“I’m sure I still have the floor!” Shannon shouted indignantly.
“You’ve had your say, such as it is,” Fergus said while staring hard at Shannon. “Take your seat or I’ll have you removed from the meeting, so I will.”
“Well, I’ve never been treated in such a way!” Shannon huffed.
“Therein lies the problem,” Margaret said quietly. Several quiet chuckles could be heard from council members sitting close by.
When Shannon continued to stand defiantly, Fergus sighed and said, “Take your seat or be escorted from the room, Shannon.”
“Wait until my husband hears of this!” Shannon said furiously.
“Better him than us,” Aengus said.
Shannon glared hatefully at Aengus as she grabbed her purse and coat. “You haven’t heard the end of this,” she said haughtily, as she stomped toward the exit doors.
“We all know that well enough,” Eamon said, sighing deeply.
“Why not vote her off the council and be done with it,” Margaret said wearily.
“You know very well that we cannot do any such thing, Margaret, dear,” Fergus said. “Each of the founding clans must be represented on the council.”
“But does it have to be the grumpiest, evil-minded sharpie in the entire O‘Quin clan?” Margaret asked.
“Not if we had a say in it, Fergus said. “But you know as well as I that each clan chooses their own member on the council.”
“Oh aye, we know that well enough,” Margaret said. “I’m convinced they voted Shannon onto the council, years ago, just so she wouldn’t have so much time to torment the rest of her clan.”
Ashling nodded sympathetically and said, “Since we have the rare opportunity to have a discussion without her constant interruptions; I suggest we take advantage of it.
“Spot on with your observations as usual, Ashling,” Fergus said. “Do we have any idea how those gray devils found us?”
“It’s all guess work so far, but Da’ and I have a theory,” Ashling said.
“That’s more than the rest of us ornery Irish folk have if you added all our opinions together. Say on, lovely Ashling,” the eldest and presiding leader of the twelve said, in his usual gentle voice.
Ashling smiled at Fergus McCree, the longtime leader of the Council. He often said he was older than the hills surrounding Rundimahair, and Ashling thought it might be the truth. Fergus was long and lean with a full head of silver hair. His gray eyes were soft with age, but his mind was as sharp as ever. He usually let Eamon, Aengus and Ashling take the lead in council meetings, but when he did speak, it was always worth listening to.
Before she spoke, Ashling looked at the semi-circle of council members seated at their matching oak desks, in their gray, high-backed and well-cushioned chairs. Apart from the now absent Shannon Tiernay, she knew each of her fellow council members to be fair, open-minded people. They were also not the type to be easily frightened. She was grateful for this trait above all.
“You’ve all had the opportunity to meet our guest, Sean Quinn,” Ashling said, gesturing toward Sean, sitting in the chairs reserved for townsfolk, when they were invited to council meetings.
Sean looked as though he was going to stand, but at the last moment decided to stay in his seat and nod solemnly at the council. Ashling could feel his nervous energy churning just below the surface. She smiled at him and nodded back, hoping to calm his nerves.
“You’ve also heard the tale of how he came to Rundimahair. In a feat we thought impossible, he managed to tap into the ancient, incredibly powerful spells which have protected us for centuries.”
“Do we yet understand how a handsome young fellow barely out of his knickers managed such a stroke of magic?” Fergus asked softly.
“Truthfully, we don’t a clue,” she said. “If you’ll bear with my lengthy story, I’ll try to explain all that we know and all we don’t yet understand.”
“Carry on and forgive the interruption. We’re all anxious to hear every detail,” Fergus said, smiling.
“Nothing to forgive,” Ashling said, returning his smile. “From the beginning, we suspected Sean had latent gifts of white magic coursing through his veins. After some of the experiences we’ve shared, there is no doubt that he is a tremendously gifted wizard. We’re still working on his family history to discover where the magic came from.”
“How can you be so sure?” one of the council members asked.
Ashling launched into a discussion of the fight with the foul beasts they’d battled at the bed-and- breakfast. She could see the interest and fascination of the council grow as her story concluded. It had been centuries since anyone with such powers had been found.
Next, she went on to discuss in detail what had taken place during the battle with the deadly gray dragons. She heard Margaret gasp when she explained how he’d destroyed the dragon intent on killing her.
By the time she’d explained Sean’s heroic battle to help Eamon, everyone in the room was spellbound. After letting her tale sink into the council’s minds, she finally said, “I’m sure you can see that Sean is a tremendously gifted and powerful wizard. When you consider that he is only just now becoming aware of his powers, it is not unreasonable to assume that his potential may well be nearly unlimited.”
“Aye, it would be a fierce hard thing to argue with that,” Aengus said. “The young fella sure and true has the gift and there’s no doubt about it.”
“Amen to that, Aengus,” Margaret said solemnly. “How many generations have passed us by since the last red dragon appeared out of nowhere, roarin’ and ready to go in a fight to the death with the grays?”
“To my recollection, which I readily admit is not as sharp as it could be these days, it’s not happened in the long history of our race,” Fergus said.
“Taint nothin’ wrong with your recollection, dear Fergus,” an aged woman named Mona said. “I’ve been a student of our race’s history since I was no more than a wee little one at me mother’s knee. I can promise you there is not the like of Sean in our long and troubled history.”
Ashling nodded at the ancient woman and said, “I couldn’t agree more, Mona. While we know that he is a young man with great potential; none of us can say for certain where the ceiling on his powers might be.
“It is my belief that Sean’s presence is what brought the grays inside of our ancient, protective shield,” Ashling continued. We all know that Grainne has her dragons out searching for us constantly. I feel that Grainne’s gray dragons were searching in our area and were pulled into Rundimahair by the powers of the great Creator of us all.”
“Why in heaven’s name would the Creator do such a thing?” Fergus asked. “It could have been the end of us all!”
“Because it is the only way such a powerful red dragon could be called out,” Ashling said. “When Albie brought Sean to the high mountains, it was meant to be.”
“Because nothing but the possibility of you and Ashling dying, could call forth such a mighty red!” Fergus said.
“More likely it was the danger to his dear Ashling that caused his dragon self to roar into existence,” Eamon said, smiling.
“I was thinking the same thing, so I was,” Margaret said, glancing at Ashling.
It was Ashling’s turn to blush as she glanced at Sean and then down at her feet. “Whatever the case may be, it was meant to bring Sean’s magnificent red dragon to life. Not only that, but Grainne would be none the wiser. She would only know that a group of her gray dragons had disappeared without a trace.”
“I couldn’t agree more and while I readily admit that it’s a fascinating topic of discussion; perhaps we should forego talkin’ about Sean as though he isn’t sitting right in front of us,” Eamon said, smiling.
Ashling realized her mistake, as she looked at Sean sitting in the front row of seats below the dais. She nodded at Sean, who smiled in return. “My apologies, Sean. As usual, my Da’s right as rain.”
“No offense
intended, and none taken, Ashling,” Sean said, waving his hand dismissively. “I’m as interested in discovering how I fit into your history as you are.”
“Very kind of you, Sean,” Fergus said. “Can we assume you won’t mind us asking a few questions? Before you answer, I must warn you that some of the questions may probe into your family history and personal life.”
“Ashling’s constantly asking me questions lately, so I’ve become somewhat used to being given the third degree. “I’ll warn you ahead of time that I’ve not come across any relatives who could turn into fiery, red dragons at the drop of a hat.”
Or dragons of any other color, may I assume?” Margaret asked, showing a broad smile.
Sean chuckled, enjoying the kindness the Council showed him under difficult circumstances. “Right you are, Margaret. No dragons of any color that I’m aware of.”
“I’m wondering if any of your amazing gifts showed themselves in some small way before you found yourself in Rundimahair,” Fergus asked.
Sean was silent for a few moments before saying, “Nothing earth shaking, but from time to time I think I did have what might be considered unusual occurrences.”
“Please explain,” Fergus said.
“There have been times in my life–going back as far as my teenage years–where I was sure I could hear someone’s thoughts.”
Sean saw several of the Council look at each other with raised eyebrows and expectant glances. Obviously, they were very interested in what he had to say.
“Do you mean you could actually hear what they were about to say, or know what they were thinking?” Eamon asked.
“The latter more than the former,” Sean said. “I didn’t hear their voices speaking to my mind just before they said the words out loud. It was more of a sense that came over me where I knew what they were feeling.”
“That must have come in handy when you were thinking about asking a pretty young lass out during your schoolin’ days,” Fergus said, smiling.
“Once I began to trust those feelings, it was very handy, indeed. It was very comforting to know if a girl was thinking that she’d like to go out with me, before I even asked.”
“Sure enough, Sean, such a gift could have saved me some humiliation in me younger days,” Fergus replied.
“But there was more to the gift than helping out with your love life,” Ashling said. “Explain how it had a darker side as well.”
Sean nodded slowly while he gathered his thoughts and shifted direction. “Soon after I turned eighteen, my ability seemed to expand. I could actually feel if someone was very upset, or very happy without ever looking at them. Eventually, I refined the ability enough to know if someone was thinking dark, dangerous thoughts.”
“And what did you do when you recognized such feelings in someone?” Fergus asked.
“At first I tried to ignore them, since I didn’t want to believe some of the feelings I was picking up on. That all changed when I was in the last few months of my senior year of high school.”
“Something forced you to take action?” Fergus asked.
Sean nodded and said, “I was walking to gym class with two of my friends when I felt very dark, angry thoughts close by. Vicious anger and a desire for revenge hit me so hard, I almost cried out in pain. I quickly looked around me and didn’t see anything at first. When I started walking forward again, I finally spotted a slender, pleasant-looking girl, glaring at a boy across the hall who was flirting with a pretty girl.
“You were able to pick her out of a crowded, school hallway?” Fergus asked.
“It was like she was sending out violent, radio waves that only I could tune into. Her feelings were so vehement that it physically hurt to accept them into my mind. I realized she wasn’t just angry at him; she truly wanted to hurt him.”
“What did you do?” Margaret asked, her eyes wide with interest.
“Just as we approached her locker, I saw her turn quickly and reach onto the top shelf. In that moment, somehow, I knew she was going for a gun. I stepped up so close behind her that she physically could not pull away from her locker or take the gun off the shelf. I expected her to resist, but she froze in place and stared straight into her locker. I put my arm on her shoulder, so a passerby might think we were boyfriend and girlfriend.”
“That was quick thinking, Sean. Did she try to resist at all?” Fergus asked.
“Only for a moment, until she realized it was futile. I remember thinking that I might be able to help her if she didn’t panic. To my astonishment, she slowly nodded her head, as though she’d heard my thoughts. For the first time in my life, I heard exactly what she was thinking.”
“What was it?” Margaret asked excitedly.
“Somehow–mind to mind–I heard her say, ‘I wasn’t going to hurt him; I only wanted to scare him. He lied and cheated on me and then laughed in my face when I confronted him about it. I could see the confrontation clearly in my mind and felt sympathy for the girl.”
“I suppose you notified the authorities,” Margaret said.
“I probably would have, but when I pulled the gun out of her hand, I saw it was a very realistic, plastic gun. She had very angry thoughts in her mind, but I realized she hadn’t intended to actually do him physical harm. She only wanted to humiliate him, just like he’d done to her.”
“Still, it seems like she could have gone from thinking about humiliating him to actually doing him harm, if she was that angry and unstable,” Margaret said.
Sean nodded and said, “I took the fake gun from her and told her I wanted her to report this to a student counselor or I would. She promised she would talk to Mrs. Williams, a very well-liked counselor at our school. I told her I’d give her until the next morning, and that I’d be watching closely.”
“I assume she complied,” Fergus said.
“She didn’t show up at school the next day, or any day after that. Rumor was that she’d transferred to another school. I probably should have turned her in, but I had a strong notion we’d never see her again, which turned out to be the case,” Sean said.
“Did anything like that every happen again?” Margaret asked.
“Nothing that dramatic, but from time to time, I realized I could feel or hear other people’s thoughts,” Sean said. “It troubled me at first, but it happened so infrequently that I just put it off as a weird physic anomaly. I’d read about similar things on the internet, and now I assumed I was just one of those peculiar people.”
“You didn’t tell anyone–not even your folks?” Margaret asked.
“What would I tell them? I couldn’t just blurt out that I had awesome psychic abilities that seemed to show up occasionally. I did my best to ignore this weird ability and eventually it faded away.”
“Use it or lose it,” Aengus muttered.
“In Sean’s case, I believe it’s not so much lost as put away until needed,” Ashling said. “I’ve picked up some vibes since I began working with Sean, that indicate his psychic sense is alive and well. A bit dusty from lack of use but the powers remain.”
“That would jibe with other experiences we’ve had over the years,” Aengus said.
“Indeed so, Aengus,” Ashling replied.
“Any other unusual abilities you might have noticed, Sean?” Fergus asked.
“Only one that felt like it might have involved a touch of magic,” Sean said.
“Say on,” Fergus said, with a touch of eagerness in his scratchy voice.
“Coincidentally, it occurred less than fifty miles from here on Highway 101,” Sean said. “It was a foggy, rainy Saturday afternoon in late September about two years ago.”
“Nothing coincidental about it, Sean,” Ashling said. “The proximity to our incredible magic power source had everything to do with what occurred. Being so close to such a marvelous magical power source, is what allowed you to trigger your own great powers.”
“I can’t argue with that,” Sean said. “Looking back on it with the knowle
dge I’ve gained, I believe Ashling may be correct.
“Sorry to interrupt. Please continue, she said.”
“I was hurrying to an investor meeting, related to a large parcel of land I later purchased and developed,” Sean said. “As I came around a bend in the road, I was shocked to see an eighteen-wheel truck and trailer less than ten feet in front of me. I could see the driver slumped over the wheel, either asleep or unconscious.”
“Does anyone else feel like someone with dark powers may have been trying to kill Sean before he grew into his powers?” Margaret asked.
“Sure, and true, Margaret, the same thought just occurred to me,” Fergus said, as several others around the room nodded in agreement.
“If it’s true that a sinister force meant me harm, another powerful force must have been defending me,” Sean said. “In the blink of an eye, the huge truck was back in its own lane, as I drove safely past him. Despite my shock, I noticed the driver was sitting up straight in his seat, looking alert and refreshed.”
“I pulled over to the side of the road, until I could stop shaking and tried to make sense of what had just occurred,” Sean said. “Of course, I couldn’t make any sense of it and eventually convinced myself that I’d imagined the entire incident.”
“Let me assure you, Sean, the event was very real,” Ashling said firmly. “While working with Sean to develop his magical gifts, I’ve seen so many of the experiences of his life–mind to mind. This particular experience had the stench of dark magic all over it.”
“Are we to assume that he was able to tap into our shields on that occasion as well?” Fergus asked doubtfully.
“Highly unlikely,” Ashling said. “He was too far away to be able to access its power base – especially at such a young age. I believe he sensed the power, without really understanding what it was.”
“Then how could it…? Margaret stopped in mid-sentence and slapped both hands on her desk. “As you say Ashling, it must be he himself what did this!”
“Da’ and I were thinking the same thing.”
“So, you’ve already begun the search for his ancestors?” Fergus asked.
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