Her Protector: Elvendon, #1

By Rosie Lynch

Romantic Adventure Fantasy

 

Kaitlin Jacobs has a strange encounter with a blue eyed, blonde haired elven boy in the forest on her aunt's land. He promises that one day he will return for her, before disappearing through a magical gateway.

Five years later, her mother suddenly dies, and while attending the reading of her will she discovers and unbelievable truth. She is not human, but half elf blood and half witch.

Humankind is about to be destroyed by the shadowmen, and Keltor, the boy from the forest has returned to act as her Protector. Battling against the shadow demons he takes Kaitlin to the world of Elvendon to take her place as an elven princess.

They depart on a quest to find the Star of Elmrock, a magical entity that is now the only hope left to save humankind.
Her protector must not only keep her safe from the shadowmen, but also from the elves who would see the world of humans destroyed.

Kaitlin has a destiny to fulfil, and in the eyes of her true father, The King of Elvendon, Keltor is a mere servant.
Knowing that he must not be a distraction to her, Kaitlin's Protector hides his true feelings for her. However, unknown to Kaitlin, the King has other plans for his daughter.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rosemary Lynch
• Release date: Apr 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224091447

Book preview

For my wonderful cousin

Jessica May

To the memories of our time at Warren Hill Farm

The inspiration behind this book

Prelude ~ 14 years previous

A unty, please can I go and play outside while Sarah has her nap? Kaitlin asked as she skipped into the kitchen. At five years old she had long grown out of afternoon naps, but her cousin being only three, still slept for at least two hours in the afternoon.

Okay honey, but don’t wander off too far, and don’t go beyond the herb garden, her aunt said.

I won’t. Please can I have a biscuit to take? she asked, smiling up at her.

Of course, help yourself, but not too many as you don’t want to spoil your tea, her aunt replied with a smile back at her.

Kaitlin hurried to the pine dresser, she opened the bottom cupboard, and pulled out a flowery biscuit tin. Taking the lid off, she rummaged inside. She glanced to her aunt, whose back was to her as she was busy rolling out some pastry. Kaitlin sneakily took out a four-finger KitKat and slipped it into her pocket. She put the lid back on and put the biscuit tin back in the cupboard.

Thank you, she called, as she went out of the back door.

When you hear me ring the bell, you come back inside, okay, her aunt yelled.

I will, Kaitlin replied.

Tapping the KitKat in her pocket she skipped out into the garden. She wasn’t really allowed a whole four finger KitKat, normally she had to share it with Sarah.

Sitting on the grass singing and building a fairy house, she played for a while in the herb garden with her little fairy doll. Kaitlin was spending the entire six weeks summer holidays with her aunt. The farmhouse sat on a hill surrounded by over a thousand acres of woodland, and her aunt and uncle kept a few pigs, ponies, and chickens. Kaitlin loved coming here as it was so different to the tiny council house in the city she lived in with her mum and dad. Most of all she loved it when Sarah had her nap, as it meant she could have her own adventure.

Her attention was drawn towards the fence backing onto the forest, and the fluttering lights coming from the trees.

Look, Marie, she said to her doll as she jumped to her feet. Fairies, just like you. Shall we go and say hello?

She skipped down the path, climbed over the style at the bottom of the herb garden and headed into the trees. She sang as she walked, stopping now and then to collect acorns, and anything pretty that caught her eye.

Now where did they go? she said to her doll, and she gave a sigh as she sat on an old tree stump to rest and lay out her treasures. Glancing up, her eyes followed the twinkling lights coming towards her.

The child sat up straight as they approached.

Kaitlin, they whispered.

Hello, she replied, and she stood. Are you fairies? she then asked, and her hands lifted towards them.

Yes, we are, they whispered back.

She giggled and jumped to try to catch one. One flew towards her and hovered near her face. Kaitlin’s eyes widen as she stared at the tiny fairy, she was beautiful, and her wings fluttered like a hummingbird.

I knew you were real, mummy said you were.

Your mother is very special, one replied.

Kaitlin nodded, with a smile. Who are you? Kaitlin asked.

My name is Eladora, and I am a princess of the fairies, she replied.

A real princess, Kaitlin gasped, and she immediately curtsied, as she knew that was the correct way to address a princess. The fairy princess smiled at the child.

Will you play with me? Kaitlin asked.

Not today, Kaitlin, but I know someone who will, she replied mysteriously.

Who, another fairy? she asked, glancing to the other lights still hovering behind her.

No, an elf boy, the fairy replied.

Kaitlin clapped her hands excitedly. Like in the stories mummy tells me? she asked.

The fairy smiled.

Exactly like the stories your mother tells you.  Now repeat these words after me, and remember them always, for you will need to say them in order to get home, she said.

Kaitlin dropped her hands to her side as she listened intently.

With the magic of the fairies, open the portal to Elvendon, the fairy chanted.

With the magic of the fairies, open the portal to Elvendon, Kaitlin repeated.

Again, you must say it three times, the fairy instructed.

Kaitlin nodded, and then had a thought.

What is Elvendon? she asked.

Eladora smiled at the child’s curiosity.

It is the land of the Elves, she replied.

Oooh, yes, I want to go there.

Then you must say it three times, and when you are ready to come home, at the sound of the bell, you must say, ‘With the magic of the fairies, open the portal to Elvendon Farm.’ Can you remember that Kaitlin?

Yes, she said with a determined nod.

Good, off you go then and remember to listen for the bell.

"I will. With the magic of the fairies, open the portal to Elvendon, apud magica de fae. Aperie portal to Elvendon, apud magica de fae. Aperie portal to Elvendon," she chanted, not realising she was now speaking in magic, and as the air around her sparkled as the portal opened, Kaitlin smiled, and gripping the folds of her dress stepped into the magical portal.

Kaitlin stepped out the other side, and she glanced behind her as the portal closed. She gave a frown as she looked about. She was still in a forest, but it looked different.

Hello, is anyone there? she called, her eyes searching the unfamiliar trees.

He peered from behind an oak, and she grinned.

Hello, she said, giving him a wave. The boy glanced around and then stepped out from the cover of the oak.

Hello, he said, with a grin.

Did the fairies tell you I was coming? she asked.

Fairies? he questioned as he walked towards her.  No, I was hunting, he said, standing tall and trying to look grown up.

I’m Kaitlin, and I’m five, she said, holding out her hand in greeting.  He stepped up to her and shook it.

I’m Keltor, and I’m eight, he said.

Do you want to play? she asked. The fairies said you would.

He shrugged unsure.  Kaitlin had a thought, and she took the KitKat from her pocket.

Would you like some? she asked, offering it to him.

What is it? he asked curiously.

A KitKat, she said, and he laughed.

That’s a funny name, he then said as she broke a piece and gave it to him.

The boy looked at it curiously and then took a bite, his eyebrow rose, and then he ate the whole finger.

It’s nice, he said agreeably.

Giving him another piece, she then ate one herself.

Do you want to come back to my house? Keltor asked.

Okay, but I have to go home when the bell rings, she said.

He looked at her curiously.

You should cover your ears, he then said, and he began to walk away.

My ears, why? she asked, not moving.

Because you are human in a world of elves, he replied.

She scrunched her nose making it wrinkle as she thought.

So? she said.

The grown-ups will lock you in a dungeon or feed you to a dragon, he teased.

Kaitlin immediately pulled her long blonde hair out of her ponytail and brushed it over her ears.

Come on, Kitkat, he yelled, and he turned and held out his hand. Kaitlin grinned and ran to him.

Do they really have dragons? she asked, glancing up to him.  Keltor laughed.

Of course not, silly.

Eight years later

The bell for lunch rung loudly through the heavy branches of the mighty oaks, and without hesitation the girls hurried back towards home, having been out all morning playing in the forest. Dressed as princesses, they spent hours lost in their own magical world, climbing trees, and building dens. By now, Sarah was in front of her cousin by a good twenty paces. Kaitlin was never any good at running, more like the tortoise than the hare.

From nowhere he appeared in front of her, and they stood staring at one another, his bright, blue eyes fixated on her. His features were strong and athletic, his blonde hair reached to his shoulders, and his ears were pointed.

Hello Kitkat, he said with a smile.

Keltor, Kaitlin said, her heart singing at his presence. What are you doing here? she asked, throwing her arms around him, and hugging him. He held her for a moment, and then he let out a heavy sigh.

I have something to tell you, he said, and his voice sounded sad as he released her.

Are you okay, has something happened? she asked. As his eyes lifted to her emerald, green eyes, his heart shook so profoundly he thought it would burst from his chest. She was a vision of beauty, wearing a long, white gown, which she held gathered in her hands as it was too big for her.

He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. Extending his hand towards her, he offered it to her.

Kaitlin, he said. This is for you, you must wear and treasure it always, he insisted.

What is it? she asked, taking a step towards him. Dropping the folds of her dress, she held out her hand. He dropped it in her palm. Now he knew who she really was, he wanted to tell her everything, the truth about where she came from, of her destiny, and her future, but he could not as he was forbidden.

Kitkat, we can’t see each other anymore, he said.

What, no, you can’t be serious! she cried.

Now I’m sixteen, I have to go on a mission, for my King.

But Keltor... she mumbled.

He reached out and drew her back into his arms.

I will come back for you, Kaitlin Jacobs, I promise, he said, and he gently kissed the top of her head.

But when? she asked, looking up into his eyes.

Five years from now.

Five years! she cried in horror. But it’s long enough to wait between the school holidays before I can see you Keltor. I’ll be nearly nineteen then, how can I bear to wait five years?

I know it seems a long time, but it will come soon enough.

She shook her head, and tears ran down her cheeks.

I want you to wear this necklace always, he said. It will mean we are never apart.  It was a silver chain with half a red heart pendent initialled with a K hanging from it.

Kaitlin! her cousin yelled.

I’m coming, she yelled back, glancing behind her. She lifted her hair, and he fastened the necklace around her throat. She rubbed the heart pendent between her thumb and finger.

I’m so sorry I have to do this, he said, and a tear trickled down his own cheek. For eight years, they had been secret friends, and for the last two years, he had found himself falling in love with her. Then two days ago, on his sixteenth birthday, he discovered the truth about who she was, and his heart had broken at the news. Of all the people on Earth, why did it have to be her? He swallowed back his tears, as what he had to do next was the hardest thing he had ever done in his young life, but it was necessary, he had to protect his family.

Keltor, do what, what’s going on? she begged.

You have to trust me; this is for your own good.

Keltor, you’re scaring me, she said.

He cupped her face with both his hands, leaned, and kissed her. Kaitlin’s heart pounded from her, and her body shook as tingles of electricity shot through her.

Goodbye Kitkat, I will always love you, he said sadly.

She opened her eyes, and he was gone.

Kaitlin, hurry up, I want my lunch! her cousin yelled again.

I’m coming, Kaitlin shouted. She looked into the trees and frowned, and her hand lifted to the necklace around her throat. She had a vague memory of seeing a boy with pointy ears, and he had given her this necklace. Kaitlin turned around and looked behind her, did it happen, or had she imagined him? She looked at the initial K on the necklace, it couldn’t be her imagination, or else where did she get the necklace from. Was the initial K for Kaitlin or K for Keltor – she smiled – Keltor, that was his name and she seemed to remember he said he would come back for her.

That afternoon while her cousin was at her ballet lesson, Kaitlin sat and painted. She was going home that evening; it was Saturday and the end of the summer holidays. She was due back at school on Monday and was waiting for her mum and dad to come and pick her up. She drew him, the elf boy from memory, and as she stared at her painting, she smiled. It was a good likeness, but it didn’t matter what colour combination she used, she was unable to do his eyes justice. 

Although she couldn’t remember much about their encounter, she did remember they were bright blue, and so beautiful, like deep pools of water sparkling full of warmth and kindness.

She never told anyone about Keltor; one, in case she had imagined him and two, who would have believed her anyway? Three months later Kaitlin’s Aunt immigrated to America taking her cousin with her. The farm was tenanted, and she never went there again, that was until the phone call came. You know sometimes how you wish for things to be different, well take some advice and be careful, what Kaitlin didn’t realize was, for her things already were.

Chapter One ~ Present Day

O hhhhh ohhhhhh ohhhhhh ohhhhhhh, she sang, her hands tapping away on the steering wheel of the car.  Oh, her eyes, her eyes make the stars look like they're not shinin'  - what the hell is that? she said, and she gripped the steering wheel tight as she stared at the tall, dark silhouette in the road ahead of her.  She honked her horn.  Get the hell out of the way, she yelled waving her hand at him.

The car flipped, rolled, spun in circles across the lane, and finally landed with an almighty crash in the ditch. There was a deathly silence.

Hey, are you alright? the voice yelled as he ran towards the woman sat on the side of the road.  Lady, I said are you alright?

She blinked and looked up at him. His eyes were wide in panic as he reached his trembling hands towards her. Kaitlin nodded, and she rubbed her brow, she felt dizzy, but otherwise she thought she was okay.

How the hell did you get out, were you thrown, didn’t you have your seat belt on? the man asked firing questions at her.

She just shrugged, as she couldn’t remember how she got out of the car. All Kaitlin recalled was she was on her way home having had tea with her boss. It was around six o’clock, as she had just listened to the news, and she remembered singing loudly to Bruno Mars when there was a blinding light, and the next she remembered was sitting here on the side of the road.

I can’t believe you got out of that wreckage. What happened, did you hit something, was it a deer? I’ve called you an ambulance, he rushed all at once.

Thank you, she managed, with a nod. I can’t remember, she added confused.

Maybe you’ve got concussion, just sit still, okay, the man urged.

She looked over to Ciaran’s car, and her heart raced as the rear end was sticking out of a ditch. Shit, he was going to kill her. Her car had gone to the garage as it had been playing up, and she had borrowed her boyfriend’s Jaguar XKR convertible without asking him.

Well, someone must be looking after you, the man declared, and he jumped to his feet at the sound of an ambulance. He hurried back to the road and began waving them down. A police car and fire engine following behind pulled up and blocked off the entire road.  Kaitlin’s gaze swept beyond them and up the road as she looked for a reason to why she had crashed. Her eyes settled on a figure, it was a young man with short blonde hair who wore blue jeans, and a dark t-shirt. He was staring right back at her with such an intensity that he made her heart shudder.

He stood watching, making sure she was okay. His body still pounded with adrenaline as it coursed through his veins. Thank the stars he had listened to his instincts, or he would have lost her. His eyes caught hers as she looked directly at him. He took a step back in shock, could she see him?  He mumbled a concealment spell under his breath, and a flash of light rippled from his head to his toes. He watched her as she spoke to the man who had helped her, and he smiled at the look of surprise on her beautiful face when she looked back and was no longer able to see him.

Soon, Kaitlin Jacobs, we shall be together, he whispered to himself, his heart singing at his words as he continued to watch, making sure she was safe, as he had done for the last five years, and as he always would continue to do.

Who is that man, did he see what happened? she asked the stranger who had helped her.

What man? he asked. Turning back Kaitlin pointed.

That .....  He was gone.  Oh, I thought I saw - never mind.  She shook her head, still dazed. He stepped back out of the way, as the ambulance crew attended to her.

Kaitlin glanced to the man who helped her, he was talking to the police, and by the way he shook his head and shrugged his shoulders a few times, he obviously had no idea what happened either. She insisted she was fine, but the ambulance crew insisted she went to hospital for a check-up anyway. Kaitlin managed to wave her thanks to the stranger. He smiled, giving her a ‘thumbs up’ as they helped her into the ambulance.

Three hours later Kaitlin emerged from A&E. It was dark, and chilly. Her boyfriend, Ciaran, was away on business, and she hadn’t braved calling him yet. Thankfully, her bag had been thrown from the car, and the police had found and given it to her at the scene. Taking out her mobile phone, she stared at it.

Oh god, she muttered in dread, and she began to dial.

Hi, babe, he said.

Hi, Ciaran, Kaitlin answered. Ciaran, I’ve had an accident, and well - I’ve kind of smashed up your car, she said, and she grimaced as she waited for his reply.

My car, what the fuck were you doing in my car? he yelled.  She pulled the phone away from her ear at the obscenities that followed.

I borrowed it, I’m sorry, I had to take mine to the garage, she tried to explain.

How bad is it? he asked.

Crumpled, she replied, and she moved the phone from her ear and scrunched her brow into a frown as she waited for his response.

For fucks sake Kaitlin, that’s a seventy-thousand-pound car! he hollered.

I know, I know, I’m sorry, it’s insured, isn’t it? she asked.  He went quiet.

Ciaran are you still there? she asked.

I’ve got to go, I’ll ring you tomorrow, he replied, and he hung up.

Great, she huffed, as she put her phone back in her bag. Not once did he ask if she was okay, no, he was only worried about his bloody car!

She hailed a cab.

The first thing Kaitlin did when she got in was switch on the kettle. She was tired, and it was gone eleven at night. Ciaran’s car was a total right off, and she still had no idea what happened. The police said there was no evidence of another vehicle or of her even braking. They breathalysed her, and of course, it was negative as she would never drink and drive. All they mentioned in passing was a strange-burnt mark in the tarmac three hundred yards away from where she had crashed.

She dunked her teabag, chucked it in the bin, and took her mug of tea with her for a shower. As the water pounded her body, she sighed. What a rotten day, to end a perfectly rotten week. Drying off, she stuck on her night-shorts and a t-shirt, brushed her long, blonde hair, and plaited it.

Throwing the duvet back, she jumped into bed and snuggled down. Picking up her book from the bedside table, she submerged herself into the world of fantasy, it was better than the world she currently lived in, that was for sure. As she finished a chapter, her eyes began to nod.

Opening them with a frightful start, the book flipped from her hands, and fell off the bed hitting the floor with a gentle thud. Kaitlin listened, as it sounded as if someone was moving around downstairs. She knew it wasn’t Ciaran as his flight was not due back until tomorrow night, and she had spoken to him only hours ago. She slipped out of bed and edged to the door.

Moving quietly towards the top of the stairs, she peered over the bannister rail and froze in horror at what she saw. There was a huge, black shadow, a thing, a what, what the hell was it? She shook from head to toe, not sure if to yell, scream, or bloody leg it back into her bedroom. She deliberated for a moment what to do, then nipping into Ciaran’s bedroom she picked up his cricket bat from under the bed.

Sneaking back to the bannister, she glanced down, but she couldn’t see or hear anything anymore. She ventured to the stairs and went down one at a time until she was standing in the downstairs hallway. Her shaking hand reached for the light, and she switched it on. Her heart was in her throat, and she lifted the bat protectively in front of her. Warily she walked into the lounge and switched the light on, again nothing. Flicking it off, she went into the kitchen and switched on the light. She glanced around quickly, but there was no sign of a break-in. Kaitlin took a deep worrying breath, she was either going crazy, or was suffering from some delayed shock from the crash this afternoon and reading her book had somehow played with her mind.

Switching all the lights off, she headed back upstairs and climbed into bed. Placing the bat by the side of her and within easy reach, she pulled the duvet up to her chin, and sat there too afraid to close her eyes.

Chapter Two ~ Tuesday

I t’s for you, Ciaran moaned, as he gave her the phone. He was still annoyed at her for wrecking his beloved car.

Who is it? she asked.

I don’t know, do I, he replied sarcastically, some posh bloke from London.

She took the phone and scrunched her nose up distastefully at him. Kaitlin was stuck with nowhere else to go, no way out of this nightmare. Her mum died two weeks ago from a sudden illness, and now she had no one except Ciaran.

He was extremely wealthy, a charmer you might say, and he had swept her off her feet with expensive gifts and glamorous weekends away. He asked Kaitlin to move in with him six weeks ago and she saw no reason not to accept, after all, he loved her and she loved him, well, she thought she did.

Looking back now, she realized how stupid and foolhardy she had been. It wasn’t love she felt for Ciaran, she had fallen under his Mr Charming spell. He had made her feel special, like a princess, and he had reeled her in hook, line, and sinker. She was only eighteen, and Ciaran was ten years older. He was a good-looking man, tall, dark, and wealthy. He wanted to sleep with her on one of their weekends away, but she couldn’t do it. At first, he had been patient because she said she was an old-fashioned girl and wanted to wait until she was married. Instead, she made the biggest mistake of her life, and agreed to move in with him, on the grounds she had her own bedroom. When he asked her to marry him a couple of weeks later, she said no, and that she wasn’t ready. To say he was furious was putting it mildly, but even after just four weeks of living with him, she knew she had to get out, somehow. It was no wonder her mum never liked him. She said Kaitlin had to learn by her own mistakes, and by God did she realize now, what a terrible mistake she had made.

Soon after Kaitlin moved in, she discovered his true personality. He became possessive, he drank and mixed with undesirable people. She even suspected he took drugs. Kaitlin didn’t know what business he was in, sales he told her, and she never really thought it her place to ask. He left for the city in the morning suited and booted and returned home at seven. They lived in his big house in the Surrey hills, and he drove a Jaguar XKR convertible, well used too, before she destroyed it.

Kaitlin tried to leave him after her mum died. She had gone to stay with a friend in Somerset, but he had found her, and threatened to hurt her and her friend if she didn’t come back to him, and now Kaitlin was too scared to leave him. She had nowhere else to go, no one else to turn too. She felt guilty for leaving her mum alone. If she hadn’t moved out, maybe her mother wouldn’t have gotten sick, maybe she could have prevented her from dying.

She took the call.  Hello, this is Kaitlin Jacobs.

Hello, Miss Jacobs, my name is Arthur Stone.  I’m your mother’s solicitor.

Oh, she thought, mum had a solicitor, she never knew and wondered why. Having no money, they had lived in their rented council house ever since she had been born.

I didn’t know my mother had a solicitor, she said to him blankly.

Really, he replied, matter of fact. Anyway, he continued. I have some papers I need you to sign, would you be able to come to my office in Holborn? I have sent you a letter with more details and our address. I just wanted to confirm with you as I will be away for the next couple of days, it’s this Friday at 10?

Yes, okay that will be fine, thank you, Mr Stone. She put the phone down. Today was Tuesday. She had a few hours’ work tomorrow at the art gallery in town, but that was about it for this week. She hadn’t felt like getting back to work properly yet, and her boss, Mr Thomas, was very understanding as he had known her mother quite well. Over the last two weeks he was incredibly supportive, giving her all the time off she needed. In fact, Kaitlin really couldn’t have asked for a more accommodating employer.  She didn’t see him often, probably a few times in a month. He was in his fifties and always took her to a tearoom in a nearby village to catch up on recent sales at the gallery. In fact, that was where she had been before she crashed Ciaran’s car the week before. Mr Thomas did love his tea and always without fail, it had to be real tealeaves in a pot and not t-bags.

After her mum died Mr Thomas even came to her home to see if she was okay, he was a caring man and, in some way, he reminded her of her late father.

Kaitlin loved working at the gallery, surrounded by all those fantastic paintings. Her art was her escape and she painted whenever she was able. Her work was mostly fantasy fairies, elves, and magical landscapes. Mr Thomas allowed her to sell them through the gallery, and it made her some extra income, but unfortunately nothing that made her a fortune, just yet.

Kaitlin had a highly active imagination, she would dream of faraway places, of magical lands and castles. She maintained an open mind as her mother always told her that fairies and elves were real. Kaitlin still held onto a secret wish that her mother was right.

Weird things started happening to her when she was younger. One Saturday night she remembered being alone downstairs, her mum, and dad had gone to bed, and she was finishing off an art project for school. First, she heard a strange noise, and a shadow passed her left side. Kaitlin had shivered from head to toe before turning around quickly to see nothing there. Stop messing around dad! she had shouted, thinking her father was playing tricks on her, but when he didn’t answer she went upstairs to discover them both sound asleep. It continued through the years. Kaitlin heard voices calling her name, visions, and strange dreams of places she didn’t know, and the feeling of someone watching her.

Her mum had always been into the supernatural and believed Kaitlin without question, when she told her of the shadowman she thought she had seen. Even though they had crystals hanging from most of their windows already, she went completely overboard. Crystals and talismans now hung all over the place, from every window, above her bed, and her parent’s bed. Strangely, it had never bothered Kaitlin’s dad, he had always been so understanding and compliant of her ways.

She remembered her Mum’s favourite haunt had been Glastonbury in Somerset, and they had spent many a Saturday traipsing through all the weird and wonderful shops there, buying even more crystals for her collection. They used to lunch in a café full of what Kaitlin used to call weird witch people, but her mum was always in her element there.  She laughed as she remembered a ‘fairy’ shop that she took her too every month religiously, and a strange woman with fake elf ears who would sprinkle ‘magical fairy dust’ all over her for protection against the ‘dark shadows and evil spirits.’

For her sixteenth birthday, Kaitlin’s mum brought her a wand. Puzzled, she remembered looking at her when she had opened it. What she really wanted was an iPhone the same as her other friends, but not wanting to upset her, she smiled gratefully, and hid it in the drawer in her bedside table.  She still had it somewhere.

What use is an iPhone when technology fails? her mother asked.  Kaitlin had looked at her and shrugged, and a fake wand would be?  That was her mum all over; she didn’t like technology, saying they depended on it too much.

She never went to the doctors either, in fact until her recent illness Kaitlin didn’t remember her going once. She had been the same. If any of them were poorly, her mum would make all her own remedies, and she grew every conceivable herb in the garden, in fact their entire garden had been edible even down to the flowers. Kaitlin knew them all, the herbs, and the potions, as her mother had taught her everything she knew. They had no TV in the house, and Kaitlin had only really started watching it after she left home six weeks ago.

All of her life, Kaitlin’s mum had told her to ‘see beyond what is there,’ and just lately, Kaitlin had been seeing something, but she wasn’t sure what it was. There were strange noises and movement in the house she couldn’t explain, a flash of something that was there one second and gone the next. She had a few crystals in her own bedroom, but most of her mum’s crystals and talismans were in a box in the loft. Ciaran said they spoiled the look of the place, and he wouldn’t have them in the main house.

Always, in her mind was the boy from the forest, Keltor. Real or not, the memory of his smile and his bright blue eyes had captivated her, and even though she was only thirteen, that Elven boy had stolen her heart.  She often looked at the childhood sketch she did of him wondering what he would look like now, five years later.

She still wore his necklace and had done every day since, his words playing over in her mind.  I will be back for you.  Well, she guessed she was still waiting. There was still time, it wasn’t quite the five years up yet, it was still a week until her nineteenth birthday, and until she knew for sure that he wasn’t coming, no one else would ever hold her heart.

What did he want? Ciaran questioned breaking her thoughts and opening a can of lager. She hated it when he drank as it made him argumentative and aggressive.

He’s mum’s solicitor, he wants me to go and see him on Friday.

Perhaps the witch left you some money, he said, laughing at her.

Don’t speak about my mum like that, she screamed back, and tears stung her eyes as she suddenly felt her loss.

Ciaran sniffed and raised his hand to her face.

Whatever, seriously Kaitlin, she was fucking weird. All those crystals she had hanging everywhere, making her own medicine and not to mention the way she used to look at me.  He shivered and pulled a disrespectful face at her as he walked off into the living room.

Probably, because she thought you were an arse, and she was right. Kaitlin’s hands fisted tightly by her side. How dare he call her mother names, calling her names was one thing, but not her mum, she had been her rock, and her best friend.

This last year had been getting strange, not because of her mum’s illness, but in general. The weather had been completely up the creak, hot one minute, cold the next, tons of rain and then no rain for weeks. There had been earthquakes, tsunamis and people had even begun to report sightings of seeing creatures moving like dark shadows through their towns. Of course, the police and the government dismissed it, but she was not sure, after all, she too had seen, well at least thought she had seen, strange dark shadows moving through the house.

She thought back to the last words her mother had said to her before she died, and she said them as if it were a real comfort to her.  When he asks you, trust him and go with him Kaitlin.

I already live with him, she had replied.

No, not that idiot darling, she had said, and she smiled as she crossed over.  Therefore, who ‘him’ was, Kaitlin had no idea.

What’s for tea tonight? Ciaran yelled, through the living room door.

Curry, she yelled back, before pulling a face - God he annoyed her so much.

How long, I’m starving?

About ten minutes, she replied, and she switched on the water for the rice. By the time dinner was at the table, he had consumed five cans of lager. As usual, they ate in silence, and it was torturous. Sometimes she had to admit she was tempted to pack a bag and leg it again. She glanced at him and lowered her eyes before he caught her staring. He would find her no matter where she went.

Clearing the plates away, Kaitlin stacked the dishwasher and poured herself a glass of wine. Sometimes a couple of glasses were the only way she was able to get through an evening with him.

I’m putting a movie on; do you want to watch? he yelled.

What is it? she yelled back.

I don’t know, Mark gave it to me, he replied.

She grimaced, as he was another nasty piece of work. A short, stumpy man Ciaran employed to do what she had no idea. She hated it whenever he came around the house, he gave her the creeps as he was always leering at her or creeping up behind her and putting his arms around her when Ciaran wasn’t looking. It was probably porn or some other sick, violent film.

No, thank you, she yelled back. I’m going for a bath.

Suit yourself, he replied, Bring in some more cans on your way through.

She grumbled as she opened the fridge door and grabbed a pack of four, with any luck he would pass out on the sofa tonight.

Here, she said.

Thanks, sweetie, he replied, taking them from her. She noticed he had changed into his boxers. He patted the sofa.

It looks like a good film, are you sure you don’t want to join me. We can get cosy? he said, with a raise of his eyebrows.

She looked at his 52inch TV and turned away in disgust at the sexual images on the screen.

No thank you, she said bluntly. Kaitlin took herself and her glass of wine upstairs. Stupid arse, she mumbled as she ran her bath and poured in some bubble bath.

There had to be a way out for her, there just had to be. She was even considering trying to track down her aunt in America and going out there. That may be far enough away for him not to come after her. The only problem was she hadn’t been able to find an address or any contact details for them in her mother’s belongings.

She locked the door, lit a few candles, and stripping off she climbed in the bath and sank into the hot, bubbly water. Sighing, she sipped her wine and closing her eyes, her mind wandered back five years. She had been thinking a lot of Keltor lately, she always did, but these last couple of weeks his face seemed constantly in her head. She wished he were real, and that he would come for her and take her away from this bloody nightmare.

She thought back to her accident. The police still had no idea what had happened, and it was going through the insurers. Not that it bothered Ciaran as he had already gone out and brought a new one.  She did wonder whom the man was that she saw on the other side of the road watching her. She smiled, maybe he had been her guardian angel. Her mother always said there was someone out there looking after her.

Her heart suddenly shook with a terrible, unnerving vibe. She opened her eyes, her hand jerked in terror, and she flung her glass of wine into the water. At the end of the bath, was a - thing, a shadow of a man, kneeling and looking straight at her, his white, piercing eyes staring at her.

Screaming as she scrambled out of the bath, she ran petrified to the door, flicked the lock open, and shot out into the bedroom. Her heart was pumping, and her body shook as she slammed the bathroom door shut. She leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths.

Come on, Kaitlin, don’t be silly, it’s just your imagination, it can’t possibly be real, she muttered to herself. She edged back to the bathroom door and her hand hovered on the handle. She was going to have to look, certain that her eyes must have tricked her. Kaitlin opened the door slowly and peered inside, but she saw nothing.  Opening the door wider, she looked at the bath, and for a second thought about getting back in, but she couldn’t do it, as she was far too shaken. Had she imagined it, stress she knew could do all sorts of weird things to your mind, and by God, was she stressed now. She snatched a towel from the radiator, wrapped it around herself, and came back out.

Ciaran stood with one hand leaning against the bedroom door. He was wearing his red ‘I’m so horny’ boxer shorts and nothing else. His eyes lifted to her, and he took in her toned legs and her long, wet hair that stuck to her face. He swallowed and moved towards her.

She pulled her towel up higher.

What are you screaming at? he slurred, as he looked her up and down with a leering grin.

I thought I saw something, she replied, and she turned to go back inside the bathroom, thinking she would rather face a shadowman than him.

He grabbed her shoulder, his fingers digging into her flesh as he spun her around.

Was it a ghost? he asked jeeringly, and his hand rose to her face. She shrugged, as she leaned back from him. She told him last week she thought she saw a ghost or something in the