Kyle immediately leapt up, to his feet, facing Rynd, red-faced and mad. But even from this perspective, standing, Rynd was huge, towering over him.
Rynd scowled down at Kyle.
“I missed you, Kyle,” Rynd said. “It’s been too long since I’ve encountered another creature as despicable as myself.”
And with that, Rynd suddenly strutted right past Kyle, bumping his shoulder hard, sauntering down the dirt road, between the hundreds of hanging bodies. As he disappeared into the fog, his dozens of followers fell into line, following him.
Kyle hurried to catch up.
They walked through the fog, down a dirt road, into the twilight, and eventually the fog cleared just enough for Kyle to make out a narrow drawbridge, spanning a moat. Beyond that lay a small castle, shaped in triangle, with a single parapet, its walls low and angular. Kyle remembered the place well. Caeverlock Castle. A place for true evil. The place he knew that Rynd would be.
Kyle caught up, now walking just slightly behind Rynd, as they strutted for the castle entrance.
“You’ve arrived at the perfect time,” Rynd said as they walked, not looking his way. “Tomorrow is the Samhain Festival. There will be plenty of slaughtering, and plenty of human captives to torture. Our favorite night of the year. “When it is finished, we will go and hunt your friends.” Rynd stopped at the castle entrance, and turned to him, his mouth widening into a smile that looked more like a scowl.
“In fact, I think I will quite enjoy it.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
As Caitlin walked with her bridesmaids through the moss-covered hills of Skye, the sight took her breath away. The early morning sun broke low and red on the horizon, lighting up the open expanse before them. The landscape was dotted with small lakes, and the grass they walked on was a vibrant green, greener than anything she’d ever seen. It felt to her as if they had come to the very beginning of the earth, a place so pure, it hardly seemed real.
Just as Caitlin was starting to wonder where they were all hiking, Polly read her mind:
“It’s called Faerie Glen,” Polly said, her voice filled with excitement, even more chipper than usual. Polly practically skipped as they all headed through the countryside. “It’s the only place in the world where, it is said, if you go there and make a wish, it will come true. And it’s an ancient vampire ritual for a bride to make one final wish before her wedding day.” Caitlin thought about that as she rounded yet another softly sloping hill, holding Scarlet’s hand, and took in another breathtaking vista. A place to make a final wish. But Caitlin already felt she had everything she could wish for. She had Caleb, Scarlet, Ruth, Sam, Polly, Aiden, and was surrounded by so many close friends. And now, she would be getting married. What more could she possibly want out of life?
A child. That was true. Yes, a child. With Caleb. Maybe she would wish for that.
As she walked, Caitlin felt that, finally, everything was perfect in her world. Yet, at the same time, the residue of her dream still lingered. Why did she have to have such a dream the night before such a festive day? She felt annoyed, as if Blake had somehow intruded in her dreams, had disrupted her perfect moment. She did not want to be thinking of him, or even have him lingering in a corner of her consciousness. But as she walked, several times, when she’d heard a twig snap, or a bird fly, she found herself jumping, looking to make sure that Blake wasn’t standing somewhere, staring back at her. A part of her was definitely on edge. And that was not what she wanted.
She had loved Blake at one point. Had loved him dearly. But that was when she had thought Caleb was gone forever. Ever since Caleb had been back in her life, she had not thought of Blake at all. At least not consciously. Why couldn’t life be simpler? she wondered.
As they rounded another hill, suddenly, a spectacular moss-covered valley, a lake in its center, came into view. It was the most stunning thing Caitlin had ever seen. She felt as if she’d walked straight into an oil painting, into some glowing, green fantasy land that couldn’t possibly exist. She could sense the energy coming off the place. On the surface, it was just a grassy valley, beside a small, shining lake. But deep down, she sensed that it was much more—and that whatever wish she made, it would indeed come true here.
The other girls let out a gasp of excitement, and they all began to hurry down the hill, towards the lake. Polly took Caitlin’s hand, and they skipped down the hill, heading for the spot to make a wish.
“You’re supposed to throw a coin into the lake,” Polly explained, as they raced for the shore. “If it lands heads up, your wish will come true. If not, it won’t. That’s the legend, anyway.”
“But I don’t have a coin,” Caitlin said, laughing as they raced downhill.
“Don’t worry,” Polly said, out of breath, running beside her, “I have one for you.”
“What about me?” Scarlet chimed in. “I want one, too!”
Ruth barked.
“And so does Ruth!”
Polly laughed.
They soon reached the edge of the lake and all came to a stop by its shore, out of breath, Scarlet still laughing. Caitlin looked down at the water and marveled at its light-blue, crystal-clear color: she could see right through to the bottom, and saw it was lined with thousands of smooth, multi-colored rocks. The place truly looked magical.
Polly reached into a small leather pouch and handed each of them a shining, gold coin.
“You only get one toss,” Polly explained, as she placed it into their palms. “Think carefully of your wish. And make it a good one.”
Caitlin looked down, opened her palm, and felt the small, cold metal in it. She then closed her eyes, and concentrated with all she had. As she did, she felt the cool October breeze caress her face, felt the slight moisture off the lake. It was dead silent here, even with all the other girls standing close by; Caitlin assumed they were all silently making a wish, too. All she could hear was the sound of the wind whipping through the ancient moss-covered hills, rippling the water. She focused, concentrating with all she had.
I wish that Caleb and I will have a child together. A child of our own.
Caitlin wished so hard, she could feel herself willing it, demanding that it come true.
She suddenly felt moisture on her cheeks. She opened her eyes, and was amazed to see that it had started to snow. She was in awe. Had the universe answered her?
She reached out and tossed the coin. She watched as it sank through the clear water and settled on the bottom. Her heart leapt to see that it landed head-first.