Faery Worlds - Six Complete Novels (133 page)

Meghan,

Here are some Celtic legends that get as close to the truth as possible. The rest you will have to learn over time and perhaps one day when you are ready to come to the Otherworld, you will finally know everything.

C.M.

Of course, the gift made me giddy and I immediately dove into the books. The first one was a saga about a great battle between the native beings of Ireland, the Fomorians, and another group that arrived later, the Tuatha De Danann. The writing was archaic and dry, but I forced myself to finish it, making note of the characters and their roles.

The second book Cade had left me was a little more interesting (about a war started over a cow of all things). I think this one stuck with me more because it featured Cuchulainn, the hero on the cover of the Irish Myths book I had picked up on the shopping spree with Tully and Robyn. In that story, Cuchulainn was called upon to fight an entire army. During a few of his exploits he even came face to face with the Morrigan.

It was late when I finally got tired of flipping through the books. They hadn’t answered all of my questions, well, at least not the ones I wanted answers to, but they had given me a better taste of what I might be dealing with. I was starting to seriously reconsider the idea that the raven stalking me might be a minion of the Morrigan’s. I had dismissed it at first because I didn’t think I was important enough for a goddess to bother with. But now that I thought about it, maybe I was. After all, I didn’t even know who I was, at least not in Otherworldly terms. Cade had only told me I was Faelorehn, a being from the Otherworld and he himself admitted that he didn’t know everything about me.

I sighed and flipped my pillow over, seeking the cool side. It was hard to sleep when I was trying to solve a great mystery and I didn’t even have all the clues. I would simply just have to wait for Cade to return and demand answers this time. No more letting him distract me with his good looks and archery skills. It was time he started explaining a few things, and I didn’t care how ‘complicated’ it was. There were some things I just needed to know (like why I was a target to begin with) before some demented Otherworldly faelah got the better of me.

* * *

I was left to my own devices for the next couple of weeks, and luckily I had school to distract me once again. Also, to my great relief, I didn’t see a single faelah creature that entire time. Of course, it meant I didn’t see Cade either. I grew restless and I was beginning to brush my friends aside whenever they’d invite me over.

Halfway through that second week, it dawned upon me that maybe I was growing obsessed with a guy that was darting in and out of my life like some self-propelled yo-yo. It wasn’t healthy. Gritting my teeth and taking on a newly found determination, I told myself to forget about Cade MacRoich and to start living my life again. Who knew when he’d decide to visit this world again? Maybe I was Faelorehn, but I had been around humans long enough to know I enjoyed hanging out with my friends.

When Tully asked me if I wanted to come over that weekend for a movie with Robyn and the guys, I smiled and agreed without a second thought. The movie helped distract me, but it didn’t erase everything I’d learned in the past few months. And if I was being completely honest with myself, I didn’t want to forget everything, especially not Cade.

I sighed and eyed my clock, secretly wishing that my reflective thoughts would go away. It was almost midnight on a Sunday and I had school in the morning. But I couldn’t sleep. I had tried doing some more Otherworld research earlier, but the websites just kept repeating the same old information over and over again. I read a few of the folk legends from my Irish Myths book, but when I started reading a story about Cuchulainn, I threw the book down on my desk and climbed into bed. The Irish hero reminded me too much of Cade.

I sighed heavily and felt the tears forming in my eyes. Who was I kidding? I missed Cade. I missed him terribly, and it was high time I stop lying to myself. Yes, I knew hardly anything about him and yes he was never around. But during those few hours we’d spent together, he hadn’t belittled or avoided me. He hadn’t glanced away in disgust. I know it seems silly, but I just knew that Cade MacRoich understood me; had seen me for who I was, and I was finally willing to admit that I had fallen for him. Hard.

* * *

One day after school, an entire month and a half since I’d last seen Cade, I decided to decline Thomas’s offer for a ride home and I took the back way through the swamp. I wasn’t worried about getting ambushed by Adam Peders or Michaela West; they hadn’t bothered me since Cade had threatened Adam. A twinge of regret coursed through me, but I shook it off.
He may never come back again Meg. Time to get over this infatuation.
Of course, walking through the very woods where I had first met him wasn’t the brightest idea. Oh well.

I should’ve been worried about running into faelah in the woods, but the truth of the matter was, I didn’t care. I was tired of being afraid; tired of waiting for someone to give me answers. Huffing a deep breath, I hiked my backpack further up onto my shoulders and began the gentle climb up the equestrian trail. I kept my head down, allowing a stray curl to obscure my vision. It wasn’t until I reached the old oak tree that I noticed the wolfhound. In fact, he had to yip at me before I passed him up. That only startled me into a small scream.

“Fergus!” I hissed, willing my heartbeat to slow.

The great white hound whined and gestured towards the tree. I had told myself I didn’t care if Cade ever showed himself again. That was a lie. I could tell by the way my stomach fluttered and my knees grew wobbly. And all this at the prospect of getting a note from him.

I dropped my backpack and reached up into the tree, my fingers fumbling around for the knothole. My fingertips brushed parchment and I grabbed it, yanking a note free of its hiding place.

Quickly, I dropped back to the ground and broke the seal, not caring if I ruined it this time. My eyes darted across the page, and my heart felt like it was melting.

Meghan,

I beg your forgiveness for staying away so long, but things have been unstable here in the Otherworld. I will be arriving in your world soon. I wish to discuss something of an important matter with you. I hope you have been well, and I hope to see you again soon.

C.M.

I read the date and time he indicated on the note. Friday afternoon. Tomorrow. My heart leapt into my throat. I blinked up at Fergus, but he merely panted, his rusty colored ears perked backwards. How on earth was I going to get any sleep tonight?

* * *

Just as I’d predicted, I was tired the next morning from a night spent tossing and turning and daydreaming about Cade. I continued to struggle through my classes the next day, trying to stay focused, but all I could think about was a pair of changeable, green Faelorehn eyes and the confident smile that went with them. Finally, the bell announcing the end of class rang and I made a bee line for the field behind school.

Although Cade wasn’t due for another hour or so, I went straight to the clearing in the swamp. Thomas had invited us over to hang out with him during his sister’s Quinceañera and normally I would have gone, but I told him I already had plans. Everyone had eyed me suspiciously as if they thought I was lying. For once, I wasn’t.

As I waited, I pulled at the bark from the old fallen eucalyptus I leaned against. My nerves were frazzled and my skin felt clammy.
Knock it off Meg!
I told myself.
He’s just a guy!
If only.

Finally, the crack of brush sounded behind me and I whipped around. Trotting down the path that led deeper into the swamp was Fergus, followed by Cade. My heart stopped working for a few moments as I watched his tall, confident frame come into view. But something was wrong. He looked hunched over and as he moved closer, he seemed to stagger as he walked. Concern soon replaced my feeling of anticipation.

He chose to walk around the log instead of jumping over it, and came to stand several feet in front of me.

“Meghan,” he breathed, his face breaking into a wide smile.

On any normal day, I would have melted into a puddle at his feet, for he sounded as if the sight of me standing there was the greatest thing in the world to him. But his appearance took the joy right out of the moment. He looked absolutely haggard; how I would have expected him to look had he truly been a homeless man and not simply pretending to be one. His hair, usually tousled but well cared for, looked greasy and unkempt. His eyes seemed empty and their color was so close to black I couldn’t tell his pupils from his irises. Deep shadows painted the space beneath his eyes and his skin looked as pallid as death.

“Cade,” I said, my voice pitched low, “what has happened to you?”

He winced, and even that small action looked painful. Fergus whined softly next to him.

Cade ran his fingers through his hair, that familiar action I had come to recognize as a sign of distress. I stood there, leaning against the fallen tree, not knowing what to do. I crossed my arms and watched him, waiting for some signal to either hug him or stay put. Hugging him would be ideal, but I wasn’t brave enough to offer up that form of comfort. He glanced at the ground, took a breath as if to speak, then ran his hands through his hair again.

“What’s wrong?” I asked again, trying to keep the quiver from my voice.

Something was clearly agitating him and I had a feeling that it had something to do with me. Hadn’t his note said so? And if Cade, the Otherworldly bounty hunter/assassin extraordinaire was nervous, then I was nervous cubed, maybe even to the fourth or fifth power.

Finally he stopped running his hands through his hair and instead placed them on his hips, slouching a little. He wasn’t facing me, but he turned his head to the side and finally gave me his full attention. I nearly fell over. His eyes were so haunted, and he looked even more run down than I had thought on first examination. What in the world, or more appropriately, what in the Otherworld had done this to him?

I pushed away from the log and slowly reached out my hand. Just as quickly I snatched it back to my side. What was I thinking? A fleeting image of me walking up to him and placing my hand gently on his face to comfort him flashed in my mind, followed by a similar image of him taking me in his arms to help soothe his troubled thoughts. Ridiculous. I might have a major crush on him, but that didn’t mean he returned those feelings.

He sighed and looked away again, his impressive height and bulk seeming to diminish.

“I discovered some troubling information, that’s all.”

That’s all?
Troubling information? What did that mean and how could he refer to it so nonchalantly if he was behaving this way because of it?

“What kind of information?”

He nodded. “About you.”

That shook me. I knew he had wanted to discuss something of importance with me, but I had no idea it would be construed as troubling. I gaped at him, suddenly feeling light-headed.

“Wh-what do you mean? Troubling? How is it troubling? Is someone else after me? Are there more faelah looking for me?” I babbled.

Cade stepped closer, reaching out a hand, and for a split-second I thought he might actually act on that fantasy I’d envisioned earlier. But he stopped short and pulled his hand into a fist, letting it drop to his side. He bowed his head and took a deep breath.

“What I learned is that you may be the daughter of a Tuatha De Danann and a Fomorian.”

I blinked. Huh? Why was that troubling exactly? I recalled the story of the great battle between the Tuatha De and the Fomorians and how most of the Celtic pantheon was associated with the Tuatha De. I knew, according to my internet searches and from the books Cade had given me, that there were a few Faelorehn descended from both lines and that they were often responsible for mischief, but really, I had no designs on upturning the Otherworld. Me? Wreaking havoc in a world of magical monsters and powerful gods? I almost nearly choked on a laugh. I couldn’t even stand up to the school bullies and their only weapons were harsh words.

“I never discussed the Tuatha De Danann or the Fomorians with you,” Cade said, almost apologetically.

I held up a hand. “The Fomorians are the magical natives of Ireland and the more demon-like of the two and the Tuatha De arrived during one of the invasions of Ireland. Most of the Celtic gods and goddesses are associated with the Tuatha De.”

Cade actually smiled. “You have been doing your research, haven’t you?”

That warmed me, despite the lingering chill of Cade’s news.

“I don’t understand,” I finally said. “Why is that troubling? Isn’t everyone in the Otherworld, well besides the faelah of course, either Fomorian or Tuatha De? And aren’t some of them both?”

I was very confused, and terrified. Not necessarily because of this news, but because of the way Cade looked at me then, as if I were one of the grotesque little gnomes that had chased after me several months ago.

“It’s troubling because when a Faelorehn child is born to one Tuatha De parent and one Fomorian parent, often times they come with at least one major character flaw that will surely lead into ruin.”

Basically, he was telling me I was a ticking time bomb. My shoulders drooped and I fought the urge to cry. A cadre of thoughts buzzed through my head:
he said you may be a descendent of a Fomorian and a Tuatha De Meg, you
may
be, nothing definite . . . and it’s the twenty-first century for goodness’ sake! People don’t behave like barbarians anymore! Who knows, maybe your character flaw is the inability to act like a normal, socially obsessed, mall visiting, cell phone texting teen. Chin up!

But of course, my mind decided to dwell on the one, single worst thought it could conjure:
of course you have a flaw, duh! This is why you were abandoned to begin with!

I shook my head and cleared my throat. No need to panic. Yet. I looked up at Cade, hoping those weren’t tears I felt swimming in my eyes.