Awakening (Book One of The Geis) (27 page)

The day of the new moon was clear and still. The sun shone on the new-fallen snow, giving the world a crisp, fresh look.

School dragged on. All I could think about was how Rourke would get home. He had already told us his goodbyes, warning us to stay away from the Intermittent Spring. But I might never hear from Rourke again, and there was no way I would sit around and wonder if he made it. Josh and I planned to be there when Rourke left. He’d said that the most likely time for the living waters to allow him passage would be at dawn or twilight, when night met day. It made sense to go in-between worlds at an in-between time.

“Did you know that King Arthur came to Merlin across the water as a baby?” Josh sat next to me in the commons area with our sack lunches spread out in front of us. “When he died, the king was ferried across the water again to return to the otherworld.”

I leaned against Josh, licking the yogurt off of my spoon. “I’ve never heard that before. I didn’t know King Arthur was supposed to be from another world.”

“Yeah. Christa gave me a book she found that talks all about gateways to other worlds.” Josh pulled the book out of his backpack. I recognized the knotwork on the cover.

I looked across the room to where Christa sat next to Derek, eating her own lunch. When she saw me sitting next to Josh, she gave me a thumbs-up.

“Caves and bodies of water are natural gateways to other worlds.” Josh opened the book. I leaned over his arm, following along as he read. “‘Another gateway is an estuary, a place where fresh water meets the sea. A person enters the tunnel through a natural spring, and exits into a pool of seawater mixed with fresh water.’ Except the pool is in a different world.”

“I hope standing near the spring is good enough.” I thought of the shelf at the Intermittent Spring and how it sloped down into a narrow cave. “I don’t think anyone could fit through the hole. Not with the concrete supports in place.”

“I hope so, too,” Josh said. “But we both know that Cliona is not going to stand by, after hundreds of years, and let Rourke waltz through the gateway.”

The danger of Rourke’s return hit me. Of course Cliona wouldn’t allow Rourke to go home. She would do anything she could to stop him.

“McKayla, we have to make sure that Cliona follows Rourke through the portal.” Josh laced his fingers through mine. “If she stays here, you’ll never be safe.”

Josh was right, of course. I squeezed his hand. If Rourke left and Cliona stayed behind—I didn’t know how I could live under the constant threat. And yet, if the banshee followed Rourke to Tír na nÓg, could he protect himself there?

Rourke didn’t seem to be worried about what would happen after he stepped through the portal. I just hoped his confidence was well-founded.

I rode home with Josh to wait until it was time to meet Rourke. Before we reached his house, Mom called me.

“Hi, sweetie. Have you seen Zoey?” Mom didn’t sound too upset, but my stomach dropped anyway.

“No, what’s wrong, Mom?”

I mouthed Zoey’s name to Josh.

“She didn’t come home on the bus. She probably went to a friend’s house or something. Will you call me if she ends up over there?” Mom didn’t have any idea what kind of danger Zoey might be in.

I hung up, willing myself not to panic.

“Zoey is missing.”

Josh and I exchanged glances. He pushed on the gas and got us to Aunt Avril’s apartment in record time.

The rich smell of chocolate hit me as I rushed in the door. Mom was at the stove, dipping cream fondants into chocolate.

“Hi, McKayla. I thought you were spending the night at Christa’s.”

 ”I am, Mom. I forgot something. Did Zoey come home yet?” I grabbed my bag, which I had readied earlier with a flashlight, a first aid kit, and the salt-studded dagger.

“No, I’m about to call Kinley’s mom and see if she went over there.” Mom picked a few chocolates off of the waxed paper and put them in my hand. “Don’t worry about Zoey. Have a fun time.”

“Thanks, Mom.” I hugged her, and she squeezed me tight. For a moment I was tempted to tell Mom everything, but I didn’t know how she would react. She might not let me go, and Zoey needed me.

The drive up to the Intermittent Spring took longer than I remembered. Josh took the narrow turns at breakneck speed, and I hoped that no one would meet us coming down the canyon.

“It’s too early,” I said. Josh didn’t answer—he knew what I meant. If the banshee had taken Zoey, then a peaceful exit was not an option for Rourke. I watched the snow-covered trees flash past, praying that Zoey would be safe.

When we reached the walking trail, Josh drove around a barrier and maneuvered his car until the trail became too narrow. I was out the door and running before Josh stopped the car. The snow was deeper here than in the valley. It covered my calves and filled my shoes, but I didn’t care. Josh soon caught up to me. When we got to the joining of Swift Creek and the water that flowed down from the spring, Josh pulled me back.

“We’ve got to slow down. It would be better if Cliona didn’t see us coming.”

We hugged the side of the mountain, staying off of the trail where we would be more readily noticed. I knew Zoey was here somewhere—I could feel her fear, and it rubbed inside my chest like an open wound. The roar of the waterfall started drowning out the sounds of the forest, but soon I could make out the sound of voices, and someone crying.

“Zoey,” I whispered. Josh pulled me back and put a finger on my lips. I could hear her, but I couldn’t tell where the sound was coming from. We crept forward, careful not to make a sound. A few more steps and we were around the corner to where the trail rose up to the spring.

The mountains jutted high on either side. From where it bubbled straight out of the rock, the water cut a path through the snow and cascaded down the waterfall until it emptied into the river. Straight above the spring, the mountain curved back and up where the wind had scooped it into a staggering cliff.

Josh pointed up the trail to where a rockslide had carved a wall from the mountain, near the trail. Rourke crouched behind the wall, and I was surprised to see Leah there with him.

We stepped in the footprints they had left in the snow until we were concealed behind the wall. Leah hugged me.

“What are you doing here?” I whispered to Leah.

“I’m going with Rourke.” Leah’s eyes spoke of her uncertainty, but there was excitement there as well. She reached for Rourke’s hand. He put his arm around her, but his eyes scanned the mountainside.

I shook my head, thinking of how Leah had talked to me at the feis a few days ago, not knowing any of this. “How did you find out?”

Leah looked at Rourke. “He tried to tell me goodbye, but I wouldn’t let him.”

Rourke focused his dark eyes on me.

“Where is Zoey?” My voice broke when I said her name.

Rourke pointed over my head.

Zoey cowered on a ledge halfway up the mountain, a good seventy feet from the ground. She sat in the snow, clinging to a lone pine tree that had rooted itself in the rocks. I tensed, and Josh grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight. It took all of my willpower not to shout out to Zoey.

“We won’t leave until Zoey is safe.” Leah’s voice was full of concern.

Cliona is using Zoey as bait,
Rourke signed.

“How do we turn the tables on her?” Josh asked.

She doesn’t know we are here. Otherwise she would have come for us.
Rourke pointed to Josh.
If I draw her out, do you think you might be able to get to Zoey?

Josh looked up at the ledge. “It’s pretty high, but I think I can climb it.”

I scanned the face of the mountain, looking for a way to climb up. How did Cliona get Zoey up there anyway?

“I have experience with rock climbing.” Josh said.

“That’s a long way to fall, Josh,” I objected. “What will you do when you reach her?”

“We’ll worry about that when we come to it.”

We all looked at each other. I didn’t like it. But we were running out of time.

I’ll draw them away. McKayla, you stay out of sight. Josh, get to Zoey and keep her safe. As long as Leah stays with me, we’ll make it to the portal and draw the banshee after us. Then McKayla can go for help.

Rourke was signing so fast it was hard to keep up. I knew this meant goodbye. “Thank you for helping us, Rourke.” I blinked back tears.

I embraced Rourke. He held me with one arm. Then it was Leah’s turn. She smiled through tears and whispered, “Good luck, McKayla.”

We’re Irish, Leah,
Rourke signed.
We make our own luck.

Then the lizard was there, hissing softly at our feet. A foul wind swept down the canyon. It smelled out of place in the winter landscape, like rotting leaves and overripe fruit. Josh wrinkled his nose. He smelled it too.

It is time, Ansul,
Rourke signed.

The afternoon sun was already behind the western mountains, enshrouding the canyon in their shadow. Leah gripped Rourke’s arm, and they followed the lizard up the trail toward the spring.

They were halfway to the opening when a screeching wail filled the air. It bounced off of the mountain walls, multiplying into an echo that sounded unreal. Not one, but three hooded creatures stood on a ledge above Rourke and Leah. The banshees were gray, from their tattered cloaks to the tips of their long, claw-like nails. I shuddered, remembering the whispers in my own ear.

Cliona materialized out of nothing. She perched above the spring where the hollow had been scooped out of the mountain. She was still Mrs. Saddlebury, but she had grown younger and even more strikingly beautiful. She wore a cloak like the other banshees, but Cliona’s was white, like the frosty hair that framed her pale face. She stood confidently, with a deadly resolve etched in her perfect features. A triangular amulet hung from Cliona’s neck. A dragon encircled the three corner gems that matched the ice blue color of her eyes.

I clutched the pendant hanging from my own neck—Rourke’s amulet.

Cliona’s fingernails elongated into claws, and she gestured to Rourke like an executioner to the condemned. “Come, Rourke, it is time to awaken from this dream. The geis that binds you here is fulfilled. We shall see what it means for you and yours.” Her voice was calm and calculating.

Rourke and Leah stopped where they were. I couldn’t see the lizard anywhere. Shadows lengthened as the sun fell further behind the mountains, turning the sky brilliant with peach-colored hues as the banished prince and the Arbitor stared each other down.

Josh whispered to me, “I’ve got to get closer. You stay here out of sight.”

My own fear was amplified by the emotions that spiked from everyone around me. I panicked, holding onto Josh’s arm. I needed him with me. If he left, I wasn’t sure I could do this.

Josh must have seen the overwhelming emotion on my face. He gathered me to him. “It will be all right, I promise,” Josh said, a moment before his lips brushed mine. Every nerve in my body tingled at his touch. Josh broke away and smiled down at me, wiping a tear from my cheek. The love I felt from him gave me strength. I smiled to show him that I understood, and he let me go, creeping toward the cliff wall.

When I turned around, Rourke was signing to the banshee.
My voice,
he gestured to his throat. Cliona flicked her wrist and Rourke coughed.

“Cliona, you have troubled me for the last time!” Rourke was speaking. His voice sounded rich and deep, laced with an Irish accent and filled with the emotion I had often felt from him. Leah covered her mouth with her hands.

Rourke walked forward, straightening with each step. He used his cane out of habit more than need, and loomed, larger than life, over the banshee. “Cliona, your time of reckoning is at hand.” His voice grew louder. “You have overstepped your bounds as Arbitor, and interfered with the mind and spirit of the geis. When I return home, you will be stripped of your power, and those to whom you have caused grief can do with you as they choose. Once, your life was taken from you, but you refuse to leave your grief behind and go to your eternal rest. Now hell will open its gates wide for you, where you will find the company of those who chose their own misery.”

Cliona watched him speak, a smug look on her face. I wondered why Rourke’s words did not upset her. She did not seem ruffled by his accusations.

“Let this fool’s quest go, Cliona. Saoirse will not bring Keevan back. He has gone to his rest, where you should be.” Rourke took a deep breath. “I’ll give you one chance to postpone the judgment that awaits you. Let me and what is mine pass, and let the young lass go. I will say nothing to the council of Arbitors. You can retain your position as you like. And whether you give up on your half-life and join your Keevan in eternal rest, or go on to haunt someone else’s dreams, I care not.”

Cliona’s face twisted in rage. I knew then that this would not end well. A movement caught my eye. The other banshees had managed to surround Rourke and Leah. Cliona had allowed Rourke to speak only to keep him occupied while her cohorts encircled him.

“Rourke!” I screamed out in warning.

“No, please don’t!” Zoey’s voice sounded tiny and lost in the canyon. She saw the banshees too.

Everything happened at once. Rourke let his walking stick go. He opened his mouth and a haunting melody filled the air. His fingers moved impossibly fast, forming glowing symbols that hung in the air, creating a protective bubble around both him and Leah. When a banshee tried to rake a symbol with her claws, it erupted and sent a shockwave in the air, pushing the banshees back.

Cliona shrieked, filling the air with such a repugnant sound I immediately felt sick, and doubled over at the searing pain that attacked my ears.

The other banshees recovered and advanced on Rourke again, joining in on the shriek. Rourke never slowed, his voice combining with the movement of his arms and legs in an elaborate dance, specifically choreographed to produce the glowing runes. Leah held onto Rourke from behind, burying her head in his jacket.

As Cliona and the banshees advanced, their shriek lowered in pitch to a wail. I could see the sound wave rippling across the bubble that Rourke barely held in place. The symbols released their energy, repelling the banshees, but the combined assault was too much. The symbols were collapsing faster than Rourke could make them, and the bubble shrank ever closer to Rourke as he struggled to keep up.