Chapter Thirty-Four

Rick may not like the man, but he felt that Frederick Whitaker may be able to help him get rid of Orion once and for all. During the rest of the flight, Whitaker had explained where he came from and that he was destined to be the next guardian. He turned James down with the hopes that a way to destroy Orion would surface.

He also confided the fact that he truly believed that Tracy would bring the end of Orion – that she would lead her army to victory. “It would’ve been spectacular,” Whitaker muttered as they walked toward the baggage claims conveyor.

At that remark, Rick stopped in his tracks and turned to face the old man with awe in his expression. “Spectacular?” he repeated sarcastically. “Exactly what part would be spectacular? The one where Tracy gets slaughtered or the one where Orion gains access to the Forbidden Realms?” He didn’t allow Whitaker to answer; he merely shook his head in disgust and searched for his suitcases.

Whitaker watched Rick in complete silence and then nodded to himself. Yes, he thought. I am to be judged by those other than myself. “I’m sorry, Richard,” Whitaker whispered, knowing that he did not hear. He turned without a farewell and walked out of the small airport in search of a taxi.

Minutes later, Rick found his luggage and grabbed them and placed them on the floor in front of his feet and turned around. He was surprised to find that Whitaker was nowhere to be found. Rick smiled to himself and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He knew that he had not seen the last of Frederick Whitaker.

* * *

Tracy’s flight went without any problems. In fact, it almost seems as if Orion was ignoring her altogether. What he had planned she could not guess, but she knew that whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t good.

She had rented an automobile from the airport and once she stepped foot on Ireland’s ground, a cold chill raced down her back. Trying to ignore her sixth sense, Tracy glanced down in her hand and read Lot Three written on her ticket. She walked over in the direction and found Lot Three without any difficulty.

She unlocked the door and placed her suitcase in the backseat and sat down behind the steering wheel. She suddenly realized that she hadn’t thought this trip out too thoroughly; she had forgotten to reserve a hotel room in advance. She shook her head in disgust with herself. Then she saw it.

Tracy wasn’t sure if this was an omen or just her eyes playing tricks on her, but she thought she saw a word, Dungarvan, smeared across the windshield from the sunlight and then vanished as the sun changed course with the clouds. She reached into her purse and pulled out her map of Ireland and, sure enough, Dungarvan was found on the east coast.

After a sigh, “All right. That’s where I’m going then,” she told herself and started the ignition.

* * *

Several thousand miles below the crust of the Earth, the man sighed and turned to the other. “This is getting us nowhere. We’re wasting too much time. We need to strike now,” Charles Bolan exclaimed and had to grab hold of the sides of his head before it fell to the ground. He was thankful to whatever dark magic made him “live” again, but to be brought back by Orion, he thought he could have chosen a better companion to spend forever with. He didn’t really give a damn what happened to Tracy or Rick – in fact, the time jump to this present made him sick. The sooner he could do away with the children, the sooner he can become his own person again.

Stolen novel; please report.

Orion raised his white hand in a patient wave. “This, my dear friend, is getting us everywhere. Tracy is heading into Grendel territory.” Orion paused for a moment, pondering the game just as if it were a chess match. “This is most entertaining,” he whispered and Bolan stared at his master behind a confused expression.

Rick dumped his suitcases next to the door and he took off his soaked jacket. He shook his head and dried off what rain he could and scanned the establishment and quickly found the bar. He walked over to it and sat down on an empty stool.

“Not from here, I take it?” called out the barmaid as she walked over to Rick and placed a napkin down on the bar in front of Rick.

Grinning, “What makes you say that?”

She looked at his jacket and then at his luggage. “It rains a lot here, and it was reported that we’d have rain today – no umbrella and a leather jacket? And your luggage, too,” she explained and smiled. “What can I get you?”

“Coffee and information.” Rick did not hesitate and neither did the barmaid. She asked what kind of information he needed and Rick wanted to know where he could get a room.

“There’s a decent hotel about two miles west of here,” she answered and studied Rick’s facial expression. “Something’s bothering you, isn’t there?” She had wiped the same spot for several minutes now as she conversed with the new stranger in town.

Rick looked up from his thoughts. “Nothing that can be solved in conversation,” he replied and then thought of something else. “Are there any haunted places near here?” Obviously this question took her by surprise as she stopped wiping the bar.

It seemed as if she were battling her own demons inside her head before she spoke. “Darvon Keep. Cardiff. East coast,” she answered in a voice that was barely above a whisper. “Why?”

He waited for her to get a cup and some coffee before replying to the question. “I’m doing a story on haunted places in England and,”

She cut him off with a smile. “Oh, is that it?” Rick looked at her questioningly and she slapped his hand in a playful way. “Darvon Keep is a great place, but it’s also rigged. Tour groups go there for a thrill and people sneak in to shag, but other than that, it’s a lame excuse for a haunted castle,” she explained and Rick smiled.

“You wouldn’t be able,” he let his eyes fall into his steaming cup. “To sneak me in, would you?” and then he brought his eyes up and looked deep into her green eyes.

Claudia had agreed, with hesitation, to pick Rick up around six that evening and drive him out to Darvon Keep. He thanked her and made his exit to go in search of that hotel two miles west of the tavern.

The good thing about being a tourist is that all you had to say was “the hotel two miles west,” and every taxi driver knows exactly the one you are referring to. A few minutes later they had pulled up in front of the hotel and the driver helped pull Rick’s luggage out of the trunk and then bid him farewell before driving off.

Rick received the key to his room moments later and he quickly found the correct room. Rick opened the door, dropped his luggage, and crashed his body down on the bed. Lying on his stomach, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, noticed that he had no reception in this area, and then tossed it onto the chair next to the window.

He rolled onto his back and reached for the phone and dialed the 18-digit phone number and waited. At last he heard the voice he had been yearning to hear since he left the plane. “Hey, Babe,” he said with a smile.

The drizzle had turned into a hard rain and this didn’t help Tracy feel any better. The farther east she drove, the quivering in her stomach increased. She placed her hand gently on her abdomen and gave it a light pat. “Come on, hang in there,” she whispered.

Just as she did this her head became clouded and her vision blurred. And within this blurred vision, Tracy saw a young woman sitting in the passenger seat, talking to her although Tracy could not make out much of what the woman was saying.

Tracy looked up and saw that the woman bore a crown and was bedecked in a jeweled gown. “My savior,” was most of what Tracy caught from the inaudible woman. She read that the woman was also pleading with her for something. And then as quickly as the woman appeared, she disappeared.

Tracy blinked and shook her head – her vision and head went back to normal. And when she looked up, Tracy panicked as she saw a tall black-garbed woman waving her arms just as Tracy swerved her car just in time to avoid hitting the screaming woman. She may not have hit the woman, but Tracy ran her car through the guard rail on the side of the road and the car somersaulted its way fifty feet into a drainage ditch. Upon impact, Tracy was knocked unconscious and her body flung about in her seat as her arms flailed helplessly.