The sound of Ruarachan screaming furiously, then growling thunderously in faol form, came for a long stretch before the vehicle finally came to a halt.
“Ruarachan?” Skye called anxiously and pressed her hand to the side (formerly the roof) of the truck. He did not answer, but she could feel his energy. He was at least alive out there. She worried over what that might mean – had he been knocked unconscious? Looking around the sideways interior of the truck, she groaned, “I repeat, what the fuck?”
“And I shall allow it a second time under the circumstances, wee one,” Taran answered wryly as he helped her up.
“I gotta tell you, I’m getting real tired of being involved in single-vehicle crashes with the supernatural every time I come to your country, Taran,” she griped.
Taran smiled at that and reached down to grasp Ciaran’s arm and pull him up onto his feet.
“Hey, at least ya were nah impaled this time, a stóirín,” Ciaran offered. “Tha’s gotta count for something.”
Skye nodded – he did have a point.
“Skye? Tar? McLovin? You good?” Miko shouted outside the doors. They could hear Elijah and Aiyana talking close behind him.
“Fine,” Taran called back. “What did this? Where are the others?”
Taran’s eyes bore into Ciaran’s intensely. Both of them were struggling to stay calm over the possibility that their most vulnerable members may have just placed themselves in the most dangerous place possible. This truck had been designed to transport pups – to keep them IN. If whatever was out there attacked now, clawing their way out from inside to aid their young would prove a challenge. It would not be impossible for the three of them working together, but it would take a bit of work and time. And considering the fact that they had no idea what awaited outside, they were in no hurry to open the doors prematurely and grant it access to Skye.
“They’re all finishing the sweeps now, King Taran,” Elijah answered respectfully.
Taran and Ciaran exhaled in relief. If the ancients were hunting for the cause, it meant they had formed a ring around the trucks. Miko, Aiyana, and Elijah were actually in the safest location.
Using her power, Skye was able to sense the locations of her other clansmen beyond the truck’s impossibly thick exterior. She was immensely relieved to feel Ruarachan finally moving around.
“There’s no sign of an attacker that anyone can perceive,” Eli continued. “Seems like it was energy of some kind that dragged you guys – not any sort of physical being.”
“Step away, whelps!” Ruarachan shouted angrily and he stomped toward the back of the truck. His voice came from just outside the doors a second later as he asked, “Are ya all safe in there?”
Skye frowned at the sound of him. He was winded. His voice was strained. “We’re okay. Are you?” she called back worriedly.
Ruarachan grumbled under his breath in Gaelic before answering, “Fine, my Lady Queen.”
“No, he isn’t!” Miko called. “He’s all sliced up and bleeding all over the place and shit.”
Ruarachan growled, “It’ll heal, pup. It’s nothin’ to worry over.”
“He’s buck ass naked, too,” Miko announced. “And – just so I’m not the only one who has to live with this knowledge for the rest of their life – the carpet definitely matches the drapes.”
Ruarachan cursed under his breath. Ciaran snickered at the exchange. Skye covered her face with her hand, shaking her head at Miko’s perpetual inability to stop talking.
“Hey, do you maybe want to pull those giant shards of glass out of you before they get healed over?” Miko suggested, sounding a bit queasy. A second later – following a disconcerting wet, squishy sound – Miko genuinely gagged and squealed, “Not right in front of me! UGH! Fuck, dude! No – no, don’t GIVE them to me, either! Keep that shit to yourself!”
The sound of glass shattering on the ground made it clear that at least a few shards were out. Skye curled her lip and looked to her men. Ciaran was positively delighted that someone other than himself was getting a rise out of Miko. Taran was far too concerned to find humor at the moment.
Finished scouting the immediate area with the others, Drostan rushed back to the truck and their youngest members. “Miko, quit your fussin’ after him. Ruarachan…” He paused for a moment. “Nah, I’m sorry but tha is just gross lookin’. Go on and get the rest of tha out.” Drostan managed to turn his attention away from Ruarachan’s (apparently nausea-inducing) injuries and back to getting their vulnerable members to safety. “Whelps, away now, back to the truck with ya. And stay put until we know what we’re dealing with.”
“Oh yeah, because sitting inside a truck seems so safe right now,” Miko snarked. “Unless Ruarachan is planning on catching ours, too, and using his body like a giant, ginger, faol, brake pad again?”
Skye’s eyes widened. So that was why he sounded out of breath, and how their truck had finally managed to come to a stop. No wonder he had been knocked out for a minute. She gave Taran a concerned look, to which he nodded reassuringly.
A telltale smack! rang out beside the truck, followed immediately by a yelp from Miko and a stream of grumbled, thickly-accented reprimands. Clearly, Ailean had just returned and taken over as chief pup disciplinarian in Eògan’s absence.
“Ow! All right, I’m going! Jesus, don’t get your nipple rings in a twist!” Miko grumbled before adding, “I’m growing my hair back now, you know, just so you guys can’t put so much sting on those smacks.”
We’ve got them, Aodh assured as they escorted Miko, Aiyana, and Elijah back to the safety(-ish?) of their own vehicle.
“Tha pup of yours is gonna need a lengthy training to quiet tha smart mouth of his,” Drostan called from beyond the doors. “Please tell me you’re all alive in there and I’ve nah inherited him as next of kin?”
“We’re okay,” Skye laughed. “Just need to get out of here.”
“Hang on. We’ll pry the back open,” Ruarachan called.
The semi-crushed metal doors groaned and refused to budge at first. A minute and a bit of grousing later, once Drostan and Ruarachan were each able to get a good grip, both doors were peeled open like a can of sardines.
“Hello, boys,” Ciaran flirted with a wink. “Now, this is what I call roadside assistance,” he teased before hopping out onto the grass. When he got a look at the way the truck had ended up, he winced. “Jesus. Really is roadside, isn’t it?”
Taran jumped down next, then turned to pick Skye up and set her down on her feet beside him.
“Ruarachan, are you sure you’re okay?” Skye asked worriedly and kept her eyes very deliberately above waist level, not wanting to make him any more uncomfortable than he usually was under her gaze. She winced at the numerous deep punctures and slices still struggling to heal on his face, arms, and chest.
Ruarachan nodded in reply and averted his gaze, clearly disliking the attention.
“He’ll mend, love,” Taran assured. “Ruarachan is a fierce faol. There’s a reason he was chosen above all others to watch my back.”
Ruarachan inclined his head in appreciation for the vote of confidence.
Skye sighed, she knew he would mend eventually, she just disliked the fact that he had been harmed in their defense to begin with. He had just jumped in front of a freaking truck to save them – she wanted to help him in return. Her fingers curled with the effort it took not to reach out and try to heal him. She knew it would only insult him, and they clearly had bigger fish to fry at the moment. She looked around and asked, “What was the point of bringing us here?”
“I’m afraid the answer to tha is nah gonna be to any of our liking.” Drostan warned fretfully as he surveyed their surroundings. Times had changed the landscape plenty, but enough remained the same to alert him of their current location and its grim implications.
Skye’s brows drew together as she heard it – panicked words echoing in the minds of Ciaran, Drostan, AND Aodh.
No, not words.
Names.
Droch-draoidh.
Teàrlach.
“Are we…?” Ciaran asked fearfully when he focused on the familiar cliff faces in the distance. His eyes bulged when he spotted a cave mouth. He pointed to it as he demanded, “Is tha…?!”
“Aye. Move. Now.” Taran commanded in a deeply alarmed tone and gripped Skye’s hand tightly in his. He was instantly moving, shouting urgent orders as he went. “Gather everyone. Travel on foot. Leave everything behind.”
If the level of threat had not been painfully obvious to Skye right then, it was made even more inescapably clear by Ruarachan transforming back into faol form right there in broad daylight. Several of their clansmen followed suit, forming a protective ring around Skye, her men, and their most vulnerable members.
She matched her King’s swift pace without hesitation or query. There was really no need to drag her along by the hand he was currently gripping as if it were life itself. She was not stopping to play fifty questions when something had TARAN spooked. Fuck that shit sideways. She could find out what they had escaped from later – like after they had successfully escaped it.
What happened next took at least a full minute to reconcile in her mind. She felt the dark, powerful magic sink its hooks into her – just before it gave one mighty yank backward toward the cave in the distance. Her hand was ripped away from Taran’s. She shrieked as an orb of her own power erupted around her protectively, fending off the attack. Despite their best efforts, none of her clansmen were able to get a hold on her as she sailed past them. Her hands, along with her magic, dug into the ground beneath her, carving out a trench in the rocky ground and revealing the dark soil beneath until she finally came to a stop.
Her instincts had kicked in almost instantly. Even still, she looked up to find that she had already been dragged 30 feet away from Taran and the others. She could feel her power still pulsing within her, standing at the ready, holding back additional efforts to drag her away. She scrambled up onto her feet, breathing heavily and looking around wildly for any sign of her attacker. All she found was an empty field.
Everyone was rushing toward her. She turned expecting to speak to them once they reached her. Instead, she watched in horrified confusion as those in the lead collided with an unseen barrier. Upon impact, the dome of dark magic flickered briefly into view. Skye’s mouth dropped open as she sensed it – the power this barrier was siphoning from every faol it touched. She turned in disbelief as she sensed the stolen power racing across the sky over head before being drawn down into the cave.
Whatever was in there… was feeding off of her clansmen.
The realization sent a shiver down her spine. Given the number of ancients and elders they had brought along as protection on this trip, it was getting one hell of a meal. She looked back just in time to see her clansmen all preparing to slam against it in a futile attempt to reach her.
“Don’t touch it! Back up!” she screamed frantically and waved her arms. Hearing the urgency of her warning, all of the faoil skidded to an unquestioning and immediate halt.
Taran’s expression as he stopped was one of utter fury and terror for her safety. He gave her a challenging, indignant look, as if she could not POSSIBLY expect him to give up trying to reach her.
“Taran, please listen to me, babe. It’s draining you – all of you,” she warned and pointed behind her. “Whatever is in that cave? You’re feeding it. You’re making it stronger every time you touch the barrier. If you keep trying to break through, it will KILL you and the only thing you will have accomplished is making it even harder for the rest of us to fight this thing. So, PLEASE. Don’t. Touch.”
Taran’s features twisted in torment at standing so close yet being completely unable to reach or defend her. The dire reality of their current situation crashed in on all of them at once. Everyone began speaking in a rush, all beyond panicked.
“What do we do?” Miko asked, gripping his newly-inkless head.
“I don’t know,” Skye answered quickly.
Get out now, bright lady! Ya can nah stay there! It’s nah safe! Aodh insisted in blind terror in her mind.
I know, Aodh. I’m gonna try, she answered.
“Is there a source to this barrier that we can break?” Aiyana suggested.
“I think whatever is in the cave IS the source,” Skye offered.
“Can ya bring it down with your magic?” Ciaran asked hopefully.
Skye let loose a small, highly-controlled bolt of power as a test and aimed it far away from Ciaran. The barrier absorbed that, too.
“Fuckety-fuck fuck! No. I can’t!” she screamed furiously.
“All right, love. Ya know tha I think it’s adorable when ya swear, but let’s try to stay focused on findin’ a solution here, yeah?” Ciaran urged.
“Right. Yeah. Okay,” Skye said as she drew a shaky breath and nodded, doing her best to reign in her emotions.
“I know it seems the most obvious solution but… well, we have to try. Can ya cross back to us from tha side?” Drostan asked.
Skye reached out slowly toward them, then cried out and pulled her hand back as a burst of her power was ripped away from her and drawn up into the barrier.
“Ow! Shit. No. OW,” she hissed and winced as she shook her hand in an attempt to ease the pain.
Taran bit his tightly-clenched fist and closed his eyes for a second. He could not believe that Skye had been taken from him. Again. This time snatched from his very grasp! With considerable effort, he managed to grind out through clenched teeth, “Wee one, I swear to Miko’s Chreest, the spirits, all the old gods, and the Great Mother, Herself… The very second ya are free from there, I am carrying ya straight to bed and ya are ne’er allowed to leave it again!”
Taran was going to shackle her to the bedframe, he decided. That was all there was to it. If that was what it took to finally keep her safe, so be it.
“Sounds perfect. Let’s do that,” Skye agreed eagerly.
“I third that motion,” Ciaran chimed in as he held up a hand.
“Yes. Let’s make that a thing!” Miko said with an enthusiastic nod as he snapped and pointed at Skye. “From this day forth, I rescind all prior protests and fully support you spending the rest of your life being a total freak in bed with these two.”
“Aww, Miko! Tha’s so sweet!” Ciaran declared, clutching his chest and sniffling as if overcome by emotion.
Miko rolled his eyes.
“What’s in the cave?” Aiyana asked determinedly, getting everyone back on topic. She knew these guys fell back on humor in the face of danger, but she wanted to know right the hell now what they would soon be fighting.
“Nothing she wants to be meetin’,” Drostan assured.
“Aye, let’s git th' lassie free afore she haes tae,” Ailean pressed.
“So, what exactly are we up against here?” Elijah asked.
“Fògaraich?” Miko tried.
“WORSE.” Taran, Ciaran, Drostan, Ruarachan, and Ailean answered in ominous unison, causing the rest of them to exchange startled looks.
“The Droch-draoidh,” Ailean breathed fretfully.
“Or, at least, what’s left of them,” an ancient called from behind.
Skye looked over to the one who had spoken and was surprised to find him and several of the other faoil staring at Taran intensely.
“Remember how Faolan mentioned the dark mystics tha turned Brandubh into the creature we all know and revile?” Drostan asked.
“Uh huh,” Skye answered worriedly.
“These are those guys,” Ciaran warned. “Only they’ve done quite a bit of work on themselves since then.”
Skye closed her eyes as she frantically tried to recall what Faolan had told her of Brandubh’s origins. “They helped take power from Sitheag when she was a baby. They used it to change Brandubh, but they wanted to be changed, too. So, wait – Brandubh bit them, right? That was part of the deal? Does that mean they share his weaknesses?”
/> “Aye… but they’re a different breed entirely,” Taran assured.
“They were far more… inventive… with the ways they warped themselves and every poor soul unlucky enough to be captured by them,” Drostan added with a curled lip.
Aodh let out a long, low growl in response.
Ruarachan reached up and patted him on the back.
“But if they share his weaknesses, that means we have until sunset tonight to get me out of here, right? They can’t come out in the sun?” Skye asked hopefully.
“Well… you’re half right.” Aiyana said as she gaped up at the sky. “They may not be able to come out into the sun, but they won’t have to wait until tonight.”
Everyone slowly turned their attention skyward to find a solar eclipse already underway.
15: Stolen Away
“You have GOT to be shittin’ me!” Miko cried as he pointed up at the sun furiously. “I can guarantee you, that is not supposed to be happening!”
“What the hell are these guys that they can cause an eclipse?!” Skye demanded.
“Sorcerers,” Ruarachan answered plainly. With despair darkening his hazel eyes, he watched as she turned to face him. His voice was low and clear as he spoke to her more directly than ever before. He held her gaze unflinchingly for the first time as he told her solemnly, “They are ancient, powerful, sadomasochistic sorcerers, with a proclivity for torture and body modification, as well as a taste for faoil meat. Ya are in very real, very grave danger, my Lady Queen. And if ya can nah find a way to get away from them, or kill the whole lot of ‘em, they will kill ya…” His eyes glistened, red-rimmed with fear for her, as he forced out in a strained whisper, “…and ya will consider death a mercy by the time they’re through.”
Taran and Ciaran both paled hearing their enemy described in such plain terms when SKYE was about to face them.
“What the fuck?!” Miko blurted out, his terror for Skye’s safety reaching a new, all-time high. Aiyana leaned heavily against him, gripping his hand.
Goddess Rising Page 21
