Chapter 7 #2
“His upbringing couldn’t be that bad,” Nelson said as he flipped a few pages back.
“Mr. Ossor is described as soft-spoken, kind, extremely generous and helpful to other hikers, and fond of books and tea. Some of the stations let him rummage through their lost and found for clothes and gear but he’s most interested in books, they say. Specifically, literature and poetry.”
Nox whistled. “I can’t fathom why an Ossor would be alone and this far south but poetry fits,” he said, causing Merlin to sigh heavily.
“It certainly does. The fianna were fond of music and poetry, to pass on their history and entertain each other around the campfire,” Merlin said and smiled sadly at the name at the top of the board.
“Tighe means poet in Gaelic.” His glance drifted to Nox and tightened.
“There’s been a trend with this generation of Celtic descendants: they seem to run truer and stronger. Much stronger.”
Silas held up a hand. “I’m not following. Why is it so bad if he’s supposed to be a super hunter and a…super poet?” he asked and Nox grinned.
“I wouldn’t mind meeting a super poet,” he said before growing serious.
“But Ossors are wild men, said to be dangerously unpredictable. Feral, in the truest sense of the word. And I’m very worried about the dark warlock with a penchant for breeding monsters,” he explained, causing Nelson to whisper a curse.
“That’s why Dùbhghlas would want him. What could he do with a true Werewolf of Ossor?” he asked Nox, then raised his brows at Merlin.
The older man threw his hands up. “There’s no telling! We’ve seen what he can do with a dead changeling child. Dùbhghlas has only grown stronger since we destroyed that monstrosity and is learning from his mistakes, mark my words.”
“Hold on!” Silas’s hand popped back up. “Dead changeling child?” he asked and immediately regretted it but he needed to know more about this Dùbhghlas guy and exactly what they were up against.
“Yeah…” Nox winced hard and hopped onto his desk, his legs kicking as he opened his laptop.
“You met our changeling friend, Everly. He came to us after he was attacked by a zombie child that Huge Douchebag turned into a vampire that could suck the magick out of other changelings and magickal beings.”
“Oh. I see…” Silas gripped his forehead as an ache bloomed behind his eyes.
He thought there was something strange about the ethereal, younger man.
But Silas had scarier things on his mind at the time, like facing a demon and fighting for Niall.
“I forgot about your changeling friend… Are they usually evil—like the ones in horror movies?” he asked but Nox snorted and swatted dismissively.
“Changelings are usually harmless and want to be left alone but Douchebag made something from a horror movie with the remains of a dead, tormented child. It was hollow and pure evil. Everly is nothing like that. He’s pure love and sunshine.”
“An angel,” Merlin stated firmly. “But through Everly we have learned that changelings are extremely malleable and capable of absorbing magick. He’s adapted and acquired many of Nox’s powers as well as the strength and abilities of a hellhound.”
Silas hadn’t forgotten the twins who had accompanied Nox and Nelson to Shenandoah.
They were strapping men and Silas had noticed the way they grew even larger and more menacing around the demon that had been masquerading as a biologist named Dr. Chance Curn.
Once again, Silas had been too petrified by the existence of a demon and terrified for Niall to give much thought to the twins.
He understood that they were something strange like Nox, but they were there to help so Silas focused on getting to Niall and saving him from the demon.
It turned out that Niall didn’t want to be rescued and believed he was meant to love and save said demon.
That wasn’t any of Silas’s business and he knew it was time to walk away.
Niall had made his choice and swore he was happy so Silas wished him luck and left with his broken heart.
Thankfully, Nox and Nelson arrived at Silas’s office the following morning and gave his heart a new reason to keep beating.
“You think there’s a way this Douchebag can turn an Ossor into something evil?” Silas asked them, looking around the room.
Merlin nodded. “If he hasn’t already,” he warned but Nelson waved his pad.
“He was spotted two days ago, not far from Burkes Garden.”
“That’s a rough bit of trail but it’s about a day's hike away from our stream and Mount Rogers!” Silas quickly calculated, both elated and in shock.
The skull from the vision and the man from his dreams were real.
If they moved quickly and were successful, Silas would finally be face to face with him.
But if they were too late… Silas couldn’t even finish the thought, he was so scared of losing him.
Tighe.
Silas had only heard the name a few moments ago but it was already everything to him. He’d never met anyone named Tighe before, now Silas felt like he’d known his name from birth, as if he had learned it before his own.
“Here he is! Shelby’s reconstruction is almost identical,” Nox said as he turned his laptop so everyone could see a picture of a beautiful, strawberry blond-haired, blue-eyed man in his early-to mid thirties.
He had high cheekbones and a square, dimpled chin.
“It’s an article about a hiker who went missing after falling into a ravine and getting his leg trapped in the rock slide.
Thankfully, he was found and carried to where rescuers could find him by an Amish hiker named Tighe Ossor. ”
In the photo, a scruffy beard covered Tighe’s jaw and a hand was shoved into his wild, shoulder-length waves as he stared back at them in irritated bewilderment.
I love you.
Tighe Ossor might not have wanted his picture taken but Silas snatched it right into his soul, memorizing and cherishing that face.
Instead of a skull or a faceless body without a name, Silas would dream of Tighe Ossor.
And now that Silas had a name and a real face to work with, he wasn’t wasting another minute.
“We need to get to Mount Rogers and check that stream,” Silas said to Nelson. “He could already be there or someone else might be waiting for him, if Douchebag knows about this werewolf thing.”
“I agree!” Merlin said, rubbing his chin as he calculated. “You could make it there by…late afternoon if you leave now.”
Nox had his phone out and was typing. “I’m letting my TA know I’ll be out for the rest of the week,” he murmured as Nelson headed for the door.
“I’ll start packing. We leave in fifteen minutes.”
Silas stared after him, still stunned that they had a name but also ambivalent about how much his life was about to change. Tighe Ossor would be Silas’s fate and his future or he would spend the rest of his life mourning a man he’d never met and hunting for revenge.
“Great. I’ll get my gear,” he said with a loud gulp, then went to prepare for their trip to Mount Rogers.