CHAPTER 27
Sharp hunger pains woke Keelin. She groaned and rolled over, dreaming of French toast. She sat up quickly as the events of the day before washed over her. It all felt like a weird dream. Keelin gingerly reached out her arms and then swung her legs off the bed. Though she was a little unsteady when she stood, she felt good. She felt alive, she reminded herself. Keelin shuddered in a breath as she realized how close she had come to dying.
She stumbled into the bathroom and flicked on the light. She met her eyes in the mirror. Her face looked different. It looked older somehow. Not in age lines, but in wisdom. She imagined it was how a soldier's face looked after a battle. There seemed to be a new power to her –a knowledge – that came from being so close to the edge. Everything had shifted for her yesterday. Keelin had to decide what that would mean for her. Would the pain of this experience gradually fade with time or would the lessons learned change her very core? She suspected it wasthe latter of the two. She already felt like a different person.
Keelin pulled on a demure one-piece bathing suit and threw a loose dress over her head. From habit, she braided her hair as she walked into the kitchen to find Fiona bustling over the stove. She started when Keelin padded silently behind her and laid a kiss on her cheek.
"Oh! You're up. Let me look at you." Fiona turned and held Keelin's face in her hands and looked deep into her eyes. Keelin smiled at the old woman, drinking in all of the age lines and wisdom her face held. "You look better. You've changed, haven't you?" Fiona gestured to the table and Keelin gratefully sat in front of a plate that held warm blueberry scones and fresh cream.
"Mm, this looks delicious." Keelin nodded at Fiona with her mouth full as she placed a rasher of bacon by her plate. "Yes, I feel like I've changed. I don't know how yet. But it seems like I have a choice to make. Either I embrace everything I am or lose everything I have."
Fiona settled onto the stool across from Keelin and sipped her tea. She paused for a moment before she spoke. "I don't know if it is all or nothing like you think. But I do know that when you heal someone like that and you take it into you, you'll forever know your true power as a healer. You've pushed yourself as far as you can go. Because of that, your limits are now defined. In some respects, this makes you a far better and more efficient healer."
"That makes sense. I wasn't even thinking about what I was doing. I was so distraught that I just went into autopilot. It was a stupid move."
"Why did you allow that energy into your body? Why didn't you send it away? Tell me what happened."
Keelin filled Fiona in on the whole scenario up until when Flynn's leg had healed and he had stared at her with such anger. A small sob caught in her throat and her hand shook as she took a quick sip of her tea. "He…he hated me, Fiona. His face was so full of anger. It wasn't even gratitude. I was so startled that I never finished the healing session because I swear my heart just broke when I saw his face." Keelin shredded the rest of the scone on her plate, nervously picking the bits into small crumbs.
"So you didn't get a chance to talk to him before he hurt himself?" Fiona asked, and slid a new scone onto Keelin's plate.
"I was going to. We were just having fun and I was going to tell him at the top of the climb. It is kind of a weird thing to talk about when you are hiking and not looking at each other face to face."
"He doesn't hate you. But you do need to make this right with him," Fiona said.
"Why do I need to make it right? Why do I have to be ashamed of what I am?" Keelin demanded furiously. "I saved his damn life and he walked away. You healed me and he took one look to make sure that I was alive and stormed out the door. I'm so furious with him that I don't even know if I want to see him!" She slammed her mug on the table and Ronan whined softly from under her chair. Keelin slipped her hand down and rubbed his silky ears between her fingers.
"I understand that you are hurt. Of course you are hurt. But, you also have to see it from his side. He views this asa betrayal. You have this whole other life that you didn't tell him about. And, no, you should never be ashamed of what you are. I'm not suggesting you apologize to him for that. I suggest you apologize for not sharing your whole self with him."
"Hmpf. Like I'll even get to see him anytime soon," Keelin said morosely.
"Don't give him a choice. Go to the cove. Don't forget that you met Grace. Which, by the way, I plan to pick your head about later. Go to the cove, Keelin. You need to finish this one way or the other." Fiona got up and handed her a pen and paper. "Tie a note to Ronan's collar. He'll know what to do."
Keelin stared at the small notepad for a moment. She wasn't entirely sure what to say. What would be convincing enough to have him meet her there?
"It is said that when a person saves another's life – that they are forever indebted to that person. I ask of you a favor. Meet me at the cove. I will wait until sundown."
Keelin tiedthe note up and wrapped it around Ronan's collar. Fiona packed her a bag of food and wine and gave her a long hug. Keelin leaned into her and smelled her neck, which smelled faintly of lavender and moss. Warmth surrounded them as they hugged.
"Thank you for my life. I will love you always," Keelin whispered to her.
Fiona nodded against her and held her tight.
"You are my blood." Fiona reached up and slipped Grace's amulet around Keelin's neck. "You forgot this."
"Thank you, I thought it was gone!" Keelin looked down at the stone nestled on her chest.
"No, you still had it on when Flynn carried you here. It was covered in his blood," Fiona said meaningfully, and ushered her out the door.
Keelin's stomach felt like it was tied in knots. She glanced down at Ronan and then up to the hills. Flynn's dog sat up on the ridge.
"Ronan, go to Flynn." She whistled and Teagan ran down to collect Ronan. "Go home, go on now." She waited as she watched the two dogs race up the hill and out of sight. Taking a deep breath, Keelin turned to the cove, her future at its shores.
CHAPTER 28
At the base of the path to the cove, Keelin stopped. Here was where she would traditionally say a small prayer and give an offering. Bending over, she unstrapped her sandals and kicked them aside. Keelin walked briskly to the edge of the water and let the waves lap over her feet. Reaching into her pack, she pulled out a small knife. Without hesitation, she used the sharp blade to slice a small cut into her palm. Clenching her fist, she held her hand over the water. A small rivulet of blood squeezed from the cut in her hand. She watched, hypnotized, as the blood hit the water in small drops of red, quickly dissipating.
"Yesterday, I almost gave my life because I refused to fully accept myself. I come here today to step into my birthright. I offer my blood to the cove, as a descendant of Grace O'Malley, as a promise to both myself and to her. I promise to protect the cove and I promise to never stand ashamed of what I am." Keelin squeezed extra hard and a long rivulet of blood dripped into the cove. A crack like alightning bolt hit the water and for an instant it glowed a bright white. Keelin felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She knew Flynn was behind her.
