He bowed dramatically. “My lady. Are you all right? I tried to find you, but Lord Furry seemed to have things covered.” He patted me on the shoulder. “We’ll get him next time, dragonlette.”

“I know,” I replied grimly, then moved onto more pressing matters. “Do you realise where we are?”

“I believe we’re in the poorly tended garden of a ridiculously small and quaint bed and breakfast.” He wrinkled his nose. “It’s not exactly the Ritz.”

I gave him an exasperated look. “We’re only about fifty kilometres away from Inverness.”

“Where we first met. Happy times, dragonlette, happy times.”

I kicked him. “Focus, please, Solus. What I mean is we are only fifty kilometres away from the Clava Cairns. The gateway to the in-between place.”

It may have been over half a year, but I had very distinct memories of what it had been like in there – and how thankful I was that the Fae had come to find me and help me get out. I’d not had much choice at the time; I’d needed to get away from the mages and the police, and the portal at the Cairns had been about my only option. I’d been able to open it myself thanks to the fact it had been the Winter Solstice. This time I’d need more help.

He looked troubled. “Yes, it’s not far away. Why?”

“Because Aubrey and I are going to go in. Further in. I just need you to open it up for me.”

“Dragonlette…”

I gave him my ‘don’t fuck with me’ look. He sighed.

“Okay, then. I’m guessing by its proximity, you don’t want to use a portal.”

My stomach heaved at the mere thought. “There are enough shifter and mage cars around. We’ll be there within the hour if we drive.”

Solus gave me a half smile. “Then let’s do this.”

Chapter Twenty One

The Clava Cairns looked much as I remembered. Of course the smatterings of long-haired hippy types were absent, given that it wasn’t the Solstice, so the entire area was as silent as the grave. Which in effect it actually was anyway. I took a moment to pause and drink in the night air. The darkness was comforting, rather than frightening, and the sky was perfectly clear. I traced the shape of the Milky Way out with my index finger. Those stars would be shining long after any of us were still around, even Solus. Even Endor. It was a nice thought that sooner or later the natural world would assert its authority regardless of my own actions. It somehow made the cloud of death that was following me around feel less intimidating and more just the way things should be.

“Dragonlette, what are you doing?”

I smiled at Solus. “Nothing. Just pondering the meaning of life.”

He gave me a look. “Is something going on that I should know about?”

“No.” My cheeks reddened involuntarily. Damn it.

“Dragonlette…” He switched tactics. “Mack, what is it?”

I felt a rush of warmth towards the Fae and leaned over and hugged him. “Thanks,” I whispered in his ear. “For being such a great friend.”

“Why does this sound a lot like goodbye?”

I shrugged and decided the best form of defense was most definitely attack.

“I’m about to walk into the freaking Underworld! Is it too much to ask for a cheesy moment beforehand?” I gave him a glare. “It is kind of scary, you know.”

“Sure.” He didn’t seem convinced. “And you’re so often quaking in your knee high boots at any sign of trouble.”

“Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.” Which was probably why I used it so often myself. “Now, please, can you open up the portal?”

He didn’t look happy, but he jerked his head in agreement and walked past me, and through the narrow corridor of stones, stopping at the end. Aubrey and I were close behind him. The ex-vamp was, for once, staying remarkably quiet.

Solus placed his hands out in front of him, lightly touching the stones. He closed his eyes for a moment and muttered something. Nothing happened. Aubrey coughed. I gave him a quick look and realised amusement was brimming in his eyes. He saw me watching him, and a stifled giggle escaped his mouth. I gestured at him to stop. What the hell was so funny?

His shoulders began to shake. He clamped both hands around his mouth, but it didn’t do any good. More snorts of laughter leaked out. Solus opened his eyes and turned around.

“Are you making fun of me?” He demanded.

Aubrey shook his head as he continued to giggle. Tears began to run down his face, and he eventually gave in, taking his hands away and collapsing in a fit of almost girlish titters.

“I’m sorry,” he gasped. “I don’t know why I’m laughing. It’s not funny. I just…” he snorted again, chest heaving.

I rolled my eyes. “Just get on with it please, Solus.”

His violet gaze was dark and troubled.

“Please.”

He sighed. “How did you get in before?”

“It was the Winter Solstice. The gateway was weakened so I was able to get through.”

“But you couldn’t have just walked in.”

“Oh, no, I said a Gaelic word. Oscail, I think. It means…”

“Open,” Solus finished.

Aubrey began another round of uncontrollable laughing. Both of us ignored him. Solus turned back to the stones and muttered again. This time, there was a crack, and he stepped to the side, then motioned towards the uneven wall. I pulled Aubrey up by his shoulders and looked at him.

“Are you up for this?”

He nodded, wiping away the tears from his cheeks. “Yes, yes. I don’t know what’s come over me, really.” He giggled. “I’m good.”

I shook my head. I’d just have to work it out on my own. “Solus, make sure he gets back to the B&B.”

“No!” Aubrey clutched my arm, suddenly and abruptly sober. “I can do this, Mack. I’m fine, really fine. You need me to come along.”

I chewed my lip and watched him carefully, before finally nodding. ‘Okay. But you need to get a grip of yourself.”

He closed his lips and mimed zipping them up then, without warning, stepped in front of me and vanished into the stones.

I looked at Solus. “Be seeing you.” I hope.

I started to follow Aubrey inside. Solus said something behind me but his words were drowned out in the sudden engulfing silence.

“Well,” said Aubrey, as I began to vomit copiously in a corner. “This IS fun.”

*

When I eventually managed to stand shakily back up, I peered at Aubrey through the gloom.

“Let’s get a move on,” I said briskly, trying to downplay the fact that my reaction to magic portals was continuing to deteriorate.

“Okay. I think it’s this way,” he said pointing to his left.

“You mean you’re not sure?”

“Every entry point is different. I only ever did this twice before anyway. I told you, it’s not the most pleasant of places, even for a vampire.” He gave me a quick smile. “I’ll find the right path eventually.”

He walked off ahead of me. My eyes narrowed after him. At least he’d stopped bloody laughing, even if it seemed we might be wandering around here for days. I sighed and began to trudge after him, trying to ignore the fact that I was actually feeling a teeny tiny bit scared, despite my brave words to Solus. We were so completely into the unknown that it felt as if almost anything might happen. Although I’d been here before, I was pretty sure I hadn’t gone very far at all before Solus had found me and taken me out. This time I was going straight into the heart of darkness, and a darkness that even Joseph Conrad couldn’t have envisaged. Aubrey began humming to himself again. I smiled slightly. At least I wasn’t alone.

The pair of us continued walking for what seemed like some time. Nothing appeared to change. This wasn’t like the mine where the air had gotten denser and the claustrophobic feeling of being underground had deepened with every step that we took. Instead it almost felt as if we were simply walking around in circles. It was dark and gloomy; not the comforting fresh darkness of outside or the oppressive eternal night of the mine, just dark and gloomy forever and ever. My fingertips prickled with heat, but I wasn’t tempted to light the area to see more clearly. I kind of had the feeling that I wouldn’t enjoy the sight. Some things were better left unseen and unknown. At one point, my entire body shuddered when a cold gust of air from goodness knows where brushed by, but Aubrey didn’t comment on it, so neither did I. He just stopped humming for half a beat, then picked up again where he’d left off – only louder. I thought about injecting in a bit of humour and doing what Alex had done for me by adding in a beat. It didn’t seem very appropriate though.

Eventually, Aubrey came to a halt. I’d been so lost in my own thoughts that I walked straight into the back of him. He turned around and hissed at me.

“Shhh!”

“I didn’t say anything!” I protested.

He glared and motioned at me to keep quiet. I opened my mouth to tell him to piss off, when all of a sudden there was a distant rumble. I snapped my mouth shut. The noise seemed to get louder, trundling towards us as if it were a train. I felt as if my heart was in my mouth. The whole space was filled with it. I put my hands over my ears, trying to somehow muffle the sound. Then the ground underneath me started shaking, and I could feel my whole body reverberate with it. My eardrums thrummed and pressure built up inside my head – and then suddenly it disappeared.

I carefully removed my hands from my ears, and listened. There was nothing again. Just the silence.

“What the fuck was that?” I whispered.

Aubrey just shook his head. “We’re getting close.”

A wall of panicked terror hit me then that was so unexpected it almost knocked me for six. I swallowed several times, trying desperately to regain my equilibrium. Getting close was a good thing, not a bad thing. I should be happy. I concentrated on my bloodfire, allowing its warmth to rise up and comfort me. After a few moments, my body started to relax, and my breathing evened out.