Chapter fourteen
the house at the end of the bog
W hispers woke me.
“Eleanor.”
“Nhhh.” I rolled over in bed.
“Wake up, my love.”
Bowyn? I blinked groggily around the loft.
“Eleanor.”
There it was again! It was Bowyn; I was sure of it. I dragged myself up, so I could look through the window. In the garden below, Bowyn and Darragh circled each other. Like a ravenous bear, Bowyn’s hulking frame lunged at Darragh. Quick and lithe, Darragh dodged easily.
Had Darragh just come home?
For a brief moment, I heard a high-pitched whine, like a cicada in summertime. I wriggled a finger in my ear. Even though the window was shut tight, I could hear Darragh and Bowyn talking, as if I was right next to them.
“She’s not a pet you can leave and come back to!” Bowyn shouted. “ Tell her the truth and send her home! You’re both going to get hurt. Every moment you delay increases your suffering ten-fold!”
“Are you bitter you can’t bed her like the rest of your patients?” Darragh kept a deadly focus on Bowyn’s movements. If magic was involved, Darragh would best Bowyn with little effort but…I had a feeling Darragh wouldn’t use magic against his friend.
“Maybe that’s what Eleanor wants?” Bowyn’s eyes travelled up and down Darragh. He sneered. “She certainly isn’t getting it from you.”
Darragh cracked his knuckles.
“She’s an adult,” Bowyn spit. “She can make her own choices. Quit protecting her.”
“If I want guidance, I’ll ask for it.”
Bowyn hurled himself at Darragh and they slammed into the ground. Bowyn came out on top; his flesh sizzled and smoked where he held Darragh’s arms. Bowyn didn’t notice. He glared at Darragh laying motionless beneath him. Darragh remained unbothered. If anything, he looked dreadfully bored as he watched tendrils of smoke waft away. Bowyn smashed the ground beside Darragh’s head. Darragh didn’t flinch.
Bowyn climbed off and cried, “I’m just trying to help you!” Brushing down his robes, Bowyn pointed at Darragh and said, “Tell her the truth, or I will.” With that, Bowyn stalked down the path and disappeared into the trees.
Darragh turned and saw me in the window. My waking moment turned back into a hazy dream, the conversation forgotten the moment my eyes closed.
***
Breakfast with Darragh was a quiet endeavor. It gave me time to think. What would I do first when I got home? Ugh, I should probably do the dishes—
“Wait,” I said. Darragh looked up from his breakfast. “I can’t go back.”
Darragh wiped his mouth, his brows rising hopefully. “Why not?”
“Turner. If I go back, I’ll be charged with murder.”
Darragh’s shoulders slumped. “You won’t,” he said absent-mindedly.
“What do you mean? Why not?”
“I took care of it. There’s no evidence. No one will ever know what happened.”
“But I know—”
“As far as your police are concerned, he’s missing . Better people go missing every second on Earth.”
I shifted on my stool. “I just…I don’t know if I can forgive myself for killing—”
Darragh slammed his palm on the table. “What do you think he was going to do, Nell?” Darragh tapped his temple angrily; it made a loud tap-tap noise. “I know what he was going to do to you! If you didn’t defend yourself, you’d be dead!”
Darragh’s sudden brutality shocked me. I sat in stunned silence. Darragh rose from the table and muttered, “He got what he deserved,” before slamming the door behind him.
I wiped my eyes.
***
Darragh and I walked so far, I didn’t recognize the woods anymore. A mood hung over us, and I hadn’t felt like talking. It was only out of sheer boredom that I asked, “How do we get back to Earth?”
Darragh, perhaps regretful of his outburst but unsure how to initiate conversation, jumped at the opportunity to talk. “A long time ago, a Hiraethian named Madelena found a way to Earth.” I opened my mouth, but Darragh, now familiar with my incessant curiosity, spoke quickly, “I don’t know how.” When he was sure that I didn’t mean to ask more questions, he continued. “Madelena bestowed the knowledge of her discoveries in a handful of objects. If you find one of her relics, and you’re strong enough, you can make the journey.”
“What if I’m not strong enough?”
“You’re stronger than you think,” Darragh replied. “Once cloud walking was made illegal, Madelena’s relics were sought out, and most were destroyed.”
“But this guy, Senan, he has one?”
“Senan has one.”
“Even though it’s illegal?”
“Even if it’s a crime, there’s a market for it. One which Senan is happy to exploit.” Gradually, the trees gave way to a grey, misty marsh. In the distance, a small, rocky island jutted from the mist. I trod onward but Darragh snatched my arm. He swung his leg in front of us, dispersing the mist. It revealed dark, murky water. “I can’t stress this enough. Follow me very closely.” I nodded, unable to look away from the placid water. Darragh chose his steps with great care as he navigated a path. All around, unseen creatures swam, swirling the mist.
“What are those?”
“Marsh elver,” Darragh said. “Horrible things. If you’re lucky, you’ll drown before they eat you.”
“Huh.” I gulped. “Neat.”
“Just don’t disturb the water.”
What if I fall in?
My mind spun images of treading the dark water, while unknown creatures circled my legs. Helpless, anticipating the bite of sharp teeth… My mouth suddenly dry, I said, “For the record, I hate this.”
“Senan’s a bit of a recluse.”
To hear Darragh label someone a recluse amused me.
Darragh reached the rocky shore and hauled himself up. Crouching, he pulled me up after him. “We’re here.” Darragh jutted his chin at a wooden hut nestled high in the trees. Janky beams, bent at awkward angles, supported the hut. They bore an uncanny resemblance to chicken legs.
“You should call this place Bog End ,” I said.
Darragh gave me an inquisitive look.
“Just a thought.”
Darragh said, “The last time I saw Senan…we didn’t part on good terms.” He paused as if he meant to explain but chose otherwise. Instead, he yelled, “Senan!”
We waited.
Nothing happened.
“Senan, let me up!”
Still, nothing happened. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Darragh waited. This was a game he’d played before. Five minutes passed, and Darragh blew out a loud breath. “I’ve brought someone to meet you, Moss. You’re being terribly rude!” After another long pause, a clattering noise rang out above. Step by step, a staircase formed and descended. It slammed the ground and I jumped.
“I’ll go first, if you don’t mind.” Darragh climbed the stairs. When he reached the top, he opened the front door without knocking.
“Oof,” I mumbled.
Darragh was right to compare Senan to a magpie. Shiny amethysts, tall candles, baubles and delicate metal instruments filled shelves on every wall. Skeletons of different animals hung from the ceiling, bones bleached white. I wasn’t sure where to put my feet; wooden crates packed with more items covered the floor, stacked one on top of the other. They teetered so precariously, it had to be magic keeping them upright. Darragh led me past an imposing spiral staircase that jutted from the middle of the room. It carried up so many stories, I couldn’t see the top. We shuffled along a goat path, stopping at a fireplace.
Darragh spoke, “Senan.”
“That’s how you introduce me? Are you so embarrassed?” I did a double take. A small potato of a man sat in front of the fire. He was so immersed in the things around him, I hadn’t realized he was a person until he spoke.
Darragh tried the introduction again. “This is Senan “ Moss ” Mitalrrythin.”
“Oh!”
“My grandfather, yes.”
Looking remarkably like a little gnome, Senan sat in a red, high-backed chair. Rosy cheeks and a big nose poked out from a lengthy, snow-white beard. He wore a green housecoat; the mottled fabric reminded me of a little mossy pebble. Senan laid his keen eyes on me. Olive, like Darragh’s, though they possessed a joyful twinkle.
“You’re the first person he’s brought to me, Nelli.” Senan gave Darragh a sidelong glance. Darragh brushed dust from the mantel, avoiding Senan’s gaze.
How’d he know my name?
Senan slipped from the chair and toddled off. When he returned, he placed a pot of water in the fire, and a cookie-filled plate on the table. Senan waved and two chairs appeared, one of which bumped a tall stack of crates. Directly above me, the top crate wobbled, and fell. Darragh yanked me against his chest and caught the crate.
Glaring at Senan, Darragh said, “We seek passage to Earth.”
“Is that why you’re here?” Senan muttered, looking into the fire. “I should have known. You only visit when you need something.”
“I’m busy,” Darragh snapped. “And I want no part of your illicit activities.”
Senan rolled his eyes, a gesture that earned a huff from Darragh. Senan patted my hand. “My dear, why are you leaving us so soon?”
A flurry of monsters speckled my mind. Nighstalkers, carnivorous deer, trees that only pretended to be trees. I shifted nervously under Senan’s gaze. My leg still ached from being broken, and I’d developed a nasty rash from the nettle.
The real question was, why hadn’t I left sooner?
“I’d like to go home,” I replied. “I don’t think I belong here.”
Senan offered a forlorn smile. “We live in a harsh but magical place.” He relaxed into his armchair. “I’ll consider your request.” Darragh pulled sachets of mushrooms and ruby petals from his bag. He placed them on the table, followed by a handcrafted mug. The opal we’d retrieved was set nicely into the mug’s side. Darragh slid over the offering. The firelight glinted off the opal and Senan’s eyes narrowed.
“We need to go back. I have work to do, and Nell feels unsafe here.”
“Is Nell safe on Earth?” Senan asked, his lips pursing.
The muscle in Darragh’s jaw twitched, the same way it did when Bowyn struck a nerve. He didn’t rise to Senan’s challenge, whatever it was. “Please,” Darragh said. Senan glanced at the mug and his gaze softened. He plucked it from the table and Darragh smiled. Senan hadn’t said he would help us, but it seemed Darragh knew he’d accepted the offer.
Without prying his eyes from the opal, Senan asked, “Will you stay the night, or must you leave now?”
“It’s better for us to arrive in the cover of darkness. I’m sorry, but we need to leave as soon as possible.”
Senan placed a small, clear orb on the table. “Tea first?”
Darragh started to protest, but his shoulders sagged. “One, then we must go.”
Senan clapped his little hands together and two more mugs appeared. He placed his newest acquisition on a shelf with several shiny goblets and grabbed an old, weathered mug for himself. Stained brown from years of use, it seemed so out of character from the trinkets that lined the shelves. Senan placed a sachet in his old mug, and then mine. But not Darragh’s.
I looked at Darragh, a silent question.
“I need to… drive , so to speak,” Darragh answered. “But you should drink.”
Senan beamed, filling my mug with steaming water. With a wink, he filled his own. Darragh pulled his satchel around and rooted through it. He withdrew a bunch of loose leaves and crumbled them into his cup. He dumped boiling water in. Once everyone sat comfortably with tea, Senan set on Darragh.
“My child, when are you going to find a companion?”
Darragh’s head fell back. He ran a hand through his hair and muttered, “I knew it.”
“I’d hate to see you a spinster!”
“Moss, please.” Darragh rubbed his temple.
“I just want you to be happy!” Senan placed a chunky hand on my arm. “He’s not so hard to look at, right? He has a pleasant face, and quite an agreeable stature?”
My cheeks burned. “He’s alright,” I joked.
Darragh’s eyes found mine. A voice in my head whispered, ‘ My Nell, it’s not like you to be dishonest.’ Darragh raised a brow, and a smile tugged his cheek.
My stomach somersaulted.
“He’s very easy to look at,” I amended, sipping my tea.
“Right. There you have it.” Senan laughed, taking a big gulp himself. He raised one meaty hand and counted fingers. “He can cook, he can sew, he can keep house. Sure, he can be disagreeable at times—he gets that from his mother…”
Senan lapsed into silence. Sipping his tea, his nose crinkled.
Senan collected himself and said, “He’d certainly give you powerful daughters.” Darragh covered his face. His hands didn’t quite hide the cherry-red shade of his neck. “He’d make a lovely companion, right, Nell?” Senan elbowed me.
There was something in the tea. Warmth and a slight nausea swelled in my belly. The fire turned hazy. My mug blurred in and out of focus. Far away, Senan said, “Oh, drat. There she goes.”
Dizzying darkness filled the room.