Page 17

Chapter Seventeen

D espite having led the morning yoga class, Erin was restless, her mind on what was occurring in the alter-world. Yes, it was a dangerous, even deadly place to be, still she wished to be there. Anything was better than not knowing.

There was no telling how long it would be before the men returned. Or when she and the others would know for certain their fate had been sealed, and they’d remain in the alter-world. The last malevolent and cruel punishment by Meliot.

She’d been at the castle the night before, finding that all the men were gone. Everyone had dematerialized in the order they’d been rescued, Niall being the last. Although Tammie greeted her pleasantly, when she entered the library, the undercurrent of desperate hope was tangible.

“We will cast spells of power and triumph,” Gwen, her tone resolute as she had motioned Erin to join them around a table. The place where they always labored over the long and arduous task of saving five men who’d bravely persevered in a world not their own. The men deserved more than freedom for all they’d gone through. If fate was kind, Tristan, Gavin, Liam, Niall and Padriag should be granted peaceful, happy and healthy long lives.

“Hello, dear.” A cheerful greeting brought her out of her musings, her memories of the castle fading as her mother entered the studio.

Erin smiled brightly, studying her mother’s colorful ensemble of purples, greens and hues of orange. The long flowing skirts, topped with a loose lime-green blouse, somehow came together beautifully.

“You have such an eye for color.” Erin hugged her mother. “You’re early today.”

Her mother nodded. “Perhaps menopause or something else, but I have been waking early.

“You look rested. Are you all right?”

With a slight shrug, her mother shook her head. “I feel fine. I’ll take a nap later. How was your retreat?”

For a moment, Erin was at a loss for words. “Oh look there’s Evalyn smoking again,” She said with a bit too much enthusiasm.

“Ugh.” Her mother stalked to the door and went outside. Then without a moment’s hesitation, her mother plucked the offensive item from Evalyn’s hand, tossed it to the ground and smashed it with her shoe.

Erin clasped a hand over her mouth and laughed when Evalyn stared at her mother with wide eyes and mouth open. For the first time since she’d known the cranky woman, she seemed to have met her match.

The women then walked inside, Evalyn looking crestfallen as they went into the studio.

Left alone, Erin’s thoughts immediately went to Padriag. If only there was a way to know what happened.

Erin looked up at the ceiling forcing herself to push all thoughts aside. There would be time to ponder and discuss upon returning to the castle.

* * *

Driving toward the castle that afternoon, Erin lost track of time, her mind already on what had to be done once she arrived there. Somehow, she knew they were getting close to a breakthrough. Everyone had felt it the night before, an almost tangible electricity in the air. It had been as if they’d somehow reached the alter-world.

The road seemed to go on forever, nothing in sight. Erin looked around confused. She’d passed Culross a while ago, the castle usually came into view shortly after. Had she somehow driven past it, while musing about the day before?

She pulled over and maneuvered her car around. Surely she’d gone past the castle. The road looked unfamiliar with vegetation on both sides of the road and no buildings in sight.

Once she headed back and drove for what seemed like half an hour, she pulled over again. Nothing looked familiar. It could be that she had accidentally turned off the main route somewhere but there were no roads cutting to either side.

“What did you do Erin?” she chided herself with a grimace. It was almost four o’clock in the afternoon, a bit later than she usually arrived, but not so late that the others would worry. The navigation system showed a straight road, no turns, no other roads. Slowly, she opened the car door and slid out.

Although the sun shone, it was a chilly day, the brisk wind blowing across the road making colder. Erin turned in a full circle. “Where the hell am I?”

As if in reply, the horizon shimmied, blurring before becoming clear again. Stumbling backward, Erin covered her mouth as dread coursed down her spine. It was a magic trick. Meliot once again blocking her from going to the castle.

It meant they were getting close to breaking the spell, but it also meant that she must be the one holding the key, the one who could bring the warlock down.

When a strange sound like the crackle of thunder sounded, she hurried back into the car and let out a shaky breath.

“What is it?” She asked out loud. “What do I have that he fears?” Her hands trembling, she gripped the steering wheel.

If going straight in two directions wasn’t working, then she’d take a chance and go in another. Pushing on the gas, she went forward and then yanked the steering wheel to the right, letting out a scream as the car bumped over the uneven terrain on the side of the road.

The view of bushes and fence evaporated, and she let out another scream veering the car to the left to avoid hitting a cow and guided the car back to the road. She was less than a mile from the castle, the edifice looming in the short distance. Seeing it, she let out a sniffle and blinked back tears.

Thoughts and ideas whirling in her head, Erin came to a stop just in front of the main door, threw it into park and rushed into the building. It was only when the door closed behind her that she let out a shaky breath.

“There you are,” Sabrina called out, walking past with a cup of tea in each hand. “I can’t wait to tell you what we’ve experienced.”

Erin followed, unsure she wanted to hear anything more. How had she come to be in the midst of such a strange situation?

Upon entering the library, she continued past the others to the sideboard. Uncorking a decanter, she poured whiskey into a short glass and drank it down in one gulp. She sputtered as the strong liquid burned past her throat. Then she poured a second. “Whatever you are going to tell me. Bet you I can one-up it.”

Four sets of eyes followed her as she joined them at the table.

“That fucking wizard tried to block me from coming here. I drove for an hour up and down a long road with no turnoff and no views of anything but bushes and sky. I almost hit a cow, when I drove blindly into the horizon.” Erin sat back in the chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “What you got?”

“Whoa,” Tammie said. “What happened here is pretty interesting, but no cows involved.”

John’s somber gaze met hers. “You have the key to breaking the spell. Whatever it is, it’s already in your possession.”

“Of course,” Erin said. “I don’t suppose you know what it is.”

They all shook their heads. Gwen pulled her long black locks up and expertly wrapped the strands into a practiced top knot, holding it in place with a floral scrunchy. “We do not, hopefully we will find out today. We’ve written down some things we can try but were waiting for you to arrive before we attempt them. Do you have any ideas?”

“None.”

“Very well, let’s try a finding spell.” Gwen gave her a warm smile. “Close your eyes and try to relax. When you see a small light, focus on it.”

Erin closed her eyes and waited, sure enough a tiny yellowish light appeared. Concentrating on it, she opened her mind to whatever would come.

When the others began speaking out words, she couldn’t quite make out what they said. In the darkness something round came into view. It was like a ball, but yellow, it floated without moving. The air smelled of water, not sea water, but more like that of a loch. The yellow ball flattened and began transforming, its shape elongating and changing from yellow to gold. A dagger formed, the hilt a dark gold, the blade darkening to an even deeper shade.

Then it burst into pieces, the shards flying in all directions like a firework. The vision broke apart, and she opened her eyes.

“Is there a dagger here, one with a golden handle?”

“If there is, we’ll find it.” Tammie looked around the table. “Where would Tristan keep swords, daggers and such?”

Gwen frowned. “He took his sword and pair of daggers with him. None of them were gold.”

“If you already have it, then it could be at your home,” John said. “If it’s Padriag’s ancestral home, then he could have placed it somewhere on the property.”

“That’s true,” Erin replied. “But where to look? My flat was totally empty when I moved in. There is much more to the house. It’s divided into two flats. We can’t search my landlord’s home without her permission and that would entail having a believable explanation.”

“We will try yours, and last ditch we can find a way to convince your landlord to agree to a search of hers,” Sabrina announced and held out the spell book that had been instrumental in helping to break the men’s curses. “With this, I am sure we will find the dagger.”

Everyone got up and began donning coats, shoving papers and materials they’d need for spellcasting into backpacks and satchels. Within a few moments, they were ready to go.

Erin pulled on her coat. “When this is over, I’m going on holiday and basking in the sun for a month.”

Upon arriving at her flat, they entered, and each person found a place to sit on her couch and chairs in the front room. Erin didn’t have a large table. The one in the kitchen was shoved against the wall, leaving only enough seating for three.

“I will put the kettle on,” she announced, going into hostess mode. She opened a cabinet and pulled out a sleeve of biscuits and placed the sweet treats on a plate.

“You don’t have to do this,” Tammie said, taking the plate form her hands with a knowing smile. “Come into the other room. Each of us can make our own tea, if we want some.”

Gwen looked to Erin. “Is there anything you own that is in the shape of a dagger? Perhaps a jewelry piece?”

Erin shook her head. “I don’t wear much jewelry. Only a pair of diamond earrings my parents gave me for my twenty-first birthday and a locket that once belonged to my grandmother. It’s inscribed with a rose and leaves.”

Sabrina opened the books of spells. “There is a spell here for assisting in finding lost items. We should try it.” She read the words and everyone repeated them. Erin did her best to believe that spells and such really worked, but it was hard. She’d not been raised to believe in such things. Although her mother was a free spirit, her parents had attended a non-denominational Christian church all of Erin’s life.

After three tries of repeating the spell, they sat in silence. Erin looked up at the ceiling and then studied the crown molding, hoping for inspiration, but nothing came to mind. She let out a breath, then thought of something that caught her by surprise.

Erin jumped to her feet. “I’ll be right back. I remembered something.”

Once in her bedroom, she opened the wardrobe door and reached up and pulled a small weathered box that she’d had since just before her paternal grandmother’s passing. For some reason her grandmother had insisted Erin keep it, telling her one day one of the items within would come in handy.

Already ill, her grandmother had asked to speak to both Erin and Aubrey. She’d instructed them to get the box from under her bed. Then she’d told them to guard the contents, that one day something in the box could save them.

Gone were the days of spending time with their exuberant grandmother who took them on holidays, extravagant parties at beautiful locations. A vibrant woman, with not only a great sense of style, but quite the beauty, she was always on invite lists.

She’d died soon after that day, when giving them the box. Aubrey had insisted Erin take it and they’d one day open it together. But time had passed, and they’d put it off. Perhaps too afraid to revisit the raw with grief of her passing.

Returning to the front room, she sat and held the box in her lap. “I’m sure there is nothing in here like a dagger. My grandmother gave Aubrey and I this box and I’ve never looked inside. I suppose this is the time to see whatever she insisted I needed to have.”

While the others looked on, she untied the ribbon that was wrapped around the box, the soft fabric sliding from her fingers. Lifting the top off the dilapidated container, her eyes widened. There was a neatly tied stack of one-hundred-pound notes.

“That would have been nice to have while I was at university,” she quipped.

There was a small framed picture of her grandparents. Both looked to be younger than her own twenty-eight years. The young couple held hands and gazed shyly at each other. Not wanting to get emotional, she put it on the seat next to the money.

“Looks as if the rest are letters and ... oh a fan, a handkerchief and ...” Erin lifted the items and gasped. Under everything was a small sheathed dagger, its intricately designed golden handle inscribed with the initials ETM, Her grandmother’s initials.

Edwina Therese Macguire.

Why had her grandmother owned a dagger? That wasn’t something Erin would have ever guessed. Why in the world had she required one?

When she lifted it from the box, the others exchanged looks. Tammie beamed. “You are the key. You will save them all.”

Erin swallowed. “Oh goodness.”