Unknown Magic Page 17

  “That’d probably be the best way for me to understand what this whole mating thing is all about.”

  “Good.” Shannon began. “When we are born, sometimes even before we are born, The Fates decide who will be our mate. They also decide the right time. Only then do we know. For example, Noel and I had been around each other for years before The Fates decided our time was right. There were times when we were younger we would fight like cats and dogs. I would even go as far as to say at one point I hated his guts. We had not seen each other in quite a few years. Then one day, I had gone over to help your grandmother to prepare for something. I cannot even recall what at this time. Noel came in and we knew, not to mention so did everyone else in the room.”

  “How did you know? I mean how could you be sure that you and Noel were right for each other?” Megan leaned toward Shannon.

  “If you had been brought up knowing your heritage and learning our ways, you would have known as easily as the rest of us. I can guarantee you that you and Seamus are mates.” Shannon grinned when Megan scowled and continued. “Now, the Deasghnáth itself is a festival of sorts. It is very similar to what you know as a wedding ceremony. There is dancing and the food, of course, is plentiful. When it comes time to say the Focail Deasghnátha though, you will do that in private.”

  “Once the vows are said is there any way to undo them in case you’re all wrong and we aren’t mates?” Megan asked.

  Shannon laughed. “No. Once the Focail Deasghnátha are said, there is no way to undo them. No one is ever unhappy when mated. Only one case exists to my knowledge, our Prince, Conall. But, he went against The Fates and mated to a woman that was not his true bond mate. He told me once he had no choice, but I know our King would never have forced or condoned such a union. I do know that Conall’s life was miserable after that. Strangely, he was murdered, about five years later.”

  “So you actually knew him?”

  “Yes, we all knew him. His mate was a horrible person. She was rude to all of us, and she treated Conall as though he was not worthy of her, when in truth, she was way below him in status and in character. She carried magic, but nothing like his. Of course, after they mated, her power was tremendous, although she lost that upon his death. But we are getting off the subject.”

  Megan conceded, even though she was fascinated with the prince’s story. She would have liked to find out more. “True, so there’s no way out once the Fates decide and there’s no divorce once the ritual is preformed?” Megan held her breath.

  “That is correct. However, when you mate with your true mate, Megan, there is nothing like it in the world. You will be able to know what the other is thinking. You will be able to share powers, which can be exhilarating. You can find your mate, no matter where he is, and when you make love, oh Goddess, you share each other’s experiences. I had sex before I mated, and I can tell you, once you mate you will never want to have sex with anyone but your mate, ever again.”

  Megan let out her breath and shook her head. “That’s all fine and good, but I don’t want someone that always tries to tell me what to do. Your brother has that tendency, and I don’t like it. I have always been my own person and I don’t want to lose that.”

  Shannon smiled. “Seamus has always been a bit overly protective, but he means well. There are plenty of ways to get around him. Noel is almost as bad, although he is learning. The one thing they sometimes forget is that we are as powerful as they are. Right now, Seamus is worried that this group knows to much about you. He has only had to worry about himself for so long, and since you do not have all your powers yet, he is going to overreact until you do. Once you come into power and he sees you can take care of yourself, he will ease up. Before my empowerment, he was very much the same way with me. Then he learned I could take care of myself and now I can draw on Noel’s power, so he will not have to worry ever again. After you two mate and you turn twenty-five, especially with the powers you are already exhibiting, he will ease up on you as well.”

  “Can you be sure of that?”

  “It will not make much difference if I am right or not, because you are very willful and strong. Seamus will do everything in his power to make you happy and trying to smother you will not. Therefore, he will not be able to do anything else but let you have your way. It is just another one of the many benefits of mating; we get everything we want.” Shannon wiggled her eyebrows.

  Megan started laughing. “Did you say everything?”

  With a snicker, Shannon said, “Oh yes, and I mean everything.”

  “That could be beneficial, couldn’t it?”

  “Megan, you will soon find out just how much so.”

  Megan chewed on her thumbnail. “I do have a serious question though. I know I feel attracted to Seamus, but I don’t want to marry someone unless I’m in love with them.”

  Shannon smiled. “That is not something you have to worry about. You will find that love will come in your relationship quickly. I think the reason you do not seem to know whether you are in love with him now is because you are still thinking like a non-Tuatha. Once you are with him in all ways, you are going to see you are both very much in love. I can tell you, as time passes, you will grow even deeper in love. And it will be a love no non-Tuatha will ever be able to experience.”

  Shannon paused and tilted her head, and Megan knew she was talking to Noel.

  “Megan, it is time for Noel and I to go deal with these men.”

  “Thanks for everything and please be careful, I don’t want anything to happen to anyone else.”

  Shannon reached for Megan and they embraced. “We will be shielded and watchful. I am in no mood to have to deal with any more of us hurt myself.”

  They walked out together.

  Noel, Seamus, and Quinlon were talking when Megan and Shannon came over. Noel turned to Quinlon. “Can you shield Shannon and I separately from yourself?”

  “Yes, but why is that necessary?”

  “Because once we send out the energy field you will be caught in it the same as the Golden Boys and without shielding of your own, I am not sure how it will affect you. When I did it the last time, everyone close to me felt it strongly. This time Shannon and I will be touching, so it should be much stronger. And with you that close and unprotected, I do not want to be responsible for causing you harm.”

  “Fair enough, I will shield myself.”

  Noel turned to Seamus. “Seamus?”

  “Not to worry old friend, I have seen the effects of unprotected people and I do not intend to let anything happen to any of us left here.” Then Seamus called over to Colin, “Do you know where the Golden Boys are at this time?”

  “Aye, they are all inside their camp.”

  “All right then, I guess it is time. Quinlon, Noel and Shannon, stay safe, and may the Goddess be with you in this endeavor.” Seamus clasped Quinlon’s and Noel’s arms and hugged Shannon.

  Seamus felt the power surge around his shielding and knew Noel and Shannon were performing their special trick. When the pressure receded, Seamus spoke to those in the cavern. “It is safe to join Noel and Shannon outside.”

  Seconds later, Seamus, Colin, and Patrick materialized next to Noel’s team.

  Colin looked at Noel and asked, “Are you all right? You look a tad gray.”

  “Aye, just a bit dizzy from the power drain is all.”

  Seamus asked, “Shall we head down then and see how you did?”

  Quinlon turned toward the camp and said, “Stay shielded until we do a head count and know they are all out.”

  With that, they all materialized inside the camp. Not a man was standing, but when they finished counting, they could only find twenty-four of their enemy.

  Seamus gaze scanned the area again. “Colin, have Da check the monitors.” He could feel his blood pressure rising with each passing second.

  “Da says there are only the twenty-four. No sign of anyone anywhere away from the group.”

  The ground unde
r everyone feet began to shake. “When will this bloody well end?”

  Quinlon spun around. “Seamus. Control is what we need now.”

  Seamus stemmed his anger and nodded.

  Quinlon said, “I can shield two groups along with myself, that way you can use your power to start cleaning up the area.”

  Seamus said, “Aye, that would be a good idea. Noel, you stay with Quinn and rest. Shannon you go with Paddy. Col and I will stay together.”

  It did not take long to collect the equipment they wanted to keep and dispose of everything else so it looked as if no one had ever been there.

  Seamus turned to Colin. “Check in with Da and see if the missing person has shown up.”

  After checking with his father, Colin said. “No, he cannot locate him anywhere. I have to say this group seems to have the ability to do some strange things. We need to get back. I want to recheck to make sure there were twenty-five before Noel and Shannon came out, although I am sure there were. Then, I am going to go frame-by-frame and see when the one of them disappeared. It is as strange as last night’s occurrence.”

  Seamus nodded. “That it is.”

  After Seamus and the others had returned, Roarke accompanied one of the other High Lords to set a second spell inside Seamus’s protections. They had decided it might be needed to prevent any further disruptions before the Deasghnáth.

  The next days passed in a blur, as Megan was trying to comprehend all that was happening around her. Her powers grew stronger with each passing day. She enjoying trying new things and found they came to her easier and easier. She practiced on focus and control, at Roarke’s insistence.

  The Deasghnáth was quite an elaborate event, and it seemed that her whole family and Seamus’s were to attend. At Seamus’s request, they kept the number of other people to a minimum. He would allow the few High Lords that had been here earlier to attend. She was glad that they gave her as much time as they possibly could. Things seemed to have quieted down since they disposed of the last set of interlopers. She could only hope Golden Enterprises had given up.

  Megan and Shannon had talked numerous times about the things that were to happen. Seamus had also explained much of it, delving deeper into the private part of the ceremony.

  Her nervousness increased as the days passed. What if things didn’t work out the way everyone said they would? What will happen if we find out it was not the right match, since the only way to get out of the bond was by death? That sent shivers up her spine. No one else seemed to be concerned about that fact and Megan was having a difficult time understanding why.

  When her dad came over to see if there was anything he could do to help her, she decided to talk to him about it. “Dad, what if I’m doing the wrong thing?”

  Jim looked at her and laughed. “Meg, darling, even I can feel the pull between you and Seamus. I know you are right for each other. He looks at you the same way I used to look at your mother. You may be too young for my liking to get married, but I can see that you’ll be happy once everything is said and done. I may not be Tuatha, but I have been around them enough to know when two of them are mates.”

  Megan rested her head against her father’s shoulder and tried to will away her doubts as he continued to speak to her.

  “I still see the love in your grandparent’s eyes when they look at each other. I remember seeing Shannon with Noel before the Fates decided they were mates. They used to act like they despised each other, and now it’s like someone put a love spell over them. So, no Meg, I don’t think that your union with Seamus is wrong.”

  Megan relaxed into her father’s embrace.

  “I wished for your sake the ritual could have waited for a while, but I understand this threat. I’m thankful you are taking it seriously and have agreed to this ritual.”

  Tears filled Megan’s eyes as she hugged him. “Dad, I love you. Thank you for just being here.”

  “Sweetheart, I love you so much, and I’ll always be grateful to have been part of your mother’s life. We ended up with a beautiful and loving daughter. By going through with this ritual, I’ll rest easy knowing you’ll be around for a long time.”

  “I’ll always be around to share my life with you even when I mate to Seamus. I think he knows that and would never try to keep us apart.”

  “No, he has a kind heart, and he would never do anything that would cause you pain. I know I misjudged him when I first met him. I let my fears run wild, but in the last few weeks, I’ve come to respect him a lot. I think he’ll make you very happy.”

  “Thanks, Dad. You make me feel much better. I know everyone else thinks Seamus and I are meant for each other, but it makes me feel better knowing you do too. You aren’t a Tuatha and if you see it, then maybe I’m just scared.”

  “That’s the understatement of the year. I’m sorry I didn’t have Donovan tell you about your heritage years ago, like he wanted. I guess I just felt if you never knew, you’d never get your powers. Pretty ignorant on my part, wasn’t it?”

  “I could never ask for a better dad. You did what you thought was the best for me, and I’ll never believe that it would have made any difference. I don’t think I would have gotten my powers any sooner. I had a great life growing up with you.” Megan hugged Jim close.

  “I came in here to see if I could ease your mind and, instead, you’ve eased mine. Your mother would have been very proud of you. Now I’m going to go see if anyone needs my help getting anything ready for the celebration.”

  “Thanks again, Dad, you’ve helped more than you’ll ever know.”

  After Jim left, Megan felt drained and decided a short nap might help. In moments, after stretching out, Megan was asleep.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Megan and her mother laughed as Bandit went running down the path chasing squirrels and birds that darted in and out between the trees. It was a cool fall day, and the ground was littered with colorful falling leaves. The sun dappled the ground as it came through the trees, making everything look luminous.

  “I don’t ever want to go home. Can’t we stay here forever?”

  Glancing over at her, Bernadette said, “Little One, you start school in less than a month, and you told me you loved going to school.”

  “It’s so much fun exploring. They give us yucky homework. I want to stay here in the woods instead.”

  “If you do not go to school, how will you become smart enough to be the teacher you want, when you grow up?”

  Exhaling, Megan conceded, “I guess. It feels like school just ended and soon I’ve got to go back.”

  “That is because you always try to pack so much into such a short time.”

  Changing the subject, Megan went on, “Uncle Donovan said I could stay with him in Ireland till school starts. You said I can. I get to go right?”

  Shaking her head, her mother said, “See what I mean? Aye, you know that your Da and I promised you that you could go.”

  “Can we go explore your cave again?”

  “Ah, Megan, my little one, you make me tired the way you bounce from one subject to the other. You remind me so much of Paddy.”

  “Uncle Paddy says that’s cause we have ad-ven-tur-ous minds.”

  “Your Uncle Paddy is such a bad influence on you. Aye, we can go to the cave. I want to show you something anyway.”

  They hiked through a meadow and climbed over and around outcroppings of rocks. Megan would have missed the entrance if her mother had not stopped. Her mother said some words, and the entrance appeared. They walked into a large cave and to the side was another chamber that her mother led her into. There was a small stone altar with crystals and sculptures on it. Megan strolled over and started picking up many of the crystals. She loved the beautiful colors and shapes. A group of three carved crystals caught her eye. She picked them up and turned each around many times. “What are these for?”

  “Those, Little One, are a very special set of onyx crystals. They are the holder of memories. Once you come i
nto power, you will be able to activate them, but until then neither you nor anyone else will have any affect on them. If something should ever happen to me, you will have these to tell you the truth.”

  “Can I take them home, can I, can I?”

  “No, Little One, they must remain here. For no one else will be able to take them as long as they remain in this cave. No one but you can activate them or even touch them. If there is ever a need you will remember these special words, and at that time, you will activate the crystals.”

  Megan woke with a start. She knew the dream she had was from years ago, but it was about this very cave they were in now. She also knew which crystals were the ones her mother had said were the holders of memories.

  She jumped from the bed, ran to the altar, and picked up the crystals that had so fascinated her when she first arrived days ago. Roarke had been afraid to let her touch them even though she had been drawn so strongly to them. Now she knew why they meant so much. She held them, but for the life of her, she could not recall the words that would activate them. Thinking back on her dream she tried to remember everything her mother had said. ‘Once you come into power you will be able to activate them, but until then neither you nor anyone else will have any affect on them.’

  “Well, I guess I’ll just have to wait until I turn twenty-five.”

  “What will you have to wait until you turn twenty-five for?”

  Megan jumped at Seamus’s voice.

  “Sorry, a ghrá, I did not mean to alarm you.”

  “That’s okay, I didn’t notice you come in.”

  “And what may I ask had you in such deep thought?”

  Megan proceeded to tell him about her dream and held out her hand to show him the crystals of memories. He reached out but as soon as his hand touched them, they vanished. Both Megan and Seamus gasped. Megan whispered, “Dear God, where’d they go?”