shields represent the chosen animal?”

“Not necessarily; from what I’ve seen, not each
one of the shields has a picture of that family’s animal.  It just so
happens that ours – and yours, Willow – shows the chosen animal.  As well
as…” Aaron grinned and pointed at the remaining coat of arms.  “This
family… they’re the key…our only real hope.”

“Who is that family?  Are they near or living
somewhere else?” Bram questioned, staring at the blue-and-red shield, which was
split in half, with waves of blue on the red side and golden stars on the blue
side. An ornate golden Triquetra was perched at the top.

“Oh yes, they’re near, very near,” answered Aaron,
staring straight at me. “That’s the Whelan clan.”

“The Whelan clan?”  I asked, searching
Aaron’s eyes for explanation.  “But I’m already the earth guardian. 
I thought it was impossible to take on two responsibilities.”  My mind
flashed to Grandma lying on the steel table, a martyr to the cause because she
tried to hold onto two powers.

“It is impossible, Willow; and yes, you are the
earth guardian.  You are not, however the chosen one from the Whelan
clan.”

Confusion set in as I prepared myself for the
worst.

“What you are, my dear,” Aaron revealed, signing
for Bram’s benefit, “is the chosen one from the O’Brian clan.” 

Bram moved in closer, obviously as confused as I
was.  “What do you mean, Da?” he asked.

Aaron smiled again and pointed to the coat of arms
with the wolf.  “This is the O’Brians’ shield, Willow, from Shannah’s side
of the family.  Your powers are descended from your grandmother’s side,
not your grandfather’s.”

“But, what you’re saying, then, is that
grandfather is also a guardian?” I felt about as confused as I had ever been.

“No, no, no, that’s not what I’m saying.  The
Whelan clan is one of the chosen descendant families.  None from their
clan has been a guardian for some time, as far as I can tell.  Your
abilities came directly from Shannah; she was the guardian.  This shield
dates the Whelan clan back to the original chosen ones, handpicked by Lugh.

“Remember, I told you there are nine lineages that
carry the power of the Triquetra.  Only three actually have the power at
any given time.  Now since Lucy is out, the power shifts to one of the
other eight.  The closest being…the Whelan clan.”  Aaron’s face was
so close to mine I could feel his warm breath.  He searched my eyes for
understanding.

“Is that common, then, for a guardian to have two
of the bloodlines directly linked to them…O’Brian and Whelan?  Does it
give you more power?”  I asked, my mind swirling like the small whirlpool
at the edge of the lake.

“I don’t know how common it
is or was; all I know is that you are a descendant of both lines.  As far
as more power, no.  Abilities only come from your ancestor who has been
blessed with the power of the Triquetra.  Your grandfather has not, and as
I said, I don’t think any of the Whelan clan have been guardians for
centuries.” 

“Do you think Conor knows anything about this, or
my Dad?” 

“I honestly don’t believe so, Willow. 
Shannah would have told me if either of them had been aware, and judging by the
charts I found in the ancient documents, as I said, Whelan lineage has not been
called upon for a very, very long time.  The fact of the matter is that
now we need the Whelan clan to fulfill their obligation to the
Triquetra.”  Aaron’s glasses reflected the passing clouds as his face
turned to the changing skies above us.

“Are you suggesting that my dad needs to take this
on?”  I wondered, fearful and full of angst at the very idea of putting
something like that on my father.

“Not at all.” Aaron sat back, looking out to the
lake before he continued.  “No offense to your dad, but I think this needs
to be offered to a younger Whelan and one residing here in Ireland.  Can
you think of anyone?” His eyes raced back and forth between Bram and me,
looking for an answer, although I could tell he already had one.

I racked my brain while staring at the unsteady
sky reflecting in the lake.  Bram took hold of my arm and when our eyes
met, he raised his eyebrows. We stared at each other for a full minute before
each of us offered a suggestion. 

“Kelleigh?”  I asked.

“Quinn!”  Bram exclaimed at exactly the same
moment.

That was enough to make us all laugh for the first
time in what felt like days. 

“They’re both exceptional candidates,” Aaron said.
“Perhaps we need to include them in this discussion.”

We all agreed, so I sent Kelleigh a text and asked
her to meet us at the lake.  She happily responded, saying how she
wondered when I’d be getting back in touch with them and, “wasn’t the weather
behaving crazy,” and, “how are things with your dad,” and about a million other
questions, shot off rapid fire in the course of one minute.  After
promising to fill her in on everything and anything I could think of, she
agreed to meet us within the hour.  And yes
,
she would bring Quinn
too, if she had to.

When Kelleigh and Quinn arrived, another
outpouring of rain had chased us into the waiting car. Bram and I had been debating
key attributes of both of my second cousins, each of us convinced our choice
would be the best person for the job.  We returned to our places on the
boulders near the lake where Aaron motioned for Kelleigh and Quinn to have a
seat.

Kelleigh pulled off her scarf and strategically
arranged it on the damp stones before sitting down.  Bram looked over at
me, frowning.  I knew what he was thinking…that was one of his arguments
against her becoming guardian. “She’s too soft,” he said.

I actually argued that it was less about being
soft and more about being prepared and taking care of herself, both important
characteristics for whoever would take over the guardianship.  I patted
myself on the back for coming up with what I thought was a pretty good defense
for Kelleigh.

“So what’s this all about, what’s the intrigue?”
Kelleigh asked with a lilt to her voice.  I knew she was loving
this.  The girl definitely had a passion for drama…
Another plus,
I
thought.

Quinn sat next to Bram and began his role as
interpreter.  The two of them started laughing heartily and I knew it
wasn’t anything any one of us had said. Even though Bram and I were beyond any
communication problems I still envied the fact that Quinn was so accomplished
with sign language. I decided then and there that I would take some classes
when I got home.

That word stuck in my head, home
.
With so
much going on these last few days, I’d barely had time to think of home or even
remind myself that there was such a place outside of Killarney, Ireland. 
This all felt so much a part of me now.

“Well, Kelleigh, Quinn,” began Aaron, “I know
you’re both aware of some of the things that’ve been going on here, with
Willow, that is,” he nodded his head in my direction and smiled. 

“Put on your seat belts, children,” Bram said with
a grin. “It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”

Aaron shot his son a serious look before
continuing. He went on to explain the whole situation, to the two siblings,
beginning with the story of Lugh moving down to the passing of my
grandmother. 

I studied their faces as the story unfolded and
had to stifle a laugh every now and then at their expressions.  Especially
Kelleigh.  With each new revelation she would contort her mouth into such
an unnatural angle that it looked as though she had had a bad day at the
plastic surgeons’.

Quinn, on the other hand, managed to keep his
expressions to a minimum for the most part.  An occasional jaw drop would
occur, followed by an increased urgency in his signing.  At one point,
Bram grabbed his hands and told him to relax, “no need to sign
,
” he’d
heard the story before. 

The whole disclosure took about forty-five
minutes.  The fact that Kelleigh was able to sit and listen illustrated to
me that she recognized the importance of it all; anything that could keep her
attention and comment-free for that amount of time was definitely some serious
business.

When Aaron finished his explanation, he once again
opened his attaché and showed the two the cloth with their family crest on it.
Explaining the importance of one of them taking on the awesome task at hand, he
also reminded them that it was an honor to be one of the few chosen by Lugh
himself.

Quinn stared at the crest while Kelleigh rose and
stepped over to her car, without a word.  Bram, Aaron, and I exchanged
glances, unsure how the Whelans were feeling.  Quinn soon raised his head
and the expression on his face was priceless.

“I’m in,” he said, grinning ear to ear.

Bram patted him on the back and the two stood up
shaking each other’s hands excitedly.  Quinn then looked over to me.
“Looks like we’re in this together!” He laughed before rushing up and wrapping
me in his arms. 

“Wait just a minute,” came Kelleigh’s voice as she
flew back from her car.  “Who said you’re the one for the job?” she
retorted, her green eyes blazing. She walked up next to Quinn, practically nose
to nose with him, hands on her hips.

“I’m older, wiser, and absolutely the only Whelan
strong enough to take on this job,” she said, poking her brother in the chest.

Both Quinn and Bram began laughing, almost
uncontrollably.  Kelleigh was taken aback at their reaction and stepped
away a few feet from her brother, who was bent over in hysterics.  I
looked over at Bram who caught my icy stare and quickly composed himself, with
the exception of a few smirks while he tried to calm down Quinn.

“Really? Is that so?” Kelleigh grumbled as she
began circling Quinn and Bram, like a cat terrorizing its prey.  “In your
teeny little brain, you actually think you’re a better choice for something as
life-changing as this?” By this time Kelleigh was almost on top of her brother,
even though he stood a couple of inches taller than her; she was now as
imposing a figure as I had ever seen.  I was glad I didn’t have to be the
one dealing with her at the moment.

Bram meekly backed away, intimidated by her
demeanor as well, and joined me at my side.  Surprisingly, I felt like I
could read him
.  “
This is going to be more difficult than we
thought,” his voice said in my head.  I stared confused, wondering if and
how I was able to hear his thoughts.

My attention quickly returned to the Whelans. The
argument between Kelleigh and Quinn grew in intensity; it felt like they were
literally going to come to blows when Aaron finally rushed in, stepping between
the two of them. “Now, now, please, we don’t want this to create such animosity
between brother and sister.  Let’s think about this rationally, shall
we?” 

Aaron rested a hand on each of their shoulders.
Dirty looks were exchanged before the two finally agreed to calmly and quietly
figure the whole thing out.

We all sat down once again on the boulders while
Aaron explained more about the guardianship they would be taking on.

“This is the water Triquetra,” Aaron said, holding
up the necklace.  “This pendant fulfills the order sent down from Lugh to
protect the people of earth via the waterways.  The water guardian will
have the ability to shapeshift into a creature of the seas.  Along with
this ability, that person develops a sensitivity that enables them to tune in more
deeply to their particular guardianship.

“For instance, Bram has developed an incredible
sense of sight in addition to his shifting abilities.  He has the power to
see great distances along with the capacity to see inside objects.  The
latter gift has just recently started showing itself. As your grandfather
discovered, Bram, it grows as your ability to control your powers
grows.   The gift comes when a guardian possesses their third of the
Triquetra, the pendant.

“And Willow just received her third of the
Triquetra, so she is still in the process of discovering her ability. Although
I suspect, if she’s like her grandmother, her ability is superior
hearing.  Shannah was able to pick out sounds from miles away.  Who
knows what other abilities Willow may inherit.  These sensitivities need
to be refined and worked with in order to use them to their fullest
capacity.”  Listening to Aaron speak of my abilities made me think the
fact I just heard Bram’s thoughts must be part of that gift.  It was
something I’d need to concentrate on –after we settled things with Quinn and
Kelleigh. 

“This is all trial and error, nothing is written
down, there’s no instruction manual.  You must be willing to commit to
this in a way that you’ve never imagined.”  Aaron reached his hands out
and grasped both Kelleigh’s and Quinn’s hands, and held them tight.

“You both need to agree to this.  There can
be no argument.  Once the power has transferred to the new guardian and
the Triquetra has been given to one of you, there’s no going back.  You
must realize, this is a lifelong commitment.  We can’t have another Lucy
incident, where a guardian backs out of responsibilities.  It’s like
opening the door to the Fomorians and it puts too much strain on the other two
guardians.  Look at what happened to Shannah.  We can’t allow that to
happen again.” Aaron spoke with urgency as well as compassion.  He truly
wanted the decision to be one both of the siblings could live with. 

He reiterated once more, “There. Is. No. Going
back.”  He spoke the words slowly, deliberately, as though he was trying
to carve them into the boulders that surrounded us.

Kelleigh stood up and walked to the water’s edge,
stooping down to pick up a few small stones.  We watched as she tossed the
rocks into the mossy lake.  Quinn joined her and the two engaged in a
private conversation.

Aaron packed the fragile fabrics back into his
attaché case and returned it to his car.  Bram and I held our own private
conversation. The new ability was making itself known to me.  With some concentration,
I found myself almost able to hear another person’s thoughts.  I stared
into Bram’s eyes and focused my audio sense to him, trying to close out any
other sounds.

Bram stared, as if he knew what I was trying to
do.  The sound of his voice became so distinct in my ears I had to double
check and make sure he was not physically speaking.

“You can hear me, can’t you, Willow?” came his
voice, almost echoing in my head.  My first impulse was to put my hands up
to my ears; the sensation of his voice was disconcerting.  Once the
pinging stopped, I lowered my hands and met his stare.  I nodded yes.
Excitement spread across his face. “This is fantastic!”