Free Irish Magic by Caitlin Ricci Page B

draped an arm over her side and Hannah looked up at Ippy, wondering what she should do. She’d never lain next to anyone besides Ippy, and this felt a lot different than when she was next to him. But she didn’t want Caelum to move, either. Not really, anyway.
    Ippy lay down in front of her, giving her his back like they normally did when they lay down together. She tried not to think about how weird it was to have Caelum behind her as she stared at the back of Ippy’s head. Maybe selkies were touchy, too—like most werewolves were, Ippy being the exception, of course. Maybe that was it. Could be. She’d almost managed to convince herself of it when Caelum started softly snoring behind her.
    Hannah was barely asleep when the barking of a dog woke her up. At first her sleep-addled brain thought it might be a member of the pack in wolf form bothering her. But when the barking grew louder and she heard a woman’s voice nearby she quickly shook the guys awake, much to Ippy’s displeasure. Caelum was on his feet first, even before she was, and she was surprised when she reached for his hand in the darkness. Too scared to move, they waited, Hannah pushing Ippy behind them as the light of a flashlight crept ever closer.
    She caught sight of the bounding form of a dog jumping through the beam and waited, holding her breath for whoever it was that found them to get closer. They couldn’t run anymore. She hadn’t even considered trying. Caelum squeezed her hand in his and she was surprised to feel Ippy’s hand on the back of her shirt, holding her close as well. She’d known Ippy for years and he was her best friend, but even though they hadn’t even known Caelum for more than a day, she felt connected to him. And she was glad that he was there with them. She brought her free hand up to block the light as it shined in her eyes.
    “Hannah Glass? Is that you, child?” a voice like crinkled tissue paper called into the darkness.
    She gasped and dropped her hand, trying to get a look at the woman behind the voice. “Who are—how do you know my name?” She swallowed thickly, her nerves getting the better of her as she leaned into Caelum’s side and reached behind her to touch Ippy’s hand on her shirt, seeking strength and comfort from them both.
    The elderly woman’s twisted face came into view as she crept forward, and Hannah had to turn away or risk letting out her surprise. She’d never seen anything quite so distressing as the sight of the gnarled, mottled skin that covered the woman’s thin face.
    “Do not hide your eyes child, come, look closer.”
    Hannah shook her head despite the woman’s soft voice. Ippy tugged on her shirt and Caelum added a second hand to the one holding hers. “Who are you?” Caelum demanded, sounding far stronger than she felt.
    “Just a kindly old woman, sent by a father of both wolf and man. One that is quite worried about a little girl who, as I understand it, is in a good deal of trouble when he finds out where she’s gone off to.” There was a smile in the woman’s voice. Hannah could tell. Cold fingers touched her cheek and Hannah shivered as she tried to pull away. But the guys wouldn’t back up and when she looked up at the woman she realized that she was still a good ten feet away.
    The moon illuminated her grisly face now and Hannah tried not to look, but something about her features caught her attention and a heartbeat later she was stepping forward toward the strange woman. “It’s a disguise,” she breathed into the chilled night air. The woman’s face began to crumble around the edges near her throat and Hannah forced herself to relax.
    “I am Cicile. And you are welcome to wait with me until your father arrives to claim you. Come, all of you, come with me now. These woods are not safe for children.”
    Hannah hesitated, not only because this woman was a stranger, but because as the disguise flaked off she saw something else on the woman’s face that made her