Authors: Melanie Matthews
“No. No! I want to be with you.” She kissed him forcibly to demonstrate her point. “I. Love. You.”
He held her cheek in his palm. “Then what is it?”
She had to tell him—everything.
“I—”
But her confession was cut short by a tremendous tremble that shook the ground. It was as if the earth had opened up beneath them.
“What the…” Devin trailed off.
Slowly, they went to the balcony ledge. The night was quiet. She didn’t see an open hole in the ground, but it was hard to tell, because the moon was hidden by thick clouds, masking her view. However, she noticed a red light, glowing in the dark, and then suddenly it was gone. She shook her head. She must be seeing things.
“Was that an earthquake?” Devin asked.
There was another tremble, but it came from the rapid footsteps of Leprechauns traveling down the stairs.
“I don’t know,” she said, clutching Devin’s hand, “but let’s go downstairs too.”
“Not yet.” He pulled her swiftly to him and kissed her passionately. “
Now
we can go.”
20
Revelations
When they finally arrived in the Commons Area, everyone was already there, in their pajamas, murmuring. Only Eva, Devin, Colin, and Headmaster Quinn still wore their regular attire. Meg was with Finn, and Corrine was with Liam. Bree stood alone, away from everyone. Lucas was nowhere to be found.
“What’s going on?” Devin asked.
Everyone turned to face the new arrivals—the new couple—holding hands. Bree, on the verge of tears, quickly faced away, Meg grinned, Corrine smiled, Finn and Liam furrowed their brows, Colin hung his head, and the headmaster raised an eyebrow.
“We heard a tremble,” Finn answered.
“Yeah, us too,” Devin said.
“Where were you two at?” the headmaster asked.
Eva looked up at Devin. She couldn’t answer, she was so nervous.
“The balcony,” Devin answered softly, looking down.
“Ooh, what a pretty necklace,” Meg said, staring at Eva’s gift.
Eva didn’t want to say who had given it to her, so she just shook her head, as a sign for Meg to leave it alone.
“Did Devin give it to you?” she continued, smiling.
Bree let out a sob that echoed around the room. Colin lifted his head, and then quickly turned away, but not before Eva caught his pained expression.
Corrine sighed loudly. “Meg, just shut it. There are more important things going on.”
Meg grunted. “I was just—”
But her explanation was cut off. The front doors to the academy opened with a bang and a burst of winter air. A tall man strolled in, looking very haughty, with glossy black hair styled neatly back, and sparkling emerald eyes. He wore a three-piece black suit with a red tie, and a red rose in his front coat pocket. In his left hand, he held what looked like a cane, but it seemed to be more of a staff, made of black knotted wood. His palm covered the top, but in the spaces between his fingers, a large green jewel was glowing. It was the same light she had observed from the balcony—a light she thought she had imagined.
He looked very refined, mannered, like a gentleman. As he came closer inside, stepping confidently along the foyer, finally reaching the Commons Area, Eva noticed how much he looked
exactly
like Devin. They could’ve been twins, if this man wasn’t so ceremonious and rigid to Devin’s tousled and laid-back style. The only other differences were of course, the clothes, and Devin’s face, all battered and bruised.
She thought of Muirgen and how similar they looked. This couldn’t be a coincidence. What was equally curious was the fact that this stranger had the same lure over her as Devin. She loved this man, as she loved Devin, and it terrified her.
“I’m sorry,” he announced loudly in a polished voice. He gestured with his thumb at the entrance doors. “I should have knocked.” He smiled, as if he wasn’t sorry at all. Then he turned his head to Eva and smiled, winking.
She felt desirous and wanted to run to him, so he could hold her and kiss her. But Devin was her love, her only love. She remained by his side, despite the stronger magnetic force that this mystery man was giving off.
Corrine gasped. “Wait…doesn’t he look like—”
“Who are you?” the headmaster interrupted. He stepped into a protective stance before his students, nervous of this unexpected newcomer arriving in the dead of night, following a mysterious tremble from below the ground.
The man peeled his eyes away from Eva, turned to the headmaster, and grinned. “Glad someone finally asked. I’m Cormac, or as you may know me, the Father of the Leprechauns, bastard son of the witch Saoirse, and currently King of the Underworld, having just recently slaughtered my father, the warlock Cianan, in a coup, and took his place on the throne. I’m very pleased to make your acquaintance.” He tipped an imaginary hat.
There were gasps all around and Eva squeezed Devin’s hand tighter. He squeezed back. She couldn’t love this man. He was evil. And really old.
“That’s…impossible,” the headmaster said in almost a whisper. “You’re-you’re supposed to be dead. Long ago.”
Cormac smiled. “My dear headmaster, how ignorant you really are.”
The headmaster looked shocked and…afraid.
But she was surprised when he took another step forward, and demanded in an even voice, “What are you doing here?!”
Cormac turned to Eva, smiling. She felt the same way about him, as she did about Devin—that they were long lost loves. He tilted his black cane to her. “I’ve come for her,” he answered, and then pulled his cane back to his side.
“I don’t think so,” Devin said with an edge to his voice, clenching her hand so tight it hurt.
Cormac laughed, throwing his back. “My sons! Just like me! So impulsive! Ready to fight!” He turned to the others. “Well, we all witnessed the infamous bout between our Devin here”—he waved at Devin—“and Lucas. Quite a match, if I say so myself.” He looked at the headmaster. “Where is Lucas by the way? Recovering? I hope I didn’t cause him any harm when I severed the connection to his mind,” he said in mock sympathy.
Eva gasped along with everyone else. Cormac, the Father of the Leprechauns, had been
inside
Lucas’ mind! He had been controlling him all this time! Her mind raced: Lucas’ ability to enter her mind, his declaration of love, his kisses, and his fight with Devin. How much of it was Cormac? How much of it was Lucas?
The headmaster’s face froze with shock, but then he declared, “That’s none of your damn business!”
Cormac smiled. “
Everything
is my business, especially,”—he turned his full body to Eva—“when it concerns that lovely creature over there.”
Suddenly, the chandeliers in the room dimmed and everyone vanished. It was only Cormac and her, in the semi-dark—a romantically-created setting. In the blink of an eye, he closed the gap between them, and stood behind her, pressing his chest against her back.
His lips brushed against her ear. “You look so beautiful,” he said softly.
She trembled at his touch, his words. Then the chandelier lights grew bright, everyone reappeared, and Cormac resumed his earlier position near the foyer. He smirked at her as if they had just gotten away with something very naughty. She felt violated and desirous at the same time.
“Ugh! Why does everyone fall for
her
?” Bree asked, crossing her arms against her chest, modestly dressed in neon pink flannels.
Cormac turned to Bree and smiled. “Cheer up, Bree! There are plenty of fish in the sea.” He laughed.
Eva couldn’t take it anymore. She grew bold and stepped forward with Devin still clenching her hand, refusing to let her go. “What do you want with me?”
“Ah! She speaks to me!” Cormac held his hand over his heart, smiling in a joking sort of way. “Can this be love?”
Devin stepped forward, in front of Eva, and said in a steady voice, “You’ll have to go through me.”
Cormac laughed, throwing his head back again. “As if
you
were a challenge.”
He raised his cane with the green jewel like a weapon, and pointed it at Devin, who was torn from Eva’s hand, flying high to the ceiling.
“NO!” Eva screamed.
There were loud gasps, screams, and shouts from all around the room.
Devin was frightened, kicking his legs, waving his arms, as if he could will himself to sprout wings and fly to safety.
Eva turned to Cormac, who still had his cane, his weapon, pointed at Devin.
“Let him go!” she pleaded.
Cormac grinned, as if she had said the funniest thing. “Well, I could just…‘let him go,’…but you didn’t say the magic word, and that
word
my lovely is what will keep your sweetheart from falling to the floor in a bloody mess.”
Eva’s mind raced. What was the magic word?
“Safely!” she shouted.
He furrowed his brow, as if disappointed, but then he smiled, and said, “I will…if you leave with me.”
“W-where?” she stammered.
He lowered his weapon, but Devin still remained high in the air. Eva wondered if he needed the cane at all—that it was just for show. Cormac banged the knotted wooden tip twice on the hardwood floor. The sound echoed all around.
“Below,” he answered.
“To…Hell?” Meg asked, clutching her hand tightly with Finn’s.
Cormac turned to the scared redhead. “Hell is such a…dirty word. I prefer
Underworld
. Has a less…hellish ring to it.” He laughed at his own lame joke. No one else did.
Eva didn’t have a choice. She had to go. She had to save Devin. And everyone else.
“If you
safely
put Devin down, and leave everyone else alone, then yes, I’ll go with you.”
“NO!” Several shouted in unison, but the loudest came from Devin up high. “NO! NO!” Devin pleaded again. “
NO, EVA!
”
She looked up at him, trying to hold back her tears. “I have to. I’m sorry. I love you, Devin.”
She heard a sharp intake of breath and turned to Cormac. He was smiling, his emerald eyes sparkling, as if he had just heard the most wonderful news, but she didn’t ponder long about his unexplained reaction. He was impossible to decipher, except for the obvious fact that he wanted her.
That
was the unknown.
Why
did he want
her
?
But it would have to stay a mystery for now.
She took one step, and then another, until she was a foot away from Cormac, who resembled Devin in looks, yet so different in personality. Even though she loved Devin, Cormac was pulling her in, despite his desire to inflict harm. She didn’t know what was wrong with her.
He smiled at her. “Wise choice my sweet.”
Then he nodded in the direction above her head, and she turned to see Devin, slowly descending. Once his feet touched the floor, he immediately ran to Eva, but Cormac raised his weapon, and a green-tinted barrier pushed him back, causing him to fall to the floor. Eva watched in horror as Cormac moved the cane to everyone else, extending the barrier, bathing them in an eerie green glow.
He lowered his weapon, but kept the green jewel targeted on everyone. “Now no one will stop us.” He leaned in, close to Eva’s face, smelling of cologne and tobacco. It was intoxicating, just like Devin. “As if anyone could stop me,” he whispered in her ear. Then he pulled away, winked, and flashed a pearly white smile. She had to resist the urge to kiss him and felt ashamed for even thinking it.
She turned to Devin. He was pounding his fists against the red barrier. His pleas were unheard, but she could read his lips:
EVA! EVA! DON’T!
“I have to,” she said softly, desperately holding back her tears, trying to be strong.
She hoped that if he didn’t hear her, he had read her lips, and saw the pain on her face. He kept pounding away at the barrier in silent shouts:
EVA! EVA! EVA!
“Well, time is flying!” Cormac exclaimed with a flourish. She turned back to him, and noticed that he was holding a silver pocket watch, inlaid with green jewels, in the form of a spiral. “We must be off! Are you ready my dear?” He secured the watch on the inside of his coat pocket.
No, she wasn’t.
She nodded. “Yes, I’m ready.”
“Excellent. Say goodbye to your friends.” He gestured to the shocked faces behind the green barrier.
“I’m never coming back?” she asked, afraid to hear the answer.
He waved his hand in the air. “Of course, you will return,” he said to her shock. “I just need some…time with you.”