Excerpt
1.
The Beast Within
“Tell me more about these Tuatha De Danann.”
Karina whispered as she sat back down in her seat.
Xavier was silent for a moment taking in
Karina’s face again. “What do you want to know?”
“What are they?”
“Celtic faeries, I told you.”
Karina laughed nervously and shifted
uncomfortably in her chair, she was trying to listen to what Xavier was telling
her but it was all sounding farfetched.
“What do you imagine when I say the word
faerie?” he asked her. “Diminutive pixies that live in toadstool houses?
Tinkerbell? They are all children story characters, works of fiction. The
Tuatha De Danann were fierce warriors, a race of nomads who broke
away from the Pelasgians in 1900 B.C. They left Greece and called themselves
the Tuatha De Danann and migrated north, eventually settling in Ireland. They
took with them their four sacred treasures, The Stone of Virtue, the Sword of
Lugh, the Spear of Victory and the Cauldron of the Gods.”
“You think I look like Danu? That’s why
you called me Tuatha; you think I’m one of them?”
“It’s a strange coincidence that you
have been named Tuatha, and you share a striking resemblance to them.” Xavier
replied.
Karina shook her head. “But I’m no
warrior; I can’t go into an elevator without hyperventilating. I’m a doormat,
people walk all over me all the time. I have spent my whole life doing what
other people tell me to do, what I think will make them happy.”
Xavier smirked, “You can’t go in the
water either.”
“But you said the Tuatha De Danann
arrived in Ireland in a mist. They would have had to travel over water,” she
pointed out.
“That was part of the spell Manannan
put on them. They could only live on the hill and in their Otherworld fortress.”
“Why are you no good for me Xavier?” her
fingers ran through his hair playfully.
“You haven’t worked it out yet?” his mouth
pulled up on one side.
She shook her head, “No. Tell me.”
“Do you wonder why I bring out the aggression
in you? Feelings you didn’t think you were capable of.”
Karina nodded.
“It’s because of what you are Karina. You need
to embrace it.”
Karina rolled her eyes, “The faeries again. Do
you know how much trouble that caused with my family? They believe that Tuatha
is a nickname my Grandmothers wayward Great Aunt, called her bastard daughter.
Apparently I look like her so they decided to call me Tuatha because they
thought it would be cute!”
“Your family have no idea?” Xavier’s eyes lit
up.
“Not that they are telling me, but my mother is
avoiding my calls now and will barely speak to me so I dare say they have an
idea about something. Let me guess Xavier, you’re one too?”
He smiled trying to fight back a laugh, “No,
I’m definitely not.”
“Then what are you? What is it about you that
gets under my skin, and in my head?”
Xavier laughed, “You wouldn’t believe me if I
told you,” and he moved from the table but Karina pushed him back. “Tell me,”
she demanded.
2.
Haunted
Ian held Antonio’s attention
and Ronan ran to Karina. Taking a knife from a sheath strapped to his ankle, he
cut through the ropes that kept her captive against the tree. As the bounds
fell to the ground, she moved her arms, trying to assist the circulation. She
winced and held her elbow. “You’re hurt,” Ronan commented.
“I’ll be fine,” Karina
growled.
He nodded and handed her his
spear, “Don’t let me down girlie.”
When the ancient timber
touched Karina’s hands, she felt the power course through her. An unbelievable
rush that made her forget her ailments and strengthen every fibre inside her.
Karina took a few long deep breaths to focus. She looked to Antonio and the
beating he was inflicting on Ian, the man she loved, the one who would die to
protect her. She spun the spear around her hand and adjusted her grip before
she ran at the lycanthrope that was here to kill her.
When she was a few feet away,
Karina stabbed her weapon into the earth and leveraged herself, kicking Antonio
in the face. The impact sending him sailing backward through the air and
landing on his back with a loud thud as the air rushed from his lungs. Ian
stood frozen, looking at Karina “Are you ok?”
Karina’s lip twitched up on
one side and she pushed Ian back and moved her body in front of his, protecting
him from Antonio. He had now changed into his lycanthrope form and swung a
gnarled hairy claw which connected with Karina’s arm, leaving a long gash that
ran from her shoulder to her good elbow. Karina cried out in pain and clutched
her wound. Ian pulled her toward him “Karina!” he gasped. As the beast before
them snarled and took another swipe. Ian was able to pull Karina out of the way
and he waited for retaliation.
She looked at Ian and
grimaced through the pain. “I’m ok,” she assured. “I’m going to finish this,”
and she kicked the Spear of Victory from the ground up into her hands and
swaggered toward the monster that was Antonio. “You want me, come and get me,”
she jeered.
“Karina, no!” Ian started but
Ronan held him back.
“No brother, she has to do
this.”
A voice spoke in Karina’s
head. So you have finally worked out that
you are not strong enough for me. That only the descendant of Danu possesses
the strength to take on an ancient being. Karina ignored the agony she was
in and the protests from her body and started stalking Antonio. They circled
each other and Karina twirled her weapon around her hands. You know how this will end Karina why not give yourself over to me now.
“Never!” Karina shouted and lunged toward the
lycanthrope that thirsted for her blood.
3.
Journey
The car was dangerously silent as it sped south
through the countryside. Karina’s eyes didn’t move from Aedan’s silhouette as
he concentrated on the road ahead. Lines of worry were forming around his eyes.
In the back with her, Ian and Lorcan drifted in and out of consciousness as
Lakeyn drove. How dare he order me around,
she thought, and what exactly did he mean
by her and Ian meeting our fate?
“Are you going to speak to me or continue to
throw visual daggers at me?” He asked turning around.
“Let’s get one thing straight. You don’t order
me around.”
“If you weren’t hell bent of trying to get
yourself killed then I wouldn’t have to.”
Karina’s mouth dropped open. “I’m not trying to
get myself killed!”
Aedan raised his eyebrows. “In the last few
hours you have attempted to swim across the North Channel through a swarm of
Lion’s Mane jellyfish, tried to slit your wrists, went toe to toe with a
lycanthrope and wanted to run into the night, on the full moon, looking for a
Guardian.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and
scoffed. “You should have been with me for the last few weeks then.”
He shook his head and laughed. “You are like no
Tuatha De Danann I have ever met. I’ll give you that.”
“Until a year ago I hadn’t even heard of the
Danann, so excuse me if I don’t conform to protocol.”
Lakeyn let out a deep belly laugh and Aedan
joined him. Karina blushed with embarrassment.
“You’re in for a surprise,” Lakeyn commented.
The two continued to laugh at Karina’s expense a little longer before Lakeyn
turned the car around and stopped.
“What are we doing?”
“Just checking,” Lakeyn answered as he stepped
out of the car and listened.
“I don’t feel anything,” Karina said and looked
out into the night as her fingers tightened around the handle of Ian’s blade.
Her knees was bouncing with anticipation, they were so close she could sense
it. Something was urging her to continue on. Lakeyn strode away from the car
and began to jog. Aedan undid his seatbelt and turned to Karina. “Stay here.”
“Yeah right,” she scoffed and opened the door.
Aedan followed Lakeyn and Karina looked around.
The moon was high above and illuminated the landscape. A man was lying in the
field and Lakeyn was now at his side trying to rouse him. Aedan stopped and
turned to Karina, his face was sympathetic and she knew it must be Noah.
Running down the hill she joined them.
