Celtic Rain (The Battle Raven Series) (5 page)

“My brother Glen was a natural too. You sure you have the right person?”

“Yes I have the right person. The only one to be able to use Badb’s daggers and inherit the power must be a woman. I saw your sister and she definitely was not the one. A pretty little thing and a mite all thumbs.”

Lara laughed at that “Yes. Teagan’s the most brilliant person I know.”

“And the clumsiest.” Kedryn laughed out.

She thought some more about her friends and sister and how they would tease her about being able to get in shape seriously fast if she wanted to.

“I thought that the learning and getting in shape quickly when I wanted to was just all in my genes.” Lara said jokingly.

Aodhan playfully slapped Lara on the shoulder making the steering wheel jerk a bit.

“Hey driving here.” Lara said as she straightened the jeep out.

“Apologies I forgot we are in one of these machines. Speaking of in your genes it really is. Badb was a natural warrior and that is why she always joined in the battle. You have the blood of a goddess in your veins.”

“Cool mom. Now all you need is the lasso of truth and indestructible bracelets. Do you think you’ll get a tiara to?” Kedryn started to hum the theme song from Wonder Woman.

Lara looked at Aodhan’s puzzled reaction and decided to explain Superheroes to him later, much later.

“Really funny and thanks that will be stuck in my head the rest of the night. I took mixed martial art and weapons classes for six years until I got pregnant. After Kedryn was born I had him start up when he was five. I haven’t had the time or energy with everything I’m doing to start back up.”

“What type of weapons?” Aodhan asked

“I used sai.” Lara said and she heard Kedryn say in a singing whisper,
Like Electra
. Lara shook her head and glanced at a passing road sign.

“We will be at the Dojo in about five more minutes.”

“Good, there is something else I wanted to ask you about. What about confusion?” Aodhan asked.

“Confusion? I guess you could say I’m confused now.” Lara said as she smirked at Aodhan.

“No. I mean have you ever found people suddenly confused about things when they were around you?” He thought back to the house and how he felt her power overwhelm him for an instant.

“I don’t know. Maybe sometimes when I’m stressed or feel strongly about something. I’ve never been able to keep a relationship straight. When I fell for a guy he always couldn’t decide on commitment. I think that’s norm for guy’s right?”

Concentrating Aodhan tapped his fingers on the window again. “That may have been you. Have your emotions ever gotten the best of you where you were not able to control them?”

“Yes. Before I had Kedryn. I was given the name Lil’Fireball if that tells you anything. When Kedryn came along my father taught me how to control the worst of my emotions, except love.”

She forced out a laugh. “That may explain my past relationships. Or at least a good excuse for them being so messed up.”

Aodhan looked out the windshield saw that they were pulling up onto a square broken up surface. It was in front of a rundown ivy covered building. The shape was not that un-similar to the barracks he had stayed in when he was younger. He felt the jeep jerk to a halt.

“Here we are. The place looks so sad and broken. I’m surprised the people in this town just let it sit and waste away.” Lara said as she let the jeep idle.

Colorful graffiti and ivy covered most of the building. On the parts that weren’t covered the white paint was faded and peeling off. The sign that used to shine high and bright was now a twisted mass of metal leaning next to its pole
half covered by weeds. Most of the small windows were broken and gaped open. Lara’s eyes traveled to the building to the edge of the parking lot and wondered what kind of animals were roaming and slithering in the tall weeds. She glanced at Aodhan realizing that he was beginning to grow on her. She could tell Kedryn trusted the man but she still didn’t trust him completely. The whole thing seemed seriously farfetched.

“How are you going to find this Eion?” Lara asked.

Aodhan reached down into the canvas bag he had with him and pulled out a round black velvet pouch. “I was a trained as a tracker. Druids leave a distinct trail if you know the right spell to weave.”

Lara’s eyes narrowed. “A tracker? Aren’t they the ones hunting us?”

She held out her perfectly healed arm and looked at it. “I would have thought you were something of a healer?”

“Every side has trackers. The Firbolg call theirs assassins.”

“You are a tracker too?” Kedryn said as he sat up in the back seat and stretched his arms and legs out the best he could.

“I was first trained as a tracker until my mother found out. Boy my father got it. Her brother was a tracker and was killed while he was scouting. Father decided to get around it by sending Scanlon and me to visit my cousin during the summer. Her husband trained the soldiers at the barracks on his estate.” The thought of his mother, father and friends sent a jolt through him and a strong urge to get back to the portal as soon as possible.

Lara turned the jeep off and took off her seat belt noticing that she had completely forgot to have Aodhan put his on.

“Did your mother ever catch on?” she asked.

“I think mother had an idea what was happening but as long as I kept up with my studies as a healer she said nothing. Mother was ok with Scanlon being a tracker when she recognized that talent in him and also knew she couldn’t stop him. He loves mother and father but is very strong willed. He also trained with Carrick as a scout.” Aodhan chuckled to himself. “He was always a sneaky little fellow.”

“Scanlon? Is he a brother of yours?” Lara asked as she put her hand on the door handle ready to get out.

“Close enough. He grew up with my family since his mother and father abandoned him when he was a child. My parents took him in and he stayed with Carrick and Eion every once in a while.”

“It’s lucky for us that your mother was strict on the healing part. And that she let you go for the summer.” Kedryn said

Lara glanced at Aodhan and at Kedryn in the rear view. “Both are handy talents to have. Especially now.”

She grimaced when she thought again about the blood back at her house.

Pulling on the handle and shoving her shoulder against the door it opened and she slid out of the jeep to stretch her legs. Lara grinned to herself as she watched as Aodhan grabbed his pack and repeated the same motions to open his door. That door, she grinned to herself, didn’t stick.

“Kedryn can you grab your gear pack? I’ll get mine.” she said noticing Kedryn hadn’t moved out of the back seat yet.

Kedryn shrugged and reached over grabbing the pack and got out of the jeep. Lara leaned over to the back of the jeep and grabbed her gear pack and shrugged it on. Kedryn lifted the gear pack in his hands and grinned at her.

“Hey mom, now aren’t you happy that I left these in the car.”

“Your procrastination got us through another jam.” she said and he rolled his eyes at her letting out a laugh.

Lara stood still letting her eyes adjust to the dark and was thankful that there was a full moon. Kedryn rubbed his eyes and stepped away from the jeep following after Aodhan as he strode through the weeds to the building. Lara hurried to catch up with them. She stepped up beside Aodhan who had stopped before the front of the building studying it.

“There are some windows around back that look into the dojo area where we trained. If he was keeping an eye on me. That’s the only place where he would have been. Sensei only allowed students and parents to watch.”

He gave Lara a mock bow as he grinned up at her. “Lead the way, my lady.”

“C
hivalry
isn’t dead.” Lara said and turned and leading the way.

They had to navigate through some thick weeds, rocks and glass to reach the windows in the back. Lara noticed that some of the local kids probably had a lot of fun towards the back of the building where beer cans, cigarettes, empty cans, among other things littered the area.

Aodhan pulled out a smooth bluish white sphere out of the black pouch. He showed it to Lara and Kedryn.

“A
rock
is going to find him? It doesn’t look like much.” Kedryn said

“It is not just a
rock.
It’s a Druids Lapisphere.” Aodhan said.

Lara and Kedryn stood quite as they watched Aodhan whispered to the sphere. The inside of the
sphere
begun
to swirl and ripple
glowing
a light bluish almost white color. A design started to form within the sphere into what looked to be a panther. A sparkling blue stream of mist started forming in front of Aodhan forming a slight trail that was moving its way out towards a line of houses.

“Eion was in such a hurry to get to the portal before Faolan could follow he forgot his sphere. He asked my father to find it and bring it to him if it was thought anything happened to him.”

“Couldn’t just any sphere be used to find him?” Kedryn asked.

“No. The words do not work on just any sphere. It has to belong to Eion and no other Druids sphere would do the same for him. Eion wove a spell around it where father and I could use it for only certain purposes of course.”

He glanced up at the mist as it stretched out before him. “It has gone out far enough to follow.”

Lara studied the mist that looked to her like floating rain. She turned to Aodhan whose face had a bluish glow about it from the sphere.

“Looks like we can’t use the jeep. The path leads straight to those
houses.” Lara said glancing around at the surrounding area.

Kedryn walked up to the mist and put his hand through it and pulled it back out. His hand took on a faint blue glow when he placed it in the mist.

“Isn’t the lake somewhere around here? The one where we have been camping and fishing all these years?” Kedryn asked.

“Yes.” Lara said and watched Aodhan walk away from them. Kedryn followed after and she followed up the rear to a street with only a hand full of street lights giving off a faint glow.

As they walked up to a row of houses Lara looked them over and only saw one with a faint glow of light about three houses down most likely from a television. It appeared that everyone else on the block was fast asleep and unaware of them sneaking around. Her eyes moved to the mist that flowed through a high privacy fence surrounding one of the back yards. Aodhan stopped in front of the fence looking puzzled.

Kedryn walked around him and to a very well camouflaged gate. He found the small latch and quietly opened the gate and stepped through. Aodhan followed behind studying the gate and latch for a quick second and moved on. Lara stepped through and shut the gate quietly behind them. Luckily the owner had not locked the gate or they would probably be climbing over it.

The backyard was like an obstacle course strewn with all sorts of electric cars, plays sets and toys. The mist led them to the back of the yard. A couple of feet to the side of it Kedryn found another gate that opened up to a path beyond.

“Let me.” Aodhan said as he stepped over to Kedryn. He examined the latch, lifted it up and the gate squeaked open. Aodhan hurried through followed by Kedryn.

Lara looked behind her to make sure the sound of the gate didn’t wake anyone. She stepped through and closed it as quietly as she could behind her. With the street lights gone the only light to lead their way was from the Red Orange Harvest moon and the swirling mist that flowed out of the sphere.

They followed a small path someone had made that led to a line of trees to the lake. She watched as the mist crept its way up the path. They reached the line of pine trees and started walking single file as the path became
narrower
. It wasn’t long until they stepped through the tree line and saw the beach with the lake reflecting red, orange, white and black from the moon and sky.

“The stars are so much brighter out here.” Lara said.

“Got to love fresh clean country air.” Kedryn said as he looked around recognizing some of the camping spots that they had stayed at so many times before.

Lara watched as Aodhan scanned the area there was not a soul in sight. Not much camping was usually done in September at the lake. It got too cold at night for most campers. Only the cabins were really put to use or the spots with electricity for campers. Those camping spots were set out over a hill hidden from their view.

The mist veered away from the lake and passed over a camping spot just
off to the side. It hung in the air between two tall pine trees. As the small group followed the mist through a couple of camping spots, Lara’s toe of her boot smacked right into the rim of a fire pit and she stumbled forward. Aodhan caught her arm and pulled her backwards before she hit the ground. The momentum of his pull sent her falling into him. Lara steadied herself against him and looked at the ground where her foot hit.

“Thanks. I should have known that was there.” she said.

“We have to quit meeting this way.” he said grinning at her as she gave him an annoyed look.