Awen Storm Page 12

  Brian shivered. He had forgotten that part.

  Number Three turned and gave him a quick smile—her first. He grinned and walked taller, sneakered feet barely touching the ground. Until he realized he was smirking, and missed a step. Had he gone gaga over an alien girl?

  “Snap out of it,” he mumbled to himself. It wouldn’t do to let Number Three know he was interested.

  “Oh, I don’t know.”

  Hearing Hamilton’s voice in his head made him stumble again, only this time Brian caught himself. Number Three flashed another quick smile over her shoulder.

  “We’re almost there. Another ten minutes, barring complications.”

  “Complications?” he gulped, then wished he hadn’t sounded like a frightened kid.

  “The Reptilians normally steer clear of these woods, but they’ve become bolder during daylight hours. They sometimes lie in wait, capturing Fomore and other races to make us their slaves.”

  The sense of relief the woods had given Brian fled. He looked around, wary now. “Aliens live above the earth, too?”

  “Aliens?” Her head whipped toward him, and she stopped and stared. “I am no more an alien than you, Brian MacBrayer. Nor are my people. We are originally from Ireland. Have you not heard of the Fomore? My ancestors migrated here long ago. Unfortunately, the lizard-men, as you call them, got here first. They are enemies to all us gentle-folk.”

  “UnderEarth? What is that?” Brian was worried he might know the answer.

  There was a loud cracking noise up in the trees. They crouched and Number Three grabbed her weapon. A thick tree branch slipped through the canopy and crashed to the ground. Rising, she holstered it, wide eyes reflecting the dappled light.

  “Just a broken branch. Let’s hurry. I’ll explain when we get inside.”

  Within minutes, the evergreens thinned to a large pasture. A sheep baaed and cows mooed. Number Three halted. A large red-tailed hawk swooped low to snatch a rodent from the field, then flew off with it dangling from its claws.

  They had to be back up top. There wouldn’t be sunlight inside the earth. Nor hawks and crows and cows and sheep.

  His rescuer searched the woods, then approached a boulder. She tapped it three times with a booted toe, and spoke words Brian didn’t understand. The stone rolled back to reveal a hole in the ground. The wide eyes gazed at him intently.

  “You first.”

  Brian peered into the dark hole. “Do we have to? We just got out.”

  She nodded, and Brian gulped.

  Gathering his nerve, he sat and dangled his legs into the hole. He was preparing to jump when she touched his shoulder.

  “It’ll be easier if you turn around.” At his quizzical look, Number Three explained, “There’s a ladder in there.”

  “Ahh.” Feeling stupid, Brian felt for the ladder with his foot, then turned to face it. One thin rung at a time, he descended into darkness. The pretty Fomorian followed.

  A small circular room waited at the bottom. Number Three punched a series of codes into her handheld device. There was a snick, and a door opened out of the bedrock. Inside that was a grand entrance.

  Brian gawked at the magnificent chamber. “Where are we?”

  “A Fomorian stronghold. One of the few remaining in this part of UnderEarth.”

  “What is UnderEarth? You keep mentioning it.”

  Number Three said flatly, “We are in UnderEarth. My home. The realm within earth’s mantle.”

  Brian felt the blood drain from his face. “So we really are inside the earth? Not on top where I live?” Tears gathered behind his eyes and clogged his throat.

  “I’m sorry.” Ethnui touched his shoulder.

  “But there are trees. And birds and animals. And a sun. If we are inside the earth, where does the light come from?” Would he never escape this nightmare? He smushed his face with his hands, making his eyes and mouth pop out like a fish. Number Three’s laugh lifted his spirits. He chuckled, too.

  “My little human.” The Fomorian smiled apologetically. “I know how you must feel.”

  “How could you?” He swallowed hard to push the lump back down. “This is your home.”

  She settled on one end of a cushioned bench. Tired to the bone, Brian sank beside her and wrapped his arms around his chest. He focused on the rough-hewn stone floor that for some reason, was incredibly warm. Perspiration beaded on his upper lip. He wiped it away and tugged off his jacket. The rips and bloodstains reminded him of Uncle Lugh, and Emily, and Cu.

  And Hamilton Hester.

  “Sir, where are you?” he whispered in his mind. “Have you abandoned me?”

  “I’m here. Pay attention. She’s about to tell you what we need to know. Get a grip, son.”

  “Get a grip? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  The woman watched Brian with interest. When she had his attention, she leaned closer. “Like you, I once lived in AboveEarth. I grew up on an island off the coast of Ireland.” Shyness crept into her lyrical voice. “After they brought me here, I had the same problem as you. Where did the light come from? Why were there birds? And how could there be a sky beneath the ground?”

  “Exactly.”

  “The answer is simple. Life up there originated down here.”

  Brian almost choked. “Huh?”

  “UnderEarth has been inhabited for time untold. When the outer conditions improved to livable, species began migrating to the surface. The earth you see is a reflection of that which is down here.”

  “And the sun?”

  “Is not a sun, but radiation from the earth’s core. It cycles, so we have day and night. The air above us is what we call ‘sky’. And it rains, too. We have wind, and even electrical storms, though not that often. I’ve heard there are oceans, but I’ve never seen one. And a few enormous rivers, and lakes galore. Oh, and fish! Most of the animals are much bigger than up top. I know you’re going to ask why, but I don’t know.”

  Brian stared, not sure whether to believe Ethnui or not. But why would she lie? “So you’re okay with never going back to Ireland?”

  Ethnui shrugged. “I was young when we left, and don’t remember much—mostly that I was different from everyone else, including my family. It was the reason we were on the island in the first place. Me and my mother.”

  She reached for her cap. It still perched at a jaunty angle, undisturbed by their travails or the hood that now rested against her back. Removing the clips, Number Three took it off and lowered her head.

  Brian gasped. “You have horns!”

  Fascinated, he studied her more closely. The eyes he’d thought blue, now reflected brown hues from the robe and wall. Fear and self-loathing, two emotions Brian knew well, pooled within their depths.

  “But they’re tiny. Nubs really,” he rushed to reassure. “Can I touch them?”

  Number Three lowered her head. He ran his fingers lightly over the tips peeking through her thick brown hair.

  “Don’t they have names? These stubby little horns?”

  She recoiled, face blazing. Had he offended her?

  “Only if you name them,” she sniffed. “Otherwise, they’re just horns.”

  Brian’s face grew hot. Then his mythology lessons kicked in.

  “Ooo, ooo I know.” He leaped from the bench. “You’re a satyr! A demi-god!”

  His rescuer stared at him, horrified. “Heavens no.” She spit the words out like they tasted bad, and shook her head vehemently. “At least not the satyr part.”

  “But you are a demi-god?”

  “If you insist on calling it that.” Her tone went cold and in the blink of an eye, Number Three disappeared. She simply folded and closed in upon herself like a roly-poly bug. All that was left was a round ball with a shell.

  “How’d you do that?” He tapped the shiny, buff-colored casing, and laid an open palm on the warm surface. When she unfurled like a flower bud, he leaped backward. “Whoa. That’s a pretty amazing trick, Number Three. But that can
’t be your real name.”

  “No, you’re right. I am Ethnui.”

  “That’s a pretty unusual skill, Ethnui. Should I bow to your awesome goddess-ness?”

  She burst out laughing and bent double, one hand on her chest. “Of course not! It is I who should bow to you.”

  “Because?”

  “Because of you, we have finally cloaked the Dracos’ security system. The DNA of a human was the only strand missing from the program.”

  Brian shot off the bench and backed away. So she’d wanted him for his DNA. What else might they need?

  “Is that why you rescued me? Why you brought me here?”

  Ethnui’s eyes narrowed. “You are perceptive for a human. I promise we mean you no harm. I only needed your DNA to complete the program. Since I wrote it, I was chosen to upload it to their mainframe. Plus, I had the uniform.” She pointed at her outfit. “When I was enslaved by the Reptilians, I acquired experience as a medic. This is what I had on when I escaped. It helped me pass through their security undetected.”

  “So you’re a computer geek?”

  Ethnui’s cheeks blazed. “Is that a bad thing?” She was cute when flustered, though he wasn’t sure about that roly-poly thing.

  “Goddess, no. It’s an awesome thing. Tell me more about this program. What does it do, exactly?”

  The Fomorian looked pleased. “It blinds their cameras and blanks out surveillance tapes and recordings. It can also remove all traces of one’s presence in UnderEarth.”

  “That’s brilliant,” Brian crowed. “Does that mean any footage they had of me is now erased?”

  “That’s the idea. Of course, I never had a chance to test it on their system. So I don’t know for sure.” She looked at him shyly. “Do you really think I would have left you in that dungeon? Or that I mean you harm?” Her shoulders drooped, and he suddenly realized her ears were pointed.

  She noticed him looking and quickly covered them with her long, slender fingers and stared at the floor. Brian pulled her hands away.

  “Don’t. They’re yours. And I think they’re cool. Don’t be ashamed.”

  The big eyes swam, but Ethnui smiled.

  “Where is everyone?” They’d encountered no one since leaving the dungeon. “Is it time to eat? I’m starving.”

  “Most remain conscripted. Only those who have escaped the Dracos’ dungeons live here. Our numbers are small.” She led him to another hallway, where a chandelier blazed overhead. Number Three stopped.

  “This is as far as you can go without permission from my superiors.” She motioned Brian to a bench. “This shouldn’t take long. You are expected.”

  “I am expected? What does that mean?” Adrenaline surged through him. He went up on his tiptoes, poised to flee.

  The Fomorian’s crystalline laugh echoed through the chamber. “They sent me, silly.”

  Goosebumps crept up Brian’s back. “But why? Why would they risk you to rescue me? Why not save your people instead?”

  He backed toward the doorway, once more unsure of his welfare. But where would he go? Running wasn’t much of an option. He was in a strange land with strange inhabitants and wild creatures that would eat him for breakfast. Not to mention Godzilla’s evil relatives.

  Ethnui gazed at Brian with a mixture of pity and annoyance. “Look, you’re safe here. No one is going to hurt you. I’ll be right back.” And with that, she slipped through the door and was gone.

  “Hamilton?” he whispered. “Where are you?” He was greeted by silence.

  The door opened. Ethnui was back already. The look on her face chilled Brian to the bone.

  “What is it?”

  “They’re gone. All of them.”

  The Almost Dead

  The raucous cries of hungry gulls jarred Emily awake. She opened her eyes to the glorious sight of the ocean gently lapping the shore. The tide had gone out and tiny Sanderlings played tag with the waves. A thin layer of clouds hugged the horizon in a brightening sky still painted with swaths of pinks and purples.

  Emily stretched in the creaky canvas chair and sand crabs scuttled away from her feet. The day was already warm. How long had she slept? She looked around and yawned. Had the dragon magicked her to this glorious place?

  Last she remembered, she was chasing Talav through an endless maze of tunnels. She stood and turned a circle, inspecting her surroundings, then slowly ambled to the building relishing the feel of the sand on her bare feet. The sign on the door said Atlantean Center. Whatever that was.

  Emily took the steps two at a time and kicked the flip flops into the corner by the door. She eyed the long hall with the numbered doors. Ceiling fans turned lazily overhead, the only things stirring. Where was everyone? She tiptoed to her room. Was this a hospital? A hostel?

  Neither seemed likely. It was too nice to be the second and didn’t smell like the first. Besides, wouldn’t there be people working? She slipped into her room and stopped short, hand on the knob.

  Someone was asleep in Emily’s bed. Gasping, she hurried out and huddled in the hall trembling. Then reason returned. She checked the next room thinking she’d forgotten which was hers. But behind every door was an empty bed. Baffled, Emily returned to the occupied room and eased the door open. She approached the bed silently and barely suppressed her surprised squeal. The battered face was her own.

  With trepidation, Emily lifted the covers. The woman wore the same outfit as she, only it was soiled and ripped, and her face and arms sported nasty bruises.

  What in holy hell? She stood transfixed, staring at the apparition, unable to move or look away. The “Emily” in the bed lay very still. Her chest rose and fell, and her cheeks, though drawn and scabbed, were a pale pink.

  The doorknob rattled and Emily barely had time to slip behind the curtains before it creaked open. A strawberry-blond man dressed in cut-off Levi’s and a faded tee ducked through the doorway. He crossed to the bed and took the other Emily’s pulse. Done, he laid the back of his hand on her forehead. A good six-foot-six in bare feet, the man’s informal dress nixed hospital. He was shaggy and unkempt, but not bad looking.

  Clearing her throat, Emily croaked, “Pardon me. Are you in charge?”

  The lanky man jerked as if he’d been struck. “Who’s there?” Could he not see her?

  “Emily Hester. Who are you?”

  “Emily? Did you say Emily? Where are you?” The man moved around the room, checking the closet and beneath the bed. He even looked past her out the window. Why was he acting like she wasn’t there? She watched him search feverishly.

  The “her” in the bed moaned. It was barely discernible, but the tall man hurried to her side. He lifted a hand and held it between his.

  “Emily? Are you trying to reach me?”

  Something fluttered inside her. She waved her arms. “I’m here! By the window!”

  He scanned the room, shook his head and said, “There’s no one by the window.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Nor do I.” He looked up at her with solemn eyes.

  “You see me!” she crowed. His wagging head said no. “Oh. You hear me.”

  The man nodded and wrapped a blood pressure cuff around the arm he held. He pumped it full of air and placed the bell of a stethoscope in the crook of the elbow.

  Emily moved closer. She touched the other face with her fingertips, a light caress on the cheek. There was a stirring on her own and she jerked her hand away. The pressure on her cheek disappeared. Chills ran up her spine.

  “What did you do?” Excitement sharpened the man’s tone.

  “Nothing.”

  “No. Something happened. You responded. Your cheek flinched. Do it again.”

  Surprised, Emily stroked the face and once again felt the pressure on her own. Flabbergasted, she stared at the body in the bed.

  “Do something else.”

  She closed her eyes and ran a gentle hand over the matted curls, amazed to feel the sensation of being pett
ed.

  “You’re waking! Keep going!”

  His excitement fired hers and when the image of her Bebe giving her the druid kiss popped in Emily’s mind, she leaned forward and took her face in her hands. With the utmost care, she kissed the familiar forehead, nose, chin, eyes, and cheeks—and felt both the giving and receiving ends. With her last caress to the lips, the eyelids fluttered.

  The tall medic whooped. “YES! Come on, Emily! You can do it! Wake up!”

  The sun shone brightly on the coral shells littering the thin bedspread. Emily’s heart thudded. Then suddenly, she was lying beneath the covers, blinking her eyes against the blinding light.

  **

  Few could see into the Otherworld according to the dragon, yet Khenko had heard the woman speak—before she woke from the coma. Now she stared at him from the bed in the Jade Room with the prettiest green eyes he had ever seen. When a quick smile lit her bruised face, Khenko’s breath caught. Then she was a confused woman again, fighting her way back from near-death.

  “Water,” she mouthed.

  He hurried to the pitcher he’d filled the night before and poured her a glass. Her arm fell limp to the bed, so he squatted beside her and held the glass to her lips. The glittering eyes peered into his when he elevated her head.

  She sipped and nodded “done”.

  Gently, Khenko laid her head on the pillow and watched her expressive face.

  “Where am I?” she croaked. “Who are you?”

  The knot inside Khenko’s chest relaxed. The woman was coherent. Now to see if she had her faculties and memory. A dragon could remove both.

  “My name is Khenko Blitherstone. No really,” he added when her brows arched. “I get that a lot. I thought about changing it, but my dad freaked out. So, I’m stuck with Blitherstone. What’s your name?”

  The brows shot higher, and her thin lips twisted into a tiny smile. “And your first name? Surely he didn’t name you after an office supply store?”

  That smile flashed again and Khenko’s heart skipped a beat. He didn’t even mind that she’d opened with his least favorite slur.