The Obsidian Dagger (7 page)

“Soap and shampoo?” Brendan wondered aloud. “You think we're heading where there's a Ritz on every corner?”

Lizzie stuffed the products into the bag. “All I know is that I'm going to be in a car for a couple of days with you people, so I am not going to let any of you smell the car up.” She wagged her finger and shook her head for emphasis. “We are bathing.”

“Now that you mention it, Rory was a little rancid.”

Lizzie nodded her head. “Imagine how he'll smell in two days.”

Brendan considered it for a moment. “Maybe you should grab another bar or two.”

Five minutes later they emerged onto the porch and began walking past Mr. and Mrs. Gordy.

“Off again so soon?” inquired Mrs. Gordy.

Gordy leaned forward and spoke in a loud whisper. “Didn't you see that nut job he's got in the car? Dorian, I believe.”

Mrs. Gordy studied the passenger without trying to hide her stare. “So he does. Bad news, she is.”

Gordy looked back to Brendan. “Bit of advice, lad, lose the harpy as soon as you can. She'll bring nothing but trouble.”

Brendan and Lizzie exchanged glances. He was annoyed at the old couple for insulting Dorian and he wanted to give them a piece of his mind, but he only said, “Okay.” Better to not talk to them any more than he had to.

They skipped down the steps and heard another reminder to call their father. Getting into the car, Brendan tossed the gym bag onto the back seat. He put the car into gear and tried to forget about Gordy's warning.

“You probably should call Dad,” said Lizzie while Biddy took a new position on top of the gym bag.

“I will.”

Rory's nose began to twitch and then he began to sniff the air like a hound tracking a rabbit. “Why do I smell soap?” he asked suspiciously.

Brendan and Lizzie smiled at each other. Who knew when they would have a chance to smile again.

 

 

Chapter 7

Flight of the Sidhes

The ever-stormy area around Morna's castle rattled the air and energized the electrons causing strike after strike. The moat at the castle's base was alive with slithery creatures craving an unsuspecting caller or perhaps a girl scout with a wagon full of cookies.

Morna was nearly giddy at the thought of the plan. They were nearly complete and soon the rule of man would be over and the wizards and witches that once dominated Europe would reign supreme once again. None of the others even knew of her plan, except for Conchar, of course, but he had long since went into hiding, leaving her alone and brewing. It surprised her that her mentor had not wanted to follow through on his own design, but he had planted the idea in her that it could work, and that was good enough for her. The old wizard probably didn't have it in him so he left it to the next generation. Fine by her.

She considered these things as she marched briskly down the stone hallway toward the dungeon. She pointed her finger at the door and threw her arm to the side and invisibly forced the door open, slamming it into the wall. She strutted inside and grinned at Duncan.

Duncan jumped to his feet and yelled, “What did you do to Wardicon?”

Morna cackled the evil laugh that haunts dreams and scares children. “Do you like his new look?” She spared a glance his way. “I hear everyone in our hidden world is wearing it these days. Or at least they will be.”

Duncan folded his arms in defiance. “What are you talking about?”

“Poor little Wardicon and his Sidhes are only one step, Duncan,” Mornan began.

“The Sidhes are a peaceful clan, but look at what you've made of their king!”

Morna tipped her head to the side in a consenting nod. She walked over and touched the top of Wardicon's cage causing blue electricity to travel throughout. Wardicon leapt to the air in anger, flapping his bat-like wings and shrieking in a high-pitched, unrecognizable cry. He clawed at the witch before collapsing to the base unconscious.

“Such dark beauty I've created, isn't it?” She removed her hand and licked her lips in enjoyment as his little body continued to convulse. “And to think, Wardicon was nothing more than what you say. Peaceful. Dull. Not under my control.”

“But why?” implored Duncan. “You've kept to yourself for all these years, why attack the Sidhes?”

“What do you think I've been doing for the last hundred and fifty years, Duncan? Getting my nails done?” She scoffed and then looked down at her fingernails, noticing that perhaps she was due for a manicure. “I've been reading and training for, I don't know, taking over the world. You know, forming it into my idea of a utopia.”

“Apparently you mean pain and misery for everyone.”

“Now you're catching on,” she cheered. “The humans and the clans who agreed to this self-imposed hiatus will especially suffer.”

“But why hold him here like that?” Duncan gestured at the sad mass that lay in a convulsing heap. Wardicon's wing was crumpled awkwardly beneath his frame.

“To make it simple enough for your little mind to comprehend, Duncan, I just need to possess the keeper of a clan's magic and cast a few spells from magic long forgotten to be in control of the clan.”

“So, as long as you have him, you control the Sidhes?” Duncan shook his head in disbelief. “But why would you need to?”

Morna raised her brow. “You'd be surprised at how powerful the Sidhes are, Leprechaun. As a matter of fact, a little demonstration may be in order.”

“What are you talking about?”

“When you arrived I noticed that my griffin was missing a feather. He wants it back.”

Duncan was still confused. “I don't have its feather.”

“I know that, simpleton. It seems to be traveling towards us as we speak, but the search party from your village is taking their sweet time about it. I think I'll send the Sidhes to get it back for my pet.” She stared at Duncan waiting for his response.

“None from my village had better be harmed, Morna!” Duncan was reaching through the bars grasping at his much larger foe. “I'm warning you!”

Morna walked to the door deliriously happy with herself. “I heard that your daughter is leading the expedition, Duncan.”

“Dorian,” whispered Duncan.

“Dorian, you say? Don't worry, Papa Elf, I'll make sure the head stone is engraved appropriately.” She exited the room in a fit of laughter leaving the Leprechaun King in helplessness and despair.

…

 

The day was drawing closer to an end though the sun had not totally retreated. Light was low but Brendan was able to appreciate the scenery once again. How beautiful was this country? It was green and open, and it was starting to make Brendan sleepy, and that was not a good thing for a driver. It didn't help much that everyone else in the car was quiet or dozing. The sounds of sleep were a nice incentive to drift off. He found himself shaking his head and wiping his eyes quite a bit as his little beat-up car bounced down the road.

“Are you awake?” Dorian asked. She happened to glance over and recognize the signs of fatigue.

Brendan smiled sleepily at the lovely creature in the passenger seat. The light was such that it really showcased her ridiculous beauty.

He waved her off. “I'm a little tired, but I'll be fine.”

“I can drive if you want me too,” she offered.

His tired mind thought back to the sheer craziness of her one time behind the wheel. He shot back to lucidness and said, “No, no. I'm up and very alert… now.” He cleared his throat. “Is the feather still pointing us in the right direction?”

Dorian smiled knowingly and looked down at the griffin's feather. “It is.”

Brendan, thinking he dodged an argument, looked ahead and spotted a dark blob in the air on the horizon. “What is that?”

Dorian caught herself staring at the handsome American. “What?” She knew Brendan did have something going for him, but she couldn't decide what it was.

Brendan pointed in the direction of the dark blob, which happened to be getting larger. “Up there.”

Dorian squinted and then the realization floated into her mind. “No, it couldn't be.”

“What? What is it?”

“They don't come down this far.” Dorian's mind was confused. “They stay to themselves.”

“Who does?” implored Brendan. He was getting annoyed at the lack in exchange of information.

“It's the Sidhes.”

The large flock of Sidhes approached at an accelerated rate. A roiling mass of bat-like creatures with bared fangs and antsy claws poised to tear and slash. The one-time humanoid beings that were more along the lines of fairies that little girls had tacked up on posters in their rooms now held no such comparison. Gaunt and gray, the Sidhe nation had mutated into the things of nightmares. The only difference was that they were in the real world flying over an Irish road, intent on murder.

“What's a Sidhe?” asked Brendan.

“Uh, I believe you call them fairies.”

“Oh, okay.” Brendan considered it a moment. “Fairies are harmless, right?”

Suddenly, one of the deranged beings slammed into the windshield with a grimace-causing Smack!

“Whoa!” yelped Brendan, studying the hideous thing that had its sharp and not very sanitary looking claws digging into the glass. It took to opening its mouth and slobbering all over Brendan's line of sight. “Fairies? Fairies my foot!”

Three more Sidhes followed suit and slammed into the little car's windshield. The impacts left cracks, but the glass held. The ugly little things clawed and pulled and bit. A chubby one took a moment to gnaw on a big moth that hit the windshield ten or so miles earlier.

“They're Sidhes, but they've been changed somehow,” Dorian replied.

Brendan had mashed on the gas trying his best to lose the weird things. More of the bat-wannabes slammed into the car. Some hit the hood and others the doors and roof.

Lizzie sat bolt upright, clearly still half asleep. “What's going on?” she asked sleepily.

Brendan flicked on his windshield wipers and surprised a few of the Sidhes. The rubber and metal smacked them in the face and sent them flying up and over the car. One clung to the wiper and bit large chunks out of it.

“Nothing,” lied Brendan. “Go back to sleep, Liz.”

“Okay,” nodded Lizzie. She yawned and leaned her head against the side window. She settled in and was drifting back to sleep when an ugly mutant fairy smashed into the glass right next to her face. Lizzie opened her eyes and slowly recognized that she was awake. After getting a full look at the little monster, she shrieked loud and long. The Sidhe outside her window covered its ears and lost its grip. The wind and another Sidhe banged into it and sent it to the roadside.

Biddy and Rory, now awake with instant headaches from the head-splitting scream, took in the battle scene.

“Are those Sidhes?” asked Biddy.

“I think so,” answered Rory.

“What the do they want?” Brendan jerked the wheel and worked to knock off more of the things, but there were so many it became difficult to see through the thick mass of the ugly gray mutants.

Brendan's question lead Dorian to a realization. She looked down at the feather on the bench seat. “They're after the feather! They're working for Morna!”

Rory and Biddy exchanged looks of shock and sadness. What did that mean? Had the world they had always known vanished somewhere along the way? How could they have missed the signs?

“What do we do?” Lizzie yelled.

Brendan narrowed his eyes. “We get rid of them.”

“How?” chortled Rory at the absurdness of the entire situation. “You don't know the Sidhes like we do. You don't just get rid of them.”

Brendan moved his head, jockeying for a clear patch of vision and when he found it he smiled. He locked eyes on a group of large trees with low-hanging, heavy branches and he steered right at them. He didn't slow or hesitate. He didn't ask for permission or wait for the suggestion. He slammed the gas pedal down and rocketed the car off the road and into the growth.

The others screamed, but no one protested. They watched as the branches battered the gray Sidhes. The little things were knocked silly and sent flying. The branches also crashed into the windshield and spider webbed the entire thing. When they emerged out of the growth of trees, the car was mutant-fairy free.

“Boo ya!” cheered Lizzie.

More congratulations resounded from the others, but Dorian was watching the skies.

“We're not out of the woods yet,” she warned.

“Yes, we are.” Biddy pointed back to the trees. “Didn't you see us leave them?”

A collective scream materialized from the darkening sky. Two more caterwauls sounded and then the roof was assaulted. The most horrific scraping sounds and clawing came from above their heads. The even more frightening part happened next. The Sidhes' claws found thin spots in the rusting roof and they began to peel it away like a banana skin.

The car was alive with batting hands and screams. One Sidhe slipped in during the chaos and nicked the feather. It instantly took to the air and avoided Dorian's grasp.

“They've got the feather!” she shouted.

Brendan scanned the sky and spotted the little thief trying to hide amongst the others who had apparently regrouped for another offensive. “I see it.”

“I can't let them get away with it,” whispered Dorian.

She unzipped her bag and thrust her hand inside. She plucked out a vile with a golden liquid sloshing around and glowing. She poured the vile into her hands and the golden liquid absorbed into her palms. Her hands began to glow and radiated an energy that Brendan and Lizzie had never known before. Dorian took a deep breath and looked over at Brendan. Her eyes were no longer green and surrounded by white sclera. Instead her eyes blazed with golden magic.

The howl of war sounded above and Dorian exhaled. She thrust her hands through the opening in the roof as the glow intensified. She concentrated and emitted a blast of golden energy from the palms of her hand into the flock of Sidhes.

Brendan's jaw was wide open watching the golden streak of magic cut through the air and obliterate five Sidhes as if they were just guinea pigs in a nuclear bug zapper.

“Whoa! You got 'em!” shouted Lizzie.

“I was aiming at the thief,” said Dorian.

Several other Sidhes began their attack again and dove right at their car.

“Forget the feather. Worry about the others!” snapped Brendan.

Dorian sited the dive-bombers and disintegrated them easily, but in the melee, the feather thief had flown away. The other mutant fairies flanked the thief and the battle was over.

“It's gone,” lamented Dorian, her golden glow fading as quickly as it had come. Brendan brought the car to a halt, and Dorian leaned back in her seat. “How are we going to find him now?”