by Julia Mills
No one had it easy. Everyone had successes and trials. Audrey was just the one blessed to have a hundred years of unending hope and everlasting love from a mate that could only have been given to her by the One who truly knew her heart. Her dragon had a faith that she truly believed could move mountains. A faith in her, which was something she’d never had before. The Universe had given her the perfect man and somewhere under all the worry and hurt, Audrey believed that same Universe would save Rian. She had to believe. It was all she had left.
Remembering she hadn’t finished what she wanted to say to Rian, Audrey picked up where she left off.
I know you can’t hear what I’m saying, but sitting here watching you with those you love and talking to the part of you that lives within me, I feel like we are together somehow. I know I’ll see you again. I believe that with all my heart. If not in this lifetime, in the next. I refuse to believe in an existence where Adramelech gets to win.
So, fight on, my dragon warrior. Live the life you were meant to live. Lead your kin. They need you. Please, I am begging you, if you can hear me, don’t come to hell. Don’t try to save me. Keep making the world a better place. You once said you believed Fate would not be denied. I remember thinking you were crazy, but now I see what you meant. Fate does have a plan, Rian. We just have to survive long enough for it happen. I need you to believe that.
I will love you forever.
Audrey eyes were so swollen from crying, the images on the screen were blurred. Her nose was stuffed up and her head hurt from sobbing, but it would all be worth it if Rian just stayed home.
Closing her eyes, Audrey said one last prayer and drifted to sleep listening to Rian talk to his men. She smiled as he said her name. The last words she heard him say before sleep won the battle was, “Good night.” She pretended he was saying them to her and answered in kind.
Good night, my love. Sleep well...
Chapter Ten
Rian had left Royce’s with the full intention of going home and getting a good night’s rest, but like many things in his life, that didn’t happen. He wandered aimlessly, thinking about Audrey, thinking about his family and friends, and their rescue mission to the Underworld. His mind was a whirl. Sleep was the last thing that was going to happen.
Finally ending up on the same beach where everything had started so very many years ago, the Dragon Leader could only stand and stare. The feel of the sand between his toes and the sound of the waves gently lapping at the shore began to chip away at his anxiety—a feeling he was beginning to think would be with him for the rest of his very long life.
Looking at the moon, only a few days from being full, Rian thought of the first time he met the raven-haired princess. The sound of her voice in his mind unlocked a flood of memories. As they washed over him like the surf across the sand at his feet, he saw Audrey’s violet eyes smiling at him. His arms warmed as if she were actually there with him. Her scent—the sweet alluring fragrance of the wild Bellflowers that only grow in the river valleys—filled his senses just as they overrode even the scent of brimstone and sulfur when he summoned her.
Chuckling to himself, the Dragon Leader thought about how very much his mate was like those little violet, bell-shaped flowers. His Audrey had a soul of incomparable compassion and untold understanding. Her warrior’s heart was strong. Once she decided to love someone, it was unconditionally and completely. Amazing was a mere word when compared to the woman the Universe had made for him and him alone. She was his light, his love...his everything.
But like those tiny little flowers, his mate was not to be trifled with. She was not afraid to fight for what she believed in and those whom she loved with every ounce of strength in her body. Audrey may not have nettles covering her petals to warn predators to stay away like the Bellflowers but when angered, she brought the old saying hell hath no fury to life. Rian had seen firsthand that not even the Devil’s right hand man could back his princess into a corner.
Sitting on the sand, the Dragon Leader let everything but Audrey and the good times they’d had together so far fade away. He watched the reflection of the moon on the water turn to a soft glow as the time when the moon has gone and the sun has yet to rise, settled over his little part of the world. A voice from his childhood drifted softly across his consciousness. A calm he hadn’t felt since Audrey had been ripped away from him almost a month before filled his being.
“It is always darkest before the dawn, stór giolla. Follow your heart. It will never lead you astray.”
“Thank you, máthair,” was all he could say to the mother he’d lost so very long ago. She was still with him in spirit, cheering him on as she always had. Riona’s reassurance was the last piece of the puzzle, the little extra push Rian needed to stand, send one final message through the mating bond to Audrey, whether she could hear it or not, and head home to prepare for the mission of his lifetime.
“Tha gaol ogam ort, mo ghra’. See you soon.”
In less than an hour, Rian showered, dressed, packed, and stood waiting at the training pitch for the others. Methodically and with attention every detail, he played their plans over and over in his head, checking and double-checking for anything he’d missed or forgotten. At exactly eight a.m., everyone was assembled.
Needing to say something before the chaos began, Rian cleared his throat and waited until he had everyone’s attention. “I don’t know how to thank each and every one of you for your willingness to help bring Audrey home. It will not be forgotten. I’ve rehearsed about a thousand ways to tell you how much this means to me, but they all seem incredibly inadequate. So here is all I have—Thank you.”
There was a momentary silence and for the first time since he’d been named Head Elder, Rian had no idea what anyone was thinking. Couldn’t read their faces or feel their emotions. Maddox had told him it only happened when both man and dragon were truly overwhelmed. Not something easily done for an immortal dragon and the warrior who shared his soul. One look at the mad dragon and the Dragon Leader knew. The older man simply nodded in understanding.
No truer words were ever spoken.
The spell was broken when Rory yelled, “Let’s go kick some demon ass!”
The crowd roared with all manner of battle cries and ‘hell yeas’. Even the witches helping Kyra and Calysta were cheering. Rian could only smile at how fortunate he was to have such amazing family and friends.
Time seemed to be simultaneously speeding past home and also standing still. Simple tasks like loading extra weapons and supplies into the duffle bags took forever, while the ninety minutes it took to get to the site of the portal and for the witches to set up the Sacred Circle for the ritual to get them into hell flew by. There was no rhyme or reason to the passing of time. It was his best friend and worst enemy all wrapped into an entity he had no control over. Only one thing remained constant; Rian couldn’t get to Audrey fast enough.
He looked around the valley beside the mountain that housed the Cave of the Ancients and wondered if his ancestors ever knew there was a portal to the Underworld so close to the place they built their lair. Somehow, he knew it had been part of their master plan. Everything those old dragons had done had been with future generations in mind. They’d left nothing to chance.
Rian had worried about using the portal so close to the lair. He feared the safety of all his kinsmen he and the Dragon Guard had sworn to protect. However, both Kyra and Calysta assured him that they, along with the McKennon witches, could and would create a strong enough Protection Spell to keep all the bad in while the Guardsmen where rescuing Audrey and Kayne. He’d asked Calysta where Eleanor and Elmer were and the Grand Priestess had huffed something about ‘useless witches who weren’t powerful enough to tie their shoes’ and kept preparing for the ritual.
“We’re ready if you are, Ri,” Kyra called from her position in the middle of the Circle. He knew she was still very upset with his decision that she stay topside, but she was being a team player and did her job l
ike the dynamo she was.
“You heard her. Time to go.”
Once the Guardsmen had taken their place around the Circle, a witch then took hers between them so they stood dragon, witch, dragon, witch, all the way around. Calysta explained it would make their combined magic stronger, which would get them farther into hell and closer to Adramelech’s castle.
When everyone stood hand-in-hand, Kyra began. “We call upon the Goddess of All the Universe who created everything, Guardians of the North, East, South, and West, along with the Elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, to lend us your power, give us your blessing, and join us as we venture into the Abyss.”
The tiny witch stood and walked around the interior of their circle, dropping a mixture of ground blessed thistle, camellia, red clover, and orrisroot, which she’d earlier explained possessed the powers of protection on both masculine and feminine form. When that was completed, Kyra then walked the circle again, but this time she stopped at each of the Four Corners, lit the large white column candles, asking the appropriate Guardian and Element again for their blessing and support. Her path ended back in the center of the circle next to a huge white candle that she knelt before.
Any other time Rian would’ve laughed when because of her small five-foot-frame, Kyra could barely see over the candle, but on this day, all he could do was look at her in awe. His brother was lucky to have her; they all were. After several seconds of silence, the little witch spoke with a reverence the Dragon Leader could feel in the very fiber of his being.
“Universe and Goddess, Guardians and Elements, Guardian Angels and Spirit Guides, Guardsmen and your mighty dragons from above. Please be present during this ritual. Bless this Circle and keep us protected. No unwanted entities are welcome here. Only pure, divine beings are invited into this space. The Circle is cast. So mote it be.”
“So mote it be. Blessed be. Blessed be,” all the other witches whispered in response.
“Blessed be,” Kyra responded as she lit the final candle.
The flame flashed to almost ten feet high before immediately returning to its natural warm glow. Nodding in recognition, Kyra addressed the group without looking away from the flame. “Our request has been granted. The Universe, the Goddess, and all the other Blessed Beings show favor on our quest.”
Looking up, the powerful witch caught her mate’s eye and winked before addressing the group. “Guardsmen, now is the time of your sacrifice, for no one, no matter how noble the person or his intent, may enter the Abyss without giving of himself.”
She lit the fire under a small copper pot Rian had seen her blessing, before calling them into the Circle. The smell of the same herbs she’d dropped at their feet almost immediately scented the air. Looking to him, she nodded. “Come forward, Rian O’Reilly, Leader of the Blue Fire Clan and mate to Audrey Dobresou, whom you seek to save.”
Stepping into the Circle, Rian felt the immeasurable power of their combined magic wash over him. Kyra handed me her pearl handled anthame and bowed her head. Doing as she’d instructed them all the night before, the Dragon Leader pulled the blade across the palm of his hand. The first drop hit the simmering herbs. Steam rose from the mixture as more blood fell and Rian said the words he’d been taught.
“I give my blood freely for the protection of myself, my dragon, my mate, and my kin. May it only be used for this purpose. So mote it be.”
“Blessed be. Blessed be,” the women all around him answered.
“Come forward Drago MacLendon, Assassin and Commander of the MacLendon Force of the Golden Fire Clan and brethren to Kayne MacGréine, whom you seek to rescue.”
Drago did just as Rian had, as did every other Guardsman in attendance. Liam was last to compete the rite. When he finished, Kyra stood and quietly directed, “All who seek entrance into the Abyss and have paid their debt of blood, please step forward.
As one cohesive unit, the Guardsmen took three steps. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder, ready to battle whatever hell had to offer, they recited the spell Calysta had taught them. “We enter the Abyss of our own free will to rescue those taken without their consent and held against their will. We will not be the aggressors but will defend when attacked. Our mission is one of peace. So mote it be.”
Calysta and Sarah Beth joined Kyra and together, the three formed a circle around the Goddess Candle. The remaining McKennon sisters, Melanie, and Sam joined hands as best they could. Together the women began to chant first in the language of the original dragons, then in English
“Oscailt na geataí ar ifreann. Cheadú iontráil. Aon dochar.”
“Open the gates of hell. Allow entry. Do no harm.”
Rian touched the amulet Calysta had placed around his neck, as did all the Guardsmen. It was what she’d called their ‘get into hell unseen card’. She’d further explained that if any or all of them were in mortal danger, all they had to do was touch their amulets simultaneously and utter “Dachaigh” in unison. She cautioned, however, that all of them had to touch their own talisman at exactly the same time and say the one-word spell exactly in unison or it wouldn’t work. They were going into the Abyss as a single unit and that is how the magic saw them.
Piece of cake...on a cracked plate with what the beasties nightmares are made of. Yippee!
The witches’ chant rose in volume and intensity. The copper pot full of their combined blood and Kyra’s herbs began to boil. Thick black smoke rose from the bubbling liquid. The ground beneath just the Guardsmen began to shake.
Rian saw each mated Guardsman look to the woman who was the light of his soul. He knew they were speaking mind-to-mind, lending support to one another. It was the first time he didn’t feel the pang of jealousy when watching the couples together. The Dragon Leader knew, as did his heart, that soon he would be reunited with the one woman in all the world who he was fated to share eternity with.
Kyra, Calysta, and Sarah Beth raised their joined hands to the sky. The witches chant immediately grew in volume. It became so loud the air within the protective bubble vibrated around them. Rian knew that were it not for the spell, the sound of their combined voices would echo throughout the valley.
“Buckle up, kids. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride,” Maddox’s voice rang through their minds, followed by his unmistakable chuckle.
Rian knew without a doubt Madman Maddox was crazier than a bedbug and never really lived in the real world, but the old dragon was also the most magically powerful non-witch being the Dragon Leader had ever known. More than that, he would protect dragon kin with his dying breath, and no matter what, had Rian’s back. And that was what was going to bring them all home safely.
Kyra opened her eyes and looked directly at Rian. Their otherworldly glow grew in intensity until the flame of the Goddess Candle shot straight into the sky, erupting like fireworks about their heads.
The earth under his feet fell away while the ground under the witches remained whole and untouched. Rian and the Guardsmen began to fall. The Dragon Leader’s last glimpse was of Kyra as she gave him a single nod.
Her voice echoed through his mind as he fell, “Save Audrey and bring him back to me.”
Rian knew exactly to whom the tiny witch referred and couldn’t help but smile as he fell through the air without the aid of wings for the first time in his life. The sensation of falling was incredibly disconcerting for the man and the dragon with which he shared his soul. He could feel the beast clawing against the confines of his mind. The dragon roared and fought while Rian did everything in his power to calm the winged warrior, but to no avail.
Thankfully, their fall didn’t last nearly as long as it felt like it did and was over in less than a minute. Rian’s feet hit the ash and soot along with his men. The cloud of dust left them blind, which was an unacceptable risk in hell. Using his preternatural senses, Rian reached out little by little through the soot, making sure no one had sensed their arrival.
“Follow me,” he commanded using mindspeak to avoid anyone unwanted from hea
ring their conversations and to keep the witches topside updated.
The well-trained unit followed his lead with swords drawn until they reached an abandoned building about a block from where they landed. Looking out the one window not boarded up, Rian was surprised to see the street deserted. There was no one or thing as far as the eye could see.
The Underworld was a burnt out, rundown, sad, ghost-town-version of the world topside. Peeling paint, disintegrating mortar, and broken windows with curtains that were simply threads hanging from a sagging rod were just a few highlights of the ambiance of their surroundings. Soot and ash constantly rained from above like dirty snowflakes coating every available surface, and the barely-there sidewalks all but disappeared under the barrage of rubbish.
The road, or what he guessed had been a road many years prior, was nothing but potholes and chunks of asphalt. The icing on the proverbial cake was the hordes of creepy-crawlies of every size, shape, and form crawling about like they owned the joint. Rian could only imagine what the other inhabitants would look like.
“Brann, are we where we’re supposed to be?”
“Yes, sir. We landed right on course.” Brannoc sounded both satisfied and amazed that their plan so far was working.
“Then where are all the people? Not that I mind, but something doesn’t seem right.”
“We left topside at high noon. The folks down here tend to sleep during the day and wreak havoc all night long,” Maddox answered then added, “Have you never heard about the things that go bump in the night?”
Rolling his eyes, Rian snorted, “Yeah, but it’s always night down here and this is...creepier than....well, it’s just really creepy.”
“Take the win. I figured we drop down in the middle of a pack of hellhounds,” Drago jumped into the conversation.
