Chapter 17
Keegan walked through the school doors with a smile on her face. She laughed when she saw Spencer run up behind Donald and smack the back of his head. Donald took off chasing him down the hall. It was nice to see things were back to normal.
Lauren walked up beside her and tossed an arm around her shoulder in a hug. She had her curly hair pulled into a sleek ponytail. “You are glowing, Keegan, what has you in such a good mood?”
Keegan flushed, thinking of Rourk. She wished she could tell Lauren about him and the weekend; on the other hand, it felt like a magnificent secret she didn’t want to share. “I’m not sure, I just feel happy to be alive. I know that sounds stupid.”
“No, it doesn’t. I’m just glad to see you’re out of your funk. It’s not as much fun when you are mopey.”
“Sorry about that,” Keegan said as they drew near to her locker. “I’m not sure what got into me.”
“It doesn’t matter as long as you’re happy now.”
***
The days before the battle passed quickly and before she knew it, Keegan’s birthday was only a few days away. The family started preparing for their trip to Ireland.
Keegan began to wonder how all the soldiers were going to get to Ireland with all their gear. So she asked her mother, who just laughed. “Keegan, what good is our magic if we can’t use it once in a while? You know how you can watch someone with your mind’s eye? Well, there are some who can do that with their bodies, which is called teleportation. The really strong ones are able to bring others with them. We have enough with the gift that getting the soldiers anywhere unseen is not an issue.”
Keegan crinkled her nose. “Then why do we have to take the long overseas flight?”
Her mom grinned. “Your father likes to get frequent flyer points.”
***
Thaddeus lounged against the brick wall of the building. The camp was alive with chatter as the men waited for his father to arrive. They all had a feeling they were not going on a training mission, that they were headed to the great battle that was prophesied. It was a moment many of them had dreamed of since childhood.
A hush settled over the crowd as Richard approached the podium. He was dressed no different from the rest of them: faded green camouflage fatigues and a tan worn baseball cap imprinted with a skull on his head. There was nothing at all to pinpoint that he was the commander; it wasn’t needed. The respect for him went beyond that.
“You’ve all worked hard to get ready for this moment. Hell, you’ve been training for this your whole life.” He paused, his face stern. “The battle is upon us. We go to Ireland, not for a training mission, but to fight the enemy. The dark elves want to remove us from existence. We will not allow that to happen.” Cheers filled the field, and he gave them a moment to die down. “I will lead you during the Great Battle—it’s my honor to do so. I want you all to remember, even though you follow me into battle you are fighting for yourself, for your family, for our very existence.”
When he finished, the ground shook from the roars of the men.
Preparations continued; they were to leave at nightfall. Magic obviously had its perks. It wouldn’t take long before they were all in place. They were arriving a week early to get the lay of the land and have everything set up before the harvest moon.
When the time came, Thaddeus teleported alongside his father and a couple other men. The elf held out his arm so they could all grab hold and Thaddeus’ stomach fell as the ground disappeared. It was a dizzying sensation. Streaks of color blurred in his vision and he felt as if he were on a rollercoaster, hanging on to the other elf’s arm tightly. In less than a few seconds, it was over.
He looked around, trying to gain his bearings with his stomach still rolling. It was daytime in Ireland, so he took in the majestic scenery that would become such a beautiful spot for the horrors of war. The battle would be cloaked with magic, and they would not be visible to the human eye.
As far as he could see, the hills and valleys swept across the land in shades of green. The sky was a clear, brilliant blue and the clouds were picture-perfect pillows that seemed to hang lower in the sky than they did back home. In the distance, he saw the smoke from several farmhouses and the tell-tale specks of white on the ground that could only be grazing sheep.
He watched as his father began to go around, barking out orders. He had to be a constant presence for the soldiers. Thaddeus noticed he’d occasionally offer assistance with erecting tents or building fires. The men were already in awe of him, and his compassion only escalated him even more in their eyes.
They could have used magic to set up the tents and get everything in order, but his father knew it was better for them to set up their own camp. It gave them something to keep their minds busy.
Thaddeus walked up to his father and stood beside him, and together they took in the scene before them. Men were scattered all over each doing something to bring the camp to reality. Tents were going up, weapons were being sharpened, fires being set, and equipment was passed around. Some of the units were singing as they worked. From an outsider, it would look like complete chaos. That couldn’t be further from the truth. These elves were organized and efficient soldiers.
“What do you think, son?”
“I think it’s an impressive sight.” Thaddeus paused, and then said, “I’m slightly nervous to tell you the truth.”
“I’d worry about you if you weren’t.”
“How long do you think it will take to prepare the camp?”
Richard smiled as he scanned the fields of men. “We’ll be done in two days.”
“Have you sent out a scout party?” Thaddeus asked.
“Yes. Some dark elves have arrived, just a small reconnaissance team.” Patting his son on the shoulder, he said, “Thanks to you, we were able to get here first.”
Richard watched as his son walked away. He could feel his blood pumping through his veins. One of his secondary gifts was the heightened awareness of his body. It affected all of his senses, and it gave him a significant advantage in battle. His mind processed at an accelerated rate causing his reaction time to be faster. The only person who knew of his gift was his wife, who had figured it out on her own.
Thinking of his wife, he closed his eyes to check on her. She was reading a book to Warrick. He couldn’t conceal his smile when he saw the title. Not even two years old and his bedtime story was “The Illiad.”
Emerald glanced up and smiled. She knew he was there. Their bond had grown stronger over the years, and they could tell when the other was observing. They could even talk to each other, but that took a lot of energy, so they rarely did. Just being able to see that the other was okay made their long separations bearable. They also had the ability to block the other if needed which allowed them a sense of privacy.
Richard had been involved in numerous battles in his lifetime, but none of this magnitude. During his time in the Special Forces he was in small man teams. Even with his time spent in the Army of the Light, most of his missions were solo.
There were thousands of soldiers at the camp, and more of the gifted arrived daily. Women and children were among them. Some of the children’s gifts were too powerful to be left behind. They would not engage in the battle, but there were healers and weather manipulators which would be vital to the war.
Emerald and the rest of his family would arrive tomorrow, the day before the battle. He was eager to see them, but also worried. It was unfortunate enough having to put Thaddeus in danger.
The vision of Keegan dying was always in the back of his mind.
Thaddeus and Rourk were together in their tent. It was small, barely big enough for their sleeping bags and belongings. They were lucky enough to have come during the least rainy of the seasons in Ireland, but if they hadn’t, the canvas tent would do well keeping them warm and dry, even if it was old.
Thaddeus glanced at Rourk; he was focused as he used an oil cloth to clean the blade of his sword. This was going to be the first real battle for both.
“Are you nervous?” Thaddeus asked him.
Without looking up, Rourk replied, “No, just excited. This is what we were born to do. I know I’m not supposed to be excited, but I can’t help it. Are you nervous? You have a lot of pressure on you. Not to mention, you are very young.”
When Rourk’s gray eyes met his own, Thaddeus felt the urge to be honest with him. “I’m nervous; I really have no idea how I’m supposed to pull this off. I have to keep reminding myself the burden is not on me, but on my gift and yet I have no control over it.”
“You are very wise for your age.”
Thaddeus shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve never felt my age.”
“What do you think of the rules of war?”
“Let’s go over them again. It might calm my nerves,” Thaddeus replied.
Rourk nodded. He sat up straighter, cleared his throat, and spoke, “Our ancestors set down the rules thousands of years ago. Fighting commences only during the daylight hours—by nightfall, both sides disband and return to the camp. It keeps up morale, as well as rejuvenates the soldiers for the next day’s battle. It levels the playing field.
“Magic can be used. However, an amendment was made to the rules nearly a hundred years ago that said guns can not be utilized in battle.” Rourk’s steady eyes met his young comrade’s. “Your thoughts?”
Thaddeus stared at Rourk thoughtfully before he replied. “Well, it sucks we can’t use guns. I have to admit I’m glad that fighting stops at nightfall. Of course, I’m happy with the fact that we can use magic. However, that also means they can use magic. What about you, what do you think?”
“I think it’s important that we honor our ancestors and keep with tradition.”
“I agree with you, that is the most important element in all of this.” Rourk took a deep breath. “Okay, well. I need to get some sleep. Keegan arrives tomorrow.”
“Yes, I know. Goodnight.”
***
The flight was long and uncomfortable. Eleven hours in such a small space had left Keegan feeling deeply unsettled, particularly knowing where the plane was taking her. She was glad when they finally stepped off the plane and into the bustle of the Shannon airport.
She had always wanted to visit Ireland but thought it would be under better circumstances. As it was, she barely had time to notice anything as Emerald pushed the family on to the rental car place, her face tight and distressed. Brigid and Katrina were unusually quiet.
The drive to the battlefield couldn’t have taken an hour, but to Keegan it felt like forever. She wanted to get there for a glimpse of Rourk, but she also knew once they arrived, it would be real.
Emerald steered the car far away from civilization and deep into the countryside of Ireland. Keegan kept her forehead pressed to the cold glass, watching the small towns and farmsteads pass outside. The sun was high in the sky, illuminating mothers pushing their babies in strollers down cobble-stoned streets and laughing people enjoying a late lunch at outdoor pubs. As they moved further in the country, Keegan was struck by the sight of an abandoned castle only a few feet from the road, and an old, crumbling church sitting on a farm where a young girl in big boots followed behind her father in the sheep pen. Life was moving forward around her, while hers was coming to a standstill.
They were all struck speechless by the scene waiting for them at the camp.
The tents seemed to go on forever. Thousands of soldiers were walking around in full gear, laughing and joking. Some were gathered around campfires involved in deep conversation, while others wiled away time by kicking a dirty soccer ball around. The air was electrified and filled with the sound of voices and clanking metal.
Emerald closed her eyes and let her husband know they had arrived.
Keegan watched as her father made his way through the crowd and stopped to talk to some of the soldiers. She smiled as he picked up a gifted child and tossed him in the air causing the child to break out into a giggling fit. Elves made way for him to pass. Eventually, he reached them.
“You guys are a sight for sore eyes. Follow me, and I’ll show you to your tents.”
Keegan glanced frantically around hoping to catch a glimpse of Rourk. She knew it was hopeless, there were too many people. Her heart ached knowing they were so close, but it still seemed they were worlds apart.
After they had settled in to their own tents, Keegan decided to take a walk around the camp; she wasn’t ashamed to admit to herself she was hoping to find Rourk. She was surprised to see all the different types of creatures. A tiger followed closely by a lion and a panther almost knocked her down as they ran around her.
The tiger walked up and rubbed his head on her leg. She looked down and was startled to see human eyes peering back at her. She couldn’t shake the feeling she had seen them before. The three big cats ran off, playfully swatting at each other and rolling around. They seemed to be circling her. The lion nudged her leg, and she looked down again and saw human eyes. She looked over at the panther and thought, This can’t be possible. Looking into the tiger’s blue eyes, she said, “Donald? Is that you?”
Right before her eyes, he morphed into his human form. She had been around magic her whole life, so she wasn’t surprised by the transformation, but she had never expected it from him.
“How is this possible? What are you guys? I know you’re not elves. Have you known all along that I was one?”
Donald shrugged sheepishly. “I overheard your thoughts the other day about the battle. So, I called a few friends who passed on the word. Creatures of the light from all walks of life will be showing up.”
She threw her arms around him. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
His face turned bright red.
When she glanced back, Sam and Spencer were standing there. “So, what are you guys?”
Spencer said, “Nothing as fancy as an elf. We are your everyday, run-of-the-mill shape shifters. You would actually be surprised if you knew how many of the students are creatures of the light. Not to mention the principal.”
Keegan was indeed shocked. “What about Calvron?”
“Wizard,” Donald said. She was having a hard time adjusting to this information. All this time she thought she was the only non-human at school.
“Lauren?”
“Fairy.”
No, this could not be true. “Anna?”
“She’s an unusual case. Her mom is a spirit walker, and her father’s human. So we’re really not sure about her.”
This was all so fascinating to Keegan; everything she had thought she’d known about her world was wrong. She was also a little miffed that they had kept their secrets from her. Like she was one to talk, though—she’d kept her own secrets. “What about Katie?”
“Human.”
Keegan sighed. At least something was the way she imagined it to be.
The guys said their ‘goodbyes’ and ‘good lucks’ before morphing into their animal forms once more. Keegan watched them race away, her chest tight.
What if something happened to them?
She couldn’t think that way, it would drive her crazy. Keegan trudged back to her tent. Her mother sat rocking Warrick in the corner, while both of her aunts lay wide-eyed and sleepless in bed.
The battle would commence at sunrise.