She scoffed at herself. She wanted to go with him. Maya sensed he would not physically harm her, and she could trust him with her life. Anger lay heavily within her mind, clouding her judgment, but she needed to understand where the anger came from, anger and hurt. Why did she feel as though he’d hurt her heart--this man/creature she’d never seen before in her life? Yet, she left the inn and got into the car to endure a silent car ride to his castle.
They hadn’t driven far when Maya realized the scenery seemed familiar, yet nothing appeared as it should have. “Wait a minute,” she said breaking the silence. “I recognize this area, and I know this paved road wasn’t here before. I just walked this way yesterday, and I walked through a forest on a barely discernable path.”
She watched Draakar’s chest raise and fall as he inhaled before he spoke. “Yes, you are correct and yet you are not. This road has existed for well over a thousand years but it was not visible until much earlier this morning. The paving is new. No one has walked the road since it was carved out of the mountain. It has remained hidden.”
“My God!” Maya shrieked.
“No, by the will of Mother Earth.”
“What!”
“I know there is much you don’t understand and there is much you will have to learn in a short period of time. Fortunately, you are very strong so you can learn. Unfortunately, because of your strength, you might also be able to resist.”
“Resist what?” She glanced around. “We’re going to the stones, aren’t we?”
“Yes. All of your answers are there. Trust me, Maya.”
She stared at him for a long time before turning away from his glowing eyes and gazed out the window. Maya trusted him not to physically harm her, but she didn’t trust him with anything else. She couldn’t.
She didn’t dare.
Chapter Seven
A sobbing Arthur dropped to his knees in the entryway and opened his arms wide.
“Daddy!” the little girl cried as she wrapped slender, honey-kissed with sunlight colored arms around his neck and squeezed. “Oh, Daddy! I’m so glad you’re here! I’ve missed you so much!”
“Happy Birthday, angel.” Tears shone in Alfred’s eyes. “Happy Birthday.”
Behind him, his second wife patted his back and cried tears of relief, grief and joy. She looked over the joined heads of father and daughter and mouthed a silent “thank you” to the dark-skinned, rail-thin woman standing a few feet behind the little girl. Tammi nodded her scarf-covered head and smiled sadly in return. She had held on long enough for the child’s father to come. Her daughter would be all right now. She’d be loved and taken care of. That’s all she could ever hope for.
“Wow!” Maya exclaimed.
The car turned at a bend in the road, heavy iron gates directly in front of them swung wide open at their approach. About a half mile away from the gate, she could see an enormous castle of time-aged mortar and stone standing sentential on the top of the mountain, yet at the same time it appeared as very much a part of the mountainside. It could have stood there for hundreds of years, something right out of a fairy tale. She just hoped she wouldn’t be the damsel in distress in some real life Arthurian play to Draakar’s knight errand. Oh wait. That would be dragon.
“This is impossible,” she said shaking her head. “This is where the circle of stones stood. I know it! This was not here yesterday.”
She twisted around in the seat to glare at Draakar. “I am not budging until you tell me what the hell is going on,” she stated as calmly as she could while trembling inside. It wouldn’t do to show this man fear. Never show him fear.
He spoke into her mind. You are brethren, human brethren, but still brethren.
Brethren…brethren, I do not understand.
Yes you do.
I…
“NO!” Maya shouted, heart racing. “Not that way. “Talk to me!”
He nodded. “Very well. You are like me. You are part of a race long gone from this realm and crossed into another world, but your forebears chose to remain on Earth.”
Dragon…
“Dragon…” she said aloud what whispered inside her soul.
“Yes, Maya. You are part creature of legend. We call ourselves brethren. You know my words are true. That is all I’m going to say for now.”
“But…”
“No buts. Let’s go inside and get you settled. I have company here already and more on the way. I promise we will talk and I will tell you everything you want to know.”
“You promise?”
“You have my word as Dragon Lord.”
“As what…?”
Ian opened the car door, interrupting them. Draakar exited first and turned to help Maya out of the car. Both he and Ian went to the trunk to get Maya’s suitcases while she stood by silently watching them, clutching her matching steel blue carryon and purse.
The men turned and headed toward the front doors of the castle; doors almost twice the size of an average man. Maya looked up at the turrets and battlement, somewhat surprised to find them empty. No armed bowmen watched down on them from the top.
Are you coming?
She jerked and walked toward Draakar who stood in front of the opened door waiting for her.
“I promise we will talk,” he said.
She followed him inside but came to an abrupt halt in the foyer. What lay ahead mesmerized her. The well-lit entryway of the castle made some deluxe great rooms she’d seen look like closets. She’d had some absurd idea castles should be dark. That is, until she saw this one. Dozens of sconces that looked like upside down frosted martini glasses were anchored every few feet along the stone walls, lit by modern electricity, and completely incongruous to the exterior of the castle. She would not have been surprised to find fire-lit torches, and burning candles used within, but was nonetheless pleased to find modern conveniences.
Her gaze was inexplicably drawn downward to the polished gray marble beneath her feet. Toward the center of the floor, the marble appeared made up of different colors forming some sort of pattern, running about fifteen by twenty feet across the floor. She didn’t have time to study it too closely because Draakar and Ian didn’t stop walking. They continued down the long wide foyer, past two closed doors, toward a wide stone staircase on her left. Her gaze followed the staircase to a balcony overlooking the foyer. Presumably, the balcony led to the bedrooms, since the men headed in that direction with her cases.
Draakar paused and turned around, searching for her. “You can see it better from the balcony,” he said knowing exactly what she had been staring at and thinking about. While Ian continued walking, Draakar stopped midway on the balcony to wait for her. Maya slowly climbed the staircase. When she reached his side, she stopped and turned to look over the scrolled iron railing at the sight below.
“Oh. My. God.”
Draakar smiled. “No. Oh, Mother Earth.”
“Is that…is that…?”
“Yes Maya, it is.”
Her eyes feasted on one of the most beautiful mosaics she had ever seen. Unique, much like the man standing patiently beside her. Before her a dragon in flight had been captured forever in marble reflecting a spectrum of colors. The wings seemed to shimmer as if they beat against air instead of being trapped in stone. The whole thing looked so real Maya leaned forward and extended her hand like she could reach out and touch it. Scared she would fall, she quickly pulled her hand back to her side.
“Come,” Draakar said. “Let’s get you settled and then we will meet the others.”
She had to tear her gaze away from the image below her. “What others?”
“The other human brethren who also need to be trained.”
His matter of fact statement got her attention. “You mean there are others…like…like me?”
“No. There is no other like you. But, yes these are other human brethren.”
She raised her eyebrows and stared at him. “You are so confusing. Why are they not like me, or am I
not like them?”
They moved away from the balcony and walked through a wide archway, then turned left through double doors and down a hallway. She didn’t notice Ian had disappeared into a room until he walked out of the doorway in front of her without her bags.
“After you,” Draakar indicated with his head to Maya. “The others are in the library,” he told Ian. “Please join them and make sure they’ve all settled in. Tell everyone we will be down shortly.”
Ian inclined his head slightly. “Yes, Lord.” He turned to Maya and inclined his head even more. “My Lady, it is a pleasure to serve you.” He turned and walked away before she could question him, but he was not the one who would give her answers.
Subdued, Maya watched Ian go through the doorway and closed the door to the other hall. She moved passed Draakar, ignoring him for the moment and glanced around the enormous area. There were only two doors in this section of the castle. They had crossed the balcony over the foyer and taken the hallway to the left, but another hall ran straight ahead, and they’d passed another hallway at the top of the stairs that ran in another direction. From what she had seen so far the castle had more than one wing, and she’d bet money the second door in the hall they stood in led to Draakar’s room. But first things first.
She stepped into a sitting room done in neutral colors of cream and bronze. The feel of the room transported her to another world. Oh, not literally nor did anything look alien or strange. Everything embodied beauty and refined elegance, but all of the furnishings seemed like pieces from a time long ago. Most of all, it felt familiar, like this room was meant for her. Even the colors were some of her favorites.
Maya didn’t say anything as she inspected the first room, about the size of a master bedroom in a normal sized home. It had a small desk with a Tiffany lamp on it and a dark brown suede high-backed chair in front of it. There were no windows in here, but a small unlit fireplace lay niched in one corner, and two large comfortable-looking chairs sat before it with a little table between them. It created a cozy spot to sit and read or have conversation. On the table rested a tray with an assortment of cheeses, fruit and crackers with a carafe of water, reminding her she needed to eat something.
She grabbed a piece of cheese and nibbled on it before going through the double doors located on the far side of the room, and stepped into a bedroom, done in the same colors as the sitting room, but with gold trim added to the wallpaper. A room twice the size of the sitting room and about as large as some apartments.
A bed fit for a king or queen sat prominently in its center. She purposely didn’t allow her gaze to linger there, refusing to think about how it appeared large enough to cradle both of them in comfort. She finished eating the cheese as she walked past the bed and peeked into the bathroom, gasping at the elegance of the claw-foot tub wide enough to fit two, and the separate more modern shower with its multiple showerheads. While the exterior of the castle looked as though it had been around for hundreds of years and the interior held accessories both old and new, it most definitely had modern conveniences in the bathroom.
Leaving the bath, she pulled open another set of doors and found a closet about half the size of a studio apartment. She almost had a heart attack as she walked through aisle after aisle of clothing. One entire wall held only shoes. Other walls housed cubbies of various sizes holding every accessory imaginable to go with the clothes and shoes. She knew everything would fit her perfectly.
When she returned to the bedroom, she spied both of her suitcases at the foot of the king size four-poster bed. She rubbed her hand along one of the mahogany posts, which were carved like dragonheads. As she turned to leave the bedroom, she noticed a single door tucked in a corner. Opening it revealed an adjoining bedroom, a mirror image of hers, but done in a more sober masculine style. Just as she knew her own name, she knew Draakar’s room. Quietly, she shut the door, but when she tried to find a lock, none existed. Then again, no lock or door made could bar that man’s entrance. She returned to the sitting room.
Draakar stood near the door with his legs braced shoulder width apart and his hands hanging at his sides, but curled into loose fists. He appeared tense to Maya although his words to her came out calmly enough.
“Are you ready to listen now?”
“That’s your third question,” she stated.
“I know. I’m still waiting for your answer.”
“I…yes, I am.” She tensed and remained in the doorway to the bedroom facing him.
“Eat something first. I know you must be hungry.”
She had been but not anymore. Besides she needed answers. “No, I think I’ll wait. Go ahead, talk.”
I ask again. Are you ready to listen?
“No! Don’t do that. Talk to me like…like normal people do.”
“We are not people. We are brethren and this is normal for our kind.”
“It isn’t for me.”
Yes, Maya, it is.
The sound of the first few notes of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony could be heard coming from Maya’s hip. They both looked down at the phone case clipped to the loop of her jeans.
She unhooked it and looked at the caller ID on the display. She sighed. “Excuse me. I have to take this.”
He inclined his head and came farther into the room, sitting down on one of the two chairs near the door, making it clear he planned to stay. She turned around and placed the phone to her ear then walked back into her temporary bedroom.
“Hi, Mom, is Dad on the line, too?”
“Maya sweetheart.” Her mother’s voice came across clearly, like she stood in the next room instead of across an ocean. “What’s going on? Dad’s not here, but we thought you were going on to Paris yesterday?”
“How…how do you know I’m not in Paris?” Damn, with everything going on she’d forgotten to call them.
“Justin called. He flew over to surprise you. Imagine our surprise when he called to say you weren’t there.”
“What!” The idiot! She’d have to give him a piece of her mind for butting into her affairs. “He had no business doing that. In fact, I told him not to come.”
“I don’t understand. He didn’t tell us you spoke. He seemed to think it would be a wonderful surprise for you. Where are you?”
“I’m sorry, Mom. I changed my plans. It looks like I’ll be staying in Ireland for the rest of my trip.”
“But where are you, honey? Justin said he tried your inn and someone told him you had checked out. He got us worried. It’s not like you to change your mind like this. Did something happen? What made you change your mind?”
“Nothing’s happened, Mom. I’m fine. I just decided to stay in Ireland, that’s all. And Justin should not have worried you guys. I planned to call you later to let you know I decided to stay after all.”
“Well where are you staying if you’re not at the Sperrin Inn?”
“I’m staying with…a friend.” Maya hesitated, not really knowing how to explain Draakar to her mother. She couldn’t explain him to herself. “I’ll call Justin and let him know everything is all right and he shouldn’t have bothered you with this.” And to tell him to mind his own business.
“What friend?” her mother asked. “I didn’t realize you knew anybody over there.”
“Just someone I met while I’ve been here.”
“Who is this person?”
“Just a friend, Mom. I’m perfectly fine.” Or so Maya hoped.
Her mother sighed. “Your father and I are just concerned, honey, and Justin cares about you, too.”
She wanted to turn around and go back to the sitting room to glare at Draakar. Sure he could hear every word she said to her mother. Could he hear her mother, too?
Yes. I can. And I’m more than just your friend.
Maya whipped her head around to scowl at him through the open doorway.
“Listen, Mom, I have to go. Tell Dad I said hi and not to worry. I’m fine.”
“Well, what do I tell Justin
if he calls? Where exactly are you staying now? And what’s this friend’s name?”
“Don’t worry about Justin. Like I said, I’ll call him on his cell as soon as I hang up.”
“Wait, where are you staying? How will Dad and I be able to reach you?”
“You can always call me on my cell, Mom, or send me an e-mail or text.”
“Well, what’s with the secrecy? Why can’t you tell me where you’re staying and with whom?”
Maya hesitated again. How could she tell her mother the truth? What could she tell her? “It’s no secret. I’m staying at a castle, Mom.”
“A castle!”
“That’s right and I really have to go now.”
“All right, Maya. As long as you promise to check in with us again tomorrow so we know you’re all right. I also expect a more detailed explanation as to your whereabouts, and who this friend is you’re staying with. I know your father would like to talk to you too, but he had to run down to the department to help monitor the phones this evening. He won’t be back until late tonight.”
Since her dad retired, he sometimes volunteered to cover the fire department phones if any of the operators needed time off or when they were short handed. “Mom, I’m an adult. I know what I’m doing.” She hoped. “Tell Dad everything is fine and I’ll call you guys tomorrow. I love you. Give Dad a kiss for me.”
After disconnecting the call, she checked her phone, which she’d turned off while in the hospital. Sure enough she had missed calls from both Justin and her folks, she was almost sorry she’d turned the thing back on in the car. She returned to the sitting room and sat down in the matching chair next to Draakar.
“Why didn’t you tell her where you were and who I am?” he asked.
“I don’t really know where I am since this,” Maya waved her arm in a wide arch to indicate the entire structure, “wasn’t here yesterday and may not be here tomorrow. Since I don’t really know who or what you are, I can’t very well tell her about you either.”
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