The Fallen Stars (A Star Child Novel) (14 page)

“There’s saltwater in the bay. That probably couldn’t hurt, right?”

“I don’t know if it will help. You’re right, though, it won’t hurt,” she agreed.

On the walk back to the house, I noticed the material used in the construction of the walkway. When I reached the bridge, I touched the cool metal of the supports. “Is this iron?”

Cali touched the railing, testing. “I think so.”

Looking up at the house, I noticed that more iron had been used in the construction of the property. There were iron lamps, iron fixtures, horseshoes above the doors and windows. Even the balcony in the back had iron rails, I remembered. “That’s interesting. I wonder why the builders would have used those materials? It just seems unusual.”

Cali had moved ahead of me on the walkway. “Well, it’s our good luck that they did, with iron being a repellent for those from Faerie. There’s not much else that we can use to protect us.”

Movement in my peripheral vision caused me to look up. On one of the many balconies stood Gabe, clearly concentrating hard. His lips moved but I couldn’t hear him. He had to be saying the words that Lugh had given him. As I looked on, Gabe seemed to…glow slightly. If it had happened on the plane when he’d spoken the words, I hadn’t noticed. Now he looked like a golden boy, like Gabriel the Archangel, more than Gabriel Stewart. As he read the words, his face took on an exultant expression.

Looking away, I faced Cali. Watching Gabe seemed like an intrusion. “I wish we knew what those words meant. It’s old Gaelic, I think.”

Her brow furrowed. “No, it’s another language. It looked familiar, but I just can’t remember what it means.”

Turning, we walked back toward the house. At the base of the door, there were several small pieces of what appeared to be iron. I picked up three of them, placing a piece in my own coat pocket and then handing one to Cali. I’d stick one in Gabe’s pocket later. We needed all the help we could get.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CALI—
FORGOTTEN

Kellen and I walked back into the house. Though I tried hard to remain calm, I’d never been so afraid. My parents had told me that I would forget things, but try as I might, I couldn’t interpret what spell or charm Gabriel had been saying to guard us. When I’d been an immortal, I would have said something similar. At least I believed I would have. How could I do anything to help if I couldn’t even remember a simple charm?

Gabe came back into the great room a few minutes after we returned. His skin no longer carried the golden cast that it had on the balcony. Now he seemed pale, a bit shaken. He looked like he might vomit at any moment. He went to the kitchen and started to make something at the stove. Tea maybe?

“Gabriel.” I reached out to touch his arm. “Did something happen?” He didn’t answer. “What happened when you said the protection spell?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. I won’t say it again, so don’t ask me,” he said, sounding angry.

Shocked, I took a step back. Gabriel had never spoken to me that way before.

Gabe gave a weak smile. “I’m sorry, okay, C? I just don’t want to talk about it right now.”

“I understand,” I said, walking over to sit next to Kellen, entwining my fingers in his. The cushions on the couch made a
ssshhing
sound when I sat down on them.

“We’ve done all we could to protect the house,” Kellen said to Gabe. “I’m not sure if it’s going to be enough, though.”

Gabe looked him square in the eye and said, “It’ll have to be.” He picked up a mug from the kitchen counter. “So tell me more about these Children of Danu.” Gabe walked into the living room then sat on the floor by the fire. The contents of the mug released little swirls of steam into the air.

 “They were the good guys, once,” Kellen said. “Many of them came to Earth to help the mortals of Ireland in a fierce battle. They lost. Arawn, the Lord of Faerie, forced them underground. Lugh couldn’t save them, so they’re pissed at him. And me, apparently.”

“They’ve turned into something else. They’re not the same.” I could hear the sadness in my own voice. I’d always wondered what my life would have been like with so many aunts, uncles, and cousins around. Yet I never got to find out. They’d never been a part of it. Arawn had won that battle; Kellen won the other.

“They’re like fallen stars…or fallen Star Children, really,” Kellen added, bringing me back from my thoughts. He relaxed more into the couch, pulling me back against him.

All three of us yawned then, nearly in unison. The events of yesterday, our wedding…It had all taken a toll. We needed to rest now, in the daylight. If they were going to come for us, it would be at night.
They always came for you at night.

“They’re after Lugh too? I thought they just wanted you, K.” Gabe’s voice sounded matter-of-fact, but I could hear the fear in his tone.

“I think they’d take us both if they could, but I’m the one without powers. They definitely want me,” Kellen said.

His words caused a shudder to ripple through me.
No, they can’t have him.

Kellen talked to Gabriel about the tree and the message in its base for Kellen. I listened, staring out the window at the sea.
How much time do we have? Hours? Days?

Kellen started running his hand idly up and down my side. He did things like that when he got nervous. This action made me want to laugh but I didn’t know why. I stopped his hand by linking his fingers in mine.

“I have a weird feeling about this,” Gabe said, setting his mug down.

 “Agreed,” Kellen said. “Plus, they had Lugh and Brigid captured. Why didn’t they just kill them, and me for that matter, if it was just for revenge? They talked of me having something…”

“And you don’t know what they’re talking about?” Gabriel asked.

“No,” Kellen said.

Though Kellen had a point, the thought of anything happening to my parents, to him, made me want to retch. I focused on calming my breathing and toyed with the seam along the side of my pants.

“Do you think your uncle is really going to come here and help us?” Gabriel asked, turning to me. He looked serious, more so than I’d ever seen him.

“I’m sure of it. If he left those messages for us, then he has been keeping an eye on us. It’s only a matter of time, Gabriel,” I said.

“Okay, well, since we have to wait for him to show up…” Gabriel muttered these words before he rolled over onto his side.

“He’s right. We need to rest,” I said to Kellen. Grabbing one of the blankets that we’d used last night, I spread it over him and snuggled up against him. The feeling of his chest under my hand, rock hard after the fighting in Faerie, both comforted me and distracted me at the same time.

“Okay, Cali,” Kellen said, pulling me closer, tucking me in under the blanket. In no time at all, his breathing evened out and I could hear the steady rhythm of his heart as he rested in my arms.

But I couldn’t sleep now. I kicked around Gabriel’s words in my head. What did they think that Kellen had, and how far would they go to get it?

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

KELLEN—
THE CARETAKER

“
Come on in, man.” Gabe’s voice sounded far away as I meandered my way back from a deep and dreamless sleep. The nap had been one of those where you feel overly warm, almost unable to move afterwards. You linger just a bit longer in that purgatory that hovers in-between the sleep world and the real world.

Gabe’s voice got louder.
Guess my nap’s over.
Nice. Thanks, man.

When I opened my eyes, I practically fell off the sofa at the sight of the tall stranger standing above me. Easily six-foot-four, with pale skin, and a jacket that dripped water onto the hardwood, he smelled like dirt and rain as he regarded me with eyes that were an odd shade of blue-gray. Based on his neutral expression, I couldn’t tell whether he’d come on a mission of goodwill or ill will.

“Hey guys, this is William.” Gabe leaned against a beam about a foot behind the stranger. “He’s the house caretaker.”

“Hi, William.” I gave a quick wave before disentangling myself from the blanket. I tried to take my time sitting up, as though he hadn’t surprised me at all.

“I didn’t know that you’d taken over for Thomas. He probably had a little too much to drink again, huh?” Gabe laughed.

William laughed right along with him. “Oh, you know Thomas. He’s a strong old sod; nothing keeps him down for long. He’s just been having problems with his arthritis. You know how the Maine winters can be. Sorry for coming over uninvited,” William apologized, looking slightly embarrassed to have caught us all napping.

Shaking his head, Gabe gestured to a chair. “No worries, man. Why don’t you make yourself at home.”

“No, I don’t want to intrude. Actually, I came over to invite you to dinner,” William offered. It would have seemed like a generous offer if his facial expression hadn’t contradicted the message. This guy seemed like he didn’t exactly socialize much, so why invite us over?
There are no coincidences.
Cali’s voice rang in my mind from our conversation earlier.

The three of us just stared at him. The clock on the wall read four o’clock and we’d all been sleeping. Obviously, we hadn’t made any plans for dinner. How did we get out of it? Surely it wouldn’t be safe…

My brain, still a little foggy from my nap, kicked into gear. “Hey man, that’s nice of you. I’m Jack, this is…uh…” Eyes alighting on a coffee table book on the Kennedy family, I gestured to Cali. “Kennedy. You already know Gabe.” I smiled at William, extending my hand.

William took my hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you.”

“I think we’re all just wiped out from traveling, so we’re going to have to pass,” I began. If Gabe or Cali had any thoughts about my easy alteration of our names, they didn’t let on. Though it put me a little more at ease knowing that William worked for Eleanor Stewart, I didn’t want to let my guard down.

“But thanks for the invitation,” Cali said. William’s eyes rested on Cali a little too long, taking far more time to assess her than I liked. Cali looked away, as if reconsidering her words.

“The thing is, William, we’re pretty beat from our drive up,” Gabe said.

“Look, I know you’re all tired, and you don’t have to stay long. I just made a simple meal—it’s nothing, really. You can eat and run for all I care.” Again, his face contradicted the message.

Staring at Gabe, I tried my hand at mental telepathy.
How do we know this guy isn’t one of them? That he’s safe?

“I guess we could…” Gabe said.

I glared at Gabe. Apparently I didn’t have the gift of telepathy. Damn. What were we supposed to do now? Go off with this stranger? How did we know that we could trust him? What if he turned us in? I wanted to tell this William character to get lost. Instead I ended up searching for my shoes.

“Follow me, then. You’ll need your coats.” William immediately turned and walked to the door. As he reached it, he turned back. “Gabe? If you talk to your mother, could you let her know that I found the check that she sent me?” He held it up in the air in front of him, as if to emphasize his words. “Please give her my apologies for waiting so long to cash it,” William said, smiling.

Gabe looked at the check for a moment and then smiled, seeming relieved. Whatever he’d seen on the check apparently convinced him that this guy was the real deal.

“Gabe? Can you show me how to lock up? I couldn’t get the latch shut all the way before,” I said.

Gabe turned and looked at me, understanding dawning on his face. “Sure. C—uh, Kennedy, you’d better see this too so you know how to do it. We’ll meet you outside, William,” Gabe said to the stranger.

William nodded. “Sure.” Turning, he walked out the front door, shutting it behind him.

As soon as he’d gone, I turned to Gabe. “I don’t like it. Plus, we don’t know who this guy really is.”

Cali nodded. “I agree. I thought maybe I’d get some sort of feeling about him, but I guess that’s not something that came with my mortality.” Her eyes flickered for a moment, returning to Gabe’s. “We need to make our apologies, Gabriel.”

Gabe shook his head. “Look, he checks out. He had a key, and that was my mom’s freakin’ check in his hand. She uses checks with some weird dogs on them, and the check was made out to William O’…something. He knew about Thomas
and
he had a key.”

“He could have gotten all of those things together if he really wanted to,” I said.

“Look, man, I know you’ve been through some stuff, but things are simpler here. I think we can take this guy at face value. Besides, I’m starving.” Gabe looked down at his stomach like it was an alien creature. “Look, let’s go, and if you or C think we need to, we’ll leave.”

I still didn’t like it. However, I remembered the small bridge to the footpath that led in the opposite direction of the parking area. If he truly were one of the Children of Danu, he wouldn’t have made it across the bridge and into the house uninvited in the first place. Members of Faerie had to be invited into a house before they could enter it. My Gran taught me that.

“Come on, K. Remember that saying, keep your friends close and your enemies closer?” Gabe pleaded.

“Okay, but the minute there’s something off, we leave,” I said. “I just don—” I stopped as something caught my attention behind Cali. My eyes shot to the chalkboard on the wall, just off a little bit to the right behind Cali’s head, one of those artsy things that people kept near the phone to take messages, or in some homes to write the menu of the day. A single piece of chalk rose in the air by itself and positioned its tip against the chalkboard, as though preparing to write a message.