Tech Duinn was... A paradise. Although, the castle on the island which loomed over us was frightening. There were various islands, in a ring, surrounding the castle. Each place was a land so beautiful I did not want to take my eyes off of it. I could see ghosts, strolling around the island, laughing with their friends, or walking with beautiful women. I noticed it was mostly men who walked amongst these islands. Each man was dressed for war, or in old clothes that had not been worn for thousands of years.
They didn't go near the castle. Every now and then I saw them glance hastily up at it, as though afraid of the castle. My heart pace began to pick up. This seemed like a terrible idea. Why would we want to talk to The Lord of the Dead?
As we drew nearer it felt as though a black cloud had descended over our heads. Everything seemed to grow darker and the beautiful paradise islands seemed very distant now. I could barely hear the sound of laughter from the men anymore. I shifted uncomfortably on the spot when we reached the entrance. This was a terrible idea.
Without knocking, the door simply opened to allow us entry into it. I inhaled sharply. I felt goosebumps crawl up my arms; the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Inside was dark, dimly lit by a flickering torch. The torch cast our shadows far behind us. The draft that came from the castle smelt musky. I wrinkled my nose, attempting to block out the smell— it was not nice at all. The musky smell had a hint of something decaying. Seeing what this place was, I had a fair idea of what that might be.
The wood creaked beneath our feet, but I didn't pay attention to the sounds. I was too fascinated with the paintings and statues that stood by the isle. I left the group who continued to venture on, not noticing that I slipped away. I walked over to a painting. On it was a girl with curly red hair, freckles across her face and fierce green eyes. She held two long, slightly curved swords at her sides. Around her was bloodshed. I gulped at how lifelike the painting was.
Without warning, someone grabbed my hand and swung me around so that my back was against the wall. A hand grabbed my throat and lifted me off of the ground. I gasped for breath. I felt a cold metal pierce my throat and I whimpered. The person holding me has her face veiled by a black mask, except for the eyes. Fierce blue eyes.
"Who are you?" The girl loosened her grip on my throat on my face. Her accent was thick. I was gazing at her in astonishment. I hadn't even heard her creep up behind me. She pushed me into the wall, her sword dangerously close to my neck. "Answer me!" Her voice was close to yelling.
"Sophie Bennett, spirit of Autumn," I told her. She narrowed her eyes, sheathed her sword and lowered her mask, while still keeping her grip on me.
"What are you doing here? You aren't a ghost," she said. "You're a different type of spirit." She cocked her head to the side and lowered her hand, realising I wasn't a danger to her. She was more curious than anything now. She pulled away the bit of the mask that hid her hair. Her red curls fell loosely down her back. I saw faint scars across her face; probably from battles a long time ago.
"Seraphina took us here to talk to Donn," I explained. "My boyfriend has been captured and.. I don't know. Sera says that Donn might know something." I glanced nervously at her. "You're Scathach, aren't you?"
"Yes," she said. Her voice was now calm, and she didn't look as though she was going to kill me. I was still wary though. That sword made me nervous. "Seraphina? Where is she?"
I looked down the hall to find that they were gone. I didn't think I was that unnoticeable— boy, was I wrong. "Give it a minute." I rolled my eyes. As I predicted, a minute later the group came running back down the hall. Scathach seemed shocked at how big the group was and unsheathed her sword again.
"They don't mean any harm," I told her softly. She lowered her sword, but glared at them. I also glared at them. "Thanks for noticing my absence, guys. For the record, I could have died and you wouldn't have noticed."
"We didn't— Scathach!" North's eyes widened as he saw The Shadow standing behind me, hand gripped tightly on the golden hilt of her sword. North awkwardly bowed to the girl. "An honour it is! I've heard a lot about you— of course you hear of me too!" He pushed through the others and held out his hand. "My name North or you might know me as–"
"Nicholas," Scathach interrupted. She didn't take his hand so North swung it awkwardly by his side. "Actually, Donn did say we would be expecting guests. I wonder how it is he knows." She sighed. "I'm afraid, however, that you must wait until Dusk to speak with Lord of the Otherworld. He's a little preoccupied at the moment."
"Preoccupied with what, exactly?" Nightlight asked her.
"That is not of your concern, boy," she growled. We all looked at her curiously. She didn't look a day older than I. And Nightlight only looked a year or so younger than me. "Lord Donn is busy and you will have to wait." She sheathed her sword, again, and looked at us all. "I will lead you to your chambers. You will rest there and wait to be called." She was about to lead us, when she turned back to face us. "And just remember, they don't call me The Shadow for nothing."
...
The chambers were cold. And the coldness reminded me of the times I had laid in bed beside Jack, with his arms wrapped around me. The darkness engulfed me. There was no light in my chamber. I could hear my own heartbeat echoing around the room. I wasn't in danger. I was just dealing with a thousand year old warrior— nothing major to worry about, right? I closed my eyes and allowed myself to doze off, knowing it would be hours until I would be called by Scathach for my meeting with Donn.
What a mistake.
The images gave me sharp pains in my head. There was flashes of fire and storms of lightning. Bangs bounced inside my head, piecing my head. I couldn't make any sense of what was happening. I could see Jack, but it was like he wasn't there. It was just an illusion. I cried out his name, but he just stared blankly at me with no recognition in his eyes.
I woke up, panting. I felt a shiver crawl down my spine. It felt as though something cold was breathing down on me. It took me a long time to relax.
Scathach called me what felt like hours later. I knew it had to be dusk, but I wasn't sure. There was no windows to allow me to see. I quickly joined the group again, feeling more nervous than ever. Scathach walked us down a long hall and stopped in front of two large metal doors. The door was designed with swirls, circles, and many other geometric designs.
"This is a bad idea," I muttered to Alvern.
"I agree..." He trailed off when the doors opened, and much to our shock, light drifted through. A man, with grey sunken skin, and dark eyes, sat on a throne. He wore a cape of royal blue. His air was the colour of ash, and fell loosely to his shoulders. I could feel his power radiating off of him from just standing here. He didn't look old, but his grey-blue eyes looked as though they had seen a millennia.
"Enter." His voice was rusty, almost like a croak. Hesitantly, all of us walked forward. Seraphina did so without fear. I noticed that Mund kept on clutching his bow, and North kept on clutching the hilt of his sword. "What is it you request? I'm too busy to be dealing with this."
"Sir, we need your help," Katherine spoke up, her voice was persuasive. "Our friend, Jack, spirit of Winter and Guardian of Fun, has been taken. We hoped you might know something to help us. We would be grateful if you did." I stared impressed at Katherine. For a person much younger than I, she was very brave. Much braver than any of us. Nightlight stood protectively beside her, looking up at Donn as though to say 'touch her and you're dead'. I doubted the god would hurt Katherine, anyway, but it was a nice gesture.
"My help?" He chuckled darkly. "Most mortals need my help. Especially in this day and age when creatures long forgotten make their way through the country, killing innocent people." He raised a brow, looking at Scathach, who had her head bowed. She was so still, it looked like she wasn't breathing. He began to speak a language I had not heard of before— I was guessing it was ancient Irish. Scathach raised her head, glaring at Donn. She snapped back in the same language before sighing and nodding.
"We have seen this boy you look for," Donn continued in English. "The first place he landed was on the western coastline, around the Cork area. He made his way up as far as Clare, where he disappeared." I closed my eyes. Where was my Jack? Who would take him and try to turn him on us? It wasn't fair. I just wanted Jack to be with me, safe. Why did someone always have to ruin that? "Scathach will help you look for him." Scathach bowed to him. "She is the finest warrior that has ever lived. She will be able to help you, believe me."
"We believe you, Donn," Seraphina said warmly. Donn turned his eyes to her; they softened. "We must go, now, if we are to find Jack before it's too late." She looked to Donn again. "Thank you... For your time." She smiled at him, before Scathach led us away again.
It was great to be outside again. The weight on my shoulders seemed to disappear, and the black cloud drifted away. I could hear the men and women laughing again, and now I even heard the laugh of children. It reminded me of Ben. I missed my nephew– and Jamie. But Jack was too important to me. We had to find him.
I ran forward and joined Scathach. "Look, Jack isn't in his right mind," I told her. "If he... Attacks us, I don't want you to hurt him. If it comes to it, I will fight him."
She turned to me and raised a brow. "You sound like every soldier and every warrior who has had to fight someone they love," she said. "But when it comes to it, you will find it's easier said than done." She sighed. "But I will allow you your wish."
Alvern joined us. "So, Scathach, you don't sound as though you're from Ireland..."
"I am from Scotland," she replied. "I travelled to Ireland to help warriors but promised to help Donn with creatures that escape his prisons." She studied Alvern and I saw how uncomfortable he looked. Her eyes were the scariest feature about her. They looked as though they could see right to your soup. "And who are you?" she asked him after a brief silence.
"Alvern, spirit of spring," he told her. I saw that his ears were turning red. He trailed a little behind us. I walked back to him.
I smirked at him. "You think she's cute, don't you."
He made a face at me. "No." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't know. A little... But she's scary. She looks like she'll kill me just for fun." He sighed.
"I think you should get to know her," I said. "You might be surprised." I smiled at him. "And maybe you could ask her on a date." I nudged him playfully and he slapped my hand away, but he chuckled.
"I don't do dates," a voice said from behind us. Alvern and I both yelped in surprise, and turned to face Scathach. Alvern's whole face went red. But Scathach was grinning. "I was given the nickname The Shadow for many reasons. This is one of them."
"That's, um... Cool," Alvern squeaked.
"I also don't kill for fun," she told him. Her grin faded and her face turned dark. "I only ever kill to protect the human race against the dangers they can't even see. I'm very like the Guardians." She gave a half hearted grin again. "And if you discuss me, I reckon you should lower your voices. My hearing is like that of a dogs."
Alvern scratched the back of his head, his embarrassment slowly fading. "That's good to know," he muttered. He looked a little disappointed at the no dates thing. Too bad for him. She was about to go ahead to the front of the group again, but Alvern caught her wrist. My heart stopped. For a moment I thought she was going to slice him in two, but luckily she didn't. "So... Okay. No dates, great. But would you object to hanging out?"
"Hanging out?" she questioned him.
"Yeah, like... A... Picnic or something. Just two friends chilling," he told her.
"Like a date?" She smiled at him.
He sighed. "No. Not a date. You don't do dates. This is just..."
"Exactly like a date," she finished for him. "I will think about your offer of hanging out, Alvern." He smiled. "But right now, we are facing bigger dangers. We have to find your friend Jack."
We had to find Jack. We just had to.
Thanks to those who reviewed. I feel like maybe the Celtic thing was a bad idea. A lot of you don't seem interested anymore. Sorry about that, guys. But I'll continue on for those who actually do seem to like this. So, again, thanks for the reviews. :)