The Dark River

Maya glanced up at Gabriel and he felt as if he had been jabbed with a knife. The young Harlequin’s aggressive confidence had disappeared. She looked sad and defeated, and Gabriel realized that somehow Mother Blessing had found out about last night.

“It’s dangerous to have two Travelers in the same location,” Maya said. Her voice was flat and unemotional. “We’ve contacted Captain Foley on the satellite phone. You’ll leave this morning with Mother Blessing and go back to the mainland. She’ll take you to a safe house somewhere in Ireland. I’ll stay here and guard your father.”

“If I have to go, I want you to come with me.”

“We’ve already made the decision,” Mother Blessing said. “You don’t have a choice. I’ve guarded your father for six months. Now that will be Maya’s obligation.”

“I don’t see why Maya and I can’t stay together.”

“We know what’s best for your survival.”

Maya was gripping the scabbard of her sword as if the weapon could save her from this conversation. Her face was desperate, pleading, but she looked back down at the floor. “This is the most logical decision, Gabriel. And that’s what Harlequins should do-make calm, logical decisions concerning the protection of Travelers. Mother Blessing is far more experienced than I. She has access to weapons and reliable mercenaries.”

“And don’t forget about Vicki Fraser and the little girl,” Mother Blessing said. “They’ll be safe here on the island. It’s difficult to travel with a child.”

“We’ve done all right so far.”

“You’ve been lucky.” Mother Blessing strolled over to the clear window behind the altar that looked out at the sea. Gabriel wanted to argue with the Harlequin, but there was something about this middle-aged Irishwoman that was very intimidating. Over the years, Gabriel had seen a variety of fights in bars and on the street where two drunken men insulted each other and worked their way up to aggression. Mother Blessing had stepped over that line many years ago. If you challenged her, she would attack immediately-without restraint.

“When will I see you again?” Gabriel asked Maya.

“In a year or so perhaps she can leave the island,” Mother Blessing said. “It might happen earlier if your father returns to this world.”

“A year? That’s crazy.”

“The boat will be here in twenty minutes, Gabriel. Get ready to leave.”

The conversation was over. Dazed, Gabriel left the two women and walked out of the chapel. Gabriel could see that Vicki and Alice were up on the ridge. He climbed the stone stairway to the next ledge, circled the garden and the rainwater catch basins, then followed the path that led to the highest point on the island.

Sitting on a sandstone boulder, Vicki gazed out at the dark blue ocean that surrounded them in every direction. The island made Gabriel feel like nothing else existed-that they truly were alone at the center of the world. About thirty feet away from her, Alice scrambled around the rocks, pausing every few minutes to slash at tall weeds with a stick.

Vicki smiled when Gabriel approached her and motioned to the girl. “I think she’s pretending to be a Harlequin.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good thing,” Gabriel said, and sat down beside Vicki. Above them, the sky was dotted with gannets and shearwaters. The birds rode invisible currents of air up to the heavens and glided back down again. “I’m leaving the island,” Gabriel said. As he described the discussion in the chapel, Mother Blessing’s decision gained weight and substance-like a distant city approached through the fog. The wind became stronger and the black-and-white shearwaters began calling with high-pitched cries that made Gabriel feel lonely.

“Don’t worry about your father, Gabriel. Maya and I will guard him.”

“What if he returns to this world and I’m not here?”

Vicki took his hand and squeezed it tightly. “Then we’ll tell him that he has a loyal son who did everything possible to find him.”

GABRIEL RETURNED TO the storage hut, lit a candle, and climbed down into the cellar. His father’s body was still lying on the stone slab, still covered with the sheet of cotton muslin. Gabriel’s shadow wavered on the wall as he pulled off the sheet. Matthew Corrigan’s hair was long and gray, and he had deep lines etched into his forehead and at the corners of his mouth. When Gabriel was growing up everyone had said that he looked like his father, but it was only now that he could see the resemblance. Gabriel felt as if he were looking at his older self-weary from a lifetime of peering into the hearts of others.

Kneeling beside the body, Gabriel pressed his ear against his father’s chest. He waited for several minutes, and then was startled to hear the faint thump of a single heartbeat. It felt as if his father were only a few feet away from him, calling from the shadows. Gabriel stood up, kissed his father’s forehead, and climbed back up the stairs. As he was closing the trapdoor, Maya walked into the hut.

“Is your father all right?”