Lost Wanderer Awakened - Book One of the Airendell Chronicles (62 page)

“Yeah and you got caught doing it, and we
both were sanctioned by the Elders,” Morna grumbles in her sleep.
Everyone laughs again.

By then Luca finds the bus station. He and
George get out and take care of the luggage. When they get back in
the truck twenty minutes later, Luca gently shakes Morna awake.
“Beloved, you have to show me where the gateway is,” he tells
her.

Morna sits up and stretches, “You won’t
believe it,” she giggles. “It’s in a vacant lot behind the
WalMart.” The all bust out laughing at that.

George says, “Well that solves the problem of
where to leave my truck. We can just park it in the WalMart lot. It
will be days before anyone realizes it has been there for a
while.”

Luca finds the WalMart, and then parks
George’s truck under a working street light, they all get out. Luca
locks the truck and hands the keys to George. He drops the keys in
his pocket and slings the backpack containing the treasured
artifacts onto his back.

They all take off walking toward the store.
Morna says, “Any other humans need the necessary?” The group
ventures into the store. The 5 humans head off to the rest rooms,
while Luca buys Morna some energy bars, and a couple of drinks. She
seems to be burning off fluid and calories at an astonishing rate.
He waits for the group at the front of the store. They all go out
silently, veer to the left and duck behind the store. When they get
to the back of the store, “How far out in the field Morna?” Brigid
asks.

“Don’t you see it?” Morna asks as she drinks
one of the cokes Luca bought for her. “It’s about 25 yards dead
ahead of us.”

“Morna, I am Second Order remember, and I
don’t have vampire vision like Luca to guide me,” comes Brigid’s
sharp retort.

“Sorry Brig, my memory is spotty,” apologizes
Morna. Luca squeezes her hand.

“I didn’t mean to snap,” says Brigid. “I have
only gone through the gateway at Airendell. And Aideen was a baby
when she went through her only time, and George hasn’t ever done
it. I am just nervous.”

“I know Brigid, sorry, it’s old hat to me.
Please forgive me.” When they are in front of the gate she stops,
and says, “I’ll go first and clear the way with the gateway keeper,
start coming 2 minutes after me, one at time. Luca or Breena needs
to come in last to make sure the first timers get through okay. I
will look different in there. I will probably look like I looked in
Airendell, so be prepared.”

Morna kisses Luca, then hugs Aideen, takes a
step forward and seems to disappear. Breena laughs at the newbies’
reactions. “Freaky isn’t it?”

Two minutes go by and Luca says, “Step
forward Aideen. Just keep walking until your mother takes your
hand. She will help you through the threshold. She hugs her daddy
and does what he says. Luca counts off thirty seconds then sends
Brigid through, thirty seconds then sends George through, Breena
goes through and then Luca brings up the rear.

When Luca clears the gate he is amazed to see
the largest man he has ever laid eyes on hugging his daughter, and
laughing uproariously. The man is an absolute giant of a man. He
must be at least 7 feet tall, and 400 pounds, with muscles any body
builder would give his soul for. He has rather long, brilliant,
strawberry blond hair, same color as the current Morna incarnation.
He has a neatly trimmed beard and mustache. His eyes are the same
as hers too. And he’s wearing only a breechcloth with a belt around
his waist and strapped over his shoulder. He carries a huge sword
at his side and a shield slung on his back.

“Morna, your father I presume?” asks
Luca.

“Yes Lucian, I am Valiant, your father in
law. Almeda contacted me and I decided to meet you all here to help
guarantee safe passage. I was worried when she told me who all was
coming with you. You might need someone to defend the non-warriors
with you.” He looks at Aideen, Breena and Brigid when he says
this.

“I am honored to meet your sir,” says Luca as
he extends his hand to shake the demigod’s hand.

Valiant picks him up in a bear hug. “Any man
who loves my Baby Girl the way you do and takes such good care of
her, gets a hug. I am proud of all my children, but Morna is truly
the most magnificent! … Though we might need to have a talk about
that incident a few days ago. I need to clear a couple of things up
on that score,” Valiant roars with laughter.

“Father, behave! My daughter is here,” a
quiet, authoritative voice behind the giant speaks out. She steps
out from behind the giant figure of her father. And everyone
freezes in their tracks.

Aideen is the first to react. She runs to
Morna and puts her arms around her. “Mama, is that really you?”

“Yes Aideen, it’s me,” Morna assures her
daughter.

Brigid and Breena run to her too. Luca
remains where he stands. He feels like he is seeing a ghost. George
just stares open mouthed. There is no way the two Mornas are the
same woman. The one he knows is at least full foot taller and 60 or
70 pounds heavier. This tiny Morna has fiery copper hair worn in a
huge braid hanging down to her knees, and she can’t’ weigh 100
pounds soaking wet. She’s holding her now too big shoes in her left
hand as she holds the waist of the skirt with her other hand to
keep it from falling off. This is the First Warrior…of whatever,
whatever..? He muses. The eyes are exactly the same though. Morna
sees the confusion on George’s face. She holds out a hand to him,
he takes it gingerly. “It’s really me George. It’s not a trick or a
spell, this is the ascended me. I walk in this form in all magical
realms until I undergo the ascension ceremony again in two
days.”

Aideen pulls back from Morna, “Mama you
really want to change your ascended form?”

Morna looks at her kindly, with understanding
and compassion. “Yes I do, Ladybug. I am rather attached to the
14th model. She’s has few dings, and she’s not as beautiful, but
she’s my favorite none the less.”

Valiant throws his head back and laughs. “I
do believe your mate shares your opinion Morna.”

Luca comes forward to take her in his arms.
“That’s true love. This is the Morna I fell in love with, but the
other is a full grown woman to walk through eternity with,” he
confesses and kisses her gently.

Morna chuckles, “Good, the two opinions that
count, are in agreement.”

Valiant throws back his head and roars in
laughter again. “Feisty isn’t she?”

“We better get going,” Morna says as she
ignores her Father‘s comment. She turns from Luca to pick up her
sword and shield. She dons them, using her belt to hold the baggy
skirt in place, then tucks the pumps into the belt. She hands a set
of weapons and belt to Luca; he bows to her and dons them. Then
Morna takes Luca’s hand and they take off at a fast run. The others
follow suit.

George and Valiant bring up the rear. “Stone
Breaker, if you can’t keep up, I will carry you. That is if it
won’t offend you to be carried by a demigod.”

“Not at all sir,” he says. “But I feel
strangely strong here.”

“Yes, your magic is stronger than you
realize. You should come back and spend some time with me. We could
get you up to full speed in no time, I think.” Valiant tells the
Stone Breaker thoughtfully.

The group runs along in silence. Everyone is
keeping up and things seem to be going smoothly. Until Morna raises
her hand, calling a halt. She sniffs. “I smell trolls, and
something else,” she tells her companions.

“It smells somewhat like the entity that
attacked Morna the other night,” says Luca.

“It’s different though, but it could be the
same one,” says Morna doubtfully. “Whatever it is it’s moving on, I
don‘t think it‘s going to engage us directly. We are too strong
with Father and George with us.” Luca hands a bottle of flavored
water to Morna and she downs it quickly. Luca puts the empty in the
backpack.

“The trolls are running away too. Let’s get
on to Robber’s Cave,” says Valiant.

~ ~ ~ ~

The group runs the rest of the way in
silence. Morna calls a halt after several hours. “We are nearly
there,” she tells her group. She indicates that everyone should
rest for a moment. “Luca, could you ask Ari if there are any new
developments with the children or our circle of supporters?” Morna
asks quietly. “I have a sick feeling we have adversaries waiting
for us up top. I am still surprised that the Trolls and that being
didn’t engage us. I could feel the animosity and hatred radiating
from them all.” Breena nods her agreement and looks to Luca.

Luca looks at Morna and shakes his head no.
“Good, maybe I am just a worrying old woman,” says Morna. Luca and
George both snort at that.

George looks at Morna and says, “Are you
empathic Morna?”

“Not exactly, but I can sometimes sense
emotions and thoughts of enemies, especially in large groups. It’s
a skill that has saved my life more times than I can recall.” Morna
admits with a smile. “Breena is empathic. Very powerful, she can
sense when someone she cares about is in distress over a great
distance.”

Suddenly, George says, “Anyone else smell
that? I don’t recognize it.”

“Dammit,” says Luca. “Someone lost a wild hog
here at some time. It’s a blood boar, strike that, it’s a herd of
blood boars.” When he sees the confused looks on the faces of his
companions, he explains, “One of my kind was either feeding on a
boar, and lost it somehow, or he did it on purpose. Our venom
changes some animals into wild blood thirsty beasts when they are
bitten.”

“It is possible that someone did it to set a
trap for us. Be on your guard.” says Morna. “Breena, Aideen and
Brigid, stay here. Father, Luca, George and I can take care of
this.”

Valiant throws his head back and roars in
laughter. “See how my daughter takes command? I told you she was
magnificent!”

“Whatever.” mutters Morna. “Let’s go!”

When the group emerges from the gateway
George shakes his head in surprise, Morna looks like herself again,
she is readjusting her clothes and the weapons belt. In the
distance Luca can hear snarling and grunting sounds, he looks
around and sniffs the air. “This way.” He indicates they should
follow him. The group jogs up a small hill, and then walks warily
around a clump of trees and finds Damian trapped up in the high
branches of a mighty native pecan tree. There are at least twelve
blood boars at the bottom, fighting each other viciously in vain
attempts to get at their quarry.

Valiant laughs heartily. George and Luca
chuckle too, but Morna goes into protective mother mode and charges
into the writhing mass of snarling beasts. She draws her sword on
the run and kicks the first beast she comes to. It goes up into the
air and she rends it in two with one slash of her sword. She brings
her sword down mightily on another boar charging her on her left
side. She reverses herself and slashes another on her right side.
She leaps vertically and somersaults over the writhing mass of
beasts, then comes down on the other side of them, turning
immediately to slash two more beasts in two smooth motions.

By now Damian has jumped down from the tree
after Morna distracted the snarling beasts, and has taken out two
of them with his bare hands. Two boars broke off from the group and
attempt to get away. Luca darts after them into the underbrush and
takes them out quickly. When he returns his wife is slashing the
head from the last remaining boar. George is nowhere in sight.
Morna tosses her head to the left. “Help George, Darling.” Luca
follows her direction and catches up with George quickly. He is
dragging the headless body of a boar behind him as he kicks the
severed head before him like some macabre soccer ball.

They join the others at the initial attack
site. Morna and Damian have retrieved the two bodies of the boars
that Luca had slain. Morna looks up at her mate and asks, “Did we
get them all?” She piles the body she dragged back on top of the
others in the pile.

Luca quickly counts thirteen bodies in the
pile. “Yes my love. We did.”

Morna says, “George, please see to the
burning of these bodies.” She turns to her father and asks, “Were
you planning on helping at any point Father?” And then she
chuckles.

“You didn’t need my help, Baby Girl,” Valiant
smirks.

Morna wipes her sword off in the dried grass
on the ground, and returns it to her sheath, and turns to Damian.
“Come here, Son, I want you to meet someone. Damian approaches
Morna and the giant man before her warily. “Damian, this is your
Grandfather, of sorts. Anyway, this is my father, Valiant, Norse
demigod and defender of the gateways. She turns to Valiant,
“Father, this is my adopted son, Damian Summers.”

Valiant roars his laughter and then picks the
young vampire up and crushes him in a bear-hug. “Welcome to the
family, boy!” Valiant turns to his daughter and says, “So being
mated to a vampire wasn’t enough of a challenge for you? You had to
adopt one also?”

Morna shrugs and says, “I guess you could say
that. He is my sworn and bonded protector.”

“Some bodyguard I am,” Damian laments. “You
just saved my ass!”

“Nonsense,” says Morna. “You would have come
up with a solution to your problem, sooner or later.”

Valiant laughs heartily. “Don’t worry, Son,
she doesn’t mean to embarrass us men folk. She’s just a warrior,
through and through. She forgets we like to take care of our
ladies.”

Luca has joined them by now and adds, “And
she’s reckless as hell too!”

George laughs and says, “She was just being a
Mama.” He comes up to the group and acknowledges Damian with a nod.
“So you are her bodyguard?” When Damian nods, George says, “Wow, I
am not even believing all I have been seeing since I met this
woman!”

Morna snorts and heads back to the gateway to
get the girls. She returns soon. Brigid runs to George to make sure
he is okay. Aideen and Breena are both intently watching Damian.
Morna points to each woman in turn, introducing them as she goes,
“Damian, this is my daughter, Aideen, my sister Breena, and my dear
friend, Brigid. Ladies, this my adopted son and protector,
Damian.”