The Shamrock Killer

Epilogue: All Too True

It was getting harder and harder to unsee things once I had seen them. The creatures that Oisin had told me about that fateful night kept popping up in my awareness. Every time one was near, I could sense a small bubble of pressure begin to build under my left eye, the one that always twitched when I caught Oisin in a lie. 

More often than not on a Sunday afternoon walk to the park, I would come across one or two Fear Gortas looking for handouts on a street corner or push by a pack of Pookas, hairy and drooling, on their way to get dinner. Yeah, I know that doesn't sound appealing.

These occurrences were becoming more frequent and harder to ignore, especially as the time after Samhain increased and the weather grew sharper. I could feel my senses honing under the cold, and if I flourished then, I guessed these mythical creatures did as well.

But the worse thing was, they followed me.

At first, once the fact that I could see them could no longer be avoided, a few Kelpies might tail me for a few blocks, or a stuck-up Hero would come and challenge me to a duel. To the death. Getting out of those was the tricky part. Oisin had told me it was all in the words. Words held magical weight and if I said the wrong thing at the wrong time, a Promise might hold fast. But as long as I avoided binding words, such as "I swear to give you my first-born child in ten years," I was fine. 

But then Leprechauns started following me to school, teasing me by dropping gold coins in the path of the triplets. I tried to collect them all before they noticed but once in a while, they got a hold of one, and usually it was a 50/50 toss if they failed or passed their test that day. 

Banshees would keen beneath my window all night long, sometimes for days on end. My family chalked it up to the sound of wind, but I knew better. I saw them beckoning to me with their cold, white fingers and black, unblinking eyes. Their hypnotic song had gotten the better of me almost twice before, and I was halfway over the threshold of my house before I realized what I was doing. 

Their fingers reached forward to grip me and pull me into their deadly foray, but I slammed my hands over my ears and tore myself away. That was the final straw. I locked the door shut and wrapped the blessed golden chain Oisin had given me around the doorknob three times before running back up the stairs and into my room. 

I texted Oisin when I had made it back in my room, safe and sound underneath a mound of blankets and comforters. Surprisingly, the bonny bunch hadn't tried to breach the house. Yet. 

I don't know what to do anymore. I'm at my wits end. The bitches almost got me tonight at my house. Bottomline, it was midnight and endless nights like these had made me tired, and crappy. 

Oisin replied a moment later. That was one of the things I was really grateful for, his response timing. It was like his phone was always in his hands. It's getting worse. Something's coming and I think we can all sense it. It might be time for Plan B.

Plan B? What was that? As long as it didn't involve me leaving the country, I was fine with that. 

Oisin texted again. Why don't we recalibrate in the morning? Rest up. 

Too tired to make actual words and sentences, I sent him back a tired-smiley-face emoji, hoping that would suffice. I returned my phone to its charging port and settled on my back, determined to get to sleep.

But the mind's a funny thing, isn't it? I mean, it's scientifically proven that if you want to fall asleep fast you shouldn't be thinking about falling asleep, otherwise your brain stays wide awake. Yeah, that never worked for me. 

About an hour later of tossing and turning restlessly, I drifted off to sleep. That night I had the strangest dream. 

I was back on that ancient plain that Morrigan had once transported me too. But this time I think I was Morrigan. I think I was in her body. And let me tell you, Morrigan was not in the greatest headspace.

Death. Blood. Hunger. Ravens. Kill. Death. Blood. Hunger. Ravens. KILL. An endless mantra that honestly, scared me. 

I, or she, was fighting. Like actually sword-in-hand, blood spraying everywhere, fighting. Not surprisingly, the people I appeared to be fighting looked much like the Heroes who so often challenged me to death defying feats or duels that left nothing to the imagination. 

A ripple spread throughout the air and my head, Morrigan's head, you get the point, tilted like a cat's when they smell prey and begin to decide how to dissect it. An expectant smile curled on my lips.

I was fighting in the broadest section of the plain, but mossy hills and knolls surrounded me on all sides. On the far side of the plain, a chariot had been defensively positioned at the base of the rocky crag. In it was a man equally terrifying to Morrigan and leaking with power, with crazy brown hair and matching beard and a pair of dark blue eyes, not completely unlike my own. 

He locked eye contact with me, and I stiffened, my blood-soaked armor clinging to my form and beginning to dry. I was up to my knee in gore and the smell was starting to get to me. But I started to inch forward, drawn by his gaze. He was both terrifying and enticing at the same time. I guess Morrigan liked him. Maureen, however, did not. 

So I fought. I resisted, although I knew that my mental strength was that of a feeble blue bird compared with ravens.

That's it, I thought, birds! This would be a great time to shapeshift into a raven and get the hell out of here.

No such luck. I was drawing closer to the man now, my eyes fixated on a gold brooch that pinned his cape over his shoulder. I guessed it wasn't the man that drew me in after all, it was the brooch.

My fingers twitched at my sides, and I lifted a hand impatient to hold the brooch. I was so close and-

Metal glinted at the corner of my eye, and I saw an arm holding a sharp looking instrument sweeping towards me in a wide arc, headed for my hand. On instinct, my sword swung up and I spun around to get the better advantage. I shifted my weight with my knee and found myself face to face with-

Oisin.

Oh shit. 

--

I woke up that morning, shaking terribly, but thankfully not covered in blood and dirt. My dream, or whatever it was, had fundamentally shaken me to the core, and the fact that Oisin had been there was absolutely mental.

I could still hear the sounds of battle in my ears and see him, looking worse for wear, but alive, green eyes and tawny hair intact. Looking at me with the intent to kill. Oh, and did I forget to mention, he was shirtless?

I ripped myself away from my thoughts and I grabbed for my phone. It was time to get some more answers. I turned it on and saw a message from Oisin. It wasn't from last night though, it was from 5 minutes ago.

Is your passport up to date? 

--

And this is where the book officially ends! I'm literally relieved but also sad that I have to say goodbye to Maureen and Oisin for now. Tell me who was your favorite character and why in the comments!

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