Bridge of Mist and Fog (11 page)

19

Something woke him—a sound or a smell or maybe the dream that drifted away as he opened his eyes. Airy had been in it as well as Wolf, but the only thing that remained was a deep foreboding about the future.

He heard a soft knock on the door and then Airy’s whispered, “Fehin, are you awake?”

He jumped out of bed and hurried to the door, registering how cold the wood was beneath his feet and how warm he’d been under his down comforter. When he opened it Airy was standing there shivering in her thin nightgown, her eyes wide and frightened. “Can I come in?”

He nodded and then closed the door after her. “What time is it?”

“I think about five. I had a terrible dream.”

“Climb in here,” Fehin said, holding the covers back. “It’s warmer.”

Airy moved in beside him and pulled the covers over her bent knees. “I’m scared,” she said.

Fehin pulled her close. “Maybe you’re just cold,” he said rubbing her hands between his.

“The dream was so real—it was some future disaster we’ll be faced with.”

“So, like a premonition?”

She nodded. “It was you and me and Wolf. We were doing something that neither of us wanted to do but Wolf was making us. I felt so helpless. What does it mean?”

Fehin wrapped his arm around her shivering body pulling her close to him. “Do you know where we were?”

Airy shook her head and began to cry. “I don’t know,” she said, pressing her head against his neck.

He felt her tears on his skin, her breath in his ear and it was all he could do not to scream. He had an overwhelming urge to kiss her but held himself back. He’d vowed to respect where they were. The idea of her grandparents seeing them engaged in anything more than holding hands made him shudder. And right now he had to concentrate on the dream and his brother and try to ignore what was going on in his body.

“I’m sorry he’s invading your mind, Airy. I thought he’d lost all his powers. Was it a dream or did it seem like more than that?”

“This was more than a dream. I
felt
him, Fehin. And what about the bridge? So far all I’ve come up with is a bridge from the Otherworld to your island.”

“That can’t be it. I think it’s between this world and what we consider magical—the bridge would change how people see things.”

“How can two teenagers get the entire world to believe in things they’re sure don’t exist?”

“What about God? Think about the service at the church. They believe in a gray-haired old man up in the sky who runs everything.”

“Those same people would think we were linked to the devil.”

Fehin sighed. “You’re probably right. There’s a big difference between that and the spirit world.”

“They’d never believe it,” Airy said in a tone of resignation. “Demonizing another is only a projection—we all need to own our shadow sides.”

Fehin looked up. “Where did that come from?”

“I’ve been reading Jung in my psych class. He was an amazing man and able to put what we’re talking about into layman’s terms.”

He squeezed her hand and kissed the top of her head. “Don’t get discouraged. We’ll figure it out. But right now I think you’d better get back to your own room before somebody notices.”

***

“Are you two up for some shopping today?” Grace asked at the breakfast table.

Fehin looked over at Airy who seemed lost in her own thoughts. “What do you think?” he asked.

“Huh? What? Oh, shopping. Sounds fine to me.”

Grace rose from the table and began clearing the plates. “Say in an hour?”

Fehin nodded, and then kicked Airy under the table. She jumped and looked up.

“An hour? Sounds fine,” she said.

Once Grace was out of earshot Fehin grabbed her shoulder. “You’re acting weird and if you don’t get it together your grandmother will start asking questions.”

“I can’t help it. I can’t stop thinking about Wolf. I need to talk to the oak. He’ll know what to do.”

“Why don’t you do it before we leave and then maybe you can enjoy picking out winter clothes.”

When Airy left the house Fehin went up to his room. He reached out to his brother and this time there was an answer. “I’m watching you,” Wolf said, and then he laughed.

Fehin tried to keep the connection, tried to see what nasty thoughts were roaming around in Wolf’s head, but he’d severed the contact. “Damn,” he muttered, pressing his lips together in frustration. He stared out the window, watching Airy move across the meadow with her head down. A few minutes later he lost sight of her as she entered the woods.

He raced from the room, took the stairs two at a time and tore out of the house, his bare feet sinking deep into the snow. “Airy!” he yelled, cupping his hands together around his mouth. Wolf was waiting for her—he knew it like he knew his own mind.

20

Just as Airy entered the woods she heard Fehin call her name. What did he want? She had plenty of time before they were due to leave. She ignored him and kept walking, her mind on the questions to ask her old friend and the beauty of the snow-laden trees all around her. It was so quiet and peaceful here. The only thing missing were her bird friends and all the animals that had taken shelter here. Sadness moved through her as she saw them in her mind’s eye.

The ancient oak had helped in the past—he would help her again; he could explain what had happened to the foxes and the rabbits. But then again the questions she asked him when she was small, like where had she left her doll, and had Lorna Doone chewed up her stuffed animal, were nothing compared to what was going on now. This felt like a matter of life or death. It was then that she heard the whispering all around her. The trees were all talking at once and she couldn’t figure out what they were saying. “Slow down,” she said. “One at a time.”

But she never got to hear their message because someone looped a thick rope around her neck and dragged her away. Choking, her hands went to her neck, her fingers trying to keep the rope from cutting off all her breath. Her shoes pulled off and the rough ground dug into her bare heels. But the pain was nothing compared to the utter terror that moved through every cell of her body.

It wasn’t long before they were in an area she’d never been before. Her tormentor grunted as he pulled her but she couldn’t get a look at him. Where was he taking her? It became clear when he hauled her into an abandoned house that had obviously stood derelict for many years. The roof shingles were mostly gone, the joists open and a few missing, the windows were cracked and glass shards sparkled across the floor. The inside of the house stunk like mouse droppings and rot.

He tied her hands behind her back before he pulled the rope from around her neck. It was then that she caught a glimpse of his face, her gasp dying in her throat as he turned his malevolent gaze on hers. He was enormous with a bull neck, his hands swollen and disfigured as though from frostbite. His eyes were so like Fehin’s, except they contained no light, and his mouth, also recognizable, was pulled up in a sneer she’d never seen on Fehin’s face. It was as though Wolf was the monster depiction of his brother.

“You walked right into my trap,” he said in a gravelly voice and then he laughed, a terrible sound that scared her even more than his appearance.

“What trap was that?” she asked, trying to breathe deeply. But the smells coming from him were worse than the ones in the house. He smelled putrid.

“The dream. I planted the dream. And you followed just as I wanted you to.”

“What did the dream have to do with me talking to my tree?”

“Don’t fuck with me,” he said, and then dragged her by the arms toward a gaping hole in the floor.

Airy glanced around wildly, trying to think of some way to escape. “Surely you’re not planning to just leave me in here.”

“Until I get what I want.”

“And what is it that you want?”

“You know what I want and so does my brother. Now let’s see how smart he is,” he said before stuffing a filthy rag into her mouth. She gagged and tried to spit it out but it stayed where it was. And then he pushed her, sending her tumbling painfully into the pit below. She couldn’t move, her legs twisted beneath her, her arms bent back and secured, and now she couldn’t scream either. She watched in horror as he nailed boards over her prison, blocking out all light.

***

Airy had no idea how much time had gone by. The only sounds she heard were the scuffling of rats and mice. And once she heard a slither as though a snake was down here with her. Her heart beat painfully in her chest for a long time after that. She reached out to the creatures that occupied her prison but her mind was so full of fear that she couldn’t make a connection.

Her arms ached and she was sure that one of the bones in her right leg was broken. The pain of it made her eyes water. When she tried to shift her position it was like knives stabbing into her. Where was Fehin? She’d sent message after message his way. And then she thought about how far Wolf had dragged her. It had taken what seemed like an hour to get to this abandoned house. Surely there were gouges and tracks in the mud. But this property did not belong to her grandparents. And she doubted that Wolf was stupid enough to leave his tracks in the snow. He was smart—as smart as his brother and a lot more devious.

She must have fallen asleep for a while because she came awake with a start, unable to remember where she was for a moment. But then the horror of her situation came back. She tried hard not to cry but the tears came anyway and the sobs racking her body made everything hurt even worse. And following the tears came a terror so deep she thought she might die from it. Her heart pounded as though it would fly out of her chest. This could end up being her grave.

It was a long time later, maybe even the next day, when thirst began to plague her. At first it was a mild sensation in the back of her throat but then it was all consuming. If only she could get this stinking rag out of her mouth. But even rolling her head against the ground didn’t do it and finally she gave up.

Sometime after that she realized she was about to black out. She was dizzy and disoriented, colors flashing across her vision. She had no reference for night or day, no sense of how much time had passed. She fought against it, trying to keep awake, but finally she gave into it, closing her eyes and allowing the darkness to take her.

21

Fehin was frantic. He’d searched every inch of the Fitzhugh property and had found no sign of her anywhere. He’d tried over and over to contact Wolf but had come up against a blank wall.

“Where did you say you saw her last?” Grace asked again, her tear-streaked face making Fehin want to cry himself.

“She was heading into the woods to talk with her tree. You must know the one.”

“And we couldn’t even find a footprint anywhere around there. Are you positive this is your brother’s work? It could be some lunatic serial killer. There’s a prison thirty miles up the road.”

Fehin tried to be patient with her. They’d had this same conversation earlier today and yesterday as well. “I’m sure of it.”

“Hank will be back with the police soon—I wish we’d called them sooner.”

“How could you with the power out?”

It was Monday morning and Airy had been missing since early on Friday. Around noon on that day a storm had raged across the area, taking down power lines and dropping branches from trees like they were toothpicks. It seemed like a tornado, a type of storm unheard of in these parts. Fehin had a feeling he knew where it came from. But now all was still, as though Airy’s energy had been depleted. Even the snow had stopped. When he went outside the stillness felt like an absence.

Fehin hadn’t slept, his nights filled with images of Airy being tortured. He felt responsible for what had happened, apologizing over and over to her grandparents. They waved them off but he knew they held him at least partially accountable. It was his brother who had done this. They asked him several times how Wolf had known they were here, as though Fehin had led him up here on purpose.

Why would Wolf do this and not contact him? And then the realization hit him that Wolf might simply have killed her just to be rid of her. He saw her then, her eyes closed, her face pale in death. And when he reached out to her there was nothing. He doubled over as a wave of nausea and dizziness went through his body. And then the tears came. It was way past time to call on Gunnar.

***

That stupid idiot
, Wolf thought.
He’s going to let that girl die rather than to tap into our birthright—telepathic communication
.
Fehin doesn’t have the power to do anything for me but won’t it be nice to see him blamed for this? And with the dark thoughts I’m sending his way on a daily basis he’ll soon be unable to function at all.
Wolf chuckled to himself, hurrying to catch the bus back to Milltown. He and Gary had a gig going that would bring him some good money and with any luck the rest of his powers would soon return on their own.

***

“So what you’re telling me is that Airy has been gone for three days and you’ve done nothing about it?” Gunnar glared at Fehin. “You do know she could be dead by now.”

“That isn’t helping, Gunnar,” Fehin said, trying not to grab him by the neck and squeeze. “I searched the entire property. I thought Wolf would contact me.”

“And you’re positive it was Wolf?”

“Of course I am.”

At that moment Hank and the police arrived and Grace rushed out of the kitchen, her focus on the front door. The dogs began to bark and in the commotion Gunnar slipped away, taking Fehin with him. Once they were outside the druid said, “This entire scenario seems very strange to me. Have you tried to reach Airy telepathically?”

“I’ve tried over and over.”

Gunnar grunted in obvious disgust. “Center yourself, boy! Do you want her to die?” With that statement the druid disappeared.

Fehin turned to see several policemen with dogs on leashes working their way across the meadow. He hoped fervently they would find her. In his room he meditated, saying no to the thoughts that kept intruding. It took a long while but finally he was calm enough to send his thoughts out to her. Airy,
tell me how to find you
. She was unconscious, her mind barely able to track. She was somewhere very dark. When he heard the word ‘hurry’, he grew weak with fear. She was very near death.