Dragon Clans Bk. 01 Pt. 20

"I feel strange," Michael said as he sat down on the plush leather love seat in the guest room.

Since the moment they had crossed into Nogardshire, Michael had felt something strange building within him.

Having Aoife back in his head, the sense of impending that washed over him upon first seeing the town, Michael was in a confused state.

Tera and Valerie both regarded him with worried expressions, he looked pale, all afternoon as they walked around the castle it seemed as if he became more and more fatigued.

"I'm scared," Michael said, his halting voice catching both women's breath as they moved as one to his side.

"It's as if the energy is being drained from my body, like this place filled me up and now is taking back that which it gave, only more," Michael whispered as he lay his head on Valerie's shoulder, her auburn hair wrapping him in a soft cocoon.

Slipping her arm around him she looked at Tera, her eyes asking that she do the same.

Together they helped him off the couch and onto the bed. His breathing was shallow and he had lost consciousness.

"Call your Uncle," the fear in Tera's voice evident as her palm slipped to Michael forehead. Covered in a light sheen of sweat it was cool to the touch, which only heightened Tera's concern.

Picking up the phone Valerie dialed a few numbers, in seconds she began to talk.

"Michael is ill Ian, we need to get him to a doctor..."

"Not necessary? You should come up and..."

"I don't understand..."

"But..."

"Yes I trust you..."

"All right Ian, I'll wait but not for too long," Valerie finished her side of the conversation and returned the phone to its receiver.

"Ian thought this might happen, he wouldn't explain further but said it was not something we should worry about. We should just stay with him so he is not alone when he awakens." Valerie told Tera.

The women slid to Michael's sides, arms draping over his chest and abdomen, their hands intertwining behind his head. Both women understanding in that moment just how important a fixture Michael had become in their lives, understanding the un-fillable hole that would be left if he were gone. ..........

Michael stood in the cavern once again.

Looking up there was no light coming from the roof, 'it must be night,' he thought to himself taking in the rest of the cavern.

There were changes since his last visit.

Large livid gouges were fresh along the walls, the normally clear water seemed clouded with a weak yellow tinge to it that resembled the color of the walls.

Only two of the braziers remained in their place, the spaces the others use to inhabit now only baring their tortured remains. Even the sand on which he stood felt different, pocked by indentions that had hard smooth stones at their centers. Bending down he picked up one of these stones, it's surface reflecting the light given off by the remaining braziers.

"Glass," he said in wonder at the globule of sand turned to glass by some type of intense heat. He had heard of lightning producing such things on beaches, he could not think of how they could be formed within a cave. As he pondered this Aoife spoke.

"I am sorry about my outburst the last time you were here and for my silence since," Aoife's strong achingly powerful voice resonated through the cavern and Michael's ears. Its power and sadness were overwhelming.

Michael sat down on the soft sand, the grains sticking to his body as he tried to clear his mind, soaking in both the space and her words; he made no comment waiting for her to continue.

"How did you know the name Sirrush, Michael," there was no accusation in her question, more a sense of foreboding at what his answer might mean.

"It came to me as I was running one morning, Tera and I run most mornings, she was unavailable and I was on my own."

"I had stopped to talk with the rowing coach, on my way back to the flat the name simply came into my head for an instant. In the moment, I thought it was odd but it happens sometimes."

"For as long as I can remember there are bits that float into my mind for no reason, they simply get filed away. Normally, weeks or months later, they come up again in the proper context."

"Last time I was here, you allowed for any question I wanted to ask, that name came back to the fore," Michael answered, noting that this conversation differed from ones in the past, it had an intensity that was unique, as if each word and statement had unknown weight and meaning.

A pause drew out, the silence broken by the occasional stone falling from whatever precarious position it held, finally loosing its battle with gravity, pulled from it's perch, to breach the smooth surface of the lake, it's passing from air to water providing a break in the stillness of the moment.

Finally Michael could stand it no longer.

"Who is Sirrush," Michael asked.

His question, as it reverberated off the walls, seemed to lessen the pressure in the space, breaking the spell the long pause had woven.

"I will explain everything as I can but now is not the time. You're not feeling well Michael, I want you not to worry over this, it is simply part of who you are."

"Nogardshire is a unique place, full of discoveries for you. Rest now, when you awaken in the morning things will be a bit clearer, you will have more questions, I will be here."

Aoife regarded him with her keen eyes; even here he looked different, paler, but also lean and strong. She could sense his worry for her, that his question had angered her. 'Always worried about everyone else,' she thought to herself with a chuckle.

"Thank you for your concern Michael, I feel it radiating from you. There is no need to worry for me, I am an ancient soul, who has seen and felt and lived much along the way, sometimes even I am overcome by the past when it invades the present."

"Be at ease, I am fine, rest now, I shall see you...soon," Aoife said, the caring inflection of her voice calming Michael as he slipped from the vision.

.....................

Michael stirred, eyes opening, the room cloaked in shadows.

Light from the low half moon filtered through the windows and Michael lay there for a while, processing this latest vision, trying to come to grips with it as well as the swinging pendulum of how he felt both physically and emotionally.

As his mind cleared and the fog of sleep finally slipped completely from him he noticed the warmth that bracketed him on both sides.

Sometime during the night both women had changed. From the feel of it Tera was in nothing more than panties due to the silky heat of her curved ass snuggled into his thigh.

She was on his left sleeping on her side, her warm form backed up against him, he felt the hardness of her muscles as they met his side. It was a comforting thing to have such strength so close to him.

On his right Valerie was draped over him.

Her leg intertwined with his, her arm over his chest, its soft supple feel bisecting his torso with a swath of warmth as it lay over him and continued across, her hand laying lightly on Tera's ribs.

The smile of contentment that came to his lips could not be seen, but awakening with two beautiful women on either side of him, it was hard not to smile.

Slowly Michael rose, slipping from Valerie's embrace, trying not to disturb the women who had watched over him.

Tera gave a slight groan as his warmth was removed from between the women; she slid backwards, searching for Michael's now missing form.

Michael watched by the soft light of the moon as the two women moved into the space he had left. They met in the middle of his lingering heat, Valerie sliding her arm around Tera with a little sigh, both women slipping back into a comfortable sleep.

Stepping into the bathroom and gently closing the door Michael turned on the light. His reflection in the mirror told the story of the last day.

His face looked a bit pale, a bit drawn, as if he had just started to recover from an illness. While he felt good, hell, he felt strong; he still looked like a man on the mend.

'Need a shower,' he thought, moving towards the modern walk-in shower, turning the dial to the cold side.

After taking care of his morning necessities he stripped completely and looked at himself in the full-length mirror again.

Tight muscles and pale skin greeted his eyes, the past few weeks with the running and fencing had taken off the bit of fat that had started to accumulate during the weeks following Sasha's death.

The stubble that rubbed coarsely over his palm as he watched the action in the mirror would need to be taken care of. Stretching his hands high over his head he tried to get some of the kinks out and then moved into the shower. The cold water was a shock, causing goose flesh to come up wherever the water hit.

The shower was a quick affair, going from ice cold to scalding hot.

It was a habit Michael had picked up in college, pulling all nighters in his architecture classes which slipped to early mornings for fencing or rowing practice, the alternating extremes always seemed to revitalize him, the case was the same this morning.

Quietly drying off he grabbed a pair of jeans and a thick corded turtle neck sweater, slipping on his hiking boots his eyes lingered on the two sleeping forms nestled within each others arms on the bed. Michael walked over to the bed, pulling the thick comforter over the two women.

"I love you," he whispered as he quietly made his way out of the room.

The cold radiated from the stone floor as Michael walked towards the back of keep.

The quiet of the place was interesting, as it was not actually quiet.

There were the creaks of ancient wood beams settled in their places for centuries but still not, now or ever to be, completely seated, providing groaning testament to the stress placed on them by time and gravity.

The sound of Michael's footfalls as they landed echoed their own passing, as well as the passing of all those before.

The place shrouded Michael, enveloped him, gave him a sense of being not only in the here and now but also inhabiting the past of the place, finding glimpses and moments of time and action, snippets of those who had lived, loved and lost in this place each providing a bit of their own soul to it that now after the passage of so many years, so many emotions so many hopes and dreams those little bits had combined to give the place itself its own unique soul.

Stepping out onto the back terrace Michael found the scene surreal. Looking out over the close cropped tops of the maze, its geometric forms becoming more and more visible in the growing gray light of the dawn Michael was entranced, as he always was, when confronted with these wonders of design.

Lighting a cigarette and taking that first long pull of the day he was startled by a voice behind him.

"Good morning Michael, feeling better," Ian asked as he walked up to stand beside Michael.

Michael took another long pull on the cigarette, willing his heart rate back to a more normal range before answering.

"Good morning Ian, you startled me," Michael said.

"Sorry, I'm usually up early and enjoy watching the sunrise from here. Millie and I have traveled all over the world, seen the sunrise from almost every continent and I am still most taken with this one, I suppose that is one of the definitions of calling a place home," Ian responded, leaning over the black wrought iron railing.

"It's an amazing place," Michael began.

Yesterday he had not had much time to talk with Ian beyond the initial greeting and a few comments during dinner. Regardless, Michael felt an odd kinship with the man and was pleased to have the opportunity to get to know him a bit better.

"I don't feel right, something seems different since the moment I got here and it has me basically scared out of my wits."

"The last few months have been the hardest most trying emotional time of my entire life. Valerie's call was like a lifeline, something I could grab onto, to keep my head above water," Michael paused, taking a final pull on his cigarette, holding the smoke in his lungs, feeling that tiny bit of lightheadedness that always accompanied that first cigarette before continuing.

"Six weeks ago I put a gun to my head Ian, all I could find was despair heaped upon an unyielding grief."

"Today I have two amazing women in my life and," Michael paused again, rotating his neck, trying to relieve some of the tension that seemed to be rapidly building.

"...there are other odd things, things I have no frame of reference for, feelings that, if I heard them from someone else, would seem crazy but seem perfectly normal because they are mine," Michael sighed and pulled another cigarette from his pack.

The sun breached the horizon during the pause, there was a moment of gray and then the yellowish gold light of the sun bathed the plateau in a golden hued swath.

"You have been through a lot in the past few months," Ian began as he gestured for Michael to follow him. The two of them walking down the wide stairs from the terrace onto the rock path that lead away from the maze.

"I have done some checking on you Michael, I know about Sasha and your unborn child, know that you almost didn't make it through their loss."

"Valerie is very important to me so I had some friends check on you, make sure that she was not falling in with someone who would hurt her, I hope you understand," Ian said as they walked towards the battlements on the south side of the plateau.

"I do, it is understandable, Valerie has told me about how you and Millie adopted her after her parents died, I can't imagine what that must be like. I appreciate that she is dear to you and that you are looking out for her." Michael said as they reached the top of the stone wall that surrounded the castle grounds.

The town was alive below them. Michael was a little shocked by the amount of activity going on below them as people bustled around preparing for the first day of the festival.

Ian smiled as he noted Michael's surprise.

"The festival is a very old tradition here, everyone gets involved and looks forward to it every year. Many of the people down there are 8th and 9th generation. Many leave but most seem to find their way back here once their wanderlust has been satiated," Ian said as he turned and began walking along the top of the wall.

"I wouldn't worry too much about how you are feeling Michael, as you have said it's been a trying couple of months. You've gone through much and it may just be starting to catch up with you only now. Take the next few days, relax, don't fight the emotions and feelings that may come up. Look at them with a keen eye, learn where they come from and their meaning, you are welcome to stay as long as you wish, any friend of Valerie's and all...," Ian finished as they came to wider point on the wall top, it opened out into a large octagon perhaps 20 feet across.

Michael moved to the edge and surveyed the valley below as it stretched out before them. The rolling hills were taking on their winter colors, the lush greens of summer fading, being replaced by the sun baked tans of all fields in the fall, after giving up their bounty and now at rest before beginning the cycle again.

"Valerie never mentioned what you do," Michael asked turning from the landscape and regarding Ian in the now clear light of morning.

"I am CEO of consortium of companies. The board is made of members of other European families, together we buy companies, add to our portfolio and manage the wealth that each of us has been able to accumulate over the years."

"It is interesting work, with our holdings ranging from aerospace to energy to biotechnology and everything in between, it lends itself to a busy and interesting life." Ian said regarding Michael with a keen eye trying to judge his impression of what he had told him.

"It does sound...interesting, I would think it would be difficult to keep the other members of the board focused on what is best for the consortium instead of what is best for them," Michael commented, interested to learn more about Ian's life.

"Each member heads up an individual division which, historically, each of the represented families come from."

"For instance, our Japanese member has a long history in technology, so he oversees our technology holdings."

"Setting it up this way each member controls, to a point, industrial sectors that they have a history with. This allows everyone to not only stay with what they are comfortable with but also to focus on their own strengths, trusting the other members to do the same." Ian explained.

"Would I know the name of the consortium," Michael asked, curious about the size of the organization.

Ian smiled at Michael, enjoying the gentle thrust and parry of their conversation.

"Unlikely, as the consortium itself is privately owned, we don't show up on stock exchanges and the like, many of the companies we have an interest in are publicly traded but we like to stay behind the scenes as it were," Ian finished as they walked back towards the keep.

"Thank you for the walk Ian, I am glad we had a chance to talk, I hope we can do so again soon."

"I had better go wake up my girls, I wouldn't want them to worry if they wake up and I'm not there," Michael said extending his hand.

"It has been my pleasure Michael, I am sure we will have more time to talk as the days go by, go wake up Valerie and Tera, breakfast should be ready in about a half an hour," Ian said shaking Michael hand with a smile.

"See you in a few," Michael said as he turned and went through the French doors, feeling better and better with every moment that past.

Ian watched as Michael disappeared into the house, 'an amazing young man,' he thought as his cell phone gently began to ring at his side.

"Hello," Ian said answering the phone.

"We have lost track of Nicolas," Nigel's worried voice on the other end of the phone sent a chill down Ian's spine.

"Find him Nigel, find him quickly," Ian said as he hung up the phone staring out at the maze, a sense of unknown dread falling over his consciousness. .........

Nicholas walked across the tarmac with a smooth easy stride.

His few days in the country had left him revitalized, the time for worry and concern had passed, the future was his.

Stepping into the plane he smiled; before the weekend was out the world would be a very different place indeed.

"Lets get going," he snarled at the pilot.

"I have a festival to attend."

*

Author's Note: Just a quick thank you to all the readers who requested Ch. 19. I appreciate everyone's interest. I have a question up on my blog about the second book, if you have a chance drop by and take a look. As always thanks for reading me. VjaxM.