The Magician's Witch

The Rocky Road to Connemara

As promised, Eilis heard from her uncle's haughty, posh-sounding "solicitor" just over a week from his fated phone call. Her uncle had passed suddenly due to some mysterious illness that had struck his parent's household and left them all dead—at least that was the story they were sticking to.

Eilis put the attorney in touch with Sasha, her financial advisor, so they could speak about the proper channels through which Eilis was to receive her inheritance. When Sasha finally got around to calling Eilis, she threw words around like "taxes" and "fiduciary" and "exchange rates". Eilis just nodded and tried to follow along, but all she could hear was the teacher from the Peanuts comic.

Eilis arranged for Aria and Ronan to stay with Bakhita at her place while she was away; this would be the first time that Eilis would ever be away from her kids. She had thought about bringing them with her, but with all the drama, and crossroad demons possibly still being around, she decided that now was not a good time to show them the Emerald Isle. Eilis tried not to focus too much on being separated from them; she wasn't sure how long settling the estate was going to take.

The night before she left, she let Aria and Ronan sleep in her bed with her. They both snuggled in on both sides of her, like kittens seeking their mother for warmth. She sang quietly for them, unable to close her eyes. She kept glancing over at the clock, then her bags packed by the door, then back at their little heads peaking out from under the covers.

She must have fallen asleep at some point, because she awoke to the obnoxious buzzing of her alarm. She leaned over Ronan's head, smacking the button impatiently, muttering, "Shut up" under her breath.

She looked down. Ronan snuggled closer to her, much in the same way Erik used to some mornings, refusing to accept the coming of the dawn and the inevitability of waking. Eilis smiled at the collection of memories and wrapped her arm around her son, holding him closer. After a minute, she turned to see Aria doing something similar. Eilis chuckled silently. Now I know how the meatballs in an Italian sub feel, she mused.

After about ten minutes, she coaxed the kids awake, sitting up herself. It was just before seven o'clock in the morning, and she needed to get them fed, washed and dressed to go over to Bakhita's house.

With much whining and gnashing of teeth, Eilis managed to get them ready and, in the car, just over the time she had planned to leave the house. She made it to Bakhita's house just as they were sitting down to breakfast.

Malid, always an early riser, had finished his breakfast already, and met Eilis at the door, as he had promised to drive her to the airport.

Eilis kissed and hugged Aria and Ronan one more time, then handed the keys to her car over to Malid.

"They'll be fine," Malid assured her softly, noting her glance out the back window.

"I know," Eilis said, sounding unconvinced. "I just...don't like leaving them."

Malid squeezed her hand sympathetically. "The time will fly by. You will only be there for a few weeks."

Eilis nodded. "As long as the fairies don't whisk me away to their mysterious woodland kingdom."

Eilis landed at Shannon Airport just after six in the morning. Eilis had watched the early sunlight glint off the water as the emerald green rose up to meet the wheels of the plane with a wakeful jolt. She had felt uncertainty mixed with a sense of homecoming as she fidgeted in her seat, waiting as the plane taxied towards the terminal.

Eilis trudged off the plane with the rest of the passengers, lugging her carry-on backpack with her. She kept her passport in her hand, filing in behind all the people waiting for the customs officers. She yawned as she stood there, covering her mouth with her arm.