She sat forward, elbows on knees. “Then how do you plan to use it to save anyone?”
“I have not worked that out yet, but I will. I must save my people and keep the volume safe. I need as many volumes as we can find.”
“We might not find any. Then what?” Her fingers clawed at her throat in an unconscious motion.
Daegan didn’t like seeing her distressed, especially not to the point of scarring her skin. “Do not do that.”
She stopped. “Do what?”
“Scratch your neck that way. Your fingernails leave red marks as if an animal clawed ya.”
His words held her momentarily silent, then she rolled her eyes. “And that bothers you why?”
“I do not wish to see any woman harmed.” He caught her gaze and would not release it as he kept the boat moving. The way she stared at him with distrust shouldn’t matter, but it bothered him. He had always championed the innocent and vulnerable.
She showed no sign of believing anything he said.
He owed nothing to her beyond helping save her friend, but the defensive words still came out. “I am not the monster ya chase.”
Another stretch of water passed before she spoke.
“You have no idea what monster I chase and don’t ask. That’s a question I won’t answer.” She twisted to her left and pointed. “There’s the landin’. You got us here in record time.”
He angled the boat to the spot she’d indicated and dug deeper strokes, sending the flat bottom boat up on the bank.
She leaped out and grabbed a rope she’d hooked to a cleat and pulled.
The boat would not move.
Shaking his head, he jumped out, gripped one corner and dragged the boat past her. He pushed it into a flattened area the same size as the boat. With it firmly tucked into the hole, he backed away as she made fast work of covering the boat with old branches. She carefully pulled vines back into place where they would naturally fall into the water.
Pink flowers grew along the vines. His father’s cook always had those flowers floating in a bowl of water. Seemed odd to him at the time, but he’d like to thank her for the memory now.
Lifting her arms and stretching her back, she said, “We have to hike back to the centre.”
“To the front door or your secret entrance?”
That shut down all conversation again.
He wished to exchange places with Quinn, who had shown an endless supply of patience for this woman. “I know of your secret tunnels.”
“How can you know anythin’ of the sort?” she replied, dodging his comment.
“We brought a woman here who has remote viewing. She sat in a spot on the floor of the ancestral centre and saw how ya opened a secret door in the bookcase on the back wall. Then ya followed the tunnel for a long stretch until you climbed out of it ... into a tree. ’Tis interestin’. How old is that tree?”
Of all the things he’d said to her, that stole her ability to speak.
She’d gone back to eyeing him as a terror.
Why? “Do not worry about your treehouse. I care nothin’ for that or your secret tunnels. I only care what ya can find in your books.”
She waved off his comment. “There be nothin’ special about any of the tunnels. They were built three hundred years ago for women and children to escape during battle. I take those exits sometimes just to be sure the passages are still in good shape. I had actually intended to send Fenella out that way if she had shown up before Cavan. Cathbad.”
Had he finally said the right thing to relax her?
Quite a speech coming from her for something of little significance, but he saw no reason to threaten her escape path. “Sounds too small for one of my size.”
Her eyes lit up. “Yes. Much too small. The idea had been for the men to fight off an enemy while his family escaped, but if he fell then the tunnel would slow down someone followin’ his wife and kids.” She almost smiled in relief.
He’d like to see her smile. A real smile.
Ruadh made that low rumbling again as he would do after a day of flying just to relax.
Daegan smiled at whatever had his dragon content for the moment.
Tristan would like this woman’s spirit and would tease her. He enjoyed poking at Adrianna and Evalle.
Daegan missed Tristan’s humor.
Luigsech’s forehead creased with a new concern. What bothered her now?
She asked, “Can you do the cloakin’ Quinn did?”
He thought he could do it again, but he had some doubts about his powers such as teleporting a great distance. He’d spoken to Quinn telepathically once his Maistir had left to hunt Fenella. He had Quinn contact Brina for her help returning to Atlanta.
His niece would be delivering her twins soon. Daegan had to get this venom out of his system and return before her birthing. He would not have her dealing with teleporting others, which could take a toll on her energy once her time came closer.
“Drake? The cloakin’?”
“How long?”
She clamped her hand on her forehead. “Would complete sentences be askin’ too much?”
Mouthy wench. “How long would ya be needin’ the cloakin’? Give me a distance.”
“Ah, you can only go for a short time, huh?”
He heard the taunt in her words and countered, “Not to tout my ability, but I can go longer than the best.”
Her cheeks reddened. “Well then it shouldn’t matter how long, should it?”
“’Twas only clarifyin’ so my answer would be accurate.”
She made a sound that reminded him of a small beasty growling. She admitted, “I don’t want to be seen enterin’ the buildin’. I can get us close, then you’ll have to cloak us for maybe fifty or sixty feet.”
“I can do such.”
“Good.” She grabbed her backpack and walked off. “Let’s go.”
He would not walk emptyhanded as a woman carried a loaded pack, not even one as annoying as Luigsech. He caught up to her quickly and snatched the backpack away before she could
