DragonSpell

by Natalie Lougher

  “If I delve far enough, I might find something about witchcraft, but anything I’ve read so far involves spells and reagents and I certainly haven’t said or acquired anything. So I don’t know what to think.” I collected all of my hair into a ponytail and then wrapped the long strands around my fist, twisting my hand enough to pull the hair tight and make the roots hurt. Chewing on my bottom lip, I continued to stare at the laptop monitor, lost in thought and only came out of my reverie when Ian mentioned something about Ciara.

  “Ciara? What about her? Is she okay?” I asked in a sudden panic and the doctor nodded quickly.

  “Aye, she’s fine, not to worry. What I had said was that she wanted me to let you know that she’ll want your assistance this afternoon in her studio. Apparently, some men are coming by the estate to take a look at some of her paintings so she wants to get the studio cleaned up and some of her better pieces set up for display.” He sipped at his tea as he relayed the message to me and as his words sunk in, a coldness spread through me.

  “Does this kind of thing happen often?” at the concerned look on my face, the doctor paused and eyed me carefully.

  “Not to my knowledge but then I’m rarely around for such things. What makes you ask, lass?” he asked slowly and I got to my feet and quickly finished the hot tea.

  “I can’t explain it to you but I need to go. I need to find Hugh. Thank you so much for letting me use your laptop.” I kissed his cheek quickly in gratitude before hastily leaving the cottage. Ian stood rooted to the spot for a second, stunned by my chaste kiss as he watched me go before professional concern kicked in and he followed me. Something had set me off, and if it meant that Ciara or her unborn babies might be in trouble, he needed to be close-by. He followed me across the lane, watching me whisk my hair back up into its customary ponytail and he sighed. Why couldn’t I leave it down, just once? When I spotted Hugh coming out of the barn I broke into a jog and called his name, making Ian pick up his own pace. He reached the two of us as we were greeting each other and I wasted no time getting to the point.

  “Hugh, Dr. Andarsan told me that Ciara is having some visitors this afternoon. A few men that want to see some of her paintings, is that right?”

  “It’s possible I suppose. She has some paintings hanging at one of the art galleries in town, although I can’t say I know of any times when someone has come here to see her other work. I also haven’t been up to the house in awhile so I’m not aware of any visitors. What’s got your scales up, lass?” he joked lightly and I smiled faintly at his joke.

  “Honestly, I don’t know yet. But I think it is a very bad idea for these strangers to come here and go into her studio. I think we need to find a way to keep them outside.” My sharp gaze scanned the surrounding area critically and while Hugh scrunched his brow together in a mixture of confusion and concern, Dr. Andarsan spoke up.

  “Why not set some easels up outside in a more picturesque part of the property? Maybe under the trees to protect them from the sun?” he suggested and my gaze swung towards the trees he had just mentioned, even as I started to nod.

  “That’s perfect! Hugh, I need your help to convince Ciara that we need to move her display outside. I do not want these men in the house if they don’t have to be there, I don’t care how rude that may seem.” I said firmly, my voice leaving no room to argue and the two men with me nodded silently. Something had me in guard-dog mode and neither of them were going to question it. I had instincts that neither of them did because I wasn’t completely human and as a descendant of every other dragon-protector they had had live on this estate, my word was as good as law.

  “What can I do?” Dr. Andarsan asked, watching my face as I continued to scan the area and finally I met his gaze and smiled slightly, squeezing his arm lightly in appreciation.

  “Likely nothing right now but thank you. Hugh, let’s go talk to Ciara and get this ball rolling.” We said goodbye to the doctor and headed back towards the main house where we found Ciara flipping through a bunch of different paintings she had stacked on the floor in one corner of her studio.

  “Which ones should I put out? Oh! I can’t decide!” She stressed as we walked in and Hugh cleared his throat gently. Ciara spun around in surprise, her hands automatically going to support her stomach and I grabbed a nearby stool and pulled it over for her to sit on. She gave me a grateful smile as she perched on the stool and then looked at us both expectantly. “What’s going on?”

  “Ciara,” I began tentatively, unsure how she would take my next comment. “Dr. Andarsan mentioned to me in passing that you were going to be having some visitors this afternoon, is that true?”

  “Yes! I just got a phone call, they’re coming in from an art gallery in Dublin and they want to see some of my other works! Oh my gosh, I’m so excited!” She gushed, her cheeks flushed prettily and I smiled.

  “I can imagine how stoked you must be right now. But, I want you to do me a favor, okay?” at my tone, she went still and looked at me a little more seriously, nodding carefully.

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t want these men in the house. In this house or any of the cottages if we can help it. I was hoping we could set up some of the art you want to display on some easels, maybe under the trees?”

  “Why?”

  “Gut instinct is telling me it isn’t a good idea to have them come inside. I can’t explain more than that. And with Edan gone, you don’t want to be in a confined space with men you don’t know. That’s just asking for trouble.” I frowned slightly and she turned to look at Hugh to see if he shared the same opinion. He nodded silently in agreement with me and finally she sighed and rolled her shoulders.

  “Perhaps you’re right. I’ll have Alice set up a table with some refreshments out by the trees, some easels in the shade and we’ll use the coastline as a backdrop.” Ciara murmured, her gaze going back to her stacks of paintings and I could tell that her mind was back on which ones she would show. Hugh and I left her to finish sorting her works and went outside to round up a few extra sets of hands to get the easels and refreshment tables set up.

  “So what are ye thinking, lass?” Hugh asked as we each took the end of a big table and re-positioned it under a big shady tree.

  “I don’t know yet, Hugh. Honest. I just don’t feel very good about this afternoon’s visit. Needless to say, I won’t be very far away from Ciara today. I just wish I had my firearm with me. Or at least a taser.” I grumbled. Hugh laughed heartily before turning away to give some more instructions to the young men who had been helping us and I popped back into my cottage to get myself cleaned up. I wanted to run a brush through my hair since it had gone from a run-ready ponytail, to an impromptu swim, up into a bun, then in and out of an elastic while I had been on the computer.

  I quickly washed my face, changed into a new pair of jeans that Stephanie had picked up for me, and a t-shirt before brushing my hair. I looked less intimidating with my hair down but it was so long that it often got in my way, but honestly, I was getting tired of ponytails. What I really needed, was a haircut. With a sigh, I whisked my hair back in a barrette and then added a tiny bit of lip gloss (it was the only makeup I had until Edan returned with my bags) and went in search of Ciara again.

  When I found her, she was fretting over a few paintings that had been set up on the easels and I went over to take a look at them as Alice and Will set out trays of refreshments.

  “Wow, Ciara these are amazing.” I said in appreciation, admiring one of the rocky Scottish coastline. My gaze drifted from the canvas to the real thing, and I couldn’t help but notice just how precisely she had captured the waves on the rocks, the way the sun reflected off the water and how the grass seemed to move in the wind.

  “Thank you. I will say that this place has been a never-ending source of inspiration for me.” She laughed lightly, smoothing her hands over the pretty dress she wore.

  “Are you sure you’re going to be okay like that or would you like me to
go get you a chair or something to sit on? From what I gather, your babies aren’t always the forgiving type.” I frowned, turning back to look at her and she smiled nervously and shook her head.

  “No thank you. I’d be too nervous to sit still right now. After these gentlemen have come and gone, I will go have a rest and put my feet up then.” She promised, going over to the table and getting a glass of sparkling water to drink. I resumed looking at her paintings and froze when I saw one in the middle. Going over to it, I closed my eyes for a second to prepare myself and then opened them again and bent closer to inspect the picture. The setting was pretty much exactly where I was standing now, the trees overhead offering sun-dappled shade over the clearing, the hint of sea twinkled in the one corner, but the main focal point was the dragon in the center, under the trees. It had huge wings, only partially extended, its tail was curled around its back feet, much like I tried to keep mine, and the long neck was extended up and curved around so the head of the dragon was looking over its shoulder at the water. Two horns protruded from the creature’s forehead and tusks framed the jawline on both sides. The dragon in the picture was a dark cranberry-red color, its mane was a dark brownish color and the ribbed side of its neck and belly almost looked gold. It was remarkable and so lifelike that I almost wanted to reach out and touch it.

  “That’s one of my favorites.” Her voice behind me made me jump and I turned to look back at her, my eyes wide.

  “What made you want to paint a dragon of all things?” I asked, trying to relax my throat enough so the words didn’t come out as a squeak and she giggled and rolled her eyes.

  “Please! I may not believe in much make-believe but you can’t live here for more than a day and not hear about the legendary dragons that were supposed to have lived on this estate with Edan’s and Hugh’s ancestors! I wanted to do something nice for Edan for his birthday one year so I painted the dragon for him. He loved it.”

  “It’s unbelievable. It’s like you were standing right in front of it and had it pose for you.” At my praise she blushed and giggled again.

  “To be honest, just between us, I’ve always loved the thought of dragons. Such noble, majestic creatures. That’s what I picture when I see a dragon in my mind’s eye.” She admitted to me quietly and I smiled and nodded, accepting her secret while noting the look in her eye. She may put up a good front about not believing in hocus-pocus but some of it, I think, was to keep up appearances.

  A short time later a car appeared on the lane way and it drove slowly up towards the main house and Ciara and Hugh walked towards the car to greet the newcomers and I trailed a few steps behind them, my guard up. The car was a dark sedan with black tinted windows and was almost too quiet, even coming up the gravel drive, and I didn’t like it. At all. I stopped a few yards behind the Camerons as the car came to a halt and two tall, well-dressed men got out. They were both slim in stature but carried themselves with a certain level of aloofness that set my teeth on edge. They had dark suits on with black hats and sunglasses and they approached Ciara and her father-in-law with extended hands. I heard muffled voices from where I stood as everyone greeted each other and the men seemed more surprised than perhaps they should have been when Ciara gestured towards the artwork that had been set up away from the house. One glanced back at the house as they started to follow her towards the easels and he seemed almost reluctant to go and I smiled thinly and nodded at him in greeting when he finally turned away, his gaze raking over me in disdain as he turned to join his companion. Something wasn’t right and my nerves were on edge. I was going to have to keep an eye on that one.

  The men made a good show of admiring all six of the paintings that Ciara had set out and I genuinely believed that they liked some of them. The one of the dragon really got their attention and she laughed and told them a completely different story to the one she had told me, saying that it was a fantasy piece for her unborn children. They nodded and laughed and agreed whenever it was appropriate and enjoyed the small sandwiches, fruits, veggies and drinks that were set out for them.

  Just as I thought nothing out of the ordinary was going to happen and my worry had been for naught, the one gentleman that had seemed so reluctant to walk away from the house broke away from the small group and went towards the buildings, I was guessing under the pretense of using the washroom. I followed him at a safe distance, making sure that Hugh was still with Ciara and he and I locked gazes before I turned and went inside. The chefs were in the kitchen tidying up and chatting about which of the paintings that Ciara had set out on display were their favorite and I slipped through the kitchen and dining room without them noticing me. I walked down the hall slowly, trailing my fingers along the cool plaster as I went and stopped short when I found the stranger… not in the washroom but in the Laird’s master bedroom. He had his back to the open door and was waving his hands in a somewhat circular motion. He was murmuring something that I couldn’t understand but the fact that he was in a private room of the house made me want to rip him to shreds. I put one hand on the door frame, feeling it warm under my touch, but I paid it, nor the faint flash of blue when my hand touched the wood no attention as I cleared my throat.

  “May I help you with something? This is a private room and one that, with all due respect, you have no reason to be in.” I said firmly, making the stranger spin around in surprise. He had taken his sunglasses off and the look of his eyes made me freeze. Don’t get me wrong, I knew my eyes were no longer what you would expect to see in the face of a twenty-eight-year-old woman, and they were currently hidden behind sunglasses of my own, but his were other-wordly. From where I stood they looked like they were silver and blue, swirling around like storm clouds and his pale skin appeared to have a silver sheen to it. But what hit me the most was the cold look in his eyes, like I was the most inferior being he had laid eyes on that day and everything inside me wanted to hit my knees in a bow and beg for his blessing.

  But that wasn’t about to happen, I didn’t bow to anyone and I fought the almost overwhelming urge so hard that it made my legs tremble a little as I stood my ground and waited for him to leave the room. He whisked past me without a word and I followed him down the hallway and back outside. His companion was conveniently just wrapping up his conversation with Ciara over by their car and when the two were together again, they bid their farewells, got in their car again and left. I stood there and watched them go, only partially hearing Ciara’s excited chatter behind me as she told Hugh about whatever she had been talking about with the stranger in black. When their tail-lights were no longer visible, I felt something inside me let go - almost like an iron rod that had been holding me up was suddenly taken away and I collapsed on the grass in a faint.

  “Kailani!” Ciara and Hugh rushed to my side and Hugh gave a shout for Dr. Andarsan. The doctor appeared around the back of the house and when he saw me in the grass he broke into a jog and rushed over.

  “What happened?” he dropped to his knees, his fingers automatically finding the pulse in my neck and Ciara shook her head, too choked up to answer him.

  “Don’t know, one minute she was standing there watching our visitors leave and the next she was laying in the grass. She didn’t look green or anything so I wouldn’t say that she wasn’t feeling well. It was just like she dropped where she stood.” Hugh tried to explain and Dr. Andarsan rolled me onto my back and gently took my sunglasses off before he peeled an eyelid back as Stephanie came running over, his medical bag in her hands. She dropped it beside him and he reached inside for his penlight, shining it in one eye and then the other, watching the vertical pupil constrict when he shone the light a certain way and finally he sat back on his heels.

  “She’s fine from what I can tell. No fever, no racing heartbeat, no sweat. Kailani! Can you hear me?” he asked loudly, giving my shoulder a bit of a shake and after a minute I raised my hand to my head and Ciara gave a sigh of relief.

  “Wha - what happened?” I asked groggily, sitting up in
the grass with the help of the doctor’s arm behind my back, and Hugh gave a chuckle.

  “You’ve got to quit doing that to us, lass. We can’t handle that much excitement in one day.” He teased and I looked at him in confusion for a minute.

  “It would appear that you passed out. Perhaps too much sun or not enough liquids.” Dr. Andarsan’s reserved voice made my gaze swing around to him and I saw the look of concern in his own eyes for a second before he turned back into the professional everyone knew him to be.

  “Well, I can honestly say that’s the first time that’s ever happened to me. I’m sorry to give everyone a start. Doctor, could you help me up?” I held a hand out to him and he clasped it in his much stronger one, and as we both got to our feet, I squeezed his hand slightly, letting him know I was okay but that I appreciated his concern. Once on my feet, I remembered the strange men and the one that I had found in Ciara’s bedroom and I felt a flash of cold through my body.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I need to check on something inside.” I turned and ran for the house without further explanation and Dr. Andarsan and Hugh exchanged perplexed glances as Ciara smoothed her hands down the front of her dress again with a sigh.

  “I’m just glad she’s okay. Maybe whatever made her sick in the cab the other night isn’t quite done with her.” Alice and Will appeared at that moment to help clean up the refreshment table and Hugh followed me into the house. He found me in the master bedroom, checking the window ledges and under the bed.

  “Lose something did ye, lass?” he asked curiously, leaning against the door frame and I frowned and leaned back against the wall.

  “I found one of those men in here while the rest of you were outside and he didn’t seem too pleased that I caught him and essentially told him to get out. I wanted to make sure that he didn’t do anything before I walked in.” I told him honestly and his gaze darkened at my words.