The Phoenix Charm

by Helen Scott Taylor

  “Aye, well, join the club.” Michael felt short on sympathy after the last two days.

  Thorn prodded the creature with the toe of his shoe and the volume of the wailing went up a decibel.

  “Good gracious, Thorn.” Cordelia edged around the creature and grabbed Thorn’s arm, pulling him back a couple of steps. “Don’t you dare kick the poor thing. I hope I raised you with more respect for other beings than that.”

  “And if you get lice, you’ll be walking home,” Nightshade added.

  Tamsy padded out from behind the waterfall and eyed the coblynau, the end of her tail flicking. With a screech, the filthy bund lescrabbled back ward at a surprising speed, forcing Cordelia and Thorn to jump aside into the shallow water at the edge of the river.

  “Keep it away.” A dirty hand pointed at Tamsy.

  Cordelia climbed back on the path and shook her feet, water leaking from her boots. “You don’t like cats?” she snapped waspishly. Her charitable attitude had obviously not survived the dunking. Michael’s lips twitched when she squelched past him and scooped Tamsy into her arms. “Unlock the gate to the Underworld, and I promise I won’t let her attack you.”

  The coblynau whined and twitched, then heaved onto two stubby legs. Still moaning to itself about the Teg, the creature waddled toward the waterfall. Michael covered his nose and stepped back when the thing passed him. It pulled a stick from a pocket and dragged the pointed end around the fissure in the rock they’d found earlier. The stick sank beneath the overhang until the rock door shifted with a clunk and hiss of air.

  The coblynau looked at them, the only evidence of its face two eyes gleaming through the hair. “Get inside. Must shut t’door again.”

  The creature wedged a shoulder in the gap and pushed the door open just enough for Michael to squeeze through sideways. Cordelia dropped Tamsy into her bag and waited behind him. Thorn stood next in line, with Nightshade last.

  Michael felt strange heading up the line, giving the orders, when all his life he’d been the follower, behind either Troy or Niall.

  “Once we’re through, we stick together,” Michael said, “no matter what we find on the other side.”

  Chapter Five

  Cordelia hugged her cat bag to her side as she slipped through the door in the rock after Michael. Cool, damp darkness pressed around her. When the coblynau closed the door behind them, the shaft of light filtering through the doorway would be cut off, leaving them blind.

  Her heart thumped, and her mouth dried. She fumbled at the zipped pocket on the cat bag, her fingers clumsy in haste. With a spurt of relief, her hand closed around the tiny flashlight Michael had packed. She thumbed the switch and pulled the light from her bag.

  Thorn’s warm body pressed behind her in the narrow space, while the rocks resounded with the thud of the door. Her tiny light hardly penetrated the thick darkness. But the beam was enough to illuminate Michael’s form, enough to see she wasn’t back in the limbo of in-between.

  “I’d better have the flashlight,” Michael said, his fingers closing around her hand.

  “No!” Panic gripped, her pulse skittering. She waited a moment for the dread to pass. “I’d rather hold the light.”

  His shoulders rose and fell. “Fair enough, lass. You’d better go up front then.”

  How considerate of him not to argue the point, or tease her about being afraid of the dark. She sidled past him, his warm hand on her back steadying her.

  With the weak beam of light aimed at the ground, she walked forward, one small step at a time, watching for loose rocks or holes. The temperature plunged as the path angled down.

  “There’s magic at work in this tunnel. Feel the chill?” she asked over her shoulder.

  “Better be keeping a watch out for traps, then,” Michael answered.

  The murmur of trickling water accompanied their progress. Cold drips plopped on her head every few yards. Goose bumps rose on her arms, even beneath the layers of her sweater and jacket. With just a T-shirt, Thorn must be freezing.

  Cordelia stopped, felt inside her bag, and gently extracted Tamsy’s crocheted blanket from underneath her. The poor cat mewed indignantly, but she wouldn’t becold, snuggled against the bag’s fleece lining. She gave the blanket a shake, before reaching past Michael to press the woolen square into Thorn’s hands. “ Put this around you, and no arguments.”

  With mumbled thanks, he wrapped it over his shoulders. Proving, she supposed, that he must becold.

  In the faint beam of light, her breath formed a misty cloud as she moved forward again.

  “How much farther?” Thorn asked, his words fractured by a shiver.

  “Hang in there, lad,” Michael said. Then his fingers brushed her shoulder. “You doing all right, sugarplum?”

  She smiled at the name. A moment later, she realized he’d intended to raise her spirits. Intellectually, she already knew Michael was kind because he’d taken an interest in Thorn when her ward badly needed a man’s example. But because Michael always joked and teased, she’d dismissed his kindness as an affectation designed to win friends and gain attention. Strange how she’d got him so wrong.

  “There’s a light at the end of the tunnel.” Michael laughed, the rich deep sound of his voice echoing off the rocks. “Always wanted to say that.”

  Cordelia looked up, eyes wide with surprise. She’d been so busy thinking about Michael, she hadn’t noticed the light, or the last few minutes of tramping along in the dark. “I wonder what ’s out there .”

  “Get moving and we might find out,” Nightshade snapped.

  Cordelia picked up the pace, her eyes flicking between the path and the growing arch of light ahead.

  “If you believe the tales, Gwyn lives in a glass castle on an island in the middle of an enchanted lake,” Michael said.

  “Enchanted how?” Thorn asked, his voice steadier, which made Cordelia realize the temperature had risen.

  “The tales vary, but ’tis usually full of water nymphs or sirens who entice travelers to a watery grave. And so they reach the Underworld, but not the way they planned.”

  Cordelia jerked to a halt. Michael crashed into her back, knocking the wind from her lungs for a few seconds. “Water nymphs?” she squeaked.

  “Aye, lass.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “ ’Tis just a tale. Don’t go worrying yet. We’ll probably find there’s not even a lake.”

  Nausea burned in her stomach. She didn’t want Thorn anywhere near a water nymph. She stepped away from the others and beckoned Michael. “Thorn might be traumatized. I don’t think he’s even slept with a female yet.”

  Michael laughed. “I doubt traumatized is the term he’d use. But don’t worry, I’ll keep him safe if need be.”

  Cordelia moved forward again, her sensible nonslip boots dragging through the pebbles on the flloor. She wished she hadn’t allowed Thorn to come. She wasn’t keen on the thought of watching a water nymph rub her body over Michael, either. Watching him with a woman in her divination mirror was a very different matter from seeing a female with him in the flesh. As the arch of light grew larger, she squinted, trying to see the terrain outside. Branches hung over the exit. Grass and heather sprouted from the ground. She trod in something squishy and looked down to find sheep’s droppings.

  With a mixture of trepidation and relief, she walked out into the light. Acres of purple heather-clad moorland extended to the base of snowcapped mountains. The jagged peaks surrounded a valley. At the lowest point sparkled a huge lake with a rocky island in the center. Perched on one side of the island was a gray castle, ribbons of smoke rising at intervals along the ramparts.

  “Part of your story is accurate,” Cordelia said in a flat voice.

  “Does that mean there’ll be water nymphs?” Thorn asked eagerly, bumping up beside her. He still had Tamsy’s blanket around his shoulders. The blue crocheted square was even hairier than she’d expected. It was probably too much to hope the water nymphs would
be frightened of cats.

  Tamsy poked her head out of the bag and sniffed the air. She wriggled up, hooking her front paws on the side. Cordelia lowered the bag to the ground so she could jump out. “Are you hungry, Tamsy Tink?” She extracted a packet of cat treats from the bag’s side pocket and sprinkled a few on her palm.

  “I’m starving.” Thorn delved into her bag. She slapped away his hand and gave him a chocolate bar from her pocket. Then she held one out to Michael, who grinned, and another to Nightshade, who scowled, but took the bar with mumbled thanks.

  Wandering a few yards away, she chewed her snack and scanned the lake for any sign of movement. Laid out before her, the dark blue waters sparkled in the sun like a photo from a tourist brochure.

  Thorn sat on a rock beside her and took a bite of chocolate. “I didn’t think the Underworld would look like this.”

  “This can’t be the Underworld.” A few fluffy clouds hung in the azure sky as if for decoration. “It’s too pretty.”

  Michael squeezed her elbow. The sensation zinged through every cell in her body, yet no longer frightened her. “This is the land of the Tylwyth Teg,” he said. “I’m thinking the entry to the Underworld will be on the island.”

  “It was getting dark when we came through the door.” Cordelia raised her eyebrows and glanced at the sun.

  Michael shrugged. “Maybe time stands still here. Your guess is as good as mine.”

  “Better make tracks,” she said, gathering the chocolate wrappers. She turned back to retrieve her bag. Her step faltered. Nightshade held Tamsy in his arms, petting beneath her chin. Cordelia let her senses flow to Tamsy, sensed her pleasure, smelled the sweetness of the almond oil on Nightshade’s skin. Gut instinct told her to snatch her cat from danger, yet Tamsy’s sense of self-preservation was sharp, and all she radiated was contentment.

  Jaw tight, Cordelia collected her bag and cast her cat a disbelieving look.

  After a thirty-minute walk along narrow animal trails winding between the clumps of heather and lumps of rock, they reached the edge of the lake. Michael stared back the way they’d come and pointed to the rocky outcrop where they’d emerged. “Everyone take a good look and assign that view to memory. We’ll probably be needing to leave that way.”

  Cordelia searched for landmarks: a bent tree, a rock formation in the shape of a horse. Planning their route out was optimistic when none of them knew if it would even be possible to leave. The tension in her shoulders made her back ache.

  “I don’t see any water nymphs, worse luck,” Thorn announced, hands on hips as he examined the lake.

  “No, looks like that part of the tale is wrong.” Michael pulled a sheet of notes from his pocket. They all leaned in to read. Cordelia took a brief glance, but couldn’t concentrate. The rippling body of water drew her like a magnet. She longed to strip off her clothes and dive under the surface, immerse herself in the element that sang in her soul. But she was always disappointed when she swam, because her wards cut her off from the revitalizing energy. Movement caught her eye. She stared at the lake, afraid to blink in case she missed something. She pressed her lips together, anxiety rising. About ten yards away, a female head bobbed into view, her flowing hair spread around her like a green silky cloak. Her eyes met Cordelia’s.

  The creature was beautiful, with large dark eyes, a small nose, and full lips. The lake wasn’t home to a water nymph but something far more dangerous. A Siren that would tempt the men to a watery grave.

  “You see anything, Dee?” Thorn asked, putting his arm around her shoulders as the Siren disappeared from view.

  Cordelia sucked air through her mouth and shook her head. She wanted to tell Michael about the Siren before the others found out.

  “Right.” Michael walked to the waterline. “According to our notes, somewhere around the shore there should be a boat to allow visitors to cross.”

  Cordelia needed to find out if the Siren was alone. If her little group crossed in a boat, she could protect the men from one Siren, maybe even two, but if there were more, their attraction would overwhelm her ability to hold the men’s attention.

  She must keep the men off the lake until she was sure.

  “I see the boat.” Nightshade had climbed to the top of a massive hunk of rock protruding ten feet out of the ground. He pointed over the water. “There’s a jetty by the castle.”

  Michael clambered onto the rock beside Nightshade and stared toward the island. “Aye. There’s a boat all right. And ’tis coming this way.”

  “I don’t believe they’re coming for us. That would be too easy.” Cordelia’s stomach clenched and nausea burned in her chest at the thought of meeting more Teg, and worse, the King of the Underworld. She wanted to rescue Fin, but a big part of her just wanted to be back in Cornwall, in her sitting room overlooking the garden.

  With a soft call, she attracted Tamsy’s attention. She stroked her cat’s head, let their minds meld. She relaxed into the warm glow of love, then silently instructed Tamsy to help her see into the water.

  When Thorn leaped up the rocks to join Michael and Nightshade, Cordelia urged Tamsy to follow him.

  “Are you wanting a hand up, Cordelia?” Michael shouted.

  “No. I’m fine.” She stroked the end of her plait while she waited for Tamsy to settle, then melded her mind with her familiar’s and stared toward the lake through her cat’s eyes.

  Silver clouds of tiny fish swept through the water. In the deepest part of the lake, she caught sight of the Siren twisting and rolling in a solitary dance. She would call one of the men, probably the strongest spirit. Michael. Cordelia must ensure he didn’t end up lured to a watery grave.

  Fifteen minutes later, Michael jumped down from the rock beside her with his jacket slung over his shoulder; his biceps bunched beneath the sleeve of his T-shirt. Cordelia dragged her gaze away from his body and stared at the island.

  “I’m sensing a presence in the water, lass.”

  She nodded. “It’s a Siren. She poked her head out of the water earlier.” She hadn’t expected the men to sense the Siren before the creature was ready to reveal herself. She had only spotted it because her nature was so closely bound to the water. Michael’s perceptiveness proved he was unusually sensitive to other life-forms. She should have figured out from his strong psychic presence that he was more powerful than anyone suspected.

  Michael rested a shoulder against the rock at her side and leaned closer to speak softly. “Do you think she’ll be causing us a problem on the crossing?”

  They both stared toward the boat moving inexorably closer.

  “Who will?” Nightshade descended from the air before them, wings outstretched. He landed elegantly on one foot like a ballet dancer. He shook back his hair and snapped his wings closed with a crack that echoed across the water.

  With a smile, Nightshade tapped his ear. “ I can hear your heart beating, bard, so whispering does you little good.”

  “There’s a Siren here.” Cordelia waved a hand toward the lake. “Odds are she’ll try to entice one of you into the water.”

  Thorn appeared at Cordelia’s side with Tamsy in his arms. “Will she want to…you know…have sex with us?”

  “Thorn!” Cordelia gave him a quelling look. She turned the same look on Michael when he chuckled.

  “You’re thinking of water nymphs, lad.” Michael walked around her and slapped the younger man on the shoulder. “All the Siren wants is to call you to your death. You’ll have to find yourself a sexy little water nymph when we get home. Maybe I’ll join you. I ’ve yet to have that pleasure meself.”

  Cordelia wanted to melt into the rock at her back and disappear. If they ever found out her mother had been a water nymph, she’d die of embarrassment. Now she felt she had to defend the Siren. Although they were far more primitive than water nymphs, she identified only too closely with the creature’s longings .

  “She’s lonely,” Cordelia burst out.

  Michael shot her an in
quisitive look, and her cheeks flared with heat.

  “She wants a mate,” she explained. “She doesn’t know you’ll drown if she calls you into the depths with her.”

  “Aye, but that does not change the fact she’s still a danger to us.” His expression gentled. For a terrifying second, she thought he was so perceptive he’d guessed her secret. But he turned away, and the moment passed.

  “Which of us will she tempt?” Thorn asked, his voice now subdued.

  “Like any other female, she’ll be attracted to power.” Nightshade tossed back his hair. Cordelia assumed he was intimating the Siren would call him; then he turned his silver gaze onto Michael. “She’ll call the bard.”

  They all looked at Michael. He blinked in surprise and nodded toward Nightshade. “Why not you?”

  Nightshade didn’t answer, just gave Michael a long level look, the glittering water reflecting in his silver eyes.

  “He’s right,” Cordelia whispered, a touch incredulous that she and Nightshade agreed on something.

  Michael walked to the water’s edge and stared silently toward the boat. The swish and splash of the oars intruded on the silence. After along minute he turned back to face them. “So how do we play this?”

  Cordelia swallowed, her throat tight with nerves and an edgy excitement that scared her. “I can help you resist her call.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nightshade staring at her through narrowed eyes. He must be able to hear her racing heart.

  “Aye then, lass. We’ll trust you.” Michael glanced over his shoulder at the water as the swishing of the oars came closer. “The boat’s nearly here. Better get ready.”

  Thorn detached Tamsy’s claws from his shirt and deposited her in the cat bag. Closing her eyes, Cordelia stroked Tamsy and relaxed. She could protect the men if she stayed alert.

  She straightened her back. “Right, although we expect the Siren to go for Michael, we must prepare for her to switch her target if she fails.” The boat scraped on the gravel at the water’s edge, and the old Teg boatman beckoned them. Cordelia followed Michael and Nightshade, Thorn at her side. She could easily hold Thorn’s focus and protect him, but Nightshade was a different matter. Her insides trembled at the thought of having to get close to him mentally or physically. Then she had an idea.