Cadence had been forced to take the airlines, since there was not another airplane at the Kansas City headquarters that could have made the journey any faster. She'd had to switch planes in New York to board her Aer Lingus flight to Kerry Airport. All-in-all, it had taken her significantly longer to make the trip, which included getting through customs and a layover in New York City. Considering Aaron had been able to fly there directly in less than half of the time, she was fairly certain that his lengthy head start would be problematic.
But she wasn't willing to give up.
Hannah had arranged for a motorcycle rental, which would be enough, considering all she had with her was the serum, her passport, wallet, and phone, all in a small backpack. She hadn't taken the time to pack even a change of clothes.
As she raced along, Hannah gave her directions to Killarney, but she didn't know for sure where his property was, nor was she able to find the information even with a thorough search of public records. He had hidden his purchase well. This also hindered any members of the Ireland LIGHTS team from helping. A few had volunteered to help, but so far, they had turned up nothing.
Cadence felt like she initially knew where she was going, despite the lack of navigational information. The closer she got to him, the more aware of his location she became.
The sun was cresting over the horizon as Torc Mountain came into view. The landscape was breathtaking, or it would have been if she had taken even a moment to observe it. The rolling hills broke in to bens, or mountains, from time to time, with lush green fields full of grazing sheep, and quaint little cottages all around.
She made the turns and followed the winding paths closer to the mountain, as if she knew precisely where she was going, as if she had been there before. Finally, she reached the base of the mountain, and glanced up. At the crest, the altitude was a good 1700 feet. A pristine lake glistened in the morning light to her right. She looked around for a moment. Despite the feeling in her gut that she was close, this was an enormous mountain, and he could be anywhere. She saw a cottage in the distance and contemplated asking the residents. There was a much larger house beyond it, which was also a possibility. However, as she stood considering her options, she happened to look up, and realized she knew exactly where he was. Parking the bike, she hopped off and began to climb.
It didn't take her long at all to reach the overhang. One of the skills Aaron had pushed during her training was climbing. Completing her assent up the rocky terrain, she was relieved when she finally saw him. Confirming he was alive, she exhaled a breath she must have been holding for hours. He was sitting on the edge of the cliff in the distance, legs dangling over, staring at the rippling water far below, his countenance much the way it had been as he contemplated the Reno skyline a couple of nights ago--forever ago.
She dropped down beside him on his left, the overwhelming emotions from hours of not knowing his fate rendering her speechless for the moment. In her mind, she could not fathom what had made him decide to re-Transform without speaking to her first, but she was thankful that it had taken and he was still with her. Whatever difficulties the new situation provided, they would work them out. She briefly let the team know she had found him, he was alive, and she would check in shortly.
He dropped his hand on top of hers, saying nothing at first. When he finally did speak, the Irish accent was back. "It's beautiful isn't it?" he asked quietly.
"Yes," she agreed, thankful for the feel of his hand on hers. "How much of it is yours?" she asked.
"Most of it," he replied.
"Is that your house then?" she asked, gesturing toward the little cottage with her head.
"Yes," he confirmed.
"And that one?" She indicated the larger estate beyond.
"It is," he replied. "Someone else lives there, though," he explained.
"Fergus and Moira O'Malley?" she asked.
"Been checkin' the land records then, have you?" he asked. "Yes. I figured if I ever decided to come here, I wouldn't want to be found."
"You did a great job of escaping," she assured him.
He didn't respond to her comment. After a moment, he pointed at the little cottage. "That's where my house was," he explained.
"That's not the original, then?" she asked.
"No, that's a mansion compared to the little hut we called home," he said, shaking his head, apparently memories of the small home he had shared with Aislyn flickering through his mind.
"It looks cozy," she remarked, sincerely.
He nodded. "I like it," he agreed.
He was quiet again for a moment. She decided it was time to confirm her suspicion. "Did you take it then?" she asked, staring at the lake, not able to look at him just then.
"Yes," he replied quietly. She said nothing and they continued in silence for a few minutes. Eventually, he said, "Cadence, I'm sorry I didn't tell you...," turning to look directly at her for the first time.
"Yeah, about that, what the hell?" she asked, staring into his eyes. An expression of confusion washed over her face as she realized his eyes weren't blue anymore--they looked almost green.
If he noticed her countenance, he didn't say anything. "I knew you wouldn't want me to do it," he replied quietly, looking away from her.
She was doing her best not to get angry. It would do no good to do so, not now. "Of course, I wouldn't want you to do it," she replied, keeping her voice even. "I don't understand why you would be willing to take such drastic measures. I mean, if you don't want to be the Guardian Leader anymore, that's one thing, but Aaron, to alter who you are... I just don't understand it. You're going to have to explain it to me, because.... I mean, the risk you were taking... I just.... I don't know." She sighed, staring down at the lake, trying to regain her composure. He said nothing, just squeezed her hand. After another long pause she quietly said, "Well, what's done is done. We'll figure it out."
