Just Believe (27 page)

"I still don't get this, Gaelen,"
Annabelle puffed, trying to keep up with him and talk at the same
time. "How can you be disbelieved into nonexistence? You're
real."

He stopped, and Annabelle was several
steps ahead of him before she stopped.

"What is it now?" She was getting just
a little bit irritated by his mood.

"What did you say?"

"I asked you--"

"Not that, before."

She had to think. "Oh, you mean about
you're being real?"

"Yes." He looked away, his eyes on some
spot way beyond the scene before them. "I'm real," he said, as
though trying to convince himself.

"That's right," Annabelle whispered.
"How can what anyone else thinks make you less than what you are?
It just doesn't make any sense."

Gaelen chuckled, but it wasn't a happy
sound. "I told you what I am, and you're looking for
sense?"

"You're the one who's been trying to
explain things scientifically, remember? Squooshing atoms and
bending light around the molecules of that ointment to make things
invisible? So how is this any different? Tell me, have you ever
seen anyone disbelieved out of existence?"

Gaelen frowned. "No."

"Well, there you go."

"That doesn't mean anything. We've been
careful." He started walking again toward the rented Mercedes.
"Besides, I don't want to test it."

Annabelle thought that was exactly what
was needed here. But she couldn't honestly say she didn't believe
just so she could test Gaelen's theory. So she followed him,
deciding to let him have his way. For now.

Chapter Nineteen

Gaelen slammed the trunk lid down.
Their purchases would be much safer here than in Mrs. O'Hara's
house, even if she weren't Linette. Of course, he'd lied to
Annabelle about seeing the spiteful pixie in her old lady get-up,
and he was more upset than he cared to admit that he hadn't seen
through it. If he hadn't let himself get spooked last night, he
wouldn't have shielded himself from her, and her from him. He'd
played right into Linette's hands. She knew his sense of
self-preservation. She'd known he'd shield himself and leave her
deception undetected.

He'd been taken in, and he'd put
Annabelle in danger.

"So, what do we do?" Annabelle stood by
his side. He was grateful she hadn't pressed him for any more
explanations.

"We wait for dawn."

"Why?" She grabbed his sleeve, her eyes
frantic. "Erin's been in there for two days already. We can't waste
any more time. We've got to get her out."

Gaelen leaned against the car.
"Annabelle, dearest, I understand your fear. But there isn't
anything we can do until dawn." He needed to get her mind off their
troubles. "Have you ever been to Ireland?"

"No."

"Come on, then," he said as he opened
the door for her, "let's go for a ride."

She didn't look ready to go on a
joyride with the situation still unresolved, but finally settled on
a huff to show her displeasure with the delay and got in. Gaelen
walked around and opened the door, casting a quick glance toward
the house where Linette hid. She was probably digging through their
bags right now, looking for some idea of what he intended to
do.

She'd never find a clue. You couldn't
leave clues to a plan that didn't exist.

* * * *

Even though she felt like a traitor,
once she was actually in the car, Annabelle had to admit she was
glad Gaelen decided they needed to get away.

"Where are we going?"

"I want to show you some of Ireland."
He glanced behind them, as Killis grew smaller in the rearview
mirror. "And we'll have some time to talk."

"You mean you're finally going to tell
me how we're going to get Erin and Lucas out of that
place?"

"Soon." He didn't look at her. "First,
we ride and see the some of the most beautiful land God
created."

They drove for almost an hour, either
in silence or with a few words as Gaelen pointed out some sight
along the road. Annabelle noticed the mileage signs showed Dublin
growing closer.

She hadn't realized Ireland was so,
well, compact.

"Are we going to Dublin?"

"No. Somewhere more
important."

His reply surprised her. "Dublin's the
capitol, isn't it?"

"It is now, but not always."

She half-turned in her seat. "I thought
the Irish loved to talk. How come I have to pull words out of
you?"

Gaelen laughed. "Indeed the Irish love
to talk. I'm a fairy, though."

"Aren't you Irish?"

He thought about that. "I suppose in a
way. Maybe in the same way I'm an American. By
naturalization."

"A naturalized Irishman. What were you
before?"

"I'm a fairy."

"So what's that got to do with you not
being Irish and a talker?"

"Oh, we talk, only the Irish have
always been better talkers." He glanced at her, a smile in his
eyes. "That's why we live underground now."

"Oh," she said, remembering what Gaelen
had told her about the bad land deal.

"There," he said, pointing ahead of
them. He slowed the car and turned into a gravel lot, parking and
turning off the ignition. "We'll have to walk. You have comfortable
shoes?"

"Sure." Annabelle got out and followed
him. There wasn't much to see, and she wondered why they'd stopped.
She almost asked when she glanced at Gaelen and her words froze on
the tip of her tongue.

He stood in front of the car, just
looking, the expression on his face one of longing.

"Gaelen," she whispered, afraid of
breaking this spell. "Where are we?"

"Tara," he replied, his answer as low
as her question.

He started walking quickly toward the
low hill covered with green. Annabelle dashed after him, her eyes
on him.

"Gaelen, what is Tara? I mean besides
Scarlett O'Hara's plantation?"

That did stop him.

"What? What is Tara?" he asked, his
voice heavy with disbelief. Then he circled her as though she were
a strange new form of life brought back from Mars. Annabelle shrank
away from the examination.

"I'm sorry I don't know, Gaelen.
Pretend I'm a product of the American public school system and tell
me."

He sighed. "Tara is the hall of the
kings. It's where my people ruled the land."

"Before the Irish."

"Yes. And when we went
underground…"

Annabelle wondered at that phrase. He
never said, "When they beat us…"

"They took it over and used it until
Patrick converted them."

"Then what happened to it?"

"They forgot about it. Just like they
forgot about us."

Sadness colored his voice, shadowed his
face. Annabelle's heart became heavy with sympathy.

He started walking again, his long
stride taking him closer to the grassy mound, all that was left of
Tara.

Annabelle quickened her pace to keep up
with him. "Gaelen, this looks like a national monument or
something. Won't we get in trouble being up here?"

He didn't answer. She followed
him.

They scrambled up the hillside. Once
there, Annabelle could see they were on top of an outer ring.
Inside was a second ring surrounding a field. Further over were
another two rings, these larger than those on which she was
standing. The inside ring enclosed yet another mound.

"Look out that way," Gaelen said,
pointing.

She raised her eyes and gazed out. And
was struck speechless.

"A fine, fair sight, is it
not?"

"It's beautiful." Even as she spoke the
words, Annabelle was struck with their inadequacy.

Near noon, the sun hung high, giving a
golden glow to the verdant land. Far off she could see the shadowy
outlines of low mountains.

"Those mountains, there," Gaelen
pointed, standing by her shoulder. "They're in Galway and Clare.
All the way on the other side of Ireland."

"We can see that far?" She threw him a
glare. "You're not doing anything are you? To fool me?"

He laughed. "Aren't you the suspicious
one? No, dearling, I'm not doing anything. It's only about a
hundred miles after all, with not much betwixt us."

Turning, he walked away. Again she
followed.

"Gaelen, why are we here?" She caught
up and took hold of his sleeve, stopping him. "Are we just killing
time?"

"No. I needed to come here."

He took her hand and they walked along
the top of the ancient ring. Their silence was taken up by nature.
No birds sang. No breeze ruffled the grass. There was no sign of
any life but theirs, as far as Annabelle could see. It was as
though they were alone in all of Ireland.

Gaelen appeared to be staring off
toward the middle of the rings, even as they circled
them.

What was he looking for?

She didn't ask, afraid of shattering
the crystalline silence they shared.

Finally, after they had walked the
circumference of the rings three times, Gaelen stopped, his eyes
still fixed on the center of the rings.

He nodded as though agreeing with words
Annabelle couldn't hear.

"It's time to be getting back." His
words caught her by surprise, and she found herself standing on top
of the rise while Gaelen was halfway to the car.

"Well," he called back to her, "let's
go. It'll be gettin' dark soon."

She dashed after him, growing more
confused by the second.

Gaelen practically shoved her in the
car and slammed the door after her, then he ran around the red
Mercedes and jumped into the driver's seat. The engine purred and
seconds later they were on the main highway back to
Killis.

"Are you going to explain?" she finally
asked. "What was all that about? Were you communing with the
spirits?"

He grinned. "Sort of."

"Did they tell you what to
do?"

"Yep."

"Well?" She was starting to get really
irritated.

"If I tell you, you'll just write it up
for your paper."

Annabelle felt her brow furrow. "Why
would you think that?"

"You're a journalist. What you're going
to be seeing is, well, news."

"What am I going to see?" She
half-turned in the seat so she could really look at him. "I
promise, I won't write about this." She made the motion over her
chest. "Cross my heart."

"Okay. We're going to make a frontal
assault on Finnvarra's hall."

That sounded dangerous.

"There's no other way?"

"Not that I've thought of. Maybe you've
a better idea?" he cut her a glance, humor in his eyes.

"How can you think this is funny? My
sister is being held prisoner by those people."

"I'm sorry. You're right, of course."
He sobered immediately. "I'm going to need your help. But I'm
afraid you're not going to like the requirements."

"Requirements?"

"Well, the best I've come up with is
this. You and I go into Finnvarra's hall, me as Lucas's advocate,
you in disguise." He glanced at her. Annabelle imagined she saw
embarrassment in his eyes. "Once inside, I'll distract the
assembly, while you get Erin out."

"That sounds okay to me. They wouldn't
hurt us or anything, would they?"

"Ach, no." His quick reassuring smile
faded and his brow furrowed. "Well, maybe not. Probably
not."

"Gaelen."

"The most they'd do is strike you
blind."

"What?"

"Or they could turn you into something.
A swan. A fish maybe?"

"You're kidding."

"Wish I were."

"Well, as long as I don't end up as a
frog."

"Please, Annabelle, at least give us
credit for having some style." He was grinning again and Annabelle
had no alternative but to join him. "That's better. Everything goes
better with a little humor."

"So, how will I be disguised?" she
asked, certain he had something perfectly humorous
planned.

Gaelen averted his eyes, staring
straight up the highway. "Maybe we'd better leave an explanation of
that until we get back to Killis."

Annabelle waited a moment, sure he'd
have more to add, but when he didn't, she asked, "Why wait, Gaelen?
How horrible can it be?"

She saw his eyes cut to her, then back
to the road, though his head didn't even twitch.

"Just wait," he said, patting her hand.
"It's bad luck to talk about a plan before it's time to spring
it."

"I never heard of that
superstition."