[Dragon's Gift 01.0 - 05.0] Complete Series

by Linsey Hall

  “On it.” Del saluted, then winked at Connor and Claire.

  We split up, Aidan and I cutting west through the woods. The land dipped down as we walked until soon we came to a wide river. The water was clear at the edges, burbling over round pebbles, but deep in the middle.

  “This feeds Loch Tummel, I think,” Aidan said. “If we follow it, it should take us roughly west.”

  As we walked along the river, my gaze constantly scanned the forest, taking in the gnarled trees and dappled sunlight spotting the ground. Animals rustled in the underbrush and a few squirrels chittered, but overall, it was weirdly quiet.

  Splashing water sounded to my right, and I glanced over.

  A head had popped out of the water in the middle of the river where it was so deep it was nearly black. The woman was beautiful, with flowing golden hair and strings of pearls wrapped around her neck. Weeds were woven through her hair, bright green and shiny, and they actually looked really good, considering the fact they were weeds.

  “A Ceasg,” Aidan said.

  “Yeah.” She had to be one of the highland mermaids, because I seriously doubted that a human would be out splashing in this river, her hair intricately decorated with weeds while she wore eighteen strands of her best pearls.

  “Are you Cassiopeia McFane?” the Ceasg called.

  I started at being called by my original, given name. I’d just learned it and hadn’t taken to really using it yet. But how did she know it?

  “Maybe?” I said.

  “You are!” Her voice was delighted, and she swam closer, her tail flashing pink as she neared. I remembered that Ceasg were said to have the tails of salmon. I wondered briefly how she’d got her pearls if she wasn’t an ocean mermaid. Perhaps she traded for them.

  She splashed into the shallows, sitting upright on the pebbles. Up close, I noticed that her skin was slightly pink as well, glowing with a pearlescent sheen.

  “About time you got here!” She splashed her tail. “I’ve been waiting ages.”

  “For me? Really?”

  She nodded vigorously, her green eyes bright. I tried not to make eye contact, remembering advice about not meeting the gaze of a mermaid else they compelled you to follow them to their watery home. Or something like that.

  “Of course,” she said. “We’ve been waiting for you. Finally the time is here.” Worry shadowed her gaze. “Though perhaps I shouldn’t be so excited about that.”

  “What are you talking about? And who is we?”

  “The Ceasg of Loch Tummel, of course. It has been our duty for centuries to guard this river and wait for The One.”

  The One? Oh, hell no. “What do you mean, the one?”

  “The fated one who will save us from the darkness.”

  I was so not qualified to be The One.

  “Explain,” Aidan demanded. “With detail.”

  She sighed and flicked her hair back, flinging water droplets that plinked into the river. “Honestly, I’d expected you to be more knowledgeable about this whole thing. How else will you save us?”

  “With your help?” I said.

  She brightened at that. “Oh, I like that!”

  “But you’ll have to explain at the beginning.”

  “There’s not much to say. The time has neared for the darkness to awaken. Our prophecy says so, and we can feel it in the energy of the water.”

  There seemed to be a lot of prophecies and fate lately. It made me nervous.

  “The Ceasg do not want the darkness to rise,” she said. “To keep that from happening, I’m supposed to direct you toward the broch and warn you about the demon on four legs. The Nuckelavee.” She shuddered as she pointed away from the river toward a path that cut through the forest. “You must follow that path. Beware the Nuckelavee that seeks to intercept you. It is a creature of pure evil and would like the darkness to rise. You must escape it.”

  “How?”

  “I don’t know. There is no fresh water to cross in that direction. That is all that will stop the Devil of the Sea.”

  “The Devil of the Sea?” Aidan looked around. “Here?”

  “He comes to land when he can,” she said. Fear glinted in her eyes, and her skin turned sallow. “Beware him. Send him back to the sea if you can. But whatever you do, you must reach the broch.”

  That was all super mysterious. “Anything else?”

  “You may trust the two-legged and the no-legged.” She gestured to her pink fin. “But not the four-legged. Follow the path to your answers.”

  “This is all pretty cryptic,” I said.

  She frowned and nodded. “That’s all I know, though. Prophecies don’t exactly come with instructions. But good luck. We are relying on you.”

  I nodded and thanked her, then turned and set off for the path with Aidan. We were on an official quest now if a mermaid had given us instructions.

  “That was weird,” I said.

  “I think it’s going to get a lot weirder.”

  I called Del and Nix on their comms charms to tell them where we were and that we had a lead. They were miles away from us, but would head in this direction and hopefully catch up. Aidan and I walked quickly through the forest, our footsteps crunching on twigs and leaves. Magic vibrated in the air, dark and light at the same time. As if good magic and dark magic filled the space, fighting for supremacy. This forest was alive with it. Something fueled this place, but I wasn’t sure what.

  Nervous sweat broke out on my skin as we walked and waited for the Nuckelavee.

  “Maybe it won’t show up,” I muttered, thinking about how frightened the Ceasg had been.

  “Maybe I’ll—”

  Something crashed in the distance, branches breaking and wood popping, cutting Aidan off. All animals and rustling silenced as the crashing grew louder.

  I tensed, glancing around. For a moment, all I saw was the forest.

  Then an enormous beast crashed through the trees—a horse the size of a Range Rover, ridden by a grotesque man with a wide, gaping mouth full of fangs. It was the most terrible thing I’d ever seen, straight from nightmares I couldn’t have imagined.

  Ice shivered down my spine. No, that man wasn’t riding the horse. He was part of the horse, growing straight out of the horse’s back. His arms hung down low, almost to the ground. Worse, the creature had no skin. Just shiny muscles and veins pulsing with black blood.

  Shimmering gray light flashed around Aidan as he transformed into a griffin. His golden coat and feathers were a marked contrast to the Nuckelavee’s slimy inside-out appearance, but his huge beak looked vicious.

  Aidan launched himself at the Nuckelavee, his huge wings carrying him into the air. He dived, taking a chunk out of the demon-horse’s side before the creature swiped at him with a long arm. The power in the punch sent Aidan flying through the air.

  He crashed into a wide tree trunk and collapsed to the ground. As he rose unsteadily, I called upon my magic, letting the crackle and burn of lightning flow through my body. My heart pounded. When it had gathered enough, I released it, sending a cracking bolt toward the Nuckelavee.

  Thunder boomed as it struck the creature in the chest. But instead of seizing and dropping, the Nuckelavee raised up on hind legs and whinnied ecstatically, glowing from within.

  It was feeding on the lightning.

  Of course. It was a creature from hell. Lightning and flame would only delight it. As my mind raced for a solution, Aidan charged the Nuckelavee again. The creature caught sight of him and turned to confront the attack.

  They collided, a sickening clash of claws and teeth. The Nuckelavee tore at the griffin with his deadly claws while Aidan clamped his massive jaws around one of the creatures hind legs.

  Aidan was as strong as the Nuckelavee, but they were both so vicious that his injuries would be dire if this continued.

  Think, think!

  The Ceasg had warned that there was no fresh water to cross to stop the devil of the sea. Water!

  I calle
d upon my power, mirroring Aidan’s Elemental Mage powers. I rarely worked with water, but the cool, refreshing feel of it brushing against my skin told me I had the hang of it. I let the power surge in my chest as I envisioned a massive jet of water shooting from my hands.

  Aidan and the Nuckelavee thrashed on the ground, tearing at each other, as I hit them with a massive stream of water. It felt cold and bright against my palms as it shot toward the Nuckelavee.

  The demon creature howled as a deluge of water splashed against its hide. A massive cloud of steam burst up, obscuring the fight. The steam disappeared in time to show the soaking wet Nuckelavee right before the beast collapsed in a rush of water.

  Griffin Aidan stood ankle deep in the puddle in the middle of the forest.

  “Whew.” I dragged a hand over my forehead. “I guess we’ve sent him back to the sea.”

  A swirl of gray light surrounded Aidan just before he returned to his human form. Blood poured from a wound in his arm, and he clutched his side.

  My heart thudded heavily at the sight, and I raced to him.

  “Are you all right?” I examined the deep cut on his forearm, then gently peeled up his shirt to reveal a deeper one on his abdomen.

  Aidan collapsed heavily to his knees, and true panic pierced me. I dropped down beside him, gazing into his eyes. They were blurred with pain. I didn’t understand. The cuts were deep, but not enough to slow him down.

  When a trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth, my skin turned ice cold.

  Internal bleeding.

  Of course. The Nuckelavee must have stomped on him with its great hooves.

  Aidan fell onto his side. I cried out, too terrified for tears.

  “Aidan!”

  He gasped harshly but couldn’t speak.

  My heart pounded as fear crawled along my skin.

  He was dying. Aidan was dying.

  My hands shook as I tried to think of how to help him, but my terror slowed me. The golden cuff at my wrist caught my eye, and a thought pierced me.

  I tugged off the cuff and threw it away. Magic swelled inside me, making me shake as a current ran through me. I reached for Aidan’s healing powers, hoping to mirror them. They weren’t strong—not enough to heal wounds as terrible as his—but I hoped that with my massive amount of power, I could enhance them enough to save him.

  The idea of losing control made my breath catch in my throat. If I lost control trying to heal him, I’d kill him.

  But his skin was so pale, his gaze now almost vacant.

  I had to try.

  My power grasped ahold of his. The forest scent of his magic was weaker than normal and I could barely hear the sound of crashing waves. But it was there. The healing gift was ephemeral, like a subtle smoke that I had to grasp onto.

  I caught it and pulled it toward me, imagining mending all of Aidan’s wounds. I ran my shaking hands gently over his body, forcing the healing energy into him. My palms warmed, and the backs of my hands glowed red.

  Tremors rocked my body as I knelt over Aidan. Tears that wouldn’t fall burned at my eyes as I kept my gaze glued to his pale form. The magic inside me pulsed and surged, trying to break free. I shook with it, almost losing control.

  I sucked in a deep breath and focused, pushing more healing energy into his body.

  Slowly, the color returned to his skin. His gaze cleared. I glanced down at the wound on his arm, noting that the skin had knit itself back together.

  “Cass,” Aidan croaked.

  My gaze jumped to his. Joy flared hot and bright inside me at the sight of his smile. All the color had returned to his face, and his eyes were clear.

  “You’re okay.” Tears finally started to fall, now that the moment for action was gone. They poured down my face, hot and salty when they reached the corners of my mouth.

  Aidan pushed himself upright and pulled me into his arms. I really started sobbing then, the reality of what had almost happened hitting me.

  “It’s okay,” he murmured. “I’m fine. You healed me.”

  I clutched at him, running my hands over every inch I could reach to confirm that he really was okay.

  “You almost died,” I whispered.

  “Yeah.” He laughed. “But you saved me.”

  I pulled back, glaring at him. “You’re laughing?”

  He grinned. “You saved me, Cass. I was a breath away from dying, but I’m here. Because of you.”

  “So, you’re laughing.”

  “It’s amazing.” His grin widened. “You’re amazing.”

  I sat back on my heels, and a laugh bubbled out of me. Not because I thought I was amazing, but because I couldn’t believe my good luck. And probably also because I was coming down from the adrenaline high of a lifetime.

  “Laughing in the forest when you have things to be accomplishing? Tsk tsk.” The creaky old voice sounded from the trees behind me.

  I whirled on my knees, searching for the owner of the voice. A small figure walked out of the woods. He was no bigger than a child, with the legs of a goat and a wizened old man’s face. A brown cloak was draped over his back.

  “You may trust the two-legged and the no-legged,” the Ceasg had said.

  I really didn’t want to hurt this little, uh, creature, so I hoped the Ceasg had been right.

  “Who are you?” I asked, keeping my magic at the ready. Adrenaline was still coursing through my body, making me doubt my ability to maintain my control.

  “I am MacKintosh, a Bauchan.”

  I’d heard of Buachans before. “Are you the helpful kind of hobgoblin or the tricky kind?”

  He grinned, his teeth bright white. “Both. But in your case, I am here to help. I will lead you to the broch.”

  He gestured with an overly large hand, beckoning us to follow.

  I glanced at Aidan.

  He nodded. “I trust him.”

  It was enough for me. And after the stress of all that had just happened, I really didn’t want to fight again.

  As we climbed to our feet, I paid close attention to Aidan. My heartbeat calmed when I noticed how steady he was. I swooped down and grabbed my dampening cuff, shoved it on my wrist, then followed Aidan and MacKintosh.

  “Lovely weather we’re having, isn’t it?” MacKintosh asked as he led us toward the broch.

  “Yes,” I said, following him off the path and into a more heavily forested part of the wood.

  “I myself prefer a bit more rain, but I know how you lot prefer the sunshine,” MacKintosh said.

  He kept up a running stream of commentary as we walked through the forest. I kept one ear on his chatter and one ear out for trouble. The sun was setting, and the forest grew dark, leaving shadowed nooks that made for perfect hiding places.

  I didn’t get the impression that MacKintosh’s chattiness was because he was particularly comfortable in this section of woods, but rather that he just liked to talk. He went a mile a minute, commenting on everything from the flora and fauna to the latest centaur football match that had lit up supernatural televisions last night.

  He led us on such a circuitous route, in between trees and over gullies. I had no idea where we were by the time we reached a clearing in the woods. No wonder the surveyors hadn’t found this place when they’d made their maps. My head was buzzing from trying to keep an eye out for danger while not offending our guide.

  “And here it is.” MacKintosh swept his arms out to indicate a stone tower in serious disrepair.

  The sun had fully set, and the moon was behind clouds, so it was hard to make out the details of the tower. But the thing was huge—easily forty feet wide and half as tall. One whole side had tumbled down, revealing massively thick walls.

  “Not very impressive now, but give it a moment,” MacKintosh said.

  I nodded, unsure of what he meant, and approached the broch slowly.

  “Can we just walk in?” I asked, hoping there weren’t enchantments we had to get around.

  “Wait until
the moon shines upon it,” he said.

  I glanced up, noticing that the moon was about to break free of some clouds, which glowed white at the edges. When the moon finally peeked out, I glanced back at the broch.

  I stutter-stepped, surprised to see that the broch was now twice as tall and the wall had been repaired. There was even a conical wooden roof on top.

  “What happened?” Aidan asked from beside me.

  “Beats me.” I studied the broch, which would have been an excellent defensive structure in the Iron Age. I was about to call Nix and Del on my comms charm to tell them we’d found it when MacKintosh’s voice sounded behind us.

  “Quick! The moon will disappear soon. You can only enter in the moonlight, so go now!”

  I glanced back at him to see him shooing us, his brown gaze bright in the moonlight. “I need to tell my friends we’ve found it.”

  “No time! Go, go!”

  The panic in his gaze convinced me. I turned back to the broch and approached, entering a darkened archway. A heavy wooden door was positioned inside, but it was propped open. As I stepped through, I caught a glimpse of movement inside the broch.

  But when Aidan and I entered fully, everything was dark and empty. The walls were once again broken, and the roof was gone.

  “Moon’s gone back behind the clouds,” Aidan said.

  “Yeah.” I shivered. The enchantment was eerie, flashing this place in and out of existence at the whim of the moon.

  We explored the interior of the broch for a moment, but there was nothing inside. Just a few dark gaps in the thick walls. I was about to explore one when the world lit up with sound and noise.

  It took me a moment to realize.

  “The moon has come out from behind clouds,” I murmured. The walls were once again complete, but it was the hustle and bustle inside the broch that was so unexpected.

  A fire glowed in the middle while people sat and stood all over the small space. They were semi-transparent, as was the fire, but they were living their lives like it was a normal day. Someone was cooking, and another was weaving. Several men sat on benches around the hearth, chatting.

  I glanced up, and the sight of the platforms extending out from the walls above made my head spin. There were multiple stories in the broch, but the center column was open all the way to the roof to allow the fire’s smoke to escape. There were people on the upper levels, too, though I couldn’t tell what they were doing.