Unknown Magic Page 8

  “Sorry a stór, I did not mean to frighten you.”

  “It’s okay. This place is just so magnificent I got lost in its beauty. I almost feel like I’ve been here before, yet I don’t know when. When you touched me, it startled me.”

  “Perhaps your mother brought you here when you were a child.”

  Megan tried to conjure some memory of being here before to no avail. “That may be it. Maybe just sitting here will help bring more of my memories back.”

  They found a spot and placed the blanket and food down on it. “Shall we relax a while or do you want to explore the area?” Seamus asked her.

  It pleased her that Seamus let her make the decision in what she wanted to do next. “I think I would like to just sit and enjoy the view and the weather for a little while. After we have lunch, maybe we can explore some of those rock formations,” Megan said as she swept her hand toward the area she had gazed at earlier.

  Seamus smiled. “As you wish.” Stretching out on the blanket with his ankles crossed, he closed his eyes.

  Megan took the time to study him. He looked comfortable, as if he did this all the time. Yet she sensed he was as alert as if he had been sitting up looking around. Even looking as if he did not have a care in the world, she knew he was ready to pounce at the slightest disturbance. How anyone could do that she didn’t know, but she liked the fact he made her feel safe and comfortable with him.

  Without opening his eyes, Seamus asked. “Are you just going to stare at me all day or are you going to join me?”

  Even though she knew he was alert to his surroundings, it shocked her that he could tell she was gawking at him. “How do you know I’m staring at you? Your eyes are closed, I could be doing anything.”

  He opened his eyes and looked at her with pure laughter. “Do you always deny things when you are caught in the act? You have much to learn about me, a stór. You are going to find out I am not about to let you get away with much.”

  When she bristled, he laughed out loud. “Oh, do not get you knickers in a twist. You know you were staring at me, so do not deny it. Come over here and get comfortable. I am not going to bite you.” He patted the ground next to him.

  She wasn’t worried about him biting her as much as she was worried about what else might happen if she got too close to him. It wasn’t that she was afraid of him either, it was more she was afraid of the feelings she had toward him.

  She walked over as if he had compelled her too, but instead of stretching out next to him, she sat, Indian-style and continued to stare at him. She wasn’t sure why she decided to make a big deal out of this, but she would be damned if she would let him get the better of her.

  “So you are just going to sit there and stare then?”

  “Yep.”

  “If that makes you happy then go right ahead, although I am sure you would be much more comfortable right here, and so would I.” He tapped the ground next to him once again, not bothering to open his eyes.

  After a while, Megan gave in, lay down on the blanket, closed her eyes, and let the sun warm her. It felt good to relax there and let her mind wander.

  The next moment she was walking among the rocks as a young child with her mother. Her mother was holding her hand as they climbed.

  “Little One, I want to show you a very special place I found when I was a young child.”

  They walked through another rock formation and stopped in front of a solid rock wall. Her mother placed her hand against a small group of rocks to the side and spoke in a language Megan had heard many times.

  “Remember these words Megan. They will release the ward and let you enter.”

  The wall disappeared, revealing a small passageway, which opened up into a large cave. It was dark, but there was some source of light because she could see well enough to see the enormity of the cave. Moss covered the walls and strange pointed objects protruded from the ceiling. Megan pointed to them. “Mommy what are those things?”

  Bernadette laughed. “Those are called stalactites, which grow in caves due to mineral deposits seeping in.”

  They walked around as her mother explained more about the cave. Megan felt exhilarated as she explored the cave with her mother. Yet there was something else she could not grasp the meaning of. It was as if her mother was trying to tell her something, yet she could not quite comprehend it.

  The scene disappeared, and she was once again lying on the blanket with Seamus next to her. She jerked up.

  Seamus grabbed her. “What is it, a ghrá?”

  “I was dreaming of my mother, and she was trying to tell me something, but I don’t understand what it means. All I know is it has something to do with a cave around here.”

  Seamus looked thoughtful for a moment. “I have found no caves around here in my explorations. Most of the caves I have found are up there in the mountains,” he swept his hand toward a vast mountain range.

  “No, we were here. I’m sure of it.” She gazed around her now beginning to doubt herself.

  “Tell me about the dream.”

  She told him about being young and walking through the outcroppings of rocks and the secret cave her mother showed her. “It was somewhere over that direction,” she said, pointing just left of the mountains themselves. The same place she had been looking at when they first arrived. “And it wasn’t very far.”

  “Then, a ghrá, how about we eat and then go looking for this cave your mother showed you in your vision. I am sure there must be some reason for you remembering it now. Maybe we can locate it and it might be another way of bringing back more memories. It seems you are remembering more and more daily.”

  “You’re probably right, but I also felt as if there was a sense of urgency in what my mother was trying to tell me. Not something from my past, but something I needed to do now.”

  As they ate their picnic lunch, Megan's uneasiness increased. She knew they had to find this cave now. Explaining her feelings to Seamus, he raised his hand and everything from their picnic stood neatly stacked by a tree.

  Megan led the way, but she felt as if someone else was guiding her through the outcropping. She knew where to turn and when to climb over. She kept going, yet with each step she took, she felt a greater sense of urgency to find her mother’s secret cave. Not knowing why, but knowing she must, she quickened her steps.

  Seamus said nothing, keeping a firm grip on her hand, and letting her find the way. When they stood in front of the solid rock wall of her dream, Megan said, “This is it.” She placed her hand the way her mother had showed her in her dream and spoke the words she was told to remember.

  The wall disappeared and she was about to step in, but Seamus placed his hand on her shoulder. “Megan, listen to me, something is off here, and I cannot place what it is. Wait just a moment and let me check this out, please?” Seamus disappeared into the darkness.

  Megan was impatient to get into the cave, but she knew Seamus was right. Fingers of fear climbed up her spine. She moved forward, the darkness ahead less fearsome than the unknown behind her. Seamus appeared at the cave’s mouth before she could get far.

  “The cave is fine. I want you to go in there and stay until either one of your uncles or I come to get you out. Promise me that no matter what you hear or feel you will not let anyone else know where you are.”

  Her hands rested on her companion’s arms. She felt his muscles tighten as he became alert to the danger around them. “I promise I will stay put.”

  “Good, now get in there, I am going to get our food and blanket and bring them to you in case you get cold or hungry.”

  By the time she edged into the large part of the cave, Seamus was shimmering into existence in front of her.

  He gave her the blanket and food basket and said, “When I went back for the food, I saw some men in the area. I cannot explain why I did not detect them, but I figure that is the wrongness we are feeling.” His brow furrowed with worry. “Megan, please stay in this cave until I come and get you. I
am going to ward it after I close the wall back up so no one else will be able to come in through the entrance. ” Then he grabbed her, held her to him, and kissed her. “Be safe, and stay put, please.”

  Before she could say a word, he was gone. She wasn’t sure she would ever get used to the way he could just pop in and out like that. She spread the blanket out and put the food basket on top of it.

  She decided to explore the cave to give her something to do rather than worry. Just as in her dream, it was very dark yet there still seemed to be some sort of light source. Moss still covered the walls and stalactites hung from the ceiling.

  As she walked around the cave, she noticed a smaller cave off to the side. It seemed much brighter, so she made her way in. In one area, there was what looked like a small altar upon which there were some stones, a bowl, and other things that she did not recognize. She walked over to the altar and sat in front of it. She could feel a faint source of energy coming from some of the strange artifacts. As she brought her hand toward them, the energy became more pronounced. If she moved her hand away, it became fainter. Not being sure what any of these things were for, she decided she would leave them alone until either Seamus or one of her uncles could look at them and explain their use. She went back out to the larger cave and lay down on the blanket to wait for Seamus to return.

  Within moments she was sound asleep.

  How had these men gotten this far without him sensing them? If it had not been for Megan’s dream of her mother, he would never have gotten her to safety before these men showed up. How were these people shielding themselves from him? If they could shield from him, was it possible they could shield themselves from Donovan, Sean, and Patrick as well?

  He materialized in the form of a bird and perched in a tree just above the cabin. Everything was calm…too calm. He probed the cabin and sure enough, there were more people in there than should have been. He could only acquire a faint reading of Donovan and Sean’s energy, meaning they had to be unconscious. He sensed Jim and felt a great deal of anger coming from him. He was in the den with two more non-Tuatha.

  As he scanned the cabin, he found four more individuals in various rooms. The only one he could not find was Patrick. Then a movement down by the lake caught his eye. Patrick was in wolf form loping toward the cabin.

  Once again, he sent his senses out and found another person up on the hill with a rifle trained on Patrick. He willed himself to the man, grabbing him just in time to prevent Patrick from being shot. Instead, the dart hit the tree just above Patrick’s back. An instant later, Patrick was standing next to him as Seamus snapped the man’s neck.

  “Bloody hell, what is going on?”

  “It would seem we have company, and they do not want any of us conscious.”

  Patrick grabbed Seamus’s arm, digging his fingers in as he asked, “Where is Megan?”

  Removing Patrick’s fierce grip from his arm, he said, “Fortunately she had a dream about her mother and some secret cave. We found the cave just as I started sensing something was wrong. She is safe for the moment. I warded the cave so no one will be able to get to her, but we do have a bigger problem.”

  Patrick’s squinted and his lips thinned, before he spoke. “And what could be bigger than the fact I did not sense this fellow and almost became vulture bait?”

  “Oh, you would not have been dead, my friend, just incapacitated like Donovan and Sean. In addition, if my guess is right, they have now lost all telepathic communication. As much as I hate to put any more of our people in danger, we are going to need some help. There are six more in the cabin. Donovan and Sean are unconscious in the back of the cabin. I also think there may be a few more of these men up here as well.”

  “How in the bloody hell did they get up here without us noticing?”

  “If I had that answer, we would not be standing here talking. In fact we better get out of here before any more show up.” Seamus searched the area for more of the undetectable men.

  “Who do you want me to contact in the family?”

  “Contact Noel and tell him to have Shannon get in touch with my father, Brian and Colin. Tell Noel to contact Kevin and Conor. Have him tell Conor to stand by as we are going to need him to analyze the drug they used to knockout Sean and Dono. Make sure you tell them what is going on. I think the safest place for us to meet would be back in the cave, but I am not about to make that cave public knowledge. So how about we get over to my cabin and see if it is safe. I will pull the wards for a few minutes while everyone gathers and then ward us in so we have no unexpected guests until we figure out what we need to do.”

  They materialized in a nearby tree as two eagles, sending out their senses to check for any danger. They picked up two more non-Tuatha men about fifty yards to the south of the cabin and a dead one outside in the bushes behind the back door. Seamus undid the wards, they materialized into the house, and then placed the wards back again.

  “Guess your wards work pretty well,” Patrick said with a smirk.

  Seamus almost laughed, “You would not have died from it the other day, but I can guarantee you would have been hurting greatly. But that proves that these men are not of our people.”

  Shaking his head Patrick said. “Damn good thing Dono stopped me from trying to get in.”

  “Yes, it was, now let me know when everyone is ready, and I will un-ward again. I do not want any of our people materializing out in the open. We do not know exactly how many more of these men there are up here.” Seamus peered out the window.

  “They have a small army from the looks of it. How is it we did not sense them? Are you sure Megan is going to be safe in that cave by herself?”

  “Paddy, the way you fire off questions, you sound just like her. First, I have no clue on how they were able to get up here without us sensing them. Second, Megan is safe for now. I do not plan on having her alone for long. I am going to have Da stay with her while the rest of us deal with this threat.”

  Patrick tilted his head and said, “They are ready, so remove your wards, and I will let them know.”

  Seamus did so and within seconds, six men materialized inside. As soon as they did, he protected the cabin once again. Seamus stood in the midst of two of his brothers, Colin and Brian, his father as well as Donovan’s three brothers, Noel, Kevin, and Conor. They stood in front of him, joy and appreciation on their faces.

  Before Seamus could comment on the fact Conor was not supposed to be there, Noel said, “I know you said to have Conor stand by, but your Mum insisted you would need him.”

  Seamus knew better than to argue with his mother’s insistence as she could sense things no one else could.

  Each of them greeted him in turn, but it was his father who nearly brought Seamus to his knees. Unshed tears in his father’s eyes shimmered, as he wrapped his arms around Seamus, squeezing him until he thought he would pass out from lack of air.

  “Why is it you did not let us know all this time that you were alive?” His father released his hug, dropping his arms to his sides.

  Seamus could see hurt replace the tears in his father’s eyes. “For this exact reason, Da. I wanted no one else to get involved with these people. Because of my carelessness, Sean and Dono are unconscious and more than likely, they will not be able to communicate telepathically with their family again. These people are a great threat to us. Because I came around one of my best friends, his life is now in danger. On top of that, I have brought all of you into this as well. Sadly, there is no way I can deal with this on my own at the moment.”

  His father took a step back, brought his hands to Seamus’s shoulders, and looked into his eyes. “You know we would give our lives for you. It should have been our decision to make.”

  “Da, that is not the way. I could not put any of you in danger, yet, in the end that is exactly what I have done.”

  “Your mum was sick for three years after we lost you because she could not get a pure reading on you. She kept insisting you were not
dead, saying she would have seen if you were. She constantly tried to communicate with you as well as trying every means she possessed to scry for you to no avail. If it had not been for her getting pregnant again, I think I would have lost her, too. Before you ask, you have another sister who is now thirteen years of age. But enough for now, how are you planning to alleviate this threat?”

  Grateful that his father understood that this situation must take priority he said, “First, I would like to take you to a cave where Megan is hidden away. I have to know that she is safe while we go after the rest of this group. If you have not heard already, I have found my mate, and she must be guarded at all cost. After I return, the rest of us are going to coordinate an assault on Donovan’s cabin, get him, Sean, and Jim out, and kill this entire group. We know of two others that are wandering around behind my cabin. I also saw a couple where Megan and I were before we went to the cave. Somehow, they are able to shield themselves from us until they are extremely close. This could be our biggest problem of all, because we do not know how many more of them are out there.”

  His father nodded and said, “Let us get this over with so we can sit down and have a decent chat together.”

  Seamus turned to his brother Colin. “Colin, as soon as we leave, ward the cabin. I will have Da let you know when I am on my way back, so you can let me back in.” Turning toward the rest he said, “No one is to leave until I return. We cannot afford having anyone else incapacitated. We need at least six of us to pull off the rescue and that is only if no one else has joined them. Anyone have a question?”

  No one did. “Well then, let us get on with it. I should be back within twenty minutes. Colin, keep in constant contact with Da. That way you will know if anything has gone wrong. Paddy, you know the situation so start coordinating plans. We will firm them up when I get back.”