To Ride A Púca Read Free

Don’t think that way. We can’t feed into the fear,” her ma said.  
    Leaning out around the wall, Neala peeked into the room. Her ma was kneeling beside her da’s chair, clutching one of his hands in both of hers.
    “Two days ride and the Slieve Bloom Mountains separate us from the port. Surely, no one there knows we exist, or that we’re here. Our own village doesn’t even know what we are,” she said.
    The last words made Neala cringe. Her parents were terribly naïve if they let themselves believe that lie. The children knew she was different, they had always known.
    Listening to her parents talk about how the Danes wouldn’t come inland made Neala’s power burn. It was all she had heard her da say over the two days it had taken to return home. Her parents had talked about this all night after she and her da arrived. The fact that her ma had focused long enough to make them breakfast was a miracle.
    Neala was tired of talk. People were threatening their land, it was time for action. Her parents were healers. She understood that and didn’t expect them to fight. But her power had never worked like theirs. She couldn’t even heal a scratch. All she seemed to be able to do with hers was push or pull on things. She wanted to be useful; she wanted to fight for her country like her brother had. It was more than that, she needed to.
    Their conversation had gone so deep into the night that whispered bits of it had entered Neala’s nightmares. There had been talk of power and fighting, of her fighting with her power. Her ma had cried and argued that she didn’t want her baby fighting. Her da had insisted they tell Neala something but her ma forbid it. How much had been actual conversation and how much had been part of her dreams, Neala had no idea.
    When she was finished with the dishes she went around the wall, crossed her arms over her chest, and watched her parents. Their meager home was small enough that she could hear every hushed word they said even though they were across the room. They must have felt the weight of her intense gaze because they stopped talking and turned to look at her. She knew they would feel it because her gaze carried the press of her useless power.
    Tears had turned her ma’s beautiful green eyes red and it looked like she hadn’t even pulled a brush through her long, light brown hair yet. Looking at her was like seeing her own reflection in a pool but Neala felt pale and lacking in comparison. She wasn’t the powerful healer her ma was. That had always bothered her even though she had little interest in healing. It just didn’t feel like healing was in her. But today her ma looked like nothing more than a frightened, frail woman. Neala refused to let her vulnerable appearance deter her.
    “It’s time to let me learn how to fight,” Neala said.
    Her ma’s eyes widened and she shook her head.
    “Absolutely not,” her da snapped. “And don’t ye dare breathe a word of this to anyone. It would only create a panic.” 
    Though she was prepared for an argument, his quick dismissal set her afire. “If the invaders come here someone has to defend our home. They could be here with a sizable force in a little over a week. I must be able to fight,” she said.
    Her ma flew to her feet and shook her head. “No. Not ye, not me beagcailín .” 
    The near hysterical look in her ma’s eyes wasn’t enough to stop her. Not this time, this was too important to give up on. Calling her a little girl in the old tongue didn’t help. She pushed away from the counter and took a step closer to her parents.
    “I’m hardly a little girl anymore. I’m of marryin’ age, in fact. If ye won’t let me learn to protect our land then let me learn to protect meself. Ye know what they do to women and girls,” Neala said.
    Horror filled her ma’s eyes before she turned away to hide her face in her hands. Guilt traced hot fingers across Neala’s heart. Her ma knew very well the horrible things