Sand crunched beneath the heavy leather boots as Sal stepped on to the white beaches of the Emerald Isle. She threw her arms high above and stretched gently to left and then to the right, releasing the tension that had built up in her spine and heaved a great sigh. It had been quite some time since Sal had last been here. Her schedule was tight and though she had other places to be, something in her core told her that this is where she needed to be. If history was any lesson, she knew better than to ignore these little 'tugs'. She drew her across her forehead as the sun's rays beamed a bit brighter this day – smiling, she knew today was going to be a fun day.
Gallowglass had never been one to flinch at the challenges the sea threw at him. Rather, he delighted in them – and this particular trek did not disappoint. Lightning storms and high seas plagued the first few nights on his sail across the Atlantic, but Gallowglass sang the entire time, a smile glued to his face as salt water and winds snapped against him. It had been too long since he last lived like this – lived like the sailor he once was. Unknowingly, little by little, the claws that had wrapped themselves so tightly around his heart began to loosen.
Based on the direct of the scent, Gallowglass determined that she, it, was headed to Ireland. He tightened the main sail line a bit and turned the wheel a click or two, instinctively ducking as the boom shifted from port to starboard. Ireland. Home – closer to them than he wanted. Even now he could feel the uncertainty of the closeness grow at the mere thought of her. No - not today, he shoved those feelings down into the darkness he knew so well and tightened the heavy rope within his clenched fist. To Ireland.
Sundays were far quieter than Sal had remembered when last she was here, but watching the few walking citizens make their way was almost nostalgic. Finishing the last of the Guinness pint she had ordered, Sal left a few bills on the bar top and made her way back out on to the cobbled streets. Though not as cold as Greenland, the chill was certainly sharper than desired. Resigned to this notion, Sal stuffed her hands deep in to the pockets of her black winter coat to return some feeling to the reddened digits. The steady rhythm of her steps against the stones lulled her into a comforting quiet. Turning this way and that, winding further and further in to the forgotten parts of the city until all the stone and alleys looked a like. Sal winced as images of stolen memories flooded her senses. They jumbled together in patched images of colors and sounds – but one image came through clear. The Admirals Den. Sal looked up, finding herself before the very image – decrepit wasn't even an apt description to the building. Safety hazard, disease ridden and crumbling mess were closer terms. The shoddy gray stone was, perhaps, dated to the origins of the city itself. Arched windows were boarded up with now warped wood and a tangle of graffiti tags, the most recent of which professed undying love for Amy. What a lucky girl, Sal thought with a grin. Sal rested her hand on the dirty door knob and waited for the click, and opened to a warm room decked in antiques, wood and perplexed Vampires.
Gallowglass inwardly groaned as he found himself before The Admirals Den. Of all the damn places, why this? When he had been a newly minted Vampire, The Admiral's Den had been one of his and Hancock's favorite spots over the many years. It was a bawdy spot, filled with almost every vice and bit of fun a Vampire could find – they had indulged so much so that after a period both had been banned indefinitely after Philippe's intervention. He pulled at the back of his neck absentmindedly as he ran over all other possibilities. Maybe the winds had shifted the scent or perhaps he wandered here out of habit. There was just no possible way she could be here… unless… Panic swept through him and he raced for the door, pausing at the sound of tinkling glass from above. Gallowglass looked up and within seconds reached forward to the falling figure above. With practiced grace, he guided the falling figure down and into his arms, a puzzled look upon his face.
"Perfect timing!" Sal quipped and made to squirm away. Gallowglass tightened his grip on her and stared squarely at the face he had been hunting in admiration and confusion.
"And where do you think you're going?"
"Preferably away from the angry group behind me?" The door slammed open carrying a tide of angry vampires encircling them.
"What did you do?"
Sal balked. "Me? I didn't do anything violent if that's what you're asking"
"No," drawled a heavy Gaelic accent. "She just walked in, uninvited and destroyed our entire back wall fer no good reason." Seamus, the proprietor of The Admirals Den, casually strolled forward, his dark brown hair tied at the nape of his neck with the same leather throng as past eras, casually dressed in a heavy black sweater and jeans. Though half a century older than Gallowglass, Seamus was a perfect example of the old-world warrior. Though on the shorter side even after turned, Seamus was powerfully built with thick muscles hidden beneath heavy wool and denim to avoid suspicion at first glance. Deep blue round eyes set within an angular square face glared hell and more at the women who, oh so innocently, smiled back from his arms.
"Oh fer fuck's sake Seamus, more damages been done ter the place o'er the years then a wee hole in the wall." Seamus cocked an eyebrow in question and stepped aside. Gallowglasses' eyebrows raised near to the top of his head as he observed the obliterated back wall, revealing an unknown back room filled with dust and dirt.
"Weeell…perhaps wee hole was a bit of an understatement." A few of them began to edge closer, their eyes screaming excitement in anticipation of punishment. "You'll not take the price from her skin." His His voice dropped dangerously low, a warning, as his grip tightened even more. Any tighter and Sal thought she'd be crushed against his massive chest. "I'll pay for the lass's damages me self. You'll have the money today Seamus. But so help me, if one of your lot takes another step towards me I'll tear them to shreds and make her work look like a ding compared to me own."
Seamus crossed his arms and nodded. "Get me the money today and we'll be done." He whistled. A few lingered at first, disappointed in the lack of bloodshed. But a final glare from Seamus got their feet moving. The alley silenced once more at the close of the door – save for the loud exhale from Sal.
"I think that went pretty well, don't you?" She looked up and grinned.
"Are you daft?" Gallowglass growled. He wasn't sure if he wanted to throttle her or admire the gumption. "Going in ter a place like that all on ye own? What in the god's name were you doing there?" Sal shifted to get both feet back on the ground – it was only after Seamus agreed to the terms that she noticed he had refused to put her down. The movement only made him more determined to keep her theres.
"You're not going anywhere lass. You owe me." Sal balked at the accusation.
"For what?" Her voice grew high in response. "I was more than capable of dealing with the situation!"
"The broken glass and angry mob suggest otherwise." He loosened his grip and Sal took the opportunity to bolt. Gallowglass knew she would and had managed to appear in front of her before she could get too far.
"What are you even doing here? Are you stalking me?" She huffed, rubbing the cheek she had managed to crash into his massively, sculpted chest upon his sudden appearance.
"Stalking is such a harsh term." He grinned wickedly. "Concerned citizen is much more appropriate – especially after this little incident."
"Be concerned as you want, I'll be gone within the next hour and you won't see me again."
"Oh – you're not going anywhere. Not until I've paid Seamus and we have a little chat."
Sal's heart skipped, just once. A quick secondary beat in panic. "No – Unfortunately for me, I need to leave. Now." Her face grew stern as she emphasized the need for departure, praying it was enough to get her. She was more than aware that if he wanted to stop her at present, he could in her current condition.
Gallowglass's gaze narrowed. Her scent had shifted from a summer ocean breeze to the heavy salty air that filled the world right before a storm. He paused a moment and observed her stillness meeting the unwavering stare. Marveled at it really. The sun stretched and peaked just over the walls, highlighting the blue undertones of her dark hair, bathing her in this ethereal glow and stormy eyes that changed hues like waves breaking upon the beach. Something was different – he was sure though that this woman was neither witch, nor daemon, nor vampire. Instincts screamed that something was not right – that she was more than appearance. And then it dawned on him.
"I'm not the only one following you, am I?" He asked slowly.
Her silence was all the confirmation he needed. Without a second thought, he took hold of her hand and began to lead her out of the labyrinth of the ancient city, back to the busy streets of the current era. Sal made to protest at the audacity of his boldness, but one sharp look silenced any further cries from her lips. In truth, curiosity at the strange turn of events this afternoon ended up overpowering her need to dominate. In the end, it was back to the weird coincidence that pulled her this morning from her travels. That tug – that damn, little tug had pulled a little harder when Gallowglass appeared. It seems that the dear fates were indeed active once more.
They had made it to the center of the town when the shock rippled through the city. A tremor would be what the humans called it – a unique experience not likely to repeat or some other quieting headline to minimize any panicked citizens. Gallowglass could feel the power in that wave. The sheer raw intensity of it was enough to make his own cold blood freeze within his veins. It was a beacon, something to pin point whatever it was looking for. Sal turned with an intensity that could have rivaled Philippe.
"We need to leave. Now."
Gallowglass had to be out of his mind. That was the only logical explanation for what he was about to do. Hell, what he was currently doing. Madness – sheer, utter madness. He had no inkling of who this woman was, or what danger she posed to him or anyone. So why in god's teeth was he dragging her away, with him? Faster than possible, he tugged her in to his Atlantic Ketch and pulled free the mooring lines.
"You realize this is considered kidnapping, right?" She chided as the boat began to pull away from the harbor. Gallowglass coiled the ropes with expert ease, tucking them into their appropriate places before unfurling the main mast's sail. Swirling eyes of blue and grey watched in interest at the methodology and practiced movements.
"You do realize that you were the one telling me we had to leave." He
"Yes, but not together!"
"Well ye didn't specify that now, did ye?"
Sal crossed her arms, her eyes habitually drifting to the sea.
"And don't go getting ideas disappearing on me again." Gallowglass stared at her squarely.
"What's to stop me?" She grinned, proding at the warrior façade he had suddenly taken up.
"Because ye owe me for saving yer ass, lassy. You may have done a number on that wall, but I don't think yer a match for Seamus and his brood." Sal shifted. His timing had been rather fortuitous. By all accounts the building should have been empty. Especially if appearances were to serve for anything.
"Get inside – it's going to rain." Gallowglass's head nodding in the direction of the spacious center galley. "There should be something in there to drink. I don't keep much in the way off food."
"I'm rather shocked the fridge isn't full of blood." Sal quipped, ducking her head as she went below deck. Gallowglass mocked her retort in silence.
"Right like I haven't her that before…" he muttered to himself. The island began to shrink in the distance as they drifted further away with the current, all the while arguing with himself in taking her aboard. He should have just paid the debt and left her there on the island. It didn't matter what that power was – it had nothing to do with him. Sure, he was curious, but there was tons of explanations as too why. Gallowglass groaned and turned to make his way in to the galley. He had just gotten himself in to something – of that he was certain and he hated himself for getting dragged in to yet another issue that wasn't his own. Something deep within him purred in response – liar.