by Lawna Mackie
Instinctively, he changed directions and headed to the bedroom in search of Meeka. Surely the alarm would have awakened her, and if not her, then Catz. Time seemed to stop as he opened the bedroom door, somehow knowing what he would not find. His stomach rolled over. The bedroom was empty. Meeka was gone.
The room spun while he tried desperately to breathe. He couldn’t endure this again. His heart was pounding so hard, he thought he would explode.
Where is she?
Immediately, he teleported to the pool of water in his parents’ home. Todd and Paddy stood at the edge of the water. Kerrigan looked at his mom’s weary eyes, and Todd dove into the pool, quickly disappearing.
Paddy looked at her son. “Is she gone?” Trying to find his voice, he whispered, “Yes.”
Paddy made a startled gasp, covering her mouth just as Todd and two other beavers surfaced. The pained look in his father’s eyes confirmed his worst nightmare. She was gone.
“Did she live?” Kerrigan choked out the question. Todd nodded his head. “Yes, son, they both lived.”
Kerrigan had never known such pain could exist. It felt as though somebody had pulled his heart right out of his chest. He stood staring at the waterfall for what seemed like an eternity.
His mom’s mouth was moving, but he couldn’t hear her. How could she have just left? Turning on his heels, he fled the room without a word. He didn’t know how he found his way back to his den. He felt nothing beyond the ache in his heart. He’d lost his soul.
He pulled the top off a fresh bottle of Swish and drank deeply, not bothering with a glass.
How could she go? Does she think she can just leave me like this?
Anger began to seep its way deeper into his limbs with every swig he took.
In the far corner of the room, he heard Stryker appear. Stryker walked cautiously over to where his friend stood.
“Got a drink for me?”
Kerrigan handed him the bottle. Stryker took a large gulp and handed him the bottle back. Kerrigan leaned heavily on the fireplace with his eyes never leaving the flames.
“You’re parents called. You wanna talk about it?”
“Nothin' to talk about,” Kerrigan slurred, taking another long drink. “She wasn’t supposed to be here, and now she’s not.”
Stryker was silent for a moment before he spoke. “So you’re just gonna let her go?” Kerrigan turned on him like a rabid dog. “She’s the one who left, not me.”
Stryker took another swig of the potent alcohol. “Like you’ve said to her, Kerrigan, this was not her home. Why would she stay?”
“You don’t know anything about her or what I might or might not have said to her,” Kerrigan spat out at him.
“Perhaps, but I know how much she cared for you. Cared for you so much, she couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, but trained until she was so exhausted I almost killed her. The only thing she could think about was you.”
Kerrigan wanted to kill something as he flung the empty bottle into the fire. “Yeah? Well, I guess she changed her mind! What is it you think I’m supposed to do? I can’t leave.”
Stryker shook his head, a fierce expression on his face. “You can’t leave here. Or you’re scared to do what you have to in order to leave Enchantment?”
He stepped up nose to nose with Stryker. “Get out, Stryker. I don’t need you—or her,” he hissed.
Stryker spat back, pushing at Kerrigan’s chest. “You are scared. The only thing you have to do is ask for help, but you won’t. You don’t deserve Meeka.” Then he was gone.
A thin mist existed where Stryker had stood. Kerrigan stood speechless. Nobody would dare speak to him like his best friend. And Meeka.
Damn her to hell. What has she done to me?
Kerrigan walked over to his large leather armchair and plunked himself down. Her smile and laughter was all he could see and hear. The scent of lilacs, hair that felt like spun silk and her sparkling eyes would haunt him forever.
He was lost, and he knew it. Stryker was right—it was his fault she’d left. She’d poured out her love for him, and he had run away. His true feelings for her scared him half to death. With an icy certainty, Kerrigan knew what he had to do. Slowly, his eyes closed.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
The noise wouldn’t go away. Why wouldn’t it shut up?
His head hurt. Realization came creeping back. He must have fallen asleep in the chair. And he knew who was making the noise. “Threeo, please, shut up.” Kerrigan ground out each word. How he wished this was all just a bad dream.
“I can’t find Meeka. She promised the babies she’d come visit again,” Threeo repeated again.
God, my head hurts.
“Threeo, Meeka’s not here.”
“What do mean she’s not here? Where did she go?” He tilted his head to the side.
Kerrigan took a deep breath and rubbed his face. This wasn’t going to go well. Luckily, Todd and Paddy walked in the door right then.
“Great, just great,” Kerrigan exclaimed standing up. “Can this get any worse? Dad, why don’t you explain to Threeo where Meeka is.”
It was Paddy who softly spoke to Threeo. She knew Threeo had become attached to Meeka just as she had…they all had.
“Threeo, Meeka decided she should go home,” Paddy explained.
Nobody spoke a word, waiting for Threeo to comprehend what was just said. “When is she coming back, Kerrigan? This wasn’t part of my vision.” Threeo asked.
Kerrigan sighed heavily. “Not everything in your vision came true, Threeo. Meeka isn’t coming back.”
Threeo shrieked loudly with his feathers puffed out. “This is your fault, Kerrigan. You made her leave!” Threeo vanished off the mantel.
“Just great! Did you two come to tell me this is all my fault, too?” He sat back down. “Your mother and I will never criticize what you do, we never have. You have always
decided the path which was correct for you,” Todd explained, and Paddy added her own sentiments.
“Son, I know how much you meant to Meeka, and I think you feel the same about her. The rest is up to you. This moment has been destined to come for a long time.” Paddy sniffled back the tears, but continued. “We will always be your parents, Kerrigan. We will always be here for you. We love you more than anything, but your biological parents are the only ones who can help you now.” Paddy walked to him and kissed him on the cheek as both parents exited the room.
Long after they’d left, he sat in silence.
Why? Why did this happen? How am I supposed to go on?
Facing his biggest fear seemed a trivial thing compared to losing Meeka. Kerrigan sprang from the chair and ran upstairs to the shower.
The cold water helped, perhaps even dulled his senses, but not even the frigid droplets covering his body would stop it from reacting when he thought of Meeka.
He wasn’t looking forward to what he was about to attempt. Dried and dressed in blue jeans and T-shirt, he looked in a mirror. He looked like hell. Circles of weariness showed under his eyes, but there wasn’t much he could do about it now.
He hurried back down to the den and summoned Stryker back. He waited impatiently as minutes passed. He wouldn’t blame his friend for not wanting anything to do with him.
Sure enough, Stryker appeared dressed in full leathers, with a huge scowl on his face. “I don’t have time for you and your stupidity today,” he said forcefully, folding his large arms across his chest.
“Look, I apologize, all right! Yeah, I’m an ass. I’ve got that part figured out.”
The corners of Stryker’s lips curled, but not enough to be noticed by most. “I’m glad you’ve come to your senses.”
His icy blue eyes bore into his friend’s face. “I’d like you to consider doing a favor for me.” “Come on, I almost died for you yesterday. What more could you want?” he mocked.
Kerrigan wasn’t laughing. “I’m serious, Stryker. I’d like you stay here in my house when I leave. You will ne
ed to watch over Threeo and the babies until I return, and I’m not exactly sure how long I’ll be.”
Stryker threw his arms in the air and stepped back. “Not likely! I don’t babysit or housesit!” Kerrigan walked to the desk and opened the drawer, removing the old tattered letter. “Stryker, you know there isn’t anybody else I’d trust in my house or with Threeo. You have
to do this. Besides, Paddy and Todd are just through the tunnel. You know you love Mom’s cooking.”
“I have a life! This mausoleum isn’t cool for a bachelor of my caliber,” he whined.
Kerrigan was dead serious. “Stryker, I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t need to. I thought you wanted me to go get Meeka.”
Stryker frowned. “Yes, but, but…”
“No buts. And there’s one more thing. While I’m gone, you will be the new Enforcer. I also need you to speak to those asshole Counselors and tell them to back off, or I’ll kick their sorry souls one by one. I want no interruptions, regardless of who exits or enters Enchantment. I think this world is about to change…and I’m sorry I have to leave you with the mess.”
This time, all expressions left Stryker’s face.
“You do not have a choice, Stryker. It’s an order. No one but you is qualified to be the Enforcer. You’ll do a great job, I have no worries.”
“Why not just hit me in the head with a battle axe? This is very serious.” “It is serious, but you can do it.” Kerrigan nodded positively.
Kerrigan studied the letter in his hand. “I’m sure my missing biological parents can tell me how to get to Earth. And I am sorry I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”
Stryker stuck out his hand toward Kerrigan. “Well, happy flying, swimming, or whatever. Go get her, buddy.”
Chapter Forty
The letter from his parents lay carefully folded on the desk.
What will they look like? Do I look like them? Will they help me?
Resolved now, he exhaled. There wasn’t any time for daydreams. Squaring his shoulders, he laid his hands palm-up and closed his eyes in concentration.
Electric charges sizzled from the middle of his palms and forked up through the ceiling. Sweat trickled from his temples. Kerrigan forced all his energy outward like a beacon, hoping his parents would recognize his call. This had to work.
His whole body felt transparent. From a distance, it occurred to him he really didn’t know what this exercise might do to him. It might kill him. The thought was remote, detached, as if it didn’t really matter now, either way.
Discomfort built until the anguish was excruciating. More power coursed through his nerves and veins than he’d ever felt before. His head pounded like it was going to explode. Darkness seemed to overtake him, but the sound of crying caught his attention. Where was it coming from? His curiosity refocused the energy.
Straight in front of him, the air seemed to fold into ripples, which slowly coalesced into two people standing before him.
Kerrigan tried to gather his wits, wiping the sweat away from his forehead. The resemblance was uncanny. No one said a word, but the female whimpered in awkward silence.
The male foreigner was the first to speak. “Hello, son.”
The hairs stood up on the back of Kerrigan’s neck. This wasn’t his father. Not the father he’d known for two hundred years. But the genetics were undeniable. The man standing in front of him was a spitting image of himself.
Kerrigan ground his teeth together in anger. “You’re not my father.” Flushing at the automatic response, he hoped they didn’t take offense…at least until after they’d helped him get to Meeka.
The man bent his head briefly, but spoke firmly. “Never doubt you are our son. I know you do not understand our decision, but you are our son.”
Kerrigan respected the man’s firmness.
Why? Why did they abandon me?
Enough. I need information.
He’d get answers about himself later. Right now, he needed to get to Meeka.
“I need to know how to get off this world. I must go to Upper World. Can you help me or not?” Kerrigan demanded.
The man almost ignored his request. “My name is Vallor and this beautiful lady is your mother, Allegra.”
Who the hell did he think he was? A part of Kerrigan didn’t give a shit who they were. He just needed to know how to get off this damn world. The other part of him wanted the answers he’d waited for two hundred years to hear.
Allegra’s sob caused Vallor to stop before he spoke. He bent to the woman’s ear and whispered softly. Kerrigan couldn’t hear what he said, but the man looked up and spoke again. “We will try to help you with whatever you require, son.”
“Then tell me how to leave this world,” Kerrigan demanded in frustration.
The woman named Allegra spoke, even though Kerrigan could tell it took great restraint to keep herself from crying uncontrollably. “This woman…Meeka, she means the world to you, doesn’t she?”
“Yes, she means everything,” Kerrigan stated.
Vallor and Allegra held hands, exchanging a meaningful look. Allegra smiled. “He’s ready, Vallor.”
“Kerrigan, your mother and I know you can never understand why we had to leave you when you were a baby, but we needed you to know how important love is. We stressed it in our letter. We both knew your fate up until this point in your life. You would not have met Meeka, had we not left you here in Enchantment. You have learned what love is. Todd and Paddy Beaver should be very proud.” Vallor spoke with great pride.
“Tell me how.” Kerrigan demanded again.
Allegra’s angelic voice spoke with love. “Kerrigan, for better or worse, you are what we are, valiant creatures most call dragons. We have an indomitable ability to travel, which is why there isn’t a dimension or world that can truly forbid our entrance. Kerrigan, you fight what you are,” She advised. “Embrace it, and you will find the way.”
Irritation pumped through Kerrigan’s veins. This wasn’t helpful. He knew he was a dragon. Vallor added, “When you believe in love, nothing will stop you from your heart’s desire. Dragons serve to protect and love. This type of passion will get you wherever you wish. You have grown up to love Enchantment, but not your heart’s own need to follow in another direction. Embrace what you are—the dragon—and you will be set free.”
Kerrigan had so many questions for them, but right now, he just needed to find Meeka. “I know I’m a dragon. What more is there to embrace?” Kerrigan asked, scowling at Vallor.
Vallor smiled at his son. “Yes. You realize you are a dragon, but even now, you fight and try to deny your real parents. You are not from this world. Stop fighting. Only then will you know your true power and the extent of what you are.”
Allegra’s tears had stopped. Kerrigan knew she had much to say; it was written all over her face. It was going to have to wait.
Allegra stepped forward and picked up his hand. “I know what you think, son, and I know you need to leave. Go find her. We can continue our discussions later. Please be careful.” Allegra pressed her lips to Kerrigan’s hand. Step by tiny step, she moved away from Kerrigan and joined Vallor. A bright light encased their bodies, and they disappeared.
Kerrigan was stunned. They were gone, vanished. He needed so many questions answered, and all he got was philosophical gobbledygook.
I guess I have to figure this out on my own. Thanks again, “folks”.
In the blink of an eye, Kerrigan teleported to his training field. If anywhere, this was the place he felt closest to the dragon. Well, that wasn’t necessarily true; he also felt the dragon when he held Meeka in his arms.
Kerrigan stood in the center of the field and held his arms out wide, focusing on his inner strength, the strength of the dragon. His fingernails shaped into claws. His arms grew larger and spread into thin sheets of leathery skin. Instinctively, his wings sought the breeze in the air. His vision, which only moments ago had been normal, was now multifaceted and all-encompassing. His b
ody stretched and thickened.
He was huge in dragon form. Blue-green scales glistened, tautly stretched over a powerful frame that resonated with a force only barely held in check by innate grace and composure. Inside, he felt like flowing satin. He was soft and sleek, capable of becoming a tiny particle or a raging river. He could be what he wanted to be.
Embrace the dragon.
He thought of Meeka, and her indomitable strength, courage, and love. Intuition told him he was on the right track. He remembered her words after they had made love.
I will always love you.
Kerrigan felt his stomach clench. The fortress inside him was coming down. Meeka’s love was winning.
I can do this. I can love.
He could forget two hundred years of hatred and let this new emotion in. Kerrigan’s laugh came out as a funny roar. His head was light, and so was his heart. He felt as though he’d just shed thousands of pounds. He would find his soul mate.
Memories of Meeka filled his head. He concentrated on how he thought Upper World and the beaver dam would look. The brightest and purest white light blinded Kerrigan and sucked him into a vortex of the unknown.
He was spinning out of control through what resembled a tunnel. Still blinded by the light, he found himself unable to stay upright.
A rainbow blur of color flashed past his eyes, gradually darkening to pitch-blackness. His next sensation was a Whack! square on the back, right between his massive wings. Before he had a chance to react, everything became bright again, and he found himself lying on the ground.
Hoping nobody had seen his graceful entrance, Kerrigan groaned and rolled awkwardly to his side, letting his dragon form retreat back into the core of the man. He would certainly have to practice the maneuver if he wanted to keep his bones intact. He struggled to his feet and looked around.
The forest was dark and dense. The silence was broken only by the sound of a tranquil stream flowing over mossy rocks. It was a good place, but more importantly, Meeka had been here; he could sense it. The thought of her being out here alone did not sit well with him.