Eternal Moon

Chapter 15: Between a Witch and a Werewolf

Jamie took a deep breath before opening the door of the pub. The walk from the castle to the town square had already been much longer than it normally was, mostly because the survivors of the solstice were still cleaning up the mess from the werewolf attack. And because she had left right after another confusing encounter with the Laird. She pushed him from her mind like an errant thought, refusing to give him any consideration right now. Especially after all the things he'd said. And done. Better to focus on helping the town recover from the solstice.

Five people had been killed, including Donald's daughter, Meredith. According to Catrina and Effie, Donald was beside himself. He had holed up in his small cottage and refused to come out. His daughter had left Gealach Lán to attend college but had always returned every year for the summer solstice as a way to stay connected to her father and heritage. No one knew how Donald was going to tell his son-in-law that Meredith had been killed.

Jamie had been haunted by the sight of Donald holding his daughter's body. The woman's throat had been torn out and even in the dark Jamie could see the blood. Her head had hung at an awkward angle, close to falling off from the deep sever. Just the memory made Jamie heave.

Selfishly, Jamie couldn't help but remember that Meredith had been her ticket back to Aberdeen. Now that the woman was dead, Jamie was stranded once again.

That mournful pall was thick in the pub as Jamie finally walked in. Deidra had picked up the chairs and tables that had been strewn about, but she was still cleaning off the blood and mud that had smeared across the stone floors and wooden walls. The shelves were empty from glasses that had shattered. Someone had smashed in the windows; small shards littered the bushes outside. Something had ransacked the trash heap nearby and pieces of garbage were still showing up occasionally. The nearby bonfire was a pile of rubble and ash.

Old Malcolm was the only other person in the pub, somberly sitting at the bar with a mug. He gave Jamie a brief glance when she walked in but no nod. Not that she blamed him. Ever since she had come to Gealach Lán there had been nothing but chaos. She blamed herself too.

Deidra looked about ten years older, haggard and worn from the weeks of grieving her sister and now her friends and neighbors. She couldn't even muster a perfunctory smile for Jamie - not that Jamie needed one - and merely poured a pair of shots for both of them. Not the healthiest form of coping, but Jamie understood.

The smell of the extinct bonfire still lingered everywhere. Jamie could almost taste it as she took the whiskey down. Along with a hefty dose of guilt and melancholy.

"Another?" Deidra asked, but she didn't wait for Jamie's response. She just poured two more.

"I'm so sorry, Deidra." It felt like the lamest apology ever considering what had occurred but Jamie felt as if she had to say something. Anything to break up the gloom that had been cast over Gealach Lán. "You all have been through so much..."

Deidra's humorless chuckle was followed by another shot. "Aye. Thought we only had one werewolf to deal with. Now we have two. Meanwhile, my sister is still nowhere to be found."

The presence of another werewolf did not bode well for Mary's life. No one had said as much but everyone could feel it. It was most likely that the other beast had taken six victims instead of five.

Jamie snuck a glance at Malcolm down at the bar but he drank in silence, completely ignoring the other women. Clearly uninterested in their company.

It would be beyond stupid to ask the obvious question but Jamie wondered if she could ask in another way. "Do you think this other werewolf could have Mary?"