Sea Wolf Magick (Highlander Magick Series Book 2) (18 page)

Chapter 28

The stone inside the broken staff glimmered, reflecting just enough light so they could see where they were going. The pungent stench of raw fish consumed the cavern. Her stomach getting queasy, Beth put her hand to her mouth. She swore faint footsteps treaded not far behind them and wings flapped overhead. Her pulse raced.
Kalista must have found Quinn.

Her hopes were dashed when she spotted young fledglings scurrying from their nest made of seaweed and twigs. The irritated mother squawked at the intruders. A spot of light was cast on the ground not far ahead.

Darby squeezed her hand when they reached the opening. Beth glanced at the winding trail leading down the side of the cliff into the gorge. Smoke spiraled from the head of a volcano in the distance.

“I’ll go first. But I warn ye, no tricks,” McGregor grumbled, leading the way. “And stop that bloody whistling of yers, imp. It’s starting to get on me nerves.”

The old man limped in front of them, dragging his bad leg. Trifling stones and dirt crumbled over the sides of the cliff. McGregor stumbled over a mound of slippery rocks and fell. He grasped a clump of straggly weeds and a rock jutting from the bank, his body hanging over the side of the cliff.

“Hold on,” Beth shouted as Darby and her dropped to the ground and clutched one of his arms. With an effort, they hoisted his body to safety.

McGregor growled. His mouth twisted, and he raked his hand through matted hair. “Why did ye help me? Ye could have let me fall.”

“You’re still my friend, McGregor. If only you could remember.” Beth sighed, helping the old man to his feet. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

“I’m fine.” McGregor yanked his arm from their grasps. “Hurry now, we’ve wasted enough time. They’re waiting for us.”

“He might be yer friend, lass,” Darby muttered beneath his breath, “but he’s an ungrateful lout if I ever saw one.”

“It’s the curse, Darby.” Beth peered over her shoulder, still feeling like someone was following them. “He doesn’t realize what he’s doing.”

When they reached the bottom of the gorge, they crossed a narrow sandy blackened strip covered with pebbles and gravel.

Darby and McGregor headed up the side of the volcano in front of her. Beth bent over and grabbed her knees, taking a deep breath to clear her dizziness.

“Wait. Something’s wrong with Beth.” Darby slid back down the slope and grabbed her arm. “I dinna like the look on yer face. Are ye sick, lass? Ye’ve been awful pale since I got here.”

“I’m fine, Darby.” Beth grinned, patting Darby on the shoulder. “My body’s probably famished. I don’t remember when I ate last.”

“Here, eat this.” Darby reached inside his pocket and handed her a thin butter-colored wedge reminding her of stretched taffy. “This should give ye a boost. ’Tis a secret recipe handed down from the wee fairies.”

McGregor turned his head and scowled. Beth took a bite of the sweet honey candy, and it soothed her queasiness. The three continued their trek in silence until they reached the top.

Beth wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and stumbled backward from the intense heat raging from the massive opening.

No wonder humans stayed away from these scorching time bombs.

“Look, over there.” Beth pointed to a white fox standing at the opposite side of the open pit. The stunning creature stared at them while favoring its front leg. “The poor thing came here on purpose. The miracle falls has to be down there. I can feel it.”

They watched as the fox leapt onto a narrow ridge that spiraled down the sizzling sides.

“Go on now, the both of ye,” McGregor ordered, pointing at the bubbling lava walls.

“You must be kidding.” Beth peered over the side, spotting the narrow ledge barely broad enough for an animal. She put her hands on her hips and faced McGregor. “I refuse. We’ll be burned alive.”

“Ye willna be harmed. Now sit.” McGregor pointed to the ground.

Beth squatted. A wooden seat appeared beneath her feet.

“Do ye want me to go first, lass?” Darby offered, clutching her arm.

“No. I’ll go.” Beth lowered her bottom onto the seat and gripped the sides. The seat swiveled and sank steadily down the side of a sparkling frozen wall of ice. Like standing in front of a fan, her body cooled, and she let out her breath.

Beth hopped off at the bottom of the dimly lit, spacious pit and waited for the others.

They followed the fox through a dark archway covered with tacky spider webs. Beth stopped and gasped. Like stepping inside the Garden of Eden full of wild creatures, she stared at the mountain forest scene sprouting before her. The fox paused to drink from a babbling brook surrounded by wild flowers and heather. Pure, sparkling water rushed over clusters of rocks and flowed beneath moss-coated logs occupied by tiny fairies huddled together and peering behind ferns.

“Go on.” McGregor shoved Beth from behind. “They’re growing impatient.”

Beth strolled by the side of two does grazing by the stream. They raised their heads and studied her briefly before returning their attention to the grass.

“Wait.” McGregor gripped Beth’s shoulder, stepping in front of her and Darby. He hobbled toward a glistening waterfall surrounded by towering green marble pillars mounted with stone statues of various dragons. Securely perched on a marble stone centered above the middle of the falls rested a gargantuan dragon. The ferocious creature guarding the steamy pools below sat with its mouth open, breathing flames on a stream of beaded frozen tears that turned into water.

An inviting stepping-stone path led the way to the sunken, luxurious sauna bath covered with mist.

Two voluptuous figures stood facing each other in front of a short pillar embedded with stones matching the crystals in the wand. A miserable ogre wearing a chain and collar around his neck peered from behind the beautiful woman. They turned their attention, glaring at Beth.

The one had the head of a werewolf. Her hideous face filled with contempt, she sneered at Beth. The attractive woman’s lips curled, her face filled with disgust and jealously.

A creature the size of a dragonfly flew to the top of the pillar, spread its wings, and faced them. Beth wiped her eyes to make sure she wasn’t imagining things. It appeared to be a teeny green dragon with golden butterfly wings. A melodious voice broke the still silence.

Beth stepped backward, startled.

“The Elders requested my help to settle a dispute.” The tiny dragon’s spear-shaped tail waved behind its head. “We do not usually interfere in these sorts of matters, but it has been brought to my attention there is just cause for my presence. I am here on behalf of the one that cannot speak for themself.”

Beth glanced around at everyone present, assuming the dragon was speaking about Kalista. A knot twisted in her stomach. If the Elders punished Darby, Kalista was probably facing the same dilemma for aiding Beth.

“The witch called Elizabeth, known as Beth, has arrived in plenty of time to cleanse herself of the curse from the Queen of the Maras.” The dragon studied Beth before speaking directly to the werewolf. “The woman has arrived before midnight this Samhain Eve. She is granted access to the falls, if she so wishes. I don’t understand why you refuse to abide by your own set of rules.”

The hideous creature’s red eyes glared at Beth before bowing her head to the dragon. “I am Queen of the Maras. I plead my right to claim this human witch and make her mine. Wolf blood already flows through her veins. The healer was chosen because of her family ties with her evil twin. She will make a valuable addition to my pack.”

“Why are you here, nymph?” The dragon questioned the beautiful woman.

“She’s here to try to ruin our lives,” Quinn’s voice thundered from behind.

Beth turned, her heart racing in her chest. Quinn strolled beside her, wrapping his arm around her.

“You speak out of turn.” The dragon stepped to the front of the pillar, scolding Quinn.

“I beg your forgiveness,” Quinn apologized, bowing his head and kneeling.

Beth remembered Quinn placing his hand over his heart, saying he could tell if Kalista was safe. Beth was starting to wonder just how deep a connection they shared.

“I am Brianna, respected daughter of the Dryads and Oceanids. I’ve come to bear witness of this witch’s transformation, on this sacred Samhain Eve.” Her body floating above the ground, she pointed her finger at Beth. “She has put her mark on the man I have chosen as my mate. That bond will be broken once she turns into a Maras creature of the night. I ask for the Dragon Fae’s blessing for our union. The sacred blood of the dragon flows in the Highlander’s veins alongside the sacred blood of the wolf. I know the truth behind the secret vow the Highlander was sworn to and must keep. Quinn McCord’s fate and future bride can only be decided by the Dragon Fae.”

Beth stared down at Quinn. Her stomach filled with butterflies. He raised his head, his gaze locked with hers, and his eyes filled with pain and a curious longing.

Her lips trembled. With a broken voice, barely above a whisper, she muttered, “You lied to me. You never mentioned you were promised to another woman.”

Darby stepped beside her and squeezed her hand. A searing pain stabbed her heart. Nauseated, her stomach churned. She bit her lower lip and smiled, holding her wrist out to Kalista. The dragon chattered, flying to her. Tears dribbling down her cheeks, Beth sniffled and tried focusing on the hummingbird-sized Dragon Fae.

Quinn stood, and Darby stepped quickly in front of him. He grabbed a miniscule acorn-shaped bottle from his pocket and approached the pillar, laying the vial in front of the dragon’s feet.”

“Please except this wee token as a gift. ’Tis filled with ambrosia nectar.” Darby bowed and walked backward. “I beg to speak on my friend’s behalf. The Gods have stricken me powers and forbid me to help. Beth has been cursed and has as much right to those healin’ waters as well as any other that seeks its help.”

“I thank you for the nectar, Darby, grandson of our friend, the Brown Man of the Muirs.” The dragon sprang on top of the vial. “All creatures in need are welcome, as long as their spirit leads them here.”

“The witch used her powers on the stone to get here. That means she’s mine.” The Maras Queen leapt through the air, landing in front of Beth.

Quinn stepped between them. The Maras Queen towered above the herculean Highlander. He growled, his fangs sprouting from his mouth.

Kalista screeched and spread her wings wide open. Her icy breath turned into fire. The two women fell to their knees. Beth stood over them both and stared.
That’s weird. Kalista’s high shrill didn’t faze me this time.

“Enough,” the fairy dragon’s voice thundered. The ground shook beneath their feet. “The Elders should agree with my decision. I grant the witch entrance to bathe in the sacred pool to protect the unborn child. The babe she carries inside her womb is the one that guided her here. No harm is to come to either of them.”

Beth stared at Quinn, his mouth dropping open while standing beside a grim-faced McGregor. Darby smiled, his ears wiggling, and winked at her.

“Then I will come for the young one when it turns of age.” The Maras Queen snarled.

“I’ll see ye in Hades before I let ye near any child of mine.” Quinn growled, talons sprouting from his fingers.

The nymph shrieked a bloodcurdling scream. The ogre poked his head behind his mistress, his beady eyes glaring at Quinn. The enchantress glided away from the falls and lifted her arm, yanking the troll to the ground and dragging him behind her.

The ogre grappled to his feet, gripping two sparkling daggers from beneath his ragged shirt. “Wait, mistress. I promise to avenge all the bloody bastards for ye.”

The Maras Queen sprung at Quinn, twisting his arms behind his back. He struggled, trying to break free of her grasp.

The ogre aimed a dagger at Beth and thrust it soaring through the air. McGregor growled and sprinted in front of her. The blade landed in the center of McGregor’s chest. The old man gazed at Beth before hitting the ground.

Darby yelled, “Watch out, Quinn”

Beth turned. The ogre aimed the other dagger at Quinn and sent it hurling above Darby’s head. Beth growled and lunged in front of her beloved Highlander, pushing their bodies against the pillar, making it rock.

Beth gasped, a sharp pain slicing through the middle of her back.

Kalista screeched. The nymph and the Maras Queen clutched their ears, dropping to their knees. “Hurry, get the woman to the falls,” the Dragon Fae instructed Quinn. “I will take care of the others.”

Quinn knelt beside her, carefully cradling her in his arms. She gasped in pain. Chills raced through her entire body.

“Ye fool headed woman. What were ye thinkin’? Ye should never have risked yer life for me.” Quinn hurried and stepped in the water. Their bodies waded below the rising mists, blocking everyone else from view. Like a whirlpool, the warm water swirled around them, immersing Beth in its depths. Icicles formed on her limbs. Her hands and feet ached from the cold tingling sensation. Heat surged through her chest and back, and the sharp pain from her wound slowly subsided. Her head was drawn backward, and her limbs extended beside her. Her body floated to the middle of the falls beneath the head of the stone dragon. Its eyes opened wide, flashing from emerald green to gold. Beth laid her hands on her belly, then her stomach fluttered. The image of the Dragon Fae flashed before her eyes. Like having one of her visions, she knew in her heart that her child was alive and safe.