Treoir Dragon Chronicles of the Belador World: Book 2 Page 15

  “You have my word.”

  Focusing only on Quinn now, she said, “Fenella’s face should be clear, but I have no idea if Cavan allowed me to see his real face when we were together. He said he cloaked us. I want your word to go no deeper if you can’t see Cavan’s face.”

  Quinn dipped his head in a quick acknowledgement. “You have my word.”

  “Okay. Let’s do this.” Slipping one arm out of the strap, Luigsech lowered the backpack to the ground. She stretched her shoulders and neck, loosening up as if ready to battle someone. All that would appear to show how ready she was, but her breathing seemed to increase and get choppy.

  She nodded. “I’m ready.”

  Quinn’s voice came into Daegan’s mind. She doesn't look ready. She appears close to hyperventilating.

  Unfamiliar with the meaning of hyperventilating, Daegan guessed it was similar to panicked victims he’d seen unable to breathe properly then passing out. He told Quinn, I've watched her fight Imortiks. She's tough and powerful. She can do this.

  Nodding, Quinn moved ahead. “Stay calm and focus on the faces. I will do the rest. Understood?”

  She sucked in another shaky breath and closed her eyes. Her body needed to be relaxed to make it easier for him to jump in and out of her mind as quickly as possible, but her shoulder and neck muscles were visibly tight as taut ropes. She clenched her fingers. When she spoke, the word came out as if uttered on her last breath.

  “Yes.”

  Quinn closed his eyes, too. He kept his voice low. “I’m entering now. You have a mash of faces in your mind. Try to relax and single out Fenella, then bring her face into focus.” He paused a moment. “Ah, there she is. Bring all of her into focus so I can see her body and how she’s dressed.” He opened his eyes and continued staring at Luigsech. “Good. I have an image of Fenella. I can tell you’re worried, but you’re doing great. It’s crowded again. Push everyone away except Cavan. Bring him to the front of your mind.”

  Luigsech’s face showed the strain she felt. She breathed faster and sucked in her lower lip.

  Daegan remained completely still as Quinn used his mind lock on the woman. He couldn’t breathe for waiting to see if this worked.

  Quinn whispered, “Cavan is blurry. Push the background and other people away. Focus a little harder on Cavan’s face, his mouth, his neck, his eyes, all of it.” Quinn’s voice changed to surprise. “There you go. Stay with it, stay with his face and ... I’ve got it.” He sounded as if he’d won a difficult battle.

  Bringing his voice up, Quinn said, “You can open your eyes now.”

  Her eyes remained closed and her body trembled.

  Quinn sent a worried glance to Daegan. “I was careful with her.”

  Daegan unfolded his arms and stepped over to her, taking the place Quinn vacated. He gently shook her shoulders. “Wake up, lass. He’s done.”

  Her eyes blinked open mere inches from his.

  He saw a world of things in those gorgeous blue eyes lost in the moment. It wasn’t the time to notice her beauty, but neither could he stop the thought from flittering through his mind.

  She blinked fast and seemed to come out of her daze.

  Daegan dropped his hands from her shoulders.

  She stepped back quickly and crossed her arms. “Keep your hands off me.”

  That was more like the little termagant. “I did not harm ya. We’re tryin’ to tell ya that he got the faces.”

  She bent over and dropped her hands to her knees, expelling enough air to fill the lungs of a bear. “Really? You got both of them?”

  “Yes. I could have done this even faster, but the glamour Cavan used actually blurred his face at first. You seemed to change it midstream and his features sharpened.”

  Smiling with visible relief, she stood up. “I did. I saw his face on his first trip to the centre when I was hidden in the back at the time. He didn’t see me then.” Scrubbing her hands over her face, she shook off her tension. “Okay, do you know who he is?”

  “Yes.”

  “Awesome! That’s great.” She looked ready to jump around celebrating. Then she must have realized no one else was happy. “What’s wrong?”

  Daegan noted Quinn’s lack of joy in learning the identity. “Who is it, Quinn?”

  “Cathbad.”

  Now Daegan understood what Tristan was trying to tell him. Of all people to take Tristan, Cathbad knew exactly what Tristan was and his value.

  Finding him would be impossible if the druid did not wish to be found.

  Dragging Tristan from Cathbad’s grasp would be even more difficult. Every minute spent was another minute Tristan paid the price for any more missteps.

  Luigsech’s jaw dropped. “Who?”

  Both men turned to her. Daegan asked, “With all your research, have ya never heard of Cathbad the Druid?”

  Her face faded three shades lighter. “Of course, I have, but ... he’s dead. Been dead forever.”

  If only that were true.

  Daegan spent two thousand years locked in Queen Maeve’s realm, thinking he would never see her or Cathbad again.

  Then she and Cathbad showed up.

  He filled her in. “’Tis true that he and Queen Maeve were believed dead when they vanished, but they faked their deaths. They came out of a deep sleep recently and are both very much alive.”

  Her lips moved but she couldn’t form a word.

  Daegan took pity on her. “I know ya care deeply for your friend Fenella, but do not think to go runnin’ off. Ya are no match for this druid.”

  “And you are?”

  At one time he would have said yes, but he had no idea what destruction the Imortik venom was causing in his body.

  Chapter 21

  Casidhe had never suffered a panic attack, but she had the makings of a good one. These two men had just flipped her world upside down.

  Cathbad-the-freaking-Druid.

  She tried to calculate how old he could be today. She couldn’t get past the fact that she was pretty sure Cathbad had been alive before Herrick had been born.

  What did that make these two men standing in front of her?

  Were they just as old? Or had they only recently found out about Cathbad? “Who are you people to know about Cathbad?”

  Her question interrupted the murmured conversation that had been going on between Drake and Quinn. Her voice wobbled, but she couldn't help it. She had stepped neck-deep into a hellhole this time. Everything about these two and Cathbad were way beyond her skill set.

  Until now, the only significant supernaturals she’d met over the years besides Herrick, had been a mage and one Fae, neither of which had been a threat.

  She ordered, “Somebody answer me!” That sounded better. More like she still possessed a backbone even if her knees shook.

  Drake sounded consoling when he told her, “The less ya know about the two of us, the safer ya will be. Discoverin’ Cavan is Cathbad changes everythin’.”

  He’d surprised her when she’d opened her eyes to those silver-gray eyes staring at hers with concern. His huge hands had held her carefully, but he’d thrown her off by standing so close.

  But that didn’t mean she would now let him go alpha on her again. “Hold on a minute. What do you mean by this changes everythin’?”

  “By now, Cathbad will have realized we know each other. He has very likely been everywhere ya have been. He probably saw the disaster at your cottage. If he has not returned for his book or the grimoire, it may mean he has changed his mind. That leaves us with little to go on.”

  “Stop right there.” She had given them Cavan’s identity. They owed her. “I thought we did this whole mind thing to get both of our friends back.”

  “True.”

  “I’m not hearin’ a plan to save Fenella.”

  Daegan stared at Quinn for a few seconds.

  They were doing that damned telepathic talking again. “Stop doing that!”

  Daegan’s gray eyes swirled. />
  She blinked and his eyes were normal again. What the hell? She didn’t care about his damn eyes. “Besides being impolite to talk where I can’t hear, it’s annoyin’. I did my part. I gave you access to my freaking brain! Do your part.”

  “We were merely discussin’ Quinn’s next moves, which do not include ya,” Drake replied. “He is headin’ back to our people. We have a large network of resources. First, we must determine if Cathbad has Fenella, if someone else has Fenella, or if she is simply somewhere ya aren’t aware of and has not told ya.”

  “She would not—”

  “Luigsech, listen—”

  She would not allow him to talk his way out of this. “You gave your word!”

  “Enough!”

  The power behind that one word knocked her back a step. She felt the boom deep inside.

  Drake’s mouth flattened into a stern line.

  She’d pissed him off? Too bad.

  Fenella was Casidhe’s responsibility. She would not contact Herrick until she knew what Cathbad wanted. Drake had been right about one thing.

  Learning of Cathbad changed everything.

  She had to be extremely careful not to expose Herrick to anyone who might know the red dragon, such as a druid from back when dragons were a natural sight in the sky.

  A druid that old, and a dark one at that, could harm Herrick.

  Once Drake’s power dissipated, he explained, “Ya have gifts and expertise. So do we and our people. Quinn will know by the end of today if Fenella is in this realm or another realm. We need that information to know where to start searchin’ for her and how to rescue her. I have not broken my word. Do not make that accusation lightly with our kind.”

  She took her word, and her honor, seriously. Maybe these two did as well. “What are you goin’ to do, Quinn?”

  “I have the greatest supernatural network at my fingertips as well as our alliance with a human group who can match and sometimes exceed that of international security agencies. We found you by making one phone call yesterday.”

  To say that surprised her would be a ridiculous understatement.

  Just who were these people? They dodged that question as if they were CIA from America. She could handle a human CIA group, but not this mysterious supernatural bunch. Still, if they had the resources they claimed, she intended to tap that and anything else to find Fenella.

  Tilting his head in a bow to her, Quinn said, “It was nice meeting you Ms. Luigsech. I’m sorry for the circumstances, but perhaps you will see the useful side of an alliance with us from this.” Angling his head to Daegan, he added, “I’ll be in touch.”

  Air, or energy, around her changed. Sounds immediately became sharper. Had Quinn removed the cloaking?

  Quinn headed into the forest in the direction of the river, carrying himself as a man comfortable in the woods or an urban setting.

  She frowned. “Where is he goin’ to do all this research to find Fenella?”

  “”Tis none of your concern.”

  “For the love of ... do you really think every time you shut down one of my questions I’m goin’ to just be a nice little girl and let it slide?”

  “I do not consider ya a little girl.”

  Why had that sounded sexual in his deep voice?

  Because the last twelve hours had fried her brain.

  She started to speak, but she had to flex her jaw muscles to loosen the tension. “It’s good that you recognize I’m not a child, but that was not my point, which you well know. How about showin’ me the respect of answerin’ my questions?”

  That seemed to take him aback. “I answer the pertinent ones.”

  Arrogant son of a gun. She lifted a finger. “Rule number one of us workin’ together is if you want answers from me then you don’t get to dismiss any of my questions as unimportant. If I ask one, it means I need an answer.”

  A sigh escaped his big chest and came out as a growl. “Just as ya protect the secrets of who and what ya are, I have no reason to share everythin’ about our people. Quinn and I should be huntin’ the grimoire volume to save our people being prey of the Imortiks, but I have sent him home where he will be able to tap every resource we have to first locate Fenella. Ask your questions, but know this. We have more people facin’ worse than death in the next day in addition to whatever my friend is sufferin’.”

  Everything he said made sense even if it sounded as if the words had been dragged over a jagged surface. How could so many of his people be in dire straits? His words sat heavy on her heart. Remorse rolled around her shoulders, but she had not been the one to put everyone in jeopardy. “Fine. Here’s an easy question. What’s your friend’s name?”

  “Tristan.”

  “That wasn’t so hard, was it?” she muttered.

  “I would have told ya earlier had ya asked.” Looking around, he commented, “With Quinn huntin’ Cathbad, I suggest ya search for the grimoire volumes.”

  “I had that part figured out, buster. I can research much faster without you interferin’.”

  He dropped his gaze to her, pinning her with his intense stare. “Do ya truly think I will allow ya out of my sight again after last night? Trust is not a word I choose to describe our relationship.”

  Casidhe straightened him out. “We don't have a damn relationship. I don’t even like you.”

  “’Tis not necessary to like me to form an alliance.”

  He had an answer for everything.

  She had to make up her mind which way to go, but she normally began all searches for rare books with her extensive library. Wall to wall books, some from before Herrick’s time and many of which only she could translate. Some she had only read parts of, intending to read further when she had time. She never had that kind of time it seemed.

  Daegan cocked his head in the opposite direction Quinn had taken. “We should move. Now.”

  Hair stood across her arms. “What did you hear?”

  “If I knew for sure, I would tell ya, lass. Could be a natural animal, but could also be a demon or Imortik ... or somethin’ else. Would ya prefer to stay and find out?”

  “Not unless you need more sword practice.” She matched his sarcastic attitude.

  Then he lifted her backpack and held it open for her to strap on.

  This had better be a short alliance or he’d drive her crazy.

  She hooked her arms through the openings and snapped the closures shut. “Thank you.” Her appreciation lacked any warmth, but she’d said the words. That counted. “I need to return to the ancestral research centre. I would have stayed there to dig around today if I hadn’t been forced to leave.”

  He said nothing, his annoyance loud in the silence.

  She stomped away in the direction of her boat.

  As she walked, confusion began to settle out in her mind. Now some of this made sense. Cathbad and this man knew each other. In fact, Quinn and Tristan, the captive, knew Cathbad. How many people were part of Quinn and Drake’s group? Sounded like a large number to have those resource networks.

  Maybe the druid not showing this morning made sense if he’d seen Drake at her cottage, but did Cathbad have Fenella?

  Casidhe’s chest hurt every time she thought about Fenella being terrified and harmed.

  She had no reason to believe in Quinn or Drake, but she’d decided to stake her faith in Quinn coming through. She’d done her part by allowing him into her mind to see Cathbad. He’d been nice when he told her she had too many faces ...

  Oh, shit.

  Quinn’s voice had coached her to pick out one face and focus on it. She’d been worrying about Fenella, then Herrick, then the family. When she tried to bring up Fenella’s face, she’d had trouble separating it from all of the innocent faces at Herrick’s castle who would suffer if Casidhe failed them.

  Quinn’s voice had soothed her until she could push past her family to pinpoint Fenella. Once that was done, he coached her on Cavan, whose face had been blurry before she dug deeper into her
memories to find the first time she’d seen Cavan.

  That would have been fine, but pinpointing Cavan had meant going past her memories of Herrick to find an earlier time when she’d observed Cavan’s face. Correction. Cathbad’s face.

  Had Quinn seen anything else? Like Herrick?

  Her heartbeat jumped with that possibility.

  “What scared ya?” Drake asked.

  She swung around on him, almost throwing herself out of balance. “What are you talkin’ about?”

  “Your body changed. Your heart beat faster.”

  He sensed that? Granted that she had not met many powerful supernaturals until now, but she knew only one who could recognize the change in her heart rate.

  Herrick.

  She pointed out, “You don’t just know of Cathbad, you actually know that druid, right?”

  He arched his eyebrow at her. “’Tis not a new question, but I do.”

  “Have you spoken to him in the past? I mean, just how long have you been alive?”

  “Ya can shout all ya wish, but I will not answer many questions about myself.”

  Miserable man was so obstinate. “I just want to know how we have any hope of findin’ a druid of his power.”

  “The plan is simple, lass. He will find us.”

  Her brain stalled at those words.

  Drake had come to County Galway hunting the same grimoire as Cathbad. Could she really trust his motives? If she did find the grimoire volumes, would Drake use it to draw Cathbad out?

  Or take the book and run?

  She started seeing this all play out differently.

  She had no idea if Drake would use the volume to protect people or if he’d find a way to save Fenella.

  Now that she had a chance to think, how would Quinn find Fenella when he didn’t even have her phone number, last name, or any idea where to look for her?

  She’d never met Drake’s friend, Tristan.

  Did Tristan even exist?

  Or had all of this been one big con?

  Chapter 22

  Renata’s head spun and her stomach cramped, because she had nothing else to throw up.