by JD MITCHELL
“You’re much easier on the eyes than a Dearg Due,” Red said with a grin.
Jessica glared at Red and pursed her lips.
Their eyes met.
Red’s brow tightened before he scratched the back of his neck and glanced away.
With a hard smile, Jessica looked at Leanan. “I’d be happy to accept your offer.”
Ali felt her eyes widen, then jogged a few steps to catch up with Jessica. The moment they were alone Ali was relying the vampire information. While Jessica was annoyed with Red, Leanan might view her as a snack.
Leanan, however, smiled broadly. “Oh! Girl time! I never have girl time.” She skipped as she pointed toward a side lot. “Car’s over here.”
It was one of those European cars that held two or three passengers. They ignored comfort and packed in it like a clown car. Ali crammed herself into the corner of the back seat. Someone had removed the seatbelt, but the buckle remained and jammed Ali in the back. Leigh sat in the middle hunched like a giant beach ball, forcing Red against the door on his other side. Jessica snagged the comfort of front passenger seat and laughed at a joke Leanan made.
“We’ll get along fine,” Leanan said. “I have a good feeling about you.”
Jessica smiled.
It was surprising how well they immediately connected. Jessica might dominate a courtroom, but her social life was near non-existent. She had two friends Ali knew of, and they were both coworkers. As a bonus, Red seemed perturbed by their budding friendship. An observation Jessica would delight in.
“They’re already thick as thieves,” he grumbled to Leigh.
Leigh rolled his eyes in response and hugged his knees tighter. It would have made sense for Leigh or Red to sit upfront, but neither seemed brave enough to challenge Jessica.
Red poked his head into the front row. “Do you mind if we stop the gossip and discuss the situation?”
The comment warranted a dirty look from Jessica, but Leanan nodded.
“Good.” Red wedged himself back into the corner. “What do Leigh’s parents make of Carman’s sons?”
Leanan grimaced. “It’s not for me to say. The council wants to hear this story from you.”
“My parents don’t believe us?” Leigh asked.
“They believe you about the attacks,” Leanan said carefully. “They’re not sold on the Sons.”
“Yes, but Nika-” Leigh said.
Leanan shrugged. “Nika is a weather deity, not a prophet. Have you known the Tuatha de Danann to trust other races?”
There was an edge to Leanan’s voice. Between this comment and the one from earlier, Ali sensed an underlying bitterness.
Leigh didn’t answer, which solidified Leanan’s claim. The topic was dropped as quickly as it arose. Silence filled the car as everyone became lost in their own thoughts.
It turned out to be a four-hour car ride. Usually Ali complained after an hour in a car, but she couldn’t take her eyes from the scenery. Ireland was like nothing she’d seen before. Green of every shade rolled toward the sky in gentle hills. Hand placed stone walls lined roughly paved roads as they meandered lazily between farmland. White sheep dotted the land, seemingly happy in their blissful existence. Knolls gave way to rocky valleys, which opened into vast lakes and rivers of sapphire blue. Occasionally brown or white cottages sat at the edge of a property, looking like heaven on earth.
She’d found parts of America beautiful, but Ireland was like stepping back in a time before industry reigned. In-between her awe of the countryside, Ali listened to snippets of conversation in the car. Most of what they discussed she didn’t understand, and it was too much to keep asking Leigh for explanations. The current topic was the state of mythological world affairs, a subject Leanan took great passion in arguing.
“I mean, look at that shite storm in New England. That town near Salem where the witches interpreted a prophecy backwards? Now they’re on the brink of a war with the Dearg Due. How does that happen? Where is the regulation?”
Ali looked at Leigh for an explanation. She didn’t consider herself informed on world events, but she was certain she’d notice a war in the states.
Leigh shook his head and mouthed the words ‘do not engage with her.’
“You mean Newbury?” Red asked sounding bored.
Leigh elbowed Red.
“Yes, that mess.” Leanan leaned forward over the steering wheel and looked up toward the sky. “Three factions facing off, because…” Leanan pointed toward the sky. “Are you seeing this?”
Leigh’s weight shifted as he leaned forward. “Is that smoke?”
Red pressed his face against the passenger window. Ali couldn’t see anything, but Leigh’s lips parted in surprise. Something was wrong.
“Tell me that’s not the entrance,” Red said.
“It’s damn close,” Leanan replied.
The car sped up taking a bend in the road at a terrifying speed. Ali gripped the side of the car with one hand and Leigh’s knee with the other as they zipped up a hill. The turn gave her a glimpse of why Leanan drove like it was Formula 1. A massive black cloud raced toward the stratosphere, clashing with the passing white billows.
“Could it be a controlled burn?” Jessica asked.
No one answered. The smoke was dense and black, too large for a farmer clearing a field.
As the road opened onto a flat expanse, a small stone hut sat untouched on a vast field of grass. Several onlookers loitered at its fringes. On the far side, a herd of sheep and cattle scattered while a farmer tried to corral them against the backdrop of flames engulfing a small forest. The glowing inferno looked like the mouth of hell opened, spewing darkness into the sky.
“Only the trees are on fire,” Jessica said pointing behind a tiny stone hut. “That small building looks okay.”
Leanan’s voice shook. “That stone structure isn’t the Temple entrance. It’s a marker.”
“So, the trees…” Jessica’s voice trailed as her sharp gaze snapped back to the fire.
Ali needed no explanation. Red’s white knuckles where telling. If Red gripped the back of Jessica’s seat any tighter, it might shatter between his fingers.
“Get closer!” Red growled.
Instead of following Red’s instructions, the car slowed and stopped. The fire was still at a good distance, but heat from the flames already cooked the inside of the car.
“We need to leave,” Leanan said.
Leigh snapped out of his daze and reached for Red’s door handle. “My parents are trapped!”
The door flung open, and both Red and Leigh ran toward the flames. Ali wanted to follow them, but Leanan thrust her arm into the back seat like a barricade.
“Stay put. They won’t get far,” Leanan whispered.
Heat assaulted Ali through the open door as the woody scent of a bonfire tickled her nose. She eyed the nearby grass which burned. Nodding to Leanan, she leaned over to shut the door.
The boys passed the stone structure at a sprint, then slowed to a jog before Leigh collapsed onto his knees. Red stood next to him and shielded his face with his hand. They didn’t move, staring into the flames.
Ali found her voice, dreading the question on her tongue. “Are Leigh’s parents dead?”
Leanan’s voice caught. “I hope not.”
“Is there another way to reach them?” Jessica whispered.
Leanan was slow to respond. “It depends on the damage. If the fire started on this side of the entrance, they’ll pass through once it dies.”
“What if it started on the other side?” Jessica asked, echoing Ali’s thoughts.
Leanan exhaled. “Hard to say.”
Ali couldn’t help but think of her own mother. The memory stuck her with an overwhelming force, threatening tears. She forced the water works away, deciding she needed to keep a brave face for Leigh.
“What could’ve caused it?” Jessica asked.
Leanan’s eyes hardened. “We should leave before we find out.”
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Ali winced; they were running again. “We’re alone.”
A moment ago, they were on their way to safety. Even if the TDD didn’t believe them, the professionals would fix this mess. Leigh’s parents wouldn’t let their son get hurt.
Jessica grabbed her hand and squeezed. “I’m here.”
Ali should focus on Leigh and his parents, but she couldn’t. The monster montage started again. Things that want me dead; kelpie, pooka, gancanagh, and questing beast. No one can help us.
Jessica looked at Leanan. “Where do we go?”
Leanan chewed her bottom lip, eyes furrowed as she stared at Red and Leigh. “I think I have an idea.”
A loud screech, similar to nails down a chalkboard via a megaphone, reverberated across the field. Ali covered her ears. People near the stone structure crouched and shielded their heads. Beyond the tree line, the flames intensified. Smoke swirled in various directions as though disturbed.
“What was that?” Jessica asked leaning forward. “Did something collapse?
Leanan opened her door and stepped into the grass. A fresh wave of heat blasted the interior of the car. Leanan studied the plume as it resumed its upward climb.
Another disturbance parted the smoke. Dark puffs swirled outward and upward.
Leanan was in the car with her foot on the gas in an instant. The car raced toward Leigh and Red. Ali gripped the bottom of her seat as the car bounced over uneven terrain. Through the front window Ali could see Leigh and Red sprinting for the car.
In the front seat, Jessica gripped the handles. “What is it?”
The car skidded then stopped. Red and Leigh pried the back door open. The heat was so intense Ali had to turn away; she felt like a rotisserie chicken slow roasting on a spit.
“Go!” Red yelled as the door slammed behind him.
The car spun out, then gained traction as Ali blinked away hot tears. Leigh used her shoulder for support as he twisted and peered out the rear window.
A second screech above her, this time louder, pierced Ali’s ears.
Something fell towards them.
The car jerked, sending her weight into the door and Leigh’s elbow into her face. Pain shot across her cheek. He mumbled an apology as the car found pavement. The acceleration increased as the bouncing subsided. Ali was certain the car was near its top speed.
“Where is it!” Leanan yelled.
To Ali’s surprise, Jessica answered. “It flew into that cloud!”
Jessica pointed somewhere behind the car; her face pressed to the window.
“Someone find it!” Leanan’s eyes probed the rearview mirrors.
Leigh pressed against the back window. “It’s in the smoke!”
Ali twisted in her seat but saw nothing. What she was looking for? A fighter plane?
“There!” Jessica yelled, her finger jutting toward the flames.
A stream of fire assaulted the stone structure, scattering the onlookers as they dove for their cars. It was a flame thrower of sorts.
Leanan slowed the car, then stopped.
The flames fizzled, and a silhouette took shape. Two large eyes and a snake like snout appeared. Flames spewed forth from a toothy mouth.
Ali blinked. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Spawn of Caorthannach,” Leanan breathed. Her eyes widened in shock, suggesting she was as dumbfounded as Ali.
“It’s a freaking dragon!” Ali yelled.
She didn’t need Leigh, Red, or Leanan to explain this monster. For once, pop culture provided an accurate reference. A creature resembling a bearded dragon with wings stood in the field. Its large wings, twice the size of its body, flapped as it settled into the grass. It was something straight off the silver screen. Large gray scales covered its body, supported by four legs with talons that belonged on an eagle, and a sharp tail that whipped behind it. Tiny horns protruded from its jaw line to the back of its head. Its pupils were diamond slits set in brilliant blue irises. With a shiver she stared fixated, its eyes reminded her of the questing beast.
“Leanan!” Red growled.
The car sputtered back to life, jolting into gear as Leanan pressed the pedal to the floor. “I see it.”
An unfortunate pedestrian fled toward the parking lot, before the flames obscured them from view. Ali’s breath caught in her throat. Despite every warning in her head, Ali searched for the person expecting to see charred remains. Instead, she saw the man crouching behind a car, before fleeing inside the stone structure.
She exhaled, relieved he survived.
“It’s taking off!” Leigh yelled.
Ali gaped at the dragon. Its massive wings expanded in either direction like a kite catching wind, then thrust downward. The dragon shot off the ground like a rocket. Leanan directed the car off the road and slammed to a stop under a giant tree.
“What are you doing!” Red yelled.
“Hiding!” Leanan snapped back. “We look like a snack at that height!” She pointed at the dragon which circled the stone structure like a hawk.
It dove toward the ground, kicking its clawed feet out, grasping a car. Ali watched in horror as the dragon lifted the car fifteen feet before dropping it back to the earth in a sickening crunch.
“I thought dragons were restricted to the otherworld!” Leigh's eyes followed the dragon with the repulsive fascination of a bystander during a massacre.
Next to him Red’s fingers gripped the headrest of Jessica’s seat again. “It must have escaped.”
Leanan’s eyes narrowed. “Someone let it out.”
The Sons.
The last few days she’d learned enough to connect the dots. This was all part of the mess with the TDD.
Above them the dragon clutched an object in its talons.
Oh no, a person!
It descended toward the smoke and disappeared.
“That person needs help!” Ali reached for the door handle and tried to yank it open. They could do something! Red could magic the person back or subdue the dragon.
Red gripped her leg, then reached across her to hold her door shut. She beat her fists against his back. “Let go of me!”
She pulled at the door handle again, but Leigh put her in a bear hug. Ali’s fingers ripped at Red’s shirt, but he held the door closed. Leigh’s grip tightened, restricting her movements.
“It was a sheep!” Red yelled as Ali brought a knee up and connected with his jaw. He grunted but didn’t move.
She didn’t believe Red. “It was a human!”
“It wasn’t,” Leigh insisted, his hot breath on her ear.
A wave of nausea overcame her. Ali’s breathing became labored, and she thought she would pass out. The car was stuffy like an oven. Black dots filled her vision as the smell of burning grass permeated the car.
From the front seat Jessica’s calm voice floated through the haze. “It was a sheep. It’s okay–breathe.”
Tears streamed down Ali’s face. She went limp, but Leigh’s grip didn’t loosen. The lack of space became unbearable, even as Red’s weight shifted off her.
She heard Red mutter something about his jaw. An apology was in order, but she felt numb. Dizziness hit her again, and she took a large gulp of air.
The car moved, creeping from under the tree toward the flames.
“Are you insane?” Red hissed.
Ali’s focus was on the back of the driver’s seat, but she heard the resolution in Leanan’s voice. “We need to contain the dragon before it gets out of control.”
“What the hell do you propose we do?” Red asked.
“I don’t know,” Leanan grit as the car picked up speed. “At least find whoever let it out.”
“You mean the Sons,” Red said flatly. A pointed laugh escaped his lips. “I imagine the Tuatha de Danann believe us now. Idiots.”
“Ali can’t handle this,” Jessica whispered. “I think she’s having a panic attack.”
For a moment, the words didn’t register. Then Ali realized Jessica
might be right. Her brain felt numb, but her body shook uncontrollably.
“She’ll have to pull herself together,” Leanan said as she skirted the stone structure.
The car rumbled off the road again, heading toward the trees untouched by flame. Cows and sheep scattered as they approached; the farmer who tended to them nowhere in sight. A sickening feeling gurgled in Ali’s stomach. Bile rose in her throat at the thought of the farmer meeting an untimely end.
Leigh’s grip on her tightened. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, exhaling slowly. Jessica wouldn’t have lied.
Leigh relaxed his grasp, but his arm remained draped over her shoulders. Jessica’s concerned gaze was on her, but Ali wouldn’t meet her eyes. Instead, she watched the flames rip through the trees.
They bounced along the countryside at a slower pace, following a dirt path that skirted the trees. At this distance the air was cooler. But an eerie silence accompanied them, broken by the occasional roar of flames eating through timber like starved dogs.
A quarter of an hour passed, perhaps longer, when Leigh spoke. “Who’s that?”
In the center of a clearing stood a thirtyish man in a cream-colored suit. Dark hair fell shoulder length and he sported a close-cropped beard.
The car stopped. Leanan slipped into reverse, guiding the car behind a nearby cluster of trees.
“Did he see us?” Leanan asked.
“I don’t think so,” Jessica said. “Is it that the gancanagh?”
Red exhaled loudly but said nothing.
“He’s not a gancanagh,” Leanan said inching the car out of sight.
A knot formed in Ali’s stomach. “Is it one of the Sons?”
“I think that’s Dain,” Leanan said glancing at Red.
Red rubbed his temple. “Maybe. He looks like the paintings I’ve seen. Minus the suit.”
“Stay in the car,” Leanan said. She pushed the driver side door open and jumped out. The door shut quietly and Leanan made her way toward the clearing before anyone bothered to object.
“That woman is damn reckless,” Red groaned.
Apparently, that was Jessica’s cue to follow suit, because she opened her door and was behind Leanan before Red could stop her. With Red distracted, Ali pushed her weight against the rear door. She tumbled to the ground slipping through Leigh’s fingers. A voice in her head said this was a terrible idea, but her bones ached to act.
