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A wailing cry followed the shriek. Inwardly I groaned. “Wait here. I’ll take care of it.”
“I’ll come with you,” West said, starting forward.
I held up a hand. “Trust me. You don’t want to see this.”
West shot me a quizzical look as I exited the cabin. I threaded my way through the trees, following the horrific sound until I found her in the midst of one of her infamous cries. “Fy mlentyn! Fy mlentyn bach!”
“He isn’t a child,” I said.
The hideous figure stopped wailing and fixed me with black, pupilless eyes that looked even more striking amidst the backdrop of her pallid complexion. Her long black hair was tangled in knots. Skeletal arms poked out from the short sleeves of her full-length shift dress. Black wings that resembled the sails of a ship protruded from her back.
The hideous figure gasped. “You’re here. ’Tis true.”
“’Tis. What are you doing here, Gwen?” Similar to an Irish banshee, Gwen was a harbinger of doom, a terrifying Welsh spirit whose sole purpose was to warn others of imminent death. Gwrach y Rhibyn she was once called—the Witch of Rhibyn.
“I think you know why.” Gwen opened her mouth, revealing a set of black teeth, and resumed her horrible shrieks.
I rolled my eyes. “We get it, Gwen. He’s dying. No need for musical accompaniment. Move along.”
The harbinger glowered at me. “You don’t see me interfering with your role. Let me do my job.”
“This one is off limits.”
Gwen licked her bloodstained lips. “You cannot prevent death, f’anwylyd. You know that better than most.”
“I’m not trying to prevent death. I’m trying to preserve his dignity.”
Gwen gathered the material of her dress in her hands. “I have no idea what you mean. I gather here to sound the trumpet.”
“You gather here to drink his blood knowing he’s about to die.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “Bah! Old wives’ tales. You know me better than that.” She advanced toward the cabin. “Let me pass. I have a job to do.”
I moved to block her path. “Pennsylvania is nowhere near Wales. What are you even doing here?”
“I’m a traveling spirit now. I grew weary of wailing in one place.”
“I don’t think this town needs you. It seems to have plenty of supernatural activity.”
“All the more reason to stay.”
“No, absolutely not. I forbid it.”
Gwen drew back; her eyes sparked with anger. “You dare command me?”
Folding my arms, I leveled her with a look. “I dare.”
She blew a raspberry. “Fine. Keep your Falls to yourself.”
“Falls?”
“Water that cascades from the side of a cliff. You know. A waterfall.”
I heaved an irritated sigh. “I know what a waterfall is. What are you talking about?”
“The Falls in your Wild Acres is acting as a conductor and generating powerful magical energy.”
Huh. I learned something new every day. “Is that what brought you here?”
