Sean chuckled. “No, I loaned the book to Duncan and Dorian was nice enough to bring it back to me.” The old man held it up revealing the title.
Brendan read it. “Twilight?” He couldn’t believe it. “You’re kidding, right?”
Sean shrugged. “It’s a good book.”
Sean reached down and retrieved a lid from a shelf beneath the table and covered the pot. For a few seconds they all stood in silence, waiting on something to happen. The lid began to rattle like a stovetop pot that was threatening to boil over. As the lid shook rays of golden light streaked out and illuminated the group. Seconds more ticked by and Brendan found that he was holding his breath. He forced himself to inhale. The lid shook so much that it was no longer covering the pot. It was raised into the air by the golden energy that was fighting to free itself from the container.
Brendan began to step back, but Dorian reached down and took his hand. Looking at her, he could see that she was smiling, so he trusted her. He realized that he was would trust her no matter what.
The light from the pot dimmed and gave way to a golden mist that leaked out of the cauldron. The mist spread out from the pot and drifted over the deck and up the mast and encased every part of the ship. It was a truly unreal sight. Brendan found his own smile.
Sean chuckled and squinted in the light of the mist. “Next stop, Port Hegles.”
The ship glowed and shimmered with amazing magic as it pulled away from port. Brendan noticed an odd stillness and as it dawned on him that he couldn’t feel the wind, something even crazier happened. The ship slowly sank into the water. As the water level rose around the boat, Brendan and the others began to panic.
“We’re going down!” shouted Lizzie.
“Hold on,” soothed Sean. “Relax.”
The water splashed higher and higher and eventually sprayed against the golden mist that encased the ship. Watching the water land against the golden dome reminded Brendan of being at an aquarium and walking beneath the shark tanks. Soon enough the entire ship was beneath the water.
Brendan shook his head. He leaned in close to Dorian. “Okay. I take it back. This ship is pretty cool.”
“See?” she responded.
“See what?” Brendan said curiously.
“Oh, just that I’m always right,” she said with a sly grin.
The group watched as the dark sea became partially lit by the golden mist and a few floodlights that popped to life. Out of the corner of Brendan’s eye he could see that Sean was watching him. He didn’t know if that was good or bad, but he was sure that he would find out soon.
…
Duncan looked like a man, or Leprechaun, that was on death’s doorstep. Whatever Morna was doing to him made him feel like he had the plague. He was sweating and wheezing. He felt clammy and had moments of hot flashes that nearly knocked him unconscious. He was slouched against a bar, defeated and weak. He barely glanced up when Morna and Dullahan entered the room.
“My, don’t we have a little resilient search party after us?” Morna said with disdain apparent in her voice. She observed Duncan and knew that the old Leprechaun couldn’t hold out much longer.
“You know, they have turned out to be more troublesome than I anticipated. Even Dullahan failed to stop them.” The witch shot a stare at the headless demon that made him slink away into the shadows. Duncan only looked up at his captor, but she could see that small glimmer of hope in his eyes. That last frail bit of hope was always the hardest to kill, but she had been successful at it in the past.
“But even now they tarry onward towards my castle, the fools. They’ve even taken to the sea for passage, no doubt feeling a bit safer.” Morna laughed.
Duncan continued to stare at her but said nothing. She leaned close like a friend about to share a secret. “It’s a false sense of safety, my old friend. I can assure you of that.”
Duncan wheezed.
“I’m going to give them to my Merrows.”
Duncan showed a small amount of confusion with a slight change in his expression, but he couldn’t vocalize it. Behind Morna, two of her minions entered the dungeon pushing a large aquatic tank. They shoved it across the room unceremoniously and stood in the doorway like intimidating statues. The tank slammed into the walls and water sloshed over the top. A dark figure bobbed in the water.
“I believe you know Usis, the Merrow Queen,” Morna introduced them as if she were hosting a party.
Duncan pulled on the bars and tilted his head to look over at Usis. The Merrow queen was apparently none too pleased with being thrown around and she lashed out at the glass walls of her prison. Duncan grew even more depressed as he watched her contorted features press against the glass. She was normally so beautiful and enchanting. Duncan remembered being so enamored with her that he halfway considered asking for her hand in marriage. But now Usis’s skin had lost its color and her hands were like talons of the griffin, sharp and jagged. Her hair, which normally flowed and enthralled was now stark white and brittle. She bared her teeth at the room and Duncan saw that they were pointed and broken. He slumped back down and looked back to Morna.
“And I thought she was beautiful before,” Morna turned to exit the room but looked back to Duncan just before she hit the threshold. “I’ll let you know how it turns out. I’m sure you two want to catch up on old times.”
…
The ship was moving along quite smoothly beneath the sea. Brendan looked past the golden dome that sheltered them from the crushing pressure of the water. Though all the others except for Lizzie were already over the splendor of the crazy magic, Brendan was still amazed.
Lizzie, Rory, and Biddy were near the helm while Sean was leaning on his cane with one hand and steering the ship with the other. He was happy to see Lizzie smile. They had already been through so much that he was worried about his kid sister. He also knew that they had been really lucky to this point. Irish luck perhaps?
He let his gaze fall back down to the angel on his right. Dorian had an old, ancient-looking map on her lap that must have been made in the sixteen hundreds. He glanced over her shoulder and saw that it was a map of Scotland. He spotted Port Hegles and then saw a red circle around a place called Louseen.
“What’s in Louseen?” he asked.
“That’s where Morna’s castle is according to Gorgoch.” She was biting her lip in concentration and Brendan couldn’t help but think that it made her all that more appealing. Her hair was hanging down in her face except for a part that she had swept behind her ear. It framed her profile in such a way that Brendan couldn’t help but stare longingly at her.
“Well, when we get to Port Hegles we’ll need to rent a car and then move as fast as we… ” she stopped when she looked up at Brendan. “Were you just checking me out?” She smiled.
Brendan was caught and he knew it, but he denied it anyway. “What? No, I was… what?”
Dorian laughed at his verbal bumbling.
“Why would I want to… you know?” he said in his defense.
“Are you saying that I’m not worth checking out?” she asked him with a pseudo-hurt look.
“No, just the opposite,” he back peddled. “You’re gorgeous.”
She continued to smile, and that was contagious. He smiled and they began to lean in for a kiss. Brendan’s heart pounded at the prospect of touching his lips to hers. Closer and closer they moved, their breath mixing between them. He closed his eyes and then… nothing. His lips meet empty space.
He opened one eye to check to she if she hadn’t bailed on him, and he saw that she was still there. Her attention wasn’t on him any longer, though. He followed her gaze and saw a few dark shapes outside of the golden dome.
“What are they?” Dorian asked in wondering.
Brendan knew what they were. He remembered seeing those shapes in the water during his little trip under the sea. “I think they are Merrows.”
Sean was limping down a wooden staircase and grunted his agreement. “Aye, bu
t this water is not usually on their traveling course.”
Lizzie was leaning over the railing to listen in on the conversation. Truth be known, she wanted to find out if Brendan was finally going to lay one on Dorian or not, but that little drama would have to wait for another time. For now, she was more concerned with the dark shadows. “What are Merrows again?”
Rory was perched on the wheel. “I don’t know what you call them, but they are people with fish bodies.”
“Oh, like mermaids,” smiled Lizzie.
Biddy was standing on the wheel as well. She nodded. “I’ve heard of mermaids and they are one and the same.”
“Which is fine by me since Merrows are a peaceful lot,” Rory said, a bit of relief in his voice.
Brendan was still feeling a little on edge about any of the so-called mythical beings he had met. “Remember the fairies were supposed to be peaceful.”
“Sidhes,” Dorian said, correcting him.
“Whatever,” shrugged Brendan. “Point is—they might be under Morna’s control, too.”
The tension was high beneath the dome. They all seemed to be holding their collective breath as more and more of the shadows swam outside of the golden shield. Lizzie spotted one hovering ten feet to her left. She cautiously walked to the dome to get a better look at the Merrow.
The Merrow flitted its tail and its arms to stay in place and then gradually came forward. Lizzie was having a hard time seeing through the dome, but she was getting a fuzzy outline. It was sort of like trying to look at Gorgoch in the face.
Lizzie had an image in her head, though. Flowing red hair, shimmering green tail, and a wonderful singing voice were the only things she could picture.
“Aren’t you just a pretty thing?” Lizzie cooed.
The Merrow appeared to respond by doing a somersault before coming even closer. Lizzie squinted her eyes and held her hand up against the dome to try and get a better look. When the Merrow did the same, Lizzie’s eyes grew wide with terror.
The Merrow bared her fangs and tensed her body to show its angry aggression towards the travelers. She let out an impossibly high-pitched scream that caused everyone within the dome to cover their ears.
“Shut up!” Lizzie yelled.
The Merrow revealed a silver dagger and reared her arm back with the blade glinting with a golden reflection. She drove the blade into the golden dome as if it were made of cloth. The Merrow screamed and tore hard at the incision. More ugly Merrows slammed into the dome and sliced into it as well.
“Get us to the surface, Sean!” Dorian commanded.
Sean was already on his way to the cauldron. “I don’t have to be told twice,“ he replied.
He reached out and touched the cold iron and closed his eyes. Water started to spray in from the rips in the dome. The terrible Merrows clawed and gnashed their teeth attempting to shred the protection away from their prey.
“Better hurry, Sean!” Brendan yelled over the screech of the Merrows that was now at a deafening decibel.
A few Merrows had managed to tug and pull at the magic barrier and create enough space for their bodies to fit through. Dorian was quick, though, and blasted them back into the sea with golden bursts from her palms. Water continued to pour in from the shredded dome. Other Merrows also took the opportunity to take a crack at getting inside, but Dorian was able to blast them away as well.
Sea water poured in on the travelers and made keeping a good footing nearly impossible. Dorian was blasting away while Brendan took to swinging an oar from the life boat. He stood near one tear and felt like he was playing whack-a-mole. A Merrow would stick its head in through the tear and Brendan would smash an oar into its face. He counted points in his head.
“Come on, Sean!” Dorian stressed in between magical blasts. “We’re taking on too much water!”
Sean was sweaty and covered in sea salt, but when he opened his eyes no one doubted his will power. They glowed and matched the dome in luster. His cane fell to the deck as he touched the cauldron with both hands. More and more water spewed onto the deck and thousands of Merrows advanced on the ship.
The sea was calm and serene in the hour before sunrise. A soft wind licked at the surface of the water and a few gulls circled overhead in the hopes of finding a little breakfast. Suddenly, a tattered old ship burst from the water, a golden dome dissipating in the morning air. Many Merrows clung to the boat as it emerged and settled on the surface.
Lizzie was soaked and nearly exhausted. She was near the railing when she noticed a gray-skinned claw dug into the wood. She slowly got to her feet and sneaked to the side. Looking over, she saw dozens and dozen of Merrows climbing their way to the top.
“We’ve got a problem!” she yelled.
The Merrow nearest the top got its second claw onto the deck and screeched. Lizzie narrowed her gaze. “I told you to shut up!” The American girl reared her leg back and booted the Merrow in the face. It toppled over backwards and took many of its ugly friends with it.
Brendan held his oar at the ready. Rory and Biddy stood on the rail with butter knives held like staffs. Sean was unconscious and lying on the deck near the cauldron. Lizzie stood in her martial arts stance, her body as her only weapon. Dorian knew they weren’t going to be enough. She looked at her own hands. The golden glow from her magic vile was zapped. She withdrew a green vile and poured it into her palms. She let it absorb for a moment, and then she closed her eyes to concentrate.
In the meantime, Brendan and Lizzie were battling the Merrows as they climbed aboard. Brendan was swinging away and knocking Merrows near and far. Lizzie kicked, punched, elbowed, kneed, jumped, flipped, and did whatever she could to hold back as many as possible. They were fighting valiantly, but it was only a matter of time before they were overtaken. Dorian was not going to let that happen.
She concentrated as a couple of Merrows approached her. Their fangs and claws were bared and they intended on causing some serious harm. One horribly scary Merrow moved in with its rippling muscles and extended claws. He swiped at her and when he made contact with her body his hand was burned off as if his wrist had been hit by a laser. He writhed in pain as the other Merrows moved in on Dorian. Each time it was the same, Merrows fell around her burned and in agony. Finally, she felt strong enough.
She pulled her limbs in tight to her body and crouched to the deck. She held this position for only a beat or two. Brendan was sweating and bleeding from multiple scratches when he happened to glance her way. When she stood up and extended her arms and legs, he could only marvel at what she was doing.
Energy or magic or whatever it was radiated from her body. Any Merrow unlucky enough to be too near Dorian was incinerated like a nuclear bomb had just been detonated. The other Merrows were burned or fled for their lives. All of the Merrows who hadn’t been on the ship escaped injury but were cast at least seventy miles away from the ship.
No trace of the Merrows remained on board. Only a scorched deck where Dorian had been standing gave evidence of her brave action.
Brendan had closed his eyes once the green wave was upon him. He had thought that it was the end of him as well, but the wave passed through him harmlessly. Lizzie, Rory, and Biddy seemed no worse for wear, either. Only Sean was laid out on the deck, but even he was beginning to come to.
They gathered around Sean and helped him to a sitting position. The old timer coughed and wiped the grit off of his face. “What happened?” he asked.
Brendan shook his head in disbelief. “It was wild, Sean. Dorian did something and they all either died or got the hell out of here.”
Sean looked over at Dorian. She still radiated a slight greenish glow. “How many vials do you have left?”
“Five,” she said with the slightest regret in her voice.
Sean leaned on his crutch and Brendan helped him to his feet. “Well, five is better than none. Besides, if you didn’t use one we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“That had to be the strangest
thing that I have ever lived through,” Brendan remarked.
“What about the time you went to the hospital because you had that toy car stuck up your… ” Lizzie began.
“No! No!” Brendan interrupted. “This was still stranger.” He shot his sister a look and she smiled. He couldn’t help but feel a wave of relief wash over him and he smiled, too. It caught him totally off guard when his cell phone rang.
He answered it.
Oscar held his phone to his ear, but it was a difficult task given the state he was in. His vision was a little blurry and his head felt too large for his neck to support. He leaned against the wood-planked wall for some stabilization.
“Hey, Son,” he hiccupped. “How are you kids doing?”
Brendan was pretty sure he knew what was going on with his dad since he sounded like this every New Year’s Eve, but he didn’t say anything about it. “Are you feeling okay, Dad?”
Oscar made a motion to shoo off any concerns by waving his hand around in the air. Brendan didn’t see it. “I’m fine, fine, fine. I just wanted to call before you all went to bed.”
Brendan glanced out at the sky and looked at the beginning of a sunrise and chuckled. “The sun is coming up, Dad.”
It took Oscar a moment to process the words. “Huh? Sunrise? Well, anyway, these fellas in Gilshery have been telling me some pretty interesting stories about the O’Neal bunch, so when I get a chance I’m gonna check out a little place called Corways.”
Brendan covered the phone and looked over at Dorian. “Dad says he’s going to go to Corways later.”
“Well, if we don’t get to my father on time then he may not find anyone there anyway,” Dorian replied. The stress of the situation was etched on her face.
Rory stood up and stretched. “He may find a bunch of little dead bodies or crazed blood-thirsty Leprechauns.” Rory thought for a moment. “Yeah, probably blood-thirsty.”
“Now, that would be grand, right?” Biddy said sarcastically. “Why don’t you shut that big mouth of yours?”
Brendan knitted his brow and held the phone back to his ear just in time to hear his father belch.
The Obsidian Dagger Page 11
