Seduced by Magic (17 page)

Anger burned in Darkwolf at Junga's and Sara's interruption of their meeting. Although Junga was the Fomorii queen,
he
bore Balor's eye. And Sara—he could not believe her insolence . . .

Yet perhaps the warlock seer was even more devious than he had thought. Perhaps she
had
been angling to be a spy, an inside source for Darkwolf once the Drow neared the door.

Darkwolf barely held back a smile. Sara was proving to be far more interesting than he had expected.

Otherworld

The still air was almost suffocating as she walked through the dark tunnel again. Yet . . . things were different. Bile rose in her throat and she felt as if she couldn't breathe. Fear.

Deep, penetrating fear.

Senses on fire, she continued to move through the tunnel, holding her wand up to make her way through the dark passageway. Again the darkness seemed to swallow up most of the wand light.

She dropped.

Wind rushed past her face.

This time she landed on her ass and cried out at the sharp pain that shot up her spine. She still gripped her wand tightly in her hand and it illuminated the dank space. She was underground in another passageway, and she had the feeling it must lead to a larger cave.

Were those voices she heard? What about those dark shapes?

She blinked. Nothing was there.

The tunnel felt claustrophobic, as if it were closing in on her while she sat, the passageway becoming smaller and
smaller. She scrambled to her feet and started making her way through the cramped tunnel, slightly bent over. She felt the scrape of rock and dirt against her skin and the smell of rotten fish nearly overwhelmed her.

Cobwebs caught in her hair and she brushed them away with her free hand, then wiped the sticky remnants on her jeans. Her copper earrings dangled against her neck. Holding the lit wand in front of her, she moved through the tunnel, pieces of rock crunching under her running shoes.

In the distance she saw something red, and the glow of her wand illuminated it.

She came to a complete stop.

Blood—so much blood.

It rushed down the passageway, coming straight at her.

Copper came awake with a start. She tried to sit up, but Tiernan's arm was draped over her waist, his leg casually flung over her thigh, pinning her down to the floor of the shelter.

She struggled against his hold. With a sleepy mumble he pushed to a sitting position and moved his leg from hers, freeing her so that she could scramble to her knees. She barely missed hitting her head on the rock ceiling. Zeph immediately came to her from his nook of the shelter and she felt his concern.

“What is wrong?” Tiernan rubbed his hand down his face, trying to wipe the remnants of sleep from his mind.

For a moment Copper couldn't talk. She trembled as she looked past him into the meadow that was now the misty gray of predawn. Not long and the sun would be rising. Sounds of crickets met her ears, and she thought she heard the clink of Drow pickaxes deep below the earth, although that was probably her imagination. The arrogant Dark Elves had a tendency to work at night and late into the morning. They still had her wand, damn them. No doubt Garran was keeping it, just waiting for her to come to him.

Tiernan caught her chin and brought her attention back to him. “Nightmare?”

She took a deep breath and rubbed her arms to drive away some of the cold. “I don't know. It could have been a dream-vision. It was so clear, so vivid, like I was
there
.”

He released her chin and dropped his hand to her shoulder and squeezed. “Tell me.”

The dreams had been so strange, so intense, so real. But were they just that? Dreams?

Or were they all about something terrible to come?

Copper cleared her throat and told Tiernan everything. She could remember every last detail from all the dreams—the scent of damp earth, the sound of crunching rock beneath her shoes, the feel of cobwebs on her face and hand and the rough texture of her jeans when she'd tried to wipe the cobwebs off. She'd also been wearing a sweater and running shoes, and could recall how they hugged her.

When she finished, Tiernan was studying her intently, his hand still resting on her shoulder. “What do you make of this dream?”

She slowly shook her head. “I think it means we do make it home, because the clothes I was wearing were some of my things left in my apartment. But it also would mean that something bad is going to happen. Something really terrible will be set free—unless it can be stopped.”

Copper frowned before she continued. “But the dream keeps changing. I think that could mean it's not set, it's something that could be kept from happening. Maybe it's a warning.” She ground her teeth and clenched her hand before adding, “I've
got
to get us back home. I think it's more important than ever that we return. Especially with the threat of Balor.”

His gaze remained fixed on her and for a moment the morning silence weighted them down. “Do you wish to sleep any longer?”

“I can't.” Copper pinched the bridge of her nose. “Not after that.”

He ducked out of their little shelter, and she scrambled out to stand beside him, Zephyr riding on her ear. It was the day following Tiernan's and Copper's “talk,” about his situation with his fiancée. Since she'd agreed to still be friends with him, she'd allowed him to sleep in the shelter with her—but no sex. Except that when they first went to bed he hadn't been touching her.

A light smile came to her lips. She couldn't help it. She rather liked waking up with him engulfing her in his embrace.

Over the horizon, through the shimmering shield of their prison, faint pink tendrils of dawn crept through the trees. Mist swirled around her ankles, making her homesick once again. She missed the San Francisco fog.

She sighed. She missed everything.

At the same time, tension had taken hold of her body and she almost shook with the power of it. She
had
to get them home, and soon.

While Tiernan left to relieve himself, she walked to the apple tree and reached up on her tiptoes to snag one of the juicy fruits. It felt smooth and cool in her hand and made a small snapping sound as she pulled it from its branch.

Yesterday, after her talk with Tiernan, Copper had tried another spell to get them out of the meadow, but without her wand she felt off balance and insecure. She'd never been really good at hand-magic. She had to get her wand back from the damned Drow. Problem was, not a single one had come out of their underground home—at least not while she'd been awake—and she hadn't really wanted to make her way down there.

Of course, the mischievous Brownies or Pixies could've taken it, but she didn't think Riona would lead her astray by mentioning the Drow. The queen was a tease, but she wasn't mean-spirited.

When Tiernan had learned that her wand had probably been taken by the Drow, he'd been furious. Copper had simply said she intended to retrieve it and Tiernan went ballistic. He'd ordered her to stay away from the Drow, which had majorly pissed her off. No one, no man, told her what to do. She intended to retrieve it one way or another. She'd been to Garran's realm before. What was the big deal?

Tiernan had been damn lucky she let him sleep in the shelter with her last night.

Still thinking about their conversation, Copper wandered back to the rock outcropping holding the apple. Tiernan had left his dagger in its leather sheath in the shelter. After she retrieved it, she used the sharp blade to cut the apple horizontally. When he came back, she was looking at one half of the apple intently, the other half sitting on one of the rock shelves, the dagger resting next to it.

“Did you know,” she said when she looked up at him, “the seeds of an apple are in the shape of a pentagram?” He cocked an eyebrow and she showed him the fruit. “The apple is blessed by the goddess. I have no doubt she put the tree here along with everything else for me.”

She gestured around them as she continued, “Why would I have the conveniences of water, food, and Fae friendship for so long if it didn't mean something? I could just as well have been trapped with nothing at all.”

He studied the apple half before looking up to meet her gaze. “You believe Anu planned all this?”

Copper sighed. “I've always believed that everything happens for a reason. But for the life of me, I can't figure this one out. Why would I have been placed here when I could have been home fighting beside my family? When I could be home now, trying to stop Balor from being freed. What's the
purpose
of all of this?”

He didn't answer. They leaned against the rock outcropping,
ate their apple halves, and watched the sunrise without talking for a long time.

After a while, Copper said, “Are you afraid of anything, Tiernan?” She glanced up at him. “Or are you just the big macho warrior?”

He frowned as he looked down at her. Finally he said, “I have no fear of dying, of performing my duties, living up to my responsibilities, maintaining my honor. That all is a part of my life.”

Tiernan looked away from her and continued, “However, I do fear for the lives of my comrades, my people, and yours. We are doing so little when so much more needs to be done.” He sighed. “My brethren and my family need me, I fear you and I will never get out of this place.”

Copper tossed her half of the core onto a rock for the Brownies. She looked to the sunrise. “I fear a lot of the same things you do. Not getting out of here, not being there to help, and I especially fear for the lives of my family and friends.”

She glanced up at Tiernan as she said, “I know Silver struggles with using gray magic more than I do, and that worries me. I'm confident with mine. I have no problem using it, and I know I will never fall over that line into the dark. I just know it.” Copper frowned as she thought about her sister. “But gray magic . . . it wears Silver out. I'm afraid for her when she uses it. I know she would never turn to black magic, but it's so hard on her.”

Her heart crept into her throat. “I always fear losing someone important to me . . . again. If I had used gray magic when I was young, I would have been able to save my friend Trista's life.” Her thoughts traveled far away as she remembered that dark night when her friend had been raped and murdered in a park near their Salem, Massachusetts, home. Copper had fought off the attackers using white magic, but by the time she had succeeded, it had
been too late for Trista, who was human and unable to protect herself.

Copper balled her fists at her sides, seeing Trista's lifeless body in her mind. “If only I had used gray magic, Trista would still be alive.”

“There was nothing you could do.” Tiernan's calming voice broke into the memories of that horrid night. “And you will see her again in Summerland.”

“I know we're supposed to believe that we go on to Summerland when we pass,” Copper whispered. “But what if there is no Summerland? What if my loved ones aren't there waiting for me?” Her voice caught. “What if Mother isn't there now? And Trista?”

Tiernan caught her by the chin, forcing her to look up at him, and smiled. “That is one fear you can safely set aside. Summerland awaits us all, and those we love
will
be waiting.”

“If you say so.” Copper offered him a half-smile as his fingers slid away from her chin. “So what about your dreams?” She swallowed back the feelings of pain and loss. “Even though you've lived so long, are there still things you dream about doing, having, experiencing?”

He was quiet again. She could practically see the wheels spinning in his head as he contemplated her question. “There is not much I have not done, but one thing I have never had is a wife and children. Yes, I have dreamed of having a family, especially children of my own.”

A lead weight settled in Copper's belly. “And now the woman you're supposed to marry is pregnant with another man's child.”

Tiernan gave a great sigh. “Adopting a child is a special thing, but knowing that your wife is in love with another man, and knowing who the father is . . .”

Copper took his hand and squeezed it. When he looked down at her, she gave him a little smile. “You'll think of something. It'll all work out.”

He looked down at her, his blue eyes, intense, focused. “I hope you are right, little fire.”

The use of the nickname warmed Copper's insides and she had to force herself to drop his hand. “What if you don't figure something out?” she asked softly.

A weight seemed to press on Tiernan's chest. “Then I will raise the child as if he were my own and will treat him no different than any of my other children.” He stared off into the distance. “Airell will bear my babes, and she will be forbidden to see Urien.”

He looked down at her. “Do you wish for children?”

Copper shifted against the rock. “I've never been in any hurry to have kids, but I guess that one day I will, and I know I will love them as much as my parents have loved me and my sister.” She tilted her head back and the stone felt rough behind her head. “As far as other dreams . . . I want to teach kids, I like kids a lot. Probably teach high school kids because I also want to coach the girls' softball team.”

Copper pursed her lips before saying, “Like you, duty and honor is important to me, too. My duty is to serve the goddess Anu and my Coven. The hard part is that I believe strongly in using gray magic to fight evil, and my Coven and father don't. It's a really tough thing. I don't like doing something they don't feel is right, but I need to stay true to myself, too, you know?”

“Sometimes we have no choice but doing what is expected of us,” Tiernan said quietly.

She looked up at him. “I think we do have a choice. We can't live our lives for others all the time. We have to do what we feel is right, too.”