Clutch of the Demon (6 page)

You're procrastinating.

The bad tempered voice made her wince. For the second time, she would be walking down a seven hundred foot cliff, jet lagged and exhausted. Her heart was a heavy weight in her chest and it felt ragged and torn. She had no idea what awaited her beneath thousands of feet of rock with a dragon, but he kept his word. She would fulfill her end of the bargain, but first she had to take care of Rage.
 

Cara wrapped her magic around the demon that tossed waves of depression and loneliness at her. Horrible images from her childhood filled her mind. Cara tightened her hold on the spirit and the demon choked. She thought of Sky and Dawn and the demon recoiled when her heart flooded with emotion that eclipsed any other. He scrambled to leave her body, but she hunched over and kept him contained. His power diminished bit by bit. She made sure to keep good memories of her family uppermost in her mind. Rage struggled and fought to stay on earth to wreak more destruction but Cara held on. She braced her hands on the ground and heard him curse her as he slithered out of her and into the bowels of hell again. The residue of his spirit sloshed around inside of her. Only time would purge him from her. She tilted her head up to the sun and wiped the sweat dripping from her brow.
 

She staggered to her feet. The dragon said something, but she couldn't hear over the ringing in her ears. As she started down the familiar goat path, white mist begin to invade the cliffs again and she wondered if the dragon was responsible. During the near vertical climb down, she slipped several times, fatigued and battered from her fight with Rage and Luc. Goats bleated at her as she passed. How the goats managed the narrow path with four legs was beyond her. Even when her legs quivered beneath her, she pushed herself on. When she slid down the hill and crashed onto the rocky beach, she lay there for several minutes, grateful to be on horizontal.
 

It took an inordinate amount of time to pull on her wetsuit. She was shielded from onlookers by the cliffs and fog. She stood on the shore and geared herself up for the hellish trip back to the cave. She remembered the look on Luc's face when the Ancient spoke to him. The dragon and Luc knew one another. Hmm. The dragon would relinquish his protection from her family if she reneged on her end of the deal. All her life she'd been fighting to change her fate and this time she couldn't. Live or die, this was it. She couldn't quite release the fear that the dragon would eat her and use her bones for toothpicks. Whispering spells over the backpack, she waded out into the waves.
 

It took her twice as long to make her way out to sea since there was no strength behind her kicks. She stared up at the Cliffs of Moher, which stretched out for five miles. She clutched the compass in one hand and struggled to keep her head above the choppy waves. She took a deep breath and duck dived before she headed towards the cliffs. The same spell made her drop like a stone and pulled her deeper and deeper. Knowing she had a ways to go before she reached the hollow tunnel, she tilted her head back and watched weak light play over the water before everything darkened.
 

The light on her hands was dim and she knew that wasn't good, but she would save what was left of her magic for air. She slipped the compass into her wetsuit. When she saw the rectangular opening, she kicked off the invisible weights and entered the tunnel. She ignored the claustrophobia pressing in on her senses and used the last of her magic for the last breath she needed. There was an opening at the end of the tunnel, but she was weaker this time and she lacked the desperation that caused her to claw her way to the end. The light died from her hands and cold panic filled her. She kicked with all her might. One hand reached out into the darkness, but didn't hit the dead end she expected. Her lungs screamed and with every inch she advanced, her hands reached out for the rock wall that signaled the end, but it wasn't there.
 

Cara swallowed a mouthful of water and this time when her hands pressed on the stone above her, there was no pool. She kicked and flailed but this time, she hadn't made it. Water filled her lungs and she blindly reached ahead, but there was only emptiness. She couldn't tell if her eyes were open or closed and the last image in her mind was of her sister and mom. She took another mouthful of water and felt something sharp cut into her side. She stopped fighting and let go.
 

You are a foolish human.

Eyes watery with pain, she cracked one eye open and let it flutter shut. She was in the cavern with the dragon and his blazing turquoise eyes. She licked her lips and tasted something sweet. Heat rushed through her and the blinding pain in her chest vanished along with the bruises on her throat and ribs. The constant, nagging pain from her head wound slipped away. The dragon crouched over her, wings unfurled. She knew that wasn't a good sign, especially with the addition of his exposed fangs.
 

"What happened?" she gasped.

She remained prone even though she had that superpower feeling again. It seemed safer to lie as close to the ground as possible. Razor sharp teeth snapped so close to her face that her skin vibrated. She didn't breathe for fear of inciting him further.
 

You drowned!

The mental shout made her writhe on the smooth stone.
 

If you were so weak that you wouldn't make it, you should have told me.
 

"You said I was procrastinating!" she protested.

And if you died, how would I be paid in full?

She snapped her mouth shut as the dragon turned from her. His tail whipped over her and the resulting gust of wind moved her two feet. The dragon let out a roar and blew streams of fire on the walls, which were unfazed by his wrath. She ran a hand over the shredded sides of her wetsuit.

You were five feet from the pool. I nearly ran you through with my talons when I tried to get you out.
 

Cara sat up. The pain was gone, but the poison the demon infected her with couldn't be healed by dragon blood. Although she felt energized, her heart felt as if it weighed one hundred pounds. Rage's spirit was still alive and well within her and it caused her to glare murderously at the dragons back. If it wasn't for him, she would have drowned and this nightmare called life would be over for her.

The dragon turned and she immediately lowered her eyes. As he moved towards her, she swallowed and reminded herself what the dragon did for her. Her temper dimmed. If it weren't for the dragon, Sky would be dead.
 

Where's the demon?

"I sent him back to hell."

Come.
 

 
The dragon walked out of the cavern and disappeared around the curve. She got to her feet and followed, tucking her hands beneath the backpack straps. The dragon's bulk blocked her view of what lay ahead. She watched the way his scales reflected the light from the walls and rippled with every step. She kept a good distance away from his tail, which slithered behind him like a massive snake. She was so preoccupied watching his tail that she didn't pay attention to anything else until the dragon stopped. She looked up and let out a stifled cry when she saw his head rotate around completely. Her eyes rounded to the size of dinner plates and her hands covered her sagging mouth.
 

Come here.
 

When she didn't move, his tail thumped the ground and she staggered. She girded herself into action and carefully slipped between the dragon and the wall of the cave and faced what lay beyond. She stood on the edge of a cliff that overlooked the rest of the massive cave. To her left was a huge waterfall, at least a thousand feet high that covered the air in rainbows and a fine mist. The cave was monstrous and she suspected it extended along the natural formation of the Cliffs of Moher, which meant the caves went on for at least five miles. The caves extended thousands of feet above and below her and that faint glow within the rock pushed away the feeling of being buried alive. The cave was so massive that the dragon could fly to his heart's content here. Little lakes broke up the monotonous view of rock beyond the waterfall.
 

She jumped when the dragon extended his talons. Before she could get away, he closed them around her. They hovered on the edge of the cliff for a heart stopping moment and she twisted around to look up at his face. His eyes flashed a moment before they fell off the edge. They plunged alongside the waterfall and her screams were lost in the roar of the waterfall. The dragon's wings unfurled as they skydived into watery mist. She covered her face with her hands, sure she was about to die. She grunted when the dragon pumped his wings and they rose into the air. She lay sideways in his talon with her hair hanging around her face as he flew through the underground caves so fast that everything was a blur of terror and hair. When the talon released her, she flailed wildly and hit the ground, which was less than a foot away. She scrambled to her feet and tried to dash away, only to trip over her own feet into an undignified face plant. She sat up and glared balefully at the dragon.

She jabbed a finger at him. "Don't you
ever
do that to me again."

The dragon snorted through his nostrils and her eyes watered from the blast of heat. She couldn't stop the shudders that raced over her as she remembered free falling. She felt sick and dizzy and buried her face against her knees.
 

You need to eat.

Cara raised her head and blinked when a silver tray appeared out of thin air on a flat rock. She folded her arms and kept well away from it and looked around. They were at the opposite end of the massive cave. Behind her was a solid wall that extended so high up, she couldn't see the top. To the right was a small cave that looked like a hobbit hole carved into the stone.
 

Eat.

"How can I keep anything down after that?" she groused.
 

Eat before I force you.

She didn't like the sound of that and scowled before she stumbled over to the rock. When she lifted the cover, heat caressed her face and banished the cold sweat. There was a mound of steaming pasta and she sniffed appreciatively. How the hell had a dragon conjured up pasta? Did she even want to know? She wanted to ask if it was poisoned and then figured it didn't matter if it was. There was no escape for her and if he wanted to kill her, she couldn't do anything about it. She leaned against the boulder and ate. Because of the space and constant light, she didn't feel as if they were underground. The dragon sat fifteen feet away and didn't seem as monstrous now that he was in a bigger area that suited him. She could feel his eyes on her.
 

"Water?" she croaked.
 

There's a basin in the cave with fresh water. Go to sleep.
 

Cara didn't ask questions. She walked into the hobbit hole, which had a bed carved out of stone. She ambled forward and pressed experimentally on the mattress before she meandered further into the cave. She peeked behind a stone partition and saw a private pool and bowl carved into the wall. The water was so clear that she could see different shades of color in the rock. She cupped her hands in the water and drank until her thirst was quenched. She pulled out her one change of clothes and whispered the cleaning spell over it before she tugged off the wetsuit. She took a quick dip in the pool and was surprised to find the water warm, almost hot. She was tempted to soak, but quickly washed the salt out of her hair before she dressed and rounded the wall.
 

The dragon was parked in the opening of the cave, waiting for her. Where the hell was she going to go? She met his eyes a little defiantly as she got into bed. Her hands slid over the expensive sheets and the mattress conformed to every curve of her body. She wanted to ask how he managed to get a mattress and one thousand thread count sheets, but was too tired. She wasn't sure how many days had passed since she set out on her mission. Too much had happened in too little time to process. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she drifted to sleep.

Chapter Six

Cara woke up warm and content. She opened her eyes and stared up at a glowing stone ceiling and frowned. She looked down the length of her body and saw the dragon watching her. She shrieked and sat straight up in bed. The dragon didn't move a muscle. He watched her with turquoise eyes that catalogued her every move. She had the sheet pulled up to her eyes. Realizing she must look like a frightened child, she dropped the sheet and tried to act cool and dignified.

She couldn't determine if it was morning or night or if she had slept for minutes or hours. She decided it didn't matter as she slipped out of bed and walked behind the wall to wash her face. She took a deep breath before she came out and faced the dragon. Involuntarily, her eyes ran over him. He was monstrous and too large to measure from his glinting black horns to the tip of his tail. It took every ounce of courage she possessed to walk out of the cave.
 

"So, what happens now?" she asked.
 

What do you want to eat?

Cara blinked. "Anything, I guess."
 

On that same flat-topped rock, another tray appeared with chicken sandwiches and a glass of iced tea. She flicked a glance at the dragon before she began to eat. The dragon turned to watch and she found it so unnerving that she stopped altogether.
 

You don't like it?

She took a sip of the iced tea before she said, "I don't understand what's happening."

You need nourishment.
 

"So you can eat me?"
 

The dragon snorted and she dove for cover as a stream of fire burst from his nose.
 

If I were going to eat you, I would have done so the moment you entered my cave. Besides, I can eat something more appetizing than you.