The sea was cool as Con stepped in. He dove beneath the gentle waves and swam out into deeper water. Con could see Rhys ahead of him, his yellow scales dimmed beneath the dark sea. The bottom suddenly dropped deeply. Con gladly shifted. He always missed being in his true form, but then all Dragon Kings did.
Living amongst the humans confined and restricted them. There were times Con had to fight to return to Dreagan after a night of flying in the clouds. None of his brethren knew that a few times he almost hadn’t returned.
And none ever would.
He used his wings to swim through the water. It took significant time for them to traverse around the Isle of Skye and into the Irish Sea. Above them boats and ships maneuvered, unknowing of what was below them.
Rhys turned his head and motioned with his wing. “Ireland is right here.”
“Aye, but we’re miles from Cork. I want as close as we can get.”
Con swam faster, and Rhys kept pace, swimming beside him until they finally reached St. George’s Channel.
“Wait,” Con said through their link.
When Rhys paused, Con slowly swam to the surface. He put just his eyes and nose above the water. As soon as he figured out where they were, he dove back down.
“Well?” Rhys asked.
“We’re about twenty miles out.”
They began to swim again, this time staying as close to land as possible. A few minutes later both shifted back into human form and swam to shore.
“We need to hurry,” Rhys said.
“Aye. I have that same sense,” Con said.
They ran out of the water, keeping to the shadows as they rushed toward their friend and fellow King. Yet the closer Con got, the more a sick feeling of dread filled him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Ulrik’s gaze lazily drifted over the streets of Cork. Dark Fae walked the streets as if they owned it. The first of many mistakes Con had allowed.
“Where is the doorway?” he demanded of the Dark Fae with him.
The Dark dipped his head forward. “It’s the next block over in an alley.”
“Show me.”
Ulrik followed the Dark across the street to the sidewalk around the buildings until he came to the alley. He continued down the narrow alley past several businesses, and stopped only when he reached the end of it.
The Dark had painted the back of a building red. He shook his head. It was easy to manipulate the Dark Fae and guess their motives, but they were also very vain and ridiculously idiotic at times.
Ulrik waited for the Dark to point out the exact location. When he didn’t, Ulrik turned and gave him a glacial stare. “As I’ve told you—repeatedly—no one will know you showed me the doorway. Do you doubt my word?”
“Never. I’ve seen what you can do.”
“So why are you hesitating? Again?”
The Dark swallowed and ran a hand through his short, spikey black and silver hair. “I…”
“Ah,” Ulrik said, remembering. He pulled out a small leather pouch from his pocket and tossed it to the Dark, the sound of metal clinking together. “Payment as agreed.”
The Dark’s hand reached out and snatched the pouch from the air, his red eyes alight with satisfaction. “It’s right in front of you.”
“Halt,” Ulrik said when the Dark attempted to walk away. “You’re coming through the doorway with me.”
“What?” the Dark asked in shock, his eyes widening in fear.
“If you just happen to have pointed to the wrong doorway, you’ll be right beside me to correct your mistake. This way I willna have to hunt you down,” Ulrik said, the last part spoken with enough menace to make the Dark Fae anxious.
The Dark cleared his throat. “You’ll need to turn more to the right.”
Just as Ulrik had suspected. The Dark feared Balladyn. Not Taraeth, but Balladyn. That was interesting enough, but not so much that it altered Ulrik’s plans this time. There would come a time when he would need to have a chat with Balladyn. Until then, he would gather information that could be used against Balladyn until he could get the Dark warrior on his side.
“Lead the way,” Ulrik said as he motioned with his hand.
The Dark walked on shaky legs through the doorway, and Ulrik was a step behind him. As soon as he entered, he was in another realm. It wasn’t his first time leaving the realm of earth, and it wouldn’t be the last.
Three steps in and Ulrik looked over his shoulder to see several doorways. The one he entered through had a red haze around it that differentiated it from the others.
“This is Balladyn’s,” the Dark Fae said.
Ulrik saw him pointing to a large B etched into the wall. It was well known that Balladyn marked anything of his. Ulrik turned his head to tell his companion that he was finished with him, but the Dark was already running back through the doorway they had come through.
“Coward,” Ulrik said.