Celtic Evil: A Fitzgerald Brother Novel: Roarke (34 page)

“Ian, make a circle of salt
around the center stone.” He handed the box of salt to his youngest
brother while motioning to the candles, but Ryan had already taken
them while Mac laid a bowl on the center stone and poured a bottle
of holy water into it.

As this ancient ritual was
occurring, none of the Fitzgerald brothers could deny the ominous
feeling that seemed to be coming closer.

“They breached the property
line,” Roarke whispered, having felt the intrusion, but couldn’t
see past the fog. “I thought he’d focus on us.”

Seeing him shake his head
lightly, Kerry squeezed his arm. “By going close to the house he
seeks to distract us.” He knew that wasn’t fully the case but
didn’t need his brother more worried than he was.

A deep growl from outside
the stone circle made Ian look and whistle. “Well, Fido came
back.”

“Oh, go away,” Ryan waved a
hand and the large black beast vanished with a yelp. “We need to do
this because he’s not playing this time.”

Kerry knew this but needed
Roarke focused on him. “I know what you see, but he’s using your
fears to attack you from within. Focus on this,” he urged, nodding
as Mac lit the candles just as a scream came from the
woods.

The same black shadow creature that Mac had
seen at his house in Cork stepped from the woods with blazing red
eyes.

“You cannot cross into this
place, demon,” Kerry’s voice was stern as he made sure the circle
would hold. “Go back to your master.”

“If he ever got that bullet
my brother shot him with out of him yet,” Ryan smirked, feeling the
evil from this thing.

The creature seemed to
stare at them, then smiled cruelly as his blazing eyes landed on
Roarke. “Your woman will die in agony as my master’s minions shred
her flesh,” he bragged. “The foolish little mortal seeks to draw us
to them in order to give you time to do this hopeless little
act.”

“What?” the young man
frowned and soon saw the violent images of the bitter fight in the
meadow. “No.”

“Go back to hell!” Ian snapped, taking a
sharp stone he had in his pocket and hurling it at the shadow
mass.

Ryan and Mac grabbed Roarke
before he could lunge but he remained steady, his temper sizzling,
but he didn’t move. “I want this done,” he muttered.

“Join hands around the
stone altar,” Kerry ordered, feeling the wind pick up as beasts
stalked outside the circle. “Don’t let go until we need to and just
say the words that will come.”

The tensest moment Roarke
had was at the sight of the dagger, and it seemed like a hand
closed on his shoulder in a reassuring move yet when he looked, no
one was there.

“We are born of the Five,
to create the Five to send this demon back to hell where he came
from,” Kerry began, feeling the energy pick up and power start to
flash. “We five gather in this place of nine stones to recast what
was cast years ago and torn asunder by greed and
jealousy.”

Mac shuddered as wind
howled outside the stones. “The stones have always represented a
magical energy as nine has been a symbol of good. It represents the
nine grains of salt we use to exorcise evil or the nine months to
bring a new life into being.” He felt the blow that struck him in
the back but ignored it. “We call on that energy and power now as
we five seek to add it to unite our strength.”

“Separate we each share a part of the Five
but we ask those that have come before in this place to guide and
shield as we seek to combine those parts into one as it was long
ago.” Ryan’s eyes had gone black as he took the blow to himself but
managed to shield the raking claws that would have struck his two
younger brothers.

“Combine our powers as we
combine the blood we share so that the Five may fight the evil that
comes.” Ian took a deep breath as Kerry lifted the dagger and ran
the blade over the scar he had on his left wrist, a scar they all
shared.

One by one, they each
re-cut the small scar they had had since childhood to allow blood
to trickle into the bowl of holy water.

When it was Roarke’s turn
lastly, he looked at the dagger as lights and flame shot around
them while the beasts outside the stones howled. “My choice is
freely made as I share this blood in order to unite our power and
strength to make five into one and to form our circle into one
whole.”

Again, the images came
vividly to his mind but he shoved them back as he felt Ryan and
Kerry grip his hands again.

The combined blood had
mixed instantly and a blast of white light exploded from the bowl
up into the air, then shattered into glimmering lights that floated
to the ground.

“As this blood mixes, we
call on all the Fitzgeralds of the past to offer their guidance and
protection as the Five are formed and may nothing tear this bond
apart again,” Kerry slowly met the eyes of his brothers as they
finished the spell. “As I will, so mote it be, blessed
be.”

As they closed the spell,
the lights that had been shimmering down seemed to glow brighter
and the shadow beasts blew up with screams and yelps as if touched
by acid, leaving everything in an eerie silence.

Blinking as his eyes
adjusted to the dimmer light again, Ian stared around, never
experiencing anything like that before. “What did we
do?”

“We just reformed the bond
we had originally and started the path to forming the Five,” Mac
told him, seeing Roarke’s eyes tightly closed. “Are you alright,
lad?”

“That cleared them from
here but there are still some on the lands,” he replied quietly,
frowning deeply. “Jessica.”

With a wave of his hand,
Kerry took the circle down properly and easily cleansed the area.
“Now we finish this part by kicking those things off our
land.”

“Mac, that red head of
yours doesn’t listen well,” Ryan spoke easily, seeing Mac scowling
and muttering.

“I thought Sebastian would
make an appearance to stop us,” Ian felt concerned by this lack of
attention.

Roarke had been moving out
of the stones when he stopped dead. “He sent his proxy,” he
whispered, seeing the images from the meadows clearly.

Mac scowled more now. “I
hate that thing,” he snarled, looking at the others. “Roarke needs
to…”

“I know what I need to do,”
Roarke sighed, eyes changing as his powers took full control and he
looked at what Kerry held out to him. “Help Maggie and the lads.
This thing touches Jess and I’ll handle him.”

At this firm promise, Ryan
nudged Ian’s arm. “Want to have a friendly wager after this is over
they have one hell of a fight over her not listening?”

Ian just rolled his eyes.
“Sucker bet, mate. I’m not touching it this time,” he refused with
a laugh, following Roarke with the others close behind.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Wishing she’d actually been
a more active student when her grandmother had wanted to teach her
more, Maggie Cavanaugh was cursing herself soundly as she felt
herself getting more tired, yet the shadow shapes didn’t seem to be
slowing.

“Get back to the house,”
Cameron Young stopped to reload his weapon but knew the red-haired
woman was growing weaker. “They’ll target you more if they sense a
weakness.”

The Mavericks had regrouped
in the meadow where most of the shadows had concentrated their
attacks. “The bullets are working on them but it’s taking too
long,” Michael White complained.

“How long will they do
this?” Maggie asked, gasping as one lunged at her but was blasted
apart.

“Until they’re called back
or we’re all dead,” Jessica Hadley replied grimly.

The young British warrior
knew there was a limit to even her power, which still hadn’t gotten
back to full strength yet, but was willing to risk it in order to
buy her friends the time they needed.

She was bleeding from several scratches and
seemed pale but her eyes still showed the power, which seemed to
darken as she turned to look over her shoulder.

“Cam, take Maggie and the
team back to edges,” she saw the lone shadow man and knew what it
was. “Sebastian’s sent a mouthpiece this time.”

Maggie knew it was the same
creature as what she had seen at Mac’s house when this first
started. “You can’t be considering…”

“Go back to the house or
stay with the Mavericks, Maggie,” the girl spoke quietly as she
took several steps forward and felt the evil energy blasting out
toward them. “Your boss too busy to come and play or does he only
show when he can cheat?”

Even though merely a
shadow, his eyes blazed red while the smile seemed to sneer. “My
master will lay claim to what is his in due time but sent me to
handle those such as you,” he spoke arrogantly. “He also wishes me
to remind you of what he can do.”

He raised a hand but this time, Jessica
shifted her own hand and repelled what he sent out.

“I’m ready for him this
time,” she told him, still feeling the edge of the power and
shuddering at the memories it dredged up, but forced them
back.

Even as she did this, she
saw the sudden flash of lights from over the tree line and knew
what it meant even as a lot of the single shadows began vanishing
but several others remained, including the one Jessica faced
now.

“The circle has been
formed, the Five will be united and your master will burn,” she
spoke firmly, seeing the rage in the thing’s burning eyes she knew
instantly she wouldn’t have the power to deflect this attack even
as she felt it strike.

“Jessica!” Maggie screamed
when she saw the girl lifted off her feet and slammed into the
ground a few feet away, but as she started to run to help a shadow
demon was in front of her.

Hoping she had enough power for one for shot
of flame, she started to cast it when she watched it disappear in
front of her.

“I really need to start
locking you in the house, Mary Margaret,” Mac spoke dryly from
behind her, lowering his hand from where he’d raised it to deal
with her attacker.

“Lecture me later, Doc!”
she snapped at him. “Jessica needs help now.”

Mac caught her arm to keep
her still. “He’s handling it,” he replied quietly, slipping the
small fiery woman into his arms, and fought to ignore his deep
relief at feeling her against him.

Jessica Hadley had hit the
ground hard and lay stunned, her head ringing and feeling her back
burn, as she knew the thing was getting closer but couldn’t summon
any power as she fought to breathe.

“My master would have preferred you alive
but he will have to accept your death as a tribute.” The shadow
demon raised a hand to strike again when he suddenly seemed to jerk
as the tip of the ancient Fitzgerald sword pierced its chest.

“No, you’re both going to
be disappointed,” a strong voice spoke from behind the creature as
the sword blade twisted harder and it began to glow with power. “I
am Roarke Michael Quinn Fitzgerald, fourth born son of Toryn and
Brenna Fitzgerald and one of the Five who will see your maker
destroyed.”

Roarke’s usually calm and
gentle smoky gray eyes were a pulsing black as his face seemed to
shine in full power while he pulled the sword free in order to step
in front of the snarling shadow creature.

“Fifteen years ago, he
tried to take my life but took my parents. I am not a child any
longer and will no longer allow him or his accomplices to threaten
or harm what is mine,” he spoke firmly as he locked eyes with the
dying creature but knew its master could hear every word. “Be it my
brothers, my friends or the woman I love. You didn’t beat me or
destroy me this time, Sebastian, and you won’t do any of the same
with my brothers, so deal with it.” The sword lifted with barely a
blur and struck a killing blow to the creatures’ head.

The scream it uttered
seemed to echo in the wind as a voice howled in outrage from
somewhere far off, and the evil energy the creature exuded seemed
to blow into the wind as Roarke shielded as much as he
could.

“Okay, now that was neat,”
Ian let out a breath as he watched the rest of the demon creatures
vanish.

“I’ll admit he handled that
better than I thought he would,” Ryan shared a look with Kerry, as
both knew this would only be a small victory for them.

Roarke slowly lowered the
sword after a moment of thick silence, then was on his knees a
second later next to Jessica, who was struggling to sit
up.

A quick look showed him the
bleeding scratches she had but he also sensed the wound on her back
and other wounds gained from the last attack as his hands gently
eased her up until she was leaning against him.

“Don’t yell,” she warned,
sensing his temper was on the surface but also feeling his fear. “I
knew you needed the time.”

Mac’s hand on his shoulder
stopped him from speaking. “I guess Maggie’s excuse that she was
just following you was true,” he sighed, starting to kneel down,
but his brother just scooped the girl up easily but carefully.
“Roarke, you are using too much power at once.”

“I can do it, Mac,” his
younger brother promised him, knowing his emotions weren’t level
yet but wanting the girl out of the field as he felt her lean
against his shoulder.