Celtic Dragons

by Dee Bridgnorth

  “I understand,” Ronan told him. “But be smart. Don’t solve one problem and create a hundred others.”

  “I’ll be smart, but she’s all I care about. And you know that, coming from me, that means something. The clan has always been everything to me. But I can’t live without her.”

  “Then go find her. We’re on our way.”

  Eamon hung up the phone and focused on the road, weaving in and out of cars as the morning traffic moved around him. He had to get to the coast as fast as he could, and from there, he could get to Georges Island in mere minutes. “I’m right behind you,” he whispered, talking to Autumn and hoping she could hear him. “I’m coming for you. I won’t let them take you from me.”

  And he wouldn’t. Whatever else happened, he wouldn’t let them take Autumn from him or from her daughters. She was too important. Too precious. Too perfect. Nothing would stand between them, no matter what he had to do to ensure that.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Autumn

  Autumn’s fear wasn’t just for herself as she walked along Georges Beach beside Gayla, although she was aware, realistically, of the danger she was in. On a larger scale, she was also terrified for humanity—for her girls. For Eamon. For everyone she knew at work and all of her patients.

  When Gayla had told her to leave the house, she had also removed her power of speech again and her quiet, whispered commandments had forced Autumn to walk, as though of her own free will, to a car, then once they parked, to walk out of the car and onto a ferry where she sat in perfect, submissive silence all the way across the channel to Georges Island. They disembarked there amongst a small crowd of people—the weather was turbulent today and not many intended to brave the island—and began to walk along the path, gradually creating distance between them and the rest of the crowd.

  That it was so utterly easy for Gayla to kidnap her and walk her through busy Boston areas without anyone noticing anything wrong made Autumn terrified for what these people were capable of doing to others. Their power was too much, too advanced, too dangerous. How did she know that the people she passed on the street walking next to those who she assumed would be their partners or friends or loved ones were not actually being taken somewhere under duress, controlled by a supernatural power that defied most humans’ understanding? How did she know that her daughter wouldn’t be swept away by the same power someday?

  “I can feel your anxiety,” Gayla said, as they walked together along the path, the larger woman having to do nothing to coerce Autumn to stay right beside her. “You’re right to be worried. Where I’m taking you, no one will be able to interrupt us. Go ahead. Speak—but only whisper. No shouting.”

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “To the backside of the island, where these tourists never go. On the farthest point, there’s an entrance to a series of partially-underwater caves. They’re perfect for…lurking.”

  Autumn swallowed hard. “Even if you kill me, it doesn’t mean you’re going to get away with this.”

  “Oh sweetheart, I already have gotten away with it,” Gayla said, smirking as she pulled at Autumn’s arm, leading her off the path, over a hill, and down to a completely empty beach. “There’s nothing that can stop us now. We have stored up so much potential power that it’s simmering, waiting to be released. And when it is, we’ll be able to do anything—anything at all.”

  “You mean Nova will be able to do anything. You’re assuming she’ll cut you in on the deal.”

  “Stop with that tired tactic,” Gayla said, shoving Autumn again, this time down a sand dune and around a particularly tall pile of jagged rocks.

  In front of them was a small entrance, and Gayla guided Autumn into it, forcing her to crawl, scraping up her palms and knees as she shuffled on all fours across the rough ground. When the space opened again, they were in a cave that held a small pool of water surrounded by more black, jagged rocks and multiple paths that undoubtedly led further into the system of caves.

  Autumn had lived in Boston all of her life and had never known about these caves on Georges Island, and she had the sinking feeling that nobody else knew much about them either. The chances of her being found were growing slimmer all the time, especially after Gayla continued to push her forward, making her walk around to the back of the pool of water and down one of the narrower corridors.

  They walked further and further downward, water sloshing at Autumn’s ankles, then at her calves, her knees, and all the way up to her thighs.

  “Are we going to have to start swimming?” she asked Gayla, who was walking behind her, seemingly unconcerned.

  “Just walk.”

  Autumn did as she was told, seeing no other choice given that it wasn’t her own brain telling her to put one foot in front of another but some force outside of her that was controlling her limbs. They got deeper in the water, until it reached her waist, and then the water began to recede, back down to her thighs, then her knees, then her ankles.

  It was dark in the caves, and Autumn was grateful that she had never had an aversion to the water or the dark. She kept her wits reasonably about her as they sloshed through the channel, and then, out of nowhere, the space opened up into a cavern that, even in the dark, Autumn could see was absolutely enormous. The water still lingered, continuing to soak through the bottoms of her shoes, but the space was largely open and covered in slick black rocks.

  “What are we doing here?” Autumn asked. “This can’t be your favorite place.”

  “I like it here. Nobody ever bothers me.” Gayla circled around in front of Autumn, holding a hand out and summoning a flame that burst from her palm and illuminated her face. “And I can do…whatever I want.”

  Autumn thought of Eamon and her girls and summoned all of her internal strength. “Maybe you can, but you’re not going to get any satisfaction from me. If you’re going to kill me, just do it, because I won’t make it fun for you.”

  Gayla smirked, tossing the flame from her hand so that it hovered over the center point of the cave, bouncing off the water. “You’re already making it fun. Now…run.”

  At first, Autumn didn’t know what Gayla meant, but then she heard a low growl behind her and her mind flashed back to the bed and breakfast where the wolf had attacked her. She spun around, staring into the glowing eyes of that same wolf, and her blood ran cold. Without thinking about it, she ran as fast as she could, splashing through the water as she looked over her shoulder only to see the wolf continually behind her.

  Growls and snarls spurred her onward, and Autumn ran, fell, scrambled to her feet, ran some more, fell again, and repeated the process over and over again, always just inches away from the snarling beast’s snapping jaws.

  It was the sound of Gayla’s laughter that clued her in, the realization just a tickle behind the panic overtaking her mind. But it was enough. Autumn kept running, but as she did, she thought about the facts, forcing herself to see reality for what it was.

  This isn’t real.

  The wolf is magic.

  She said she can’t kill me with magic.

  She’s not going to let this wolf kill me, because if she does, it ruins everything in her plans.

  What she wants is to laugh at my fear.

  She wants me to be running right now.

  If I stop running, her fun is over.

  Autumn could hardly believe what she was about to do, and all of her instincts fought against it, but she slowed her feet gradually, and realized that the wolf didn’t grow any closer to her. When she slowed down, so did it.

  Although there was a risk that Gayla would do something worse to her or that she would allow the wolf to maim her without killing her, Autumn forced her feet to stop entirely. She turned and faced wolf, staring into its yellow eyes and snarling mouth, and then she bared her own teeth, growling and hissing right back at it. Her hands lifted, her fingers curling menacingly as she swiped through the air with her own nails, and to her surprise—and momentary delight—
the wolf sat back in confusion and glanced over at Gayla.

  “Very good.” Gayla walked toward them, giving an exaggerated slow clap as she smirked. “You conquered your fear. I’m not going to deny that I much preferred it when you were running around the cave like a chicken with your head cut off, but I’m impressed. And it shows me that I have to up my game.” Reaching them, Gayla stroked her hand over the wolf’s head, and it disappeared into thin air, leaving the two women standing alone.

  “You can’t use magic to kill me,” Autumn said. “So why should I be afraid of that wolf?”

  Gayla’s smirk grew, and she tilted her head, raising her hand and snapping her fingers. The wolf reappeared and, snarling, reared up and swiped a claw down Autumn’s back before disappearing again.

  As Autumn sank to her knees, the pain excruciating, Gayla laughed again. “Just because I can’t use magic to kill you doesn’t mean that I can’t use it to hurt you. It’s just your life that I have to spare. How much of your health and sanity are you willing to risk just to prove to me that you’re not scared?”

  “I told you,” Autumn rasped, struggling to breathe through the pain of the claw marks on her back. “I won’t let you enjoy this.”

  “Challenge accepted.”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Eamon

  Eamon ran through the woods, going just far enough into them that he was hidden from sight. Stripping down, he shifted into his dragon form and grabbed his clothing with the talons on one foot before preparing to lift up into the air.

  Flying during the day was dangerous and generally prohibited. It was just too risky, no matter how high he went. Eamon was the only one who could potentially get away with it, because he was so white that, on a cloudy day, he could blend in far more than any of the others. Luckily, it was a very cloudy day, and growing more overcast all the time, providing additional cover. Even if it had been sunny with a clear blue sky, it wouldn’t have stopped Eamon from taking off into the air and flying toward Georges Island.

  He went high, doing his part to avoid detection, but his eyes were already on the island in the distance, and in his mind, he was calling out to Autumn, urging her to hold on for him until he could get to her. He knew that she was strong, and that gave him hope that somehow she could get through this and come back to him. Hope was a necessity, because he knew that he didn’t want to go on without her.

  To land without detection, he circled to the back of the island and settled on the beach that was always empty because it was too hard for the tourists and visiting locals to access. They would have to climb all the way to the top of the island, which was no small feat, and then climb all the way down the other side. They never did that when there was plenty of good sand easily accessible from the dock.

  Eamon dropped his clothes and the bag with his enchanted items, then transitioned and put them on as he looked around, trying to get any idea of where Autumn might be. It wasn’t a large island, but the time it would take for him to search the whole thing would be precious time that he couldn’t afford. Leah had said that there was something in him that made tracking Autumn easier, so he closed his eyes and tried to access that part of his mind that was so connected to hers, searching for anything that might lead him to her.

  For a long, agonizing moment, nothing happened and Eamon was just a man, standing on a beach, with no idea where to go to save the woman he loved.

  And then he felt it, like a tremor deep within him that skimmed across his skin and made the hairs on his neck stand up. He sensed power and fear and evil, all mixed together, and his stomach churned at the thought of what might be happening to Autumn at that right moment.

  The feeling came from beneath him, as though he could dig through the sand, deeper and deeper until he found her. He even started to put his hands into the sand, ready to displace all of it into the ocean if it brought him closer to finding her. But then he remembered the caves and stopped, his hands submerged in the sand and his head turning to the right to locate the small opening that was so easily hidden away from most people’s eyes.

  He and his clan had found the caves from beneath one night, when they were swimming under the currents and exploring the ocean’s depths. They were the perfect place to take someone on the island if you didn’t want to be found, and he knew without a doubt that Autumn was there. He could sense her there, feel her there—almost see her there.

  Getting up, he ran toward the cave opening and charged into the water, going deeper and deeper as he explored the caverns. He could hardly see, but almost right away, he began to hear the echoes of small sounds that he couldn’t discern, and he followed them, trusting in his gut that they would lead him to Autumn. Still, he longed for something more definitive—the sound of her voice, a cry out, or a glimpse of her somewhere. Anywhere.

  The moment he heard her scream though, he regretted the wish. The anguish in her scream was so potent that he knew he would never forget the sound for as long as he lived, and it ignited a fury in him that he had never known before. He ran toward the sound, pushing through the deeper water until he came out on the shallower side and saw a light ahead of him.

  Eamon didn’t dare call out for Autumn, not wanting to alert whoever had taken her, but he put his hand into the bag slung around his chest, ready to grab for a weapon the moment he had a target. Out of nowhere, the tunnel opened up into a large cavern, lit by a flame of fire that hovered over the water in the center. Eamon lingered there at the opening, his eyes searching for Autumn somewhere in the eerie space. He hadn’t heard her scream again, and it put that same cold fear in him that he always felt whenever he was faced with the possibility that she might be dead and gone before he could save her.

  Then Autumn surfaced near the flame, sputtering and gasping for air, her skin shock-white and her face utterly panicked as she thrashed around. He didn’t understand what was happening until Autumn shouted out, directing her words to the far left corner of the cavern where, once he looked closer, he just caught sight of a foot that undoubtedly belonged to a person sheltered from sight by the large stone ridge.

  “I’m not afraid!” Autumn shouted, though her voice shook. “You can’t scare me! I know you won’t kill me! Not this way, Gayla! Not with magic!”

  “Drowning isn’t magic, dearest,” a female voice called back in a sing-songy tone. “Drowning happens when too much water gets into your lungs and you can’t breathe. That’s very, very natural, isn’t it?”

  “You’re holding me underwater with magic,” Autumn argued, still halfway choking. “You’d better be very sure that won’t count against you in your damn magical balance, you witch bitch.”

  Through the anger simmering within him, Eamon felt a surge of pride. His girl was holding her own, never backing down. She had held on long enough for him to find her, and she still had her fighting spirit. Knowing Autumn, he wasn’t surprised. He was just grateful that she was as strong as she was.

  But she didn’t have to be strong anymore, because he was going to destroy whoever was hiding behind that pillar of rock. He was going to tear her, limb from limb, with his own bare hands if he had to.

  “Come out of there!” he shouted, stepping into the cavern and into the light that was flickering there. “Show yourself and take on someone your own size.”

  “Eamon!” Autumn’s gasp was one of elation this time, despite the fact that she was still treading water and trying to stay afloat. “Eamon! Oh my God!”

  He locked eyes with her, emotions flowing between them that were too strong for any words, even if Eamon had been a master of them. “I’m here,” he told her. “You’re okay. I’m here.”

  Eamon ran toward her, intent on pulling her out of the water and letting her rest, but as he got close, a pillar of fire appeared between them, so fiercely hot that it singed the hair on Eamon’s arm and his eyebrows.

  “Not so fast,” the sing-song voice said again, and when Eamon turned to look at the foe he would be facing, he was shocked t
o see a woman both large and gangly at the same time. She was a hulking presence, with beady, mean eyes and a nasty smile on her face. “I’m so glad you joined us, Eamon. I thought you might follow my trail. It made it easier on me, you see, for you to come on your own. It’s always dangerous to transport a captive, especially when they’re not…entirely human. You could have broken away from me, you see.”

  He didn’t see, nor did he care to. All he wanted to do was destroy that smug expression on the woman’s face. “I’m guessing you’re part of Nova’s coven. I’d say it’s a pleasure to meet you, but my parents taught me not to tell lies.”

  The woman chuckled. “You can call me Gayla. And yes, I’m with Nova. It’s our coven, actually. We’re partners, and she’s told me all about you. I’m looking forward to killing you. I think it’ll be quite the rush.”

  “I’m not interested in being your high, but thanks.” He advanced on her slowly, listening for the sound of Autumn’s splashing to reassure him that she was still fighting to stay above water. “Let Autumn go. This is between us. I’m the one who started hunting you down. Not her.”

  “Nice try,” Gayla said dismissively. “In fact…”

  She waved a hand, and there was a gasp and a gargle as Autumn went underwater again, leaving only bubbles behind as she thrashed in the deep pool behind him.

  Rage took Eamon over, and he launched himself at Gayla, reaching into his bag to find the enchanted CD-turned-throwing-disk that Isabelle had made for him. Already he was envisioning gripping it in his hand and using it to slice across Gayla’s throat, but his plan was thwarted when a sudden force knocked him backward, sending him tumbling onto the slick black rock that covered the cavern floor. His head smacked against the rock, and he winced in pain, but he was already getting to his feet again as Gayla approached him.