The Faerie Key

Chapter Nine

When Selcouth finally came to she was in a room with minimal furnishings. She got out of bed but her body felt heavy. The thought of moving her legs made her wince, but she did it. Half way across the room her legs gave out.

The door opened and Fionn sighed.

"I knew you would be trouble the first time I saw you at the pub. I thought if I paid your bill my debt would be null, but here we are," he helped her get to her feet.

"You don't have to help me. I'm plenty strong-- or I will be," Selcouth said.

"Aye, but I do. Risa sent you to me."

"Sure, it's strange that we are both connected to Risa, but I assure you I can do this on my own," she tried to pull away from Fionn, who released her enough for her to wobble.

"You can't even stand without my help."

The way he said it Selcouth knew he meant more than just her balance. She kept quiet because she knew he was right. Fionn led her to the bed.

" I don't understand why she sent you the key? You aren't a part of this and it's dangerous."

"She must have had a reason." But Selcouth didn't know it.

Fionn set her gently on the bed. It felt so intimate that her body started to burn. To distract herself she asked, "Is this your place?"

Fionn nodded. Selcouth inhaled the air.

"It smells like you--sweat, smoke and metal."  She laid her head on the pillow.

He scoffed, "some Scotch too."

"No perfumes thought," Selcouth looked at him.

"Not here. Never here." Fionn looked deep into her eyes before taking a step back.  "You probably need to rest.

Selcouth's heart ached as she watched Fionn walk towards the door

"What was the red fog? Was it real" she blurted the questions out, more concerned with preventing Fionn from leaving than the actual answers.

He stopped and sighed.  When he turned around the worry lines on his forehead creased. Selcouth decided not to tell Fionn that she had dreamt of it even before encountering it that day.

"He is real but he shouldn't be here. I'm sure it has to do with the key, which also shouldn't be here."

She stayed quiet, while Fionn walked to the bed and sat down.

"It's confusing I know. That's why Risa shouldn't have involved you in this."

"But she did," Selcouth whispered.

"Aye, she did."

"So the red fog is dangerous?"

He closed his eyes and when he opened them he sighed.

"He manifests himself as red fog, which means they haven't--" he shook his head.

"Start from the beginning," Selcouth said.

"Risa didn't belong here. My mom never told me why they came here, " he paused. "Risa also wasn't supposed to go back, but she did and she stole the key. I don't know why. Maybe she saw something changing?"

"The darkness and the light," Selcouth recalled the dream.

"Redcap belongs to the dark."

"Redcap?"

"Red fog- they probably sent him."

Selcouth tried to digest the new information but it just confused her.

"Who? Why?"

Fionn got up from the bed and paced. "Who-not sure, too many possibilities." He stopped and faced her, "Why?"

"The key," Selcouth answered for him.

He shrugged. "That's my guess as well unless you've done to piss off Redcap. With you that might be possible too."

She got up from the bed. Fionn watched her and smiled, "good, go freshen up, we need to go see the Locksmith."

"I'm plenty fresh," Selcouth said but smelled her underarm and added, "but I guess I could use a shower."

Fionn opened his mouth then closed it and shook his head.

"What?"

"I almost forgot you're a nun."

Selcouth cornered Fionn, "I'm not a nun nor a prude, you playboy."

Why did he always have to ruin the moment?

Fionn somehow managed to reverse their positions and leaned closer to her, "the bathroom's down the hall. And you may not be a prude or a nun, but you are an innocent which is pretty much the same thing." He kissed her cheek and left her.

The warmth of the kiss radiated through her whole body and made her feet tingle.

"Why am I so attracted to him?" she said to the empty room which still smelled of him. At first, he had reminded her of Julian but now it was like he was a spice that gave her bland life heat. "But it might also upset my stomach."

The only thing she was sure of was that she had missed the heat of intimacy. With that thought, she headed to the bathroom.