Current Impressions (32 page)

“A sword. Similar to my own. Your
great-great-great-grandfather made them both.” Angus sword was
finely crafted, the engraved blade elegant and deadly.

“Do you think he could teach me anything
new?”

“Ask him,” Angus urged. “It’s about time
that boy did something, leaving you to fend by yourself, not
telling you what’s at stake.”

“What
is
at stake?” I leaned closer
to my uncle. He mentioned it, so maybe he was willing to talk.
Kieran didn’t share much after their meeting the other night. He
seemed as frustrated as I did about what we were facing, and he had
been very tired. The poison was still leaving his system. After a
few minutes, I sent him to his room to recover. I asked my uncle
again, “What kind of battle are we preparing for?”

“I wish I knew.” Angus shook his head sadly.
“Your dad and aunt are speculating. So far, nothing seems to fit
with our usual enemies.”

“Which are?” I prompted, impatient. Was
anyone going to tell me anything?

“Eh. A kelpie or Mer. They travel alone. Our
guard can typically take them down without a problem. Few of our
enemies work in unison. Water demons and the Blue Men are about the
only ones I can think of.”

Water demons or Blue Men, both scared me.
“Dad told me that the Blue Men killed my grandparents, and Aunt
Brigid said water demons killed Talus.”

Bushy, white eyebrows rising, Angus sat up.
“She told you about that?”

I nodded. “It’s true, then?”

“Seems likely,” Angus admitted. “And they
very well could be behind these attacks.”

“What do they want?” I asked. “Can we defeat
them?”

“I don’t know on either account.” My uncle’s
voice sounded heavy. “They are powerful enemies. Sometimes, I think
they know more about us than we do about them.”

His words chilled me. Were we that
vulnerable? Were they that powerful? There had to be a way to stop
them. Nothing was invincible. I would have to figure it out, before
it was too late.

****

I was tired when I left my uncle’s room.
Mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion hit me on all angles,
which explains why I sighed heavily when my father called my name
before I reached the staircase.

“Meara, do you have a moment?”

He stood in his doorway, dressed much like
the first night I met him, faded blue jeans and a white dress shirt
with loosely rolled sleeves. His hair was mussed, his feet bare. He
looked as tired as I felt.

“Sure, Dad. What’s up?”

He held the door as I walked past him. I
plopped on his couch and realized Angus’ was much more
comfortable.

“Can I get you something? Milk? Soda?”

“Do you have anything stronger?” If we were
gearing up for a major battle, I think I deserved a real drink.

He laughed and conjured two glasses. Handing
me one, he gently clinked his against mine. “Here’s to us.”

“To us,” I agreed and took a sip. The warmth
slid down my throat and left the lingering taste of melted
butterscotch.

“Butterscotch schnapps.” He stared at his
glass wistfully. “Your mother liked it.”

“It’s good.” I sipped some more, enjoying
the gentle heat. “You wanted to talk to me?”

He sat next to me and placed his drink on
the coffee table. “I haven’t been a very good father.”

It was so unexpected. I didn’t know what to
say, so I said the first thing that came to mind, “What makes you
say that?”

“I haven’t been here for you. I don’t know
what to tell you and what to shelter you from. I wish your mom were
still here. She’d know what to do.”

“You’re doing okay, Dad, but I’m not a young
child. I can handle a little truth.” I thought about what I knew so
far about our enemies and shivered. “Or a lot of truth. I’m
stronger than you think.”

“I know you’re strong. If I doubted it, I
only have to listen to Kieran and Brigid sing your praises.” He
continued while I stared at him, “Were you coming from Angus’
room?”

“Yes, he’s been training me.”

“Training you? On what?”

I finished the drink and set my glass next
to his. My head buzzed pleasantly, and I grinned at him as I held
out my hand and produced the knife. “Weaponry.”

“His mother’s dagger.” My dad looked from
the knife to me. “He’s teaching you to use it?”

“I know how to use it,” I said proudly.
“Tonight, he told me that our lessons are done. He’s taught me all
that he can.”

Dad gestured for the knife. “May I?”

I handed it to him and watched him turn it
over in his hand. “It’s a formidable weapon. I saw her use it in
battle just once.”

“Did she survive?”

“She saved my life.” He handed me back the
knife. “I’m impressed, Meara. Perhaps tomorrow you can show me what
you know?”

“I’d like that. Do you think you might be
able to teach me more?”

“I can try.” Before I could protest, he
ruffled my hair. “Let me see what you know first, and then I can
judge how much more I can show you.”

I picked up his glass and finished off its
contents. He clucked his tongue, but he didn’t say anything. I gave
him a sticky kiss on his cheek before standing up. “Hoping it will
help me sleep tonight,” I mumbled.

He stood and walked me to the door, pulling
me into a tight hug. “We’ll figure it out, Meara. I won’t let
anything happen to you.”

“I know, Dad.” I pulled back and looked into
his eyes. “But you can’t shelter me, either. This is my family,
too. My people. You have to let me help.”

He started to protest, and then shook his
head. “You’re right, Meara. Get a good night’s rest. Tomorrow, you
can show me what you’ve learned.”

I walked down the hall, slightly unsteady on
my feet. My head swam in a pleasant way, and I hummed a little
under my breath. My cares, for the time being, took a backseat to
the lovely buzzing. I stepped into the semi-darkness of the
stairwell and heard my dad close his door softly behind me.

The only thought on my mind was crawling
into my soft bed and falling asleep. I couldn’t remember the last
time I’d slept uninterrupted through the night. My eyelids drooped
heavily just thinking about my fluffy pillows and warm blankets. I
reached my door and pushed it open, the torchlight from the hall
illuminating the dark room. I frowned at the lump on my bed.
Someone was already in it, stretched across it, and from the looks
of things, quite comfortable. Kieran.

I cleared my throat. He didn’t budge. I
poked him lightly in his shoulder. Nothing. I called his name.
Still no answer. I placed my hand on his forehead. It was cool. At
least he wasn’t sick, although he was apparently a deep sleeper. A
monsoon could tear through and he wouldn’t notice. With a sigh, I
lay down next to him. I needed sleep, and it would take too much
effort to move him. Plus, if I did manage to wake him, he’d
probably want to talk. Or something else. Something I wasn’t
prepared to deal with at the moment.

I crawled under the covers. Heat radiated
off his body and relaxed mine. Within moments, I was asleep.

****

“Morning.”

I woke to a muscular arm around my waist and
a warm, wet kiss on my ear. It was disorienting. I jumped out of
bed, and then shrieked when my feet hit the cold, stone floor.

“Kieran! What are you doing here?”

He gave me puppy dog eyes. “I couldn’t
sleep. I wanted to talk to you, and you weren’t here. I fell asleep
waiting for you. Why didn’t you wake me?”

“I tried. You sleep like the dead.”

“That’s not very nice.” He lifted the covers
and patted the spot next to him on the bed. “Why don’t you get off
that cold floor and come back where it’s warm?”

“You promise not to try anything?” I asked.
He grinned. “Kieran—”

“I promise. Jeez, you’re stubborn.” He
jumped when I crawled back in next to him and brushed his shin with
my foot. “And your feet are like ice. Ever hear of slippers,
woman?”

“What did you want to talk about?” I leaned
back against the headboard and smoothed the covers over my legs.
Kieran lay on his side, looking comfortable on my pillow and cuter
than anyone should when first waking up.

“I was thinking about Evan.”

“That’s an interesting twist.”

“Shut up, Meara.” His smirk softened his
words. “What do you know about this Ken or the professor?”

“Not much. Only what Evan told me, and when
we talked, we didn’t really talk about his work.” I looked down at
Kieran. He was staring off with a frown on his face.

“What are you thinking?”

He met my eyes with an intense look. “You
told David that you saw Evan’s eyes glow. You’ve seen my eyes glow.
Were they like that?”

I shook my head. “They were brighter, like
they were lit from within. The color was an icy turquoise.” I
shivered. “It was eerie.”

“Did you notice anything else?”

“He was sweaty, feverish. It took a while to
wake him.” The shock… that was when he woke. “I tried to bring his
fever down, heal him like Dad healed Mom.”

“Meara! That’s dangerous magic.”

“It didn’t work,” I said. “At first, I
thought it was working. I could feel it, but then, something pushed
my magic back at me, like an electrical shock.”

“Did it hurt?”

“It stung, like a burn.” He reached for my
hand, but I pulled it back. “There’s no mark. The pain is
gone.”

“Fair enough.” Kieran sat up and faced me.
“If he were fully human, he couldn’t have resisted your magic.”

“How do you know that’s what he did?”

“Because I’ve felt something similar. It’s a
defense mechanism.”

Cold seeped into my chest. I didn’t want to
hear that Evan was not human. What if he was part of something that
hated us? He said he still loved me, but would it endure?

“I’m telling the truth. Do you want me to
show you?” He obviously mistook my silence for disbelief.

“No thanks. I’m not up for shock therapy
today. I believe you.” I slipped out of bed again and stood up.
This time, I visualized shoes. Kieran sat back and watched me.
“Well, you’re welcome to stay as long as you like, but I need to
get going.”

He frowned. “Where are you off to? Don’t we
have a lesson this morning?”

“Not today,” I sang. “My dad’s giving me my
lesson today.”

“Really? On what?”

I produced my dagger and waved it in front
of him. “Paring.”

“Where’d you get that?” Kieran reached for
it, but I jumped back.

“Angus gave it to me. It belonged to his
mother.”

“Be careful with it.” His eyes followed the
blade, and his eyes filled with worry. Did he think I was
clueless?

“I know how to use it. I’m not
helpless!”

“Angus taught you?”

“Yes,” I admitted.

Kieran seemed to consider the weapon again.
His eyes moved between the knife and me. A slow smile grew on his
face. “Can I watch you and your dad?”

Would my dad mind? I didn’t think so. “Sure,
why not?”

He jumped up. “Great. Let’s go.”

I took his arm and pulled him toward the
door. “No, you can go. I am in desperate need of a shower, and I
want to change.”

“I can wait—”

“You can go.” I gave him a firm shove. “I’ll
meet you and my dad in the cavern in a half hour.”

I closed the door and pushed a chair in
front of it. Okay, so a determined Selkie would laugh at my
attempts at privacy, but I thought Kieran would get the hint. I
lingered in the shower a minute longer than necessary, enjoying the
hot stream of water on my achy muscles. This was my chance to show
my dad I was ready to fight alongside him. I couldn’t complain, and
I couldn’t let a few muscle pains get in my way. I had to be in top
form.

“You ruined everything.” Ken’s voice dripped with
hatred and accusation. Evan rubbed his temple. So much for not
having headaches, he had a hell of a one now. He blinked and tried
to focus. He heard Ken’s voice, but no one else was in the room.
Where was he anyhow? Were those bars?

Fully alert, Evan sat up and looked around. He was
on a cot in a cell. Was he in jail? The last thing he remembered
was the blinding light. Before that…

His hands!

He raised them. They looked normal. Blunt nails,
pale skin. Had it all been a dream? It seemed so real…

“
Now
what are we going to do?” Ken’s voice
rose again. Though someone murmured a reply, Evan couldn’t make out
the words. Was that the professor? The voice was so low, it was
impossible to distinguish.

Why was he in a cell? Had he done something wrong?
He followed Ken’s orders, and the professor’s, too. The weird
experience with the professor, had he dreamed it? What the hell
happened? He’d lost Meara, he was possibly a monster, and now, they
locked him up. Was he dangerous?

He crossed to the bars and checked for a padlock. He
didn’t see one. Maybe they put him here to rest until he woke up.
He was probably reading more into the situation than he should. He
wrapped his hand around the metal bars and pulled. Nothing.