Page 62 of Celtic Dragon
“They were here?” Connor asks.
“Yes, and thirty minutes after they dropped the girls off, they left. They left our girls there alone, which really pisses me off. They were instructed to stay with the girls until we arrived. So, tell me, why would they leave?”
Connor shakes his head. “My guess is that they’re not ready to face us after everything they’ve done.”
“Everything they’ve done? Care to fill me in here?”
“It really doesn’t concern you, Caden,” he says.
“Doesn’t concern me?” I ask incredulously. “Are you fucking out of your mind? I just risked the lives of three of my brothers, not to mention my own, to get your sorry ass out of prison. And you have the nerve to tell me it doesn’t concern me?” I stand up and get in his face. “Get this straight,Uncle: this does concern me. Your sons drew me into this fucked up bullshit and this is all just as much my concern as it is yours. So, let’s try this again—and I will only ask nicely once, family or not. What aren’t you telling me?”
Connor and Aillise look at each other as if to ask if they should divulge any more information. Connor turns back toward me and speaks. “As I’m sure you’ve figured out by now, your aunt and I have spent our lives dedicated to seeing that Ireland becomes an independent republic. Your grandfather was a sniper in the 60’s for this same reason. From what I’ve been told, Draco was a legend in his own right. One night, he made a stupid mistake and almost lost his life. He walked away that night and never looked back. He packed everything his family could carry and took them to the US.
“When Aillise was eighteen, she left the US and came back to Ireland and joined the cause. Ace and her parents remained in the US. Ace was already a member of the Knights and Draco and Fiona were getting up in years. When I first saw her, Aillise was walking the streets in Belfast placing propaganda on cars. I know it’s clichéd, but for me, it was love at first sight.”
“That’s all well and good, but I’m really not looking for a fucking romance novel here,” I say.
“I’m getting there, I just wanted to give you a bit of background. So, we met, fell in love, and married. We spent the remainder of our lives buried in the cause. We became key soldiers and quickly moved up in the ranks.”
I nod. “I did learn that you were high-profile prisoners and that your capture was a major coup for the British.”
“Yes, that’s why we were off by ourselves in the prison. They didn’t want us in touch with any other prisoners. Many of those housed in the prison are IRA.” He looks back to Aillise and she nods. He turns back toward me and continues, “After the boys were born and grew, Damon and Patrick became involved in the cause as well. They were power hungry and as they got older they really hated taking direction from us. When we began to notice this power struggle between the two, we decided to send Balefire to Ace. We believed that adding our third son into the mix could be detrimental to our family as well as the cause.”
“So, you didn’t send him to the States to keep him safe. You just didn’t want another member of your family questioning your power. How selfish can you get?” I ask.
“It wasn’t like that. It was definitely for his safety. Damon and Patrick always walked all over Balefire. They picked on him, teased him, and never really gave him credit for his abilities. We were afraid that if he got caught up in the IRA his older brothers would swallow him up. We wanted him to be able to be his own man without their influence. Then, if he ever wanted to come back, it would be his call.”
Well, that’s the first time something they said actually made sense.When I think back to what I witnessed between Rebel and his brothers over the last few days, I think sending him away really was the best thing for him. But I know there’s got to be more. The more Conner talks about Damon and Patrick, I get this sickening feeling that I’m not gonna like where this story ends.
He continues, “About two weeks before we were captured, we were planning a protest in Belfast during the Twelfth of July Parades.”
“Twelfth of July Parades?” I ask.
“Yeah, these parades take place in many different locations in Northern Ireland. It is the Orange Order’s biggest marching day and celebration.”
“Orange Order?”
“They’re a Protestant fraternal group based primarily in Northern Ireland, but they also have a significant presence throughout the UK as well as in the US. Their members wear orange sashes and are commonly referred to as the Orangemen. They’re a Masonic brotherhood sworn to maintain the Protestant Ascendancy. They were named after a Protestant king, William of Orange, who defeated King James II in the Williamite-Jacobite War at the Battle of the Boyne. James II was Catholic. They’re best known for their yearly marches, the biggest being the Twelfth of July parades.”
“So what was the problem with these parades?” I ask.
“A simple protest was planned because the Parade Commission and the PSNI ruled that the marchers weren’t allowed to march in front of storefronts owned by known IRA members. We were pissed about the ruling and decided to make it known. During the planning process, it was decided that Damon would take the lead on this. It was the first time the organization had put Damon in charge of anything. The night we were arrested was the first night of the planned protest. It turned into a riot that escalated across Belfast and Northern Ireland. Damon ignored the senior IRA advisors who clearly wanted no violence. Petrol bombs, blast bombs, and even ceremonial swords were used. Clashes between loyalist and nationalist crowds erupted into total chaos. Over fifty of us were arrested across Northern Ireland, including Aillise and I. Most were taken to the general population of Maghaberry prison and we were isolated. We believe this was Damon’s doing.”
“It took them two weeks before they called Rebel about the two of you,” I state.
“That doesn’t surprise me. We believe that they wanted us out so they could move up the ranks. As long as we were in their way, they would always be stuck behind us. It’s quickly become clear to us that for them, power trumps family loyalty.”
Fuck! This is all making perfect sense now.Damon and Patrick weren’t stupid; they were blocking us at every turn. I thought back to all the interrogations we made, all the dead ends and the wasted time.Those fucking assholes.
“Caden, I also believe they are the reason your boys experienced so much trouble tonight. What happened in Cell Block B wasn’t a coincidence. They knew your plan and tried to sabotage you.”
“Does Rebel know any of this?” I ask.
“No, we never expressed our concerns about them with him before. He is clueless about what his brothers have done.”
“Good.” I sit back in my seat and close my eyes.All this shit is enough to make a man go insane. My family is the most fucked up group of individuals. Hell, I’m beginning to think that my mom, Ari, and Rebel are the only sane ones. Actually, fuck that—I don’t think, I know!
“Caden, there’s more,” Conner says.
