Carrier of the Mark. Leigh Fallon
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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.
Four
SAILING LESSONS
I hadn’t ventured into Cork City yet, though there was a trip planned for a week from Saturday. Caitlin had even been given a pass on her usual cleaning duties in the B and B. I was really looking forward to it. As much