20 - Caomhnóir

 

It took Keegan two days to heal from his wounds. He might be immortal to all intents and purposes, but he still was human enough that the amount of damage he’d sustained had left him weakened and in need of that much time before he would be able to travel again.

 

While he waited, he placed a call to Alasdair. His first words to his ceannasaí were, “Assignment completed.” The next were, “Is Thom all right?”

 

Alasdair congratulated him, and then said, “Thom is fine to the best of my knowledge.”

 

“To the best of your knowledge?” Keegan growled. “You were supposed to have been watching over him.”

 

“Calm down, Keegan. We have been. Darius has made it a point to run into him twice in the last few days, always at the club. As far as we can tell however, all they’ve done is talk for a few minutes. Unfortunately both of the men assigned to keep an eye on Thom are human, I had no Caomhnóir that I could spare to babysit him. The men are good, but they can only judge by what they observe and though Thom looked upset, he’s done nothing irrational.”

 

“In other words, Darius is playing mind games.” Keegan sighed deeply. “As long as he keeps it to that and nothing more until I get home I can handle things from there.”

 

“When will you be able to return? How badly were you injured?”

 

Keegan chuckled. “You know me well. I should be able to move by tomorrow, so send a plane if you would.”

 

“I shall. Now I want the details on what happened on the assignment.”

 

For the next half hour Keegan filled Alasdair in on everything that had occurred. “I doubt,” he said in conclusion, “that the terrorist’s death will make the papers as his body will never be found.”

 

“Unfortunate, that, but necessary.” Alasdair chuckled. “He’ll become another bin Laden in the minds of those who are supposed to deal with such things.”

 

“Too true,” Keegan agreed. “Perhaps we should target him next?”

 

“What makes you think we’re not?”

 

Keegan laughed. “Point made and taken. All right, I should let you get back to your job.”

 

“And you to your healing. The plane will be on the tarmac,” Alasdair paused momentarily, “at O180.”

 

“Thanks.” Keegan broke the connection and then picked up the phone again. He had one more call he had to make. One that to him was even more important than calling his ceannasaí, although he knew Alasdair would have disagreed wholeheartedly.

 

 

19 - Caomhnóir

 

I can do this. I don’t know how, but I can. It’s the least that I can do to avenge Keegan.

 

That thought ran through Thom’s mind over and over as he tried to figure out how he could reach Alasdair and then destroy him as he had destroyed Keegan. He knew where the ceannasaí was, that part was no problem.  His place of business, if that’s what it could be called, was on the top floor a highrise building at the edge of the downtown area of the city. Ostensibly Alasdair was a high-powered lawyer with associates and the rest of the rigmarole that went with that. 

 

The creature, as Thom now thought of him, a word he would never have used in reference to Alasdair until an hour ago, also had a large home just outside the city limits. It was there that Thom had had his one and only meeting with him. That had been almost six years ago when Keegan had insisted that Thom and the ceannasaí should get to know each other. It had been obvious to Thom from the moment Alasdair had set eyes on him that the man considered him riffraff, someone not worthy of Keegan’s attention, to say the least of his love. Keegan had disagreed with Thom’s assessment of the situation, saying that was just his ceannasaí’s way. Thom was quite certain that was not the case.

 

Throwing himself down on the sofa, he stared up at the ceiling, not seeing it but rather remembering all his time with Keegan. As he did his grief overwhelmed him and he began to sob. After what seemed hours he was finally empty of tears.

 

It was then that he had the first rational thought since his last words with Darius. He sprang to his feet, calling himself every kind of fool. The bastard had played him, and done it well, so well that he had believed Darius without question. He should have known better, he knew exactly what Darius was.

 

“Did he know that I’d want to do something as stupid as trying to go after Alasdair,” Thom growled to himself. “That would be a death sentence. For me, not Alasdair. Damn him!”

 

His first impulse was to track Darius down and do to him what he’d wanted to do to Alasdair. Then he shook his head, vaguely amused at himself for even considering that. The bastard Caomhnóir would be no easier to kill than Alasdair. In other words, it would be impossible.

 

But there was another alternative, once Keegan returned. And deep in his heart, now that he was thinking rationally again, he knew the man he loved would come home. They would deal with Darius and, some way, somehow, end what he was doing.

 

With that thought, knowing there was nothing he could do at the moment, Thom dragged himself upstairs, suddenly more exhausted than he could ever remember being. He fell into bed, not even bothering to undress, closed his eyes, and slept.

 

 

18 - Caomhnóir

 

“Would you say ‘No’ if I offered to buy you a drink?”

 

Thom turned slowly on the bar stool, gazing with slightly blurred eyes at Darius. “Go away,” he spat out.

 

“Don’t be mad at me because I told you something you didn’t want to hear.” Darius smiled, taking the seat next to Thom, flagging down the bartender to order another drink for Thom and one for himself.

 

“Why are you here anyway?” Thom asked. “Don’t you have better things to do, like saving the world?”

 

Darius chuckled. “Did that this morning and now I’m home again, which, I gather from the fact that you’re here on your own, your devoted Keegan isn’t.”

 

“Well he had to—” Thom shook his head, turning his back on Darius.

 

“I heard he was going after a Scriostóir,” Darius said very quietly. “Unfortunate. That means I’ll have to give up my campaign to win him over as he’ll be dead soon enough for real.”

 

“You lie!”

 

“No, Thom, on this I do not lie. Keegan has been set up. If he isn’t dead already it’s only because he is moving slowly and carefully on his assignment.”

 

“I don’t believe you,” Thom whispered, spinning around to stare at Darius in horror.

 

Darius shrugged, lifting his glass, saying with apparent sincerity, “A toast to the late, great Keegan. May he finally rest in peace.” He put on hand on Thom’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. It shouldn’t have happened.”

 

Thom buried his face in his hands, fighting back tears. He would not give Darius the pleasure of seeing him cry. Finally he lifted his head to look at the Caomhnóir. “Who?”

 

“Who betrayed him? Why his ceannasaí of course. Who else could do that and get away with it.”

 

With a slow nod, Thom turned to pick up his glass. For a long moment he started into it before asking. “Why would he do that?”

 

“Because of you.” Darius stood, gripping Thom’s shoulder again for a long moment. Then he turned on his heel and strode out of the bar.

 

 

 

17 - Caomhnóir

 

Two people were in what Keegan presumed was the master bedroom. He could hear one pacing, his thoughts moving rapidly from one thing to another as he mentally planned how to attack his next target. The other person in the room was having totally different thoughts as she watched the terrorist. Keegan knew it was a woman from the tenor of her imaginings. For a second he got distracted, wondering if the position she envisioned herself and the terrorist attempting was even possible.

 

The angry voice of the terrorist brought Keegan back to what he was doing. Moments later the door flew open and the woman came into view. “He’s probably in the kitchen, fixing yet another snack,” she said dismissively as she headed towards the stairs.

 

When she reached the bottom and crossed the downstairs’ hallway, Keegan was a few yards behind her. By the time she was opening the door to the kitchen he was a foot behind her, moving so silently she was totally unaware of his presence until his arm snaked around her throat and the kahnjarli pierced her heart. He choked off her cry of surprise, still holding her against his body until the last of her life fled. Then, after glancing around and spotting a large walk-in freezer along one wall, he thrust her still form inside.

 

“Two down, one to go,” he whispered so softly that if anyone had been listening they would not have heard him.

 

Silently he returned one more time to the second floor. The door to the room was still open and he could hear the Scriostóir pacing back and forth. Keegan sensed his angry thoughts as he waited for his two bodyguards to return.

 

“They’re dead, I’m afraid,” Keegan said with a sardonic grin as he stepped into the room.

 

The Scriostóir swung around to face him, a cavalry sword hanging loosely in one hand, a double-barreled ‘howdah’ pistol pointed at Keegan’s chest. “I wondered when one of you would be sent after me,” he said, an evil smile curling up his lips.

 

“Not soon enough,” Keegan replied as he stepped to one side, his flail reappearing in his right hand, a great sword in his left, which he held as if it weighed no more than a fencing foil.

 

“Just a bit behind the times aren’t you?” the Scriostóir commented as he pulled the trigger of the pistol.

 

“Sometimes the older the weapon, the better,” was Keegan’s reply as he adroitly leapt out of the way of the two bullets speeding towards him. “And now you’re down to one weapon until you get a chance to reload.”

 

“One is all I require.” The Scriostóir danced easily out of reach of the great sword’s blade, coming in under the swing, thrusting the saber up, intent on skewering Keegan through the gut. He was partially successful, the tip of the blade tearing an inch deep gash along Keegan’s ribs.

 

In turn, Keegan brought the head of the flail swinging down on his foe’s arm with bone-crushing ferocity.

 

The battle continued, each combatant bringing forth a new weapon to counteract that of his enemy’s. Blood spattered the floor and walls; furniture was used to good affect either to give one or the other of them the advantage of height, or for momentary protection.

 

In the end, it was a mighty blow from a battle axe that defeated the Scriostóir. Blood flowed from his severed arm as he sank to the floor, staring up at Keegan in shock.

 

“You were a worthy opponent, evil though you are,” Keegan said with respect in his voice. Then he took a small, ceremonial dagger from its sheath at his waist. Kneeling before his enemy, he said, “Mar a fuair bás duit aon uair amháin, mar sin beidh tú bás arís. Síochána a bheith agat le an am seo,” plunging the dagger into the heart of the Scriostóir.

 

*****

 

((Mar a fuair bás duit aon uair amháin, mar sin beidh tú bás arís. Síochána a bheith agat le an am seo  -  As you died once, so you will die again. Peace be with you this time.))

 

 

Explore 'Bone Isle', if you dare.

 Bone Isle

https://www.jms-books.com/edward-kendrick-c-224_229/bone-isle-p-4660.html

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZM63ZNZ

GENRE: Gay Paranormal Romance
LENGTH: 32,349 words
RATING:

Six friends:

Tyler, the oldest at 26, is a waiter, a bit of a playboy, and a cynic.

Neil, 21, is the newest and youngest member of the group. He's innocent, almost naive, a college junior, and has a crush on Tyler.

Jake is 25, the tacit leader of the group. He works at a big-box store.

Dave, Jake's life partner, is also 25, who works at his father's hardware store.

Pete, 22, is straight and a college senior studying communications.

Bart, Pete's roommate at the university, is also straight and 22. He's studying accounting.

When the six young men decide to spend spring break exploring Bone Isle, reputedly a pirate hideout in the 1800s, they have no idea what's in store for them. They soon find out it's not all fun and games.

EXCERPT:

Leaving their shirts, shoes, and socks in the cabin, Jake and Dave got their sleeping bags and took off, having decided to sleep in the shelter of the outcropping of rocks farther down the beach.

"Alone at last," Jake said, laying out his sleeping bag next to Dave's. "For a second there I thought Neil was planning on getting everyone else to join us."

Dave chuckled as he finished undressing. "He was, until Tyler shushed him."

"At least he got the message," Jake said as he stripped and they settled on the sleeping bags. "Have you noticed that Tyler stopped being such an SOB toward him today?"

Rolling on his side, Dave put a finger over Jake's lips, muttering "Why are we talking about them when there are better things we could be doing?" Then, he kissed him.

From there, things progressed as they knew they would. Eventually, they came with muted cries of release as they didn't want to telegraph what they'd been doing. Not that their friends didn't know of course, but still. When they could move and speak again, they took a quick dip in the ocean to wash up and then cuddled together, sharing a few kisses.

Jake quickly fell asleep. Dave was almost there as well when he thought he heard something moving a few yards away where the trees met the beach. Cautiously, he lifted his head to look. There was nothing there that he could see but he still had the creepy feeling they were being watched. He put one hand over Jake's mouth, put his lips close to Jake's ear, and said, "There's something out there."

Jake jerked awake, aware enough to say, very softly, "An animal?" when Dave moved his hand. "Or one of the guys sneaking up on us, thinking they can scare us to death?"

"I don't know." Dave shivered. "It felt ... does it make sense to say malicious? Creepy? Besides which, we haven't seen any animals since we got here and I don't think any of the guys would do that. I hope."

"Doesn't mean animals aren’t out there and avoiding us." Jake sat up and looked around. "Was it in the forest?"

"Yeah. I heard it move but couldn't see it. All I can say is, it sounded bigger than a squirrel or chipmunk."

"The ghost of a pirate, afraid we'll find where he buried his treasure." Jake's words were teasing. His expression said otherwise. "Maybe we should go back to the boat. It's possible someone else is on the island, maybe docked farther up the coast north of us. They might be taking a late night stroll and ..." He shrugged.

"Possible, I guess, but I'd still rather be on the boat than out here, just in case there's more than one of them and they're looking for trouble."

Jake agreed, so they quickly picked up their clothes and sleeping bags and hightailed it back to the boat.

"Thought you were going to sleep on the beach," Tyler said, getting a gasp of surprise from Dave when he climbed onto the deck. "Sorry, I couldn't sleep so I came out here to watch the stars."

"You didn't happen to see anything, or anyone, did you?" Jake asked him.

"No." Tyler frowned. "Like a person?"

"We don't know," Dave replied before telling him what had happened.

"I suppose it could have been another guy who decided to do some treasure hunting, too," Tyler said when he finished. "Too bad he didn't show himself. I think, in the morning, we'll take the long way around the island to get to the stream. That way we can see if there is another boat docked along the coast."

"I sort of hope there is," Jake said. "I'd be much happier knowing it was a person and not a large animal or ..." He chuckled. "A pirate's ghost."

Tyler nodded, smiling briefly at the ghost comment. "Me, too." He suggested that Jake and Dave shouldn't say anything to the others about the mysterious whatever that Dave had sensed. "We don't want to scare them, especially after finding the pile of bones up the canyon," was his reasoning.