Cray scowled, fire still flaring in his eyes. “Nay, I told her to get out of my bloody head!”
“She’s just trying to help,” Julie defended.
“I agree,” Chloe added, growing frustrated with Cray. “So if you could try to be a little more—”
“I willnae try to be anything.” Cray’s nostrils flared and his fiery eyes about spit flames. “Nobody, let alone a foreign dragon barges into my mind uninvited!”
Before anyone could respond, he spurred his horse and headed in the opposite direction of the retinue, obviously taking time to cool off.
“Did he just say dragon?” Baffled, Chloe looked at Julie. “As in Madison’s adragon?”
“It wouldn't be the first time a Broun turned up who was half dragon,” Julie replied. “Though I’m kinda shocked, I never sensed it.”
“In your defense, you’ve barely been around Madison since you met,” Tiernan said. “And when you were your magic hadnae ignited yet.”
“True.” Julie pondered it. “So, a dragon obsessed with numbers.”
“More specifically, the number of men possessed,” Chloe murmured. “Which, if I remember, you were all evenly matched.”
“But only after I killed the one who tried to take you,” Aidan reminded. “So Madison’s right. There was one extra possession.”
“Just like there’s technically one extra Stonehenge in all this if you include either the Irish Stonehenge or the Salem Stonehenge,” Chloe said, referring to the assumed Broun-to-MacLomain ratio of five. Yet the number of Stonehenges, including four in Scotland and two outside the country, made perfect sense if Julie were part of that count. Which she must be if she and Tiernan had the power to close off one of the Stonehenges. “And there's still one extra Claddagh ring in the twenty-first century. Or, more specifically, one extra man of MacLomain blood no one knows about yet, right?”
“Aye, so we assume,” Tiernan said.
“Always one extra,” she murmured, tallying off the number of things that seemed relevant to all this. From the unicorn to the rings to the Stonehenge’s plus everything else. Yet her mind kept going back to America’s Stonehenge. More so, what had happened there a few months ago. What she’d felt about one thing in particular. “I noticed nobody’s mentioned the sacrificial table at Mystery Hill being part of all this. Or the vandalism that happened there.”
When Julie looked at her curiously, she told them about her nausea when she came in contact with the stone. She explained the details of the vandalism and how she sensed it might be more than just kids playing a prank.
“The cops believe the sacrificial table was vandalized with power tools, but I dunno.” She shook her head. “I think it was made to look that way, so what really happened wouldn’t be obvious.”
Julie and Tiernan glanced at each other with concern, likely thinking about the ominous sacrificial table at the Callanais Stonehenge. How it had played a role in the brotherhood gaining access to the Stonehenges. Though its table might not have been the same one on which the unicorn was sacrificed, it was most certainly connected somehow.
“Mayhap that’s how the brotherhood is connected to America’s Stonehenge,” Tiernan theorized. “Through its sacrificial table.”
“I think you're right,” Julie murmured, her magic sparking, her eyes troubled. She referred to her power being born of both the old gods and new. “And they’re definitely accessing Guardian Witch power if a cross was present too.”
A chill swept through Chloe. It was one thing to relate whatever happened at that sacrificial table with the old gods and paganism but to involve God? That just seemed like sacrilege.
“We will heed this new knowledge and pay closer attention to the sacrificial table in the twenty-first century,” Tiernan advised. His attention turned Chloe’s way. “I think the bigger concern at the moment remains how the possessions made you more vulnerable, lass.”
“Aye, Cousin,” Aidan agreed. They continued traveling. “I will keep a close eye on Chloe. With any luck, her igniting magic will reveal all in time.”
Tiernan nodded, glancing back one last time in the direction Cray had vanished. “At least now we know a fiery sunspot on my tattoo doesnae necessarily mean our cousin is finding trouble.”
“I don’t think he’d agree with you on that.” Julie snorted. “But itisan interesting side-effect of two dragons connecting across time.”
“Indeed,” Tiernan said.
Within the hour, River Tay appeared and soon after the town of Perth. She tried to act disinterested with everything but suspected the excitement showed on her face. While the air was certainly fresher here, that wasn’t the case in more metropolitan areas. Rather there were a variety of scents, some better than others. Like bread baking and roasting meats versus smoke, sweat, and horse manure. She counted around forty buildings, including a church, stables, armory, and a tavern. The houses were made with a mix of plank and wattle sides, many boasting slate roofs, some turf.
According to Aidan, Perth was one of the more established towns in these parts, complete with a mercat cross—market cross—at the end of its wide center street. Granted by the monarch, a bishop or baron, this gave a burgh the right to hold a regular market or fair. As a rule, it was located beside houses for nobles, burgesses and other significant inhabitants
She could hardly believe she was here witnessing history. Sure, it might not be overly famous history but history nonetheless. The armory and stables were busy as the retinue made its way into town. It was muddy underfoot, and the mood fairly somber yet raucous hooting and hollering could be heard from the tavern down the street.
“That sounds entertaining,” she commented as Aidan helped her down.
“Aye.” The corner of his mouth curled up. “With so many nobles and soldiers in town ’twill be plenty of lasses about. Some will be looking for a husband, most for coin.”
