slumped as I looked up and down the street of a village so quiet I might’ve been completely alone. I was going to look up “two-natured”. Right away.
I hurried into ‘my’ house, locked the door, and slumped with my back against it. I must have been holding my breath because my lungs gasped involuntarily and dragged in a new supply of oxygen. Being inside and breathing went a long way toward making me feel better, in the most relative sense.
It seemed the mild-mannered Maggie MacHenry had a raging case of multiple personality disorder. Chalk that up to an item in the “big unknown” category. I found myself suddenly wishing for a pair of gigantic gray wolves instead of one totally lovable Border Collie. But I doubted even two magical creatures such as those would be a defense against that thing outside.
The idea of going to bed with wailing creatures hovering over my rooftop was out of the question. So much for feeling safer than I ever had.
On the other hand, that thing that might be Maggie MacHenry’s ‘other nature’ hadn’t been threatening aside from the horror show novelty. The worst it did was give me a long, sorrowful look.
After double checking the lock I sank to the floor. When my mind began to clear I was looking at the shoes on my feet. I kicked them away like they were toxic, but it didn’t make me feel either less afraid or less alone. Remembering Keir’s offer, I pulled my phone from my bag.
He answered on the first ring. “Rita. That was fast. Should I turn around?”
“No. Well.” I hesitated, wanting to say yes. “Um, no.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I saw something.”
“Something in your house?”
“No. Something outside.”
“You had another date after I left? Was it Fie?”
“No! In order to have another date, I would’ve had to have had a first date. And I’m not interested in Fie.”
“Does that mean you’re interested in me?”
Frustrated with Keir’s singular focus and short attention span, I said, “NO!” louder than I intended. “I, um, went across the way to see about Romeo.”
“The car?”
“Yes.”
After the slightest pause, probably evaluating me for psychosis, he said, “Alright. I’m up to speed. Then what happened?”
I described the event as succinctly as possible and voiced my suspicions that the creature had something to do with Maggie.
He cleared his throat. “Well, normally I would say that a person’s magical form is their news to tell, but you sound…”
“Freaked out.”
“Yes. That. So under the circumstances I’m sure I’ll be forgiven for revealing that your suspicions are true. Maggie is bean sidhe.”
“Banshee? She told me she was fae.”
“Yes. Sidhe means fae in Irish. It’s a large and diverse tribe. The troublesome thing is not that you saw her magical visage, but that seeing her wail means someone in the town is going to die. Soon.”
“Oh. Who?”
“Where did you see her?”
“Three of four houses down toward the river.”
Keir sighed deeply. “That would be Bradesferd.”
“The silversmith? Oh no. He’s nice. Took my bags upstairs when I arrived.” I was having second thoughts about not giving him a tip.
“Indeed, he is nice, but perhaps even more important, he’s master of his craft. No one has a command of metals like that anymore.”
“That’s terrible.” I was still holding my keychain in my hand. I lifted it and looked at the chain that had been a sort of welcome gift. “I have something of his. A keychain. It’s beautiful.”
“Do you want company?”
“No. No, I, um… I’m sorry to bother you.”
“It’s no bother, Rita. You’ve nothing to fear. You’re one of only a few dozen humans who’ve ever seen a bean sidhe at work. Even though she was compelled to fulfill a task, she clearly was concerned about being seen and sought to reassure you.”
“That’s why she came so close?”
“Perhaps she thought you might recognize her.”
“I did.”
“I know. The offer of company is genuine. It would be my pleasure. A second cup of coffee maybe?”
“Thank you, Keir. I’m a big girl even if I don’t always act like it. Tell me this, why is it her job to, um, do that?”
“It’s a kindness to know when the end is near. Preparations can be made. Projects can be completed. Goodbyes can be said. Arrangements can be made for legacies when that’s a consideration.”
“That’s more than a kindness. It’s a marvelous gift. So, Brad knows.”
“Yes. Tell me something before you go. How did hearing that sound make you feel?”
“Sad. Profoundly so. I had to work at not crying.”