Chapter 14 - Messenger

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I fidget with the sleeve of my jacket, almost tearing it to shreds in my attempt to distract myself. Anything is better than making eye contact with her.

"Why is she so scary, a hAthair?" Fiona asks from her stool placed right across from me. She tilts her head as she stares, her long waves of russet hair falling to the side like a curtain.

Cináed answers from the table where he sits wrapping a bandage around Darren's knee.

"Fiona, do not pester Roisín." He says, glancing over at me with a smile. "She bites when she feels threatened." He adds with a wink.

I huff and turn to face the window, hoping that the girl will lose interest if I simply ignore her long enough. Bull-head, who I learned is a creature called a Minotaur, is standing watch outside the cottage.

"A creature from Greek Mythology, of course."

Those were Darren's words to me when I asked what bull-head was.

"And he is not an it. Can't you tell?"

I nodded like I'd known that all along. But I wasn't about to start checking the creature out for those kinds of details. The girl had called him Mino and hugged him like they're old friends, which means that Cináed knows the creature well enough to trust him with his daughter. Part of me is grateful that he survived last night. I would have a harder time feeling safe in this bungalow if there was a less dominating creature standing between us and that forest.

The green goblin's screams and the sound of the demon horse's whinnies are the haunting soundtrack of last night. As soon as the sun came up—or whatever golden sphere they use to replace the sun down here—the terrors immediately started to melt away. Almost like they never happened.

My eyes catch a movement along the line of trees. Probably just a shifting shadow or a rustle of leaves. But it's a reminder that our new home is never going to welcome Darren and I as equals. Something tells me that in this strange land, outsiders have to fight for respect.

The girl is scooting off of the stool now, her attention distracted. She moves across the smooth dirt floor, twirling her dress around her tiny body. The dance is graceful and innocent. In many ways the exact opposite of myself.

I might be scary Fiona, but I'd rather be scary if it helps me make it out of here alive.

Cináed claps his hands on his thighs and stands up. The tear in Darren's pant leg is sewn up to hide the bandage underneath. Despite a slight hollowness under his eyes, I'd never guess that my brother was chased by a carnivorous horse last night. He looks alert and ready for the next adventure.

"Fiona, why don't you show Darren the stream where you like to watch the pretty salmon?" Cináed says, and Fiona plants both of her bare feet on the ground as she stops spinning.

Her and Darren watch each other for a moment. I know Darren has always wanted younger siblings to play with, but I also know he probably would prefer a brother, or at least a sister closer to his same age.

Fiona is the first to speak. "Can you run fast, Darren?" She says, observing him like she's seeing him for the first time.

My brother nods, sending his dark hair into his eyes. "Yeah."

"Then you can come chase the salmon with me." 

Her tone is so demanding that I have to hold a fist over my mouth to hide my grin as Fiona takes Darren's hand and leads him outside. I can hear her giving orders to Mino to come along, and the Minotaur obediently follows the girl as she disappears into the tall grass.

I'm still watching them as Cináed sits across from me on Fiona's tiny stool. He rubs a hand over his face and through his hair. Any blond coloring is now pure gold, and part of me longs to reach out a touch one of the curls to know if it feels as metallic as it looks.

"I need you to tell me how you are faring after our journey." He says, sounding like he's still in doctor-mode after bandaging Darren up.

Shifting on my chair, I fold my arms over my chest. "I'm fine."

"There are no questions you wish to ask me?"

Questions are much easier than self-diagnostics. "Okay, why did the goblin thing sacrifice itself like that? And why the heck did that demented horse want to eat us?"

He nods and answers me without emotion. "Bins owed me his life. We made a deal long ago that if I saved him, he would someday repay the favor. Last night, he fulfilled our deal.

"As for the horse, it is called a púka, and it feeds on fear. Because you and your brother are new to the Otherworld, your scent is made stronger by your fear of the unknown."

I have no response to that, so I stare past him at the wall of hanging herbs. There's no pictures or trinkets of memorabilia around the place. Only simple furniture and some cabinets behind the table where I assume food is stored.

Food.

My stomach growls and I know Cináed hears it because he glances at my middle with eyebrows raised.

"Interesting."

I glare at my midsection for betraying me. "What?" I snap. "I'm human, okay? And I can't even remember the last time I ate anything."

"This is somewhat troubling." Cináed says, his smirk gone. "Because you were traveling on my vessel, the enchantments I place on my crew must have effected you somehow. I do not allow much food aboard my ship, and the food I do allow is stored for other purposes. So I enchanted my ship with an ancient spell of the Dagda; a spell to create the illusion of a full stomach. That way my crew need never eat while aboard my ship."

Now I'm just staring at him, trying to decipher the take-home-message in all of that. "So, you're saying Darren and I have been starving to death this whole time and we didn't know it?"

He stands up and moves toward the cabinets. "Yes. I assume any remaining enchantments have now been lifted from you, which explains your body's sudden reaction." He says as he sifts through the cupboards and drawers. "I am not accustomed to dealing with mortals, but I can only assume that such fragile beings need frequent sustenance."

"We sure do." I say, my frustration growing. "I'll go find Darren before he passes out from malnutrition or something."

As I reach for the door, it swings open in my face to reveal a girl not much shorter than me, looking at me like I have the plague. She has long, strawberry hair and large blue eyes, and her slender body is framed by a flattering vintage dress. She looks like a college girl dressed up like a hot milkmaid for halloween.

I stand there speechless, suddenly feeling like a dirty dishrag in my hoodie and cargo pants. She glances me over and moves past me. Even her perfect bare feet look like they belong in a Disney princess movie. I half expect some fluffy critters to follow her inside.

When I turn around, I find her hugging Cináed. He lets her go first, and she leaves a hand on his arm while she talks. "Cináed, I have something to tell you." Her voice is gentle and sweet. It doesn't match the pointed look she sends to me. "Alone."

Rolling my eyes, I mumble something about finding Darren and step outside. The door swings closed, but before it latches shut I stop it with my foot. The milkmaid is already talking, and even though she's whispering I can hear still hear her through the door.

"They say the King will not be taking a bride this season. Instead he is gathering every mortal within the our boundaries for the sacrifice of Samhain."

Cináed responds in a low voice. "That cannot be. Surely he will not create such chaos at the beginning of his reign."

The milkmaid starts talking before he's finished. "It's true. You must believe me. Even some of the brides of seasons past are worried they will be sacrificed as well as a precaution."

There's a pause, and then the girl is speaking in a more hesitant tone. "It seems that the King believes this will cure the sickness. He means to purge mortality from the Otherworld."

I'm holding my breath as I crane my neck to hear. I don't understand everything they're saying, but the general idea is enough to churn my empty stomach.

We never should have come here.

"Did you bring that girl here because you fancy her?"

Now my stomach is in my throat. I can hear Cináed sigh.

"The girl and her brother made me a deal. They will care for Fiona to pay the debt."

"You cannot lie to me anymore, Cináed. I know you too well." The milkmaid's voice sounds torn. "I saw you watching her when I stepped through the door. You have never looked at another woman that same way since Branna."

Branna. The name sounds familiar. My mind recalls Cináed saying it as we stared at his ship for the first time.

"Meet Branna. She is the noblest, most beautiful vessel of the sea."

I'm backing away from the door when the milkmaid steps outside. Thankfully, she doesn't see me as I slip around the side of the cottage. I peek at her as she wades through the grass with a grace that belongs to a ballerina.

"I am leaving for a time, Cináed." She calls without looking back. "I do not wish to be near your mortal servants when the King comes for them."

She stops and glances right at my one eye that's visible from around the corner. Her pink lips turn into a small smile before I look away, pressing my back into the wall so I'm completely blocked from her view.

Her sweet voice trickles to me like a bubbling stream as she walks away, singing about a young girl's heart being captured and eaten by death.

I slide my feet out, letting the wall guide me to the ground, and hold my face in my hands.

Deal or not, there's no way Darren and I can stay here anymore. I didn't risk everything coming here to turn around and be sacrificed by some King with an intolerance for mortals.


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I don't feel like I've said this enough, so here is a huge THANK YOU to all of my wonderful readers (yes, that's YOU), and all of your votes and comments that mean the world to me. Your support for Roisín and her journey is incredible <3

Also, in honor of Cináed's golden locks, I want to hear your craziest/coolest hair story. I just dyed my hair for the first time yesterday from light brown to deep auburn. Have you ever dyed or cut your hair into something extremely new? Tell me all the juicy deets in the comments below!

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