“Luigsech crawls over to the desk from time to time and punches numbers on a desk phone she’s pulled to the floor. No answer each time. Wait. One time she spoke to ... Peter or Peadar? Some guy with goats her friend didn’t pick up.” Reese’s fingers moved to her knees again and curled into fists as she continued. “She has a wheat-colored tote bag next to her with something in it ... books. Two big books. She put the one she’s been reading in the bag, too, then she crawled over to find a pen and scrap of paper. She scribbled ‘Go home.’ on the paper and put it under a scrunched-up rag. It’s daylight outside. Bright. Like an hour or more has passed. She opened the book, then she seemed to debate reading something and slammed it shut, then shoved it in her bag. She hooked the tote strap over her shoulder then ... picked up a sword that had been leaning behind her back. It’s glowing.”
Daegan imagined Luigsech had escaped last night with only that sword in hand.
He drove her from her cottage by showing up and drawing in the Imortiks. Power or not, she should not have had to run away panicked.
So many decisions to regret over the past twenty-four hours.
Ruadh’s voice smoked through Daegan’s mind. Gryphon is strong, but still needs us. Battle not place for regrets.
Daegan’s dragon did not suffer human emotions when it came to battles and war, only to survive and win. But Daegan had to consider how his actions affected everyone. He would fight to save any of his people without the first regret for those who stood in the way, but he could not so easily dismiss his part in Luigsech’s terror.
Not unless he discovered she had intentionally held back information.
Huffing out a long breath and shifting her position on the cushion, Reese continued. “The woman crawled away from the front room until she could stand up in the back area. She moved to the right end of two wide bookcases against the back wall and put her hand between a row of books to ... pull something? A switch? Damn. A bookend is the switch.”
Daegan had the urge to go look, but without more information it would not help.
Taking a couple shallow breaths, Reese cocked her head with her eyes still shut, but seeing something that seemed important by her expression. “The middle of that big bookcase moved an inch as if it’s on hinges. She pulled the bookcase out and stopped. She seemed undecided, standing there with her forehead leaned against the open bookcase. Something happened. Power flushed in the building. She jerked her head and leaped inside the opening, then snapped the door shut. She’s in a dark area holding her breath and looking through a peephole at ... Daegan. After a minute, she breathes quietly again, pulls a keychain with a light from her pocket and starts walking fast hunched over. It’s a long dark tunnel with a low ceiling.”
Just as Daegan had suspected.
Luigsech accessed the ancestral centre from a hidden route. He cursed himself for missing her.
He struggled for patience as Reese continued describing the steps Luigsech made and how the woman reached a spot where she climbed into a massive hollow tree, which opened to the forest.
Sitting quietly for a long moment, Reese said, “Luigsech left the tree and ran for ... I can’t tell how long. She stopped in a field near a boulder where flowers and weeds grow. She bent down and lifted a section of earth. No, maybe ... oh, it’s a trapdoor.”
Rubbing his neck, Daegan sent Quinn a look of lifted eyebrows.
Quinn spoke silently to Daegan. I wish we could get her to race ahead, but that just interrupts her.
Reese suddenly came out of her semi-trance wide-eyed. She spoke quickly. “Things started getting foggy, but the Luigsech woman went through another tunnel and ended up in what I’m guessing is her cottage. Do you want me to keep looking from here?”
Daegan shook his head. “Ya may see more clearly following her from the cottage than to struggle with a foggy image. Or she may just be there right now. Prepare to teleport.”
Chapter 9
Light flashed rapidly against Renata’s closed eyelids.
Dark sounds growled and half-words shouted nonstop.
A film, something icky, clung to her face.
She batted her hands wildly, striking out to stop another attack, but it was that beast. That nasty yellow thing. She could feel it reaching into her core. Cold crawled through her body, first turning her fingers numb, then heat scorched her skin.
She bit down to keep from crying out.
Never give the bastards anything to celebrate.
Don’t open your eyes, she repeated over and over in her head. Beladors would find her. The dragon promised to save her. He’d tried. That hideous yellow thing hurt the dragon.
What happened to the Treoir dragon?
Howling and screams erupted, raising hairs on her neck.
Crazy words she couldn’t understand cluttered the air.
Tears spilled down her face. If only she could have seen Roberto one more time.
Where was Devon? What happened to him? Maybe he escaped.
If he did, Devon would come for her.
She’d seen another Belador in this place the one time she opened her eyes. Don’t open your eyes.
No. She kept them clinched tight. She didn’t know the name of the other Belador, could only see that he was male. He’d been so awful, screaming when they ... she sobbed. Bile raced up her throat. She clenched her teeth.
She squeezed her eyes tight. Stay strong.
Don’t open your eyes!
Noises slowly subdued until she couldn’t even hear breathing.
The sudden quiet tempted her to look.
But the glowing monsters played mean tricks.
She’d been in darkness for so long. She had no concept of time. If only she could see what
was ...
No! Don’t open your eyes!
She tried calling out telepathically again. I’m Renata. A Belador. Help me.
Laughter howled all around her.
Had she said that out loud?
No. Maybe.
Her throat was too dry to talk. She
