“Welcome to my world.”
“You are one of the most intuitive people I’ve ever met, Aisling O’Cléirigh,” he offered, leaning toward me, placing a hand intimately on the back of my neck. His thumb traced calming circles of warmth. “I’m pretty comfortable being in your world.”
“I don’t feel very intuitive at the moment. I actually feel pretty overwhelmed.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised. Have ya really stopped t’ think about how much has been pushed in t’ your path in just the past week? Even just the past two days. The note, the doppelgänger stalker, visions ya weren’t expectin’, a blast from the past, and more. I think you’re handlin’ it like a rockstar.”
“I appreciate the vote of confidence. Maybe if I were getting’ drunk like a rockstar, this might feel less stressful,” a smiled ticked up the corner of my lips.
“I mean, I think I could arrange that. I did bring two bottles of wine, and I happened to see that someone left a bottle of whiskey in the cabinet by the fridge,” he teased.
“You just want t’ get me drunk an’ take advantage of me.”
Heat flared toward me in the form of a blue gaze. “I assure you, lass, I want you fully aware at all times.”
The warmth and comfort his magic had offered only seconds before was replaced by the tingling sensation of torrid tendrils easing through my veins.
“There it is,” he whispered before leaning in and resting his head to mine. At that moment, I was certain he had been experiencing the magnitude of our energies each time they had mingled, just as I had from the moment we met. When his lips pressed softly against my forehead, the stress melted away and I would have testified in a court of law that a weight had been lifted from my chest. Unfortunately, the sound of Cian’s phone broke the connection and the significance of my reality crashed over me as he pulled away to answer the call.
“This is Cian . . . I see . . . Do you have him in custody? . . . I’ll be right there.” He ended the call and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to him. “I have to go to the office for just a little while.”
“You have an office?” He hadn’t mentioned an office, though as soon as the words left my mouth, it hit me that he might mean the office at Rocky’s Tavern.
“I do. It’s on the third floor at the bar. Apparently, someone tried to break in by challenging my wards with dark magic. The police have the suspect. You should come with me.” He stood and slipped his shoes on while he talked, then walked over to the front door and grabbed his jacket. I followed.
“If it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll stay here and look over a few things. I’ll see what I can find in the blank journal while you’re gone. You are coming back here, aren’t you?” I wasn’t afraid to sleep in the cottage alone, but there was comfort in not being by myself. There was even more comfort in being near Cian.
“Of course. You just keep the wards up and I’ll text ya when I’m heading back.”
I snapped my hand to my forehead and grinned. “Sir, yes sir.”
With a crooked smile and an eyeroll, he placed another warm kiss on my forehead. “I’ll be back as quickly as I can.”
“Okay. I’ll hold down the fort, Captain.”
With a wink, he closed the door behind him.
I raised the wards and stopped in the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee. The thought of Kara questioning my late-night caffeine intake popped into my head and I let out a snicker. Unlike me, who could drink two cups of high-test and go straight to sleep, Kara would have been up half the night if she drank coffee after seven. I glanced at the clock, decided she’d likely still be awake, and gave her a quick call before getting back to the books. I went back to making my coffee while the phone rang.
And rang.
And rang.
When I got her voicemail, I left her a message saying I’d be available for half an hour or we’d catch up tomorrow. Then I took my mug of coffee and stood in my hiding spot that looked out on the waves, drinking slowly and contemplating.
A text sounded and pulled me back to the couch. I sat the mug down and checked my messages.
Kara: “Sorry I didn’t answer. Dealing with work BS. If everything is cool, I’ll just chat with ya tomorrow.”
Me: “Yeah. No worries. Tomorrow is fine. Have fun! OUT.”
Kara: “Fun. Yeah. Barrel of laughs around here. TTYT. Ciao! OUT.”
I grabbed the Tartaros Blade journal, plonked down on the couch and crisscrossed my legs, then laid it open in my lap and began flipping through the pages one by one. If there truly was something written randomly on one of them, maybe I’d find it. I fidgeted absentmindedly with Grams’ pendant as I turned each page, trying to be sure I didn’t miss even a small scribble if it existed.
A few pages in, I leaned over to grab my coffee from the table and a glow swelled into my peripheral vision. I initially thought I’d forgotten my phone was in my lap and accidentally activated the screen. But that was not the case. Light radiated from the pages of the journal beneath the influence of my pendant. I sat back and the illumination dimmed until it was no longer there. Lips pursed in curiosity, I leaned back over the book, directing the pendant for accuracy, and watched the page spark to life. Silver words danced beneath the pendant as I moved it along the page. It was just like what happened to the book in my dream.
I let out an enthused laugh. The kind that escapes when something isn’t really funny, but you’re super excited about whatever just happened. And I was ecstatic that I had just discovered the Tartaros Blade journal wasn’t blank after all.
My first thought went to Cian. I could hardly wait to tell him. Then, I immediately wondered if there were more hidden messages written in the other journals. I grabbed the journal for the Kanna Stone and opened it up. I removed my necklace to make it easier to hold the pendant over the pages. Sure enough, there were notes written along the margins. I turned until I got to the first blank page, or what appeared to be a blank page, and held the pendant close until the words came to life.
I might have done a little happy dance sitting there on the couch. It was right there; everything we had needed to know about finding the Kanna Stone had been there all along. Only we didn’t know it. Couldn’t see it.
That’s when they hit me. The questions. What gave my pendant the power to make the invisible visible? Did Grams know it had such power? Did she ever use it? I needed to show Uncle Lachlan and Cian. I jumped up and slipped my boots on just as headlights flashed through the front window into the room. I scrunched down to get a view of the driveway and saw the silhouette of Cian’s SUV. Perfect timing.
He hadn’t even gotten one knock before I had the wards down and was opening the front door.
“You forgot to text me.” I scolded playfully as I grabbed my coat. “No worries, though. I have exciting news!” I turned back only to realize the man in front of me was not Cian McCallister, but a rather impressive facsimile.
Doppelgänger Cian.
And that’s when everything went black.
Twenty-Four
The smell of smoke danced in my head. Gravity fought against me as I tried to open my eyes. Not that it mattered, everything was dark as I tried to rouse myself from the haze. The last thing I remembered . . . a cold, clammy sensation as something noxious overwhelmed me. Toxic magic. That S.O.B. hit me with toxic magic. And I was stupid enough to open the door for him.
When a faint stream of light shone in the distance, I focused and forced my eyes open. Only something wasn’t right. I was sitting against a tree staring at the old church I’d seen twice before in my dreams. I pushed to my feet and made my way to the now familiar door. It took a little more effort to shove it open than expected. Wasn’t I supposed to be stronger in dreams? Maybe the toxic magic had weakened me by some means.
Just as on both previous visits, I trailed my fingers along the symbols on the wall. The traces of magic were a welcome sensation, reenergizing me as I
walked. When I arrived at the end of the hall, the door to the familiar room was shut tight. No matter how hard I pushed, it wouldn’t open. I turned and made my way back down toward the entrance and ventured off into the only other direction available.
Halfway down the hallway, I heard voices. Another few steps and I recognized one: Ruman, from my previous time in this dreamworld. When I reached the open door, I stepped in front of the opening and saw him speaking with a man of tremendous presence. Though the man was equal to Ruman in stature, something about him filled the room with a sense of authority and strength.
I cleared my throat to announce my arrival and both heads turned instantly and with precision in my direction. A steel, gray gaze met mine, and I was at once intimidated, but when he smiled the feeling vanished. I darted my attention to Ruman. “Hi.” I raised a hand and waved sheepishly.
Ruman’s expression tightened, his forehead scrunched. “Aisling, I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Kinda figured not. The door was locked. I thought it best not t’ try and kick my way in.”
Steel Eyed Man pressed his mouth hard together and stifled a laugh. Ruman shot him a look.
“Darius, this is Aisling O’Cléirigh,” Ruman said to the man.
“Ah. The feisty Dreamwalker you told me about?” Steel Eyed Man—Darius—replied.
If your heart can stop beating in a dream, mine had just done exactly that.
Ruman’s focus came back to me. “Aisling, are you alright? You appear to be a little flushed.”
“Umm. Aye. I think so. Well, I’m really not so sure, now that ya ask,” I responded.
“Please explain,” Ruman stated.
“I think I was kidnapped,” I said bluntly to Ruman. Then turned to Darius. “And why did ya call me a Dreamwalker?”
“Hold on to that,” Ruman interrupted. “What do you mean you’ve been kidnapped?”
“Sounds to me like you two have a few things to get sorted. Aisling, it was a pleasure to have met you. I am certain you’ll get the kidnapping situation under control.” Darius gave me a confident wink and directed his attention to Ruman. “I have to meet Aedan when he arrives, so we will talk more soon.”
Ruman offered a nod to Darius who then eased past me and exited the room.
“Okay, you have my full attention. Come, we can talk on the way to the library,” Ruman suggested.
“The library?”
“Yes, the room you are familiar with. That is where we house highly sensitive reference materials and documents. Now, tell me what you remember and maybe I can gather enough information to deduce why you are here.”
“Okay, but first. He mentioned a Dreamwalker, and I translated a parchment from The Kanna Tribe that said something about heavenly bloodlines, three Dreamwalkers, and choosing dark or light.”
“Interesting. Well, just make sure you choose wisely when the time comes,” he said nonchalantly and began walking down the dark corridor, leaving me behind. “Let’s get back to you being kidnapped, shall we. That’s the priority.”
I hurried to catch up and refocused. “Umm . . . okay. I was going through some Keeper journals and discovered that my pendant was able t’ do that thing like it did with the book here in your library.”
“Do you mean that it revealed what was hidden? The words appeared on the page?” he clarified.
“Aye! That!”
His pace slowed as we reached the turn into the next hall. “Very well. Continue.”
“Well, I got excited and wanted t’ show Uncle Lach and Cian—”
Ruman interrupted. “Cian?”
“Aye. We have the same goal. Stop The Saiad. We’ve been trying t’ track down the Kanna Stone together. And he’s helped me research the Silver Moon situation and the Tartaros Blade,” I rambled as we reached the door to the library.
Ruman placed a hand on the door and easily pushed it open.
“I swear it was locked,” I stated.
“It was. But some doors can only be opened by certain people. You’d do well to remember that.”
I followed him into the dimly lit library and over to the corner near his blue velvet chair. He pulled a hefty, leather-bound book from a shelf and carried it to the long table in the center of the room. “Come.” He motioned for me to join him and pointed to a chair at the table. “Please continue. What happened next?”
I thought for a moment, recalling where I had left off. “Oh, aye. I got excited that the pendant had revealed the words in the journal. And as I was preparing t’ leave the cottage, a car pulled up. I thought it was Cian. When I opened the door, it looked like Cian, but I noticed a moment too late that it wasn’t him.”
Ruman’s head angled slightly, his eyes narrowed. “Who was it?”
“Now, that I d’not know. Because the last thing I recall is being assaulted with toxic magic. Then I woke up here. Or I s’pose I’m not awake right now, am I?”
“Correct. But if you’re here, you are still unharmed. Tell me how well you know Cian and how are you so certain the man at your door wasn’t him?”
I didn’t even have to think about my answer. It was simply there at the forefront of my mind. “I connect with Cian in an unusual way. It’s as though our individual energies recognize the other and reach out when we are in close proximity. There’s a certain mingling of our magic that has never happened with anyone else. It’s how I knew I could trust him even without being able to use my Soul Sight.”
Dark eyes focused tightly on me, examining me. “I have studied your background and your lineage. Have you not been taught to break through the façade created by artifacts?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Your abilities have boundaries, of course, but they are far beyond the limits exacted by artifacts. If someone has used an artifact to block the light from their soul, you are strong enough to press through the block.”
“Hmm. I have not been taught that. But I didn’t think Cian had employed the use of an artifact. He’s not the only one I’ve encountered with this . . . block, as you put it. There have been others since I arrived in Pyreshore. I assumed it had something t’ do with them being affiliated with Davar Magén.”
Ruman stopped dead still, his eyes fixed on me, unwavering to a point I found myself concerned by his stare. “Aisling, can you tell me the name of the second blocked soul?”
I shrank back a little, suddenly uncertain of myself. “Umm. Kage. His name is Kage. I don’t know his family name.”
His forehead puckered and he set aside the book he had placed on the table, stood, and grabbed another from a nearby shelf.
“Ruman, what’s going on?”
“Are you aware of who the Davar Magén are?” he asked, flipping through the book he had chosen.
“I once saw the term in the Silver Scroll but it explained nothing. So, I’m only aware of what Cian told me.”
Ruman snapped his head up from the book. “And what did he tell you?”
“That Davar Magén is The Order of Defenders. They are unseen protectors of what is good and right in the world. Protectors of the chosen few.”
Ruman concurred with a dip of his head. “Very well. But there is more to them. And based on your description of your connection with Cian, I believe you should know what that more is. But you also need to understand who you are in relation.”
“In relation?” I pulled back, wide-eyed. “Are you saying I’m related to Cian McCallister?”
Ruman immediately shook his head. “No, no, no. That’s not what I am saying. Let me try to explain without saying more than I should.”
“What? Now I’m really confused.” I slumped in my chair.
He blew out a controlled breath and mumbled something about regretting this as he glared at the table then lifted his head. “How much are you prepared to know, Aisling? Are you prepared to challenge everything you trust to be true? Are you willing to lose the person you believe you are to b
ecome who you were created to be? Because learning the truth comes with a high price.”
Tightness gripped my chest. His words slipped around me like an ominous fog. I swallowed hard. “Will learning this help me save Cian’s life?” I posed.
Ruman side-eyed me. “You have seen his death?”
I affirmed with a nod.
“Did you see this while dream walking?” he asked.
“Ya still haven’t explained this t’ me. Your friend called me a Dreamwalker. What does that mean?”
“Your presence here, in this realm . . . only a Dreamwalker can enter.”
“Hold up. After seeing what that translation said about them being from a heavenly bloodline, I really have questions. How am I one of these Dreamwalkers?”
“This gift comes from the bloodline of your father.”
Shallow, shaky breaths rumbled through me. “I don’t . . . I don’t know my father.”
“I know, dear one. And I’m afraid I am not in a position to change that. But I can tell you that his power runs through you. And it is because of that lineage that you are stronger than you have ever realized. Now, please, tell me what you know of Cian’s death.”
“Umm.”
I heard what Ruman had asked, but I was still processing what he’d said about my father and my bloodline, trying to piece it all together. Surely, he didn’t mean what I thought he meant.
“Aisling, did you see it in a dream?”
“N-no. Cian showed me the past, umm . . . the destruction The Saiad had left in their wake. But . . . uh, when we were connected, I also saw their plans to begin another war. They want to eradicate all Supernaturals from existence. And that’s when I saw Cian struck down by the Tartaros Blade.” My pulse raced simply recalling the vision.
He rubbed his chin slowly. “This is why you asked me about the blade before?”
Silver at Midnight: A Paranormal Romance Urban Fantasy (The Keepers of Knowledge Series Book 5) Page 19