After all these years, she had pretty much decided there just wasn’t anybody like that. Past relationships had failed for a variety of reasons, mostly because she had never quite found the courage to open up completely to anyone. Loving someone implies complete trust and results in a certain amount of vulnerability. After all the hurts and disappointments of childhood, Kaitla refused to allow herself to become vulnerable to anyone ever again. “I bet I’ve set a record,” she sniffed miserably to the suds. “Other then nuns, I’m probably the only thirty-five year old virgin in the world.” She slowly squeezed out the bathing sponge, mopping the salty trails from her face. “Well, no use wallowing in pity. Maybe I’ll be too busy in Cuchailard to be lonely.” Her words echoed emptily against the walls of the tub. If she said them often enough, maybe she’d come to believe them.
Skin still red from the steaming bath, she dripped barefoot into the bedroom to dress for dinner. Since all the subterfuge was over, it made little sense to continue to dine in her room alone. Piling her still damp hair on top of her head, Kaitla fastened the errant strands with hairpins. The stray ends refusing to be captured around her ears and throat were allowed to curl at will. There was no point in fighting the stubborn wisps. They always seemed to end up circling her face in a reddish, gold aura.
She’d never acquired any jewelry, so, with a backward glance into the mirror, Kaitla smoothed the slinky black dress over her thighs and headed for the dining room. Hearing a rather insulted “meoowwrrrr!” as she started down the hallway, she quickly turned with a smile, “I’m sorry, Tobias, how could I ever forget you!”
Tobias glared up at Kaitla in complete agreement. The slightly flattened ears and switching tail informing her quite clearly that he did not appreciate being ignored. As she bent to pick up the disgruntled cat, he flattened his ears even further, emitting a low-throated growl and twitching the very tip of his tail frantically.
“Tobias! What’s the matter with you!” Kaitla couldn’t imagine his being so angry with her that he would behave in such a manner. It was then she noticed he was no longer eyeing her, but staring intently at something slightly behind her. Kaitla whirled immediately to discover the largest black rat she’d ever seen creeping up the hallway against the wall. For lack of a better weapon, she grabbed her shoe, stripping it off her foot and hurling it at the rat in one swift movement. The shoe thumped the rat with a glancing blow just behind the head causing it to sit up on its hind legs, baring its menacing teeth at her.
Deciding he’d allowed an amateur to play long enough, Tobias crouched in preparation for a powerful lunge. It was time for the veteran furball from New York to step in and remedy the situation. Shooting past Kaitla, Tobias was a black blur vibrating with hissing and yowls. Pouncing upon the rat, he held it in his jaws by the back of the neck, straining to shake the huge rat hard enough to snap its vertebrae. The rat struggled and twisted, managing to sink its filthy teeth into one of Tobias’ paws causing him to momentarily loosen his hold. Seizing this opportunity, the rat rolled, finally forcing its way out of the angered feline’s grip. Once free, it hurriedly limped down the hallway, leaving a trail of blood and quickly ducked through an air vent below the stairwell. Tobias had managed to rake the rat’s face viciously down one side, completely destroying one eye socket. However, with no more blood loss then was revealed in the hallway, it was likely the filthy vermin would survive. With the rat finally gone, Kaitla retrieved her shoe and bent to examine the brave little warrior at her feet. The left paw was bitten clean through but other then a few patches of missing fur, Tobias had fared considerably better then the rat. He sat washing his injured paw, occasionally glancing at the air vent and growling, daring the villain to return for a second match. Gathering him to her chest to thank and praise him, Kaitla was rewarded with a “merrwrroow” and a deep rumbling purr.
~*~
Kaitla arrived at the archway leading into the dining room with Tobias in her arms. Her face flushed and her hair disheveled; both Etain and Jared rose from their seats in unison, eyes wide with concern.
“Kaitla, what happened to ye? Why…ye’re bleeding!” Jared rushed to her side with a linen napkin ready to staunch the flow. “Are ye all right, lass?” he asked, his concerned eyes roaming over her body trying to determine the extent of her injuries.
“It’s not me. It’s Tobias,” Kaitla explained, as she repositioned the cat in her arms to display his injured paw. “A huge black rat was in the hallway and Tobias attacked it. Look at this vicious bite on his little foot here. Is there a vet around here I could take him to?” She thought she might be able to heal the wound with her newly discovered gifts but she still was concerned about her little companion. There was no telling what kind of diseases or infection he could contract from the nasty rat bite.
At her explanation, Jared froze, peering at Kaitla intently. He exchanged concerned glances with Etain then gently began examining Tobias’ paw. “Describe the vermin.” He ordered shortly, his deep voice growing hoarse with anger. Kaitla noticed his jaw muscles rippling as he clenched his teeth, his eyes narrowed to mere slits as he waited for her answer.
Exasperated, she snorted, “It was a rat...a filthy nasty rodent with beady eyes, yellow teeth and a long naked tail. It was huge, black and disgusting! Surely you know what a rat looks like?” Kaitla glared at Jared, emotions ranging from confusion to anger. She couldn’t understand why he wanted to know what the rat looked like. Hugging Tobias closer, she noticed the blood had finally stopped seeping from his injured paw.
Now it was Jared’s turn to be exasperated. Grabbing her by the arm, he whirled Kaitla around to face him. “There are rats and there is Ravon! I need ta’ be sure which this was! Yer life could depend on it!” His color had risen to a deep red and the usually cool gray eyes were flashing hot with anger and frustration.
Jerking her arm out of his grasp, Kaitla quickly retorted, “It was the largest rat I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet.” She glared hotly at him, “Unfortunately, Tobias wasn’t able to kill it.” Kaitla took the linen napkin from Jared, dabbing it in a glass of drinking water on the table, she began wiping away the bloody paw prints from her arm.
“Did ye try to communicate with it, Kaitla?” Etain asked, appearing at her side with another napkin to dry the areas she was industriously scrubbing.
“No,” she dropped her eyes sheepishly. “When I spotted the rat, I’m afraid fear and adrenaline took over…I kind of forgot.”
“Ye must learn always to be aware of your gifts, child, until they become second nature to ye. That’s the only way ye’ll be able to survive.” Etain shook her head ruefully, returning to her seat at the head of the long dining table.
“But I thought you said creatures wouldn’t attempt to harm me? The only vibrations I was receiving from the filthy thing was that he wanted to sink his teeth into me and start shredding.” Kaitla shivered in revulsion, remembering the demonic glint in the beady black eyes.
“Are ye sure ye felt hatred from the creature?” Jared asked, once again taking her by the arm, this time to gently lead her to her place at the table.
“Yes. The more I think about it, the more I’m positive that thing was after me.” Kaitla took the proffered seat, hugging her arms to her body. The room suddenly seemed quite chilly.
Jared returned to his own seat. He thoughtfully took a sip of water then turned to Etain; “It had to be Ravon. If it had been a natural beast, it would never have attempted an attack on Kaitla. Her natural aura would’ve prevented it.”
“Aye, I’m afraid ye may be right, lad,” Etain agreed, as she absently picked up the tiny crystal bell beside her plate, sounding it once to summon Hobart from the kitchen.
“How much harm was brave Tobias able to inflict upon the demon?” she asked. Etain motioned to Hobart to come closer. Inclining his balding head to enable her to whisper in his ear, Hobart nodded curtly in agreement, then quickly retreated back through the swinging doors into the kitchen.
&nb
sp; Kaitla took a gulp of the water by her own plate, attempting to calm her shattered nerves, “I’m sure the rat is now blind, at least in one eye, because Tobias raked a claw through the socket, tearing several paths down its face. It was also bleeding from the bite marks in its neck.” Recalling the scene in the hallway, Kaitla wrinkled her nose in disgust, “I’m afraid there wasn’t much blood loss, though…not enough to kill it anyway,” she observed with disappointment.
Etain studied her intently, “Well, Ravon more then likely willna’ die from this battle. But it will weaken him somewhat and perhaps allow us a little more time to prepare and cross over to the realm.”
Hobart reappeared bearing a tray with several small dishes. Crossing the room with his arthritic gate, he finally came to a halt beside Tobias. Hobart arranged the dishes of cream, herring, goose liver and chopped kidney in front of the immediately interested cat, as though he were serving royalty. Noticing Kaitla’s raised brows, Hobart pompously stated, “A great warrior must be replenished when he’s come from battle.” With that explanation, he returned to the kitchen to fetch dinner for everyone else.
Smiling to herself, Kaitla returned to the conversation at hand, “What exactly do you mean when you say prepare?”
She directed her question to Etain but it was Jared who spoke first, “What she means, lass, is that ye must learn to wage battle. Not only with the gifts Etain has shown ye, but actual physical battle.” Jared sat across the table from her, leaning slightly forward as if to emphasize his words. For the first time Kaitla noticed the silky white shirt he wore opened at the throat. The white contrasted perfectly with his tanned skin, the slight pulse throbbing just above his collarbone mesmerizing her senses. “Kaitla! Do ye hear me, lass?” His deep urgent voice broke through her reverie.
“Yes, I hear you!” She snapped with embarrassment. “What was wrong with her?” she thought to herself, as she rubbed a hand over her heated face. She was behaving like some schoolgirl with a crush. Kaitla took another sip of ice water in a vain attempt to compose herself and admonished herself to pay attention to Jared’s words.
Frowning at the quick retort, Jared leaned back in his chair, puzzled. “I dinna mean to startle ye, Kaitla, but ye must hear my words! Ye willna’ be able to destroy Ravon easily. Since it will be one of us that must execute him, we must do it whilst he’s in his true form. We canna kill him if he’s in the form of another creature.”
“Not even if I take the form of a bigger creature?” Kaitla asked in confusion. Tobias had almost succeeded in slaying Ravon. Why couldn’t she have done it if she’d shape-shifted into an even larger carnivore?
“It’s difficult to explain, lass. Since Tobias is of this world and is also naturally a creature, he would be able to harm Ravon no matter what his form. When battling one of our own kind, we can only be killed in our original form.” Jared dropped his eyes to the plate Hobart was placing in front of him. Then softly added, “Even then, for the execution to be permanent, Ravon’s heart must be torn from his chest.”
Cringing at Jared’s ominous reply, Kaitla glanced worriedly at Etain, “Why must it be one of us that destroys Ravon…I don’t understand how you can be so sure Ravon won’t die by someone else’s hand.”
Folding her hands thoughtfully in front of her, Etain paused, choosing her words carefully, “I have been able to see glimpses of the future, lass…I canna explain it in detail. But I ken this much…Ravon’s destruction is in our hands. The Auld Ones foretold it, I have glimpsed it…and perhaps more importantly, Ravon has seen it as well.” She watched Kaitla quietly; afraid her words were striking even more fear into the child’s already terrified soul. It couldn’t be helped though, Etain thought to herself. The child had to know the truth.
At this revelation, Kaitla suddenly felt quite queasy. She swallowed hard a couple of times to force the bile down where it belonged; then looked over at Etain who was eyeing her sympathetically, “Jared can teach ye to handle the dhundare saber…I’m verra sorry…but I fear there is no other way, child.”
Hobart placed a plate full of food in front of her. Her stomach already rolling, Kaitla was thankful that nothing on the plate remotely resembled hearts, gizzards or other body parts. Trying to escape the rising nausea, she glanced over at Tobias to see how he was managing. The little glutton had licked each dish clean, and was now so sleepy; he was swaying in his seat, in danger of toppling off the chair. Finally giving in to the full belly, he stretched, curled into a contented ball, and quickly lapsed into a deep sleep.
Jared lightly cleared his throat to get her attention, “After dinner, we’ll go into the ballroom. I’ll show ye a few lunges. It’ll be quite easy, I assure ye.”
Kaitla slowly wiped her mouth, placing the napkin beside her untouched plate, “I don’t know if I can kill a person, Jared,” she said quietly, picking at an imaginary thread on the tablecloth.
Jared reached across the table, placing his large warm hand over hers, “Kaitla, ye will have no trouble putting Ravon out of our misery.” Gently squeezing her hand, he turned it palm up within his own. He slowly traced the lines of her palm with his fingers, tickling her hand as well as her emotions, “When ye are faced with the evil one, your destiny and your soul will cry out to avenge your mother…your childhood…and your land.” Raising her palm to his lips, he planted a warm kiss in the center, causing Kaitla to gasp. She glanced with confusion at Etain, who merely nodded, confusing Kaitla even more with a barely perceptible smile.
~*~
Kaitla slowly walked into the ballroom, her steps echoing the pounding in her chest. Jared had suggested she change into some comfortable clothing for her first dhundare lesson, so, here she stood in a t-shirt, a pair of cut off shorts and a worn pair of sneakers.
Etain instructed Hobart to place one of the small settees nearby to perch upon as she observed the lesson. Sleepy Tobias was seated beside her, eyeing the proceedings with obvious boredom.
Jared handed Kaitla what she assumed must be a dhundare. She was rather disappointed. She had expected a menacing saber of some sort but this was just a little knife. The ivory handle, shaped and swirled to fit the grasp of fingers and hand was only approximately an inch or so in diameter. The hilt was silver with two tiny spikes protruding up each side of the narrow blade, which was only about four inches in length. The blade did have a wicked double edge but looked no more lethal then a common switchblade. Kaitla couldn’t believe this tiny blade was going to save her life.
“Dinna be deceived by the appearance, lass.” Jared was cheating again, reading her thoughts and emotions. “The dhundare saber is verra effective for its size.” To demonstrate, he pointed the blade of his own dhundare at a vase full of lilies sitting on a table across the room. His sharp gray eyes narrowed, instantly the blade rapidly flicked across the room, beheading each of the lily stalks flush with the mouth of the vase! Kaitla stared at the knife in her own hand with a new understanding and respect.
“How do you defend yourself against such a weapon?” Kaitla asked worriedly. If they were training her to fight with the dhundare blade, then Ravon must already know how to use one. From the speed with which the lilies were mown down, she couldn’t understand how anyone could survive such an onslaught.
Jared grinned at her with reassurance; “It’s all a matter of concentrating…reading your opponent. Attack me and I’ll show ye.”
“Well, --I don’t know, Jared, what if I hurt you?” Kaitla had wanted to throttle him several times since meeting him, but she certainly didn’t wish him any permanent damage.
Cocking his dark head to one side, he winked at her, “Trust me, lass.” Slowly circling her body, he flashed her a lop-sided smile, “I can take care of m’self.”
Taking a deep breath, Kaitla tried to get a feel for the knife in her hand. It did seem to be warming to her touch. The longer she held it, the more it seemed to meld with her body. Concentrating intently on Jared’s chest, she half-heartedly pointed the blade at him…nothin
g happened.
“Ye must think as though ye mean it, lassie. Come now, in Cuchailard, a child of six can wield a dhundare! Has the earth realm completely ruined ye?” Tauntingly, Jared began to swagger back and forth. Turning to address Etain, “It’s no use, Etain. The realm will be lost if it’s up ta’ this one ta’ save it. Are ye sure this Kaitla’s the bairn ye hid?”
Stinging her with his words, Kaitla thought, “Fine!” Immediately the blade of the dhundare leapt to the open collar of his silk shirt. If he hadn’t leapt to the side at the last minute, she would’ve happily slashed his throat. Still angry, she fired the blade again, this time slicing through the silk across his stomach. The tan muscles of his abdomen peeked through the ripped shirt enticingly, but she wasn’t finished yet. She neatly disengaged both sleeves and slashed through the trousers across the crotch.
“Kaitla! I see ye ken the feel for it now!” Jared croaked as the slash across the crotch came close to dismembering him. “Calm down, lass, I dinna mean the things I said. But I had ta’ find some way to move ye.”
“Rapid lunges such as those will surely defeat Ravon, for they willna’ give him time to attempt lunges of his own” Etain observed with pleasure. “If he is able to lunge at ye, ye must either meet him with your own blade or move out of harms way before his blade reaches ye,” she added critically.
Before she had the opportunity to prepare for the attack, Jared fired his own dhundare directly at Kaitla’s throat. An ancient instinct for survival emerged from deep within her. Dodging Jared’s blade, she raised her own dhundare to meet his, the clash of the blades echoing across the ballroom. Eyes narrowing, she quickly assumed the shape of a bobcat, leaping to Jared’s chest and latching on to his throat. Dropping his weapon as he tried to dislodge Kaitla’s sharp claws, Kaitla resumed her natural form as soon as she heard the dhundare hit the floor. Rolling to capture the blade before Jared, she leapt to her feet as she pressed the point of her blade to Jared’s throat. Raising both hands in submission, Jared grinned at Etain, “Perhaps the lass isna’ quite as helpless as we thought.”
Awakening Her Soul to Destiny Page 7
