Stone Warrior

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

“Who are you?”

Sydney spun to see the warrior who had followed her outside. She took an unsteady step away. “Who are you?”

“Corrin.”

Sydney momentarily closed her eyes. She was hearing things as well as seeing things. Now she was talking to her hallucination. She had to go. Shawn was waiting for her. She bet he wouldn’t be able to see Corrin. She turned away and hurried towards the bus stop. Maybe if she ignored him he’d disappear. Keeping her gaze on her destination, she watched a bus pull away as another one arrived.

“Wait.” Corrin put his hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him.

Sydney pulled away from him. “You’re not real.”

“What?”

A kid that was around ten-years-old ran over to them. “Awesome. Are you in some sort of medieval group? Can anyone join?” He reached out to touch the edge of Corrin’s striped cloak. “Can I join? Can I use your sword? Can you show me how to use it?”

A woman raced after the boy, one hand holding her straw hat on her head, and grabbed his hand. She muttered sorry as she pulled him away, scolding him. He didn’t go quietly.

“He saw you.” Sydney stared at Corrin.

“Why would he not?”

Sydney couldn’t answer. Instead she stared at him. He had medium brown hair tied at the nape of his neck, bronze highlights where the sun hit it and a square jaw. Confusion showed in his dark brown eyes. Across his right cheek was a faint scar and numerous ones on his hands and neck. She wondered if there were more scars hidden by his clothes.

“Who are you?”

“Sydney.”

“Sydney?” The confusion remained in his eyes.

“Yeah, I know. Stupid name. It’s a city. But Mum thought it was cute. Her name is Victoria and Dad is Malcolm. His nickname is Mal, you know, kind of like the city Melbourne. Or that’s what my mum thinks. And she named my sister Adelaide. It’s-” She broke off as she realised she was babbling. Momentarily closing her eyes she mentally called herself an i***t. Preschoolers knew about stranger danger. “Look, I’ve got somewhere to be. Plans. Quit following me, okay?”

Corrin frowned. “Okay?”

Sydney nodded and turned to stride towards the bus stop again. She sighed heavily as Corrin fell into step beside her. “You can’t come with me. Find something else to do.” She had no clue what was going on, but shortly it wouldn’t matter. She’d be on the bus and out of here, on the way to Shawn’s. Once she was on the bus she could forget all about this episode.

“Sydney. Where are we?”

“Brisbane.”

“Where is this Brisbane? I have never heard of it. And this place.” His hand waved in a vague circle. “What magic is all this?”

Sydney stopped suddenly to stare at him. “There is a logical explanation. Magic isn’t real.” She wasn’t sure if she answered him or reminded herself. “Just don’t follow me. I can’t deal with this. I’ve got too many other problems.”

“We are bound together until I perform a great service for you.”

Sydney raised her hands as if to push him away. “Oh no. No way. I don’t need this.” She took a step backwards. “Just… I don’t know. Anything. Do anything. Go anywhere. Just stay away from me. Okay?”

“What is this okay?”

Sydney shook her head. “Forget it.” She turned away as she heard the bus arrive and ran towards it. Her foot on the bus step, she turned back to Corrin who had followed. There was nothing she could do for him, not if she wanted to see Shawn. “Good luck.”

“Sydney!”

Ignoring him, she paid her fare and found a seat. Behind her she heard the bus driver refuse to let Corrin board and she breathed a sigh of relief as they started to pull away. She sat in a seat by herself and looked out the window at Corrin, who stared back at her. A touch of guilt filled her. It wasn’t like he was a stray puppy she could take home. Actually, she couldn’t have taken him home even then. The last one she’d brought home her parents had taken to the RSPCA. She didn’t think they’d accept a Celtic warrior.

She leaned back on the vinyl seat and closed her eyes. Celtic warrior! What on earth was she thinking? The entire encounter had been one moment of madness after another. Maybe the stress of year twelve was getting to her. Sydney’s eyes flew open. Her skin felt like it was shrinking. She looked down at her bare arms. They looked exactly the same yet the skin felt as if it continued to tighten. Her stomach did a back flip and her head began to pound. The bus stopped and the sensation eased. When the bus lurched forward again, Sydney pressed the back of her hand against her nose as she felt it start to run. A splash of bright red blood formed on her hand.

“Here, luv.” A woman across the aisle handed her a crumpled tissue.

Sydney pressed it against her nose as nausea hit her and her bones felt like they were being compressed, her skin paling before her eyes. Her skin seemed half a dozen sizes too small as she staggered to her feet, stumbling to the front of the bus. “I have to get off.”

“Two minutes to the next stop.” The bus driver didn’t even glance in her direction.

“I have to get off.” Sydney tried to contain the hysteria that filled her voice, but it was impossible. “Let me off.” She tried not to look at the bright red spreading across the tissue she held against her nose.

The bus driver continued to watch the crowded road ahead. “Sit down. Next stop is two minutes.”

“I’m going to be sick,” Sydney wailed.

The bus lurched to a stop and the door slid open. She didn’t wait, but was on the footpath in seconds, hearing several cars sounding their horns. She leaned against a metal light post, grasping the cold smooth metal. It felt arctic against her burning hand. She pressed her forehead against the coldness, a roaring in her ears making the world fade. She tried to think, but the only thought that would form clearly was, I’m going to die.

As quickly as it had begun, it started to ease until she was left clinging weakly to the light post, her skin no longer feeling like it was on fire and tightening around her bones. Her legs trembled and she was tempted to slide to the ground.

“Sydney!”

She looked up to see Corrin run towards her, blood streaking his face where he’d wiped it away from his nose. Her stomach did another back flip as her mouth dropped open. She shook her head as he came to a stop in front of her. “No. Oh no. Please no.” Still shaking her head, she took another step away from him.

Corrin reached out towards her. “Sydney-”

She dodged his hand. “No. I have plans for today. And they don’t include you.” She watched a man run into someone as he tried to give her and Corrin a wide berth. A glance around showed the crowded footpath was filled with people who eyed them warily as they kept their distance. She sighed heavily. The last thing she needed was to draw this kind of attention. What if someone who knew her parents saw her? She reached out and grabbed Corrin’s hand. “Come on. We can’t stand around here.” Not that she had any idea where to take him.

Spying a narrow alley, she led him down it, avoiding rubbish bins and crushed cardboard boxes. She leaned against a concrete wall and crossed her arms as she stared up at Corrin. He had to be close to six foot. “What am I going to do with you?” She looked down at the crumpled tissue in her hand, the blood already darkening as it dried. She struggled to accept the impossible. Her gaze was drawn to Corrin again. He was real and a hell of a lot bigger than a stray puppy. When he didn’t speak, she asked again, “What am I supposed to do with you?”

“I must serve you until we are no longer bound.”

“What does that mean?” She threw the tissue into the closest bin and wished she had a clean one to offer Corrin. She put her hands behind her back and pressed them against the rough concrete wall so she wouldn’t be tempted to clean him up.

Corrin’s hand went to the hilt of his sword. “You are more than my chieftain while we are bound. Anything you ask of me, if it is in my power to do so, I will.”

“I don’t want this.”

“Then why did you release me?”

Sydney couldn’t help laughing. “Someone told me not to. Anyway, I didn’t think it was real. Magic isn’t real.”

Corrin grinned. “Lorcan always said I would take on an army if someone said it could not be done.”

“Who is Lorcan?”

Corrin’s smile faded. “We were fostered together with our tribe’s chieftain. He was a brother to me.” Corrin turned away to face the opening of the alley, his voice dropping. “I failed him.”

“How?”

“I promised to bring Orlaith back. I never should have listened to her. I should have gagged her.” Corrin turned to meet her gaze. “She was a viper. She spoke lies like they were the truth of the gods.”

Sydney opened her mouth to ask more questions then quickly closed it. She wasn’t getting caught up in his stories. She had to figure out a way to get rid of him. And quickly or she wouldn’t get to see Shawn today. Her parents would be home at five and they’d expect her there too. “How do we get rid of this bound together thing?” Sydney pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked the time. Ten-thirty. If she wasn’t at Shawn’s by midday he wouldn’t be there. “We’ve got an hour to sort it out.” She returned her phone to her pocket.

“Performing a great service will take days or even months to complete. Unless your life is in danger and I save you.”

“Sweet. I can deal with that. I’ll run out into the traffic and you can pull me back. You let me die and I’ll haunt you.” Sydney headed for the opening of the alley.