4 - Scriostóir

 

 

The smile that crossed Cerdic’s lips was feral and triumphant as he watched the morning news a week after Jakie and Manny had turned over their spoils to him. Tensions between two warring countries had risen and death was in the wind. The only down-side to his morning was the news that one of his colleagues, a Scriostóir working as a terrorist half way across the world, had met his final demise at the hands of a Caomhnóir. But such was their world. He, himself, had dispatched several Caomhnóir in the past centuries, something he looked upon with pride.

 

Rising from his bed, Cerdic readied himself for the day. When he was finished he studied himself in the mirror. His dark blonde hair was swept back from his forehead and at the moment he was clean-shaven, his normal mustache and small beard sacrificed because they wouldn’t suit the role he was playing today.

 

When he arrived downstairs, he found the boys seated at the breakfast table.

 

Manny whistled in approval as he looked at his mentor. “You should do that more often, Mr. Wyndham. It’s a great look on you.”

 

“I’m glad you approve,” Cerdic replied, chuckling. “Alright, young men, I have a brief announcement. I shall be gone for a week or more. During that time Mr. Shadrick and Gebhard will be in full control of you and the house. I’ll leave your assignment list with Gebhard. Any slip-ups and you will face me when I return. Is that understood?” He looked at each boy in turn, receiving nods of acceptance from each one. “Very good. I know that you will make me proud.”

 

“Sir,” one of the middle boys said, raising his hand, “what if, well you know—“

 

“If you are careless and the police should catch you, you will be bailed out, brought back here, and summarily punished by Gebhard and then you’ll be under house arrest until I return. Therefore it would behoove you, all of you, to be extra careful. I will tell each and every one of you that I have the utmost faith in your abilities and I do not think that will happen. I would not have selected you otherwise.”

 

“Sir,” Jakie’s hand rose. When Cerdic nodded, the boy asked, “Will you call us?”

 

“Of course. Don’t I always? I’ll tell you all about London and what is going on with Hamlin.”

 

“Do you think he still remembers us? It’s been a year.”

 

Ruffling Jakie’s hair, Cerdic said, “You remember him. Why should he have forgotten you?”

 

Jakie shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess he wouldn’t.”

 

“Precisely. Now, all of you, finish your meal and get to work. Just because I’m not going to be here does not mean you may slack off of your chores until the last moment.”

 

“Yes, Sir,” the boys all chimed back in unison.

 

 

3 - Scriostóir

 

Cerdic watched Jakie leave, congratulating himself on having handled the boy perfectly. Jakie had expected much worse. Now he would be even more cautious on the job, and feel an even deeper need to keep doing his best to please the man who held his fate in his hands.

 

There was a time, in the not too distant past, when Jakie’s screw-up would have earned him a beating. But in these modern times Cerdic had learned to temper the impulse to administer a severe thrashing when a boy blew a job, or came close to it. The authorities in this day and age took a dim view of corporal punishment unless they were the ones administering it. And, since he had civilians working with Jakie and the others, to wit Mr. Shadrick, their tutor, he couldn’t take the chance that one of them would decide to report any suspicious bruising to some agency such as Child Services.

 

He’d often thought that was part of the reason it was so easy these days to corrupt the populace in general. They needed outlets for their innate viciousness and depravity. Outlets that were being kept from them by governments and religious organizations who felt it was their duty to legislate morality.

 

At least he, and others like him, were doing their parts to bring down those entities and thus, in the end, humanity itself. His only regret was that it was taking so long, thousands upon thousands of years. If it weren’t for the do-gooder Caomhnóir who were trying to redeem themselves by working for the very superiors they should despise… He shook his head. That mystified him and always would. But, he figured, that was the way of the world.

 

For now, he had to do something interesting with the information he’d gotten from the wallet Jakie had lifted and that in the folder Manny had so conveniently found in a foreign dignitary’s hotel room.  Crossing to his rack of music, he thumbed through the CDs, finally settling on Iced Earth’s ‘The Crucible of Man’. That should put him in the proper mood.

 

Smiling, he set to work.

 

 

Release day - Lochlan: An Apprentice Mage's Tale

 Lochlan: An Apprentice Mage's Tale

https://www.jms-books.com/edward-kendrick-c-224_229/lochlan-p-4711.html

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5WJDZXT/   

 

GENRE: Gay Fantasy Erotic Romance
LENGTH: 49,913 words
RATING:

Mage Roland sends Lochlan, his adopted son and apprentice, to a distant city to steal a valuable item -- a relatively simple task for a thief with Lochlan's skills. On his journey, Lochlan meets two commoners will soon play an important part in his life -- Garratt and his sister, Maurenn, who Garratt is escorting to meet her betrothed.

At first, the young men dislike each other but they are thrown together again when Garratt discovers why Lochlan is in the city and convinces him that he can help if Lochlan will teach him the art of thievery.

Then, there's the problem with Hankin, Maurenn's betrothed, who intends to wed her so he can have an unpaid servant at his beck-and-call. When Garratt finds out, he and Lochlan devise a plan to sneak her out of the city, but only after they retrieve the item Roland needs -- a flask of Vampyre blood. They manage both objectives, and in the process Lochlan and Garratt begin to care for each.

There's a reason Roland wants the blood. He intends to use it a part of a plan to eliminate a coven of Vampyres who hide in caverns on Ayr Peak. As his plan comes together, he brings in friends and Lochlan to help complete it.

Will they find and eliminate the Vampyres? If they do, how will it affect Lochlan's budding relationship with Garratt, especially when the problem of a rogue werewolf needs to be addressed and Lochlan is once again called upon to help his father?

EXCERPT:

"I'm back," Lochlan called out as he entered Roland's house.

"I'm in the workroom, as if you couldn't have surmised as much," Roland called back. "Join me if you would."

When Lochlan hurried into the workroom, the first thing he noticed was the flask he'd purloined from Lord Anfroy's place of business. It was lying on its side with the top removed. Beside it he saw a clear, stoppered vial filled with what he could only presume from its color was the Vampyre blood which had been in the flask.

"How?" he asked in disbelief.

"A simple containment spell which kept light and air from reaching it during the transference," Roland replied as if Lochlan should have figured it out for himself.

"Oh. That makes sense. What will you do with it now?"

"I'm still pondering on that. I may use some of it, because it won't matter if it's pure blood or ash, to call the shade of the Vampyre to whom it belonged. When it appears I will compel it to tell me where on Ayr Peak the remainder of the coven hides."

"That would be a good thing to know if we're going to eliminate them. You might want to ask how many there are."

Roland gave him a dry look. "That thought did occur to me."

"Sorry. What will you do with the remainder of the blood?"

"Create a potion of protection against the creatures. Enough for every man who is willing to go after them."

"Including you and me, I hope."

"Me, definitely," Roland replied. "You ... well, I'll make the decision when the time comes."

"Oh." Lochlan resisted showing his disappointment with the idea he might not be included in the hunt. "Do you have anyone in mind specifically to take on the task with you?"

"I do. One is Tibost, a freebooter and quite proficient thief. There's also a pair of brothers, Walcher and Piers. They are mercenaries by trade, who I have hired when I needed their skills for specific jobs. Lastly, Mage Edarin, an old and trusted friend whose powers are equal to mine."

"Only four men other than you?" Lochlan asked, not terribly surprised at the inclusion of a second mage.

"You want I should put together an army? I think the Vampyres would know immediately if a large group of men was hunting them. It has happened before and the creatures fled to a new hiding spot without engaging in a battle they might not have won. With the men I have in mind it should be possible to approach without the Vampyers' knowledge and thus slay them before they can slay us."

"You need a scout," Lochlan told him.

Roland eyed him with a knowing smile. "I presume you're offering your services."

"Well, I'm not bad at it. It's what I do when I'm trying to decide how to safely enter a home or shop which has something I'm after."

"You have a point, although I'm certain Tibost is well versed in scouting, too. As I said, I'll consider bringing you along."

"I'll come with you whether you like it or not," Lochlan said under his breath, knowing full well that Roland could keep that from happening if he deemed it necessary.

If he heard him, Roland ignored what he'd said as he began preparations for summoning the dead Vampyre from wherever it had gone after its final demise.

 

 

2 - Scriostóir

 

Cerdic looked at the boys as they lined up in front of him, each one wondering who was in for it this time. He moved his eyes slowly down the row, taking in the six faces one by one. At fourteen, Jakie was the youngest of the group and the slickest when it came to lifting something from a mark. Manny was the oldest at eighteen. His specialty was getting in and out of places with no one being any the wiser. The other four ran the gamut when it came to their jobs, but each was a specialist in his own area.

 

Cerdic had collected them one by one off the streets of the city, offering them a place to live, three squares a day, and the security of knowing that if they did as he ordered they’d be safe from the human predators that targeted the young and homeless.

 

He didn’t do this out of the kindness of his heart. Over the last thirteen centuries he had honed his skills and learned through trial and error how best to do what he had to, to please his masters and remain on this side of the veil.

 

Finally, he pointed to Jakie. “In my office, now. The rest of you, eat and then get on to your homework. I expect to hear from Mr. Shadrick that you’ve completed his assignments perfectly.”

 

The rest of the boys heaved quiet sighs of relief as they watched Jakie with pity when he marched slowly out of the room. Noting that, Cerdic smiled to himself. The boys were a good team, made better by the fact that they really did care about each other. He was quite certain they’d be relieved when Jakie returned to tell them he’d only gotten a reprimand and nothing more.

 

“So,” Cerdic said sternly as he walked into the office to find Jakie standing at attention in the center of the room, “exactly what happened?”

 

“I was good, I got what you wanted. The chump didn’t even know. But there was this dude,” Jakie looked down at the carpet. “I shoulda been paying more attention.”

 

“Indeed you should have. I’m very disappointed in you. Did this man see your face?”

 

Jakie shook his head hard. “No, Mr. Wyndham. Least I don’t think so. He shouted and I took off. The cop, well he was at the hotdog cart on the corner so I’m real sure he didn’t either.”

 

Crossing to his desk, Cerdic picked up the wallet that Jakie had lifted along with a set of keys. Flipping the wallet open, Cerdic rifled through it, smiling when he saw it contained what he’d thought it would. Then he turned back to Jakie.

 

“You will spend two hours in the gym with Gebhard. I’ll let him know that he’s to work you until you drop. After he’s finished with you, you’ll do your homework. Understood?”

 

Jakie nodded. “Yes sir, Mr. Wyndham.”

 

“Very good. Now go eat supper before there’s nothing left.” Cerdic ruffled his hair. “You screwed up, but you did well despite that.”

 

“Thank you, sir.”

 

1 - Scriostóir

 

Cerdic watched with one raised eyebrow as the boy ran hell-bent-for-leather down the sidewalk, the cop just a few yards behind him, and gaining ground. The boy would be in for severe punishment once he reached the house, but for now—

 

Cerdic stepped casually forward as if unaware of what was happening, ending up directly in the cop’s path. The officer veered just enough to keep from slamming full force into Cerdic, hitting his shoulder hard instead. He reached out, grabbing the officer to keep from falling.

 

“Are you all right, sir,” the officer asked even as he tried to extricate himself from Cerdic’s grip so that he could continue the chase.

 

“I’m fine,” Cerdic responded. “Please continue on and catch the miscreant.” 

 

With a sharp nod, the cop looked around, muttering angrily when he realized the boy was nowhere in sight. After checking once more to make certain Cerdic was all right, the cop went back down the street, disappearing around the corner.

 

“Miscreant?” someone said, chuckling.

 

Cerdic turned to see one of the older boys leaning against the building wall. “It means—“

 

“I know what it means, thanks. I’m not a total dunce. You gonna kill Jakie when you get back?”

 

“That, Manny, depends whether what he got what he was sent for. If so, he’ll escape with a tongue-lashing. Otherwise…“ Cerdic smiled tightly, leaving the rest unsaid. He knew Manny understood. “Have you completed your assignment?”

 

“Yeah.” Manny glanced around to make sure no one was watching and then handed Cerdic a slim folder, which he immediately slid into his camera case.

 

“Get going then. I expect you back at the house for dinner.”

 

After giving Cerdic a mocking salute, Manny strolled off and Cerdic reentered the hotel that stood half a block away from the UN Plaza.

 

42 - Caomhnóir - Epilogue

 

 

“Los Angeles?” Thom said, staring at Keegan. “Damn. I was rather hoping for somewhere a bit more exciting, like Paris or Calcutta or anywhere out of the country.”

 

“Calcutta?” Keegan’s eyebrows rose in amusement.

 

Thom shrugged. “After six months in the States I’m ready for anything, even there. So what does Alasdair want you to do? Has some Scriostóir decided to destroy humanity by making dozens of bad movies and flooding the market with them?”

 

“Would that it was that easy,” Keegan replied with a low chuckle. Then he told Thom why he, why they, were going there.

 

When he’d finished Thom nodded. “No rest for the good guys. But at least now you can tell him no if you want to.”

 

A broad smile lit Keegan’s face. “That I can, thanks to you.”

 

As he had so many times in the past six months, Thom shook his head. “I had nothing to do with it, not really. It was you being willing to sacrifice yourself to save me that did it.”

 

And as he had, equally as many times, Keegan took Thom in his arms, telling him in no uncertain terms, “If you hadn’t loved me—”

 

“No, if you hadn’t loved me. That’s what it took. That’s what Alasdair told you, and he should know.”

 

“At the same time that he told me that if I ever breathed a word of it outside of his office he would see to it that I was banished to the Stone Age for the next ten thousand years.”

 

“Which,” Thom said, chuckling, “would not make my day. When I’m old and gray I do not want to be avoiding Mastodons and saber-toothed tigers.”

 

“And just what makes you think he’d let you come with me?”

 

“Because, to quote a rather tired but true adage, ‘Whither thou goest, I will go to’.”

 

“Or?” Keegan said, knowing what Thom’s reply would be.

 

“Or we’ll be having roast gryphon for dinner for a long time to come.”

 

The End

 

 

 

41 - Caomhnóir

 

“Screw this,” Thom growled, realizing that he was, to a certain extent, free at the moment even though his hands were still shackled. As the man approached him, Thom took hold of the chain attached to his collar and swung it hard. It did little damage as it hit the man’s hip, but it did make him pause. Remembering how Keegan used his flail, Thom whipped the chain around again, staggering but managing to wrap it around the man’s hand. Then he pulled hard, smiling tightly when the man’s gun hit the pavement of the bridge. At least now they were on equal footing, or would be once he stood up.

 

Ignoring the sound of blade meeting blade behind him, Thom struggled to his feet, moving sideways just enough to avoid the man when he lunged towards him. Sending a silent prayer up to whoever might be in charge, Rialóir Deiridh or otherwise, Thom lashed the chain out one more time, relief flooding him when it did what he’d hoped and wrapped around the man’s throat. Even though the man topped him by a good three inches and at least fifty pounds, Thom moved in to grab the free end of the chain, ignoring the man’s pummeling fists as he pulled it tight. The man struggled to free himself even as his face began to turn dark from lack of oxygen. Finally he dropped down on all fours, passing out seconds later.

 

“Yes!” Thom whispered before turning to see how Keegan was faring.

 

Thom hadn’t realized that during his fight with the man, Darius had moved past them towards the far end of the bridge, forcing Keegan to follow him as they battled. Both men were blood-covered, panting for breath as they tried to best each other.

 

Thom’s first thought was that he had to stop them somehow, before Darius drew Keegan off the bridge, trapping him forever in the place of his death. Then he paused as he realized something he was quite certain neither of the combatants was aware of, Keegan’s Geis did not seem to be affecting him in the least at the moment. That meant one of two things, either Keegan was already too far across the bridge and would never be able to come back, or the Geis had been negated for some reason. And there was only one reason Thom could think of that would cause that. Keegan had somehow been freed from his servitude to the rialóir deiridh.

 

But if that’s so, and he dies anyway, what good would that be he thought, his heart beating fast with fear for the man he loved. “Please, please,” he whispered as he moved closer, unsure what he could do to help rather than hinder Keegan in his battle.

 

The question became moot seconds later when Keegan raised the broadsword in both hands and brought it down with such force that Darius' skull was cleaved in two. As his body fell to the pavement at the end of the bridge, Keegan knelt down beside him taking the dagger from its sheath at his waist. Plunging it into Darius heart, he murmured the ritual words that would set Darius free.  

 

Standing again, Keegan turned to look back at Thom. “I’ll—I'll never forget that I love you,” he said quietly.

 

“Then come to me,” Thom replied just as quietly, backing away slowly to the center of the bridge.

 

“How can I, now? I’m trapped here forever,” Keegan whispered, his voice filled with pain.

 

Thom just shook his head, beckoning to Keegan. “You can come to me,” he said, his voice full of conviction.

 

Needing to show Thom that that was not possible, Keegan took at step forward. And then another, and another. His eyes widened in shock, and then joy, as he slowly walked, and then broke into a run, racing to where Thom stood. He swept him into his arms, holding him so tightly Thom finally asked with a laugh of happiness, “Are you trying to smother me to death?”

 

“Now that would be a bit counter-productive,” Keegan responded with a laugh of his own before he cupped Thom’s face in his hands. “I don’t know how, or why, but I think—”  

 

“That we found the out-clause.”

 

“Yes.” Keegan gazed at Thom, slowly tracing a thumb over his lips, and then kissed him, pouring all of his love and hope for their future into it.

40 - Caomhnóir

 

“Welcome,” Darius called out when he was a few feet away from where Keegan stood. When he beckoned him to approach, Keegan shook his head.

 

“Release him first,” Keegan said with soft intensity.

 

Thom heard his voice and looked up, his eyes wide with hope and fear. “Go Keegan,” he called out, his voice raspy but strong with emotion. “Don’t let him do this to you. Don’t let him—” His words were choked off when the man holding the chain gave it a sharp tug, almost pulling Thom off his feet.

 

“Bastard,” Keegan shouted, taking a few steps to reduce the distance between him and Darius without stepping onto the bridge. “Free him, now!”

 

Darius just smiled, taking his hand from behind his back. “Put this on, then, possibly, I shall.” He held out a collar that matched the one on Thom, a thick chain hanging from it. Keeping the end of the chain held tightly in his hand, he tossed the collar to Keegan.

 

“When he’s by my side, and not before.”

 

Chuckling, Darius turned, telling the man to bring Thom to them, and then taking the chain from him. “The collar, now,” he ordered Keegan.

 

Fighting the Geis with everything in him, Keegan moved onto the bridge. He knew that once he’d put the collar on Darius had only to drag him a few hundred feet back along the bridge to the other side and he would be forever trapped, a prisoner in the place where he’d died, and Darius’ prisoner as well, with no hope of ever escaping.

 

When Keegan hesitated, Darius put one hand on Thom’s shoulder, forcing him to his knees. A slender blade appeared in Darius free hand. He pressed the edge of it against Thom’s throat just above the collar. Then he looked up at Keegan, waiting.

 

Slowly Keegan raised his collar, setting it around his throat but not closing it. “Let him go, Darius, and I am yours. Kill him and you have signed your death warrant.”

 

“No!” Thom grabbed Darius’ wrist between his manacled hands, not to force the dagger away, but to draw it across his own throat. A thin line of blood appeared, trickling down beneath the collar.

 

Darius’ eyes left Keegan, landing on his prisoner as he tried to pull the blade back. That was all that Keegan needed. His flail was instantly in one hand, a broadsword in the other. The sword rose and descended, a glancing blow taking Darius across the shoulder as he spun back to face Keegan.

 

Darius merely scowled as he dropped the two chains. Keeping the dagger at the ready, he was suddenly holding a gladius in his other hand. “Do you truly think you can defeat me, a seasoned warrior, street-boy,” he sneered before lunging towards Keegan. As he did, he called over his shoulder to his accomplice, “Kill his lover.”

 

 

39 - Caomhnóir

 

As he drove north-west towards Galway, Keegan’s rage turned to an icy calm. When it did, and he was able to think again instead of just reacting, he realized there had been something more in to Darius’ message. Reaching down to retrieve it from where he thrown it on the passenger floor mat, he opened it one-handed. At the bottom were a set of numbers, co-ordinates if he didn’t miss his guess. He punched them into the GPS system that came with the vehicle. It took only a moment for it to tell him where he was to meet Darius.

 

He realized that he was to enter the city proper, and shuddered, pulling off to the side of the road because he needed to think. He knew from what he’d been told that his going into Galway would be virtually impossible for him. Unless—

 

He nodded slowly. The Geis was placed to keep him from entering Dún Bhun na Gaillimhe. What if that meant the part of Galway where he had grown up, inside what had later become the walled city? He studied the GPS map again, realizing that the spot Darius had chosen was at the foot of O’Brien’s bridge which crossed the River Corrib. At the far end of the bridge was the area that had, in his youth, been his home. Now, he knew, it was just another part of the modern-day city.

 

“Just be there Darius, with Thom,” he growled as he pulled back onto the highway.

 

It was just past two in the morning when he saw the lights of the city ahead of him. Steeling himself, he continued driving, following the highway until he could pull off onto the narrow city streets. As he did, he felt ever so slightly repelled, as if something was trying to force him to turn back. He knew it was the Geis beginning its work and did his best to ignore it. The closer he came to his destination the harder it became to do that, until for the safety of the few drivers around him he pulled to the side of the street and parked.

 

From there, he began to walk. If it weren’t for his love for Thom and the overpowering need to save him from Darius’ clutches, he would have run away, so powerful was the urge to do just that.

 

Finally, fighting the Geis with everything in him, he arrived at the foot of the bridge leading across the Corrib. By now it was close to three a.m. and the area was deserted, and dark except for a few street lights.

 

Then, from the shadows across the bridge, he saw Darius approaching, followed by a large man holding a chain. At the other end of the chain was Thom, his head bowed as much as possible considering the thick collar that encircled his neck. As they neared him, Keegan could tell that Thom’s hands were shackled as well. He growled in anger, stepping into the pool of light beneath a streetlamp.

 

 

 

38 - Caomhnóir

 

 

“Is there any city in Ireland that doesn’t have a castle?” Thom asked, looking across the river at one as they drove into Cork.

 

“I suppose there must be some,” Keegan replied with an amused glace at him. “Perhaps next time we come here we’ll make it a point to check out all of them. I believe there are well over three hundred.”

 

“That would, umm, keep us busy for a long while.”

 

“Indeed. For now however we need to find somewhere to put up for the night, and not in that castle.”

 

Thom laughed. “Please, not. Once was more than enough.” He watched the road ahead of them, wishing he still had his cell. It would have made finding a decent hotel or B&B easier. “There,” he said suddenly, seeing a B&B sign on a side street.

 

Keegan turned sharply, rolling his eyes. “A bit more warning please.”

 

“Sorry.”

 

Pulling to a stop in front of the building, Keegan turned the car off and they went inside where they were greeted by a very pleasant woman who, as she checked the reservation book, told them she was the owner. When Keegan told her they’d like a room away from the street for the night she smiled, not seeming the least perturbed that he’d asked for only one. Once he’d paid, she gave him the keys, told him that there was parking in back and informed them that breakfast was provided as part of the services.

 

“But supper’s not,” Thom pointed out as they returned to the car. “I’m hungry and, quite frankly, we need to do a bit of shopping, too, for something to wear. I for one am tired of these jeans and shirt after more than twenty-four hours in them.”

 

“Then let’s take care of both problems before we go to the room.”

 

Two hours later they returned to the B&B after a swift spree of clothes buying and a very good dinner at a small bar and grill. Carrying their purchases to their room, they unpacked the various bags, hanging up the clothes.

 

“Be right back,” Thom said suddenly, picking up the keys when he realized he’d left one bag in the car.

 

“Just don’t get lost,” Keegan quipped as he watched his lover hurry from the room.

 

Ten minutes later he was wondering if his words had been prophetic when Thom still hadn’t returned. After another five had passed he was getting worried. Snagging the key from where he’d tossed it on the dresser, he headed to the door. The sudden ringing of the phone stopped him and he hurried to answer.

 

“I have something that belongs to you,” a rough voice said. “A mutual friend suggests, and I quote, ‘If you want it back you return to the place where you bought it’.”

 

“That makes no sense,” Keegan exclaimed, to a dead phone. However as he thought about it he realized it did. The caller obviously worked for Darius, and being no fool, he couldn’t have the man say ‘the place where you died’. “Just what game are you playing now?” Keegan growled as he moved quickly out of the room. “Damn it, Thom has the car keys,” were his next words to himself, as he took the stairs down two steps at a time. When he got to the car he found it sitting with the driver’s side door open, the keys in the ignition.

 

On the seat was an envelope. Tearing it open he found a message from Darius.

 

‘I have your boy. You know where to find him. It’s a trade off, you for him. I suggest you hurry if he means anything to you. I intend to have a great deal of fun with him until you turn up. – D.’

 

“Touch one hair on his head and you will die,” Keegan snarled as he slid into the car. Seconds later he was racing down the streets of Cork, heedless of his speed as he pointed the nose of the car towards Galway—and the violation of his Geis.

 

 

37 - Caomhnóir

 

As he watched the countryside pass, Thom finally asked, “Where are we headed now?”

 

“Down to Cork,” Keegan told him. “We should be there by evening. We’ll find a place to stay and fly out in the morning.”

 

“I never thought I’d say it, but I’ll be glad to get home.”

 

“As will I. This has been a most interesting trip, but a bit of peace and quiet is in order now. That is of course—”

 

“If Darius decides to behave once we get back.”

 

“Which one can only hope, since he’ll be well within Alasdair’s reach by then.”

 

Thom nodded. “I wish Alasdair would send him packing to, oh I don’t know, ancient Rome perhaps. Back where he came from. He can do his thing, maybe keep Antony from meeting Cleopatra, and we can go back to living relatively normal lives.”

 

Keegan chuckled. “As normal as it gets with me around.”

 

“I’m not complaining—too much,” Thom told him with a smile. “And once we find the out-clause in your contract we really can have a normal life.”

 

Keegan glanced at him, his visage turning serious. “Even if there is one, which I doubt, I don’t think I’d want to give up what I’m doing.” Returning his gaze to the road, he continued what he was saying. “I actually like the idea that I make a difference in the world. I know you think I’m a slave but it was my choice. I’m—I don’t know—perhaps at this point a willing slave?”

 

Thom chewed his lip, staring out the window as he contemplated what Keegan had said. “What if there really is an out clause, but you can still be what you are and do what you do?”

 

“Meaning?”

 

“I don’t know; maybe that you still answer to Alasdair but as an equal, and you don’t have to move around from century to century. God only knows there are enough troubles here and now that need Caomhnóir working on them, especially if the Scriostóir are behind them.”

 

“Very true. But that is not going to happen.”

 

“You sound quite certain of that.”

 

“Thom, I’ve been a Caomhnóir for nine centuries, moving back and forth as I’m needed.”

 

“Jumping at their beck and call. When do you get a life of your own?” Thom retorted angrily.

 

“I had that, and blew it. I killed an innocent girl while trying to save my own worthless life. I earned the consequences fair and square. Mar a gcuireann tú, déanfar amhlaidh tú bhaint as.”

 

“Would I be too far off the think that meant, ‘as you sow, so shall you reap’?”

 

“Spot on,” Keegan replied with a smile. “And that is the truth behind the Caomhnóir. We are men reborn. We seek redemption and a second chance at life; to paraphrase something that I read—somewhere.”

 

“Probably some wall in a men’s room in Paris during the Revolution,” Thom muttered.

 

Keegan chuckled. “As I remember, there were no such things back then.”

 

Taking a deep breath, Thom grinned. “Well there are nowadays, and I wish you’d quit putting my phone number up in them.” He moved as far away from his lover as he could to avoid Keegan’s swipe at him, more than happy that the serious mood had abated—for now.

 

36 - Caomhnóir

 

 

“My ass hurts,” Thom grumbled early the next morning.

 

“I’m sorry,” Keegan replied remorsefully. “I didn’t mean to—”

 

Thom stopped his words with a kiss. “It’s not your fault. I mean my ass hurts, my back hurts, my whole body aches from sleeping on this hard dirt floor all night.”

 

“Ahh, all right.” Keegan hugged him tightly before saying, “Now, changing the subject, we need to get out of the city without Darius being aware of it.”

 

“That leaves out the airport. Besides, there’s no way I’d trust a cab now.”

 

“Agreed. And I suspect the train is also out. He’s going to be watching there as well as the airport if he’s got brain one.”

 

“Which is debatable.”

 

Keegan smiled a bit, and then got up, pacing the tiny room. “First to get out of here. They must have a back way or two, in case of emergencies. If we set off alarms, so be it.” 

 

“And then?”

 

“I’m thinking a boat. After all there are two rivers here. We should be able to find someone who’s willing to smuggle us out for a price.”

 

Thom nodded. “I’m beginning to feel like a character in a spy story for real.”

 

“Right now, mo ghrá, that’s exactly what we are.” Holding out his hand, Keegan pulled Thom to his feet when he took it. “So, let us get out of here and see what we can find.”

 

The trip back down the tunnels was eerily quiet. When they reached the public section of the castle, Keegan held up one hand to let Thom know to stay where he was. Then, silently, he went in search of an exit they could use, returning a few minutes later to beckon Thom to follow.

 

“You weren’t kidding about the alarms,” Thom called out as they pushed open the door and klaxons started screaming.

 

They raced away, zigzagging towards the river’s edge and then down and along the bank. Finally Keegan pulled to a stop. “We have to find an ATM or a bank. We’re going to need cash.”

 

Looking at the sun, which was barely over the tops of the buildings, Thom pointed out that banks wouldn’t be opening for a while yet. “So, where’s the closest ATM? Between us we should be able to get enough to keep us going for a while.”

 

It took them a bit of time, but they finally found what they needed and managed to draw out enough money, between Thom’s one card and Keegan’s four, to feel comfortable. Then they walked from there to the quay where Keegan hoped they’d find a boat to rent, or seek passage on.

 

Luck was with them for once. A man who ran a boat rental concession had just arrived at his small booth. He had two boats available, both motorized. Keegan chose the larger one, filled out the forms the man handed to him, showed the man ID in the name he’d put on the form, which was not his own, and paid for a day’s use.

 

When they were on the river Keegan turned the boat west, telling Thom that, with luck, they’d reach the ocean in a couple of hours if the weather held. It did, and they made it to the point and then carefully around it, because the waters were roughening. Following the coastline, Keegan maneuvered the boat south until they came to a small coastal town.

 

“I’m thinking we leave the water and hire a car,” Keegan told Thom as he pulled into a mooring spot beside two other small boats.

 

“And just leave this here?”

 

“We’ll call the man to let him know where to find it once we’re on the road again. Not terribly polite, but safer for us.” Keegan tied the boat off and then the two men walked to the road, heading towards the center of town. “We’re in luck,” he said a few minutes later, pointing to a small pub. “We can get something to eat and find out where we can hire a car.”

 

After a decent pub lunch, they went to a car hire place the waitress had recommended. Using yet another set of ID, Keegan filled out the requisite forms and soon he and Thom were heading out of town.

35 - Caomhnóir

 

“I’m guessing we’re not heading back to the hotel,” Thom said once they were out of the shop. “And returning to the car’s not an option either I suppose.”

 

“You’d be quite correct on both counts.” Keegan leaned back against the alley wall as he tried to decide what to do next. When Thom pulled out his cell phone, Keegan immediately took it from him, dropping in on the ground, grinding it under the heel of his boot, and then did the same to his. “That could well be how Darius and his man found us so quickly,” he explained.

 

Thom nodded. “GPS. But then we didn’t expect trouble.”

 

“Not here, not now. I do however have to call Alasdair to let him know what’s going on. I still find it hard to believe Darius is so obsessed with me.”

 

“Why not, I am,” Thom said, smiling. That earned him, despite the situation, a very heated kiss in reply. “So now what?” he asked once he’d regained his composure.

 

“Now we find a safe place to lie low for the night.”

 

“There’s always the castle, if we can get back inside,” Thom suggested with a laugh. “You know it inside and out.”

 

Keegan tapped a finger against his lip. “That could work.” 

 

“I was kidding.”

 

“I know you were, but I’m not. Come on. I think, if we hurry, we should get there before they close.”

 

“Me and my big mouth,” Thom muttered as he kept pace with Keegan.

 

They made it to the castle without any trouble, arriving twenty minutes before closing time. After a warning from the woman in the ticket booth that they didn’t have much time, she took their money and they went inside.

 

“Just where are we going to find to hide that they won’t check before closing for the night?” Thom asked.

 

“Come, I’ll show you.” Keegan led the way down a stone-walled corridor to a door at the end. They stepped into another, darker corridor that sloped downwards, ending up in what to Thom looked like a long, deserted tunnel. Several minutes late they were in a small, empty room. “There is, was an escape tunnel to Irish Town as it was called back then,” Keegan said, sighing a moment later. “Unfortunately it appears to have been blocked off.” He pointed to faintly different colored stonework on the far wall.

 

“Not quite a four-star hotel room,” Thom said as he took in their surroundings, “but if it keeps us out of Darius’ hands it works for me.”

 

“Wait here. At least we can have something to sleep on if I hurry,” Keegan told him before vanishing back down the hall. He returned fifteen minutes later with two comforters that he said he’d stripped off of one of the displays in the tourist section of the castle. “It’s early yet, I know,” he told Thom as he spread them out on the dirt floor, “but we’ve nothing else to do so we might as well sleep.”

 

Thom sat down on one of them, waiting for Keegan to join him, saying as he did, “I can think of something that will kill some time.”

 

Keegan arched an eyebrow in amusement. “Now why did I think you’d say that mo fear daor?”

 

“Because you know me well, mo ghrá. Besides, I’ve never made love in a castle before.”

 

“Nor have I.” Keegan wrapped Thom in a tight embrace. “Therefore,” he murmured before starting to kiss him, “this will be a first for both of us.”

 

 

 

 

34 - Caomhnóir

 

“We may be in a bit of trouble,” Keegan said, his lips pressed against Thom’s ear while watching where they were going.

 

“Meaning,” Thom mouthed after turning to look at him.

 

Rather than replying, Thom leaned over to tap the cabdriver on the shoulder. “You’re going the wrong way.”

 

The driver ignored him, speeding up instead.

 

“Definitely trouble. Hunker down, and I mean on the floor.”

 

Keegan didn’t wait to see if Thom obeyed as he climbed into the front seat of the cab. The driver continued staring straight ahead, as if totally unaware that he had company, which suited Keegan just fine. With one hand, Keegan grabbed the steering wheel, using the other to land a powerful blow to the driver’s jaw, slamming his head against the side window. Keegan immediately stomped his foot down onto the driver’s foot, which was on the brake, and steered the vehicle towards the curb, ignoring the honking horns of the cars around them.

 

The second he had the cab stopped, Keegan was out the passenger door, slinging open the back door. Thom was beside him seconds later. Keegan grabbed his hand, practically dragging him into the nearest shop. “Back door,” Keegan shouted to the startled clerk. The woman pointed and he and Thom raced to it and out into an alley.

 

Keegan tried two other doors before finding one that would open. Still holding tightly to Thom’s hand, he pulled him inside.

 

If he hadn’t been so frightened, Thom might have laughed. They were obviously in the back of a sex toys shop, something he hadn’t expected to find in a city like Limerick. Keegan was not in the least amused. All he wanted to do was get them away safely and then try to figure out what was going on.

 

He was just about to move to the front of the shop when a clerk appeared, pointing to a door at the side of the room. Keegan cocked an eyebrow in question and the clerk shook his head, thumbing towards the shop’s entrance. Keegan saw the shadow of a man thrown by the light from outside, nodded sharply, and he and Thom quickly went through the door.

 

They found a flight of stairs. Racing up them, they arrived in a short hall on the second floor of the shop. At the end was another flight of stairs leading to the roof. Moments later they were outside. Holding up a hand to tell Thom to wait, Keegan stepped to the edge, lying down flat before peering over. He waited there until a man came out of the shop, looking around before getting into to a car idling at the curb a few hundred yards away. Once the car pulled into traffic and drove off, Keegan returned to where Thom stood.

 

“It seems Darius has taken a leave of absence too, probably without letting Alasdair know if I don’t miss my guess. And he’s got someone helping him.”

 

“Damn it!” Thom growled as he followed Keegan back into the building. “Someone you know?”

 

“I didn’t recognize him, no. But it was definitely Darius driving.” He quickly told Thom what he’d seen. By then they were back down in the shop. He strode to the front to find the clerk watching them from behind the counter.

 

“So that man was looking for the two of you,” the young man said. “At least he believed me when I told him that the backdoor was always locked and alarmed.” He smiled slightly. “I’m hoping you’re the good guys.”

 

“Aye. Thanks for not giving us away,” Keegan replied.

 

“Welcome. I’ve seen him around at some of the locals. He’s a bad one, always causing trouble if he can. In case you’re going looking for him, his name is Donal. I’ve got no idea what the last name is.”

 

“Thanks again. Any problem with us leaving the way we came in?” When the young man shook his head, Keegan and Thom returned to the alley.

 

 

33 - Caomhnóir

 

 

“I feel like we’re being watched,” Thom said as he stared at a hog’s head in one of the booths at the Milk Market.

 

“Then don’t look it in the eye,” Keegan said with a chuckle.

 

“No,” Thom replied, lowering his voice. “I mean for real. Someone’s watching us.”

 

Keegan nodded, getting it then, turning to scan the crowds filling the place. “Would be hard to say who it was,” he murmured. “Perhaps we should go out and take a stroll to see if you still feel it.”

 

“You don’t?” Thom asked, somewhat surprised.

 

“No, but then if there is someone, and not just a local who finds one of us incredibly interesting for personal reasons, he might be shielding from me.”

 

“So you’re thinking it could be—an enemy?” Thom sighed as he led the way back onto the street. “I thought we’d be free of that, at least for a while.”

 

Putting an arm around Thom’s waist, Keegan murmured, “Not necessarily an enemy. It could be another Caomhnóir wondering why I’m here.” As they walked, he opened his mind, trying to locate whoever Thom had felt by their thoughts. “I’m finding nothing,” he finally said.

 

“He’s still there, I feel like there are eyes on my back.”

 

With a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood for a moment, Keegan made it a point to look at Thom’s back. “No, no eyes, but a wonderful ass.”

 

“Keegan, behave, I’m serious.”

 

“I know you are. Sorry. Come, let’s go down here where there are less people.” Keegan steered them into a narrow lane and then, moments later, into another one that back home would have been considered an alley, albeit a very clean one. “Do you still feel him,” he asked.

 

“No. Yes. This is beyond creepy, Keegan.”

 

“I agree, because if it was a friend they’d have shown themselves by now.” Keegan looked up at the rooftops, seeing nothing. “Let’s get back to the hotel.”

 

“Then they’ll know where we are,” Thom said in a tense voice even as he followed beside Keegan.

 

“One could presume they already do. I doubt it was just luck that they found us at the Market.”

 

“But that’s where I was first aware of them.”

 

“As they may have wanted, which would not be good.” Keegan decided that, under the circumstances, walking back to their hotel might not be the best idea and flagged down a passing cab once they reached a main street again.

 

32 - Caomhnóir

 

“I know you never lived in a castle, but if you had, would it have been like this?” Thom wanted to know as he looked at the thick stone walls of King John’s Castle.

 

“Aye, much like it. ‘Tis of the same time, almost, as when I lived.”

 

Thom chuckled. “You’re suddenly developing an accent, my Keegan. Next you’ll be spouting Gaelic.”

 

“Would ye understand if I did?” Keegan said; his eyes suddenly serious as he looked at Thom.

 

“Some, yes, mo fear daor. You’ve been teaching me, even though you didn’t know it. Admittedly just endearments, but it’s a start.”

 

“Aye.” Keegan smiled, pulling Thom back against him as they stood on the battlements, looking out over the Shannon River. “Imagine you’re standing up here and you see Cromwell’s troops outside the walls, laying siege to the castle. It was a bad time, Thom. A bad time.”

 

“You were here then?”

 

Keegan nodded. “I had a mission, as always.” He smiled, turning them away from the view. “A story for another time, we’re here to have fun and enjoy ourselves. Come, let’s explore.”

 

An hour later they were leaving the castle, Thom with some relief. “I don’t know that I could have survived under those conditions,” he commented quietly.

 

Keegan nodded. “War is not pretty, no matter the time or place, but you do what you can to make the best of it. You’re strong; you would have made it through.”

 

“I’m a city boy, born and bred, not a warrior like you, although I suppose, if necessary—” Thom grew pensive as they walked down the street towards the pub where they were going to get some lunch.  

 

“One does what one must,” Keegan told him, giving his shoulders a squeeze as he turned him towards the pub door. “Now, good food, we hope, and a couple of ales and you’ll be back to your normal, cheerful self. Then we’ll go to the Market.”

 

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Thom agreed with a chuckle. “That is if we can even find a seat.”

 

“There.” Keegan pointed to a small, vacant table in a dark corner. Not too much later they were drinking their ales as they worked their way through thick chowder and sandwiches that could have fed a family of four.

 

Finally, stuffed to the gills, Thom decided a walk was in order. “How far are we from the Market,” he asked as he finished the last of his ale.

 

Taking out his cell, pointing out Thom could have done the same, Keegan checked. “According to this, about a ten minute walk, twenty if you insist on looking in every shop window along the way.”

 

“Now would I do that?” Thom said with a grin.

 

“If you didn’t, I’d be worrying.”