Her body ached from the last demon she had exorcised. He was a plague of paranoia and depression and it took her two days to get control of him before she dispelled the demon back to hell. Her insides were raw and mutilated. She needed time to heal and recoup after letting his evil fester inside of her. She knew the moment she came into contact with her mom, Dawn would sense how battered her soul was. Dawn didn't approve the path Cara chose, but she also understood that she couldn't stop her either.
Grass rustled behind her. Her hand was on the butt of her gun before her eyes opened. A little boy walked towards the Nile, tossing a wooden pyramid in the air with one hand. He was dressed casually in shorts and sandals and he couldn't be more than seven years old. He watched the ships while he idly tossed the pyramid from hand to hand like a ball.
Cara released her hold on the gun and pressed a hand over her abdomen. She often fantasized about lying on a warm beach, swimming in crystal clear water and pigging out on amazing food, but she never had the time. She knew her life was numbered not in years, but breaths. She courted death daily and wouldn't stop, even if it cost her life. Each encounter with a demon taxed her physically and spiritually. Eventually, she wouldn't have anything left.
"You sick?"
Cara turned her head and saw the boy still tossing the pyramid. She shifted and tried to stifle a gasp of pain.
"Just a little sore," Cara said with a reassuring smile.
"You're American?"
Cara nodded. "Yup."
"What are you doing here?"
"Just taking in the sights," Cara frowned. "You're out here alone?"
The boy rolled his eyes. "You sound like my mom. I come here all the time."
"What for?"
"My dad told me to meet him here."
Cara got to her feet, dusted herself off and looked around. "What time is he supposed to meet you?"
"He told me to meet him here at dusk three years ago."
He clutched the pyramid in one hand and scanned the ships with angry eyes. When Cara didn't respond, he glanced at her and scowled.
"He's coming back," he said fiercely.
Cara didn't want to argue, so she remained silent as the sky filled with color. The boy didn't ask why she stuck around and they watched the sun set in silence. He let out a long sigh and glared accusingly at her.
"Maybe he'll come back," she offered with a shrug.
He grunted and began to toss the pyramid again. "I know he will. You have a Dad?"
"Yeah, but he's not a good guy."
"Why?"
Cara sighed. "There's good people in the world and then there's people like him. If I never saw him again that would be fine with me."
"But he's your dad."
"You may not believe this now, but it may be the best thing for you if your dad doesn't come back."
She saw the boy's arm lift and had a split second of warning before he tossed the wooden pyramid at her. Cara dropped to the ground and heard it whistle over her head. She reached for the gun, but before she could pull it out, the boy kicked her hand. Two fingers broke. She rolled to avoid his second kick and with her good hand, yanked on one of his legs. He fell on his back beside her. She straddled him quickly and pinned his skinny arms beneath her knees.
She saw the red glint in his eye and swore beneath her breath. She closed her eyes and channeled a thin line of magic into the boy before she withdrew. Her heart pounded as the demon within the puppet looked up at her.
"Hello, Cara," Luc said.
"Why are you using a kid?" Cara demanded.
"You won't hurt a child and the puppet I'm using will be of no use to me if it's filled with bullet holes," he said in a chiding tone.
As the silence stretched and neither moved their eyes from the other, the boy's mouth curved.
"What are you doing here, Cara?" Luc asked.
"Vacation," she said through clenched teeth and tried to ignore the pain reverberating from her hand.
"That so? In the past month you've been to Greece, Italy, New Zealand and now Egypt. Your job as a nurse must be treating you well," he drawled.
Although her stomach pitched, she kept eye contact with Luc. She knew he sensed her fear when his smile widened.
"So, you've been exorcising demons, hmm? Frankly, I'm shocked that none of the demons you've faced have managed to turn you mad." Luc clucked his tongue. "Some of them were quite powerful and you've sent them all back to hell. You've been very naughty."
She couldn't breathe. Luc was capable of anything and right now, she was closer to death than she'd ever been in her life.
"Did you really think you could follow me around the world, unravel my plans and that there would be no consequences? My hard work is about to bear fruit and no one will interfere, even you."
"Took you long enough to notice."
The words flew out of her mouth before she could censor them. With more strength than the skinny boy should have been capable of, he bucked her off. She fell onto her back and quick as a snake, the boy stomped his sandaled foot on her injured hand. Cara screamed and the boy giggled. His dark face was hard to see, but his red eyes glowed.
"Who knew you had the balls to learn how to exorcise demons and shift my plan off its foundation? I'm very disappointed in you, Cara."
More pressure and her bones ground together. The boy couldn't be over eighty pounds, but at the moment he felt like a sumo wrestler.
"You think you're clever, but you're human. You exist for one reason and it's not to plague me. Hearing the damage you did in Greece didn't please me at all. I don't like all this running around, so I'm going to ask nicely. Do you yield?"
"No," Cara hissed.
"You've proven yourself to be useful. You want my attention? You got it. Join me."
Cara shook her head and his eyes narrowed.
"Join me or you'll wish you were dead."
Her hand went numb and she stopped struggling. Her other hand dug into the sand beneath her. She prayed she'd done enough on earth to allow her access to heaven. She closed her eyes against the boy who had the most powerful demon on the planet in his body. His body would begin to disintegrate if Luc didn't go back to his original puppet soon. She tilted her head to the side and exposed her throat. Do it, she thought. When she set out in Luc's wake, she'd known she was signing her own death warrant.
The boy lifted his foot. Immediately, she curled her body around her injured hand. He leaned down and brushed sweat-soaked hair back from her face. Cara yanked away and met his eyes boldly.
"Do your worst," she spat.
A small, grimy hand ran down her cheek and the boy pressed a kiss to her numb lips. She waited with bated breath for Luc to make his move. Without a word, the boy picked up his wooden pyramid and walked away from her whistling.
Cara sat on the bed with her head in her hands. The last of Rage's poison drained away with her tears. She was happy to see that Aodhan wasn't in front of the cave. She didn't feel like sharing her nightmares. She got to her feet and tried to banish the haunting sound of the boy's whistling as he walked away from her that night. She slipped on her shoes and padded out of the cave with her arms wrapped around herself. The chill she felt radiated from her soul. She tipped her head up and searched the highest points in the cavern for Aodhan, but he was nowhere to be found. After reliving her memories, the silence seemed menacing.
"Aodhan?" she called.
Her voice echoed around her. She decided to walk off her edginess and bypassed several dark pools. She tried to suppress her panic as she walked further from her hobbit hole. She rounded the largest pool she'd come across, glanced at the surface and froze. Something moved beneath the surface and ripples fanned out from the middle to where she stood. Images of sea monsters made her sprint. Something erupted from the pool behind her and Cara ran as fast as she could over the uneven ground. Something swooped overhead and a moment later, Aodhan landed in front of her. She crashed into him with such force that she bounced back and fell on her ass. She wiped the water off her face and tried to calm her nerves, which were stretched to the breaking point.
"Nice bath?" she snapped as she got to her feet.
You didn't sleep long.
She stalked around him and tried to hide her relief. She wasn't alone anymore. Luc couldn't touch her here. She stalked back to her hobbit hole and set her jaw when he easily outpaced her.
If you need me, reach for me with your mind.
She wasn't comfortable reaching out to anyone, especially through telepathy. It reminded her too much of demons. They could infiltrate a human mind so easily. All they needed was an opening and a weakness. Most people never realized they were possessed until she stood in front of them with a gun.
When they reached the hobbit hole, she saw a cup of steaming tea waiting for her. She swallowed the refreshing peppermint and replayed her confrontation with Luc in Egypt. Three days later Dawn called to tell her that Sky had contracted an incurable disease and was going downhill fast.
Cara finished off the tea and ran a hand over her face. That was all done now. Sky was healthy and protected. For the first time, she realized it might be a blessing to be down here with the dragon. It wasn't a prison. It was a haven. She dedicated her life to following Luc and his minions. She was always on guard and lived out of a suitcase. At the moment, the only thing that could touch her here were her own memories. Those, she would never escape from. The only being she had to worry about was a bad tempered dragon that had his own idea of fun.
She examined his scales, which looked as if they'd been polished. They were brighter than ever and she propped her chin on her fist as she looked him over. He'd once been human. What did he look like? That freaky slit down the center of his eye gave her the creeps, but it was easier to bear than the sadistic look she encountered on human's faces when she went demon hunting.
"Did you live in Ireland, uh, before?" she asked.
The dragon didn't answer for several minutes and she inwardly grimaced. She could understand that he didn't want to talk about his past, but they were going to be down here a long time. She couldn't help but be fascinated and curious about a dragon.
I spent a lot of time in Ireland, but I roamed the world.
She relaxed a little. "Are you the only Ancient?"
There were five of us. When the witch, Morgana, trapped me here, she told me she had plans for the others. I don't know if she was successful.
Cara mulled that over. "If the other Ancients knew where you were, could they help you get out of here?"
The dragon's eyes narrowed.
You aren't going anywhere.
"We need to get you out of here!" Cara said defensively.
I am as powerful as they are. If I haven't found a way out in centuries, it's doubtful they can help.
She had to concede that point. "But we need to reverse the curse. You can't stay down here forever."
He rose to his full height.
You don't think I have tried everything?
She refused to shrink at the warning tone. "Well, we have to do something."
Agreed.
"Are all of the Ancients dragons?"
We have different forms but most of us prefer human or dragon.
He regarded her closely.
You're eager to return to your demon hunting?
Cara suppressed the urge to recoil. If he only knew. "No, I want you to banish Luc back to hell."
The dragon didn't respond to that.
She bit her lower lip as she ventured, "If you're not on Luc's side, that means you're on the good side, right?"
His scales rippled as he shifted, but once again, he didn't respond. She glared reproachfully at him.
"You
are
good. You healed Sky," she said.
It was a bargain. I didn't do it out of charity.
"But you didn't have to heal her. You could have kept me here and let her die," Cara insisted, refusing to see Aodhan in a bad light. He wasn't like Luc or Ursula. He didn't prey on the weak or hurt others for fun. "
And
you gave them money!" she said triumphantly.
Don't mistake our bargain for kindness.
"You want me to see you in a bad light. Why?"
If I were good, Morgana wouldn't have been able to seduce me.
She shrugged. "We all have faults."
He rose to his full height and eyed her with burning eyes.
I'm a superior being put on earth to combat the dark. As centuries passed, I lost sight of my purpose and fell into depravity. Nothing could sate me. Morgana's trick shouldn't have worked. I have been paying penance for centuries while creatures like Luc and Morgana use humans as puppets for their amusement.
"Which is why we need to get you out of here."
He bared his teeth.
If you release me, you may unleash something more evil than Luc.
She considered that for a long moment. "You're not like him."