Evan opened the door, giving Dougal a glimpse of the tavern keeper’s wife sitting in a chair beside the bed, talking to Vika.
“Brother, ‘tis all well?” Dougal whispered.
Evan nodded. “Vika be more angry than excited about the babe.”
“Angry?”
“If she be here, she’s not out there having fun.”
Dougal chuckled.
“Stop laughing! This babe should not be coming until summer!” Vika growled at them, and Evan pulled the door closed behind him.
“The hall be more private. She be in quite a dither about missing the festivities.” Evan sighed.
“Brother, the babe shall be born on Beltane. This I mentioned earlier, but we be among strangers. ‘Tis why I wished to stay in the mountains.”
“Nay. ‘Tis a good omen, meaning our clan shall survive.”
Dougal wished with all his heart that his brother was correct. “Keep her calm, and I shall protect the village, should the pirates show their faces.”
“Get Wynn to help you, as long as you can get him out of bed. He disappeared into his room with Kera twice this day, but he might be out searching for food or drink. Be something else troubling you?”
Shrugging his shoulders, Dougal did not wish to burden Evan with his concerns about the lass who looked like Cliona, the strange lass who said she knew Cliona. Did she know of Cliona’s true nature? If she shared such knowledge with others, none in his family would be safe.
Marching down the stairs, Dougal glanced around the dining hall. The crowd had lessened, as many of the folks had gathered around the bonfire, singing.
He hoped Vika birthed her babe soon, the waiting had grown intolerable. He’d rather spend his nights perched on a peak in the Black Cuillin Hills.
“I hate waiting.” Unfortunately, the babe would show his face when he was ready, and not before. No one knew whether the babe would be born in human form, or dragon. Vika’s survival was also an unknown. She could die during the birthing.
He headed toward the tavern’s front door. The questions ate at him, but keeping her safe was paramount. “Which means ‘tis time to find Wynn.”
“Did I hear me name taken in vain?” Wynn asked, following him as they stepped out onto the tavern’s front porch. “I was planning to take Kera on a run, but if I be needed, please tell me.”
“Aye, Kera should hear this. Let us find her.”
Wynn hastened across the town center, and Dougal followed. They found Kera standing along the fence, beneath a broadleaf tree, sipping from a bowl. Her smile was wide, until she noticed Dougal.
“What be this? I expected one dragon, and got two? Be you here for a run, or do you wish to fly?”
“Later, me love,” Wynn said. He pulled her close and kissed her until she moaned against his mouth. The bowl dropped to the ground, splashing Dougal’s boots.
Dougal raised his gaze to the moon and waited for the lovers to finish. The moon’s silvery surface seemed to shift into an image of Cliona. Or, was it Fiona? He shook his head, and gnashed his teeth. If Wynn and Kera did not stop their foolish kissing, his dragon would erupt.
“Why does your brother look as if he wishes to burn the village? I do not think either Orin or Vika would appreciate such an attack.” Kera slipped from Wynn’s grasp.
“I be a bit upset. Vika be in a lot of pain. I fear the babe will be born soon. Do you not recall the danger in this?”
Wynn walked closer and placed a hand on Dougal’s shoulder. “Calm yourself, brother. You said you needed help. What can we do?”
“I sense something dark, and must heed the premonition the tavern keeper’s wife shared with me. The pirates might attack the village, and we must also watch for Toal MacMorgan.”
Kera spit on the ground. “That bastard better not show his face, or I shall rip it off!”
Dougal couldn’t blame the pretty shifter. When she was barely a young female, Toal had used her ill. After she’d escaped his bed, she’d somehow made her way to the northern woods. Living with a pack of wolf-shifters had kept her happy, but meeting up with Toal again last winter, and his abduction of her, was a nightmare come back to harm her. Wynn had found her before she’d ripped out Toal’s throat, and they had escaped together.
They were inseparable and made love every day and night. It was no wonder Kera was several months along. Her bairn would be their clan’s second attempt to mate with someone who had not been born a dragon. Finding out that Kera could shift into a golden dragon was a nice surprise. Their small clan needed to bring more dragons into the world, and their little experiment was going well.
Worrying about Vika would not keep the villagers safe. Kera had overheard the pirates they’d fought months earlier. They said they would attack as soon as the trails into Morbhan had cleared of snow.
The tavern keeper’s wife’s vision said, “Blood shall run like a river, men shall breathe their last, and the white doe will surrender her heart.”
Orin was known to see things, but he hadn’t warned them of any approaching problems. Even so, keeping watch on the town and surrounding farms was prudent.
“We should have burned the pirate ship until it disappeared beneath the surface. Instead, we only set fire to their sails, which kept them from sailing away. Wouldn’t that have been better than having to keep our eyes peeled for the vultures?” Dougal asked.
“I have to agree with you, brother. However, if their dead bodies had washed ashore, the humans on this island might have searched for the cause of their demise.”
Dougal crossed his arms over his chest. “Or, the sharks and selkies might have removed all evidence. Enough! We need a plan, should they breach the town’s walls.”
“What about the humans living on the surrounding farms? They have no protection. I know from experience what pirates do to women,” Kera said.
Wynn leaned down and kissed his mate’s cheek. “Lass, you have a kind soul, considering the horror you have survived.” Wynn turned back to his brother, raising one golden eyebrow.
Dougal glanced at Kera. “Aye, we should see that any stragglers make their way into the village. At least the fence and the warriors offer a better defense against attack. Kera, with moonlight to guide us, let Wynn and me patrol the outskirts while you take stock of weaponry and suggest guards be stationed along the fence.”
“Aye, I can charm the villagers to make sure the area be guarded, and the warriors remain vigilant. Mayhaps I should spread a rumor saying Toal MacMorgan was spotted?”
“Sounds like a plan,” Dougal said.
As Kera trotted away, Wynn growled. “You will not charm anyone except me, lass!”
Dougal wrapped an arm around Wynn’s neck, and dragged him away. His brother struggled, sputtering curses under his breath, but couldn’t break free. Dougal was older, stronger, and wise enough to leave the lass to complete her task any way she could. He knew she loved Wynn, but the young dragon was jealous.
“Stop your struggling. Kera will accomplish her task without sharing her favors. Do you not trust her?”
When Wynn quit his struggles, Dougal released him. They walked toward the shadows in a corner, far from torchlight, and the guards at the village gates. Dougal jumped over the fence with ease, and dropped into a crouch. Once Wynn joined him, they removed their clothing and weapons, hid them beneath a pile of dried leaves, and walked naked into the surrounding forest.
When he called for the shift, raising his arms toward the treetops, the shift’s brilliant white light made him close his eyes. As his bones cracked, euphoria washed over his body. Skin turned into scales, and fangs formed inside his enlarged mouth. Shifting into a dragon was always a pleasurable experience, yet it paled beneath the memory of kissing a bonny lass.
Wynn roared, and they leaped into the moonlit sky. Keeping low to the trees, their plan was to check all the farms and make sure any humans headed to the safety of the village.
“Mayhaps I should shift into a wolf. Finding a d
ragon at their door will only stir the rumors,” Wynn suggested.
Dougal thought about his brother’s suggestion as he flapped his wings and curled his talons into his chest. The scents of the forest filled his nostrils, and he wished he smelled the white doe. Fiona’s image rose, startling him into losing altitude, and he brushed the tops of several evergreens with the tips of his wings. Recovering, he growled and headed back to the sky.
“Did you fall asleep, brother?” Wynn asked.
The accompanying chuckle did nothing to explain Dougal’s lack of concentration. They were on a mission to keep the humans safe. He would find out more about Fiona, where she came from, and why she looked like Cliona, once their task was over.
Pirates, as well as Toal the toad, were dangerous men. Some of the pirates had hidden their gold in caves near the dragons’ homes. Keeping them at bay all winter required freezing the snow into ice, at the openings to their caves. Once the snow grew thick and the weather turned frigid, the pirates had huddled on their damaged ship.
They would be hungry, thirsty for ale or whisky, and in the mood for female company, which was why the humans in the area surrounding Morbhan were at risk.
He recalled the black-haired lass whose clothing the white doe had stolen. She was young, pretty, and he remembered the way her blue eyes flashed while she spewed curses at the thieving doe. She lived on a farm east of here, and he recalled that the stolen dress was green and covered in butterflies, just like the dress Fiona wore.
“Let us head east. When galloping in me horse form, I passed a farm where a lass lives. We must make sure she be no longer in residence.”
Wynn nodded his massive green-scaled head, and flapped his long white wings, heading east. They landed in a thicket near the cottage, and discovered the young lass was indeed at home. She stood in the moonlight, gazing toward the south, in the direction of the sea before, disappearing inside.
“This be a problem, brother,” Wynn whispered.
“She cannot stay here. Shift into your wolf and find out if she be alone.”
Wynn returned to the darkness of the forest, shifted, and trotted to the cottage window. He stood up on his forelegs, while his tongue lolled out one side of his mouth. He looked more like a dog than a dangerous wolf.
He jumped down onto all fours, and disappeared around the rear of the cottage. All Dougal could do was sniff the air. He smelled the female, but he noted something else. They weren’t close to the sea, but the salty tang of ocean breezes and fish was troubling. “Pirates.”
Willing Wynn to hurry wouldn’t help, but he kept his ears pricked. He would not allow the approaching pirates to hurt Wynn or a human, but keeping hidden was the preferred plan. As he waited, a deep growl erupted from behind the cottage, and a scream ripped through the air.
When the lass ran out of the cottage and headed toward the village, followed by the white wolf, Dougal followed on foot. His talons scratched the earth, releasing the odor of dead leaves. The recent snows had melted, which left the ground wet. He did not relish the mud squishing between his talons, or the brambles clawing at his folded wings, but he wanted no one but Wynn to know he followed.
Men’s voices argued to Dougal’s right, and several other men slipped past him to his left. Guessing about ten pirates were now between him and Wynn, he wanted to catch half a dozen and swallow them whole, but the other members of his clan frowned upon eating humans. They didn’t taste good, anyway. Discovering their plans would be more appropriate, so he used his enhanced dragon hearing to listen to the men closest to his hiding spot. The moonlight helped him see their faces and odd clothing.
“I need a lass. Can you not smell her? I can’t believe a wolf chased her away. If I get close enough, I’ll slice its head from its body.”
“You wish to kill a white wolf? Be you daft? ‘Tis an omen. A bad one. I’m heading back to the ship,” said a pirate wearing a yellow scarf around his dirty brown hair.
“Coward! I be your captain, and me plan be law,” said a pirate wearing a white one.
“Fine, but you’d better not kill it. I shall meet you in the village, as planned.”
The pirate’s words made Dougal’s stomach clench. He needed to find Wynn, the black-haired lass, and any other humans outside of the village, then return to Morbhan. Besides them, the rest of his family could be in mortal danger.
He watched one pirate retrace his steps, and concentrated on him. Moonlight glinted on the steel of a curved blade. The threat to Wynn was real, but his brother had a head start. He would follow the lass until she crossed into the village, so Dougal crept alongside the pirate as silent as his large body would allow.
“Who goes there?”
Not silent enough.
CHAPTER 10
An odd sound broke the silence, and Fiona woke abruptly. She sat up in the borrowed bed, but her feet tangled in the wool blanket someone had placed on her while she napped. She hit the floor with a thud. Her breath caught in her throat, knowing someone had entered the room without her knowledge. As footsteps approached, her eyes widened and she peered into the darkness.
“Lass?” The voice was familiar, and when its owner walked closer with a small lit torch, Fiona released her breath.
“Mistress MacFingan! You scared the living daylights out of me. I must have fallen asleep. I will remove meself from your room.”
“Don’t be silly, though I do need me rest.”
“Has Vika birthed her babe?”
The woman shook her head. “Nay, but I foresee the bairn making its appearance soon.”
“Well, Unna must need me help, so if you’ll excuse me, I shall leave you be.” Fiona patted her hair, and slipped on her cap. Straightening her clothing, she slid her toes into her footwear.
“Just a moment, please.”
Fiona turned and waited to see what she wanted.
“I be a healer, but I also have visions. A strange one has kept me awake at night, these last two days. When I shared it with Evan’s older brother, Dougal, I collapsed.”
She had spoken to Dougal? “Does this have anything to do with me?”
“I cannot know, but shall I tell you the words?”
Fiona wasn’t sure why the lass thought she’d wish to know about a vision, but if it concerned Dougal, she should hear it. “Aye.”
“Blood shall run like a river, men shall breathe their last, and the white doe will surrender her heart.”
Fiona swallowed, and tried not to show how much the words affected her. Danger lurked, and the villagers were at risk, but it was the words about the white doe that caused alarm.
“Thank you for sharing, but I have me errands to run. Please rest. Would you like some spiced hot cider?”
The healer stared at Fiona, then patted her shoulder. “Tell Blackie to bring it to me. I have not had a moment to talk to me husband for two days. You go help dear Unna, and keep her out of the bedchambers.”
Fiona wasn’t sure what the healer meant, until she thought of how friendly Unna acted toward human males. She nodded, and slipped back into the tavern. The crowd had thinned, and she saw no one she knew. She relayed the message to Black MacFingan, who hurried into the kitchen for some cider for his mate.
“What would it feel like to have someone care for me, like that?”
“Did you forget about me, lass?”
Fiona turned toward the rear door, past the stairs. A dark cloaked figure stood in the open doorway, leaning with a comfortable grace. He raised his hood a fraction, to show her it was Mac, the man she’d met near the stables.
“I have been busy, sir. Please sit by the fire, and I shall bring you some food and drink.” Fiona owed him a meal. She’d forgotten her promise to him, after he’d helped her find her coin, and was nothing but kind.
He hesitated, then pulled his hood down over the top of his face, and stepped across the threshold. Why he hid his features was of no concern, as he hadn’t hidden anything from her. When he settled in a corner, and remo
ved his gloves to warm his hands beside the hearth, she turned toward the counter.
Heading behind it, she searched for a tankard, found it, and filled it by dipping it in the open cask of ale. As she wiped the foam from the side of the tankard, the last of the customers headed out of the dining hall. She glanced around for food. Spying a hunk of crusty bread wrapped in a scrap of linen, she placed it on a small tray.
The tavern keeper exited the kitchen, saw her working, and smiled. “Will you be fine while I stay with me wife awhile? I sent Unna to the tent of the elders, but she ought to be back shortly.”
“I’ll be fine, me lord.” She headed toward the dark stranger, and set the bread and tankard in front of him. He had several bumps on his fingers, but he smelled like a mountain stream, as if he’d bathed, recently. “I hope this shall keep you satisfied. There shall be more food tomorrow, but ‘tis late, and most be gone, me lord.”
“Please, call me Mac. I shall look forward to tomorrow, lass, but this shall satisfy me tonight, unless…”
Fiona waited, wondering what else he might want. His eyes were a dark muddy brown, and his smile twisted, as if he expected her to offer him something.
Unna stomped through the front door, and broke the spell. She looked harried, and swiped loose brown hair from her face with one hand, while carrying an empty serving tray with the other. “When they get in their cups, those men be obnoxious. If they were younger, I could have some fun.”
Fiona stepped forward, took the empty tray, and cupped her elbow. “Unna, tell me what happened.”
“I could have used your help.”
“Forgive me, but Blackie and his mate, I mean wife, have kept me busy. He went to check on her, and left me here.”
Unna looked impressed. “You call him Blackie, now? Getting chummy with the boss, I see.”
Smolder (Clan of Dragons Book 3) Page 9