Chapter 14
Home for the Holidays: Part 3
Note to self: It's not a retreat! We're just advancing in the other direction!
The trio ran as fast as they dared, stumbling and sliding on the uneven ground, desperate to avoid being crushed under the giant body falling towards them.
Still dazed by the shock of the gun's firing, Niall forced himself upright. Wavering slightly, he stretched out a hand towards his fleeing companions, as if to touch them. " Eilin?"
The old woman yanked her arm from Tan's grasp and turned to congratulate her husband on his success, only to see him standing where he had fallen. She watched his hand rise towards her just as the mass of feathers blotted him from view. The blood drained from her face as the massive body rolled over him. " Niall!" she screamed. Slipping and sliding, she began running back to where the remains had come to rest.
Tan slid to a halt next to her as she strained to lift the carcass. He circled the body, looking for a place to try lifting with her. Nearing the tail, he spotted a muddy hand protruding from under the twisted feathers. " Over here!" he called before throwing his weight against the feathers in an attempt to shift them." Renee! I need you!"
Moments later, his partner pulled him away from the fruitless task. Grasping two of the feathers, she heaved upwards, muscles bulging as she strained to lift twice her weight. The black mass moved slowly upwards, revealing Niall's body lying face down in the slushy earth. Turning him over, Tan hastily dragged him clear, allowing his faunas partner to drop her burden with a wet thump.
Eilin dropped to her knees next to her husband's still form. Lifting his head into her lap, she cleaned the mud from his waxen features. Despite her angry expression, tears fell from her cheeks onto his.
" You stupid, stupid man! Why did ye' not run?" Anger and grief mixed, she leaned closer to his face and shook his shoulder gently.
" Don't you die on me old man! You swore you'd never leave me!" she shook the shoulder harder, tears splashing on the gray face.
" If you die now, I swear I shall bury ye' face down at a crossroads!"
She jerked backwards as he suddenly drew a ragged breath, one of his eyes opening to look up at her. " Yer a cruel woman indeed, Misses O'Connell! Threatenin' yer husband so!" he wheezed. " I must live or be considered a witch!? Listen, children, as she threatens a wounded...!" Further comment was cut off as she kissed his muddy lips.
" Oh...shut up ye' mad bastard!"
Renee sat down next to where Tan was kneeling in the mud and leaned against him. " Next time, warn me that it's going to be a 'working vacation' would you?" Tan wrapped an arm around the weary girl and leaned his head against hers. " I will!" he promised.
Eilin laid a hand on Renee's arm. " Thank ye' for saving him, Miss! We've a debt with ye' for this day's work!" A muddy hand rose and covered hers. " Aye!" Niall agreed. " Better teammates we could not ask for! Grand Hunters you'll be, I have no doubt!"
Two days later, the festivities were still in full swing.
Tan chuckled at the sight of Niall, his arm in a sling ( for theatrical effect, undoubtedly) as he told the story of ' Slaying the Monster' to the children gathered around him. Nearing the end of the tale, one child with hair resembling his partner's, rocketed across the floor and latched on to Renee's leg. Small furry ears twitched as the tyke grinned up at the big girl.
" Hooray for Aunt Renee!" she shrieked.
Tan grinned as his partner took longer than expected to unwind the small arms and legs from around her before lifting the bundle of energy to one hip. " Hold on Sarah! It wasn't just me, y'know!" She lifted a hand and waved at him. " Say hello to Tan! He was there too. "
With a squeal, the girl launched herself across the gap and hung off his neck. " Hooray for Tan!"
Tan's eyes strayed across the room as Renee untangled the giggling girl's thin arms from around his neck, only to see his mother watching and whispering to Renee's mother. A small groan escaped him, that woman just couldn't wait for grandchildren!
Ignoring the incipient match making, he turned back to where his partner was swinging the younger girl upside down. " Aunt? I thought you were an only child like me?"
One hand holding an ankle, the other reached down to tickle without mercy. " This one.." a thick finger reached for a particularly sensitive spot. ".. is my mother's sister's daughter's youngest. Aunt once removed, y'see?" High pitched shrieks of laughter cut off any more conversation.
As she moved towards the center of the room, like clockwork every child present turned and pelted towards her, apparently intent on taking down the Huntress- in- training. Unwilling to enter that pint-sized melee, a smiling Tan headed towards his father's study, bent on retrieving his scroll for blackmail purposes. A video of the brawler being taken down by children should be good for a few favors.
He was intercepted at the door by his father. Thrusting a glass into his son's hand, the elder Tyrson steered him back into the room.
" Time for the toast, kiddo!"
Knowing there was no escaping this, Tan followed meekly behind his parent. The older man stopped in the center of the room and raised his own glass.
" Friends...Neighbors! Will you join me in a toast to the heroes of the hour?" One calloused hand waved towards the elderly Hunter and Huntress. " Niall..Eilin. Come over here, won't you?"
As the two stood before the farmer, Mister Delacourt appeared beside them with a tray of small glasses. Handing one to each, he moved over to his daughter and gave her one, reserving the last for himself.
Mister Tyrson raised his glass as his eyes swept the room. " Before I was born, these two were protecting the people of this land. For seventy years, they have fought the Grim on our behalf. Without them, this farm could never have lasted as long as it has." His eyes returned to the pair in front of him. " Niall..Eilin. Thank you for all you have done for us. A toast to your courage and dedication to our safety."
Eilin blushed as her husband fiddled with his glass. " T'was all we ever wanted to do, don't y'see?" he said quietly as glasses were raised in their direction. Thanks- you's floated around the room from the crowd around them.
Tan smiled at the elderly Hunter as he raised his own glass in salute. " I know exactly what you mean!"
Niall returned the smile as he raised his glass and his voice. " And a toast to the next generation of Hunters and Huntress'! To Tan and Renee...may their own careers lead them to fame!"
The toast was interrupted by a choking gasp from behind them. Tan craned his neck to see around the bodies.
Her face red, Renee was gasping for breath as she stared in horror at the small glass in her hand.
The elbow of his free hand jabbed into his father's midriff. " I'm going to get you for that!" he promised.
" I didn't give it to her! Her own father did!" was the innocent reply, although the effect was spoiled by the smile on the big face. Tan rolled his eyes as he gently sipped from his own glass. Renee was an adult now, she'd have to learn the lesson. Grim might kill you, but only your own parents could destroy your pride this easily.
Laughter filled the room as well-wishes were shouted to the two.
The party was over, the guests had retired to their own homes, yet five people were gathered in the office/den that Mister Tyrson used on a daily basis.
Tan stood next to his father as they faced the Niall and Eilin, the two elderly Hunters seated in the middle of the room. Renee sat on a couch against the wall, a cup of tea beside her.
The older Tyrson cleared his throat and shuffled papers on the desk for a moment, clearly uncomfortable with what he knew was coming.
" Niall...Eilin. I think it's high time you two were retired." He raised one hand to forestall any comment from the couple. " You have done more than enough for all of us. Hell! You've spent your entire lives keeping us safe. Now it is time for us to help you."
Niall leaned forward and spread his hands. " But ser! It's all we know, all we ever wanted to do in life. I'm nowhere near my deathbed! I can still fight on! There's nothing else for us. I don't even know which end of the plow goes into the soil."
" Master Tyrson. If we canna' be defenders, then what good are we for then. We've never had time for bairns, we have no future to look forward to. What would we do?" his wife chimed in.
Tan looked at the two, for a moment seeing one possible future for himself and his team. What could you do at this age? Niall had very nearly died because he could no longer handle the recoil of his own weapon like he did in his youth. Thinking of these two dying because of such a simple thing worried him. But, they were right. What else could you do when all you knew was how to fight Grim?
Renee watched the exchange from her seat on the sidelines. The conversation made her pause and think about her own future. Where will I be when I'm their age? Will I even live to be that old? Heck, she hadn't even considered what was going to happen in three years when she and Tan graduated! The only other Hunters and Huntress' she knew with any gray in their hair were all teachers.
A thought suddenly struck her as she watched the two unhappy people. ' Why not!?' Hesitantly, she raised her hand. " Um! Guys? I just thought of a possible solution." She tried not to flinch backwards as eager eyes turned her direction. " Why don't you teach?"
Eilin smiled at her. " Bless ye' for the good wish , Miss Delacourt. But neither of us has the disposition t' be dealing with young folk now. T'would end badly, I fear."
Her husband laughed lightly. " A story teller, I am. Tales of adventure for the wee children is what I do best. More than that is wishful thinking on my part." He gently touched his wife's hand.
" Yer own teacher are wonderful people, I've na' doubt, and greatly dedicated to your future successes. But our time is in the past, now. All the people we knew in school are gone, buried in the cold soil one and all. We are the last of our generation."
Tan looked at the two as he wracked his brain for a solution. Something Niall had said sparked a memory. A classroom full of bored students listening to dull stories that had been repeated too often by a bombastic teacher. The only excitement was when a Grim was released accidently, or more likely as a prank by an unnamed faunas of his acquaintance, forcing the man to prove he could still deal with the menace.
" Lectures!"
His shout brought the others out of their own morose thoughts. He stepped towards the old couple, voice shaking with suppressed excitement. " Niall! You could tell students about your adventures. Between the two of you, there's over a hundred years of experience waiting to be shared! No teacher in any of the Academies could match that. You have knowledge that we need, that all the students need. Please, don't let it go to waste!"
Eilin gazed at him for a moment as the words sank in. Turning to her husband, she took his hands in hers. " There is sense in his words. What d'ye say, my wastrel husband? Could you, silver tongued devil that y'are, spend the rest of yer days in the tellin' of stories? "
Niall gently kissed her cheek. " Aye lass. I think I could be persuaded to do such a thing. Between the two of us, we'll soon give the young ones the knowin' of how to deal with the fell beasts!" He nodded to the farmer. " And, beggin' yer pardon ser! I'd rather deal with students than cows."
" Renee! It's time to go! " Tan shouted from the entryway. If they waited much longer , there would be another bag added to the load besides the extra one filled with baked goods that had mysteriously appeared a moment ago. " If we miss our flight...!"
" It's a long walk back to Beacon! Yes, I know!" Renee appeared at the head of the stairs, descending awkwardly due to the small girl wrapped around one leg. " Helen!? A little help here, please!"
One of the women at the bottom of the steps moved forward to help unwind the child from about her leg. " She loves you Renee!" her aunt teased.
" I know that. But we gotta go! " she replied, dodging the clutch of small hands. Quickly kissing her parents a last time, she sprinted for the door. Grabbing the weapon case and another bag, she looked back over her shoulder. " Quick! Before the little monster gets loose again."
Her partner couldn't help chuckling as he held the door for her. It seemed there was something in this world that could make his partner move like the wind! One last wave to everyone and he was out the door himself with the remaining luggage. Tucked in one pocket was the design for the special shells that Niall had used on the Nevermore. He knew at least two people that would benefit from that piece of information. "Dead easy to make, too!" the old man had promised. Well,' easy' was a relative term, but just maybe he could adapt the recipe for his own weapons.
Time to get back to school. Retirement was a lifetime away, first they had to graduate.
' I was young and foolish then; now I am old and foolisher!': Mark Twain
Happy ( fill in appropriate day that pleases you)
There's always a day worth celebrating. Hope you all have good times with family and friends, and beware of small glasses that smell (mostly) of apples.
Vindictious