Fire on the Island (24 page)
"You know,
we never did tell them about—"
"I wonder
where—," they spoke at the same time, both cut off by a scream from
outside.
"
Bloody
hell!"
Callum screeched. "Isla, grab the shotgun! There's a
fucking wolf outside!" Cal's boots thudded on the ground outside as he ran
for the porch.
"—Fuck."
"—Marduk."
Callum bounded
through the front door and he slammed it behind him, locking it and pressing
his back up against it, as if that alone could keep the beast out. Jack
returned to the room to see his lover up against the door, panting, white as a
ghost. He crossed the floor in three long strides and gathered Callum into his
embrace. "What's wrong, love?"
Catching his
breath, Callum buried his face in the crook of Jack's neck. "There's a
wolf outside, Jack. Isla, I'm sorry I didn't believe you that time when you
told me you saw one."
Rising to join
the two men, Isla rubbed a hand over Cal's back. "Don't worry, Cal. It
won't hurt us. I think you better sit down because I have another tall tale to
tell you."
~~~
After a dreamless
sleep, curled into the warmth of Jeremiah's body, Isla awoke when it was still
dark out. Shaking Jere lightly to wake him, they hurriedly dressed and migrated
to the kitchen to get coffee and a light breakfast out before their fellow
searchers arrived.
Hearing tires
crunching on gravel, Isla pulled the curtains back from the kitchen window to
see the Expeditions
ʹ
van lumbering up the drive once more. "Ready or not, here they come,"
she said, putting the coffee pot and an assortment of fruits and local cheeses
on the table.
The door swung
open to reveal Callum and Jack, dressed alike in black t-shirts and camouflage
cargos. Isla grinned at the sight of the two burly men, in matching clothes,
all kitted out like they were going into a war zone.
Her mirth died
when she had the fleeting thought that they probably were. The two men looked
anything but funny when you took in the twin machetes and hunting knives that
were strapped to their utility belts.
As the two men
stepped further inside, they were followed by Amy and Brynna, dressed head to
toe in black, hair slicked back into pony tails, and carrying similar weapons.
Isla gasped when she saw a sheepish looking Kieran step across the threshold,
trailing behind the girls.
Not hesitating,
she walked over to him and enveloped him in a tight hug. With one last squeeze
she pulled away, looking up at him with questioning jade eyes. "What are
you doing here?"
The young man
fidgeted and studied his fingernails for a moment while he gathered his
thoughts. "I'm sorry I freaked on you last night. It was just a lot to
take in all at once, you know."
Isla nodded
sympathetically. "I do know. It happened the same way for me. I had no
idea about any of this, and then the revelations started piling up all at once.
If it weren't for Jeremiah, I would probably have gone insane."
"I grew up
here, so I know all the stories about witches, pookahs, banshees, 'n such, but
you know how my mother is. I was trained not to believe in those things, that
it was sacrilege."
Kieran's parents
were deeply religious, and he came from a very strict upbringing. Isla could
imagine that it would be very hard for the young man to break through their
preconceived notions to believe in something that couldn't be explained away by
religion.
When he turned
eighteen, Kieran had moved out and come to work at Expeditions. His parents had
considered his leaving
abandoning
his family, and they had cut ties with
him. Now barely twenty, the boy had no family that would speak to him, but he
was happier than he had ever been, surrounded by his friends.
"I know
you, Isla, and I care about you. You're more than just a boss to us, you're our
friend...so I don't care if you are a witch or a purple polka-dotted dragon.
I'm still going to stand by you, as you've done with me."
This time Isla
did have to brush away a tear, as she quickly embraced Kieran again.
"Thank you. That means more to me than you can know." Pulling herself
together, she returned to Jeremiah and looked around at their small search
party.
"Right then,
let’s go over our plan one more time while we eat, then get geared up and be
off, yeah?"
They gathered
around the small kitchen table and tucked into the light breakfast fare.
Jeremiah cleared a spot to lay out their map of Arran. On top of that, he placed
a wafer-thin piece of velum that had another map printed on it. This map was
also of the island, but it was crudely hand drawn and had places named on it
that some of them had never even heard of.
"I went to
the booksellers when I first got to the island, and I found a little,
self-published travel book that is nearly ninety years old. It's full of island
legend and lore, but also has some great insight into the terrain and routes
that may not be so well known on the modern island. It had this great map in it
as well, with all of the old names for the towns, and it focuses more on
landmarks and walking routes than towns and roads.
His excitement
reminded Isla of a child on Christmas morning, and it made her smile.
"It's a great find. We should take it with us, in a dry bag."
Nodding,
Jeremiah shifted the maps so they were side by side and pointed to the same
spot on both of them. "We'll drive to Blackwaterfoot and park at the
Shiskine golf course, here, hopefully looking inconspicuous. Taking the walking
trail to the beach from there, once we make it to the beach, we'll climb the
hill to the game path at the base of the cliffs."
Isla took up
where he left off. "We need to try and stay off of the main walks, so
we'll stay on the game path as long as it's passable. Skirting around the
Drumadoon promontory, we’ll ascend to the King's Caves."
Turning to
Jeremiah, Isla smiled. "You'd probably be interested to know that it is
said that King Robert the Bruce took refuge in the King's Caves after killing
John Comyn," she said, laughing when Jere's face lit up with interest.
"We need
to stay together until we get to the caves, as the terrain will be very
dangerous. Once we search the caves, we'll head back east over the moors toward
Machrie. We may decide to split up at that point, with at least one group
making it back to Shiskine—the safe way—to pick up the van. Agreed?"
There was a
chorus of "Aye's" and "Yes's" in response to her question,
so she continued. "Each one of us needs to pack light but smart. We need enough
food to last the day and night, in case we can't make it back until
morning."
Amy reached
into her pack and started unloading the seven radios she had taken off the dock
at Expeditions. "Channel five. Got to try and stay off the police
channels." She passed out extra battery packs for the two-ways as well,
just in case.
They filled
their packs with food items with high-caloric content, to give them energy in
case any of them got stranded. Kieran was given a bowie knife from Jack since
he hadn't any weapons of his own.
They packed
fire starter kits, an extra set of clothes for each of them, and their maps in
dry bags. Each searcher had a canteen and a flashlight strapped to their
utility belts as well. Jeremiah barked out a laugh when Jack pulled some camouflage
paint out of his bag.
"We're
going full commando, huh?"
Jack nodded and
laughed. "Silly, I know, but I figured it might help since we're trying
not to be seen."
Jere flashed
his wolfy grin and reached for the paint. "Why not? Every little bit helps."
Each of them smeared lines of the black and green paint on their face, hoping
it would help them blend into the brush on the game trail, as that would be
their only cover provided by nature.
Jeremiah pushed
his chair away from the table and stood, making brief eye contact with Isla,
Jack, and Callum. "I'll go get Marduk," he said, knowing that he
would have to provide the boy with clothing. They had let the wolf spend the
night in the spare room of the cabin, knowing that it wouldn't do to have him show
up on the doorstep stark naked.
The four of
them had decided not to tell the others about Marduk's true nature, but his
power would provide extra protection against the
auchrim
, so they
couldn't afford to leave him behind.
Brynna gave
Isla a puzzled look as Jeremiah left the room. "Who's Marduk?"
Isla's gaze
shifted to the right before looking across to Brynna, causing the other woman
to narrow her eyes in suspicion. "He's a friend of mine who's visiting.
He'll be coming along with us, since he is as good a tracker as I am."
Six pairs of
eyes turned toward the living room as Jeremiah returned with the tall, dark
young man. Marduk was dressed in black cargo pants and a green t-shirt, and he
was allowing his intricate tattooing to be shown. He stared back at the group
with ice-blue eyes as they were introduced to him.
As Marduk had
come into the room, Isla witnessed the shock of the others as the impact of
Marduk's ambient power smacked into them, causing them to shift in their seats.
It occurred to her too late that Marduk may not be aware of his effect on
people, and he may not know how or have any desire to dampen it.
"Marduk,
this is Kieran Donovan, Amy Williams and Brynna Murphy. You met Callum and Jack
last night." Marduk nodded to the two men he had already met and shook
hands with each of the newcomers.
When his palm
touched Brynna's, she gripped it tight and looked up at him sharply. Addressing
Isla without taking her eyes off of him, she spoke. "So he's like you,
then?"
Momentarily
shocked at the declaration, Isla sputtered as she choked on her coffee.
"How did you know?"
Brynna shrugged
a delicate shoulder and fingered her coffee cup. "He just has the same
sort of”—she waved her hands in the air, seeming to search for the right
words—"energy signature as you do. I never really noticed it until I felt
it from someone else. Also, his tattoos seem to be of a similar style as your
signa
,"
she said matter-of-factly.
Impressed with
the girl's powers of observation, Isla had the thought that Brynna may be a
very valuable asset to the search as well. They waited while Marduk loaded his
pack and painted his face like the others.
Jeremiah
carried extra food for the young man so Marduk could fit a couple of extra sets
of clothes in his pack, in case the need arose for him to shift, hopefully well
out of the viewing range of the others.
Deciding they
were finally ready, the group trooped out the door—first the younger searchers,
then Callum and Jack. Isla moved to follow when she suddenly found herself
pushed up against the wall behind the door, her mouth captured in a searing
kiss.
Wanting to put
all of his emotions that he couldn't find words for as they set forth to risk
their own lives, Jeremiah gave no quarter. He plundered her mouth with a
sensual dance of nipping teeth and sweeping tongue.
Nudging a knee
between her legs to further trap her, he sunk his hands deep into her ebony
curls, canting her head back to deepen the angle of the kiss. When he finally tore
himself away with a strangled groan, they stood there staring at each other,
gasping for breath. As he took in her flushed cheeks and her plump lips bruised
from his kiss, he knew she was the most exquisite creature he would ever come
across
Jeremiah nearly
went weak in the knees when she gave him a brilliant smile and flashed those
dimples that he wanted to kiss, along with every other inch of her. She strode
over to him, swaying her hips in a cocky little swagger, and patted him on the
back. Hard. "Atta boy," she said. "Time to get going."
With a wink and
a smile, she sashayed out the door. Jeremiah blinked dumbly for a moment,
trying to get a hold of his raging libido so he could concentrate on the task
at hand. But he couldn't help but admire the view as he locked up and followed
behind her. God, she was spectacular.
The sun had
only begun to rise as the van pulled into the public parking lot at the
Shiskine Golf Club in Blackwaterfoot, and a heavy blanket of mist still clung
to the ground, obscuring their surroundings.
Isla stepped
out into the crisp air, scanning the beach and cliffs for any early hikers. The
chilly, overcast morning worked in their favor, as each of them was wearing
some sort of hooded jacket or sweatshirt to hide their painted faces,
camouflage clothing, and weapons. It was hard to look inconspicuous when one
was kitted out like a frontline soldier.
Gathering their
packs and supplies, they piled out of the van and under cover of fog, they
started down a wide dirt road that ran parallel to a misty, pebbled beach that
was hugged by the grey Kilbrannan Sound.
This was the
part of the route that provided the least cover and, even with the fog, they
could easily attract attention. Spreading out, they walked two by two, keeping
a distance of twenty feet or so, hoping they would look like couples or friends
out for an early morning stroll.
Isla led the
way beside Jeremiah, and he immediately pulled her close against his side.
Selling the bit, she told herself with a grin. Looking behind them, Isla noted
that they were followed by Amy and Marduk. The
feradux
trained sharp
eyes straight ahead, but she knew he was scanning his periphery for any signs
of trouble.
Brynna and Kieran
were next, chatting and chuckling to themselves, arms slung around each other.
The two had taken to each other almost immediately after Kieran had started
working for Expeditions. They were as close as a brother and sister, and teased
each other like them too.
Walking side by
side behind them were Callum and Jack. Unlike the others, they didn't talk or
touch. They just walked at a leisurely pace, shoulder to shoulder, close enough
so that their arms or fingers were always brushing.
Eventually,
they veered off the dirt road, onto a path that skirted the golf course, and it
took them down a subtle incline toward the beach. They came to a halt where the
trail dead ended into a barbed-wire fence.
After a cursory
look around, they saw that there was no gate nearby. With gloves to protect his
hands, Jack grasped two of the wires between the barbs and pulled them wide
apart. The rest of the group stooped to climb through the space one by one.
Isla halted the
group while Callum took Jack's place holding the wire, allowing him to slip
through. From there they cut through a misty field that continued the slope
down to the beach. The small group gathered on the shore at the base of the
large hill that loomed over them, stretching to the foot of the cliffs.
On the shore
they were totally out in the open, but it was too early for most day hikers,
and they still had the morning fog on their side. Isla took a moment to survey
their route and make a plan. The cliffs and hill lined a mile or so of the
coastline, and the hill itself would prove a difficult climb. Covered with
rhododendron, fern, thistle and other thick foliage, the hill was also home to
hundreds of boulders and flat rocks that were nestled into its face. She knew
it would be a difficult ascent, even for the Expeditions crew.
The rocky
outcrops tapered off about halfway up and gave way to much denser thickets at
the bottom of the cliffs. Though she couldn't see it, she knew that the area at
the top where the brush was thickest was where the game trail would be.
From there the
cliffs rose out of the mist, lumbering giants, great columns of feldspar and
sandstone, neatly formed by the erosion of the coast, standing
close to
one hundred feet high. If someone were to
stand at the top of the cliffs, they would be well over two hundred feet above
where sea met shore.
"We need
to go up single file," Isla began. "While I have every confidence in
all of your climbing abilities, I want our most experienced climbers in the
front and back of the group. And as much as I hate to play it safe
myself," she said with a self-deprecating smile, "we need to protect
our main defenses against the threat, which are Marduk and me."
The others
nodded gravely, so she continued. "Cal will go first, clearing the way for
Jeremiah and then myself. Amy, Marduk, and Brynna will be next, in that order.
Marduk has the least experience among us with this terrain, so I want him in
the middle," she said with an apologetic look to the young man, who simply
shrugged and winked.
"Behind
Brynna will be Kieran, and Jack will bring up the rear," she finished.
"Everyone good with that?" After they all had agreed, Callum took
over the briefing to prepare the group for the ascent, explaining the
techniques for the benefit of Jeremiah and Marduk.
“Right then,
we’ll be doing what we call ‘rock-scrambling’ to get up this hill,” Callum
said. "This type of ascent walks a fine line between being a very
treacherous hike and a very easy rock climb. We'll be free climbing, as
climbing gear won't help us much here."
"Rock
scrambling is like rock climbing, except you don’t see any extreme verticals
and your only equipment is your bare hands. Jeremiah, you’ll remember some of
this from your first search. We’ll need to find hand and footholds that we can
use to lever ourselves up, to where we can climb to the next plateau.”
“You each need
to look out for the person in front of you and in back of you when you can,”
Isla added. “Give each other room to move, but don’t get too far apart.”
Callum dug his
fingers into the soft, dry sand on the shore, coating his hands, and encouraged
the others to do the same. “This will help your grip. Not as effective as
chalk, but it’ll do. Ready?”
Cal took one
more look at each of the faces behind him and waited as they nodded. While most
in the group were experienced beyond their years in all things outdoors, Isla
still felt responsible for all of them as the unofficial leader of the search,
but she trusted Callum implicitly to take point on the climb.
Isla wasn't
worried about Jeremiah, not really, as he could hold his own on a climb. She
knew without a doubt that she'd give her own life to keep him safe.
Smiling a
little, she looked at their little wildcat, Amy. It would take a tank to bring
that one down. She was a bonnie lass, that was for sure, but she was also as
hearty as they came. Kieran was the least experienced of the Expeditions crew,
and that was enough to cause Isla to worry a bit about the young man's safety.
But Kieran had learned a lot in the two years he’d worked with them and what he
lacked in longevity, he made up for with enthusiasm.
Brynna was
nearly as tiny as Isla, but her small frame was packed with steely muscles and
an iron will. If she had her way, she’d beat all of them to the top.
Her eyes
softened as they fell on Jack—a man who'd been like a surrogate father to her
in the past ten years. He was built like a brick shithouse and could stand up
to more than all of them. That didn't succeed in stopping the hard knot of
worry that formed in her gut when she thought of him possibly getting hurt.
Marduk was the
wildcard. She knew Callum still wasn’t clear on exactly
what
he was, and
he certainly had no idea of the young witch’s climbing abilities. She saw
Callum give Marduk a skeptical look before looking away with a shake of his
head.
Isla had
witnessed the look and smirked at Callum’s back. She was sure he had no idea
how much dexterity, athleticism, and preternatural strength one gained from
being part wolf. She knew that Marduk was probably safer than all of them.
The group set
off at a quick pace, but since there was no trail up the hill, the going was
tough. They picked their way through the brambles and stinging nettles,
thankful for the thick BDU pants they wore and the long-sleeved outerwear they
had used to conceal themselves earlier.
As the brush
grew too thick to push through, Callum drew his machete and began to cut a
narrow path for the hikers. They always wanted to leave the natural environment
as intact as possible, so they were still squeezed and scraped on all sides by
branches and thorns.
Brynna eyed the
dark stranger in front of her warily. He was certainly well made, with a long
sinewy body, darkly tanned skin…and those eyes. If they had met under different
circumstances, she may have even acted on her natural attraction to him. But
she didn’t trust him. She knew he was a magick user like Isla, but there was
something definitely different about him—which led her to believe that they’d
not been given the whole story about the mysterious young man.
Power emanated
from him in waves, and she felt it like little firecrackers bursting across her
skin. Her own body longed to respond to it, despite her misgivings about the
man himself. She kept a tight grip on her instinctive nature, willing herself
to keep away from him while his power drew her like a magnet. And the tattoos?
Those were a concern. If they meant what she thought they did, then she knew
more about him than she wanted to.
While Isla was
very brave for revealing her true nature to keep her friends safe, Brynna had
her own secrets to protect. Ones that she wasn’t willing to share for any
reason.
Brynna had just
begun to breathe hard when Callum slowed his pace. They'd arrived at the first cluster
of boulders, and he was waiting for the others to catch up. “This is where it
gets dicey, mates,” he said, gesturing at a grouping of rocks that looked much,
much larger than they had from the shore.
“Best thing will
be to try and stick to the grooves in between the rocks wherever possible.
There will be more handholds and better leverage. Go slow and choose your path
carefully. Right, off we go!”
After dusting
his hands with some more dirt from the ground, Callum began the climb up the
rift between the two boulders. Brynna did the same and once again fell in
behind Marduk. There were a few flat rocks along the way for the climbers to
take a rest and wait on one another.
Callum, Isla,
Jeremiah, and Amy had all made it to a large one and were waiting on the others
to regroup. Brynna was watching Marduk climb, and she had to admit to herself a
grudging respect for the man. He moved like Spiderman, easily finding the best
spots to place his hands and feet.
Marduk had almost
caught up with the others. He was clinging to the edge of the flat stone by one
hand, while his feet were wedged in crevices in the rock below. Muscles rippled
under golden skin as he leaned back to turn his face to the sky and sniff the
wind.
Brynna’s mouth
went dry at the sight, and she wondered how the man wasn’t even breaking a
sweat—
Her thoughts
were cut off abruptly as the piece of rock she had braced her weight-bearing
foot on dislodged and plummeted down toward the beach. Brynna felt herself slide
as she grappled unsuccessfully for something solid to grab onto. Bracing for
the fall, she had the fleeting thought that she should probably curl up,
protect her head and neck, when suddenly a strong hand shot out and latched
onto her wrist.
Instinctively,
she grabbed on with her other hand for a better grip. Crisp, artic eyes cut
through her panic, and an alien thought pushed its way into her mind.
Relax
your body. Got you.
Brynna blinked and stared, temporarily stunned into
immobility. And that was apparently all Marduk needed.
Before Brynna
could even form a cry for help, she was swung up and over Marduk's head to skid
onto the flat rock, where the other searchers were there to catch her. After
she was safely on steady ground, Marduk effortlessly vaulted up to join them
and assisted Kieran and Jack up onto the ledge.
Sitting with
Isla's arms around her on the large slab of granite, Brynna trembled and
panted. She was experiencing the typical system meltdown after the adrenaline
rush of a dangerous situation.
Marduk knelt in
front of her and slowly extended his hand toward her, silently asking
permission to touch. When he heard nothing but chattering teeth, he slid his
hand into her warm auburn hair and grasped the back of her neck.
Peace.
The thought fluttered around inside her
head while an incredible calming warmth radiated out from his hand, stilling
her shivers and calming her body. She wanted to protest at the invasion, but it
felt so amazingly...peaceful that she couldn't bring herself to do it.
When he finally
pulled away, her body mourned the loss, but her mind was at ease.
"Thanks," she said sheepishly, "for saving me. And, you
know...the other thing."
"My
pleasure," came the softly accented reply, as he raised her hand to his
lips for a light kiss. Amy snorted indelicately behind them and Callum cleared
his throat.
"We should
get movin'," he said. "I want to be past these godforsaken rocks
quick as we can, yeah?"
Isla rubbed
Brynna’s back reassuringly while sneaking worried glances at the young woman.
“Maybe we should go back. At least some of us…”
“No!” Brynna
said, sharply, hopping gracefully to her feet. “I’m fine, no harm done.
Besides, after what Gandalf over there did to me, I feel better than ever.” She
gave Callum and Isla a defiant look that just dared them to argue.