Bridge of Mist and Fog Read Online Free PDF Page B

didn’t like this any more than she did.
    Once they parked the car in the long-term lot Airy felt something stir inside her belly like air bubbles floating around. She was scared out of her wits at what the future might hold. Now that it was upon her, the talk of destiny didn’t sound nearly as glamorous.
    At the counter MacCuill produced her passport and handed it to the uniformed woman. When the four of them went through security the stern-looking guard looked her over carefully, checking the picture in the little book to make sure they matched. Airy had done this before but it had a different feeling this time.
    Airy spent the entire trip in a state of panic. This was the beginning of something she had no control over and hadn’t wanted to do in the first place. And underlying all that was the idea of an unknown destiny that was already laid out for her. How in the world could she navigate something she couldn’t see? The strange feeling in her solar plexus was back, the pulling sensation growing stronger as they flew across the Atlantic Ocean.
    She finally fell asleep, her dreams taking her to a light-filled land with gods and goddesses, dragons and other strange creatures. There was someone there with her but she could never catch a glimpse of who it was. She knew this couldn’t be the United States and it certainly wasn’t the Otherworld. When she woke the images scattered like snowflakes in wind and she was back on the plane. Her hand went to the middle of her stomach. She felt heat under her fingers as though it had something to tell her. But when she asked she got no response.

7
    Boston Harbor, 2021
    “Get your things together, Fehin. Time to head to Milltown.”
    Fehin looked out the porthole at the massive array of enormous ships, registering the heavy sounds that beat like drums in his ears--banging, crashing, people yelling, the drone of something in the air he couldn’t see. “I don’t like it here,” he muttered, turning to pack up his clothes.
    “You don’t have to like it,” Gunnar said. “Milltown will be better.”
    “I was there. I remember it. But I was little then and thought it was exciting to be in another place. I don’t feel that way now.”
    “I’m not going to apologize for this, Fehin. Nor am I going to sugar coat what your life will be like. Things have changed since the last time you visited and not for the better. But this is what is required and this is what you will do.”
    Fehin stared hard at the druid who had always been kind to him. This was not a kind speech and the tone was less than soothing. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
    “First thing is to get you enrolled and settled. After that you’ll have a crash course in anything you can’t remember.”
    “Remember?”
    Gunnar’s gray eyes narrowed. “Yes. Everything I told you on the way.”
    Fehin tried to remember details but the lump in his throat kept him from accessing anything. He couldn’t understand why Gunnar was treating him like this. And when he tried to probe the druid’s mind he came up against something solid. He grabbed his bag and followed Gunnar off the boat and into the chaos of the modern world. He wanted to plug his ears and shut his eyes but instead he gritted his teeth and climbed into the waiting taxi Gunnar flagged down.
    Fehin felt as though his head was about to explode. There was so much assaulting his senses, including the nauseating smells of diesel and gasoline. His eyes were drawn to billboards advertising everything from electronic devices, to insurance, whatever that was, to hospitals, to companies with names that meant nothing to him and luxurious places to stay with sumptuous rooms and huge pools to swim in. Ads were on every available surface, including cars. There were too many thought forms floating around in the atmosphere and mostly they were dark and negative. The place diminished his spirit.
    Once they left the city limits he searched for trees, green