Caelihn

by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson

  I nodded, reaching for my own glass. I knew at least some of this already, after what Devlin had told me. From the way Meghan was talking, and from what I’d observed of her distracted behavior earlier, whatever they were dealing with here in Eile was far worse than what we had had to contend with in San Luis Obispo. That couldn’t be good.

  Taking a slow breath through my nose, I looked over at Cade, then Devlin. Both of them nodded their heads sagely at what Meghan had said, and I felt an odd flutter of anxiety begin in my stomach. Fabulous. I knew that coming to the Otherworld would be a challenge, but knowing that it was infested with the Morrigan’s magic made it even more disturbing. Right then, I pictured her glamour as a giant ball of ticks, all of them kicking their tiny segmented legs, eager to find some pathetic victim to latch onto. Then, I watched as my imagination scattered them to the far ends of the world to infest every living soul in Eile; to suck not only their blood, but to drain their life forces as well. Ewww. I shuddered and gave myself a mental slap. Thank you, subconscious, for that lovely little freak show.

  Trying to shake the last vestiges of horror from my mind, I reached out and picked up my own wine glass and took a sip. As soon as the cool liquid touched my tongue, I knew it was something far more palatable than wine. Sweet, intoxicating flavor flooded my mouth, and I shot my wide eyes up to Devlin.

  “Is this mead?” I queried with a squeak.

  He only smiled and lifted his own cup, bringing it to his lips and taking a long, easy draught.

  “Yes it is,” he answered after setting his goblet back down.

  “I’ve always wanted to try mead!” I said cheerily, picking the cup up to drink more. “And, it’s so good!”

  Cade laughed out loud, and Devlin continued to smile.

  “Meghan had much the same reaction when she first tried mead,” Cade quipped.

  And just like that, the four of us left the grim talk of the Morrigan’s lingering taint behind. True, it didn’t make it disappear completely, but at least for now, for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening, we could enjoy each other’s company and speak of pleasant things. We didn’t say anything else about the Morrigan, or the Daramorr. We didn’t even talk about my and Devlin’s plan to continue on and seek the counsel of the Amsihria. That first evening at Luathara, we merely enjoyed a good meal, soaked up the heat of the fire dancing nearby and watched the stars come out. Meghan, Cade and Devlin took turns telling me little details about Eile, and I soaked it up like a sponge. All four of us, it seemed, had been dwelling on darkness and evil for far too long, and our souls desperately needed to bask in something joyful for once.

  The evening had progressed well toward midnight by the time Devlin and I made it back to our room. I had enjoyed the time with my friend, even if we had barely scratched the surface of what either of us had been up to during the past few years. We had a week, or more, before we left for the Amsihr Mountains. Plenty of time to get all of my questions answered. Even so, I had asked Devlin, once we were surrounded by the privacy of our own room, why Cade and Meghan had skirted around questions regarding their experience in dealing with the Morrigan’s leftovers. He had shrugged and explained Meghan was the queen’s daughter, and surely Danua didn’t want her daughter blabbing about top-secret information, even to her closest friend. I could understand that, and to be brutally honest, despite my insatiable curiosity, there were just some things I didn’t want to know.

  Yawning, I headed for the bathroom, eager to get clean.

  “I’m going to take a shower,” I announced, passing through the archway and stepping into the adjacent apartment.

  Tired as I was, I had also not showered since leaving our cabin, and there was no way I was going to bed without scrubbing off the sweat and dirt that had gathered from the two-and-a-half day hike from the Weald. The bathroom was dark, so I spent some time lighting the various candles with the one I’d carried in from the bedroom. Once I was surrounded by a nice, brilliant glow, I stripped out of my clothes, then turned toward the shower and frowned.

  Okay, back in my small cabin in the Weald, we had our own shower of sorts, one that Devlin could barely fit into. It was nothing more than a stone basin situated above a clay half-pipe that we filled with hot water. A hand operated valve allowed us to adjust the flow of water, but if we let too much out at once, we’d have nothing left to rinse with. It might have been primitive, and it meant that lingering in a nice, hot shower for several minutes was no longer an option, but it was still a blessing in a community devoid of such luxuries. At the moment, however, I saw nothing that even remotely resembled what Devlin and I had back at home. And I had forgotten to ask Meghan to show me how to operate the accursed thing. Crap.

  “Devlin, do you know how to work the shower?” I called from the bathroom.

  When he didn’t answer, I wrapped a towel around myself and stepped out into the bedroom.

  Every candle and lamp in the room had been lit, and Devlin was currently reclining in an overstuffed armchair, perusing a book that looked to be a thousand years old. When he became aware of my presence, he glanced up, his eyes trailing over my terrycloth ensemble.

  “Did you call me?” he asked, blinking his blue eyes innocently.

  I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. “Do you know how to get the hot water to work?”

  “Ah yes, Cade told me about it earlier this evening.”

  “Good,” I breathed. “I need you to show me.”

  Devlin just tilted his head back, giving me a self-satisfied smile. “You know, you are the one who owes me a favor, not the other way around.”

  For five painful seconds, I simply stared at him. What the hell was he talking about? Just as I took in a breath to ask him, it hit me. The bet. I had forgotten all about it over dinner. So, he thought he had won, had he?

  Arching a brow, I relaxed my stance and gave him a pointed look. “Oh? So you think you won the wager about Meghan’s study?”

  He folded his hands behind his head and nodded, his golden hair brushing his face.

  I scowled at him. “But I was right. She was hiding something.”

  “A room full of dust and clutter hardly qualifies as some great secret,” he countered.

  I gritted my teeth and almost stomped my foot. “Devlin!” I hissed. “Now’s not the time to argue over who won or lost! I need to know how to work the shower.”

  He considered me for a long moment, his blue eyes, so cool and calm, sliding over me like a warm caress. His attention made my skin prickle, and I fought the urge to scuttle over and sit in his lap.

  “How about a compromise?” he said at last.

  I drew in a quick breath through my nose. “A compromise?”

  “Yes.” He nodded. “I am willing to concede we were both right, if you are. Then, I’ll help you with the shower, if you grant me a favor.”

  I considered it. It did seem fair, after all.

  “What favor do you want from me?” I demanded, narrowing my eyes as I tucked the towel more securely around my middle.

  Devlin flashed his teeth. “I haven’t decided yet.”

  Growling, I snapped, “Fine!” We could be here all night, me standing in my towel, and Devlin reclining oh-so-casually, arguing back and forth. Or, I could agree to this compromise and take my shower before I collapsed from weariness.

  “It’s a deal.”

  He set his book down and stood up. For five seconds, I stared at the tome, expecting it to disintegrate before my very eyes. When it defied me by retaining its form, I turned and headed back into the bathroom, Devlin in tow. I indicated the large space with a showerhead of sorts and a drain, then lifted my eyebrows in question.

  Devlin only shook his head and smiled at me.

  “You release the water with this lever.” He pointed to a metal knob just below the spout. “And you heat it with your glamour,” he continued, moving forward to press his hands against the back wall of the stall. “The water is stored behind this wall, so if y
ou heat the stones, the water will get warmer.”

  He made a move as if to call upon his magic, but then paused. I think both of us realized the problem at the same time.

  “Too bad my glamour still refuses to obey me,” I grumbled, wondering how fast I could get clean under a stream of ice-cold water.

  I glanced up at Devlin with a forlorn look on my face, only to find him grinning rakishly at me.

  “What?” I demanded, not at all finding the idea of taking a cold shower amusing.

  “I think I have a solution to your problem,” he said in a low voice, as his fingers reached for the hem of his shirt. “We Lorehnin men don’t have the most powerful glamour, but it is strong enough to heat water. I think it would be most prudent of me to remain here and help you with this task. Consider it as part of my favor.”

  The second his shirt was completely free from the waistband of his pants, he was peeling it off completely. A shiver ran down my spine, and I gave him one of my lazy smiles, moving in close enough to help him with his task. Oh, I liked his idea very much.

  “Would hate to see a lady suffering unnecessarily,” he murmured, leaning in to kiss me.

  “And how could I resist such a gentlemanly offer?” I countered, dropping my towel.

  My weariness melted away, and all the troubling thoughts that had been clinging to me since before dinner vanished. The Otherworld was a terrifying place, full of dark, unpredictable magic, and somehow, I had found myself, and all my friends, stirred up in the middle of it. But at this moment, I wasn’t going to let that worry me.

  Devlin broke away from our kiss to trail his lips down my neck. My senses jerked to attention, and soon, I was taking comfort in the scent and touch of his warm skin beneath my fingertips. Now, why hadn’t I thought of this myself?

  Devlin turned the water on full power and used his glamour to heat it, but after a while, I was plenty warm. I started to wonder if Devlin’s magic was even necessary after all.

  -Chapter Six-

  Disclosure

  The next morning I woke slowly, stretching out in an unfamiliar bed. My fingers brushed up against something warm and solid, and I smiled as I fought off a yawn. Devlin shifted next to me, then flung an arm out and pulled me closer. I laughed and made no effort to resist him.

  “Did you sleep well?” he murmured into my ear.

  I shifted around so I could face him, then gave him a kiss.

  “Yes,” I answered dreamily, biting my bottom lip before adding, “and do I owe you any more favors?”

  “Oh no,” he responded, scooting forward, so he could prop his elbow against the pillow. “I do believe you are all paid up.”

  He regarded me with clear blue eyes, slowly studying my face and every other part of me not covered by the bed sheet. Some tiny fragment of the worry I’d harbored the day before must have shown on my face, because Devlin’s relaxed expression tightened ever so slightly. He reached out with his free hand and brushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

  “Meghan and Cade will be fine, you know that, right?” he asked quietly.

  I turned my eyes toward the windows. Through the glass, the jagged outline of the canyon barely stood out against a sky filled with charcoal-tainted clouds.

  Heaving a great sigh, I admitted, “Yes, I know. I’m just a little worried, not a feeling I’m too accustomed to.” I laughed a little. “Tully was always the sensible one, Meghan the timid one and me, well, I have always been the one to jump through the flames even after someone’s doused me with gasoline.”

  Devlin leaned forward and kissed me on the top of the head. “And that is what I love so much about you. You don’t back down, Robyn Dunbarre.”

  He fell back a little, and the glimmer in his eyes faded ever so slightly. “Worrying about your friend doesn’t make you weak. It simply means you care.”

  “I know,” I said, “but since she was the one to destroy the Morrigan, she’s probably more of a target than anyone else.”

  Devlin considered my words, then nodded. “That’s true, but she has Cade, and she has you as her friend. As well as many others. She has earned respect from the Tuatha De and the other people of Eile. She is not without allies. And,” he added with a soft smile, “from the stories I’ve heard, she’s much stronger than you give her credit for.”

  I snorted. “If you had known Meghan all throughout high school, you would also have a hard time imagining her as a fierce wielder of powerful glamour.”

  “The same could be said for you, caelihn,” Devlin teased, tapping the tip of my nose with his index finger. “At first glance, the people of the Otherworld are bound to underestimate you. Fortunately, I know better.”

  After scrunching up my face and giving him a sharp look, I scooted forward and wrapped my arms around him. All joking aside, Meghan, and even Cade, appeared far too frazzled for a young married couple. They had too much on their plates, and I let Devlin know it.

  “I hope that despite whatever awaits us in the Amsihr Mountains,” I stated, “we’ll be able to help Cade and Meghan, and everyone in Eile for that matter, in the long run. I’m not sure what exactly is going on here in Eile, but it must be pretty bad if it has started spilling over into the mortal world.”

  I thought of the fall and winter months I had spent avoiding the Daramorr and his sister and shuddered a little. Yes, if I thought those two were bad, surely the dark magic plaguing Eile was worse.

  Devlin didn’t respond to my comments. He simply stroked his hand up and down my bare back, sending warm sensations of comfort through me.

  We stayed in bed a half an hour longer, luxuriating in the warmth of the blankets and the relaxation of knowing the chores that usually demanded our attention in the Weald would not be bothering us here. Eventually, we crawled out of bed and made our way down to the entrance hall. Meghan was downstairs already, but Cade was nowhere in sight. A handful of the castle staff bustled about, all of them busy transferring various goods from one room to another, or carrying baskets of linen towels down the hallway. Weak, grey light flooded in through the tall windows, and both hearths beneath the north and south towers were lit and belching heat like two snoozing dragons.

  “Oh, good, you’re up!” Meghan called out to Devlin and me.

  She ushered us over with her hand. “I had wanted to show you more of the small village Cade has insisted on constructing on the other side of the hill, but I have no desire to go outside today, and you two took your time getting up this morning.”

  Meghan gave us both a knowing look and I felt my cheeks warm a little. Ha! Look at me, blushing beneath the radiation of her scrutiny. I remembered a time when it was I who made Meghan flush when snooping around for details about Cade. Oh, how the times have changed!

  “It was my fault, Meghan,” Devlin said without a scrap of shame in his voice. “I ran her ragged on the journey here to Luathara, then kept her up far too late last night paying back a debt she owed me. She needed much rest after such a marathon of vigorous activity.”

  I felt my eyes widen in surprise and saw my own shock reflected on Meghan’s face. I whipped my head around to glare at Devlin, only to find his eyes gleaming with mischief. I narrowed my own gaze, warning him with a look that stated he would pay for that remark.

  Behind me, Meghan snorted. When I faced her once again, her hand was pressed to her mouth and her shoulders were shaking.

  “I had no idea,” she managed, “that anyone could ever top your knack for making inappropriate, suggestive remarks, Robyn! I do believe you’ve met your match.”

  I crossed my arms and pressed my molars together. Oh, they thought they were funny, did they?

  Devlin only continued to smile, and eventually, Meghan got control of her laughter. “I have no problem with you two sleeping in, if that’s what you really were doing. This is supposed to be your vacation, after all.”

  When I met her smiling eyes with a dry, unamused look, she continued, “Cade is in his study, Devlin, if you’d li
ke to join him. He’s going over some of the ongoing construction plans with Briant.” Meghan rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “I swear, if we ever get this castle completely restored, it will be a miracle.”

  Devlin nodded to both of us, giving me a little smile, then headed for the hallway.

  “Second to last door on the right!” Meghan called after him, then she turned to me, her teeth clamping down on the corner of her bottom lip. Apparently, she was still amused by Devlin’s comment.

  Go ahead, I thought, hit me with your best shot.

  Meghan must have picked up on my slightly disgruntled mood, because she simply cleared her throat and proclaimed, “So, what would you like to do today?”

  I shrugged. “Whatever you have planned sounds good to me.”

  Meghan glanced past me at the door to her study. “I was going to wait until you and Devlin were gone before I started organizing my study, but if you want to help...”

  She let her sentence trail off. I grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the room. “That actually sounds better than sitting around, sipping tea and watching the clouds roll by.”

  Meghan laughed. “And maybe it will give us time to catch up a little more. We didn’t really get a chance last night. Besides,” she added as she fumbled for the key to the small study, “I’m sure there are some things we’d like to discuss without the men hovering.”

  Her eyes lit up, and I was beginning to wonder what had put her in such a good mood this morning. Perhaps Devlin and I weren’t the only ones who’d stayed up far later than we should have the night before.

  * * *

  Twenty minutes later, Meghan and I had managed to clear out a spot on the floor of her study and were currently sorting through the several stacks of documents piled up on the desk and clogging the bench in front of the bay window. Birgit and her younger sisters, Oriana and Wynne, had dropped in to check on us. They had brought several trash bins, as well as a tray with tea and finger sandwiches with them. Niall had also poked his head into the small room, surprise lighting up his brown eyes when he found us sitting on the floor.