“Dear one. Easy. You don’t need to put blood all over the whole bloody— Er... I mean, over the entire boat, just on either side of the hole. Then it will spread the protection across everything inside the boundary markers.”
“Oh? Oooooh.” Good news, that!
Feeling a bit like a moron, I made a small cut in each hand, just deep enough for each to leak out a tiny puddle of blood, about the size of a quarter. I placed my hands on either side of the hole, which as about the size of an average frozen pizza (I think. I hate frozen pizza. I’d never buy that shit.)
At first, nothing. Then I closed my eyes, and pictured Little Zippo, my cute little flame app. He woke up grumpy, and I knew why. He was as knackered as I was, but I called him to work overtime anyway.
That same tingling sensation flowed through my body, and seemed to flow out from my hands, into the blood on the boat. Again, as a little blood trickled down on either side of the hole, it began glowing red. I could feel the power surging out again, feel the ward form and start to grow. As it spread quickly within the boundary marks we’d set, the sensation was so odd. Like I was growing my own skin over the surface of the hull. It was over in about ten seconds.
“Okay,” I said, panting a little. I didn’t realize it would take so much out of me. I felt like I just ran a 10K. Or what I guessed that would feel like. Normally I would just pledge a dollar for each K that Katie ran instead of me. Even with my training runs, this still took a lot out of me. “So, next I think of protection stuff, right?”
Brann nodded. “You invoke the power of protection. However you do that. Knock yourself out.”
“I almost have already.” It was easier this time, not being so clueless, and having passed my magic driving exam at the DMV. I focused on picturing images of protection. A wall again, brick, covered with Ivy like Wrigley Field... that mama bear... Fort Knox... Captain America’s shield... What else? I thought about the new flat screen Katie and I bought, and focused. There. Our five year limited Warranty against manufacturer’s defect. There was something else. Oh yeah. The condom. This time I went with ribbed, pre-lubed, and a reservoir tip. I clicked through the images in my mind, chanting each one in a whisper. The mantra...
“Keira,” I heard. Brann’s voice sounded very far away. “It’s done. You can stop.” I dropped my hands to my sides. They felt so heavy I didn’t think I could ever lift them again.
“Are you okay, Keira?”
“I feel a little... tipsy...” I turned to Brann, struggling to keep my eyes open. “Nice though.” I smiled what I hoped looked a little naughty at him, as my eyes roamed over his runes. No. Skip the runes. I was drooling at that bod. “Goddamn you’re cute.” I swayed a little.
“Thank you,” he said, behaving like a real gentleman, who’d never take advantage of a gal just because she was a bit buzzed. Or shit faced, like I felt. “Maybe you should rest, huh?”
“Maybe you should rest on top of me, studly boy...” I didn’t know if that sounded sexy, because as soon as I finished saying it, I passed out cold...
When I opened my eyes, I found that I was on the boat. I tried to shake the cobwebs out of my brain. Where was everyone? It seemed I was alone on the boat. I moved to the rail, looking over the side.
A hundred feet below, I could see Keegan, his arms spread. Either he was getting smaller, or the boat was still rising into the sky. It seemed like the boat was weightless, like a hot air balloon. Far below, I could see the shore, and the vast ocean.
It made no sense. Why was Keegan still on the beach? Where were the others? My stomach dropped as I realized I must be alone on the boat. But then I realized why it made no sense. I was dreaming again.
Oh, fuck. That means...
I wasn’t alone. There was one other figure on the boat, standing in the stern, with a long pole in his hand. He was pushing on it, propelling the boat alone like an old keelboat. Pushing? On what?
Before I could register that, I noticed his clothes. Which consisted of one item only. A long, voluminous robe, which fell all the way to his ankles, and concealed every inch of his body. It also concealed his whole head, beneath a cowl. I approached, trying to see his face. “Hello? What’s goin—” I froze. There was no face. All that I could see under the cowl was a black void.
A chill rose through me, sending a shudder all the way to my toes. I remembered what the Donn said about his abduction. The brothers had been able to reach the unreachable land of the dead by catching a ride with Manannán. The spectral boatman who ferries the souls of the dead to Tech Duinn, for their final judgement.
What the fuck? Does this mean I’m dead?
“Not yet,” said a voice behind me, cranking my fear up another notch. “But soon, my lovely Keira.” Then Dub’s grotesque, croaking laugh made my stomach flip. As I turned to see him, that whip cut through the air again, lashing me with a terrible pain. I wanted to take that Bone Knife and plunge it into his dark black eyes. But... where was it? Where was my pack? Before I could think, the sting of that whip slashed me again, and I screamed in agony. I tried to run, and the flick of his whip wrapped the leather tip around my foot. I crashed to the deck, next to an equipment locker.
