Page 85 of Redeemed
“What have you done, crow?”
She comes close so I can see her. “What haveIdone? I believe the correct question is what haveyoudone?Igave you a way to fool Betancourt, may his soul burn forever in the pit. You’re the one who stayed long enough to cross over.”
“Cross over into where?”
“The Netherworld,” a new voice says. More footsteps, and the Morrigan is no longer alone. A woman stands at her side, a woman with golden brown curls, pointed ears, and the fierce mouth of an elf.
I bow my head, saluting the Princess Tatiana. “It is good to see you, Princess. I hope you are recovered.”
“Well enough. You may be asked to make reparations to Kowalski and his gang, and if so, tell him I said he can eat shit and die. They couldn’t control me then, and they can’t control me now.”
“Good point.” I pinch my own leg and twitch when it hurts. “You’re assuming I’ll make it back to a place where Kowalski can bother me.”
The Morrigan cackles. “You can go back any time you like.”
“Really? I didn’t bring my ruby slippers.”
“Come on.” She’s in her maiden form, her fair skin and dark hair a lovely complement to the Princess. I follow the two of them through the darkness, unsure of where we’re going or what we’ll see.
I stifle my questions and after a while—like, after the length of time it takes to walk a mile, if I was someplace where time and distance mattered—we approach a door. Or rather, a tall rectangle outlined in warm light. The Morrigan goes through first, then the Princess, and finally, me.
I’ve only taken a few steps when I stop again. I don’t know much about the Netherworld, but we seem to be standing on a small island in the center of a lake. There’s nothing on the island besides a kayak, and the black water fades into darkness at the horizon.
Maybe it’s not a lake. Maybe my reality has simply narrowed to this small plot of land with about a six-foot diameter and maybe I’m alone.
I’m alone.
While I’ve been trying to decide where the world ends, the Princess and the Morrigan have disappeared. I kneel down. The ground is damp, as if the water is already working to swallow me up.
“You won’t be here long enough for that to happen.”
I just about come out of my skin. A man stands behind me. He’s old, though I sense his age in the way he carries himself rather than from his physical appearance. My height, same copper hair;damn, if you told me this dude is my father, I’d believe you.
“Who are you?”
“I am Arawn, ruler of Annwn.” He is wrapped in a long grey cloak with a crown made from antlers. When he quiets, those things fade away and he’s an ordinary man in jeans and a sweatshirt.
An ordinary man who looks a lot like me.
His smile has a touch of indulgence. “If I were to tell you that I am your father, what then? Would you want to join me in Annwn, to learn those skills a man should pass on to his son?”
I brush the hair out of my face, a stalling tactic more than anything else. If I say no, will that make him angry?
But if I say yes, will I spend the rest of my life in the Underworld?
Because yeah, Mom taught me enough Celtic mythology for me to understand what he is really saying. “I’d like to believe I already possess the skills that make me a man.”
His smile broadens. “You do, Connor MacPherson. You have grown to be the kind of man I’d be proud to call my son.”
Unsure whether that was an admission or just a pretty compliment, I push a little more. “My mother never told me anything about my father.”
“Your mother is a wise woman.”
“She is, and I always figured that keeping silent on the subject was her way to keep from telling me lies. Now I might ask her if my father’s name is Arawn.”
He shrugs, still looking pleased. “Better to hear it from her than from me.” Taking hold of the kayak, he glances at me over his shoulder. “I won’t ask you to cross the water with me, as it is not yet your time. There are men who depend on you, to whom you must return.” He climbs into the single seat and shoves off with his paddle.
For a moment, I picture myself running after him and climbing into the boat. I could. I know that in my bones.
