A Warrior's Perception (48 page)

The stone doorway crumbled at his feet as he threw the door to the hallway floor. He seemed a pagan god as he stood in the doorway with nostrils flaring and black eyes gl
aring at the man at the hearth.

Adalie Duncan neither moved away nor offered and defensive force as Kagan made his way to him. Kagan wrapped his hand around Adalie's throat and slammed him into the wall by the hearth. Adalie groaned as the breath was wretched from his
body and Kagan drew his sword.

Adalie looked into the face of heart break as the tip of the laird's sword was placed under his chin. He silently prayed for a quick death and hoped JaQuay was there to welcome him to Valhalla's gates
.

“
Where is she?
”

“
Vacrey Isle.
”
Adalie's struggled w
hisper burned at Kagan's heart.

“
How do I get there?
”

“
The isle is hidden from man. Only the fae can find it,
”
Adalie croaked softly as Kagan let him go.
“
Crimm takes her there to save her life.
”

Kagan gritted his teeth,
“
Ye lie. Crimm is as man as I and yet he took her there.
”

“
He is fae, na man. He and Ell'andra share their mother's blood line.
”
Adalie took a deep breath and closed his eyes,
“
She will'na return to this world.
”

Kagan's fist balled and smashed into the wall beside of Adalie's head,
“
Who can take me there?
”

“
Only one of the fae,
”
he replied as his shoulders bent to the laird's will,
“
or one of the winged beasts that sprang from the soil of the isle.
”

“
Where is ye other son?
”

“
He is'na fae. He is as mortal as I.
”
Adalie looked at the floor and frowned,
“
Haggart could take ye but he disappeared o'er a year ago and I ha'e na seen nor heard from him since.
”

Kagan growled as Adalie reached into his sporran and withdrew a small orb of light. He handed it to Kagan and whispered,
“
This belonged to Ell'andra's mother. It is all I ha'e left of her. She looked at it often and said that it showed her the isle. Perhaps it can help ye find my daughter.
”

Kagan instantly felt the warmth that radiated from the small sphere. He let it roll into the palm of his hand as he gazed into the light. He staggered backwards and almost dropped it as the light cleared and an
image of a green lake appeared.

“
What magic is this?
”
His words were spoken aloud
as he stared hard into the orb.

“
Fae magic.
”

Kagan watched a herd of wild horses raced across the greenest pasture he had ever saw. Grassy meadows and shimmering waterfalls blurred as the orb's light swirled and shimmered in his hand. The whirlwind of colors stilled and a man's back appeared. He sat on top of a moss co
vered boulder and was speaking.

Crimm turned his face to Kagan and spoke in a language he had never heard. Kagan's heart pounded ruthlessly in his ears as Crimm's eyes averted to his left. Kagan's knees weakened as Andra smiled at her brother.

The gloriously claiming streak of red and gray fell from her temple and was wrapped around her fingers.
Kagan turned from Adalie as
tears burned his eyes. She was well, alive, and more beautiful than ever before to the man on the other side of the world. Her emerald eyes sparkled in the sunlight and her skin glowed with soft beaconing at Kagan. Her white gown fell from her breast in waterfalls and her lips were pink and full. Her legs were curled beside of her perfect
bottom and her feet were bare.

Flawless!

As if on cue, she looked up and her bright green eyes
looked into his. She could feel his presence and his pain. She reached out and suddenly dropped her hand as the butterflies whispered,
“
The lion needs to hunt.
”

She scowled at the swarming pests and waved them away as she turned back to Crimm. Her smile and sudden
loss
of interest in their conversation peeked Crimm's curiosity. She shrugged her shoulders at Crimm as she turned her face to the sun and let Kagan look upon her as if it was the first time he had ever seen her. And in a way, it trul
y was the first time he saw her
as she was meant to be.

Kagan curled his fingers around the orb as the vision clouded. Without a word, he turned and left Shinonoble keep as he placed the orb delicately in his sporran. His eyes dulled as he mounted Demon. For the first time in his life, he was lost and did not know what to do or where to turn. Helpless, hopeless, broken, and beaten did no
t quite cover the way he felt.

They raced across the blackened highlands and his tears flowed freely down his face. He had lost her to Vacrey. His heart screamed,
“
but she lives!
”
 
His arms ached for want of her and his lips burned in need of her and his heart broke for love of her.

Love?  I love her more than anything in this world. And I have lost her and the babe she carries.

His shoulders slumped and his pain ran deeper into his soul. He had never lost at anything, never needed or wanted anything he could not obtain. And most of all, he had never cried, not even as a child, not even when his mother had passed. His pride, his arrogance, his ego, and his warrior's heart all shattered under the strain. What was his life worth if she were not in it? What good was McKregan blood if his bai
rns were raised on Vacrey soil?

Demon snorted and reared as Kagan's pain radiated out from his broken heart. Demon pounded the earth with his hooves and demanded the ground to quake. He reared to paw at the heavens and demanded the air to whirl in its song. He shook his mighty head from left to right and demanded the fires of c
reation to awaken his lineage.

The heavens cracked and lit the sky with thunderous chaos. The ground trembled and forced the fires of creation to flow from
its
mouth. Demon fell to his knees, sending Kagan sprawling before him. Kagan bolted to his feet and sidestepped the lava that oozed f
rom the ground at Demon's feet.

Kagan cringed as Demon's scream of pain shattered the earth's resistance. He kicked and bucked as his hooves blazed and blood burst in streams on his forehead. His black body glistened as the fire from beneath
him licked at him relentlessly.

Kagan fell backward as the earth sifted beneath his feet and the rain poured from the heavens in torrents. Lightning streaked across the sky as Demon was surrounded by a glowing green light. Kagan stared in muted disbelief as a golden horn pushed through Demon's forehead. He fought for his sanity as Demon's shoulders split open and long blood soaked wings rolled out from the wounds. He spread them open and sent droplets of blood flying through
the air as he howled in pain.

Every nerve ending, every inch of his
well-honed
body screamed in outrage as the green mist entered his nostrils and awakened the Pegasus lineage in his veins. His blood boiled and raced to his heart as he reared to the heavens. His voice cracked and changed as his eyes turned red and glowed as brightly as the sun. As his hooves met the ground, the lava slowly disappe
ared and the earth grew quite.

Kagan stepped forward and held out his hand,
“
Demon?
”

Demon staggered forward and collapsed at Kagan's feet. He whined as Kagan petted his bloody brow. His massive body shook uncontrollably as his blood finished
its
rampage. The mist vanished and released Demon from
its
hold. Kagan gently
laid
Demon's head onto hi
s lap and unsheathed his sword.

He screamed to the heavens in a viscous growl that held a touch of sadness,
“
Nay, ye can'na ha'e him too! Let him be!
”

Demon's low whine turned Kagan's attention back to him. Demon softly nudged Kagan's arm in silent gratitude. Kagan's sword hit the ground as his arms wrapped around Demon's neck. He had lost Andra and Crimm, but he would be damned if he would
lose
Demon too. It would take an act of Dagma to wr
estle the steed from his grasp.

The sky cleared as Demon stirred. He urged his legs to bend as he tried to stand. Kagan helped and soothed Demon's blood soaked mane from his eyes. Demon's legs shook slightly as his strength slowly returned. Kagan's relief was etched across his brow as he rubbed Demon's nose and inspected the horn that now seemed to be a normal part of Demon's face. His breath was ragged and his chest h
urt as he tried to remain calm.

“
I thought I was goin' to
lose
ye.
”

“
I will always be at your side my friend.
”

Kagan whirled around, bent, and grabbed his sword,
“
Show yeself!
”

Soft laughter filled his mind as he stood his ground, preparing to pounce on his unseen rival,
“
Be ye coward? Face me!
”

Demon nudged Kagan's back and laughed again as Kagan turned to face him w
ith a comical look on his face.

“
Did Haggart not advise you I was from Vacrey?
”
Demon stretched his wings and laughed again in deli
ght at his friend's appearance.

“
I ha'e gone mad!
”
He dropped to his knees and leaned forward,
“
I am insane!
”

“
No my friend, you now see me as I was born.
”
His eyes glowed w
ith the innate fire of Pegasus.

Kagan's voice cracked,
“
And what are ye? A demon? A god? A deception of my mind?
”