Dae's Christmas Past (27 page)

“Dae?” Kevin yelled. “Can you hear me?”

I could hear him, but I couldn’t answer. It was all I could do to hold the demons in place and begin the process of turning them to go back into the fire. I was disconnected from the normal functions of my body. All my energy, everything I was, went into keeping the horses from achieving the goal Duran had set for them.

They were slowly returning to the flames. Their mighty hooves struck against the earth leaving fire where they fought to stay. Sparks flew out with their angry breaths. They didn’t want to go back. They didn’t want to listen to me. They recalled the past when they’d been called to rain fire and death on humans.

But I kept pushing them until they had all jumped back into the fire.

Osisko was still beside me. He was smiling and crying. His hand was on my face, and I knew I’d done the right thing. This was how he’d managed to stop the horses the last time they’d been called a thousand years ago at this spot. He’d been the one who had decided to bury the stone horses so they could never be brought back. He’d convinced several tribes to get the job done, although it took years and many men were lost. He was the one who’d ordered them to bury him alive with it. He never dreamed that one of his descendants would bring them back.

As the horses began to fade into the fire, the flames turned red again, and died down. There was no one to feed the fire. I could feel the energy draining away. As it did, my hand slid down the length of the horse’s leg. I blinked, and realized it was over.

Mary Catherine ran to my side, followed quickly by Jake and Kevin.

“Are you all right, Dae?” she asked. “Do you need to go to the hospital?”

“I’m fine.” I smiled and stared back at them. It wasn’t the truth, but I couldn’t discuss what I’d experienced yet. It was all I could do to get up from the ground. My muscles didn’t want to cooperate, and my brain was mush.

Osisko was gone, probably for good this time. Mary Catherine shrugged when I looked at the place beside me. I understood—she couldn’t see him either.

“Let’s get back to your place.” Kevin put his arm around me.

“Maybe she should chill for a while on my sofa,” Jake said.

“She needs to go home,” Kevin said more forcefully. “I think you’ve gotten her in enough trouble already tonight. Get out of my way.”

Jake put his hand on Kevin’s arm. The two men glared at each other.

“Boys, I think Dae needs to go home. If you can’t manage it without your egos getting in the way, I’ll take her home.” Mary Catherine ended their debate.

Kevin and Jake were silent. Sheriff Riley walked over. “Exactly what am I supposed to do with these people?”

“Arrest them for the murder of Dr. Sheffield and Tom Watts,” Kevin said. “They called back the demon horses and used them to kill both of them.”

“I can’t arrest someone for calling up demon horses,” Sheriff Riley said. “I knew I shouldn’t have come. Palo!”

She put her hand on his arm. “There’s more to it than that. Just hear them out, Tuck.”

I’d never seen Sheriff Riley back down that way before. Chief Palo was letting everyone know about their relationship in a big way. How was he going to handle it?

“Heidi, you know we can’t arrest people for doing things with demons. That’s crazy—I won’t get reelected.”

“Let’s figure this out,” she said calmly. “There are old witchcraft laws on the books, right?”

“Yeah, sure, but I don’t want to be the one to use them.” He stared at what was left of the enormous fire as the night settled around us. “Besides, I never saw a thing, not really. I shot where you said to shoot.”

“We’ll just hold them for now,” she suggested.

He agreed with that. “Okay. You keep ‘em in your jail until we figure it out. Maybe we can prosecute the ringleader, if nothing else. Anyone know who that is?”

“It’s Duran, Dr. Sheffield’s assistant.” Jake gave him a brief description. “He’s the one you should look for.”

“You mean he got away?” Kevin glared at Jake. “Nice going, cowboy.”

Jake took a step toward him, one hand raised in a fist.

“Settle down, gentlemen,” Chief Palo said. “Don’t make me lock all of you up for trespassing while we try to make sense of this.”

“This is my property,” Jake reminded her.

The conversation swirled without me taking part in it at all. I just couldn’t get the images of the demon horses out of my mind. My brain felt stuck on them like a song repeating over and over again. The chant Duran has used to raise them still burned through me. It was all I could do not to go back and try to bring the demons out again.

When they’d finished deciding what each of their first steps was, Sheriff Riley glanced at me. “Someone take her home. She looks like a zombie or something. I don’t want Horace blaming me for this.”

Chief Palo handled any debate from Jake and Kevin by saying she would drive me and Mary Catherine home in her police car. There was a touch of the general ordering her troops in her voice. Kevin and Jake went to their vehicles without saying another word.

We got in the car, and Mary Catherine put her hand on my forehead, staring into my eyes. The dash light was dim and slightly green. “I believe I understand how you feel, Dae. The first time I spoke with a blue whale, I had the same expression on my face. You’re overwhelmed, but you’ll feel better once you’re home and you get a good night’s rest. Just sit back, and try not to worry about a thing. Everyone else will take care of what needs to be done.”

It seemed like a short trip to the house. Mary Catherine and Heidi helped me out of the car. Jake and Kevin had managed to beat us there. They helped me upstairs, and I collapsed on the bed. I vaguely remember Mary Catherine helping me out of my clothes and boots before I fell asleep.

The night was fraught with nightmares and the horrors I’d seen by touching the big horse. To think that could have happened to people in Duck and Corolla made me violently ill. I crept back to bed after my visit to the bathroom, wishing there was something to take this away from me.

My grandmother’s watch was in the drawer of my bedside table. I never wore it because I was afraid something might happen to it. I clutched it then out of misery and fear. What if I could never get past what I’d seen? How would I live with this in my mind for the rest of my life?

There was a way to go back in the past. Grandma Eleanore had told me at our impromptu tea party. I closed my eyes, and allowed it to happen. When I opened them again, I was seated at the kitchen table downstairs, bright sunlight coming in through the windows, but at a time when she was still alive.

“My goodness, Dae!” She jumped visibly. “I didn’t expect you.”

I noticed that she was winding the same watch I’d held to get here. “Is this before or after we met when I touched the first horse?”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about so I’d say before. I assume we had some conversation about it?”

I watched her delicate hand as she set the time on the worn gold watch. She seemed younger, not as frail. “When I came back last time, you were looking for something on the island where Rafe Masterson used to bury his treasure.”

“Don’t tell me anymore.” She held up her hand. “It’s not good to know too much about one’s future. I’m so happy to see you, honey. What brings you back to me?”

I told her everything that had happened as she made pancakes and bacon for breakfast. She listened patiently, and didn’t interrupt until it was all out. Just telling it made me feel better. Still, the monsters lurked at the edge of my awareness.

“You had quite an adventure,” she said. “I’m sorry I can’t offer you pancakes.”

“That’s okay. I just wanted to see you again. I knew you’d understand.” I glanced around the kitchen. Some things were different, but many things hadn’t changed. “When am I? I mean, have I been born yet?”

“Not yet. Your mother is pregnant. You’ll be here soon.”

I watched her finish making breakfast, thinking about her warning not to get too far ahead in her timeline. She’d died before I was born. I’d thought she was sick, but she looked healthy. Maybe it had been something that had come on quickly. I suddenly realized that we’d never talked about how Grandma Eleanore had died.

I also thought about Osisko coming forward from his time to help me with the horses. I wanted to ask her about it, but Now wasn’t the time.

“Hush now. Your mother and your grandfather don’t have our gift. They won’t be able to see or hear you.”

My heart started beating fast and I started crying. I was going to see my mother again. My heart was filled with joy, pushing away the evil and darkness I had experienced.

“Morning, Mom.”

My mother, Jean O’Donnell, with her flyaway hair like mine and the smile I’d never forget. She was so young—and so pregnant.

I wanted to touch her, call out to her. I sobbed with her loss as though she’d just died. My heart was breaking. I wanted to feel her arms around me so badly.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Grandma Eleanore said to her. “Eat your breakfast before you run out the door. It’s not good to go without eating when you’re pregnant.”

“So you keep telling me.” My mother smoothed her hand over her baby bump. “But if I keep feeding her, she’s going to burst right out of me.”

“That won’t happen.” Grandma Eleanore laughed. “She’ll just be healthy and beautiful like her mother.”

“Who are we talking about now?” Gramps asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

“We’re talking about your granddaughter.” Grandma Eleanore smoothed his tie down against his brown sheriff’s uniform. “Sit down and eat. The bad guys will wait until you get there.”

Gramps looked so young and handsome. He was still a deputy with Dare County. He wouldn’t run for sheriff until the next election.

This was an important time in my family’s history. I was on the way. Gramps would be sheriff soon. Grandma Eleanore would die. Everything would change. It was hard knowing, and not saying anything, but I was new to this and had to assume my grandmother knew what she was talking about.

Gramps and my mother left for work. It was beyond wonderful being there with them, even if I couldn’t interact. Being with my mother brought back all my memories of her. The way she laughed. The way she cut her pancakes into tiny pieces before she ate them. All those details we miss about the ones we love when they’re gone.

My family’s love and warmth soothed the pain in my heart. The demon horses couldn’t touch me here. I wished I could stay forever, but Grandma Eleanore reminded me that I should go.

“I loved having you here.” She smiled. “I hope our timelines cross again. But you can’t stay. What do you think is happening to you while you’re gone? Tell me about it when you get back. I hope your grandfather is all right. He understands the rudimentary aspects of our gift. Your mother has always been a little skeptical. I hope she got over that as you grew up.”

I didn’t tell her that I’d evidently found a secret she hadn’t discovered. I could see her whenever I wanted to. I wasn’t sure if this little jaunt back into the past was possible because we were both holding her watch at the same time, but I planned to find out. I’d always wanted to know her and learn about our shared gift. Now I could.

“You’re right,” I told her. “I love you. I’m so glad we had this chance to talk.”

“So am I. Remember not to let those things that you see when you touch something get inside you. Don’t make them part of you, Dae.”

“I’ll work on that.” I waited a moment, but nothing happened. “I’m not sure how to get back.”

“What did you do to get here in the first place?”

“I held your watch and thought about you.”

“Then you’ll have to think about home. And Dae, much as I love you, don’t keep visiting. You can’t live in the past.”

I closed my eyes and thought about sitting in my bedroom, holding her watch, with Treasure asleep on the bed beside me. When I opened them again, I was back in my time. It was morning, and the sun was streaming in through the windows in my room.

“Thank goodness!” Mary Catherine took a deep breath and hugged me. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d ever wake up.”

I stretched, stiff and sore, but feeling better. “How long was I asleep?”

“Three days.” She got off the bed. “I thought I might have to kill Kevin and Jake. They’ve both been here every minute asking after you. I wish one of them would shoot the other, and put an end to the rivalry.”

“That seems a little harsh.” I slowly got out of bed. “I’m starving.”

“That’s always a good sign. How are you feeling mentally?”

“I think I’m okay. I saw my family, Mary Catherine. She couldn’t see me, but I saw my mother again.” Just saying it made me break down in tears.

She put her arms around me. “There, there. I’d be crying too if I could see my mother again. How are you managing to go back that way? Is it safe?”

“Perfectly safe,” I lied. She didn’t have to know about Grandma Eleanore’s warning. “It’s just part of my family’s gift that I didn’t know about until recently.”

“Well, that’s good. I guess since you’re up and moving, I’ll go down and tell everyone. Horace has been beside himself. Take a shower, Dae. Dress warmly. The weather has gotten colder the last few days. I’ll see you downstairs.”