A Kelpie of Rowan

Chapter 65

Rowan's bag is packed and ready. No matter what Camden says, she is going after Andrian now. It's been a day and a half in the pocket realm. She thinks she's rested enough. She slips the bag over her shoulder and steps out of the room. Camden is waiting on the other side of the door, his arms crossed. Rowan deflates. He's going to try and stop her, isn't he? He raises an eyebrow.

"You're ready to go?" Rowan's eyes widen in surprise and she nods. A small smile curves Camden's lips upwards. "Then let's eat before we go. Food is in the sitting room."

Rowan follows him towards the room in question. "You aren't going to try and stop me? You aren't going to say that I need to rest more?"

"Oh, I know you need to gather more energy, but I also know that you won't let me keep you here any longer. You are going to go after him no matter what I do, so I might as well go with you now and be as much help as I can."

Rowan flushes. "How did you know that's what I was going to do?"

"Because it's what Andrian would do and you're enough like him that you would do the same."

Rowan looks down at the floor and twists her bracelet around her wrist, anxious. Camden reaches out and grabs her hand.

"Ro, we are going to find him. I trust that your magic can do it and more than that, I trust that you can do it."

She nods. Camden steps into the sitting room and grabs a bowl from a low table. Rowan sits in one of the armchairs and accepts the bowl Camden hands her. Inside it is porridge, dotted with fresh bilberries. Rowan takes a bit and looks up at Camden. He is sitting in the armchair across from her, his knee bouncing. She tilts her head.

"You're nervous too."

He looks down at his knee. It stills. "Less nervous, more afraid of what condition he will be in when we find him. The Seelie Lord is not a good person."

"I think that's an understatement."

Camden's expression tips into a small smile for a moment. But a second later it falls away and he looks into his bowl again. There is a sound from the hallway and Rowan looks up to see Cáel bound into the room. He's grinning, but his eyes are shadowed.

"Are you two almost ready?"

Rowan looks between the twins, mildly surprised. "You're coming with us?"

"Yes."

At the same time, Camden says, "No."

Cáel turns to his brother. "And why not? I want to help Andrian as much as you do!"

Camden stands, placing his empty bowl on the table. "Because we're leaving the pocket realm and you can't come with us."

"Why?"

Camden steps forward to place his hands on his brother's shoulders. "Because of the curse."

Cáel steps back, understanding dawning across his face. Despite that, he scowls. "You're never going to let me leave the pocket realm, are you?"

Camden shakes his head. "I will, someday. When you meet your cridhe. But not until then."

Cáel sighs and leaves the room. Rowan can hear his footsteps echo down the hallway, followed by the slamming of a door. She winces.

"Why does the curse mean you can leave the pocket realm but not Cáel? I don't think there was anything in it about that, and Andrian was outside the pocket realm when I first saw him."

Camden frowns. "It's an indirect part of the curse. You know that it forces us kelpies to drown anyone who isn't a kelpie unless we meet our cridhe, yes?"

Rowan nods. "But I didn't think you had one . . ."

Camden shakes his head. "You're right, I haven't met my cridhe. But-"

"I don't understand."

"If the curse forces me to hurt someone, I could handle it. My spirit wouldn't break. But if Cáel had to go through that . . ."

"You think it would be too much for him."

Camden gives her a nod of confirmation. Silence falls for a minute before he gets to his feet. "Done eating?"

Rowan nods and gets up to place the bowl on the table. Camden leads her outside and they walk to the river in silence. Thoughts are whirling in Rowan's head, scenarios of what may happen when they find Andrian. The worst one she can think of is that Andrian is in bad shape and when they reach him, the Seelie Lord is there with his memories. Rowan shivers, wrapping an arm around herself. She really doesn't want that to happen. Camden shifts at the edge of the water and Rowan clambers onto his back, preparing to go through the passage. He looks back at her. Ready? She nods.
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Poor Cáel. What do you think is going to happen when she finds Andrian? Will the Seelie Lord be there? What do you think is going to happen next? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~Goddess of Fate, signing out.