Carrier of the Mark (5 page)

“I was thinking of getting a fringe; what do you think?” she asked, holding her hair across her forehead.

“A fringe?”

“Oh, yeah, what do you call them again? Bangs.” She rolled her eyes. “Never mind. Did you see Jennifer in geography on Friday? I love that girl, but
what
was she thinking? That skirt could not go any higher! Mr. Murphy nearly had a hernia; he couldn’t take his eyes off her legs for the whole class.”

“Poor Mr. Murphy, it wasn’t really his fault. How could you not look?” I replied, sticking up for the unfortunate geography teacher. “Anyhow, Sister Basil sorted her out. I don’t think we’ll be seeing that skirt return to such dizzying heights anytime soon.”

I laughed, but realized I had lost my audience. Caitlin had stopped and was staring into the field at the side of the road. She leaned against the fence, and I followed her gaze. There was a large horse being put through his paces in the paddock. He was a beautiful chestnut color; his coat gleamed and his well-toned muscles rippled as he cantered by. The rider put the horse over a series of cross poles, jumping each one perfectly.

“Gorgeous, isn’t he?” Caitlin said, letting out a sigh.

“Yes, he is. He has great form.”

“The rider, Meg, not the horse.”

I peered closer, taking in the face under the riding helmet. It was Killian Clarke, of course. He wore black jodhpurs, knee-high black leather boots, and a purple-and-white-striped polo shirt. His blond curls were darkened with perspiration. I had to admit, he really did look amazing up there. I definitely understood what Caitlin saw in him.

Just then he looked up and a huge smile spread across his face when he spotted us. He steered the horse in our direction. “Caitlin, Megan, what are you doing here?”

Caitlin looked at me and flushed. “Megan was thinking of taking some lessons. I thought maybe you could give her the tour.”

“Excellent,” he said. “You’ll be looking for a commission soon, Caitlin; you’re great at generating business for us.”

Her cheeks grew a darker red.

“I’m nearly finished here, and I’ll meet you in the yard for the grand tour in a few minutes.” He winked down at us and cantered away.

I elbowed Caitlin in the ribs as we started walking. “How many times have you been down here gawking at him? Caitlin, you seriously have to make a move; this isn’t healthy.”

“I know, I know. But I’m not good at, you know, making moves. I’m hoping
he’ll
make his move during the sailing course. If he doesn’t we’ll need to strategize.”

It wasn’t long before we heard Killian coming up the concrete path into the large barn. He pulled the horse up and swung his leg over its back, slid down the leather saddle, and landed solidly on the ground. One of the young stable hands, eager to help, ran over, fluttered her eyelashes at Killian, and took the reins from him.

“So, Megan, you want to learn how to ride?”

“Well, sort of,” I replied. “I’ve actually been riding off and on for the past ten years, but I’m a little rusty at the moment.”

“Great! We have some excellent classes and hacks for the more experienced rider,” Killian said, leading us through a barn lined with stalls full of sleepy-looking ponies.

He then directed us to a huge indoor arena and a spectator area. We sat down and listened as Killian gave us the lowdown on some member of the center who’d been caught red-handed with the wife of the local farrier in one of the stalls. Caitlin was hanging on his every word. I gave up trying to follow along and watched a girl on the other end of the arena instead.

She was on a huge white horse that must have been at least seventeen hands high. The horse’s neck curved in with her head tucked neatly toward her powerful chest. She moved so gracefully.

The rider was wearing white jodhpurs and long black leather riding boots. She was completely in control, barely touching the reins. I squinted, trying to see who she was.

“She’s really beautiful, isn’t she?” Killian said, interrupting my thoughts.

Caitlin gave the rider a murderous glare.

“She’s an Andalusian purebred mare. There aren’t many of them in this country.” At this, Caitlin’s face relaxed. “She’s a complete bugger to work with, though, and extremely difficult to ride.”

I found that hard to believe, watching the horse and rider move with such grace.

“She’s vicious in the stables too, damn near killed my old Labrador the other day,” he continued. “I think we’d have sold her if it weren’t for Áine. She has a way with the mare. It’s almost as if they can speak to each other. That, and Áine works for free in return for ring time and use of the horses.”

“Áine,” I repeated, startled. “Isn’t that Adam’s sister?”

“The very one. She’s like a horse whisperer or something. Our vet bills have plummeted since she’s been working here. My parents will do just about anything to keep Áine happy.”

At that, Killian got up and told us he had to give another lesson, so Caitlin and I got ourselves a couple of Cokes from the vending machine and settled in for a marathon session of gawking at Killian. Well, Caitlin gawked. I couldn’t stop myself from focusing on Áine. The way she moved on the horse was breathtaking. I couldn’t help but wonder: Did Adam have the same gift as his sister?

The afternoon crept by and finally Caitlin looked at her watch. “We’d better go,” she muttered, sneaking another glance at Killian. “My mum will have dinner ready, and if we stay here any longer we could be accused of loitering, or stalking, or both, for that matter.”

We got up and made our way out of the barn to the driveway.

“Oh, crap, I forgot my jacket,” Caitlin announced.

“Yeah, right. You just want to get one last glimpse,” I teased.

Caitlin blushed. “I’ll be back in just a sec. Wait for me!”

Dusk had cast a gloom over the parking lot. I was just approaching the gate when I noticed Áine standing under a canopy of trees. She was dimly lit by the orange light of a street lamp that had just flickered to life, and she was laughing quietly to herself while gently waving her arms around. I slowed, stepping back into the shadows, and watched her delighted face as a cloud of white moths began to gather above her head. Where had they all come from? She swayed her arms to one side and the fluttering white cloud of moths danced to her command. It was a strangely beautiful sight. Then she held out her arms to each side and the hovering mass of insects descended on her, smothering every inch of her silhouette in the delicate beatings of white wings.

Stunned into stillness, I stayed where I was. The crack of a branch above my head made Áine flick her eyes in my direction. As quickly as the moths had arrived, they disappeared like a wisp into the darkness. Áine looked right at me, then above my head.

Caw!
A crow swooped out of the tree and flew to the lamppost beside Áine. They both stared at me. Then the bird winked. No, he wasn’t winking. It was the crow with the ringed eye. He cawed again and took flight, disappearing into the distance.

“Sorry I took so long, Meg. I couldn’t find it anywhere,” Caitlin called breathlessly as she jogged toward me. She pulled up short when she saw my face.

“What’s wrong?”

I didn’t know what to say. The beauty of the moths had sent a chill through my entire body and left my skin tingling. It was the oddest sensation, sort of like what had been happening with my hands, but somehow gentler.

Áine stepped out from under the canopy and walked toward me.

“It’s Megan, isn’t it? I’m Áine. We have art together, but we haven’t been introduced yet,” she announced, looking at me warily. She stopped short, keeping her distance from me.

“Yeah, hi,” I said, taking a step closer and attempting to shake her hand.

Ignoring it, she scratched her neck and cocked her head to one side, focusing on something behind me. Her eyes slowly slid back to mine and she looked at me thoughtfully for a few moments. Her eyes were so like her brother’s that it was unsettling.

Then a battered-looking Land Rover Discovery pulled in behind her. I peered into the car, but couldn’t see through the tinted windows in the half-light. The driver’s window opened just a little bit and a gruff voice called to Áine to get into the car.

“Must dash.” She looked at me guiltily and jumped into the front seat. Before they pulled away she rolled down her window and stuck her open palm out of the car. On it was a big white moth that must have strayed inside. She smiled at me and gently blew the moth off her hand, then raised her finger to her lips. Seconds later, the car took off, leaving dust and spinning stones in its wake.

“That was weird,” Caitlin said.

“Totally,” I agreed. “Come on, let’s get home.”

The last of the sun was setting over the Bandon estuary as we walked along the river. It had turned the still water a molten orange and red.

Caitlin looked at me. “What’s with all the silence? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. It’s just … I saw Áine doing something really weird with all these white moths. It’s hard to describe. She sort of had them dancing.”

“She was dancing with the moths?”

“No, she
made
the moths dance.”

“I don’t get it.” Caitlin snorted, giving me a sidelong glance.

“I’m not explaining it well. I just … Do you think there’s any truth in the rumors about their being … you know?”

“Stop it! You’re giving me the creeps.”

We made our way up the hill past the school and then turned toward town. Just ahead of us I saw someone who looked like the old man from the other day. I started to slow down, not wanting to have to deal with him again. He turned his expressionless face to us before slowly crossing the road and disappearing into an alley.

Caitlin glanced back at me. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“What is it with the creepy monk guys around here?”

“Oh, they’re just the brothers from the friary. They’re all really nice.”

“What about that one, the one with the long gray hair and beard clip?”

“Can’t say I’ve ever seen a monk with a beard clip,” Caitlin said, laughing. “I think you have an overactive imagination. I’m going to have a word with the lads. No more scary stories for you.”

“He was just walking in front of us.” I pointed to where he’d crossed the road.

“Sorry, I must have missed him. My mind was more
agreeably
engaged.” She winked at me. “Thanks for today; I know it wasn’t exactly your bag of chips.”

Still really freaked out, but not wanting to make her worry, I smiled. “Today was great. Your idea was inspired. Riding in the evenings could be just what I need.” I hugged her. “See you tomorrow.”

“Yes,” she replied, “but I’ll talk to you first.” She waved her phone at me.

“Definitely,” I said, waving mine back at her.

I started huffing and puffing my way up the hill. When I was halfway home, I leaned against a tree to catch my breath. There was a squawk from the branch above my head. I jumped and looked up into the silver-ringed eye of a familiar crow.

“And what are you looking at?” I said to him. I took another deep breath and battled the last of the steep hill to my house.

“Hi, Dad! Wait until I tell you what I saw,” I shouted as I let myself in. “Dad?” There was nothing.

I went into the kitchen and flicked on the lights just as my phone beeped with a new text.

Having dinner at work. Order pizza. See you later.

“Oh, Dad.” I sighed. “Of all the nights for you not to be here.”

My stomach was still in knots, so I decided to skip the pizza. I picked up the remote and turned on the TV for some much-needed background noise.

The sound of a cracking branch drew my attention to the window. There, in the tree just outside, was the same weird crow. His beady eyes glared at me in the half-light of dusk.

“Yah!” I shouted at the window, but the bird simply jumped to another branch. With the hairs standing up on the back of my neck, I hastily pulled the curtains.

I
couldn’t believe a month had passed since we moved to Kinsale. Time had flown by, and I had settled into a comfortable routine: Monday to Friday I did the whole school thing, and then on the weekends I hung out with Caitlin and Jennifer, either at one of our houses or in one of the coffee shops in town.