Page 19 of Spirit Storm

There’s a sardonic chuckle in the background. “All right. Let’s hear it.”

“I had another nightmare in Tharuzel's consciousness, and based on what I saw and the timing, I think it connects to an earthquake that was reported this morning in Ireland.”

The air crackles with power and then, the massive Rift Minotaur is standing in my living room. Orion and Asher both jump, but somehow, I’m getting used to Garrison and his ways.

He meets my gaze with a deeply furrowed brow. “Tell me.”

I go through the dream again, more carefully this time. The cave, the circle, the geometry, the ritual. The black substance in his palm. The runes blazing. All of it.

When I finish, he straightens and stares out the glass doors toward the forest behind my house and the standing stones beyond.

"I agree with your assessment. A significant transfer of soul energy into a fixed physical structure could cause a seismic event. And yes, Ireland possesses many magical caves and tombs which match the description of what you saw.”

“Nailed it.” Asher raises a hand for a high-five, and I widen my eyes at him and leave him hanging.

Garrison, thankfully, is still staring out at my backyard. “Were there any details in the dream that felt minor to you? Peripheral. Things your mind may have skipped because the larger image demanded attention."

I run it back through my mind and try to separate the whole from its parts.

"I don't think so. It was dark and smelled damp. Everything was stone. There were no markings on the cave itself other than the circle. I couldn't see an entrance. I couldn't tell how deep underground they were. I think he was alone… but he might not have been. But other than the runes and the weird oozing blood thing, nothing else."

He exhales slowly.

"Very well, I will look into this on our end and see what I can learn about what happened in Ireland. Be ready, Miss Hallowind. I have a feeling your Life and Death Brigade will be heading into the field in the near future.”

I nodded. “We’ll be ready."

CHAPTER FIVE

Iset my duffel down next to Asher’s. Nobuddy circles it before climbing on top to sniff the zipper. “We better make sure that both puppers are accounted for when we leave. I have a feeling he’s planning on stowing away.”

Asher chuckles, carrying a snack tray to the coffee table in the living room. “You can’t blame him. Who wants to be left behind when there is magic adventure afoot?”

I chuckle, drop into the armchair, and look at the offerings he’s made us. “What’s this?”

He flashes me a waggle of his eyebrows and a mischievous grin. “Colcannon, boxty, and soda bread.”

I laugh. “I was upstairs for like half an hour getting packed and showered. How did you do all this?”

He grins. “If we’re headed off to the Emerald Isle, the house wanted us to be acclimated.”

I tear off a piece of warm bread and groan. “It smells so good. Thank you, House.”

Asher scoffs. “I’m the vessel of all the effort. Don’t I get any love?”

“You get all the love. Forever and always.” I bite into the bread and sigh. “Ohmygoodness, this is heaven.”

While I claim my bowl and set myself up, Asher grabs the remote and pulls up Disney+. “I’m thinking some action/adventure heroism to set the mood.”

I swallow a bite of potato-y bliss and nod. “Agreed. Let’s get our Thor on.”

“Oh, good choice.”

The two of us carb-load and sink into the joy of watching Chris Hemsworth all sweaty and brave. Before long, Somebuddy has jumped onto the coffee table, no longer able to resist the temptation of Asher’s cooking.

“No, little girl. We don’t jump onto the⁠—”

“She’s fine. She can lick the bowls⁠—”