Enchanted Moon (Moon Magick Book II) (22 page)

Was her brother there in the dark—a
wolf—waiting for her?

Were Krisoph and his magick already seeking her out?
What of her pendant? Had they found it and abandoned her altogether, having
gotten what they pursued? Colm ordering her back to the keep, Maera stepping
into the chill waters, Quinlan, the rite, Daniel, the pages. Kristoph. Her
mother’s plea. She’d failed.

Ailyn had utterly failed.

She’d become a pawn in a game that she would never
have suspected at play. Amid players she still could not stomach the thought of
participating. She felt foolish beyond words. Quinlan could lead her to
Kristoph himself, to the sect, to a barren cave in the depths of the underworld
to wallow inside. Stripped of her only family, of her home, her duty, her
promise to her mother.

Who was she without these things?

Nothing but a brown-blooded Faerie. Without the
pendant, she hadn’t even a strand of power able to flow through her.
 
Colm was right. There was no returning
home. If she were lucky, at best she would be able to stay in this land, to
assimilate to it and find a new way.

Nay, she could not even do that. She would not use
Quinlan so. He deserved to join his life in the name of love, not to rescue
her.

So lost in her thoughts, when they came up short
outside a low hill, Ailyn’s attention jerked back to the present.

“
Sidhe
,”
Daniel said, appearing hopeful for confirmation. “Abandoned, I’ve surmised.”

Ailyn nodded. Her temples hurt. “There was a time in
my parents’ day that my people used these hills to forge passages through your
world to navigate it. Then the veil thickened, appearing less and less, and our
people were being hunted less and less. Now only rarely is the veil thin enough
to pass through, and it is forbidden.”

Daniel considered this a moment. “The old ways are
dying out. St. Patrick’s God and Christ are in our hearts now.
Sidhe
folk are becoming myth.” He
retrieved a short staff tied to his waist. “It is the key. Take it with you. It
will only open the door from the outside, mind you. Once you are inside, you
will not be able to exit by the same passage.” He retrieved the same tattered
parchment from before and handed it, folded, to Quinlan. “Three paths will take
you through.”

A low, ominous growl carried to Ailyn’s ears. She spun
around. Quinlan drew his sword.

“Go,” Daniel said, pushing her behind him. “Now.”

Out of the shadows, a wolf stalked forward, hackles
raised. Ailyn’s throat cinched with emotion.
Colm
. How could he? Quinlan’s firm hand on her arm forced her
backward.

“Come, lass.”

Her feet wouldna cooperate. Her gaze fixed onto Colm
as he snapped at Daniel’s drawn blade. At her back, a warm breeze pushed at her
hair.

“The doorway, Ailyn. Come through while we can. Daniel
will take care of your brother.”

Daniel sliced his sword through the air. Colm’s fangs
gleamed in the moonlight. Her heart clenched. She gasped. “Dinna hurt him,
Daniel. Please.”

He glanced back at her. “You’ve got more within you
than you ken, Ailyn. This isna about Colm. It is about you.”

Before she could warn him of Colm’s lunge, a thick,
wooden door slammed in her face, shutting her in the dark with Quinlan. The
low, hollow sound of air passing through a tunnel was all she could hear. She
reached her hand into the dark. Her fingertips met Quinlan’s chest. He pressed
his hand over hers. Under her palm, his heart beat hard and fast.

“We’re safe now, lass. Breathe.”

She did so, releasing a pent-up lungful of air. She
strained to hear Colm and Daniel, trying not to imagine the worst. She could
not bear the thought of either man hurting the other. Or worse. “You’ve clearly
set us upon a course, Quinlan. I’ll know what your plan is, if you please.”

A deep chuckle echoed around her, giving her the sense
they were in a narrow, earthen passage. To test the estimation, she reached her
other hand out behind her. Cold, rough earth met her touch. The thick feel of a
root.

“Plans, lass, are for men with time on their idle
hands. I’m of a mind of action. Come along, then.” He took her hand from his
heart and began leading her through the dark.

“We’ve no light. We’ve no way to ascertain which way
to go.”

“Observant of you. Glad to see your shock is wearing
off.”

She blushed. “D’you at least know where we’ll end up
or how far it is?”

“I dinna. But it doesna matter. What does matter is
that we have three days’ time to intercept the rite, destroy the bloodstone,
and return you home.”

Her heart squeezed in her chest. “Why are you doing
this for me?”

He paused. He let go of her hand, weaving his into her
hair. Ailyn wished she could see his face. Her pulse quickened. Part of her
hoped he meant to kiss her. He only let go after a long moment.

“I have no answer for you, Ailyn. I’d be lying if I
said I’d not asked myself the same. You attract trouble. But off I go, keeping
my vow, trouble be damned.”

He found her hand and began to lead her again, ever
deeper down through the darkness.

She half-smiled. “Will you be filling me in on why
this is our best course of action then, Quin, or shall I let my mind fret and
wonder?”

“Have you not guessed, yet, love?”

“You’re a flirt and a tease is what you are, Quinlan.”

He laughed loudly. “Aye, that I am, lass.”

She decided either he simply didna yet know himself
why this seemed the best course of action, or that he wanted to torture her.
Either way, her best defense was disinterest. She pressed her lips together,
biting back the urge to stamp her foot and demand answers.

Several minutes passed when a faint light formed in
the dark. Ailyn opened her mouth to speak, and then shut it. Pointing out the
light that he would obviously see equally well would break her silence. And
thereby admit defeat. Instead, she proceeded, curious. A bit of hope took root
inside her.

“Is that water?” she asked some moments later.

Quinlan gave her a cocky grin over his shoulder. She’d
spoken at last and he’d won their silent match. He’d recognized her intentions
all along! She’d played at giving him silence before, though. She stuck her
tongue out at him. Aye, the sound was definitely water. A rush. A loud trickle.
A crash that sounded very much like…the sea. How far had they come?

As if sensing her awareness, Quinlan sent her a wink.
“Trust me now?”

Chapter Twenty

The roar of salty waves crashing far, far below them
met Quinlan’s ears. Daniel hadn’t led them astray after all. Ailyn’s gasp was
all the answer he needed. He let her enter the cavern first. Low
light—the glow that had reached the depths of the tunnel—danced on
the bare stone walls. A slant of bright yellow light hit much of the stone
floor.

Water trickled in jewel-like rivulets down one wall,
myriad colors glinting in the rocky surface beneath. Ailyn touched the water,
leaning to peer up, looking for the source of the slant of light.

“The light bounces off and brightens. Is it the sun,
d’you think?” she asked, wonder softening her features.

Quinlan’s heart squeezed anew. Guilt banged against
his ribs over his own words and actions. She looked so trusting, so innocent
standing there. For a brief moment naught but this existed. No sorcerer hunting
her down, no sect bent on destruction. No forces, no draining hourglass. Just
him and her and this sea cave. He joined her, peering up as well.

“Is it not the most enchanting sight you’ve ever laid
eyes upon?” she asked, rubbing her wet fingers together.

It took all his will not to kiss her soundly on the
mouth. To taste her. To let this moment envelop them, conceal them from both
their worlds. The trusting way she looked at him did things to him. Ailyn
shouldna be trusting him now. If she had any notion of what he truly intended,
she’d never forgive him; of that he was certain. It might be the only thing he
felt certain of. Nay, that wasna true, either.

“Aye, lass. Enchanting.” Staring at the play of light
on her face, Quinlan realized he knew one other thing to be true. Unshakably
true. That he’d do everything in his power to keep her safe, even if it meant
deceiving her.

Because this troublesome temptress, in all this
back-and-forth swing of fate and foe, had somehow stolen his heart.

She eyed him warily, as though not sure what to make
of his expression. He’d not be explaining it. He glanced away, lest she see
love in his eyes. Lest she lay him bare with one more doe-eyed stare, her trust
and fears stark for him to suffer.

He wanted to hand her the world on bended knee. He
reached one hand into the pouch in his mantle, felt the warmth of the orb on
his fingertips. Her treasure. Her pendant. Discovered on the grassy mound
they’d made love on as she and Daniel spoke. His heart beseeched him to bestow
her with it. He itched to see her face bright with relief and joy, to avow that
all would be well.

But if he gave her the pendant…och, he wasna sure what
she would do. Something flighty and illogical that would risk her lovely neck
yet again. Between her ferocious wolf for a brother and her unseen enemies, he
couldna bear the thought of tragedy befalling her.

“What is it?” she asked, her hand on his arm.

His thoughts skittered. His fingers tightened on the
smooth stone. “You’ve a sweet heart to be fashing yourself over me. I’ve naught
to lose in all this. You’ve had quite a run of it, though, haven’t you?”

Shadows flickered in her eyes. The moment of wonder
disappeared. “Aye, well, it will soon see an end.”

“And you’ll be free to return to your land.” Quinlan
released the pendant, removing his hand. “To your home.”

Her brow furrowed, her gaze grew strained. “Aye,
home.”

He mentally kicked himself for stealing her small
space of peace. She’d be needing far more of it if she’d be strengthening for
what would inevitably come for her. A loud crash of waves echoed up to them,
drawing her attention. He followed Ailyn as she softly treaded the narrow bend
until they both stood at the slender mouth of the cave.

Far, far below, the ocean sprayed its protest against the
jagged wall. Quinlan’s stomach reached upward for his gullet. Ailyn, though,
appeared unperturbed by the steep drop. She peered over, that earlier wonder
returning to her features, enrapturing his focus. Easing his tension.

“I’ve known this place before,” she said, her forehead
wrinkling a moment. “I dinna ken how, though.”

He pulled her back a step from the rocky lip, keeping
a light hold on her elbow simply because the mere touch of her soothed
something deep within him. “Perhaps part of you knows you should be here.
Safe.”

She shook her head. “Safe. For how long? We’ve no
food, no fire. The sun already begins to set.” She gestured at the expanse of
frothy sea. Quinlan took in the sky above darkening by degrees as the sun sank.

“Daniel promised there would be supplies, though few.”
He retreated another step, his hand still on her elbow. “We shall make do. If
need be, I’ll hunt—nay, I canno’. As he said, the key only allows
entrance, not exit.” He turned the short wood staff over in his hand, a very
un-key-like object to be sure. Still, he’d learned in these last days to take
nothing for granted and kept a firm hold on the wood. “Rather than guess, how
about we search this cavern and discover what we’re up against?”

Ailyn nodded, though she appeared far from reassured.
Dismal might better describe her countenance. Hopeless. Defeated. Quinlan grit
his teeth and set to scouring.

An hour later, with the light dwindling and naught but
a hole-ridden sack to be accounted for, Quinlan felt equally dismal, hopeless,
and, aye, defeated. Not even a fur to warm them through the night or to soften
the stone floor for a decent rest.

Ailyn sank to the floor, crossing her legs. She pulled
her shoes off and put her toes into the
puddling
water. She closed her eyes in pleasure.

“I’m cold, I’m hungry. I’ve lost every last thing dear
to me,” she paused. Was she thinking of her brother? “But I’m here. No god or
goddess has yet struck me down.” She opened her eyes and gave him a weak smile.
“If we survive this, Quinlan, I dinna ken how I can ever begin to repay your
kindnesses.”

Love bloomed anew in his chest, but he merely waved
her off. “None of that now, lass. You’ll be swelling my head. Since we’ve
naught but time on our hands, what do you say to a bit of magick?”

He wasna certain what he was asking, he only knew he
had to silence the need pounding inside him. The need to possess her, to make
her his again, to beg her to be his for all her life. These ludicrous ideas
were dangerous. Thoughts such as those led to careless mistakes that got people
killed.

She released a stiff laugh. “Oh, aye. Magick. What I
wouldn’t give for my mother’s skill. I’d have a fire and furs and a trough of
sweetmeats for your selection.”

He lifted his eyebrows. “Is that right?” He loved the
way her face angled when she spoke of her mother. He sank down to the floor as
well, mirroring her position. The distant crush of waves, the briny scent, and
the dimming light all begged him to move closer. “You miss her a great deal.”

Her eyes widened. “Aye. If I could be half the fighter
she was….” Her shoulders sagged. “Two worlds would not hang in the balance, to
be sure.”

“Dinna be so hard on yourself, Ailyn. No warrior is
born great. Every battle survived, every scar, every brush with
death—that is what brings greatness.”

Her gaze scanned his face and body. “You’re unlike any
man I’ve ever known, Quinlan.” She paused thoughtfully. “I can sense the weight
of all you spoke of in you, yet you somehow carry that burden with a boyish
grin.”

He chuckled. “Careful lass, we’ll have no room to
breathe if you swell my head so.” His current burden’s weight pressed down.
He’d burrowed them down into a hole with no supplies and the darkness of night
stealing in. A niggling suspicion inside him grew. What if the pendant could help
her draw on that magick she spoke of? How deep a risk was he putting them in by
hiding it from her?

He’d imagined a pile of furs to leave her sleeping
soundly upon, a full belly, and a smile on her sweet lips. Aye, he might have
to scale a rocky cliff to freedom, but certainly the two forks Daniel spoke of
could bear fruit.

“Come dawn, we’ll explore the tunnel again. Can you
make it until first light, Ailyn?”

She leaned against the curved wall. “I canno’ see that
we have any other option, Quin. I’ll be asking you to ignore my stomach’s
grumbles, though.”

Good
lass
. “I like it when you call me Quin.”

Even in the dark he could see the pink splotches stain
her cheeks. Again, his heart squeezed. She’d be nigh unbearable to walk away
from. But he would. Because it would mean she’d live to see another day. And
another. Until she’d lived a whole and full life among her own people. She
deserved as much after being thrown into such turmoil, none of her own
volition.

The air was cooling and growing damp. Thunder growled
in the distance. Ailyn’s head snapped up. He could guess what she was thinking.
If it rained, they’d freeze, the cave possibly flooding. Quinlan rose, reaching
for her hand. “If we’re beyond the crevice, we should be safe.”

Her hand was icy cold. When he sat, he pulled her to
sit on top of him. He encased her in his arms, leaning against a cave wall,
doing his best to ignore the cold, hard floor under his arse. She didn’t
protest, and after a few moments, settled in against his chest.

“Rest while you can, Ailyn.” He doubted he’d have
slept even if Daniel’s promise of supplies had been fulfilled twofold. His mind
simply had too much to chew on. Mainly the time he had until Samhain—two
nights hence. Come morning, they’d explore the tunnel. Quinlan knew better than
to count on finding aught to aid them, though. Explore, somehow get food and
warmth for the night so that Ailyn would sleep hard enough to allow him to
leave her.

Get to Jamison and thereby to Maera, possibly Colm.
Get the two of them, along with Ailyn, back home before Samhain and the rite.
It was a jumble. Too many unanswered questions. Powers he did not ken. Christ,
how he wished Breanne could aid him in this. She could be having her babe at
this very moment, though. Rotten as he felt about it, his gut said not to trust
Daniel with anything more. He’d given them safe passage here,
 
and he’d aided Ailyn at every step.

Or had he?

Quinlan’s shoulders tensed with dread. In his arms,
Ailyn’s weight had softened so that he knew she slept. He held to her tight,
his mind racing with this new possibility. Daniel had taken Ailyn away. Daniel
had disappeared. Daniel knew of the pendant. Daniel…no, Daniel wasna the enemy.

Relief sank deep within his belly. Daniel had not
intentionally harmed Ailyn, nor did he mean to. That much became obvious once
Quinlan mentally ticked through the events. That did not mean that Quinlan
could trust the young man with their safety, though. Something warned him to
stay well away from Daniel henceforth.

Ailyn adjusted in his arms, rubbing her exquisite rear
end against his stiffening crotch. Quinlan kissed her temple and sighed. It
would be a very late, very long night indeed.

~

The warmth at his hip grew irritating. The heat rubbed
and pulsed. Quinlan became half aware that he’d fallen asleep at last. Ailyn
still lay curled in his arms, emitting a soft snore on every exhale. Under her
elbow, the heat grew ever more annoying. He eased her arm away from the spot,
rubbing. The hard nub only got hotter, though, stinging his hip, which brought
him fully awake.

He nearly jerked upright, realizing the heat came from
Ailyn’s pendant. Quinlan dug into his mantle as swiftly as possible, taking
great care not to disturb Ailyn’s slumber. Discovering he had her pendant in
this manner would be so much worse than his eventually revealing it when the
timing was right—preferably when she was returning home. As a gift.

Not as a betrayal.

The offending object felt about to blister his skin,
hotter than a blacksmith’s firebrand. Quinlan flung it free of the material and
tossed it aside, taking heed of how much he jostled Ailyn in the process.
Astoundingly, she barely stirred, curling up tighter and winding her arms
around his bicep. The pendant, however, lay not but an arm’s length from him,
its green glow lighting the cavern by dangerous degrees.

He’d cover the stone if not for the risk
of—fire! If he could locate wood, they could…a fire would smoke so badly
in such a contained space they’d likely choke before they warmed. Quinlan let
his head fall back against the stone, wincing at the thudding pain a sharp
point sent through his skull. The greenish hue lit the walls, casting eerie
shadows along the crevices.

Amid the hush of the sea and the trickling water,
another sound tickled his senses. A low humming, akin to a chant. A memory
nudged to the surface. The high, dancing flames of the rite from the night he
met Ailyn. The low hum, the beating
bodhran
,
the vibrations in the air. The hairs on his arms stood to attention. He glanced
about the cave, straining to locate the source.

Could it be above them? It couldna be below. Only the
ocean could be below, and a sure death to any who attempted to navigate the
area. He thought to stir Ailyn so they could search, but he hesitated. The hum
was too faint, too singular in nature, to be a rite. Yet the rhythm was nearly
the same. He tipped his head, his eyes scanning the ceiling as his mind hunted
for an explanation. But there was none.