“Likely I could dream the answers the Celts sent us to find,” Angus said slowly, “but I hate to take the extra time. Eletea might still be alive, and it feels wrong to not begin hunting for her immediately.”
“I’m not certain the problems aren’t closely related,” Arianrhod muttered. “Mayhap if we do the dragon’s bidding, the rest of the picture will become clear. Sort of atwo birds with one stoneapproach. We know Eletea killed the mage. What remains to be established is if the mage deserved killing.”
“To hear Eletea’s side of things, she did.” Angus frowned. “What exactly are you considering? Ceridwen’s expecting me back.”
“Aye, and me as well, but keeping my kin waiting doesna bother me.” She captured his gaze. “Once we find Eletea, the rest of the problem may well unravel for us.”
His face lit with understanding. “Aye. I bet whoever helped Danne holds answers that dig deep into the dark mage problem.”
“Precisely. Where’d your time portal spit you out?”
“Quite a way from here. We could conjure one, though, since you can enter and exit from any location in Fire Mountain. At least it’ll hasten our departure.”
She nodded and picked up the threads of a spell, pleased when he wove his magic seamlessly with hers. The shimmery, pearlescent maw of a traveling shaft split the ether in front of them, and he gestured her into it.
They’d been in motion for a short time when he asked, “Any idea what year to aim for?”
She barked a short, unfunny laugh. “Nay. Do ye?”
“Perhaps. Let’s think this through. Danne’s help likely came from the two dragons already corrupted by dark mages.”
“How do ye know there are only two?”
He favored her with a grin that made him so handsome, she couldn’t look away. “I don’t. Eletea and I had ample opportunity for talk, and she mentioned Malik and Preki as problem dragons. There may be others.”
“Do ye know the names of their mages?” Arianrhod closed her teeth over her lower lip and sent up a silent prayer they were men she’d heard of.
“That I do. Rhukon and Connor.”
“Aye!” She punched the air with a closed fist. “I know them both.” She bent over and checked a node that flashed by. “We’ll aim for the late seventeen hundreds as a starting point.”
“Excellent.” His smile deepened. “We have a wee bit of time. Tell me what you know of the dragon shifter mages. If a vision comes, the more information I have, the better.”
“Do your visions come often?” Curiosity burned bright, and she leaned closer.
“It depends. Sometimes they arrive unbidden, but more often I have to summon them.” Warmth flared in the depths of his eyes. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”
“Rhukon’s castle used to be in Inishowen, and he had a manor house a few leagues south of Inverness, so he split his time between Ireland and Scotland. He was a fairly minor noble besotted with magic. It’s unlikely either structure still stands in modern time, but we should have good luck in the late eighteenth century.”
“What does he look like?” Angus bent toward her, interest stamped on his even features.
“Tall, heavily-muscled. Shoddy good looks. Dark brown eyes and midnight locks curling about his shoulders.” She shrugged. “As I recall, he favored dandified clothing.”
“I already don’t like him. And the other one?”
“That’s harder. Let me think.” She rustled through her long memory. “Connor’s never been known for his brilliance, yet in tandem with Rhukon, he does present a danger. His family is actually further up the food chain than Rhukon’s in terms of money and power. Despite that, I never could figure out how he lured a dragon to bond with him. Generally dragons are smarter than that.”
“Is he dark like Rhukon?”
She shook her head. “Nay. He has red-gold hair and blue eyes.”
Angus chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” Arianrhod cast a sidelong glance his way.
“They look like their dragons. Eletea told me Rhukon’s was black and Connor’s red.”
“Never thought about it quite that way, but ye’re right. In any event, Connor’s people came from the Highlands, so we should aim for somewhere north of Fort William, at least as a starting point. If we get verra lucky, we’ll find both Connor and Rhukon somewhere around Inverness.”