by D. N. Leo
“You heard us when we talked about the wardrobe back at Jay’s house, Ciaran. She didn’t come to Ireland until she was five. But at the time of the incident, she was only three. I wanted us to be childhood sweethearts. I always thought we were. But the girl I had been dreaming about at the riverbank might not have been Orla. It’s not a big deal in reality, but we built our entire relationship on that fairy tale, the childhood love story. What if I’ve been loving another girl, and then ended up with Orla by accident?”
“Your mind is very twisted, Lorcan. Orla would die for you.”
“Yes, and I would for her, too. But all that was because of our fairy tale. I love Orla, and there is nothing that will ever change that. But what will she think if there’s a chance that I fell in love with her because I once thought she was someone else?”
“You can’t be so sure . . .”
“I’m not sure at all. But there’s a big fucking fat chance that that’s the case.”
Ciaran nodded. “Your secret is safe with me. When we get this thing over and done with, marry her properly and get that doubt out of your mind.”
“Are you two plotting our way in, because I can’t see any other way than me sending fireballs inside first to clear the way,” Orla called out.
Ciaran and Lorcan joined the rest of the group.
Chapter 25
A short moment later, Lorcan, Roy, and Mori blasted the beams at the bricks. When the bricks loosened up enough, Ciaran wiped them away with one beam and kicked the door in. He withdrew quickly to make way for Orla. The pack of wolves rushed at the open door and were incinerated instantly by Orla’s fireballs. When the last wolf dropped at the doorstep, Ciaran stormed inside, shooting at any movement he could detect. Soon, the Raven house reverted back to its eerie quietness.
Before Ciaran put his gun away, the flickering image of the kid came back, frantically waving his arm toward a corner behind Ciaran. Ciaran whirled around to see a dimensional door slide open and the man in the black robe charge out with sword raised high. Ciaran lifted his gun, but there was no need for him to even aim as the beam landed right at the man’s neck, decapitating him.
The man’s head fell from the hood of his robe, dropping onto the floor with his eyes still blinking, revealing irises with worms swimming inside them. The body of the man and his head began to disintegrate, turning into a black worm puddle.
“Xiilok creature,” Ciaran muttered. He glanced up to thank the kid but he had vanished again.
Via the collapsed gates to the Raven house, wolves appeared. Hundreds of them. Countless numbers storming into the courtyard, heading toward the hallway. “No way we can kill them all,” Roy said.
“Have to try.” Lorcan raised his gun.
Ciaran glanced at the coming dogs and searched the room, contemplating. He raised his gun and called out, “Hold your women back, far right hand corner!” Then he raised his gun and strode to the center of the room.
“Ciaran!” Orla and Mori called out. Ciaran turned and glared at Lorcan and Roy. They grabbed Orla and Mori, dragging the wriggling women toward the back wall on the right. “Brace yourself behind that wall,” Ciaran said. He stood in the middle of the room, staring at the coming wolves in challenge. Then he walked slightly toward the left, standing by the short hallway which led to the dimensional gate they had just fought their way through.
The wolves dashed through the main hall and ran straight toward Ciaran. He calculated the distance then pointed his gun at the opposite wall and shot. The wall shook but didn’t budge. Ciaran shot again and got some protesting dust from the loose bricks. The wolves kept charging. He shot at a couple that had passed through the doorway and turned the gun on the wall again. It shuddered.
From the corner, Roy and Lorcan darted out, standing next to Ciaran. The trio blasted the wall. It shook and eventually gave in. As the wall crumbled, they saw a glimpse of dark space. “Run!” Ciaran shouted and dove toward the right, rolling toward the back wall. Lorcan and Roy did the same.
The suction funneled through from the dimensional door and the hole they just created. The coming wolves were sucked off the ground by the vacuum of air and tossed into space like rag dolls. Mori reached out, dragging Roy behind the protective wall. Orla grabbed Ciaran and Lorcan one by one by the hand and pulled them in.
They shot at any wolf that veered right toward the wall where they hid. The rest of the wolves storming into the room turned to the left to avoid the laser beams and were sucked into the deadly air funnel. From behind the wall, the group watched as the wolves flew out into nothingness.
“Enjoy the ride!” Ciaran laughed.
Chapter 26
The quietness had returned to the Raven house, the howling vanishing along with the wolves. The group stepped out from behind the wall, cautiously staying far from the spinning suction funnel. Ciaran muttered, “Now the Raven house has a gateway from one dimension to another.”
“Seriously, how do you know that there is such thing behind that wall?” Lorcan asked.
“It’s a maze, built by someone with galactic connections. Logically, the entry and escape hatches would be positioned at opposite ends. Classic mind game.”
“Has this been developed into a hologame?” Lorcan’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Ciaran smiled. “Yes. For training purposes only. ”
“Come on, guys.” Orla waved her arms in frustration. “We’ve got things to do. But we can’t just leave a gigantic hole like this in the wall. What if someone falls into it?”
“They’d be sucked into oblivion and spend the rest of their natural lives staring into the darkness,” Ciaran said.
“That was a rhetorical question, Ciaran!”
Ciaran smiled.
“How can we fix this?” she asked.
“I’m afraid there isn’t a simple solution. A maze has entries, escape hatches, doors, traps, and keys. A mind maze like this would have connections to the movements of astronomical elements. Things will shift and change constantly. The hole might eventually cover itself up and vanish as if it had never been there.”
“Or it might still be there, but someone might fall into it because they can’t see it,” Orla said.
“Yes and no,” Ciaran said patiently. “They can only fall into it if they’re in the same dimension. And if they’re in the same dimension with the hole, they’ll be able to see it.”
“Why don’t we just put a sign up saying ‘Keep away from the gigantic hole unless you want free travel into unknown space,’” Roy grinned, and Mori laughed.
Lorcan was silent. He walked along the wall, trailed his hand on it. “They’re here. Rose, the doctor, and Jay. This place is significant. That’s why they shackled people here. The stone might be here, too.”
“I agree,” Ciaran said. They walked along the wall on the left-hand side, making their way back to where people had been held. Lorcan glanced around. The walls in the basement looked familiar. There had to be something more these walls. Why these walls?
While they were contemplating and searching, the kid appeared again in the middle of the room in half-transparent form, so that both Ciaran and the rest could see him. He opened his mouth to say something. Ciaran slumped to the floor, holding his ears. “Don’t speak,” Ciaran reminded him. The kid stopped. Ciaran picked up a loose brick and handed it to him. Taking the brick, the kid drew an arrow pointing toward a wall tucked away in another wing of the basement.
The group cautiously approached it. It looked like all of the other walls, nothing out of the ordinary. Ciaran turned, intending to ask the boy what he meant by pointing them to the wall, but he was gone again. Lorcan approached the wall, fingering the grooves of the bricks.
“Be careful, Lorcan.” Orla said.
Lorcan turned around, looking at them. “The gatekeeper from Gate 131 was buried in the wall there because of the key.”
“Are you suggesting that Rose, Jay, and the doctor are buried in this wall?” asked Roy.
“Yes, if they are truly buried in the wall, in this dimension, they would be dead,” Ciaran said, brushing his fingers along the grooves of the bricks as Lorcan had done.
“I supposed it wouldn’t be wise to send a blast of fire at the wall if we think they might be in there,” Orla said.
Ciaran stepped a few steps back, positioning himself in the middle of the room. “As I said, this is a mind maze. If they want to hide someone from us, they wouldn’t put them in our dimension. But if this place is sacrificial ground, and if they were to sacrifice people to their higher power, there would be no point in keeping the sacrificial subjects in another dimension. They would have to be here, in this dimension.”
“We can’t see them, but it doesn’t mean they’re not here,” Lorcan said. Then he looked at Ciaran. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
Ciaran nodded. “It’s quite disturbing to me when our minds share the same thought pattern, but yes, I agree with what you’re thinking, Lorcan.”
Orla had her hands on her hips. “Could you let those of with ordinary minds like me know what you’re talking about so I can feel less useless?”
Lorcan laughed. “Come on, honey, this is just boys’ talk. You hate computer and chess. Now could all of you walk to the far end of the room, please? Ciaran and I want to do some searching in here. If we trigger some kind of trap and it explodes into our faces, please be kind enough to save our asses.”
Roy, Mori, and Orla moved to a quiet corner of the room.
“I’d prefer your ass just the way it is. No explosion, please,” Orla told him.
Lorcan carefully searched the wall again, studying every groove. Ciaran stood in the middle of the room, gazing at the wall and thinking. Lorcan found a lever hidden behind a wooden column. He signaled to Ciaran.
“This column has no structural function whatsoever, so this lever is probably a trap,” Ciaran said.
“I know, but we can’t pretend it’s not there.” Lorcan stepped away from the lever. “I’ll shoot at it. This is a fair distance, so if it turns out to be a trap aimed at whoever pulls the lever, we should be fine.”
“Shooting is not your strong suit, Lorcan. I’ll do it.” Ciaran pulled out a knife. “Shooting would be too rough anyway. It might trigger a whole lot of different mechanisms,” Ciaran muttered and threw the knife, hitting the lever precisely at the handle where it should be pulled. They heard a click.
“Watch out!” Lorcan shouted.
Both Lorcan and Ciaran dove aside just before a rain of arrows flew from behind them toward the column and the lever. When the shooting abated, they checked the lever. The wall next to the lever had been peeled off, revealing a button inside the wall Ciaran was contemplating whether it was safe to press the button when Lorcan shoved him aside, turned around, and took a couple of arrows to his chest. Another ten arrows pierced the wooden column.
Chapter 27
Ciaran pulled Lorcan out of the shooting range. “Your combat skills need much improvement, Lorcan. You should have turned sideways.”
Lorcan’s eyes started to close, and he wasn’t saying anything.
Ciaran shook Lorcan’s shoulders. “I’m going to pull the arrows out, and it’s going to hurt, but you can’t pass out until I say so. Got it?”
Hearing the commotion, Roy, Mori, and Orla darted toward them.
“Stay away! There might be more traps!” Ciaran warned, but they ignored him and kept approaching.
Orla said nothing, but she couldn’t help a couple of tears ran down her face. “Open your eyes and look at me, Lorcan,” Ciaran said. “I know you have to pass out so your body can start the healing process, but for it to begin, I have to pull the arrows out. I want to make sure pulling the arrows out will not be fatal. If I’m unsure, I’ll make you wait until I can do a proper surgery and remove them.”
“That would be too long and painful,” Orla said.
“This kind of damage kills ordinary people, and it kills fast. But I need to be sure I won’t kill him by pulling these arrows out now,” Ciaran responded.
Lorcan opened his eyes. “I can handle it. Do it now,” he said.
Ciaran nodded and glanced quickly at Orla, and she nodded, too.
Ciaran had seen Lorcan’s survivor instincts when he killed the thing in the woods. He’d kill for those he loved, so there was no doubt he would live for those he loved. The way Lorcan looked at Orla gave Ciaran the confidence that he would survive this. Orla sat down next to Lorcan and held his hand. Ciaran inhaled, making sure his hands were firm and his action would be accurate. Then Ciaran pulled the two arrows out at once.
Lorcan grunted with the pain, and his eyes almost rolled back, but he regained his control swiftly. Blood spurted from the wounds, and Lorcan started to shiver with the chill. Ciaran took his shirt off and stanched the blood flow. They took Lorcan to the safe corner where he could pass out to start his healing process. Orla stayed with him.
Ciaran, Roy, and Mori came back to the wall.
“There’d better be no more freaking traps,” Roy mumbled and pushed Mori behind him. Mori sidestepped, glaring at him. Ciaran signaled them to take a couple of steps back, then he pressed the button. The wall shuddered, loose cement dropping from the brick grooves. Then the wall detached itself from the connecting edges of the other walls and swiveled. Rose and Jay were chained to the other side of the wall. Jay was conscious, but Rose was not. Roy and Mori freed them.
“I thought there were three people?” Ciaran asked.
“This is Jay and Rose,” Mori said.
“Where’s the doctor?” Roy asked.
“I don’t know. When I woke, we were chained here. Rose has never regained consciousness. Is she alive?” Jay asked.
Mori checked her pulse and nodded. Jay looked at Ciaran. “This is Ciaran, our friend. He’s here to help,” Roy said.
“Where are your other friends?” Jay asked.
“Lorcan is injured. Orla is with him,” Ciaran responded. “So you are the English teacher that people have been talking about. Can you walk?” Ciaran asked. Jay nodded. Ciaran gave him a hand to help him stand up. Roy carried Rose to the other room. Lorcan was still out of it, but his wound had stopped bleeding. Orla gave Ciaran his shirt back. Jay flopped to the ground, sitting next to Orla while Roy put Rose down on the floor.
Ciaran looked at his blood-soaked shirt and muttered, “This would certainly scare young children.”
“Come on, put it on. You’ll stir up our women,” Roy whined.
Orla glanced at Ciaran, noticing the incredible definition of his long lean body. He wasn’t buff like a soldier, but his muscles were goddamn elegant. She was sure Madeline was pleased. They were a beautiful couple—now a beautiful family. She knew Ciaran longed to see them again. “Well, we might drool a bit, but we are very well-disciplined women, aren’t we, Mori?” Orla smiled and played with Lorcan’s hair, promising herself she was going to give him a kiss as soon as he came to.
Ciaran gave them a dismissive look, shook his head, and put his shirt back on. “It’s not safe to stay here, but I guess your house isn’t safe, either. Is there a place where we can go, Jay?” Ciaran asked.
“Where are we?” Jay asked.
“The Raven house. I thought you knew,” Roy said.
“I know of it. Never been inside.”
“Who owns it, do you know?”
Jay shook his head.
“We still have a wing of the house we haven’t searched. We’re on a mission. Will you be able to stay here and look after the injured with Orla?” Ciaran asked Jay.
Jay nodded. “What are you looking for?”
Ciaran shook his head. “It’s best you don’t know.” Then he headed toward the other wing of the building with Roy and Mori. Once there, Ciaran asked, “What’s your impression of Jay? Can we trust him to stay there?”
“I don’t trust him—or anyone in this island. He ha
s a connection with Bricius, and the man nearly killed Orla,” Roy said.
“I’m more worried about Rose. Her son wanted to kill Roy,” Mori said.
“It was a misunderstanding. He thought I was with the werewolf clan before. The kid has been helping us.”
Ciaran nodded. “Still, he’s been giving us half-baked information. He has an agenda. Let’s quickly search to see if we can find any clue of the stone in here.” Mori and Roy nodded and started looking around.
Chapter 28
Ciaran, Roy and Mori found nothing in the other wing of the Raven house, and they were now making their way back to the room where they’d left the four others. Lorcan had been up and was almost recovered, Rose had awakened, but there was no sign of Jay. Reading Ciaran’s question, Orla responded in anticipation, “Jay said he needed to go home, and I couldn’t stop him because Rose wasn’t up at that time and Lorcan was still out of it.”
Ciaran crouched next to Rose. “How are you feeling?”
“Not at my best, but I’ll cope. Orla told me about you and what you can do to help. Jay had his own problems, but he’s a good man. He was married to a woman shapeshifter. She died about five years ago, and since then, Jay has changed.”
“How did she die?” Lorcan asked.
“Nobody knows for sure. My prediction was that it was the conflicts within her own family that resulted in altercations and brutal fights.”
“What about Bricius?” Lorcan asked.
“He’s a friend of the brothers in Jay’s wife’s family. That’s all I know. They’re very secretive.”
“Do you know what the creatures on this island were fighting for? What are they up to?”
“They are always fighting over territories. Last time I heard, it was something about a key. I don’t know which door it would open, but Jay’s wife’s family used to fight with the wolves in the woods for it. Then after she died, her family seemed to quiet down a bit. Then all the fights picked up again a couple weeks ago. I don’t know why.”