The walk home shouldn\u2019t have been long, but he was reveling in his thoughts and the memory of her body pressed against his. It was almost impossible to believe that Aislyn had agreed to marry him. How had he become so fortunate to have the most beautiful lass in the world as his own?
Soon enough, he found himself standing outside of his own door, and he realized he was also quite lucky that nothing had snuck up on him out of the shadows as he made his way home since he was paying absolutely no mind to his surroundings and would have been an easy target should anything, earthly or other worldly, chosen to claim him.
He was still soaring when he quietly opened the door. However, he needn\u2019t thought of disrupting his family members\u2019 sleep, as all three of them were up, and clearly something was not right. Genty sat in a chair near the unlit fireplace, her mother on the floor beside her, holding her hand while Granddad stood behind her, his hands pressing on her shoulders. His sister was sobbing so hard, her entire body shook with each mournful sniffle.
Aaron closed the short distance quickly, coming to a halt right in front of her. \u201cGenty? What happened?\u201d
\u201cOh, Aaron, thank God,\u201d his mother said, bringing herself to her feet and wrapping her arms around him. \u201cI was so worried about you.\u201d
\u201cI\u2019m fine, Ma. I walked Aislyn home. What\u2019s wrong with Gen?\u201d
\u201cIt was just awful,\u201d his mother began, turning back to face her oldest child who could hardly catch her breath, she was crying so hard. \u201cThey were attacked on their way home. She hardly made it out alive.\u201d
\u201cOh, my God,\u201d Aaron exclaimed, nearly unable to believe the story. He dropped to his knees and flung himself at his sister, his arms encircling her waist. \u201cAre you all right, Gen? Please tell me they didn\u2019t hurt you.\u201d He began searching her arms and neck for scratches, knowing even the smallest abrasion could lead to an infection.
\u201cShe\u2019s fine,\u201d Granddad assured him. \u201cWe\u2019ve done a thorough check over.\u201d
\u201cThey didn\u2019t touch me,\u201d Genty managed to get out between sobs. \u201cIt was everyone else.\u201d
\u201cEveryone?\u201d Aaron repeated, scooting back on his knees so that he could look up at her.
\u201cYes,\u201d she confirmed. Though tears still rolled down her cheeks, her breathing was becoming more even. \u201cThey came out of the bushes, near Min\u2019s home. Loughlin shouted for us to run, and I took off into the fields. Min did, too, but she stumbled. Quin stopped to help her up and then\u2026 all I heard was screaming. I took shelter behind a tree, unable to run further, and I could see them, outlined against the night sky. Four Dark Ones, three of my friends, all being taken. I knew there was nothing I could do to help them, and so, once I caught my breath, I took off running again, leaving them all behind.\u201d Her eyes began to gloss over then, shock taking over. Shaking her head slowly, she said, \u201cI just left them behind.\u201d
\u201cYou did what you had to do,\u201d Granddad assured her. \u201cYou did what Loughlin insisted you do.\u201d
\u201cI was a coward,\u201d Genty insisted, her head resting against her elbow on the small dining table. \u201cI should have stayed and fought for my friends.\u201d
\u201cIf you had, they\u2019d still be gone, and so would you,\u201d her mother argued, using her hands to dry the tears that streaked her daughter\u2019s face.
Aaron was silent for a moment, but he could feel the anger building up inside of him. That sound he and Aislyn had heard, that must have been one of the Dark Ones during the attack. \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he began, standing in front of his sister, his arms crossed. \u201cI should\u2019ve been with you.\u201d
\u201cI\u2019m so glad you were not,\u201d Genty assured him. \u201cI don\u2019t know what I would have done if I needed to protect you, Aaron, but I certainly wouldn\u2019t have run away. They might have gotten both of us.\u201d
Running his hand through his hair so forcefully that a few strands actually came out, Aaron exclaimed, \u201cWe cannot continue to live like this. In fear for our lives day after day. The number of crosses in the cemetery continue to grow, the fright in the eyes of the children, in their parents, is more evident each time another attack such as this one occurs. How much longer will we sit by and do nothing?\u201d
\u201cThere\u2019s nothing we can do,\u201d Granddad insisted. \u201cWe have the agreement.\u201d
\u201cThe agreement?\u201d Genty said, turning so that she could look up at him. \u201cLoughlin was a member of the Order, Granddad. You know that. So was Quin. If the Dark Ones can claim us now, then why can we do nothing in return?\u201d
\u201cDo not speak those words,\u201d Granddad replied, his voice a sharp whisper. \u201cDo not speak of them, or they will come.\u201d
\u201cThey will come anyway,\u201d Aaron said, his hands on his hips now. \u201cIs there truly nothing that we can do, or have we only said that we will not because of this so-called agreement?\u201d
His Granddad dropped his eyes, his shoulders slumping. \u201cThere is nothing we can do. We are powerless against them.\u201d
Aaron knew his grandfather to be an honest man, but something about the way he said those words let him know he was not being truthful now. \u201cThen why is there a difference between the members of the Order and the others?\u201d he asked. \u201cSurely there must be something to distinguish us.\u201d
\u201cIf there ever was, no one knows what it is now,\u201d Bree said, standing next to her daughter\u2019s chair. \u201cAlthough I think there must be something as well. There were rumors when I was younger, stories of defeated Dark Ones, banished to ash.\u201d
\u201cWe will speak of this no longer,\u201d Ferris demanded, pounding his hand on the table loud enough to leave it quaking for several seconds. \u201cWe are part of the Order, and we shall honor the agreement. At least, as long as I walk this earth, that is the choice my clan, the McReynolds clan, will uphold. Anyone who wishes to do otherwise may leave this house!\u201d
The air between them was thick for several seconds as they all stared at Granddad in stunned silence. After a few moments, Genty rose from her chair, smoothed her gown, and said in a hauntingly calm voice, \u201cI will be leaving. If not tomorrow, then the next day. I can no longer stay in a country that allows its people to go hungry while sending food abroad, who refuses to address those we do not speak of, who treats us as if we are slaves.\u201d
\u201cOh, Genty,\u201d Bree said, tears streaming from her eyes. \u201cWhere will you go?\u201d
\u201cTo America,\u201d she replied, as if her mind had been made up for quite some time. \u201cI have a bit of money I\u2019ve saved from the sewing I\u2019ve taken on, and while it isn\u2019t much, it is enough to make passage. Loughlin spoke of coming with me\u2026.\u201d Her face was brave and her voice didn\u2019t waiver, but Aaron could see her beginning to crack as she spoke his name. \u201cHis sister lives there, in Boston. I shall join her family there.\u201d
Leaving their mother gasping, Genty finished and turned to go. Bree\u2019s hand shot out and caught her daughter\u2019s shoulder. \u201cMight we speak on this in the morning, when cooler heads may prevail?\u201d
\u201cMy head is cool, I assure you,\u201d Genty replied over her shoulder without turning to face her mother. \u201cWe can talk about it, but I will not change my mind. This Ireland is not the one in which I wish to raise a family. If you choose to stay, then, I\u2019m afraid we must live our separate lives.\u201d
In all of his years, Aaron had never heard his sister speak to their mother in such a fashion. As he watched her ascend the ladder to the loft, he realized she must already know that he had asked Aislyn to be his wife. Without her little brother in the house to watch over, Genty would be free to pursue the life she\u2019d always dreamt of. Now, however, thanks to the Dark Ones, she\u2019d be forced to find someone else to live out those dreams alongside.
Aaron swore he would never let anything of the sort happen to his sweet Aislyn. If there was a way to protect her, he would find it\u2014or die trying.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The walk home shouldn\u2019t have been long, but he was reveling in his thoughts and the memory of her body […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-shadows-bargain"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}