As the throb of energy reached a peak, and the air came alive with the hum and power of a new day, I raised my arms, holding my palms skyward, letting the raw energy and the trailing mist caress my fingers.
“My brothers of the deep, dark water, and sisters of mist and sky, I beseech thy help.”
In the distance thunder rumbled, a deep earthy sound that made the dark waters tremble. Waves splashed up my legs, soaking past my thighs. The energy in the air seemed to concentrate on my hands, until they glowed with the same red and gold that brightened the skies.
“Show me what happens on our ancient lands,” I continued, my voice soft and yet somehow vibrating across the silence. “Show me the secret ways so that I may stop those who have invaded the serenity of this place and chased away the dragons.”
Again the thunder rumbled, stronger, deeper than before, and for a moment it seemed that the very land under my feet trembled. The mist stirred, and so did the loch, her waters shifting, moving, as if several fingers of current had suddenly formed. The energy encasing my hands leapt away with them, one following the lead of the water, the other following the streams of mist.
I closed my eyes and waited. Even through my closed lids, I could feel the day brightening. Her fingers of light were spreading ever farther, sucking away at the energy of the dawn.
Then the sky rumbled, long and slow, and again the loch stirred. Water hit my legs, swirling upward, soaking my thighs and my stomach, even as it whispered of old ways and secret passages. Then the mist returned, and with it the bright remainders of dawn’s power, regaining its perch on my hands before crawling up my arms and spinning around my hair. Images filled me. Buildings, stairs, and secret ways, along with people, trucks, and boxes.
The scientists were indeed getting ready to move.
“Thank you, brothers of the darkness, and sisters of mist and skies.”
Water slapped at my legs, then leapt away. The energy in the air went with it, leaving me feeling suddenly cold, and more weary than I’d thought possible.
I turned around and walked back into Trae’s arms. “How did it go?” he asked softly.
“I found a way in.” But it wasn’t one he could use, and he wasn’t going to be happy about it. I hesitated, then added, “There’s an ancient passage that runs from the bottom of the loch up to the original basements of our house. The passages that run beyond it lead to the cells where the kids and my mom are being held.”
He released me and stepped back a little. Gold glinted in his still damp hair, warmed by the growing light of day. “If that’s the case, the scientists would be aware of it. It’ll be alarmed.”
“The passage is disguised as a well and is covered for safety. It appears locked from above, but can easily be opened from the inside. It was apparently designed that way.”
Of course, it was highly possible that the passages outside the well room were monitored—in which case, how far I got would depend greatly on how close the scientists were to leaving, and how closely they were watching the security monitors.
He raised an eyebrow. “So it was an escape route for your ancestors?”
I shrugged. “More a refuge from those who would hunt the so-called Loch Ness Monster.”
“I thought it was scientifically impossible for caves and tunnels to form in the rock around the loch. Isn’t it the wrong sort of stone or something?”
“That I can’t say, not being up on all the geology of the area, but this passage wasn’t made by nature. It was made by my ancestors.”
“Ah.” He studied me for a moment, then asked, “How far down is this passage? And how long is the tunnel?”
“There’s no way you can use the tunnel, Trae. You can’t hold your breath long enough to get anywhere near the passage, let alone through it.”
He looked at me, then, and the bright blue of his eyes had given way to the steel of determination. “You are not going in there alone.”
“We have no choice in this. The passage was designed for sea dragons in human form.”
“Destiny—”
“No,” I said, so forcefully he raised his eyebrows. “I won’t let you risk it, Trae. It’s not worth your life.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment, just bent to pick up a stone and throw it in the loch. It landed in the water hard, throwing up a huge splash. The droplets seemed to hang in the air for a moment, glittering and sparkling in the growing brightness of the day.
“I cannot simply sit here and let you walk into a dangerous situation,” he said, his voice edged with an anger I could feel as much as I could see. “I promised to protect and help you, and I fully intend to keep that promise.”
“But not at the cost of your own life.”
“Nor yours.” He glared at me, determination fierce in his eyes. “There’s no way that, with all the security that’s going to be in and around that place, you’re going to get in and out unseen. No way.”
“If I can get in unseen, then I can get out the same way. We have no other choice.”
“There’s always more than one choice. Besides, I’m a very good thief, and I know more than a little about getting through high security.”
I hugged my arms around my chest. “Trae—”
“No. Either I help you, or I’ll stop you.” There was a finality in his voice that brooked no argument. “Besides, there’s one thing you seem to have forgotten.”
I frowned. “What?”
“The kids. If I can’t swim in or out that tunnel, then they’re sure as hell not going to be able to.”
God, he was right. I was an idiot. I sat down on a nearby rock and rested my head in my hands. “Then how are we going to get them out?”
“Easy. I create a diversion while you go in and free the kids and your mom.”
“That still leaves the problem of getting them out of the compound.”
His gaze ran across the water and studied the trees on the opposite shore. “How old are the kids again?”
“The oldest is fifteen, the youngest is seven.”
“So most of them should be able to shift shape and fly?”
I nodded. “All the boys can. Carli can shift, but she can’t hold shape very long. They took her too young and she just hasn’t had the practice.”
“But the others should at least be able to fly across the lake?”
I nodded, and studied him for a moment, watching the glint of sunshine run through the stubble lining his cheeks. Watching his blue eyes glitter and burn. “You have an idea?”
He nodded. “The best way to ensure they don’t notice you sneaking in is to give them something else to worry about.”
“But that could be dangerous. They know how to capture dragons, remember.”
“Not this dragon. Besides, I thrive on danger.” His words were gently mocking, but there was nothing mocking about the caring or determination in his eyes.
“But your skills are sunshine-linked. Our best chance of getting the kids and Mom out unseen is at night.”
“I agree, and yes, my flames are sunshine-linked. But there are other ways to light fires. Hell, matches have been around for ages.”
Matches meant getting a whole lot closer, though, and that was dangerous. But the resolve so evident in his eyes said there was no swaying him. “What about the kids, then?”
“Is there a way up onto the roof?”
I nodded. “There’s an old set of stairs near the cells, actually. I think the scientists have them locked off, but we could break the locks easily enough.”
“Good. Get the kids out first, and send them up the stairs. Twenty minutes after I start the diversion, I’ll make my way up there. I can carry little Carli, and the boys can fly after me.”
“Where to, though? It won’t be safe to bring them back here—they know the little ones can’t fly far, and will search through the closer villages.”
“The scientists are going to be too busy saving their asses and their work to immediately worry about finding the kids or you.”