The Screaming Stone: The Otherworld Series Book 2 (3 page)

Annie tilted her head to the side and tried to hide her amusement at her father’s attire and studied her father again.  “Okay that might be,” she admitted as she watched the High King’s sapphire eyes darken and swirl with anger.  “But the toe tapping and crossed arms wasn’t.  Neither is the shirt,” she added quickly.

“Agreed,” Duncan mumbled under his breath.  To which the whole room, including Finn, tried and failed hide their amusement.  Manny was the only one who could not see the humor, and for a moment his face darkened with uncharacteristic embarrassment.

Manny recovered in royal fashion pretending to remove an invisible piece of lint from his pants as he quickly checked his zipper to make sure his fly was in the proper position.  “I see,” he said returning to his serious and stern self.  “I see, that Duncan has decided to join us in earnest tonight,” he said pinning Duncan with a new glare.  Duncan refused to back down and returned the look with one of his own.

“Aye,” he agreed unblinkingly.

He and Manny continued their staring contest until something caused Manny to squint questionably at Duncan.  The change of expression was so subtle and happened almost in response with Rian’s blind defense of Duncan that he couldn’t be sure what had caused the High King to back off.  Duncan quickly stored the information for later assessment and returned his attention back to the group that finally had accepted him as one of their own.  It was obvious that Manny was not considered one of them, even Finn had been included in the Derby Nine, Manny was still trying to bust in and increase the number.

“There’s been a Lob attacking Duncan,” Rian protested on his behalf.  “We’ve only now just helped him defeat it.”  Duncan caught Rian’s eye and winked in thanks to the brave Brownie.

“Is that so?” Manny asked.  To which every head in the room bobbed up and down in agreement.  “Well then,” Manny said clapping his hands together and startling everyone with the sudden noise.  “Since everyone,” he said glancing pointedly at Duncan, “seems to be hearty and hale, it is time to talk about departing this New World for the old.”

        Chapter Three

The Derby Nine Divided

“Finn and I have spent many hours deciding upon the best way to get Annie to the
Lia Fáils
.  And we think we have come up with a plan,” Manny explained.  His eyes shot quickly to Duncan and then to Finn who nodded in unspoken agreement.

The exchange struck Duncan as odd and he leaned back in his seat keeping a careful eye on both of them.  Whatever those two had been discussing behind closed doors in overt secrecy was not just about travel plans.  Both Finn and the Son of Lir were capable of quick, decisive and wise decisions that involved little to no planning.  No, whatever big reveal they had planned was probably quickly discussed and agreed upon within hours of Bres’ defeat.  What they really had been talking about felt as yet to be resolved; and until it was it would not be mentioned in such public company.  Duncan wasn’t sure how he knew the two men were harboring a secret he just knew they were.

“We’ve decided to split you up,” Finn said to which the Derby Nine exploded into protest.

Duncan was proud of his companions.  They seemed to have formed a deep bond and did not like being told what to do, and they certainly refused to be separated.  It made him happier than he carried to admit that Annie was the glue that held this bunch of misfits together.  She truly was a spectacular human.  Duncan waited for the room to quiet down before voicing his own opinion.

“
Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na
daoine
,” he said directly to Manny.

Manny rewarded Duncan with a slightly shocked smile.  “Aye,” he all too quickly agreed.  “
Ní neart go cur le chéile
.”

Griffin raised his hand and interjected.  “Ah, for those of us who don’t speak, um, whatever that was how about we try that again in English please?” He requested as his eyes volleyed between Manny and Duncan.

“Some clarification would be nice,” Kat agreed.

Duncan waited for Manny to translate, and when he didn’t Duncan explained.  “I told the High King that under the shelter of each other people survive.  To which he agreed.  His response was there is strength in unity.”  Both men continued to challenge each other to a duel of glaring.

“So we’re going to split up, but agree that it’s a bad idea by trading similar Irish proverbs?”  Annie asked confused, when neither he nor Manny offered any further explanation.

“I’m Scottish luv,” Duncan reminded her with a wink and a quick pat on her leg.

Annie returned the reminder with an exasperated eye roll before addressing the mounting tension in the room.  “Whatever,” she muttered, “If separating us is a bad idea than why do it?”

“It’s temporary, a means to an end; a united end,” Finn explained being sure to emphasis the word ‘united’.”

“Meaning?” Griffin asked requesting a deeper explanation.

Duncan continued to stare openly and unblinkingly at Manny as he disseminated his plan looking for a weakness.  He could find none.  “Meaning, that we will be split into three teams, each one will have a different goal but the same objective,” he said directing his words to Manny who nodded slightly.

“Oh gods maybe we should try a different language because I didn’t even understand that in English,” confessed Kat.

Manny held his hands up silently begging for quiet.  The group too enthralled and confused willingly obliged.  “If I may continue?” he asked directing the question to Duncan.

“Please,” he replied sweeping a hand out across the room before settling himself back in his chair arms across his chest to listen in silent curiosity.  Curious or not though he still did not trust Manny, he had been too secretive. 

Manny cleared his throat and paused, making sure he was once again the center of attention and would not be plagued by further interruptions before he began.  “So,” he began slowly as that one word drew everyone in.  Only a magickian as powerful as the Son of Lir could weave a spell around one simple word; and with that one strange, innocent sounding word he seemed to hold the room.

“You will be divided into three groups each containing three members to achieve three separate goals to reach one common conclusion.”

There it was. There was the spell hidden in a command that would compel everyone to accept and obey without question.  Unlike the Queen who preferred ordered lyrical rhyme, the High King preferred chaos clustered wording and numbered order.  Duncan had already erected his defense.  With the seemingly innocent wave of his hand, he had marked his space and built a wall.  Griffin was skilled at projecting his protection spells; Duncan’s was more like a shield, a shield that could deflect better than defend.  Meaning that usually whoever he was attempting to shield himself from knew he had done it.  He had never tried to protect anyone but himself before.  He didn’t have high hopes that it would work as he intended it to.  He hoped that at least the wall he had erected would keep Manny from imposing his will on the group without alerting him, and thus allow everyone to go forward with a clear and open understanding of the situation.  Secretly he hoped they would all abandon this foolish plan.

“Rian, Robert and Knackers you shall go fourth first and insure the site is safe,” Manny said dramatically pointing to each as he spoke their names.  “Griffin, Kat and Fiona shall follow second to deceive any who may try and hinder,” again he pointed to each being as he spoke their name.

Duncan worked very hard to keep his expression blank.  His eyes craved a quick look around the room to see how the others were faring and if his attempt at protecting them was working but knew if he did the High King would only push out more power and threaten the stability of the shield he had tried to produce.  Duncan doubted he could protect even himself if the High King chose to really push them hard magickally.

At the very least he needed to stay enchantment free to ensure the rest of them did not blindly walk into an unfair and impossible task.  He needed to protect them, all of them, if the plan fell apart and they were exposed to danger.  He had fallen victim to an enchantment himself when he was most vulnerable and it almost cost not only his life but Annie’s as well.  It was only due to the intervention of the Battle Crow herself that he was saved from a spell that could have cost everyone everything.

“Duncan and Finn shall guard the Life Spark,” Manny finished with the subtlest of movements as he lowered his eyes and cut off eye contact and hence his control over the room.

Silence embraced the room and Duncan cursed silently to himself.  He did not have high hopes of being able to protect the room from the power Manny could wield, but at least he had tried.  It appeared that only he had remained immune to the Son of Lir’s magickal will.

A deep chuckle drew everyone’s attention to the back of the room. Duncan’s head snapped to the right immediately finding the source of the sound.  Griffin sat in a wooden chair borrowed from the kitchen his back to the wall, his head resting comfortably against the same wall, and a crooked smile on his face.  Duncan’s heart leapt wildly in his chest as he realized that Griffin held a loose grip on Kat’s hand.  Griffin was very good at projecting his power of protection, but with the added fuel source of his girlfriend Kat he was much more powerful. 

“Was that an attempt at a spell to bend us to your will?” Griffin asked casually.  “If so you may want to rethink your audience, not to mention the town you’re in.”

A quick look around the room proved that none had been affected by Manny’s attempt at magickal coercion as Griffin’s crooked, almost angry smile appeared to be contagious.  The usually quiet, or at least man of few words, Griffin was not quite done yet.

“You see this is a town with a deep foundation in witchcraft and magick.  So the first thing any of us learn is how to protect ourselves from another’s unwanted energy and spells.”

Duncan swung his head back to the High King who covered his look of shock quickly replacing it with one of begrudging admiration.  “I would have expected no less,” he replied with a nod and smile of his own.

The entire scene, the players and words, felt dreamlike to Duncan.  Like a lie wrapped in truth nothing was as it seemed.  Something deeper was at play here and no matter what logic he threw at it the secret mystery Manny held refused to show itself.  The High King should have, could have pushed more magick into the room bending all present to his will.  Griffin, a wise one himself, had shown his hand too early.  Manny was letting him, letting them win.  Why?

“Can anyone here object to my well thought out plan?” Manny asked challenging the room.

“Aye, I can,” Knackers declared with an unusual sense of bravery.   In the past he had stood up to the royals; it had not gone well for him and he had been banished from court.  It had been a hard lesson to learn and since then he had never spoken out against the Seelie court.  “I’ll no’ be separated from Duncan an’ Annie.  We started together we finish together.”

Manny snorted and shook his head at Knackers in response.  “That is just personal preference as you are rarely away from Duncan’s side.”  The room grew quiet as no one seemed to have a counterpoint to Manny’s obvious conclusion.  Unwilling to let the group falter after such a well-earned victory Duncan spoke up.

“True, but nothin’ is more obvious than sending two members of the Green Riders of the Seelie court with one who is not.  Every member of the Unseelie ta their lowest ranks will have heard about the battle at the Wharf.  And hence everyone will know of Finn’s involvement.”

“Aye,” Manny agreed.  “And so shall everyone know about you as well.  For wherever you are so she will be,” he replied pointing a finger at Annie.  “So you can see the dilemma.  Better to send two body guards than one.”

That was all it took.

Duncan heard the crackling shift in energy.  It happened so quickly and violently that the explosion of raw magick shocked every Fae and human in the room. A charge of lightning with the deafening sound of thunder could not explain the sight, sound and power of the raw magick when it exploded within the small room; and although everyone was a witness only one felt the blow.  The room went black for no more time than it took to blink.  When the artificial light that had seconds before illuminated the room in a soft pleasing glow returned it revealed the shockingly pleased faces of everyone save a vengeful goddess and her unsuspecting father.  Manny seemed to be smoldering as magickal vapors rose off of his clothes.  His usually straight black hair stood out at odd angles and Duncan could only imagine that even though the room had not seen it he had been struck, hard, by the raw untamed magick projected by his daughter.  She stood proudly in front of the rest of the group quivering slightly from the sudden burst of energy that she had just unknowingly produced and hurled at her father.

“Never discount the bravery of every creature in this room again,” spoke the powerfully calm voice of Annie.  The goddess she contained was barely restrained beneath her mortal shell as the outer sky blue rim of her irises paled to an icy blue color that was beautifully frightening.

“Robert,” Griffin muttered sensing that the situation and mostly Annie was teetering on the edge of control.

Robert remained silent for a minute assessing the situation with tools that apparently no one else in the room had access to. He carefully studied Annie and after a moment he replied to Griffin’s concern.  “Don’t worry,” he responded as he slowly and carefully got to his feet.  “She’s got this,” he assured Griffin as his eyes never left her angrily vibrating form.

“Everyone in this room put their lives on the line to defend me against the jealous wrath of Bres!”  Each enunciated word grew louder as anger continued to pour out of her.  Tendrils of golden red hair began to rise off her shoulders creating a fiery halo around her head.

“Uh, Duncan,” whispered Robert suddenly very concerned.  “Grab on to her.”

“What-“

“Just do it!” he shouted above the noise of crackling static electricity.

Without further thought Duncan seized ahold of Annie’s hand.  The physical contact began to have an immediate effect as the static energy began to slowly wan, withdrawing from the environment and back into the vessel that had produced it.

“You waited until the very end to show yourself,” she continued but the power and strength behind her words had begun to fade until it was reduced to little more than an anguished accusation.

Never releasing his gentle yet firm grip on her Duncan rose to his feet; and reaching out his right hand drew her face toward his.  When her eyes found his they had returned to the same summer sky color he had grown to love.

“Twenty-five years he had and he wasted every single day,” she whispered speaking directly to him before tears overflowed her eyes and began to trace out a path down her face.

“I think,” Duncan said. “This meeting is over for now,” he said as he drew Annie closer and wrapped his arms protectively around her.