“Told you,” said Rob.

“They’re coming right for us,” I said.

Tain barked furiously.

The Sluagh plunged down swiftly like black daggers.

I pulled out my shotgun and cocked it.

“Leprechaun, switch with me,” said Nehemiah. “Get the one on the left Sean. I got righty.”

We shuffled as fast as we could without capsizing the boat. Nehemiah produced his staff from the depths of his trench coat again. There’s no way that whole staff should fit in there. An image of Mary Poppins removing a lamp from her shoulder bag flashed in my head, but I ignored it. I’d have to ask him about that some other time.

Nehemiah stood precariously in the center of the boat, his staff raised straight overhead. He also produced his .357 Magnum and pointed it at the Sluagh on the right. His staff began to glow. I pointed my shotgun at the Sluagh on the right who was getting too close for comfort. Rob steered the boat as best as he could but his arm shook.

Images of the Sluagh ripping me from the boat and plunging me into the water haunted me, but I shook my head, trying to get a grip. It got hard to breathe.

“Shoot Sean,” said Nehemiah.

I obeyed but my hands shook and my shot went wide. “Crap!”

The sound of the shot warned off the Sluagh and they broke formation and circled around us instead of attacking us directly.

Tain was barking mad now, his whole body following the Sluagh’s every move.

“Keep that dog still,” yelled the wizard. “He shouldn’t be able to see through the Glamour anyways. Stupid dog.”

I had to grab Tain to keep him from knocking Nehemiah out of the boat.

As the lead Sluagh came back around and Nehemiah pulled the trigger of his Magnum. One of the monsters talons blew clean off. It screeched and fell into the tall weeds. But there were two more Sluagh right behind it. Neither Nehemiah nor I reacted fast enough with our guns.

The two Sluagh flew within a few feet of us. Their talons outstretched, ready to grab us by the shoulders. Right when they should have had us they collided with an invisible wall of magic stemming from Nehemiah’s staff.

Both Sluagh were knocked off course and so was our little boat. Though we were safe from the Sluagh, the boat rocked violently, and water poured in over the edge.

Cold liquid seeped through my sneakers and socks. The icy water was more than enough to freeze me. In my mind I saw Anna’s face. Her words from the nightmare echoed in my head.

You know my death is your fault.

Flashes of purple sparks brought me back to reality. Nehemiah’s staff was sputtering magic sparks that I’m sure he didn’t intend to release.

The Sluagh were all back in the sky, including the one Nehemiah shot. But instead of circling back to attack, they were leaving.

We were short one person in the boat. “Where’s Rob?”

A salmon surfaced in the water next to me. “Why are they leaving?” Rob asked Nehemiah.

The wizard eyed his staff and grunted with frustration. His chest heaved and he coughed hard. He hacked a few times before answering. “I was able to shield us in Chaos. They couldn’t detect us or see us.”

“Nice!” said Rob.

“Except the boat motor couldn’t handle all that Chaos,” said Nehemiah. “We’ll have to row the rest of the way.”

The motor had indeed stopped working. Nehemiah only had one set of oars which he handed to me. “Builds character.”

“This isn’t Calvin and Hobbes! We’re never going to get there in time,” I said.

Rob flopped into the boat. “Beats dying by Sluagh,” he said.

“Which is what is going to happen to Charice, if we don’t hurry.”

“Not likely,” said Nehemiah. “I warned you she might be ‘gone’ earlier. I never said she’d be dead.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

Nehemiah remained silent. Then he sighed and said, “Some situations are so traumatic that even if you come out of it alive you’ll be changed. And if trauma doesn’t do it, time will.”

I grunted in agreement as I strained at the oars.

“Just like the Shepherd’s Guild,” said Nehemiah. “The key purpose when it was originally founded was to protect humans from anything that comes from the Otherside. Be they Fomorian, Fae, or even Tuatha de Danann.”

“So they don’t believe in protecting people anymore?”

“It’s not of the utmost importance anymore.”

“What could be more important than that?”

“Personal agendas. Gaining followers. Power.”

“Oh. That makes sense I guess.”

“That happens whenever an organization forgets its mission. People start to butt heads, lose focus, get their own grand ideas. But the numbers have been dwindling lately.”

“Is that why you got out?”

Nehemiah narrowed his eyes, “I got out for a lot of reasons. My family, the politics. Lines were being drawn in the sand and I didn’t want to find myself on either side fighting my friends so I decided to leave.”

“But you’re still fighting monsters?”

“Of course. I still have a responsibility as a man. I don’t need a badge or a stamp of approval.”

“You’re a real Han Solo. Are you sure you don’t like Star Wars?”

The conversation helped keep my mind off of the water and calmed my nerves. I guess it was building character.

My phone started buzzing and I reached into my pocket to see who it was. The screen read my brother’s name.