Valley Of Glamorgan (24 page)

“Hello, princess how are you holding up?” I
heard Keenan ask as he approached us. I tried to look in his
direction and answer as honestly as I could.

“I’m alright,” I said, with a confidence I
didn’t feel and knowing that I was far from being alright. Grateful
that no one else asked me questions I once again allowed Maggie and
our Mother to lead me on. I had to stop a few times when I felt the
stones beneath my feet turn to grass, which made me uneasy. I
realized that the hills, and small drop offs, were not going to be
an easy task to navigate.

As we made our way along the small dirt
path, we all stayed silent and it dawned on me that for the first
time I could smell and hear the things around me so much more
vividly than I had ever been able to before. The smell of the fresh
grass emanating from the plush green hills and the welcoming scent
of the dirt beneath my feet rose up to assail my nostrils. As the
warm humid breeze blew around me I could smell the scent of the
flowers mixing with the perfume of Maggie and Eleanor. It was
intoxicating. Never had I realized how intense the senses could be
as I had always been so busy enjoying the view through my eyes. As
we got closer to the cabin I could hear the small creek that ran
behind it. The sound was amazing. It was almost as if I could hear
the water running over every small rock that lay in its midst.

With every step we took I knew we were
getting closer to him. I was so nervous and, as if she could sense
it, Maggie leaned down and whispered in my ear so only I would hear
her, “He will understand, and love you no matter what.” My mind
pictured her smiling warmly as she said it. Finally she instructed
me to stop, and letting go of my arm she announced, “We are
here.”

Standing still I had a feeling of being
unbalanced and uneasy as I somehow knew that he would know
something was wrong as soon as he saw me. I wondered if anyone had
told him what had happened to me. ‘Perhaps I should have asked,’ I
thought to myself. Then I heard Liam’s hushed voice whispering to
someone, and finally I heard his voice. The mere sound of it hit me
so hard I thought I would cry. I had wanted to see him so much, but
now I would only be able to hear him.

My thoughts were cut off as I heard
someone’s footsteps grow closer to me. Then I felt a warm hand on
my arm and heard his wonderful familiar voice say, “I have missed
you.” For a moment I was taken aback for I hadn’t been expecting
something so simple, but somehow it was all I needed to hear. “Mina
would you like to come inside and talk?” he asked me, concern
flowing through his voice. A lump rose in my throat and suddenly I
dreaded having to talk about the night I went blind, yet I knew it
was inevitable, so holding out my arm I asked him to lead the way.
With every slow and careful step we took I could hear the people
around us quietly walking away. They were going to leave us here
alone, to talk and to be together; I was so thankful for the
privacy but also extremely nervous as we had never been alone
together for more than a few moments.

Having climbed the steps to the porch that
wrapped around the small cabin, Declan led me to a chair and told
me that I could have a seat if I liked. I could hear the
nervousness in his voice, which I oddly found comforting because I
was nervous to. Slowly I sat down in the chair, trying to adjust my
skirt around me so that I didn’t look like a ruffled mess. Even
this proved to be a harder task than I had thought it would be;
mainly because, no matter which way I fidgeted with the light
material, it felt as if it was lying against my legs in all the
wrong places. The sound of a chair being dragged across the porch
made me stop fidgeting.

The noise stopped a few inches from where I
sat. “I am sitting in front of you Mina,” Declan announced. I
nodded my head, still too nervous to say anything, and hoping that
he would lead the conversation. As if he had heard me he started
speaking. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.” As I felt him
place his hand in mine the familiar warmth began to spread through
my body. I wanted to tell him not to blame himself but he wouldn’t
let me get the words out as he leaned towards me and softly
whispered, “No-one will ever hurt you again! I won’t let it
happen!” And for the first time in days I felt safe, which was
enough to settle my nervousness.

Looking in the direction of his voice I
whispered, “Kiss me.” It was a simple request but when his lips
touched mine it was anything but simple as he wrapped his arms
around my neck and pulled me deep into his embrace. Standing up
together I wrapped my arms around his waist as he held me. Not too
tight, but tight enough to let me know that he was there and that
he wasn’t going anywhere. We stood like that for what seemed like
several minutes, locked in each other’s arms and in that moment I
didn’t care that the weight of the world seemed to be on my
shoulders, or that I might never see again. His love was all it
took to show me that everything felt as if this was how it was
supposed to be.

Eventually he raised my chin up with his
hand so that my eyes were looking into his, or at least I hoped
they were. “You are beautiful,” he said. There was so much
compassion in his words that my eyes turned towards the floor as
knew I had to say what was on my mind; I also knew that with him I
could say anything.

“I don’t know if I will ever be able to see
again. Everyone thinks I’m crazy, but I know who I saw and I know
that this is not the end. He will be back.” I whispered the words,
trying to keep the whimper from my voice.

Declan stood still holding me in his arms.
He was silent for a few seconds and I was hoping he was processing
what I had said, instead of finding a way to tell me it was
impossible for my late father to have come back from the dead and
stab me. But he didn’t; he simply said, “I believe you and the
others will too. They are just letting their fear overtake their
emotions, give them time.” Then he kissed me on the top of my head
and helped me to sit back down in the chair again.

Strangely I hadn’t noticed before but he
seemed somehow different, appearing so much wiser and more sure of
himself than he had been before. Suddenly I felt horrible as it
finally hit me that I had been so caught up in myself I had
forgotten to ask him how he was, and how the time after his animal
ritual had gone.

“How are you feeling?” I asked, still
feeling bad for being so selfish.

“I am better now that you are here,” he
said, “But my animal ritual did take a big toll on me. I wasn’t
expecting to learn about all the things I was shown. My mind feels
years older but my body has never felt younger.” He paused as the
memories flooded into his mind. “Mina,” he continued excitedly, “It
was the most painful thing that has ever happened to me, yet it was
the greatest gift. I have heard people talk about it and figured
that maybe they were exaggerating but it’s beyond words to describe
the experience of it all.” He was so filled with excitement and
happiness that I let him continue without interruption. “Believe it
or not, I can now see miles farther than I have ever have before. I
could hear you and your family coming here when you were only
half-way down the path. I haven’t been able to transform yet, but
in two days I get to fly! Can you imagine that?” he asked, sounding
more enthralled then I had ever heard him before.

I shook my head. “No. I can’t imagine that
but it sounds so wonderful!” I replied, relieved and glad that he
was so happy.

“I hear it will be your animal ceremony in a
few weeks, as well as Maggie’s party! That is really sweet what you
are planning on doing for her,” he responded, surprising me that he
knew so much. ‘But then again, my father had been whispering to him
for what seemed like forever,’ I thought.

“Have you decided on your animal yet?” he
surprised me by asking.

I thought about it for a few moments. “I was
thinking that maybe a fox would be a great animal for me,” I told
him, remembering the feeling I had when I had watched the fox run
out of the warehouse; and then again the image on the ring I had
given Declan. Somehow, it seemed like a sign.

He cleared his throat and somehow I could
tell what he was thinking, even though I knew he would never say it
for fear of hurting me so I said it myself in order to clear the
air, “What good is an animal spirit to me when I am blind?”

“Mina!” he said sharply right after I had
said it. “That is no way to think. A fox is a wise choice, it fits
you very well.” I plastered a smile across my face, dropping the
topic, even though it was wearing on my heart as I thought that I
would also probably never become queen. After all how could I
possibly save people from danger if I couldn’t even see it
coming?

“I have to go and meet my mom and sister for
dinner,” he announced, “Would you care to join us?”

More than anything I wanted to spend as much
time with him as I could but as I thought back to what had happened
at breakfast earlier that morning I remembered how hard something
as simple as eating had become for me. “If you don’t mind I think I
would like to go see Willow,” surprising myself by saying it. I
knew that I owed her a great deal as she had been sleeping on our
couch since the day I had been stabbed; thankfully she was now
stable and in her own home resting.

If Declan was disappointed he didn’t show it
but merely helped me up from the chair and linking his arm into
mine slowly led me to Willow’s house. Neither of us said much and I
hoped his silence was an excuse for allowing me to concentrate on
walking; but something felt wrong. “We are just about there,” he
suddenly said sharply.

As we stopped I asked, “What’s wrong with
you?”

Letting go of my arm he said in a stern
voice, “You can’t hide behind your blindness forever! You mustn’t
let it control your life!” Then he quickly corrected himself and in
a more gentle tone said, “Mina you can’t let it control our
life.”

His words shocked me. How dare he tell me
how I should feel? Stepping away from him I declared angrily, “How
dare you! You don’t know what it’s like to have someone who you
thought was your father for thirteen years come back and stab you!
He left me for dead, like I was nothing to him. Now I cannot see
anything or anyone,” and my eyes started filling as I was on the
brink of tears.

“You’re right. I don’t know,” he said
calmly, “But I do know how it feels to live with self- hatred. You
are not the only one with a sad story! I have hated myself ever
since my father got killed; he was my hero, and I let him die
because I wasn’t there to save him!” Hearing the defeat in his
voice hurt me, especially as it felt as if I had caused the return
of those dreadful memories for him.

Stepping forward I searched for his hand,
but was met with nothing, only silence as he had left me standing
there alone. Whatever had happened between us? I just couldn’t
believe that he would leave me unprotected, knowing that I couldn’t
see my way. As anger filled me I felt as if I wanted to hit him.
‘Love is so confusing,’ I thought, wondering if maybe Willow and
everyone else was wrong and that perhaps Declan and I just weren’t
meant to be.

All of a sudden I heard a loud scream and
smelled burning. Without thinking I ran towards the sounds and
somehow bursting in through Willows front door. “Willow,” I
screamed as I pulled my shirt up over my face in an effort to
protect myself from the smoke. Then I heard footsteps behind me,
yet I knew they weren’t Willows; they were too heavy to belong to
her. Another scream rendered the air so I raced towards the
sound.

“Hello, Mina,” a sickening, familiar voice
said. “I see that sadly, you survived your ordeal.” And he made a
tisk tisk sound as he clicked his tongue against the roof of his
mouth. “Well at least this time you are defenseless.”

Strangely I didn’t care what he was going to
do to me; my only worry was with Willow. “Where is she?” I snarled,
my angry voice echoing off the walls around us.

Suddenly I heard a small voice call out,
Mina, run!” It was Willow.

Staying in my place I followed her voice.
Leaning down I finally found her body lying across the floor; she
was covered in a warm liquid that I knew instantly it had to be her
blood. Standing up I walked to where I felt the figure standing and
watching me. “How many more people have to die for me?” I asked,
“If I go with you willingly, will you save her?”

There was silence. The man didn’t say
anything, as he contemplated my offer, then he said, “Matter of
fact I will drop her off at the gate myself. After all you are the
one we want!” A sickening feeling filled my stomach almost causing
me to vomit. ‘Tonight.’ I thought, ‘I was probably going to die,
but at least no-one else would have to suffer because of me.’

The stranger instructed someone to take
Willow to the gate and with a loud swoosh he disappeared, although
he was back in a matter of seconds saying it had been done! The
other man, whom I now recognized as my supposed father, then
instructed this man to pick me up and carry me to their safe house.
Within the blink of an eye, metaphorically speaking of course, I
was in a different house. It smelled of cigarettes and trash, the
stale air making me feel queasy. Having arrived I was dropped
harshly with a thud onto a cold floor, causing me to scratch my
knees against the splintered wood.

Although I was terrified I held back the
tears as I wasn’t going to let them see me being vulnerable, as
that is what they surely wanted. Reaching behind, I felt the wall
so I inched myself backwards until I was pressed close to it as
hard as I could. Even though I couldn’t see anything, I thought I
would have a better chance of defending myself. At least no-one
would be able to grab me from behind, which I knew these cowards
would do if they got the chance. Pulling my knees up to my chest I
tried to settle my nerves and calm down. If I was going to get out
of here alive I knew I had to stay calm; every move I made from now
on in had to be well thought out and calculated. Although that
might not be enough! It was likely that I was going to die fairly
soon. ‘Well,’ I thought, trying to reassure myself, ‘At least I
wouldn’t see it coming.’