The Obsidian Dagger (11 page)

Gorgoch landed with the grace of a swan and gently placed his passengers on the ground. He shrank himself back to the height of an average-sized man.

“Here we are,” he announced.

Dorian nodded, but wasted no time. “I'll go and secure us a boat.” With that she walked away in the direction of a decrepit, old, tin-paneled shack. The lights were on and an “Open” sign blinked in the window.

Brendan watched her knock, then wait for a few moments before the rusty metal door swung open and she stepped inside. He turned to Gorgoch.

“Thanks for the ride, but I still wish you'd come with us. We could really use you.”

Gorgoch shook his head sadly. “I don't think you really want that.”

“Why?” asked Lizzie.

“If the witch can take control of me again then there's no telling how much evil she'd make me do.” Gorgoch stared off into the night, his features elusive. “I don't want to go back there again.”

“So, what's the story anyway?” Lizzie inquired.

“It's a long, boring tale and I wouldn't want to waste your time with it.”

Rory cleared his throat. “Basically, our ghostly friend was in love with a Scottish girl and… ”

Gorgoch interrupted. “That's enough, Rory.” Gorgoch looked at the others. “Long story short, Morna saw an opportunity to cause havoc and she did. Please tell Dorian goodbye.”

As Gorgoch walked away, Brendan could feel the sadness in the air as if it were a physical presence—like a blanket of misery was blown off of a clothes line.

Biddy hopped on top of a distraught and wobbly picnic table and stared out after the ghost. Gorgoch turned to vapor and drifted away. “It's a sad tale, really.” The little Leprechaun sighed. “Morna sent her little crony, Dullahan, out to maim and cause a large raucous in a small town.”

Brendan shook his head. What was Morna's problem? The vision he had came to the forefront of his mind again. He remembered how angry the wizard was at that meeting. Perhaps that was the way wizards and witches really were: more Lord Voldemort than Harry Potter. He caught a few more of Biddy's words and focused back on the conversation.

“… leaving that town in disarray. He burned half the barns and sent those poor folks running. The headless git even killed six people,” Biddy said angrily.

“Let me guess, Artie's wife was among the dead,” Lizzie deduced.

“Actually, they weren't married just yet,” added Rory. “I think that blessed event was still a week away.”

“Enraged by what had happened and with a heart set on revenge, Artie followed Dullahan back to Morna's castle.” Biddy laughed at the absurdness of the idea of following the homicidal maniac back to the witch's castle. “Somehow, he found a way in.”

“You have got to be kidding me?” Brendan asked in disbelief.

“Artie was persistent, he was.” Biddy recalled. “He ran into the witch's forest and… ”

“And,” Lizzie prodded after a pause.

“Before he could take his revenge, the witch had trapped him. He was only human, after all,” said Biddy.

“The old witch laughed at him and his pain,” she continued after a brief pause. “And then she cast a spell on him that was so potent that it killed him.”

“Well, at least half of him. That half gave him a connection to the spirit world where his living half kept his connection to this world.” Rory looked back and forth between Lizzie and Brendan, the sadness stinging his eyes.

“Ewwww,” Lizzie added with a sour face.

Biddy chuckled a little. “The witch seized control of our friend and forced him to do terrible things, only she didn't count on the human side of him to resist her will. She didn't count on him to break free.”

“That's how he ended up in Ireland,” concluded Rory.

“And that good, human side of him is what Morna hates most of all about humanity,” Biddy said in a rush. “I feel like she won't stop until she has destroyed the humans and all of the magicks as well.”

They were silent for a few moments before Brendan spoke. “She couldn't stop Gorgoch, could she?”

Rory and Biddy looked up, tears poised to fall from the corners of Biddy's eyes. “No, she couldn't,” she replied.

“He even goes around and does all these nice things for the living,” added Rory. “Usually where Dullahan is causing a problem.”

“You see? She hasn't won anything yet,” Brendan declared. “So don't give up on us. Don't give up on our mission. We'll stop her no matter what.”

Dorian was standing at a distance listening in on the conversation. She knew she had judged Brendan too harshly before and that she should have listened to Biddy. Biddy was always right about people. Listening to him and his confidence in the team made her so proud to have him along. It made her feelings for him that much stronger and harder to resist. She needed to remain focused and clouding the journey with a fog-headed romance could do nothing but put the team in jeopardy. She decided to admire Brendan and respect him, but that was it. Those other feelings would have to wait, no matter how strong they were growing.

She walked up with her bag slung over her shoulder and asked, “Where's Gorgoch?”

Biddy piped up first. “He left on the wind.”

Dorian knitted her brow in frustration and reached into her bag and held out a small pint of cream. “I guess I'll give this to an alley cat, then.”

“Okay,” said Brendan in confusion. “Why would you have cream?”

“Gorgoch is usually rewarded with a jug of cream,” explained Rory. “I prefer two percent milk myself.”

Lizzie shook her head. “You people are weird.”

“Did you get us a boat?” Brendan asked, trying to get the mission back on track.

Dorian nodded. “It's right over there.” She pointed to the bay where an old, rickety boat bobbed on the water. It looked like an old Viking ship only it was badly in need of repairs and a new coat of paint.

Brendan pointed out the concern on the others' faces. “That's the boat? You know they have made boats in the last two-hundred years, right?”

Dorian allowed a smile. “True, but this is the one we need. Its captain is special.”

Moments later an old, crotchety man hobbled out of the tiny shack. He relied on his cane for balance, but Brendan wasn't too confident in the old-timer's ability to stand even with the cane at his disposal.

“You're kidding me, right?” asked Brendan, leaning in close to Dorian.

Rory and Biddy were showing no signs of displeasure at the choice of captain. Instead they charged forward and greeted the old man by yelling, “Sean!”

Sean, the Viking boat captain, smiled wide with a nearly toothless grin. The name stirred something in Brendan's memory, a familiarity of sorts. He had seen this man somewhere, but he couldn't place where.

“Rory! Biddy! It's good to see you again,” Sean greeted them back.

“Uncle Sean, this is Brendan and Lizzie O'Neal,” said Dorian.

Sean shook Lizzie's hand and then Brendan's, but he stared deep into the young American's eyes. Brendan got a sense of recognition from the old man, as well. “O'Neal, you say? Hmmmm. Well, welcome aboard.”

 

 

Chapter 11

Merrows

Looking around the deck of the
Clair
, Brendan began to worry. It was like stepping onto an already sunken boat with its barnacles, warped floor planks, and rusted bands and eyehooks. Brendan didn't know much about boats, but he recognized that this ship was not one he would want to be sailing on. The deck was a mess with beer cans and chip bags settled into nooks and rotted out deck chairs thrown askew without the hope of luring a rear end.

It was odd that Dorian would want to take this heap across the channel, but it was even more odd to him that he seemed to be the only one who looked concerned. For a moment he had thought that Lizzie might be sharing his opinion, but after considering it for a moment he just assumed that she was only grossed out.

Brendan was standing next to Dorian. He leaned in and said, “Uh, are you sure about this? I mean, I still got that money my dad left for me.”

Dorian raised her eyebrow and smiled. “We don't need money for this boat, silly.”

“No kidding,” Brendan replied sarcastically. “But we may need tetanus shots when we're done with this trip.”

Lizzie nodded, but Dorian just ignored him. She strolled over to her uncle and placed her bag on a wobbly table.

“The payment is in there, I assume,” Sean said, angling his eyes towards the bag.

Dorian nodded. She reached in and pulled out an odd assortment of items. Brendan and Lizzie looked at each other with confused glances. She laid the leather-bound book from the village on the table. It had seen better days, but the binding was still holding up. She also placed a soup ladle down with a clank. Brendan allowed his eyes to travel from the ladle to Sean and a small twinkle shown in the old man's eyes. The last item was a small baggie filled with maroon-colored roots.

“This is all I have, Sean,” said Dorian.

Sean looked the items over once more and scrunched up his face. “I need the iodine to make it work, deary.”

Lizzie perked up. “Iodine? Wait a tick.” She reached into her own bag and dug around for a moment. She pulled out a small brown bottle and held it aloft. “Will this do?”

Sean took the bottle and examined it. He opened it up and took in a large whiff. He grinned a gummy grin and nodded. “Should do just fine.”

“What do you need all that stuff for?” Brendan asked, looking at the junk on the table.

Sean motioned for the group to follow him. He hobbled the length of the boat until he reached the helm. Perched on a thin table was a small cauldron. Sean added the roots and the iodine to an already boiling concoction and used the ladle to stir it around. “We need a little energy to get this old boat going.”

“And the book contains the spell that makes it all work?” asked Brendan.

Sean chuckled. “No, I loaned the book to Duncan and Dorian was nice enough to bring it back to me.” The old man held it up revealing the title.

Brendan read it. “
Twilight
?” He couldn't believe it. “You're kidding, right?”

Sean shrugged. “It's a good book.”

Sean reached down and retrieved a lid from a shelf beneath the table and covered the pot. For a few seconds they all stood in silence, waiting on something to happen. The lid began to rattle like a stovetop pot that was threatening to boil over. As the lid shook rays of golden light streaked out and illuminated the group. Seconds more ticked by and Brendan found that he was holding his breath. He forced himself to inhale. The lid shook so much that it was no longer covering the pot. It was raised into the air by the golden energy that was fighting to free itself from the container.

Brendan began to step back, but Dorian reached down and took his hand. Looking at her, he could see that she was smiling, so he trusted her. He realized that he was would trust her no matter what.

The light from the pot dimmed and gave way to a golden mist that leaked out of the cauldron. The mist spread out from the pot and drifted over the deck and up the mast and encased every part of the ship. It was a truly unreal sight. Brendan found his own smile.

Sean chuckled and squinted in the light of the mist. “Next stop, Port Hegles.”

The ship glowed and shimmered with amazing magic as it pulled away from port. Brendan noticed an odd stillness and as it dawned on him that he couldn't feel the wind, something even crazier happened. The ship slowly sank into the water. As the water level rose around the boat, Brendan and the others began to panic.

“We're going down!” shouted Lizzie.

“Hold on,” soothed Sean. “Relax.”

The water splashed higher and higher and eventually sprayed against the golden mist that encased the ship. Watching the water land against the golden dome reminded Brendan of being at an aquarium and walking beneath the shark tanks. Soon enough the entire ship was beneath the water.

Brendan shook his head. He leaned in close to Dorian. “Okay. I take it back. This ship is pretty cool.”

“See?” she responded.

“See what?” Brendan said curiously.

“Oh, just that I'm always right,” she said with a sly grin.

The group watched as the dark sea became partially lit by the golden mist and a few floodlights that popped to life. Out of the corner of Brendan's eye he could see that Sean was watching him. He didn't know if that was good or bad, but he was sure that he would find out soon.

…

Duncan looked like a man, or Leprechaun, that was on death's doorstep. Whatever Morna was doing to him made him feel like he had the plague. He was sweating and wheezing. He felt clammy and had moments of hot flashes that nearly knocked him unconscious. He was slouched against a bar, defeated and weak. He barely glanced up when Morna and Dullahan entered the room.

“My, don't we have a little resilient search party after us?” Morna said with disdain apparent in her voice. She observed Duncan and knew that the old Leprechaun couldn't hold out much longer.

“You know, they have turned out to be more troublesome than I anticipated. Even Dullahan failed to stop them.” The witch shot a stare at the headless demon that made him slink away into the shadows. Duncan only looked up at his captor, but she could see that small glimmer of hope in his eyes. That last frail bit of hope was always the hardest to kill, but she had been successful at it in the past.

“But even now they tarry onward towards my castle, the fools. They've even taken to the sea for passage, no doubt feeling a bit safer.” Morna laughed.

Duncan continued to stare at her but said nothing. She leaned close like a friend about to share a secret. “It's a false sense of safety, my old friend. I can assure you of that.”

Duncan wheezed.

“I'm going to give them to my Merrows.”

Duncan showed a small amount of confusion with a slight change in his expression, but he couldn't vocalize it. Behind Morna, two of her minions entered the dungeon pushing a large aquatic tank. They shoved it across the room unceremoniously and stood in the doorway like intimidating statues. The tank slammed into the walls and water sloshed over the top. A dark figure bobbed in the water.

“I believe you know Usis, the Merrow Queen,” Morna introduced them as if she were hosting a party.

Duncan pulled on the bars and tilted his head to look over at Usis. The Merrow queen was apparently none too pleased with being thrown around and she lashed out at the glass walls of her prison. Duncan grew even more depressed as he watched her contorted features press against the glass. She was normally so beautiful and enchanting. Duncan remembered being so enamored with her that he halfway considered asking for her hand in marriage. But now Usis's skin had lost its color and her hands were like talons of the griffin, sharp and jagged. Her hair, which normally flowed and enthralled was now stark white and brittle. She bared her teeth at the room and Duncan saw that they were pointed and broken. He slumped back down and looked back to Morna.

“And I thought she was beautiful before,” Morna turned to exit the room but looked back to Duncan just before she hit the threshold. “I'll let you know how it turns out. I'm sure you two want to catch up on old times.”

…

The ship was moving along quite smoothly beneath the sea. Brendan looked past the golden dome that sheltered them from the crushing pressure of the water. Though all the others except for Lizzie were already over the splendor of the crazy magic, Brendan was still amazed.

Lizzie, Rory, and Biddy were near the helm while Sean was leaning on his cane with one hand and steering the ship with the other. He was happy to see Lizzie smile. They had already been through so much that he was worried about his kid sister. He also knew that they had been really lucky to this point. Irish luck perhaps?

He let his gaze fall back down to the angel on his right. Dorian had an old, ancient-looking map on her lap that must have been made in the sixteen hundreds. He glanced over her shoulder and saw that it was a map of Scotland. He spotted Port Hegles and then saw a red circle around a place called Louseen.

“What's in Louseen?” he asked.

“That's where Morna's castle is according to Gorgoch.” She was biting her lip in concentration and Brendan couldn't help but think that it made her all that more appealing. Her hair was hanging down in her face except for a part that she had swept behind her ear. It framed her profile in such a way that Brendan couldn't help but stare longingly at her.

“Well, when we get to Port Hegles we'll need to rent a car and then move as fast as we… ” she stopped when she looked up at Brendan. “Were you just checking me out?” She smiled.

Brendan was caught and he knew it, but he denied it anyway. “What? No, I was… what?”

Dorian laughed at his verbal bumbling.

“Why would I want to… you know?” he said in his defense.

“Are you saying that I'm not worth checking out?” she asked him with a pseudo-hurt look.

“No, just the opposite,” he back peddled. “You're gorgeous.”

She continued to smile, and that was contagious. He smiled and they began to lean in for a kiss. Brendan's heart pounded at the prospect of touching his lips to hers. Closer and closer they moved, their breath mixing between them. He closed his eyes and then… nothing. His lips meet empty space.

He opened one eye to check to she if she hadn't bailed on him, and he saw that she was still there. Her attention wasn't on him any longer, though. He followed her gaze and saw a few dark shapes outside of the golden dome.

“What are they?” Dorian asked in wondering.

Brendan knew what they were. He remembered seeing those shapes in the water during his little trip under the sea. “I think they are Merrows.”

Sean was limping down a wooden staircase and grunted his agreement. “Aye, but this water is not usually on their traveling course.”

Lizzie was leaning over the railing to listen in on the conversation. Truth be known, she wanted to find out if Brendan was finally going to lay one on Dorian or not, but that little drama would have to wait for another time. For now, she was more concerned with the dark shadows. “What are Merrows again?”

Rory was perched on the wheel. “I don't know what you call them, but they are people with fish bodies.”

“Oh, like mermaids,” smiled Lizzie.

Biddy was standing on the wheel as well. She nodded. “I've heard of mermaids and they are one and the same.”

“Which is fine by me since Merrows are a peaceful lot,” Rory said, a bit of relief in his voice.

Brendan was still feeling a little on edge about any of the so-called mythical beings he had met. “Remember the fairies were supposed to be peaceful.”

“Sidhes,” Dorian said, correcting him.

“Whatever,” shrugged Brendan. “Point is—they might be under Morna's control, too.”

The tension was high beneath the dome. They all seemed to be holding their collective breath as more and more of the shadows swam outside of the golden shield. Lizzie spotted one hovering ten feet to her left. She cautiously walked to the dome to get a better look at the Merrow.

The Merrow flitted its tail and its arms to stay in place and then gradually came forward. Lizzie was having a hard time seeing through the dome, but she was getting a fuzzy outline. It was sort of like trying to look at Gorgoch in the face.

Lizzie had an image in her head, though. Flowing red hair, shimmering green tail, and a wonderful singing voice were the only things she could picture.

“Aren't you just a pretty thing?” Lizzie cooed.

The Merrow appeared to respond by doing a somersault before coming even closer. Lizzie squinted her eyes and held her hand up against the dome to try and get a better look. When the Merrow did the same, Lizzie's eyes grew wide with terror.

The Merrow bared her fangs and tensed her body to show its angry aggression towards the travelers. She let out an impossibly high-pitched scream that caused everyone within the dome to cover their ears.