A quick knock sounded on the door, and Brogan came in, huffing from the exertion.
“Still no sign of ‘im, but the boys are on it.”
“Brogan,” Dad said. “Do you have means to contact the Fae? To get them to open the portal?”
Brogan opened his mouth and paused, unsure, until my father swore that the information would never leave this room. Brogan pulled a thin rope from around his neck. Hanging from it was a golden tube the size of my thumb. It was a whistle. We all leaned forward to look at it. There was indecipherable writing and a symbol.
“Hey, is that…?” Cass pointed at the image, crinkling her brow, and we leaned in further.
“You gotta be kidding me,” Dad said.
“It’s a picture of a pot of gold!” I grinned.
“Aye,” Brogan tucked it back into his shirt. “I’ve never been certain of its meaning, except that the Fae believe their realm to be the ultimate treasure. Not another soul has seen this caller, ‘cept the Keepers who passed it to me.”
“How does it work?” Dad asked him.
“It makes no noise to the human ear, but the Fae who guards the gate will hear it and open the portal to attain the message. ‘Tis rarely used.”
“I’ll bet.” Dad rubbed his large, squared chin and looked at me. “Robyn. You brought all of your video stuff? The camera and laptop?”
“Yeah…” Where was this going? He cleared his throat and began delegating responsibilities.
“Brogan, I’m going to need you to pass a message to the Summer King through the portal guard. Tell him that the long-awaited binding will take place two evenings from now and you’d be honored to have the King and his court present for the event.”
Brogan nodded.
“What if they don’t come?” Cassidy asked.
“Let’s just try and stay hopeful, love,” Mom told her.
“Cass.” Dad looked at her pointedly. “You and I are going to leave the village tonight—”
“But—”
“We’ll be back in time for the binding. We have to be quick. There are some electronics I need to get and I’m going to need help. Plus, I’d rather have you with me, away from here, considering.”
She looked at me. “I don’t want to leave Robyn.”
“It’ll be okay.” I squeezed her hand.
“All right, listen up.” Dad’s voice sounded like a military commander and our postures straightened. “We don’t have much time, so here’s the plan.”
I lay in bed next to Mom unable to sleep. By the time Dad and Cassidy left, McKale and Rock still hadn’t been found. Keefe did witness the FFG return to her own realm, thank goodness. But it killed me to know McKale was out there somewhere feeling… however he was feeling. Did he think I’d let him go so easily, as the FFG said? Had she been able to influence him once I was no longer in their presence? And worst of all, did he kiss her? Or worse?
I couldn’t stand the thought. I rolled over and pressed my face hard into my pillow until I could feel tiny feathers poking through the cloth, jabbing my face. I didn’t care how they stung. Nothing could hurt worse than the thought of McKale losing himself in her touch.
I wondered if Rock stayed silent the whole time, or if something might have happened to cause him to interfere. He was reckless, but I didn’t want him to be hurt.
At the sound of a knock, Mom and I bolted upright.
“Coming,” she called. We helped each other stand and went to the door. Brogan and Keefe stood there together.
“We found McKale,” Brogan said. “He and Rock both made their way to Clourichaun land. They’re fine and safe fer now.”
I let out a loud breath.
“Aye, fine if you count the bloody pixie tailing ‘im,” Keefe clarified.
That gave me goose bumps.
“It would seem the Shoe Mistress is keeping an eye on ‘im by leaving her pet behind,” Brogan explained. He sounded tired. Mom must have noticed, too.
“Thank you, Brogan. And Keefe. Please thank all the boys for us. I’m glad McKale’s okay. Let’s all get some rest so we can do everything that needs to be done tomorrow.”
Brogan stroked his beard and nodded. “I’ve sent a message for McKale to stay over there until after dark tomorrow so the blasted pixie won’t be able to see any of the goings on over here.”
“Good idea,” Mom said.
Sadness weighed heavy inside me. I wouldn’t get to see him at all tomorrow? Mom rubbed a hand over my back and said good night to the men as they left.
We climbed back into her and Dad’s bed and prepared for a long, fitful night of sleep.
I took extra time doing my morning chores. The animals had a calming effect. The chickens pecked at their feed and the goats nudged my hands without any idea that today was different from any other day.
Afterward I went down to the clearing and pretended to eat breakfast. I noticed Mom only took a few bites as well. Word traveled fast through the clan. They may not have known the details, but they knew there was a threat at hand. Gone was yesterday’s playfulness. People gave me respectful nods to let me know they were there for us and I returned the gesture.
Mom and I spent the early part of the day pacing, accompanied by whispers and murmurs from the clan. I kept eyeing the sun, watching for it to get high in the sky. Dad and Cassidy were supposed to return mid-afternoon.
Leilah approached me in the middle of the clearing with a hot cup of honeyed tea. I took it and thanked her.
“Is it true then?” she asked. “About the Shoe Mistress claiming yer McKale for herself?”
Her words hurt my stomach, but I nodded. “It’s true.”
“Och! The brazen cow. Ye’ll tell me if ye need anything from me, love?”
“Yes, Leilah. Thank you.” I bent and we shared a hug before she left me standing in the middle of the clearing with my hands around the ceramic mug. I kept watching the tree line, half-expecting McKale to come walking through.
I was nearly finished with my tea when I heard the rumble of an engine over the hills. Everyone in the clearing stilled to listen. I set my mug on the table. Mom came running down from the huts. We grabbed hands and took off toward the side of the village with everyone following. Excitement rippled through the clan as a small van came barreling down the hill.
“Keep it down!” Brogan reminded everyone as the voices began to reach a crescendo. Everyone quieted.
Yes, we needed to stay low-key today and not gain the attention of the pixie on the other side of the forest.
Dad and Cassidy jumped out, coming first to give hugs to Mom and me. The four of us went around back of the van where Dad opened it to reveal a hodgepodge of techy equipment—everything from a generator and projector to a giant, white pull-down screen. Clan members jostled to get a view of the foreign objects.
“What is all that?” one of them asked.
Daddy smiled and answered loud enough for everyone to hear. “This is what I like to call human magic. Technology.”
A line of helpers assembled, lifting and carrying the heavy items as a group. Everything was brought down to the bottom of the clearing where Dad calculated the best angle for the movie screen, based on where the late afternoon sun would be at the time of the binding. They set up and tested the equipment before the sun set. When Dad gave a sample run of the technology, eliciting gasps and delighted chatter, Brogan had to remind everyone to quiet down again.
It was all starting to come together. We had the technology. Now we needed four more main components to make this a success: McKale, the FFG, the Summer King, and other Fae witnesses. Please let them come. Brogan gave the official invitation last night. We could only hope they’d accept. And if they didn’t, Dad alluded to the idea of going into Faerie to speak to the Summer King himself. I did not like that idea. None of us did.
Human workers only entered Faerie when they were summoned for purposes of giving their reports. They did not seek out the Fae. Humans who entered Faerie of their
own accord were not guaranteed safe passage back to the earthly realm.
McKale would return this evening and be briefed on his part. When I asked how we’d talk to McKale with the pixie there, Brogan assured me that the Leprechauns had done their share of battling pixies in the past. He said they knew how to deal with the little bugger.
Kitchen workers brought out trays of cheese sandwiches with pickles and jugs of mild ale. It was starting to get dark as everyone sat down to eat. Cassidy held my hand through most of the meal, and we sat with our hips touching. I glanced down at the equipment, which had been covered with waterproof tarps in case it rained overnight. My eyes darted to the tree line. Nothing there but trees. I took a large gulp of ale to wash down the bite of bread that had lodged in my dry throat. Half a sandwich was all I could manage.
“Walk with me?” came a voice above me.
I looked up at my father’s handsome face and glanced at Cassidy.
“I’ll be okay,” she told me. Mom leaned over from Cassidy’s other side and smiled at me, patting my sister’s leg. She wouldn’t let Cass out of her sight. I stood and took the crook of Dad’s arm, letting him lead me away from everyone.
When we were well out of hearing range he rubbed my hand.
“So… eighteen tomorrow, eh?”
“Yeah.” I thought about saying something lighthearted, but didn’t have it in me.
We ended up by the animal holdings. I sat down and leaned against a fence post, giggling when one of the young goats stuck his head through and nuzzled my neck.
“Quit it,” I said, pushing him away.
“They like you.” Dad squatted in front of me and admired the gaggle of goats that stood at my back.
“That’s ‘cause I feed them.”
He smiled and watched the animals until the mood between us grew serious again.
“There are things I planned to tell you when you turned eighteen, even before all this happened. You know, whether it feels like it or not, you’ll be doing a duty for the Fae by binding with McKale tomorrow. But after the fertile years you’ll be expected to work for them in other ways.”
“Like what?” My heart gave a bang. “Are you finally going to tell me what you do?”
He grinned at my unabashed tone. “That was the plan. It’s nothing so mysterious as you might think. I’m just a Tracker. Do you know what that is?”
“Ah.” I leaned back against the pole, staring at my father’s thick jawline and seeing him a little bit differently. I tried to remember everything Leilah had mentioned about Trackers.
“You can make people forget when they meet Faeries?”
He took a seat beside me, leaning against the next fencepost.
“When Fae enter into our realm, I follow their magic. They leave traces when they glamour or sift from one place to another. I can feel a path of burn in the air, and I follow it. They can never sift too far. I usually find them. I can’t stop them or approach them, but sometimes they address me and I’ll respond. Otherwise, I just visit the people they’ve come into contact with. And, yes, I make them forget.”
That gave me a chill. “What do you do? Like, get in their heads somehow?”
“No, I can’t invade anyone’s mind. I shroud them in magic and use the Gaelic phrase, Ar oscailt intinn, which roughly translates to open your mind. It’s more like hypnotism. And then I tell them precisely what I want them to forget. It’s important to be exact so you don’t take too much or leave anything behind. When I pull the magic away, the memory is gone. It’s painless.”
“Wow.” I didn’t know what else to say. How weird to think of my dad doing that. “You work in the U.S.?”
He’d always traveled a lot. Sometimes he was gone for months at a time. But it didn’t make much sense for him to live in the U.S. and work in Ireland.
“I work in the U.S., mostly. There’s a portal there.”
“Where? In D.C.?” The idea of it made me feel violated.
“No, no. It’s in Vermont on the border with Canada.”
“Oh. Well, at least it’s not too close. So, what does Mom do?”
“She’s an information gatherer. She informs us when strange reports are made. We check out anything that sounds like it could be Fae related. There are dozens of us in U.S. offices, including Mom and I.”
I twisted blades of grass between my fingers, trying to process it.
“Do you work for the CIA, then?”
“Nope. Army. It’s a paranormal division nobody’s ever heard of. Except, of course, those in the military elite. And us.” He grinned. “Scared yet?”
“A little,” I admitted. “Does your voodoo magic work on Fae? Can we make them forget?”
“No. Faerie magic only works against their kind at the hands of another Fae, not a human. It’s too weak.”
“Darn.” It would be nice to make the FFG forget she ever wanted McKale.
“Robyn.” He touched my chin to make me look at him. “Everything’s going to work out tomorrow, I’m sure of it. But… in the off chance that things don’t go as we intend, Mom and I are willing to pack it all up and get you out of here. We’ll have to live on the run, trying to evade the Fae, and we won’t be able to use our magic anymore because they can track it. But—”
“No, Daddy.” I scooted over and let him envelop me in his big embrace. “Thank you, but I’m staying here no matter what. Not because the Fae are demanding it, but for McKale and his clan.”
I’d thought about this a lot the previous sleepless night. Even if McKale were forced to live in Faerie, I would be there for him. The thought of looking into his dead eyes and listening to him call me by her name was sickening, but I couldn’t leave him—not if there was even the slightest chance that I could break that trance. I guess when it came down to it I was as much of a hopeless romantic as my sister. I tightened my grip around Dad’s waist, wanting to make all frightening thoughts disappear.
Dad held me and kissed my head. “We’ll see how it goes. All I’m saying is if you want out, we’ll make it happen.”
“Thank you,” I whispered against his shoulder.
In return he murmured, “You have no idea how proud you make me, Robyn.”
AFTER MY WALK WITH Dad, McKale still hadn’t returned to the village for the night. Cassidy and I retired to our room early. I scouted it for nasty little Fae spies, but the room was clean and we felt safe enough to get in bed. We’d hardly gotten any rest the past few days, and after a couple hours of lying there talking, sleepiness took its toll, pulling us both under.
With the feathery down surrounding my head, the first notes of distant music were almost indistinguishable. I lifted my heavy head from the pillow, listening. There it was again: a faint, woeful tune ringing like a soft wail from the strings of a violin.
I bolted out of the bed and ran from the room. The music beckoned me, its song of sorrow matching the song of my own heart this night. It was an audible version of all my emotions. As I chased the source of the invisible grieving, my feet took me straight toward McKale’s bungalow where I halted.
The pixie was sitting on McKale’s doorstep, hands behind his little head. Its wicked smile revealed tiny razor teeth when it caught sight of me. I stepped back, right into Cassidy who was breathing hard. She grasped my upper arms and held me close to her. We stood there together saying nothing as the evil creature eyed us and the slow cry of low musical notes filled the air.
McKale’s song had captured my heart, urging me to him, and yet, because of this creature I couldn’t see him.
I looked up at a motion in my peripheral vision. It was Leilah, standing next to her boyfriend with a hand on her heart. A trickle of others began to join her, drawn to the power of the song. Mom was there, holding her robe closed with Dad at her side. As clan members drifted into the spaces between bungalows, I felt the power of their support. Our numbers were great in comparison to one small pixie. Revived, I lost all fear for the creature on McKale’s doorstep. I stared at it and
took a step forward.
“Be careful,” Cassidy whispered, sensing my intentions, but she dropped her hands from my arms.
I went forward and stopped a few feet from its beady-eyed stare as it raised itself up to face me like a giant, fat, green bumblebee. “Let me pass.”
I was prepared for his attack this time, so when he darted up I swatted, my hand connecting to its squishy belly. But only for a second before he disappeared with a poof and reappeared on my other side, yanking my ear with his claws. The clan was on him before I had a chance to feel pain from his scratches. It was too much for the unsuspecting pixie. He tried to sift away, only to be grasped, punched, kicked, and smacked by another person wherever he reappeared. Leprechauns cried out in urgent voices about the “gloves and cage,” while little women screamed and skittered out of the way.
A bearded man ran out with crazy-looking gloves that appeared to be woven with thin metal. It took a moment before I realized it was Brogan without his hat. He was fearsome in his focused state, and he moved quicker than I thought possible. Behind him ran two of the Chaun holding a small, iron cage. One of the guys thunked the pixie hard from behind with his fist, dazing it. The pixie let out a hideous snarl when Brogan snatched it mid-air and the gloves wrapped around it. Brogan tossed the creature into the cage and someone slammed the door shut, locking it securely. We all cheered. Cassidy and I high-fived each other, laughing. Mom and Dad hugged us.
Brogan walked over, slightly out of breath. He pulled off the gloves and held them up for our inspection.
“Iron,” he said. “Makes ‘em ill—depletes the magic in their skin.”
Brogan nodded toward the cage where the pixie now huddled, shivering and growling in the center. “We’ll return the little sod to ‘is people on the morrow.” And with that, someone whisked it away.
Cassidy nudged me and nodded to the side with big eyes.
I followed her stare to find McKale standing in his doorway watching me, uncertain.
“Kale!” I ran, bumping people and knocking McKale back as I flung my arms around his neck. He was a rumpled mess from his time with the Clourichaun.