by Kristen Cobb
“Sorry. Moira was cold. I do believe we might need to put it out.” The man sputtered and coughed as he led them to the other side of the room.
She could not believe the man used the word might. Laying a hand against Aidan’s back to keep from tripping over anything else they finally reached the other side of the room.
There seemed to be another man in the cottage. She could just barely see his face and the outline of his average sized body. He leaned down. “Perhaps you could go outside with these nice people Moira while Uncle Ennis and I go get some water to put out the fire.” Apparently Moira refused because no one appeared next to the man when he stood up straight again.
Nessa could just make out a form seated on the dirt floor. She refused to leave here without Moira. This might be her only chance to find Conri. “Perhaps you boys could go outside and fetch some water to put out the fire while Moira and I speak privately.” Ennis must have left the door open because some of the smoke was beginning to clear.
Nessa watched Moira’s father kneel down. “We will be right back.” He kissed her forehead then followed Aidan and Uncle Ennis out.
Nessa lowered herself to the dirt floor next to Moira. The smoke was a bit thinner down here. Moira sat with arms wrapped around her knees, staring straight ahead. The girl appeared to be no more than fifteen or sixteen. Moira’s knees were not pulled all the way up to her stomach. Focusing her eyes through the rapidly thinning haze Nessa noticed a slight bulge to Moira’s stomach. If not for the smoke she would have noticed it sooner.
Nessa sat quietly next to the girl, waiting for the men to return with water to put out the fire. How could she ask Moira to do this? Manipulating the girl into going back bordered on outright cruelty but it might be her one and only chance to save Conri.
Ennis and Moira’s father came into the cottage each carrying a wooden bucket of water. A stream of smoke traveled slowly out the door, pulled by a light breeze, allowing her to see the men reasonably well. With the fire out and most of the smoke cleared Moira’s father handed his bucket to Ennis, walking over to them. Ennis quietly left the cottage, leaving the door ajar to finish airing out the one room house.
Moira’s father was on the short side of average for a man and incredibly thin. His light blue eyes spoke of a hard life as he looked down at his daughter with a pained expression. He held out a hand. “Miach.”
Nessa reached up, shaking the man’s hand. “Nessa. Thank you for agreeing to let me speak with your daughter.”
“She does not talk much now. Do you think the men that took her are the ones you seek? Aidan told us you would be able to kill them.” A faint light of hope glimmered in Miach’s eyes. She understood his desire for retribution.
“I believe they are the men who have taken my husband and yes, I can most definitely kill them.” Nessa turned to Moira now. “I need you to show me where they are.”
Moira shook her head vehemently, pure terror transforming the blank stare.
“I would like to speak with Moira alone if you do not mind.” She refused to leave this cottage without the girl.
Miach nodded without argument then turned and walked out of the cottage, leaving the door open.
The air in the cottage was almost completely cleared of smoke. She could see Moira clearly now, quite obviously traumatized. She seemed so small and fragile curled up on the floor, long brown hair dirty and mused. The scent wafting from the girl’s body suggested she had not washed in some time. The smell of burning wood and smoke must have initially overpowered the stench of her unwashed body.
Gaining Moira’s trust would not be easy. “They have taken my husband because their leader wants my powers.”
“Your powers?” That captured Moira’s attention immediately. The girl actually looked directly at her. Light blue eyes that resembled Miach’s stood out in sharp contrast to Moira’s dirty face.
Nessa decided the only way to gain Moira’s trust would be to open up and tell her everything. Glancing quickly around the room Nessa spotted a wooden plate on the table. Raising her hand and pointing at the plate she released a glittering wave of energy. It floated effortlessly through the air toward the table. Winding the silver trail underneath the edge of the plate by twirling her finger Nessa glanced at Moira out of the corner of her eye. The girl watched in wide-eyed astonishment. The plate rose up as Nessa raised her hand, slowly floating towards them, carried by a glittering silver trail of the earth’s energy. Nessa gently set the plate down on the dirt floor in front of Moira.
The girl’s eyes were opened wide in disbelief, staring at the plate. “How did you do that?”
“I take in energy that is all around us and control it. I can also turn into any creature I like. Declan is demanding that I bond with him, which essentially means sharing my powers with him. I have no wish to make that man more powerful but if I cannot find my husband I may have no other choice.” Nessa watched Moira’s reaction closely. It seemed a good sign that she did not pull away in fear.
“Declan was the name of one of the men who took me. He had dark hair and beautiful blue eyes but he was evil. They were all evil.” Moira turned away, mentally retreating again.
Now she knew for certain that Moira’s captors and Conri’s were one and the same. There was a very good chance Moira could lead her straight to Conri, making it difficult to be patient with the girl.
“They took me because my father did not have enough food to give them. He knew it was pointless to fight them. A friend of my father’s tried to fight back. A week later they returned, the man he stabbed still alive, healthy and whole as if he had never been hurt. They cannot die.”
Nessa grabbed Moira’s chin, forcing the girl to look at her. “They can die. I swear to you that I can kill them. Would you like to know how I am going to do it?” While a rather gruesome topic it might help Moira feel a bit more confident.
Moira nodded, looking her in the eye, desperately wanting to believe.
Nessa thought about the men hurting Conri, allowing her anger to flow freely like a river raging out of control, flooding over its banks. She continued pulling in energy until she could feel the warmth of her eyes glowing brightly then looked directly at Moira.
The girl gasped but did not move away. “Your eyes, I never saw any of those men do that. You are one of the Tuatha.” Moira’s words were whispered with awed reverence as she stared in disbelief.
Nessa took a moment to release the energy. Kaelan was attempting to teach her how to control the flow of energy into and out of her body. “I am what they call an ancient, essentially an immortal with special powers. Declan and his men are descendants of the first immortals. The Tuatha are mortal myths as far as I know, perhaps to explain the existence of the ancients. Declan and his men are not exactly immortal but they are much more difficult to kill than the average person. Given enough time our kind can heal from almost any wound.” She hated to give a mortal so much information but this might be her only chance to help Conri, nothing else mattered. “When my eyes glow I am very strong. I will be able to chop their heads off then scatter the heads far from their bodies so there is no way they will ever be able to heal.” Nessa turned her body so she faced Moira. “Please. I need your help. The last thing I want to do is give Declan unlimited power but that is exactly what I will do if it proves to be the only way to save my husband. If you lead me to them that need never happen. Declan will die by my hand. I swear it.”
“You must love your husband very much.” Moira’s determination to avoid the situation seemed to be wavering.
Nessa grabbed both of Moira’s hands and held on tight. “More than my own life. Please, show me where they held you. I swear the men that hurt you will pay with their lives, even if I do not find my husband. A friend of mine is holding Declan. Once my husband is safe I will chop off Declan’s head as well as his limbs then scatter the pieces across Ireland. He will never harm you or anyone else again.” While rather descriptive she hoped hearing such a detailed pl
an to end Declan’s life would assuage Moira’s fears of retribution.
Moira nodded her acquiescence, a look of fear still present in her haunted blue eyes. Nessa wrapped her arms around Moira’s neck, unable to contain the surge of immense relief. Surprisingly enough Moira returned the embrace.
6
Moira led them to an old ring fort, a bit bruised and battered by age but still standing. Traveling north through the night they arrived just before daybreak.
Moira rode with Aidan, the sound of her voice halting all movement. The girl said next to nothing the entire journey. “We need to stop here. They will have someone on the wall standing guard. They walk around the top and watch for anyone approaching. There is a house in the center.”
They were reasonably well hidden by a small copse of trees and the fact that night had yet to completely release its control of the world to the sun. The stone fort could just barely be seen in the distance, a relic from Ireland’s past. A ring fort was basically a high stonewall built in a circle with only one entrance. Interior stonewalls of ascending height functioned as steps to reach the top tier of the fort. Ring forts were essentially a defensive fortification, not only for the king and his warriors but the commoners and their livestock as well in times of trouble. If an attack appeared imminent they would all huddle within the fort, which could be defended from the top tier by archers. The lone entrance was easily defensible because no more than two men could get through at a time, making it impossible for the attacking army to flood into the structure. All of these facts also made the task of rescuing Conri much more difficult.
Nessa slid off her horse, Ronan as a beautiful black stallion. The very instant she removed the packs of food from his back Ronan changed into human form, shaking his sweaty head like a wet dog. Beads of sweat flew at her from his shoulder length blonde locks. Lifting the hemp sac containing his clothes over her head she handed it to him, with a very small smile. Only Ronan could manage to make her smile at a time like this. She’d grown quite fond of Conri’s brother.
Eanna did not have the same effect on her mood as a rule, his generally quiet and serious demeanor more subdued. Sliding down off his horse, which happened to be Kaelan, Eanna removed the packs on his back then quickly held out the bag slung across his shoulder. Ronan still stood naked in the slowly burgeoning daylight streaming through the newly born leaves as Kaelan began getting dressed. The early spring morning was crisp and cool but a sheen of sweat still clung to the chiseled angles of Ronan’s muscular body.
Eanna shot a frustrated look at his brother. “Are you planning on fighting them naked?”
“Have you ever been a horse?” Ronan held a hand behind his ear, leaning ever so slightly toward Eanna. “What was that? I did not hear you.”
Eanna said nothing, unwilling to give Ronan the satisfaction of a reply.
Ronan remained undeterred. “No you say. Well let me tell you, it is hard work and I am hot. I will get dressed when I am good and ready.”
Kaelan slid on his last boot, already completely dressed. “You will get dressed now.”
Eanna lifted Kaelan’s sword and sheath over his head handing it to his father, ignoring Ronan.
Ronan winked at her, throwing the bag with his clothes on the ground. Pulling out his pants he thankfully put those on first. Ronan was even more handsome naked than with clothes on. Seeing Ronan completely nude felt like some kind of betrayal but her eyes refused to look away. He was all lean sculpted muscle, moving with an innate grace and fluidity. Add to that his fun-loving nature and you had a lethal combination.
Nessa glanced back at Moira. The girl peered shyly out from behind Aidan, watching Ronan’s every move. Moira quickly looked away, embarrassed when she realized someone noticed her ogling Ronan.
While Ronan finished dressing Kaelan walked over to Moira. Kaelan’s brown hair was dripping sweat, attesting to his own exertion as a horse. “We are extremely grateful for your bravery in leading us here. If you ever require assistance in any way all you need do is ask. I live in a very large stone building at the end of the Moy River. It is impossible to miss. Aidan will take you home now.”
Moira should be relieved, the dreaded journey back to the site of her nightmare finally over, but the girl appeared almost panicked as she watched Kaelan walk away. “I do not want this child.”
They all turned to look at Moira, shocked by her statement. Nessa tried to put herself in the girl’s place. How would she feel? The child would be a constant reminder of her ordeal, every day for the rest of her life. Another part of her wanted to condemn the girl for being so cruel to an innocent child. It was a horrid situation created by men who had also been unwanted as children. An unending cycle continuously perpetuated by the next generation. It needed to stop. She refused to let this child be a victim of the elders fear and intolerance, even if Declan were the father.
Kaelan closed his eyes for a moment as if in prayer before turning back toward Moira. “I will take the child. Aidan will find a place for you and your father close to my home until the child is born. I believe we have a few houses that are vacant at the moment.” Kaelan glanced at Aidan who immediately nodded. “Take her back to collect her father then get them settled. We have a rescue to plan.”
Aidan gave Kaelan a barely perceptible nod then turned his horse around and rode away. All four of them silently watched. A somber moment in what was certain to be a horrific journey. What lay ahead would likely make Moira throwing away her child seem almost pleasant. All of this because the elders made it paramount their offspring be able to change form.
Nessa lifted Ronan’s sword up and over her head, holding it out to him without actually looking at him. “How are we going to sneak in without getting Conri killed?”
Kaelan turned around to face them, brown eyes glowing brightly with the earth’s power. “I can make us invisible until we get into the house, stay together, walk slowly in a pack.”
“How? Why did you not teach me?” That would have been a useful skill for her to know given the current situation.
“There was no time. I taught you the skills I deemed most important for this mission. Stay together and be as quiet as possible. Leave the packs here. We can come back for them. Once we are inside whoever can get to Conri first needs to protect him. My guess is that he will be extremely vulnerable. The first thing they will attempt to do is kill him to ensure we do not get what we came for. They will assume if we are here Declan is dead.” Kaelan remained perfectly still, waiting for them to move closer.
Eanna stood next to Kaelan while Nessa positioned herself behind them. Ronan moved to stand beside her, their eyes locking for a moment. Nessa took a deep breath trying to calm the nervous energy bouncing around inside of her. One mistake and Conri would be gone forever. Ronan winked at her as if to say everything will be just fine, a grim expression belied the reassuring gesture. The smallest misstep could cost Conri his life. Even Ronan would not make light of the circumstances.
The walk to the stone fort seemed to take forever. Slowly, step-by-step they moved closer, careful to remain tightly packed together, watching where they set each foot so as not to make a sound.
There did not appear to be anyone standing guard on the top tier of the fort but that situation could change at any moment. Caution was still in order given the highly defensible position of the men they were aiming to annihilate.
Eventually they made their way into the ring fort. Two-by-two they walked through the narrow entrance. In the very center of the fort stood a shabbily constructed stone house with a thatch roof. There were a few mature trees growing within the circular fort. Bright rays of sunshine were beginning to light the darkness, allowing her to clearly view a shocking sight, her husband tied to a tree right next to the house, naked.
His hands were bound behind the enormous oak, a rope around his torso holding him upright. Another rope wound around the top of his thighs then lashed round the trunk of the tree in an attempt to keep him on his feet.
Her beloved’s head hung down as if unconscious or asleep.
As they slowly walked ever closer to the house Conri’s wounds came clearly into focus, stab wounds all over his body. The closer they got to Conri the worse his situation appeared. Many of the wounds looked to be infected, covered with a sickly yellow-green hue. He also lost quite a bit of weight. She found it difficult to belief he still lived but the shallow rhythm of his chest rising and falling told her Conri had in fact survived.
The urge to scream out in fury and run to him nearly toppled her precariously balanced self-control. Ronan laid a hand on her arm. Her eyes remained locked on Conri. She intended to slay every last person even remotely involved.
Alana sauntered out of the house, an evil grin on her face as she walked directly toward Conri. Alana immediately grabbed his shaft and began pumping it with her hand, trying to force his manhood to rise. Conri’s head still hung down in front of him, exhibiting no reaction at all. “Wake up!” Alana withdrew something from a pocket on the front of her dress. A dagger.
Nessa let out an otherworldly scream as she ran around Kaelan. Taking in an enormous amount of power Nessa used the earth’s energy to launch her body exactly as Kaelan taught her. Flying through the air she landed directly in front of Alana. The woman stood frozen, paralyzed in shock and terror.
While still soaring through the air Nessa pulled the dagger from its sheath. The very instant her feet hit the ground she plunged the weapon into Alana’s stomach. Quickly pulling the dagger out she rammed it into Alana’s midsection again, throwing her head back, screaming in fury.
Men began flooding from the house, swords drawn. Nessa pulled her dagger out of Alana’s body, stuffing the bloody weapon back in the pocket on her pants. Drawing her sword she positioned herself directly in front of Conri. Alana tried to get away, making it no more than a few steps before falling to the ground on her knees, pulling her blood covered hands away from her middle, staring down at them in disbelief.
