Bluestone shadows, p.12
Bluestone Shadows, page 12
“Seriously? Look at me.” Chance pointed to his face. “I have so many bags under my eyes, a small family could go on vacation.”
“You do look a little disheveled.” Jake frowned at his coffee. “This is a little weak. I’ll make a new pot.”
“Wait.” Chance withdrew a silver flask. “Add a little of this.”
“Bourbon, this early?” Jake held his mug out.
“Consider it a little sunshine to start your day. Cheers.”
Chance poured another cup of coffee, added some bourbon, and slumped into a chair. “Help yourself,” he uttered, setting the flask in the middle of the table.
Jake leaned against the sink and studied his friend. Chance was changing. It had only been three months since they had last seen each other, but Chance’s muscles had gotten bigger and his neck was thicker. Chance was almost sixty, but his skin appeared tight and the tiny laugh lines that usually popped out around his eyes were no longer visible.
“You look pretty good for a man your age. Been working out?”
“Not more than usual. Sybil consumes my time nowadays.” Elbows on the table, Chance leaned over his mug and allowed the steam to bathe his face. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.
Abruptly, he sat back and gazed at Jake. “You wanted to talk last night…er, earlier this morning—” He looked at his watch. “Shit, that was only two hours ago.” He grimaced.
“Yeah.” Jake set his mug on the counter and crossed his arms. He chewed his lower lip and stared at the floor as he gathered his thoughts. “I need to tell you something.”
“Oh? By the look on your face, it’s something that is really bothering you. Are you still pissed I said you weren’t welcomed in the pub?”
Jake waved his hand. “No. I don’t give a shit if I ever set foot in Flanagan’s.”
“Then what is it?”
Jake snatched his mug and sat opposite Chance. He grabbed the flask and poured a good measure into his mug.
Chance’s eyebrows arched. “That bad, huh?”
Jake nodded as he sipped and grimaced.
Chance took the flask from Jake and poured more into his mug. “Okay, get it off your chest. What’s gnawing at you?”
Jake sighed and stared at his friend. “It’s about my father.”
“I thought your dad was dead.”
Jake held up his hand. “Let me say what I’ve got to say…okay?”
“My lips are zipped.” Chance slid his fingers across his lips and twisted them at the corner.
“Remember when Darrius mentioned Aaron escaped with the help of a rogue magician?”
Chance nodded, his lips pursed tightly together.
“That magician is my father, Ryan Pierson.”
Chance’s eyes widened and his jaws clenched.
“I know you want to say something so just spit it out.”
Chance exhaled as if he had been holding his breath. “Holy shit! How? When?”
“The how and when don’t matter, Chance. What you need to understand is my father is a serious threat. He’s been with the Yfel so long he’s like a magician on steroids. His powers have increased exponentially, and he can overpower you despite your new abilities.”
Chance hurried to the coffee maker, grabbed the carafe, and retrieved the Woodford Reserve from the cabinet. “I’m going to need more of these,” he said as he sat down. “Are you saying he’s Cererian? Has he turned into one of the Brethren?”
“Not yet…I don’t think.”
“What does he look like so I will recognize him?”
“You’ve met him already.”
“What? When?”
“He arrived with Aaron and the other two Cererians in Stonehenge yesterday. You were lucky Darrius, Benedict, and Alden intervened.”
“It was dark. Everything was black. I don’t recall what any of them looked like.”
“Frankly, I don’t know what my father looks like anymore. He betrayed his family and joined the Brethren when I was only five. My grandfather raised me.” Jake pushed a creased snapshot of his family toward Chance. “Once the Sentinel boulder revealed the sordid history of my father, my grandfather gave me this family photograph.” Jake tapped the sepia image. “My grandfather mesmerized me and my sisters so we wouldn’t remember the treachery my father committed. Our memories were altered to believe Dad had died in the plague with Mom. That’s him in the middle, holding me.”
“Shit, Jake. You’re the spitting image of your dad.”
“That’s not a compliment, Chance.”
“Sorry.” Chance handed the photo back to Jake. “After all these years, I’m sure your dad looks much different.”
“Darrius advised me that since Dad…er, Ryan has been feasting on the souls of the magicians he had killed, his physical and mental states will be altered. I figured kin will know kin regardless of how they look. If our paths cross, I’ll know him. I’ll recognize his energy.”
“Tonight, we’re splitting into two groups. What do you think he’ll do? Chase after me and Hilly while I’m searching for my crystal or hunt for you?”
Something rapped at the window, both men turned.
A bird hopped along the stone sill, pecking at fluffy seed heads stuck to the outside of the glass. Jake followed the wren’s movements as he responded. “Ryan would love to snag Hilly.” He turned to Chance. “He’ll want to kill her to impress Aaron.”
“We both know nobody can beat Hilly when it comes to magic.”
“Perhaps. But if enough Yfel join forces, they may be able to subdue her.” Jake grew pensive and stared at the table. “Promise me something, Chance,” he requested.
“Anything, brother.”
“Protect your sister at all costs.”
“Done. Do the others know about your dad…um, Ryan?”
“Fen, Hilly, and Kai know about his deception. I’ll leave it to you to inform Gabe. Everyone should be aware of what Ryan is capable of.”
Chance grabbed the flask and portioned out the remaining contents into both mugs. “Sounds like tonight will be extraordinary. Here’s to us and to all the magicians who wage a good fight.”
Chapter 15
Gooey Dog
Around two in the afternoon, Fen and Hilly strolled into the reception room and found Chance and Jake snuggled together on the couch. Jake clutched a cushion to his chest and leaned against the arm of the sofa. Chance’s head lay on Jake’s shoulder while his arm reached in front and gripped the same cushion.
Dual throaty snores buzzed loudly.
The women looked at each other.
“I can guarantee you liquor was involved.” Hilly giggled. “This is not the first time I’ve found them huddled together after some serious drinking.”
“They look…almost angelic,” Fen observed. She gently touched Chance’s knee. “Wakey, wakey.”
Chance’s eyelids rolled up displaying the whites of his eyes. “Yikes,” Hilly exclaimed. “That’s not a good look.” Jake snorted, shifted, and grabbed Chance’s arm, pulling it further across him like a blanket.
“Morning, sisters!” Kai shouted as he burst into the room. Jake and Chance jerked, and their eyes shot open. In a stupor, the two men blinked slowly and looked at Kai, Fen and Hilly.
“Well, now. What’s going on here?” Kai teased.
With the drowsiness chased away by Kai’s intrusion, Chance realized he was hugging Jake and pushed him away. “Morning,” he grumbled as he smoothed his clothes and raked his fingers through his hair. “What time is it?” He glanced at his watch.
Jake rubbed his face. Drunken sluggishness consumed him. He swiveled his head first to Chance and then back to the Kemp siblings. “Humph,” he greeted. He tried to stand but couldn’t get off the couch. Finally, with Chance pushing from behind, Jake launched onto his feet. “Morning,” he mumbled as he shuffled by the stunned group scratching his backsides.
Hilly glared at Chance accusatorily. “Let me guess, Chance Kemp. Instead of getting rest, you guys stayed up and drank bourbon.”
“Me?” Chance protested. “How can you accuse me of such a thing?”
Hilly reached forward and lifted a nearly empty bottle of Woodford Reserve from the fold of the couch. “Because this was stuck between the two of you.”
“For once I’m not the one being caught in a compromising position!” Kai exclaimed. He whirled and hurried into the hall. “I’ll check on Jake. He didn’t look so good.”
“Hilly, it’s not like it looks,” Chance explained. “I couldn’t sleep. Jake couldn’t sleep. We stayed up talking and drinking coffee.” A sheepish grin popped onto his face. “At some point we may have started to add bourbon to the coffee to make it taste better.” Chance mulled over his words before adding, “I guess it is very much as it appears.” He dropped his head. “I’m sorry.”
“As you should be,” she admonished. “Thank goodness we have enough time to sober you guys up before Darrius and the others arrive. Darrius would be furious!”
Chance struggled to stand but fell back into the cushions.
Hilly grabbed an arm. “Fen, help me get Chance into the bathroom so we can clean him up.”
“Here you go,” Chance said waving his free arm. Fen grabbed it, and, together, the sisters hefted their brother to his feet. They manhandled his more than two-hundred-pound body down the hallway. Steadying Chance against the wall, Hilly opened the bathroom door and found Kai hovering over Jake whose head was halfway in the toilet.
“Taken. You’ll need to drag your drunk upstairs,” Kai directed.
“Ugh,” Hilly mumbled as she hefted Chance against her body. “I’m not taking the stairs.”
“Oh?” Fen replied. “What other options do we have?”
“I’ll open a portal and shoot us upstairs.”
“Have you ever done that in a small space before?”
“Nope. So, it could be interesting. Hang on, Fen.”
The swirling maw opened at the foot of the stairs. The gateway’s breeze sucked in newspapers that had been sitting on the bench near the front door. “Let’s get in before it sucks other debris in with us,” Hilly cried out as they struggled in with their brother.
The portal closed.
Seconds later, they appeared at the top of the stairs. A tangle of papers shot out with them and swirled about their feet.
Awakened by the commotion, Gabe raced out of his bedroom and gawked at Hilly and Fen struggling with Chance. “What happened?”
“Please help us. Chance is a little drunk and we need to get him sobered up.”
“Here, allow me.” Gabe gently shouldered his way under Chance’s armpit. “I’ve got me cousin. You go back downstairs. I’ll have ‘em right as rain in a tick.”
“That’s very kind of you. Are you sure you don’t want our help?” Hilly asked.
Chance belched loudly and acid fumes wafted.
“Uh-oh,” Gabe warned.
Before they could react, Chance vomited all over Hilly. “Whoopsie.”
“Chance!” Hilly bolted into the bathroom, ripped the shower curtain aside, and jumped in fully clothed.
Fen ran behind her hollering, “Hilly, let me help you!”
Gabe stared after the girls and then looked at his cousin. “Jeezus, Chance, what the hell have ya been eating?” He fanned the air with his hand. “This is a fine mess you’ve gotten us into. With the women in this loo, I’ll need to get you downstairs. Hold tight. I’m gonna try to flick us downstairs together.”
Gabe snapped his fingers.
They appeared in the shower and Kai stared at them. “Where the hell did you come from?”
“Uh-oh,” Chance uttered.
“Clear the way, Kai, Chance is gonna spew!” Gabe warned.
Kai pulled Jake from the toilet as Chance leaned over and vomited. “Oh, I feel like crap,” Chance moaned.
“Urp,” Jake gasped.
“Out of the way, Jake’s gonna hurl!” Kai shouted.
Jake and Chance held onto the toilet bowl and puked while Gabe and Kai sat on the rim of the bathtub.
“I didn’t imagine starting my day like this,” Kai mused.
Gabe chuckled. “Neither did I. You should see Fen and Hilly.”
“Oh?”
“Chance threw up all over Hilly. Fen’s helping her in the upstairs loo right now. That’s why I brought Chance down here.”
Kai sighed. “Welcome to our dysfunctional family, Gabe.”
By the time nine o’clock in the evening rolled around, both bathrooms had been scrubbed cleaned, Hilly had showered twice, and Gabe had mopped the upstairs landing. Unfortunately, the small Oriental rug that caught the fallout of Chance’s purge was deemed beyond salvaging and was disposed of in the outdoor bin.
“Don’t get accustomed to me alleviating your headaches whenever you get drunk,” Fen scolded. Chance and Jake sat in the kitchen while Fen stood behind them and cradled the backs of their heads, applying her healing energy. “This is your final warning.”
“Sorry,” the men said in unison.
Kai shredded lettuce and diced vegetables for a big salad, and Gabe heaped deli slices of turkey and ham on a row of bread slices that had been slathered with a spicy mustard. Then, one by one, he added the tops and cut them diagonally.
“I doubt they’ll be hungry,” Kai whispered to Gabe, nodding toward Jake and Chance.
Gabe glanced at the men. “I don’t care. I could do with a wee bit of food, and I know the girls are famished.”
“Right you are, Gabe.” Kai toted a large bowl of salad to the table and set it down in front of Jake and Chance. He frowned at the two men.
“Blech,” Chance complained as his eyes roamed over the fresh cut veggies.
“Not up for discussion, Chance,” Kai countered. “If you and Jake don’t like the offerings, I suggest you go elsewhere. Are you done with these two clowns, Fen?”
“Sure am. I’m hungry, and that salad looks scrumptious.” She patted Jake and Chance on the tops of their heads. “Okay, fellas. I’m done with you.”
Gabe carried a large tray of sandwiches to the table. “There’s water and pop in the fridge. “Everyone grab a plate and help yourself.”
“Everything looks tasty,” Hilly noted. “Thank you, Gabe, for fixing our dinner.” She smiled warmly at him.
“Hey, what about me?” Kai whined.
“Yes, yes. You did a great job, too,” Fen added as she hugged him.
Despite his protest against the salad, Chance grabbed a sandwich and handed Jake another. The two buddies ate slowly and quietly, pausing in between bites to ensure the food stayed in their bellies.
Buoyed by the kinship he had formed with Kai and Hilly, Gabe felt bold enough to ask a question. “I was just wondering…”
Everyone ceased eating and stared at Gabe who looked back with frightened eyes.
“Wondered what?” Kai asked with an encouraging smile.
Gabe shifted in his seat. “Um…I was wondering which direction everyone is heading tonight?”
Jake and Chance chewed their sandwiches.
“Guys,” Hilly barked, “he’s talking to you. You are the ones leading the groups, right?”
“I can’t tell you,” Jake replied curtly.
Gabe flinched as though Jake’s words had slapped him across his face. He drew in a deep breath and spoke again. “Darrius mentioned yesterday you were leading Fen and Kai to the Guardian boulder.”
“That’s right,” Jake responded as he grabbed another sandwich.
“So, you know where it’s located?”
“Yup.”
“Great. So which direction are you heading?”
“I can’t tell you.”
Kai leaned over and touched Gabe’s arm. “Give it a rest, Gabe. Jake can’t tell anyone where we’re going.”
“Why?”
Jake sighed. “It’s a Prophecy security layer to prevent the Yfel from finding out details regarding the Guardian boulders. We—Fen, Kai and me—have specific duties to perform. No one else can do the ritual that unlocks the boulder except for Fen and Kai, and no one else knows where the Guardians are located around the world, except me. We are all forbidden to speak the words. When we do, our words come out like annoying static electricity.”
Gabe rubbed his chin. “Interesting.” He turned toward Chance. “Is it the same for you? Are you the only one who knows where the family crystal lies?”
“Not exactly. I have hints from Sybil who maintains the family records, but I have to figure it out on my own. I have to use my intuition to home in on the gemstone.”
“What direction are we heading?” Gabe cast a sideways glance at Jake expecting Chance to respond in the same curt manner.
“We’re heading into the Preseli Hills.”
Jake’s eyebrows hitched up.
“Pembrokeshire?” Gabe exclaimed. “I’ve visited the area before.”
“You have? Do you know where Carn…hm, Gooey Dog is located?”
“Gooey Dog?” Gabe looked at Chance with a perplexed face. “Oh, you mean Carn Goedog. I’ve never been there but I’ve been to other carns in the area.”
“Carn go dog? What’s that?” Hilly asked.
“A heap of rocks,” Chance explained.
“Folks in other areas may know them as cairns,” Gabe added.
“Oh, yes. I’ve seen cairns on hiking trails in North Carolina where people have stacked flat rocks to show others they’ve passed. Sometimes they paint words and symbols on the rocks.”
“Carns in the Preseli are more substantial and feature rocks from large pillars to slabs to small boulders,” Gabe explained.
“The Gooey Dog is significant,” Chance continued. “Rocks in this area were used in the formation of Stonehenge. Sybil hinted at my crystal being cradled in the bosom of the carn that had a connection to bluestones.”
“But there’s other carns that are thought to have provided bluestones for Stonehenge. Carn Menyn and Carn Breseb are two I know of. How do you know it’s this one?” Gabe pressed.
Chance paused and pondered all the information Sybil had provided within her pages. “Well, at least Gooey Dog is a start. If it’s not there, I’ll search the other two. As I mention before, I’ll use my intuition to find it.”
“You do look a little disheveled.” Jake frowned at his coffee. “This is a little weak. I’ll make a new pot.”
“Wait.” Chance withdrew a silver flask. “Add a little of this.”
“Bourbon, this early?” Jake held his mug out.
“Consider it a little sunshine to start your day. Cheers.”
Chance poured another cup of coffee, added some bourbon, and slumped into a chair. “Help yourself,” he uttered, setting the flask in the middle of the table.
Jake leaned against the sink and studied his friend. Chance was changing. It had only been three months since they had last seen each other, but Chance’s muscles had gotten bigger and his neck was thicker. Chance was almost sixty, but his skin appeared tight and the tiny laugh lines that usually popped out around his eyes were no longer visible.
“You look pretty good for a man your age. Been working out?”
“Not more than usual. Sybil consumes my time nowadays.” Elbows on the table, Chance leaned over his mug and allowed the steam to bathe his face. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.
Abruptly, he sat back and gazed at Jake. “You wanted to talk last night…er, earlier this morning—” He looked at his watch. “Shit, that was only two hours ago.” He grimaced.
“Yeah.” Jake set his mug on the counter and crossed his arms. He chewed his lower lip and stared at the floor as he gathered his thoughts. “I need to tell you something.”
“Oh? By the look on your face, it’s something that is really bothering you. Are you still pissed I said you weren’t welcomed in the pub?”
Jake waved his hand. “No. I don’t give a shit if I ever set foot in Flanagan’s.”
“Then what is it?”
Jake snatched his mug and sat opposite Chance. He grabbed the flask and poured a good measure into his mug.
Chance’s eyebrows arched. “That bad, huh?”
Jake nodded as he sipped and grimaced.
Chance took the flask from Jake and poured more into his mug. “Okay, get it off your chest. What’s gnawing at you?”
Jake sighed and stared at his friend. “It’s about my father.”
“I thought your dad was dead.”
Jake held up his hand. “Let me say what I’ve got to say…okay?”
“My lips are zipped.” Chance slid his fingers across his lips and twisted them at the corner.
“Remember when Darrius mentioned Aaron escaped with the help of a rogue magician?”
Chance nodded, his lips pursed tightly together.
“That magician is my father, Ryan Pierson.”
Chance’s eyes widened and his jaws clenched.
“I know you want to say something so just spit it out.”
Chance exhaled as if he had been holding his breath. “Holy shit! How? When?”
“The how and when don’t matter, Chance. What you need to understand is my father is a serious threat. He’s been with the Yfel so long he’s like a magician on steroids. His powers have increased exponentially, and he can overpower you despite your new abilities.”
Chance hurried to the coffee maker, grabbed the carafe, and retrieved the Woodford Reserve from the cabinet. “I’m going to need more of these,” he said as he sat down. “Are you saying he’s Cererian? Has he turned into one of the Brethren?”
“Not yet…I don’t think.”
“What does he look like so I will recognize him?”
“You’ve met him already.”
“What? When?”
“He arrived with Aaron and the other two Cererians in Stonehenge yesterday. You were lucky Darrius, Benedict, and Alden intervened.”
“It was dark. Everything was black. I don’t recall what any of them looked like.”
“Frankly, I don’t know what my father looks like anymore. He betrayed his family and joined the Brethren when I was only five. My grandfather raised me.” Jake pushed a creased snapshot of his family toward Chance. “Once the Sentinel boulder revealed the sordid history of my father, my grandfather gave me this family photograph.” Jake tapped the sepia image. “My grandfather mesmerized me and my sisters so we wouldn’t remember the treachery my father committed. Our memories were altered to believe Dad had died in the plague with Mom. That’s him in the middle, holding me.”
“Shit, Jake. You’re the spitting image of your dad.”
“That’s not a compliment, Chance.”
“Sorry.” Chance handed the photo back to Jake. “After all these years, I’m sure your dad looks much different.”
“Darrius advised me that since Dad…er, Ryan has been feasting on the souls of the magicians he had killed, his physical and mental states will be altered. I figured kin will know kin regardless of how they look. If our paths cross, I’ll know him. I’ll recognize his energy.”
“Tonight, we’re splitting into two groups. What do you think he’ll do? Chase after me and Hilly while I’m searching for my crystal or hunt for you?”
Something rapped at the window, both men turned.
A bird hopped along the stone sill, pecking at fluffy seed heads stuck to the outside of the glass. Jake followed the wren’s movements as he responded. “Ryan would love to snag Hilly.” He turned to Chance. “He’ll want to kill her to impress Aaron.”
“We both know nobody can beat Hilly when it comes to magic.”
“Perhaps. But if enough Yfel join forces, they may be able to subdue her.” Jake grew pensive and stared at the table. “Promise me something, Chance,” he requested.
“Anything, brother.”
“Protect your sister at all costs.”
“Done. Do the others know about your dad…um, Ryan?”
“Fen, Hilly, and Kai know about his deception. I’ll leave it to you to inform Gabe. Everyone should be aware of what Ryan is capable of.”
Chance grabbed the flask and portioned out the remaining contents into both mugs. “Sounds like tonight will be extraordinary. Here’s to us and to all the magicians who wage a good fight.”
Chapter 15
Gooey Dog
Around two in the afternoon, Fen and Hilly strolled into the reception room and found Chance and Jake snuggled together on the couch. Jake clutched a cushion to his chest and leaned against the arm of the sofa. Chance’s head lay on Jake’s shoulder while his arm reached in front and gripped the same cushion.
Dual throaty snores buzzed loudly.
The women looked at each other.
“I can guarantee you liquor was involved.” Hilly giggled. “This is not the first time I’ve found them huddled together after some serious drinking.”
“They look…almost angelic,” Fen observed. She gently touched Chance’s knee. “Wakey, wakey.”
Chance’s eyelids rolled up displaying the whites of his eyes. “Yikes,” Hilly exclaimed. “That’s not a good look.” Jake snorted, shifted, and grabbed Chance’s arm, pulling it further across him like a blanket.
“Morning, sisters!” Kai shouted as he burst into the room. Jake and Chance jerked, and their eyes shot open. In a stupor, the two men blinked slowly and looked at Kai, Fen and Hilly.
“Well, now. What’s going on here?” Kai teased.
With the drowsiness chased away by Kai’s intrusion, Chance realized he was hugging Jake and pushed him away. “Morning,” he grumbled as he smoothed his clothes and raked his fingers through his hair. “What time is it?” He glanced at his watch.
Jake rubbed his face. Drunken sluggishness consumed him. He swiveled his head first to Chance and then back to the Kemp siblings. “Humph,” he greeted. He tried to stand but couldn’t get off the couch. Finally, with Chance pushing from behind, Jake launched onto his feet. “Morning,” he mumbled as he shuffled by the stunned group scratching his backsides.
Hilly glared at Chance accusatorily. “Let me guess, Chance Kemp. Instead of getting rest, you guys stayed up and drank bourbon.”
“Me?” Chance protested. “How can you accuse me of such a thing?”
Hilly reached forward and lifted a nearly empty bottle of Woodford Reserve from the fold of the couch. “Because this was stuck between the two of you.”
“For once I’m not the one being caught in a compromising position!” Kai exclaimed. He whirled and hurried into the hall. “I’ll check on Jake. He didn’t look so good.”
“Hilly, it’s not like it looks,” Chance explained. “I couldn’t sleep. Jake couldn’t sleep. We stayed up talking and drinking coffee.” A sheepish grin popped onto his face. “At some point we may have started to add bourbon to the coffee to make it taste better.” Chance mulled over his words before adding, “I guess it is very much as it appears.” He dropped his head. “I’m sorry.”
“As you should be,” she admonished. “Thank goodness we have enough time to sober you guys up before Darrius and the others arrive. Darrius would be furious!”
Chance struggled to stand but fell back into the cushions.
Hilly grabbed an arm. “Fen, help me get Chance into the bathroom so we can clean him up.”
“Here you go,” Chance said waving his free arm. Fen grabbed it, and, together, the sisters hefted their brother to his feet. They manhandled his more than two-hundred-pound body down the hallway. Steadying Chance against the wall, Hilly opened the bathroom door and found Kai hovering over Jake whose head was halfway in the toilet.
“Taken. You’ll need to drag your drunk upstairs,” Kai directed.
“Ugh,” Hilly mumbled as she hefted Chance against her body. “I’m not taking the stairs.”
“Oh?” Fen replied. “What other options do we have?”
“I’ll open a portal and shoot us upstairs.”
“Have you ever done that in a small space before?”
“Nope. So, it could be interesting. Hang on, Fen.”
The swirling maw opened at the foot of the stairs. The gateway’s breeze sucked in newspapers that had been sitting on the bench near the front door. “Let’s get in before it sucks other debris in with us,” Hilly cried out as they struggled in with their brother.
The portal closed.
Seconds later, they appeared at the top of the stairs. A tangle of papers shot out with them and swirled about their feet.
Awakened by the commotion, Gabe raced out of his bedroom and gawked at Hilly and Fen struggling with Chance. “What happened?”
“Please help us. Chance is a little drunk and we need to get him sobered up.”
“Here, allow me.” Gabe gently shouldered his way under Chance’s armpit. “I’ve got me cousin. You go back downstairs. I’ll have ‘em right as rain in a tick.”
“That’s very kind of you. Are you sure you don’t want our help?” Hilly asked.
Chance belched loudly and acid fumes wafted.
“Uh-oh,” Gabe warned.
Before they could react, Chance vomited all over Hilly. “Whoopsie.”
“Chance!” Hilly bolted into the bathroom, ripped the shower curtain aside, and jumped in fully clothed.
Fen ran behind her hollering, “Hilly, let me help you!”
Gabe stared after the girls and then looked at his cousin. “Jeezus, Chance, what the hell have ya been eating?” He fanned the air with his hand. “This is a fine mess you’ve gotten us into. With the women in this loo, I’ll need to get you downstairs. Hold tight. I’m gonna try to flick us downstairs together.”
Gabe snapped his fingers.
They appeared in the shower and Kai stared at them. “Where the hell did you come from?”
“Uh-oh,” Chance uttered.
“Clear the way, Kai, Chance is gonna spew!” Gabe warned.
Kai pulled Jake from the toilet as Chance leaned over and vomited. “Oh, I feel like crap,” Chance moaned.
“Urp,” Jake gasped.
“Out of the way, Jake’s gonna hurl!” Kai shouted.
Jake and Chance held onto the toilet bowl and puked while Gabe and Kai sat on the rim of the bathtub.
“I didn’t imagine starting my day like this,” Kai mused.
Gabe chuckled. “Neither did I. You should see Fen and Hilly.”
“Oh?”
“Chance threw up all over Hilly. Fen’s helping her in the upstairs loo right now. That’s why I brought Chance down here.”
Kai sighed. “Welcome to our dysfunctional family, Gabe.”
By the time nine o’clock in the evening rolled around, both bathrooms had been scrubbed cleaned, Hilly had showered twice, and Gabe had mopped the upstairs landing. Unfortunately, the small Oriental rug that caught the fallout of Chance’s purge was deemed beyond salvaging and was disposed of in the outdoor bin.
“Don’t get accustomed to me alleviating your headaches whenever you get drunk,” Fen scolded. Chance and Jake sat in the kitchen while Fen stood behind them and cradled the backs of their heads, applying her healing energy. “This is your final warning.”
“Sorry,” the men said in unison.
Kai shredded lettuce and diced vegetables for a big salad, and Gabe heaped deli slices of turkey and ham on a row of bread slices that had been slathered with a spicy mustard. Then, one by one, he added the tops and cut them diagonally.
“I doubt they’ll be hungry,” Kai whispered to Gabe, nodding toward Jake and Chance.
Gabe glanced at the men. “I don’t care. I could do with a wee bit of food, and I know the girls are famished.”
“Right you are, Gabe.” Kai toted a large bowl of salad to the table and set it down in front of Jake and Chance. He frowned at the two men.
“Blech,” Chance complained as his eyes roamed over the fresh cut veggies.
“Not up for discussion, Chance,” Kai countered. “If you and Jake don’t like the offerings, I suggest you go elsewhere. Are you done with these two clowns, Fen?”
“Sure am. I’m hungry, and that salad looks scrumptious.” She patted Jake and Chance on the tops of their heads. “Okay, fellas. I’m done with you.”
Gabe carried a large tray of sandwiches to the table. “There’s water and pop in the fridge. “Everyone grab a plate and help yourself.”
“Everything looks tasty,” Hilly noted. “Thank you, Gabe, for fixing our dinner.” She smiled warmly at him.
“Hey, what about me?” Kai whined.
“Yes, yes. You did a great job, too,” Fen added as she hugged him.
Despite his protest against the salad, Chance grabbed a sandwich and handed Jake another. The two buddies ate slowly and quietly, pausing in between bites to ensure the food stayed in their bellies.
Buoyed by the kinship he had formed with Kai and Hilly, Gabe felt bold enough to ask a question. “I was just wondering…”
Everyone ceased eating and stared at Gabe who looked back with frightened eyes.
“Wondered what?” Kai asked with an encouraging smile.
Gabe shifted in his seat. “Um…I was wondering which direction everyone is heading tonight?”
Jake and Chance chewed their sandwiches.
“Guys,” Hilly barked, “he’s talking to you. You are the ones leading the groups, right?”
“I can’t tell you,” Jake replied curtly.
Gabe flinched as though Jake’s words had slapped him across his face. He drew in a deep breath and spoke again. “Darrius mentioned yesterday you were leading Fen and Kai to the Guardian boulder.”
“That’s right,” Jake responded as he grabbed another sandwich.
“So, you know where it’s located?”
“Yup.”
“Great. So which direction are you heading?”
“I can’t tell you.”
Kai leaned over and touched Gabe’s arm. “Give it a rest, Gabe. Jake can’t tell anyone where we’re going.”
“Why?”
Jake sighed. “It’s a Prophecy security layer to prevent the Yfel from finding out details regarding the Guardian boulders. We—Fen, Kai and me—have specific duties to perform. No one else can do the ritual that unlocks the boulder except for Fen and Kai, and no one else knows where the Guardians are located around the world, except me. We are all forbidden to speak the words. When we do, our words come out like annoying static electricity.”
Gabe rubbed his chin. “Interesting.” He turned toward Chance. “Is it the same for you? Are you the only one who knows where the family crystal lies?”
“Not exactly. I have hints from Sybil who maintains the family records, but I have to figure it out on my own. I have to use my intuition to home in on the gemstone.”
“What direction are we heading?” Gabe cast a sideways glance at Jake expecting Chance to respond in the same curt manner.
“We’re heading into the Preseli Hills.”
Jake’s eyebrows hitched up.
“Pembrokeshire?” Gabe exclaimed. “I’ve visited the area before.”
“You have? Do you know where Carn…hm, Gooey Dog is located?”
“Gooey Dog?” Gabe looked at Chance with a perplexed face. “Oh, you mean Carn Goedog. I’ve never been there but I’ve been to other carns in the area.”
“Carn go dog? What’s that?” Hilly asked.
“A heap of rocks,” Chance explained.
“Folks in other areas may know them as cairns,” Gabe added.
“Oh, yes. I’ve seen cairns on hiking trails in North Carolina where people have stacked flat rocks to show others they’ve passed. Sometimes they paint words and symbols on the rocks.”
“Carns in the Preseli are more substantial and feature rocks from large pillars to slabs to small boulders,” Gabe explained.
“The Gooey Dog is significant,” Chance continued. “Rocks in this area were used in the formation of Stonehenge. Sybil hinted at my crystal being cradled in the bosom of the carn that had a connection to bluestones.”
“But there’s other carns that are thought to have provided bluestones for Stonehenge. Carn Menyn and Carn Breseb are two I know of. How do you know it’s this one?” Gabe pressed.
Chance paused and pondered all the information Sybil had provided within her pages. “Well, at least Gooey Dog is a start. If it’s not there, I’ll search the other two. As I mention before, I’ll use my intuition to find it.”
