Chapter 27
Now, I was born with the Sight, mind you, enough that I could see the spectral energies of the beasties, but even then, I could barely track what Seiji was doing.
Likely ’cause all of those energy wires he was pulling from thin air made no sense at all, but he clearly knew what he was about.
He didn’t falter, not once, a fierce frown of concentration on his face.
Gwyn, she was right there with him, even managed to tie a few strands of energy under his guidance.
She was delighted with her own success, as she should be, because if Seiji had asked me to do that?
Well, it’d be a snarled mess, much like if a kitten caught hold of a ball of yarn and then was caught by his human and made a mad dash for it.
I let them work, just tooling about the area, looking out for things. Ghosts wandered by without notice or care of us. Fine for now, not like I wanted their attention.
Mostly, though, I admired my man. I had a weakness for smart men, and smart men who could wield a sword with deadly intent?
Oh, that was my love language, there. Then God decided to pour that lovely package into a man with good looks and a fine arse, and was it any wonder I was smitten with the man on first meeting?
I knew he was mine, instinct was dead certain there.
Would take a bit more convincing to get Seiji to see the same, but he was a more cautious sort, tended to take his time.
It was fine. I’d enjoy romancing the socks off him.
Davina teased, as a cousin was wont to do, but she was pleased, too, that I’d found someone I wanted to date. Been a moon’s age since that had happened. I was already intent on sending her home alone. Like hell would I be separating from Seiji before I had to.
The sun rose sharply, becoming noon, and people returned in dribs and drabs.
Gwyn paused her own work with Seiji to help me pull out the massive picnic basket we’d packed up the night before.
We got it spread out in the back of the SUV so people could pick up sandwiches, chips, cookies, and sports drinks as they fancied.
Hannah and Beau came back first, parking next to the SUV before getting out. Hannah beelined for the food.
“I’m starved,” she muttered, picking things up and balancing them in one hand. “Good timing, whoever did this.”
I saluted her with my open sports drink. “Cheers.”
Beau paused near Seiji to ask, “How are things going?”
“I think we actually have the area mostly mapped out. There might be a few spots left to cover?” Seiji turned his head, looking over the landscape, and somehow gave the impression it wasn’t the sand and rocks he was seeing. “Yes, there’s two spots that way. I trust Quinn and Eli to get them.”
That was their area.
Beau gave a huh of surprise. “Already?”
“The area was fortunately smaller than I feared.”
“Oh, that does help.” Beau’s eyes darted between me and Seiji in question. “So do you want to go down into the mines today?”
“I do,” I admitted, looking hopefully at Seiji. Play with me? Please?
Seiji shot me a quick wink, but his tone remained calm and professional. “Have the daylight, might as well take another good look.”
“And Lachlan’s itching to go play,” Beau finished knowingly.
“And he’s dying to play,” Seiji agreed.
I hadn’t been able to stab anything in weeks. I itched for action, no harm in that.
Another thread appeared, distracting Seiji, and he focused once more. Hopefully he would be done soon.
I got my own lunch and ate it quickly, still keeping a weather eye on everything around us. I did not trust this place, not one bit. No one sane would. I saw several friends rejoin us, Brandon and Mack being two of them. Seemed people were wrapping up and coming back in for lunch and directions.
Seiji blew out a breath and his hands dropped to his sides. “Finally. Done. I’ve got a firm boundary in place now. Nothing will escape here until I let it. Has anyone texted Eli and Quinn to come back?”
“Not that I know of.”
He grunted, pulled out his phone, and presumably did it himself. He was texting, that much I could see.
I finished off my sandwich and pointed him to a spot on the porch near me. “Sit, leannan, I’ll fetch you lunch. You’ve been standing there a good three hours.”
“Thanks.” Seiji did sort of plop there, not even trying to sit gracefully, and blew out a tired breath. Then he paused. “Will I need to buy a Scots-Gaelic dictionary?”
I snorted and kissed his forehead before rising. “I’ll translate. That one means sweetheart.”
Was that a blush tinging his cheeks? Aww, he was cute. Why was he so cute? Seiji and I had talked very briefly about our dating histories; I knew he’d not dated in years, as I hadn’t. Seemed a rotten shame to me. He was well worth the effort.
I got up and fetched his lunch. Davina and Booker had rejoined us at some point, and she sidled in behind me and muttered near my ear, “Could you stop lookin’ at the man like you’re going to eat him? There’s children present.”
I pointed a finger at myself. Me? I wasn’t thinking naughty thoughts.
Well, just one or three.
Again, the man had a fine ass. I was only so strong.
Davina rolled her eyes in exasperation and pushed my back. “Just get the man’s lunch. And are we going in right after we eat?”
“Might as well.”
Brandon overheard this and he turned, frowning. “I really do not like the idea of you and Seiji going down alone.”
Davina corrected this. “I’m going down as well.”
“Oh yeah? Okay, I feel marginally better. I know I won’t be much help down there, but is there anything we can do?”
Sadly, strong as my friend might be, he’d stand no chance against this beastie.
Frankly, I wasn’t sure if I stood much of a chance against it.
The only one I had faith in was Seiji because, to my Sight, he stood in a tornado of energy.
Like he’d summoned magic to him and was holding it, just because.
Seiji had explained that this land locker was charged with energy, and even if I couldn’t see it, I believed him, just from seeing how much ambient energy clung to him.
I shook my head. “Can’t think of a thing, sorry, mate.”
“Actually, there is.” Seiji was sipping water between speaking. “I’ve a tether I can attach to us, something you can draw upon to guide us back to the surface if we get lost down there.” Then he pointed to Gwyn. “Gwyn’s the only one who can hold it.”
“An anchor point,” Brandon mused, looking at his apprentice. Well, Mack’s apprentice, but she was Brandon’s too, that was clear. “Now that makes me feel better. Honestly, I’m just as afraid of you three getting lost down there as you coming across that demon-beast thing.”
Having been in the mines before, I said, “It’s a concern, for sure.”
Gwyn had her hands full of sandwich but swallowed hastily to ask, “Will I need to be near the mines?”
“At the mouth,” Seiji confirmed.
That was as close as I wanted Gwyn to the mines, too.
She was in a very precarious spot in her learning and would have no real defense against anything bad coming for her.
Personally, I prayed this thing wasn’t a demon.
Or something trying to become a demon. I’d no luck or talent killing demons.
But beasties, ah, those I could cut down.
The Scots knew that in the depths of crevices, in the darkest parts of the planet, there existed evil unlike any other.
Not everything was known to man. Now, fortunately, a foot of steel normally handled the problem.
I certainly hoped for that here. I did not want Seiji or Davina in real danger.
I’d take the beastie head-on if it came to that.
We finished up eating, Gwyn sneaking an apple to the two horses. Very much a horse-girl, that one.
Then it was time to go hunting.
No lie, my hands tingled with anticipation and part of me was anxious and ready to move. I checked the claymore on my back, the four dirks strapped to my thighs, the sword at my waist, and the flashlight I could strap to my head.
Very important step, that. Hard to use a flashlight and fight at the same time. Bit of experience had taught me that. Had the scar to prove it.
No, I wasn’t too bright when I was fifteen.
Davina pulled me over to the porch again and sat me down. I went, not in the habit of arguing with ladies, but didn’t understand what she was doing until I felt her fingers start carding through my hair.
“Do I look a mess, then?”
“Stop taking the piss,” she grumbled, fingers still moving. “Do you not remember the last fight you did with your hair down? You were eating it half the fight.”
“Saliva’s great for hair,” I countered, grinning. “Ask any cat.”
“Hush. I’m not going home and explaining to the family aye, he died ’cause he was too busy spitting hair out of his mouth.”
I snickered because she really would tell the story that way.
While Davina braided my hair, Seiji worked with Gwyn so she knew not only how to hold the tether, but also how to read it?
Energy reading wasn’t my field, so I couldn’t follow more than one word in three, but just look at him, so calmly explaining, talking about things few could understand. Made my heart go pitter-patter.
Davina leaned in to whisper near my ear, “If you die because you’re too busy staring at his arse, I won’t let you live that down, either.”
I gave her quite the side-eye. Granted, if I died at the hands of a beastie, that would likely be the reason.
Still, seemed we were as ready as we could be. I turned on the light—I could never find the button once it was on my head—and strapped it on. Then I looked to Seiji. He nodded, picked up his own weapons, and strode for the mine entrance.
The town had been built rather close to the mine entrance, which I wouldn’t have done. Not with knowing how volatile TNT could be. It served us now, though. Everyone else followed along, Beau moving the SUV closer so he could sit comfortably and wait.