Page 39 of The Lighthouse Keeper

“That’s the spell. He’s there, though in all honesty, he shouldn’t have been able to leave here, even if only in spirit.”

“Some part of him left. I saw him.” I tried to dampen my surprise.

“I believe you, Now go back to the entrance. I’ll follow in a moment.”

Going back to the entrance meant letting go of him, and since I had lost all sense of direction in the darkness, I stayed put.

“Fairchild.” Rafe’s voice was a soft plea. “I’ll reset the binding spell, but I don’t want to chance catching you in it.”

Oh. Well. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to find my way.” If his voice was a plea, mine was a frightened whimper.

“There is no other way but out. Turn and walk in a straight line. If you get off, you’ll either hit the wall on the left or on the right, and in either case, just follow it. This place is an oval with one end cut off for the entrance. There are no tricks or turns.”

Turning was the hardest part, because his magic made the space between my shoulder blades twitch. Since I had no interest in being bound to this place, I did as he requested, one painful step at a time.

Chapter Thirteen

Stepping out of the cave felt like an escape. I was greeted by the cry of a hawk, a rude shriek that made me jump. The thing perched on the top branch of a young cedar tree, some twenty or thirty feet overhead. The hawk’s feathers matched the mottled mix of browns and greys that surrounded us, but its eyes…

Its eyes watched me, and even from twenty feet away I knew this was no ordinary bird.

We stared at each other. If I meant to take the bird’s measure, I was unsuccessful. Aside from its extraordinary malevolence, I had no idea who or what this was.

I had a lot less success hiding myself from it.

A harsh sound broke my fixation on the hawk. Rafe erupted from the cave behind me, waving his cane wildly. “Go, demon. Go away from here.”

The hawk flapped its wings, lifting off the branch. It flew up and then, when directly overhead, it dove.

I would have scrambled out of the way, but there was no place to go. Rafe held his ground, swinging his cane and hollering “get away” until I was sure he would swat the bird like a baseball. As much as I wanted to cower, I pulled a coin from my pocket and give it a burst of power.

The coin changed into a broadsword, heavy enough to take both hands for me to hold it upright. My heart hammered. My muscles grew so tenseI could barely draw a breath.

The hawk screamed, so close and so loud that I echoed it, readying myself for its impact, hoping it would impale itself on my sword before I got clawed. It screamed, and I screamed again.

Then, silence.

Rafe stood at my side, one hand held palm-up, the other arm around my shoulders. The hawk flapped its wings some three or four feet overhead. It rose high, then came at us again, this time with its claws outstretched. Again it stopped overhead, as if we were covered by an invisible dome.

Lowering the sword, I leaned into Rafe, grateful for his protection. He was muttering something unintelligible through jaws so tightly clenched the muscles bulged under his skin.

The hawk came at us once more and was similarly rebuffed. After that it gave up, flapping away until the trees overhead concealed it.

“What, or rather who, was that?” I asked, my voice horse from screaming. With a blink, the sword assumed its normal shape.

Rafe stood still for a moment, then shook out his palm and took a step away from me. The spell he’d cast gave way with a subtle pop. He swept the area in front of us with his cane. “Let’s go. We need to get back to the lighthouse.”

“Certainly.” I followed him, but I was done with staying quiet. “We were nearly skewered by a wild hawk and you can’t give me even the slightest hint as to what the hell is going on?”

He strode forward. It wasn’t until he reached the jagged stump that he paused. “You were brave. Back there. Foolhardy, but brave.”

His words were kind, with an unexpected hint of sweetness. Shrugging off the glow rising in my cheeks as a result of his compliment, I made another attempt at finding the truth. “I’m no braver than the next man, and my gift cannot compare with yours.” I stopped, my throat closing up. The aftermath of the hawk’s attack made my joints feel loose, as if I would topple over in the softest breeze. “But I’ll fight more effectively if I know where the battle is coming from.”

With one long, leaping step, Rafe crossed the stream. He waited on the other side, his hand extended in my direction. A mad mix of fear, anger, frustration, and yes, lust, nearly had me ignore his gesture. Acting as if I was a puppet of myself, I reached out and grabbed ahold.

The distance across the brook wasn’t far; I’d crossed easily on our way to the cavern. The feel of our fingers intertwined, the dry press of his skin against mine, drove every other sensation away. I readied myself and took a long, leaping step, just as Rafe had done.

This time, though, he waited and pulled me close, an arm around my waist. All the air left my lungs and all thought was chased away by the feel of his body against mine. I caught hold of the edges of his cape. His gaze was aimed over my head, but those amber glasses hid so much. He might look in my direction, but what did he really see?

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