Laoch

by Kate LaMontagne

  “That was amazing!” Noah shouted. The men cheered for several minutes before Noah clapped his hands together loudly and said, “Okay, break’s over! Let’s get back to work!”

  As Tiger and Laoch stepped aside to put their weapons away, Tae followed. Aggression was not a part of his people’s makeup, but he marveled at the skill of the fighters all the same.

  “That was truly beautiful! I know I should be horrified that the skills you used are intended to kill under normal circumstances, but it was like watching the dances Tony has shown me on the galaxy stream,” Tae gushed.

  “You’re right. It is like dancing,” Laoch admitted. “It takes many years of practice to reach such a skill level, but part of what you saw is Fae reflexes too. We’re just faster than most people.”

  “Ah, I see.” Tae started to turn away, then remembered something and turned back. “I forgot earlier. I met a friend of yours at the store. He said to tell you hello and that he would try to catch you later.”

  Laoch was surprised as he didn’t know that many people on Corvan; not that he’d call friends anyway.

  “Oh, who was it?” he asked as he wiped the sweat from his face.

  “He said his name was Cillian,” Tae replied.

  Laoch froze, his complexion going ashen. He rushed to the front of the warehouse, sword still in his hand, and scanned the neighborhood. Cillian was nowhere in sight. Tiger and Tae had followed him and they both looked at him curiously.

  “What is it?” Tiger asked. “Who is Cillian?”

  “Cillian murdered Aidan… and I believe he also murdered your mother,” Laoch replied. “He’s Fae and a court assassin. I’ve been tracking him for the past couple of years. I swore to kill him after he killed my mate. He’s obviously followed me here to try to kill me first, or possibly both of us.”

  “What?! Why? What does he have against us?” Tiger asked.

  “It’s just political nonsense. The Fae courts fight all the time, but I think over time it’s become personal for Cillian. Our family has managed to hurt him financially, but I haven’t been able to pin him down since Aidan’s murder.”

  He turned to Tae. “Did he have a scar on his left cheek?”

  “Yes, like so,” Tae dragged his thumb across his left cheek.

  Laoch grabbed Tae’s shoulders and squeezed, looking around for Tony. “Find Tony and tell him I need to talk to him. And Tae… stay far, far away from Cillian.”

  Tae ran off to find Tony. As they stepped back inside the warehouse, Tiger studied Laoch. He was still pale, but fury burned in his eyes. Laoch looked like he was trying to decide what to say next.

  “I’m sorry. I should have warned you sooner. We heard rumors that he was on Corvan, but we had nothing concrete to go on. He may not even be aware of who you are. I should stay away from your home and…”

  “No!” Tiger’s response had a hard edge to it. “We’re family. We stick together. Whatever he has in mind, we’re stronger as a team. TJ and Remi will agree, but we’ll run it by them anyway. We can add security like we did before for Jake and Tae.”

  “You aren’t dealing with mercenaries and street gangs this time. Cillian is old Fae with strong Fae abilities, and I don’t know if he has any associates with him. You are but a fledgling and I’m not at full strength. I’m not sure even I can take him down at this point.”

  Tiger thought about it for a minute. “If we can’t beat him head-on, maybe we can lead him into a trap. Any chance we can round up some help from the Fae on Old Earth?”

  “Maybe a few men, now that we know for sure his target is here. My father’s men will be reluctant to leave him though. Let’s get everyone here caught up for now, then I can check with my father.” Laoch got a sly look on his face. “I should take you with me. He really wants to meet you.”

  Tiger’s eyes grew big as saucers. “Can you do that?!”

  “Yes, I can conjure a portal big enough for both of us. I should work with you on that. Portals are common to Fae. It’s not a specialized ability. If your Fae blood is strong enough, you should be able to do it, as long as it’s a location you’re familiar with. You just need to be able to focus on the location you want to go to… and if anything happens to me, I need you to be able to get to my father.”

  “What if I screw it up and get lost in space… or end up in a wall?” Tiger asked.

  Laoch laughed and clapped Tiger on his shoulder. “That’s not going to happen. Once a portal is opened, you can see through to the other side before stepping through. If you get the wrong location, you just close the portal and try again. The hardest part is picking a familiar focal point and then concentrating hard enough to open a portal or to open the gateway to travel the Fairie Road. That’s a whole other thing… traveling through the fairie plane.”

  “Keeping a portal open for more than a minute or opening one big enough for more than one person is a little harder. Once you’ve done it a few times, it will be second nature for you. Always have a safe location in mind in case you need to escape in an emergency. You don’t want to hesitate. Sometimes seconds can mean the difference between survival and death.”

  “Sounds complicated.” Tiger side-eyed Laoch.

  “No, it’s as easy as breathing. The question is whether you have enough Fae genes. We’ll find out soon enough.”

  Tae and Tony trotted up just then and Laoch explained the situation to Tony so he would be aware of Tae’s vulnerability. Tony and the rest of the men there would work out a plan for keeping Tae safe. Tiger called TJ and made sure he would be at the house that night so they could go over everything with him and Remi.

  After that, no one was in a mood to continue working and it was late enough that they decided to call it quits for the day. They started a queue for the shower and started stripping down to their underwear so Laoch and Tae could get a head start on the laundry while they all waited their turns.

  The weather was turning warm and it was becoming more uncomfortable to work in the warehouse midday. Some of the guys were hosing off at the back of the warehouse to cool down. Tiger and Tae laughed at their shenanigans, watching the big Rangers rough-housing in the water like little kids.

  “Hey, you guys,” Noah yelled out to them from the doorway, dressed in just his uniform pants and toweling off his wet hair. “Shower’s free, who’s next?”

  “Me, me, me” Heath answered, running through the door and dodging as Noah snapped the wet towel his way. He heard a sharp intake of breath from behind him and turned slightly to look over his shoulder. Laoch stood there with one hand pointing toward him, a shocked expression on his face.

  “That… that tattoo…!” he stammered.

  Noah grinned, turning his back more towards Laoch as he came closer. “Pretty sweet, huh? I’m not a big tattoo guy but I saw this in the window of a tattoo shop and I just thought ‘hell, yeah’! The artist said he only does one of a kind, so he gave me the drawing when he was done. Thought maybe I’d frame it. You like it?”

  Laoch was speechless. There on Noah’s back and shoulders was the exact image of the burning phoenix he’d seen in his dream.

  “It’s… incredible. When did you get it?”

  “Not sure exactly… maybe a year and a half ago. I went back later but the guy wasn’t working there anymore. Tattoo artists move around a lot. I guess that’s how they get their inspiration. Shame… a lot of the guys who saw it would’ve given him their business.”

  He stood still while Laoch continued to study the details up close. Laoch noticed a tiny “A” hidden amongst the wing feathers. “Is that some sort of signature?” he asked. “That letter on the left wing.”

  “Maybe. Others have asked me the same thing, but the guy never mentioned his name.”

  Tiger wandered up to see what Laoch was looking at. “I’ve never seen that before Noah,” he said. “What is that?”

  “That is a phoenix rising,” Laoch breathed, stepping back a little. Noah turned to face them, pulling his shirt on o
ver his head. Curious about their reaction to the tattoo, Noah looked back and forth between them.

  Tiger filled in the missing pieces for Noah. “Laoch’s spirit animal is a phoenix, so he kind of has an affinity for the creature… like my tiger is for me.”

  “Oh. So, you approve then?” he teased Laoch, winking at him.

  Laoch cleared his throat. “It is a beautiful piece,” he declared.

  “You think I’m beautiful?” Noah asked, being purposely obtuse.

  “I said the artwork was beautiful,” Laoch answered stiffly.

  Noah stuck out his bottom lip, pouting and blinking his big brown puppy-dog eyes at Laoch.

  “Oh, my god Noah!” Tiger laughed and slapped at his shoulder. “Stop it! You’re such a flirt!”

  Noah smirked at Laoch, then winked again and walked away with a little extra sway in his hips.

  An annoyed Laoch straightened and cleared his throat again, clenching his fists at his side to refrain from adjusting himself in front of his cousin.

  Chapter 7

  “Tomorrow morning, we will go talk my father and you will have your first lesson on portals… and your first visit to Old Earth,” Laoch told Tiger.

  “I’m going with you,” Remi declared. They’d discussed the problem of dealing with Cillian during dinner and agreed that the first thing they needed to do was to seek Fae assistance from Laoch’s father. There was no way that Remi was going to let Laoch spirit his mate away from Corvan alone. “We’re mated and I doubt that we would survive being separated on opposite ends of the galaxy.” Not to mention he still didn’t trust Laoch completely.

  Laoch had to admit he hadn’t thought about that. Since Aidan’s death, he tended not to think in terms of the consequences to other pairs regarding separation. In his pain, his tunnel vision focused solely on revenge and training Tiger. He realized that was just one more symptom of his declining state.

  “Fine, but I suggest you mind your tongue. You will be dealing with Fae royalty and they have little patience for rude humans. Best not to antagonize the people you’re asking for help,” Laoch warned.

  “I’m going too,” TJ added. Laoch looked at him disapprovingly but TJ continued, “It’s not out of line for a mated royal and his mate to have at least one bodyguard accompany them.”

  Laoch studied TJ briefly then gave a curt nod. This human was smarter than he thought and seemed to have some understanding of Fae protocols. Maybe he would be useful on this mission. He was clever and a tactician. No doubt he would have some good suggestions.

  “We start at first light. I suggest you stay here tonight. I’ll need about an hour to work with Tiger before we go. Don’t eat. Portal travel can be distressing for the untrained. Once we’re at my father’s home, he’ll make sure you’re taken care of.”

  The next morning Laoch called Noah and told him to have everyone take a day off from the warehouse project. He led Tiger out to the back yard and gave him the basics of creating a portal. Since they weren’t doing anything of a destructive nature, he figured the area would be private enough for their lesson.

  “Okay, close your eyes. I want you to pick a place you’re familiar with and focus on it. Picture it in your mind and feel the location, the total environment as if you’re standing there, physically present. Don’t pick a location that’s likely to have people present because we don’t want to call attention to ourselves.”

  Tiger closed his eyes and built an image in his mind. The feel of the wind, the smell of the grass and the water, the song of the birds and the rushing of the waterfall.

  “Do you have it?” Laoch asked softly.

  Tiger nodded slowly; his eyes still closed.

  “Good, now open your eyes and keep that image in front of you; reach out and touch it.”

  Tiger did as Laoch instructed, extending his hand. When he opened his eyes, a small shimmering opening hovered in front of him, too small to step through but a large enough window to see the waterfall roaring in the distance. He gasped and the window blinked out of existence. He stepped back, tripping over something and fell on his butt.

  Laoch stood over him, laughing his ass off and extended his hand to Tiger. “Not bad for your first time. Are you okay?”

  Tiger just glanced around to see if everything still looked normal. “Did I really do that? What happened?”

  Laoch hauled him up off the ground and steadied him till he could stand on his own. “Yes, you created a small portal to McNair’s compound, but you lost control and it snapped shut. Once you get used to creating portals, you’ll be able to work on the placement and size. You must keep your focus on it though until you pass through. Once you step into it, keep moving till you’re clear of it. If you stop and lose focus, you’ll get a flashback and the surge of power could do considerable damage.”

  “Good to know. Can I try it again?”

  “Go ahead, but don’t do more than open the portal. I don’t want you to try to go through it until you’re more proficient.” Laoch positioned Tiger so he was clear of any trip hazards this time.

  Tiger opened the portal again. It was smaller this time, but he managed to keep it open longer. He began to tremble and sweat dripped down his forehead.

  Laoch shook his shoulders and ordered “Stop!!”

  The portal snapped shut. Tiger sunk to his knees, his chest heaving, and his head bowed. Laoch was there kneeling behind him with a bottle of cold water in his hand. He pulled Tiger back to lean against his chest and pulled Tiger’s head back against his shoulder.

  “Drink,” he said, holding the bottle to Tiger’s lips. He made Tiger drink it all, taking small sips till the bottle was empty. Laoch moved back till he was sitting on the ground and had Tiger’s head in his lap. He smoothed Tiger’s hair back and massaged his temples. “Keep your eyes closed and just relax,” he said quietly.

  After about fifteen minutes, Tiger opened his eyes and looked up at Laoch. “Did I do something wrong? Why do I feel like death warmed over?”

  Laoch continued with the massage but he smiled brightly. “You were perfect. I can see that your Fae blood is very strong. Creating portals takes a lot of energy and you actually held the second one open longer than I would have expected, even if it was smaller than the first. You’ll get better with practice but remember not to overextend yourself. What good to open a portal if you collapse before you can get through it, eh?”

  He helped Tiger up and they walked into the kitchen to find TJ and Remi talking and drinking coffee. Laoch had forbidden them to watch. He didn’t need them freaking out in the middle of Tiger’s casting. Remi took one look at Tiger and rushed over to settle him into a chair. “Shit, Tigger, what did he do to you?” He glared at Laoch and kissed Tiger on the forehead.

  “Don’t blame Laoch. I did this all on my own.”

  Laoch came away from the kitchen with a protein bar and opened it, handing it to Tiger. He ignored Remi, ordering “Eat. It’ll help with the nausea and the headache.”

  “I thought you said not to eat before we leave,” Remi growled at Laoch.

  “Yes, and he may throw it all back up later but for now he needs it.”

  “What happened? Is he going to be all right?” TJ wasn’t quite as aggressive as Remi, but Remi already didn’t like Laoch, so his attitude wasn’t really unexpected.

  “I opened a portal… two portals,” Tiger mumbled around the protein bar.

  “He did very well for a fledgling. Your mother would be very proud.” He smiled at Tiger. He was proud of his cousin too.

  Tiger gave Remi a dopey grin as Laoch went to fetch another protein bar.

  An hour later, they all stood in the garden as Laoch gave last minute instructions.

  “I will cast the portal. Move quickly through and stand clear. Old Earth has different oxygen levels and the gravity is lighter than Corvan. You’ll probably experience some disorientation at first. Tiger remember when you’re casting to always be aware of the conditions on the other side before stepp
ing through a portal. Stepping into a vacuum or extremely heavy gravity would be a one-way trip. For now, you won’t be creating portals to anywhere but Old Earth or another location on Corvan so it shouldn’t be an issue.”

  “My father knows we’re coming but his guards may display some caution so don’t do anything stupid.” He looked knowingly at Remi at that last comment. Remi just rolled his eyes.

  “I’ll open the portal into one of his gardens. Best to be outside since you’ll more than likely throw up all that coffee you’ve been guzzling. They’ll have drinks waiting for you to help settle the nausea, so don’t turn them down.”

  “All right then. Let us be off.” Laoch cast a large portal and they all stepped through.

  Chapter 8

  TJ went through first, then Remi, Tiger and lastly Laoch. As soon as Laoch was sure they’d all cleared the portal and nothing was amiss, he closed it with an audible pop. The two humans immediately stumbled to their knees and vomited. Tiger fared a little better, only slightly dizzy. He managed to stay on his feet and Laoch steadied him.

  Two servants stepped forward, helping TJ and Remi to stand. A third servant approached with a tray of drinks and held it out to them as they swayed. “Please drink, gentle persons. The nectar will refresh you and purge the dizziness from your bodies. Laoch reached out and lifted a goblet to his lips to prove that the drinks were not drugged and handed one to Tiger.

  Tiger took a cautious sip. He trusted that Laoch and his uncle wouldn’t try to harm him, but he wasn’t sure what to expect from the drink. “Mmm, tasty.” He gulped the rest down. The dizziness and even the exhaustion from his earlier lesson were gone instantly. He felt like he could run miles and never tire. The lighter gravity of the planet added to an almost weightless feeling.