I blinked, unsure what he was talking about. “What demon?”
“He rides on the wind, surrounded by a flock of crows. He foretells the coming of the Queen of Nightmares.”
Right then I knew exactly who he was talking about. “You mean the Crow Man? I have met him, but he’s not a demon.”
“Oh yes, he is. He rides on the wind, and he belongs to the Mother of Crows.” He looked afraid now, as though I might strike him.
“You mean the Morrígan, don’t you?” And right then, I got a flash. Surrounding the Gull Catcher were misty shapes and I could make them out as spirits. Most of them looked like Asian women and children, though I couldn’t quite tell for sure. And at that moment I also realized that he was a seagull shifter, and with that gray beard and hair of his, he had to be far older than most humans.
“You saw her, didn’t you? On the battlefield.” I could read the fear in his eyes, and the hunger to talk about what he had seen.
His eyes flashed as he lowered his voice. “She was horrible. She rose up, dark and wrathful, seeking the dead among the carnage. There was blood everywhere, and the scent of fire and burnt flesh and burnt hair filled my lungs.”
“Were you injured?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yes. I was lying on the ground when she came to stand over me with her crows and her messenger. She leaned down and I thought she was going to eat my face. She had steel teeth, and eyes as black as pitch and yet she was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. She looked at me and said, ‘It’s not your time.’ Then she turned and, with her messenger, walked over to my best friend. He was twisted on the ground, with his arms three feet away from his torso. She touched the center of his forehead with her finger and sucked out his soul and carried him off. She’s the scourge of the battle, the scavenger of the dead.”
Tally took my hand, squeezing hard, and I could tell she was afraid. But I felt no fear as I looked into the Gull Catcher’s eyes. He was a broken man, and the carnage he had seen on the battlefield had burned itself into his memory. The spirits of the women and children and soldiers he had killed followed him, a chain behind him like Jacob Marley carried—only far darker, weighing him down.
“Do you need help?” I asked. I wasn’t sure I could do anything for him, but perhaps I could talk to the spirits and convince them to back off. There were so many of them—at least twenty or thirty—and they were attached themselves to him, link by link. They rooted him into the past, into the jungles of Vietnam. That was where he had attracted them, and that was where he had almost died. Yet the Morrígan helped him for some reason.
The Gull Catcher looked at me again, and for a moment his vision seemed to clear. “I’m beyond help,” he said. “But thank you anyway.” And then he turned and once again his eyes clouded over and he staggered off, waving his arms around his head.
“He’s trying to clear out the constant clamor of the ghosts who follow him everywhere,” I said, feeling both pity and yet understanding why they were connected to him. They too were living the torture of their death as time played out. Only when he finally died, I had the feeling they would be free.
“That poor man,” I said. I thought about trying to speak to the ghosts anyway, but Esmara was suddenly there, shaking her head.
Some people can live with what they do in life, and some can’t. He will never be able to reconcile himself with the soldier who gunned down the people he was ordered to. If he were to clear his mind for good, he would probably kill himself out of guilt. As it is, he lives in a world clouded with ghosts and fear, but it also makes him feel like he’s being properly punished.
Isn’t there anything anyone can do?
I wish there was. But war changes people. When you start killing strangers and then realize that you’ve simply destroyed people going about their daily lives, it will forever haunt you. But you’re right—they’ll be free when he dies, and he’s not ready to die yet.
My mood had shifted drastically, and I looked at Tally, who was waiting. I explained to her what had happened, and what Esmara had said.
Tally shook her head. “It’s horrible what the mind can do.”
“It’s even worse what people can do. Yes, he was probably just following orders, but you still have to choose to follow those orders. I feel sorry for him, yet a lot of people died because he obeyed an order that should never have been given or carried out.”
“Why don’t we get something to eat? I know I’m not that hungry, but it might help lighten the mood.”
I stood, holding out my hand to pull her up. “Of course. That left me shaken. How he knew I had seen the Crow Man, I don’t know, but I suppose having been exposed to the Morrígan at such a vulnerable time made him highly aware of the Crow Man’s energy.”
“Who is the Crow Man?” Tally asked.
On our way over to a small corner restaurant called the Croissant Palace, I explained about the vision I had had a few months back. “The Crow Man is a spirit who acts as the Morrígan’s ambassador. I met him during a vision quest when I was contacting my patron goddess, Druantia. One fork in the road that I was following led to the Crow Man. He told me I was meant to go down the opposite fork, which led me to Druantia, and to the servant who is her spokesperson, I guess you would call it.”
As we headed into the Croissant Palace, the smell of baked goods calmed me down. I inhaled deeply, my stomach rumbling. Even though I wasn’t really hungry, the smell of fresh baked bread and cookies filled my lungs and all I could think about was how much I wanted to taste everything in sight. We dropped the discussion of the Gull Catcher as we found a booth in the back. I glanced out the window again. The Gull Catcher was nowhere in sight and for some reason, that made me feel better. I didn’t relish the idea of running into him again.
Chapter Sixteen
Tally and I settled into a booth in the corner, where we could see the activity outside and yet have a private space in which to talk. The Croissant Palace was more than a bakery. It had a full lunch menu as well. I motioned to a waitress and ordered a bowl of clam chowder. Tally ordered the same, and we asked for mugs of hot cocoa. The incident with the Gull Catcher Had left me too rattled for more caffeine at this point.
“How many people around here are like…him?” Tally asked.
“Oh, not too many. There are a lot of odd ducks in town, but he’s truly one of a kind. I’d rather run into the Gull Catcher, though, than some of the ghosts around here. There are spirits and creatures in the Mystic Wood that make him look normal.” I thought about Rebecca, the imp, and a number of the other creatures I had encountered in Moonshadow Bay.
The chowder was excellent, and even though I wasn’t very hungry, I found myself eating every bite of my lunch. We paid and then returned to the sidewalk.
Across the street in the town square, the high school band was practicing a marching maneuver. Friday would also offer the parade. Rather than hold a Thanksgiving parade that dragged people out of their homes, Moonshadow Bay’s parade took place early on Friday morning.
I was looking forward to it. In Seattle, Ellison had been dismissive of any holiday traditions like parades or get-togethers. He wasn’t interested in anything unless he thought it would advance his position in his social sphere. Whenever I suggested going to a tree lighting or a parade or even out for a drive to look at the decorations, he would laugh, pointing out that he didn’t partake in “small-town traditions.” At first I had fought back, then it seemed too much trouble and I had quietly given in.